Transmigrating to the Chongzhen era, I started by confiscating the Donglin Party.

Chapter 50 The Dark Side of the Border Army

April 28th, the rear garden of the Xuanfu General's Mansion.

The third locust tree is over a hundred years old, with a thick trunk that requires two people to encircle it. It is late spring, and the locust flowers are just beginning to bloom, filling the garden with a sweet fragrance.

Li Ruolian stood under the tree, with twenty Imperial Guards behind her and three hundred elite soldiers brought by Ma Ke—these were Zhou Yuji's old subordinates, disciplined and now completely surrounding the General's Mansion.

General Wang Chengyin of Xuanfu is not at home. Three days ago, he submitted a memorial requesting to go to the capital to report on his duties, and he is currently on his way to the capital.

This was a rumor deliberately spread by Li Ruolian—he wanted to see if Wang Chengyin was truly repentant or just wanted to escape.

"Dig," Li Ruolian ordered.

The shovel went into the ground, digging three feet deep. The first pottery jar, about the size of a palm, was unearthed, sealed with wax. It was smashed open, and inside was a note: "In May of the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, Shanxi merchant Fan Yongdou sent five thousand taels of silver to thank you for 'facilitating customs clearance'."

The second jar reads: "In August of the fourteenth year, Fan Yongdou delivered 10,000 catties of pig iron out of the pass, for which he received 8,000 taels of silver."

When they dug up the third, fourth... and the twenty-third jar, a strange object appeared in the soil—not a clay jar, but an iron box.

Li Ruolian opened the box herself. There were no coins inside, only a letter. The paper was yellowed, the ink faded, but the handwriting was still clearly legible:

"General Wang, please note: The agreed-upon 50,000 catties of pig iron have been received, and the Great Khan is very pleased. Now there is an important matter to discuss: Korea is now under our control, and we can use it as a route to launch a flanking attack on Liaodong. After the matter is accomplished, the fertile lands within the Great Wall shall be divided according to the previous agreement. Awaiting your reply. Sincerely, Dorgon."

Date of signature: October of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen.

It was on the eve of Li Ce's southern tour, when Huang Taiji was seriously ill and Dorgon was in charge of the Later Jin.

Li Ruolian's hands trembled slightly. He had seen countless instances of corruption, but collusion with the enemy... that was another matter entirely.

"My lord," Marco whispered, "if this letter is true, then Wang Chengyin is not just corrupt, he is a traitor."

Li Ruolian carefully put the letter away: "Keep digging."

Seven more pottery jars were unearthed, the last one being the deepest and largest. Upon opening it, instead of slips of paper, they found an account book—a detailed record kept by Wang Chengyin, detailing every bribe and every smuggling operation from the tenth to the sixteenth year of the Chongzhen reign.

Li Ruolian turned to the last few pages, her pupils suddenly contracting.

The document records the "dividends" of several officials in the court: a vice minister received 3,000 taels of silver, a censor received 2,000 taels of silver, a supervising secretary received 1,500 taels of silver... and the largest single amount, marked "Mr. Mei," received 50,000 taels of silver.

Time: January of the sixteenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign. This was the time when Li Ce was implementing his new policies in Nanjing and Empress Zhou was establishing her authority by committing murder in Yangzhou.

"Well done, Mr. Mei." Li Ruolian closed the booklet, her voice as cold as ice. "Eating the food of the Ming Dynasty, receiving the salary of the Ming Dynasty, and helping the enemy to undermine the Ming Dynasty."

He turned to Ma Ke and said, "General Ma, the border troops have deep-seated problems that cannot be changed overnight. You must remember General Zhou's legacy and not betray his reputation."

Marco solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general will remember this!"

"You will lead the troops to control the four gates of Xuanfu, allowing entry but not exit. All officers and soldiers involved will be detained." Li Ruolian mounted her horse. "I'm going to Datong—to Jiang Xiang's place—to settle this matter."

May 3rd, Datong.

Li Ruolian moved quickly, and Jiang Xiang was not slow either.

When Li Ruolian led the Imperial Guards to Datong, Jiang Xiang had already heard the news. He originally intended to control the four gates of Datong, but Ma Ke's subordinate general had already taken over the city's defenses. Jiang Xiang retreated to the General's Mansion with only a hundred or so personal guards, closing the gates and holding out.

The general's mansion had high walls and thick gates, and was stocked with provisions and weapons. Jiang Xiang stood atop the wall, shouting hoarsely, "Li Ruolian! You, a mere Imperial Guard, dare to act so arrogantly in this border town? I am the General of Datong, a second-rank official! Do you have an imperial edict? Do you have any documents from the Ministry of War?!"

Li Ruolian stood on horseback in front of the mansion, three hundred Imperial Guards behind him. He raised the secret edict: "Jiang Xiang, receive the edict!"

Jiang Xiang sneered, "Who knows if you're forging an imperial edict? If you've got the guts, come in and take me!"

"Stubborn to the end." Li Ruolian shook her head and said to the deputy general of Ma Ke's unit, "Surround them without attacking, cut off their water and food supplies."

"My lord," the lieutenant hesitated, "a direct assault might result in casualties..."

"There's no need for a direct assault." Li Ruolian looked towards the rear garden of the general's mansion. "There's something more important in his mansion than grain."

At midnight, ten skilled members of the Imperial Guard scaled the wall and infiltrated the General's mansion. Most of Jiang Xiang's personal guards were concentrated in the front courtyard, leaving the back garden undefended.

Under the third locust tree, the soil showed signs of recent turning. The Imperial Guards dug and unearthed thirty pottery jars, as well as an even thicker ledger—which not only recorded smuggling but also his dealings with generals and officers in Xuanfu, Jizhou, and even Liaodong, forming a vast network of corruption within the border army.

On the last page of the account book, there was an unmailed letter. The recipient was "Mr. Jin," and the letter inquired about the court's attitude towards Zuo Liangyu and asked, "If things change, would you be willing to accept Zuo?"

"Mr. Jin..." Li Ruolian pondered, "Jin Shenghuan, a subordinate of Zuo Liangyu."

Wang Youcai of Yangzhou was also in league with Jin Shenghuan.

One line leads from the salt merchants of Jiangnan to the remnants of the Grand Canal Gang, to the Shanxi merchants, to the border generals, and finally to the regional military power of Zuo Liangyu.

Everything is connected.

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the general's mansion ran out of food. Jiang Xiang's personal guards mutinied and surrendered, opening the gates of the mansion. Even when Jiang Xiang was captured, he continued to curse and swear.

Li Ruolian looked at him and said only one sentence: "You are unworthy of this armor."

The eighth day of the fifth lunar month, in the Forbidden City, Beijing.

Empress Zhou was reading Li Ruolian's urgent report. The report was very detailed: account books and secret letters had been seized; Jiang Xiang had been captured; Xuanfu and Datong had been taken into custody; thirteen generals were implicated; and 800,000 taels of silver had been recovered…

Her fingertips trembled when she saw "Dorgon's handwritten letter" and "Mr. Mei".

"Yunniang," she called to her maid, "go and invite Duke Zhang Weixian and General Huang Degong."

Half an hour later, the two entered the palace.

Empress Zhou handed the report to them, saying, "Take a look, both of you."

After reading it, Zhang Weixian trembled, his beard and hair shaking: "This group...this group of traitors! 800,000 catties of pig iron, 300,000 catties of saltpeter...do they know how many Ming soldiers will die if these things fall into the hands of the Later Jin?!"

Huang Degong glared angrily: "Your Majesty! I request to lead the capital garrison north and exterminate all these parasites!"

Empress Zhou shook her head: "Li Ruolian is already handling it. I invited you two here to discuss another matter—Zuo Liangyu."

She pointed to the last page of the report: "Jiang Xiang contacted Jin Shenghuan, intending to defect to Zuo Liangyu. Jin Shenghuan had previously colluded with salt merchants in Yangzhou. This means... Zuo Liangyu's influence has extended to Jiangnan and to the border towns."

Zhang Weixian pondered, "Zuo Liangyu commands an army of 100,000, and the court has always prioritized appeasement. But what if he truly harbors rebellious intentions..."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about." Empress Zhou rose and walked to the window. "His Majesty's implementation of new policies in Nanjing, the rectification of the Grand Canal, and the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Bureau have affected the interests of so many people: the gentry of Jiangnan, the leaders of the Grand Canal gangs, corrupt officials... If these people collude with Zuo Liangyu, working together from both inside and outside..."

She turned around, her gaze resolute: "Gentlemen, I entrust the defense of Beijing to you. The 50,000 newly trained troops of the Beijing Garrison must be fully trained and ready for battle at any time."

"Your Majesty, we obey!" the two replied in unison.

Empress Zhou wrote another letter and handed it to Yunniang: "Send this urgent letter to His Majesty in Nanjing. Tell him... Beijing is safe and sound, and he can focus on reorganizing Jiangnan. As for Zuo Liangyu... I will handle this matter carefully."

May 12th, Wenhua Hall, Nanjing.

After reading Empress Zhou's letter and Li Ruolian's second report, Li Ce remained silent for a long time.

The three senior officials, Ni Yuanlu, Jiang Dejing, and Li Jizhen, stood below, none of them daring to speak.

"Grand Secretary Qian," Li Ce suddenly spoke, looking at Qian Qianyi standing at the end of the table, "you have a protégé, Mei Zhihuan, who works in the Ministry of Justice, right?"

Qian Qianyi's heart skipped a beat, and he bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, there is indeed such a person, named Mei Zhihuan, who currently serves as the Right Councilor of the Court of Judicial Review. I wonder if Your Majesty..."

"He's involved in the case." Li Ce threw the report in front of him. "The Shanxi merchants' smuggling case, the court's protector 'Mr. Mei,' accepted a bribe of 50,000 taels of silver. The time, place, and the person involved are all clear."

Qian Qianyi's face turned deathly pale, and he knelt down with a thud. He recalled Mei Zhihuan's eagerness when he became Mei's apprentice, and how, although he had neglected to pay attention to Mei's affairs over the years, he had still managed to smooth things over with Mei through Mei's connections in the Jiangnan literati... Cold sweat soaked through his inner robe: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty failed in your duty! I am guilty!"

"Was it an oversight, or were you aware of it?" Li Ce's tone was calm, yet every word was like a knife. "Grand Secretary Qian, I appointed you to the Grand Secretariat because I valued your influence among the scholars of Jiangnan and hoped you could assist in the new policies. But what are your protégés doing?"

Qian Qianyi kowtowed, saying, "I truly knew nothing about this! Although Mei Zhihuan was my protégé, his family runs a salt and iron business in Shanxi and has a long-standing relationship with Shanxi merchants. I was not aware of this! I am willing... I am willing to personally interrogate him. If he is truly guilty, I will show no mercy!"

Li Ce looked at him for a long time before slowly saying, "Very well, I will give you this opportunity. You will preside over the trial of Mei Zhihuan's case, with Li Ruolian assisting. Remember—judge according to the law, neither wrongly convicting nor letting the guilty go free."

"Your subject...accepts the decree!" Qian Qianyi trembled all over, unsure whether it was from fear or shame.

Li Ce then looked at Ni Yuanlu: "Draft an imperial edict: The thirteen generals involved in the case in Xuanfu and Datong shall be escorted to the capital for joint trial by the three judicial departments. Half of the confiscated silver shall be used to pay the back wages owed to the nine border regions, and the other half shall be used for the expenses of the Anti-Corruption Bureau."

"The remaining forces of Shanxi merchants are wanted nationwide. Anyone who reports them will be rewarded; anyone who harbors them will be punished equally."

"Furthermore," he paused, "send an imperial edict to Zuo Liangyu: promote him to Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, and increase his salary by 1,000 shi. At the same time... transfer his son, Zuo Menggeng, to lead 30,000 troops north to assist in the defense of Xuanfu."

Ni Yuanlu was taken aback: "Your Majesty, Zuo Menggeng is already outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant in Hanzhong. If we transfer him north..."

"We need to transfer him north," Li Ce sneered. "He can dawdle in Hanzhong, far from the emperor's reach. But once he's in Xuanfu, under Li Ruolian's watchful eye, will he dare to dawdle? Besides—only by transferring him away from Sichuan can Qin Liangyu focus on reorganizing things."

Jiang Dejing suddenly realized, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The decree was drafted and issued.

Li Ce walked to the map, his gaze shifting from Xuanfu to Liaodong, and then to Korea.

"Dorgon wants to use Korea as a route to launch a flanking attack on Liaodong..." he muttered to himself, "Then I'll show you what 'closing the door to beat the dog' really means."

He turned to Li Jizhen and said, "Send a secret order to Shen Shikui, the general of Dongjiang Town: strengthen border patrols in Korea. If any Later Jin troops cross the border, they may be executed first and reported later. Also, instruct Zeng Ying, the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, to prepare the navy for war."

"Your Majesty," Li Jizhen hesitated, "the court has just signed a two-year peace treaty with the Later Jin..."

"A peace treaty?" Li Ce laughed. "A peace treaty is just a piece of paper; once it's torn up, it's gone. When Dorgon wrote to Wang Chengyin, he never intended to uphold this peace treaty."

He looked north, his eyes flashing with a chilling light:

"Since we're going to fight, then let's fight. I want to see whether their swords are sharper or the backbone of the Ming Dynasty is tougher."

May 15th, Xuanfu.

Li Ruolian stood atop the city wall, gazing at the northern grasslands. The late spring wind still carried a chill, fluttering the hem of his dark blue robe.

Marco approached and said, "My lord, all the officers involved have been escorted to the capital. I will temporarily take charge of the defense of Xuanfu, and our men have been replaced in Datong."

Li Ruolian nodded: "Reorganizing the border troops is not something that can be done overnight. These soldiers have deeply ingrained bad habits, so you need to be patient."

"Understood, Your Excellency." Marco paused, "But... after all this investigation, is that 'Mr. Mei' really Mei Zhihuan? Could a mere Right Councilor of the Court of Judicial Review possess such great power?"

Li Ruolian was silent for a moment: "Mei Zhihuan may just be a decoy. The real 'Mr. Mei' may still be lurking in the shadows." He looked south, "The net in the central government is harder to tear than the net in the border towns."

Just then, a rider arrived at breakneck speed. The messenger dismounted and presented a confidential letter: "My lord, urgent news from Nanjing!"

Li Ruolian opened the letter. It was in Li Ce's own handwriting and contained only three sentences:

"The Shanxi merchant route is temporarily suspended; the focus shifts to Zuo Liangyu. Preparations are complete in the capital, and the situation in Jiangnan is stable. You may proceed with your plans at your own pace."

After reading it, he held the letter to the torch and burned it.

The ashes of the paper fluttered in the wind, like a flock of black butterflies.

"General Ma," he turned around, "I'm leaving the reorganization of the border troops to you. I have to go back to Nanjing—it's time to close another net."

Marco clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Take care, my lord!"

Li Ruolian mounted her horse and took one last look at the north.

At the edge of the grassland, the setting sun was like blood.

He knew that the real storm was yet to come.

In Beijing, Empress Zhou burns incense and prays in the Kunning Palace. On the altar sits the ancestral jade pendant—given to her by Li Ce before his southern tour.

In Nanjing, Li Ce was looking at the latest military report in the Wenhua Hall: Li Zicheng's troops showed signs of moving towards Nanyang.

In Sichuan, Qin Liangyu was already able to patrol the passes on horseback. She watched Sun Kewang train the Zhaowu Battalion, watched Qin Yiming recruit new soldiers, and watched Zuo Menggeng's troops finally slowly march north.

Meanwhile, in Wuchang, Zuo Liangyu received an imperial edict promoting him and increasing his salary. He weighed the rolled-up yellow silk in his hand and smiled at his son, Zuo Menggeng, saying, "His Majesty is... giving us a sweet treat first."

Zuo Menggeng asked, "Then let's..."

"Take what you should take, and delay what you should delay." Zuo Liangyu threw the imperial edict on the table. "Let's see how things go first."

Outside the window, the Yangtze River flows eastward, vast and mighty.

Like this chaotic world, it never stops.