I founded a heavy industry group in the late Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 162 Chen Boying, you lack martial ethics

Chapter 161 November 15th, the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, the capital, the cabinet.

Gu Bingqian was in a terrible mood. Although he had attached himself to Wei Zhongxian and become Wei Zhongxian's lackey, and had the power to draft bills and become the Grand Secretary, the problem was that he was not happy. This was because a new figure named Chen Boying had emerged in the court. When Chen Boying served as the Commander of the Da Ning Army, he did not care because it was what Chen Boying deserved. But the problem was that Chen Boying had now become the Left Commander of the Left Army Commandery.

As the highest-ranking official of the Left Military Commandery, the Left Commander-in-Chief held the rank of First Rank. Although the real power of the Five Military Commanderies was gradually usurped by the Ministry of War from the mid-Ming Dynasty onwards, by the Jiajing and Wanli periods, the Left Commander-in-Chief and other such positions had mostly become honorary titles used to place nobles or border generals, and no longer held actual command or troop deployment power.

However, Chen Boying's position as Left Commander-in-Chief was not earned through military achievements, but rather through beating up civil officials. In the Ming Dynasty court, in front of all the civil and military officials, Chen Boying used more than a dozen censors and officials as punching bags. Now, Zhou Ruolian even has difficulty drinking porridge. What chills the hearts of the officials the most is that the newly promoted Jinshi, Li Jiantai, was kicked in the genitals by Chen Boying and urinated blood for more than half a month. According to the doctor, his manhood was ruined by Chen Boying and will lose its function, making it impossible for him to have children.

It should be noted that Li Jiantai was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, at the age of thirty-five. For a thirty-five-year-old man, if he can no longer display his masculine vigor, what is the point of holding such a high official position? What is the joy of living? Now, Li Jiantai spends his days in tears, vowing to fight Chen Boying to the death.

Although Chen Boying was only lightly punished with a six-month salary deduction for assaulting more than a dozen officials and censors, the question is, was Chen Boying a bad person? Even if he didn't collect his salary for twenty years, would he lack food or drink? With so many workshops and hundreds of thousands of artisans relying on him for their livelihood, would he lack money? In fact, they were jealous of Chen Boying's ability to make money, but that's not really important. What's important is that Chen Boying set a very bad precedent.

If all military officers discover that beating up civil officials can lead to promotion, then in the future, all military officers will dare to beat up both civil and military officials in the court. These military men are strong and skilled in archery and horsemanship. Whether it is individual combat or group fighting, these civil officials will be powerless to fight back. What is even more terrifying is that once this door is opened, the foundation for civil officials to control the military will be completely destroyed.

This incident instilled a strong sense of crisis in Gu Bingqian. In the Ming Dynasty, the practice of using civil officials to control the military had been a tradition for over a hundred years, and it was politically correct. If Chen Boying were to lead his military officers and powerful clique to trample on them once again, Gu Bingqian, the Grand Secretary, would likely become the most disgraceful Grand Secretary in the history of the Ming Dynasty. He would be infamous for eternity, even more so than when he was associated with Wei Zhongxian.

In order to deal with Chen Boying, Gu Bingqian has been making a lot of underhanded moves lately. He has been meeting privately with Qian Qianyi, Huang Daozhou and other members of the Donglin Party, and has also been in contact with officials from the Luo Party, Qi Party and Chu Party. He has even brought in Xu Guangqi, a member of the Western Legal Party. All of this is to deal with Chen Boying and absolutely cannot allow the Xun Gui Group led by Chen Boying to rise again.

The problem was that although the Donglin Party accepted the temporary alliance and other parties had no objections, the civil service group had huddled together for the first time since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. They discussed how to deal with Chen Boying. They considered impeachment, defamation, and even spreading rumors. However, these methods were only suitable for dealing with other people.

Chen Boying was the Left Commander-in-Chief, in charge of tens of thousands of troops in the Daming Military Command. His moral failings were not a negative factor for the Tianqi Emperor, but rather a positive one. He was accused of forming a faction, but he did not. He was accused of selling official positions, but he did, promoting several hundred military officers. However, the problem was that this was within Chen Boying's scope of duties. If Chen Boying were to turn around and accuse them, they would have even less to say.

Qian Qianyi also suggested winning over the Donglin Party and all the scholars in Jiangnan, but they couldn't beat them in a fight, and scolding them was useless. Chen Boying's skin was thicker than a city wall, and they couldn't find a way to deal with him for the time being, unless the Tianqi Emperor lost trust in Chen Boying. But now the Tianqi Emperor and Chen Boying were so close that they could practically share a pair of pants. As a military officer, he was even granted special permission to stay overnight in the palace. Chen Boying was now treating the Tianqi Emperor like family.

What to do?

It's very difficult to handle.

The first snow of winter had not yet fallen, yet the sky remained as overcast as if an iron pot had been covered. Just past noon, a pale bolt of lightning tore through the clouds, followed by a thunderclap that boomed over the Forbidden City, making the palace windows rattle.

"Boom—"

Thunder rumbled and continued incessantly. Gu Bingqian, who was on duty in the cabinet, trembled, and his teacup fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. He stood up abruptly, rushed to the window, and looked out. He saw dark clouds churning in the sky, and another bolt of lightning struck, followed by another deafening clap of thunder.

"November—thunder?"

Gu Bingqian's voice was trembling.

His aides also turned pale: "Your Excellency, thunder in winter—in the Spring and Autumn Annals—is a very ominous sign!"

Gu Bingqian didn't reply. He stared at the sky, but his eyes slowly brightened.

At the secret meeting place of the Donglin Party, Qian Qianyi was so excited upon hearing the news of thunder that he jumped up from his chair. He had been overwhelmed by the Chen Ying affair for days, unable to impeach him, and his slander was useless. He couldn't even win a fight in the court. He was so worried that he couldn't eat or drink. At this moment, God sent him an opportunity.

"Thunderous roar in winter!"

Qian Qianyi paced back and forth in the room, speaking rapidly: "The poem 'Shang Xie' says, 'Winter thunder roars, summer snow falls, heaven and earth unite, only then will I part from you.' This is abnormal, a calamity! Since ancient times, calamities have been warnings from heaven to human affairs. The emperor favors Chen Boying, and Chen Boying acts recklessly, which is why heaven sent down winter thunder!"

Huang Daozhou frowned and said, "Brother Qian, although winter thunder is rare, it is not without precedent. There was also winter thunder during the Wanli era, and no minister was investigated at that time."

Qian Qianyi stopped and laughed wildly for a long time before slowly and coldly saying, "Brother Huang, that's because we didn't come at the right time. Wanggongchang has just been bombed, the people are still in panic, and the court is still providing disaster relief. What will the people think if there's thunder now? They'll say, 'Heaven is angry again, and His Majesty still hasn't woken up!' We don't need to prove that the winter thunder is related to Chen Boying; we just need to make the people think it is. Three men can make a tiger, and many mouths can melt metal. If enough people say it, even a lie becomes the truth."

Huang Daozhou remained silent for a long time, then sighed and said nothing more. He was somewhat helpless. He was a staunch advocate of war, a faction that was largely ignored within the Donglin Party cabinet. A hardline approach against the Jurchens would be tantamount to them fighting with their own hands; it would be strange if they were willing to fight. More importantly, as Nurhaci grew stronger through his campaigns, the court needed Donglin Party officials like themselves even more.

"This is so difficult—oh God—"

Huang Daozhou looked up at the sky, and could only manage a bitter smile.

The following morning at court, memorials impeaching Chen Ying piled up like a small mountain. This time, it wasn't just the Donglin Party; the Qi Party, the Chu Party, and others also submitted their petitions.

The Zhejiang Party, the Wu Party, and almost all other civil service factions joined in. They were unusually united, their guns pointed at Chen Boying—no, at the "anger of heaven and man" against Chen Boying.

"Your Majesty!" A censor stepped forward, his voice impassioned, "Thunder in November is unprecedented! This is a warning from Heaven, indicating that treacherous officials are in power and wreaking havoc on the court! I implore Your Majesty to dismiss Chen Ying to appease the people!"

"I second that proposal!"

Another official stepped forward, saying, "Chen Boying, a military man, has overstepped the authority of a civil official by establishing banks, disrupting the financial system; opening workshops, impacting the market; and establishing schools, bewitching the people. Such a treacherous official must be eliminated to ensure peace in the land!"

"I second that opinion! Chen Boying's excessive reliance on artisans and disregard for scholars tarnishes the teachings of the sages and devalues ​​intellectuals. If this continues, the nation will cease to exist!"

A chorus of agreement filled the hall, buzzing and humming like a swarm of flies.

Chen Boying stood calmly among the ranks of military officers. He had long anticipated this day. Thunder in winter, scientifically speaking, was merely a natural phenomenon caused by intense convection of cold and warm air, but in the mouths of these civil officials, it became a "warning from heaven." He was too lazy to argue, because trying to reason with them about science was like casting pearls before swine.

Chen Boying raised the tablet in his hand. In ancient China, officials held a long, narrow tablet when they went to court to meet the emperor. It was also called a hand tablet, court tablet, or court board. It was mainly used to record the emperor's orders, decrees, and memorials to prevent forgetting. It was also a symbol of the official's rank. A first-rank military officer like Chen Boying would use an ivory tablet. But the problem was that Chen Boying's tablet was not for recording anything. It was for fighting. He had painted a steel plate ivory white.

Although this scepter is the same size as an ordinary scepter, it is more durable and sturdy than ivory. More importantly, you won't feel bad if it gets damaged. Chen Ying's workshop can produce hundreds of thousands of these steel plates a day. Chen Boying didn't say anything, but simply raised the steel plate in his hand, and the civil officials were so frightened that they all stepped back.

"Chen Boying, stop your insolence! This is not a place for you to run wild!"

"Chen Boying, you—you actually dare to intimidate your colleague! What kind of behavior is this—"

"Disgrace your mother!"

Since receiving the imperial decree to fight, Chen Boying has no longer shown any courtesy to the civil officials. In terms of fighting, he can't beat those fierce generals, especially those like Zu Dashou, Lu Xiangshan, Zu Dabi, and Man Gui. But the problem is, he can take on ten of these old men who are over fifty years old by himself.

"Smack—"

"Aww————"

A civil official covered his mouth, which was full of blood, and was unable to speak.

The Tianqi Emperor sat on his dragon throne, his brow furrowed as he looked at the agitated civil officials. He turned his head and asked Wei Zhongxian in a low voice, "Wei, is Dong Lei really related to Chen Boying?"

Wei Zhongxian smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, this servant does not understand celestial phenomena. But this servant knows that there was thunder last winter, but it was not in the capital, but in Tongzhou. At that time, no one said it was a warning from heaven."

The Tianqi Emperor nodded and said, "My dear ministers, you say that the winter thunder is a warning from Heaven. Then I ask you, what exactly is Heaven warning us about? Is it warning me that I shouldn't have appointed Chen Boying, or is it warning you that you shouldn't have formed cliques and eliminated dissidents?"

The civil officials looked at each other, none of them daring to speak for a moment.

Although Qian Qianyi was not in court, his cronies immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, matters of celestial phenomena are beyond our ability to predict."

However, since ancient times, natural disasters and anomalies have always been related to human affairs. The explosion at Wanggongchang killed and injured thousands; now, thunder rumbles in winter, and the celestial phenomena are abnormal. Shouldn't Your Majesty reflect on whether there are treacherous officials in the court?

The Tianqi Emperor's face darkened: "Who is the treacherous minister?"

The imperial censor gritted his teeth: "Chen Boying!"

The hall fell silent once more. Everyone looked at the Tianqi Emperor, awaiting his reaction.

The Tianqi Emperor did not lose his temper. He looked at the censor and suddenly smiled: "You say Chen Ying is a treacherous official, then I ask you, how many battles did Chen Ying win in Liaodong? How much lost territory did he recover? How many refugees did he resettle? How many workshops did he open? How many warships did he build? Which of you has accomplished any of these things?"

No one answered.

"You can't do it, so you call others treacherous officials." The Tianqi Emperor's smile vanished. "I think you're the treacherous ones. You take the court's salary, do no real work, and all you do is impeach this person and that person. When the Wanggongchang factory exploded, you didn't go to provide disaster relief; when there was thunder in winter, you didn't study the celestial phenomena. What were you doing? You were busy eliminating dissidents!"

The hall was deathly silent.

Chen Boying suddenly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

"speak."

"Your Majesty, I am not knowledgeable about celestial phenomena, but I do know that winter thunder is not uncommon. When I was in Shahewei, I asked some old farmers, and they said that although winter thunder is rare, it occurs every few years. Sometimes it strikes in the wilderness, and no one hears it; sometimes it strikes in the capital, and then people notice. This is not a warning from Heaven, but the way of nature. As for those who say that winter thunder is because I have overstepped my authority as a civil official," I would like to ask—what is the authority of a civil official? The authority of a civil official is to share Your Majesty's burdens and serve the people. But have you done so? Liaodong was lost, and you did not go to recover it; the people were starving, and you did not provide disaster relief; the Jurchens invaded the border, and you did not fight them."

All you do is write memorials and hurl insults. What use are civil officials like you?

An old imperial censor was so angry that he trembled all over.

Chen Ying looked at him and said calmly, "I've been acting presumptuously for quite some time now. Zhou Ruolian's face is still swollen, and Li Jiantai is still urinating blood. Who wants to try?"

The old censor took a step back and dared not speak again.

Chen Ying charged at the old censor with a steel plate in hand. Before he could even make a move, the old censor collapsed to the ground, pointing at Chen Boying and saying, "You're hitting a man over fifty years old like me! You have no martial ethics!"

"I'm beating up a whole bunch of you, and you still don't show any martial ethics? How about I let my soldiers fight you?"

"alright!"

The Tianqi Emperor stood up and began to take sides, saying in a deep voice, "All of you, step back. I am aware of the matter of Dong Lei. We will discuss it later."

The civil officials had no choice but to retreat in frustration.

Chen Ying was about to leave when the Tianqi Emperor called out to him, "Minister Chen, you stay."

Only Emperor Tianqi, Chen Ying, and Wei Zhongxian remained in the hall.

The Tianqi Emperor leaned back on his dragon throne, rubbing his temples, looking very tired: "Minister Chen, do you really think Dong Lei has nothing to do with personnel matters?"

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