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

Chapter 293 Geng Ruqi: Look, is my head still there?!
In October of the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign, snow fell across the nine border regions, and the grass withered and broke. Geng Ruqi, the governor of Shanxi, was in a state of emotional collapse and wished he could resign immediately and flee back to his hometown in Shandong.

On the 9th, Geng Ruqi hurried back to his old home in Taiyuan from Datong. After days of traveling, the cold wind had torn his skin, making him look ten years older than he actually was.

They used to be able to use marmot oil, which was traded on the grasslands, to apply to their faces, which could effectively prevent dry and cracked skin. But recently, for some unknown reason, the grasslands have been hit by a plague that has infected both humans and livestock.

People from the grasslands used diseased marmots to extract oil and sold it in Shanxi Province. As a result, Han Chinese who applied marmot oil also contracted cradle cap. How could Geng Ruqi dare to apply oil to his face anymore?

Not only do we dare not use marmot oil, but we also dare not use things like beef tallow and mutton tallow, because who knows what those Mongol Tartars might mix into it.

In order to meet the needs of epidemic prevention, Geng Ruqi ordered the closure of the Datong border and the suspension of trade with Mongolian tribes.

Now, the Mongols, deprived of their vital source of sustenance, instantly became enraged. Already ravaged by plague, their people and livestock were dying in large numbers, and the tribal shamans were helpless; they could only watch their people die one after another, already living a very depressing life.

Now that the Ming Dynasty has imposed a blockade on them, they are even more desperate. They know how powerful the Ming army is, but no matter what, they have to find a way to survive.

Border trade was permitted by the Great Ming Khan, so what right did Geng Ruqi have to obstruct it? They were dissatisfied; they wanted an audience with the Emperor; they wanted to purge the court of corrupt officials!
But the Mongol disturbances were not the reason for Geng Ruqi's distress. With one of the two Mongol Khans dead and the other fleeing, the Chahan tribe no longer had anyone capable of leading the tribe.

Today, the two leading tribes in Mongolia are the Tumed tribe, which has maintained friendly relations with the Ming Dynasty for decades and whose current Khan, Bushitu, is the fourth Shunyi King appointed by the Ming Dynasty; and the Western Mongolian tribe, which has had relatively little interaction with the Ming Dynasty.

The next level down were the Western Mongol tribes, which had annexed the remnants of Ligdan Khan's forces, and the Khalkha tribe, located north of the Tümed and in Outer Mongolia. Ironically, many of the horses exported by the Tümed to the Ming Dynasty were actually imported from the Khalkha tribe.

In the Jisi Incident, Huang Taiji united all the forces he could. The Tumed refused to send troops, while the Khalkha participated in the raids into the Central Plains. However, it was also the Khalkha tribe that first turned against the Jurchens. Having long been isolated from civilized life and living a primitive existence, the Khalkha tribe seemed to have no sense of honor or loyalty whatsoever.

The Khorchin tribe, which they had initially led to turn against the Jurchens, was wiped out by the Jurchens. However, the Khalkha tribe, because they fled quickly and lived far away, escaped capture and thus preserved their strength. The Khalkha tribe was a loose tribal confederation, with its three largest tribes being the Zasagtu, Tushetu, and Chechen tribes.

The original Benshetu tribe was the most powerful and the first Khalkha Mongol tribe to ally with the Later Jin. However, in the Jisi Incident, thousands of its elite troops were killed. During the escape, hundreds more died from injuries sustained by firearms. The tribe suddenly fell from the strongest of the three to the weakest.

The Chechen tribe, which was originally ranked second in strength and had 30,000 followers, suddenly became the leader of the Khalkha tribe.

Last year, during the grand court assembly on New Year's Day, the Chechen Khan Shuo Lei sent an envoy to say that he wanted to recognize the Ming Emperor as his father and become Zhu Youjian's godson. Zhu Youjian almost lost his composure.

If Shuolei hadn't been surnamed Borjigin, not Kadyrov, Zhu Youjian would have thought he'd switched places. He politely declined Shuolei's offer, replying that both sides could establish friendly trade relations, and that the Ming Dynasty would purchase Jurchen heads, hearts, and livers in large quantities, with preferential rates for large orders. He said there was no need for this paternity acknowledgment, which was rather absurd.

Then there are the remnants of the Chahan tribe. After all, they were the central ten thousand households of the Mongol Empire, a tribe directly under the Mongol Khan, and once the strongest on the grasslands. Although they suffered double blows from the Ming and Jin dynasties, they have not been wiped out to this day. Even a centipede with a hundred legs does not die easily.

Currently, the tribe entrenched on the border of Datong is the Ahetumen Ten Thousand Household Ordo, a remnant of the Chahan tribe, under the jurisdiction of Empress Namchung of the Great Mongol Empire. She still has 15,000 followers and can conscript up to 5,000 cavalry. In the first half of this year, Geng Ruqi and Namchung got along very well, and it was Geng Ruqi who suggested that the emperor take Namchung as a concubine.

After some discussion, the officials in the Ministry of War felt the deal was extremely worthwhile and agreed. Although the Ministry of Rites had some reservations, they were minor. Unfortunately, the emperor did not approve. This Namuzhong was a pearl of the grasslands, incredibly beautiful. Ligdan Khan had gone to great lengths to marry her.

Namuzhong wasn't very old, only three years older than the current emperor. She became pregnant with Ligdan Khan's posthumous child three months after his death. It's understandable that she did this to consolidate her power.

Geng Ruqi couldn't understand why the emperor would refuse such a good offer. After all, Namuzhong held the Imperial Seal of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. Although this thing was not of great use to the Ming Dynasty, it was of great use to the Ming Dynasty without it. If it fell into the hands of the Jurchens, it would be a big problem.

Although Geng Ruqi was disappointed that he couldn't make this happen, he didn't hesitate when he turned against Namuzhong.

When the decision was made to close the border, Namuzhong actually knelt down before him, but Geng Ruqi's heart was as hard as stone, and he still closed the border trade between the two sides.

In September, Namuzhong launched an attack on Datong, breaching three Ming army border fortresses, killing over 700 Ming soldiers, seizing 5,000 shi of military rations, and leaving triumphantly.

At the end of September, Geng Ruqi dispatched 800 elite cavalry from Shanxi Town in Datong to retaliate against Namuzhong by setting fire to the wasteland. The fire spread from Piantou Pass all the way to Simatai in Miyun, Beijing, covering a distance of 1,200 li and extending outwards by 300 li. It was the largest wasteland burning operation since the Ming Dynasty.

Geng Ruqi set the fire not only to drive away the Mongols who were lingering on the border, but also because he hoped it would curb the spread of the plague from the Mongol tribes to the Ming Dynasty.

Between the eighth and sixteenth years of the Wanli reign, millions of people died in the four provinces of Beizhili, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan due to famine and plague.

In the sixteenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, the plague could not be contained and spread to Geng Ruqi's hometown, Guantao County, Dongchang Prefecture, Shandong Province. Geng Ruqi still cannot forget that desperate experience from his youth.

His closest childhood friends were all dead, and his childhood sweetheart and cousin were also dead.

The Geng family was a prominent local clan, yet they still could not escape this disaster, and the entire family was almost wiped out.

He knew how terrible the plague was, so he absolutely could not let Shanxi, under his rule, repeat the same mistakes. Even if he was scolded for being heartless, called a fickle villain by Namuzhong, and impeached by court officials for provoking border conflicts, he would not hesitate. His soldiers could only die in battle, not from disease or starvation!
The garrison commander stationed in Taiyuan was Zhang Honggong, who was originally the commander-in-chief of the Shanxi garrison.

During the defense of Xuanfu and Datong in the first year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, he led 10,000 men to support Datong, but they were defeated halfway there. He abandoned his army and fled back, only to be pursued by the Mongols, and almost lost Yanmen Pass. Of the more than 10,000 men, less than 2,000 escaped. It is unknown how many of them were slaughtered or how many deserted.

More than 8,000 people died, yet they still had to receive compensation. Zhu Youjian hated Zhang Honggong to the core and originally wanted to execute him. However, at that time, the people inside and outside the court were in a state of panic. If he killed more people, the front line might really collapse. So Zhang Honggong was lucky enough to survive.

Later, the situation reversed, the battle was won, and Zhu Youjian was in a good mood. He didn't hold Zhang Honggong accountable for his past misdeeds, but simply demoted him from general to the lowest rank. However, Zhang Honggong did not fade into obscurity. While other families had produced four generations of high-ranking officials, his family had produced five generations of generals.

Besides Zhang Honggong, another unfortunate figure in the defense of Xuanda was Zhang Yiming, the governor of Datong. Zhang Yiming was demoted to magistrate of Gaoyang County, leaving the governorship of Datong vacant. Zhu Youjian did not appoint a replacement, and the administration of Datong was entrusted to Geng Ruqi. But the governors of the Ming Dynasty, as those in the know understand, all had such long reach, wanting to control everything from military and political affairs to diplomacy.

Qu Jiazhen, the general of Datong, was able to retain his original position because of his bravery. Zhu Youjian even gave him some honors and rewards. Logically speaking, he should have been able to stand tall. He did not flinch when facing the Chahan army, which was several times larger than his own. However, when facing Geng Ruqi, he still habitually knelt down.

Small temples have many evil winds, shallow waters have many turtles. In places close to the central government, civil officials are less likely to bully military generals. If they go too far, the emperor will intervene, the nobles will go berserk, and they will end up in trouble.

Things are different far from the central government. Even a seventh-rank county magistrate dares to defy a second-rank general. A few impeachments from civil officials can get them fired, and a few minor tricks can cut off their pay and leave them starving. Starving is a minor matter; the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty aren't easy to deal with. If they go berserk, can't a general handle them?!
Qu Jiazhen was terrified of being bullied. He wasn't familiar with Geng Ruqi and didn't know what kind of person he was. He figured he should just avoid offending him if possible, and if Geng Ruqi wanted to give orders, he'd just listen to him. What else could he do? Later, he discovered that Geng Ruqi was actually a pretty decent superior, someone who at least knew a bit about military affairs. Qu Jiazhen even felt quite lucky.

Qu Jiazhen's humble and subservient demeanor did not completely reassure Geng Ruqi, who still hoped to develop his own military power.

However, his family's influence was limited to one county, and none of the officials in his family had developed in the military field. His knowledge of military affairs was purely out of personal interest, so it was only natural for him to join forces with Zhang Honggong, who came from a military family.

He gave Zhang Honggong a chance to make a comeback, and Zhang Honggong, along with his family members, served as the backbone of Geng Ruqi's battalion.

However, Zhang Honggong had caused too much trouble, and Geng Ruqi couldn't let him rise to prominence too quickly.

As the de facto top military and political leader in Shanxi, Geng Ruqi has a certain degree of autonomy in appointing officials. However, the appointment of military officers of the third rank or above must go through the court recommendation process or be directly appointed by the emperor. In either case, it must reach the emperor's ears.

Geng Ruqi was unsure of the emperor's attitude, so he dared not let Zhang Honggong appear in the emperor's sight. Therefore, he could only keep him in the position of garrison commander for the time being. Even if he wanted to promote him, he would have to find a legitimate reason to recommend him. It was hard to say whether he would be able to succeed in the end.

If the emperor forgot about Zhang Honggong, or if the emperor became lazy in governing and, like during the Tianqi era, allowed Wei Zhongxian to act as regent, then they might still have a chance to get it approved by spending some money and pulling some strings. Wei Zhongxian's governing ability was actually quite mediocre; his methods of internal power struggles were outstanding. How much insight could you expect from a eunuch when it comes to governing a country?
During Wei Zhongxian's reign, the Ming Dynasty's military performance was utterly disastrous, suffering defeat after defeat.

Wei Zhongxian didn't want things to turn out this way, but he genuinely couldn't distinguish who was capable of fighting and who wasn't, or perhaps those who were truly capable of fighting simply wouldn't associate with his eunuch faction.

Zhu Youjian knew of Geng Ruqi, otherwise he would not have tacitly allowed him to grow powerful in Shanxi.

Such a single-minded individual as him cannot properly understand the complexity of historical figures. He can only rely on his vague memory and his extremely poor understanding of history to simply label ministers as capable, useless, loyal, or traitors, and then rearrange them in different ways.

Loyalty and ability are naturally the top priority when it comes to employing people. Traitors and capable ministers are not necessarily unusable, but they need to be guarded against. Useless people, regardless of loyalty or treachery, should all be killed!
Zhu Youjian wasn't really sure whether Geng Ruqi was a good fighter. The reason he remembered this man was because he died a tragic and unjust death in the original history!

In this lifetime, during the Jisi Incident, Geng Ruqi still intended to lead troops to defend the emperor, but before he could arrive, Zhu Youjian foresaw his arrival and persuaded him to return.

At that time, both Datong and Shanxi were nearly decimated. The fiercest battle was fought in Datong, but the spoils were reaped by the reinforcements. Xuanfu, Yansui, and the Beijing garrison received military merit rewards, while the Shanxi garrisons received generous pensions and allowances. Both the military and civilians suffered heavy casualties. In retrospect, the losses in Shanxi were not much less than those in the Jisi Incident.

In the Jisi Incident, the scorched-earth policy was implemented ahead of schedule in Beizhili, resulting in significant economic losses and numerous deaths, but it was still far better than the hundreds of thousands of casualties recorded in the original historical timeline. The massacre in Shanxi, however, was fabricated out of thin air by Zhu Youjian (Emperor Zhu Youjian).

In the original historical timeline, the Ming Dynasty paid Ligdan Khan a million taels of silver annually in exchange for a peaceful night's sleep, hoping to join forces with Ligdan Khan to fight against the Jurchens. However, Zhu Youjian (Emperor Yongle) firmly rejected Ligdan Khan's extortion, prematurely igniting the conflict between the Ming Dynasty and the Chahan tribe, causing Ligdan Khan, who originally only wanted to sign a humiliating treaty, to start playing for real.

Of course, the final result was good. The Ming Dynasty performed the ritual to help Ligdan Khan pass away five years ahead of schedule and subjugated most of Mongolia.

Geng Ruqi's previous attempt to win over the Chahan tribe greatly displeased Zhang Honggong, who blamed the Chahan tribe for his current predicament. He couldn't blame anyone else for his own defeats in battle, nor could he blame his teammates for not sending reinforcements. He could only attribute the blame to the enemy's brutality and cunning.

Geng Ruqi stayed in Datong for three months. Before going there, he had no intention of falling out with Namuzhong, so Zhang Honggong felt very uncomfortable and did not go with him.

What happened next made Zhang Honggong very happy. He had no intention of winning over the Chahan tribe. If he hadn't been outmatched, he would have preferred that all the Mongols, especially the Chahan tribe, be wiped out. Only then could he alleviate the resentment of being utterly defeated and narrowly escaped death.

Losing his official position wasn't what he hated most; what he couldn't accept was that he had ruined his father and brothers' reputations, and he couldn't even hold his head up when offering sacrifices to his ancestors.

In previous years, he was always at the forefront of the ancestral worship ceremony, which was an honor for the entire family and made him the head of the family. Now, every year during the ancestral worship ceremony, his legs go weak and he is too ashamed to face anyone!

Some straightforward people asked him directly, "Why didn't you die on the battlefield?" Yes, why didn't he die on the battlefield? That way, the emperor would have remembered his loyalty and bravery, rewarded his family, and his reputation wouldn't have been greatly damaged. But he didn't dare; he was afraid!

Not everyone has the courage to risk their life. It is quite rare to find a second-generation military officer like Li Chengdong who enjoys charging into battle.

Geng Ruqi had vented his anger, and when he returned, Zhang Honggong opened the city gates wide and greeted him with a smile. However, Geng Ruqi's first words to him were: "Honggong, do you think my head is still there?!"

"Huh?!" Zhang Honggong was completely stunned. He grabbed Geng Ruqi's arm and looked at it over and over. Although the old man's face was weathered and his hair was gray, and he looked like he was seventy when he was fifty, there was no blood on his body.

Looking at his personal guards, although they were exhausted, they didn't seem to be being chased. He was an expert at escaping for his life, so how could he be mistaken? What is the governor up to?!

(End of this chapter)