The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 366 Overseeing Datong
Although two taels of silver is not much, each soldier can receive five qian of silver in grain coupons, which can be exchanged for a full shi of rice at the newly opened Xue Tang Grain Shop.

One shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice is enough for a family of four for a month.

What good is a month's supply?

It's worth a lot to people at the bottom of society, even enough for some to sell their children.

When the Yongxing Army's mutinous soldiers successfully returned to their camp and everyone received money and rations, the news spread and the situation quickly calmed down, basically returning to normal.

Feng Yong's military governor's office, later known as the governor-general's office.

Now it has a new owner.

However, the rank was lower.

Wang Xin still held the rank of General, so the Governor's Mansion, which had been vacant for more than a year, was re-hung with the plaque bearing the five characters "Datong General's Mansion".

These are not unexpected.

Mutinous soldiers are still soldiers, and they have a sense of hierarchy. As long as their problems are solved, they can be easily quelled. The difficulty lies in whether the problems can be completely resolved.

General Feng Meng of the Left Route committed suicide, thus ending his debts.

Jiang Wanhua was released by the mutinous soldiers and looked at Wang Xin expectantly, hoping that Wang Xin could help him.

Wang Xin sighed.

"Although the mutiny has been quelled, the mutiny did indeed cause trouble under your banner. Although I know the truth, the court will not listen to only one side of the story. You are still wronged in this matter. Go to the capital and explain to the court. I believe the court will clear your name."

"Commander-in-Chief!"

Jiang Wanhua did not expect Wang Xin to be so heartless. Although the two were not in the same army, they were both high-ranking generals in Datong Military Town and had met several times. Jiang Wanhua had to beg Wang Xin, and someone had already taken him away.

He's still considered a leader of a mutinous bandit group, and if things were really going to be serious, it would be a miracle if he wasn't tied up.

They were taken away and soon escorted to the capital.

house.

The rest of the people remained silent.

Although the Yongxing Army suffered minor losses from this calamity, its military prestige was completely destroyed, and it would be unable to recover its combat effectiveness in a short period of time.

Li Qi also kept his head down.

When the mutinous soldiers stormed into Datong City, he hurriedly fled the city to find his troops. However, the mutinous soldiers were skilled and had tightly controlled all the city gates, so he could only hide in a civilian house and wait for the mutinous soldiers to retreat before daring to come out.

Not only Li Qi, but everyone present was more or less a defeated general.

No matter how many reasons they had or how much they were dissatisfied, the chaotic soldiers seized the opportunity and won, and that's the fact.

"Wei Yi will temporarily assume command of the central army."

"Please put Zhai Wen in charge of military affairs in Datong."

Wang Xin did not stand on ceremony.

Now, the disorganized troops are returning to camp, and what they care about is their own prestige. With the Datong Western Army and Tiancheng Army on their left and right, the Yongxing Army, although it used to be the main force of Datong, has not suffered much damage in strength, but its organization is in disarray.

Chaos is a risk, but from another perspective, it can also be an opportunity.

Otherwise, how could he possibly manipulate the Yongxing Army at will? Even as the commander-in-chief of the Yongxing Army, he could not easily subdue the generals below him.

"Does anyone have any questions?"

After giving his instructions, Wang Xin asked a question.

"no problem."

Someone said instinctively.

A voice quickly fell silent, saying, "We will follow the General's orders."

Li Qi opened his mouth, but quickly lowered his head as well.

The Yongxing Army has serious problems right now, so there's no need for me to step forward. If Wang Xin doesn't solve these problems, his current prestige will plummet in the future. Let's just wait and see. Li Qi suppressed his resentment.

Seeing that there were no problems, Wang Xin kept Zhai Wen and the others behind.

The rest of the people dispersed.

"The General didn't even keep the Commander-in-Chief, and sent Commander Jiang to the capital. In reality, it's a form of suppression," a lieutenant said to Li Qi, who had followed along.

Li Qi looked back.

It was none other than Yang Rong, the assistant commander.

"What else?"

Li Qi remained calm and composed, trying to guess Yang Rong's thoughts.

Yang Rong lowered his voice: "Feng Shuai is trying to find a way to come back from Beijing."

"Oh!"

Li Qi became interested. "Does Commander Feng have a way to get back?"

"Someone revealed that Wang Xin is not a close confidant of Grand Secretary Zhang. Using Wang Xin was a last resort. Once the mutinous soldiers are dealt with, it won't be long before Grand Secretary Zhang transfers Wang Xin away. Commander Feng is currently using his connections."

"Walk."

Li Qi patted Yang Rong and said warily, "Come with me, let's find a place to talk."

Yang Rong nodded repeatedly.

Yang Rong was a general in the central army. He and Wei Yi were both confidants of Feng Yong and served as assistant generals, each leading a thousand armored cavalry. Later, under Zhang Wenjin, he was promoted to guerrilla commander and continued to lead the elite Yongxing Army.

Li Qi wasn't surprised that Feng Yong would contact this person, but he was curious whether Feng Yong would actually come back this time.

Compared to Wang Xin's exclusion of him, which seems to indicate his intention to completely control the Yongxing Army, he might as well support Feng Yong's return.

Zhai Wen served as an official in Datong for many years and was highly valued by Feng Yong and Zhang Wenjin. He had a thorough understanding of the affairs of Datong.

Wang Xin did not waste any time.

Zhang Zhen and Zhao He from Tiancheng City, Zhai Wen and Tao Sheng from Datong City, Wei Yi and others, as well as Liu Tong, Tang Ping and others who came from Zuoyun.

Yan Zhongzheng and Zhang Yuncheng, one a civil official and the other a military officer, were responsible for handling the daily affairs of the three armies and mediating relations among them.

Lu Zhongheng coordinated the distribution of supplies in Datong, including urging the delivery of grain.

Zeng Zhi, along with Zheng Ang and Xue Ke, and Zhai Wentao, worked together to organize the military affairs, equipment, and supplies of the entire Datong military town.

A few days.

Everyone is so busy that they don't even have time to sleep.

Not only do you need to get to know the officials working below you, but you also need to sort out the information you need from the complicated official documents. These are all time-consuming and laborious tasks, but you have to complete them as quickly as possible.

Despite being busy, everyone was full of energy.

Datong Town is not just Datong City.

Besides the border passes and military fortresses in various places, there are also county towns in various places.

The county seat is under the jurisdiction of the county magistrate.

However, military affairs were under the jurisdiction of the Datong Military Town.

The records include information on the garrison situation in each county, pass, and fortress, ledgers for the distribution of military pay and provisions, stockpiles of various materials, and repairs to some military fortresses, as well as private ledgers detailing actual disbursements.

Fortunately, with the help of local officials like Zhai Wen, although we cannot guarantee that everything has been sorted out, we have solved most of the problems.

Zeng Zhi was a Zhonglang (a mid-level official), the highest-ranking civil official under Wang Xin.

So Zeng Zhi, with a somber expression, brought the settled accounts to Wang Xin.

Seeing Zeng Zhi's expression, Wang Xin was already alarmed.

I've made ample preparations and come up with many solutions, but ultimately I still need to figure out Datong's bottom line and just how big the hole really is.

Zeng Zhi did not provide a detailed explanation for each item; the general trusted him greatly, and he only needed to submit a general account.

"According to the cabinet's reforms, the total military strength of Datong Garrison has not been reduced by much. The military register stipulates 100,000 soldiers, 20,000 battalion soldiers, with each battalion soldier receiving a total of 1.5 taels per month, and 80,000 militiamen, with each militiaman receiving a total of 8 taels per month in various subsidies. In addition, there are 272,000 taels, and miscellaneous expenses such as military equipment, horses, livestock, and fodder, totaling 1.4 million taels."

Wang Xin heard it clearly.

The total military expenditure after the reorganization of the nine border regions was seven million taels. Some military towns were reorganized quickly, while others were fully reorganized.

The number of soldiers in Datong Military Town and Liaodong Military Town were tied for first place.

However, Datong Military Town was the fastest to be reorganized. It wasn't that Datong Military Town was highly efficient, but rather that it had fewer troops to be cut. Its actual troop count was only close to half of the original 120,000, so it didn't need to be cut.

But whatever the actual reason may be.

In any case, Zhang Wenjin did indeed establish his merits, ranking first in the reorganization of Datong Military Town.

So the imperial court issued military pay according to the roster of 100,000 soldiers. This was the military expense that Zhang Jifu had calculated, and the imperial court had not shortchanged the soldiers. So why did the lower-ranking soldiers start a riot?

Everyone here is one of us.

Zeng Zhi truthfully stated: "Of the military pay sent from the Ministry of War to Datong, only 70% was actually paid out. Of the 980,000 taels of military funds, Zhang Wenjin only distributed 588,000 taels. After being distributed from various places, the actual amount that reached the hands of the lower-ranking soldiers was only about 294,000 taels."

Tang Ping's face darkened, and he cursed, "This is outrageous!"

Wei Yi, Zhao He, Zhang Zhen, and the others exchanged bewildered glances, wondering why Tang Ping was so surprised.

Isn't this common knowledge?

Tang Ping couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "I've been with the General since I joined the army. Although I've heard about the deeds of our allies, what I've seen with my own eyes today is still unimaginable. It's truly outrageous!"

Wang Xin remained calm.

Tang Ping came from a mining background in Yiwu. As an ordinary person from the lower class, he had limited imagination and could not fathom how evil the officials were. He could only guess based on his limited knowledge.

This includes Tang Ping's later return to the team.

However, Hexi Camp has already undergone rectification.

Therefore, Tang Ping had not personally witnessed the darkness within his allies' ranks. These were things that couldn't be brought to light, and those directly involved wouldn't openly proclaim them; only rumors and gossip would circulate. Tang Ping was aware of these things, but the extent of their darkness exceeded his imagination.

Because he had never seen it before.

It was like the late Ming Dynasty.

It is generally believed that the biggest problem in the Ming Dynasty was the emperor.

Wang Xin did not object.

However, I don't think the worst person was the emperor.

The worst are the officials.

Of the three kings and one duke of the Qing Dynasty, apart from Wu Sangui, which one wasn't forced into that position by Ming Dynasty officials?

such as.

If Kong Youde was not trusted by the court, could he have become the commander-in-chief of the army that trained the latest firearms during the Chongzhen reign?
They were indeed persisting in resisting the Qing on the front lines.

Finally?

They were forced into rebellion by the wealthy landowners.

For a chicken.

For the sake of a chicken, the steward of a wealthy family was able to force the commander of the Ming Dynasty's strongest new firearms army to bow down. Kong Youde pleaded for mercy, but the wealthy family had connections in the court and did not take the general seriously.

Kong Youde is someone you can't afford to offend.

After crippling the soldier who stole the chicken, they paraded him through the streets under the threat of the wealthy steward.

Stealing is wrong.

However, the county governments along the way did not supply military rations, nor did they allow the troops to enter the cities to buy and sell goods. The soldiers could not afford to starve to death.

If the soldiers are well-fed, their pay will be issued as usual.

Which Ming soldiers would willingly engage in petty theft?

When the Qing soldiers arrived, it wasn't just a matter of killing a chicken; they wiped out the entire family, leaving nothing but a desolate, clean mess.

For a chicken.

The officials and gentry of the Ming Dynasty drove the most advanced new firearms troops of the time into rebellion.

It's quite impressive even on a global scale.

Therefore, nothing about Wang Xin is surprising.

Zhu Yuanzhang's approach was correct, but it has been smeared.

Wang Xin pondered.

The group gradually found themselves in a difficult position.

“Excluding the imperial court’s military expenses, our additional income, when added together, is less than 130,000 taels of silver. The current deficit is too large, with a shortfall of more than 1.1 million taels, which cannot be filled no matter what.”

It was bittersweet.

No wonder Datong was in turmoil.

The army was the most organized, with a clear division between superiors and subordinates, which shows the depth of the chaos behind the Datong uprising.

Everyone was silent.

Wang Xin was also somewhat surprised.

The deficit in Datong exceeded one million taels, and that was only for one year. If the back pay from previous years were also included, even if the imperial court came to handle it personally, it would be impossible to resolve the issue. At most, they could simply wipe their hands and deny the debts from previous years.

"We do not acknowledge the debts owed to the imperial court."

Yan Zhongzheng said in a deep voice.

Everyone nodded; this was the safest approach at the moment.

But even so.

The annual military expenditure issue remains a significant problem. Zhang Zhen and the others couldn't help but look at Wang Xin, waiting for the General's decision and to see what he planned to do.

The Western Army in Datong did a good job.

But now it is the entire Datong military town, several times the size of the Datong Western Army.

Wang Xin shook his head. "The court may not acknowledge it, but I cannot. Otherwise, I would be letting down the soldiers below."

Some people were surprised.

Some people are both surprised and not surprised.

This is our own main town, it's always been like this.

"Recover the stolen assets."

Wang Xin remained calm.

Like a thunderclap.

Everyone was stunned. Even Yan Zhongzheng hesitated and dared not easily express his support.

Zhang Yuncheng, who came from the Ministry of War, subconsciously stole glances at Zhang Zhen and the others.

These days, the generals of Tiancheng Army and Yongxing Army, are they corrupt? Of course they are. Given the atmosphere in both armies, it's unlikely they can remain untainted by such corruption.

But how much did they embezzle?
Furthermore, how would one view the general's order? Would one harbor opposition in one's heart? Or even change one's attitude, ceasing to support the general and preparing to secretly return and oppose him?

Zhang Yuncheng felt a chill run down his spine.

More than half of the military officers present belonged to the Tiancheng Army and the Yongxing Army.

The General's current control over these two armies relies on the few generals in front of him. If any of them harbors rebellious intentions and betrays the General in private, the General may find it difficult to defend against them.

Datong City was the main base of the Yongxing Army, not the Datong Western Army.

In the Western Army of Datong, a large number of junior and middle-ranking officers and soldiers supported the General Commander, not to mention that several senior generals were also very loyal to the General Commander. Even if some people had ulterior motives, they would be easily detected or would not have any opportunity to collude with him.

"So much time has passed, even if everything goes smoothly, I'm afraid we can't recover everything. Besides, the imperial court is short 400,000 taels, and I can't recover it even if I wanted to."

Wang Xin was not surprised by the thoughts of his subordinates.

It seemed as if they had complete faith in Zhang Zhen and the others.

Zhang Zhen himself felt a chill run down his spine. Why did the commander-in-chief trust him so much? Yet, he felt his legs go weak. Was it so easy to recover stolen goods? If word got out, how many officers would rebel?

Wang Xin remained calm.

"We'll collect part of the debt; the area outside the pass is about to be closed, and tariffs will be collected from now on. Merchants make money through business, so they can't do without paying any taxes. Therefore, there's not much to discuss. We can make up for part of the debt, but as for how much is still owed, we'll borrow from the merchant houses in the end."

Wang Xin dealt with them one by one.

With the capital of Juzhongchang and the connections of the Xue family, borrowing two or three hundred thousand taels of silver through a mortgage loan shouldn't be a problem.

The bulk of the work still involves recovering stolen assets.

“It’s best to take the recovery of stolen goods into consideration later,” Zhang Yuncheng said cautiously. “Not to mention that if things get too big, the court’s opinion will be different. The current situation is not conducive to calming things down, and it may cause further turmoil. It’s better to put things on hold for now.”

The pursuit of stolen goods easily aroused the resentment of the imperial court in the past.

The hundreds of thousands of taels of silver that the imperial court lost had a huge impact, not to mention the public opinion in the country.

"If the lower-ranking soldiers don't support them, how can the military officers cause trouble?"

Wang Xin retorted bluntly, "You overestimate them. Besides, how can we weed out these bad apples without recovering the stolen goods?"

Zhang Yuncheng was stunned.

He immediately understood the general's idea: to take the opportunity to reform.

Think deeper.

With a large number of military officers being eliminated and replaced by people promoted by the general, wouldn't the entire Datong military town become a one-man show by the general?

Feng Yong only controlled the Yongxing Army at the time.

The risks are high, but the rewards are also great.

just.

too difficult.

Zhang Yuncheng became wary of the generals from Tiancheng Army and Yongxing Army in the room.

After they left the room.

The news of the recovery of stolen assets will surely spread far and wide in no time.

Even if some of them support the general and are willing to accept change, it's impossible for them all to support the general; otherwise, it would be too unbelievable.

Zhang Yuncheng was absolutely certain.

The news spread like wildfire.

How should this end?

That was a bit too hasty.

The General Commander-in-Chief's control over the Yongxing Army and Tiancheng Army was insufficient, and he could only rely on the few generals at hand.

But Zhang Yuncheng couldn't help but feel regret.

Having observed the administration of the Ministry of War for many years, he also had a deep understanding of the situation of the General Headquarters.

It seems that once the Datong mutiny is quelled, Grand Secretary Zhang will also take action soon, not giving the General Commander much time to keep Datong in check.

(End of this chapter)