Chapter 347: Shock and Terror

Wu Zhi, the Department Magistrate of Yanqing Prefecture, quickly heard of the Shunxiang Army's actions. They dared to suppress scholars and merchants?

Wu Zhi was first enraged, but soon news arrived: his son Wu Lue's concubine was indeed a Qing spy, confirmed beyond doubt, and his son had also been taken under suspicion. Wu Zhi stood frozen in desolation for a long while, old tears streaming down his face. "A disgrace to the family..."

By the time the Shunxiang Army entered his residence, Wu Zhi had regained his composure and said, "I have failed in teaching my son. I shall submit a memorial to the imperial court impeaching myself."

As for Yanqing Garrison Commander Chen Sichong, when the Shunxiang Army broke down his door, he was first horrified, then flew into a thunderous rage, roaring at the soldiers seizing him: "I am a dignified third-rank official of the imperial court! Without a summons from the proper authorities, you have no right to arrest me!"

For such resistance, the Shunxiang Army's standing policy was to kill without mercy.

Most of the personal guards and retainers in his residence were beaten to death or severely wounded on the spot. Chen Sichong himself had his right arm cleaved off by a single blade and screamed as he fainted dead away.

Wang Dou never moved unless it was to shake the heavens. That day, not only Yanqing Prefecture, but Yongning City, Huailai City, Baoanzhou Garrison City, and other places all acted in unison. Huailai Garrison Commander Huang Changyi suddenly turned hostile, coordinating with a regiment of the Shunxiang Army that had entered the city to launch a brutal crackdown on the scholars and merchants within, catching everyone off guard.

Zhong Xiancai led a unit of soldiers to Jinghu Fort to arrest the "collaborator spy" Song Jiaxuan. As a garrison commander, he put up stubborn resistance. His unit was routed within a single quarter-hour, and Song Jiaxuan was riddled into a honeycomb on the spot by dense musket fire.

Faced with a regiment of the Shunxiang Army suddenly appearing beneath their walls, Fort Commander Chen Qinluan of Zhousigou Fort, Fort Commander Ding Fangming of Heihanling Fort, and Fort Commander Guo Cairong of Liubin Fort all meekly surrendered without a single thought of resistance. After hearing the general's arrest warrant read out, they all collapsed to the ground.

Among the forts along the eastern route near the frontier, only Zhang Wenru, the garrison commander of Sihaiye Fort, was left untouched. At the time, he was drinking and carousing with his subordinates, heartily devouring a wild boar they had hunted. When the news of the Shunxiang Army arresting Song Jiaxuan and the others reached everyone's ears, all the officers fell silent.

After a long while, Zhang Wenru cursed, "Those fools were colluding with the Tartars. Getting caught serves them right."

".......... Hmm, the methods of the State-Stabilizing General suit my taste."

The general's residence's thunderous strike stunned people into gaping disbelief, silencing the entire eastern route. No one expected Wang Dou to be so utterly unrestrained, swinging his blood-dripping butcher's blade simultaneously at merchants, scholars, and military men. Yet like a gale sweeping away clouds, all conspiracies and all opposition forces vanished like smoke.

In the brief span of a single day on the twentieth, the Shunxiang Army had fully seized control of every part of the eastern route. Throughout that day, countless hearts pounded in terror, especially those of the market-striking merchants and the class-boycotting students.

For the class-boycotting scholars and students, they were even more panic-stricken. The pretext under which Wang Dou suppressed them was collusion with the enemy — collaboration with the slaves.

— Indeed, there were Qing spies among them; Wang Dou had not wronged them. The chancellor of the prestigious Guanshan Academy in Yanqing Prefecture had a son who was a spy for the Eastern Slaves, and Wu Zhi, the Department Magistrate, had a son, Wu Lue, likewise suspected of espionage, while his concubine Mei'er was an ironclad Tartar spy.

These people were the instigators and ringleaders of the class boycott. In other words, by acting together with them, all the boycotting students and instructors were suspect as spies. If the imperial court pursued the matter, at worst they would lose their lives, and at best they would lose their official careers.

Perhaps a future interrogation would clear them, but under the suspicious gaze of the world, they might wear the hat of a spy for the rest of their lives — a fate more agonizing than death itself.

The "righteous cause" of resisting commercial taxes no longer mattered; they were far more worried about their futures and their lives. That day, untold numbers were too terrified to sleep.

Wang Dou's thunderous methods had effortlessly reduced all resistance to ashes. The grand "movement" became a laughingstock, forcing many to reassess Wang Dou's strength, ponder his unconventional style, and reconsider where their families should stand in the future.

The situation was quickly pacified. The mass arrests and shop sealings lasted only a single day. When the residents of Yanqing Prefecture, who had been cowering in their homes in terror, emerged the next morning, peace had been restored throughout the city. The streets were spotless, even the garbage swept away, and the bloodstains on the ground had been washed clean.

Had it not been for the scattered patrols of Shunxiang Army soldiers on the streets, many would have thought the previous day's events were a dream.

To the delight of the local residents, a vast stream of carts continuously entered the city, laden with grain and rice, as well as sundries like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Shopkeepers and assistants speaking with Baoanzhou accents loudly hawked their wares: "Buy grain, buy grain! Come quickly, everyone, and buy grain! Market prices are thirty percent lower than usual — absolutely fine quality at a fair price, worth every coin."

Led by the housewives, the crowd swarmed forward to buy grain and goods, every face beaming with joy.

Those damned profiteers had driven prices up dozens of times in recent days, and even at those prices, goods were scarce. Ordinary folk struggled as it was, having to scrimp and save just to buy rice and salt. With their market strike and price gouging, life had become impossible. Now that cheap and good grain and goods had finally arrived, how could they not buy extra to guard against future trouble?

"Everyone, don't worry, there's plenty of grain and rice, enough for all. Take your time, everyone line up..."

This same scene unfolded simultaneously in every city along the eastern route. The chaos had risen and been quelled in a flash, and with an ample supply of cheap goods, the hearts of the common people everywhere were instantly settled.

Inside Huailai City, Circuit Intendant Ma Guoxi had watched the previous day's upheaval in dazzled confusion, unable to process it all day. Out of caution, he had remained hidden inside his residence without making a sound. Only today, after listening to detailed reports from his subordinates, did he fully grasp the situation across the eastern route.

Intendant Ma walked out onto the streets, where peace had already returned. Smiling faces everywhere belonged to soldiers and civilians lining up to buy grain and goods. Everyone was orderly, daring neither to fight nor to snatch — naturally, because of the Shunxiang Army patrols nearby. Ma Guoxi sighed for a long time, stroking his beard, which rivaled Lord Guan's in length, for a full half-hour. Suddenly, he made up his mind and ordered the personal commander of his Supervisory Battalion to prepare a horse: he would personally go to Yongning City to discuss political affairs with State-Stabilizing General Wang Dou. The commander hesitated; by protocol, Wang Dou should be summoned to Huailai City for a visit. Going in person like this would cost the Intendant his dignity.

Hearing his words, Ma Guoxi shook his head. "One must adapt to circumstances. There's no need to cling to these mundane formalities."

With the horses readied, Ma Guoxi set out from the city with his personal guards. Passing by the residence of Grain Administration Assistant Prefect Guo Shitong, he saw the main gate tightly shut, without a trace of human presence. Ma Guoxi gave a cold laugh, spurred his horse on, and headed straight out of the city.

For Wang Dou, in Yongning City, sweeping away all rebellious and conspiratorial forces in such a short time stirred no great waves in his heart; this outcome had long been within his expectations. The next step was the aftermath — how to more securely control the entire eastern route and lay the foundation for building his own strength.

The various related matters were planned and executed by the staff of his shogunate. Wang Dou only needed to consider "strategic and forward-looking" issues. Upon hearing that Circuit Intendant Ma Guoxi had arrived in Yongning City, Wang Dou smiled faintly. "That old fox is quite shrewd after all."

The meeting between the two could be described as full of amity. After a quarter-hour of mutual flattery, they took their seats as host and guest.

Discussing the upheaval on the eastern route and after reviewing the extensive testimonial and material evidence Wang Dou provided, Ma Guoxi spoke with pained indignation: "These people, having basked in the imperial court's grace, instead of thinking of repaying it, committed such acts that harm the nation and the people. Truly, they harbor the ambitions of wolves."

He cursed for a good while, then narrowed his eyes and said to Wang Dou, "Regarding this upheaval and those involved, may I ask what the State-Stabilizing General intends to do with them?"

Wang Dou said, "I have captured spies such as Zeng Fuyang and Wan Mei'er, along with Zhang Wanshan and his ilk who colluded with the enemy and funded the Tartars. This is a matter of grave importance. As the Circuit Intendant is the parent-official of the eastern route, these suspects should naturally be transferred to the Defense Circuit Office for a joint trial by the three judicial offices, with a request for an imperial decree to decide their fate."

Wang Dou had no jurisdiction over the scholars and civil officials within the circuit. As for the arrested garrison commanders and fort commanders, according to the Great Ming Code, military officers of the third rank and above who committed offenses required a memorial and an imperial decree. Those of the fourth rank and below, after conviction by the authorities, also required an imperial decree for sentencing.

Wang Dou had already achieved his desired outcome; there was no need to overstep his authority and appear excessively domineering. The relevant criminals would be transferred to Ma Guoxi, the highest official on the eastern route. Of course, before that, some things had to be made clear.

Ma Guoxi was quite comforted by Wang Dou's attitude. At least on the surface, Wang Dou, as a Regional Commander, still respected him. Of course, the more this was so, the more Ma Guoxi felt that Wang Dou was no simple man. Knowing when to stop — even old bureaucrats who had spent years in officialdom might not possess Wang Dou's cunning and stratagems.

The chief officials of every city along the circuit had been nearly swept clean, and most of the local scholars and gentry were implicated. One could expect this matter to cause a huge uproar within the garrison and at court.

But what had happened had happened; the most important thing now was the aftermath. This was both a crisis and an opportunity. The chaos had risen and been quelled in a flash, peace had returned to the eastern route, and many spies had been captured. Presumably, the gentlemen in the cabinet, and even His Majesty, would form a deep impression of him.

How to turn a funeral into a wedding was a challenge for Intendant Ma.

"Zhang Wanshan, Chen Sichong, Song Jiaxuan, and the others are deranged, colluding with the enemy and funding the Tartars; they must be severely punished. Huang Changyi, though having minor flaws, has recognized his error and corrected it — there is no greater good; he can be shown leniency. As for the remaining scholars and merchants, if their crimes are not severe, they can be punished and then ordered to reform, to learn from past mistakes and avoid future ones, serving as a warning to posterity..."

A joint trial by the three judicial offices was all well and good, but how they were convicted after the trial still depended on what kind of evidence Wang Dou and others provided beforehand.

The tone Wang Dou set was to uproot the powerful families of the eastern route entirely — the great gentry, the high officials, the big merchants, all to be toppled. Especially those who had built their fortunes by collaborating with the enemy, all were to be eliminated, not a single one spared. In this way, no force within the circuit would dare resist him. After confiscating these people's assets, he could seize at least over a hundred thousand mu of fertile land and over a million in wealth, greatly easing his financial pressure.

Leaving some small merchants and minor scholars could still be won over; after all, his Tunbao needed talents like clerks and scribes, and also needed relevant merchant households to conduct business. Once the parasitic official-merchants were purged, it would also benefit the commercial environment within the circuit. In truth, the reason Wang Dou had never placed much importance on merchants since arriving in the Great Ming was not only because of their vices like hoarding, speculation, and price gouging, but more because the merchants of this era were mostly circulation-oriented merchants, not the production-oriented merchants of later ages, making it difficult for them to create value.

In later ages, merchants who opened factories had to recruit large numbers of workers; large-scale ones could even solve employment for tens or hundreds of thousands of people. Moreover, they produced goods and created value. The merchants of this era merely kept commodities circulating, handling nothing more than purchasing and transportation.

Wang Dou planned to encourage merchants in the eastern route to open factories and workshops in the future, promoting employment and cultivating a new batch of modern commercial talents. In this way, he would both make a deterrent example and avoid implicating too many people, which might cause fear among the common people.