Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Shen Qi's arrest not only affected Zu Dashou, but had a greater impact on Liaodong.

After Zhang Daojun discovered that Zhang Cunren had defected to the Jianlu, he had already communicated with Liaodong high-ranking officials such as Sun Chengzong and Bi Zisu, intending to use him to carry out a counter-espionage plan.

However, after Shen Qi was arrested, Zhang Cunren, who had been in contact with him before, realized that something was wrong and prepared to flee to the Later Jin.

After the Jinyiwei personnel in charge of surveillance discovered this, they had to take emergency action to arrest him and interrogate him about the Jianlu spies hiding in Liaodong.

Zhang Cunren confessed many of the Jianlu spies under torture, which made the Northeast Pacification Office a great achievement. However, the possibility of using him to mislead the Jianlu was shattered, which made Zhang Daojun very regretful.

Rather than the merit of catching a spy, he hoped to gain merit in the war next year and earn a title with military merit:
"What a pity! What a pity!"

"I originally wanted to use him to lure the Jianlu and let you accomplish a great feat."

"I didn't expect him to suddenly escape, so I had to arrest him first."

Sighing regretfully to Sun Yingyuan, Zhang Daojun informed everyone in Shesheng Camp of the plan he had previously formulated to use Zhang Cunren.

Sun Yingyuan and others also felt a little regretful after learning about it. Fortunately, they were confident in the combat capability of Shesheng Battalion and said:

"Thank you for your kindness, but we believe that if we encounter the Jianlu, we will be able to defeat them."

"Pacifier, please relax. Next year, Shesheng Camp will surely be able to show its might."

Zhang Daojun still believed this because after the Shesheng Camp entered Liaodong, it had held several exercises with the Liaodong troops.

Every exercise can be a victory, and after the exercise summary, there will be improvement next time.

This was something that surprised Zhang Daojun very much, and it also gave him a lot more confidence.

Such a booming army would become stronger and stronger and continue to make achievements as long as it was not surrounded and annihilated the first time it faced the Jianlu.

That was why he had planned to use Zhang Cunren to lure out a small group of Jianlu troops for the Shesheng Camp to use in actual combat.

Now that Zhang Cunren has been arrested, this opportunity is naturally gone, which makes him even more regretful and hates Shen Qi even more:
"What kind of peacemakers are they? I think they are all collaborators."

"We need to thoroughly investigate the peace faction left by Yuan Chonghuan, and make sure everyone passes the test."

"I will go find Commander Sun and ask him to clean up the peace party again."

He took the information provided by Zhang Cunren to find Sun Chengzong and asked him to purge the Liaodong peace faction again.

At this time, Sun Chengzong was even more angry than Zhang Daojun.

Because compared to Zhang Daojun, he is the one who values ​​next year's battle more.

In order to increase the possibility of victory, he had already formulated a plan to use Zhang Cunren. He intended to win the battle at the beginning and increase the confidence of the participating troops and the court in the rear.

Now that Zhang Cunren has been arrested, his plan has been shattered. He can only take risks and look for opportunities to win.

So much so that when facing Zhang Daojun, he couldn't help but complain:

"Does Zhang Cunren have to be arrested?"

"Can't you find a way to comfort him?"

Zhang Daojun heard his complaint and immediately complained:

"How could I have known that the Northwest Pacification Office would find Shen Qi when investigating Shanxi merchants?"

"This man is a Jinshi and will soon become a governor. Who would have thought that he would be colluding with the Jianlu?"

"Commander-in-chief, we need to dig deeper into the Liaodong peacemaking faction. There may be people who have connections with the Jianlu."

There was a hidden complaint in these words, accusing Sun Chengzong of showing mercy and not taking harsh measures against the peace-seeking faction left behind by Yuan Chonghuan.

Otherwise, Shen Qi would not have been able to become the commander of the imperial guard, and Zhang Cunren would not have been able to become a guerrilla general.

Sun Chengzong also felt a little regretful at this time, because he had never thought that a Jinshi like Shen Qi would have contact with the enemy. So when he cleaned up the Liaodong peace party according to the emperor's order, he only transferred those who were confirmed to have had contact with the enemy, and did not investigate the others at all.

Now that it was confirmed that Shen Qi was in collusion with the Lu, he suddenly realized that the collusion between some people in Liaodong and the Jianlu was deeper than he had imagined.

Especially military generals like Zhang Cunren, who might become the second Li Yongfang.

Thinking about this, he asked Zhang Daojun:
"Who did Zhang Cunren betray?"

"Is there anything you haven't discovered?"

Zhang Daojun said:

"Zhang Cunren gave away all the people who had contact with him during this period. I think he understood that he was under surveillance during this period."

"But the details of what happened before that are unclear. Maybe there is someone hiding somewhere."

"I thought we could alert the enemy by making the news of Zhang Cunren's arrest known to the public, so that they would flee and be exposed."

"Although we cannot use them this way, we can prevent the Jianlu from finding out the news during the war next year."

Sun Chengzong nodded upon hearing this and gave the order:

"Then go catch him!"

"Anyone involved in the case can be arrested and summoned by Governor Zhang."

"I want to see how many more people will be exposed."

He gave an order to Zhang Daojun and used the seal bestowed by Fang Jian.

Zhang Daojun has the right to summon anyone as long as the official is not a general.

He was determined to clean up the Liaodong army again to eliminate hidden dangers for next year's war.

Zhang Daojun lived up to his trust. First, he sealed off a temple according to Zhang Cunren's confession and arrested several lamas who traveled between Daming and the grassland.

These people relied on their status to move between various forces, and most of the contacts between Zhang Cunren and Jianlu were through them.

After interrogating these lamas, the Northeastern Pacification Office captured many more spies of the Jianlu. Although there were no high-ranking officials like Zhang Cunren, there were many people in key positions.

Sun Chengzong was so frightened when he looked at the list that he became more determined to reorganize the Liaodong army.

When he was discussing matters with Bi Zisu, You Shilu and others, he said firmly:
"Anyone suspected of colluding with the enemy cannot be brought in next year."

"I would rather lead fewer troops than bring those who are not resolute in fighting and have two minds."

"Especially high-ranking officials above the rank of guerrilla general who lead a battalion, we must ensure that their families are in the interior and have no collusion with the Jianlu."

Bi Zisu, You Shilu and others all agreed. They were also somewhat afraid of the fact that there were so many Jianlu spies hiding in the Liaodong army.

That is to say, the Dalinghe defense line was established, and the Jianlu did not attack here in the past two years. Otherwise, based on the situation found by the Liaodong army, they doubted that there would be surrender when the war situation was unfavorable.

Bi Zisu said:

"The Jianlu attach so much importance to using spies, I think we should also treat them in their own way."

"Many of the occupied people in Liaodong are still loyal to the Ming Dynasty. We can ask them to help spread the news of Jianlu."

"As long as there is no sudden encounter with the Jianlu, the Liaodong army will always be able to hold out as the emperor said, 'build a strong camp and fight a stupid battle', and will not suffer a major defeat." Sun Chengzong nodded, because he also favored this tactic.

After the emperor designated the area outside the pass as a martial law zone and did not hold those responsible for abandoning their camps accountable, building strongholds for defense has become a conventional tactic. This is what the Liaodong army has been practicing in the past two years.

He even had an idea, which was to go to the battlefield himself and lead the Liaodong army.

He said to Bi Zisu and others:

"The Emperor ordered the Privy Council to form a wartime committee to be responsible for wartime support and coordination and command."

"According to the Privy Council's requirements, there should be no more than three levels of command from the Privy Council to the generals at the front line."

"What has been confirmed for now are the Wartime Committee and the Front Committee, as well as the generals at the forefront. At that time, the Wartime Committee will directly issue orders to the Front Committee, and the Front Committee will then break down the orders and require the generals at the forefront to implement them."

"The wartime committee has been established in the court, with Yuan Shumi as the chief officer. I will take on the responsibility of being the chief officer of the Liaodong Front Committee."

"What do you think about this matter?"

Sun Chengzong's prestige in Liaodong was unquestionable, and he was naturally qualified to be the chief of the Front Committee. What everyone was worried about was that the Front Committee would go to the front line, and even if they were not at the forefront, they would fight the enemy.

You Shilu, the Liaodong governor who was ready to go, said:

"The commander-in-chief is the chief officer, and I should have no objection to that."

"But the war is dangerous, please stay in Liaodong and I will lead the army to fight."

Zhao Lushio, Hou Shilu and others also had the same idea and were unwilling to let Sun Chengzong go to the front line.

Bi Zisu also advised:
"We know the commander's determination, but rear support is equally important, and it also concerns the defense of Shanhaiguan."

"Please ask the commander to stay in the rear and take charge of logistics."

Sun Chengzong heard this and said to him:
"Bi Hujun has done a very organized job in logistics support."

"With Ma Shilong at Shanhaiguan, I can rest assured."

"What I am most worried about is actually the front line."

"As the head of the Front Committee, I have no choice but to take responsibility."

Then, Sun Chengzong said to everyone:

"I have proposed seven members for the Front Committee."

"Bi Hujun will stay at Shanhaiguan and be responsible for logistics support and Shanhaiguan defense."

"General You and General Hou will serve as my assistants and help me lead the army."

"General Zhao will serve as the vanguard, looking for opportunities to engage in battle."

"Admiral Yu of the Navy is also a member of the front committee, responsible for maritime support and logistics."

"Finally, we will add General He from the Daling River defense line to support the main army."

"Next year's operational plan will be agreed upon by all members of the Front Committee. When it comes to actual operations, this officer and the members on the front line will assume the responsibilities of the Front Committee."

The arrangements were well organized and everyone was assigned responsibilities.

Bi Zisu and others realized that Sun Chengzong had already made up his mind and was just notifying them now.

They had no choice but to accept the order and form the Liaodong Front Committee according to Sun Chengzong's arrangement.

The combat plan previously formulated must also be reviewed by the Front Committee, adjusted according to the new situation, and prevent the Jianlu from already obtaining the combat plan.
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These things were quickly reported to the Privy Council through the arm board communication system that had long been established between Liaodong and the capital.

After seeing Sun Chengzong's arrangement, Yuan Keli couldn't help but sigh:
He knew that his old friend was risking everything. Even the discovery of so many spies did not shake his determination to go to war.

All he can do now is to try his best to help his old friend fight this battle and let his skills and preparations be fully utilized.

What made him happy was that the emperor really delegated power completely this time and handed over next year's Liaodong war entirely to the wartime committee.

As long as it was related to Liaodong, the wartime committee could make the decision directly without sending it to the palace for the emperor to make the decision personally.

This made him sigh:

"The emperor is at peace, and all officials are devoted to their work."

“This is the ideal order!”

"Your Majesty is sincere in remaking the rituals and music."

"I just don't know if the officials can give a perfect answer."

Knowing clearly that the emperor's decentralization was a big test for the Privy Council, Yuan Keli devoted himself even more to the battle of Liaodong.

And taking advantage of the opportunity of the wartime committee to take charge of power, he reorganized the institutions previously established by the Privy Council in order to better respond to the war.

In particular, he clearly divided the boundaries between the General Staff, Border Defense Department and Navy Department, which had previously had conflicts of authority.

The General Staff was responsible for military orders and command and mobilization, while the training of battalion soldiers and the management of garrisons were handed over to the Border Defense Department and the Navy Department. The troops under the two departments only had the power to defend within the defense zone when the enemy invaded. The mobilization of troops above the battalion level and across defense zones must be issued by the General Staff.

At the same time, it was also decided that the chief officers of the Border Defense Department and the Navy Department would concurrently serve as deputy chiefs of the general staff. Military orders issued by the General Staff to the two ministries must be countersigned by the corresponding chiefs of staff.

In this way, the powers of the General Staff, the Border Defense Department, and the Navy Department were finally clarified. The three departments also set up many institutions to be responsible for their own powers.

For example, with Yuan Keli's permission, the General Staff established a new calculation committee and invited personnel from the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Border Defense and other departments to join. The committee was responsible for selecting generals, assessing the enemy, measuring the terrain, estimating the number of soldiers, and calculating the distance, danger and ease.

The Training Department of the Border Defense Department specially trained a group of artillery and balloon soldiers and sent them to the Liaodong battlefield to provide support and improve their firepower strike and reconnaissance capabilities.

The Navy Department was even busier, because Admiral Yu Zigao was one of the Liaodong Front Committee members. They proposed a route along the coastline and rivers to better transport logistical supplies and troops.

The Navy Department even planned to send newly built gunboats to provide fire support from the sea.

The Equipment Department and the Logistics Department can only provide weapons and military supplies according to their requirements.

The entire Privy Council was mobilized, and with the efforts of Privy Ministers such as Yuan Keli, it became more perfect.

The war organization that Zhu Youjian had previously envisioned has gradually been realized.

He was very happy about this, and he confidently handed over the Liaodong war to Yuan Keli and others, while he focused on other aspects.

What concerned him most was the affairs of the Jinyiwei. After the previous rectification, the various departments of the Jinyiwei had been established one after another, and even subordinate agencies had been established in the local Zhenfusi.

The investigation of Shen Qi, Zhang Cunren and others was their achievement.

However, because of Shen Qi's hasty arrest of Zhang Cunren, Zhu Youjian also realized:
The current Jinyiwei's strength is somewhat scattered and has not formed a combined force.

In particular, the internal communication mechanism is not perfect, and we need to strengthen contact and assign someone to coordinate them.

His plan was to set up a security committee modeled after the Privy Council's wartime committee and to further improve the Jinyiwei's organization by taking advantage of the pressure from the Jianlu.

The Security Committee will serve as the most important coordination body of the Royal Guards and will remain in place forever. (End of this chapter)