The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 343: Troubles in the elbows and armpits
Late at night on the second day of August in the second year of the Tianqi reign, the whale oil wall lamp was burning brightly in the living room of the Duke of Huguo's mansion.

The Duke of Protectorate urgently summoned Kang Yingqian, Wu Xiao, Yang Hao, Sun Chuanting, Shen Lian, Deng Changxiong and Qiao Yiqi to discuss countermeasures for the Shaanxi uprising.

In the spring of the second year of the Tianqi reign, the situation in northern Shaanxi deteriorated further. Bandits broke through Mizhi and infiltrated central and southern Shaanxi. Even bandits from neighboring Shanxi and Henan provinces began to respond. Based on intelligence gathered from various sources, the time traveler finally gained a clear understanding of the Shaanxi bandits in this dimension.

Under the influence of his butterfly power, the situation in Shaanxi turned out to be much more serious than he had imagined.

In the first year of the Chongzhen reign, Zhang Yaocai, the magistrate of Chengcheng, imposed harsh taxes, which the people could not bear. So Bai Er gathered people to rebel. After Bai Er, starving people and soldiers from all over Shaanxi took action.

Wang Jiayin of Fugu County led bandits like Yang Liu and Bushanni to plunder the wealthy, gather refugees, capture Yijun County, and free prisoners. They then marched south to join forces with Wang Er of Baishui County. Their force, now numbering over 20,000, gathered at Huanglong Mountain near Yan'an and Qingyang, engaging the Shaanxi border troops. Wang Daliang, a native of southern Han, seized the opportunity to rise in rebellion, commanding 800 followers and proclaiming himself the King of Daliang. In July of the second year of the Tianqi reign, he gathered over 3,000 peasants from Chengxian and Liangdang, captured Lueyang in Shaanxi, and advanced on Hanzhong Prefecture, where he joined forces with the remnants of She Chongming in Guangyuan and Nanjiang.

Diandengzi, whose original name was Zhao Sheng, also known as Zhao Si'er, was a scholar from Qingjian County. He was staying at the county's oil temple to study diligently, preparing for the following year's provincial examination. Unexpectedly, he was falsely accused by his enemies of "intending to emulate Huang Chao by authoring military treatises and plotting rebellion." Rumors then spread that the government was arresting him. Unable to defend himself, Zhao Sheng, fearing imprisonment, was finally forced to take to Liangshan, where he led his fellow starving villagers in a rebellion.

In October of the first year of the Tianqi reign, the Yanxi area in northern Shaanxi had been without pay for four years, and the fields there were "yellow sand as far as the eye could see, and nothing was produced."

With grain as valuable as pearls, soldiers, left with no alternative but to wait for their wages, rebelled under the leadership of Shen Yiyuan, drawing over 3,000 soldiers from various forts. The rebels successively conquered Xin'an Border, Ningsaiying, and Liushujian, killing Sentry Officer Chen Sanhuai, capturing Lieutenant General Wang Dou, and occupying Bao'an Prefecture.

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"Even Wang Dou, the Lieutenant General of Baoan Prefecture, was captured by the bandits. First it was Chen Xin, the sentry officer of Wendeng, and now it's Wang Dou. Who will be next?"

The Duke of Protectorate was shocked.

He threw the thick stack of information on the desk, suppressed his anger, picked up the tea and drank it all.

Everyone picked up the intelligence collected from all over Shaanxi and was dumbfounded after reading it.

If the Suoyi Guard had not left a scout team in Shaanxi, they would not have known that cannibalism had begun in Xi'an Prefecture.

"Hu Tingyan is truly despicable, as is Wu Yangyou. One is old and insane, the other holds a high position, yet they've both ignored the real issue. They delayed reporting such a catastrophic event for two years! Do they really think they can keep it a secret?"

Kang Yinggan dropped the secret report and slammed his palm down on the table, regardless of the fact that the Duke of Huguo was still drinking tea beside him.

Liu Zhaosun had never seen Kang Yinggan so angry. Considering Kang's character, he should not be angry about the corrupt officials in Shaanxi at this time.

Everyone was quite surprised.

Of course, General Kang was not angry with Hu Tingyan. He and the Hu family had nothing to do with each other.

Kang Yingqian was well aware of the intricacies of the Shaanxi officialdom. Cheating superiors and concealing the truth from subordinates was the norm and nothing surprising. What really made Kang Yingqian furious was the Shaanxi Governor Wu Zhiwang.

Wu Zhiwang, courtesy name Shuqing and pseudonym Yangyou, achieved Jinshi status in the 17th year of the Wanli reign, three years before Kang Yingqian. In the 46th year of the Wanli reign, he was promoted to Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household Department and later to Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household Department. In March of that year, the situation in Liaodong was dire, and Wu Zhiwang was sent out to serve as the Hai and Gai military governors.

In the first year of Chongzhen, because of his "familiarity with border affairs and extraordinary strategy", he was appointed as the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Governor-General of the military affairs of the three borders of Shaanxi (Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia), stationed in Guyuan.

This governor-general of Shaanxi was a colleague of Kang Yingqian in the 46th year of Wanli's reign. At that time, Kang was also serving as the military governor of Haizhou.

Same background, same official position, similar age.

In the original history, these two frontier officials, who were almost the same, had very different development trajectories due to the Battle of Sarhu.

Wu Zhiwang was promoted to Governor-General of Shaanxi, a high-ranking official, while Kang Yingqian was demoted because of his defeat at Sarhu, although he managed to survive.

Although the Tianqi Emperor did not pursue the matter further, Kang Yingqian's career was cut short, and he died of depression. While at Sarhu, Kang Yingqian realized that Wu Zhiwang was the villain behind his assignment as military supervisor, otherwise it would have been this villain who died alongside Liu Jing at Abudaligang.

By chance, he emerged from the bloody sea of Sarhu and became an important official beside the Duke of Protectorate. However, when he thought of Wu Zhiwang's conspiracy and intrigue, Lao Kang gnashed his teeth in hatred.

Now, the opportunity for revenge has finally come.

"In this year of the ringing of the clock, with a paralyzed and insensitive body, you are still doing your job! You have sat back and watched the bandits run rampant, making Shaanxi a hopeless place today! This Wu Zhiwang is truly shameless, and now he has the nerve to ask the capital for help?!"

Kang Yingqian was full of righteous indignation and cursed incessantly.

Because he spoke too quickly, he couldn't catch his breath and almost fainted. Qiao Yiqi hurried forward to pat his back and handed him a cup of hot tea.

Lao Kang pushed the teacup away and continued his curse, "Greed is rampant, and law and order have collapsed. Within the Three Qins, bandits and soldiers are attacking village chiefs and killing senior officials, and the military is powerless to stop them! The Protector of the Country, wise and wise, should immediately submit a memorial and issue an imperial decree to arrest this thief. He should be brought to the capital and executed by slow slicing as a warning to others! Let those corrupt officials in Shaanxi see what happens when they neglect their duties and deceive their superiors and subordinates!"

Liu Zhaosun was unaware of the past between the two. He was moved by the impassioned speech and said with red eyes:

"General Kang cares about the Three Qins and has the people in his heart. This is commendable. I am very grateful..." "Ahem!"

Before the Duke of Huguo could finish his words, Yang Hao coughed twice, interrupting his son-in-law's emotion.

Liu Zhaosun realized that another fight was about to happen.

"General Kang is wrong. The fall of Qin was not a matter of overnight events, nor can it be reversed by a few governors. Qin borders on three sides, and military expenses are enormous. Last year, military pay went unpaid, and this year, border pay has increased to 2.4 million. Furthermore, the Princes of Qin, Han, Su, and Qing are responsible for supplying the country. Since the 46th year of the Wanli reign, famine has plagued the country, and people have been forced to sell their children. During the Jiajing reign, the Minister of Revenue, Liang Cai, reported: 'Shaanxi supplies three military prefectures and four princes, and the people are suffering terribly.' Yet the court has remained indifferent, leading to today's disaster."

Yang Hao had served as the governor of Liaodong and the second-in-command of the cabinet. His level was different and he could get to the heart of the matter with just a few words.

In fact, Yang Hao looked down upon people like Kang Yingqian. When he was in charge of Liaodong, Kang Yingqian was just a military supervisor in the Eastern Army and a subordinate of his subordinates.

In just a few years, this man relied on the art of sex and his so-called diamond abrasive to become his son-in-law's confidant step by step. It's really ridiculous!

"Shaanxi is our dynasty's weak spot. It's not uncommon for officials there to be of varying quality. County officials in northern Shaanxi are utterly corrupt. Who here doesn't know this? Ordinary scholars wouldn't want to serve here. Most of these positions are filled by veteran scholars, who aren't even as good as those from Liaodong. So don't expect too much from these people!"

Everyone was silent.

"General Kang, you shouldn't let personal interests override public ones. I won't discuss your grudge against Wu Zhiwang. If you want to kill someone with someone else's knife, you should first consult the owner of the knife. Shaanxi is currently in turmoil. Wu Zhiwang is a great scholar in Guanzhong, and he has the support of the people. He is the only one who can coordinate the overall situation. You know nothing about the situation in Shaanxi, yet you want to kill important officials without any hesitation. Are you trying to force all the officials to join the bandits?"

"Duke Protector of the Country, I beseech you to execute Kang Yingqian to put an end to this traitorous and rebellious character!"

Liu Zhaosun listened attentively to his father-in-law's words, then smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"Hahaha, that's too much. We in the Kaiyuan Army have always been open to speaking our minds. Chief Minister Yang, there's no need to be upset."

Kang Yinggan was so angry that his beard trembled, and he pointed at Yang Hao with shaking fingers, unable to speak for a long time.

Zhang Yan is about to give birth, and the boy she gives birth to will most likely be the future Protector of the Country or the Crown Prince.

A mother is honored by her son. Lao Kang is the godfather of the noble lady and the confidant of the Duke of Huguo.

Therefore, many officials in the capital city attached themselves to Kang Yingqian, which made Kang Yingqian think that he had the capital to challenge Yang Hao.

Unexpectedly, Yang Hao had a hold on his vital point with just one move.

What Liu Zhaosun feared most was being used by others.

Kang Yingqian was about to refute when he was interrupted by the Duke of Huguo.

"Today we will only talk about the matter of sending troops, nothing else."

The topic that the Duke of Protectorate gathered everyone here to discuss today was: "Whether to send troops to Shaanxi", and he did not want to see Kang Yingqian and Yang Hao fighting again.

Seeing that everyone already understood the situation in Shaanxi, he didn't waste any words and went straight to the point:

"Which of Hu Tingyan, Yue He, and Wu Zhiwang is treacherous and which is loyal? I have my own final say. But now, war is raging in Shaanxi, and countless lives are being lost! This official is deeply distressed!"

"The Kaiyuan Army is stationed in Japan, Korea, Liaodong, Shandong, Chengdu, and other places, and its manpower is really stretched to the limit. The terrain of Qin is mountainous and rugged, and Chengdu and Liaodong are incomparable. Sending too few troops will not be enough, and sending too many will not be enough. I summoned you here today to ask for your advice on what to do."

The truth could no longer be hidden, and the impeachment between the two governors of Xi'an and Yansui began to intensify.

Hu Tingyan accused the Yansui Governor Yue He of condoning the border troops' rebellion and selling artillery and armor to the rioters. Yue He, however, turned the tables and said that the Shaanxi-Gansu uprising was caused by the appeasement and connivance of the officials of Xi'an Prefecture, which led to the rampant bandits in Shaanxi and the situation gradually became a prairie fire.

The Duke of Protectorate was in no mood to listen to their nonsense. Seeing that a minor illness was gradually becoming a serious threat, he wished he could tear the two men into pieces.

After the Battle of Sarhu, the Ming Dynasty was like a boiling pot.

Just after the Jiannu rebels were over, the White Lotus Religion arose. Xu Hongru was finally pacified, and She Chongming began to proclaim himself emperor again.

Now it's Shaanxi's turn.

Liu Zhaosun was like a fire captain, running around all over the country.

"Tell me, should we send troops? And how many troops should we send?"

(End of this chapter)