Chapter 53: Fostering Bandits for Self-Preservation and Lowering Defenses to Favor the Enemy

Qi Jiguang felt fully confident in using his forty-four years of life experience to answer a ten-year-old child's questions, even if his answers might not be entirely complete or correct.

Bowing his head, Qi Jiguang said, "Your humble subject is here to resolve Your Majesty's doubts."

"I have three doubts. The first doubt is: when you were pacifying the Wokou pirates in the south, you had all the captured pirates beheaded and displayed to the public without leaving a single captive. Yet during your twelve years of bitter warfare in Xuanfu and Datong, the garrisons frequently released the northern barbarians. Why is that?" Zhu Yijun asked his first question.

"Executing captives is considered inauspicious—though executing Wokou pirates does not count. The Wokou are heinous villains who must be put to death; otherwise, the pirate scourge will never know a day of peace." Qi Jiguang first explained why he executed captured pirates. While executing prisoners of war was generally regarded as inauspicious, Wokou pirates deserved to be exterminated.

Qi Jiguang explained in detail, "Among the Wokou, not all of them are actually from the Japanese islands. The islanders make up only ten or twenty percent. These individuals mostly collude with powerful smuggling merchants in the southeast, smuggling samurai and foot soldiers across the sea. The Wokou use these islanders as their core, linking up with outlaws and water bandits. Only by killing the islanders can the pirate threat be truly stopped."

Having campaigned in the southeast and fought numerous battles to pacify the pirates, Qi Jiguang knew that these Japanese individuals formed the backbone of the Wokou forces, with the majority conspiring with southeastern maritime merchants. Only by completely eliminating these cross-sea invaders would the pirates lose their core leadership and be unable to gather for rebellion.

"Are these islanders among the Wokou equivalent to the junior military officers of our Great Ming?" Zhu Yijun carefully pondered this before understanding Qi Jiguang's meaning.

During the Chongzhen era, Li Zicheng could be described as constantly losing yet fighting on, rebelling and failing repeatedly until Emperor Chongzhen ordered the downsizing of the Three Borders—namely the garrisons of Yansui, Ningxia, and Gansu. When the junior officers (grassroots military commanders) of these three border garrisons found themselves with no way out and joined Li Zicheng's ranks, Li Zicheng finally began winning consecutive victories.

The peasant armies and greenwood heroes of Great Ming all had their own limitations. One of these limitations was the lack of organizational capability provided by junior officers.

Clearly, Zhu Yijun understood that these Wokou islanders were essentially grassroots military officers hired by southeastern magnates. Only by completely slaughtering these islanders could the pirate threat be thoroughly pacified.

"Your Majesty is brilliant," Qi Jiguang nodded, indicating that the emperor had grasped the point perfectly.

The reason the southern pirate menace could never be stamped out despite endless campaigns was that these islanders always made trouble when the wind was favorable and abandoned the others to flee early when the wind turned against them. Even if these islanders were captured, the local gentry and magnates of the southeast would offer slight bribes, and the captives would be released to wreak havoc on the region once more.

Qi Jiguang refused to give the local gentry and magnates any opportunity for bribery. If he caught them on a ship, he tied stones to them and sank them into the sea; if he caught them in a camp, he beheaded them and displayed their heads; if he caught them in a latrine, he held them under until they drowned to serve as compost.

In short, he simplified a complex problem: by directly exterminating the islanders within the Wokou ranks, the pirate threat would cease to exist.

This was also the reason why Qi Jiguang had suffered repeated frustrations. Because he refused to be corrupted and associate with the local gentry, court officials hailing from gentry backgrounds had no shortage of ways to splash dirty water on him. Living deep within the palace walls, how could the emperor know the perils of military campaigns? He could only listen to the endless chatter of the censors.

Hai Rui was demoted and forced into retirement because he investigated Xu Jie's corruption and ordered him to return illegally seized lands.

Xu Zhenming carried bamboo-woven bookcases into the capital to petition for military agricultural colonies, while Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou were subjected to wave after wave of joint impeachment for slaying pirates.

"Commander Qi is indeed astute!" Zhu Yijun nodded repeatedly, expressing his approval of Qi Jiguang's actions.

"Then why, when fighting in Xuanfu and Datong, were the northern barbarians released?" Zhu Yijun asked with some curiosity, noting that the approach to prisoners of war differed between northern and southern operations.

With absolute conviction, Qi Jiguang replied, "Releasing the northern barbarians is actually a form of warfare. Once captured northern barbarians are released, they lose the will to fight. Even if they are coerced into heading south again, they instead serve to create discord and uproar within their ranks."

"Having survived a narrow escape from death and returned to the northern deserts, these captives will refuse to risk their lives should they march south to fight again. Furthermore, they will stir up discontent among the army, leading others to slack off and malinger. Ever since the fortieth year of the Jiajing reign, the northern barbarians could no longer sustain prolonged campaigns when marching south. If battles lasted even slightly longer, countless northern barbarians would desert. That is why subsequent warfare in Xuanfu and Datong fell into prolonged stalemates."

In truth, this presented a prime opportunity to whisper slanders in the emperor's ear—attributing the northern army's release of prisoners to a treasonous conspiracy between the Jin faction and the barbarians would have sounded entirely plausible.

Yet Qi Jiguang did not slander anyone, nor did he disparage the border garrison troops of Xuanfu and Datong in Great Ming.

The soldiers of Great Ming were fine men. Merits were merits, and faults were faults. Qi Jiguang acted with a loyal conscience; he had no wish to deceive the emperor. Such tactics were not uncommon, and their effectiveness was plain—disrupting organizational cohesion meant destroying combat capability.

"So that's how it is." Zhu Yijun nodded continuously, the doubts buried in his heart finally resolved. The handling of prisoners of war all revolved around organizational cohesion.

Zhu Yijun inquired further, "I have a second doubt. The southern troops are mostly volunteers, while the northern troops are mostly hereditary garrison soldiers. The southern troops are fierce and brave, whereas the northern troops frequently lose. Is this because recruited soldiers are superior to hereditary military households?"

"By no means!" Qi Jiguang gave a resolute and definitive reply. Waving his hands repeatedly, he said, "Your Majesty, when Emperor Xuanzong of Tang abolished the Fubing system, the military system of the realm fell into ruin. Even if the衛所 (Weisuo) garrisons have decayed, they remain the Weisuo system, and one must never lightly speak of abolishing them."

"I have no such intention," Zhu Yijun explained with great patience.

He was merely inquiring why the combat effectiveness varied so drastically, not planning to abolish the Weisuo garrisons of the Nine Borders. Chongzhen had abolished the Three Borders and directly abolished his own imperial throne; Zhu Yijun had nothing better to do than to court death by dismantling the border military garrisons.

Qi Jiguang breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he had perhaps overreacted somewhat.

The civil officials at court always looked down upon military households with disdain. He had feared that the young emperor, constantly surrounded by the words of the literati, might entertain thoughts of abolishing the military garrisons—which would truly destroy the foundations of everything.

Fortunately, the Emperor of Great Ming was merely asking why the combat power showed such a vast disparity.

After pondering for a moment, Qi Jiguang said, "When I recruited volunteer militias in the southeast, they were mostly miners, though many originally hailed from the Weisuo garrisons. These volunteers, selected from the military households, specialized in combat and defense without engaging in farming, making them more familiar with military affairs. However, these are not the primary reasons. The southern troops excel in battle primarily because they receive their full pay—or rather, one could almost say they fight fine even without pay... as long as they have enough to eat."

"Provisions and pay, provisions and pay—provisions come first."

"Can they fight just by eating their fill?" Zhu Yijun was slightly stunned, looking somewhat perplexed.

With absolute conviction, Qi Jiguang nodded and said, "To be precise, only when they can eat their fill can they lift the hooked lances, handle the bird guns, see the enemy clearly, and slay them to achieve victory. When the southern troops were first established, they were not issued pay either, but as long as they were fed, they could fight and defend."

"The recent operations at the four mountain passes of Xifengkou were all conducted by the northern troops, not the main force of southern troops. The southern troops mostly served to reinforce and stabilize the rear. Once fed, the northern troops proved invincible. Only the battle at Xifengkou was slightly perilous, where the southern troops were responsible for encircle and containment; all the rest were decided by the northern troops!"

Qi Jiguang did not gild the lily for his own direct southern troops; credit belonged to whoever earned it. The northern troops could fight; the reason they could not fight was because some people were drinking the soldiers' blood and refusing to give them food.

"Commander Qi truly employs troops like a god, managing to extract such illustrious battle achievements from the northern troops under your command," Zhu Yijun said with sudden understanding.

Looking back at the ten mu of farmland he cultivated himself, he felt a bit more conviction in what he was doing. He was not engaged in a futile endeavor; eating too many sweet potatoes might cause stomach acidity, but that was only when one ate too much. The problem of whether food existed at all had to be solved first.

Being able to win battles on a full stomach was undoubtedly a bold assertion.

Yet what Qi Jiguang spoke was the raw truth. The northern frontier beyond the border was inherently bitter and cold; their military equipment was actually inferior to that of the Great Ming army, and their fighting spirit was hardly tenacious. Why, then, were the northern barbarians able to march south and frequently breach the passes?

When soldiers went hungry with bellies so empty they could barely walk, let alone fight—if they did not mutiny, one could already praise them for their profound loyalty and devotion.

"I understand. There are those who do not wish to see the Great Ming army win." Zhu Yijun's fingers tapped lightly against the armrest, and a brief silence settled within the Baoqi Palace.

Whenever Qi Jiguang led troops, he won; whenever Great Ming border generals led troops, they lost.

By controlling the variables, it became self-evident where the problem lay and precisely who did not want the Great Ming army to win.

Qi Jiguang chose to exercise caution in his words. How to resolve the embezzlement of soldiers' rations was a concrete problem that required summarizing experience through practice rather than engaging in empty rhetoric. His reply to the emperor was born of the hope that His Majesty would recognize the loyalty and bravery of the Great Ming soldiers.

To put it more precisely, give the soldiers of Great Ming a bite to eat, and they could secure the peace of the state.

Not even giving them a bite to eat would surely lead to massive trouble. Valuing literature while suppressing the military had gone on for far too long; it could no longer continue down that path.

Zhu Yijun did not launch into a detailed discussion of specific matters. He was not yet ruling in his own right; to issue reckless commands and act purely on impulse would be sheer folly—treating affairs of state as a child's game. With a smile, he remarked, "An emperor does not send starving soldiers into battle."

"I have a third doubt. The southern troops maintain strict military discipline, while the northern troops under your command underwent a dramatic transformation in discipline. Is there a secret to this?" Zhu Yijun asked his third question.

With absolute certainty, Qi Jiguang replied, "This is actually simple. If a commander treats his soldiers like his own hands and feet, the soldiers will treat the commander as their heart and soul; if a commander treats his soldiers like dogs and horses, the soldiers will treat the commander as a mere stranger; if a commander treats his soldiers like dirt and grass, the soldiers will treat the commander as a mortal enemy."

"When a commander treats his soldiers like his limbs, his words carry weight, and on the battlefield, he can direct them as smoothly as moving his own arms and fingers. When soldiers view their commander as their heart and soul, they will naturally obey commands, ensuring strict adherence to orders on the battlefield."

With a sudden realization, Zhu Yijun nodded approvingly and said, "That explains it. The garrison troops of Xuanfu and Datong suffer from lax discipline and undisciplined soldiers. When the northern barbarians arrive, they avoid battle, turtle up in defense, and let the raiders plunder at will; once the northern barbarians leave, they run rampant and flex their might everywhere. It is simply because certain individuals are the root of the problem."

Qi Jiguang was naturally reluctant to make enemies, but from what he knew, this was precisely the case. After a moment of thought, he said, "If the soldiers are weak and cowardly, it is the fault of a single man; if the commander is weak and cowardly, the majesty of the army collapses."

Qi Jiguang was skilled with words. He did not curse anyone by name, yet he fully endorsed the emperor's view, which effectively castigated a large number of generals and commanders. In the realm of military command, Qi Jiguang was exceptionally well-qualified to point fingers at other commanders.

From what he knew, the widespread laxity in military discipline was largely intentional—deliberately cultivated to foster bandits for self-preservation.

If one could not win, the border people would have no choice but to seek the protection of the commanders, and only by failing to win could the commanders secure long-term posts.

If they actually won, how could they continue to turn a profit?

The Northwest, Southwest, Southeast, and Northeast were all alike. For instance, Li Chengliang in the Northeast was a textbook example of nurturing bandits for self-preservation and intentionally relaxing defenses to pander to the enemy.

Qi Jiguang had already said far too much; any further discussion would exceed what an Earl of Qian'an should properly say.

Zhu Yijun gained immensely from this audience with Qi Jiguang, validating at least many things he had previously felt uncertain about.

"Will Commander Qi be returning to Jizhou tonight?" Zhu Yijun stood up. The day was growing late, and any further delay would cause Qi Jiguang to miss the curfew for exiting the city gates.

Bowing low, Qi Jiguang replied, "Your subject bears the duty of guarding the borders. I have already delayed two days and can tarry no longer."

"Then I shall not detain Commander Qi any longer," Zhu Yijun said with genuine regret. He still had countless questions he wished to consult him about, but Qi Jiguang was a very busy man. He would simply have to wait until Qi Jiguang returned to the capital once more to seek his counsel.

"Your subject takes his leave." Qi Jiguang exited the Baoqi Palace and headed toward the military path.

"Commander Qi, the Senior Grand Secretary requests an audience." You Qi had been waiting outside the Xuanwu Gate and hurried forward the moment he caught sight of him.

Qi Jiguang handed the jade tally of the All-Chu Guildhall from his waist to You Qi and said, "I fear that henceforth, I shall never be able to visit the All-Chu Guildhall again."

You Qi's expression shifted drastically!