The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 20 Chongzhen's Wrath

At the end of the first month of the lunar calendar, the Forbidden City, with its vermilion walls and black tiles, and covered in white snow, appears exceptionally tranquil and solemn.

But beneath this tranquil imperial city, deafening roars of uncontrollable rage echoed from the Wuying Hall.

"Bastards! A bunch of bastards!"

"My several armies sent to defend the capital have all mutinied?"

Emperor Chongzhen angrily threw the memorial in front of Grand Secretary Han Kuang, and paced back and forth in the hall in a fit of rage.

"First the loyalist army in Shanxi, then Shaanxi, and finally Gansu; they all mutinied?!"

"Traitors! A bunch of traitors!"

He abruptly stopped, turned around, and stared at Han Kuang, his voice growing increasingly sharp:
"I can understand why the Northwest Border Army has been in arrears with its pay for many years."

"But what about the Liao army? How could the Liao army, which receives 600 million taels of silver a year, also mutiny?!"

Grand Secretary Han Kuang picked up the memorial, glanced at it, and then knelt down:

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The state has deteriorated to this extent because of my incompetence. I am guilty!"

Seeing that Grand Secretary Han Kuang kept apologizing, Chongzhen couldn't bring himself to make things difficult.

Then he pointed to Cheng Jiming (courtesy name Jingzhi), the second chief minister behind Han Kuang, and said:

"Jingzhi, tell me, have I become so immoral that the whole world is about to rebel?!"

Upon hearing this, the Second Assistant Cheng Jiming took a step forward and spoke:

"Your Majesty, please calm down. These Liao soldiers have always respected Yuan Chonghuan. Now that their commander is imprisoned, they are understandably frightened and may have made mistakes."

Having served three emperors, he was highly experienced. As soon as the emperor spoke, he immediately realized that the emperor was looking for a scapegoat.

Cheng Jiming knew very well that this emperor was a person who lacked responsibility.

But as a veteran of three reigns, he didn't tolerate Chongzhen's indifference and immediately spoke up to remind the emperor:
"When the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrested Commander Yuan the other day, I begged Your Majesty to handle the matter carefully. With a formidable enemy at hand, it is not advisable to change commanders lightly."

"Now that the Liao army has mutinied, Your Majesty should first conscript civilians to strengthen the city's defenses."

Cheng Ji Ming's words have three meanings:
First, when Yuan Chonghuan was arrested, I already warned you to be careful, and I won't take the blame for this.

Secondly, this decision was made by the emperor himself, and he acted arbitrarily, so he has no one to blame but himself.

Third, now is not the time to find someone to take the blame; the urgent task is to mobilize the militia and strengthen the city's defenses.

Cheng Jiming was helpless. He had twice knelt down and begged Emperor Chongzhen to handle Yuan Chonghuan carefully, but Emperor Chongzhen insisted on doing his own thing and dealt with Yuan Chonghuan.

Fine, if you're going to do it, then do it. Why do you have to do it in front of Zu Dashou?

According to the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) who were present at the time, Zu Dashou was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he fled with the Liao soldiers that very night.

Emperor Chongzhen was rebuffed by Cheng Jiming, and his face grew increasingly grim. He was determined to find someone to vent his anger today.

He then turned his gaze to the Grand Secretary Han Kuang (courtesy name Yu Chen) standing to the side, his tone stern:

"Yu Chen, tell me, what should we do now?"

Seeing Chongzhen's gloomy expression, Han Kuang quickly spoke up:

"Your Majesty, Lord Cheng is right. The most urgent task is to gather the militia and strengthen the city's defenses."

"As for the Liao army mutiny, Minister Sun is currently supervising the army in Tongzhou, so he can be ordered to take control of the Liao army."

Han Kuang was also a shrewd and calculating man. He had no intention of getting involved in the Liao army's affairs and simply handed them over to Sun Chengzong, the Minister of War, who was far away in Tongzhou.

The Liao army, as the main force in the defense of the capital, fought a bloody battle against the Eastern barbarians at Guangqumen and returned victorious, making outstanding contributions.

However, after each major battle, when Yuan Chonghuan requested to enter the city to rest and recuperate, Emperor Chongzhen ruthlessly refused.

Even a barbican was unacceptable, something the Liao army had long resented.

Han Kuang was helpless. To be fair, there was a world of difference between resting inside the city and resting outside. A city wall was not only a defensive barrier, but also a source of comfort for soldiers after a great battle.

Now that things have come to this, there's nothing he can do. Han Kuang sighed inwardly and bowed his head to the emperor.

"The affairs of the state have deteriorated to this extent, and I am responsible for this even if I die ten thousand times. I request to resign."

Emperor Chongzhen felt a tightness in his chest as he looked at Han Kuang kneeling on the ground and Cheng Jiming standing calmly to the side.

These two men, one the chief minister and the other the deputy chief minister, one confessed his guilt and retreated to advance, the other was humble but shrewd, making Chongzhen very uncomfortable.

He had intended to find an easy target to scapegoat and shift the blame, but these two were incredibly cunning.

Emperor Chongzhen, looking impatient, waved his hand and changed the subject:
"Alright, let's put that aside for now. Let's talk about how to deal with the Liao army mutiny. The Eastern barbarians are still wreaking havoc in the capital region!"

Upon hearing this, Han Kuang couldn't help but inwardly grumble:
"You know the Eastern Barbarians are still here, and with a formidable enemy at hand, can't we wait until the war is over before discussing anything else?"

"Having just won a few battles, how can they not have a mutiny if they are so eager to punish their commander-in-chief because of a few rumors?"

Although that's the truth, Han Kuang would never dare to say it aloud.

Although he was the Grand Secretary, he was implicated and impeached because of Yuan Chonghuan's treason case, and dared not speak out easily.

Left with no other choice, he could only turn his head slightly and give a look to Cheng Jiming, the second assistant behind him, signaling him to step forward.

Seeing the Grand Secretary's pleading look, Cheng Jiming pondered for a moment before speaking to Chongzhen:

"Your Majesty, with a formidable enemy at hand, the army must not be allowed to descend into chaos again. I request that the imperial treasury be allocated for military supplies."

“Minister Sun is currently supervising the army in Tongzhou; he can be ordered to take command of the Liaodong army.”

After listening, Chongzhen remained noncommittal and gave a cold snort:
"The Imperial Treasury, the Imperial Treasury! All you do is focus on the Imperial Treasury all day long! Where does all the tax revenue go?"

"Is it because the imperial treasury isn't allocating funds that you're letting your soldiers plunder grain and harm the people?!"

Emperor Chongzhen grabbed a memorial from the table and slammed it in front of Cheng Jiming:
"Look at these rioting soldiers, they're even trying to rob the Imperial Son-in-Law!"

Emperor Chongzhen's face was gloomy, and his tone was icy.
"According to the report from the Liu family, a group of rebel soldiers ransacked Liu Family Village, burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities."

"The elders of the Liu family hid in the secret passage of the ancestral hall and were lucky enough to escape the disaster. They only dared to show themselves after the soldiers left."

Emperor Chongzhen paused for a moment, then continued:
"But as soon as the mutinous soldiers left, several thousand more troops arrived, led by a minor officer named Jiang Han. After some negotiation, the elders of the Liu family learned of the mutiny in Yansui Town."

"Li Xuan, the commander of a thousand households, rebelled. General Wu Zimian died in the chaos. Junior officer Jiang Han took over command, defeated Li Xuan, and drove the rebels to Liujiazhuang."

Cheng Jiming frowned upon hearing this, sensing something was amiss, and quickly asked in return:

"Your Majesty, this matter still needs to be verified. Let alone how the mutiny occurred, how could a mere bannerman have taken over command?"

"There's probably more to this than meets the eye!"

Chongzhen nodded, then turned to look at Wang Chengen beside him:
"Daban, do you have any other memorials regarding the army in Yansui? Bring them over as well."

Wang Chengen pondered for a moment, shook his head, and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, since the Liu family's memorial, there has been no further news of the Yansui Garrison army."

"However, according to the Imperial Son-in-Law, this minor officer named Jiang Han, relying on the intimidation and enticement of several thousand soldiers, robbed a lot of things from the Liu family."

Emperor Chongzhen snorted coldly upon hearing this:
"This is utterly lawless! A mere bannerman, relying on a few thousand soldiers, dares to coerce members of the imperial family?!"

"If we let him lead tens of thousands more people, wouldn't he be trying to bully me?"

Chongzhen secretly vowed, "If I can't deal with the Grand Secretary and the Second Grand Secretary, surely I can handle a mere bannerman like him?!"

Emperor Chongzhen then slammed his hand on the table and immediately gave an order to Grand Secretary Han Kuang:
"Investigate! I refuse to believe that these few thousand soldiers could possibly fly into the sky!"

"Order Governor-General Yang He and officials at all levels along the route to thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of this junior officer, Jiang Han!"

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(End of this chapter)