"What?" Du Zhizhi gasped, his voice cracking.
His face ashen, he threw himself onto the floor and began to kowtow repeatedly. "Your Majesty, I have been wronged! Someone must be framing me."
"I am your loyal servant, Your Majesty! I swear to remain loyal to you until my death!"
Seeing Emperor Chongzhen remain silent, Du Zhizhi turned his head toward Wang Chengen. "Lord Wang, I was raised by your own hand. I would never betray His Majesty. Please, I beg you to investigate this thoroughly!"
Wang Chengen frowned. The Emperor had no real evidence; this was all based on a secret letter written by Feng Yuanyang. Killing Du Zhizhi was simply a means to appease Tang Tong.
Having thought the matter through, Wang Chengen let out a cold snort. "Du Zhizhi, your collusion with the rebel bandits is supported by ironclad evidence. Why continue to quibble? Guards! Seize Du Zhizhi and drag him out to await execution!"
Hearing the order, two Brocade Guard officers pushed through the doors, grabbed Du Zhizhi on either side, and began dragging him away without a word.
Panic consumed Du Zhizhi. He struggled, his eyes darting wildly until they landed on Tang Tong. Desperate, he abandoned all restraint and shouted, "Lord Tang! Please, beg His Majesty for me! I truly did not collude with the rebel bandits!"
Tang Tong let out a cold snort and feigned deafness.
Du Zhizhi fell into despair.
As they were about to drag him out of the main hall, Emperor Chongzhen raised a hand, signaling the guards to stop. With a smile on his face, he looked at Tang Tong. "Earl of Dingxi, according to the laws of the Great Ming Dynasty, what is the punishment for colluding with rebel bandits?"
Tang Tong’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately understood the Emperor’s intent. "According to military law," he replied in a deep voice, "the penalty is death."
"Du Zhizhi, as a supervisor, has knowingly violated the law. Since his crime has been established, let him be dealt with according to military law."
Tang Tong could not help but look up at the Emperor. He could not grasp what the Emperor was playing at. It was the Emperor who had dispatched Du Zhizhi to oversee the army just yesterday, and it was the same Emperor who wanted him beheaded today. Could Du Zhizhi truly have been in league with the rebels?
No... that was impossible! Anyone might have a motive to collude with the rebels, but the eunuchs never would. Dynasties could rise and fall, and old officials could be repurposed, just as there were precedents for taking in the concubines of a former dynasty, but there was never a case where a new dynasty made use of the eunuchs of the old. What would Du Zhizhi possibly gain from colluding with the rebels?
"Tang Tong, Du Zhizhi has colluded with the rebel bandits. Why haven't you beheaded him for me yet?"
Tang Tong had no time to ponder further. He knelt respectfully and kowtowed. "I obey your decree, Your Majesty."
He stood up, walked to Du Zhizhi’s side, and grabbed him by the collar. The moment he turned around, he could no longer mask his inner ecstasy. With a savage grin, he dragged Du Zhizhi out of the great hall.
"Your Majesty, I am wronged!"
"I am innocent!"
"Inno—"
A moment later, the sound of Du Zhizhi begging for mercy was cut short.
Tang Tong returned to the great hall, feeling satisfied. His previous resentment toward Emperor Chongzhen had vanished along with the death of Du Zhizhi. The only uncertainty left was who the next supervisor might be.
"Your Majesty, the execution has been carried out. Du Zhizhi is dead. I wonder whom you intend to send as the new supervisor."
"There will be no supervisor," Emperor Chongzhen said with a faint smile.
Tang Tong was stunned. "Your Majesty, I do not understand."
"The Earl of Dingxi is a pillar of the Great Ming Dynasty. I trust you, so there is no need for a supervisor." Emperor Chongzhen turned to his attendant. "Wang Chengen, go to the Imperial Treasury and withdraw twenty thousand taels of silver for the Earl of Dingxi. I will find a way to make up the rest."
Looking at the Emperor, who sat high upon the throne, Tang Tong’s eyes welled up. The feeling of grievance and the lack of trust he had felt earlier evaporated in an instant.
He prostrated himself. "Your Majesty, I swear to defend Juyong Pass to the death. I will not let the rebel bandits advance a single step."
"No, you must not hold the pass to the death!"
Tang Tong was taken aback. The Emperor had killed a man and offered money; surely his goal was to make him fight to the death? Why would the Emperor disagree after he had just pledged his life?
Emperor Chongzhen shook his head slightly. "Li Zicheng has split his forces to attack the Capital from two directions. His top general, Liu Fangliang, has already occupied Baoding. Once Li Zicheng meets resistance, Liu Fangliang will surely come to his aid. If that happens, Juyong Pass will be caught in a pincer attack, and you will be in grave danger, Earl of Dingxi."
"This... I... I do not fear death!" Tang Tong said, bracing himself.
"The Imperial Court is in dire need of men of talent. I cannot let you walk into such a trap. You are to hold Juyong Pass for only a few days. Before Liu Fangliang’s massive army can surround the pass, bring your men and retreat to the Capital."
"Yes... I shall certainly not fail your imperial grace!"
Watching Tang Tong’s retreating figure, Wu Mengming and Wang Zhixin felt a sense of unease. Yesterday, Tang Tong had been deeply dissatisfied with the Emperor’s decision to send a supervisor. Today, by killing a single eunuch, the Emperor had completely regained his loyalty. While the sincerity of that loyalty remained to be seen, the Emperor’s ability to win people over was undeniable.
After dismissing Tang Tong, Emperor Chongzhen sat on the dragon throne, contemplating his next move. Logically, one should counter an attack with defense, but the problem was that he had neither soldiers nor generals. Because of the "God of War" that had plagued the Ming military, the late-stage emperors had no real control over the army.
The Capital Garrison consisted of twenty-six guards, twenty-one of which were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. The only forces he could command directly were the Brocade Guard and the Four Tengxiang Guards. The latter had later been reorganized into the Yongwei Battalion, which was the elite of the elite. Unfortunately, he had already dispatched Huang Degong and the Yongwei elites to pursue Zhang Xianzhong; they were currently fighting thousands of miles away in Anhui. Distant water could not quench a nearby fire! Even if he had the authority, there was no one left to use in the Capital.
Since that was the case, he had no choice but to stake everything on one throw of the dice!
"Wu Mengming, Wang Zhixin," Emperor Chongzhen said, his eyes closed.
"Your servant is here."
"How many men do the Brocade Guard and the Eastern Depot have in the Capital?"
"Returning to Your Majesty, the Brocade Guard has over three thousand men."
"Returning to Your Majesty, the Eastern Depot has two thousand."
Emperor Chongzhen did the math in his head. The Three Great Camps, the Brocade Guard, the Eastern Depot, the Imperial Guards, and the Five City Patrol Battalions added up to roughly thirty-eight thousand men. Subtracting the necessary guards for the Imperial City, he could only mobilize about thirty-six thousand. Li Zicheng’s army claimed to be five hundred thousand, but in reality, it was likely two hundred thousand. After leaving Shaanxi, they had split into two routes and left garrisons along the way; those attacking Beijing numbered roughly one hundred and ten to one hundred and twenty thousand. Though the number wasn't as high as he had imagined, half of them were elites from Shaanxi.
A ratio of one to four.
The sick and the old against the elite?
There was no chance!
Of course, this was just his wishful thinking. To hold Beijing, the most critical factor was money. If he didn't have enough men, he could recruit, but recruitment required even more money. The relationship between an emperor and his soldiers was like that of a boss and an employee. Money didn't guarantee one would give their life, but a lack of money guaranteed they wouldn't. If the soldiers were starving and cold, why would they risk their lives to protect an emperor sitting comfortably on his throne? Where the money went or why it was missing was irrelevant to them. If the soldiers didn't receive their pay, they would blame the Emperor.
Emperor Chongzhen understood this well. Furthermore, the Ming army’s combat effectiveness in the final years was not actually low. There was a popular saying: "The Ming army is invincible when fully paid; where can one find full pay? With Hong Taiji in Liaodong."
"How many months of pay are in arrears?" Emperor Chongzhen asked, his eyes still closed.
Wu Mengming and Wang Zhixin exchanged a glance, both stammering, unable to speak. They were embarrassed; they feared exposing the dire state of the Great Ming Dynasty and causing the Emperor to lose face.
Emperor Chongzhen’s expression darkened. "Speak the truth!"
"Yes... the Brocade Guard is five months behind on pay."
"The Eastern Depot is also five months behind."
Emperor Chongzhen sighed. He wanted to curse, but he didn't know whom to blame. As far as he knew, the Brocade Guard and the Eastern Depot were the best off.
"Calculate it yourselves. To pay off the arrears and provide each man with an additional five taels of silver as a city-defense bonus, how much is needed in total?"
Wu Mengming’s eyes lit up. He didn't care where the Emperor got the silver, so long as it arrived. A moment later, they reported the total to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, the Brocade Guard and the Eastern Depot require a total of seventy-five thousand taels of silver."
"Hmm. Do you know how much pay the Three Great Camps are owed?"
Wu Mengming frowned. As the head of the Brocade Guard, he knew, but the Three Great Camps were under the command of the Earl of Xiangcheng, Li Guozhen, and he did not want to offend him. Wang Zhixin was equally afraid of causing offense and kept his mouth shut.
"Wu Mengming, say whatever you know. At a time like this, there is no need for concealment."
"Yes... the Three Great Camps are, on average, eight months behind on pay."