Chapter 36: The Current State of the Imperial Horse Administration
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“Elder Yuan, Xi’an is a long way from here, with mountains and difficult roads between us. You should ride in my carriage.”
Chen Yiqing, the owner of the Clear Breeze Tavern in the city, stepped forward. “Please do not refuse, Elder. You are advanced in years. If you rest well along the way, you will be in better condition to devote yourself to disaster relief once you reach Xi’an. Let me make a small contribution to the people of Shaanxi in my own way.”
“Brother Chen is right. Brother Yuan, do not refuse.”
An elderly man stepped forward and said to Cui Ming, the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s Banner Commander, “My lord, here are one hundred taels of silver. Consider it a small token of my sincerity. Please take care of Elder Yuan on behalf of the people of Sui County during the journey.
“This is merely an expression of brotherly affection. It does not count as bribery, does it?”
“Elder Yuan, these tea eggs were just boiled. Take them with you for the journey.”
“Lord Yuan, these buns and steamed rolls have only just come out of the steamer. They are still warm. Take a few with you!”
“Brother, I run a ready-made clothing shop. I have little else, but I do have plenty of clothes. Winter has already arrived, and you will be traveling outdoors in Shaanxi. Let an old friend give you a cloak to keep out the wind and cold.”
…
One after another, the common people stepped forward, offering all manner of gifts. Yuan Keli stood atop the carriage, silent for a long while.
Mounted on his horse, Cui Ming was filled with emotion. If Yuan Keli had not loved the people as though they were his own children, how could they have cherished him so deeply?
“Grand Secretary, please accept these gifts. The others are right. You are no martial man like us, with our rough skin and thick flesh. Once the situation in Shaanxi has been dealt with, I will report everything truthfully to the court. I believe His Majesty will not make an issue of this.”
Cui Ming urged him once more. Yuan Keli remained silent for a moment, then cupped his hands toward the people in every direction.
“This old man thanks all of you, my good brothers.”
It took a full half an hour before the carriage finally left the small county town of Suizhou. Before long, it gradually disappeared from the sight of the people gathered there.
At the same time, within the Eastern Warm Chamber, the Chongzhen Emperor stood before an enormous map of the Great Ming Empire.
“Chief Attendant, judging by the time, the envoy bearing my edict should have reached Suizhou by now, should he not?”
“Your Majesty, according to regulations, the Hanlin Academician charged with delivering the edict should enter Suizhou County no later than the hour of the Rooster tonight.”
“Chief Attendant, do you think it is possible that the people involved in the Shaanxi uprising might refuse to surrender even after receiving my imperial edict?”
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Wang Cheng’en’s entire body trembled. After several breaths, he said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, with Grand Secretary Yuan there, along with the two and a half million taels of silver allocated by the court, neither the great disaster in Shaanxi nor the uprising will pose a problem.”
“Perhaps.”
The Chongzhen Emperor responded noncommittally.
In his previous life, when the Shaanxi uprising had erupted, the court had appointed Yang He as the Governor-General of the Three Frontier Regions. The court had also focused primarily on pacification and recruitment, but the effort had ultimately failed.
Afterward, Shaanxi became a living hell. Natural disasters continued without interruption for fourteen years, while rebellion swept across Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Gansu, Ningxia, and other regions.
By the first year of the Chongzhen reign, the rebel forces had already reached sixty thousand men. Before long, every sort of rogue and desperado had emerged: the Rebel King, Purple Golden Beam, Full Sky Star, Scorpion Lump, Heaven-Collapsing Ram, World-Confounding King, and the other thirty-six camps.
“If pacification fails, then do not blame me for being ruthless and merciless. Even if the frontier garrisons must endure attacks from foreign enemies, I will still mobilize the main army and wipe you out.”
The Chongzhen Emperor stared at the map, murderous intent blazing in his eyes.
External threats must be dealt with only after internal disorder had been quelled. This uprising was like a spark that could set the entire plain ablaze.
He could not go soft merely because these men were subjects of Great Ming. This uprising would consume enormous amounts of the empire’s military funds, manpower, and attention. In the end, it had allowed the Jurchen invaders to enter through the passes, resulting in the slaughter of tens of millions of common people.
Compared with tens of millions of lives, a few thousand rebels were nothing.
“I hope Yuan Keli proves capable and does not repeat Yang He’s mistakes. Otherwise, I truly will have to raise the butcher’s knife.”
The Chongzhen Emperor sighed inwardly, then asked, “Where is Qin Liangyu?”
“Your Majesty, according to the reports compiled this morning, General Qin’s White-Rod Troops have already reached Fenyang. They are roughly half a month’s journey from the capital, exactly in accordance with General Qin’s planned march.”
The Chongzhen Emperor quietly exhaled. His hand, hidden within his sleeve, clenched several times.
Just endure another half a month.
“Your Majesty, these are some findings and thoughts I gathered while reviewing the archives of the Imperial Studs. Please look them over.”
Just as the Chongzhen Emperor had reclined halfway upon the soft couch, Fang Zhenghua entered the Eastern Warm Chamber and presented the organized documents to him with both hands.
The emperor did not look through them.
“Report directly.”
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Fang Zhenghua stepped closer and said softly, “Your Majesty, according to an inspection conducted by the Ministry of Revenue during the early Jiajing era, the Imperial Studs controlled twenty horse stations and fifty-six pastures, occupying more than twenty-four thousand qing of land. Compared with the beginning of the Zhengde era, the pastures under its jurisdiction had expanded more than fourfold. Yet the total number of horses, camels, and donkeys on those pastures was only three thousand nine hundred.”
“In the sixth year of the Tianqi era, the pastures under the Imperial Studs covered only a little more than fourteen thousand qing, and the number of horses, camels, and donkeys was fewer than three thousand. Over the course of this century, officials of the Imperial Studs, members of the imperial clan, hereditary nobles, and influential gentry have seized more than fourteen thousand qing of pastureland.”
“One qing is equal to one hundred mu, and one mu is approximately six hundred and sixty-six square meters. Fourteen thousand qing would amount to a square whose sides were each sixty li long, yet it supports only three thousand horses. What an appalling waste.”
After hearing this, the Chongzhen Emperor offered no opinion. Instead, he asked, “Tell me about the finances of the Imperial Studs and the Four Tengxiang Guards.”
“Your Majesty, the Imperial Studs administer eighty-one imperial estates and imperial shops. If operated properly, they should bring in roughly four hundred and forty thousand taels of silver each year. Yet from the first year of the Tianqi era until now, their annual income has never reached one hundred thousand taels.”
“The Four Tengxiang Guards have an authorized strength of twenty-two thousand four hundred men. Their records now list more than thirty thousand. However, I have investigated personally. Their actual strength is fewer than twelve thousand, and their combat power is largely illusory. They are somewhat better than the men I fought alongside in the Capital Garrison, but not by much.”
“Liu Yingkun, the eunuch holding the seal of the Imperial Studs, is one of Wei Zhongxian’s men. A large portion of the other personnel within the Imperial Studs also belong to Wei Zhongxian’s faction.”
“However, the Four Tengxiang Guards are not as rotten as one might imagine. Of the four commanders, only one has attached himself to Wei Zhongxian. The other three remain loyal to imperial authority, though they too have engaged in considerable corruption.”
The emperor’s expression finally changed.
If the pastures and other lands had been seized, that alone would not have been a serious matter. Once he held power firmly in his hands, he could investigate and reclaim them. Confiscating the property of corrupt officials and exterminating their clans would even serve to replenish the imperial treasury.
If officials had embezzled ten thousand qing of pastureland and the confiscations yielded five million taels of silver, that would hardly be excessive, would it?
But he had never imagined that the emperor’s own troops, the Four Tengxiang Guards—reputed to be the elite of the elite among the imperial forces—could have decayed to such an extent: drawing pay for nonexistent soldiers, taking the identities of others, possessing no real fighting strength, and clinging to powerful patrons.
If even the emperor’s personal troops were in such a state, what of the Nine Frontier Armies and the garrison forces stationed throughout the empire?
After a long while, the Chongzhen Emperor finally composed himself.
“If you were to take charge, what would you do?”
Fang Zhenghua’s expression shifted repeatedly between hesitation, fear, anger, and fervor. He wavered for nearly the time it took to drink a cup of tea. At last, his expression hardened, as though he had reached a decision.
He fell to his knees, pressing his forehead firmly against the floor, and said in a trembling voice, “I am deeply honored by Your Majesty’s trust. What I am about to say may be highly disrespectful. I beg Your Majesty to forgive my presumption!”
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