stubborn thief

"Liu Chengzong has arrived."

Chen Yongfu's words struck Wang Jiazhen like a bolt from the blue, leaving him completely stunned.

Zhang Tianlin marched east out of Tongguan, successively capturing cities and confiscating livestock. His army moved with unrestrained force and immense momentum, truly inspiring fear and trepidation.

However, for Wang Jiazhen and Chen Yongfu, the Ming army in Luoyang was not without fighting power.

Chen Yongfu, in particular, was eager to take this opportunity to strengthen the Luoyang Battalion's armor and weapons, eliminate the old and weak soldiers, and increase its strength so as to have a showdown with Zhang Tianlin.

Most importantly, ever since Zhang Tianlin was appointed to guard Tongguan, he has acted like a hyperactive person who treats Henan Prefecture as his own backyard, always coming out for a stroll whenever he has the chance.

During Liu Chengzong's expedition to Liaodong alone, he went beyond the pass and fought against Zhang Renxue, the general of Henan, four or five times.

The Ming army was used to this guy coming out of Tongguan.

When Liu Chengzong emerged from the pass, it was clear to everyone that the nature of the matter had changed.

Moreover, Wang Jiazhen was indeed afraid of Liu Chengzong.

Because of the official position the emperor gave him, the full title of the Prime Minister of Nine Provinces was Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, Governor of Henan, and Prime Minister of the military affairs of nine provinces including Zhili, Shanxi, Hebei, Sichuan, and Hubei.

The "waiting" mentioned here refers to the Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai regions currently under Liu Chengzong's control.

Of course, this official position was not Chongzhen's joke, nor was it out of ambition that he thought Wang Jiazhen, holding the imperial edict of the governor of nine provinces, could truly command the nine provinces.

Instead, the governor-general, admiral, prime minister, and counselor were not permanent official positions with clearly defined functions.

It was often due to rebellion or war that an official needed to be appointed to manage local affairs.

While delegating power to reduce checks and balances between different positions, it is also necessary to avoid self-importance. The only solution is to add more water when there is too much flour and more flour when there is too much water, and create a new temporary assignment.

The extent of one's power depends on the imperial edict issued when appointing someone; whatever powers are written on it determines the extent of one's power.

For example, Zhu Shou, the Grand General in charge of military affairs, was appointed by Zhu Houzhao, who, as emperor, was subject to the control of officials. Therefore, he gave his subordinate the position of Grand General in charge of military affairs, so that no one could control him in terms of official position.

For a time, the governor-general was called the chief administrator, also to avoid using the name of Zhu Houzhao.

Military positions are created based on specific tasks, and their actual powers naturally vary greatly.

Even the earliest permanent governors-general only emerged in the remote Guangdong and Guangxi regions during the Chenghua era. Later, the three border regions of Shaanxi, Xuanda, and Jiliao were established only after the Wanli era when border conflicts continued, eventually leading to the formation of near-permanent posts.

To this day, this series of official titles has only just begun to develop into specific duties.

The governor-general is in charge of affairs, the admiral is in charge of implementation, the prime minister is in charge of coordination, and the counselor is in charge of providing advice.

Emperor Chongzhen granted Wang Jiazhen this official position to give him a formal status, prevent military disputes from being passed around and to allow him to coordinate military leaders in various regions.

Even if his ancestral graves were to emit smoke, and he were to actually conquer Tongguan, he would still have the authority to coordinate military affairs.

Of course, it's not impossible to have a five-province premier, but if we add the four provinces under the Marshal's Office, Chongzhen still has a chance to avoid Wang Jiazhen's little scheme of surrendering to Liu Chengzong.

At least it could give Wang Jiazhen a psychological suggestion: your official rank is higher than Liu Chengzong's, so you'll be better off surrendering to him.
Wang Jiazhen was indeed afraid of Liu Chengzong because of this.

Therefore, upon hearing that Liu Chengzong had left the pass, their level of attention immediately changed. They abandoned their dream of fighting in the field and instead sought out their comrades-in-arms, Kang Menghui, the prefect of Henan, and Wang Yinchang, the deputy military commissioner of Henan, to discuss recruiting militia to defend the city.

However, of the three, he was the one who deliberately sought hardship by coming to Henan to become an official.

Wang Yinchang was from Wuqiao, Cangzhou. He was a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations). After Zhang Yichuan caused trouble in Henan, Wang Yinchang went to Henan Dao as a military officer. There's not much to say about him now.

Kang Menghui was the most infuriating. When Wang Jiazhen summoned him and he heard that Liu Chengzong had emerged from seclusion, he looked utterly resigned and utterly dejected.

This was a man from Shanxi, a capable official who also came from a local family and passed the imperial examinations, but he only served two terms in office.

It's quite normal for a successful candidate in the imperial examinations to become a county magistrate. To become a prefect is considered very impressive, and a prefect is the pinnacle of achievement.

After all, it's not the early Ming Dynasty anymore. Back when Emperor Taizu was in power, there was a chance that a successful candidate in the imperial examinations could directly become a prefect.

That won't work now. Someone of his background can only become a prefect in a large prefecture like Henan Prefecture, which is located in the central region and has a large population. He can only do so through exceptional promotion.

Kang Menghui's resume is very simple. Before Liu Chengzong's troops entered Shaanxi, he served as the magistrate of Yangxian County in Hanzhong Prefecture. During his tenure, he did a very good job in opening up dams, dredging canals and building water pools.

Based solely on this, he wouldn't have been promoted by Emperor Chongzhen. He would most likely have been reassigned as a prefect in Shaanxi, or even a county magistrate in Henan.

But he also had a unique skill: dealing with the vassal kings.

While in Yang County, Kang Menghui strongly urged Prince Rui to rectify the eunuchs and civilian officers of the vassal states, prohibiting them from harassing the local area, and also stopped the local area from supplying the vassal states.

It was precisely because of this exceptional skill that he was promoted by Emperor Chongzhen to the position of prefect of Henan Prefecture, where the Prince of Fu was located.

Kang Menghui often felt fortunate about this.

It wasn't because of Chongzhen's promotion, but because no sooner had he left Yangxian than Luo Rucai had already entered Hanzhong Prefecture.

He originally thought that the emperor's transfer of him away from Shaanxi would keep him away from Liu Chengzong, but now, well, Liu Chengzong has come after him again.

If Henan is gone, how far away can Shanxi be?

Kang Menghui's attitude was that there was nothing he could do, so he should just leave it to fate.

Wang Jiazhen felt a headache coming on just looking at his pathetic state, so he simply left him aside and discussed the matter with Wang Yinchang, the military commissioner.

Wang Yinchang shared the same view as Chen Yongfu: "Your Excellency, although the enemy is powerful, Luoyang is a high-walled city with deep moats. We can hold the city walls and wait for reinforcements. Even if the city walls fall, we can appease the people and hold the city, and there is still a chance of survival."

"The defense of a city depends on three things: first, the supply of provisions and water; second, the unity of the army and the people; and third, the availability of troops and equipment." Wang Yinchang paused, then cupped his hands and said, "What I fear most is unrest among the people, which could give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of the situation."

Wang Jiazhen nodded slowly and said to Wang Yinchang, "Please feel free to offer any suggestions you may have."

In my humble opinion, historically, when bandits attack a city, they always first send spies into the city to gather information, observe the roads, investigate our strengths and weaknesses, and set fire to the prison.

“Since the Zhang Zhi Rebellion, Luoyang has taken in many people from the surrounding area. Now, we should first expel all those who have been displaced, servants, laborers, the elderly and children, and those who require support from others within the next three years from the city to the outer city, or even expel them from the city altogether.”

Wang Jiazhen frowned slightly, pondering the suggestion of the military commissioner.

The most crucial issue here is that the so-called "migrants" in Luoyang today are not outsiders or hooligans.

Liu Chengzong's conquest of Shaanxi was too swift, and the campaign against Xi'an Prefecture was too well-organized. Moreover, there was a plague east of Tongguan at the time, and even when the chaos was at its worst, not many people from Shaanxi fled to Henan.

The two largest instances were: once when Li Zicheng and other rebel leaders entered northern Zhili from Shanxi and then returned to Shaanxi via Henan; and another time when Zhang Yichuan crossed the pass. Those who deserted from the rebel forces on both occasions remained in Henan, though there weren't many of them.

The refugees in Luoyang right now are people from various counties in Henan Prefecture who have fled to Luoyang.

These were not only the people under the jurisdiction of Wang Jiazhen's entire Henan Provincial Administration Commission, but also all the subjects under the jurisdiction of Kang Menghui, the Prefect of Henan.

He's just not a local from Luoyang.

Everyone knows that these people are destabilizing factors if you want to defend the city—three years is the perfect timeframe to encompass the Zhang Zhi Rebellion.

It was Zhang Yichuan's departure from the pass that caused the great chaos, leading to a surge in the number of refugees in Luoyang.

No one could guarantee that there might be spies from the Marshal's Office or local cunning and unscrupulous individuals among them.

If even three or five hundred out of tens of thousands of refugees were to breach the city like a sieve, the city would be unable to hold out no matter how much blood the defenders shed.

It is very possible that a moment of compassion could lead to the fall of the city.

But making that decision is easier said than done.

If we could truly be prepared for everything, then there would never have been a city that fell since ancient times.

Sitting to the side, Chen Yongfu was also pondering to himself. Seeing Wang Jiazhen's hesitant expression, he quickly stood up.

As an officer, he naturally knew the stakes, but he was even more afraid that Wang Jiazhen's bookishness would surface and he would immediately follow Wang Yinchang's advice and kick everyone out.

The soldiers in Luoyang Camp are mostly from this prefecture, and many of them are from various counties. With a formidable enemy at hand, if Luoyang were to expel all the exiles from the counties, he would lose his strongest battalion.

Therefore, he quickly stood up and suggested, "Your Excellency, what Military Commander Wang said is very true. Guo Tianxing has gone out of the pass many times and colluded with bandits and mountain thieves. It is inevitable that some of them will sneak into the city."

"Time is indeed pressing, and we cannot distinguish between good and evil one by one. It is appropriate to weed out those who are doubtful, but we must not expel them indiscriminately."

Chen Yongfu thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head and said, "The best course of action now is to house some of the elderly and weak who are being supported by others within the city walls, and then recruit migrant workers under the pretext of conscripting laborers to set up camps outside the city to keep them under control. This way, they can be used by us without causing greater chaos."

Upon hearing his compromise suggestion, Wang Jiazhen's eyes lit up, and he slowly nodded: "That's right, moving to the outer city is also a solution."

Unexpectedly, Wang Yinchang then spoke up decisively: "Absolutely not!"

For a moment, everyone in the lobby turned their attention to it.

"When bandits approach a city, the houses in the four outer gates bear the brunt of the attack. They shelter the enemy's cannons and hide soldiers during the siege. Therefore, all the houses outside the city should be demolished and the people should take refuge inside the city. Wood, stone and grain should also be transported into the city to defend it. Residents should be given number plates and registered at the government office. After the war, the government will fund the reconstruction of the houses."

Wang Jiazhen thought to himself, "You make it sound so easy!"
Only then did he understand why Wang Yinchang had suggested decisively expelling the exiles—because his plan hadn't included providing them with housing at all.

He glared and said, "Now that it's the dead of winter, tens of thousands of people are being driven out of the city, and the houses outside the city are being demolished. I'm afraid Liu Chengzong won't even need to attack; these refugees will already be clamoring to attack the city."

Ironically, Wang Yinchang, whom everyone thought was heartless, sighed helplessly and said, "Your Excellency is unaware of this."

As the saying goes, "Orders are issued like flowing water, and carried out like turning stones."

Wang Yinchang spread his hands and said, "The military situation is urgent, but the lower-ranking officials are only interested in profit. In just ten days, can they complete the order to relocate tens of thousands of refugees and demolish hundreds of thousands of houses? They can only demolish as many as they can and expel as many as they can."

"As for the lack of housing, there are some things we can't say. Let General Chen's soldiers tell those exiles that the gardens and residences in the outer city are not something that a few petty officials can demolish. Just move in and live there."

Wang Yinchang naturally wanted to expel everyone, demolish all the houses, and even drive away all the idlers in Luoyang, including Prince Fu.

They left behind soldiers and provisions, focusing wholeheartedly on defending the city.

But that's impossible and can't be done.

Ironically, his stern suggestion to expel the exiles was actually an attempt to give them a way to survive.

If Liu Chengzong were to truly attack the city, Luoyang would be very difficult to defend.

It's not because the Marshal's Army is particularly good at fighting; that's unnecessary.

No one understood the city's already immense contradictions better than Wang Yinchang, who was in charge of military affairs.

Even the Henan camp, which was guarding the garrison, was often short of pay. Yet, they were guarding the most luxurious palace in the world, the Fuwang Palace. The vassal states' flatterers and officers frequently came out to act arrogantly. The soldiers and officers had long been itching to hate them.

He estimated that even if the city's defenses were well-prepared, if Luoyang were besieged for a month, it would most likely descend into internal strife.

But before that, many of the tens of thousands of migrants in the city who had no industry, no source of money or food, and no food reserves would surely die from exhaustion, freezing, or starvation... Normally they could receive some relief, but once war broke out, no one would care about them.

Whether they are driven out of the city, hide in the mountains or make a living in the wilderness, or are taken hostage by the marshal's army, there is always a better chance of survival.

After all, Liu Chengzong was not a cruel or violent person. He was very virtuous in Shaanxi and saved countless lives. I have never heard of him abandoning starving people anywhere.

As for the folk legend that Liu Chengzong massacred Tongguan City, Wang Yinzhang didn't believe it at all, as he knew the ins and outs of the Battle of Tongguan.

Sheng Yida, the surviving commander of Tongguan Guard, led his clan to Qinwangzhai. Later, he followed Zhang Renxue to Kaifeng Prefecture, where he met him.

Therefore, for him, everything was just a performance. He was to fulfill his duties as a military officer, offer the best advice, and do his best to equip the garrison with weapons and train new recruits. In short, he had to do everything he could.

Only in this way can one avoid being held accountable afterward if they fail to defend themselves and run back to their hometown of Cangzhou—at worst, they'll go to jail, as long as they aren't directly beheaded.

If he really couldn't escape, he would accept it. To be honest, he felt from the bottom of his heart that the probability of him dying at the hands of Liu Chengzong was lower than the probability of him dying at the hands of Chongzhen.

However, he couldn't say these things to anyone else, otherwise he might have died before Wang Jiazhen.

In his eyes, Wang Jiazhen, the governor of Henan and the prime minister of nine provinces, was already a dead man.

Dead.

Therefore, he did not argue with Wang Jiazhen. The governor could do whatever he wanted. He simply cupped his hands and said, "In addition, military supplies and equipment need to be replenished and manufactured, and the garrison is also insufficient. New troops need to be recruited and trained."

Prefect Kang Menghui pretended to be asleep for a long time before finally getting up and saying, "Military supplies and equipment are readily available in the city, and there is no shortage of military craftsmen and gunpowder. That's easy to handle. However, the recruitment of soldiers is a problem. Gold, silver, and provisions are all limited, which is really difficult to solve."

Wang Jiazhen looked at Kang Menghui and laughed, "Isn't this exactly what Kang's parents excelled at?"

Everyone knew his unspoken meaning: he wanted Prince Fu to provide the funding.

Unexpectedly, Kang Menghui shook his head and said, "Your Highness is willing to provide funding, but not for recruiting new soldiers. Instead, it's for recruiting soldiers to fight to the death during wartime. Maintaining an army is extremely costly. As for the Prince of Fu's mansion... I think it's better to recruit local militia." (End of Chapter)