Huangming

Chapter 240 Eliminating treacherous officials internally and defending against powerful barbarians externally

The following morning, inside the East Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace.

The vermilion palace gates were half-open, letting in a sliver of cool morning light.

Zhu Youxiao, dressed in a bright yellow casual robe, was bent over his desk reviewing memorials. His red brush made a scratching sound on the Xuan paper, sometimes pausing, sometimes writing rapidly.

Suddenly, the sound of light footsteps came from outside the hall.

A eunuch bowed and approached, stopping three zhang away from the emperor's desk. He respectfully kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, Wei Zhongxian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, requests an audience!"

Zhu Youxiao paused slightly in his vermilion brush.

After a moment, he waved his hand: "Let him in."

Before long, Wei Zhongxian slowly entered with small, quick steps.

He was dressed in a crimson python robe and wore a jade belt. Although he was over fifty years old, he still maintained a respectful demeanor.

Upon reaching the emperor, he knelt on both knees, his forehead touching the ground: "This servant, Wei Zhongxian, pays respects to Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youxiao gently closed the memorial in his hand, making a soft 'snap' sound.

His gaze was fixed intently on Wei Zhongxian, who was kneeling on the ground, and his voice was calm and unhurried: "What brings you here?"

Wei Zhongxian hunched over and hurried forward, his face plastered with a fawning smile, even his voice carrying a hint of deliberately suppressed excitement:
"This servant was ordered by His Majesty to investigate the granaries in the capital, and sure enough, I uncovered a major problem! Those officials in charge of the warehouses were incredibly audacious. The books stated that there were eighty-three granaries in the old imperial granary, but upon inspection, only thirty-one were still filled with grain."

As he spoke, he pulled a booklet with a blue cloth cover from his sleeve and held it high above his head as if it were some precious treasure.

Wei Chao, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, walked over with a gloomy face. He grabbed the booklet and snorted coldly at Wei Zhongxian.

Wei Zhongxian's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered.

Zhu Youxiao watched the power struggle between his two trusted eunuchs with a cold eye, and was actually happy to see it happen: only by letting these two vicious dogs tear each other apart could the imperial power remain secure.

If they were to unite, he, the emperor, would likely be the one to become emperor.

As Zhu Youxiao pondered, he opened the booklet, and shocking figures jumped out at him:

The six major granaries in the capital should have a total of more than 400 granaries, but an actual inventory revealed that more than 60% of the warehouses were empty! Some granaries were even covered with thick layers of dust, indicating that they had not been used for many years.

Zhu Youxiao's face suddenly darkened.

The lost grain was enough to feed an army of 100,000 for several years, but now it has flowed into the pockets of some corrupt officials.

What's even more infuriating is that just last month at the court assembly, the Vice Minister of Revenue confidently assured that "the capital's granaries are well-stocked and can last for three years." If we actually believe such nonsense, the capital might face a food shortage once he transfers a large amount of grain from the capital to Liaodong.

Zhu Youxiao sneered and said, "These parasites are truly audacious! They even dare to embezzle grain from the national granary. Do they have any respect for the law?!"

Seeing the emperor's angry expression, Wei Zhongxian immediately bowed and took half a step closer, his voice low but each word sharp: "Your Majesty is wise! These parasites are hollowing out the foundation of the nation. If they are not uprooted, the consequences will be endless. In my humble opinion, none of the officials involved—from the head of the Ministry of Revenue to the clerks in the granary—should be let off lightly!"

Zhu Youxiao's gaze was like a knife.

"With such irrefutable evidence, how could I tolerate this? Issue an edict to the Embroidered Uniform Guard to immediately arrest all those involved! Confiscate the property of those who should be confiscated, and exile those who should be exiled—if anyone is involved in a murder case, take them directly to the West Market for execution!"

"I'll do it right away!"

Wei Zhongxian bowed and left Qianqing Palace, the smile on his lips still lingering, but a cold, calculating glint appeared in his eyes.

"Finally, we can raid their houses again!"

He was secretly pleased, but his steps remained respectful and cautious.

The assets of these corrupt officials could easily amount to hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

As long as the money enters the imperial treasury, His Majesty will naturally be overjoyed.

By then, how could Wei Zhongxian's standing in the emperor's heart be compared to that of a mediocre person like Wang Tiqian?
"If we can't make money for His Majesty, where will our power come from?"

He glanced back at the tightly closed palace gates, as if he could already see the officials crying and being dragged into the imperial prison, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out with excitement.

-

Inside the warm pavilion, Zhu Youxiao stared in the direction Wei Zhongxian had left, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

The ledgers on the table were spread out, and the shocking deficit figures were like a knife, viciously ripping into his heart.

"The entire court is accusing me of favoring the secret police and alienating civil officials—but don't I want to give them important positions?!"

"The imperial decree to investigate the granaries was issued months ago, and what have they found for me? A bunch of lies about 'clear accounts'! But when I ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate, they uncovered this monstrous case in just three to five days!"

Zhu Youxiao grew angrier as he spoke, and grabbed the memorial, slamming it to the ground.

Amidst the fluttering of pages, he suddenly slumped back onto the dragon throne, exhausted, and closed his eyes.

"In the end... these officials aren't incapable of being investigated, they're afraid to be! They themselves are corrupt, how can they be expected to serve me sincerely?"

After a long while, he sighed deeply and looked out at the deepening twilight outside the palace.

"We can only hope that the newly appointed scholars will bring some new vitality."

He rubbed his throbbing temples and suddenly felt that the dragon throne was unusually cold.

Seeing the emperor's gloomy face and the lingering anger in his eyes, Wei Chao quickly stepped forward, bowed, and advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Your health is of utmost importance! These parasites are indeed hateful, but if they harm Your Majesty's health, it will only fulfill their wishes."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao sneered and waved his hand, saying, "Never mind, never mind."

If I were to get angry over everything, I'm afraid I would have been driven to my death by these ministers long ago.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youxiao took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Rather than letting them make you die young, it's better to relax and live a few more years.

No matter how arrogant those old ministers were, they could not withstand the passage of time. Once they all passed away, the court would naturally be filled with the new people I had promoted.

Being good now doesn't mean you'll always be good.

The one who lives the longest is the real winner.

Sima Yi had already told Zhu Youxiao this principle.

Just as Zhu Youxiao was about to continue reviewing the memorials, the sound of light footsteps echoed outside the hall.

The eunuch bowed and hurried in, kneeling three zhang in front of the imperial desk: "Your Majesty, Consort Li is waiting for an audience outside the palace gate."

"Consort Li?"

Zhu Youxiao pondered for a moment, recalling the wedding regulations submitted by the Ministry of Rites a few days ago—it must be for this matter.

"Xuan."

The young emperor put down his teacup and straightened the cuffs of his bright yellow robe.

Before long, the beaded curtain rustled softly, and Consort Li slowly entered the hall.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

She was dressed in the imperial concubine's robe, and the golden phoenix hairpin in her hair swayed slightly with her steps, reflecting a scattering of golden light in the morning light.

Zhu Youxiao rose to greet her, his tone gentle: "Your Highness, there's no need for such formalities."

After the palace maid brought over the embroidered stool, she said gently, "Has the Dowager Consort come here for my wedding?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Li trembled slightly and instinctively brought her legs together.

Her eyes were lowered, her long eyelashes casting a shadow in the candlelight, and her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible: "Yes."

Seeing her like this, Zhu Youxiao frowned almost imperceptibly.

"How are the wedding preparations going?"

Consort Li took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm, saying, "Your Majesty, all the ceremonies and utensils have been prepared, and we are only waiting for Your Majesty to choose an auspicious day."

She paused, then added, "The Ministry of Rites presented three dates, all of which were auspicious days calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau."

Zhu Youxiao tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, pondered for a moment, and said, "In that case, let the Ministry of Rites make the selection."

The hall fell silent for a moment, with only the faint sound of sandalwood burning in the incense burner.

Consort Li suddenly raised her sleeve to cover her mouth and coughed lightly: "There is one more thing."

"What's the matter?"

Zhu Youxiao looked up and saw that the Empress Dowager's ears were slightly red, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.

"I have recently selected several new palace maids for Cining Palace. They are all well-educated, virtuous, and beautiful. If Your Majesty has some free time, you may visit Cining Palace more often. That girl, Huiti, is always talking about wanting to see Your Majesty."

This is hardly a request for me to see Hui Ti.
Consort Li, Consort Li, what are you plotting with all this enthusiasm? Do you think I don't know?
He showed no emotion on his face, only saying calmly, "I understand. I will visit Cining Palace when I have some free time from official duties."

"This humble servant awaits Your Majesty at the Cining Palace."

After dismissing Consort Li, Zhu Youxiao buried himself in reviewing memorials.

The affairs of the capital are numerous and complex.

They surveyed the fields, rebuilt the navy, inspected the granaries, and reorganized and trained the troops.
Everything is proceeding in an orderly manner.

All sorts of matters were taking up his, the emperor's, energy.

However, a thousand miles away in Shenyang, only one thing was unfolding:
That is war!
"Boom boom boom——!!!"

The ground on both sides of the Hun River trembled as the Later Jin army's cannons spat fire, and iron bullets carrying death whistled past.

A cannonball struck the corner tower of the barbican, and in the instant the bricks and stones shattered, the three Ming soldiers hiding behind it turned into a rain of blood.

Black smoke coiled around the city walls like a giant python, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder.

The stench of burnt corpses, burning tung oil, and the acrid smell of steaming molten gold...

These smells blended into a suffocating atmosphere of war, so intense that even the circling crows dared not swoop down to peck at the food, only letting out mournful cries from high above.

"Shhhhh-"

The sound of Jurchen heavy arrows piercing the air was incessant.

"Bang bang bang!"

The Ming army's three-barreled muskets fought back desperately.

"Crack!" The ladder leaning against the city wall was pushed over with a reluctant snapping sound.

"Come on!"

"Kill!"

Both sides' soldiers were shouting battle cries at the top of their lungs.

In this meat grinder, individual lives are as fragile as blades of grass in a storm.

"Waste! It's all waste!"

Xiong Tingbi's roar echoed on the city wall, startling several archers nearby who nearly dropped their weapons.

His face was ashen as his boots stomped heavily over the still-warm corpses, the iron soles crushing broken arrows with a sickening crunch.

"Clang—clang—"

The armor clanged with his furious strides, and his personal guards hurriedly raised their shields to follow.

Arrows occasionally shot in from outside the crenellations, striking the iron shield and creating sparks.

The Liaodong military commissioner, however, paid no heed and instead stepped forward two more times into the hail of arrows.

He has always been like this; the more critical the battle situation, the more he wants to stand in the most dangerous place.

It was precisely because he dared to risk his life on the city wall that those arrogant and fierce soldiers dared not outwardly comply but inwardly defy him.

"The fortress garrison couldn't even stop the Jurchen cavalry who were driving away the people! The imperial court spends millions of taels of silver in grain and salary every year, and this is how they raise such good-for-nothings?!"

"boom--"

Another cannonball struck the barbican, sending flying gravel raining down.

Xiong Tingbi stood behind the battlements, his face ashen as he looked out of the city.

There, the Jurchens were brandishing their sabers, driving hundreds of ragged civilians toward the city wall.

Most of these people were Han Chinese from Liaodong, but at this moment they were being strung together with ropes by the Jurchens and driven forward like livestock.

They cried and pleaded, yet they were forced to walk step by step toward death.

"Shoot! Shoot!"

An old soldier on the city wall raised his bow, but a new recruit grabbed it and held it down.

"Those are our people!"

"If we don't shoot them, they'll get close to the city walls!"

The veteran's eyes held pity, but after pushing the recruit aside, the arrow in his hand continued to fly down.

There were quite a few people shooting arrows with him.

Whoosh whoosh~
Arrows flew.

Before the people even got close to the city wall, they had already fallen and become cold corpses.

Seeing this scene below the city, Xiong Tingbi's fingernails dug deeply into his palms.

This was precisely the Jurchens' most vicious method of attacking cities.

First, use the civilians to deplete the defenders' arrows and oil. Once the city's defensive equipment is exhausted, then send the elite troops to attack the city.

The fallen civilians' corpses would become natural stepping stones, allowing the siege ladders to be erected higher and making the siege easier.

In the distance, smoke signals rose from another fortified village, the black, fluffy plumes of smoke tearing through the twilight and making Xiong Tingbi's heart tighten.

If Shenyang falls.
The war in Liaodong will be even more difficult!

Xiong Tingbi seemed to already see the scene in Beijing: the censors of the Six Ministries kneeling before the palace gates, weeping and remonstrating; the Donglin Party members beating their chests and stamping their feet, shouting "We have lost the army and disgraced the country!"; and the young emperor sitting alone in the Qianqing Palace, with memorials impeaching him, Xiong Tingbi, piled up in front of him.
Can Your Majesty withstand the pressure from your ministers?
We must win.

He bit off half of his dry, cracked lips, and the taste of blood mixed with gunpowder smoke filled his throat.

"Not only must we defend Shenyang, but we must also win a victory for His Majesty!"

He turned and began to urge the soldiers guarding the city.

"Useless! A bunch of spineless cowards!"

"Damn it! I'd rather raise a dog than you guys! Even a dog knows to bark at the Jurchens, but you can't even draw a bow?!"

"Fuck your ancestors! The city walls are almost gnawed through by the Jurchens, and you're still trembling here?!"

"You good-for-nothings! Did your parents leave your courage in the womb when they gave birth to you?!"

The officers stood with their heads bowed, barely breathing, for fear of angering the furious commander before them.

Who would have thought that this civil official, who had passed the imperial examination, could be even more vicious in his insults than an old rogue who had spent half his life in the border army?

Every word was like a knife, every sentence drew blood, leaving people unable to lift their heads in shame, yet unable to refute it.

Xiong Tingbi's face was ashen, and his chest heaved violently beneath his armor, clearly indicating that his anger had not subsided.

Just as the atmosphere reached its most tense point, Sun Chengzong, the governor of Liaodong, stepped forward and broke the silence with his steady voice: "Governor, the most urgent task at present is to withstand the Jurchens' attack and defend Shenyang. As for holding those responsible accountable, we can discuss that after the war has subsided."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm and clear, like a bucket of cold water that slightly extinguished the anger in Xiong Tingbi's heart.

"What you say is absolutely right, Minister. We all underestimated our enemy. We never expected that the Jurchens would be so powerful!"

The Jurchens' fighting strength far exceeded their expectations.

Or rather, they overestimated the defensive capabilities of the fortified villages outside the city.

They had thought these strongholds could at least hold out for several months, but who would have thought that under the Jurchens' fearless and fierce attacks, seven or eight out of ten of the fortresses outside the city had been destroyed in just half a month, and now only a few strategic locations were still struggling to hold on.

The remaining fortresses were already surrounded and isolated, and could fall at any moment.

Xiong Tingbi took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"You damned Tartars! You're all ungrateful wretches!"

The reason why the fortresses outside the city fell so quickly was because of the sudden defection of the Mongol soldiers.

The two thousand Mongol cavalry remnants of Tainingwei and Duoyanwei had been drinking and chatting with the Ming army on the city wall, but as soon as the Jurchens arrived, they immediately turned against them.

Under the cover of night, they opened the gates of the fortress and led the Jurchen cavalry straight in.

More than ten fortified villages outside the city collapsed from within.

Looking at the billowing smoke rising outside the city, Xiong Tingbi felt a surge of relief mixed with lingering fear.

He couldn't help but recall the secret letter from a month ago, bearing the emperor's private seal.

The eight characters in the imperial edict, written in vermilion ink, are still vivid in my mind: "The Mongol tribes are absolutely not to be trusted!"

At the time, he thought His Majesty was being overly cautious, but now it seems to be a wise move to prepare for a rainy day.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

He sighed inwardly.

If the emperor had not warned them beforehand, what the Mongols would have breached at this moment through a coordinated attack from within and without would probably not have been the fortress outside the city, but the city gate of Shenyang!
If those Mongol cavalry were inside the city, they only needed to capture one city gate, and the Eight Banners cavalry could drive straight in.

By then, even if Xiong Tingbi possessed extraordinary abilities, he would be unable to avert the crisis.

The war continues and is escalating.

West wall.

Five ladders were simultaneously erected at the gap, and naked Jurchen assassins, with sharp blades in their mouths, climbed upwards, pushing against rolling logs and rocks.

Behind them, the white-flagged supervisory team was using long swords to force the second wave of people forward.

The one who retreated was beheaded on the spot, and his body was thrown directly into the moat.

"Golden juice! Quickly pour the golden juice!!"

The defenders roared as they lifted the boiling cauldron. Foul-smelling excrement poured down, tearing the skin of the Jurchen soldiers climbing the ladder, who screamed as they plummeted into the abyss.

But new assassins would soon take their place, as if they could never be killed off.

Xiong Tingbi had to admit that these barbaric Jianzhou Jurchens had forged an army even more terrifying than the elite troops of the Nine Border Regions.

If it weren't for the fortified city of Shenyang, they probably would have been defeated.

What alarmed him most was the superior quality of the Jurchens' military equipment.

Those gleaming armors and firearms that spit fire were comparable to the standard equipment of the Ming army.

The devastating collapse of the corner tower of the barbican amidst the roar of the cannons further demonstrated that the Jurchens were already on par with the Ming army in terms of firearms.

"The Shanxi merchants are ruining the country!"

Xiong Tingbi gritted his teeth in silent resentment.

Those unscrupulous merchants who secretly colluded with the Jurchens smuggled countless fine iron weapons out of the country.

What's even more hateful is that Sarhu, Kaiyuan, and Tieling suffered consecutive defeats, and mountains of military equipment fell into enemy hands.

Whenever he thought of this, he wished he could tear those mediocre generals who had ruined the country to pieces!

But at this moment, he had to suppress all distracting thoughts.

"Send the order to all battalions!"

Xiong Tingbi's voice was like thunder.

"Use arrows and oil sparingly, and stock up on rolling logs and stones! No matter how fierce the Jurchens are, they are still made of flesh and blood. When their army is exhausted and weary, that will be the time for the sons of the Great Ming to avenge their humiliation!"

The setting sun on the city wall was like blood, reflecting off his crimson armor.

This life-or-death struggle has only just begun.

(End of this chapter)