Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 126 Fundamental Conflict of Interest
Ma Jinzhong quickly suppressed his surprise, his face full of determination, not even blinking. But he was actually regretting it deeply. He had indeed said too much. He had never expected His Majesty to be such a person. He actually agreed directly.

"Hahaha"

When Zhu Cilang saw the changing expression on Ma Jinzhong's face, he burst out laughing. He was not a bully, so he would naturally not be so unmannerly as to really take advantage of this opportunity to swallow up Ma Jinzhong's troops.

"Cavalry needs to be maintained, and money, food, armor, and fodder are all needed. The military pay for one cavalryman is enough to support four or five combat soldiers. Even the most elite armored soldiers can support two or three.

One thousand cavalrymen are far from enough for northern Jiangxi to defend the south of the Yangtze River. The court naturally has to allocate money and food to strengthen the cavalry. I have already issued an order to Wang Yingxiong, asking him to try to purchase Sichuan horses and Tibetan horses from Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan. At that time, priority will be given to replenishing General Ma.

"Wang Yuncheng, I've heard you're known as the 'Iron Cavalry King.' Since General Deng's death, you've served under Zuo Liangyu, defeating numerous rebels. Northern Jiangxi needs a new Iron Cavalry Battalion. When the money, food, and horses are delivered, you must assist General Ma in leading this cavalry unit. In the future, we'll defeat the Tartar cavalry with honor on the battlefield."

Upon hearing this, Ma Jinzhong and Wang Yuncheng both felt relieved. They were both overjoyed. They had never expected that Zhu Cilang would not only not take their troops away, but also provide them with food, wages, and horses. They immediately knelt down to express their gratitude.

After all, Ma Jinzhong did not have a thousand cavalrymen. He was just used to bragging. If he really had to count the number of soldiers and issue military pay and food based on this, he would have less money to embezzle.

When Wang Yuncheng heard Zhu Cilang mention Deng Qi, he felt quite nervous. In the mutiny in the eighth year of Chongzhen, Deng Qi fell over the wall and died. He had an unshirkable responsibility. Later, he was almost captured and killed by the court many times, and it was Zuo Liangyu who protected him.

This is why Zhu Cilang had to first classify Zuo Liangyu. If these people were really treated according to the Ming Dynasty law, they would all be cut into pieces, but things cannot be done this way, especially in the current situation.

If these things were really to be settled, the final result would only be panic among the people, forcing these anti-Qing forces to surrender to the Qing.

If Zhu Cilang wanted to rebuild the trust between the monarch and his subjects, he had to make a clean break with the past in front of the parties involved. At the same time, he had to take advantage of this great opportunity to re-establish the rules.

He could let bygones be bygones for what happened during the reign of Chongzhen, but if anyone dared to disobey him under his nose, he would deal with them immediately with lightning speed.

Zhu Cilang demonstrated with the head, and after appeasing the generals in front of him one by one, he slowly spoke again:

"Previously, the imperial court was short of money and grain, and the cabinet agreed to raise 100,000 troops for Chuzhen. In addition to local supplies, the imperial court also needed to allocate 1.7 million taels of military pay. However, the Qing army marched south, and the rebels were in chaos. Although the imperial court did allocate funds during this period, it was ultimately a drop in the bucket.

After I repelled the army led by Duoduo in Jiangbei, I immediately ordered Lord Gao to make preparations, and soon the money and grain will be transported to Jiujiang as reserves for future training of the army.

As for the rewards for this great victory, I have already brought them along with the ships. These hundreds of ships have not only transported several thousand soldiers and two thousand heads!"

When everyone heard this, their eyes were filled with anticipation. Even He Tengjiao had already started to make plans in his mind. He must be in charge of the allocation and management of money and grain. The more money and grain the court allocated, the greater his power would inevitably be.

Zhu Cilang had said so much before, but in fact, it was just encouragement and appeasement, and did not involve the most fundamental financial power and personnel. Although the civil and military officials, including He Tengjiao, were excited, they were still relatively calm.

But now that Zhu Cilang was really going to pay for the food, things were different. These were all veterans who had been in the officialdom for many years. They could tell which were the nice words that sounded good but were useless, and which ones were the ones that really contributed money and effort.

"However, before I reward you, I would like to see with my own eyes the elite soldiers and generals of the Ming Dynasty. Ajige is a famous general of the Tartars, and Oboi has always prided himself on his strength and ferocity. They are not easy to defeat. It is truly remarkable that you can defeat them."

As Zhu Cilang spoke, he looked at the rapidly changing expressions on the faces of the generals in front of him, and his heart became more determined. He personally came to northern Jiangxi because he had to check the number of troops and reorganize the troops in Zuozhen. No one else could do it.

"I have also brought the Palace Army with me this time. He Tengjiao, please set a feasible time as soon as possible and gather the troops from northern Jiangxi as soon as possible. I want to review the army in the military camp in Jiujiang City.

Ma Jinzhong, bring all your 1,000 cavalrymen with you when the time comes. Zuo Menggeng, it is naturally impossible to bring all your 20,000 troops. The place still needs garrison. Bring your two personal army camps. I have seen the military pay declaration report you submitted, and those two personal army camps also have more than 5,000 combat soldiers.

Jin Shenghuan, Li Guoying, Xu Yong, you all."

As soon as these words were spoken, the generals below became nervous. This meant that they were going to check their troops and uncover their secrets!

Moreover, this is not as simple as just checking and counting the troops. The young emperor in front of him is very likely to use money and food to completely take back the power to control the troops and horses.

In other words, Zhu Cilang's actions have already affected their fundamental interests. At this time, all the generals looked at each other in confusion and were speechless.

But Zhu Cilang did not come to discuss with them, but to inform them. Seeing this, he immediately said:

"After the grand military review, I will go to the generals' camps to personally reward the soldiers, listen to their wishes and thoughts, make arrangements for the future placement of their wives and children, and help them achieve merit on the battlefield and resolve their worries.

He Tengjiao, you must make sure this matter is properly arranged. I have to go to Changsha later to deal with the remaining Chuang troops. Du Yinxi alone will never be able to suppress those hundreds of thousands of Chuang troops."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" He Tengjiao immediately responded with a bowed hand, his expression showing an unconcealable pride.

You know, he has always wanted to check the number of soldiers and curb the generals' exorbitant demands for food and wages. Otherwise, every time when a tough battle was about to be fought, these military leaders refused to fight on the grounds of insufficient food and grass, and he was helpless.

All the generals felt uneasy at this moment. Zhu Cilang's tone was unquestionable. The civil servants headed by He Tengjiao would never support them in such a matter.

For the moment, they did not dare to disobey and could only follow He Tengjiao and nod in agreement.

After Zhu Cilang achieved his goal, he arranged the military parade and other matters related to entering the city, and then asked everyone except He Tengjiao to leave.

During this summons, He Tengjiao gradually realized that something was wrong. On the surface, Zhu Cilang summoned both civil and military officials together, which greatly enhanced the status of military generals and even seemed to mean to suppress civil officials, but in fact, it was probably just to let those military officials relax their vigilance.

Now, Zhu Cilang asked everyone to leave, leaving only him, which made him even more determined in this belief.

After everyone else had left and only Lin Changfu was left in the room, Zhu Cilang changed his attitude and said to He Tengjiao:

"Yun Cong, I'm sorry for wronging you just now!"

"For Your Majesty, for the Ming Dynasty, and for the country, I will not be wronged!" He Tengjiao was emotional for a moment, but he still spoke with righteousness.

Zhu Cilang nodded and said, "Today, I am playing the villain, and it's a pity that Yun Cong plays the villain."

"As long as the Ming army still has these arrogant and brave generals, I will be willing to play the villain for the rest of my life." He Tengjiao showed a resolute look. "But Your Majesty, as the supreme ruler, has to deal with these despicable warriors. This is truly my fault!"

"This kind of thing, no matter what, can't be blamed on Yun Cong. Military generals have been rampant and domineering, using their own troops for personal gain, and even separatist regimes for a long time. Yun Cong was able to suppress them and block the Qing army for the Ming Dynasty. It is already a great achievement."

Zhu Cilang looked at He Tengjiao sincerely, then sighed softly and continued:
"But this kind of thing must be resolved, and it must be resolved as quickly as possible, otherwise there will be endless troubles."

"Your Majesty is wise." He Tengjiao clasped his hands towards Zhu Cilang and said, "We can use this military review and reward to thoroughly investigate and clean up these ungrateful warriors."

But he quickly frowned again and said worriedly, "But, I am worried."

"worry about what?"

"I am worried that Ma Jinzhong, Xu Yong and others will secretly use tricks to obstruct Your Majesty's review of the military strength, especially during the military review and reward ceremony. Those soldiers have been with them for a long time and have gained a lot of benefits. If they do something bad behind the scenes, I am afraid..."

He Tengjiao deliberately stopped talking halfway and pretended not to dare to continue. He knew that those generals would not cooperate so easily and hand over their secrets, but he also knew that they did not dare to do anything blatantly, let alone do anything.

Zhu Cilang brought 3,000 soldiers and officials this time. After Zuo Liangyu's death, these generals acted independently and it was easy to defeat them one by one, not to mention that he and Yuan Jixian had two battalions in northern Jiangxi.

Moreover, he had just seen Zhu Cilang luring them into the trap step by step, and he knew that this young emperor had extraordinary means, and these generals could not be his opponents.

But as a loyal minister, what he should say and do at this moment does not depend on the actual situation, but on what kind of loyalty he wants to show.

"If they dare to obstruct me, I will not let them off lightly." Zhu Cilang chuckled coldly twice, then added, "By now, Zhou Shixian should have already led them to the battlefield filled with heads."

He Tengjiao was also a little curious when he heard this. It's not like he had never seen two thousand heads put together before, but he really wanted to see two thousand Tartar heads.

After the Battle of Nankang, the collected Tatar heads were distributed to various cities, and there was a scramble among the tribes to seize them. He only saw the hundreds of heads on the walls of Jiujiang City. To boost his prestige, he even ordered Jin Shenghuan to display the enemy heads salvaged from the naval battles. However, Zhu Cilang did not dwell on this point for long. He immediately asked He Tengjiao about the fiscal and taxation situation of the various prefectures in Jiangxi and Hunan.

The rectification of the army is not a matter of simply checking the number of soldiers with a wave of the hand. If there is no follow-up food and equipment, and if the logistical supply of soldiers cannot be ensured by increasing military pay, the so-called rectification is a joke.

After all, Zhu Cilang still needs money and food, which is the key to ensuring the success of the purge of Zuozhen’s troops, especially the separation of the Zuozhen army and the resettlement of their families, which requires not only money and food, but also land.

"In recent years, the prefectures of Jiangxi and Hunan have been plagued by wars, natural disasters and man-made disasters. Although production has recovered somewhat after the rebellion was quelled, the remaining people are either protected by wealthy families or have gathered together to protect themselves, making it impossible to collect taxes from a considerable number of them.

As for the wealthy and powerful families, most of them have the protection of official titles and can openly exempt themselves from taxes. Many families do not have much land themselves, but many of the people around them have invested in it, which further reduces the tax base. There are even many wealthy towns where the entire town does not need to pay taxes.

"At this time of national crisis, if these gentry and nobles still only care about their own selfish interests, I will have no choice but to tear my face off and fight with them." Zhu Cilang's tone was resolute, even more terrifying than when he dealt with those military generals just now.

"That's not all!" Although He Tengjiao was a civil servant, he had always been troubled by financial and taxation issues and had long wanted to open up new sources of tax revenue. He took the opportunity to continue fanning the flames:
"Many temples in various prefectures have been used by wealthy gentry who have invested non-tax-exempt fields in them. This problem is also very serious."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded, his stern face showing a serious expression.

Taxation is the key to all problems. If he wants to defeat the Qing army and recover the lost territories in the north, he must carry out drastic reforms to make the financial and taxation efficiency of the Ming Dynasty higher than that of the Qing Dynasty, laying a solid material foundation for building a strong army.

If his guess was correct, Dorgon would still grab land in the Central Plains, and because he failed to seize Jiangnan and lacked this key source of money and grain, he would expand the scope of the grab and even allow the vassal soldiers and the Green Camp soldiers to adopt this method to solve the problem of food and wages.

You must know that when the Qing Dynasty was outside the Great Wall, it was a semi-feudal and semi-slave regime. Now that Dorgon has not defeated the Ming Dynasty, it will be difficult for the Qing Dynasty to centralize power further.

In this situation, in order to strengthen his own authority, Dorgon must further please the Manchu nobles and Eight Banners descendants, use tens of millions of people in the north to establish a large manor slave economy, and use this as a basis to ensure the military strength of the Eight Banners.

Dorgon was not a god. He learned almost all his skills from Huang Taiji. Because of his own lack of talent and lack of proficiency in learning, although he had the assistance of talents like Hong Chengchou, it was impossible for him to further reform the Eight Banners system and damage the interests of the Manchu nobles.

"I have come to Jiangxi to resolve this problem. However, if we want to successfully collect money and grain from the local areas, the first condition is that the imperial court has a strong army, and the second condition is that the imperial court can induce them with benefits."

After a long while, Zhu Cilang finally spoke calmly:

"Hong Chengchou has joined the Tartar camp. Many officials in the north also first surrendered to the Chuang Tzu and then to the Qing. Many of them are familiar with the situation in the south, and even have close ties with many officials. Therefore, I want you to be careful when dealing with these matters."

"I understand!" He Tengjiao clasped his hands together and said carefully:

"Your Majesty previously used the quota for the imperial examination as a threat to collect outstanding taxes in Jiangnan, and I strongly supported this. Although these wealthy families are frugal, they are still loyal to the Ming Dynasty. As long as the imperial edict is issued, they will definitely provide food and will never dare to cause trouble.

If there are still those who abandon the imperial court and the country, disregard the common people, or even use this as an excuse to slander the imperial court and collude with the Eastern Tartars, Your Majesty, with the vast army at your disposal, will surely be able to wipe them all out.”

He Tengjiao really understood what he meant. Military power was everything. In the original history, Sun Kewang was able to establish the camp system in Yunnan by relying on the more than 10,000 old soldiers from the Daxi region to defeat the chieftains and the Ming army in Yunnan.

However, Zhu Cilang was still far from controlling the entire south with his troops. He had already tried this method in Jiangbei and began to reorganize the garrisons in the south.

However, there was still a long way to go before these rectifications took effect and the various garrisons could resume their functions of supplying soldiers and money and food. Even Sun Kewang had to take advantage of several years of good weather and it took him three years to strengthen his strength.

Zhu Cilang nodded and said, "It is urgent to rectify the troops in Zuozhen. Yuncong, please arrange the military parade and rewards as soon as possible."

"I obey!"

At this time, Yuan Jixian, Fu Shangrui, Yan Qiheng, Zuo Menggeng, Ma Jinzhong, Jin Shenghuan, Xu Yong, Li Guoying and other civil and military officials were following Zhou Shixian to view the heads of the Eight Banners soldiers. Their faces were distorted, and some were even incomplete. The extremely creepy heads were piled higher and higher on the shore, and the Eight Banners flags that were being transferred from the ship were inserted among them.

Zuo Menggeng, Ma Jinzhong, Jin Shenghuan and others had just heard Zhu Cilang say that he had killed 8,000 Tartars and that he would give them 2,000 heads alone to boost their momentum. The shock in their hearts was far less than what they saw with their own eyes now.

At this moment, they really understood why the young emperor came with a large army and so many heads, but even if they knew, they could do nothing about it.

Zhu Cilang demonstrated his strength and was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. No matter from which aspect, they were definitely not his opponents.

After all, if you can’t beat them, you just can’t beat them!
Moreover, as long as they didn't intend to rebel, even if they could defeat him, what would it matter? Could it be that they were trying to purge the emperor's court?

If Zuo Liangyu started this kind of thing, most of Zuo Zhen's soldiers would follow him. To take their soldiers is to take their lives.

But now, with Zuo Liangyu dead, no one has that kind of charisma. Even if someone has bad intentions, they have to worry about whether others will hear the news and happily call on others to take credit for it.

However, different generals had different attitudes towards this matter.

Jin Shenghuan suffered heavy losses in the "Battle of Nankang". He could have replenished the troops according to the previously reported troop requirements, and directly attributed the shortage to casualties in the war, which was justified.

But it was different for others, especially Zuo Menggeng. The soldiers under his command who could actually fight were no more than 10,000 at most. If only the elite armored soldiers were counted, there were less than 3,000. Where would he get the rest of the soldiers?

Ma Jinzhong had just boasted that he had a thousand cavalrymen, but this included Wang Yuncheng's cavalrymen as well. Wang Yuncheng would certainly not want to report this. Although the two of them had a special relationship, it was difficult to say that they were directly superiors and subordinates.

These military leaders had previously tended to maximize the number of troops under their command, often even acting like bandits, directly looting the local area and forcibly conscripting men. There were also countless family members in the army, which was how they formed the so-called dozens of troops.

Now, Zhu Cilang wants to conduct a thorough investigation to squeeze out the water before he can implement the elite troops plan.

"Your Majesty has only brought 3,000 soldiers and horses. Our various forces combined have 20,000 to 30,000 troops, which is ten times more than your Majesty's. Your Majesty should not dare to do anything." On the way back to the camp, Wang Yuncheng suddenly came up to Ma Jinzhong and whispered.

Upon hearing this, Ma Jinzhong glanced around, then glared at Wang Yuncheng and said, "You still want to use force against His Majesty? Are you trying to save your life?"

"Of course I don't have the courage. Your Majesty was able to subdue tough guys like Gao Jie, Huang Degong, and Liu Zeqing. He must be someone you don't want to mess with." Wang Yuncheng quickly shook his head to deny it. The charge was too serious and he couldn't afford to bear it.

"I just saw the troops that Your Majesty brought. They are indeed strong. I have fought in wars for so many years. I have seen all kinds of soldiers. I will definitely not make a mistake."

"Then why are you still saying this?" Ma Jinzhong said in a deep voice.

He was still in a very depressed mood at this time. He had originally dreamed of getting promoted, getting rich, and not being restricted by the court, but now his dream was completely shattered.

"Your Majesty certainly has real ability, but he only brought two or three thousand men with him. Aside from Jin Shenghuan, the others are unwilling to be investigated. Otherwise, how can we expect to get more military pay in the future?"

Wang Yuncheng chuckled and said, "Your Majesty and I are ruler and subject, so we certainly can't use force. But if those soldiers make a scene and throw a tantrum, what can Your Majesty do? Besides, if we really take the military pay issued by the court and deduct it from every level, how can we afford to support the army?"

After hearing this, Ma Jinzhong's brows suddenly relaxed and he said, "Go on!"

"Your Majesty has come to win over the people's hearts and minds. You must be magnanimous and magnanimous. You can't just kill the soldiers just because they're throwing tantrums and making a fuss. Moreover, the most important thing is that we still have to defend northern Jiangxi. The two or three thousand soldiers he brought with him will have to be taken away sooner or later.

In my opinion, if we just delay this matter, His Majesty won't be able to do anything to us, and the matter will eventually come to nothing. And for things like this, leaving it unresolved is the best outcome."

After hearing this, Ma Jinzhong's mouth curled up. He was originally disheartened and felt that he could not withstand the joint pressure of Zhu Cilang and He Tengjiao, but now that Wang Yuncheng had pointed it out, he suddenly discovered the key - delay.

Anyway, Zhu Cilang will be going to Changsha soon, and then he will have to rush back to Nanjing. It is unknown when he will come to northern Jiangxi again.

"Hahaha, Old Wang, I didn't expect that you, a guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, are so insidious. Zuo Menggeng, Xu Yong and Li Guoying must be thinking of the same ideas as us!" Ma Jinzhong pointed at Wang Yuncheng and laughed.

Wang Yuncheng looked smug and chuckled, "I don't think Jin Shenghuan really wants to be thoroughly investigated. I'll send someone to deal with them now."

(End of this chapter)