usatvline Chapter 79 Nurhaci's Backyard Catches Fire
Chapter 79 Nurhaci's Backyard Catches Fire
Chapter 80 Nurhaci's Backyard Catches Fire
Chapter 079 When Zhang Guoxun heard Chen Boying mention people, he knew that, in fact, back on Dalu Island, Chen Ying had already begun building warships, and they were giant warships with a capacity of over four thousand tons.
Compared to the Dengzhou Navy, Chen Boying's Shahe Guard was far too wealthy. Chen Boying's current need for personnel put Zhang Guoxun in a very difficult position. The reason was actually quite simple: Chen Boying needed not ordinary people, but naval commanders skilled in leading troops and fighting battles.
Such outstanding talents are rare even in the Dengzhou Navy. Mediocre people would never be recommended to Chen Boying, because Chen Boying is the God of Wealth of the Dengzhou Navy. Of the five battalions of the Dengzhou Navy, except for the Pinghai Battalion, the other four battalions basically rely on helping Chen Boying transport supplies to earn some extra money to make a living.
They had offended the navy's benefactor, and if Chen Boying stopped playing with them, they would have nowhere to turn for help. But the problem was, Chen Boying had brought it up now, and they couldn't refuse. Otherwise, they would be out of a job in transporting goods by sea in the future.
Chen Ying looked at Zhang Guoxun: "General Zhang, you are an expert. I would like to ask if you have any suitable candidates to recommend? Preferably someone who understands ships, knows how to lead troops, and can command respect. I am willing to offer a high salary to hire him."
Zhang Guoxun's expression changed. If his superior were an ordinary general, he wouldn't have any psychological burden. But the problem was that Shen Yourong, the current commander of the Dengzhou Navy, was a veteran general from the Jiajing era. He had cooperated with Qi Jiguang in fighting against Japanese pirates, fought against the Portuguese, suppressed the Spanish twice, and also fought against the Dutch. He was the only remaining veteran general in the Ming Dynasty Navy.
Although Zhang Guoxun was not one of Shen Yourong's direct subordinates, the point is that Zhang Guoxun had been sidelined in the Dengzhou Navy for more than ten years, and it was Shen Yourong who promoted him from the position of naval training guerrilla general to assistant general.
Although the Ming Dynasty's military commander was a third-rank official and the guerrilla general was a fourth-rank official, the difference of only one rank was significant. This rank was the natural divide in the military. The guerrilla general was roughly equivalent to a brigade commander, while the military commander was equivalent to a division commander. More importantly, the guerrilla general was not qualified to submit memorials to the emperor, but the military commander had the power to submit memorials directly.
A guerrilla general is a mid-level officer, but a brigade commander is already considered a high-ranking officer.
"Lord Chen————"
Zhang Guoxun spoke with difficulty: "Although I am a naval officer, I am also an official appointed by the imperial court. To privately serve a local garrison would be... I'm afraid..."
"Oh, Lieutenant General Zhang has misunderstood."
Chen Ying smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I am not asking you to betray the court. The Dengzhou Navy will still be the Dengzhou Navy. We will continue to fight the Jurchens and obey orders as usual. I simply want to establish a transport fleet among the people and hire some knowledgeable sailors to operate the ships. If any of you are willing to come, that would be resigning from your military posts to become civilians, which would not be considered betrayal."
Zhang Guoxun fell silent. The captains and lieutenants around him also fell silent, but their eyes began to flicker.
Laborers? Who would believe that?
They are all professionals. These ships in Yongning Port are not cargo ships used to transport goods at all, but real warships. Who would build transport ships that are so thin and long?
Moreover, Chen Boying possessed the authority to manufacture cannons granted by the imperial court, and he also had a sizable artillery force under his command. These giant warships, equipped with naval cannons, were true warships, even larger than the warships of the Westerners.
If Chen Boying really wanted to recruit sailors or ship handlers, there were plenty of such sailors and captains in the countryside. To put it bluntly, Chen Boying could recruit hundreds or even thousands of qualified captains in Dengzhou alone.
What Chen Boying actually wanted was a general who understood naval warfare, but this couldn't be said outright. If it was said outright, it would be considered a treacherous plot; if it wasn't said outright, it would be considered a normal employment arrangement.
"As for wages—"
Chen Ying slowly began, "Ordinary sailors who are willing to come will each receive a settlement allowance of ten taels of silver, a monthly salary of two taels, food and lodging provided, and four sets of clothing issued annually. Those capable of navigating ships and leading troops, such as captains and lieutenants, will receive a settlement allowance of thirty taels and a monthly salary of five taels. If they are captains or lieutenants, capable of leading independently—the settlement allowance will be one hundred taels, and a monthly salary of ten taels or more!"
Chen Boying's qualifications were actually quite good for ordinary soldiers, but the problem was that they were not good enough for officers. In the Ming Dynasty, military officers were generally higher than civil officials. A captain in charge of fifty men was a seventh-rank official, the same rank as a county magistrate.
This is actually unreasonable. In the border army system, a division consists of about 500 people. The rank of the division commander is seventh grade. Two divisions make up a unit, and the rank of the centurion is seventh grade.
Although the Dengzhou Navy did not receive military pay, as officers, their salaries were not aligned with those of the soldiers. Therefore, even though the Dengzhou Navy was very poor, these officers who had finally risen to the ranks of Qianzong (military officer) and Youji General did not actually want to give up their status as officials appointed by the imperial court.
Of course, they would be willing to accept the position of high-ranking military officers, since each family has more than one person who can retire due to illness or injury, allowing other nephews or nieces to succeed them.
Looking at the attitude of the Dengzhou naval officers, Chen Ying basically understood that it was the Tianqi era, and both officers and soldiers still had great faith in the Ming Dynasty and were unwilling to give up the benefits and privileges within the system.
In fact, Chen Ying himself was the same. He was using the influence within the Ming Dynasty system to his advantage. If Chen Ying had not been the commander of Shahe Guard, but an ordinary merchant, Zhang Guoxun, the naval adjutant, would have definitely shown him what the authority of the government was.
"certainly----"
Seeing that his proposed conditions had failed to attract the officers, Chen Ying had no choice but to compromise and add, "Commander Zhang is an official appointed by the imperial court, and I dare not overstep my bounds. However, if anyone under Commander Zhang's command is willing to come, I will certainly treat them well. Moreover—if Commander Zhang is willing to help recommend someone, I will offer a separate reward for each capable person recommended."
"For an ordinary sailor, recommending one earns five taels; for one who can maneuver a ship, ten taels; and for a captain, fifty taels."
The hall fell completely silent.
Several captains turned their gazes to Zhang Guoxun, their eyes filled with eagerness.
They dared not speak, but their eyes said it all: "Commander, just agree!"
Zhang Guoxun's hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly.
He thought of his naval brothers in Dengzhou, who were starving and skin and bones; he thought of the military pay that hadn't been paid for thirteen months; he thought of the last time he returned to Dengzhou, he saw his elderly mother digging for wild vegetables in the mountains to fill her stomach—
"Lord Chen————"
Zhang Guoxun spoke with difficulty: "This matter—I must go back and discuss it with the brothers. After all—after all, they are people of the imperial court!"
"Of course, of course."
Chen Ying smiled broadly: "General Zhang, please take your time in discussing this. There's no rush. I'm here, ready to serve you anytime. Come, let's drink!"
Chen Ying wasn't in a hurry. He had another plan: return to the capital and find Wei Zhongxian. With some money, he could directly transfer troops from the Dengzhou Navy, or the Funing Navy, or the Tianjin Navy.
However, Chen Ying did not have much contact with the generals of the Tianjin and Funing navies. More importantly, the generals of the Dengzhou naval forces were too honest; they had taken money and were genuinely doing their jobs.
Especially in the battle to annihilate Engetu, the soldiers of the Dengzhou navy fought desperately. Even when Chen Ying rewarded them with mutton, they were reluctant to eat it and instead marinated it to take back to Dengzhou.
The banquet continued, but the atmosphere had completely changed.
Several captains and lieutenants were drinking absentmindedly, their eyes constantly glancing towards Chen Ying.
Zhang Guoxun kept drinking, one glass after another, as if he was drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
Three days later, the Dengzhou naval fleet prepared to return to port.
At the dock, Chen Ying personally saw him off. Zhang Guoxun stood at the bow, hesitant to speak. Seeing the ship about to leave the shore, he finally couldn't resist jumping off the boat, quickly walking to Chen Ying, and lowering his voice: "Lord Chen, this humble general has a request."
"Please speak, Lieutenant General Zhang."
"Among my men, there is a captain named He Yuhai. He—last night, while getting up in the middle of the night, he accidentally broke his leg. The physician said he needs at least six months of rest. But what about Dengzhou—"
Zhang Guoxun gritted his teeth and said, "Could we let him recuperate in Yongning? Once he's healed, if he's willing to stay, then—he can stay. If not, he can return to Dengzhou."
Chen Ying looked at Zhang Guoxun's shifty eyes and understood.
The broken leg and the six-month recovery were all excuses. Zhang Guoxun was testing the waters and leaving himself a way out. He sent someone over to test the waters first. If it worked out, things would be easier later.
He Yuhai had two brothers, He Yufeng and He Yuzhu. He was thinking that he could take advantage of his injury to see if his younger brother He Yufeng could take over his position as battalion commander.
A Qianzong (千总) and a Qianhu (千户) each managed about a thousand people. However, the difference was that the position of Qianhu was hereditary, while the position of Qianzong was not. Qianzong was a temporary official, recommended by a general and reviewed by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel. Only after passing the review would a Qianzong be issued an official title and become a court official.
Chen Yingxin, with a clear understanding of the situation, smiled faintly and said, "Of course, General Zhang, rest assured. He's here with me, well-fed and cared for. Once he's healed, he can leave or stay as he sees fit."
Zhang Guoxun breathed a sigh of relief, then lowered his voice: "And—let me ask a few of my captains if—if they come with their own ships, what about their resettlement allowance—"
Chen Ying smiled and said, "Those who bring their own ships will be charged separately. A 400-ton warship will be priced at 500 taels; a 200-ton scout ship will be priced at 200 taels. If the people and ships come together, the settlement fee will be doubled."
The 400-ton warships built under the supervision of the Ming Dynasty, along with cannons and timber, actually only cost about 800 taels of silver. The actual cost was definitely lower than the Ministry of Works' quote.
The Dengzhou Navy consisted of warships built under the supervision of Yuan Keli when he served as the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou. Most of the warships were actually new, and Chen Ying valued them at 500 taels of silver, which was not low.
These past few days have been extremely difficult for Zhang Guoxun. On one hand, he had received favors from General Shen Yourong, and defecting to Chen Ying would be a betrayal of Shen Yourong. But the problem was that Shen Yourong had offended someone, and their Dengzhou navy's pay was being withheld, yet the navy's soldiers needed to eat.
They had already decided that if the imperial court did not allow their nephews and nieces to inherit their positions, they would issue a petition and surrender to Chen Boying, along with their boat.
Having received Chen Ying's promise, Zhang Guoxun breathed a sigh of relief: "This subordinate understands."
As the fleet slowly departed the port, Zhang Guoxun stood at the stern, gazing at Yongning Port receding into the distance, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
He knew that this trip back would likely bring about a major change in the Dengzhou navy.
But when he thought of his brothers who were starving, he felt that changing things might not be a bad thing.
Su Mei asked, puzzled, "My lord, what if the court—"
"Nobody dares to get involved!"
Chen Ying smiled bitterly. He knew history very well. Dengzhou Town would be abolished in the first year of Chongzhen's reign. The court didn't care about the Dongjiang Army, so why would it care about the Dengzhou Navy?
As for the fact that this navy was persuaded by Kong Youdala to surrender to Huang Taiji, if Kong Youdala hadn't intercepted it beforehand, Chen Ying would never have surrendered to the Jurchens.
Su Mei was puzzled: "How could that be?"
"Because Eunuch Wei is about to soar to great heights!"
Chen Ying was well aware that after the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, Wei Zhongxian's power had become absolutely overwhelming. As Wei Zhongxian's man, who would impeach Chen Ying because of this matter?
Moreover, impeaching Chen Ying would probably not even get past the Directorate of Ceremonial. More importantly, this is a crucial link in the corruption of the Ming Dynasty's border troops. Once exposed, the troops of the nine border regions would likely mutiny.
Your imperial court isn't paying our soldiers? And we're not even allowed to find our own way to survive? Are you expecting us to starve to death?
In the first month of the second year of the Tianqi reign, after Nurhaci captured Guangning, he destroyed the city and returned east without advancing on Shanhaiguan. He was worried that if he went deep into Han territory, he would follow in the footsteps of the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties after they had become Sinicized. But in fact, he needed to digest the Liaodong region that he had just annexed, suppress the Han people's resistance in Liaodong, and deal with the alliances and marriages with the Khorchin and Inner Khalkha tribes of Mongolia. Therefore, he had no time to advance westward.
Since Sun Chengzong took command of Liaodong, recovered the Liaoxi defense line, built cities such as Ningyuan and Jinzhou, established the Guan-Ning-Jin defense line, and crossed the Liao River to attack eastward, he built more than forty cities along the way.
Nurhaci came to his senses and suddenly realized that Sun Chengzong had not only recovered the four prefectures in southern Liaodong, but also successfully recovered the Youtunwei City of Guangning in July. This put Nurhaci under pressure, and he prepared to launch a western expedition in winter, at least to drive the Ming army west of the Liao River.
However, at this crucial moment, Nurhaci received news of Mangultai's crushing defeat.
Nurhaci was instantly enraged. In his eyes, the Haixi Jurchens were his own backyard, and now his backyard was on fire: "Fifth Prince, repeat what you just said."
Mangultai knelt down with a thud, his forehead touching the ground, his voice trembling: "Father—Khan—your son—your son's tribes on the east bank of the Yehe River and along the Songhua River have been attacked more than thirty times in two months, with more than three thousand people missing, including more than 1,300 armored soldiers, and thousands of cattle, sheep and horses plundered—"
"More than three thousand people?"
Huang Taiji frowned. In fact, he had also lost more than a thousand men, but he did not report it because most of his losses were the old, weak, sick and disabled, and mainly the Yehe tribe Haixi Jurchens. In his subconscious mind, the Yehe tribe was not the real Jurchens, and they were cannon fodder, just like the Mongols and Han soldiers.
"Manggultai, don't lie. Since the Jianzhou uprising, we have never suffered such a great loss in the rear."
"If I have uttered even the slightest lie, I am willing to accept military punishment!"
Mangultai raised his head, his face full of shame, and said, "At first, I thought they were just a few scattered bandits, so I sent troops to hunt them down, but we couldn't even catch a glimpse of them. It wasn't until half a month ago that we captured a few survivors—the ones who attacked us were the Xibe tribe, an old tribe of the Haixi people. I originally wanted to wipe out the Xibe tribe in one fell swoop, but I never expected that Hamutai would lure us deep into his territory, and I fell into an ambush—he led seven or eight thousand men to ambush me. When I saw that the situation was bad, I decisively retreated!"
Mangultai wasn't stupid, and he didn't tell the truth. He wanted Nurhaci to know that his five thousand men had been defeated by Hamutai's six hundred men, and that Nurhaci could eat him.
"How is this possible?"
"How come the Haixi Jurchens have a tribe with seven or eight thousand men?"
"Wasn't the Xibe tribe scattered ten years ago?"
Nurhaci realized that his own backyard was on fire.