Chapter 332: The Commanders of the Eastern Circuit

Inside the spacious Assistant Regional Commander's great hall, a number of high-ranking officials in their formal robes had gathered — every man in a deep-red official gown, a gold-worked belt with crouching-tiger-and-coiling-dragon clasps at the waist, and rank badges embroidered with tiger-and-leopard patterns. Sunlight filtered through the thin window paper, making everyone's official robes glow an even deeper crimson.

Most of those inside wore the robes of the upper third rank, all with wide sleeves and full-cut gowns; in dress they were no different from civil officials — only the embroidered patterns revealed their status as military officers.

Indeed, those assembled in the great hall at this moment were the various garrison commanders and fort commanders who had hurried over from the cities of the Eastern Circuit to pay their respects. As the Yongning Assistant Regional Commander, Wang Dou had under his jurisdiction the garrison commanders of seven cities — Huailai, Yanqing, Yongning, Baoanzhou City, Baoan Garrison City, Jinghu Fort, and Sihaiye Fort — as well as the fort commanders and defenders of several other cities.

A dozen or so officers had gathered in the great hall, all talking at once, and the subject of their conversation was naturally the newly arrived Branch-Defense Assistant Regional Commander, the world-renowned State-Stabilizing General Wang Dou, whose name was on everyone's lips everywhere.

He had followed Supreme Commander Lu into the capital region, fought at Tongzhou, at Pinggu, at Julu, at Zhuozhou — wherever he went, the slave foe fled at the mere rumor of his coming — and had piled up illustrious military exploits. His name thundered in everyone's ears; he was a hot topic endlessly discussed in every teahouse and wineshop.

That such a man had now become their superior — whether this was a blessing or a curse, none of them could say for sure. They probed one another, hoping only to glean a little more information.

Among those present, the one with the most authority to speak was naturally the newly appointed Garrison Commander of Baoanzhou, Zhong Diaoyang. He was a trusted favorite general of the State-Stabilizing General, a man Wang Dou had personally raised up; private rumor even had it that he was the State-Stabilizing General's elder cousin. If he would reveal a thing or two, everyone's minds would surely be set at ease.

Yet he merely sat there with a faint smile, and after exchanging pleasantries with the various officers, took his seat and made desultory conversation with Xu Zucheng, the Garrison Commander of Baoan Garrison City.

Since he was unwilling to say much, the others could hardly press him with questions.

Besides Zhong Diaoyang and Xu Zucheng, another man with authority to speak was Wang Yide, the Garrison Commander of Yongning City. He had led the Yongning officials in welcoming Wang Dou and his party the day before, and so naturally had plenty to say. At the moment he was talking with Huailai Garrison Commander Wang Changyi, Yanqing Garrison Commander Chen Enchong, and Jinghu Fort Garrison Commander Song Jiaxuan. As he spoke, he rubbed his hands together out of habit.

By all accounts, Wang Yide could be considered broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, yet his face was covered in wrinkles, his temples were graying, and his back was somewhat hunched. A man in his forties, he looked closer to sixty, and the upper-third-rank official robe he wore always gave off an indescribable sense of awkwardness.

In everyone's eyes, this Wang Yide was a spineless yes-man — "echo worm" was the most fitting description for him. He was timid by nature and exceedingly obedient — to his superiors, that is. His pet phrases were: "Yes, yes, of course," and "Surely not, surely not..."

Whenever a superior asked him a question, he would always stand with his hands at his sides, stiff and tongue-tied, and when he spoke he would wear a fawning, ingratiating smile tinged with trepidation.

Though his colleagues looked down on him, in the eyes of his superiors Wang Yide was docile and obedient; even if he lacked ability, he still won the regard of many. After the Yongning Garrison Commander Wu Yun song died suddenly of illness, the then Circuit Intendant Ji Shiwei, when Wang Dou proved unwilling to take the Yongning garrison post, had without a moment's hesitation promoted Wang Yide to the position.

At this moment Wang Yide kept sniffling to keep his nose from running. There seemed to be something wrong with his nose — whenever he got agitated, it would start to drip...

"The State-Stabilizing General's fame fills the world; the eastern slaves scatter like the wind at the mere rumor of him. Having met him yesterday, this humble officer finds the man even more impressive than his reputation. The Shunxiang Army is a force of crack troops — truly, its renown is well deserved..."

The shock of Wang Dou's arrival with his troops the day before still lingered in Wang Yide's mind. Accompanying Wang Dou to Yongning were the various staff members of his field headquarters, as well as several thousand troops from the commands of Wen Fangliang, Zhong Xiancai, Gao Shiyin, Li Guangheng, and Sun Sanjie — a mighty procession of several hundred carts and wagons, no one knew what they carried inside.

Their soldiers were uniformly clad in armor — long-spear men in iron armor, firelock men in iron-studded cotton brigandines — and that torrent of iron, so extravagantly equipped, had instantly stunned every soldier and civilian inside and outside Yongning City. In particular, the Shunxiang Army's aura of having survived a hundred battles was so overwhelming that no one present dared even breathe too loudly.

Yongning City was originally a guard-battalion post; besides the Assistant Regional Commander's field headquarters, there were also the various guard-battalion officials — assistant commanders, vice commanders, and chiliarchs of various grades. The former Branch-Defense Assistant Regional Commander, Yang Xianqiao, was about to take up his new post on the Southern Circuit of the Xuanfu Defense Area and was busy organizing his retainers and transferring his property, so the arrangements for welcoming the new Branch-Defense Assistant Regional Commander had fallen mainly to Garrison Commander Wang Yide to prepare and handle.

To welcome Wang Dou, Wang Yide had gone to great lengths — he had the walls inside and outside the Assistant Regional Commander's residence freshly whitewashed and the courtyards thoroughly swept. Yongning City's public funds were rather insufficient, so Wang Yide did not hesitate to dip into his own purse, all to ensure the new Branch-Defense Assistant Regional Commander was satisfied.

Sure enough, the State-Stabilizing General Wang Dou had affirmed Wang Yide's diligence; he summoned Wang Yide and questioned him at length about affairs inside and outside Yongning City, and his words were full of praise, which left Wang Yide inwardly glowing. Of course, while Wang Yide was going all out to curry favor with the new Branch-Defense Assistant Regional Commander, he could not help but neglect his former superior, Yang Xianqiao.

Wang Yide did not mind. Although he had once been just as fervent toward Yang Xianqiao as he now was toward Wang Dou, Yang Xianqiao was already a thing of the past — he had been transferred to the Southern Circuit of Xuanfu Garrison and was now irrelevant to him. Currying favor with his current superior, Wang Dou, was what mattered most.

Wang Yide had talked for a long time, and though somewhat incoherent, Huang Changyi, Chen Enchong, and Song Jiaxuan still managed to glean the information they wanted. They exchanged glances, left Wang Yide behind, and stepped aside to speak in low voices. Wang Yide felt rather awkward; he quickly composed himself, put on a smiling face, and went over to pay his respects and chat with Zhong Diaoyang and Xu Zucheng.

Over on that side, Xu Zucheng and Zhong Diaoyang sat talking together. Looking at Zhong Diaoyang before him, Xu Zucheng could not help but sigh at how fortunes shifted — thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. Once, Wang Dou had been nothing more than a respectful subordinate of his, watching his expression in every move he made.

And this Zhong Diaoyang before him had once been a mere lowly soldier; because he followed Wang Dou, he had become a local garrison commander, on equal footing with Xu Zucheng himself. No matter how much jealousy and discomfort Xu Zucheng felt inside, he had to suppress those emotions and vigorously cultivate ties with him.

He chatted away with wit and charm, his increasingly corpulent frame shifting as he spoke, his large fleshy nose quivering: "Twenty-five li east of the garrison city is Jade Stone Gully — the stone there is like jade. Someday, let your elder brother here play host and take you, Brother Zhong, for a fine sightseeing tour..."

"They say a new official lights three fires upon taking office. I wonder what fires this State-Stabilizing General will light once he arrives in Yongning."

Yanqing Subprefecture Garrison Commander Chen Enchong said in a dark, sinister tone, "Judging by what Wang Dou did in Baoanzhou, this man is not someone easy to get along with."

Huailai Garrison Commander Huang Changyi said with a pained expression, "When a superior arrives, there are bound to be gifts of tribute to offer. Let's just hope it doesn't bleed us dry."

Jinghu Fort Garrison Commander Song Jiaxuan lowered his voice and said, "Offering money and goods is a small matter. What I fear is that this Wang Dou is insatiably greedy and will set his sights on our lands and sources of income."

Even when lowering his voice, his speech was still rough and gruff. Unlike Chen Enchong's sinister sleekness and Huang Changyi's gaunt leanness, Song Jiaxuan was an exceedingly burly man — broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, with a deep scar across his face that gave him a rather ferocious, murderous look.

That refined official robe, when worn on his frame, also gave off an indescribable sense of awkwardness.

At Song Jiaxuan's words, Chen Enchong and the others all started in alarm. Huang Changyi murmured, "Surely not..."

Song Jiaxuan gave a snort. "Who knows."

Just like in Baoanzhou, in the cities of the Eastern Circuit it was common practice for military officers and local strongmen to seize land; the fertile fields had all been carved up among them, and as for the shops, mines, and timber operations everywhere — was there a single one in which they did not have a profiteering stake? They were the local bosses, the snakes in their own turf. But now that Wang Dou, this powerful dragon, had arrived, who knew whether he would come snapping for a bite?

Unlike Chen Enchong, Huang Changyi, and the others, Song Jiaxuan's clan did not hold much farmland. However, his family had garrisoned Jinghu Fort for many years, and the fort controlled a key pass on the Eastern Circuit leading beyond the frontier. Countless merchants and local strongmen secretly traded with the various Mongol tribes beyond the border; smuggling was rampant.

To go beyond the frontier, one had to bribe Song Jiaxuan. Sitting back and reaping the profits, over the years Song Jiaxuan had made a fortune. The reason his official troops numbered fewer than two thousand, nearly half of whom were his own retainers, was precisely because of this geographical advantage.

What Song Jiaxuan feared most was that in the future Wang Dou would set his sights on this source of wealth. If Wang Dou merely wanted a share of the spoils, that would be one thing, but if he got the idea of taking it all for himself and transferred Song Jiaxuan elsewhere, then...

He could only hope that Wang Dou's appetite would not be too unsightly.

After pondering for a long while, Chen Enchong said, "As the saying goes, a mighty dragon does not crush the local snake. Wang Dou is young, after all. If he wants peace in the Eastern Circuit, he will still need us steady, seasoned men."

He added meaningfully, "My lords, we old hands of the Eastern Circuit ought to unite in purpose and advance or retreat together."

As the Yanqing Subprefecture Garrison Commander, Chen Enchong had always been on good terms with Department Magistrate Wu Zhi. Wu Zhi found Wang Dou an eyesore, and Chen Enchong likewise had no goodwill toward Wang Dou. But Wang Dou held heavy troops and was famed throughout the realm — he was no trivial matter. To build a united front, they would certainly need to pull in more people.

Among the Eastern Circuit commanders, Zhong Diaoyang was definitely a lost cause, and that Xu Zucheng was desperate to curry favor with Wang Dou — don't even think about him. Wang Yide was timid as a mouse and a complete bootlicker... Huang Changyi, as Huailai Garrison Commander, was a good candidate, but he was a fence-sitter — whichever side was stronger, whichever side offered benefits, that was the side he'd take. Be careful he doesn't sell you out.

As for diehard allies, there was only Song Jiaxuan. The rest — a handful of minor officers like fort commanders and fort commanders — could be used to swell the numbers and boost the show of force, and also...

Chen Enchong's gaze drifted toward a big man sitting sprawled in a chair, laughing uproariously with Zhou Sigou Fort Commander Chen Qinluan over some joke or other. The big man wore armor, but not the official uniform of the Great Ming guard-battalion system. This was Zhang Wenru, the Garrison Commander of Sihaiye Fort.

Unlike his name, both his appearance and his manner were exceedingly crude. His beard was a wild tangle, his armor and robes were covered in grease, and his body gave off an unpleasant stench of sweat. He had probably been out drinking with his subordinate soldiers again the night before and only just returned; his eyes were still bloodshot and streaked with red.

"This Madman Zhang — brave, certainly, but his mind is set on nothing but killing slaves, and he rather admires that Wang Dou. I fear he won't be of use..."

Chen Enchong thought to himself.

Zhang Wenru held the post of Sihaiye Fort Garrison Commander, controlling another major thoroughfare on the Eastern Circuit leading beyond the frontier. But unlike Song Jiaxuan, he utterly detested anyone within his territory who colluded with the tribes beyond the border — he would thrash every one he found. And after thrashing them, he would confiscate their goods, sell them for silver, and use the money to drink and feast with his brothers.

This way of doing things was inseparable from Zhang Wenru's background. He was a native of Qian'an and had been fond of martial arts since childhood. In the second year of Chongzhen, when Hong Taiji borrowed a route through Mongol territory, breached the Great Wall, and pillaged the capital region, Qian'an fell. All twenty-three members of the Zhang household died horribly under the swords of the Later Jin troops — including his young wife, who was six months pregnant. Only Zhang Wenru, who had been away on business, escaped with his life.

After this catastrophic tragedy, Zhang Wenru gave away all his family wealth and threw himself into the army. Because he fought the Qing soldiers with the ferocity of a mad tiger every time, people gave him the nickname "Madman Zhang." There were even instances where he took Qing wounded and captives, cut out their hearts and livers alive, and ate them with his wine — earning him another nickname behind his back: "Zhang the Living Butcher."

Far from taking this nickname as an insult, Zhang Wenru took it as a point of pride. He gloated over it and would often bellow out: "Split that slave open while he's still alive, rip out his heart and liver to go with my wine."

By all accounts, from the second year of Chongzhen onward, he had accumulated considerable battle merits. In the seventh year of Chongzhen, when Qing troops invaded through the Xuanfu Garrison, Zhang Wenru also took many heads. However, he did not understand how to adapt to circumstances; whenever he obtained money or goods, he would drink himself senseless with his subordinate soldiers and showed not the slightest willingness to offer tribute to his superiors. Add to that his bandit-like moniker "Zhang the Living Butcher," and he was disliked by his superiors. Though he had considerable military achievements, he was never recognized or rewarded.

After all these years, he was still just a garrison commander, and had been stuck in the bleak, impoverished post of Sihaiye Fort.

Normally, one lives off the mountain or the water one is stationed at — just like Jinghu Fort Garrison Commander Song Jiaxuan. But Zhang Wenru had cut off his own road to wealth, and this way of doing things naturally made him deeply loathed by all the merchants within the Eastern Circuit. But there was nothing to be done — this Zhang Wenru fought ruthlessly and lived ruthlessly; he was extremely hard to provoke.

His famous saying was: "If a man isn't ruthless, he can't stand firm."

A typical madman — dealing with him was a colossal headache.

Zhang Wenru's one distinctive trait was that he deeply admired any true man who dared to fight the Qing troops. Upon hearing of Wang Dou's battle record, he had openly expressed his admiration: "I've heard that Wang Dou has won great renown killing slaves. I'd like to meet him and see how his soldiers compare to my own lads."

A man like this was not Chen Enchong's ideal target. Strength in numbers was best; it seemed he would have to think of other ways.

……

While those outside the hall each harbored their own thoughts, Wang Dou was chatting merrily with Xiong Tingrui, the former Sub-General of the Branch Defense who was about to be transferred to the South Circuit of Xuan Town. Xiong Tingrui had a prosperous look, in his forties and very well preserved. One could tell he was a man who valued the quality of life.

After the death of Mao Bin, the former Sub-General of the Branch Defense of the East Circuit, in the tenth year of the Chongzhen reign, Xiong Tingrui had been parachuted in from the garrison city. He had held office in the East Circuit for less than two years and was now being transferred again. For him, a lateral transfer to the post of Shunsheng-Wei-Guang Sub-General on the South Circuit of Xuanfu Garrison was a tremendous piece of good news.

Xiong Tingrui did not like the East Circuit. The local military strongmen's influence was deep and tangled, and he felt his will to deal with it was there but his power was not. In particular, the area bordered the frontier beyond the passes and was quite dangerous. In the seventh year of the Chongzhen reign, the great army of the Eastern Slaves had broken through the passes right here in the East Circuit. There was no telling when the Eastern Slaves or the Northern Barbarians might come again; being able to leave was for the best.

Compared to the South Circuit of Xuanfu Garrison, which lay deep in a secondary strategic zone, he would no longer have to live in constant fear, worrying that his life and family's fortunes could be lost at any moment. The places under its jurisdiction, such as Shengshunchuan Xicheng, Weizhou, and Guangchang, were also fairly prosperous, so he could line his pockets in peace and stability.

Wang Dou taking over was the best possible outcome — a joy to all.

In high spirits, Xiong Tingrui chatted animatedly with Wang Dou, proposing that the two Sub-Generals of the Branch Defense should keep in closer contact to foster their mutual goodwill. He was also curious about this legendary figure, Wang Dou.

This was exactly what Wang Dou had hoped for. The two men talked and laughed as they quietly waited for their subordinates to finish handing over the various affairs.

A new official assuming office involved a multitude of handover procedures. The Ming founder Zhu Yuanzhang had stipulated thirty-one items an incoming official must know: sacrifices and rituals, the public nursing home, prisons and lawsuits, the city's official seals, fish-tax lakes, accounting and grain stores, and so on and so forth. Each had to be verified and handed over, lest loose ends remain to breed future disputes.

Wang Dou had arrived at Yongning City the day before and had already spent a day conducting the handover with Xiong Tingrui. It was still ongoing, but nearly done, entering the final wrap-up stage.

At last, after Wang Dou had drunk four cups of tea in succession, Feng Dachang, the chief clerk of the headquarters staff, walked in and said to Wang Dou in a low voice, "General, all affairs have been confirmed."

Xiong Tingrui naturally heard Feng Dachang's words. He rose with a hearty laugh. "General Wang, allow me to introduce you to your colleagues of the East Circuit."