Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

With the issuance of the wartime declaration, the Ming Dynasty's war machine began to operate.

Although the machine was very old and had suffered a lot of interference, after Zhu Youjian made adjustments, it was able to start up with difficulty and move towards the goal.

He entrusted Yuan Keli with the responsibility precisely to examine the achievements of the past few years and to see how much strength the Ming Dynasty could currently exert.

As the person in charge, Yuan Keli had the greatest power and the heaviest responsibility.

On the very day he received the order, he convened the first meeting of the Wartime Commission in the Privy Council.

This meeting was attended not only by representatives from the Privy Council, the Ministry of War, and the Five Ministries, but also by other ministries of the State Council, and even the Cabinet and the Censorate—anyone with a connection to Liaodong affairs was required to attend.

Clearly, the emperor's words were not just empty talk; he was truly delegating power. The gathering of so many officials from various departments was almost enough to form a small court assembly.

Even the inner court sent representatives. Li Fengxiang, the head of the Imperial Horse Administration, attended the meeting on behalf of the emperor.

Before the meeting began, Li Fengxiang, holding an imperial sword, conveyed the imperial decree:

"Imperial Edict: Since I ascended the throne, I have been diligent and cautious every day, thinking of restoring the territories of my ancestors."

“Now that the Jurchens have invaded Liaodong and massacred the people of the Ming Dynasty, I have not been free from hatred for a single day.”

“Yuan Keli, a minister of the central government, has long been experienced in war, is well-versed in the enemy’s situation, and is meticulous in his planning and strategy.”

"By special permission, the Imperial Sword is granted to act at one's own discretion. All military officers below the rank of general and ministers below the third rank may be arrested first and questioned later, and dismissed and replaced by temporary replacements."

"The members of the Wartime Commission should work together to devise strategies for both offense and defense, and work in harmony to achieve outstanding results to comfort my heart."

The imperial sword was formally awarded to Yuan Keli, granting him all the power to oversee Liaodong affairs during the war.

If any official dares to shirk responsibility, Yuan Keli can use the imperial edict to dismiss them and replace them.

Even generals and high-ranking officials could be replaced after submitting a memorial to the emperor.

It could be said that he has now become the wartime prime minister, with even more power than the chief minister.

The War Commission also replaced the Cabinet, becoming the highest authority during the war.

The officials present were filled with awe upon hearing this, and Han Kuang, who had come on orders, had his expression change several times.

Although he knew that the emperor valued Yuan Keli, and also knew that Yuan Keli had once been the de facto chief minister.

However, no one expected that the emperor would grant Yuan Keli such great power—

This is practically handing over half the court to him. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, which minister has ever received such trust?

Even he, the Grand Secretary, had to cooperate with Yuan Keli during the war.

Through this incident, the Privy Council's position was thus definitively established:

Normally, it is subordinate to the Cabinet and is only one of the five branches of government.

In wartime, he would hold supreme power over all matters, and even the cabinet would have to cooperate.

The wartime committee, which included the Grand Secretary and other high-ranking officials, could even be called a wartime cabinet.

As the founder of the Privy Council, Yuan Keli naturally understood the implications of this position.

He solemnly accepted the imperial sword and swore an oath:

"Your subject will certainly perform his duties diligently and win the war in Liaodong."

Then, looking at Han Kuang, he gave the order:

"Scholar Han, war cannot be started without a justification."

"Please have Scholar Han, together with the Court of Colonial Affairs and the Hanlin Academy, draft a proclamation to punish the barbarians."

This gave Han Kuang a chance to shine, and ensured that the chief minister would cooperate with him during the war.

Han Kuang hesitated for a moment, then, under Li Fengxiang's cold and stern gaze, accepted the order:

"Rest assured, Privy Councilor Yuan, I, Han, will certainly draft a proclamation to punish the barbarians based on the distinction between Chinese and barbarians and the blood debt in Liaodong." Yuan Keli nodded in agreement, knowing that Han Kuang had submitted, and no longer pressed him.

He turned to Bi Ziyan, Han Kuang's deputy in the Finance and Economics Committee and Minister of Revenue, and demanded:

"The Ministry of Revenue must cooperate with the Logistics Department during wartime to prepare sufficient military funds and supplies."

"If there is an emergency, military spending will need to be increased."

The Ming Dynasty's finances have always been strained, and Bi Ziyan has done his utmost to barely achieve a balance between income and expenditure.

The Ministry of Revenue had no surplus funds to support the war. Even in this Liaodong war, the emperor forced Shanxi merchants to contribute money.

Upon hearing Yuan Keli's request, Bi Ziyan immediately cried out in distress:

"The Ministry of Revenue's money is used and withdrawn as needed, and there is no surplus at all."

"Especially now, when we are in a period of transition, where can we raise military funds and supplies?"

Yuan Keli stated firmly:
"I don't care where we get the supplies, but the front lines can't be short of supplies."

"Furthermore, if Shanxi merchants can contribute money, why can't merchants from other places?"

"War bonds were issued using land certificates from Liaodong as collateral."

"If you manage to raise the money, it's your achievement; if you fail to raise the money, it's your responsibility."

Following the emperor's suggestion, Yuan Keli forced Bi Ziyan to sign a military pledge.

Then he turned his attention to Zhai Fengchong, the Minister of Agriculture, and demanded that he inspect the warehouses and resolve the grain and fodder problem.

These matters were handled by the Logistics Department. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Agriculture only needed to allocate funds and supplies, and the Logistics Department would mobilize transport troops to send them to the front lines.

Similarly, the Equipment Department needed to collaborate with the Ministry of Works, the Imperial Household Department, and the Imperial Household Bureau to produce weapons, which were then transported to the front lines through the Logistics Department.

Their task was equally heavy, because an army armed with firearms was highly dependent on logistics.

Previously, the Ming Dynasty's weapons were produced solely by equipment and weapon groups. Now, in a state of war, Yuan Keli demanded that all factories under the court's control produce weapons. He also called for mobilizing civilian factories to produce spare parts and military supplies.

All equipment standards were adopted and implemented across the entire industry. All factories in the Ming Dynasty were required to have the capacity to produce military supplies.

The Censorate was required to conduct strict oversight, and if any problems arose, the censors would be held accountable.

The Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Imperial Guard were also assigned tasks, requiring them to strictly enforce the law and prevent unrest.

The Ministry of Personnel was tasked with evaluating officials and removing those who were deemed unqualified.

All of these measures mobilized the forces of the Ming Dynasty court to support the Liaodong campaign.

To win this battle, he, like Sun Chengzong, gave it his all.
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After Li Fengxiang reviewed these documents and returned to inform the emperor, Zhu Youjian, who said with satisfaction:
“Yuan Keli is capable and a conscientious minister.”

"Send an imperial physician over to take care of him, lest he collapse from exhaustion like Zhang Mengjing."

"The current Ming Dynasty court cannot do without Yuan Keli!"

These words are both praise and fact.

The reason why Zhu Youjian was able to make changes to the court in recent years was because he had gained the full support of Yuan Keli and used him to help him control the army.

As long as the army remains in order, he is confident in suppressing any unrest. Naturally, he carries a great deal of confidence when taking action.

If the Grand Secretary is unqualified, he can be replaced; if the Nine Ministers are incompetent, they can be recommended by the court. Only the position of Privy Councilor, which Yuan Keli held, remained unfilled for Zhu Youjian.

Sun Chengzong, Zhu Xieyuan, Yang Sichang and others each had their shortcomings and were unable to replace Yuan Keli at this time.

Zhu Youjian's delegation of power to him was also a sign of his trust in his abilities and his hope that this veteran official would perform meritorious service and have the opportunity to become a meritorious official of the Purple Pavilion.

Now, it all depends on how well Sun Chengzong performs.

"Hopefully, he won't suffer another defeat like the one at Liuhe in the fifth year of the Tianqi reign!" (End of Chapter)