Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 106: It's a sure thing! It's a sure thing!!! We've predicted a major question on the civil service exam!
On the last day of March, the army returned to Beijing after traveling four hundred li. Zhu Youjian rewarded the troops in the northern suburbs, announcing promotions and bestowing rewards such as money and provisions upon them based on their merits.

Cavalry commander Zhou Yuji was promoted to captain for his outstanding military achievement in killing Hulukezaisang, the chief commander of the right wing of the Northern Barbarians. Zhu Youjian kept his promise and rewarded him with two palace maids with beautiful faces and plump figures.

"Duke of England, arrange a two-week rest for this Commander Zhou, and let him take up his spear, ride his horse, and slay generals and capture flags," Zhu Youjian said solemnly.

Zhou Yuji was greatly embarrassed and his face turned red with shame. The other officers and soldiers burst into laughter at the sight, and from then on, Zhou Yuji became famous throughout the Beijing garrison, and his reputation even spread to the common people.

Zhu Youjian bestowed wine and meat upon the soldiers, sharing their meal and drinks. The next day, he selected three thousand elite soldiers to carry the spoils of war into the city, and specially invited envoys from various Mongol tribes to witness the ceremony. The various flags of the Chahar tribe filled a large cart, and the captured armor was still stained with blood, its design bearing a strong steppe style.

The envoys from various tribes looked extremely grim. After all, rumors were just rumors; only by actually seeing the spoils could they truly grasp the ferocity of the battle. Based on their experience, they could roughly estimate the scale of casualties on the steppe side.

The people of the capital were in an uproar. Far from the emperor, they were largely unaware of the Ming Dynasty's various predicaments, only knowing that since the emperor's ascension, the Ming had been reporting frequent victories, even more frequently than during the Wanli era. Previously, the southwestern rebels were too far away for the unrest in Shaanxi to spread their message, but the northern barbarians were different: Beijing was right next to the border, a three-day journey by horse.

Beijing was besieged repeatedly, and those who survived were even survivors of the northern barbarian sieges during the Jiajing era. Therefore, the people of Beijing deeply resented the northern barbarians. In earlier years, the heads of northern barbarians were the most valuable, even more valuable than those of the Jurchens.

During Li Chengliang's reign, he enjoyed slaughtering Jurchens to obtain subsidies, which drove down the value of Jurchen heads. Later, the value of Jurchen heads gradually increased, first to the same level as the Northern Barbarians, and then directly surpassing the Northern Barbarians' price, reaching an astronomical price of sixty taels per head.

The price for a Northern barbarian head was fifty taels. The reason for this price was that the Mongols had a tradition of dividing half of the deceased's property if they retrieved the body of their comrade. Therefore, in small-scale conflicts, it was not easy for the Ming army to obtain a Northern barbarian head.

But this time, the killing of tens of thousands and the beheading of 13,000 left everyone bewildered. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue simply didn't want to pay, and even if they did, they couldn't calculate it at fifty taels per grain—that was unreasonable!
The civil officials were seething with resentment, complaining that the emperor favored the military and generals, saying that they themselves couldn't even get enough salary, so why were the soldiers given such generous rewards? Zhu Youjian realized that this wasn't a good idea, so he could only appease them by giving each official in the capital a small red envelope under the guise of celebrating the victory.

This time, the Beijing garrison recovered 789 military tokens. Although the Beijing garrison's elite troops were very well-equipped, the soldiers lacked combat experience, which training alone could not compensate for. In their confusion and disarray, a small part of their formation was breached, and many were killed by gunfire and swords.

The Shenshu Camp's cavalry was no match for the elite cavalry of Yansui. Although Zhou Yuji won the first battle, hundreds of their own men fell from their horses. And this was only a favorable situation. The Northern Barbarian soldiers were surrounded by various armies, which shattered their morale. With one side missing, the Northern Barbarians only thought about escaping and had no determination to fight to the death.

If they had encountered the Jurchens, it was very likely that their own army would have suffered a morale collapse. The morale of the Ming army had always been relatively low: they suffered from embezzlement of rations, hunger, and low social status. The chariot formation was set up both to defend against enemy attacks and to prevent their own soldiers from deserting.

When there are fortified cities and wagon camps to rely on, the Ming army is not easily scattered. However, in a purely open field battle, where both sides only have men and horses, morale can collapse after just one engagement, and fear may even precede the battle. This led to the stereotype that "Liaoning soldiers are prone to desertion." When Xiong Tingbi was in charge of Liaodong, he was even reluctant to use Liaodong soldiers. Later, the Liaodong people realized the cruelty of the Jurchens and chose to return to the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, during Sun Chengzong's administration of Liaodong, Liaodong soldiers were used to a limited extent, but the cooperation between Liaodong soldiers and other troops was relatively restrained. However, when Yuan Chonghuan was in charge of Liaodong, things began to get out of control.

After several major battles in Liaodong, the visiting army suffered heavy casualties and proved ineffective, while the Liaodong troops, by retreating without notice, preserved their strength. Meanwhile, the military families of Liaodong and Liaoxi gained real power and gradually became too powerful to control. Although they didn't openly oppose the court, they engaged in numerous underhanded tactics. In short, the Ming army still had a long way to go and did not yet possess the strength to easily crush the enemy.

On April 2nd, amidst the Ming army's great victory and the somewhat sweltering atmosphere of Beijing, the imperial examination was held as scheduled. Based on the emperor's past performance, everyone had predicted the questions to be on finance and taxation, and military strategy.

In the month or so following the provincial examination, everyone had been diligently preparing. Some even went so far as to visit nobles in order to gain a good ranking in the palace examination, seeking advice on military matters—something unprecedented and leaving the nobles in the capital somewhat flattered. But what could they possibly teach? They themselves didn't know the answers.

Among the officers selected for the Beijing Garrison's elite troops, very few were from noble families. People even complained that Duke Zhang Weixian of England was ruthless.

This is what Zhang Weixian said to the group of nobles: "Damn it! Don't take our good intentions for granted! The Vanguard Camp is a battlefield where we must fight to the death. It's not child's play. Anyone who is not skilled in martial arts or lacks strategic knowledge will just be throwing their life away! It doesn't matter if you lose your own life, but what if you implicate your comrades?"

Even our own son wasn't selected, so don't complain! Now His Majesty has unusually trusted us and has given us military power again. This is a godsend for both of us! What, don't you understand? Do you really want those civil officials to ride on our necks and act like tyrants?
"You all have no worries about making a living now, so it's no big deal if you visit brothels a few less times. But if the Ming Dynasty falls, where will this prosperity be? All of you, behave yourselves and stop playing any underhanded tricks! If any family has a second son who wants to find a way out, just send him here! As long as he has talent, I will do my best to promote him; if he loses his life, don't blame me; if he's disappointing, don't blame me for being ruthless and expelling him from the capital!"

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the 353 tribute students who were taking the exam performed the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony before the emperor, and then stood respectfully behind their respective long tables with their heads bowed and eyes lowered.

Zhu Youjian said in a friendly manner, "Raise your heads! I know that some of you may want to see what the emperor looks like. Feel free to look at me closely, and I also want to see you."

Everyone was stunned by what they heard and looked up. The ministers covered their faces, feeling that this emperor was too difficult to manage. Some people were amazed when they saw the emperor's appearance and couldn't help but feel ashamed of their own appearance. Others were unlucky because they studied too hard and didn't win the lottery. Their eyesight was so poor that they could only see a blurry figure, but that didn't stop them from imagining the image of the holy emperor in their minds.

The further away from the gods, the more people revered them. Zhu Youjian's reputation among the people was getting better and better. Only the officials in the court felt that the emperor was a bit unreliable, but they couldn't find his weakness. They felt that the emperor was slippery and impeccable!
"Ahem," Zhu Youjian coughed twice, causing all the scholars to stiffen and prick up their ears. Zhu Youjian said in a loud voice, "I inherited the legacy of my ancestors. At the beginning of my reign, the border wars have not yet ended, and the people's suffering is deepening. Whenever I think of this, I cannot eat or sleep in peace..."

"It's a sure thing, it's a sure thing!!!" Upon hearing the emperor's opening remarks, the scholars thought they had guessed the question correctly. The question for this palace examination was military strategy. Unfortunately, the emperor's thoughts were too easy to guess, and most people should have been prepared. It was really not easy to stand out!
(End of this chapter)