Chapter 38: Yang Sichang's Logistical Strategy

Yang Guikui praised, "Indeed, what Mr. Xiong has spoken aligns perfectly with His Majesty's wishes. His Majesty stated that extensive simulations must be conducted prior to any military engagement, taking into account influences from all directions. Contingency plans must be established for every conceivable scenario so that the enemy's schemes can be neutralized, thereby granting us a higher probability of victory."

With that, he signaled the staff officer beside him. The officer stood up and gently lifted the cloth covering the central table, revealing a relief map model.

The moment Xiong Tingbi laid eyes on the terrain model, he could not tear his gaze away. The maps he was accustomed to in daily life were crude and simplistic, whereas this sand table meticulously detailed the elevations of mountains and the widths of rivers. It was truly a supreme instrument for strategizing military operations.

Yang Guikui said, "His Majesty calls this a sand model, and we conduct our war games upon it. However, our intelligence is limited, and Mr. Xiong has long been stationed in Liaodong. I wonder if there are any areas that need supplementing."

Xiong Tingbi stood up, examined the model closely, and recalled his knowledge until he indeed found an inaccuracy: "There is another small path here that leads to Liaoyang; that can be added. That is the only flaw I can spot."

Yang Guikui instructed the staff officer to mark it on the model and then asked, "His Majesty requires us to drive a nail into southern Liaodong first. In Mr. Xiong's opinion, which location would be best to attack initially?"

Xiong Tingbi studied the sand table carefully and replied, "That depends on how ambitious the Chief of Staff's aspirations are."

Yang Guikui asked, "What do you mean by that, Mr. Xiong?"

Xiong Tingbi smiled and said, "His Majesty wishes to drive a nail into southern Liaodong, but the precise placement of that nail is wide open to discussion. If your ambition is modest and you wish to secure a steadfast and safe foothold, then naturally you should strike Jinzhou first. Once Jinzhou Guard is taken and Nanguan is occupied, the entire Jinzhou region can be said to be as solid as a fortress, anchoring this nail quite firmly."

Yang Guikui looked at Jinzhou Guard and asked further, "And if my ambitions are grand, what then?"

Xiong Tingbi answered, "If your ambitions are grand, you should strike Gaizhou directly. Once this place is captured, you can push south to take Fuzhou and Jinzhou, while threatening Yaozhou and Haizhou to the north. The perimeter secured by this nail will be vastly expanded, making it much easier for the Liaodong refugees to cross over, and forcing the Jianzhou Tartars to guard against our attacks on Yaozhou, Haizhou, or even Anshan at any moment."

Yang Guikui inquired again, "Then where does Mr. Xiong think it would be best to strike?"

Xiong Tingbi smiled. "If I were leading the troops, I would naturally attack Gaizhou or even Yaozhou. This brings us closer to the Jianzhou Tartars, allowing us to strike them at any time. It is simply that our army's field combat capability still differs somewhat from that of the Tartars, and I fear we might not achieve optimal results during the assault."

Yang Guikui declared, "The combat capability of my Imperial Guard in the field will not fall short of the Tartars. Very well, let us prepare several operational plans. The staff officers will conduct simulations, and once the First Division arrives, Division Commander Lu will choose the direction of the attack. Bai Jiansen, your team will simulate the assault on Jinzhou. Li Delin, your group will simulate the attack on Gaizhou. Brainstorm multiple possibilities and prepare thoroughly; the combat of our soldiers will proceed more smoothly, and their sacrifices will be minimized. Dai Chunfeng, you are responsible for maintaining contact with Prefect Camel and promptly transmitting the Brocade Guard's intelligence to the General Staff."

A few days later, the First Division also arrived at Juehua Island. Juehua Island would serve as the Ming army's bridgehead for expeditions into western Liaodong and the logistical base for the entire Liaodong region. Located over twenty li offshore, Juehua Island consisted of one main island and three smaller islets. The main island featured an irregular gourd shape—wide at both ends and narrow in the middle—with a coastline of roughly fifty li and a total area of about fifty square li (thirteen point five square kilometers). The island stored grain, forage, and gunpowder required by the Imperial Guard, including approximately one hundred and twenty thousand shi of grain, sufficient to sustain more than thirty thousand men from the two Guard divisions and the naval forces for a full year.

The former garrison commanders of Juehua Island, Jin Guan and Yao Yuxian, had already taken their soldiers by boat to Shanhai Guan, leaving behind over a thousand vessels, more than four thousand naval troops, and approximately two thousand merchants. The naval commander was Qi Zuoguo, the former Regional Assistant Commander of Dengzhou and the eldest son of Qi Jiguang. He now held the rank of Naval Brigadier General, temporarily incorporated into the Imperial Guard sequence, and was responsible for the transport of troops and provisions.

The merchants had come to sell grain to the Juehua Island garrison in exchange for salt certificates. Originally, they were supposed to depart alongside Jin Guan and his men, but Yang Sichang had detained them, stating that to express gratitude for the righteous merchants' assistance, they must share a cup of wine together before leaving.

The banquet was held in the former offices of the Juehua Island garrison. There were over fifty merchant houses in total, seating eight tables altogether. Yang Sichang raised his cup at the main table and proclaimed, "Esteemed righteous merchants, first let us toast to His Majesty's robust health. Please drain this cup." With that, he and Liu Boze downed their wine in a single gulp, turning the rims of their cups downward to show they were empty.

The detained merchants had been feeling anxious in their hearts, clueless about what the newly appointed Minister of Logistics was plotting, and could only swallow their wine with trepidation.

Yang Sichang stated, "Keeping you all here today is genuinely for the purpose of discussing a major matter. Let me give you a preliminary glimpse: His Majesty intends to revise the salt-exchange system."

The salt-exchange system was an institution established during the Ming dynasty to encourage merchants to transport grain to the frontier fortresses in exchange for salt certificates, which granted them a monopoly on salt trading. It generally consisted of three steps: reporting and registering, waiting and collecting, and commercial trading. Reporting required salt merchants, in response to the Ming imperial court's commercial recruitment notices, to transport grain or other goods such as silk or even horses to designated frontier granaries in exchange for salt certificates from the government. Waiting and collecting meant that upon obtaining the certificates, the salt merchants proceeded to designated salt fields to wait for and collect their allocation of salt. Commercial trading involved the merchants transporting the acquired salt to designated areas for sale.

Operating since the Hongwu reign, the salt-exchange system had accumulated numerous abuses over more than two hundred years. The imperial family, eunuchs, nobles, and bureaucrats, perceiving that holding salt certificates was profitable, vied to memorialize the throne for them, which they then resold to salt merchants for personal gain. This phenomenon was known as "nest-occupying." As this practice grew increasingly rampant, it undermined the salt-exchange institution and severely crippled government revenues. Reforming the salt laws to recoup national financial income had become an absolute imperative.

Since Zhu Youxiao desired to reform the salt laws, these merchants would be the very first to feel the impact. Therefore, the moment Yang Sichang opened his mouth, the merchants' complexions changed drastically. The profits of salt trading were immense, and China's renowned Shanxi and Zhejiang merchants had all built their fortunes on salt. The merchants shipping grain to Juehua Island were primarily from the capital and Shandong; they purchased grain locally and transported it by sea to Juehua Island solely to acquire salt certificates so they could redeem salt at the Changlu salt fields. Now that the emperor intended to reform the salt administration, who knew what it would eventually become, or whether they would be able to continue their lucrative salt business?

Yang Sichang remained silent, merely holding his cup as he observed the panicked merchants. Finally, a merchant could no longer contain himself. He stood up and asked, "Minister, how does Your Excellency expect the salt-exchange system to be altered?"

Yang Sichang smiled and replied, "I only know that the salt-exchange system is undergoing reform. As for the specifics of how it will change, I do not yet know. Detaining you all here today is not for the purpose of debating how the salt laws should be revised, but rather because there is a massive fortune that I wish to bestow upon you, esteemed merchants. I wonder if any of you might be interested?"

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