lcionline Chapter 467: The King of Hell is easy to meet, but the kid is difficult to deal with
Chapter 467: The King of Hell is easy to meet, but the kid is difficult to deal with
As soon as Chongzhen uttered his words, he realized they were too little. However, the national treasury was empty, and there was simply no money. Even his own dragon robe was patched, and he had reduced his daily meals. He didn't have the confidence to bestow more rewards. But upon hearing the words "grant a noble title," he pondered.
Throughout the Ming Dynasty, apart from the founding heroes and those who made great contributions to the pacification of the country, emperors were very cautious about granting titles to non-royal members of the imperial family. From the Yongle era to the early Chongzhen era, very few officials were granted titles, although there were exceptions such as Wang Shouren, the Earl of Xinjian.
Emperor Chongzhen was notoriously harsh on his officials. For the smallest offense, they would be imprisoned; for minor mistakes, beheading; for anger, death by a thousand cuts; and stripping them of their posts was commonplace. Even cabinet members were constantly being replaced. Yet, he was remarkably stingy when it came to bestowing titles and honors. During his seventeen-year reign, aside from his father-in-law Zhou Kui being granted the title of Earl of Jiading in the third year of his reign, he virtually did not grant any military officers titles. It wasn't until the seventeenth year of his reign, when the Ming Dynasty was nearing its end and Li Zicheng was about to march on Beijing, that he hastily bestowed a few earls to boost the morale of his generals, including the infamous General Zuo Liangyu, who was tasked with suppressing the rebellion.
Until the dynasty was on the verge of collapse, given his nature, even if someone had rendered meritorious service, he was unwilling to easily grant them a title. When the Qionghai Army rose like a comet and made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion in Shandong, Chongzhen only gave them a minor, insignificant position as a deputy general. If Liu Ye hadn't orchestrated the two major dramas involving Japanese pirates and the Dutch, he probably wouldn't have received the position of Commander-in-Chief of Pingnan.
After thinking for a long time, he said, "Let's put the matter of bestowing a title on him for now, and first grant one of his sons the title of centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard." This can be considered a way to reward meritorious officials, similar in nature to bestowing the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree upon the principal wife, but at a lower level.
However, bestowing titles upon one's descendants was mostly a secondary reward following the granting of a noble title, and a mere centurion was far too meager compared to the merit of capturing Gao Yingxiang alive. Hearing this, the crowd secretly shook their heads. So stingy, who would be willing to risk their lives for you?
Wen Tiren had intended to do a favor, but he hadn't expected the emperor to be so stingy, and since the emperor had already made his decision, he sighed inwardly and didn't bring up the topic again.
However, Chongzhen's mood remained unaffected. After casually approving Liu Ye's reward, his attention returned to the ceremony of presenting the captives. He told Wu Zongda and Wang Yingxiong, "The rebel Li Zicheng will soon be escorted to the capital. All matters concerning the ceremony of presenting the captives will be handled by the Ministry of Rites according to ancestral regulations. The expenses will be raised by the Ministry of Revenue, and any shortfall will be covered by the imperial treasury." He was stingy when rewarding meritorious officials, but very generous when it came to such a grand gesture.
The two men replied, "Your Majesty, we obey."
While Emperor Chongzhen was preparing for a grand ceremony to present the captives in the capital, Liu Ye encountered an unpleasant incident when he led his army back in triumph.
The Yangtze River separates Nanjing from Jiangsu and Anhui provinces. Beyond the river lies Nanjing's territory. Although parts of Anhui belong to the Jiangnan region and are considered prosperous, in terms of grandeur, no prefecture in Anhui can compare to even a tenth of Nanjing's. After the Battle of Qionghai, there were considerable casualties, necessitating a city rich in resources and with good medical facilities for recuperation; Nanjing was naturally the first choice.
However, the Nanjing garrison refused the army's request to enter the city, citing the same reason as before: the capital is a strategically important area, and foreign troops are not allowed to enter the city; they must all be stationed outside the city and provide their own food and supplies.
When the army arrived at the North Gate of Nanjing, the garrison commander solemnly repeated what he had said last time, adding, "Please, General, don't put us in a difficult position. If any misunderstandings arise and friction occurs, it will be bad for everyone."
Liu Ye's face immediately darkened. Last time, his troops were in good condition, his supplies were plentiful, and he was about to cross the river to suppress the bandits. He had no intention of arguing with these people. But when he returned with a great victory and needed to enter the city to treat the wounded, they still refused him entry for the same reason! As if that wasn't disgusting enough, they even said something like "there was a friction, and things didn't look good between us."
He asked with a stern face, "Brother, what is your surname and what official position do you hold?"
"Alright, my surname is Niu, and I am the garrison commander of the North Gate of the Nanjing Garrison."
Liu Ye suppressed his anger: "Commander Niu, always leave some room for maneuver, so you can meet again in the future. We just finished fighting the bandits and came off the battlefield. We are all serving the court, can't you do us a favor?"
Commander Niu gave a forced smile: "Brother, it's my duty, there's no other way. After defeating the bandits, plenty of them flee back to the city. What do they think Nanjing is? Take, for example, just a few days ago, a governor of Fengyang was routed and fled to Nanjing. Later, the eunuch from the palace came looking for him to deliver an imperial edict, but they couldn't find him..."
Qin Tian stepped forward from behind Liu Ye, glaring angrily: "Watch your mouth! Who lost the battle? We defeated the combined forces of the rebel king and the eight kings with only 5,000 men, and even captured the rebel king Gao Yingxiang alive. He has already been sent to the capital."
Commander Niu and his soldiers burst into laughter, as if they had heard the funniest thing in the world. He scoffed, "You're really good at bragging. Why don't you mention that the Tartars were also driven out of the pass by you? Even Governor Hong's tens of thousands of troops couldn't capture Gao Yingxiang, and you think you can do it with only five thousand men?" The Battle of Qiuyu Mountain had just ended, and news had already been sent to the capital by express courier, but Nanjing, so close at hand, was completely unaware of the fierce battle that had taken place across the river. Commander Niu judged others by his own standards; even Nanjing's 100,000 troops dared not venture out to confront the bandit army, so it was impossible for a mere five thousand men to achieve such a feat. Therefore, he concluded that the other side was boasting.
All the generals were agitated upon hearing Niu Dusi's disdainful words. Some even placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, waiting for the general's order to chop this arrogant commander into mincemeat.
Qin Tian took another step forward, clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, and said, word by word, "Whether it's bragging or not, do you want to try?"
Hearing this provocative remark, Niu Dusi flew into a rage, his finger almost poking Qin Tian's face: "You bastard, what do you want?"
Seeing the atmosphere becoming tense, Yan Guang quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, saying in Nanjing dialect, "Commander Niu, please calm down. My brother was just joking. Since Commander Niu is in a difficult position, why not help us out and report to our superiors so that they can make a decision?" As he spoke, he subtly handed over a silver ingot.
Upon hearing his fluent Nanjing accent, Commander Niu was taken aback, but instinctively accepted the silver as it was handed to him. He softened his tone, saying, "Since we're fellow Nanjing natives, I'll give you face. Wait here, I'll go report to my superior."
After the magistrate left, Qin Tian muttered to himself, "It's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with a ghost. Getting rid of this gatekeeper is more troublesome than dealing with a governor or viceroy."
Yan Guang shook his head: "It's not that simple. I guess someone above is directing us to make things difficult for us."