vrcanaries Chapter 39 The Establishment of the Western Depot
Chapter 39 The Establishment of the Western Depot
Emperor Chenghua: ...I also know that we should recover the Hetao region!
Lin Ke's voice continued on the screen.
"In the fifteenth year of the Chenghua reign, the Mongol Khan Mandulu passed away. His queen chose to marry Batu Mongke, the only descendant of Genghis Khan and his brothers, and supported him to become Dayan Khan."
"This account appears in some Mongolian historical records, while in the History of Ming, it is said that the Grand Tutor Yimas supported Batumongke to become Dayan Khan, and Manduhai married Dayan Khan to consolidate her political position."
"In the sixteenth year of the Chenghua reign, Ismain and Dayan Khan appeared near the Hetao region. The Mongols, following their usual pattern, plundered the area, which attracted the attention of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Jianru dispatched Zhu Yong, Wang Zhi, and Wang Yue to jointly suppress them."
"When Yisimayin and his men arrived near Weininghai, Wang Yue wanted to launch a surprise attack, but this would compromise logistics. As a general, Zhu Yong was unlikely to accept such a risky plan, so Wang Yue concealed it, only saying that he and Wang Zhi had gone their separate ways."
Wang Yue pointed at Zhu Yong: You go south, Xiao Wang and I will go north and meet up in Yansui Town.
Wang Zhi: So my opinion isn't important?
"Wang Zhi was only informed by Wang Yue upon arriving in Datong that we were going to carry out a surprise attack. While Wang Yue and Wang Zhi led more than 20,000 men to the Mongol camp in the snowy night, the Mongols were still fast asleep in their warm beds."
"Things went very smoothly. The Mongols had no time to react before they were routed by the Ming army. Their leaders, Ismail and Dayan Khan, escaped under the desperate cover of their guards."
Ismain: You people have no martial ethics.
Ming soldier (drawing a large sword): We will win people over with virtue!
Zhu Yong: What about me?! What about me?!
.........
"The victory at the Battle of Weininghai was of extraordinary significance to the Chenghua Emperor. After the defeat at Tumu Fortress, Zhu Qizhen was imprisoned near Weininghai, which can be seen as a way to avenge his father. Therefore, Zhu Jianru granted Wang Yue the title of Earl of Weininghai and praised him as follows: "In terms of martial prowess, he is no less than Wei Qing and Huo Qubing of the Han Dynasty; in terms of literary talent, he is no less than Fan Zhongyan and Han Fei of the Song Dynasty."
"However, the pride of heaven is always envied, and a conspiracy against Wang Yue and Wang Zhi is about to begin."
King Yue of the Ming Dynasty: !!!
Wang Zhi of the Ming Dynasty: Who's messing with me!
Zhu Jianru: What?!
"As the saying goes, where there are officials, there are corrupt officials. In the later years of the Chenghua reign, Zhu Jianru felt that the Eastern Depot was not trustworthy, so in the thirteenth year of Chenghua, he established the Western Depot and appointed the 16-year-old Wang Zhi as the governor of Xichang."
"A new broom sweeps clean, and Wang Zhi first targeted Yang Ye, the great-grandson of Yang Rong, one of the Three Yangs. It wasn't entirely unfair to him. For many years, Yang Ye had been seizing fertile land and running rampant in the countryside, causing several murders. However, he had powerful backers, and no one dared to provoke him until someone risked their life to report him to the capital, at which point Gao Chong of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was dispatched to investigate."
"This Yang Ye is also a capable man. First, he spent a lot of money to bribe Gao Chong, and then he rushed to the capital to bribe others, especially the newly appointed Wang Zhi."
“Wang Zhi refused his money without hesitation and threw Yang Ye into the West Depot prison, where he was severely tortured. Yang Ye confessed to the list of bribe-givers and died in prison. Gao Chong was no exception. Zhu Jianru did not do anything to the other officials who accepted bribes. On the contrary, those officials were furious, as if it was all the emperor's fault.”
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: If we were in power, let's see who dares to speak up!
Judy, the General Who Conquers the North: Father is right!
……
"According to their logic, it should be like this: the Eastern Depot has been established for many years, and the officials have finally managed to establish connections. But then Wang Zhi, who doesn't accept bribes, suddenly appears. Who in the entire court is clean? So Wang Zhi became the target of unanimous attacks from the officials."
"Shang Lu and Xiang Zhong jointly submitted a memorial, and all the officials impeached Wang Zhi, demanding the abolition of the Western Depot. The reason given was that the Western Depot was arresting people everywhere, causing panic among the people, and that order should not be disrupted. As for whether the people arrested were guilty or not, they avoided discussing it."
"Zhu Jianru had no choice but to retreat in the face of public pressure and ordered the closure of the Western Depot. However, there were people who did not understand this, such as Wang Yue."
"Wang Yue performed too well in the previous battles, so much so that he was envied but did not know it. He thought that the emperor was discarding him after he had served his purpose and did not like him. But he did not know that the soldiers under his command who were impeaching him were actually targeting him. Zhu Jianru delayed rewarding him in order to protect him."
“Wang Yue greatly appreciated Wang Zhi’s fair handling of the case, which also revealed the discord among the civil officials. Zhu Jianru took advantage of this to target Xiang Zhong. Xiang Zhong was reported for accepting bribes and was demoted to a commoner. After this case, no official dared to speak out against the Western Depot.”
"On the other hand, Shang Lu sensed something unusual and requested to resign and return to his hometown. Zhu Jianru immediately agreed with a stroke of his pen. With no obstacle in his way, Wang Zhi was unmatched that year, with his hands in his pockets. Under the intimidation of the Western Depot, officials began to restrain their bribery behavior."
"For a time, the Ming Dynasty experienced a revival, displaying signs of a golden age. However, like Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty, whose rise and fall were determined by a single person, Emperor Chenghua, Zhu Jianru's initial passion for governing the country and pacifying the realm was gradually waning."