Huangming

Chapter 410 A Plan to Eliminate Traitors, Border Defenses in Full Swing

Liaodong in February was still shrouded in a bone-chilling cold.

The barren hills were covered with thick snow, revealing only the dark brown rock edges, like the jagged back of a giant beast.

The frozen soil is harder than iron; a single strike with a pickaxe will only leave a white mark.

The bare branches by the roadside were covered with remnants of snow, which fell in a rustling sound when the wind blew. Only the pines and cypresses stood tall and unyielding in the wind and snow, their green branches reaching out.

Inside the main hall of the Liaoyang Prefectural Government Office.

The underground heating system was burning brightly, warming the blue brick floor, but it couldn't dispel the gloom in the air.

The three people sitting on either side of the hall were the "three chariots" of the power center in Liaodong.

On the left, seated at the head of the table, Xiong Tingbi wore a scarlet robe with an imperial sword hanging at his waist.

He was the Liaodong Military Commissioner, concurrently serving as the governor-general of Liaodong's military affairs and provisions. He was granted the titles of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince and Earl of Dongning, making him the de facto controller of Liaodong's military power.

He was holding a military newspaper, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

The military report stated that last month, a grain cart belonging to Guangningwei was robbed, and the whereabouts of thirty shi of military grain were unknown. Only two soldiers who were escorting the cart survived, but neither of them could explain the origins of the robbers.

"Another grain cart has been robbed."

General Xiong Tingbi slammed the report on the table, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

"If our supplies hadn't been cut off last year, I would have taken Huang Taiji's head long ago!"

Now, things are even worse; the tampering with the grain transport hasn't been investigated yet, and this has happened!

Sun Chengzong, the Liaodong governor sitting on the right, quickly put down the secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard in his hand and gently comforted him:

"Please calm down, General. The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Western Depot have been investigating the grain transport issue for two months, and we expect to have results soon."

But at this moment, his brows were tightly furrowed, and the secret report in his hand was filled with entries such as "a certain military officer is colluding with a Mongolian tribe" and "a certain deputy prefect is embezzling military rations," each one shocking.

Yang Lian, who sat at the end of the list, was the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. He was stationed in Liaodong as an imperial envoy and was in charge of supervision and impeachment.

He also held a secret report in his hand, and his expression was even more grave than that of Xiong and Sun:

"Governor-General Sun, look at this document. Last year, when the Mongol tribes marched south, someone actually sent intelligence to the Jurchens in advance!"

The three exchanged glances, each seeing anger and worry in the other's eyes.

Last year, the situation in Liaodong was very promising.

Xiong Tingbi led his army to drive Huang Taiji's Jianzhou Jurchens to the brink of defeat, and it seemed that he was about to completely eliminate this thorn in his side, but then trouble struck from the rear:

The Mongol tribes suddenly invaded from the south, cutting off the Ming army's supply lines.

Even worse, some generals in the army colluded with the Mongols and Jurchens to sell military equipment.

A series of internal conflicts caused the Ming army to miss a golden opportunity to annihilate the enemy.

"To repel external aggression, one must first pacify internal strife; this saying is absolutely true."

Xiong Tingbi took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

"Without eliminating internal troubles, no matter how much military pay or how good the weapons are, we cannot quell the internal strife in Liaodong!"
The Jurchens are not to be feared; what is truly frightening are the parasites lurking right under our noses!

Sun Chengzong nodded in agreement: "What the General said is absolutely right. Now that the agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Western Depot have been investigating for two months, those hidden schemes should also come to light."

He pushed the confidential report in his hand onto the table.

"Look, the grain transport robbery case in Jinzhou Garrison is related to the garrison commander; the military officer who colluded with the Mongols is actually a distant relative of a military family in Liaodong."

There were also those who delivered intelligence to the Jurchens; it was said that one of them was a clerk from the Guangning Guard who accepted gold from the Jurchens!

"Even worse, some officials, under the guise of 'pacifying the refugees,' resold half of the disaster relief grain allocated by the imperial court, and mixed the rest with sand. They deserve to die!"

The air inside the hall grew increasingly heavy.

All three were seasoned officials who had long served in the government, but they never expected that the internal troubles in Liaodong would be so serious.

From garrison commanders to local officials, from grain transport routes to disaster relief, there were corrupt officials at almost every level gnawing away at the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.

If a thorough investigation is not conducted, let alone annihilating the Jurchens, we may not even be able to protect the territory of Liaodong.

Xiong Tingbi abruptly drew his Shangfang sword from his waist, slamming the blade heavily onto the table, his voice filled with murderous intent:
"Looking at it now, the problems in Liaodong are deeply rooted and must be thoroughly resolved."

The purpose of our meeting today is to establish a set of rules.

Effective immediately, based on secret reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, anyone involved in colluding with foreign enemies, embezzling military rations, or reselling military equipment, regardless of their rank, will be arrested and questioned first!
"The Imperial Sword is here; anyone who dares to obstruct it will be punished the same as the Jurchens!"

The echo of Xiong Tingbi slamming his imperial sword on the table still reverberated in the hall, but Sun Chengzong slowly rose, a look of worry on his face.

"My lord, the situation in Liaodong is not like that in the interior. These officials and generals are deeply entrenched. Some are hereditary military families of the garrisons, and some are relatives of important officials in the court. Such a forceful 'seize first, question later' approach may incite a mutiny!"

Yang Lian nodded in agreement.

“What Governor Sun said is absolutely right.”

I spent two months with agents from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Western Depot to thoroughly investigate and identify all the ringleaders and their associates involved, so as to avoid alerting them and to decisively eradicate them all.

His tone was full of helplessness, "If we had another month, we could definitely figure out all the hidden dangers, but now, the time is still too short."

Time is indeed very precious to them.

In another month, the permafrost in Liaodong will thaw, and vegetation will sprout, making it the perfect time to launch a spring offensive against the Jurchens.

Last year, internal problems prevented the victory from being achieved, causing it to slip away.

If the same mistake is repeated this year, not only will Huang Taiji take the opportunity to grow stronger, but the Mongol tribes may also turn to the Jurchens again. At that time, the situation in Liaodong will be completely out of control.

"A mutiny? A mutiny!"

Xiong Tingbi suddenly stood up, his eyes blazing with anger.

"They eat His Majesty's imperial grain and receive the court's military pay, guarding the territory of the Ming Dynasty, yet now they are secretly colluding with foreign enemies and embezzling military rations. How dare they talk about a 'mutiny'?"

He pointed outside the hall, his voice suddenly rising.

"Which of my men isn't guarding the border in the freezing cold, and which one isn't hoping to wipe out the Jurchens and live a peaceful life?"
"If anyone dares to rebel, not only will my imperial sword forbid it, but those soldiers who are devoted to serving their country will also never tolerate it!"

His gaze fell on Yang Lian, his tone carrying a hint of accusation:

"Du Tang, when you rectified Jizhou last year, you were also facing deeply entrenched old forces. How decisive you were then."
Why did you become so hesitant once you arrived in Liaodong?
"We must act as soon as possible to eliminate internal troubles before spring. If we miss the opportunity to wipe out the Jurchens, neither of us can afford the consequences!"

Yang Lian opened her mouth, but did not refute.

He knew that what Xiong Tingbi said was true, but the situation in Liaodong was far more complicated than that in Jizhou.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Sun Chengzong quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Please calm down, General Yang. It is not that I hesitated, but I am well aware of the deep-seated problems in Liaodong."

Liaodong Garrison differed from Jizhou Garrison. Jizhou Garrison underwent a thorough reorganization during Qi Shaobao's tenure, and its military discipline and system were well-established.

Therefore, when Yang Dutang went to reorganize last year, although there was resistance, he was able to make progress by relying on the old system.

However, the imperial court had attempted to reorganize Liaodong Garrison several times over the past century, but all attempts had failed. The mutiny in the thirteenth year of the Jiajing reign (1544) particularly devastated the local order.

These words calmed Xiong Tingbi's anger slightly. He sat back in his chair and gestured for Sun Chengzong to continue.

Sun Chengzong slowly recounted the old story:

In the thirteenth year of the Jiajing reign (1544), Lü Jing, the governor of Liaodong, implemented two reforms to eliminate malpractices:

First, the tax on surplus military households was reduced, from three military households to one, which was a beneficial measure for the people.

Secondly, they wanted to reclaim the military horse pastures that had been privately occupied by generals in order to enrich the military farmland.

However, he acted too hastily, forcibly conscripting soldiers to build the Great Wall, which increased the labor burden. Furthermore, officials at each level embezzled funds during the policy's implementation, further delaying the soldiers' already meager pay, leading to escalating discontent.

"What's worse, the supervising eunuch Wang Chun, who had a personal grudge against Lü Jing, fabricated eleven charges against him and spread rumors that Lü Jing was mistreating his soldiers, which completely escalated the conflict."

Sun Chengzong's voice trailed off.

Finally, the soldiers in Liaoyang and Guangning launched a mutiny due to unpaid wages and forced labor.

The mutinous soldiers stormed into the government office, beat officials, burned the tax registers, and imprisoned Lü Jing, nearly killing him.

"At first, our Great Ming wanted to send troops to quell the rebellion, but these rebel soldiers occupied the passes and were difficult to capture."

Even if the rebellion is successfully quelled, it will weaken the border troops.

Because Liaodong was the gateway to defend against the Mongols and Jurchens, if the border troops suffered heavy losses, the foreign enemies would definitely take the opportunity to invade, and in the end, the only option would be to offer them amnesty.

Sun Chengzong added, his tone full of helplessness.

"The imperial court sent officials from the Ministry of War to appease the soldiers, not only paying the owed military pay but also pardoning all the soldiers who participated in the mutiny."

This completely fueled the arrogance of the Liaodong border troops.

They discovered that as long as the disturbance escalated significantly, the imperial court dared not punish them. From then on, military discipline became increasingly lax, and officials and generals became increasingly unscrupulous. Embezzling military funds and colluding with foreign enemies became commonplace.

"Therefore, it's not that we hesitate, but that the waters in Liaodong are too deep."

“If we act rashly, those disgruntled generals will surely use the ‘Jiajing precedent’ to incite the soldiers. If a mutiny breaks out, the Jurchens will take the opportunity to attack, and we will be attacked from both sides. Liaodong will be in danger.”

Yang Lian nodded and said, "Therefore, I suggest that we start with those minor officials whose crimes are clear and whose influence is not deep, to make an example of them, while continuing to collect evidence of the crimes of the big bosses."

"Wait a month before spring to concentrate our efforts on capturing the ringleaders. By then, the soldiers will be eager to wipe out the Jurchens, morale will be high, and even if someone wants to rebel, they won't be able to cause any major trouble."

Sun Chengzong's earnest advice and Yang Lian's cautious suggestions still lingered in the hall, but Xiong Tingbi slowly shook his head.

He gestured for the two to sit down, and the seriousness in his eyes was gradually replaced by a sharp insight into the situation.

"What you two say makes sense, but Liaodong during the Jiajing era is vastly different from Liaodong today."

These words startled both Sun Chengzong and Yang Lian, who turned to look at him simultaneously.

Xiong Tingbi stood up, walked to the window, looked at the snow falling heavily outside, and his voice was filled with emotion:

Why did military households rebel during the Jiajing era?

It was because the imperial court disregarded their hardships.

Pay arrears could drag on for three to five years, and in the winter, people couldn't even scrape together enough warm clothes. Military farmland was seized by generals, and families struggled to even have enough to eat. Only in such dire circumstances would they be forced to take the path of mutiny.

But now?

Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has always kept the soldiers of Liaodong in mind. Last year, he not only made up for the military pay that had been owed for many years, but also specially allocated silver from the imperial treasury to rush-produce 30,000 cotton-padded clothes and send them to the border during the cold winter.

Even ordinary soldiers who performed minor merits were never shortchanged; their rewards were always sent directly to their families.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, his tone becoming increasingly firm:

"People are all made of flesh and blood. His Majesty's kindness and might have long been engraved in the hearts of ordinary soldiers."

They might be dissatisfied with their generals, but they would never betray His Majesty or launch a mutiny because of such dissatisfaction. This is the most fundamental difference between now and the Jiajing era.

Furthermore…

Xiong Tingbi changed the subject, his tone becoming more confident.
"Back then, Lü Jing implemented reforms without a well-thought-out plan or strong military support. He only knew how to act rashly when faced with problems, and in the end, he was framed by eunuchs and imprisoned by mutinous soldiers, ending up in a sorry state."

But the three of us are not like Lü Jing.

"When the governor was reorganizing Jizhou, he did so with lightning speed."

Governor Sun was also skilled in government affairs and familiar with the people's conditions.

As for me, since taking command of the Liaodong military, I have fought in over a hundred battles, large and small. Which of my soldiers didn't follow me through mountains of corpses and seas of blood?

At this point, Xiong Tingbi stared intently at the two of them, his voice suddenly rising:
"As long as we make a thorough plan."

First, stabilize the loyal soldiers, then accurately arrest the treacherous officials. Even if a few generals with ulterior motives try to incite trouble, they won't be able to stir up any waves!
Even if chaos were to break out, with our military strength, the current subservience of the steppe tribes to the Ming Dynasty, and the severely weakened Jurchen forces, surely we could suppress a small mutiny?

He slammed his hand on the table, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

"If we don't kill these parasites and eradicate all the deep-seated problems in Liaodong, this land will never be good!"

Rather than cowering and letting internal troubles cripple the border defenses, we should take advantage of His Majesty's remaining benevolence and our real power to thoroughly eradicate this evil trend!

These words carried weight and silence fell over the room instantly.

Sun Chengzong and Yang Lian exchanged a glance, both seeing emotion in each other's eyes.

Xiong Tingbi's words struck at their deepest concerns, but they also served as a wake-up call:

Being overly cautious might only lead to missed opportunities.

Seeing this, Xiong Tingbi seized the opportunity, walked to the desk, pulled out a secret report from a pile of documents, and handed it to the two men:

“Take a look at this.”

This is a message just sent by Hetu Ala's inside man.

Huang Taiji is now using the cattle, sheep and grain he plundered from the Khorchin tribe to recruit soldiers and horses on a large scale. He is not only expanding the Jurchen Eight Banners, but also forming the Mongol Eight Banners and the Han Eight Banners.

He also imitated the tax system of our Great Ming Dynasty, reducing taxes for his subjects and encouraging agriculture. In just a few months, he had won over many people's hearts.

He pointed to the confidential report, his tone urgent:

"The Jurchens appear to be severely weakened, but in reality, they are secretly accumulating strength."

If we take action now, we can settle things in one decisive battle.

If we drag this out until next year or the year after, until their Eight Banners army is fully formed and their supplies are plentiful, then it will likely cost us ten or even a hundred times more to wipe them out. By then, the Jurchens will once again become a major threat to our Great Ming!"

"There's still food and provisions!"

Xiong Tingbi's voice carried a hint of heaviness.

"The 100,000-strong army in Liaodong Garrison eats every day, and the grain and military pay consumed are all transferred by His Majesty from the imperial treasury and from Jiangnan."

If we delay for another month, it will cost an additional 300,000 taels of silver and 50 shi of grain!

"Your Majesty now needs money to promote trade and reform the currency. How can we, for our own sake, allow the court to waste these funds unnecessarily?"

These words were like the last straw, completely breaking the hesitation in Sun Chengzong and Yang Lian's hearts.

Sun Chengzong picked up the secret report and read it several times. The solemnity on his face gradually turned into agreement. He raised his head and said to Xiong Tingbi:

"What you say is absolutely right. I was too cautious before, and almost ruined a great undertaking!"

Now that His Majesty's benevolence and might are in the army, and the Jurchens are secretly growing stronger, we truly cannot afford to delay any longer!

Yang Lian also got up.

Being overly cautious can indeed waste a lot of time.

I also agree with the Duke's proposal!

When Xiong Tingbi saw that the two had finally relented, a smile appeared on his face.

"Good! With the two of you working together, how can we not worry about the internal troubles in Liaodong or the impending defeat of the Jurchens!"
We will make a plan today, and act accordingly in three days.

We must give His Majesty and the people of Liaodong an explanation before spring begins!

Now that everyone has reached a consensus, it is time to formulate a rectification plan.

Yang Lian immediately took out a thick book from his sleeve. The cover was inscribed with the four characters "List of Bookworms in Liaodong" in cinnabar, and the corners were slightly curled from repeated reading.

He placed the booklet on the table and said:
"In the past two months, the Embroidered Uniform Guard not only investigated generals and officials who colluded with foreign enemies and embezzled military rations, but also followed the clues to find out about the land annexation and misappropriation of military funds in Liaodong Town."

These people exploited military households and embezzled land; they are corrupt officials just like the rebels and must be dealt with together.

Xiong Tingbi reached out and picked up the booklet. As soon as his fingertips touched the pages, he felt that it was quite heavy.

He slowly turned the book, and his eyes were met with a dense array of names, their positions and crimes clearly marked in red ink:
Zhang Bingyi, the deputy commander of Liaoyang, illegally occupied 20,000 mu of military farmland and owed his troops three years' worth of pay.

Lieutenant General Wu Fengxian had an affair with the Jurchens and sold more than 300 pieces of military equipment.

Sun Degong, the deputy commander of Guangning, colluded with Jurchen spies and leaked intelligence about Liaodong.

Guangning military commanders Bao Chengxian and Zhang Cunren have been embezzling winter clothing from soldiers for years and reselling cotton cloth allocated by the imperial court for profit.

Guerrilla commander Meng Qiaofang, garrison commander Zhang Shiyan, Huang Jin, and Shi Tingzhu even participated in the forced collection of taxes from surplus military households...

As you turn the pages, you see over a hundred names, from deputy commanders and brigade commanders to guerrillas and garrison commanders, and then to centurions like Lang Shaozhen, Lu Guozhi, and Shi Tianzhu, covering almost half of the high-ranking generals in Liaodong Garrison.

Sun Chengzong leaned closer to take a look and gasped:
"So many people? Yang Dutang, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has really dug up the roots of Liaodong these past two months!"

Yang Lian nodded and said, "These people collude with each other, forming an impenetrable network."

If you illegally occupy military land, I will help you conceal taxes.

You resell arms, and I'll clear your supply lines; we're already in a relationship where we share both prosperity and adversity.

If we only arrest a few ringleaders, the rest will surely retaliate. Only by completely dismantling this network can we eliminate the internal threat.

Xiong Tingbi closed the book, but the anger that had been burning in his eyes was gone, replaced by a chilling killing intent.
"The problems in Liaodong are deeply ingrained, and we must not rashly send troops to deal with them."

These people control the military power at the passes. If pushed too far, they might emulate the mutinous troops during the Jiajing era and seize cities and passes, putting us at a disadvantage.

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the map over Shenyang, Liaoyang, and Guangning, before continuing:

"First step, switch defenders!"

"Change of defense?"

Sun Chengzong and Yang Lian looked at him at the same time, their eyes filled with doubt.

"Yes, switch positions."

Xiong Tingbi firmly stated:
"The soldiers stationed at Shanhaiguan were ordered to take over the defense duties from Zhang Bingyi's troops."

The troops from the Liaoyang Left Guard were transferred to Guangning to replace Sun Degong's troops.

Then let the garrison soldiers of Ningyuanwei take over the Youtunwei garrison where Bao Chengxian was stationed.

"

"When changing garrisons, we only say that we are preparing to annihilate the Jurchens and make military adjustments, without revealing any information. This will prevent these people from escaping upon hearing the news and also cut off their control of the passes and military power."

Without cities and provisions, they are like toothless tigers; it will be difficult for them to rebel again.

Sun Chengzong instantly understood and nodded repeatedly:

“This plan is brilliant! We suffered from the chaos of the passes being held by rebel troops during the Jiajing era. Now, we can seize their military power first, and then arrest them. This will make our efforts twice as effective.”

Yang Lian also added:

"While the troop rotation is taking place, agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard can be disguised as soldiers and infiltrate the camps of these generals to secretly monitor their movements and prevent them from colluding."

"not only that."

Xiong Tingbi continued:
"Once the rotation of guards is completed and the ringleaders Sun Degong and Zhang Bingyi are captured, immediately issue this order:"

Those who committed minor offenses or were coerced into participating as accomplices are allowed to redeem themselves through meritorious service.

If evidence can be reported regarding the crimes of the mastermind at the top, punishment may be reduced or even waived.

“Although these people are colluding together, they each have their own ulterior motives. By using the opportunity of ‘redeeming themselves’ to dismantle their alliance and make them kill each other, we can wipe out the remaining forces without lifting a finger.”

"We also need to reassure the ordinary soldiers."

Sun Chengzong added in a timely manner.

"All soldiers need to know that this rectification is only aimed at corrupt and rebellious generals, and has nothing to do with them."

Moreover, if a soldier reports a general's crime, once the report is verified, he will be rewarded with five taels of silver or promoted one rank.

This will not only stabilize morale but also allow soldiers to become our 'eyes and ears,' completely isolating those corrupt elements.

Yang Lian immediately replied, "I can have the Embroidered Uniform Guard draft a notice, which will be posted in each military camp after the troop rotation is completed. The policy will be explained in simple and easy-to-understand language to avoid panic among the soldiers due to lack of knowledge."

The three men talked back and forth, and the rules for reorganizing the army gradually became clear:

First, within ten days, loyal troops should be dispatched to replace the defenses of the passes controlled by the traitorous general, thus severing his military power.

Fifth, posting notices to clearly state policies, rewards and punishments, stabilize the morale of ordinary soldiers, and avoid panic.

Sixth
其七
As dusk fell, the entire hall was illuminated by candlelight.

Xiong Tingbi picked up the drafted regulations, checked them word by word, and after confirming that they were correct, handed them to Sun Chengzong and Yang Lian:

"Gentlemen, do you see anything else that needs to be added?"

Sun Chengzong took the articles of association, carefully read them, and then nodded solemnly:

"The charter is well-structured, balancing deterrence and appeasement, and is enforceable."

Yang Lian also said, "No problem."

Xiong Tingbi closed the document, stood up, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Ten days from now, the weather in Liaodong Town will change."

This list of 100 criminals is not only a testament to the deep-seated problems in Liaodong, but also the starting point for them to eliminate internal troubles and rebuild the country.

Ten days later, the Liaodong army, having wiped out the corrupt elements, will surely be able to march north and completely annihilate the Jurchens, restoring peace to the northeast of the Ming Dynasty.

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(End of this chapter)