GBP Chapter 502 Another General
Chapter 502 Another General
After burning down the eunuch's mansion and the Embroidered Uniform Guard's office, the name of the Qionghai Army became known to everyone in Nanjing, and Liu Ye was even known as someone who could stop a child from crying.
The members of the Fushe Society, who had previously felt superior to Liu Ye, changed their long-held views on military men. They realized that a military general could be so powerful as to single-handedly alter the entire power structure of Nanjing; one of the three major figures, the garrison eunuch, had vanished overnight, not only falling from power but also his army. Although they weren't entirely clear on the source of Liu Ye's arrogance—whether it stemmed from his formidable military strength and unrestricted supplies—it didn't prevent the Fushe Society from making a completely new assessment of Liu Ye and the Qionghai Army.
On the third day after the assassination attempt, Zhang Pu took the initiative to visit Liu Ye at the military camp. Given the political climate at the time and Zhang Pu's reputation, this was unprecedented.
Zhang Pu came from a poor family, but was studious from a young age and was known as a child prodigy. In 1624, he began forming a society to comment on current affairs, gaining considerable fame. Initially named the Ying Society, it was later renamed the Fu Society, which at its peak had over three thousand members. In 1626, he participated in the Suzhou tax resistance riot and wrote "The Inscription on the Tomb of the Five Martyrs," vehemently denouncing the eunuch faction, making him famous throughout the land. In 1630, he "organized the masses" to expel Gu Bingqian, a confidant of the eunuch Wei Zhongxian and a key member of the eunuch faction, thus becoming a superstar among scholars! The Fu Society's influence shook the court and the public, described as "gatherings in spring and autumn, with officials filling the streets," and "everyone in the city knew of the Fu Society." Its influence extended to provinces throughout the north and south, drawing huge crowds wherever it went, with countless followers.
After gaining fame, instead of following the conventional path of official advancement, he attempted to rise to power overnight. He amassed a large following to control the scholarly community and dominate the imperial examinations, ultimately aiming to wield political influence. He nearly succeeded, even managing to manipulate the Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru, who was forced to obey Zhang Pu's orders, appointing and dismissing officials according to Zhang's list. This bizarre phenomenon only ended after Zhou Yanru was ousted by Wen Tiren. Even so, Zhang Pu, a mere "opinion leader" without any real official position, remotely controlled the court from the countryside, wielding power from a secluded position, manipulating court decisions and appointing officials from home, treating the Ming Dynasty as a plaything in his hands—a feat unprecedented and unparalleled.
After Zhou Yanru's downfall, his successor, Wen Tiren, naturally did not fawn over the Fushe Society and Zhang Pu like his predecessor. Instead, he confronted the Donglin Party head-on and became a thorn in Zhang Pu's side. Zhang Pu's main purpose in visiting this time was to use the power and financial resources of the Qionghai Army to help Zhou Yanru regain his position and defeat Wen Tiren.
Liu Ye did not neglect this celebrity and personally greeted him, saying, "Mr. Tianru, your presence is an honor to our humble abode."
After exchanging pleasantries and settling down, Zhang Pu first flattered Liu Ye, praising his "decisive and ruthless actions" and his "elimination of the remnants of the eunuch faction, removing a scourge from Nanjing," which was very gratifying.
Liu Ye smiled without saying a word. He found Zhang Pu's flattery ridiculous and somewhat disgusted by its logic.
His feud with Chang Kun was purely personal, originating from the Suzhou raw silk trade. The conflict escalated after the Battle of Hongwu Gate, escalating into a cycle of mutual destruction and assassination attempts. At its peak, it was a matter of life or death, nothing more. He never considered bearing any noble mission of "eliminating the eunuch faction." Chang Kun was merely a greedy eunuch, completely unrelated to the former "Nine Thousand Years Old" Wei Zhongxian, and certainly not a "remnant of the eunuch faction." Liu Ye deeply disdained this practice of readily labeling people.
However, he also knew that Zhang Pu had gained his reputation by fighting against the "eunuch faction" and had a natural antagonism towards eunuchs. If he thought about it that way, he could understand it even if he had to hold his nose.
After laying the groundwork, Zhang Pu slowly steered the conversation toward attacking the current Grand Secretary, Wen Tiren: "As the head of all officials, Wen Changqing has formed cliques and persecuted dissidents, wantonly wielding power and serving no real purpose. He is unworthy of the position of Grand Secretary..."
Liu Ye frowned and asked, "So, Mr. Tianru, what do you think we should do?"
Zhang Pu roused himself and revealed the purpose of his trip: "If the Earl of Pingnan is willing to lend a helping hand to help my benefactor Zhou Yanru to be reinstated and one day return to the position of Grand Secretary, I will certainly repay him handsomely."
Liu Ye understood the meaning behind this scholar-official's intention: to use his help to reinstate former Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru. It seemed the man still harbored the ambition of "remotely controlling the court from the countryside, wielding power as an idle man," and wanted to influence the cabinet's changes and the government through his efforts.
The problem is that he had just formed an alliance with Wen Tiren privately through the eunuch Fang Zhenghua, so he couldn't possibly undermine him. As for whether Wen Tiren was incompetent or whether he "persecuted" the Donglin Party, what did that matter to him? All he needed was the political convenience that the position of Grand Secretary offered; who was Grand Secretary was unimportant to him. Besides, the Donglin Party holding power might not be a good thing for him and the Qionghai Army. Wen Tiren, greedy for power, was easier to control, and these Donglin Party members, aside from factional strife, had no outstanding political achievements in history. The endless infighting and attrition within the court was also one of the reasons for the Ming Dynasty's demise.
Liu Ye knew exactly what he wanted and what kind of people the Donglin Party and the Fushe Society were, so he directly rejected Zhang Pu's proposal.
"I am just a military officer, I don't understand the intricacies of the court, and I dare not interfere in matters such as the change of the chief minister. I would like to ask Mr. Tianru to find someone more capable."
Zhang Pu was stunned to find that the Earl of Pingnan, who had single-handedly brought down the eunuch guarding Nanjing, claimed to be timid and cowardly. He quickly realized this was a polite refusal. Being a proud and arrogant man, he didn't want to say anything more and simply rose to take his leave.
As he stepped outside, Zhang Pu glanced back, snorted coldly, and thought to himself: "You're given a chance but you don't appreciate it. You'll regret this later."
As time passed, the downfall of the eunuch in charge of the town gradually faded from people's view. The Qionghai Army continued to organize the migration of refugees step by step, and it was also coming to an end. The countdown to leaving Nanjing and returning to Lingao began.
In August of the ninth year of the Chongzhen reign, thanks to the astonishing speed of the fast ship "Yangming", the officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War who were in charge of negotiating the "donation of funds" returned to the capital and received definite instructions. Half a month later, they returned to Nanjing.
The leading official was still Cheng Li, the Right Vice Minister of War, who brought bargaining chips: the court agreed to two conditions proposed by Liu Ye—no deployment of the Qionghai Army to suppress bandits for a year, and the appointment of Liang Xiaoming as the Commander-in-Chief of Dengzhou. The Qionghai Army now had a second Commander-in-Chief.