Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 333: Waiting for the Jingkang Incident

It was Ningyuan Hou who blocked the Khan's army from advancing southwards in the south of Jinzhou.

The imperial edict said that he was transferred to be the Left Commander of the Front Army, but he was actually in Liaodong.

Winter has already arrived in the south of the Yangtze River, and as usual, land taxes are being transported to the vicinity of Nanjing first.

According to Shen Yiguan's request, only half of the goods should be transported first to be on the safe side. The emperor, who had left the capital and was in Jizhou Town, had not yet approved this request, and the people in Jiangnan were uneasy.

There are indeed people who are ready to make a move.

Wang Dewan, who had been promoted to the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Nanjing Censorate, hurried back to Nanjing from outside the city and found Shen Yikuan.

"Lord Longjiang, the war in the north is getting intense. I heard that you requested that only half of the grain be shipped this year. What is your intention?"

Wang Dewan started firing as soon as they met, and Shen Yikuan looked at him.

Eight years ago, he was just a newly reinstated engineering official, but now he is the number one figure in the Nanjing Censorate.

There was no Left Censor-in-Chief in the Nanjing Censorate, and the 55-year-old Wang Dewan had already reached the rank of second rank.

"We have been practicing strict exemptions for many years, and we have stored a lot of grain in the north. Now that the Tartars have invaded Liaodong, we should be prepared for any eventuality."

"What's the what-if?" Wang Dewan stared at him. "What if the border is breached, the capital is in danger, and the court moves south?"

"If Shanhaiguan is lost, the Tartars will march straight in. The first batch of grain will probably just reach Tongzhou before the Caohe River freezes. What if they are all robbed? It is better to be cautious. If the border is intact, it will be safer to transport it in the spring of next year!"

"Could it be that Duke Longjiang just let it happen while Jiangnan was privately discussing the Jingkang Incident?" Wang Dewan shouted, "Is this Duke Longjiang's idea alone, or did Duke Cheng, Deputy Minister Li, and Duke Wei all advocate it together?"

Shen Yi Guan looked at him deeply: "Since Wang Youdu mentioned them, you should understand that I, who have been unemployed for many years, will never act recklessly alone. This matter involves military secrets, so Wang Youdu might as well be more patient."

"I only know that among the people who fled south from Huaiyang, countless people are exaggerating, saying that the northern enemies have rebelled and Liaodong has been lost!" Wang Dewan looked at him persistently, "I don't care what the Privy Council considers, Jiangnan cannot be in chaos! The request of Lord Longjiang is to tempt people to rebel!"

"Only half of it is transported, which shows that the borders are not short of military rations for the time being. The Jinzhou border wall has been breached, and some timid people are panicking. That is human nature. Why would you say that I am tempting them to cause chaos?"

Shen Yi Guan was a little angry: "Wang Youdu, His Majesty has not issued an order yet. You are forcing me so hard. What do you want me to do?"

"How dare I force you?" Wang Dewan raised his head. "But I heard in Zhenjiang that some people who came from the south also said that there was a great victory at Laoha River, and that Marquis Zhangyong and Earl Ninglu defeated the Khan's Chahar and Lingnan four tribes. Is that true?"

"really……"

"If that's the case, why don't you post a notice to spread the news? If you don't announce your great victory, you will definitely let rumors of an emergency at the border spread. What are you thinking?"

Shen Yiguan was too lazy to say more to him: "Shen is now the chief of staff of the Privy Council in Nanjing. This involves military affairs. If Wang Youdu is worried that Shen has rebellious intentions, you may impeach him in front of the emperor. If Wang Youdu also doesn't trust Eunuch Cheng and Duke Wei, you may impeach them together."

Wang Dewan was so angry that he pointed at him, trembling and unable to speak.

"I am busy with official duties, so I won't see you off!"

When Wang Dewan was leaving angrily, he saw several Nanjing officials in office and retired ministers coming to visit him.

Listening to Shen Yi's usual warm laughter, Wang Dewan's heart sank.

After looking in the direction of Nanjing Forbidden City, his expression became even gloomier.

After thinking about it, he went straight there to meet Cheng Jing, who was located in the southwest corner of the Forbidden City in Nanjing.

After meeting him, Wang Dewan stared at Cheng Jing and went straight to the point: "Eunuch Cheng is trusted by His Majesty and has been entrusted with the important task of guarding Nanjing. Does Eunuch Cheng have any intention of rebelling?"

"..."

Cheng Jing saw that he asked so bluntly, and his expression was complicated for a moment. Wang Dewan made up his mind: "Although I am the Right Censor of Nanjing and have no military power, I will never allow you to do whatever you want! Eunuch Cheng, you don't say a word of truth, so don't blame me today! If you want me to leave this gate alive, I will send a letter to all directions, asking loyal and righteous troops to come and wipe out the traitors and guard the kings!"

"..." Cheng Jing, who was called a disloyal traitor by him, said helplessly, "Wang Youdu, what are you thinking? No one wants to rebel."

"In this situation, is it not because of some ulterior motive, or is it just to lure someone to take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos? At this time of national war, it is unwise to implement such a strategy!"

"Wang Youdu is overthinking this."

"A loyal and upright person will not take it lightly. I will definitely ask for clarification today!"

Wang Dewan was ready to fight to the death, and even threatened to issue an edict to all directions to identify Cheng Jing as a traitor after he left. Cheng Jing had no choice.

"General Shen's strategy is precisely to prevent some idiots from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos." Cheng Jing sighed, "Luring the enemy deep into our territory and delaying time for several troops to encircle the Khan's army is a strategy that the Privy Council has long decided on. In this case, when the news of the defeat spread to Jiangnan, some idiots will think that the opportunity has come. Instead of letting them secretly collude, store grain to resist taxes, or delay time to pay land taxes, it is better to let them think that they have found a backbone."

Wang Dewan looked at him blankly.

"In this way, at least the tax collection this year will be smoother, and they can be more patient, thinking that their plan is more thorough, and wait for a more appropriate time." Cheng Jing said leisurely, "Marquis Ningyuan has already gone to Liaodong, but His Majesty has issued an order that he will be transferred to Jiangnan as the Left Commander of the Front Army. Since the court has long been aware of the need to guard against people in Jiangnan taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos, some people in Jiangnan who have hidden ulterior motives will naturally be frightened. This is a matter of life and death, and the greater the confidence, the less we need to act rashly. Do you understand, Wang You?"

"...Based on my experience in Jiangnan over the past few years, no one dares to rebel!"

"Not many people dare to rebel, but what about hoarding goods in the name of avoiding war and taking advantage of the dangerous situation? What about making the taxation and finance suddenly severe? General Shen is buying time to help His Majesty solve problems. His Majesty will definitely reprimand him later. Wang Youdu doesn't need to make any more trouble by sending out proclamations to all directions to invite loyal troops to wipe out the traitors. If you really do this, you will become the one who rebels."

"…Delay for what?"

"Of course it's a great victory."

"But the great victory at Laoha River..."

"What kind of victory is the Laoha River?" Cheng Jing shook his head indifferently. "The Privy Council is taking the risk of the Tartars wreaking havoc in the heart of Liaodong. Of course, what they want is a great victory that will defeat the Khan's court in one fell swoop and even capture the Khan's chieftain alive. Be patient, it won't take too long."

Wang Dewan finally understood something now, and then his eyes were sharp: "So, you are still considering taking the opportunity to kill a large number of people in Jiangnan? If the plan fails, will the Tartars plunder and run away?"

"The victory at the Laoha River also cut off Khan Ting Chahar's arm. After that, we need more time. Whether it is to pacify Jianzhou or continue to expel the Tartars, we need a stable Jiangnan. If there is no danger at the border, there will always be people who want to exaggerate and make alarmist remarks about the Jingkang Incident, the imperial court should move south, and the Jiangnan Kingdom should not be treated so harshly. Shouldn't they be killed?"

Finally, he glanced at Wang Dewan and said, "Knowing that you are loyal and upright, I will not report this to His Majesty. If you are still worried that I am trying to evade you, why not contact loyal people like you privately first? Even if someone really wants to rebel, of course they have to choose a good time. You should accumulate strength first, so that you can be loyal to the country when the time comes, right?"

"..." Wang Dewan was confused again and looked at Cheng Jing.

"It's been more than half a month, and His Majesty hasn't issued an order yet, which means he has tacitly allowed us to muddy the waters first. When the time comes, it will be clear who is loyal and who is treacherous in times of crisis. Please make your own decision, Wang Youdu."

"... In the final analysis, it is still to induce people to cause chaos, but we don't want them to actually cause chaos." Wang Dewan was very dissatisfied, "But if there is no great victory, what will happen if we end up making things worse?"

"That is the business of the soldiers in the north. We are in Jiangnan, and we are doing what should be done in Jiangnan. You must understand that His Majesty and the Privy Council must fight this battle and want to win a great victory in order to promote new policies and rebuild Jiangnan!"

Wang Dewan's heart was shocked, and only at this moment did he vaguely grasp the key.

The reason why Jiangnan still wanted to "add fuel to the fire" was to hand another knife to the court.

Apart from the tense atmosphere in the first three years of the Taichang reign, in the following years, since there was no evidence to suggest that the "well-behaved" gentry had done anything wrong in implementing the new policies of strict exemptions and student supervision, it would have been a bad idea to "force them" again.

A great victory would give the emperor greater prestige to deter many people, making it easier to implement new policies that would make them even more dissatisfied. The strategy of losing first and then winning could also screen out a group of the most restless people.

But the key remains the same: What happens if we don’t win a big victory?
Now that Shen Yi Guancheng and others have done this, some interested people in Jiangnan will indeed wait for a good opportunity.

They really want to wait for a good opportunity like the Jingkang Change!

(End of this chapter)