Huangming

Chapter 189 A Broken Rope Controls a Horse, A Perilous Situation in the Barbarian Frontier
Inside the East Warm Pavilion.

The emperor's questions still echoed in the pavilion.

Upon hearing this, Fang Congzhe and Liu Yizhu immediately put down their teacups and stood up solemnly.

Fang Congzhe's silver beard trembled slightly as he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty's inquiry is of utmost importance. This old minister will do his utmost to answer all your questions, leaving nothing unsaid."

Liu Yiju also bowed his head and said, "Your subjects are willing to lay bare their hearts and souls in response."

Zhu Youxiao lightly tapped the vermilion-lacquered memorial on the imperial desk with his fingertips and said in a deep voice, "I have two concerns: the matter of Liaodong and the matter of Sichuan."

Fang Congzhe knew perfectly well that the emperor's sudden summons must be related to the war in Liaodong.

Since the Battle of Sarhu, the Ming Dynasty had suffered repeated defeats in Liaodong, and the situation had deteriorated to the point of near irreversibility: Fushun, Kaiyuan, and Tieling had fallen one after another, Shenyang and Liaoyang were in imminent danger, and the Jianzhou Jurchens had become a major threat to the court.

Especially now that a dangerous situation has suddenly arisen in Liaodong, His Majesty will surely take it seriously.

To his surprise, the emperor also mentioned the seemingly peaceful Sichuan, which made him wonder: what could be so strange about Sichuan, which is located in the southwest, that could cause the emperor to worry?

Zhu Youxiao's sharp gaze swept over the two cabinet ministers, observing the changes in their expressions, and he already had some guesses in his mind.

He said in a deep voice, "The military affairs in Liaodong can be discussed after the Duke of Yingguo and Minister Yuan arrive. What I am worried about right now is the matter of She Chongming, the Pacification Commissioner of Yongning, requesting troops to aid Liaodong."

He picked up the memorial on the table, his tone turning cold: "Since the cabinet has approved the troop deployment, it must have a deep understanding of the situation in Sichuan?"

Seeing that the emperor clearly disapproved of She Chongming's deployment of troops to aid Liaodong, Fang Congzhe and Liu Yizhu felt a chill run down their spines, and cold sweat suddenly broke out on their backs.

Their eyes met briefly, and both read panic in each other's eyes.

The cabinet's comments contradicted the emperor's wishes!

Fang Congzhe's silver beard trembled slightly, and his fingers unconsciously twirled the court beads in his sleeve; Liu Yizhu's Adam's apple bobbed, and his mind was already rapidly calculating a way to turn the tide.

At this moment, the underground heating in the warm room was burning brightly, but the two of them felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

After a while,

Fang Congzhe puffed out his cheeks and bowed, replying, "Your Majesty, the chieftains of Sichuan have always been unruly and difficult to control, especially She Chongming, the Pacification Commissioner of Yongning. Although he appears respectful on the surface, he is actually ambitious and has made several unusual moves in recent years. I believe that his request for troops to aid Liaodong may not be entirely out of loyalty to the emperor and the country, but rather a pretext to expand his power."

Liu Yijing stepped forward and solemnly said, “Your Majesty is wise. The chieftains of Sichuan have always relied on their strategic location and refused to obey the court’s orders. She Chongming’s Yongning area is well-equipped with strong troops. If we allow them to move their troops out of Sichuan, the area will be left undefended, and they may take the opportunity to grow stronger. Moreover, the chieftains’ soldiers are undisciplined. If they harass the people along the way, it will damage the court’s prestige.”

Zhu Youxiao frowned slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping back and forth between the two cabinet ministers: "Just now you two agreed to mobilize troops, but now you've pointed out all the dangers posed by She Chongming. I'd like to ask you, was it inappropriate for the cabinet to approve the troop mobilization earlier?"

Fang Congzhe cautiously replied, “Your Majesty, the Cabinet previously approved the request because the war in Liaodong was urgent and reinforcements were needed. However, upon closer examination, we must be cautious. I believe that if we are to mobilize She Chongming’s troops, we should strictly control them and order the Governor of Sichuan to send someone to supervise the army in order to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.”

Liu Yijing added: "In addition, we can secretly order the Sichuan Military Command to strengthen its defenses to prevent the Tusi (local chieftain) from taking the opportunity to cause trouble."

The emperor was not surprised by the two men's sudden change of attitude; these officials were shameless, otherwise they would never have become high-ranking officials.

A slight smirk played on his lips, as if he had already seen through their opportunistic tricks.

"You two ministers are quick to understand."

"Just now you said it was because of the tense situation in Liaodong, but now you feel that stricter controls are needed. I would like to ask, did the cabinet consider these things when it approved the proposal?"

Faced with the emperor's questioning, Fang Congzhe broke out in a cold sweat and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise. We old ministers were also worried about the affairs of the country and did not think things through for a moment. We hope Your Majesty will forgive us."

Liu Yijing quickly echoed, "We are foolish and dull-witted, and have failed to think deeply and far ahead. Fortunately, Your Majesty has enlightened us, and now we understand the advantages and disadvantages."

The emperor snorted coldly, threw the memorial on the table, and said indifferently, "Fine, I'm too lazy to pursue this matter. Since you also feel that this matter is inappropriate, then draft an edict to reject She Chongming's request for troops and transfer troops from Huguang to aid Liaodong. As for Sichuan, issue an edict to the Sichuan governor to closely monitor Yongning's movements. If She Chongming makes any unusual moves, suppress him immediately without seeking instructions."

Upon hearing this, Fang Congzhe frowned slightly. After a moment of consideration, he stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “Your Majesty, please allow me to speak. Although She Chongming is arrogant, his family has been granted titles by the court for generations. Last year, when the Bozhou rebellion was quelled, he led local troops to assist in the suppression and made great contributions. If we suddenly treat him as a traitor, I fear it will chill the hearts of the chieftains in the southwest.”

His silver beard trembled slightly as he continued, “In the thirty-eighth year of the Wanli reign, She Chongming presented three hundred warhorses as a token of gratitude, saying that ‘every inch of Yongning belongs to the Celestial Empire.’ This old minister believes that we should send his son, She Yin, to the capital as a hostage, and then transfer half of the Yongning troops to aid Liaodong. This would preserve the dignity of the court and prevent any potential trouble.”

"If we show suspicion now, we will only turn a loyal dog into a wolf—the disaster that befell Yang Yinglong back then started from excessive suspicion."

Zhu Youxiao's fingertips suddenly stopped on the lacquered surface of the memorial, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he looked up:
"Since you, Fang Qing, have mentioned the old story of Yang Yinglong, I would like to ask you—are you aware of the boiling resentment among the people of Sichuan, and the long-standing problem of 'Han people not entering the caves and barbarians not leaving the borders' under the rule of the Tusi? The accusations of those officials who levied exorbitant taxes and extorted money have filled the Office of Transmission with impeachments from the Censorate!"

However, the cabinet rarely issues directives, and even fewer issue disciplinary action. What is the reason for this?

Liu Yiju's court robe was instantly soaked with cold sweat at the back.

The fact that the emperor even knew the local saying that "Han and barbarians are separated" in the territory of the chieftains clearly indicates that he had been informed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

He rushed forward, prostrating himself before Fang Congzhe, and urgently reported: "Your Majesty is astute as ever! Last year, some students in Zunyi Prefecture did indeed jointly accuse the Pacification Commissioner of forcibly requisitioning grain from the local chieftains, but the Provincial Administration Commission believed that the chieftains were inherently arrogant and that their words were unreliable. Those who are not of our race are bound to have different intentions."

But before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a crisp knocking sound from the imperial desk.

"You think?" Zhu Youxiao slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clink, and said sternly:

"I believe it's not that the chieftains are inherently arrogant, but rather that the officials who come to power in the localities are levying exorbitant taxes, burning, killing, and looting, while the court turns a blind eye, which forces the chieftains to become disloyal and alienated!"

His gaze was like a knife, piercing Fang Congzhe: "Last year, officials from Zunyi Prefecture illegally levied grain taxes on the local villages, forcing the people to sell their children; the year before, the salt tax commissioner of Youyang forcibly seized the salt wells of the local chieftain and falsely accused him of resisting taxes. Haven't the cabinet seen these reports?"

Liu Yiju lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise his head, but heard the emperor's cold laughter grow even louder: "Yang Yinglong rebelled back then, wasn't he also forced into it by corrupt officials? Now that She Chongming has rebelled, are you going to say again that 'the barbarians are inherently fierce and unruly'?"

The "replacing hereditary chieftains with appointed officials" policy was originally a sound national strategy for the court to manage the southwest, aiming to truly bring the wild and uncivilized lands under the rule of the emperor by abolishing hereditary chieftains and establishing appointed officials.

However, the officials in charge became corrupt, and good policies turned into harsh ones.

Take Yongning Luxury Home as an example.

In the twenty-third year of the Wanli reign, She Xiaozhong, the Pacification Commissioner of Yongning, died of illness. Since his wife, Shitong, was unable to bear him any children, according to the Tusi tradition, the position of Pacification Commissioner should have been inherited by She Chongzhou, the son of his concubine, Shixu.

However, this seemingly ordinary inheritance has caused a huge uproar.

Lady Shitong came from a prestigious family and had controlled the Tusi's internal affairs for many years. How could she tolerate the son of her concubine inheriting the throne?
She immediately declared, "I have been in charge of the household for twenty years; how can I allow a son born out of wedlock to overstep his bounds?"

He then mobilized his trusted followers to blockade the treasury and control key roads.

Shi Xu, not to be outdone, joined forces with the clan elders and insisted on establishing She Chongzhou as his heir, citing ancestral precedents.

The two factions were on the verge of conflict, which eventually escalated into armed conflict.

Just as the internal strife within the She clan was intensifying, Sichuan General Guo Cheng and Lieutenant General Ma Chengwen, under the pretext of "mediating disputes among the chieftains," led their troops to Yongning.

However, instead of quelling the conflict, these officers and soldiers took advantage of the chaos to loot.

They first feigned mediation, and when both sides were exhausted, they suddenly launched an attack on Luohong, the ancestral home of the She family.

The Ming army, like wolves and tigers, looted all the wealth accumulated by the She family over nine generations.

The History of Ming records: "They looted their accumulated wealth, burned their houses, and ransacked the estate of the She family, which had been held for nine generations."

Even worse, the soldiers abducted women, causing widespread suffering in Yongning.

Faced with the atrocities committed by the Ming army, the She clan members, led by Sheshabu, rose up in rebellion.

They borrowed troops from the Shuixi chieftain and joined forces to resist the government army.

Faced with the government's demand for her man, Lady Shitong refused to hand over Sheshabu. She even plotted to kill the Ming army commander who came to demand him and gathered 10,000 Miao soldiers, preparing to fight the government army to the death.

Seeing that the situation was escalating, the imperial court urgently dispatched the imperial inspector Song Shi to investigate.

After taking office, Song Shi adopted a two-pronged approach: on the one hand, he severely punished corrupt officials such as Guo Cheng and Ma Chengwen to quell public anger; on the other hand, he addressed the issue of succession, deciding that She Chongzhou would temporarily succeed him and be formally granted the seal of the Pacification Commissioner after he came of age.

However, fate is unpredictable. Not long after ascending the throne, She Chongzhou fell ill and died, thus ending the lineage of the Shixu family.

The imperial court had to reconsider its choice and ultimately selected She Chongming, a member of a collateral branch of the She family, to succeed as the Pacification Commissioner.

But the controversy did not end there.

In the 25th year of the Wanli reign, Zhang Shenwu, the military commander of Sichuan, and Zhou Dunji, the deputy commander, once again led troops to invade Yongning under the pretext of "pursuing the seal of the Pacification Commissioner".

They resorted to their old tricks, looting and even raping women, causing Yongning to fall into turmoil again.

Local chieftain Yan Zongchuan and others led a rebellion, but the imperial court's handling of Zhang and Zhou remained lenient, leading to a prolonged period of instability in Yongning.

This long-running succession dispute not only severely damaged the power of the She clan of Yongning, but also sowed the seeds for the later 'She-An Rebellion'.

After ascending the throne, She Chongming harbored resentment towards the Ming court. Witnessing the atrocities committed by the government troops, he finally launched a rebellion against the Ming in the first year of the Tianqi reign, taking advantage of the opportunity to aid Liaodong, which triggered the She-An Rebellion that shook the southwest.

Why are the chieftains becoming increasingly disaffected?

That's because there are just too many insects!

Despite this, the governor of Sichuan still believed that She Chongming was a loyal minister, and the cabinet officials even thought that his troops could be mobilized to aid Liaodong.

ridiculous!

If that's the case, then the chaos of She'an will be repeated!

ps:
My beloved subjects, quickly offer up your monthly subscriptions, or I will send the Imperial Guards to check your water meters!
(End of this chapter)