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

Chapter 84 My Great Ming Dynasty is clearly thriving, how could the sky collapse?

Zhu Youjian sat high in the imperial court, and more and more reports were sent to Beijing. However, after reading these reports, Zhu Youjian was still completely clueless about the situation in Shanxi.

The Governor of Shanxi, Geng Ruqi, reported that General Zhang Honggong of Shanxi led 10,000 men from Taiyuan to relieve the siege of Datong. Less than a hundred li from Daizhou, they encountered the Northern barbarians. After three days of stalemate, their formation crumbled, and the army scattered and fled. Zhang Honggong barely escaped with his life. On his return journey, he nearly allowed the Northern barbarians to pursue him and breach Yanmen Pass.

From then on, the Taiyuan garrison, on which high hopes were placed, was killed before it even began, and was directly blocked inside Yanmen Pass, leaving northern Shanxi entirely at the mercy of the enemy.

Now, the Ming court doesn't even know if Datong has fallen. There are rumors that Qu Jiazhen, the general of Datong, has been defeated and killed; others say that he is not dead, but has defected to the enemy for fear of being punished by the court.

The defeat at Taiyuan cast a shadow over everyone's hearts, and the court was filled with anxiety. Many people began to submit memorials opposing the dispatch of troops from Xuanfu. Xuanfu was the gateway to Beijing. If Xuanfu suffered heavy losses, the gateway would fall, and the northern barbarians would once again besiege Beijing.

The only good news came from Shaanxi. Du Wenhuan, the general of Yansui, reported that Ligdan Khan had a detachment of about 5,000 men who had secretly crossed the Great Wall and entered Yansui, perhaps to tie down the troops in Yansui and prevent them from supporting Shanxi. This group has now been wiped out.

The Yansui Garrison has beheaded 2,137 people, and the rest have fled. On February 18th, the Yansui Garrison dispatched 3,000 elite cavalry to reinforce Shanxi. They can travel 100 li a day and reach Datong within half a month.

"Your Majesty! The annual reward is only a few hundred thousand taels of silver, but once the army moves, the cost of money and provisions will exceed one million taels. In my opinion, it would be better to negotiate peace with Ligdan Khan!"

"Your Majesty is wise! Our dynasty's military preparedness is so lax now. Even if Your Majesty wishes to display your might, how can we lightly start a war? It would be better to temporarily suppress our ambitions and allow us to strengthen our troops and train our elite forces. When our army is strong and well-equipped, we can then launch a powerful northern expedition against the Chahar tribe. Only then can we demonstrate the might of our Celestial Empire and avoid damaging the dignity of our nation!"

"Your Majesty! The most urgent matter at present is to find someone who can oversee the overall situation! Currently, the various garrisons are aiding Jin, but they are fighting their own battles. If this continues, I fear that Ligdan Khan will defeat them one by one! I dare to recommend Zhang Heming. His talent and strategy are capable of overall planning and deployment. I hope Your Majesty will consider this carefully!"

“Zhang Heming is already quite old. In my opinion, it would be more prudent to ask Grand Secretary Zhu to handle this matter personally.”

"Your Majesty, then order me to go and oversee military affairs in Shanxi!" Zhu Xieyuan said.

"If you leave, who will be fit to serve as Minister of War?!" Zhu Youjian frowned.

"I believe that Wang Rongzheng is capable of overseeing all affairs of the Ministry of War."

Zhu Youjian felt very uncomfortable: This was just a mere Ligdan Khan, yet he and the court were thrown into chaos. If the Jurchens entered the pass, who knew how chaotic things would become!
"This can't go on! My Great Ming is clearly thriving, one second we're singing its praises, how come it's turned into this the next second? How can my Great Ming be so fragile?!" Zhu Youjian lamented in his heart.

"Your Majesty, I request permission to fight!" Zhang Weixian, the Duke of Yingguo, who had kept a low profile for a long time, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have been reorganizing the Beijing Garrison for more than two months, and it is now showing initial results. As the saying goes, 'An army is raised for a thousand days, but used for only one.' Shanxi is currently short of troops, and I hope Your Majesty will allow me to lead the Beijing Garrison to its aid."

However, before Zhu Youjian could subdue him, Wang Zaijin, the governor of the Beijing Garrison, stepped forward to undermine him, saying, "Your Majesty, please allow me to report: Although the Beijing Garrison has already reduced the number of old and weak soldiers, the training of its troops is still not proficient. For example, the horses of the Three Thousand Battalion and the firearms of the Divine Machine Battalion are not yet complete. In my humble opinion, the Beijing Garrison should not lightly consider going to war at this time."

I have personally witnessed the strength of the Jurchens and the Northern Barbarians. Although the Northern Barbarians are not as well-equipped or disciplined as the Jurchens, they are still exceptionally fierce. Soldiers untrained in battle are truly no match for them, and the slightest carelessness could lead to a swift defeat. War is a matter of life and death, a path to survival or destruction; how can we not be extremely cautious? I humbly beseech Your Majesty to consider this carefully.”

“Wang Zaijin, what do you mean? Every veteran of a hundred battles has fought his way up from the front lines. You refuse to let me go into battle. How can the capital garrison be trained into an elite force like this?! Your Majesty, you are wise. All the officials in the court are afraid of battle like tigers, but I am not afraid of death. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to go into battle. Even if I die on the battlefield, wrapped in a horse's hide, I will die without regret!” Zhang Weixian said.

“Duke of England,” Bi Ziyan said helplessly, “the court’s funds and provisions are reserved for the reinforcements of various garrisons, and there are no surplus funds to allocate to the capital garrison. Moreover, we not only need to consider the situation in Shanxi, but the Liaodong region is also in grave danger. Last year, Shaanxi suffered a sudden civil unrest due to drought, and now it is mid-February, the snow has melted, but Shaanxi has still not received a drop of rain. I fear that Shaanxi will also find it difficult to have peace this year.” After speaking, he paused for a moment, his face showing hesitation, before finally speaking and saying, “Your Majesty, how about ordering the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Imperial Observatory to set up an altar to pray for rain?”

"Grand Secretary Bi! At such a critical juncture, you're still talking about rain?! Why don't you ask for a bolt of lightning to strike that fool Hudun Tuhan to death?! When it comes to money and grain, you always cry poverty and complain about having no money whenever something happens! You've been working on that reform for almost half a year now, what results have you achieved?! How can you repay His Majesty's kindness in recognizing your talent?!" Zhang Weixian said angrily.

"Silence! All of you, stop making a fuss! The Ming Dynasty is as solid as a rock, how could the sky collapse? You are the pillars of the court, yet you are throwing yourselves into disarray, what kind of behavior is this?!"
There is absolutely no reason to discuss the matter of annual rewards. As for the trade that Ligdan Khan requested, that is still negotiable, the court can provide funds and grain to purchase his warhorses.

Currently, elite troops from Yansui, Xuanfu, and Jizhou have been dispatched to Datong to provide reinforcements. Having implemented countermeasures, the court should exercise patience and place great trust in its commanders. It is best to wait and see how the situation develops before making further plans.

Orders are issued to all garrisons to strictly guard the passes and keep the northern barbarians at bay beyond northern Shanxi. The northern barbarians have a limited population and scarce resources; the more they press upon our Great Ming, the more desperate their situation becomes. Moreover, they have just suffered a heavy blow from Huang Taiji, with countless casualties and a severely damaged prestige. If our Great Ming were to yield at this juncture, it would play right into their hands! The only option is to fight to the bitter end and see who exhausts their strength first!

"You shall all remain at your posts and attend to your duties promptly. Do not let the war in Shanxi delay other government affairs. Court adjourned!"

When Zhu Youjian returned to the Qianqing Palace, he read through the memorials, half of which were impeachments against others. He didn't even want to look at them anymore and sent them directly to the Imperial Kitchen to be used as firewood.

"Your Majesty, is there any news from the Zhenwu Guard?!" Sun Shiwan asked in a slightly hoarse voice. Zhu Youjian looked up and saw that her eyes were red, clearly indicating that she had been crying quietly.

Zhu Youjian did not receive news from Zhenwu Guard, but he did receive news from Daizhou. Daizhou was formerly known as Yanmen County. Now, Ligdan Khan's army has reached outside Yanmen Pass, and Zhenwu Guard is also outside Yanmen Pass. The soldiers and civilians of Zhenwu Guard are probably fighting against the Mongols! But Zhu Youjian dared not tell her this news, and could only lie and say that no trace of the Northern Barbarians had been found near Zhenwu Guard.

However, Sun Shiwan only managed a forced smile. She was so clever that she couldn't be easily fooled. If there were really good news about Zhenwu Guard, the emperor would have shown her the relevant memorials long ago. Only her sister, Sun Shixiu, that fool, was still indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun every day without a care in the world.

"Sis, has something happened at home?!"

"No."

"Is our father alright?!"

"My father is in Yansui, so there should be no danger."

"So you don't really know the situation at home, right?"

"Um……"

"If that's the case, what's the use of your worry? His Majesty is already troubled enough, and you still put on this worried act in front of him."

Sun Shiwan looked up and stared at her younger sister in surprise.

(End of this chapter)