Chapter 2747: The Capital (Part 103)
"Your servant believes that to replenish our grain stores and military pay, we must first pacify the localities. The Eastern Barbarian threat is like a headache—painful when it strikes, but ultimately a temporary affliction. Though the barbarians plunder heavily when they breach the passes, they hold no foothold within our borders. During the Jisi Incident, the Tartars occupied four of our cities inside the pass, yet they were soon annihilated by the King's forces. If we station the troops of Jizhou, Xuanfu, and Datong to strictly guard the Capital's vicinity, and deploy the Guan-Ning forces to defend Ningyuan and Jinzhou, then should the barbarians come knocking again, we can summon the realm's finest soldiers to aid the King and drive them back beyond the passes. Thus, the Eastern Barbarians remain a manageable threat.
"As for the Kun scoundrels—since seizing Guangdong and Guangxi, they have shown no further expansion, merely using their navy to harass Fujian, Zhejiang, and the Bohai Sea. It appears that despite their false claims to the Song system, they are cut from the same cloth as the Franks, Wang Zhi, and Xu Hai—driven by nothing more than greed for wealth and profit. Although many ministers have warned that the Kun possess sturdy ships and sharp cannons ever since Liangguang fell, your servant believes this success owed much to Wang Zunde's unauthorized border provocations, which cost us nine-tenths of our seasoned troops. His successor Xiong Wencan lacks skill in military management, and his newly raised forces are negligent in battle formations. Therefore, the Kun threat is like ringworm—though it causes considerable inconvenience, it poses no danger to the Imperial Court's foundation.
"The true disease afflicting the heart of the Imperial Court is the roving bandits. Since they rose in Shaanxi and Gansu, they have crisscrossed the Three Frontiers, brought chaos to the Central Plains, and the fall of the Middle Capital has disturbed the peace of the realm. Treacherous elements have sprung up everywhere, coercing ignorant commoners to abandon farming and production, leading them astray from the path of loyalty and righteousness. The governors of the various provinces are exhausted from constant pursuit. This is why our soldiers and horses grow weary, and our grain and pay run short. If we wish to pacify the Eastern Barbarians and drive out the Kun, we must first exterminate the roving bandits. This is the meaning of the saying: 'To resist foreign aggression, one must first pacify the interior.'"
Chongzhen found himself quite approving of Yang Sichang's analysis regarding pacifying the interior before resisting foreign aggression, and pressed further: "According to your plan, how should the roving bandits be pacified?"
At this question, Yang Sichang's eyes flashed with keen intensity, and he answered in a clear, resonant voice:
"Four fronts, six corners—a ten-sided net! With Shaanxi, Henan, Huguang, and Jiangbei as the four fronts, four governors shall be assigned to focus on extermination and defense. With Yansui, Shanxi, Shandong, Jiangnan, Jiangxi, and Sichuan as the six corners, six governors shall be assigned to defense while assisting in extermination. This constitutes the ten-sided net! The Governor-General of the Three Frontiers and the Prime Minister of the Seven Provinces shall follow wherever the bandits move, focusing on punitive expeditions. Employing both kindness and power, combining suppression with pacification, we must ruthlessly exterminate the ringleaders to cut the weeds by their roots. For other bandit leaders, those willing to surrender to the Imperial Court should be recruited by designated personnel and entrusted with military posts to assist the official army in exterminating their former comrades. This is called using bandits to attack bandits. If Your Majesty implements your servant's plan in this manner, the roving bandits will surely be wiped out within two years. Once the bandit trouble is pacified, the Central Plains provinces can rest and recuperate, replenishing soldiers, horses, money, and grain. Then, with the army that crushed the bandits, we march south to punish the Kun. Meanwhile, the troops of the Three Frontiers shall join with the various towns of Xuanfu, Datong, Jizhou, and Liaodong to advance separately and strike in concert, moving north to pacify the barbarians. Thus shall the realm be settled!"
These remarks were indeed inspiring, but the Emperor had heard many bold words over the years and knew precisely where the critical point lay.
"If we follow your plan, how many soldiers, horses, money, and grain are needed to pacify the bandits? The national treasury stands empty; how should the shortfall be addressed?"
"To wipe out the roving bandits, your servant proposes increasing troops by 120,000 and pay by 2.8 million across the ten provinces. Your servant has heard that the previous proposal to levy the Guangdong Tax would yield 2.1 million in additional annual revenue. Since pacifying the Kun takes second place to exterminating bandits, the military pay for bandit suppression can first draw 1 million from the Guangdong Tax. For the remaining shortfall, we can levy an additional Bandit Suppression Tax for one year, drawing from three sources: land tax, postal service, and fines."
"Explain this to Zhen in detail."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Regarding the land tax: based on the old quota of grain, a slight additional levy will be made. Since the Guangdong Tax already requires payment of 8 qian per mu, your servant's plan for this Bandit Suppression Tax would fall mostly on wealthy households, exempting poor farmers and leaving damaged land untaxed. This can yield over 1.5 million taels of silver annually. Regarding the postal service: this refers to the silver saved from previous reductions of postal stations; 200,000 of this can be used to supplement the pay. The remainder will be offset by fines and the sale of titles, allowing wealthy individuals to contribute funds to become students of the Imperial College, thereby sharing the worries of Ruler and Father. The tax will cease after one year."
"And if the common people harbor resentment?"
"Your Majesty, there is no cause for concern. This additional levy falls mostly upon capable wealthy households. The increase amounts to no more than one or two qian per hundred mu, which may even help curb land annexation. Moreover, tax-paying households are largely people loyal to the sovereign who understand affairs of state. Bandit suppression concerns the very safety of the altars of earth and grain—they will surely share this burden for the country's sake. Once the Central Plains are pacified, the people shall be given their rest."
"I regret meeting you so late! I regret meeting you so late!" Chongzhen could not help exclaiming in admiration. "Let it be as you say. We shall temporarily burden Our people for one year to remove this disease from the heart of the realm!" After listening, the Son of Heaven—whose face had been clouded with worry all day—finally allowed a slight smile to cross his features.
"Your Majesty's grace of recognition—your servant could hardly repay it even with ten thousand deaths!" Yang Sichang spoke these words as he knelt upon the ground in gratitude.
"Previously, when discussing the matter of suppressing the Kun with Wen Tiren, he recommended Lu Xiangsheng and Hong Chengchou to supervise the army in punishing the Kun. Upon further consideration, I realized that Hong Chengchou was already supervising the Three Frontiers to punish the bandits, and Lu Xiangsheng was guarding Xuanfu and Datong as a shield for the Capital—both would find it difficult to take up such a post. Thus I temporarily granted Xiong Wencan discretionary authority to check the Kun scoundrels. Now, following your counsel to exterminate the roving bandits first, and given that Xiong Wencan lacks skill in military management, what arrangements should be made for Guangdong and Guangxi? Since we are employing the strategy of the ten-sided net, and apart from Hong Chengchou supervising the Three Frontiers while Zhen has Lu Xiangsheng supervising Xuanfu and Datong, who is competent to serve as Prime Minister of the Seven Provinces' Military Affairs?"
Yang Sichang's heart lurched, and he silently cursed his own carelessness. He shared quite a friendship with Xiong Wencan. Before this audience, Xiong Wencan had even sent someone to entreat him to find a way for him to remain in office and atone for his failures. Yang Sichang's plan had originally intended for Xiong Wencan to bear temporary responsibility for pinning down the Kun scoundrels. Having lost cities and territory, Xiong was already a Governor-General without jurisdiction—naturally, he could hardly complain about the diversion of the Guangdong Tax. But just now, in his eagerness to persuade Chongzhen to prioritize pacifying the roving bandits, Yang Sichang had deliberately downplayed the Australians' strength. In a moment of excitement, he had let slip too much. If the Emperor concluded that Xiong Wencan was an incompetent good-for-nothing, matters would become difficult to manage.
Yet given Xiong Wencan's performance, forcefully protecting him proved genuinely difficult. Having lost both troops and territory, it was already an extraordinary act of imperial grace that the Court had not arrested and imprisoned him. His hope to remain in office was beginning to look like a fool's dream.
Naturally, Chongzhen remained unaware of the calculations churning through Yang Sichang's mind at that moment. After a brief silence of contemplation, Yang Sichang spoke:
"Although Xiong Wencan lacks aptitude for military management, he was able to restore order and delay the Kun scoundrels after He Rubin lost his army in Qiongzhou. He remains a capable minister. When the Kun forces invaded, he resisted at every step, preventing the bandits from advancing beyond Liangguang—sufficient proof of his loyalty and courage. A general skilled in battle can be temporarily dispatched as Commander-in-Chief to assist him in checking the Kun scoundrels. Governor Xiong has reported that the hearts and morale of the people in Guangdong remain strong enough to be utilized, and he is organizing a righteous army accordingly. Your servant believes that 20,000 from the Guangdong Tax should first be allocated to Xiong Wencan, ordering him to reorganize his ranks and recruit soldiers. Together with the Guangdong Righteous Army, they shall attack the Kun scoundrels from both sides. The Kun come from overseas and lack land forces. If successful, Xiong Wencan can recover the lost territory; if not, he can still keep the Kun too occupied to look elsewhere. The Imperial Court's main army can seize this opportunity to wipe out the roving bandits. Additionally, we should dispatch a minister versed in military affairs to serve as Governor of Southern Gan, where he can select a suitable location to train tens of thousands of troops, echoing Governor Xiong from east to west. If Xiong Wencan proves unable to recover Liangguang, this force shall serve as the main army to march south and pacify the Kun."
This plan was quite sound and did not disrupt the Court's existing administrative divisions. Seeing that the Emperor appeared very satisfied, Yang Sichang continued: "Your servant believes that Shaanxi Governor Sun Chuanting, who captured the rebel Gao alive, possesses talent no less than that of Hong Chengchou and Lu Xiangsheng—he is worthy of great responsibility. If Your Majesty appoints Sun Chuanting to manage the military affairs of the Central Plains, the demise of the roving bandits can be counted by the day."
"Excellent! This matches Zhen's intentions precisely!" This time, not only did the corners of Chongzhen's mouth lift in a smile, but his eyes grew brighter as well. Another thought occurred to him, and he continued: "For the Governor of Southern Gan, does my dear minister have a recommendation?"
"Former Right Vice Minister of War and Governor-General of the Three Frontiers' Military Affairs, Fu Zonglong, is well suited to the post."
Fu Zonglong was currently idle at home. Although he had been heavily employed in the third year of Chongzhen to supervise the military affairs of the Three Frontiers, he was removed from office not long after over a trivial matter. Since the Tianqi era, Fu Zonglong had been known for his military expertise, having commanded and participated in numerous campaigns to suppress rebellions in the southwest—a man who could truly be called battle-tested. However, his upright and outspoken character meant that despite his many victories, he was invariably employed only briefly before returning to long stretches of idleness at home.
The Emperor nodded and posed another question:
"Denglai Governor Sun Yuanhua—some say he is suspected of colluding with the Kun. What does my dear minister think?"
After remaining in office following the Dengzhou Mutiny, Sun Yuanhua had become a well-known governor in the Imperial Court with genuine military expertise. Within mere months after the Denglai rebellion was pacified, he quelled the uprising in Dongjiang Town, personally beheading the mutinous Vice Commander Shen Shikui and bringing the Dongjiang Ming army completely under control. He submitted memorials to Chongzhen proposing to substitute pay with military farming, purchase Western firearms from abroad, train new armies, and rebuild the three-party defense arrangement. Since then, the Dengzhou and Dongjiang armies had repeatedly launched seaborne attacks with fruitful results. The heads reported to the Ministry of War were genuine Tartars that even the most critical eyes could find no fault with. Unprecedentedly, they turned over numerous sets of armor, weapons, and official documents and seals of the Jianzhou Tartars—items that border troops had rarely seized before. Chongzhen and the Ministry of War ordered Korean envoys and Jianzhou defectors to examine them, and all confirmed without hesitation that these could not possibly be fakes. During the Bingzi Incident the previous year, Sun Yuanhua led the Denglai and Dongjiang armies to harass southern Liaoning from the sea, successively capturing more than a dozen Tartar forts, killing and capturing dozens of Tartars and Han collaborators, beheading seven hundred Tartar soldiers, and seizing countless military supplies. This forced Huang Taiji to urgently recall Dorgon's main force, which had advanced from the Liaoxi Corridor to cover Ajige's invasion and plundering through the passes. In the post-war merit evaluations, Sun Yuanhua received the added title of Vice Minister of War. Zhang Tao and other former Dengzhou subordinates, along with Lu Wenyuan, Lu Zeyang, and others, also received additional titles and rewards.
Yang Sichang was naturally aware of all this. He had also heard that behind these merits, there might be trickery involving the Kun scoundrels. Setting aside everything else, the so-called Dengzhou New Army that Sun trained was equipped with many Kun guns and Kun cannons, and it was said that Kun scoundrels served as instructors.
He had no personal dealings with Sun Yuanhua. Why would the Emperor ask him this question? He soon realized that a few days prior, the Ministry of War had received a garrison report from Sun Yuanhua stating that the Dengzhou Navy, together with Dongjiang troops, had intercepted Tartar cavalry by the Yalu River, thwarting the slave chieftain's attempt to invade Korea. His Majesty had likely thought of Sun Yuanhua because of this.
Considering further the Court's embarrassing predicament during the Dengzhou Mutiny, the subsequent interrogation of relevant officials, and the heavy responsibility for suppression that he himself now bore—regardless of whether Sun Yuanhua had actually colluded with the Kun, if he offered advice disadvantageous to Sun and the Court acted upon it, given Sun Yuanhua's achievements and prestige within the army, there was no guarantee another Dengzhou Mutiny would not erupt. Not only would his own "pacification" be abandoned halfway, but if the Court investigated afterward, he feared he would find it impossible to wash his hands clean of the matter.
Since pacifying the Dengzhou rebellion, Sun Yuanhua's contributions were obvious to everyone from the Emperor down to the lowest officials. The maintenance of Dongjiang relied entirely on Sun Yuanhua's support. Sun's influence at Court was considerable as well—he had been promoted by the current Senior Grand Secretary Wen Tiren. Although his mentor and father-in-law Xu Guangqi no longer served as a minister in the Grand Secretariat, the Emperor's favor toward him remained undiminished. Now training troops and overseeing military farming in Tianjin for the Imperial Court, he was said to have achieved quite remarkable results.