Chapter 1289: A Matter of Border Crisis

After Sun Chengzong finished speaking, a look of relief crossed his face. He naturally understood the risks involved, yet he also possessed that noble spirit of forging ahead even against a thousand foes. With the realm in such a state, there was no choice but to act. Yu Qian of the Yingzong reign and Wen Tianxiang of the Song dynasty would likely have made the same decision.

The Tianqi Emperor, his excitement still lingering, continued, "At a time like this, we must of course revere the ancestors' rules, but we must also employ new methods. We cannot bind and trap ourselves to death. The court has debated grand principles for decades; it is time now to do some practical work. My beloved ministers, young talents from every region who deserve exceptional promotion must all be elevated. The present situation is one of peril and hardship. Those who dare to take office, who dare to accomplish things, surely possess integrity and courage, and will certainly not be lacking. You must not suppress them based on seniority and rank."

These words drew bitter smiles from the assembled men. It was still Sun Chuanting who led the others in rising to receive the decree. At this juncture, Wei Zhongxian offered a few reminders, and only then was the matter concluded. What 'debating grand principles without doing practical work,' what 'suppression based on seniority and rank,' what 'integrity and courage' — this was pointing right at their noses and cursing them. But given how dire the situation had been recently, it was hardly strange that the Son of Heaven had fire in his heart.

Yet everyone also took note of the Tianqi Emperor's words. Promoting young talents from every region, combined with the earlier example of Sun Chuanting, meant that the established rules could be changed — the rules where, after passing the imperial examination, one entered the Hanlin Academy, the Censorate, the various ministries, or local posts according to their ranking, and that ranking determined their career prospects for decades to come. Their own disciples and kinsmen, those whose rankings were not so high and who were currently grinding through seniority, could now be moved forward a step, promoted a little earlier. This arrangement — or rather, this benefit granted by the Son of Heaven — was no ordinary thing. One had to understand that in officialdom, a single year's difference in timing made an enormous difference. Moreover, the young talents eligible for promotion across the regions were still the sons and disciples of the very people assembled here. In the current climate, without someone to guide and look after them, how could anyone possibly sail smoothly from the provincial exams to the metropolitan exam?

With this in mind, the atmosphere of the court deliberation had become quite agreeable. Even leaders of the upright faction like Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou were considering promoting upright cadres from the provinces to strengthen their power in the court. This could already be considered a satisfaction to all.

But at that very moment, from outside the court assembly hall, there suddenly rang out the shouted interrogations of the Han Generals and the duty eunuchs, along with the sound of urgent, rapid footsteps. Every man in the room, sovereign and subject, eunuch and official alike, even the attendants and clerks on duty, all changed color drastically. This court deliberation was taking place deep within the imperial palace, inside the Forbidden City. For someone to come running in such a forbidden and vital place, and without being stopped — there was only one possibility: an urgent military dispatch sent by eight-hundred-li express. Where had another disaster sprung a leak? Had the Mongol tribes marched south? Had the Jianzhou Jurchens invaded? Or had those Xuzhou bandits struck back again?

Although a military dispatch entering the forbidden precincts directly could also bring news of a great victory, with everything collapsing everywhere at present, how could there possibly be a great victory to report? It could only be that something had gone wrong.

"Have you no sense of decorum? Go receive the message at once. What sort of behavior is this, shouting and clamoring!" Wei Zhongxian raised his voice in rebuke. Someone outside answered with a resounding acknowledgment, and the sound of those frantic footsteps finally quieted.

Not long after, the eunuch guarding the door came hurrying over with a letter. Wei Zhongxian, disregarding any sense of propriety, asked in a low voice, "My lord, shall it be read here?"

The Tianqi Emperor's earlier excitement and agitation had vanished completely. After a moment's hesitation, he said listlessly, "Who could such news be hidden from? Read it. Will the matter cease to exist if we don't?"

Wei Zhongxian nodded to the eunuch, signaling him to begin reading the letter. The eunuchs who could stand guard here had all attended the inner study hall and were naturally literate. In such a setting, if someone from the Directorate of Ceremonial took the letter and read it, the civil officials might well suspect something was being concealed.

The eunuch hastily assented. He unfolded the letter and looked at it, and his expression immediately changed. This change was naturally seen by everyone, but at this moment, they could all still keep their composure.

"…The Jurchen army has moved east from Guangning. The seven fortress cities of Jinzhou, Songshan, Dalinghe, Xiaolinghe, Xingshan, Lianshan, and Tashan all failed to hold. Ningyuan is in imminent danger…" By the time the eunuch reading the urgent dispatch reached the end, his voice was trembling. The sovereign and ministers in the assembly were deathly silent.

Sun Chengzong and Wang Zaijin both looked utterly horrified. Although the Great Ming had stationed heavy troops in Liaodong, everyone knew they could only defend, not attack, and whether they could even hold their defense was hard to say. But now, how could the Jianzhou Jurchens possibly have any capacity to advance?

Liaodong had two centers of gravity: one was Guangning, the other Shenyang and Liaoyang. These two points respectively guarded the strategic positions of Liaodong. Both of these centers had already been captured by the Jianzhou Jurchens. By all logic, once the most critical places were taken and the entire territory largely under control, the next step should have been to sweep everything aside and push westward. Yet in reality, it was extremely difficult for the Jianzhou Jurchens to press any further west.

This was because any large-scale army movement had to rely on waterways. Guangning was already the farthest end of Liaodong where waterways could be used. To advance further west toward the line of Jinzhou, Songshan, and Ningyuan, they could only rely on overland transport. If a large army's movements depended solely on oxcarts and horse-drawn wagons to transport provisions and supplies, without a stable water source, there was simply no way to guarantee a march of even five days, let alone encampment and siege operations.

Yet now, the Jianzhou Jurchens had attacked regardless, paying no heed to this. How was this possible? If the series of strategic towns in western Liaodong fell, then the enemy's next step would be to press on Shanhai Pass, and from there threaten the capital. A calamity of this sort would be even more troublesome than the threat from the Xuzhou bandits.

Sun Chengzong's face had turned ashen. He said solemnly, "The Jianzhou Jurchens have many spies and informants. When I led the elite troops east to return and reinforce, the movement must have been known to the Tartar slaves, and they chose this moment to strike when we are vulnerable. Your Majesty, I beseech you to appoint a man of mature steadiness to lead troops to the rescue. The imperative now is that, no matter what, we must not allow the Tartar slaves to advance a single step westward."

Before the Tianqi Emperor could respond, Wang Zaijin, who had remained silent all this while, spoke in a muffled voice: "The Grand Secretary has been constructing forts and stockpiling provisions in the Shanhai Pass and Ningyuan region. This humble official ventures to ask, have supply depots and granaries not yet been established in those cities like Jinzhou and Songshan? The grain has not yet been transported there, has it?"

The very reason Wang Zaijin had been dismissed from office was that his opinions on the military preparations and defense of Liaodong differed from Sun Chengzong's. By all rights, at this juncture, the last person who should speak was Wang Zaijin. The moment he opened his mouth, it clearly carried the taint of provocation. As he spoke, everyone looked over, and Sun Chengzong's expression also turned very ugly.

However, in this setting, there was no possibility of openly debating and attacking each other. Sun Chengzong merely said with a darkened face, "Stockpiling military provisions is enormously costly. How could it be accomplished so easily? Jinzhou and Songshan are both on the front lines; there has not yet been time to transport the military grain there."

Wang Zaijin nodded, then said solemnly, "Your Majesty, this minister believes this military intelligence may contain errors or omissions. To transmit military intelligence from western Liaodong to the capital, even by the fastest relay riders, requires several days to ten days of travel. It may be that by the time this intelligence was dispatched, the bandit invaders had already captured several forts, but by now, the bandit invaders should have already withdrawn their troops."

"Speak with caution. How can one speculate and make reckless judgments on such matters of state and military importance?" Zuo Guangdou frowned and offered a word of warning. The Tianqi Emperor and Wei Zhongxian both looked over, and Sun Chengzong's expression grew even uglier.

Wang Zaijin rose to explain: "Your Majesty, although I have not witnessed this personally, I understand the common principles of military strategy. The bandit army's advance requires provisions, and this necessarily depends on waterways. Yet from Guangning to Jinzhou and Ningyuan, there is only an overland route. The bandits' provisions cannot sustain them for that long. Even if they capture the cities, if they cannot loot sufficient provisions, they cannot hold out for long and can only withdraw. I merely say there is no need for excessive worry; the necessary precautions must still be taken."

These words were reasonable, and everyone could understand them clearly. However, those present were all intelligent men. Once Wang Zaijin laid out this reasoning, they all drew further inferences. Yang Lian rose to his feet and memorialized: "Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Sun has returned to the capital to preside over the central government. Ji and Liao also need a man of mature steadiness to guard and command them. That Xiong Tingbi, in the imperial prison, has been deeply and earnestly repenting. May Your Majesty show mercy and allow him to go to Liaodong to atone for his crimes through service?"

Back then, during the great defeat in Liaodong, Xiong Tingbi had burned all the provisions stockpiled east of Shanhai Pass. At the time, this was one of his crimes, and one that was particularly emphasized. After all, the provisions, which had cost an enormous sum, were destroyed by fire, and everyone, related or not, could see it. But now, with Wang Zaijin's analysis, everyone understood the significance of what Xiong Tingbi had done. So that was it — to prevent the Jianzhou Jurchen Tartar slaves from advancing on looted military grain. This action was not only not absurd, but profoundly wise.

The situation was different from those years of fierce partisan strife. Now, no one had the heart to fight anymore. They were all thinking of how to sustain this Great Ming, leaking from every side. As long as something made sense, no one cared about faction or party; they all followed good counsel.

Sun Chengzong's expression remained grim. One had to understand that when he went to command the forces of Ji and Liao, the guiding principle he upheld was to build a line of forts, stockpile sufficient provisions within them, and then assemble a great army to press forward step by step along these supply depots. But what Wang Zaijin had said made it seem as if he had laid out a convenient shortcut for those Jianzhou Jurchen Tartar slaves, preparing military grain and supplies for them in advance. Because these forts were built for defense, yet if they fundamentally could not withstand the Jurchen attacks, then they were utterly meaningless.

In the past, even someone like Sun Chengzong, who considered the greater good, would have had to argue back. This was no different from someone pointing at his nose and cursing him. But at this moment, Sun Chengzong merely sighed and likewise rose, saying, "Your Majesty, Minister Wang's words are reasonable. Liaodong indeed requires a heavy minister to guard it. At present, there is no one more suitable than Xiong Tingbi. I request Your Majesty's judgment."

The Tianqi Emperor, who had been extremely tense, angry, and even despairing, had relaxed considerably after Wang Zaijin's explanation. Just now, he had been worried that Sun Chengzong might be unable to save face. He had not expected everyone to reach an agreement so quickly. Smiling, he nodded and said, "Let it be done this way."

The several senior eunuchs standing behind the Tianqi Emperor either lowered their heads in thought or exchanged glances. They all had their own calculations in mind, thinking that if the ministers had behaved like this when His Majesty first ascended the throne, His Majesty probably would never have propped up Wei Zhongxian, and none of them would be enjoying their current good days.

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