Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 45 The Powerful CIA and the Incompetent MI6

"...What crime did he commit?"

On the throne, Zhu Youjian spoke calmly.

Wang Tiqian lay prostrate on the cold gold bricks, burying his head deeply, his voice suddenly choked with emotion:
“This servant was deceived by Wei in the past and colluded with that eunuch to commit embezzlement and illegal acts, which led to the ruin of the country. I have failed the emperor’s grace and am ashamed of the people.”

"Fortunately, His Majesty's divine power restored order, which made this servant realize the truth."

"This servant is willing to offer up all 50,000 taels of silver that I embezzled in the past to help the country. I hope Your Majesty will allow this servant to retire."

This sudden confession made the atmosphere in the hall strange.

Standing to the side, Tian Ergeng felt a deep chill.

If you do this, where do you place me? How am I supposed to explain myself?
Why couldn't they have given us a heads-up beforehand?!
His palms were instantly soaked with cold sweat.

Standing to one side, Gao Shiming slightly raised his eyelids, glanced at Wang Tiqian, and then silently lowered them again.

Xu Yingyuan was dumbfounded and at a loss for words.

But Tian Ergeng reacted quickly.

He gritted his teeth and suddenly knelt down, making a dull thud.

"Your Majesty! I am guilty as well!"

Although he couldn't choke up instantly, his voice was much louder than Wang Tiqian's.

"I was also misled by the traitor Wei in the past, failing to distinguish right from wrong, and aided and abetted evil, thus tarnishing the name of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the emperor's personal guard!"

"Your Majesty, I have failed in your trust and my crime is unforgivable! I am willing to offer up 70,000 taels of silver obtained through embezzlement over the years, and I humbly beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

After saying that, he kowtowed deeply.

Good guy!
Zhu Youjian sat upright behind his desk, his face expressionless, but inwardly he was overjoyed.

How can you roll this up?

One is worth 50,000, the other 70,000; this truly shows that conscience is priceless while loyalty has a price.

If even the two of them can get involved with each other, then can the eunuch faction in the court, which has been temporarily spared, also get involved in the same way?
My demands are not many; it would be enough if half of the back taxes owed by the nine border regions could be settled.

These thoughts flashed through Zhu Youjian's mind.

But he showed no sign of it on his face.

He stood up from behind the imperial desk, laughing loudly as he walked around it and descended the steps himself.

"My two ministers, what are you doing? Please rise!"

His voice was gentle yet powerful. He personally stepped forward and helped Wang Tiqian and Tian Ergeng up from the ground, one in each hand.

Wang Tiqian and Tian Ergeng stood up, their faces still showing fear and gratitude, but the weight in their hearts had been lifted.

Zhu Youjian said loudly, "Three days ago, I told the civil officials at the court meeting that I am willing to work with them to put aside the past and open up a new path."

"But isn't this also a statement addressed to you?"

"The fact that you two ministers have done this today truly demonstrates your trust in me."

Zhu Youjian released the hands that were supporting the two men, gently clapped his hands, and smiled:
"Now that we are of one mind, I can speak frankly about some things."

He paused, his gaze sharpening.

"The Eastern Depot is my eyes."

"Without the Eastern Depot, I would be blind, trapped in this deep palace. I would have to listen to whatever others say."

"And the Embroidered Uniform Guard is my arm."

"Without arms, I am a cripple. I can only sit on this dragon throne, unable to put my myriad ideas into practice."

Zhu Youjian's gaze first fell on Wang Tiqian.

"Wang Tiqian, since you are the director of the Eastern Depot, you must do a good job of being my eyes and ears."

"I want you to lead the Eastern Depot and keep a close eye on the officials in the court and the local areas."

"I want to know clearly who is in a faction with whom, and who is plotting against whom."

He paused for a moment, then continued.

"There is also the matter of corruption. Although we made some initial threats in court the other day, it is ultimately difficult to achieve lasting results."

“You shall record the forms of corruption of each official in detail, compile them into a book, and keep it for future use.”

He spoke in an authoritative tone that left no room for argument.

"Report every five days under normal circumstances, but if there is anything major, report immediately! Understand?"

Wang Tiqian immediately bowed and replied resolutely, "This servant understands! Please rest assured, Your Majesty, even if it costs me my life, I will definitely keep an eye on these civil and military officials for Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly, then turned to Tian Ergeng.

"Tian Ergeng".

"Who is in charge of the intelligence gathering among the Later Jin and Mongol tribes? Is the Embroidered Uniform Guard involved?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Ergeng was taken aback. He quickly composed himself and replied respectfully:

"Your Majesty, the intelligence work on the nine borders is quite complicated."

"If people are sent to spy on enemy territory, they are usually scouts or servants, and occasionally they will recruit surrendered people or spies."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard occasionally sends out flag officers to investigate, but they usually mainly patrol the nine border regions." Zhu Youjian raised an eyebrow, already sensing something was amiss, but still continued to ask.

"What about preventing spies? When I was in the Prince Xin's residence, I often heard that the slave chieftain was good at using spies."

Tian Ergen replied.

"The chieftain's spies were led by the former surrendered general Li Yongfang, who was most adept at throwing gold and silver around to lure scoundrels."

“In local areas, towns, and passes, the local officials are generally responsible for preventing espionage.”

"In the capital, the Western Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is the main body, supplemented by the Five City Garrison and the Capital Patrol Battalion."

Zhu Youjian listened silently, his brows furrowing unconsciously.

He remained silent for a moment, and the hall fell silent once again.

Looking at the emperor's pensive expression, Tian Ergeng felt uneasy, wondering what he had said wrong.

Little did he know that Zhu Youjian was filled with disappointment at that moment.

What kind of intelligence system is this?
It's a complete mess, a disorganized mess! With conflicting authority and multiple management bodies, how can it be efficient?
The intelligence network in any female-oriented palace intrigue novel from later generations is more sophisticated than this.

No wonder the Ming Dynasty was always slow to react to the movements of the Later Jin in its later years; this is the root of the problem.

The mighty Ming Dynasty was utterly crushed in its intelligence work by the barbarian tribes that rose up in the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River region!

Is it because you read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" less than Nurhaci?

Forget it, now is not the time for a major overhaul. Let's play the cards we have first.

Thinking of this, he suppressed his thoughts and nodded, as if it were just a casual question.

"In that case, send a capable captain to the Nine Borders on my behalf."

"Investigate and report back on the extent of the problems with military households, land reclamation, corruption, and vacancies."

He paused, looking intently at Tian Ergeng:
"I know that whenever the Imperial Guards are dispatched to the capital, many local ruffians offer money to curry favor with them."

"Once they arrived at their destination, they used their power to bully and oppress the people in order to gain wealth and status."

"In the end, the money went into their pockets, but all the blame fell on me."

Upon hearing this, Tian Ergeng's lips moved, but he remained silent.

This Prince Xin... no, Your Majesty.

Having grown up in the deep palace and confined to the royal residence, she actually knows about such things!
Seeing his nervous expression, Zhu Youjian stepped forward, gently patted his shoulder, and softened his tone.

"I have already forgiven the past. But from now on, do not disappoint me."

With each slap, pull, and strike, Tian Ergeng felt a mix of emotions.

But he had no time to think about it at the moment, and immediately bowed in agreement.

"Your Majesty, I will obey your decree! I will certainly not fail in your trust!"

With the tasks assigned, Zhu Youjian waved his hand, dismissing Wang Tiqian, Tian Ergeng, and Gao Shiming.

……

Before I knew it, the drizzling autumn rain outside the window had finally stopped.

The sky was washed clean, and a sliver of the setting sun hung on the western horizon.

Zhu Youjian walked to the window and stared blankly at the rainwater remaining on the eaves, dripping onto the white marble steps and splashing up tiny water droplets.

He watched for a while, and a smile gradually appeared on his face.

Zhu Youjian turned to Gao Shiming and said.

"By imperial decree, the capital has been hit by a sudden downpour and is now muddy and impassable. Out of compassion for the hardship of my officials, court will be suspended for one day tomorrow."

He paused, then continued:

"Simply issue an edict to the four Grand Secretaries and all the ministers, ordering them to come to the Wuying Hall for a meeting."

　Like everyone else, my impression of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was limited to their lackeys and spies, and their various acts of espionage against foreign powers.

　　After carefully checking historical records, I found that this was not the case.

　　It's all misleading information from TV dramas.

　　-
　　First, let's talk about the Later Jin side. The head of their intelligence network was Li Yongfang.

　　His espionage methods weren't particularly sophisticated; they were limited to a few:
　　1. They used Liao people to infiltrate, but I don't know what the method of control was. It might have been threats from family members, or it might have been a monetary inducement.

　　2. Send trusted confidants with large sums of money to infiltrate and bribe officials. This is even simpler; the Ming Dynasty, that lousy court, would do anything with money. A typical example is Wu Changchun, who was arrested in the sixth year of the Tianqi reign. He impersonated a military officer and then bought intelligence from officials in the Ministry of War.

　　If you search for the word "spy" in the Ming Dynasty Veritable Records, you'll find it 150 times during the Tianqi reign, 67 times during the Wanli reign, 42 times during the Jiajing reign, and 30 times during the Zhengde reign.

　　-
　　In the Ming Dynasty, espionage was mainly led by local generals, with the Embroidered Uniform Guard having little involvement.

　　One of the more famous figures among them was Mao Wenlong, who had many refugees from Liaoning under his command. Another was Liu Xingzuo, with whom Yuan Keli, Sun Chengzong, and Yuan Chonghuan all had contact.

　　-
　　Then there is a very famous rumor that the Imperial Guards made great contributions during the Imjin War.

　　I'll write a short piece titled "A Study of the Jinyiwei's Espionage in the Imjin War" and include it in the work's description.

　　-
　　This is actually quite easy to understand—the emperor had money and power around him, while the spies from beyond the Great Wall were simply doing a foolish job.

　　P.S. The next update will be tomorrow during the day.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)