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

Chapter 82: Ministers Advise Against It, Foreign Enemies Surround Them, The Ming Dynasty is Doomed
"Last year, Bi Ziyan was very proud of himself, saying that he had approved the number of soldiers in the nine border regions, saving our Great Ming hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. If I remember correctly, he also embezzled more than 100,000 taels of silver from the Datong Garrison. Now the consequences are showing."

Throughout history, those skilled in economic management have all used methods to increase revenue for the imperial court. Who doesn't know how to save money? Yet, their relentless austerity has caused countless people to lose their livelihoods. What serious consequences will result from these people leaving their posts? Has Minister Bi considered these matters?
Your Majesty, in your wisdom, I believe that Bi Ziyan is unworthy of his position and incapable of undertaking the great task of reform. I humbly request Your Majesty to dismiss Bi Ziyan and select a more capable and virtuous person in his place!

It was clearly a border issue, but for some reason it suddenly turned into a condemnation of Bi Ziyan.

Upon hearing these slanders, Bi Ziyan turned pale. He remained silent and did not defend himself.

The members of the new political parties who supported him were mostly young, lower- to middle-level officials, and their numbers were small. They wanted to refute him, but their voices were too weak to be heard and were quickly drowned out by the crowd.

"Enough! All of you shut up!" Zhu Youjian slammed his hand on the imperial desk and said, "Datong is in dire need of help. The most urgent matter right now is to relieve the siege of Datong and fight against the northern barbarians, not to listen to you forming cliques, engaging in factionalism, and attacking yourselves!"

"Your Majesty! You once said that you would emulate Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty in upholding justice and striving for clear rewards and punishments. But why are you now showing such unbridled favoritism towards Bi Ziyan? I beg Your Majesty to severely punish Bi Ziyan to rectify the people's hearts. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!" Grand Secretary Guo Yunhou of the Dongge Pavilion said relentlessly.

“Your Majesty, to repel external aggression, we must first secure internal stability. Bi Ziyan has indeed made a mistake. I beg Your Majesty to severely punish him to uphold the law of the land!” Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Shan Mingxu said, holding his official tablet with both hands and bowing.

"Your Majesty, Bi Ziyan's 'harshness and extortion' and 'abuse of power' have caused resentment among officials and uproar in the court. We beseech Your Majesty to severely punish Bi Ziyan to appease the anger of the officials," said Cao Yubian, the Left Censor-in-Chief.

"Your Majesty, please punish Bi Ziji severely!" Over a hundred people stepped forward and shouted in unison.

Bi Ziyan tilted his head slightly and closed his eyes in pain.

Zhu Youjian narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the scene before him. At this moment, he felt no anger, but rather a frightening calmness.

"This is an attempt to force the emperor to abdicate," Zhu Youjian thought. "Although there is no evidence to prove that Lindan Khan's invasion is related to you people, your active cooperation in assisting him makes it hard not to be suspicious."

Zhu Youjian rose from the dragon throne, and a vast array of officials knelt before him. He spoke calmly, saying, "Although I have appointed Bi Qing as Grand Secretary and Minister of Revenue, ordering him to rectify government affairs, every decree must be approved by me in red ink before it can be implemented. The cessation of annual rewards for the Chahar tribe is indeed my intention!"

The imperial treasury is depleted, the border troops have been owed wages for a long time, and Ligdan Khan is fickle and unpredictable. With such a bunch of dogs and pigs, our Great Ming Dynasty is barely able to support its own troops. How can we possibly provide silver and grain to the enemy? When the enemy invades our borders, you actually dare to talk about exchanging money for peace? You are all well-read scholars of classics and history. How can you be as stupid as a three-year-old child?
Are you trying to force me to issue an edict of self-reproach? To threaten one's sovereign is a crime! How could Confucius have taught you to be so disrespectful?
The ancients said, "If a ruler treats his subjects like weeds, the subjects will treat their ruler like enemies." However, since my ascension to the throne, I have treated you all with unparalleled leniency. Have I ever resorted to imperial prison and private punishment? Yet you have taken advantage of this, and today you all demand that I severely punish Grand Secretary Bi. I must ask you, which law of my Great Ming Dynasty has Grand Secretary Bi violated?!

Whoosh!

Under the horrified gazes of the assembled officials and palace guards, the White-Pole Guards ran in orderly steps from outside the hall, and after entering the hall, they split into two lines, filling the east and west sides of the hall.

The White-Pole Guards stood silently beside the officials, their hands gripping the white waxwood spears tightly. The steel spearheads, gleaming with a cold light, pressed upwards at the heads of the officials, as if the spears would fall and pierce them at the emperor's command. The men felt a chill run down their spines and began to sweat.

"Cao Yubian, as the Left Censor-in-Chief, you have failed to uphold the discipline of the court, behaved improperly, failed to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and even abused your power to attack your colleagues. I have observed that you are no longer fit for the position of Censor-in-Chief. Therefore, I hereby dismiss you from your post as Left Censor-in-Chief, but retain your official position temporarily. You are to return home and reflect on your mistakes in seclusion," Zhu Youjian said coldly.

"Your Majesty, as an official in the Censorate, I have done nothing wrong by reporting what I have heard!" Cao Yubian protested loudly, his face full of indignation. However, Zhu Youjian did not argue with him and simply ordered the palace guards to throw him out.

"Loyal Marquis Qin Liangyu?!"

"Your subject is here!" "I hereby order you to temporarily assume the position of Left Censor-in-Chief, and to take charge of the Censorate and investigate all officials!" Zhu Youjian said in a deep voice.

"Your subject obeys!" Qin Liangyu glanced at the emperor in surprise, but still agreed, and did not contradict the emperor at this crucial moment.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't! Marquis Zhongzhen is a military general. It is against the ancestral rules of our Great Ming Dynasty for a military general to assume a civil post. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider!"

"The civil and military officials each have their own duties. Your Majesty cannot act arbitrarily, or it will disrupt the order of the court!"

"I beg Your Majesty to reconsider your decision, or I will smash my head against a pillar in this hall and die. I would rather die than work with a woman!" Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Shan Mingxu said, his neck stiff with arrogance.

"If civil officials of our Great Ming can be ennobled, how can military generals not serve as censors? Besides, I have only ordered him to temporarily assume this position."

"The border situation is urgent. If any of you have objections, you may submit a memorial after the court session. Today, this court will only discuss military matters. Anyone who disagrees may resign! Imperial Censor Qin, you are hereby appointed to supervise the court. Anyone who speaks nonsense again shall be immediately expelled from the court!" Zhu Youjian said forcefully. After speaking, he stared at Shan Mingxu for a long time, but he did not see Shan Mingxu smash his head against a pillar and die.

"Zhu Xieyuan, Minister of War?!"

"Chen is here!"

"The Chahar tribe has invaded the border and plundered, and Datong City has been besieged by them. How has the Ministry of War managed to come up with a plan so far? What exactly do you intend to do?" Zhu Youjian asked.

"Actually, I just received the news and rushed to the palace. How could I have had time to discuss this?" Zhu Xieyuan thought to himself. However, he was experienced after all, so he spoke directly: "Your Majesty, Datong is currently in a siege. We should quickly dispatch troops from Yansui, Taiyuan, and Xuanfu to provide assistance."

The garrison of Datong has a quota of over 80,000 soldiers and 20,000 horses. Although the actual quota may be short, it can still gather 20,000 to 30,000 combat troops. With the fortified city of Datong, defense is not difficult! Although Hudun Tuhan boasted that he would lead 100,000 cavalry to invade the border, in reality, he had no more than 30,000 cavalry.

Furthermore, the Chahar tribe has just suffered a heavy blow from the Jurchens. This time, their invasion of our Great Ming is nothing more than a hungry wolf seeking prey, attempting to "make up for the loss in the north by going south." They are outwardly strong but inwardly weak, appearing fierce but actually lacking in strength! If we follow the advice of some ministers and reward them with wealth, wouldn't that be aiding and abetting their evil, allowing them to rise from the ashes?
What appears to be a perilous situation is in fact a godsend! If our Great Ming is united and confronts the enemy with a firm stance, this battle will surely wipe out the Chahar, and perhaps even subjugate Southern Mongolia, thus enhancing our national prestige! I humbly request Your Majesty to quickly dispatch elite cavalry from various garrisons, supplemented by light chariot formations, to deliver a crushing blow to the rebels and eliminate future threats forever!

Zhu Xieyuan's analysis of the advantages and disadvantages, and his pronouncement of victory or defeat, were actually intended to give the emperor and his ministers confidence. The specific war arrangements were discussed together until late into the night.

Zhu Youjian and his civil and military officials were fortunate enough to have their first meal of the year at the Guanglu Temple, which was as unpalatable as ever!
The courier stopped outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Meridian Gate opened wide, warhorses neighed inside the Forbidden City, and orders were relayed from the capital to the nine border towns.

Bi Ziyan, in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, worked closely with Zhu Xieyuan's Ministry of War to provide logistical support for the soldiers participating in the war. The emperor strongly supported Bi Ziyan, showing that this time he was truly going all out, and Bi Ziyan felt extremely guilty.

Zhu Youjian was utterly exhausted and began to question the meaning of life. Although he forcefully pushed the court to function, the rifts among his officials were widening. While they were outwardly subdued by force, who could guarantee they wouldn't sabotage him behind the scenes?
In addition to the nine border garrisons, all prefectures and counties in northern Shanxi should be notified to declare martial law, defend their cities, and implement a scorched-earth policy to prevent the northern barbarians from taking advantage of any opportunity.

After carefully reviewing the battle report, Zhu Youjian discovered that the situation was far more serious than he had imagined. In an effort to boost morale, Zhu Xieyuan spoke at length about Ligdan Khan's disadvantages, but the deep-seated problems of the Ming Dynasty were even more severe: the 20,000 designated warhorses of Datong Garrison could not even muster 2,000 riders, and they collapsed at the first encounter with Ligdan Khan.

After Zhu Youjian ascended the throne, he paid attention to the situation in Shaanxi and sent Sun Chengzong and Sun Chuanting to Shaanxi, as well as Hong Chengchou. Originally, this was to prevent problems before they arose and to use over-saturation attacks to suppress peasant uprisings. However, he neglected Shanxi.

Or perhaps it was an oversight; he was already overwhelmed, and now this incident has occurred, making him experience what it means to be caught between a rock and a hard place, to be stretched thin, and to be utterly overwhelmed. Of the nine border garrisons, Liaodong has the strongest military force. Zhu Youjian did want to send Man Gui's Guan Ning cavalry to kill Ligdan Khan, but wouldn't that give Huang Taiji another opportunity to take advantage?
(End of this chapter)