Chapter Thirty: Hong Chengchou's Plan!

The factional struggles in the late Ming dynasty were intricate and far from easy to resolve. Even if one sought to use the matter of the Eight Great Imperial Merchants to eliminate a faction, it was impossible to wipe them out completely. This was because the issue involved the entire bureaucracy, and many capable officials were members of these factions.

Given this, Zhu Cilang could only cultivate new power to join the fray. This new force could be called the "Imperial Party" or the "Crown Prince’s Faction"—either way, it was his own faction. As long as this group could be nurtured, it would effectively counter the Donglin Party and help reform the court. This was a means of balancing power.

Unfortunately, Emperor Chongzhen could not employ such tactics, but Zhu Cilang could.

Meanwhile, Xue Guoguan was somewhat shaken. As a seasoned veteran of the officialdom, he fully understood the meaning behind Zhu Cilang’s words. Simply put, it was to continue battling with the Donglin Party, the Chu Faction, and the Zhejiang Faction. If one person wasn’t enough, he could bring others to join the fray—as long as they were loyal solely to the Crown Prince.

To him, this was perfectly in his line of expertise. This was precisely what he had been doing before.

After realizing this, Xue Guoguan quickly bowed and said, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, this old servant is willing! Having served both the Imperial Party and the Crown Prince’s Faction, no matter what orders Your Highness commands, even if it costs me my life, I will fulfill them!”

Zhu Cilang nodded with satisfaction. Then he continued, “Very well. Go back and prepare; come to court tomorrow. The position of Grand Secretary of the Cabinet is already filled, but there is still a vacancy for a Grand Scholar of the Cabinet. You shall join the cabinet first; the rest can be arranged later. I assure you, your authority as Grand Scholar will not be less than that of the Grand Secretary.”

At present, the Grand Secretary was Zhou Yanru, historically a rather mediocre official and a staunch Donglin Party member. The best course would have been to remove him and let Xue Guoguan take his place. However, Zhou had only been promoted by Emperor Chongzhen to that position for about a month. Acting directly against him would leave Zhu Cilang at a loss for how to explain to others. Thus, he had to wait for a more suitable opportunity.

Xue Guoguan hesitated a bit. “But, Your Highness the Crown Prince, about the accusations of my corruption…”

Before he could finish, Zhu Cilang waved him off. “There has never been any corruption! Understand? The money was not embezzled by you; it was a reward granted by the Emperor. You are simply old and confused, having mistaken things and said the wrong words, causing others to misunderstand it as corruption.”

“When you attend court tomorrow, no matter how much they accuse you, you must deny it! I will also support you.”

“In short, you have never been a corrupt official, but a loyal and upright one devoted to our Great Ming!”

Xue Guoguan was thoroughly stunned. So he was actually an upright official! The next moment, he respectfully made a deep bow to Zhu Cilang. “Rest assured, Your Highness the Crown Prince. This old servant knows what to do. I will not disappoint Your Highness’s kindness!”

Waving his hand, Zhu Cilang said, “Go now, rest well, and think about how to deal with those people tomorrow.”

“Your servant takes his leave!”

After saying this, Xue Guoguan strode out, his figure suddenly seeming to shed over a decade of age.

Once Xue Guoguan had left, Zhu Cilang beckoned Ma Bao over. “Send someone to the Embroidered Uniform Guard to notify Luo Yangxing to handle Xue Guoguan’s matter. Remember to tell him that Xue Guoguan has never been corrupt. The rest, he will know what to do.”

“Your servant understands!” Ma Bao replied respectfully and left.

Luo Yangxing was a clever man; once he received the message, he would know exactly how to act. As for whether anyone would die—well, that was no concern of Zhu Cilang’s.

After lunch, another report came from the Embroidered Uniform Guard: the three clans of Duke Chengguo and several other nobles had been executed at Caishikou market. The total number was one thousand two hundred and thirty-two.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang showed no emotional response, only nodding calmly to indicate he understood. After all, it was just a matter of eliminating some parasites—nothing worth dwelling on. If not for certain considerations, he would have executed even more.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, Wang Cheng’en requests an audience!”

Just after hearing the report of the executions, Ma Bao entered again.

Wang Cheng’en? What was he doing here? Wasn’t he supposed to stay with the cabinet handling state affairs?

Zhu Cilang was puzzled but said, “Let him in.”

Soon, Wang Cheng’en appeared before Zhu Cilang, holding two memorials in his hands.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, the cabinet received two memorials today but didn’t know how to handle them, so they sent them here for your review and advice.”

Wang Cheng’en handed the two memorials to Ma Bao, who then passed them to Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang glanced at one memorial and instantly brightened. It was from Zu Dashou!

Zu Dashou reported that Jinzhou had been besieged by Hong Taiji for a long time and the situation was becoming untenable; urgent reinforcements were needed. This memorial was much the same as previous ones.

Next, Zhu Cilang picked up the other memorial, this one from Hong Chengchou.

Hong Chengchou reported that although Jinzhou had been besieged by the Manchus for some time, they had been continuously sending supplies and provisions into the city. Combined with the stockpiles inside Jinzhou, the city was not in immediate danger.

He had no intention of relieving Jinzhou at present because he suspected that Hong Taiji’s siege was a trap to lure him into a rescue attempt. Should he move out, Hong Taiji would launch a full-scale attack and overwhelm them.

This would endanger not only Jinzhou but also Ningyuan and Songshan.

Moreover, he predicted the Manchus would likely withdraw by around September due to supply shortages and weather.

Therefore, he requested additional grain and military funds.

Closing the memorial, Zhu Cilang tossed it onto the desk and massaged his temples in frustration.

The inevitable had arrived!

Historically, when faced with such a situation, Emperor Chongzhen eventually ordered Hong Chengchou to rescue Jinzhou. Hong Chengchou had no choice but to lead troops to Songshan to prepare for the relief. The result was well known: Jinzhou was not saved, and even Songshan was besieged. The Battle of Songjin ended in failure.

But this was not entirely Chongzhen’s fault; at that time, he lacked the silver and provisions to support Hong Chengchou’s plan.

Now, however, things were different. Zhu Cilang had the silver and grain to back the plan.

And one must admit, Hong Chengchou’s approach was the most prudent available: in essence, to delay.

Delay until the Manchus’ supply lines were exhausted and until heavy snow fell in Liaodong. At that point, the Manchus, unable to breach the city and lacking food, would have no choice but to withdraw.

Zhu Cilang approved the plan but felt deeply displeased.

Why should the Manchus be allowed to invade the Ming freely, openly besiege a city, and have the best response be mere stalling?

This was not the outcome he desired.