The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 32 My dear nephew
During the Hongwu reign, military pay and rations at border garrisons were generally managed by the local garrison commanders in conjunction with the provincial governors, or by officials dispatched directly by the imperial court. In the 1th year of the Hongwu reign, Zhu Yuan dispatched a large number of military officers to various locations in northern China to inspect border defenses and manage pay and rations. When border garrisons were first established, the military pay and rations of each region were managed by the garrison commander-in-chief. (Note )

After the third year of Zhengtong, the powers of the generals of border towns began to change significantly, and their powers such as financial and grain management, judicial management, and daily affairs management of border towns were completely deprived.

In the first year of Tianshun, a grain-managing doctor was appointed in the border towns to be in charge of financial and grain matters.

In the 2th year of the Jiajing reign, the Ministry of War again requested the clarification of the powers of the generals and provincial governors. “If forts are not repaired or food and wages are not provided, the fault lies with the governor; if invaded by the enemy or the local area suffers, the fault lies with the generals.” (Note )

After successively losing many powers such as finance and personnel, the pattern of civil officials being superior to military officials gradually took shape in the Ming Dynasty, and the power of civil officials continued to expand.

At the same time, another force that was originally intended to check and balance the bureaucracy has been weakening.

After the Jingnan Campaign, Emperor Yongle and Emperor Xuande continued to weaken the princes, gradually depriving them of many powers such as commanding troops and administering administration. The power between the princes and local county officials increased and decreased, which further contributed to the rise of civil service power.

By the late Ming Dynasty, the nobility of civil officials and the despise of military officials reached its peak.

It was not uncommon for an ordinary student to dare to give orders to a guerrilla general, and for a county magistrate to humiliate a general.

Of course, this set of rules doesn't always apply.

In the middle of the Jiajing period, as the court's control policy continued to deepen, military expenditures for border troops expanded rapidly, and the power of military men who controlled large amounts of wealth increased.

In border areas such as Liaodong and the southwest, professional warriors' challenges to the system of civil nobility and military inferiority are becoming more and more frequent.

When Li Chengliang was alive, he relied on the strong support of Zhang Juzheng to open mines and smuggle in Liaodong, and made a lot of money from various illegal activities.

Li Chengliang lived a luxurious life and killed innocent people to claim credit.

It was difficult for the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to enter Liao. Except for bigwigs like Xiong Tingbi, all the censors and imperial officials spoke for Lao Li.

This is not easy to do.

Later, the Liaodong general simply refused to go to the capital. He relied on the Jurchens to kill each other to maintain the balance of power in Liaodong, until he finally nurtured the poisonous Nurhaci.

Even though the Li family was so domineering, the imperial court did not take any countermeasures. Instead, it repeatedly entrusted important tasks and promoted Li Rubai and others.

Yang Hao was not an ordinary corrupt scholar. He was a Jinshi in the 28th year of Wanli. He served as an imperial censor and the Liaohai Dao. He had dealt with Li Rumei during the Imjin Rebellion and had a close relationship with the Li family.

Yang Hao saw the situation in Liaodong clearly. Without the cooperation of the military, the civil officials would have no chance of success here.

This time when Yang Hao was in charge of Liaodong, after arriving in Shenyang, he tried hard to establish good relations with several military leaders and generals, of course, except Liu Jing.

As for the local tyrant Li Rubai, the governor took great care of him and provided him with the most equipment and supplies. Unfortunately, this guy was not ambitious enough and fled before he even met the Jiannu army. Now he is even clamoring to become a monk.

Half a month ago, Yang Hao looked down on Liu Jing, let alone the young Liu Qianzong in front of him.

But now, Liu Zhaosun's strength has far surpassed that of his adoptive father.

The most important thing is that among the four armies, only the Eastern Army achieved some gains and escaped unscathed.

Yang Hao roughly estimated that, including the refugees who accompanied him, Liu Zhaosun now had at least tens of thousands of troops.

It is estimated that Liu Jing had previously hooked up with a big shot in the cabinet, so this adopted son is so fearless.

Yang Jinglue's servants searched all the way from Shenyang to Kuandian and collected various intelligence reports. The most credible version of the story was as follows:
Liu Qianzong was ordered to take the position in a time of crisis. He defeated the Bordered Blue Banner at Hunjiang River, beheaded the Second Beile Amin in battle, routed the Third Beile Manggurtai, and killed over 3,000 slave bandits. He also captured countless bondsers. If his adoptive father had not died in battle, his troops would have marched straight to Hetuala and plundered the entire country.

Yang Hao naturally didn't believe this. He had led troops for many years and was well versed in military affairs. He knew better than anyone how the Ming army killed innocent people and claimed credit for their achievements, and how they exaggerated their battle records.

It was not until today, when he saw with his own eyes the piles of Jiannu heads outside the city, that he was forced to believe it.

He sent people to examine the heads and found that they were all real.

He cut off more than a thousand heads of the Zhenyi people in the battle. Such an achievement can be regarded as a glorious military achievement in the entire Ming Dynasty.

Du Song and Ma Lin were both defeated. How could Liu Zhaosun defeat the Bordered Blue Banner with this motley crowd?

However, the facts were now before him, and he had no choice but to accept it.

It was true that Liu Jing had a grudge against him, but now that Liu Jing was dead, the attitude of this young adopted son towards him was still unclear.

If at this time you still act like you value civil officials over military officials and keep people at a distance, then you are just wishing you had lived long enough.

The defeat at Sarhu was a complete failure, and the court's year-long campaign of sweeping away the evil and plundering the court was a complete failure, resulting in the loss of several million taels of Liao military pay. Although the old emperor's reply to Yang Hao was relatively mild, the court's desk was now piled with impeachment memorials.

The censors, provincial governors, generals, and all officials who could speak out advocated that Yang Hao should be killed. If the old emperor had not been playing it safe and protecting Yang Hao, the imperial guards would have been on their way to arrest him long ago.

Yang Hao violated the rights of everyone. Because of his incompetence, millions of Liao tributes were wasted. If the emperor conducts a thorough investigation, from the cabinet to Liaodong, who knows how many rats will be exposed.

But Yang Hao himself didn't want to die.

If you don't want to die, you have to be thick-skinned.

When it comes to one's life and property, one can put aside the distinctions between civil nobility and military inferiority. Later civil officials could even build a shrine for Wei Yan. What else could the upright officials not do?

Besides, the power of this suddenly appearing General Liu Qian should not be underestimated.

Regarding Liu Zhaosun's strength, Yang Hao and his staff have made a detailed assessment in recent days.

This boy's current strength is no less than that of a lieutenant general. Regardless of the imperial court's rewards, his rise in Liaozhen is inevitable. Given this, it would be wise to establish a friendship with him sooner rather than later.

How could Liu Zhaosun know what Yang Hao was thinking? On his way to Liaoyang, he had imagined countless possibilities for Yang Hao.

Are you overweight and greasy? Are you arrogant and self-righteous?
The Yang Hao standing in front of him was completely different from his impression. He was very elegant. Although he was old, his facial features were quite delicate. He had a flowing beard on his chin, which he always stroked gently with his fingers when he spoke. Liu Zhaosun thought, if Zhuge Liang were reborn, he would probably look like this.

It is estimated that Yang Hao was also a handsome civil servant when he was young. Unfortunately, he was involved in the muddy water of Sarhu, which ruined his reputation.

You are a beautiful woman, why do you wade through water?

"Nephew Liu, are you married?"

Kang Yingqian pulled Liu Zhaosun from behind, and Liu Zhaosun finally reacted and stammered:

"No, I have never been married,"

"Young hero, you marched alone deep into the enemy's territory, routed the enemy, and slew thousands of them. You have eliminated this great threat for our emperor. The enemy's arrogance has been thwarted, and they dare not advance south!"

Liu Zhaosun looked embarrassed, he boasted so much about himself,
He really wanted to interrupt Yang Hao and tell him that Nurhaci would soon attack Kaiyuan, but he was worried that it would ruin Yang Jinglue's good mood.

"Now that General Liu has died for his country, as the saying goes, there are three unfilial acts: not having descendants is the worst. Regarding my nephew's marriage, should we also..."

"what?"

Liu Zhaosun didn't react for a moment and his face turned red.

At this moment, a slim and handsome servant glared at him fiercely, while Pei Dahu and Zhang Dong laughed secretly beside him.

"Yang Jinglue, as far as I know, the Nu chieftain is preparing to besiege Kaiyuan and Tieling, and next will be Shenyang. We must prepare as soon as possible. In addition, Yang Jinglue, please report to the court as soon as possible regarding the compensation and rewards for the soldiers who died in the battle, and the resettlement of the refugees outside the city. My adoptive father left not long ago, and the southern soldiers suffered heavy casualties. How can I have the time to think about my children's personal feelings..."

Yang Hao interrupted with a wave of his hand, and said with a slight smile:
"Well, we can discuss the war later. But you do have a point. I was just saying it casually... The refugees won't enter the city for now. The army will rest outside the city. It will take some time to allocate troops, horses, money and food from inside the city. In the next few days, I will gather some food and fodder to help you."

Yang Hao patted Liu Zhaosun's shoulder, narrowed his eyes, and said meaningfully:

"My dear nephew, when you are doing business in Liaodong, you must not be impatient."

Liu Zhaosun quickly bowed and agreed.

But he secretly thought that Yang Hao would soon be beheaded, but he could still remain so calm, which made him worthy of being a capable governor.

There was a reason why this man was able to live until the Chongzhen period before being killed.

"My dear nephew, please come to the Governor's residence tonight. I will welcome you."

"Thank you, General Yang!"

Liu Zhaosun saluted again and watched Yang Jinglie's ceremonial procession go away.

~~~
The soldiers camped outside the city, and more than 30,000 young and strong refugees built dugouts next to the camp.

Liu Zhaosun discussed with Kang Yingqian, Qiao Yiqi, Jin Yinghe and others and decided to take strict precautions at night.

There were many conflicts between the Southern and Liao soldiers. The Eastern Army had made such great military achievements that many forces were jealous. If a conflict arose with the Liao army at this time, there might be another Jizhou mutiny.

Liu Zhaosun instructed the commanders of each camp to strengthen their patrols at night, and then took Jin Yinghe, Kang Yingqian, Qiao Yiqi and others into Shenyang City.

On the way, General Kang kept teasing and persuading "Nephew Liu" to stay in Shenyang and become a son-in-law of Yang Jinglie.

Qiao Yiqi visited the Jinglüe Mansion last year and knew Yang Hao's background very well.

Qiao Dazui was a gossipmonger, extremely well-informed. After six months in Liaodong, he had already learned everything about the little things going on in the local officialdom:
"I've heard that Yang Hao's daughter is only 28 years old and a beauty, but a bit unruly. She's been following Yang Jinglie around with swords and spears since she was little, so I'm afraid she's a bit of a lion."

After hearing this, Liu Zhaosun took a breath and subconsciously touched his neck.

"General Qiao, I'm not Qi Shaobao. I can't serve the Lioness of Hedong. If you want to be a son-in-law, then go ahead and do it."

Kang Yingqian said seriously, "Alas, Commander Liu, you are wrong. General Qiao is a wealthy man and doesn't care about women. If I could be a son-in-law, I would have done it long ago. How could it be your turn? Commander Liu, you can see that Yang Jinglue is counting on our Eastern Route Army to make a comeback. Liaozhen will definitely exclude us. For our future, for ours, and for the safety of all the soldiers, you should sacrifice some of your looks."

Liu Zhaosun was speechless.

~~~~~
The city of Shenyang belonged to Liaoyang Zhongwei, which was established in the 20th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty and belonged to Liaodongdusi.

Among the nine independent citadels in Liaozhen, Shenyang Zhongwei is the largest one.

"In the 21st year of Hongwu, the commander, Min Zhong, rebuilt the old one. The circumference is 10 li and 30 steps. The outside is 30 feet wide and 8 feet deep. The circumference is 11 li."

There are two main streets in Shenyang Zhongwei City, one running north-south and the other east-west. They intersect in the center of the city and connect to the four city gates:
The south city gate is called Baoan Gate, the west city gate is called Yongchang Gate, the north city gate is called Anding Gate, and the east city gate is called Yongning Gate.

Liu Zhaosun and others entered from the Baoan Gate. There were many pedestrians on the street. Border towns in the north are often prosperous in business, and Shenyang is no exception.

Perhaps because Kim Yinghe's Korean clothes were too eye-catching, a group of Liao soldiers cast malicious glances at everyone.

Note:
1. Wang Zuo, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and others reported: "We have been ordered to work with Zheng Ming, the Deputy Governor-General, and other officials in Shaanxi to arrange for grain reserves in Liangzhou, Gansu, and other places." — "The Veritable Records of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty," Volume , December , .

2. The Veritable Records of Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty, Volume , August ,
(End of this chapter)