Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Yuan Chonghuan's memorial was quickly transmitted to the capital through the Jinyiwei.

After reading his secret compromise, Zhu Youjian remained silent. Because no matter what Yuan Chonghuan had done in Liaodong, it didn't mean much now.

Given the distance between Yunnan and Liaodong, even if Yuan Chonghuan reached an agreement with the Jianlu, he would not be able to implement it. In fact, because of the long distance, his communication with the Jianlu would be cut off. The peacemaking faction centered around him would gradually dissipate.

In order to keep this situation going and to avoid historical events, Zhu Youjian had already decided to keep Yuan Chonghuan away from the Jianlu to avoid any accidents.

What he wants to see now is whether Yuan Chonghuan is willing to obey and whether he can be used by him.

Therefore, after seeing Yuan Chonghuan's second memorial, which elaborated on the method of recovering the Three Xuan and Six Wei, he nodded. He handed the first memorial to Zheng Shiyi and instructed:
"According to Yuan Chonghuan's confession, investigate all those who participated in the peace talks."

"Only those who are absolutely certain of not being suspected of colluding with the enemy can stay in Liaodong."

"All other uncertain ones should be transferred out."

"We can transfer them to the southwest as Yuan Chonghuan requested and have them attack the Three Xuans and Six Weis."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Shiyi took the order and reported on the progress of the Liaodong investigation.

Zhu Youjian thought of one more thing after listening to this, that is, Wu Sangui, who served as the King of Pingxi in Yunnan in history. He asked Zheng Shiyi:
"Where is Zu Dashou's brother-in-law Wu Xiang, and what position does he hold now?"

Wu Xiang was Wu Sangui's father, but he was not well-known at that time. Zheng Shiyi did not remember this name. Fang Hongzan, the assistant commander of the Northern Office and the commander who was recently appointed to be in charge of the intelligence of the Jianlu, said:
"Wu Xiang was a military scholar in the second year of the Tianqi reign. He has now been transferred to the position of captain of the guard army and serves under Zu Dashou."

"Governor Yuan requested to transfer some people to assist. I think we can reward Governor Zu for his merits and transfer some people over."

Zhu Youjian nodded with satisfaction, and was quite impressed that Fang Hongzan could remember this, and said:

"The meritorious soldiers of our Zu family should indeed be rewarded. Wu Xiang and others can be transferred there."

"Are there any outstanding talents among Wu Xiang's descendants and relatives? Let them go together."

Without directly pointing out Wu Sangui, Zhu Youjian thought that this person had not yet emerged and was not included in the Jinyiwei's sight, but unexpectedly Fang Hongzan said:

"Wu Xiang's eldest son, Wu Sangui, has passed the military examination. He has practiced martial arts since he was young and is good at riding and shooting. When he was a teenager, he once rushed into the battlefield to save his father. Now he is by Zu Dashou's side and never leaves his side."

"I think such a hero should be given a chance to make merit. He can be transferred to Yunnan to help Governor Yuan lead the troops."

Zhu Youjian was quite surprised to hear that Wu Sangui had already made a name for himself. If such a person were placed in Liaodong, he would probably become a general in a few years.

After thinking about it, he picked up his pen and wrote the two characters "loyalty and filial piety" and ordered:
"Loyal ministers and filial sons should be rewarded."

"Give these two words to Wu Sangui to encourage him to make great achievements."

"Also, since he has passed the military examination, he can be transferred to the Guard."

"Let Yuan Chonghuan train well and strive to make meritorious contributions in the conquest of the Three Xuans and Six Weis, so that he can be awarded a title and fiefdom."

Thinking of the Yongli Emperor Zhu Youlang who was strangled to death by him in history, Zhu Youjian asked Zheng Shiyi again:

"How is King Gui now?"

"Do you have any intention of establishing a vassal state?"

Monitoring of the royal palace is of utmost importance, especially at this time when royal families are encouraged to establish fiefdoms and regain power.

The Official Noble Intelligence Department of the Embroidered Uniform Guard has begun operations and has strengthened monitoring of royal palaces in various places.

As a member of the royal family with the right to inherit the throne, Prince Gui is under even stricter surveillance.

Zheng Shiyi told the King of Gui's recent situation without thinking:

"Prince Gui has already planned to go to Southeast Asia to establish a fiefdom and does not want to stay in Hengzhou."

"His palace suddenly collapsed last year, crushing six women to death."

"There are rumors that it is an ominous sign, implying that Hengzhou does not welcome the King of Gui."

"The local gentry in Hengzhou also encouraged the King of Gui to leave."

Zhu Youjian snorted when he heard this, knowing what those gentry were thinking.

When a vassal king goes there, it is obvious that he wants to occupy a large part of the local interests.

In the past, they had no choice but to accept it. Now that the imperial court is encouraging royal families to establish fiefdoms overseas, they will of course seize the opportunity to encourage the Prince of Gui, who has not yet taken root, to leave.

He thought about the collapse of the Guiwang Mansion and asked:

"Does the collapse of the Gui Palace have anything to do with these people?"

"Has anyone attempted to murder a member of the royal family?"

This question is very sensitive. After careful consideration, Zheng Shiyi said:
"No one should have tampered with it. It's just that the Guiwang Mansion was built too poorly."

"Li Yongzhen, the head of the Imperial Household Department who was in charge of the construction, did a lot of manipulation during the construction of several palaces, and many palaces were deeply affected by it."

"The incident at Prince Gui's Mansion should be related to this."

When Zhu Youjian heard this, he thought of how his own Prince Xin's Mansion was also poorly built, so he slowly nodded, agreeing with this explanation.

But he was still a little worried and ordered:

"The Jinyiwei Guard Division's Guard Corps must set up several special security offices to be responsible for the protection of members of the royal family."

"Whatever the royal family does, there must be clear records. Whatever happens, it must be thoroughly investigated."

"Those involved in the case who endangered members of the royal family must be punished swiftly and severely, so that they lose their ability to cause harm."

"All Jinyiwei organizations must support the work of the Security Department. Everything in the Security Department is classified as confidential, and no one else is allowed to view it privately."

"This must be made clear to the royal family members, and guards must be sent openly to protect them."

Zheng Shiyi and others heard this and knew that the emperor was strengthening the monitoring of the royal family members. Of course, no one could find fault with it on the surface. The emperor was caring for the royal family members.

The work of the Security Department will obviously be very important in the future, especially since the current emperor has more and more princes and is encouraging them to establish fiefdoms.

While thinking about the impact of this incident, they heard the emperor give the order:
"Since the King of Gui intends to establish a fiefdom, let him go to Burma to choose a fiefdom."

"Send Wu Sangui to the Prince of Gui's palace to serve and assist the Prince of Gui in establishing a vassal state."

Wu Sangui, who in history destroyed the Gui Wang clan, was sent to serve in the Gui Wang Palace.

Let him help King Gui to conquer his fiefdom to atone for his sins in his previous life.

Zheng Shiyi and others were unaware of the emperor's bad taste. Although they felt that Wu Sangui was too young, sending him to the Prince of Gui's Palace did not seem to be taken seriously enough.

But when he thought about sending officials such as the Chief Clerk to the King of Gui, he didn't say much.

After arranging this matter, Zhu Youjian said to Fang Hongzan: "I heard that Yuan Chonghuan, in addition to colluding with the Donglin Party, is still in contact with the Eunuch Party."

"What's going on? Is there any relevant information?"

Fang Hongzan was in charge of the intelligence about the Jianlu, many of which were related to Yuan Chonghuan, so he attached great importance to the news about Yuan Chonghuan. Upon hearing this, he immediately said:

"Before Huo Weihua resigned as the Minister of War, he gave the credit for his son to Yuan Chonghuan, so there was some ties of friendship between them."

"He, He Kegang and others had corresponded with Yuan Chonghuan to discuss the defense of Dalinghe Fort."

"There is also Feng Quan on Xiangshan Island. Because of the Dutch invasion, he recruited soldiers in his hometown and borrowed people from Yuan Chonghuan to train soldiers."

"Yuan Chonghuan had many contacts with the Donglin Party and the Eunuch Party, but because he was repeatedly suspected of collusion with the enemy and had served in the southwest for a long time, he was no longer taken seriously by the two parties."

"From what I can see from his current behavior, he intends to surrender to Your Majesty."

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly, agreeing with Fang Hongzan's analysis. He then told him:
"Yuan Chonghuan's affairs in Liaodong can be put aside for now, as long as he concentrates on building achievements in the southwest."

"But we must not relax our surveillance on him. If we find that he has other intentions, we must report it immediately."

"The same goes for his old subordinates, including Zu Dashou, Wu Sangui and others."

Fang Hongzan was secretly shocked when he heard this. He wondered how wary the emperor was of Yuan Chonghuan that he had to keep this man and his subordinates under constant surveillance.

He even vaguely heard the emperor's intention, that is, if these people don't work hard and make achievements, then they should be eliminated. Obviously, the emperor was not at ease with these people.

All the Jinyiwei who heard this distanced themselves from Yuan Chonghuan in their hearts. They even wanted to stay away from Xu Bengao, who had close contacts with Yuan Chonghuan.
-
After dealing with these specific matters, Zhu Youjian said to the Jinyiwei senior officials:
“There is a lot of discussion about security needs right now.”

"Some people also used the traitor case to argue that not only individuals have security needs, but the country also has security needs."

"The Imperial Guards have already established a safety school. I think we should let them publish a "Safety Newspaper" to popularize the concepts and methods of personal safety, public safety, and national security to the public, and call on more people to participate in safety work."

"This will be very beneficial to the image of the Royal Guards. You should all seize the opportunity."

When Zheng Shiyi, Liu Qiao and others heard this, they were eager to establish the "Safety Newspaper".

They have long known the power of newspapers. The Jinyiwei even has a public opinion department that is specifically responsible for manipulating public opinion. The journalism and public opinion major at the Security Academy is designed to train talents in this area.

Public opinion is rarely favorable to the Jinyiwei these days, and the Safety School has also trained a number of talents. They all feel that it is the right time to establish the "Safety Newspaper" and that it can reverse the image of the Jinyiwei.

They also recognized the emperor's concern for the matter, believing that although the emperor did not allow the Jinyiwei to act recklessly, he still attached great importance to the Jinyiwei.

Today, the power of the Jinyiwei has shrunk openly, but has actually been expanding, just more in secret.

Soon, they heard another order from the emperor, and the Jinyiwei's apparent power was also expanded.

I only heard Zhu Youjian say:
"Public security is of vital importance. I intend to establish a Public Security Committee within the Jinyiwei, with Liu Qiao, the Minister of the Imperial Guard, as the chief officer. It will be responsible for public security affairs and maintaining the personal safety of citizens."

"The heads of the four major bureaus of the Weiwei Temple, as well as the patrol corps, the guards of the Yingyang Army, the three judicial departments and the Ministry of Revenue related to civil affairs and justice, the Guanglu Temple and the Imperial Hospital's food and drug supervision agencies, the tax police corps and the maritime police corps and other armed forces with public security responsibilities, can all serve as members of the Public Security Commission and be deployed by the Public Security Commission."

"The Public Security Commission is responsible for integrating public security forces and can even request military assistance when necessary. Similarly, local public security commissions will include agencies such as the Patrol Inspection Office, with the head of the Weiwei Office or the Public Security Office as the chief officer. In areas without a Public Security Office, the county lieutenant will concurrently serve as the chief officer."

"From now on, all matters concerning public safety and personal safety will be handed over to the Public Security Commission."

The establishment of this institution undoubtedly greatly expanded the power of the Weiwei Temple. From now on, the Weiwei Temple Minister can not only manage the Weiwei Temple, but also intervene in other government offices through the Public Security Committee.

Everyone looked at Liu Qiao with envy, and felt that he was gaining more and more trust from the emperor. Maybe he would be the next Jinyiwei leader, and Zheng Shiyi would not be able to continue doing this for long even if it was to protect himself.

Even Zhu Youjian wanted to replace the leader of the Jinyiwei to avoid being controlled by the same person for too long and causing security risks.

However, this matter is still under preparation, and the Jinyiwei organization needs to be improved, so it cannot be delayed.

Therefore, he still gave Zheng Shiyi more responsibilities and appointed him:

"The Imperial Guard, or the Privy Council, should set up a National Security Committee to be responsible for national security affairs and fight against internal and external enemies."

"For example, matters related to Jianlu not only involve personal safety and public safety, but also endanger the national security of the entire Ming Dynasty."

"If cases like Shen Qi and Zhang Cunren happen again in the future, the National Security Commission should take unified command and coordinate actions from all sides."

"To avoid a situation like this, where the arrest of Shen Qi alerted Zhang Cunren and he had to be arrested urgently, ruining the Liaodong plan."

This matter was complained about many times by Liaodong, and the Jinyiwei was often criticized. This is why Fang Hongzan was appointed to take charge of Jianlu affairs.

Now that the emperor has established the National Security Commission, his temporary appointment has come to an end. This makes him very concerned about whether he can become a member of the National Security Commission and gain more power.

Zheng Shiyi was also concerned about the National Security Commission, because this agency was obviously like the Public Security Commission and would involve other government offices. He carefully asked the emperor:

"Your Majesty said that the National Security Committee belongs to the Jinyiwei, and also to the Privy Council."

"Don't you want to be like the North Office Intelligence Center, and register in the Privy Council under the name of the Intelligence Department?"

The position of Minister of Intelligence is now concurrently held by Zheng Shiyi.

As one of the six departments of the Privy Council, this position brought him a lot of glory. After he learned that the National Security Commission also belonged to the Privy Council, he naturally hoped so.

Zhu Youjian nodded and said:

"exactly!"

“The National Security Commission’s work requires a lot of military support, so we need to involve the various departments of the Privy Council.”

"You, the head of the intelligence center, and Fang Hongzan, who assists in intelligence work, will serve as the director and deputy director of the National Security Committee."

"The General Staff, Logistics Department, Equipment Department, Border Defense Department, Navy Department, and the Military Department of the Executive Yuan must at least send a deputy department official to serve as a member of the National Security Committee, responsible for the intelligence of their respective departments and supporting the work of the National Security Committee."

"I will ask Yuan Qing to help you set up the National Security Committee."

"If the matter is serious, a Privy Council meeting may even be convened to discuss it."

This appointment made Zheng Shiyi overjoyed.

Since the members of the National Security Commission include officials from other ministries, it will be much more convenient to ask the ministries to support the work of the Jinyiwei in the future.

Even if the level of these members is higher, it can be regarded as a secret meeting.

Unfortunately, the emperor did not allow him to expand the National Security Committee in this way, and made it clear that the rank of the National Security Committee was lower than that of the Privy Council.

But even so, after the establishment of the National Security Commission, he, as the Minister of Intelligence, will have more say in the Privy Council.

The Jinyiwei Intelligence Center will be further integrated with the Privy Council, instead of being listed in it but completely isolated from it as before.

The establishment of the Public Security Committee and the National Security Committee is another expansion of the Jinyiwei's power. It represents the expansion of Jinyiwei's power to other government offices. (End of this chapter)