Chapter 53 Where the Foreigners Reach Their Black Hands...

[The first step to building trust is to match your words with your actions!]

[Therefore, when you actually withdrew over a million taels of in-kind silver from the overflowing national treasury, brought it to the military parade ground, and handed it out to them one by one, the tens of thousands of men in the audience were completely stunned...]

[Looking at the bright, heavy silver in their hands, they felt as if they were dreaming. Quite a few even bit down on the coins with their teeth just to be sure they weren't dreaming!]

[For a moment, some were dancing with joy, almost resembling Fan Jin upon passing the imperial examinations in his frenzy of excitement!]

[Others cradled the silver in their arms, tears streaming uncontrollably down their faces...]

[The Qing Dynasty had a famous saying: The Jurchens numbering less than ten thousand are invincible!]

[The Ming Dynasty also had a famous saying: The Ming army lacking full pay is invincible once fully paid!]

[Where does one seek full pay? From Nurhaci and Hong Taiji of Jianzhou...]

[In fact, this deeply exposes a crucial reason why the Ming army repeatedly suffered defeat in the Ming-Qing wars: the issue of military pay.]

[Although the Qing army was brutal to outsiders, Hong Taiji was genuinely willing to spend money on his troops. The Eight Banners soldiers could not only plunder the wealth of the Ming territory but also receive substantial military pay issued by the Qing court!]

[In contrast, the Ming army not only held low social status but was also constantly exploited by corrupt officers who drank their blood. Even the Qi Family Army, which had just returned from Korea, could not escape the problem of unpaid wages, and were eventually even massacred by a stingy court that refused to settle their accounts...]

[Under such a contrast, the Qing army didn't even need to perform exceptionally; just a normal engagement was enough to crush the Ming army into pieces!]

[This economic disparity was also the reason why Ming soldiers later surrendered to the Qing en masse: once you surrendered to the Qing, there was actual money to be had! Moreover, you could march south with the Eight Banners to engage in massive looting. Wouldn't that be far more satisfying than being a miserable Ming soldier?]

[As for grand concepts like loyalty to the country and national sentiment... Apologies, those might have mattered to the old Qi Family Army, but they were already dead—killed by the very blades of the Great Ming they had sworn allegiance to. As for the rest of these feudal cannon fodder who lived like dogs, they didn't understand, nor did they care to listen...]

[The economic gap between the Ming and Qing armies was so vast that it eventually led to a ridiculous situation: clearly, the Ming dynasty possessed the superior productivity, technology, and cultural standards, yet on the battlefield, ordinary Ming soldiers were rarely equipped with effective armor, while regular Qing soldiers marched in heavy plate...]

[Even the Qing army's firearms surpassed those of the Ming. They had cannons where they needed cannons, and muskets where they needed muskets...]

[Reality was this desperate and ironic. The root cause of the Ming Dynasty's downfall lay neither in how formidable the Qing was nor in how skilled Li Zicheng was at fighting, but solely in the utter incompetence of the Ming itself, with military corruption being the most direct manifestation.]

[The military morale and trust that the old bastard Wanli and the assembled ministers had discarded like worn-out shoes were things you now had to buy back with cold, hard cash—and even then, there was no guarantee you could buy them, because even if you were willing to pay, the soldiers might not be willing to sell...]

[Compared to trust, which was priceless, even more than a million taels of gleaming silver seemed utterly negligible!]

[......]

[After the silver was distributed, you had no idea whether this move alone could re-establish trust within the army. But watching them rejoice to the point of madness, and even weeping tears of joy, you gained at least some confidence: sentiment still existed among them. As long as subsequent operations were handled properly, winning back military morale was not impossible!]

[So you decided to see the good deed through to the end. While everyone was still reveling in the joy of the silver, you suddenly issued another decree: "Since today is about establishing trust, we shall take this opportunity to purge all the parasites and clean up the Ming Capital Garrison once and for all!"]

[<div>"All officers who have previously withheld the pay and rations of the soldiers, step forward voluntarily! Step forward now, and your lives will be spared. If you are uncovered afterward, capital punishment awaits you all!"</div>]

[Ah?]

[Upon hearing this, the ten-thousand-odd soldiers who had just been celebrating their newfound silver froze in place, then subconsciously turned their gazes toward their respective commanding officers...]

[The officers: ......]

[Those with guilty consciences inwardly cursed a storm, but under the hostile glares of the troops, they were forced to frantically rack their brains for countermeasures: either step forward voluntarily, or gamble on a desperate chance!]

[After a moment of deliberation, most of the officers who had pocketed soldiers' blood money bit the bullet and stepped forward. After all, your previous rectification of the Six Ministries' officialdom had established a certain credibility; those who confessed voluntarily would likely escape severe punishment, while those who resisted stubbornly were guaranteed to die... Therefore, the majority of them stepped forward.]

[And you handled it true to form: for those whose corruption was modest in scale, you immediately administered a round of floggings on the spot, ordered them to surrender their ill-gotten gains, and demoted them by one official rank... However, you made it explicitly clear that should they ever reoffend, the moment it was uncovered, they would face the executioner's blade!]

[For those whose corruption exceeded acceptable limits, they not only received floggings and forfeiture of assets, but were also expelled from the Capital Garrison outright!]

[As for the die-hard elements, you kept your word: they were interrogated on the spot, and once their crimes were verified, they were executed right there!]

[Following this thorough rectification, the Capital Garrison took on a completely brand-new look...]

[In July of the 74th year of Chongzhen, the Prime Minister rectified the Capital Garrison, first purging the old and infirm, then punishing lawless officers, and finally supplementing it with a million taels of pay to establish trust. Consequently, the Capital Garrison was greatly revitalized!]

[Following that, the Prime Minister extensively recruited able-bodied young men from the capital and incorporated them into the Capital Garrison, finally assembling a full complement of one hundred thousand troops!]

[In October of the 74th year of Chongzhen, the Prime Minister began troop training, first clarifying military discipline and regulations, and then drilling combat tactics, determined to make the hundred-thousand-strong Capital Garrison as formidable as the Qi Family Army of old!]

[However, regarding your bold and sweeping reforms of the Capital Garrison, while the imperial court and the common people dared not voice open opposition, they murmured plenty of private criticisms...]

[<div>"Why is the Prime Minister adopting Western tactics? Are General Qi's tactics not invincible enough?"</div>]

[<div>"Exactly! Back in the day, General Qi dominated the north and south relying solely on that unique set of tactics. If not for the Jizhou Garrison back then... cough! Anyway, I still think General Qi's methods are superior!"</div>]

[<div>"And why use foreign firearms? Our Great Ming is vast and abundant in resources; what need do we have for the heterodox ingenuity of barbarian states? I think our three-eyed hand cannons aren't bad either—once you run out of lead shot, you can still use the barrel as a warhammer..."</div>]

[Capital Garrison veterans: Amusement!]

[Whether Western firearms and tactics were effective was obviously best known by the veterans who had survived the rebellion. Six thousand men had been beaten down to a mere thousand; if the Prime Minister hadn't arrived promptly with the Brocade Guard, they and Assistant Minister Gao would probably have been wiped out entirely long ago!]

[Therefore, they were staunch supporters of building the New Army.]

[Yet the problem was they were also thoroughly baffled: Mortals have foreign guns, but we have divine power! Didn't the Brocade Guard unilaterally slaughter the Yangzhou rebels last time? That proves no matter how powerful foreign guns and cannons are, they still can't compare to our Astartes!]

[Since the Brocade Guard were so outrageously formidable, why didn't the Prime Minister just bestow divine power upon everyone? If everyone became a superhero together, why bother sweating over those weird foreign tricks?]

[In short, everyone failed to understand the direction of your reforms!]

[Facing this universal confusion, you could only let out an internal sigh... Why use foreign guns and cannons when divine power was readily available? Naturally, it was to test the waters...]

[You still vividly remembered what Liu Yizhao had told you late one night: Would the God-Emperor truly grow weak simply because He could no longer afford the salaries of divine power?]

[Liu Yizhao had offered multiple pieces of evidence: for instance, the annual reduction in divine power stipends; for instance, the fact that the God-Emperor had not personally intervened in many years; and for instance, the sudden decision of the God-Emperor to appoint you to prop up the Great Ming...]

[Not a single piece of evidence could directly prove that the God-Emperor was truly weakening, yet each piece sounded entirely plausible... Although you had previously discovered that committing violence could generate divine power out of thin air, based on your observations along the way, the Brocade Guard had also killed plenty of people, yet you hadn't noticed any significant growth in their divine power either!]

[Therefore, you could not definitively conclude that the God-Emperor gained divine power through violence the way you did.]

[If you had the heart to go directly and question Him face-to-face, you feared arousing His suspicion. After all, a subject probing into a monarch's true foundation was a monumental taboo. If the ruler on the throne possessed even a slight paranoia, your fate would undoubtedly be absolute annihilation!]

[And although you could reset, you weren't someone fond of courting death. A reset was a reset, and the pain was real; you were merely somewhat eccentric, not a masochist. If you could avoid dying, staying alive was naturally the better option...]

[So you couldn't ask directly; you had to circle around the issue, all the while exercising the utmost caution...]

[Bracing yourself with mounting doubts, you entered the imperial palace and cautiously submitted your report on military reforms to the serene God-Emperor.]

[<div>"Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject previously witnessed the devastating sharpness of Western firearms in Yangzhou. Without the aid of divine power, achieving a swift victory would likely have been difficult... Currently, the troops across the realm possessing divine power are few and far between, making them truly inadequate for heavy burdens. Therefore, this subject believes: might we bestow more divine power? As long as divine power is sufficient, even if Westerners launch a crusade against our Great Ming, they can be shattered with a mere flick of a finger!"</div>]

[The moment the words left your mouth, you anxiously awaited His reply...]

[Hearing this, He seemed on the verge of speaking, but ultimately shook His head instead: "Bestowing divine power upon the various officials and the Brocade Guard is sufficient. The troops of the realm need not receive divine empowerment."]

[Upon hearing this, your heart gave a jolt: It seemed divine power truly had its limits; otherwise, why wouldn't He simply transform the Great Ming into a divine realm and be done with it? What need was there for any reforms...]

[Hence, you replied respectfully.]

[<div>"Then this subject shall take the Capital Garrison as an example and implement Western-style training methods across the empire?"</div>]

[<div>"The Prime Minister may act as he sees fit."</div>]

[He smiled.]

[Seeing that He was not provoked into suspicion or anger, you grew bolder and probed further: "...This subject has yet another matter. The reason the rebels in Yangzhou proved so troublesome this time is that they were colluding in secret with various Western nations!"]

[<div>"The Western barbarians have lusted after our Central Plains territory for ages, and this time their wolfish ambitions are glaringly obvious. Their intent goes beyond carving up the Great Ming empire; they even aim to assassinate Your Majesty!"</div>]

[<div>"Wherever the black hands of the foreigners reach, domestic rebels run rampant like a plague!"</div>]

[<div>"This subject has already verified that the former rebels Li Chuang and Xianni were running dogs fostered by foreign overseas forces, and even Nurhaci and Hong Taiji accepted five hundred thousand taels of silver from foreigners!"</div>]

[<div>"As for the Grand Imperial Grandson Li Laiheng, rumor has it that he was secretly spirited away and protected by foreigners. Once our Great Ming weakens, the foreigners will send the remnants of the Li family back to the realm to once again plunge it into chaos!"</div>]

[<div>"Even the disappearance of Jianwen back in the day was the foreigners' doing..."</div>]

[<div>"The crimes of the Western barbarians are supported by ironclad evidence!"</div>]

[Your tone grew increasingly solemn: "Though this subject wishes to exact revenge for Your Majesty, our reach falls short. We earnestly hope Your Majesty will descend divine punishment upon such barbarian outlaws, shatter their lands, and slaughter their subjects, so as to demonstrate that those who cross our Great Ming shall be executed no matter how distant they may be!"]

[(Westerners: What can I say?)]

[(Wild Boar Skin: That's right, children, my Seven Great Grievances were written by foreigners!)]

[(Li Chuang: Hong Taiji did it too.)]

[(King of Daxi: Amusement!)]

[......]