Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 601 Conspiracy

Emperor Chongzhen agreed, nodding repeatedly and sighing, "I need capable ministers like Wen Ruo to lend me a hand. Otherwise, with figures like Zu Dashou in the north and Liu Ye in the south, they hold considerable military power and are arrogant and domineering. I have a real headache dealing with them." Although promoting Liu Ye from earl to marquis in such a short time was not in line with Chongzhen's stingy nature, the remarkable achievement of taking over two thousand Tartar heads deserved a decent reward, which would be difficult to justify without silencing public opinion. Anyway, Liu Ye was already the Earl of Pingnan, so making him a marquis was fine; the important thing was not to give him real power or the opportunity to increase his strength.

Taking the opportunity, Yang Sichang continued to promote his political views: "Therefore, I propose to levy training and suppression taxes and increase the army by 120,000. As long as Your Majesty has enough troops, you don't need to place all your hopes on the likes of Zu Dashou and Liu Ye. If you deprive them of the bargaining power with the court and then cut off their supply of provisions, these problems will be easily solved."

A rare smile appeared on Chongzhen's pale face: "With your words, I feel at ease."

Yang Sichang changed the subject: "Your Majesty, the military officer in charge of escorting the heads in Qionghai Town said that Liu Ye intends to lead his army to intercept the slave chieftain Abatai in Tianjin, but he is hampered by his isolated and weak force. He wants the Ministry of War to mobilize troops from the Tianjin area to assist him. These words were overheard by Grand Secretary Wen, and it can no longer be kept secret. This matter will likely be discussed in court tomorrow. What is Your Majesty's opinion on this matter?"

Emperor Chongzhen thought for a moment and said, "Since he wants to fight Abatai, then let him fight. If he needs to send reinforcements, then send them! If we can rebuild the Censorate, or even kill a prince in battle, that would be a great victory that hasn't been seen in decades, surpassing even the two thousand heads lost..."

Yang Sichang sighed, “Your Majesty, Abatai is merely a minor prince of the Jurchens, whose status is far lower than that of Dorgon’s brothers and Daišan. Even if we can kill him, it will not be a serious blow to the Jurchens, but it may provoke them and give the false Khan Huang Taiji the perfect excuse to launch a large-scale invasion, plunging the Ming Dynasty into a predicament of being attacked from both sides. It would be a losing proposition!”

Emperor Chongzhen frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Your Majesty is wise: the Jurchens are not a monolithic entity. After Huang Taiji ascended the throne, he successively deposed Mangultai and imprisoned Amin to consolidate his power. However, Dorgon, Dodo, and Ajige still covet the throne, and it is said that Abatai also harbors considerable resentment. It is precisely because of the power struggles that Huang Taiji cannot wholeheartedly focus on attacking our Great Ming in the south. If Abatai were killed in battle, wouldn't that eliminate an enemy for Huang Taiji? At that time, Huang Taiji could launch a large-scale southward campaign under the pretext of revenge, and Dorgon and others would be unable to oppose him. Meanwhile, Hong Chengchou, Lu Xiangshan, and other troops would be unable to withdraw from northern Shaanxi. Then Liaodong would be in danger, and the Great Ming would be in danger!"

Emperor Chongzhen was startled: "If it weren't for Wen Ruo's reminder, I would have almost made a grave mistake! In that case, what should I do? I can't very well order Qionghai Town to let Abatai go, can I?"

Yang Sichang said in a low voice, "It's very simple, just one word: delay! As long as Liu Ye has no help and Tianjin Wei doesn't supply him with provisions, Abatai can get rid of the interception and leave unscathed. In this way, His Majesty won't have to bear the infamy, and can also hold Liu Ye accountable for missing the opportunity to fight."

"If we let Abatai return north, wouldn't that give Ajige wings, causing chaos and suffering in Northern Zhili? Wouldn't that be my fault?" Chongzhen hesitated.

A fierce glint flashed in Yang Sichang's eyes: "The success of one general is built on the bones of ten thousand. If Your Majesty wants to achieve great things, some sacrifices are inevitable. I have already written a letter to Liaodong. After Fang Yizao receives the letter, he will send someone to Shengjing to have a secret meeting with Huang Taiji. As long as the peace talks are successful and the north is pacified, we can free up our resources to suppress the bandits and eliminate this threat. It will all be worthwhile."

Emperor Chongzhen fell silent. The dim candlelight cast flickering shadows on his face, obscuring his emotions. Wang Chengen, who had overheard the entire conversation, looked on with a hint of pity and secretly shook his head. He felt that this Lord Yang's idea was too cruel to the people and disagreed with it, but his position dictated that he could not interfere in politics unless the emperor specifically asked him for his opinion. In the current situation, he had no way to speak up.

After a long silence, Chongzhen said, "I will do as you say!"

That night, more than ten riders left the city through Chongwen Gate and sped off towards Tianjinwei.

Tianjin Wei.

Following Liu Ye's instructions, Qin Tian led his men to search for Panda, but after a day and a night of searching, covering all three guard posts in Tianjin, they still couldn't find Panda.

When Liu Ye heard the news, he said angrily, "That guy is deliberately hiding. Forget it, we don't have time to play hide-and-seek with him. We need to get down to business. Judging by the time, Abatai has probably already passed Cangzhou and is almost at Tianjin's borders. Arrange for troops to intercept him. Once the Ministry of War's order arrives, mobilize all the troops in the Tianjin and Baoding areas and lay a trap so that Abatai can't escape even if he has wings."

Qin Tian asked, "Then we don't want the grain and fodder?"

"Our supplies are still sufficient for now. Let's finish off Abatai first. Once we have Abatai's head in hand, even if I smash open the granaries in Tianjin, no one will dare to make a sound. Supplies won't be a problem."

In a private residence south of Tianjin Weicheng, Panda was fanning himself, sweating profusely, while drinking tea from a large bowl.

Since learning of Liu Ye's relationship with Wen Tiren, he decided not to give Liu Ye a single grain of food, but dared not confront him directly, so he came up with this plan. To avoid the search by the Qionghai Army, he hid in the home of one of his men, and it was already the second day. Because he was afraid of leaking information, he dared not bring any of his concubines with him. He was very uncomfortable without anyone to serve him, and his resentment towards Liu Ye grew even stronger.

The following evening, a subordinate came over and reported: "Sir, someone from the capital has arrived and says they want you to return to the yamen to receive orders."

"The capital?" Panda asked, puzzled. "I've been exiled to Tianjin. All the people who used to call me brothers have disappeared. Who still remembers me?"

Despite saying that, he still harbored a sliver of hope that he could return to the power circles in the capital and was unwilling to miss any opportunity, so he asked, "Who is coming? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I heard from them that they are from the Ministry of War. They said it's a confidential matter that must be told to the magistrate and cannot be relayed by anyone else. They are waiting at the yamen now."

It turned out to be someone from the Ministry of War, and the arrangements were so secretive, which immediately piqued Panda's curiosity. He thought for a moment and then instructed, "Go back to the yamen immediately and tell them that I am inspecting the troops and investigating the ghost salaries in the three guard posts in Tianjin. Tell them to wait. I will return through the back gate of the yamen after dark."

As his subordinate agreed and was about to leave, Panda added, "Don't neglect them; serve them the best food and drink."

"Little one understands."