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

Chapter 77 Your Majesty might as well appoint Yuan Chonghuan as governor of Fujian to restrain Zheng Zhilong.

After seeing his brother off, Zhu Youjian moved to the Qianqing Palace. Ming Dynasty emperors often lived alone, only summoning concubines to serve them in bed when needed, or going to their palaces.

Zhu Youjian invited Zhu Xieyuan to dinner in the East Warm Pavilion behind the main hall. After dinner, he called him to come with him to the Maoqin Hall, located southeast of the Qianqing Palace, where government affairs were handled. Although he had not yet officially taken office, Zhu Youjian still wanted to exploit the labor of his veteran comrades, using them as laborers in the meantime.

He showed Zhu Xieyuan the memorials concerning the most pressing issues at the time, namely the loss of troops in Fujian and the war between Manchuria and Mongolia, and asked for his opinion.

Zhu Xieyuan frowned as he read the report from Fujian. He was from Zhejiang and had grown up hearing tales of the famous anti-Japanese general Yu Dayou! While Yu Zigao couldn't compare to Yu Daqiu, he was still renowned for his military prowess in his earlier years. Judging from the battle report, this fellow had clearly underestimated the enemy!
The army of over ten thousand men suffered heavy losses, with more than half killed. Although it was a dismal defeat, the situation in the southwest back then was far more severe. This was nothing more than a minor incident for Zhu Xieyuan, and he wasn't too surprised. After all, he was well aware of the corruption within the Ming Dynasty's garrison system. Leading ten thousand garrison soldiers to suppress such a large band of bandits, the outcome was not unexpected.

"Your Majesty, how do you intend to handle this matter? Do you favor annihilation or appeasement?" Zhu Xieyuan asked.

"They can still wipe them out?!" Zhu Youjian was somewhat surprised.

"The pirates have gathered here, seemingly powerful, but in reality they are nothing more than a rabble!"
These people are only capable of causing chaos when things are going well, but they are incapable of overcoming any real obstacles. They gather because of profit, and may temporarily join forces when there is something to gain, but once they encounter setbacks, they will scatter like birds and beasts.

Furthermore, I have heard that bandits are rampant in the southeastern seas, and Zheng Zhilong is merely one of their many. If Your Majesty were to sow discord and weaken them, using the strategy of fighting bandits with bandits, why should you worry that Zheng Zhilong will not be beheaded?
"I hope Your Majesty will not be misled by the rebels' bluff; these people are truly nothing to fear!" Zhu Xieyuan said confidently.

"Is this the big boss? He certainly has a domineering air about him," Zhu Youjian thought to himself. He almost got so excited that he appointed Zhu Xieyuan as the governor-general of the five southeastern provinces and sent him to suppress Zheng Zhilong.

"Do you think the court should send troops to eliminate Zheng Zhilong?" Zhu Youjian asked.

Zhu Xieyuan shook his head and said, "In my humble opinion, the court should still appease Zheng Zhilong, but it is better to appease him than to let him go. Now is not the time to grant him amnesty. If we hastily agree, I fear that he will become arrogant and make excessive demands on the court."

It would be better to first prepare our military and engage them in battle. Once their strength is blunted and their arrogance extinguished, we can then send envoys to offer them amnesty. This approach will be truly effective. At that time, they will surely be grateful and will not dare to harbor any further disloyal thoughts.

"Since you say that Zheng Zhilong can be defeated, why do you also say that we should be granted amnesty?" Zhu Youjian asked.

"Although I am confident that I can defeat Zheng Zhilong, this campaign will likely take ten years."

The Ming Dynasty's navy has long suffered from numerous problems: its warships are rotten and dilapidated, and its soldiers are exhausted and weak. If we wish to defeat Zheng Zhilong, we will need at least a strong army.

Only in this way can we be qualified to form alliances and command those pirates to serve us. Otherwise, we will end up like Yu Zigao, who negotiated cooperation with the foreign devils only to be betrayed.

Defeating Zheng Zhilong may not be difficult, but after the defeat, he will surely flee to Japan, Ryukyu, and other places, requiring the navy to continue to pursue and intercept him.

Training elite troops and building ships both require money. The Ming Dynasty is currently short of funds, barely able to cope with the nine border regions, let alone afford to deal with these pirates in the southeast.

Furthermore, as long as the ocean exists, the Japanese pirates will be endless, a problem that has plagued our Great Ming for centuries. Even if Zheng Zhilong is eliminated, other Japanese pirates will emerge. It would be better to issue an imperial edict to grant Zheng Zhilong amnesty and use him to counterbalance these pirates.” Zhu Xieyuan stroked his beard and said.

"But who can win this battle? The Fujian governor, Zhu Qinxiang, may share similar thoughts with you. He has long wanted to pacify Zheng Zhilong, but Zheng's appetite is too great. Zhu Qinxiang hoped that Yu Zigao could defeat him, but unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Last year, I clearly instructed Yu Zigao to avoid battle and not to get entangled with Zheng Zhilong, but he still could not restrain himself. I suspect that Zhu Qinxiang may have been trying to provoke him." Zhu Youjian sighed and said.

"Now that the Fujian Navy has been destroyed, the court should quickly mobilize the Fujian and Zhejiang navies to stabilize the situation. Since the naval battle is difficult to win, it would be better to coordinate land and sea operations, investigate and confiscate the merchants who are in cahoots with Zheng Zhilong, crack down on smuggling along the coast, and cut off their source of income. In this way, his subordinates will inevitably change their ways due to the difficulty of making a living, forcing Zheng Zhilong to surrender and accept amnesty."

Regarding military talent, Shen Yourong was once a renowned naval commander, a pillar of the southeast, but many of the Ming Dynasty's veteran naval commanders have passed away. Yuan Keli is capable of this role, but unfortunately, His Majesty has already dispatched him to Liaodong, making it difficult for him to take on the responsibility.

At this point, Zhu Xieyuan paused for a moment, thinking: Something's not right. Has he been deceived by the emperor? Isn't the emperor quite good at using people? He's just sending his capable people to key positions, which has left him somewhat short-handed in the court.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of distractions, and said, "Your Majesty might as well send Yuan Chonghuan to inspect Fujian and use him to control Zheng Zhilong."

"Yuan Chonghuan?!" Zhu Youjian's instinctive reaction kicked in again, and he asked subconsciously, "Is Yuan Chonghuan any good?"

Zhu Xieyuan didn't know why the emperor disliked Yuan Chonghuan so much, but he still explained: "Yuan Chonghuan is quite courageous and resourceful. Although he has flaws such as being stubborn and arrogant, he is more than capable of being a governor of a region. In the past, Sun Zhisheng, Wang Mingchu and others also highly praised Yuan Chonghuan."

Zhu Youjian's head was spinning. Was he really going to send Yuan Chonghuan to deal with Zheng Zhilong, send heroes to deal with heroes, and send villains to torment villains?! This joke was anything but funny.

Unable to make a decision immediately, he changed the subject and asked, "Many people are impeaching Zhu Qinxiang and Yu Zigao. What do you think I should do?"

Zhu Xieyuan replied, “These two men did make mistakes, but the blame cannot be placed entirely on them. The Fujian navy has long suffered from accumulated problems. Their warships are rotten and dilapidated, and their soldiers are exhausted and weak. How could they not be defeated when they were caught off guard and engaged in battle?”

In my opinion, his dereliction of duty should be severely punished to serve as a warning to others. Yu Zigao has caused the loss of an army and disgraced the nation, and should be punished. However, his life can be spared temporarily; he can be demoted but retained in service, allowing him to atone for his crime through meritorious service, and his future conduct will be observed.”

Zhu Youjian thought the same way. He wouldn't kill generals who had lost battles, as killing them would chill the heart. He would only kill those who betrayed their comrades or defected to the enemy, because not killing them would also chill the heart!

The two chatted for a long time until nightfall, when Zhu Xieyuan finally took his leave.

An elder in the family is a treasure, and Zhu Xieyuan was indeed experienced and capable. He handled many things that had troubled Zhu Youjian for a long time with ease, and could even teach him a lesson, explaining the complexities in the simplest terms.

It is said that he didn't even need an advisor when he was working in the local area, truly a divine figure like Zhuge Liang.

When faced with unresolved foreign affairs, Zhu Youjian consulted Zhu Xieyuan; when faced with unresolved domestic affairs, he consulted Bi Ziyan. Zhu Youjian felt that his governing team was finally taking shape.

Regarding the war between the Jurchens and the Chahar, Zhu Xieyuan believed that Wang Xiangqian's calculations were flawless, and that it was sufficient for the court not to hinder his efforts. He predicted that Ligdan Khan would undoubtedly lose, and that the Ming Dynasty could neither support him nor should it do so, given that this scoundrel had broken his promises more than once or twice, always turning around and plundering the Ming Dynasty after agreeing to cooperation.

It's not necessarily an order from Ligdan Khan; more likely, he simply couldn't control the tribes under his command. If he can't control his people, how can you expect him to win?!

(End of this chapter)