Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The development of a tiered system of officials was another improvement made by Zhu Youjian to the bureaucratic system.

With this reserve of talent, he could confidently say that there were plenty of people who wanted to be officials, and that ministers who didn't do their jobs well could get out.

Even the purge of the court would be applauded, and those reserve officials who wanted to take over would be happy to take office ahead of schedule.

It can be said that this measure intensified competition in the officialdom, allowing Emperor Zhu Youjian to make decisions with composure.

The ministers were not unaware of the risks, but they were surrounded by a group of supporting mid-level officials and also had to cultivate their younger generations.

These people were all scrambling to join the team, and naturally they were powerless to stop this policy.

Furthermore, the system of building a hierarchical structure was extended to the imperial court, where the nine ministries of the Nine Courts were required to have a sufficient number of officials in their ranks.

Some people's official positions were adjusted shortly after they were appointed; some were sent to local areas, while others were transferred to Nanjing to take up official posts.

At this time, many people in the imperial court realized the advantage of leaving Nanjing officials for the last round of elections, as it allowed them to place officials who would be difficult to relocate during the elections.

In Nanjing, officials were reshuffled last, which later became a common practice. Even their positions were not always fixed, in order to facilitate the appointment of officials.

At this time, the officials in Nanjing were relatively happy.

Because of this reshuffle, Nanjing produced two new Nine Ministers: Lin Yuji, the former Minister of Revenue, and Zheng Sanjun, the former Minister of Justice, were both transferred to the capital to serve as Nine Ministers.

Lin Yuji almost became a Grand Secretary; if it weren't for the system of avoiding conflicts of interest among people from the same hometown, he would have been a cabinet minister in the new term.

This made Nanjing officials feel that the emperor still valued them and did not treat Nanjing as a retirement home for officials.

Many people have become more motivated and are planning to seek higher positions and opportunities to work in Beijing.

Upon learning that Lü Tunan had concurrently assumed the post of Governor-General of Southern Zhili, they all came to offer their congratulations.

With the title of Governor-General of Southern Zhili, the intervention of various Nanjing government offices in Southern Zhili would be more legitimate.
"It seems that our Nanjing offices will now be in charge of Southern Zhili."

"The Governor-General of Southern Zhili was equivalent to the Governor-General of other provinces."

"The Six Ministries in Nanjing were equivalent to the Provincial Administration Commissions in other provinces."

"The Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate was equivalent to the Provincial Surveillance Commission in other provinces."

"The governor, the viceroy, and the governor-general are all here!"

Some officials joked.

There is both joy and disappointment regarding the current status of the Nanjing court.

The good news is that the Nanjing court now has more real power after taking on the responsibility of directly governing Southern Zhili.

The disappointment was that Nanjing, as the capital city, only governed one province, a far cry from the capital city of Beijing.

They later referred to themselves as officials of the Nanjing imperial court, but it would be more accurate to say they were officials of Southern Zhili (Southern Zhili).

This naturally disappointed some people, who then longed to take up official positions in the Beijing imperial court.
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Lü Tunan was in a similar situation. He was the Minister of War in Nanjing, concurrently serving as the Privy Councilor in Nanjing and the Governor-General of Southern Zhili, holding a high position and wielding considerable power. However, compared to his previous role in the court meetings of ministers and officials in Beijing, his influence was far less.

In Nanjing, he could only make decisions on matters of the Nanjing court, and he also had to consult with the Nanjing garrison commander and the Nanjing eunuchs.

Even though he was the lowest-ranking official among the Nine Ministers in Beijing, the Chief Administrator of the Court of State Affairs, he was still able to speak on all kinds of affairs in the country.

He was somewhat disappointed that he was not able to return to Beijing to take up a post during this reshuffle. This meant that he was not considered indispensable by the emperor.

Yang Jingchen's strong recommendation of Lin Yuji, rather than allowing him to return to the imperial court, also meant that Lin Yuji would have no chance to return to Beijing for the next few years.

According to the emperor's regulations on avoiding conflicts of interest among people from the same hometown, at most two high-ranking officials in the imperial court could come from the same prefecture.

He, Yang Jingchen, and Lin Yuji were all from Jinjiang, Quanzhou Prefecture. After these two became ministers, unless one of them resigned, he would not have the opportunity to become one of the Nine Ministers.

It's impossible for Lü Tunan not to feel resentful, but given the current situation, he could only do his best in Nanjing.

"Being an official in Nanjing isn't bad; there aren't so many people above you to bother you."

"Even the Nanjing court is going to implement a collective deliberation system, which will make deliberations even more complicated in the future."

The rumor originated in the capital, where some officials believed that military and political power, as well as military command authority, should not all be given to one person, and that the head of the Privy Council should be appointed separately.

In addition to the Minister of Defense, Nanjing also had a Coordinating Minister of Defense. These two, along with the Nanjing eunuch, the Privy Councilor, and the Minister of War, should have formed the Nanjing Assembly.

Some even wanted to include the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Rites in Nanjing, so that officials from these two departments would have more say.

The days when Lü Tunan held absolute power in the Nanjing court were over, and more discussions were needed.

This made him deeply regretful, feeling that he had been somewhat lax in the past two years:
"If I had reorganized the prefectures and counties of Southern Zhili earlier, allowing the Emperor to see my abilities, I wouldn't have suffered such a setback in this reshuffle."

"In officialdom, it's truly a case of 'if you don't advance, you fall behind.' I wonder what trouble awaits you!"

This was his deepest realization, because once the Nanjing Assembly was established, a portion of his power would be taken away.

Moreover, in addition to the Nanjing Assembly, there might be other meetings such as the Nanjing Six Ministries Assembly and the Nanjing Privy Council Assembly, making it even more difficult for him to interfere in other government departments.

The position of Governor-General of Southern Zhili sounds like he could oversee all affairs in Southern Zhili. After the establishment of the Southern Zhili Assembly, he would also have to consult with the Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries in Nanjing who were in charge of the Zhili Subprefecture, as well as the three Governors of Southern Zhili.

It can be said that, given his high position and power, he will no longer be able to make decisions on any matters unilaterally. Any decision requiring a formal meeting will need to be made.

This made him realize that some officials disliked the collective deliberation system; it was truly a nuisance.

However, as an official promoted by the emperor, he could not possibly contradict the emperor. For now, he could only take advantage of the fact that a council had not yet been established in Nanjing to make some decisions.
The Governor-General of Southern Zhili is authorized to oversee all military and political affairs in Southern Zhili.

"Besides reorganizing the prefectures and counties, I need to contribute to the military, to live up to my positions as Minister of War and Head of the Privy Council."

This was his own thinking; he believed that he had not made any significant contributions in Nanjing, which was why the emperor did not feel the need to use him.

If he had made significant contributions to the reorganization of the Nanjing garrison and the establishment of the Nanjing New Army, the position of Minister of War would not have fallen to Liu Zunxian.

Lu Tunan didn't think much of this official who only returned to the court after things had stabilized.

In his view, he and Yang Jingchen and others were all the emperor's confidants, while Liu Zunxian was just someone who had come to rely on him later.

This person is now serving as the Minister of War in Beijing, while he is in Nanjing, which naturally makes him even more resentful.

After much deliberation, Lü Tunan decided to challenge Liu Zunxian to a duel at the autumn military exercises on the Grand Canal, so that the world would know that Nanjing also had a strong army.

However, most of the Nanjing garrisons were just empty shells, and the Beijing garrison had not trained any new troops. These people could not be relied on at all, and it would be shameful for them to participate in the autumn maneuvers.

After some thought, Lü Tunan remembered a troop and, while he was still concurrently serving as the head of the Nanjing Privy Council, issued a transfer order:
"Order Gu Yanwu, the garrison commander of the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area, to lead the engineering battalion to participate in the autumn maneuvers on the Grand Canal."

"We must demonstrate the prowess of the Southern Zhili troops and not be inferior to other armies."

The plan was to use this officer, who had made a name for himself in the Suzhou raid, to participate in the autumn military exercises in Kaifeng.

He believed that Gu Yanwu was absolutely capable in military operations. As long as he could lead his troops safely to their destination, they would be able to defeat most armies.
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Upon receiving the transfer order, Gu Yanwu immediately selected two brigades from the New District Engineering Battalion.

One battalion was responsible for logistics, while the other battalion was dedicated to combat, making them the elite of the engineering battalion.

The training of this brigade was also modeled after the Nanjing Eagle Army.

This was a rapid strike force deployed along the river. Gu Yanwu, a former commander of the Eagle Army, had guided the formation of the Nanjing Eagle Army. The two battalions numbered nearly two thousand men, making it a formidable force.

Because he was carrying too many supplies, Gu Yanwu also applied for assistance from the Yangtze River Navy and the Grand Canal fleet to transport the soldiers and supplies.

Liu Kongzhao, the admiral of the Yangtze River Navy, also wanted to make a name for himself at the autumn maneuvers on the Grand Canal.

He wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to bring along sailors and marines from the Yangtze River Fleet.

However, Gu Yanwu looked at their formation and shook his head, saying:

“Admiral Liu, it’s not that I don’t want to take you with me, but if you go to Kaifeng like this, people will only look down on Southern Zhili.”

"Putting everything else aside, can the Admiral guarantee how many of these troops will arrive in Kaifeng?"

Liu Kongzhao was displeased, feeling that Gu Yanwu had underestimated him, and said with a stern face:

"No need for Commandant Gu to worry."

"I will also send two thousand men, and two thousand of them will surely arrive in Kaifeng."

They insisted that Gu Yanwu bring his own boat, otherwise they wouldn't arrange any.

Gu Yanwu's official rank and title were far inferior to the other party's, so he had no way to refuse.

He had no choice but to take these two thousand people with him and try to take better care of them.

Unexpectedly, before setting off, Liu Kongzhao received another transfer order from Lü Tunan, representing the Nanjing troops to participate in the autumn maneuvers, increasing the number of troops to a guerrilla battalion of three thousand.

Now, the two battalions of the Suzhou-Songjiang Engineering Battalion led by Gu Yanwu became the vanguard, while the troops led by Liu Kongzhao became the central army.

They planned to use the route established by Gu Yanwu to travel to Kaifeng along the way.

The soldiers of the Su-Song Engineering Battalion were indignant about this, because it was clearly an attempt to take advantage of them.

However, Gu Yanwu, as a military officer who came from the imperial court, had a strong sense of the big picture and said:
"It's okay to take advantage of a bargain, as long as we arrive safely."

"My concern is that even if they follow our path, not many of them will actually arrive."

"That would make the troops in Nanjing look down on, and our engineering battalion would lose face as well."

"Attention, supply and medical teams! If you see anyone who has fallen behind, go and help them."

The officers responded in unison, but secretly they were eager to teach these people a lesson.

Furthermore, the engineering battalion is currently at the forefront and cannot see those who have fallen behind.

After arriving in Xuzhou by boat, they immediately abandoned the boat and went ashore, clearing roads through mountains and building bridges over rivers to quickly make their way to Kaifeng.

As an officer who once traveled from the capital to Suzhou in fifteen days, Gu Yanwu had considerable experience in long-distance marches.

He included all the post stations and cities that could be used along the way in his calculations.

He also arranged for civilian officers recruited in Suzhou and Songjiang to handle matters specifically with local officials.

Under his meticulous organization, the soldiers in the engineering battalion had hot meals and hot water every time they rested, and soldiers rarely fell behind; if they felt unwell, they were taken in.

Even at the gates of Kaifeng, they maintained their high energy. Their intentions weren't to relieve the siege of Kaifeng, but rather to capture it.

The officials of Kaifeng Prefecture had only received the order for the autumn military exercises a few days ago, but they did not expect that troops would arrive.

This both alarmed and delighted them, as they believed that with such troops, Kaifeng could be kept safe.

When asked which troops had arrived, the Kaifeng prefectural official replied:
"What a coincidence! The Eagle Soaring Army's Shooting Battalion also arrived today and is stationed on the north bank of the Yellow River."

"Commander Gu, would you like to go and take a look? You're most likely to win the autumn maneuvers this time."

Gu Yanwu was overjoyed when he heard that the Archery Battalion had arrived.

Because he came from this battalion, he knew that the leader was mostly Sun Yingyuan.

Thinking of his partner's great achievements in Liaodong, which almost earned him the title of earl, Gu Yanwu, eager to compete with him, solemnly said:

"No need to look, I know what the Eagle Army is like."

"Let's choose a place to set up camp on the south bank and see who can relieve the siege of Kaifeng first."

Instead of observing the enemy on the north bank, they carefully surveyed the terrain on the south bank and chose a suitable location to set up camp.

Upon closer inspection, he was immediately taken aback, realizing the difficulty of this autumn exercise.

Leaving aside the 15-day troop deployment period, once they arrived in Kaifeng, if they didn't pay attention to the Yellow River, victory would be impossible.

Once the Yellow River dike is breached and Kaifeng is flooded, he cannot think of a way to save the city.

"This is how to do ah?"

"Should we defend the Yellow River or the city?"

While pondering this question, Gu Yanwu even forgot about the Yangtze River Navy that followed.

As expected, Liu Kongzhao's three thousand land soldiers encountered difficulties.

With Gu Yanwu paving the way and the good relationships established along the way, Liu Kongzhao initially felt things were going smoothly and thought the march wasn't that difficult.

However, after passing through a county town, some soldiers were caught stealing chickens and dogs, and things immediately became complicated.

Although Liu Kongzhao managed to get the soldiers released using his status and promised they wouldn't repeat the offense, the surrounding counties recognized the difference between the two armies and refused to let them enter the city, forcing them to detour around the city walls.

Liu Kongzhao was furious, but his status as the Earl of Chengyi was of no use at this moment. Faced with the local militia waiting in full battle array on the city walls, he could only lead his troops to advance around the city.

This not only means taking many unnecessary detours, but also means not having enough supplies.

The soldiers were exhausted and hungry, and many collapsed. Many others deserted, running directly back to the canal to catch boats home.

Liu Kongzhao was unable to control his men. By the time they arrived in Kaifeng, only less than 1,800 of the original 3,000 men remained, which was less than the number under Gu Yanwu's command.

This made him feel quite ashamed, so he handed the soldiers over to Gu Yanwu, letting him command the soldiers of Southern Zhili.

Gu Yanwu was speechless, but he knew that this was how the old army was.

Having over a thousand soldiers was also a supplement, and he arranged for these people to build camps and dig trenches.

The purpose of the trenches was not only to block the enemy, but also to prevent the Yellow River dike from being breached and to divert the flowing water away.

Yuan Keli, the Privy Councilor who came to review the troops, nodded repeatedly upon seeing this.

As a native of Suizhou, he knew better than anyone else about the dangers of the Yellow River.

If he hadn't paid attention to the Yellow River during the exercise in Kaifeng, he could have judged it a failure on the spot.

Gu Yanwu's insight at such a young age made him seem like a valuable asset. (End of Chapter)