lcionline Chapter 718 Butterfly Wings
Chapter 718 Butterfly Wings
Chongzhen's words expressed the sentiments of many civil and military officials: Regardless of whether Liu Ye fought the Tartars for fame or was simply bored, the fact remains that he won and Liaonan was recovered. And no matter how unruly the Qionghai garrison was, they were still Ming soldiers, weren't they? Liu Ye may have been arrogant and ambitious, but to say that fighting the Tartars was out of malice is simply unacceptable.
Yang Sichang, however, thought differently. He analyzed, "Your Majesty, Liu Ye has already extended his reach into Shandong. It is said that the three eastern prefectures are already in his hands. Shandong is close to Beizhili, and the threat it poses to the capital is self-evident. Now he has brazenly launched an attack on Liaonan, occupying Gaizhou, Jinzhou, and Lushun. It is only a matter of time before he takes Fuzhou. In addition, with the addition of Dengzhou and Laizhou in Shandong, this is a chain that is used to besiege the capital!"
In fact, Liu Ye sent troops to conquer these places, except for Lushun, but did not station troops there. His main purpose was to cause destruction and serve as a warning to others. Yang Sichang, who was thousands of miles away, was naturally unaware of the difference between these two objectives. He simply interpreted this military operation according to conventional thinking. Although this analysis was far off-topic, and the siege of the capital was also a matter of course, it inadvertently touched upon Liu Ye's strategic intention of "containing the Tartars, prioritizing internal operations over external ones."
This statement was highly targeted and successfully aroused Chongzhen's suspicion of Liu Ye. Chongzhen was startled, and upon careful consideration, it seemed to make sense. From Gaizhou to Lushun and Dengzhou-Laizhou, wasn't this an arc, a chain encompassing both the capital and Beizhili?
Ever since the mutiny at Chengtian Gate, Emperor Chongzhen had developed a persecution complex, constantly feeling that "some treacherous people wanted to harm me," and the identity of these "treacherous people" was self-evident. Yang Sichang's specious analysis triggered his panic, and the more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that it was true. He angrily slammed his fist on the dragon throne and shouted, "How dare Liu Ye do this?"
Although Yang Sichang didn't suffer from the same paranoia as Emperor Chongzhen, the Qionghai garrison had first disrupted his peace negotiations with the Tartars outside Yongding Gate, and now, without any prior notice, had unilaterally seized Liaonan, completely destroying the plan. Even if he were Emperor Taizong (Huang Taiji), he wouldn't be able to calmly negotiate a ceasefire after suffering such a significant loss—although Qionghai garrison wasn't under the Ministry of War's control, Emperor Taizong would hold the court responsible for Qionghai's actions. Peace negotiations were now impossible, and the plan of "pacifying the interior before resisting external aggression" was out of the question. Coupled with the previous conflict in the capital, his hatred for Liu Ye had intensified. Given the opportunity, he would definitely urge Emperor Chongzhen to use every means to deal with this troublemaker.
Wen Tiren frowned and said, "Isn't Wen Ruo an exaggeration? With the strength of Qionghai Town, if they had any ulterior motives, would they need to go to such great lengths to go to Liaonan to conquer Gaizhou, Jinzhou, and Lushun?"
Although the words did not explicitly state the meaning, the implied meaning was quite clear: the Qionghai Army could easily push all the way to the capital, and the Beijing garrison would not be able to resist at all. Why bother with such mystification?
Emperor Chongzhen was somewhat embarrassed, but he couldn't very well refute Wen Tiren's words, since what he said was true! He didn't respond to that question, but instead asked Yang Sichang, "What suggestions does Wenruo have?"
Yang Sichang said solemnly, "We must always be wary of others. No matter what Qionghai Town intends to do, it is never wrong to plan ahead. I propose that we transfer the troops stationed in Beizhili and Henan to the area around the capital to protect the capital and prevent any potential trouble."
Upon hearing this, Wen Tiren found it difficult to refute the reason that the defense of the capital should be strengthened, so he gave up the argument, shook his head, and returned to the ranks.
If the Grand Secretary didn't object to the proposal, the other officials were even less likely to oppose it. Since the Emperor had expressed his fear of Qionghai Town, deploying troops to strengthen the capital's defenses was the politically correct choice. With a safe option available, the civil and military officials knew what to do, and they quickly stepped forward to express their agreement with Yang Sichang's proposal.
“Minister Yang is absolutely right. The safety of the capital is related to the fate of the Ming Dynasty. It is only natural to transfer troops from the surrounding areas to protect the capital. I second that proposal.”
"I also second my opinion."
……
Seeing that his ministers all agreed, Emperor Chongzhen's resolve grew stronger, and he finally made the decision.
"Since all my ministers agree, then it is settled. The Ministry of War shall mobilize troops from Beizhili and Henan and relocate them to Baoding Prefecture, Tianjin Garrison, and Yongping Prefecture. The necessary funds and provisions shall be raised by the Ministry of War in conjunction with the Ministry of Revenue."
Baoding Prefecture, located south of the capital, together with Tianjin Wei to the east and west, formed a gateway, blocking the only route north to the capital; Yongping Prefecture, located east of the capital, faced the Liaodong Peninsula directly. Strengthening the military forces in this area could theoretically defend against threats from southern Liaoning. On paper, this arrangement seemed very meticulous.
The officials all shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise and sagacious!"
After the court session ended, Yang Sichang returned to the Ministry of War and began to prepare for the troop relocation. Although the matter was decided by the Emperor and he, as the Minister of War, had strongly pushed for it, there was no resistance from the higher-ups. However, the process would still not be very fast: the official procedures had to be followed, and the correspondence would take a lot of time. Moreover, in order to allocate funds and provisions for these troops, there would inevitably be disputes with the Ministry of Revenue. It would be at least several months before the troops could set off, and by the time the relocation was completed, it would be at the earliest next year.
Compared to the cumbersome official procedures, certain private channels were far more efficient. After the court session ended, Wen Tiren wrote a letter detailing everything that had happened during the morning court and sent it to Huang Long, whom Liu Ye had stationed in the capital.
Huang Long was originally a general under Gao Yingxiang, but now he was the person in charge of the Qionghai Army stationed in the capital to gather intelligence and relay messages, equivalent to the "director of the Beijing liaison office" in later times. After receiving the letter from the Grand Secretary, he dared not delay and immediately sent someone from Tianjin to sea to return to Lingao to deliver the message. To ensure smooth communication, Liu Ye ordered a small, fast ship named "Penglai" to be custom-built specifically for communication.
The intelligence officers boarded the "Penglai" and sped towards Lingao at breakneck speed, much faster than the land-based express courier service, arriving at Bofu Port from Tianjin in less than ten days.
South Garden.
Liu Ye, clutching Wen Tiren's letter, burst into laughter: "This is truly a stroke of luck!"
Others only saw the court strengthening its defenses against the Qionghai Army, but Liu Ye saw the impact of this troop movement on the entire political landscape: Henan's forces were already stretched thin, and now they were being drawn to the capital, giving Li Zicheng an opportunity to expand his power and accelerate his northward advance, allowing his plan to use someone else to do his dirty work to be implemented. Liu Ye, like a butterfly's wings, ultimately overcame the immense inertia of history, altering the original course of events.