Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 137 A New Onion Acquired, the Retired Emperor of Korea, Yang Hao!!!
Seeing the emperor's reaction, Yang Hao thought he had really hit the nail on the head, so he said to himself, "Your Majesty, Beijing is a high city. If there is enough food in the city, the people of the capital can be conscripted to defend the city."
If things become unmanageable, then we should take the elite Imperial Guards, travel light, and quickly move to Nanjing to plan for the future.

Zhu Youjian rubbed his forehead and said, "Minister Yang, you've misunderstood. The Ming Dynasty is doing just fine now!!! Do you know about the She-An Rebellion?"

"I also heard about it while I was in prison," Yang Hao said after a moment's hesitation.

"She Chongming and An Bangyan were executed last year, and now the southwest of the Ming Dynasty is at peace; in the north, the Chahar tribe of the Northern Barbarians invaded this year, and our Ming Dynasty closed the door and beat them, beheading more than 10,000; the largest group of pirates that has risen in recent years along the southeast coast, with 400 warships and tens of thousands of followers, has also been recruited."

Yang Hao's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he then asked, "And what about the Jurchens, Your Majesty? What is the situation in Liaodong now?!"

“Uh…” Zhu Youjian was speechless for a moment, and even said somewhat embarrassedly, “Now the Jurchens and the Ming Dynasty are separated by Ningyuan and Jinzhou.”

Last year, the Jurchen invaded Korea, capturing Uiju, Jeongju, Anju, and Pyongyang, and advancing directly to Seoul. Later, they signed a humiliating treaty with Korea, pledging brotherhood and forbidding Korea from further relations with the Ming Dynasty.

In other words, Korea was almost completely occupied by the Jurchens. Upon hearing this news, Yang Hao was filled with sorrow, as he had maintained a very harmonious relationship with the local military and civilians during his time in Korea.

King Seonjo of Joseon performed the "Four Bows" ceremony for him. When he left, the people wept as they saw him off. The "Seonmu Shrine" was built in the southern suburbs of Seoul to enshrine his portrait. The king personally inscribed the plaque "Rebuilding the State" and ordered that it be worshipped for generations.

"Does Your Majesty intend to order me to once again manage the Liaodong region?!" Yang Hao asked.

"Look, you're in such a hurry again. Back then, in the Battle of Sarhu, if you hadn't hastily marched your troops, would we have suffered such a crushing defeat?!" Zhu Youjian teased.

"Me!" Yang Hao's eyes widened upon hearing this, and he was so aggrieved that he was almost in tears.

Back then, the Ministry of War issued a red flag urging the emperor to fight; Grand Secretary Fang Congzhe said to the emperor: "The Liaodong issue has been pending for a long time, and there is a fear that something else may happen. We should annihilate it as soon as possible."
Zhao Xingbang, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of War, said that if he delayed any longer, he would miss a good opportunity; Huang Jiashan, the minister, threatened him that he must send troops in February, or he would be punished for "delaying military affairs".
But ultimately, what overwhelmed him was the emperor's words: "The Liaodong supplies are exhausted, we cannot hold out for long, we must immediately launch an attack."

"Your Majesty! I am innocent!!!" Yang Hao cried out in a pitiful voice.

He couldn't explain the various reasons from back then anymore. After years in prison, his initial resentment and bitterness turned into a bitter pill to swallow, which he drank alone.

"Alright, I know you feel wronged. What you just said made it sound like the Ming Dynasty was about to perish. Am I really that pathetic? I feel wronged too!!!" Zhu Youjian glared at Yang Hao.

The old man looked embarrassed, staring at the big and small toes on the surface of his worn-out shoes, not daring to look at the emperor.

"What happened back then was something I, your grandfather, wronged you by. Now I have ordered the Three Judicial Offices to retry your case. Considering your outstanding military achievements in the Eastern Expedition against the Japanese pirates and the aid to Korea, I grant you a pardon for your crimes and you are released from prison," Zhu Youjian said with a smile.

"Your Majesty's grace in restoring my life is deeply appreciated by this old minister!"

"The candidate for the Liaodong Military Commissioner has been decided. I intend to appoint you as the Jiliao Supervisor, mainly responsible for training the Jizhou troops and cooperating with the Liaodong Military Commissioner in combat."

"You like training troops, right? Then go ahead and train. This time, I won't rush you into battle. The court's finances have improved, and supplies are sufficient. Don't hastily divide your troops and advance recklessly."

Zhu Youjian, arm in arm with Yang Hao, personally escorted him out of the prison. In a few more months, the old man would have served his full ten-year sentence. How many decades does one have in a lifetime, especially for an old man like him?! Yang Hao was already over sixty when he entered the prison!
As soon as he came out, Zhu Youjian ran into Yang Hao's grandson, who was arguing with the guard.

"Sir, this number is wrong, it's way too much!" Yang Hao's grandson looked at the large bag of silver given to him by the prison warden, somewhat at a loss.

"My little darling, please don't say anything more!" The guard captain groaned inwardly, repeatedly giving him meaningful glances, but this only made the young man more flustered. "What's going on?!" Zhu Youjian asked somewhat displeased.

The prison guard immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I have returned all the money to Lord Yang's family as Your Majesty instructed."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this gentleman gave too much silver!" the young man stammered, looking to Yang Hao for help.

"Um?!"

"Your Majesty, this is Lord Yang's 'leniency money' over the years. I, I will return it all!" the prison guard said with a mournful face. He had just borrowed money from all over the place and finally managed to scrape together the silver.

Wei Zhongxian, understanding the emperor's temperament, spoke frankly: "Your Majesty, this imperial prison has entrance fees, shackle fees, food and drink fees, water and fire fees, ventilation fees, exemption fees, life-saving fees, and corpse collection fees, etc. The so-called entrance fee..."

"They dare to extort even a second-rank official of the imperial court?!" Zhu Youjian said in disbelief.

"At first, we didn't dare, as His Majesty the Emperor had instructed us to treat him well. But Lord Yang has been imprisoned for so long, and no one has mentioned him for so long, so naturally..."

Zhu Youjian reached out and lifted the money bag on the ground. Good heavens, it must have weighed dozens of kilograms; he couldn't even lift it. He said, somewhat speechless, "So much money, and you're carrying it all by yourself?!"

The centurion, with his head bowed and eyes lowered, opened his mouth several times but dared not speak. Zhu Youjian did not press him for details. Judging from his appearance, it was definitely not just him who had embezzled; there were even centurions guarding the imperial prison. It was just that this guy was particularly unlucky to be on duty today, having run into the emperor.

"Summon Tang Yu to see me," Zhu Youjian said expressionlessly. "Take some men and send the silver back to Minister Yang's residence."

"Uh..." Zhu Youjian realized his mistake as soon as he finished speaking. He scratched his head and asked, "Do you still have houses in the capital?!"

Yang Hao was naturally bewildered. The old lady said that the house had been sold and they were now renting in the suburbs. It took half a day to walk from the shack to the prison.

"Alas, you've had a hard time," Zhu Youjian sighed. "You may stay temporarily in my former residence."

Zhu Youjian was in high spirits after catching another scallion. Yang Hao had also commanded large-scale battles. The Korean campaign, one of the three major campaigns of the Wanli Emperor, involved over 100,000 troops, including local Korean forces. The Japanese army was even larger, yet the Ming Dynasty fought against overwhelming odds and still won.

As for the later battle of Sarhu, the situation was such that no matter who was in command, it was just a matter of how much they would lose.

Nurhaci was, after all, a gifted individual. While he might have been lacking in domestic affairs, he was undoubtedly a renowned general in warfare. His four-pronged attack on the Liao Dynasty wasn't necessarily tactically flawed; it was simply a matter of overwhelming disparity in overall strength between the two sides.

The Ming Dynasty had many capable generals, but commanders were in extremely short supply. Zhu Xieyuan was one, and Yang Hao was another.

It's hard to say who is stronger between the two. After all, Zhu Xieyuan bullied the soldiers of the southwestern chieftains, which is incomparable to the Jurchens. Yang Hao had both glorious victories and defeats. He was imprisoned for ten years, and it's unknown how much ability he still has. Fortunately, he is still quite healthy and should be able to exploit him for a few more years.

Yang Hao's greater value lies in Korea. This old man's words carry more weight in Korea than the Korean king's. If things are handled well, he might be able to rouse the terrified Koreans and bring them back into the embrace of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, this also depends on how strong the Ming Dynasty is; otherwise, the Koreans will be no match for the Jurchens no matter how hard they try.

(End of this chapter)