The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 141 Cooking Without Rice

After leaving the Ministry of Revenue, Zhu Zaizhen headed straight for the Ministry of War, but stopped halfway. The Minister of War, Ding Rukui, was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of the sixteenth year of the Zhengde reign. He had been flogged during the Great Rites Controversy and subsequently served as Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shanxi, Governor of Gansu, Baoding, and Yingtian, Councilor of Huguang, and Governor of Henan.

While serving as the governor of Yingtian, he had a conflict with Yan Shifan and was demoted. Although he did not curry favor with Xu Jie or explicitly support Prince Yu, he would never treat him like Xia Bangmo and others.

Moreover, the Ministry of War is too sensitive a matter. Instead of personally bringing it up, it would be better to let the cabinet arrange it.

He went directly to the cabinet office. Normally, Yan Song should have been accompanying the emperor in the Western Garden, but since the beginning of winter, he had many affairs to attend to, especially disaster relief and the New Year's festival, both of which required the Grand Secretary's attention.

He also avoided having to go to the West Garden, because if he went to the West Garden to see Yan Song, he would have to see his father, the Emperor, which would make things more complicated.

Whether it was Xia Bangmo or Yan Song, they were both his own people and his subjects, so he didn't need to give too many explanations; a plausible reason was enough.

We walked all the way to Wenyuan Pavilion, a brick-walled, yellow-tiled building with ten rooms facing south. It was tall and solemn. A sign hung above the entrance gate, indicating that it was a confidential and important place and that unauthorized personnel were not allowed to enter.

Zhu Zaizhen may be just another nobody tomorrow, but today he was ordered to hand over the final stages of disaster relief, so he was allowed to come and go as he pleased.

"Your Highness, the Grand Secretaries work in the five rooms on the west side."

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The cabinet rarely had eunuchs; it was mostly staff members from the Secretariat and the Hanlin Academy who helped with simple copying and writing tasks.

Zhu Zaizhen glanced at it and headed towards the west room, where Yan Song personally came out to greet him.

"This old minister pays his respects to Your Highness."

Yan Song was about to kneel down when Zhu Zaizhen quickly helped him up, saying, "You are so old, how can I accept such a great courtesy?"

Yan Song did not insist on kneeling, but he still bowed respectfully and said, "How can I act like an old man in front of Your Highness?"

"You're too kind, Your Excellency."

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The two walked arm in arm into the room, and Yan Song personally helped Prince Jing to the prime minister's exclusive seat, while he himself sat to the left.

After everyone had served tea, Zhu Zaizhen chatted with Yan Song for a while and asked about Yan Shifan's illness.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My child's illness has been intermittent, but fortunately, he started to get much better a couple of days ago."

Yan Shifan was still a child, and Zhu Zaizhen really didn't have the heart to say anything unpleasant.

This guy is indeed sick, but not seriously so. The main reason he's avoiding trouble is that too many of the people who are donating their own flesh for disaster relief are his followers, which puts him in a difficult position.

If he comes out to support Zhu Zaizhen, he has to face him directly. If he doesn't come out to support him, who will respect him? So the only explanation is that he's sick. That makes more sense.

"It's a good omen that things are improving before the New Year." Zhu Zaizhen began by getting down to business: "Your Excellency has been working tirelessly on disaster relief and post-disaster recovery, while also taking care of the affairs at the West Garden. It must be very tiring for you."

"To repay Your Majesty's kindness, this old minister is not afraid of hardship, but I am getting old after all. I will serve Your Majesty for as long as I can."

Yan Song asked, "Your Highness came from the Ministry of Revenue, presumably to discuss matters concerning disaster relief funds and provisions, city construction, and military pay. Do you have any instructions?"

Zhu Zaizhen briefly explained the arrangements, emphasizing that matters of the court could not be implemented without the approval of the cabinet.

After listening, Yan Song did some calculations and then asked, "The soup kitchens certainly can't be removed yet. The officials in charge of the anti-Japanese war have asked the local authorities to find a solution, but do we really need to repair the outer wall? I'm afraid it will cost at least tens of thousands of taels of silver to finish."

You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. The Grand Secretary is just a higher-ranking Minister of Revenue. Ninety percent of the problems in this world can be solved with money and grain. If they can't be solved, it just means there isn't enough money and grain.

This is the biggest problem facing the Ming Dynasty right now. This time, they managed to raise a large sum of money by cutting off the wealth of merchants and nobles, but it is, after all, wealth without roots.

Merchants need time to accumulate wealth in the capital, while Xun Gui has already crossed their bottom line; any further contact will lead to trouble.

Zhu Zaizhen nodded: "It must be repaired, and the cabinet must also discuss with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War matters concerning the replenishment of border troops' food and military pay, as well as the repair of border defenses."

Yan Song frowned even more deeply: "I'm afraid the Ministry of Revenue can't come up with that much money and grain."

"Your Excellency, I've heard that the further north you go, the colder it gets and the heavier the snow and winds become, is that true?"

Yan Song, understanding the implied meaning, asked in a melody, "Is Your Highness worried about an invasion by the Northern barbarians?"

Zhu Zaizhen did not hide his worries: "As Your Excellency knows, I have a military officer by my side who was originally stationed on the border in Jizhou. He personally witnessed that the border walls of Xuanda and Jizhou were in disrepair, the watchtowers had collapsed, there was a shortage of soldiers, and the weapons were rotten. Especially in the Gubeikou area, there was almost no natural defense."

Yan Song sighed: "I know what Your Highness is saying. I am not trying to shirk responsibility, but even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice."

Zhu Zaizhen couldn't conjure up any money or grain. Increasing revenue and reducing expenditure were both extremely difficult. It was already a favor that his father, the emperor, allowed him to come out and provide disaster relief. It was impossible for him to be allowed to go south and have his property confiscated again.

All he did was exert pressure; the Ming Dynasty certainly still had some resources.

"Your Excellency, as the head of the household, you must think of a solution. Anda has always wanted to establish a tribute trade, but our Great Ming has firmly refused, and the envoys he sent were also killed."

Now, facing a snow disaster, their people and livestock are suffering from hunger and cold, and they will surely consider a large-scale southward migration to force the market to reopen.

At that time, the Beijing garrison had been out of training for a long time, the outer city was weak, and supplies were insufficient. Once besieged, morale would waver, it would be difficult to rally support for the emperor, and the disaster would be unspeakable.

Zhu Zaizhen's words did not frighten Yan Song. He simply nodded calmly: "The military pay and provisions were indeed issued before winter, but the construction of the city defenses cost at least five or six hundred thousand taels, and it is hard to say what the quality of the construction will be!"

"Your Highness, this old minister dares to speak, but this matter is far more difficult than you imagine. The border troops are unruly, and the generals are rife with corruption. Just the reconstruction of Gubeikou alone cost the court 300,000 taels of silver over ten years, and resulted in the execution of more than a dozen military officers and inspecting censors, yet it has been to no avail."

Zhu Zaizhen's initial pride from the successful disaster relief efforts vanished. He stood up, his brows furrowing, a heavy, oppressive feeling settling in his chest. Thoughts arose in his mind, only to be quickly dismissed.

Yan Song advised, "Your Highness, don't be too hasty. I'll think of a solution. Even if the Northern barbarians come to the city, they only have tens of thousands of light cavalry. Without sufficient siege equipment, they can't possibly defeat the capital."

"And what about the people in the countryside outside the city?"

"Strong walls and clear fields."

Zhu Zaizhen closed his eyes and seemed to see raging fires burning the villages and towns, and the people being driven into the city like prisoners, without houses or food, and being forcibly conscripted to strengthen the city's defenses.

Villages, farmhouses, fodder, stored grain, and wells outside the city were either moved into the city or burned and buried, leaving not a single grain of food behind.

Provide the enemy cavalry with a place to stay and a source of fresh water, cutting off their local supplies and forcing them to retreat in panic.

"Your Excellency, these four words are just a light stroke on a memorial, but when they fall to earth, they mean that the houses, fields, and crops of hundreds of thousands of people will be reduced to ashes."

"How could this old minister not know the suffering of the people? But the national treasury is empty, the weapons are worn out, the generals are greedy and the soldiers are weak. As the chief minister, I am responsible for protecting the ancestral temples and the state. The displacement of thousands of people is a heartbreaking loss. But if the capital falls and the emperor is frightened, it will be a disaster that will destroy the country."

When faced with two evils, one must choose the lesser one.

"Your Excellency, we've cut the merchants' flesh, and we've reached the bottom line for the nobles. If we cut any further, all that's left is the common people, and that'll break the knife."

Yan Song's brows furrowed, and he looked at Zhu Zaizhen, asking, "Why does Your Highness seem so certain that the Northern barbarians will attack the capital? It's been a century since such a horrifying event has occurred."

Zhu Zaizhen couldn't say how he knew. If a deity told him to use such a method, there would be no way to stop it once it was used. His father would also resent it. "I have devoted myself to cultivating Taoism for decades, but I have never received any divine revelation or divine guidance. What right do you, you brat, have to do this?"

All he could say was, "It's just a habit to plan for the worst first, so I can deal with things calmly."

Yan Song praised him upon hearing this: "Your Highness's thinking is good; it is good to be prepared for any eventuality."

However, we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater; things must be done one step at a time.

Zhu Zaizhen knew that Yan Song had swallowed back his harsh words, such as "worrying about something that is not going to happen."

"Your Excellency, where is Qiu Luan?"

Yan Song said, "Just now, news came that he was in the imperial prison and committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

Zhu Zaizhen finally heard some good news: Qiu Luan was dead. So, without Qiu Luan bribing Anda to request that the attack not be carried out on Datong, but instead be moved elsewhere, leading Anda to break through the border defenses at Gubeikou and attack the capital, would the Gengxu Incident still have happened?

In fact, from a broader perspective, this once-in-a-century event is not without its benefits. First, the truth about the corruption in the Beijing garrison was exposed, and military reorganization was put on the agenda. The Great Wall border defenses were strengthened along the entire line, and the focus shifted to the Jizhou garrison and the capital region.

Zhu Zaizhen could also find an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities and consolidate the Yan faction's voice in the court, but all the costs would be borne by hundreds of thousands of ordinary people.

The death of 10,000 is a number, the death of 100,000 is also a number.

Zhu Zaizhen had many reasons to back down, but he still gritted his teeth and said to Yan Song: "Grand Secretary, you are the chief minister, and you know better than me that this battle was bound to happen sooner or later, if not this year or next year, there is no way to avoid it."

I'm not asking you to repair the entire border wall, which stretches for tens of thousands of miles, right now—that's just empty talk. But at least Gubeikou should be repaired. If Gubeikou falls, the entire Jizhou-Xuande line will be exposed.

Yan Song remained silent for a long time before nodding slightly: "Your Highness is right. Gubeikou is indeed the most urgent, but building city defenses costs hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, which the cabinet cannot come up with in a short time."

There is a solution: transfer the Imperial Guard troops and some willing young refugees to Gubeikou to first fill the gaps, repair watchtowers, and clear obstacles from the road. The troop rations and pay will be negotiated between the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Jizhou authorities.

Zhu Zaizhen knew that Yan Song had done his best, and there was still some time; he would think of another way.

"Your Excellency, I just spoke with Minister Xia at the Ministry of Revenue about the matter of allocating funds for porridge distribution. If any censor or official questions this matter, they should push the blame onto me."

The same applies to you. Regarding the Gubeikou incident, if anyone in the court says anything, you don't need to defend me. Let them impeach me. If I'm impeached, I'll only get a few scoldings. If the border wall can't be built, it won't be the officials who speak out who die, but the border soldiers and civilians."

After saying this, Zhu Zaizhen turned around and strode towards the gate of Wenyuan Pavilion. Yan Song stood there, his beard trembling slightly. In his life, he had only ever sheltered others from the wind and rain, and this was the first time someone had offered to shelter him from the wind and rain.