MLMD -Chapter 285 His Name Isn’t Yue Fei

“Bang…”

“Bastard… this traitorous rebel! I’ll mobilize the army and wipe out this traitor!”

On the fifteenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of Chongzhen, roars of fury echoed from the study in the Dongnuan Pavilion.

Yes, they were truly roars. This time, Chongzhen was utterly enraged. His newly appointed Governor-General of Xuanda in Shanxi, along with the Shanxi garrison’s supervising eunuchs, had all been driven out after having their ears cut off.

After Chen Xinjia had his ears cut off by Yue Yang, Yue Yang went all out—he didn’t even spare the unconscious Grand Eunuch Gao. He cut off Gao’s ears as well, then forcibly expelled both men, along with Shanxi’s Provincial Governor Xu Dingchen and the generals of Xuanda, from northern Shanxi.

This incident blew Yue Yang’s actions into a scandal of unprecedented scale. The entire Ming bureaucracy was collectively speechless. Furious Chongzhen, upon receiving the news, reacted immediately by issuing an imperial edict to Xuanda, ordering the troops of all its garrisons to mobilize and completely annihilate Yue Yang and his forces.

But the next pieces of news only drove him to despair. Reports from Xuanda’s garrisons indicated that the total available troops were fewer than twenty thousand. Yue Yang’s own forces were already almost equal in number. Add the additional ten thousand soldiers he had trained, and Yue Yang now commanded nearly thirty thousand troops. If a battle broke out, not only could Xuanda’s armies not hope to crush Yue Yang—they might well be destroyed by him.

Chongzhen flared with rage, while Chief Grand Secretary Wen Tiren, Deputy Grand Secretary and Minister of War Yang Sijian, Minister of Personnel Xie Sheng, Minister of Revenue Hou Xun, Minister of Personnel Huang Shijun, Left Censor-in-Chief Tang Shiji, and the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Luo Yangxing all stood before him, holding their breath in silent fear.

“Speak! Why are you all silent? Aren’t you usually so full of words? Why the silence now?” Chongzhen bellowed, losing all restraint. “Yang Sijian, didn’t you recommend Chen Xinjia to me, saying he was skilled in military affairs, and that once in Shanxi he would surely organize the troops and defend the borders? Yet barely had he arrived in Shanxi before his ears were cut off and he was driven out! Is this what you call a loyal minister?”

By now, Chongzhen had completely forgotten that his own greed for Shanxi’s northern taxes and commerce had prompted him not only to approve Yang Sijian’s recommendation to reinstate Chen Xinjia, but also to dispatch Gao Qiqian—all with the aim of taking care of Yue Yang. Yet these two had failed utterly: instead of subduing Yue Yang, they had been driven out of Hunyuan City, ears severed, humiliated beyond measure.

“Your Majesty, I accept the blame!”

Facing Chongzhen’s accusation, Yang Sijian knew it was inevitable. He removed his black official hat and gently placed it on the floor, kneeling to perform a kowtow and lamenting: “Your Majesty, I have eyes but see not; I mistook Chen Xinjia, this mediocre talent, and delayed the empire’s important matters. I accept the blame. I humbly request to resign from my posts as Deputy Grand Secretary and Minister of War. Please permit me to return to my hometown.”

Everyone present was stunned. They hadn’t expected him to be so decisive—to submit his resignation before the emperor could even scold him.

“Hmph…”

Wen Tiren was the first to react. He snorted lightly, a trace of dissatisfaction on his face. Just a moment ago he had been about to impeach Yang Sijian for his negligence, only to find that Yang had turned retreat into advance, simply quitting. Now even if he wanted to impeach him, he couldn’t.

Chongzhen gradually regained his composure. Seeing the streak of white hair at Yang Sijian’s temples, his anger slowly subsided. Recalling Yang Sijian’s years of diligent service, his heart softened.

“After all, Yang Sijian has served the court faithfully for so many years. Is it too harsh to dismiss him and send him home merely for a lapse in inspection?”

With this thought, Chongzhen sighed: “Minister Yang, rise. I do not blame you. My anger was only a momentary reaction to hearing how rampant that scoundrel Yue Yang has become.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Yang Sijian had never truly intended to resign. Now that the emperor had given him a way to save face, he was happy to take it. He stood, dusted off his sleeves, and bowed to Chongzhen: “Your Majesty, the most pressing matter now is deciding how to handle Yue Yang. If this is delayed, the court’s authority will be completely undermined.”

At the mention of Yue Yang, Chongzhen snorted again, panting heavily: “And what do you suggest we do with him?”

Yang Sijian did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Luo Yangxing beside him: “Minister Luo, you oversee the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Can you inform this court of the current state of Yue Yang’s strength? Please report to His Majesty and the ministers.”

Luo Yangxing stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said: “Your Majesty, ministers, according to reports from our spies in Yingzhou and Hunyuan, Yue Yang now commands substantial forces stationed across Yingzhou, Hunyuan, and the mountainous border regions. If Yue Yang truly rebelled, I estimate it would take no more than half a month for him to sweep across all of Shanxi.”

Chongzhen could no longer contain himself, slamming the table: “Nonsense! How could that traitor Yue Yang possess such power!”

“Your Majesty, every word I speak is true!” Luo Yangxing quickly knelt and kowtowed repeatedly: “The troops in Yingzhou are strong and well-supplied. Yue Yang has consolidated tens of thousands of refugees over the years. His reputation in northern Shanxi is at its peak. If he wished, he could raise an army of a hundred thousand at any time. So… so…”

Chongzhen’s mouth filled with bitterness. Unknowingly, Yue Yang had grown into such a colossal force. If Yue Yang were to rally ten thousand troops in open rebellion, he could easily march on the capital.

Wen Tiren snorted coldly: “See? Two years ago I warned that this Yue Yang has the ambition of a wolf—he would inevitably become a grave threat to the court. Yet some still spoke in his favor. Truly feeding the tiger only to invite disaster.”

Yang Sijian knew that Wen Tiren was talking about him. He merely snorted softly and said nothing—because it was true.

Seeing Yang Sijian silent, Wen Tiren grew even more spirited, ready to continue, but Chongzhen could no longer bear it. Impatiently, he said: “Enough, Minister Wen. Don’t waste words. I only want to ask this: if sending troops to crush him is unwise, then what should the court do?”

A long silence fell over the study. No one spoke. Everyone knew the reason Yue Yang had turned against the court: Chongzhen had failed to reward merit properly. Such a great achievement had only earned Yue Yang the idle title of General of the Fèngguó Army and two thousand taels of silver—anyone would feel slighted. On top of that, Chen Xinjia and Gao Qiqian were sent to Shanxi with the clear aim of getting him killed. Anyone in Yue Yang’s position would be angry. Though his surname was Yue, he was not Yue Fei.