Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 56 Jinyiwei (two chapters in one)
After nearly a month of preparation, Zhu Cilang's coronation ceremony was very solemn. In order to inspire people, after he ascended the throne, he immediately announced the rewards for various departments and offices of the Nanjing court, local governors, and generals of various camps in the army.

Just as the ministers had expected before, the officials of various departments who were originally in charge temporarily in the Nanjing court were now promoted to regular positions. The loyal and good people who were originally squeezed out by Ma Shiying and some pro-Fu nobles in history now sit firmly in important positions in the court.

At the local level, He Tengjiao was appointed as the commander-in-chief, and concurrently the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion, and the governor of the military affairs of Jiangxi, Chu, and Hunan, with his government in Nanchang. Du Yinxi was the governor of Hunan and Chu, with his government in Changsha. The two of them raised money and food locally to supply the local area and the army in Nanzhili.

Wang Yingxiong was appointed as the commander-in-chief, and was granted the title of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and concurrently the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion. He was in charge of the military affairs of the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, and established his government in Zunyi, where he was in charge of suppressing the western bandits.

All three were instructed to recruit villagers in their hometowns or garrisons, rebuild or directly lead local barracks, and were allowed to train militia in the local area, with the funds needed to build the army coming from the local treasury.

In the army, Chang Denggui, the commander-in-chief of the Palace Army, was conferred the title of Marquis of Anguo, Chen Fu, the commander-in-chief of Fengyang, was conferred the title of Marquis of Xingbei, Huang Degong was promoted to Marquis of Jingnan, Zuo Liangyu was promoted to Marquis of Ningnan, Gao Jie was conferred the title of Earl of Dingbei, Liu Zeqing was conferred the title of Earl of Dongping, and Liu Liangzuo was conferred the title of Earl of Guangchang. Li Benshen and Hu Maozhen, who were transferred to the Beijing camp, were also awarded the seals of generals who destroyed the enemy and defeated the enemy because of their previous merits in following the emperor.

At the same time, among these seven marquises, all those who had sons were granted hereditary titles such as Chief Captain, Deputy Captain, and Hundred Captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Even those who did not have sons had already been granted titles in advance and were just waiting for their sons to be born.

After the descendants of these dukes and generals obtained these official titles, it became more legitimate for them to enter the palace to study military preparations and tactics and practice battle formations and horsemanship in the "Gentlemen's Camp".

With such lavish rewards, most of the civil and military officials who had performed well during this period, or those who had considerable foundation and strength, were promoted and their future was bright.

After the coronation ceremony and the brief court meeting that followed, Zhu Cilang was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back. Han Zanzhou immediately brought up two eunuchs and carried a sedan chair carrying food.

Now, everything is in ruins. Unless entertaining ministers, all the facilities and meals in the palace are kept simple. Even when the Nanjing Palace was renovated before the coronation ceremony, only the places that the ministers could see during the coronation ceremony and court meetings were renovated.

Zhu Cilang had to maintain the majesty of the emperor and uphold the confidence of the court officials. He had to spend money on these aspects, but he had to save on other aspects where necessary.

Of course, such a big country needs to spend money everywhere, and all of it is a lot of money. It is not enough to rely solely on saving money. The most important thing is to increase revenue.

In order to increase revenue, Zhu Cilang needed to control not only the army but also the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He needed to understand the details of the southern provinces, especially the financial situation of the gentry and wealthy businessmen in various places.

These are far from enough relying on the existing administrative power, but if we wait until Zhu Cilang has fully trained his own administrative team, it will be too late.

He can now rely on the generous donations from the royal family and Huai'an salt merchants to maintain the military pay expenses for additional training, but if he expands the army further next year, he will have to rely on taxes from the Ming Dynasty, which is a sustainable source of income.

Although Zhu Cilang was not as arrogant and extravagant as Prince Fu, the corruption among the officials under him was greatly reduced because of his toughness and ruthlessness, and the skills and examples set by Li Banghua, Shi Kefa, Gao Hongtu and others.

But this would only save less than two million taels of silver each year, which was not enough to support an army of 30,000 people, not to mention the provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, Huguang, Jiangxi, etc., where the Hongguang court had not invested more in history. Zhu Cilang now also needed to increase investment.

The rebuilt Jinyiwei and the local bureaucrats who were controlled by the Nanjing court complemented each other, allowing Zhu Cilang to restore and reform the Ming Dynasty's already extremely inefficient and bloated tax system in the shortest possible time.

Although Zhou Shixian was very inexperienced in military affairs and had not shown any talent in leading troops in battle, he was very experienced and smooth in officialdom. In particular, he was meticulous and could associate many clues that ordinary people could not notice.

Relying on the confidants he brought from the capital and the more than 100 men given to him by Zhu Cilang, as well as the connections of Zhou's father in Nanzhili, Zhou Shixian quickly gathered a group of people from all walks of life.

Although these people are not good at fighting, they have unique insights into the conditions in various places and industries. They can even roughly guess how some illegal activities are carried out behind the scenes without even having to spy.

In his first year, Zhu Cilang planned to take out 150,000 taels of silver from the treasury as activity funds, allowing him to set up an intelligence network throughout Nanzhili and begin to infiltrate and develop in Henan, Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and other places.

Although Zhou Shixian, as the son-in-law of the emperor, could not hold a high-ranking official position in the court according to the system of the Ming Dynasty, the situation was different now. He was already the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard because of his merit in protecting the emperor. It was most appropriate for him to command this invisible and intangible secret front.

"Gao Jie, Huang Degong, and Liu Zeqing appear to be loyal. They haven't sent any trusted personnel to the north to contact the government. However, Liu Liangzuo seems to be wavering. He has already secretly sent people to Henan and Shandong to gather information."

By July, the Jinyiwei under Zhou Shixian had already planted spies in several key prefectures in Nanzhili, monitoring the movements of all parties in Jiangbei. They even sent several groups of spies to Henan, Shandong and other places to investigate. He paused, then said:
"There's also Xu Dingguo, who's stranded in Guide, Henan. Chen Qianfu is right. He's ready to make a move. I'm afraid he's watching the situation and may have even secretly sent someone to contact the Tartars."

Zhu Cilang nodded. He didn't have a deep impression of Xu Dingguo's situation. He only knew that in history, Gao Jie was killed by him in Suizhou.

According to the intelligence obtained by the Jinyiwei, Xu Dingguo had been fleeing to Guide, Ningling and other places since March, but he was reluctant to go south. I'm afraid he was considering which side he should join in order to maximize his own interests.

If nothing unexpected happened, Xu Dingguo would have been close to colluding with the Qing court by this time, but the terms hadn't been agreed upon yet. He had previously served as the General of Shanxi, and had come into contact with many Ming troops fleeing the Battle of Songjin. He was well aware of the strength of the Qing army, and naturally looked down upon the strength of the Shun army, let alone these defeated troops from Southern Zhili.

In the original history, Gao Jie wanted to take advantage of Shunqing's fierce battle in Shaanxi to invade the north and recover Henan and Shandong. However, he died at the hands of Xu Dingguo because he underestimated the enemy.

"Keep paying attention to Xu Dingguo and don't alert him. He's a smart man and has a very accurate understanding of the situation. We must not let him realize that something is wrong and run away." Zhu Cilang ordered.

Except for the two defeated troops of Gao Jie and Liu Zeqing and the southern troops of Huang Degong, most of the soldiers under his command are new recruits in the Beijing Camp and the Palace Army. Most of the veterans among them are Eight Banners soldiers, defeated generals of the Shun Army. If he wants to stabilize the morale of the army and boost morale, he must first win a battle.

The defeated soldiers gathered under Xu Dingguo's command were his best choice to establish his prestige on the battlefield and control the various armies.

"What's going on with the Tartars?" Zhu Cilang asked again.

"After the Tartars occupied Bazhou, Cangzhou, Dezhou, Linqing and other prefectures, the troops of Juelu Bahana and Shi Tingzhu, who had previously been the main force in the southward advance, were transferred to Shanxi. Now, only Wang Aoyong and Fang Dayou have temporarily assembled a few scattered soldiers in Shandong. Their combat effectiveness is not strong, and there are only a few thousand people."

Zhou Shixian recalled the information gathered by the spies sent by the Jinyiwei, and then said:

"In Henan, the three prefectures of Huaiqing, Zhangde, and Weihui north of the Yellow River should have been occupied by the Qing army by now. The rebels are now retreating step by step and probably only control some prefectures in western Henan. The prefectures in southern Henan have now been restored by officials and gentry loyal to the Ming Dynasty.

However, although these people are under the banner of the Ming Dynasty, they are all acting on their own, and many of them are just waiting to see the situation. If the Qing army moves south, they will probably surrender quickly."

As early as May 12th, before Zhu Cilang ascended the throne, Manchu Censorate Council members Zu Kefa and Zhang Cunren petitioned Dorgon, stating, "Shandong is a major transportation hub for grain, and Shanxi is a major trading hub for merchants. We urgently need to recruit and pacify the people. If the soldiers and civilians of these two provinces are brought under our control, we will be able to generate revenue and ensure national prosperity." On the 25th of the same month, the Qing court dispatched Fang Dayou, a former Ming Dynasty official who surrendered, as deputy military supervisor to pacify Shandong. On the 4th of June, the court also dispatched Wang Aoyong, a former Ming Dynasty official who surrendered, as assistant minister of the Ministry of Households and the Ministry of Works, to pacify Shandong and Henan.

By the end of June, the Qing army had basically controlled Shandong, Henan and other prefectures north of the Yellow River.

Zhu Cilang knew roughly all of this, but he still needed specific military intelligence to verify it, especially key information such as the Qing army's approximate strength, the generals leading the troops, and so on.

Seeing this, Zhou Shixian hesitated for a moment, then clasped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty, many prefectures in Shandong and Henan are now free of the Qing army and the main force of the rebels. Perhaps you could order Gao Jie and Huang Degong to march north. Then they would be able to stop the Qing army north of the Yellow River."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang looked at Zhou Shixian, smiled, and shook his head.

"Gao Jie, Huang Degong has just completed his military reorganization. His troops can fight Xu Dingguo. Fang Dayou can fight, but if the Eight Banners troops march south, even if there are only two or three thousand of them, they probably won't be able to resist.

The most crucial thing is that if they lead their troops north, they will not be able to continue training. When the main force of the Qing army moves south, how will they defend their respective lines of defense?
This is indeed a good deal, and it is right in front of us, but if it is inconsistent with our established strategy and cannot make the established strategy more smoothly implemented, then we must never touch it.

Otherwise, you will lose more than you gain! "

In such a chaotic situation, Zhu Cilang must win in one blow. His current strength does not allow for any failure. This requires him to have sufficient strategic determination to make the right choice in the face of various temptations.

Zhou Shixian had never understood why Zhu Cilang did not take any action. He watched those prefectures with weak defenses remain indifferent and only issued an edict to allow officials and gentry who were willing to go south to do so. Now, after hearing the other party's explanation, it was like an epiphany. He had never thought of that level.

"Your Majesty is wise, I am grateful for your guidance!"

"How is Zuo Liangyu doing? Is he in good health?" Zhu Cilang asked again

Zhou Shixian was shocked when he heard this and said quickly:
"Your Majesty, according to reports from my informants in Wuchang, Zuo Liangyu seems to be seriously ill. He has been acting quite strangely recently, but the specific nature of his illness is still unknown."

"Well, if Liu Liangzuo makes any unusual moves, please report back immediately. Zuo Liangyu just needs to keep a close eye on him."

After Zhu Cilang finished speaking, his mind quickly analyzed the military intelligence received from various places during this period, as well as his memory of the original history. These were all key factors in decision-making.

"If suitable, we should send personnel to Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, Hunan and Hubei, Yunnan and Guizhou as soon as possible. At the very least, we should plant spies in several key provincial capitals."

Zhu Cilang had a general understanding of the history of the late Ming Dynasty and the famous figures in the history books, but he did not tell Zhou Shixian. Instead, he intended to use this to test the other party's ability and loyalty, and Zhou Shixian did not disappoint him.

However, this also made Zhou Shixian suspicious, thinking that Zhu Cilang had other spies besides him, and he was completely unaware of this.

Otherwise, how could the few people he was keeping a close eye on all have problems? Furthermore, Zhu Cilang was not at all surprised by the news reported.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhou Shixian bowed and clasped his fists.

If it was just Nanzhili, Zhou Shixian would have basically completed the placement of spies in all major prefectures in the past two months, and he could observe the movements of all parties.

However, due to time constraints and the fact that the Jinyiwei is currently very short of manpower, Zhou Shixian has not been able to deploy to places further away.

"How's the thing I asked you to do going?"

"I have already sent people to conduct a thorough investigation of the Nanjing officials, the eunuchs who remain in the palace, the shops and properties of the princes and royal families in the southern provinces. Except for those that are far away, we have already begun to make some progress. All of this is currently being done in secret, without alerting anyone."

"Okay, continue to arrange personnel to monitor this matter. Do not alert the enemy without my permission." Zhu Cilang smiled slightly and then said:

"Training the army will require millions of taels of silver each year. Adding other miscellaneous expenses, the court may need more than 10 million taels a year. The current annual income of more than 7 million taels of silver is not enough. It's time to kill these parasites of the country."

Zhu Cilang naturally would not just make up an excuse to raid the homes of corrupt officials, eunuchs, nobles, and royal family members. What he needed was a legitimate reason and "conclusive evidence."

However, these are not the key points. Whether his property can be confiscated actually depends on whether the Palace Army and Nanjing Jingying under his command are strong enough to repel the Qing army heading south.

If he won the war, he would have a firm foothold in Nanjing and gained unprecedented prestige, and he could naturally start confiscating property. Otherwise, he would have to keep those corrupt officials, nobles, and royal family members in check to avoid internal chaos.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shixian immediately bowed his hands, clasped his fists, and bowed his waist. He knew what the emperor meant by saying this to him, and he was already accustomed to Zhu Cilang's cruelty to these people.

Today, the court's expenses are enormous, and it is indeed in urgent need of funds. I am afraid that the situation will not improve until after the court and the country are back on track in the next two years.

The performance of the Qing army and the Shun army was not much different from the original history. In Zhu Cilang's eyes, the situation in the north was already very clear at this time. What he had to do was to organize the army and prepare for war, and when the Qing army moved south, he would give Duoduo a head-on blow.

Soon after Zhu Cilang finished instructing Zhou Shixian on some confidential matters, he led the Imperial Guards and the Gentlemen's Camp and boarded the Fujian ship where Lin Yongan was personally in charge, preparing to cross the river and go to Pukou to inspect the Fujian Navy led by Zheng Hongkui, and at the same time review the Tianwu Left Camp of the Palace Army stationed there.

　Thanks to book friends Yuekenlu Dazhuang, Oh, little lady, don’t run away, and Fenglin Volcano for the rewards.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)