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

Chapter 191 There's candy in the capital, come quick!

The Ministry of Revenue's Bureau of Records reported that 300,000 people and livestock were taken captive by the Jurchens in this war.

However, according to Mao Wenlong's battle report, 110,000 to 120,000 people were captured by the Jurchens and taken to the Daling River area. They rescued more than 50,000 people, while 4,000 to 5,000 drowned or died in the chaos of battle. He did not mention the number of livestock.

According to the rules, the spoils captured by the army should be split 30/70 with the imperial court, with the army taking 70%. Of course, the term "spoiling" sounds too offensive, making the empire sound like a criminal organization. The proper way to put it is to allow the army to keep what it can for its own use.

The supervising eunuch Cao Huachun returned, his once fair complexion now tanned dark, and he seemed considerably thinner. Keep in mind, he was originally just the head chef of the imperial kitchen; what cook doesn't steal food?!
Cao Huachun complained that Mao Wenlong and his group had negotiated with the Jurchens without his knowledge, and had secretly divided the spoils of war without waiting for orders from the court. Zhu Youjian comforted Cao Huachun with a few words, managing to appease him, and did not intend to cause trouble for Mao Wenlong at this time.

If you win, everything is fine; everyone can celebrate, and there's no need to upset your soldiers. If you lose, you absolutely cannot criticize them. They already lack confidence, and if you scold them, how can they maintain their fighting spirit? So don't be fooled by these military leaders' tough-guy appearances; they actually need to be coaxed like children.

Zhu Youjian said to Zu Dashou, "There's candy in the capital, come quickly!"

After the Battle of Dalinghe, Mao Wenlong, Man Gui, and Zu Dashou had all gone back to their respective homes, but now they had reunited, accompanied by the old strategist Yuan Keli.

Looking at the gate of Shanhaiguan, Zu Dashou felt his legs go weak. He had been only half a body length behind Yuan Keli, but gradually fell behind the rest of the group. Even his warhorse looked at him with suspicion. By the time Yuan Keli had already left the pass, Zu Dashou was still lingering inside the gate, unwilling to come out.

Yuan Keli and the others reined in their horses and turned to look back. Just a doorway away, Zu Dashou stood alone on his horse, looking rather pitiful. Man Gui, ever the sarcastic one, chuckled gloatingly. After laughing, he waved to Zu Dashou and said, "Come on, what are you standing there for?!"

Zu Dashou could no longer laugh; he couldn't even muster the anger that comes from being ridiculed. He ignored it and instead said to Yuan Keli, "General Yuan, you have to believe me! I haven't done anything!"

Yuan Keli found Zu Dashou's behavior somewhat amusing, though he had heard rumors about Zu Dashou's misdeeds. He stroked his beard and feigned ignorance, saying, "General Zu, I don't quite understand what you mean! What do you mean?"

"This humble general fears this is a trap!" Zu Dashou said with a mournful face.

"His Majesty has always been lenient. Even if you have made a mistake, your merits and demerits will offset each other, and you probably won't bear too much of a burden. If it really comes to that, I will do my part to help you," Yuan Keli said indifferently.

Zu Dashou wanted to cry even more after hearing this, but crying was useless. He still had to force a smile and say, "Then this humble general thanks you in advance, General."

Man Gui was holding back for a long time. He couldn't interrupt directly, so he waited for Yuan Keli to speak before he could open his mouth.

He loudly mocked, "Zu Dashou, you are truly shameless! A Feast at Hongmen? You dare to compare yourself to Emperor Gaozu of Han?! If His Majesty wanted to kill you, would he need a Feast at Hongmen?! He could simply send an imperial envoy with three or five soldiers, holding the Imperial Sword, to read the imperial edict and capture you on the spot, beheading you as a warning to the public. Why go through all that trouble?!"

For some reason, hearing this made Mao Wenlong feel a tickle on his neck. It seemed that he had done just as many of the things Zu Dashou had done, and even though the emperor was far away, his Dongjiang Town was isolated overseas and its jurisdiction was far less than that of Jinzhou City.

He then offered words of comfort to Zu Dashou, partly to reassure himself: "You don't need to worry. The imperial document says we can go to the capital to receive our rewards and titles. His Majesty is magnanimous; your trivial matters are not even worth his attention."

"But you wouldn't have secretly defected to the Jurchens, would you? If that's true, I'll be the first to not spare you. Even if His Majesty doesn't kill you, I'll personally lead an army to take your head!"

Zu Dashou was unfazed by Mao Wenlong's threats, but Mao Wenlong's persuasion had worked. He realized he wasn't alone; he was colluding with the Jurchens, trading grain and firearms, smuggling saltpeter, gunpowder, cotton, hemp, silk, and other supplies to them. But hadn't Mao Wenlong done these things much less?

Aside from firearms and saltpeter, what wouldn't he sell? And because he had his own boat, he sold far more than the other man. He was determined that if the emperor blamed him, he would implicate Mao Wenlong, and Man Gui wouldn't escape either. He didn't believe the emperor would be willing to kill them all!
On the tenth day of the fourth intercalary month, Zu Dashou and others arrived in the capital. From then on, representatives of all factions who had participated in the war against the Jurchens during the Jisi Incident gathered in the capital for a victory celebration. Zhu Youjian had always spared no effort in cultivating relationships with the military.

To be honest, he was very familiar with the names of Mao Wenlong and the others, but this was the first time he had met them in person. He had originally thought these men were all fierce warriors, but when he actually met them, they were all incredibly timid and became obedient children, kneeling down in unison.

It was Man Gui who led the way. He deliberately wore a flying fish robe and knelt down in front of the emperor. He did so with such smoothness and without any sense of shame, his flattery was frightening.

Zu Dashou, already harboring a guilty conscience, walked to court as if his feet were on cotton. His mind raced, trying to figure out how to defend himself if the emperor questioned him, but Man Gui beat him to it. He hated Man Gui intensely, but could only push her aside, kneeling even louder and prostrating himself even lower. Mao Wenlong wasn't as shameless as the other two, but since they had all come together, and two of the three generals were kneeling while he stood alone, what would the emperor think? Would he suspect him of having rebellious intentions?

Then, a legendary scene unfolded in the imperial court: three notoriously arrogant Liao generals knelt obediently before the emperor, vying with each other to be first. Upon witnessing this, the assembled officials gasped in astonishment. What had the emperor done behind their backs to subdue these Liaoxi commanders so completely?!

Now it was the ministers in the court's turn to feel uneasy. They could distinguish between ceremonial kneeling and submission. What the officials wanted was for the army to obey the court's command, and for the Ministry of Revenue to use the imperial treasury's silver and the Ministry of War to use military merit rewards and punishments to control the army. They certainly didn't want the army to become the emperor's private army!

Zhu Youjian was also a little dazed. He felt as if he hadn't fully woken up yet, otherwise he wouldn't have fantasized about having the aura of a king, with heroes of the world bowing down at the mere mention of his name. Seeing that the emperor was still in a daze, Zu Dashou thought that the emperor was expressing his dissatisfaction with him and deliberately giving them a warning, so he knelt even lower.

The night he received the order, he didn't sleep a wink. If the Jurchens hadn't been in dire straits, he might have even gone to join them. But after much deliberation, he gave up on the idea. Public opinion can be deceiving; after being talked about so much, Zu Dashou himself began to doubt himself.

"Gentlemen, please rise and dispense with the formalities," Zhu Youjian said, swallowing hard. He had just pinched his thigh to make sure he was awake. He had no idea what these three were up to; he could only conclude that Yuan Keli, the Liaodong military commissioner, had done a good job training them.

After exchanging greetings, the emperor and his ministers began their business. Yuan Keli's main purpose was to explain his strategy for pacifying Liaodong and garner the court's support. He knew that obtaining funds from the court would not be easy, and relying solely on the emperor's orders was not a long-term solution. Ideally, he could persuade most people to support him and avoid any covert interference.

Of course, these matters won't be discussed today. The first day is mainly for reconciliation, specifically for military achievements. Commanders at the front, such as Yuan Keli and Mao Wenlong, personally recount the beginning, course, and outcome of the battle. The descriptions in the battle reports are inevitably somewhat inaccurate, and some issues are not convenient to discuss back and forth. Now that they are in the imperial court, they can ask and answer questions face-to-face.

The war of the year Ji Si was actually divided into two parts. The first battle took place in western and southern Liaoning, followed by the second half. In total, the war lasted for about half a year, leaving both sides exhausted. The first thing to settle was the first half, and the great achievement of Yuan Keli in recovering 300 li of lost territory!

If the rewards issued by the emperor could be counted back, the merit of capturing the Jurchen prince Dorgon should also be added! In fact, the merit of recovering lost territory alone is enough to warrant a title of nobility, but granting a title to a civil official is somewhat challenging the nerves of civil and military officials, and there is a lot of opposition. Yuan Keli himself is not very enthusiastic about the matter of being granted a title of nobility.

He said, "Your Majesty, the recovery of lost territory and the capture of the slave chieftain were the achievements of our soldiers who risked their lives to fight. This old minister is too weak to lift a single stone or carry a single load, and I have not personally killed any of the slave traitors. What merit have I made?!"

Zhu Youjian retorted directly: "My dear minister, do you not know the story of Zigong redeeming people and Zilu receiving cattle? You want me to be unclear about rewards and punishments, and to put me in an unjust position!"

Yuan Keli said that he could not be granted a marquisate. If he wanted to, he would have to wait until he recovered Liaodong.

He said with conviction, "Rewards and punishments should be clearly defined and based on reason. Regarding the matter of military merits and rewards, I have already compiled a register of merits and submitted it to the Ministry of War for verification."

This merit belongs to all the soldiers and officers, and is certainly not solely due to my efforts. As the Military Commissioner of Liaodong, I have dared to humbly claim this honor for the soldiers of Liaodong; as for the merits they earned through bloody battles, I dare not claim even a fraction of it!

Mao Wenlong was dumbfounded. He raised one eyebrow and stared at Yuan Keli, his heart filled with anxiety and anger: "You don't want to be ennobled, but I do!"

Zhu Youjian was also bewildered. In this day and age, it was unbelievable that someone could not even give away a noble title if they wanted to. Were all these people so noble and virtuous?!

Yuan Keli was also filled with helplessness. How could a civil official be granted a title so easily? If he accepted this offer, he would have to write a memorial requesting to retire. He was already getting restless at home. Now that he was old, his only wish was to recover Liaodong before he died.

Although he felt helpless, he could understand. The young emperor was a latecomer to the political arena, knew a little about everything but not much, and was very arbitrary in his appointment, dismissal, and reward of officials, acting on a whim.

Yuan Keli was really unpopular in the court. He was afraid of attracting too much attention, so even though he was so humble, there were still people who wanted to impeach him.

Some people thought he was hypocritical, while others wanted to pin the blame for the Jurchens' entry into the Central Plains on him. Even if they couldn't bring him down, they wanted to at least halve his credit.

Everyone else is just doing fine as a useless person, and you stand out so much, doesn't that make us seem dispensable?!

(End of this chapter)