stubborn thief

The promise by the heir of the Zhou family to treat gold as dirt gave a strong boost to the morale of officials in Henan.

In times of war and disaster, money is not important; what matters is the confidence that money brings, and above confidence is food.

The Crown Prince Zhu Gongxiao happens to be able to provide these three essential conditions for surviving the disaster.

He was the richest man in Kaifeng Prefecture, possessing the most grain. Before Zhou Fan's granaries were emptied, he brought boundless confidence to Kaifeng Prefecture and even Zhang Renxue.

Yang Shengwu, however, does not need confidence.

He himself is faith.

He was from Yunnan. His ancestors were military officers stationed in Kunming after Mu Ying entered Yunnan. His grandfather was an official in Mile, and the whole family settled there.

He passed the county-level imperial examination at the age of twenty, became a tribute student at the age of twenty-seven, and passed the provincial-level imperial examination at the age of twenty-nine. Subsequently, due to the unfortunate passing of his parents, he observed a six-year mourning period.

At the age of thirty-six, he returned to public life, passed the imperial examination and ranked seventeenth, and was appointed as a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy. In the same year, he was selected as the supervising censor of Guizhou Province.

That was the fourth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign.

In other words, Yang Shengwu has served as an official for five years, successively inspecting Guizhou, Shanxi, and Henan. In Guizhou, he cracked down on corrupt officials; in Shanxi, he caused a surge in salt production and took the opportunity to lead troops to suppress the White Lotus Rebellion; in Henan, he reported on the Tang King's uprising; and now he has encountered the Yellow River breaching its banks.

There are no problems in this world for Yang Shengwu; he can solve everything he encounters with ease.

On the day the dike breached, after leaving the Zhou Palace, he packed his belongings and moved into the moat outside Kaifeng.

He first gathered the villagers, elders, and scholars and gentry familiar with the water conditions, personally formulated a river management plan, and supervised the river management project. Then, relying on the grain and salary provided by the Zhou royal palace, he issued a notice to recruit displaced people as laborers. He began to eat and live with the laborers on the dike to reinforce the river embankment.

Zhang Renxue's pessimism about the breach stemmed from the watchful eyes of the Marshal's army.

As a civil official, Yang Shengwu considered this year's breach to be a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune.

The river embankment has been in disrepair for many years and it's time to repair it.

People often have a sense of complacency. If the river hadn't breached, at a time when the Ming Dynasty was engulfed in war and short of money everywhere, all the manpower, material resources, and financial resources were being poured into the war. The focus should have been on repairing the river embankment.

It's harder than climbing to heaven.

Then it will always collapse.

This year's dike breach is much better than next year's, after all, the entire Yellow River basin from Qinghai to Shanxi is experiencing a severe drought this year, resulting in insufficient water flow and only a fraction of the majesty of the Mother River being revealed.

But once it collapses, the manpower, material resources, and financial resources to rebuild the riverbank will naturally come.

Kaifeng has long suffered from river floods, and Yang Shengwu wants to take this opportunity to build Heigangkou into a river defense project that will not collapse for a century.

At the same time, the recruitment of soldiers inside and outside Kaifeng Prefecture was progressing very smoothly with the financial and material support from the Zhou Palace.

A militia of nearly a thousand men was formed in a very short time. The soldiers were all sons of officials and students. They were equipped with their own weapons and divided up their own territory on the city wall to practice defense.

General Zhang Renxue also sent people to find boats, intending to force their way to Tongwaxiang on the other side of the river. However, they could not stay along the riverbank and were swept downstream to Dingjiadaokou in Guide Prefecture. Fortunately, they completed their mission and shot the official documents and letters to Shandong on the other side of the river.

The official documents were submitted to the imperial court, while the letters were sent to Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong.

Zhang Renxue hoped that the court would take note of the threat posed by the Yellow River breach and the speculation that Liu Chengzong might invade, and asked the emperor and the Ministry of War to prepare contingency plans.

The letter sent to Yan Jizu requested that Shandong troops be deployed along the Yellow River so that if the Prince of Henan's residence was besieged, Shandong troops could quickly cross the border to provide support.

This is not excessive, because in terms of the imperial system, since the Zhang Zhi Rebellion in the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, Southern Zhili, Henan, Shandong, Huguang, and Sichuan had already become a war zone for coordinated operations after Lu Xiangshan took office as prime minister.

Of course, the speed of information transmission in this era makes the so-called collaborative operations just empty talk.

But they fought quite well, punching the White Lotus Sect and kicking Li Zicheng. They saved Yunyang from Liu Chengzong and also wiped out Emperor Gu Yuan Zhenlong, Wang Benren, causing this new dynasty, which had the virtue of abdication from Yao and Shun, to perish after only two generations.

However, Zhang Renxue's wish to lead a coalition of troops from various provinces into Henan to jointly resist Liu Chengzong was destined to fail.

Just days before his report was sent to the court, an urgent report from Pi Island, forwarded from Shandong, had already been delivered to the capital by fast horse.

General Shen Shikui of Pi Island urgently reported that the Later Jin Dynasty had mobilized a large army and stationed them on the riverbank, intending to attack Pi Island. He requested the imperial court to send troops to support them.

The official document was submitted to the cabinet, and Wen Tiren hurriedly went to the palace.

Emperor Chongzhen, who had just enjoyed a few days of comfort, felt his heart leap into his throat once again.

This urgent military intelligence reaching the palace was completely unexpected for Emperor Chongzhen.

This angered Emperor Chongzhen so much that he cursed Emperor Chengzong in the palace.

He suspected that he had been deceived again, and that Liu Chengzong might have fabricated military achievements to gain prestige, while the Later Jin state had not actually suffered a devastating defeat.

Otherwise, how could they have launched another attack on Pi Island so soon after suffering a major defeat?
But no one would believe this is fake news.

Because Shen Shikui was the last elder leader of Dongjiang Town, he was originally on the list of those to be eliminated by the imperial court. He survived the turmoil in Dongjiang Town for several years only because of good luck and strong ability.

When Huang Long died, his appointment as general was actually the result of a compromise by the imperial court.

Emperor Chongzhen and Shen Shikui were tacitly aware of this matter.

Unless faced with a real threat, Shen Shikui would never have been willing to allow more Ming generals to land on Pi Island.

However, Emperor Chongzhen was not so naive as to abandon Pi Island in its time of need.

Emperor Chongzhen and his court officials went to great lengths to resolve the problem of generals disobeying orders since Mao Wenlong of Pi Island, all in order to ensure the loyalty and reliability of the Dongjiang garrison.

Therefore, when news of an attack from Pi Island reached the Ming Dynasty, sending troops to its aid was never a matter of choice.

Unfortunately, at this time, Chongzhen discovered that he had no one he could rely on.

Because Zhang Fengyi and Liang Tingdong, the commanders who led the resistance against Ajige's invasion, died of anger and illness one after the other.

Liang Tingdong was the Governor-General of Xuanda. He took office before Ajige breached the border. He traveled to Xuanda and Shanxi, personally inspected the border and made plans. He found that the border defense was weak and the soldiers' pay was scarce. He had nowhere to start, which made him sick from worry and overwork.

Then, a formidable enemy invaded the border, and war broke out. Despite his illness, he personally donned armor, inspired his soldiers, and personally supervised the battle, fighting in Liangxiang, Tongzhou, Jizhou, and other places. Due to his illness and weakness, he fell from his horse and broke his leg in Xiadian, Tongzhou.

Zhang Fengyi was the Minister of War. During the entire Chongzhen era, when the Later Jin invaded, he used limited troops and scarce supplies to encircle and intercept the Later Jin army. Together with Liang Tingdong, he personally commanded and defeated Ajige at Lianggou.

While the tactical victory was certainly not a complete triumph, the Later Jin invasion and their scattered movements did indeed inflict heavy losses on the heartland of the Ming capital.

However, this performance was tens of thousands of times better than that of the Ministry of War during the Jisi Incident.

At least this time, the Ming army was organized.

It is no exaggeration to say that Zhang Fengyi was the most outstanding and capable Minister of War during the Chongzhen reign.

But Zhang Fengyi died of illness last month, and Liang Tingdong died of illness this month.

They were both somewhat driven to despair by anger.

Firstly, there was the political pressure of being held accountable by the imperial court after the war; Emperor Chongzhen's personality and way of handling things need no further explanation. Secondly, there was the psychological pressure brought about by rumors circulating among the people, saying that the two of them did not fight against the Eastern barbarians, but only followed and watched them go, and that they ate rhubarb every day on the battlefield in an attempt to commit suicide.

Suicide is easy, but taking poison for several months to kill yourself is very difficult.

In short, the Ming Dynasty has now lost two more outstanding commanders.

Faced with the problem of having no one to rely on, Emperor Chongzhen issued an edict promoting Yang Sichang to Minister of War and ordering him to come to the capital immediately.

Yang Sichang officially ascended to the center of the power stage of the Ming Dynasty.

As early as last year, Yang Sichang had submitted a complete strategic plan regarding the situation of the country to Emperor Chongzhen at the Ziguang Pavilion.

The core of that plan was to first use a large force to suppress Zhang Zhi, who had usurped the title of emperor in the Central Plains, so as to prevent him from threatening the grain transport; internally, to strengthen the army and accumulate strength, and not to fight against the eastern barbarians and western bandits, but to control the strategic passes and rivers to delay and wait for changes.

As for Liu Chengzong, the Western bandit who has the potential to become king, we should appoint Yang Qi as king, thus severing his arm and weakening his branches.

To prevent the continued incursions of the Eastern barbarian Huang Taiji, a large force should be dispatched across the sea to assist in the defense of Korea, so as to prevent him from exploiting the manpower and resources of the vassal state.

To put it bluntly, it's about managing the Central Plains and controlling the east and west.

Yang Sichang's strategic suggestions were comprehensive, but the only one that the emperor truly heeded was the appointment of Yang Qi, a king from beyond the Great Wall.

As it turned out, this matter coincided with Huang Taiji's, and both sides appointed Yang Qi, forcing the two envoys to fight with the royal seal in Guihua City to determine who was the father.

As it turned out, neither of them were the correct candidates, and Yang Qi ultimately accepted Liu Chengzong's imperial edict of investiture.

Yang Sichang was full of ambition and eager to make a name for himself in Beijing.

In his view, the situation in the Ming Dynasty was much better this year than last year, due to the power struggle between Liu Chengzong and Huang Taiji in the border regions.

We might actually be able to contend with the Eastern barbarians.

As for Chongzhen's doubts about the Lingdong War, Yang Sichang completely disregarded them.

Chongzhen was an emperor, and it's normal for emperors to be suspicious.

Yang Sichang is not crazy.

Both the Marshal's Army and the Later Jin Army had a much larger bandit component than a military component. Liu Chengzong and Huang Taiji were also two extremely hungry people.

When the two of them meet, they won't leave until they've beaten the other to a pulp and eaten him senseless.

Moreover, the Guan Ning Army seized several cities east of Niuzhuang at the confluence of the Sancha River while on the front lines, and their report of the burning of Liaoyang was not false.

Even Zu Dashou couldn't have fabricated such a military intelligence report.

Now that Yang Sichang has taken power, the first thing he does upon entering the palace is to reiterate his strategic recommendations to the emperor, especially the suggestion to send 20,000 troops across the sea. However, given the immediate crisis at Pi Island, he proposes to provide temporary relief to Pi Island and then transfer troops to Korea once the crisis is resolved.

From the Ming Dynasty's perspective, Korea and Dongjiang Town were interdependent and mutually dependent in the face of the Later Jin threat.

We cannot lose any of them, and we must protect all of them.

However, both Emperor Chongzhen and Yang Sichang underestimated the difficulty of sending troops across the sea.

Because the aid troops to North Korea need to leave from Shandong, and the current situation in Shandong is not optimistic.

Wen Tiren knew the situation in Shandong best because he had ousted the previous Shandong governor, Li Maofang, and promoted the new Shandong governor, Yan Jizu, and had already reported the situation in Shandong to him one by one.

Shandong was already devastated during the Wuqiao Mutiny, leaving its coastal defenses extremely weak.

Meanwhile, the drought situation is not much better than in Shanxi and Shaanxi. In fact, because of the coastal areas, a hurricane hit in April this year, with torrential rain and fist-sized hailstones hitting the ground two feet thick.

This year, locust plagues have become uncontrollable in all counties of Shandong, and a large-scale outbreak of cattle plague has also occurred, leaving wastelands everywhere.

This desolate landscape was only mentioned briefly in the central government's discourse, which was not surprising given the widespread drought, locust plagues, and snow in the Jiangnan region.

The only noteworthy point is Yan Jizu's proposal to strengthen the defenses of Qingzhou and Jinan prefectures and to supplement military pay.

This undoubtedly left Yang Sichang in a dilemma.

They have an army; Chen Hongfan still has 20,000 troops in Dengzhou and Laizhou, and this army has been preparing to defend Korea.

However, the Later Jin's attack on Pi Island in Dongjiang Town would inevitably be a protracted war.

A protracted war is all about supplies.

Because Dongjiang Town simply doesn't have the capacity to be self-sufficient.

Given the situation in Shandong, it's clear that they can't provide much supply to Dongjiang Town during this protracted conflict.

The key issue was that the initiative in the battle was firmly in the hands of the Later Jin army. The Ming army had no say in when or how to attack Pi Island.

If their support arrives on Pi Island but a battle doesn't break out, it would be a waste of resources.

Even the stubborn Yang Sichang dared not accept this situation and could only analyze the situation one by one and report it to Wen Tiren.

Wen Tiren remained unchanged; faced with a difficult problem, he could only hope for His Majesty's wise judgment.

Emperor Chongzhen was so enraged by Liu Chengzong's great victory outside the Great Wall that he declared: "Dongjiang Town cannot be lost, so let's wear him down!"

An imperial edict was sent to Shandong, ordering Chen Hongfan to continue leading his troops to garrison in Dengzhou to await reinforcements. It also dispatched Jin Riguan, the deputy commander of Laizhou, to lead 8,000 soldiers from the Laizhou and Tianjin naval camps, carrying 32,000 catties of gunpowder, to cross the sea and land on Pi Island to await battle.

Jin Riguan was a favorite general of Emperor Chongzhen. He once served as the deputy commander of Malanyu, a minor position for defending a pass, which was equivalent to a military officer.

During the Jisi Incident, he led an isolated army to defend Malanyu and repelled the Jin army's attacks twice. After the war, he was directly promoted to the rank of First-Rank Deputy Commander-in-Chief. After recovering the four cities of Zunyi and Yongzhou, he was promoted to Left Commander-in-Chief.

Later, he was placed under the jurisdiction of Deng Qi. Because his rank was higher than Deng Qi's, he was completely disobedient and was impeached by the governor-general. Emperor Chongzhen only gave him a warning and admonishment.

Emperor Chongzhen sent Jin Riguan across the sea first to utilize his defensive skills, so that he could hold Pi Island to the death when Dongjiang Town was attacked, and wait for reinforcements.

However, just as the imperial edict was issued, a memorial from Shandong, forwarded by Yang Shengwu, regarding the Yellow River breaching its banks in Henan, once again shattered the spirits that had just been roused in Chongzhen's heart.

On the first day of the month, Kim Il-gwan landed on the island and met with scholars from Korea who had fled to Pi Island. They told him that the Later Jin and Korea were exchanging official letters and that the Later Jin would launch an attack on Korea on November 25.

The moment this news reached the capital by fast horse, it threw Emperor Chongzhen into a state of utter turmoil.

He could not analyze whether the Later Jin was really going to attack Korea or Dongjiang Town. The court was also in heated discussion over this matter. Some people advocated that the defense of Dongjiang should be the main focus, since Korea had its own troops. It would not be too late for the Ming army to assist in the defense when Korea went to Dongjiang Town to ask for help.

Yang Sichang believed that the Korean army was too weak to deal with the threat of the Later Jin on its own. He suggested that speed was of the essence and that troops should be directly transferred to assist in the defense of Korea. Even if the Later Jin army attacked Pi Island, they could still attack its logistics and relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao.

Emperor Chongzhen ultimately adopted Yang Sichang's strategy, ordering Chen Hongfan to depart immediately for Korea.

However, the imperial edict arrived in Dengzhou on November 25th.

The Later Jin vanguard has crossed the Yalu River, bypassed the fortified mountain cities, and is advancing southwards, heading straight for the capital city of Jidian. (End of Chapter)