Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 11 reminded His Majesty of some unpleasant memories.

Zhu Youjian immediately ordered Wang Chengen to find memorials from recent years concerning Yuan Chonghuan.

He then had Wei Zhongxian retrieve relevant intelligence from the Liaodong region, sent back by the military supervisor.

Wei Zhongxian is now terrified of the emperor to the core.

So when he saw the young emperor on the dragon throne asking about the victory at Ningyuan, he immediately knelt down.

He immediately admitted that there was indeed some exaggeration in the "great victory" and hurriedly kowtowed to admit his mistake.

Zhu Youjian waved his hand calmly.

Seeing that the emperor had no intention of punishing him, Wei Zhongxian hurriedly went to find the intelligence reports.

Zhu Youjian naturally wouldn't easily believe intelligence from any faction.

Therefore, the memorials from several parties were compared side by side.

After making a comparison, and then considering my own experience.

He instantly understood what this so-called Ningyuan victory was all about.

First of all.

The timing of the Ningyuan victory is highly problematic.

This battle took place in January 1626.

January is often the coldest month of the year.

If the Later Jin commanders weren't mentally unstable...

That means their attack in the first month of the lunar calendar was definitely not aimed at capturing the city.

When combined with the battle report from Juehua Island, which is not far from Ningyuan City, the truth behind the great victory at Ningyuan also comes to light.

The Jurchens' fundamental purpose in launching the attack was to plunder Juehua Island.

Meanwhile, Yuan Chonghuan, who was then the Ningyuan Military Commissioner (actually the commander-in-chief of the Ningyuan front), chose to stay in Ningyuan City and avoid fighting.

The Jurchens launched a probing attack, but when they discovered that Yuan Chonghuan had no intention of stopping them, they immediately set off to plunder Juehua Island.

It was also at this time.

During this probing siege, which lasted three or four days in reality but probably less than a day, Yuan Chonghuan used the Hongyi cannons to kill some Jurchens.

The final battle report stated that 269 people were beheaded and 17 were captured.

Regardless of how much exaggeration occurred in this battle report after it was passed through multiple levels of bureaucracy.

What price did the Ming Dynasty pay for this?

Juehua Island, an important transit point for supplies, was completely looted.

The island's garrison commander was killed in battle, the inhabitants were almost completely wiped out, more than 2,000 ships were burned, and tens of thousands of bushels of grain were looted.

But Zhu Youjian only saw one word in Yuan Chonghuan's memorial—win!

Honestly.

Zhu Youjian could actually understand Yuan Chonghuan's actions.

After all, it was the end of a dynasty.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty had always suffered crushing defeats against the Later Jin, and it certainly needed a victory to shatter the myth of the Jin people's invincibility.

However, Zhu Youjian could not tolerate Yuan Chonghuan's subsequent actions.

After the Ningyuan Victory.

Yuan Chonghuan colluded with Wang Yongguang, who was then Minister of War.

He even reported directly to the imperial court, vainly attempting to seize control of all military, political, financial, and other affairs in the Liaodong region.

Fortunately, the original owner's brother, Zhu Youxiao, did not agree to such actions and even sent a trusted confidant to Liaodong to supervise the army.

But that's not all.

There were also rumors that Yuan Chonghuan had secretly negotiated peace with the Later Jin, which ultimately led to attacks from his ministers and forced him to temporarily resign.

This was something that Zhu Youjian could absolutely not accept.

He was a seasoned pro at negotiating peace and making temporary compromises.

But you, Yuan Chonghuan, a general of the imperial court, were both fantasizing about controlling Liaodong and secretly negotiating peace.

What do you want to do?
In Zhu Youjian's view.

Yuan Chonghuan's actions were tantamount to betraying the Ming Dynasty, betraying his race, and betraying his bloodline!
This man and Wang Yongguang must be executed by extreme measures. Zhu Youjian rubbed his fingers together imperceptibly; he had already memorized their names.

However, he did not intend to issue an order to execute the two men immediately.

As a mature politician.

Zhu Youjian knew that, given the disadvantageous military situation, he absolutely could not easily kill any general.

Those who are incompetent or cowardly should be promptly removed from key positions, and those who have suffered defeats should be encouraged to regroup and be treated with the utmost tolerance and fairness.

When the situation reaches a stalemate with the enemy, the heads of people like Yuan Chonghuan can be used as a sacrifice to the flag, which will also serve to deter cowardly generals who dare not fight.

When you have the upper hand, then you should consider the subsequent distribution of benefits.

For Zhu Youjian at this time, the task was to encourage the generals who had made achievements in the Liaodong region and stabilize the morale of the people.

People like Yao Fumin, the general who died defending Juehua Island, should be posthumously honored and their descendants treated well.

Zhu Youjian also knew that, given the current government's execution capacity and financial situation in the Ming Dynasty, the so-called compensation would definitely not reach the descendants of these people.

But at least by doing this, we can temporarily win over some people's hearts.

Zhu Youjian continued to peruse the official register of the Liaodong region. After noticing a name called Mao Wenlong, he summoned Wang Chengen.

"Posthumously conferred the title of Garrison Commander of Juehua Island, Yao Fumin."

Zhu Youjian read out the names of more than ten generals who died for the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Chengen took notes on all of these.

After saying this, Zhu Youjian issued a new decree:
"Send someone to Dongjiang Town (Pidao) to summon Mao Wenlong, the Imperial Commissioner, Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Forces to Pacify Liaodong, General of the Vanguard, and Left Commander-in-Chief, to the capital to report on his duties."

"The slaves obey the orders!"

Mao Wenlong—Zhu Youjian had just found this person's name in the Liaodong battle report.

Judging from the battle reports, this person frequently harassed the Later Jin and took in the Liao people who had escaped.

Moreover, he single-handedly handled this matter without receiving much government funding.

He didn't take much money, but he did a lot of work, so he can be considered a staunch anti-Jin fighter.

However, judging from the memorials to the emperor...

Mao Wenlong has been consistently criticized for being unruly, arrogant, lawless, and greedy for personal gain. His position of "acting expediently" is also highly problematic.

However, for Zhu Youjian...

There are fewer twists and turns in judging Mao Wenlong.

If he goes to the capital to report on his duties, then he is still loyal.

If anyone tries to find any excuse to avoid going to Beijing to report on their work, then they are becoming too powerful to handle and a solution must be found.

That's how politics is; there's no room for sentimentality.

After arranging all of this.

Zhu Youjian once again came to Wansui Mountain to train internal exercises.

Today, his two hundred guards are facing one hundred prisoners armed with swords, fighting like cornered beasts.

However, this battle only lasted slightly longer than yesterday's.

Even though those young eunuchs had lived miserable lives before, they were still able to eat their fill, so their physical condition was much better.

Coupled with their numerical advantage, superior armor, and the incentive of future prospects, the hundred prisoners were quickly slaughtered.

For several days in a row.

Zhu Youjian spent his time reviewing various memorials and lists of officials and practicing internal exercises.

The two hundred guards are no longer just fighting with brute force like they did at the beginning; they have gradually begun to cooperate.

Coupled with the long-standing influence of imperial power, the two hundred guards quickly achieved strict obedience to orders.

at the same time.

Dozens of memorials advising him to prioritize state affairs were also presented to Zhu Youjian.

　Yao Fumin, the garrison commander of Juehua Island, was sent out of the city to defend the island. He dug trenches for his troops and eventually died on the ice.

　　I couldn't find much about this person's life on Baidu. I only found information about his defense of the city by a Jurchen general who plundered Juehua Island.

　　He was probably targeted by online trolls like Zhang Weixian.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)