The Ming Dynasty: Starting with Emperor Chongzhen's crackdown on factionalism

"Now?" Wang Chengen looked up at the sky outside the palace; it was already 9 PM.

"Now."

Two quarters of an hour later, Cheng Jiming and Zhou Yanru rushed to the Qianqing Palace.

Both men were dressed in casual clothes, clearly having been urgently summoned from the mansion.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects." The two knelt down.

"Rise." Zhu Youjian did not sit back down at his desk, but stood in front of them.

"I ask you, what is the true situation in Liaodong now?"

Cheng Jiming and Zhou Yanru exchanged a glance, both seeing doubt in each other's eyes.

The emperor summoned him urgently in the dead of night, just to ask this question?

Cheng Jiming spoke first.

"Your Majesty, since Yuan Chonghuan was imprisoned, the morale of the troops in Liaodong has been somewhat unstable, but Zu Dashou has led his troops back to defend the area, and the Ningjin defense line is still intact. The Ministry of War recently reported that there are no signs of a major offensive by the Later Jin."

"I'm asking for the truth," Zhu Youjian said, staring at him.

"How many of the Great Wall beacon towers have been damaged? How much of the military settlements have been abandoned? What is the actual number of garrison troops in each city? How many more months can their food and provisions last?"

Cheng Jiming was stunned.

These questions are too specific.

As the Grand Secretary, he was in charge of drafting and approving documents and coordinating various departments. How could he possibly know the extent of damage to beacon towers in a specific defense zone?

"This... Your Majesty, for matters concerning border defense, you should consult the Ministry of War."

Cheng Jiming carefully considered the words.

"The reports from the Ministry of War that I have seen recently only say that defenses are secure, but I have not investigated the specific numbers..."

"Where is Mr. Zhou?" Zhu Youjian turned to Zhou Yanru.

Zhou Yanru's mind raced.

The emperor's sudden questions must mean he saw something.

"Your Majesty," Zhou Yanru bowed.

"Liaodong is a thousand miles from the capital, and it is inevitable that there will be omissions in military intelligence reports. However, as far as I know, when Yuan Chonghuan was in charge of the army, the Ningjin defense line had been fortified for many years, with strong cities and powerful artillery, and it should be able to be held."

"As for the details, the Ministry of War's Department of Military Affairs must investigate them thoroughly."

It's just empty talk.

Zhu Youjian looked at the two cabinet ministers and suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.

They were the prime ministers of the imperial court and the leaders of the civil officials, but when asked about the true situation in Liaodong, they could not tell a single truth.

They only say things like "defense is secure" and "we can hold our ground."

"I will ask you again," Zhu Youjian's voice turned cold.

"Who from the Central Government has recently visited Liaodong?"

Cheng Jiming thought about it.

"Bi Zisu, the former governor of Liaodong, returned to Beijing last year to report on his work."

"Except for him."

Zhou Yanru suddenly said, "Shen Xun, the chief clerk of the Department of Military Affairs of the Ministry of War, was ordered by the Ministry to go to Shanhaiguan to check military pay in the first month of this year."

"Summon Shen Xun," Zhu Youjian immediately ordered.

Shen Xun was woken from his sleep and rushed to the Qianqing Palace. It was already midnight.

He was in his thirties, with a dark complexion, and looked like someone who was always on the go.

"Your subject, Shen Xun, Principal Officer of the Military Affairs Department of the Ministry of War, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Shen Xun, I ask you, what did you see when you went to Shanhaiguan in the first month of the lunar calendar?"

Zhu Youjian did not ask him to get up, but asked directly.

Shen Xun knelt on the ground, his heart pounding with anxiety.

He didn't know why the emperor had summoned him late at night to ask this question.

"Your Majesty, I have been ordered by the Ministry to investigate the distribution of military pay to the various garrisons in Liaodong."

"During the three days at Shanhaiguan, we checked the roster of the garrison, the granary inventory, and the records of pay disbursements. Generally... there were no major discrepancies."

"Broadly the same?" Zhu Youjian pressed, "How much exactly?"

Shen Xun's forehead was covered in sweat.

"The roster has 12,000 people, but more than 9,000 people were present during the roll call, leaving a shortfall of about 20%."

"The grain register should show 80,000 shi of grain, but the actual inventory... is around 70,000 shi."

"The pay has been distributed, but three months of last year's autumn pay has not yet been paid."

Why is there a 20% shortfall?

"Well... I asked the commander of the pass, and he said that some soldiers went home to visit their families, while others fell ill and are recuperating in the camp..."

"Visiting relatives? Reclining?" Zhu Youjian sneered. "Or perhaps you've gone on the run?"

Shen Xun didn't dare to reply.

Zhu Youjian then asked, "How many beacon towers on the Great Wall have you inspected? What is the condition of the damage?"

Shen Xun panicked even more: "Your Majesty, I...I checked the military pay and did not check the beacon towers."

"What about the military settlements? How many of the military settlements inside Shanhaiguan are still being cultivated?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty has not investigated the military settlements."

Zhu Youjian remained silent.

He turned his back and looked at the "Great Ming Dynasty Unification Map" hanging on the wall.

On the map, Shanhaiguan is just a small marker, and the Great Wall is just a thin line.

But it is this very line that protects the northern border of the Ming Dynasty.

So, what's the current status of this line?

he does not know.

The Grand Secretary was unaware, and neither was the Minister of War.

But Chen Zhiyuan knew.

In his memorial to the throne, Chen Zhiyuan wrote: Of the thirty-seven beacon towers, eleven were intact, eighteen were partially destroyed, and eight were completely ruined. Less than thirty percent of the military settlements were actually cultivated.

Those numbers were crystal clear in Zhu Youjian's mind at that moment.

"Shen Xun," Zhu Youjian turned around.

"I ask you again, when you went to Shanhaiguan, did you simply stay inside the fortress looking at the account books, or did you venture out and explore?"

Shen Xun prostrated himself on the ground: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty mainly checks documents at the Guancheng government office. I only left the city once, to go to the Shanhaiguan wharf to check on the unloading of the grain shipment."

"So, you didn't even go to see the Great Wall, the military settlements, or ask the garrison soldiers?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty's duties are to verify military pay and border defense matters, which are not your responsibilities..."

"Step down." Zhu Youjian waved his hand, his voice full of exhaustion.

Shen Xun felt as if he had been granted a pardon, kowtowed, and withdrew.

Only Zhu Youjian and two cabinet ministers remained in the hall.

"Mr. Cheng, Mr. Zhou," Zhu Youjian said slowly.

"You tell me, a compiler from the Hanlin Academy, taking a month's leave and going to Liaodong at his own expense, could clearly find out how many beacon towers were damaged and how much of the military settlements were abandoned."

"The Director of the Military Affairs Department of the Ministry of War was ordered to go on a business trip, but he only knew how to stay in the city gate looking at the account books."

Why is that?

Cheng Jiming took a deep breath.

"Your Majesty, whether Chen Zhiyuan's words are true or not still needs to be verified. Perhaps he is exaggerating, or perhaps he is just repeating hearsay. How can a mere seventh-rank compiler arbitrarily investigate such a strategically important border region?"

Zhu Youjian looked at Cheng Jiming without saying a word.

Zhou Yanru spoke up, "Your Majesty, Chen Zhiyuan may have ulterior motives. He may have written this memorial to gain Your Majesty's favor with startling words. The contents of his statement may not be credible."

"Is it necessarily true?" Zhu Youjian stared at him.

"Then tell me, what is credible? Is the Ministry of War's report credible? But the official in charge of the Ministry of War hasn't even visited the beacon towers. Is your draft proposal credible? But you can't even clearly explain the actual situation in Liaodong."

That's too harsh a statement.

Cheng Jiming and Zhou Yanru knelt down at the same time.

"We have failed in our duty."

Looking at the two cabinet ministers kneeling on the ground, Zhu Youjian suddenly felt that all of this was absurd.

The memorials he reviewed every day were drafted by these people.

The military intelligence he heard about Liaodong was compiled by these people.

But they knew nothing.

"You may all leave."

Zhu Youjian finally spoke, his voice filled with weariness.

Cheng Jiming and Zhou Yanru bowed and withdrew from the Qianqing Palace.

As they stepped out of the palace, the two exchanged a glance, both seeing unease in each other's eyes.

Inside the palace, Zhu Youjian sat back down behind his desk.

He stared at Chen Zhiyuan's memorial for a long time.

Wang Chengen carefully lit new candles and replaced the candlesticks that had burned out.

"Wang Chengen," Zhu Youjian suddenly spoke.

"This servant is here."

"Issue an imperial decree to reinstate Chen Zhiyuan to his position as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy and release him immediately."

Wang Chengen was taken aback: "Your Majesty, then...should we summon Chen Zhiyuan to an audience?"

Zhu Youjian remained silent.

He should summon Chen Zhiyuan.

This man wrote a memorial that shocked him, revealing the truth that none of the officials dared to say.

He should ask them face-to-face where those numbers came from and what problems still exist in Liaodong.

but……