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

Chapter 158: The situation could no longer be contained; the crowd erupted in anger, cursing the dog emperor!
It's not that every Jurchen piloted a Gundam; it's just that they were mostly facing second-line troops, and they had a numerical advantage, so they could naturally achieve an exaggerated casualty ratio. Moreover, in the Jurchen's statistics, apart from the Jurchens, the others were not counted as people and were not included in the casualty count.

Following the Hebei troops arrived the Shandong New Army, a modern firearms unit trained with the assistance of Portuguese officers. This was essentially a hollow square formation used for firing squads. The New Army had not been tested in actual combat, and its fighting effectiveness was questionable. If analyzed according to popular factionalism, the Dengzhou New Army should be considered the direct force of Xu Guangqi and the Western-influenced faction behind him.

Having troops meant having a voice, and this was true for both the emperor and his ministers. Although theoretically everyone was part of the Ming army, in reality, factions were everywhere, and open and covert struggles were inevitable. The intensity of these factional struggles was limited by Zhu Youjian, but they never disappeared.

This major battle could very well unlock the limits, because war means death, and there are responsibilities for defeat. If not handled properly, the intensity of factional strife could return to its original state, or even escalate further, without any bottom line. The eunuch faction was able to defeat the Donglin Party, and the Donglin Party was able to rise from the ashes and grow stronger, all because of the several crushing defeats during the Wanli and Tianqi reigns.

For Zhu Youjian, the most dangerous moment had arrived. If things went wrong, he might have to pack up and head south. Even if he managed to defend Beijing, if his elite troops suffered too many casualties, he might even be sidelined by his court officials. After all, it wasn't unheard of in history for ministers to betray their emperors.

After the fall of Zunhua, the situation in Jizhou deteriorated further. The Jurchens besieged Santunying but failed to capture it, and then attacked Jizhou City but failed to capture it either. Therefore, they abandoned the attack on the major city, divided their troops and scattered to plunder. They ran east to Shanhaiguan and showed off their power, while their westward advance was aimed directly at Tongzhou, the gateway to Beijing.

Within a month, Yongping, Luanzhou, Qian'an, Fengrun, Yutian, Leting, and Funing were successively captured, leaving hundreds of thousands of people displaced and those who fled to Beijing weeping day and night.

By this time, the troops in Beizhili had completed their withdrawal, and except for reinforcements from Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu who had not yet arrived, reinforcements from various garrisons had gradually arrived in the capital. There were 100,000 troops inside Beijing and 40,000 elite troops outside the city, and everyone felt that the time for a decisive battle had ripened.

Whether the Jurchens will attack Beijing is still unknown. What if the Jurchens are afraid of the capital's strong military and dare not come? We can't let the Jurchens continue to plunder the capital region like this.

Zhu Youjian was also finding it difficult to control himself. No matter what they said, he was still just a teenager, a young emperor. The ministers could follow his advice on other matters, but on matters of state, they all felt the emperor was unreliable. The saying goes, "A nation relies on a mature ruler," and youth can sometimes be an advantage, and sometimes a disadvantage.

"Your Majesty, the Jurchens claim to have an army of 100,000, but didn't the Chahar tribe also claim to have an army of 100,000 last year? The Jurchens are probably just bluffing."

"Your Majesty, last year you were so ambitious and enterprising, how come you are now so afraid of the enemy? Your Majesty abandoned northern Shaanxi, which was due to a natural disaster, and that can be explained; but now you want to abandon northern Zhili? What is the reason for this? I don't understand!" Zhang Weixian said loudly.

"Holy crap!" Zhu Youjian was completely dumbfounded when he saw that it was Zhang Weixian who spoke. This guy was his core supporter; if even he rebelled, what would become of him? Zhu Youjian couldn't help but think of his old friend, Emperor Xuanzong. Would these people stage a mutiny at Mawei Post Station and force him to kill his own concubines?!

However, there were some sensible people among the ministers. Before Zhu Youjian could explain, one minister retorted: "Duke Yingguo, you are mistaken! The enemy army has already entered the pass and is right at the gates of Beijing. The most important task for the army right now is to defend the capital. You must know that if the capital can be preserved, there will be a chance to recover lost territory in the future, and the captured people will also have hope of being rescued; but if the capital falls, the situation will be hopeless, and that would be truly losing the big picture for the sake of small gains."

The most crucial point is that the Liaoxi army was originally intended to counter the Jurchens. The Ming Dynasty was engaged in wars on all fronts, and the Jurchens weren't the only enemy. The Jurchens, who should have been resisted by the Guan Ning Army, had instead moved into the interior of China. This was, by any measure, a dereliction of duty by the Liaodong military commissioner. It's even quite possible that the Jurchens were forced into entering the interior by Yuan Keli.

On paper, the Beijing garrison had over 100,000 troops, and the Jizhou garrison should have had another 100,000. Adding the garrison troops of Xuanfu and Datong, the total army numbered several hundred thousand. When the nine border regions were distributing provisions and salaries, they were based on 550,000 people! The entire Jurchen tribe probably didn't even have that many people. The Jurchen's invasion of the pass was suicidal. But in reality, the Jizhou garrison was like paper, collapsing completely, leaving only a few isolated cities.

The civil officials' anger towards the military generals was indescribable: they were useless in battle, quick to flee, and never hesitant to collect their pay. This dissatisfaction with the generals escalated into discontent with the emperor: the emperor poured over ten million into maintaining the army, and this was the kind of trash he produced?!
"We must fight! Not fighting would be treason. Even if all these soldiers die in battle, it would prove that the money wasn't wasted!" This was the thought in many people's minds at that moment.

Furthermore, they believed that the heads of Mongols and Jurchens were worth about the same, so if they could defeat the Mongols, there was no reason why they couldn't defeat the Jurchens; it was simply that the emperor clung to military power and refused to relinquish it. A tyrant, viewing the world as one family and the common people as household slaves, only caring about the interests of his own small household, disregarding the well-being of all people—disgusting!
Some conflicts can be resolved, while others are irreconcilable, because both sides in an argument believe they are right. However, choices are not simply about right or wrong; often, both are right or both are wrong. The officials were indignant, and Zhu Youjian faced unprecedented pressure—all self-inflicted!

The plan to launch a northern expedition against Liaodong was not originally disclosed to the court. It wasn't until the officials hadn't seen any reinforcements from Liaoxi arrive, and only a few Liaodong generals came, that they finally seized Zhao Shuaijiao and the others, forcing them to reveal the cause and effect of this unusual situation. Then they felt as if the sky had fallen and the emperor had gone mad!

Zhu Youjian believed he had found the optimal solution, using the tactic of exchanging homes as the key to victory, refusing to be led by the nose by the Jurchens, and breaking out of the vicious cycle of being passively attacked. However, it was difficult for others to understand his thinking. Even if the Jurchens were all wiped out, so what? Even if Shenyang was recovered, it was certainly worth celebrating, but compared to the safety of the capital, it was as insignificant as a feather.

Recovering Liaodong was politically correct, but how many Liaodong people were actually in the court? If Liaodong people had a voice in the court, the Gao-Huai Rebellion in Liaodong would never have happened. The court officials did not value Liaodong people that much, as can be seen from their attitude towards Mao Wenlong. As for Liaodong people, they were simply dead.

But for many, the capital region was a source of deep pain. Many officials' families lived in the capital region, and not everyone had the ability to bring their entire family to live in Beijing. Moreover, once they left their hometowns, they were like rootless duckweed, and they might not even have a voice in the court. The power of the bureaucrats and the privileges of the gentry complemented each other.

Zhu Youjian was unwilling to always assume malice in others; after all, almost no one could remain indifferent to the death of a loved one. But Zhu Youjian had no choice, truly no other option. He had chosen the best solution he could think of, both from the perspective of securing victory and minimizing casualties.

(End of this chapter)