Chapter 6, slapped by the butterfly effect

Li Banghua is a person who is deeply loyal to the court and possesses considerable talent, making him suitable for this position. The Emperor might as well promote him. Sun Chengzong has recommended a very suitable candidate.

The next day, I summoned Sun Chengzong to discuss the issue of reorganizing the capital garrison. I had already gathered some information beforehand; it was quite common for the garrison to receive empty salaries, and the number of redundant personnel was unimaginable. Out of more than 100,000 troops, half were elderly, weak, sick, or disabled. I understood the crux of the problem but did not know how to tackle it. Surely, we could not simply dismiss the garrison troops and recruit a new army instead

The second, however, is a man-made disaster. A large-scale uprising of displaced persons has erupted in Shaanxi, with numbers reaching as high as 150,000. The impact is extremely severe, and the consequences are difficult to imagine

Just as I was feeling pleased about acquiring the talent of Yuan Chonghuan, a memorial from Sun Yuanhua, the Governor of Denglai, brought me down. The content was essentially a report of mourning. He stated that a damaged ship and several corpses had been discovered in the waters of Denglai. Upon identification, it was confirmed that one of the bodies belonged to General Mao Wenlong of the Eastern River. Mao Wenlong had encountered a storm while traveling by sea to the capital, resulting in the destruction of his ship and the loss of his life.

I sit in the study of the Qianqinghe and the Library Palace, staring blankly at the mountain of memorials piled up before me. They are either requests for disaster relief or demands for the allocation of troops to deal with peasant uprisings. The opinions proposed by the cabinet cannot fundamentally resolve the issues at hand

The death of Mao Wenlong suddenly instilled in me the awareness that one is born in adversity and dies in comfort. The "cheating tools" I rely on to understand history may become ineffective at any moment. It is better to rely on oneself than to depend on others; everything still depends on my own efforts to strive forward

If history were no longer as it once was, what would my fate, or rather, the fate of Chongzhen, become? ... The unknown answer fills me with fear, and what I rely on is my general understanding of history. If history is no longer the history I know...

Your Majesty ... ... Your Majesty! Wang Cheng'en softly called out to Emperor Chongzhen a few times. Seeing no response, he had no choice but to boldly and gently shake Emperor Chongzhen's arm, "Your Majesty ... ... ."

What good ideas do you have, my dear minister? Please feel free to share them.

Your Majesty, there are many issues of conscription and fraudulent claims within the capital's military forces. Those conscripted are often enslaved by the generals, with each battalion consisting of four to five hundred men, and there are also problems of idleness and mismanagement. This reveals a glimpse of the situation; fraudulent claims for rations are mostly made by generals and nobles, who send others to impersonate able-bodied men, receiving substantial monthly salaries. If these two issues can be resolved, the capital's military will be capable of engaging in battle.

Sun Chengzong clarified his thoughts, stating, "To reorganize the capital garrison, one may select a capable minister to personally choose soldiers, excluding those who are not young and strong, while eliminating the old, weak, sick, and disabled. The remaining soldiers will receive double the pay. As for the officers, they must be selected even more rigorously, implementing inspections in spring and autumn. If any discrepancies are found, they will be immediately demoted to soldiers. Only in this way can we inspire everyone to strive for excellence..."

I collected my thoughts and wiped the cold sweat from my face; at this moment, how could I possibly think of resting

Mao Wenlong was not particularly skilled in battle, but he had several capable subordinates, such as Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi, all of whom later became the vanguards in the Qing dynasty's conquest of the Han territories. Their rebellion was primarily due to the assassination of Mao Wenlong and the subsequent estrangement from Yuan Chonghuan. Now that history has taken a turn, they might not align themselves with Huang Taiji, yet no one can guarantee this outcome. It would be better to recall them to the capital, as this move could also allow Yuan Chonghuan to unify his authority in the border regions without having to abandon Dongjiang Pidao, which would be quite beneficial for restraining the Later Jin.

Ah! When I found myself engulfed in the fear of darkness, feeling lost and helpless, I sensed someone touching me, which startled me. I turned to Wang Cheng'en beside me and asked, "What is it?"

I stared blankly at the memorial, could this be what is known as the butterfly effect? My return through time has inevitably altered this segment of history, or rather, history has already deviated from its predetermined course the moment I arrived. This thought sent a chill down my spine, icy to the core

Seeing the cold sweat on Emperor Chongzhen's face, Wang Cheng'en coughed and said: "Your Majesty, it is getting late today; it is time to rest"

However, Li Banghua indeed possesses considerable talent, as Sun Chengzong mentioned. He has a thorough grasp of various key aspects of the military, from the assessment of generals to the disbursement of military salaries, with no detail overlooked. This has made me realize that this individual should be greatly promoted, as his future contributions will undoubtedly be even more significant

I can only heed Sun Chengzong's advice at this moment. Ma and the books have promoted Li Banghua to the position of Deputy Minister of War, temporarily overseeing the Beijing garrison. I hope he can, as Sun Chengzong suggested, reorganize the Beijing garrison and enhance its combat effectiveness

Wang Cheng'en noticed that Emperor Chongzhen was acting somewhat strangely. At first, he sat there in a daze, and then his complexion began to change. It first turned pale, then shifted to a bluish hue, followed by purple, and finally became the current dark bluish-black, looking as unsightly as possible.

Is this the damned butterfly effect

Less than a month after Yuan Chonghuan's departure, two events occurred that shook the Ming Empire. The first can be classified as a natural disaster: a strong earthquake struck the Beijing area, with a magnitude of approximately 7, causing extremely severe destruction

"Convey my decree: posthumously confer the title of Duke of Integrity and Resolution upon Mao Wenlong, and provide generous support to his family." With Mao Wenlong's death, it has indeed spared Yuan Chonghuan from taking action

When Li Banghua revealed the results, I finally understood what it meant to make a resolute decision. If Li Banghua were placed in the 21st century, he would likely be an outstanding manager, with every nearly bankrupt company vying to hire him, because he is truly ruthless in layoffs. To illustrate, just in the case of the *Tu* *Shu*, which had 26,000 military horses, he reduced that number to 15,000 in one fell swoop, and the soldiers sent home accounted for nearly half. His approach to layoffs is indeed merciless; not to mention, just in the case of the *Tu* *Shu*, which had 26,000 military horses, he reduced that number to 15,000 in one fell swoop, and the soldiers sent home accounted for nearly half.

Do you have any recommendations, my dear minister? I find Sun Chengzong's arguments to be quite compelling and am very pleased.

The appointment of the commander of Northern Frontier has provided a solid support for the border defense of the Ming Empire. With Yuan Chonghuan's understanding of the Later Jin and his proactive defense strategies, it is believed that there will not be any significant changes in the Liaodong region in the short term

I shouted loudly and knocked the memorials on the desk to the ground. I never expected that the ominous thoughts from a month ago would now become a reality. Historically, in 1628, there was no earthquake in the Beijing area comparable to the magnitude of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. In 1628, Shaanxi had not yet experienced such a large-scale peasant uprising. What is happening? Am I, this Chongzhen, even more unfortunate than the original Chongzhen? What will happen next? Will I be suddenly pushed into an irretrievable situation?

Sun Chengzong spent most of his life leading troops, and he was very familiar with various tricks within the army, handling them with great ease. He immediately identified the concerns of Emperor Chongzhen with just a few words