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

Kong Youde sat in the main seat, with seven or eight personal guards standing in front of him.

They were all old men who had followed him for many years, coming all the way from Pied Island.

Kong Youde is in his early thirties, with a large build and a fleshy face.

He was originally a miner, but later joined the army and fought alongside Mao Wenlong, rising from a private to a lieutenant general.

After Mao Wenlong's death, he was recruited by Sun Yuanhua and still had more than 3,000 men under his command.

But these more than 3,000 people haven't received their pay for three months.

"Brother, Sun Yuanhua has sent word again, telling us to wait another month," a guard said.

Kong Youde remained silent.

Another soldier said, "Wait? Wait my ass! What have we been eating for the past three months? Thin porridge! Two meals of thin porridge a day! The brothers are starving!"

"Exactly. When Marshal Mao was around, when did he ever let us go hungry?"

"Don't mention Marshal Mao. He was killed by Yuan Chonghuan, and the court even said he was guilty. Guilty? What crime? Wasn't it just that he disobeyed Yuan Chonghuan?"

"Big brother, say something!"

Kong Youde raised his head.

He stared at his personal guards for a long time.

Then he spoke.

"What do you want to do?"

The guards looked at each other.

One of the bolder ones said, "Brother, how about... we cause some trouble?"

"Making a scene?"

"Yes. We're protesting for our pay. We outnumber them, over three thousand people. Sun Yuanhua won't dare do anything to us. If we start a protest, the court will have to pay us. If they don't pay us, we won't leave."

Kong Youde remained silent.

Another guard said, "Brother, I heard that Huang Taiji is recruiting soldiers in Liaodong. If we..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was kicked by the person next to him.

"What nonsense! We are soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, why are we surrendering to the enemy?"

The man fell silent, looking embarrassed.

Kong Youde remained silent.

He stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and lifted the curtain to look outside.

Outside was a barren field with a few dozen tents scattered around.

Inside the tent, soldiers squatted on the ground in twos and threes, some cooking wild vegetables, others just staring blankly.

Everyone's face had that ashen, emaciated look from hunger.

Kong Youde looked at it for a long time.

Then he lowered the curtain and turned around.

"Tomorrow," he said, "I'm going to Sun Yuanhua's place tomorrow to ask for the pay."

The guards were stunned for a moment, then their faces lit up with joy.

"Brother, how much do you want?"

Kong Youde said, "Let's try diplomacy first, then resort to force. If he gives us the money, we'll go back. If he doesn't, then don't blame us for being impolite."

"You're welcome? What do you mean, brother?"

Kong Youde did not answer.

He walked back to the head of the table and sat down.

"Go tell the brothers to eat their fill tomorrow. Maybe the day after tomorrow, they'll have meat to eat."

Five days later.

Denglai City.

Sun Yuanhua stood in the second hall of the governor's office, his face ashen.

A messenger covered in blood stood before him.

The messenger had run back from outside the city; before he returned, he had been detained in Kong Youde's tent for three days.

"Your Excellency, Kong Youde has rebelled!" The messenger's voice was hoarse. "Last night, he led three thousand men, killed the military supervisor, Lord Wang, and seized the granary outside the city. He's heading towards Dengzhou and Laizhou now!"

Sun Yuanhua's hands were trembling.

He recalled that three days earlier, Kong Youde had sent someone to demand payment.

He sent word that the pay was on its way and that they should wait a few more days.

Kong Youde's men have left.

He thought that was the end of it.

But today...

"Where is General Zhang?" he asked.

The messenger said, "General Zhang led his troops to intercept them, and they met at Pu, thirty li north of the city. General Zhang ordered Kong Youde to disarm, but Kong Youde refused, and a fight broke out between the two sides."

"General Zhang... General Zhang has been hit by an arrow, and his fate is currently unknown!"

Sun Yuanhua's legs went weak, and he grabbed the table for support.

Behind him, several staff members looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

After a long while, Sun Yuanhua straightened up.

"Send an urgent report," he said. "Send it to the capital with the utmost speed. Say...say that there has been a mutiny in Dengzhou and Laizhou, and that Kong Youde has rebelled. Request the court to send reinforcements immediately!"

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youjian was reading a newly submitted memorial from Chen Zhiyuan. In the memorial, Chen Zhiyuan listed another set of figures, which was a detailed breakdown of the military expenses of Jizhou Garrison in the second year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign.

He looked at it very slowly and carefully.

Wang Chengen suddenly rushed in, his face pale.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the Ministry of War."

Zhu Youjian raised his head.

"read."

Wang Chengen unfolded the document in his hand, his voice trembling.

"Governor Sun Yuanhua of Dengzhou and Laizhou urgently reports: Kong Youde, the military commander of Dengzhou and Laizhou, has led more than 3,000 of his former troops from Dongjiang in a mutiny, killing the supervising officer, Dao Cheng, and looting the granaries outside the city. He is currently besieging Dengzhou and Laizhou. Sun Yuanhua requests the court to send reinforcements immediately and allocate funds to appease them..."

Zhu Youjian was stunned.

He put down Chen Zhiyuan's memorial, took the urgent report, and read it from beginning to end.

After reading it, he remained silent for a long time.

Then he spoke.

"Send the order to Cheng Jiming, Zhou Yanru, Liang Tingdong, and Chen Zhiyuan to enter the palace immediately."

Chen Zhiyuan received the imperial decree in the office of the Censorate.

He was organizing the account books when he heard the words "enter the palace immediately," and his heart skipped a beat.

Zhao Delu stood to the side, his face pale.

"Vice Minister, what happened?"

Chen Zhiyuan did not answer.

He put down his pen, straightened his clothes, and followed the eunuch out the door.

He kept thinking about it on the way.

If the emperor summons someone "immediately," it must be something very important.

What's the big deal?

Has there been progress in the military spending case? Or has the Shanxi merchant scandal broken? Or...?

He considered the worst-case scenario.

Qianqing Palace.

When Chen Zhiyuan entered the hall, Cheng Jiming, Zhou Yanru, and Liang Tingdong had already arrived.

The four people knelt down to pay their respects, then stood up and stood aside.

Zhu Youjian sat behind his desk, his face expressionless. Before him lay the urgent report, and the tea beside him had gone cold.

"The Dengzhou-Laizhou mutiny," Zhu Youjian said calmly. "Kong Youde, with three thousand Dongjiang soldiers, killed the military supervisor, looted the granary, and is currently besieging Dengzhou and Laizhou."

Chen Zhiyuan's heart sank.

Cheng Jiming paused for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, can this matter be verified?"

Zhu Youjian pushed the urgent report to him.

Cheng Jiming took it, read it, and his expression changed.

Zhou Yanru leaned over for a look, his brows furrowing.

Liang Tingdong stood to the side, his face expressionless, but he glanced at Chen Zhiyuan out of the corner of his eye.

That glance was so brief, so brief, that almost no one noticed it.

But Chen Zhiyuan saw it.

Zhu Youjian said, "Liang Tingdong, you are the Minister of War. Tell me, what's going on here?"

Liang Tingdong took a step forward.

"Your Majesty, I have just received this urgent report. Kong Youde was originally a subordinate of Mao Wenlong. After Mao Wenlong's death, he was incorporated into Sun Yuanhua's forces and stationed in Dengzhou and Laizhou."

"The soldiers in Dengzhou and Laizhou are three months behind on their pay, and they are suffering greatly. Kong Youde is a man who has always been unruly and unruly."

"This upheaval should be attributed to unpaid wages."

Zhu Youjian asked, "Unpaid wages?"

Liang Tingdong said, "Yes. Since December of last year, the Ministry of Revenue has not allocated the full amount of pay for Denglai Township."

"In January and February of this year, only half of the funds were allocated. From March to now, not a single penny has been allocated. Sun Yuanhua has submitted several memorials requesting funds, but the Ministry of Revenue has delayed the allocation on the grounds of insufficient treasury funds."

He paused, then said, "I have heard that the soldiers of Dengzhou and Laizhou have not received their pay for three months. They are eating thin porridge and wild vegetables every day. If this continues, it would be strange if something did not happen."

Zhu Youjian remained silent.

He looked at Cheng Jiming.

Cheng Jiming lowered his head and remained silent.

He looked at Zhou Yanru.

Zhou Yanru also kept his head down.

He looked at Chen Zhiyuan.