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

Chapter 176 If Liaonan is not taken, divine retribution will surely follow.

Chapter 175 Everyone has their own emotions, and Sun Chengzong is no exception. Although he is the Grand Secretary of the Jianji Hall and the Governor-General of Jiliao in the Ming Dynasty, he is also a human being. Everyone has their own emotions. It was precisely because he devoted himself to the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong that people stabbed him in the back.

What chilled him most was that this stab was inflicted by the obedient Qian Qianyi. As early as the thirty-eighth year of the Wanli reign, he became a disciple of Sun Chengzong. This man outwardly called Sun Chengzong his mentor and always said, "My teacher is Gao Yang Gong (Sun Chengzong's courtesy name)." For ten years, Sun Chengzong repeatedly promoted Qian Qianyi. The two shared the common background of "cultured people." They were both academic representatives of the Donglin Party. Sun Chengzong often resolved academic disputes in the court with his eloquent talent and was recognized as a literary master of his generation, while Qian Qianyi was hailed as a leader of the literary world.

In Sun Chengzong's view, Qian Qianyi was actually his successor, even more favored than Mao Yuanyi. However, his more than ten years of friendship with Qian Qianyi ended with Qian Qianyi's betrayal, which chilled Sun Chengzong to the bone.

Chen Ying continued, "Grand Secretary Sun, I know you're tired. But think about it, if you resign, who is qualified to succeed you in Liaodong? First is Yuan Mingtai, then Wang Zhichen, Wang Zaijin, Wu Yongxian, Liu Ce, and Yu Anxing. If they were to take over Liaodong, would you be willing to accept it?"

Gao Di's appointment was not based on his military talent, but rather on political compromise or manipulation by the eunuch faction. Although Wei Zhongxian supported Gao Di's trip to Liaodong, Gao Di was not actually a member of the eunuch faction. When Gao Di was first reinstated, he publicly pleaded for the unjustly accused Yang Lian and others at a lecture, thus making him a thorn in Wei's side. Wei Zhongxian found this Minister of War, who always spoke for the Donglin Party, to be "an obstacle," so he sent him to the front lines to cause trouble for himself. Gao Di even "kowtowed and begged for his pardon," fearing and weeping day and night.

Wei Zhongxian accomplished three goals in one fell swoop: eliminating dissidents, controlling the Ministry of War, and getting rid of a hot potato. At that time, this...

Gao Di also had serious disagreements with the Donglin Party on matters concerning Liaodong. His advocacy of "comprehensive contraction and holding Shanhaiguan" was consistent with Wang Zaijin's initial proposal of "building strongholds and fortifying passes, so that slaves could not cross," and thus had considerable supporters in the court. This provided Wei Zhongxian with a pretext to implement his policies, and also meant that when the Donglin Party opposed Gao Di, they naturally lacked moral justification.

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The absolute high ground of one.

Gao Di's succession was an inevitable result of the intertwined interests of various parties during the bloody turmoil of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, just like the selection of the commanders of the New and Fourth Armies, which was also the result of compromise among all parties.

Of course, Chen Ying had an omniscient perspective; he knew Wei Zhongxian would promote Gao Di and that Gao Di would comprehensively shrink the Liaodong defense line. The problem was, Sun Chengzong didn't have this omniscient perspective. He didn't know Gao Di would ultimately become his successor, but he trusted Chen Ying's judgment. During his time in Liaodong, he had fought with Yuan Mingtai for over two years; whatever Chen Ying supported, Yuan Mingtai would certainly oppose. If Yuan Mingtai were to take over as the Ji-Liao military governor, not only would Chen Ying's efforts be wasted, but the "Five Tigers of Liaodong" he had promoted would also be affected and punished later.

Sun Chengzong then thought of Wang Zaijin. If this conservative were to come to power, the court would lose more than 20 million taels of silver that had been surrendered in Liaodong, and suffer the deaths and injuries of thousands of soldiers. All the hard-won achievements would be in vain.

"Boying, let me think about it some more!"

Although Sun Chengzong did not want his hard work to go to waste, the problem was that Chen Boying was unaware that with Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou, Wei Dazhong, Zhou Chaorui, Yuan Huazhong, Gu Dazhang, and others being framed and unjustly executed in prison, and a large number of officials such as Minister of Personnel Zhao Nanxing being dismissed, the Donglin Party had already lost its power in the court. As one of the few remaining veterans, he was very clear that his resignation would only be a dignified exit. Even if he did not resign, Wei Zhongxian would continue to attack him, and if he lingered, even more disgusting and despicable attacks would likely occur.

Sun Chengzong understood even better that Chen Boying had actually persuaded Wei Zhongxian and the Tianqi Emperor; he was now not only...

Is she heartbroken, or does she feel like a resentful woman abandoned by a scumbag, with a sense of despair?

Chen Ying stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Excellency, it's not that I haven't felt disheartened. I've run workshops and taken in displaced people; I can say with my hand on my heart that I've saved countless lives. In Yongning, I organized soldiers and civilians to reclaim wasteland and published newspapers to enlighten the people. I have a clear conscience and a clear conscience before Heaven and Earth, yet countless ministers have called me a treacherous official. I opened a bank, not only waiving storage fees for deposits but also giving them interest, and charging only 20% interest on loans, yet they accuse me of competing with the people for profit. In their eyes, the people are those gentry who lend money at exorbitant interest rates. Your Excellency, you know best that those gentry who claim to be benevolent people in the countryside operate on the principle of giving back 13% of the interest they lend. If I compete with them for profit, they become the vulnerable group—"

"When I crafted the Tianqi plow and the Huimin seed drill, they called it a strange and ingenious skill. But the problem is, nowadays, all over the country, I, the supervisor of the Shawei Furniture Factory, have crafted more than 1.6 million Tianqi plows and 830,000 Huimin seed drills in the past two years. They are using the farm tools I made, yet they still have the audacity to criticize me. What kind of behavior is this, eating meat with one hand and cursing the other with the other? Have I suffered any less grievance than you? I have also thought about quitting, but when I think of the craftsmen, soldiers, and common people who rely on me for their livelihood, I can't bring myself to do it."

"Your Excellency, you are the backbone of the Ming Dynasty. If you fall, half of the Ming Dynasty will collapse. I beg you, for the sake of Liaodong, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, for the sake of the people who are still suffering, please stay. Clinging firmly to the green hills, its roots firmly planted in the broken rocks. A thousand blows and ten thousand strikes cannot break its strength, it stands firm against the winds from all directions—"

Chen Ying did not continue to persuade him. If Sun Chengzong still insisted on resigning, he could only find a way from Liaodong. On second thought, if Gao Di took over as the governor of Jiliao, it might not be a bad thing for Chen Ying.

His original plan was to use this as an opportunity to further his own efforts. Since Lushun was now in his hands, he could fully utilize the Shahe New Army in Lushun to stockpile a large amount of grain and troops, and absorb the soldiers and civilians that Sun Chengzong had developed in Liaodong. This group numbered three to four hundred thousand people. They were familiar with the climate of Liaodong, possessed certain agricultural technology, and most importantly, they had a blood feud with the Jurchens, making them the best source of soldiers.

Thinking of this, Chen Ying cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, I will escort you back to the capital. If you wish to leave once we arrive, I will not stop you!"

Sun Chengzong did not answer immediately, but said with a wry smile, "Boying, let this old man—think about it some more."

"Alright!"

Chen Ying didn't get into Sun Chengzong's carriage; instead, he boarded his own. He needed to prepare for the worst. The carriages continued south. Sun Chengzong sat in the carriage, clutching a copy of the *Da Ming Bao* newspaper handed to him by Mao Yuanyi. The newspaper reported on the floods in the Jianghuai region, with millions of people displaced. The court's relief efforts were slow to materialize. It wasn't a lack of food; although the capital region was experiencing food shortages, Huguang (Hubei and Hunan) had plenty. The problem was that the court was still arguing, focusing primarily on impeaching Sun Chengzong and Ma Shilong. They didn't even have the right to discuss who should provide relief, which treasury to allocate funds from, or how the relief should be carried out. The arguments continued while the disaster victims remained submerged in water.

In addition to the floods in the Yangtze and Huai River basins, there was also the She'an Rebellion in the southwest. After the governor Wang Sanshan was defeated and killed, the situation in the southwest deteriorated. The war ravaged the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, affecting dozens of prefectures and counties and millions of people. The court was still arguing about the Liaodong issue. These matters were not discussed in court or dealt with. The officials of the Ming Dynasty had a very strong sense of self-justification.

Just like the United States in later generations, I will not investigate or comment on this matter. These things do not exist. Sun Chengzong put down the Da Ming Bao newspaper with a heavy heart. He thought he had achieved Fan Zhongyan's saying, "Be the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures." But now he realized that he had not even worried about the troubles thoroughly enough.

When Chen Ying returned to the Chen residence in the capital, he found Song Xianze kneeling on the ground under the oppression of Song Yanniang, making his son...

Zi Chen Yonghua rode on Song Xianze's back.

"Yan Niang, stop fooling around!"

Chen Ying's expression showed a hint of displeasure. Although the child enjoyed this game, he felt it was spoiling him too much. Song Yanniang asked, "Chen Lang, what's wrong?"

Song Xianze seemed to understand: "Brother-in-law, is Grand Secretary Sun determined to leave?"

"He didn't agree immediately, so we can't entrust the safety of Lushun to someone else; we must make the best possible plans!"

Knowing the gravity of the situation, Song Yanniang quickly picked up her son Chen Yonghua with one arm and her daughter Chen Yongxin with the other, ignoring the children's cries, and went into the study. No sooner had they entered than Su Mei followed.

Song Xianze hurriedly spread out the paper and picked up the pen to record. He knew very well that Chen Boying had already made a decision and had an idea.

Chen Ying glanced at Song Xianze and continued, "The order is to appoint Qin Siming, the garrison commander of Lushun and concurrently the deputy commander of Shahewei, and to forward it to Shen Huai'an, the consul general of the Lushun Shipbuilding Bureau."

"First, from the date of receiving the order, the Lushun Shipbuilding Bureau will once again expand its recruitment scale, giving priority to those with Liaodong household registration. As long as they are willing to work, they will be accepted and their treatment will be equivalent to the welfare standards of shipbuilding craftsmen, with the same monthly allowance."

Now, with the Sand Ship Gang's defection, Chen Ying's naval strength has increased dramatically. He now not only has the power to blockade the Liaodong coast, but can even cross the border to attack various castles along the Liao River, such as Liaoyang. However, the Liao River is currently frozen, preventing warships from entering. But this is not a major issue; as long as the Yongning Navy launches attacks along the Liaodong coast, the Jurchens' attention will definitely be drawn to it.

Su Mei asked with some concern, "My lord, won't this lead to impeachment by the court officials?"

"Let them impeach me if they want. I'm not here to intervene. What can they do to me?"

Chen Ying continued, "Third, the workshops in Lushun and Dalu Island are operating day and night to expand production capacity and manufacture armor, weapons, farm tools, iron pots, and knives."

"Fourth, recruit female workers and set up textile workshops. In the harsh and cold land of Liaodong, women can also hold up half the sky. Give them a way to make a living. Song Xianze wrote furiously, his pen flowing like the wind."

Knowing full well that the situation in Liaodong was about to collapse, Chen Ying was prepared to accept hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians from Liaodong, mainly civilians. As for the soldiers of the Guan Ning Army, Chen Ying really looked down on them. The ordinary soldiers of the Guan Ning Army were alright, but the problem was that their generals were not incompetent either. Sun Chengzong also looked down on incompetents, but they were too self-serving.

A general who learns to play politics is unlikely to win battles. Politics is a matter for civil officials, and generals don't need to think about it too much. Although Chen Ying thinks about it more, the problem is that he is not a true general. The position of Commander-in-Chief is not a simple general position.

Chen Ying was just one person; he couldn't control Sun Chengzong, nor could he control the political struggles in the court. It could be said that Wei Zhongxian and the Donglin Party were now locked in a fierce battle, with no possibility of reconciliation. Many Donglin Party members had died at Wei Zhongxian's hands, and even more had been dismissed from office and driven out of the court. Cutting off someone's future was like killing their parents. Their struggle was like a high-speed train that couldn't be stopped, and one side would inevitably fall completely.

After arranging things in Lushun, Chen Ying turned his attention to Su Mei: "The most important thing now is the grain issue. Su Mei, you can send reliable people south by sea to Annam and Luzon. Use our iron pots, farm tools, and cloth to exchange for grain. The Annamese and Luzon people don't know their value; one iron pot can be exchanged for one shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice. This matter must be handled quickly. Also, send orders to the Shawei Trading Company to secretly purchase grain in Tianjin, Dengzhou, and Laizhou, and transport it to Lushun in batches—"

Having prepared for the deterioration of the situation in Liaodong, Chen Ying had done all he could. The rest was up to fate. His gaze fell upon the four prefectures in southern Liaodong: Fuzhou Guard, Jinzhou Guard, Gaizhou Guard, and Haizhou. If the Guan-Ning-Jin defense line was the Great Wall protecting the capital, then the four prefectures in southern Liaodong were a sharp dagger inserted into the rear of the Jurchens, a key piece of the Ming Dynasty's strategic counter-offensive and the recovery of the entire Liaodong territory.

Sun Chengzong, the military governor of Jiliao, once clearly pointed out: "To recover the whole of Liaodong, we must first recover the four garrisons," and "The survival of the whole of Liaodong depends entirely on the gains and losses of the four garrisons." The precedent of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who first took the four prefectures and then gradually moved north, has repeatedly confirmed this strategic viewpoint.

This land is the most prosperous agricultural area in Liaodong, known as the first fertile land in Liaoyang. Its allocated farmland accounts for 72% of the total allocated farmland in the area occupied by the Jurchens. It is rich in grain, fish, salt, and iron, and can even achieve self-sufficiency in salt. It can be called the "first granary" and "logistics base" of the entire war. Whoever controls the four prefectures controls the throat of the Liaodong battlefield.

In the first year of the Tianqi reign, under pressure from the Jurchen army, the four prefectures in southern Liaoning surrendered almost without resistance, much to the regret of many. The most fundamental reason for this was the corrupt rule of the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong. For example, the tax supervisor Gao Huai's exploitative plunder of the local people had long since alienated them.

Later, under the planning and arrangement of Yuan Keli, the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, Liu Xingzuo, the deputy general of the Jurchen Liaonan, was turned against the Ming dynasty. The four prefectures of Liaonan were briefly returned to the hands of the Dongjiang Army. However, the Dongjiang Army under Mao Wenlong was riddled with factions and internal strife. In October of the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, all four prefectures of Liaonan fell again. In July of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, even Lushun fell. Historically, the Jurchens and the Ming dynasty fought a seven-year-long struggle for Liaonan, and countless lives were lost on this land.

Song Xianze saw through Chen Ying's intention: "Brother-in-law, you want to take over Liaonan?"

"If we do not take Liaonan, we will surely be punished by Heaven!"