Chapter Twenty-Seven: Proving One’s Innocence (Part II)

For over two decades, a formidable leader named Altan Khan has risen in the northern frontier, essentially conquering the majority of the northern barbarian tribes and wielding immense power. Furthermore, Altan Khan launches large-scale incursions across the border almost every year, placing tremendous military pressure on the Ming Dynasty.

In particular, ten years ago—in the thirty-ninth year of the Jiajing reign—Altan Khan breached the Great Wall defensive line and raided the areas surrounding the capital, causing shockwaves throughout the imperial city. For the vanity-obsessed Jiajing Emperor, this was the ultimate humiliation of his life. Therefore, the issue of the northern barbarians is not something to be taken lightly; if handled poorly, it might trigger the Emperor’s deep-seated sense of shame, potentially costing one their head.

For the Minister of War, the pressure is immense. For instance, the unfortunate Minister of War in the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing was directly condemned and beheaded. Thus, after Xu Lun, the Minister of War, finished complaining about Yan Maoqing, he ignored the others, focusing solely on pestering the Minister of Revenue for more military funds.

Centurion Qian stepped over and asked Bai Yu, "Do you need me to help smooth things over for you?"

Bai Yu replied nonchalantly, "When it comes to the issue of the northern barbarians, isn't it easy to say a few words? The Ministry of War’s measures to guard against them are nothing more than four items: raising funds, dispatching inspectors to border defenses, selecting and training elite troops, and repairing the border walls—then leaving the rest to fate. These are all outdated practices from years ago, repeated every single year; what else could they possibly come up with?"

When the others thought about it carefully, it seemed to be exactly the case; all their various measures were essentially the same, never exceeding those four items.

Only the Minister of War, Xu Lun, felt that the Ministry of War had been offended. He was already under great pressure and in a foul mood, finding this summary—which exposed the ministry’s shortcomings—to be harsh, as if it were mocking the ministry for its years of incompetence and adherence to outdated rules.

"Anyone can engage in empty talk like you, but the hardest thing in the world is execution!" Minister Xu could not help but rebuke.

Bai Yu did not intend to argue with Minister Xu; he turned to Yan Maoqing and said, "My summary isn't wrong, is it? Is that enough to prove my learning?"

Yan Maoqing was slightly stunned and replied, "You are taking the easy way out by repeating what the Ministry of War has already done. Essentially, you are just parroting others, which reflects no real scholarship."

Bai Yu laughed, "Then today, I will offer you gentlemen some new ideas. Those who have money, please show your support with money; those who don't, please show your support with your presence."

Yan Maoqing had gone to great lengths today to try and break Bai Yu, but now, his pride was piqued. He snapped, "Speak!"

Bai Yu, glancing at the data on his virtual screen, spoke eloquently: "When discussing military affairs, one must first understand strategy. What is the current strategic situation of the northern barbarians? Although Altan has risen, his base is in the Ordos Loop in the northwest. He is a lord of the right wing of the northern barbarians—a powerful vassal, but not the orthodox Great Khan of the northern barbarians."

"Currently, the Great Khan, the Little Prince, has moved eastward to the northeast. To undermine the Little Prince’s prestige, Altan often travels east to show off his power and, while he's at it, attacks the Jizhen area northeast of the capital. For example, during the Gengxu Incident in the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing, Altan broke through from Jizhen. However, Altan’s main headquarters remains at Hohhot in the northwest. This is our opportunity. When Altan leads his elite troops east to attack, the distance to his base at Hohhot becomes vast. At that time, our army could launch an attack from Datong to raid Hohhot, which is left largely in the care of women, children, and the elderly. We would certainly reap a massive victory!"

The advice provided by the AI was not conjured out of thin air; historically, after the famous anti-Japanese general Yu Dayou was transferred north as a commander-in-chief, he carried out similar surprise raids.

The others pondered the feasibility of this proposal and wondered why the Ministry of War hadn't thought of this strategy in all these years.

Minister of War Xu Lun, however, said to Bai Yu, "Deep penetration into the desert has always been difficult. In the end, you are still just engaging in empty talk. Do not try to grandstand."

Minister Xu’s instability stemmed from two main reasons: first, he was old, cautious, and unwilling to take risks; second, if he were to adopt Bai Yu’s new approach, wouldn't it imply that the Ministry of War had been incompetent for years?

Hearing Minister Xu’s words, Bai Yu retorted without hesitation, "The distance between Datong and Hohhot is only about four hundred li—a journey of just a few days! Why is it so difficult? If you cannot even organize a march of a few days, what are the border troops fighting for? And what has your Ministry of War been doing all these years?"

Under the repeated rebuttals, Minister Xu could no longer suppress his anger and continued to question, "In the vast desert, who can pinpoint the exact location of Hohhot? Do you think navigating the desert is such a simple task?"

Bai Yu tapped his forehead, seemingly enlightened, and said, "You should have said so earlier! Would you like me to draw you a map with the coordinates right now?"

Minister Xu: "..."

*Why does it feel like you are cheating?*

In the imperial court, every official has friends and, likewise, enemies. When Minister Xu was left speechless, low chuckles erupted from the crowd. Yan Maoqing, who had been very active earlier, now fell silent, looking at Bai Yu in disbelief. Since he had been tasked with the investigation, this was the first time he felt self-doubt and wavering.

Bai Yu decided to go all the way, continuing to address the officials:

"What I mentioned above is strategy, but in terms of tactics, we should also innovate! The Ming Dynasty must establish large-scale chariot battalions in the key directions of Datong and Xuanfu, and strengthen training in chariot formations! Because our army has been using more and more firearms in recent years—which are indeed effective tools against the northern barbarians—there exists the problem of them being easy to defend but difficult to use in an offensive. The best way to solve this is to arrange the chariots into a formation, with the firearms firing from within the inner circle! Although the border troops have already started using chariots, we must now attach greater importance to them and treat the chariot battalions as a crucial branch of the military! In open warfare, only a chariot formation can block the northern barbarian cavalry and provide cover for firearm volleys. If we begin forming these battalions now, they should be well-versed in about half a year. By the time autumn and winter arrive—the season when the northern barbarians launch large-scale incursions—they will be able to play their intended role!"

Most of the officials in the hall fell silent, quietly digesting Bai Yu’s remarks and analyzing them with their own logic. But an enemy who enjoyed stirring up trouble called out to Minister Xu, "These proposals are all very novel. Centurion Bai has taught your Ministry of War a lesson! Will the Ministry of War adopt them or not? And if they are used and succeed, who will get the credit?"

After his face twitched from the pressure, Minister Xu struggled internally for a moment before suddenly removing his official cap.

He said to those around him, "My abilities are insufficient; I am truly unfit for such a heavy responsibility. I hereby resign from my post as Minister of War!"

*This high-pressure position where one must hold their head in their hands—whoever wants it can have it!*

The officials: "..."

*Holy cow! The Minister of Works left the day before yesterday, and today another Minister of War is gone. What kind of destructive power is this? Can this court even survive? If this happens a few more times, will the Six Ministries be empty?*

The Left Vice Minister of the Censorate, Yan Maoqing, was dumbfounded. If Minister Xu also ran away, their Yan faction would lose another major general! Such a bizarre event was happening right before his eyes! What on earth had he been doing, tossing and turning all day?

Bai Yu spread his hands innocently, "This really can't be blamed on me. You forced me to prove my innocence; otherwise, how could it have come to this?"