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

Yuan Chonghuan's laughter echoed and reverberated through the damp walls of the imperial prison, carrying a harsh and desolate quality, like scraping against rust, before gradually subsiding after a long time.

He wiped away the tears of laughter with the back of his hand, and his deep-set eyes fixed on Chen Zhiyuan again. They were no longer numb, but filled with a mixture of sarcasm, exhaustion, and a trace of indescribable grief and indignation.

"So naive! You're so adorably naive!"

Yuan Chonghuan's voice rose eight octaves, and the collar of his prison uniform tightened with excitement.

"A formidable enemy is at hand! The Jurchen cavalry is lurking outside the Great Wall, and Huang Taiji harbors wolfish ambitions, ready to breach our Great Wall at any moment!"

"The imperial treasury is empty, the army is exhausted, and the nine border towns are like bleeding sores!"

"What can I do? Am I supposed to do what you did, scrutinizing the military pay accounts from Beijing to Nanjing, from the Ministry of Revenue to the Grand Canal, offending every official involved?"

"By the time I uncover the truth, Liaodong will likely have already fallen to the enemy, and the capital will be reduced to ashes! Are you serious?"

"What good is having the will? No power! No one! No time! That's the reality! Your grand pronouncements are utterly worthless in the face of life and death!"

Chen Zhiyuan stood still, not backing down despite the barrage of questions.

The air in the cell seemed to freeze, with only Yuan Chonghuan's heavy breathing audible.

After the other person finished speaking, Chen Zhiyuan slowly raised his eyelids, a cold smile curving his lips. There was no warmth in that smile, only a sharpness that could see through everything.

"Is that so?" Chen Zhiyuan's voice was not loud.

"Commander Yuan, what a fine excuse of 'a formidable enemy at hand' and 'powerless to entangle'! Well then, I would like to ask you a few questions, hoping you can teach me based on 'reality'."

His gaze was sharp, fixed on Yuan Chonghuan's eyes, which flickered slightly for a moment.

"The first question is about your younger brother, Yuan Chongyu."

Yuan Chonghuan's expression changed slightly, and his body tensed almost imperceptibly.

"As far as I know, Yuan Chongyu used your influence to operate a salt business and made huge profits. He is a well-known salt merchant in Lianghuai."

"Last October, Huang Taiji broke through the pass and entered the border, plundered our people, and took our wealth back north."

"Their retreat route passed through Jibei, and for a section ran parallel to the trade route leading to the border."

"At that very moment, your brother Yuan Chongyu's large caravan, laden with goods, also traveled north along this route, only a few dozen miles away from the retreating enemy cavalry. They traveled side by side for several days without incident, without being robbed. I also did not see your brother send anyone to report to you or the nearby government troops, nor did I see you order an attack to intercept the exhausted enemy cavalry in order to rescue the captured civilians!"

"How do you explain this?"

Chen Zhiyuan spoke slowly, but every word was crystal clear, striking Yuan Chonghuan's heart.

"Was the caravan incredibly lucky, managing to avoid the vicious Jurchen scouts?"

"Or is it your brother Yuan Chongyu, or rather, you, Commander Yuan, who has some unspoken 'understanding' with the enemy troops returning north?"

"With a formidable enemy at hand, you command a large army, yet you sit idly by and watch the enemy chieftain retreat with his spoils. And the merchant caravan traveling with the enemy happens to have intricate connections with your Yuan family!"

"How will you explain this 'reality' to His Majesty? To the families of those abducted people?"

"You...you're spouting nonsense!"

Yuan Chonghuan stood up abruptly, his chains rattling, his face flushed with anger and a kind of panic at having his secret exposed.

"Chongyu is a businessman, and I have always strictly ordered him to abide by the law! His traveling with the enemy cavalry was purely coincidental!"

"At that time, our troops had just fought a bloody battle at Guangqumen and desperately needed rest. How could we rashly launch an attack?"

"If we fall into an ambush, who will bear the responsibility for losing the capital?!"

"What a 'coincidence'! What a 'taking responsibility'!" Chen Zhiyuan's sneer intensified.

"Then the second question! When you killed Mao Wenlong, the twelve major crimes you listed included 'illegally operating a horse market' and 'colluding with the northern frontier,' for which the evidence is irrefutable. You held the imperial sword; you were to be executed immediately!"

"You acted swiftly and decisively, eliminating a scourge for the court! But why did you remain silent when you learned that Shanxi merchants Fan Yongdou, Wang Dengku, and others were smuggling large quantities of military and national supplies such as sulfur, saltpeter, and pig iron out of the country, supplying the enemy with powerful weapons?"

"Even during your tenure as the governor of Jiliao, did you turn a blind eye to these merchant caravans crossing the border?"

"Your killing of Mao Wenlong can be described as 'purging the border defenses,' so why are you so 'lenient' towards the Shanxi merchant group, which truly undermined the foundation of the Ming Dynasty and armed your mortal enemies?"

"Does your imperial sword only punish military officers, and not unscrupulous merchants?"

"Or is it that those merchants have a powerful force behind them that even you, Governor Yuan, are wary of, or... a connection of interests?"

Yuan Chonghuan's breath hitched, and the anger in his eyes was replaced by a hint of panic.

He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found that every question Chen Zhiyuan posed hit his most vulnerable spot.

Mao Wenlong is unruly and arrogant; killing him would establish authority and consolidate the Dongjiang forces.

However, the Shanxi merchants were deeply entrenched and had connections with many officials in the court and even palace eunuchs. If they were to be moved, it would have far-reaching consequences. When he was in office, how could he dare to act rashly?

The helplessness of these unspoken rules in officialdom, under Chen Zhiyuan's sharp questioning, seemed so pale and hypocritical.

"What...what do you know? Border affairs are complex and multifaceted; how could a mere scholar like you presume to understand them?"

Yuan Chonghuan attempted to use his power to intimidate others.

"I don't understand?" Chen Zhiyuan pressed on, his voice suddenly turning stern.

"I may not understand the intricate 'ways of officialdom' in your bureaucracy, but I do understand one thing!"

"Even if Mao Wenlong has a thousand faults, his occupation of Dongjiang at least made Huang Taiji feel like he had a bone stuck in his throat, forcing him to divide his troops to defend against him!"

"And the Shanxi merchants you condone or even tacitly approve of, every pound of pig iron they sell to the Later Jin could be cast into arrows to be shot at the soldiers and civilians of our Great Ming."

"Every ounce of sulfur could become gunpowder that could collapse the walls of my Great Ming Dynasty!"

"You killed an arrogant general, which can be called 'upright and incorruptible.' But you condoned merchants who aided the enemy; isn't that an even greater crime?"

"You keep claiming to be serving the country and its people, so why is your blade aimed at subordinates who might threaten your authority, instead of the vermin that truly erode the foundation of the nation?"

"Don't you think this is hilarious, Commander Yuan!"

"Chen Zhiyuan!" Yuan Chonghuan was completely enraged, and veins bulged on his forehead.

"Don't you dare tarnish my reputation here! My loyalty to His Majesty and the Ming Dynasty is as clear as day!"

"Outside Guangqumen, I led the charge, fought valiantly, and nearly lost my life! How could these be fabricated?"

"Merit is merit, and fault is fault!" Chen Zhiyuan refused to back down.

"The merits of Guangqumen cannot be denied! But the merits cannot outweigh the faults!"

"The capital you fought so hard to protect, the country your soldiers defended with their lives, is being hollowed out little by little by the corruption you condone and the aid to the enemy that you tolerate!"

"The mystery of your brother's caravan traveling alongside the enemy, and your apparent leniency towards Shanxi merchants who aided the enemy—these doubts, like maggots clinging to a bone, are destined to tarnish your so-called 'illustrious military achievements'!"

"His Majesty has sent me to investigate precisely to dispel this fog of mystery and see whether a loyal and virtuous person has been wronged or deserves their punishment!"

The air in the prison seemed to freeze for a long time.

Looking at Yuan Chonghuan's "as clear as day" expression, Chen Zhiyuan suddenly felt nauseous.

He didn't want to go in circles anymore.

"Commander Yuan," Chen Zhiyuan's voice suddenly turned cold, no longer a question but a statement.

"I'm not here today to lecture you."