sjar Chapter 600 Slander
Chapter 600 Slander
Wen Tiren thought to himself that this was no small matter, and it was not appropriate to force Yang Sichang to agree here, as Yang would not agree anyway. It had to be discussed in the imperial court and then decided by the emperor. So he coughed twice and replied, "This is a matter for the Ministry of War, and it is inconvenient for me to interfere. I believe that Vice Minister Yang will give you a reasonable answer."
He said to Yang Sichang, "I just happened to be passing by and meddle in other people's business. Please forgive my weakness. Just do what you're told and I won't bother you anymore."
Yang Sichang forced a smile and said, "I am in charge of the Ministry of War and am unfamiliar with many things. I am grateful for your guidance, Your Excellency. How could I dare to say a word of complaint? I wanted to ask you to stay and continue to teach me, but it is getting late, so I dare not delay your return home. Please take care!"
With the standoff over and the crisis resolved, Wen Tiren achieved his goal. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he got into his sedan chair and left.
Yang Sichang watched the sedan chair disappear from the yamen gate with a stern face, and then ordered, "Prepare the sedan chair, I am going to the palace!"
Wen Tiren was unaware that although he had successfully resolved the conflict between the Qionghai Army and the Ministry of War, his failure to accompany Yang Sichang to the emperor's audience was a blunder. Yang Sichang's impromptu visit to the palace that night ultimately influenced Chongzhen's judgment, rendering the great victory and the thousands of heads lost much of their significance and altering the entire course of events.
In the Qianqing Palace.
"The Jurchens suffered heavy losses, with over two thousand beheaded?"
Emperor Chongzhen stood up in surprise and repeated Yang Sichang's words.
Yang Sichang nodded: "Although it hasn't been verified yet, the head has already been sent to the Ministry of War. Once the head is confirmed to be genuine, news from Shandong will arrive, and the two will be compared to confirm the identity. Your Majesty's tireless efforts and diligent governance have led to this great victory. Your civil and military achievements have surpassed those of the late Emperor. Congratulations, Your Majesty!" With a casual remark, he attributed all the credit to Chongzhen, deliberately omitting any mention of the Qionghai Army, the main force behind the victory.
But Emperor Chongzhen was very receptive to this approach. In his view, if things went wrong, it was the fault of the officials, and if things went well, it was all his own merit. Upon hearing this, he was overjoyed: "I took over the country from the late emperor, and day and night I have been thinking about how to resist foreign aggression, quell internal strife, and revitalize the Ming Dynasty. I have worked diligently every day without daring to slack off for a moment. Heaven rewards diligence, and I have finally waited for this day."
He paced back and forth excitedly: "Two thousand heads have been beheaded! This is an unprecedented victory since I ascended the throne! I want to proclaim this to the world! Let all my subjects know that I am capable of reviving the Ming Dynasty!"
Wang Chengen, standing nearby, also wept with joy: "Your Majesty has toiled day and night, and finally this day has come! With such a great victory, Your Majesty can finally sleep peacefully. Otherwise, if you continued to toil, Your Majesty's health..."
Chongzhen interrupted him: "Wang Banban, why do you keep bringing up things that spoil the mood when we're so happy?"
Wang Chengen reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, then gently slapped her cheek and said, "Yes, yes, I misspoke, I'll slap myself."
Emperor Chongzhen turned to Yang Sichang excitedly and asked, "Liu Ye has repeatedly brought me surprises; he is truly a lucky general. Should I reward him?"
Yang Sichang timely poured cold water on the situation: "Logically speaking, Your Majesty should indeed bestow rewards. However, the higher Liu Ye's position and the greater his power, the more careful Your Majesty must be. This arrogant and domineering madman, who disregards the court, may become too powerful to control in the future, shaking the stability of the country. His harm would be even greater than that of the Jurchens or the bandits!"
Emperor Chongzhen immediately calmed down and pressed, "Why do you say such a thing, Wenruo?"
Yang Sichang then took the opportunity to embellish and recount the events that had occurred at the Ministry of War, and informed Chongzhen of them.
"That's the whole story. Your Majesty, a mere battalion commander dared to confront the head of the Bureau of Military Affairs, and even I couldn't stop him when I arrived at the scene. When his captain arrived, he even threatened to fight, showing no respect for the Ministry of War or the Beijing Garrison. It's clear that Liu Ye's arrogance and domineering nature have penetrated to the bone, and his subordinates have been influenced by what they've seen and heard, which is why they acted this way. I've never heard of a military commander in an army who doesn't even respect the Ministry of War. Disrespect for the Ministry of War is disrespect for the court, and even more so, disrespect for Your Majesty. Who knows if such a madman, who has no regard for his sovereign and father, might become the An Lushan of our dynasty?"
An Lushan was the main culprit of the An Lushan Rebellion. His rebellion with Shi Siming was the turning point from the prosperity to the decline of the Tang Dynasty. Comparing Liu Ye to An Lushan is a truly incisive statement.
"Is that so?" Emperor Chongzhen hesitated upon hearing this. The Qionghai Army had already proven its combat power, proving itself to be one of the most powerful armies in the Ming Dynasty. However, if what Yang Sichang said was true, the whole matter needed to be carefully considered.
Seeing Chongzhen's hesitation, Yang Sichang pressed his advantage: "I've heard that when Qionghai Town was in Nanjing, it even fought a battle against the Nanjing Shenji Battalion? Such a disloyal and treacherous man can fight the Nanjing Shenji Battalion today, and he could fight the Beijing Garrison tomorrow. Today, I personally witnessed how, intimidated by Qionghai Town's fearsome reputation, the Beijing Garrison arrived timid and hesitant, not even daring to disperse the enemy. It's conceivable that if Liu Ye were to commit treasonous acts in the capital one day, very few of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the Beijing Garrison would dare to fight..."
These words immediately painted a picture of an arrogant, cruel, and treacherous minister. Chongzhen, who was originally delighted to reward Qionghai Town and Liu Ye, immediately changed his mind. He asked with piercing eyes, "Wenruo, are your words truly from a public perspective?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Sichang immediately knelt down and said, "I swear to Heaven that I have never had any dealings with Qionghai Town before, nor have I had any grudges against them. These words come from the bottom of my heart and are entirely for the sake of the Ming Dynasty!"
Because he admired Yang Sichang's talent, Emperor Chongzhen was very familiar with his political career, personally arranging every appointment. Yang Sichang indeed had no dealings with Qionghai Town, located in the southern frontier, and therefore no conflict with it. Since he was taking an objective stance, his views are credible.
Emperor Chongzhen personally helped Yang Sichang up and comforted him, saying, "I trust the character of a man who is weak and frail. In that case, how should this matter be handled?"
Yang Sichang suggested: "The great victory is the result of His Majesty's diligent governance and should not be buried. It should be announced to the world, but as for Qionghai Town, it can be mentioned vaguely..."
Emperor Chongzhen hesitated and said, "But the battle was fought in Qionghai Town after all. If we don't mention it at all, won't people think I'm being harsh and ignorant?"
“Your Majesty could elevate Liu Ye’s title to Marquis of Pingnan, giving him a nominal title, and he wouldn’t care about these things. The people of the world would naturally not feel that Your Majesty has mistreated a meritorious official. For Your Majesty, this would be a beneficial and cost-effective thing,” Yang Sichang said. “For such military leaders, you must both offer them benefits and be careful to guard against them in order to control them.”