Chapter 126: Distributing Pay

After that round of reprimand, the ministers all left the warm chamber with hearts both fearful and taken aback.

Though some matters remained unsettled, the Chongzhen Emperor had no intention of playing any more word games or pushing the tai chi with these Donglin men—when the time came, he would simply issue a direct palace edict.

If anyone refused to obey, out came the blade and down went their head; if anyone refused to accept it, then he would kill them until they did!

That said, since his transmigration, this was the first time the Chongzhen Emperor had stood before these Donglin men and let them have it—the pent-up fury in his chest poured out all at once, a satisfaction that ran from the crown of his head all the way down to his toes.

Watching these traitorous dogs of later generations dare not speak though burning with rage, the Chongzhen Emperor's heart soared even higher with delight.

But the venting was done and the act had been put on; now, looking at the remaining trusted ministers, there was still proper business to deliberate and a course to chart. The Chongzhen Emperor cleared his throat, slightly dry from all the talking, and said:

"The noisy ones have all gone. Cheng'en, what do you have to say about the battle at Ningwu Pass?"

Wang Cheng'en put on a look of flattered surprise, first disclaiming that he dared not presume, and only after the Chongzhen Emperor asked again did he reply with the utmost deference:

"Your Majesty, the situation at Ningwu Pass is at a stalemate—the court must immediately dispatch reinforcements, and Gao Jie's forces are the most fitting choice. At present there are no court troops left in the Baoding region, and the rebel Liu Fangliang is still at large; the situation around the capital remains unstable, so troops must be kept behind for defense."

"Furthermore, this old servant also believes that since the court originally appointed Tang Tong as Regional Commander of the Ji Garrison, replacing him at the last moment with Huang Degong will inevitably leave Tang Tong resentful. To set his mind at ease, Your Majesty may order Tang Tong to lead his forces in coordinated defense of Shanhai Pass, entering the pass under the pretext of distributing military pay—Wu Sangui will not dare make a move."

Wu Sangui held military and civil authority over Shanhai Pass in his grip, making him in effect a local emperor; the man was a gambler driven by profit and glory—why else would he submit a memorial at such a time to openly threaten the court?

But at Shanhai Pass, aside from the Guanning army that had arrived later and taken over, the first to garrison there had been Gao Di's forces—the post of Shanhai Pass Regional Commander had never belonged to Wu Sangui.

Since the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, Gao Di had been appointed Regional Commander of Shanhai Pass, leading more than fifty thousand troops in its defense, and now over a year had passed.

Tang Tong had thoroughly defeated Abatai at military pay and provisions; news of that reputation should by now have reached Shanhai Pass. Though Wu Sangui was the Earl of Pacifying the West, Tang Tong had been elevated to Marquis of Pacifying the West for his victory at military pay and provisions.

At least on the surface, that fellow Tang Tong was in no way inferior to Wu Sangui on any count—he was an excellent choice to send to Shanhai Pass.

Compared to the tens of thousands of Guanning troops under Wu Sangui, Tang Tong also commanded tens of thousands of victorious soldiers, while Gao Di still had more than fifty thousand Shanhai Pass garrison troops under him; and whether Gao Di was truly and sincerely following Wu Sangui in opposing the court was still an open question.

The Chongzhen Emperor knew Gao Di's character very well—though he now hung on Wu Sangui's every word, the man was also a weathervane; if the court showed even a hint of strength, he would not hesitate to stab Wu Sangui in the back.

Tang Tong entering Shanhai Pass under the pretext of coordinated defense and distributing pay was both a precaution taken while the Ji Garrison was being rebuilt, and a warning from the Chongzhen Emperor, who refused to show weakness, to Wu Sangui—the present court did not rely solely on his Guanning army!

Counting only the court troops at Shanhai Pass under Gao Di and Tang Tong, they already numbered close to a hundred thousand; Huang Degong had also re-established the Three Tun Guards in the Ji Garrison, the new troops of the Capital Camps were all drilling in the capital, and with the mounds of enemy dead raised after two great victories, at least in terms of momentum and show of force, it was more than sufficient.

So the Chongzhen Emperor saw no need to compromise with Wu Sangui and feed that rebel's arrogance.

Wang Cheng'en was a eunuch, and in policy discussions it was always somewhat awkward for him to speak too freely; he said half of what he meant, left the rest unspoken, and withdrew.

The Chongzhen Emperor understood these principles well and did not press further, immediately falling into deep thought.

Dorgon was busy putting down rebellions and had no leisure to attend to matters at Shanhai Pass for now, but once he freed up his hands, whether he would stick his nose in was hard to say.

So that old fellow Wang Cheng'en had hit the nail on the head—the Chongzhen Emperor realized that the matter of Wu Sangui could not be dragged out; it had to be resolved before Dorgon finished pacifying the rebellion and freed his hands.

Even if he could not kill Wu Sangui outright, he could have Tang Tong cause him trouble and, together with Gao Di, stir up the internal situation at Shanhai Pass—as long as Wu Sangui could not dominate Shanhai Pass alone, things would be manageable!

If Shanhai Pass were held firmly in his own hands, and the Ji Garrison and the Northwest Grand Camp were established, the capital region would be as solid as iron—the Jianzhou barbarians would never rule the Central Plains even in their next life.

Even in the worst case, the families of Gao Di, Tang Tong, and even Wu Sangui and the Guanning army officers and soldiers all remained in the capital; if Wu Sangui wanted to brazenly defy the world and surrender to the Qing, he would still have to see whether the soldiers would follow him like fools to their deaths as they had in history.

The Chongzhen Emperor thought for only a short while, then nodded and said:

"Draft the edict, then. Let Gao Jie lead the main force to reinforce Ningwu Pass, and Tang Tong take two million taels to Shanhai Pass to distribute pay."

Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu had been organizing his words below while the Chongzhen Emperor spoke with Wang Cheng'en; the moment the emperor's words fell, he stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, the proceeds from the confiscation of Fan Yongdou and the other seven great merchants have been arriving in the capital in succession. The Ministry of Revenue is working day and night to audit them, and there are still no small number of properties belonging to these seven families across the provinces that have yet to be seized."

"As matters stand at present, there is over seventy-six million taels of ready silver; as for the calligraphy, paintings, jewelry, and other rare treasures, the count is not yet tallied, and their value is beyond measure."

"That is why I said earlier that the Ministry of Revenue has ample silver in reserve—I believe that even if Your Majesty ordered the Northeast and Northwest Grand Camps to be established simultaneously, the funds would be more than sufficient."

Having Ni Yuanlu and Second Grand Secretary Jiang Degui remain this time had not only surprised the two of them greatly—it was also a decision the Chongzhen Emperor had made after deep consideration.

The Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard had observed these two men for a long time; they embodied all the traits of famed ministers of past dynasties—fearlessness before the powerful, loyalty to the sovereign, compassion for the people, and so forth. Though they also bore the stain of forming cliques for private gain, no man is a sage, and who can be without fault?

The Chongzhen Emperor had personally facilitated the founding of the Royalist Faction for his own self-preservation; if Ni Yuanlu and Jiang Degui did not form a faction, how could they protect themselves on this thoroughly rotten Ming court?

This was merely circumstance forcing men's hands—the Chongzhen Emperor understood, and would never measure whether a minister could serve him by such trivial trifles.

From Ni Yuanlu's meaning, he seemed to view the policy of establishing the Northeast and Northwest Grand Camps very favorably, and was also urging him to get the Northeast Grand Camp going as well.

The Chongzhen Emperor thought for a moment, then said:

"I understand everything Minister Ni has said, but the Great Ming is no longer what it once was—everywhere in the capital silver is needed, troops are insufficient, and weapons are not yet forged. This time I have increased the salaries of civil and military officials; for now, establishing the Northwest Grand Camp to suppress the Shun rebels will suffice."

With that, the Chongzhen Emperor looked toward Cao Huachun, Li Ruolian, and the others, and said:

"First: in this incursion by the Jianzhou barbarians, I received no intelligence whatsoever—there must surely be traitorous villains in the court, and this is one such matter. Order the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate thoroughly; once any trace is found, follow the thread and drag out everyone connected!"

"Second: I previously issued an edict to withdraw the capital-region defense troops and concentrate them in the capital, and many common folk suffered for it. I cannot simply let this rest—this matter is to be handled by the Ministry of Works, which shall set up porridge stations outside every gate of the capital to relieve the refugees. The Directorate of Ceremonial shall draft the edict: all areas of the capital region shall do the same, placing the people's peaceful settlement as the top priority."

"The scholars of the Hanlin Academy sit idle in the capital with nothing to do, drawing their salaries without working—set up a pavilion for them outside the gates, hang the Grand Pronouncements of the Ancestor Emperor beside every gate of the capital, and have them sit there explaining the contents of the Grand Pronouncements to the people."

"Those who explain well shall receive further promotion and reward from me!"