Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 194: Eliminating the Abuses
In the temporary palace in Yuezhou Prefecture, sunlight filtered through the tall window lattices, spilling onto the neat, stone-paved hall and illuminating the faces of every minister in the room.

Although Lin Changfeng immediately rejected He Tengjiao's proposal, He Tengjiao was thick-skinned enough. He stood in the center of the hall, still looking solemn, and his voice was even more sonorous and powerful:
"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the troops to Xiangyang to serve the country and be loyal to Your Majesty!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials in the court fell silent. It was surprising that He Tengjiao was still so stubborn at this time.

After all, he has always claimed to be "cautious and steady". Although he is known as the pillar of the Ming Dynasty in terms of civil and military affairs, he actually does not know how to fight. Today he suddenly volunteered and was so persistent, as if he had no self-awareness at all. It is really incredible.

Zhu Cilang stared at He Tengjiao with a piercing gaze. After the other party dared not look up again, he spoke in a loud voice without hesitation:
"Okay, Mr. He, your loyalty and bravery are commendable. I will approve your request immediately. Mr. He, please prepare and lead your troops to Xiangyang immediately to defeat the invaders for your country!"

When He Tengjiao heard this, he was stunned, as if he had never expected Zhu Cilang to agree so readily.

But now that things have come to this, he could only bow his hands in thanks, with a forced and awkward smile on his lips, and he was already filled with regret in his heart.

Zhu Cilang naturally knew this, and he wanted to cure the bad habits of these so-called "loyal ministers". After determining the basic deployment of each department, he immediately announced the end of the military meeting.

When He Tengjiao walked out of the hall, he had not yet recovered, and Zhu Cilang's decisive reply kept echoing in his mind.

He had already realized that the words were inappropriate when he first said them, but he still said them. Now that he had recovered, he realized that he had been impulsive and had forgotten that the situation in Xiangyang was complicated and that the Ming Dynasty was short of troops on the front line. If he had gone there rashly, it would have been difficult to accomplish anything.

By that time, let alone any merit, even hard work would probably be ignored.

Although He Tengjiao is a bad person, he is not stupid. He is not willing to take on tough tasks and fight hard battles. He immediately decided to find an excuse to refuse after a while.

As soon as the military meeting ended, he hurried back to his residence and summoned his confidants to discuss countermeasures. In the brightly lit study, several confidants sat around He Tengjiao, each with a different expression.

"My Lord, we must not go to Xiangyang. You are a pillar of the country, how can you put yourself in danger? Moreover, the situation in Xiangyang is complicated and changeable. If you go there rashly, you may never come back!" A trusted adviser under He Tengjiao whispered in a very anxious manner.

He Tengjiao nodded vigorously upon hearing this, his brow furrowed as he said:
"I think so too, but the problem is, I have already promised Your Majesty in the court. If I refuse now, I will probably be laughed at by the world."

For someone like He Tengjiao who calls himself a "clean and loyal official", reputation is often more important than anything else. Upon hearing this, another confidant beside him immediately suggested:

"Lord, although you have promised His Majesty, you have been working hard for the country day and night, and it is inevitable that you will become ill due to overwork. If you are really unwell, it is only natural for you to decline the task of leading the troops!

Your Majesty is a wise ruler. If it weren't for the efforts of the elders, how could Jiangxi and Huguang provinces have stabilized the situation? I believe that as long as the reasons are right, Your Majesty will definitely not force others to do things that are difficult for them.

He Tengjiao pondered for a moment, pacing back and forth several times before finally nodding in agreement and saying, "Okay, let's do it."

However, despite this, he tossed and turned that night and couldn't fall asleep. By the next morning, he looked extremely haggard.

The next morning, He Tengjiao did not care about other times and immediately went to the court to beg Zhu Cilang to revoke his decision.

"Your Majesty, after receiving the imperial decree yesterday, I began to prepare for the Northern Expedition. However, I never expected that something unexpected would happen to this old man."

He Tengjiao bowed and said with a hint of pleading in his voice:
"I have tossed and turned all night, pondering over and over again. The battle of Xiangyang concerns the fate of the Ming Dynasty. Although I am willing, I am powerless and fear that I cannot fulfill this heavy responsibility. I beg Your Majesty to revoke your order."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang frowned slightly, but then smiled again and said:
"I am deeply gratified by Mr. He's loyalty to the country. The battle in Xiangyang is tense and the situation is not optimistic, but of all the civil and military officials in the court, only Mr. He dared to ask for the order to go.

But things are beyond our control. Since Mr. He is unwell, I cannot help but sympathize with him. Let's put this matter aside for now. Mr. He should just focus on recuperating and not blame himself.

Upon hearing this, He Tengjiao immediately breathed a sigh of relief and kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude.

However, under the influence of some invisible hand, his refusal to enter the court early soon spread among the civil and military officials gathered in Yuezhou Prefecture, causing an uproar. Many ministers even laughed at him and regarded him as a coward.

Zhu Cilang had actually guessed this a long time ago. Now He Tengjiao and Ma Shiying were singing the same tune in the court and the local areas, trying to fight for power and profit through political attacks. He had long wanted to deal with them.

He Tengjiao is indeed capable in finance, taxation and local governance, but he is keen on party struggles and is very naive in military affairs. Zhu Cilang considers the overall situation and believes that such a villain can only shirk responsibility and evade responsibilities, so how can he continue to take on important responsibilities?

Now that the entire political situation and war situation have stabilized, Zhu Cilang must begin to carry out drastic reforms in personnel and systems.

Otherwise, the ills of factional strife left over from the decades between Wanli and Chongzhen would certainly have seriously hindered the development of the anti-Qing situation in the future.

As soon as He Tengjiao retreated, he immediately summoned Li Banghua and Du Yinxi. The recovery and development of production in various provinces after the war and the supply of food, fodder and equipment to the army all required the coordination of these two reliable "ministers".

Zhu Cilang also needed to learn from them how many resources he actually had at his disposal in order to determine the timing and scale of the next military expansion and the first Northern Expedition.

After all, on paper, the Ming Dynasty has always been prosperous and unmatched, with any province having tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of troops.

But it’s really hard to say what the actual situation is, especially now that we have just fought a big war and everything is in chaos.

According to Zhu Cilang's original plan, after completing their rest and consolidating their defense lines, the various units of the Palace Army, the Beijing Camp, the Left Town Camp, the Loyal Camp, and the Huguang Local Camp will return to their bases in batches to continue their rest and training, except for a small number of officers and the military law team who will be left behind to train new recruits.

Chen Fu, Li Guo, Ma Shixiu and others will lead their respective troops to temporarily take over the defense of various frontline areas and garrison key points in Xiangyang, Jingzhou and Chongqing.

"We have seized a great deal of weapons, ammunition, and food in Wuchang City, enough to feed the civilians rebuilding the city for half a year.

As the conscripted laborers gradually returned to their original places, the weapons workshops in Changsha were resuming production, and the craftsmen sent from Jiangnan and other places to make tobacco, cloth, farm tools, sugar and wine, and other craftsmen were also already being connected..."

Zhu Cilang nodded and said, "The Qing army took advantage of the wartime chaos to plunder and loot throughout Huguang, leaving the people homeless. Now they've been routed, leaving behind a devastating mess. To restore production in Huguang and to provide the money and food I need to reward my officers and soldiers, Jiangnan and Guangdong will need to contribute more."

Upon hearing this, Li Banghua and Du Yinxi nodded in agreement and stood respectfully aside, waiting for Zhu Cilang's further instructions.

They didn't dare to respond casually to a question involving money and grain. If they didn't handle it well, they would end up like He Tengjiao, being laughed at by the world. After all, many things still require bargaining.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Cilang paused for a moment and asked, "Mr. Li, Mr. Du, how is the current progress on the rewards and relief arrangements for the army?"

Li Banghua bowed and replied:
"Your Majesty, the reward and pension arrangements are proceeding intensively. Pensions and rewards have been distributed to officers and soldiers from all over the country. Morale is now greatly boosted, and the military is reassured. Local governance and defense deployments in Jiangnan are also proceeding in an orderly manner."

Du Yinxi then added, "Under Your Majesty's command, the reconstruction of major cities like Wuchang and Chengtian is proceeding rapidly in Huguang. The construction of garrisons and workshops, in particular, has achieved initial success. The resettlement of refugees is also proceeding intensively. Although there have been disruptions caused by the Qing army, we have made timely arrangements to deal with them."

Du Yinxi had previously followed Zhu Cilang in the expedition and was the first to learn of the victory of the "Battle of Wuchang". Then, following Zhu Cilang's instructions, he quickly arranged for his officials to begin preparing for the construction of garrisons in the north of Huguang.

However, these affairs involved the distribution of a large amount of materials, the recruitment of refugees, the management of trading stations, the training of peasant soldiers, the construction of workshops and many other issues. Even the Nanjing government offices and officials needed to participate.

The garrison was the foundation for Zhu Cilang to strengthen grassroots control and gain control of the local population. The trading stations and peasant soldiers that developed around the garrison were the basis for him to develop financial resources, intimidate local gentry, and ensure food, fodder, corvée and taxation.

But everything has its pros and cons. Although Tunbu can enable the imperial court to achieve extreme control over the population, realize centralization during wartime, mobilize the entire civilian resources and invest them in war to seek military victory, it will also become too powerful to be eliminated.

Therefore, this must be done by both the central and local governments, and it must be carried out moderately only in important battlefields. One of the most important responsibilities of the two ministers, Li Banghua and Du Yinxi, is now the affairs of the garrison.

After all, the garrison also involves corvee labor and peasant soldiers, and the army has a considerable influence on it. If it is not managed properly, it will be like a monster that has escaped from its cage.

Of course, Zhu Cilang did this on purpose, so that Li Banghua and Du Yinxi, two capable officials, could work together.

Zhu Cilang nodded approvingly after hearing this. "Thank you for your hard work, my dear ministers. The stability and prosperity of Jiangnan and Huguang are the foundation of our Ming Dynasty's resistance against the Qing army. The construction of garrisons and workshops must be accelerated. This is not only related to supporting troops and cultivating farmland, but is also the key to ensuring the people live and work in peace and contentment."

"There is one more thing." Zhu Cilang slowed down his tone and said:

"I would like to take advantage of the opportunity to expand the workshops in Jiangxi and Hubei to reorganize the deployment of these workshops in the rear, including the weapons workshop. All the original large workshops will be divided into several workshops to compete with each other.

Otherwise, it won't be long before the products produced by these workshops become unusable. Simply relying on internal assessments and reviews is not enough; competition must be strengthened."

It has been less than three years since Zhu Cilang established his government in Nanjing, but various bureaucratic problems in the court have begun to resurface and intensify. Corruption, selling inferior products as good ones, nepotism and other problems in the workshops are also becoming more and more serious. He has to take preventive measures before these situations deteriorate significantly.

"After the division, the large workshops across Jiangnan are still under the management of the Ministry of Industry, but the Ministry of Industry also needs reform. We can't just let any minister be in charge as before. Now, with the exception of the weapons workshop, other workshops must start finding ways to make a profit."

Zhu Cilang knew that the current financial situation of the Ming Dynasty was not optimistic. Due to years of natural disasters and man-made disasters, as well as years of war and unrest both inside and outside the Great Wall, the national finances were in serious deficit and tax revenue was seriously insufficient, resulting in empty local treasuries.

Now, after more than a year of preparation, the time is ripe. Zhu Cilang is planning a series of reform measures, including winning over the Zheng family, strengthening control over overseas trade, setting up tax stations across the country to increase commercial tax revenue, and establishing money shops.

Zhu Cilang thought about this and then turned to look at Li Banghua and asked, "Mr. Li, how is the current maritime trade situation in Jiangnan and Fujian? Is Zheng Zhilong abiding by the rules now?"

But when Li Banghua heard this, he sighed and frowned:
"Your Majesty, Zheng Zhilong's influence on the seas is immense, making it difficult for the imperial court to interfere. He still monopolizes most of the sea trade. Although he is nominally loyal to the Ming Dynasty and Your Majesty, his actions are often driven by selfish motives. If he is not restrained, I'm afraid that collecting taxes on maritime trade in Jiangnan, not just Fujian, will be equally difficult."

Zhu Cilang knew that if he wanted to control maritime trade, he had to control Zheng Zhilong first, and to this end, he repeatedly promoted Zheng Sen. But now it seemed that in order to deal with this old fox, in addition to targeting Zheng Sen and Zheng Hongkui, he also had to support new maritime traders in Jiangnan to break the monopoly and ensure the court's interests at sea.

Li Banghua saw Zhu Cilang's expression change slightly, and continued:
"In addition, commercial taxes also encountered resistance from local wealthy merchants and gentry. They used the excuse that commercial taxes were heavy and were unwilling to pay. Some even joined forces to resist taxes or deliberately defaulted on payments. Many local officials and tax collectors were helpless to do anything about it."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang frowned even more tightly. He understood the importance of "commercial tax" better than Li Banghua, Du Yinxi and other officials. It was not only a drastic measure to solve the current military expenditure problem, but also related to the future economic reform of the Ming Dynasty.

However, the resistance of local wealthy merchants and gentry gave him a headache. These wealthy merchants and gentry were actually two-in-one characters. They had great power in the local area and could often influence local governance. Their joint resistance to taxation was not easy to deal with and was even a provocation to the authority of the court.

Du Yinxi secretly caught a glimpse of the change in Zhu Cilang's expression and added:

"In addition, the promotion of money houses has also been quite unsuccessful. Money houses were originally established to facilitate the people, to recycle gold and silver, and to prevent the hoarding of money and goods. However, due to the lack of public trust, most merchants and gentry are unwilling to deposit money in money houses..."

However, the problem of money shops was much easier to solve. In addition to promoting business, Zhu Cilang's purpose in setting up money shops was more to withdraw gold and silver from them to meet the various expenses of the court.

However, due to the distrust of the people and merchants, the promotion and operation of money houses became very difficult.

However, Zhu Cilang solved these problems by using the court's guarantee and administrative power to transfer all the military pay, court officials' salaries, and military supplies and logistics purchases to the bank, thereby gradually improving the bank's credibility.

After all, the Ming army now basically no longer has the problem of lack of wages and has become the most powerful consumer force in troubled times.

However, Zhu Cilang did not say it directly. Instead, he looked at Li Banghua and Du Yinxi and asked:
"All of this concerns the future of our Ming Dynasty. What suggestions do you two ministers have?"

Li Banghua was already very experienced in these matters, but he was reluctant to say anything before the problem broke out. Now that Zhu Cilang asked, he immediately said:
"Your Majesty, I believe that we can support new maritime traders in Jiangnan to form a check and balance with Zheng Zhilong. Otherwise, the Maritime Customs will be useless.

At the same time, the management of local wealthy merchants and gentry will be fully incorporated into promotion assessments, and the collection of outstanding taxes will also be done in this way, which will ensure commercial tax revenue. Furthermore, as for money houses, the imperial court's guarantee can be used to enhance their credibility and attract deposits from the people and merchants.

Zhu Cilang nodded in agreement and said:
"Mr. Li is absolutely right. The monopoly on maritime trade must be broken, and commercial taxes and money houses must be regulated and improved."

Du Yinxi, as a local minister, mainly focused on workshops and garrisons, and added:

"Your Majesty, the current governance and defense deployment of Huguang is also crucial, especially the construction of military garrisons and workshops. Military garrisons not only support soldiers and cultivate farmland, but also provide shelter for local civilians and enhance local defenses. The workshops provide weapons, armor, and military equipment for the Northern Expedition, greatly enhancing the army's combat effectiveness."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but feel that he had made the right choice. Li Banghua and Du Yinxi were indeed pillars of the court. They not only had a deep understanding of the current situation, but also were able to propose truly practical solutions.

"The construction of garrisons and workshops must be accelerated. This is the foundation of our resistance against the Qing army. The resettlement of refugees must also be expedited to ensure they have a place to go and food to eat. This is the foundation of my governance."

Zhu Cilang knew that resettling refugees was a complex issue. Most of these refugees had lost their homes and livelihoods due to the war, leaving them displaced and facing difficult circumstances. If they were not properly resettled, the Northern Expedition would be hampered, and it might even breed the next Li Zicheng.

After hearing this, Li Banghua and Du Yinxi were deeply moved. They knew that Zhu Cilang was not only a wise monarch, but also a good emperor who cared about the suffering of the people. This was why they were currently working hard.

Du Yinxi stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I have something else to report."

"Oh?" Zhu Cilang saw that Du Yinxi had a different expression and immediately became alert.

"According to my observations, the training and discipline of the various armies in Huguang still present numerous hidden dangers. Corruption in military pay, embezzlement in logistics, oppression of new recruits, and dissatisfaction among soldiers in local camps with low pay have all seriously impacted the combat effectiveness of the officers and men."

Zhu Cilang frowned when he heard the question about the army and immediately asked, "Is it just Huguang?"

When Du Yinxi heard Zhu Cilang's question, he knew that he had made the right report. He took a deep breath and said slowly:

"Your Majesty, the army is once again facing issues with officers embezzling military pay, leaving soldiers without pay and morale low. Furthermore, due to the rapid expansion of the army and insufficient logistical supplies, soldiers are facing starvation. Furthermore, new recruits are often bullied by veterans, which is affecting morale."

At this time, Li Banghua also said:
"Your Majesty, what Lord Du said is true. I have also received many reports recently, all of which reflect similar problems. If these problems are not resolved promptly, they will inevitably affect the combat effectiveness of the army."

These problems were not uncommon in ancient armies; corruption and embezzlement often weakened the army's combat effectiveness. Du Yinxi reported these situations one by one, clearly hoping to attract Zhu Cilang's attention and expect measures to be taken to resolve them.

After all, civilian officials no longer held the dominant position in military affairs, but governors and ministers still had supervisory power. Due to the rapid expansion of the military, many old problems began to resurface.

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang's face became solemn. The army's combat effectiveness was the key to resisting the Qing army, and he had to deal with these issues seriously.

He looked at Du Yinxi and asked, "Mr. Du, what do you think should be done about this matter?"

Upon hearing this, Du Yinxi immediately clasped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty, I believe that those who embezzle military funds must be severely punished. At the same time, the Training Corps, the Military Affairs Department, and the Logistics Department must all focus on rectification to strengthen logistics management and supervision to ensure that the soldiers have sufficient food and supplies.

The long-standing practice of oppressing new recruits within the army must also be severely punished, and military discipline must be enforced. Furthermore, I believe that if the court's fiscal and taxation situation improves, the treatment of soldiers in local camps should also be appropriately improved. Otherwise, it will also be a blow to military morale."

The hidden dangers in the military Du Yinxi mentioned were historical problems. In the late Ming Dynasty, due to financial difficulties, corruption among generals was rampant, and military pay was delayed for years, severely impacting the livelihoods of the soldiers. Military discipline was lax, and training was out of the question, directly affecting the army's combat effectiveness.

The problem of poor treatment and difficult living conditions for soldiers in local camps has always existed, and has not been properly resolved even since Zhu Cilang took office. However, if these problems are not resolved in a timely manner, they will inevitably weaken the effectiveness of local governance.

After listening to this, Zhu Cilang nodded in agreement and said:
"Mr. Du is absolutely right. The army's combat effectiveness is the foundation of our resistance to the Qing army, and military pay and logistics are the foundation of training and, more importantly, the foundation of combat effectiveness. These issues must be dealt with seriously. Those who embezzle military pay must be severely punished, logistical supplies must be strengthened, and those who oppress new recruits must also be severely punished.

As for the treatment of soldiers in the local camps, I will also find a way to deal with it, but this concerns hundreds of thousands of soldiers and has serious implications, so a proper solution cannot be reached overnight."

When the external situation tends to stabilize, it is time to eliminate internal ills. Zhu Cilang has been waiting for this moment for a long time.

(End of this chapter)