Chapter 72: The Capital Camps (2)

Chongzhen said, "I will establish a new logistics camp within the Capital Camps. From now on, combat troops will only train and fight; tasks such as building camps, repairing damaged weapons, and laying bridges and roads will all be borne by the logistics camp. Their pay will be issued at seventy percent of a soldier's rate. Combat troops will henceforth receive one tael and two mace of silver per month, not counting rations. All military pay and provisions must be issued in full actual amounts. I will dispatch the Ministry of War and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to station in the camps to supervise daily military discipline and the distribution of pay and provisions. Anyone found in violation will be beheaded without pardon!"

Both men were deeply shaken—surprised at the generous treatment of the elderly and weak soldiers, yet harboring doubts about the new positions appearing in the army. Wei Shichun bowed and said, "Your Majesty, what will the fixed establishment of the Capital Camps be afterward? Your minister knows the treasury is empty; if there are too many soldiers, raising the pay and provisions will be a headache indeed!"

Chongzhen smiled smugly and said, "That the treasury is empty is the truth, and anyone with eyes knows it. But within a few days, a great windfall will fill the treasury, and I also have several methods of increasing revenue that I intend to implement. When that time comes, the lean days of our Great Ming court will be gone forever! Hahaha!"

Looking at the two puzzled men, Chongzhen put away his smile and continued, "Let us finish discussing the Capital Camps before speaking of other matters. First, the establishment: henceforth the Capital Camps will have a full strength of sixty thousand men, while the logistics camp's numbers may be flexibly managed. The Five Army Camps will be reestablished, each camp with one Grand Commander holding the rank of Regional Commander, commanding ten thousand troops, overseeing the deputy commanders, assistant commanders, Mobile Corps Commanders, assistant strike commanders, and camp duty officers of the three sub-camps. The Divine Engine Camp will be established, its camp commander holding the rank of Regional Commander, commanding ten thousand troops—four thousand gunners, four thousand long-spearmen, and two thousand sword-and-shield men."

After taking a sip of tea, Chongzhen continued, "The Capital Camps have been in decline for a long time; reforming them cannot be accomplished overnight. After you two take over the Capital Camps, your primary duty is to clean house and reorganize. Any officer or soldier with ability who is willing to serve the Great Ming—no matter whose faction they belong to—will be retained. Those who hold posts without doing their duty, and those who merely register their names to coast along, will all be expelled from the camps regardless of their background! Keep today's matters secret for now, my two ministers. In a month or so, when the time is ripe, everything will proceed according to today's plan. Remember, tell no one—not even your closest kin!"

Xue Lian and Wei Shichun nodded gravely. After all, the Duke of Cheng's faction had deep connections in the military and close ties with certain civil officials and eunuchs. His Majesty's stripping of their military power had already cut into his vital interests. If preparations were insufficient, in this turbulent situation, who could say what might happen? The two also knew some secrets of the palace—both the Zhengde Emperor and the Tianqi Emperor had suddenly fallen into water while boating, and soon after died of illness. What the true cause had been was terrifying to contemplate.

Evidently the present His Majesty had also thought of this, and was therefore preparing a foolproof plan, waiting until everything was ready before seizing power. If someone refused to accept the loss of military authority and attempted treasonous acts, the consequences would likely be miserable beyond measure.

Chongzhen had placed the reform of the Capital Camps more than a month in the future. His considerations were, first, that during this period Xue Lian and Wei Shichun would mobilize all their connections to thoroughly untangle the intricate relationships within the Capital Camps and seek allies among the nobility and imperial relatives. Both men came from families ennobled for generations as marquises and earls, and their family friends were no ordinary figures—each held considerable networks and influence.

Second, historically the Eight Banners' breach of the passes and raid on the capital was imminent. Since Hong Taiji had not yet completely conquered the Mongol tribes, the Mongol Eight Banners were not yet fully formed; this incursion would likely be led primarily by the Manchu Eight Banners.

This time Chongzhen intended to deal a heavy blow to the Eight Banners, annihilate their effective strength, hurt the Manchus badly, shatter their arrogant claim that Eight Banner troops beyond ten thousand were invincible, and force them to cower back in Liaodong. Then, once the government forces had thoroughly exterminated the roving bandits, he would mobilize the full might of the nation to wipe them out completely.

With a great battle imminent, the reform of the Capital Camps would have to be postponed—at a critical moment, one could not afford extraneous complications. Chongzhen wanted to use the momentum of a great victory to establish his authority and intimidate those fence-sitting opportunists. As long as he held overwhelming force in his hands, those nobles and powerful figures whose interests were harmed could only endure in silence. Once their claws were cut off, what awaited them would be even harsher punishment.

Chongzhen had never intended to let Zhu Chunchen and Li Guozhen off. One was the Duke of Cheng, the other the Earl of Xiangcheng—families that had enjoyed the splendor and wealth granted by the Great Ming for generations. Yet when the roving bandits attacked the capital and the Ming empire hung by a thread, they did not fight desperately to defend it, did not stand or fall with the nation—instead they opened the city gates and knelt in surrender to the enemy. Such ungrateful villains had no reason to exist in this world, and their families could only suffer the misfortune of the fish caught in the net.

After a moment of thought, Chongzhen changed the subject and said with a smile, "You two ministers are men of wide acquaintance, with large households—your daily expenses for food, clothing, and upkeep must be considerable, am I right? I know both your houses have people skilled in business. How do you go about making money?"

Xue and Wei hurriedly bowed. Xue Lian said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, your minister has three sons and two daughters, three wives and concubines, and over twenty servants and maids. My household owns eight shops in the capital, mainly dealing in cloth and grain, plus a restaurant. The yearly income, besides supporting the entire family, leaves a small surplus. When Your Majesty previously ordered contributions, your minister was ashamed to have donated only seven thousand taels of silver—of little benefit to the treasury. But my household is not one of great wealth; that silver was essentially my entire fortune!"

Wei Shichun reported, "Your minister has one son and two daughters, two wives and concubines, and over ten servants and maids. I own five shops, dealing in the same goods as the Marquis of Yangwu. My last contribution was three thousand taels—I too am ashamed before Your Majesty!"

Chongzhen sighed and said, "I have a good idea of both your fortunes. Among the nobility and imperial relatives, besides you two, only the Marquis of Xinle, the Earl of Hui'an, and Imperial Son-in-law Gong Yonggu have successively contributed to aid the state. The sums were not large, but I keep this loyalty in my heart. The Great Ming has stood for over two hundred years—how many dukes, marquises, and earls are there? Has my Zhu family ever treated them poorly? Yet at this time of crisis, how many remember the grace of the imperial house?"

Xue Lian and Wei Shichun hung their heads in silence, feeling both indignation and sorrow. They knew well how perilous the current situation was—Liaodong, Xuanfu and Datong, the Capital Camps, bandit suppression—the military pay and provisions consumed by these fronts were staggering. It was precisely these enormous military expenditures that were gradually dragging the Great Ming into the mire. They themselves had done their utmost to assist the court, but their strength was too meager. Families like the Duke of Ying and the Duke of Cheng, with their vast resources, turned a deaf ear to the Emperor's contribution order, not giving a single coin, shaming the imperial house completely. How could this not provoke fury?

Chongzhen continued, "I wish to increase revenue, but I lack skilled managers to employ. Fortunately, both of you have business operations under your command. Here is my proposal: I provide the capital, you provide the manpower, and we—sovereign and ministers—will earn silver together, dividing the shares when profits come. With money in hand, many difficulties will resolve themselves. This is also one of the purposes for which I summoned you today!"

Xue and Wei were naturally very willing to engage in moneymaking, and the sovereign and his ministers reached an immediate agreement. Chongzhen then explained in detail the plan to take over the border trade routes at Zhangjiakou Fort, and how to use strategic goods such as grain and iron to control the Mongols. As for the specific operations, professionals under Xue and Wei would handle them. Chongzhen also proposed that the several marquises and earls who had contributed earlier should jointly participate. Xue and Wei readily agreed—they knew their own strength was still too weak, and more partners meant more strength and more connections. If managed well, the profits distributed over a few years would be quite staggering.

Finally, they agreed to establish a new trading house named Sihai. The other participants would select a manager to handle business affairs, while the several families would handle the other necessities of commerce. Xue Lian, Wei Shichun, the Marquis of Xinle Liu Wenbing, the Earl of Hui'an Zhang Qingzhen, and Imperial Son-in-law Gong Yonggu would each hold one-tenth of the shares, while Chongzhen alone would hold five-tenths. The operating capital would be provided by Chongzhen, and profits divided according to shares. Xue and Wei felt ashamed to receive a tenth of the shares without contributing any money and strongly urged that theirs be reduced to half a tenth. Only after Chongzhen's gentle persuasion did they reluctantly agree—though inwardly they resolved that once they earned silver, they would contribute generously to the Emperor to repay the imperial house's grace toward them.

After the discussion concluded, Chongzhen kept the two for a meal. After finishing the midday meal, the two left the palace and went to the Marquis of Yangwu's residence to secretly discuss how to carry out today's plans.