Chapter 112: Governor-General of Five Provinces

On the way back to the palace, the Chongzhen Emperor walked quickly, because he was truly furious inside.

Originally, this outing was meant to find a place to walk and talk with Chen Qiyu, but who would have thought that after going out, not a single word of official business was spoken—instead, he discovered a pile of sordid affairs hidden right under his own feet.

After returning to the Warm Chamber, Wang Cheng'en, Li Ruolian, Wei Zaode, and several others had already received word and were waiting there. The Chongzhen Emperor plopped himself down in his seat and said:

"Wang Cheng'en, draft the edict. Take that steward of the Duke of Chengguo's mansion and that so-called imperial relative named Zhu Zhen, and drag them both to the vegetable market for beheading. Let the common people see clearly that even if imperial relatives break the law, I treat them all the same!"

"What a load of bullshit, 'imperial relatives.'" At this point, the Chongzhen Emperor gave a contemptuous smile, waved his hand, and continued:

"Immediately send word to Fang Zhenghua, saying that once the identities of the banquet guests have been verified, release the shopkeepers and owners of those two streets. They haven't had it easy either."

"As for any officials discovered, throw them all into the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Imperial Prison for harsh interrogation. As for Vice Minister of War Jin Zhijun and Prefect Song Xingwu of Shuntian Prefecture—you Three Depots and One Guard may begin seizing their households one by one. Silver is tight right now, so a bit of income is always welcome!"

Having said this, the Chongzhen Emperor looked at Wei Zaode and said viciously:

"Those at the top don't dare make trouble, but those below still do as they please, living lives of ease and pleasure! Wei Zaode, after you return, quickly summon those officials to your residence for a talk. Tell them I ordered them to come, and have them rein in their protégés and old subordinates below."

"From now on, I will also go down among the people from time to time. If I ever again discover minor clerks throwing their weight around below, with those above serving as their shade trees, not a single one will be spared!"

Wei Zaode's face showed panic. He thought to himself that the Emperor's sudden outing had caught everyone off guard—he must have discovered quite a few things and was likely still in a rage. Naturally, he dared not say much, and quickly accepted the edict and returned to his residence to summon the officials.

Not long after Wei Zaode rushed out, Wang Cheng'en asked:

"Your Majesty, I hear that at tonight's banquet, the Duke of Chengguo's mansion stood up for them. Should we send agents from the Eastern Depot to deal with that side?"

Upon hearing this, the Chongzhen Emperor pondered for a long moment, then shook his head and said:

"Not for now! Tomorrow morning, go to his door personally and knock some sense into him. Best to have that old fellow send a direct-line descendant to the Imperial Academy. If he plays dumb, then make your words clear enough—that way both he and I can rest easy!"

"This old servant understands."

The Chongzhen Emperor grunted in acknowledgment, then turned and said:

"Li Ruolian, take the Embroidered Uniform Guard out on patrol tonight and get a complete picture of commodity prices in the capital, street by street without missing a single one—especially those two streets I visited today! And you, Xinjian Earl Wang Xiantong, quickly lead the Second Battalion out on night patrol and coordinate with the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"The two of you listen carefully: if during your patrols you encounter wicked servants obstructing you, ruffians stirring up trouble, or merchants playing dumb, treat them all as roving bandits and wipe them out!"

"Your ministers will see to it at once." Li Ruolian and Wang Xiantong exchanged a glance, nodded, and withdrew.

After arranging the night's affairs, the Chongzhen Emperor let out a sigh of relief and asked Chen Qiyu, whose expression was complicated:

"My minister, now do you understand just how chaotic this Great Ming has become?"

"Your minister understands."

Chen Qiyu had originally been sent to the frontier as a soldier, and much of the news had passed him by. Had he not heard that Li Zicheng had already established the Great Shun state and proclaimed himself the Yongchang Emperor, he would have continued to think of that group as nothing more than a ragtag mob of roving bandits.

Had he not walked shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor tonight, Chen Qiyu truly would not have discovered how firm the Emperor's resolve to save the Great Ming was, nor would he have gained any understanding of the dire state of affairs across the realm.

At this moment, he no longer acted with arrogance. Feeling that matters were thorny and difficult to handle, he seemed already to be pondering an overall strategy to present to the Chongzhen Emperor.

Seeing Chen Qiyu's eyes shift through several changes, the Chongzhen Emperor naturally understood what he was thinking, and said directly:

"The reason I summoned you back, my minister, is to entrust you with great responsibility. I originally wanted to discuss the bandit-suppression campaign with you in detail, but the situation is urgent and allows no time for lengthy talk. Chen Qiyu, hear the edict."

Chen Qiyu's whole body trembled. He quickly knelt on the ground and shouted long live the Emperor.

"From this day forth, you are restored to your former post, holding the title of Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion concurrently with the rank of Minister of War, elevated to Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent, and promoted to Governor-General of military affairs for the five provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Huguang, and Sichuan. You are granted the Imperial Sword and tasked exclusively with handling the roving bandits."

Seeing that Chen Qiyu could not rise for a long time, the Chongzhen Emperor personally helped him up and said:

"My minister need not say anything to me. There is no need to rush this bandit-suppression campaign. I understand—the roving bandits have already grown into a formidable force, and times are different now. You may first gain a clear understanding of the current situation before leaving the capital."

That night, Chen Qiyu tossed and turned for a long time in the courier station, unable to fall asleep.

After going out with the Emperor this time, he had come to trust the Emperor greatly and had gained a clear understanding of the rotten state of affairs across the realm—the Dashing King's forces had grown large, while the Bandit King was still in Sichuan.

Thinking of this, Chen Qiyu suddenly rose and lit the oil lamp. He sketched a topographic map of Ningwu Pass on the table, pondered for a long while, then took out a notebook and began writing and drawing, reaching a state of complete absorption.

That night was hard on everyone. Chen Qiyu had received imperial favor once more and could again display his talents, but the situation had deteriorated several times worse than before. Not daring to act with arrogance, he naturally spent the whole night at the courier station pondering his bandit-suppression strategy.

The Chongzhen Emperor had no heart for spring pleasures, still brooding over what had happened right under his nose. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back before the door of the Warm Chamber, deep in thought.

The great battle at Ningwu Pass continued. The Great Shun army, which had been unstoppable before, had expended tremendous effort here, lost tens of thousands of men, and still could not advance. Li Zicheng had by now become somewhat mentally unhinged, carrying out killings within the camp, executing several Great Shun generals who had failed to take the pass, throwing everyone into a state of fear and unease.

Meanwhile, Dorgon in the Qing army camp was also furious, his face full of worry, deeply doubtful as to whether the Great Qing could take the capital.

In his heart, he had even begun to entertain thoughts of retreating without a fight.

The seventeenth year of Chongzhen was the first year of Shunzhi for the Tatars' Qing, and the first year of Yongchang for the Great Shun—a year that was not easy for anyone.

That year, the Chongzhen Emperor suddenly became wise. The Great Ming dynasty, which had been sliding downhill for decades, finally managed to climb back up a bit, achieving two great victories over the Great Shun army and the Qing army in succession. Even the head of Rao Yu Commandery Prince Abatai was hung from the walls of Beijing.

But then again, who could know whether the Chongzhen Emperor's wisdom would vanish as quickly as it had at the very beginning?

Dorgon sat in camp smoking his long pipe, deliberating strategies of advance and retreat with Fan Wencheng, Ning Wanwo, and others. Since the Great Qing had entered the pass, few good things had appeared, but bad news had come one after another.

Sending Abatai to raid the military pay and provisions camp—Dorgon had originally planned for this battle to give the Ming army a show of force, after which he would take advantage of the momentum to besiege the capital and enter the Central Plains.

But unexpectedly, that fool Abatai was tricked by Chongzhen and fought a senseless mutually destructive battle with Li Zicheng's southern army. The Ming army came out completely unscathed, and instead Tang Tong picked up a great victory.

As a result, Dorgon's entire plan was thrown into chaos, and he no longer dared to casually stake his entire fortune on a desperate clash with the Ming army defending the capital.

A few days later, the Chongzhen Emperor suddenly resolved to move against Zhangjiakou. Setting aside the other merchants, those seven families there were the Great Qing's most loyal lackeys. Without them, the Eight Banners' equipment could not have developed so quickly.

Those seven families sent urgent letters begging for rescue, and Dorgon naturally could not sit by and do nothing. He had originally wanted to send Abatai to redeem himself through merit, thinking: surely you can defeat a Gao Jie leading only a few thousand ragtag troops?

Who would have known that not a single cavalryman Abatai led out would return—even the veteran Bayaara soldiers of many campaigns were all lost. Gao Jie had annihilated the Eight Banners' cavalry with infantry alone. This was an utter humiliation!

Dorgon was extremely enraged, but he quickly steadied his emotions and found he had no good options.

As expected, the remaining seven locust merchants had their households seized and their clans exterminated. The Ming dynasty received a large quantity of supplies, silver, and grain, and naturally gained wings like a tiger.

All eight locust merchant families had been dealt with by the court. The remaining merchants naturally no longer dared to openly send supplies to the Jianzhou barbarians. And the Liaodong region was currently suffering a year of drought and disaster—without their aid and support, the so-called Great Qing soon could not hold on.

With two hundred thousand troops having entered the pass, the daily consumption of grain and supplies was astronomical. Word had recently come from the rear that obtaining military grain was becoming increasingly difficult, and unrest had even broken out in Jin Prefecture.

This disturbance in Jin Prefecture had been stirred up by the Han Eight Banners military officers left behind to guard the area. Hong Chengchou performed a remarkable feat in pacifying it, resolving the matter almost with just a few words.