pappabearbooks Chapter 67 The Scholar Meets the Soldier
Chapter 67 The Scholar Meets the Soldier
Chapter 68 The Scholar Meets the Soldier
Chapter 067 Looking at the densely packed refugees, Mao Yuanyi sighed deeply and said, "Boying, the affairs of the state are becoming increasingly difficult!"
"It's not that the country is in dire straits, but rather that the officials in the court are mediocre and incompetent!"
"Boying, be careful what you say!"
Chen Ying said irritably, "Did I say something wrong? Who caused the current chaotic situation in the Ming Dynasty?"
"It's because the officials in the court are inactive and only concerned with internal strife, while the northwest is suffering from drought—"
"The drought in the Northwest is a fact, but even in the worst drought, it can't be to the point where not a drop of rain falls, can it? As long as the imperial court can mobilize and organize the people to build dams, reservoirs, and wells, reduce taxes for farmers in the Northwest, and provide disaster relief to the people in the prosperous Jiangnan region!"
Chen Ying continued, "Even the most severe natural disasters can be overcome, but the question is, are there people willing to do it?"
"Leaving aside the Northwest, let's just talk about the Liaodong situation—"
"The same applies to the Liaodong affair!"
Chen Ying pointed to the densely packed crowd of refugees and said, "These refugees are manufactured. Zhisheng, don't tell me you can't see through the trickery here—"
Sun Chengzong advocated a defensive strategy, building strongholds such as Ningyuan (present-day Xingcheng, Liaoning) and Jinzhou outside the pass to form a deep defense system, attempting to solidify the defense line from Shanhaiguan to western Liaoning and prevent the Later Jin from advancing westward.
He implemented the land reclamation policy, recruited displaced people to resume production, and at the same time reorganized the army, eliminated redundant soldiers, and improved the combat effectiveness and self-sufficiency of the Ming army outside the Great Wall.
The Guan-Ning-Jin defense line he established did indeed slow down the Later Jin's offensive, especially in the battles of Ningyuan and Ningjin, where the Ming army won with the help of city defenses and artillery, temporarily curbing the expansion of Nurhaci and Huang Taiji.
The problem is that since Sun Chengzong took office as the commander-in-chief in September of the second year of the Tianqi reign, he has been hampered by Yan Mingtai and Zhang Fengyi. Historically, Sun Chengzong was dismissed twice, resulting in insufficient strategic continuity. Factional strife and suspicion weakened the long-term effectiveness of the defense line.
In later generations, many people said that Sun Chengzong's strategy was extremely costly and increased the financial burden on the Ming Dynasty. This is pure nonsense. From the first year of the Tianqi reign, the entire Liaodong region and parts of Liaoxi fell. Ningyuan, Guangning, Jinzhou, Jinzhou, Fuzhou, Gaizhou, and Lushun were all recovered under Sun Chengzong's jurisdiction.
Like Chen Ying, he merely provides a platform for the Liao people to defend Liaodong. This strategy requires a huge initial investment, but the problem is that once the initial investment is over, there will be even greater benefits later.
Sun Chengzong once reported that he had recovered more than 400 li of land and established 5,000 hectares (approximately 500,000 mu) of military farms. These are key figures from the early stages of his military farms.
Military settlements not only produced grain but also resettled displaced people and stabilized border defenses. Historical records show that military and civilian settlements covered an area of 600 li (approximately 300 kilometers), demonstrating the vast scope of cultivation. The combination of military settlements and military fortifications formed a defensive system of using settlements to support warfare and using warfare to protect settlements, which at one time enabled the Ming army to gain a foothold in western Liaoning.
If Chen Ying hadn't come to Ningyuan City, he would never have known that there were more than 50,000 refugees in the entire city. These refugees were used as pawns to bind Sun Chengzong, attached to Ningyuan City, and consumed the city's limited resources.
Ironically, after Sun Chengzong was dismissed from office, Gao Di immediately wanted to abandon more than forty castles in Liaodong, including Ningyuan City. When Chen Ying saw the historical records, he thought Gao Di was a good-for-nothing and a coward who was afraid of death.
So here's the question: why did Gaudi want to tighten his defenses?
Perhaps he was concerned about the financial difficulties, or perhaps he knew that Liaodong was mixed with a lot of scum, just like the more than 50,000 refugees in Ningyuan City. When the Jurchens attacked, were they defending the city for the Ming army or acting as guides?
The answer is self-evident: there's a 99% chance they're acting as guides, believing that in the eyes of these refugees, the imperial court has abandoned them and doesn't care about their lives.
From Chen Ying's perspective, were these refugees wrong?
The refugees were not at fault; the fault lay with those officials who used any means necessary.
"Boying, you—"
Chen Ying sighed and said, "If you have the chance, you might as well advise the Grand Secretary—in this world, no battle can be won by simply defending a city. Without a strong army that dares to fight in open battle, building more cities is futile."
"Bo Ying, you may not know this, but if we could truly build an army capable of defeating the Jurchens in open battle, the Grand Secretary wouldn't have gone to the trouble of constructing so many fortresses!"
Mao Yuanyi smiled bitterly: "Since the Battle of Sarhu, our Ming Dynasty has suffered more defeats than victories against the Jurchens. Our army is terrified whenever we encounter the Jurchens in the open! With such low morale, what other choice do we have besides building castles, fortifying our defenses, and pressing forward?"
Chen Ying actually admitted that Mao Yuanyi's words made sense. To be precise, Sun Chengzong was the founder of the Guan Ning Army. However, was the Guan Ning Army really not strong in combat?
At least in suppressing peasant armies, the Guan Ning Army practically abused its troops. Cao Wenzhao led a thousand Guan Ning cavalrymen to drive the bandits from Gansu all the way to Hubei, while Zu Kuan and Zu Dale led three thousand Guan Ning cavalrymen to launch a brazen attack on Gao Yingxiang's 200,000-strong army, cooperating with the Tianxiong Army to decisively defeat them. Such victories were numerous.
This demonstrates the Jurchens' psychological advantage, a psychological advantage the Ming Dynasty also gained over the Mongols. The Mongol cavalry under Ligdan Khan suffered defeats in Xuanfu and again in Datong. Whether elite troops from the nine border regions or garrison soldiers, they relentlessly annihilated any Mongol they encountered.
This is a very magical thing.
"Ugh!"
Chen Ying sighed and said, "If I had money, I would train a professional army. In three to five years at most, we could break through the pass and seize the Liaohe Plain. The vast Liaohe Plain could support so many people!"
"Boying, be careful what you say, lest you bring disaster upon yourself!"
"I'm not afraid of anything. They only do things like giving birth to sons without an anus, aren't they afraid of retribution?!"
Chen Ying was also very clear about some things. The Liaodong military had formed an alliance of interests, similar to a large and beautiful military-industrial complex. Sun Chengzong had been working in Liaodong for nearly four years, and he finally understood it. Therefore, after the Battle of Liuhe, he was impeached and directly withdrew from the government.
Chen Ying's options were very limited. If he dared to accept more than 50,000 people, someone in the court would surely impeach him, because Chen Ying had ruined someone else's plans.
However, Chen Ying is not worried. If the eunuch party is not impeached, is it still the eunuch party?
Moreover, the struggle in Liaodong was an internal power struggle within the Donglin Party, with rising stars of the Donglin Party fighting against Sun Chengzong, a senior figure in the Donglin Party.
"Commander, the first batch of 15,000 people have boarded the ship."
"Let's set sail."
Chen Ying calmly ordered, "Tell the ship managers that those who register will have two meals of thick porridge per day, while those who do not register will only have one meal of thin soup. The rules shall be established from the moment we board the ship."
However, soon after Chen Ying's order was issued, chaos erupted on all the ships.
A group of scholars, dressed in worn-out Confucian robes and wearing square headscarves, led by an old scholar with a goatee, aggressively crowded onto the deck of Chen Ying's boat.
Chen Ying frowned slightly: "What's going on?"
The managers of the various ships dared not meet Chen Ying's gaze. They were all refugees who had been temporarily appointed as managers. They were not officials, and they felt guilty in front of the scholars.
Chen Ying said calmly, "All ship managers are hereby dismissed, Yongren!"
"Your child is here!"
"Send one flag to each ship; anyone who dares to rebel will be killed without mercy!"
Chen Yongren turned and left.
The elderly scholar leading the group, around fifty years old, was sallow and emaciated. His arm trembled as he pointed at the cabin door and roared, "Commander Chen! Lord Chen! Come out and give these ten thousand people an explanation!"
The cabin door opened, and Chen Ying stepped out slowly, followed by Mao Yuanyi and several guards. He glanced at the group of scholars; these people were, in fact, the representatives of public opinion in later generations.
To be fair, Chen Ying doesn't have a good impression of this kind of public representative, because there are too many fools in this world who are easily fooled by public representatives.
That bastard Jing launched a smog investigation, "Under the Dome," which fooled a large number of idiots into protesting pollution. As a result, Chen Ying's city had most of its businesses shut down due to environmental issues.
So here's the question: Is smog harmful? This is a false proposition. For the sake of so-called harm, more than 40,000 families have been ruined. If you include upstream and downstream industries, this involves the employment of millions of people.
This is just a microcosm of a small city; who cares about their lives?
"What's all this commotion about?"
Seeing the person in charge emerge, the old scholar straightened his back even more and stepped forward: "Lord Chen! The order you just issued, is it to divide these more than ten thousand people into different classes and coerce them with grain? As the sage said, 'The benevolent love others,' and Mencius said, 'The heart of compassion is inherent in all people.' These people have already suffered a great misfortune by leaving their homes. As an official of the court, instead of showing compassion and comfort, you are forcing them to register and be registered with grain rations. What kind of logic is this? Is this the way of an official?"
"How could this be the work of a local official?"
Chen Ying smiled; this tasted just right.
The old scholar became more and more excited as he spoke: "Although we are just students, we have read the books of sages and virtuous men, know shame and right and wrong!"
Today, we will demand justice from Lord Chen on behalf of these ten thousand people!
"If you insist on going your own way, don't blame us for jointly petitioning the Governor-General's Office and the Censorate in the capital, accusing you of mistreating and oppressing the people!"
The younger scholars behind him also chimed in, "Yes! Everyone must be treated equally!"
"We're all refugees here, why should we discriminate?"
"We demand to see Grand Secretary Sun! Let him be the judge!"
Mao Yuanyi frowned and stepped forward to speak, but was stopped by Chen Yingyong's eyes.
Chen Ying said calmly, "Are you finished?"
Feeling slighted, the old scholar grew even angrier. He had already received instructions from above: make a scene, and you'd benefit from it. He roared, "What does Lord Chen mean by this? Do you think we're joking?"
"I don't have time to joke with you."
Chen Ying turned to Chen Daniu and ordered, "Arrest all these scholars who pleaded for the people! Lock them in the hold and keep them under solitary guard! Cross out their names from the boarding list, and from today onwards, their rations will be cut off."
"Yes, sir!"
Chen Daniu had been holding back his anger for a long time. With a wave of his hand, the fierce Shahe Guards pounced on him. Everyone knew very well that the soldiers under Chen Daniu's command were treated better than the household guards.
In the Ming Dynasty, there was no such thing as a "family soldier". They were called "selected vanguard". Selected vanguard soldiers received double pay. In theory, the Ming Dynasty's border troops could receive one shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain plus two jin (a unit of weight) of salt.
The problem is that this is only in theory. Ordinary border soldiers would be lucky to receive two liters of rations. Receiving six dou of rations a month would be considered a sign of a conscientious general.
Two liters of grain were enough to fill one's stomach, but in reality, the soldiers of the Guan Ning Army couldn't even guarantee one and a half liters of grain; they barely managed to avoid starvation.
The soldiers of Shahewei do not have to worry about food. They receive one shi of grain and five qian of silver per month. This is the open treatment for selected elite soldiers.
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, you should have a general idea. As an ordinary secretary, your actual value is between five and ten thousand. If we pay you a salary of thirty thousand, the remaining twenty thousand is for social obligations. Those who understand, understand.
After receiving Chen Ying's order, these soldiers of Shahewei felt that if they were even a little slow, they would be letting down the wages Chen Ying was paying them.
"You dare! I am a student! I have official rank!"
The old scholar cried out in terror, "Chen Boying! You are lawless! I will sue you! I will—"
"Bang----"
The soldier who grabbed the old scholar raised his knee, and the old scholar was so shocked that he vomited up his dinner from the night before. Before he could react, the soldier raised his knife and lightly slashed him.
"Pfft—"
The soldier said angrily, "You fucking want to die, you tried to headbutt my knife with your neck—"
The soldier knelt on the deck and said, "Commander, this humble servant—"
At this moment, the other dozen or so scholars on the deck tried to resist, but they were quickly subdued and dragged like dead dogs to the lower deck.
The deck was completely silent. All the refugees watched this scene in horror. Some of those who had been looking around with flickering eyes, as if they had something to do, now quietly lowered their heads.
"Do you know you made a mistake?"
Chen Ying pointed at the soldier and asked, "What's your name?"
"Your humble servant, Ye Chaoqun!"
"Ye Chaoqun, very well, this commander hereby punishes you—"
Chen Ying reached out to Chen Yongren, who then took out a silver ingot from his pocket.
Chen Ying took the ten-tael silver ingot and threw it directly at Ye Chaoqun: "You're punished by having to eat all the meat from this ten-tael silver ingot!"
Chen Ying looked around and said, "Fellow villagers, let me make this clear: Dalu Island is not Ningyuan. There is no free food there, and no empty talk of benevolent governance. But there are workshops to enter, skills to learn, and city walls to rely on!"
As long as you are willing to work hard, everyone will have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to live. In the future, you may even be able to build a family business and support your wife and children!
Those who are unwilling to exert themselves and only want to collect relief grain can disembark now and return to Ningyuan to await benevolent governance!
"Those who wish to go to Dalu Island, please go to your respective ship captains now to register your name, age, place of origin, and any skills or strength you possess. Once you have registered, you will have two meals of thick porridge tonight. Your choice of destination is yours."
Chen Ying said no more and turned back to the cabin.
Mao Yuanyi followed in and sighed, "Boying, just now—was it too intense? Those scholars, though pedantic and tiresome, still hold official titles; I fear it might cause future trouble."
"future trouble?"
Chen Ying sneered: "Zheng Sheng, haven't you figured it out yet? They're not some kind of virtuous scholars advocating for the people. Think about it carefully. Although their clothes are old, not one of them looks hungry. They were full of energy when they were shouting just now. How could they be like long-starved refugees? They boarded the ship among the refugees. What did they want? They just wanted to bring the trick of using the people to their advantage from Ningyuan City to Dalu Island. If they succeed today, Dalu Island will surely be in turmoil in the future. The workshops won't be built, the city won't be able to be constructed, and tens of thousands of people will still be left to starve!"
"The waters of Liaodong run too deep. Some people don't want to see Grand Secretary Sun firmly hold Ningyuan, and naturally they don't want to see me, Chen Ying, gain a foothold on Dalu Island either. These scholars are nothing but pawns."
Chen Ying continued, "In chaotic times, empty talk harms the country, while hard work builds it up. What we want to build on Dalu Island is a place where people can work and live, not a second Ningyuan refugee camp. Today, I have played the villain. If anyone attacks me for this in the future, I will bear the consequences myself."
Inside the cabin, Su Wei was fast asleep.
Su Mei stayed by her younger brother's side, and tears finally streamed down her face silently.
Before Su Mei could speak, Chen Ying pulled Su Wei out of the pile of corpses. She had made the right bet; Chen Ying was indeed a man of honor and loyalty.
Chen Ying is now in new trouble. He killed that scholar. A scholar is insignificant, but the problem is, which scholar would dare to provoke a third-rank commander?
It's obvious that these scholars have powerful connections.
Chen Ying will be in considerable trouble, and the only thing Su Mei can do now is to help him get rid of it.
A scholar will die for one who understands him; a woman will adorn herself for one who appreciates her.
Su Mei walked to the second floor of the ship's cabin and said to Jiang He, "Commander Jiang?"
"What's up?"
"I heard you were originally a junior officer in the Northern Garrison?"
Su Mei smiled faintly and said, "I wonder if Commander Jiang's culinary skills have declined!"
"What Steward Su means is—"
"Let a few people spit it out!"
"It's no big deal!"
Jiang He said excitedly, "Give me a day, and I guarantee I'll make them spill even the things they wet the bed as kids!"
"Our commander is no ordinary commander; he's a guest of honor of Commander Tian and Lord Xu, and a favorite of Eunuch Wei. Perhaps in the future, you'll even be able to return to the East City Thousand-Household Office!"
A fire ignited in Jiang He's heart, his eagerness bordering on dangerous: "Steward Su, you wait!"