Chapter 437: Expenses and Munitions

The fourteenth year of Chongzhen, the twentieth day of the fourth month… Xuanfu Garrison, Yongning City.

Early in the morning, in the Chengyu Chengen Ward, inside a quiet residence, Zhong Rong sat in his study quietly pondering something.

The Loyal and Brave Count, the General Who Subdues the Caitiffs, had returned a few days ago. The various staff members of the headquarters knew the Grand General had just come back from campaign and did not dare disturb his reunion with his family. But now that three days had passed, they should be able to go report on their departments’ affairs.

Compared to the haggard and weary petty clerk of Chongzhen’s seventh year, the Zhong Rong of now was brimming with vitality, the old pent-up frustrations swept completely away. Yet he remained very low-key, humble toward others, steady in bearing, and in daily attire still mostly wore a plain blue robe.

Zhong Rong was profoundly grateful for the Grand General’s recognition and favor. Among all the headquarters departments, he was the most diligent, leaving early and returning late every day, ensuring no loophole appeared in the Finance Department.

After carefully checking the account books in his hands once more and committing every figure firmly to memory, Zhong Rong exhaled, rose, and strolled to the rear courtyard to stretch his stiff body.

This courtyard residence had been specially allocated to him by the headquarters. All department chiefs of the Shunxiang Army, and all officers from Squad Commander up, had residences assigned by the headquarters. Major officials like Zhong Rong also normally received generous monthly grain allowances and bonuses — now converted to grain tickets.

The clerks in the department also drew monthly salaries, but the old gray income everyone used to have was gone. In the past, the petty clerks’ gray income came mainly from the surplus and surcharges on the land tax, often a dozen times the regular tax. But now in the eastern road’s various forts, apart from collecting the regular tax, all the rest had been abolished.

This inevitably cut off many people’s sources of wealth. On monthly salaries alone, the petty clerks could not afford meat more than a few times a month. But Wang Dou had considered this point: at each year’s end, depending on the diligence of each person’s work, he distributed bonuses of varying amounts. The generous bonuses could even be several times a year’s salary, which greatly stimulated everyone’s work enthusiasm.

In addition, as the education level of the eastern road’s populace rose and the Pacification Office kept strict watch, one source of their bonuses was ferreting out mistakes in the various departments. They pointed fingers and nitpicked all day long, glaring and frowning, which infuriated the departments. But the departments were independent, their authority autonomous — if they ignored you, what could you do?

With all these checks and balances, the phenomenon of clerks being slippery as oil rarely appeared in the eastern road. Though some sordid matters were unavoidable, compared to elsewhere in the Great Ming, it was far better. Whether governance is clean or not is really a matter of comparison: when outside people are in dire straits, yet inside the territory people are well-fed and warmly clothed, others will consider your place paradise and turn a blind eye to your minor flaws.

Zhong Rong’s bonus was also calculated at the top tier, which was why his household could afford maidservants and serving women, and occasionally help out impoverished relatives.

Reaching the garden, the fresh morning air greeted him, and Zhong Rong’s spirits lifted. The serving women and maids in the garden were busy at work. In truth, they were all distant relatives from the Zhong family and his wife’s family. After Zhong Rong became the Finance Department chief, relatives who previously could not be connected by eight poles suddenly all emerged.

Unable to refuse for the sake of face, the couple had no choice but to select a few honest and loyal ones to keep in the household. The cook, the odd-job servants, and the two maids were all distant, distant, distant, distant, distant, distant branch nieces and aunts or whatever.

After strolling a while, his wife, née Yang, called him to eat. Reaching the hall, the maids had already laid out the meal: four dishes and a soup, with meat and eggs, all of the Shunxiang Fort brand, plus fine white steamed buns, steaming hot.

His wife was content with their present life. Seeing his old wife happy, Zhong Rong too felt gratified. The two had shared weal and woe, their bond extremely deep. Back when he was a petty clerk, destitute and down-and-out, his wife never left him, and Zhong Rong was grateful for that in his heart.

Yet the two were not without friction. Zhong Rong had a son and a daughter. The elder daughter had long since married; her husband’s family were also clerks, now serving in a garrison fort within Huailai’s borders. The daughter was shrewd and had started a chicken farm over at Shunxiang Fort, later also opening a cattle farm, earning quite a lot. With the wife high and the husband low, friction arose. The daughter kept nagging on her mother’s side, asking her father to do a favor and transfer her husband into the Finance Department. Never mind the status — just the bonus alone would be a big step up. Zhong Rong knew that with his position and standing, a word to the Civil Affairs Department and the Pacification Office would get everyone to give him face. Though one should not avoid recommending the worthy even if they are kin, his son-in-law was mediocre, without any outstanding qualities — how could he casually transfer him into a critical post and invite criticism?

He told his wife, “That I can serve as Finance Department chief is because the Grand General remembers old ties, not because I am particularly outstanding. Besides, the General’s kindness to me is weightier than a mountain — how could I use power for private gain and disappoint the Grand General?” His wife also understood this was the proper principle. The bond between lord and retainer was paramount; without that bond, from then on it would be strictly business, and fortune or misfortune would be hard to predict. With her husband serving as chief, who knew how many people eyed him with envy, staring at that seat, just waiting for her man to slip up.

Even so, seeing her daughter unhappy, saying all day that her father was rigid and had no room in his heart for his daughter, she could not help but harbor a knot in her heart.

Then the talk turned to their son, and Lady Yang grew vexed. Their son Zhong Ding was seventeen this year, outstanding in his studies, a stipendiary Licentiate at the Guanshan Academy in Yanqing, and had always been Lady Yang’s pride. But recently this lad, for who knew what reason, kept saying all day that pursuing examination degrees was useless, and wanted to abandon the brush for the sword and enter the Staff and Command College for advanced study.

Lady Yang knew of the Staff and Command College — it was the place where the Grand General specially taught people how to fight wars. Her son was studying well, so why go learn to fight? If he studied well, never mind passing the Provincial Graduate or Metropolitan Graduate exams in the future, even taking over his father’s post would be fine. She truly could not fathom what the child was thinking.

Hearing his old wife harp on this matter again, Zhong Rong set down his chopsticks and said, “Entering the Staff and Command College is also good. In the present Great Ming, just studying is not enough. Besides, in the eastern road military merit is honored — others want to enter and still cannot.”

The various generals of the eastern road and the major headquarters department chiefs also enjoyed a privilege: their children could enter the Staff and Command College to study. That was a place for training officers, and countless people crammed their heads trying to send their sons in.

Lady Yang sighed, “Children have their own fortunes. I can’t control them anymore — grown children are beyond a mother’s sway… Ah, husband, why have you stopped eating?” Zhong Rong was preoccupied with reporting departmental affairs to the Grand General and had no heart for eating. He hastily ate a steamed bun and left. Reaching the front courtyard, the coachman, Uncle Fu, came over and said, “Chief Zhong, shall I ready the carriage?” Zhong Rong said, “Oh, Uncle Fu, no need.”

Then Guard Tian came over, saluted, and said, “Good morning, Chief Zhong.” Zhong Rong said, “Good morning, Guard Tian. Are you on duty today?”

Guard Tian said, “Yes.”

He spoke very little, bearing a soldier’s crisp efficiency. The Zhong household had one coachman and two guards, all assigned by the headquarters, who paid their salaries. The two guards were both from the Guard Battalion; every department chief had two. Normally Guard Zhao and Guard Tian rotated on duty; today it was clearly Guard Tian’s shift. Zhong Rong also knew one thing: the coachmen and guards beside each official were all members of the Intelligence Department. It was best to know this in one’s heart and say nothing — no one was tactless enough to expose it. Zhong Rong walked through the streets with Guard Tian. Yongning City was now clean and beautiful. Because Wang Dou resided within the city, wealthy households and merchants had flocked in, making the city even more prosperous. As the tide lifted all boats, land prices in the city had risen considerably.

Before long, they arrived before the Grand General’s mansion. The broad bluestone plaza, the bronze-and-iron main gate flanked by squatting, towering stone lions, and the iron-helmeted, iron-armored mansion guards on the steps — all displayed the authority of this place.

Although the mansion guards had long known Zhong Rong by sight, the Squad Commander on gate duty still carefully inspected Zhong Rong’s waist tablet before allowing him to enter. Guard Tian remained outside, not permitted into the mansion.

Entering the General’s mansion, it was a compound of multiple courtyards leading one into another. The front several courtyards were where the headquarters staff worked. Just after Zhong Rong entered, he saw Civil Affairs Department Chief Zhang Gui and Logistics Department Chief Qi Tianliang walk in laughing heartily. Spotting Zhong Rong, both greeted him.

Zhang Gui was still as hearty and forthright as ever, with the look of a fierce Zhang Fei, but Zhong Rong knew this man was crude in manner but subtle in mind, not to be judged by appearances.

And Qi Tianliang, that lean, dry man, once a garrison soldier at the old Jingbian Watchtower, had also cultivated an air of stature.

The three exchanged a few pleasantries. Zhang Gui stroked his bristling iron-like whiskers and said, “Old Zhong, Old Qi, what do you say — will the Grand General receive us today?” Zhong Rong shook his head. Qi Tianliang said cautiously, “The Grand General is most concerned with governance. Though he is reluctant to part from the comfort of family reunion, he should receive us within these two days.”

Just as he said this, an iron-armored guard approached, glanced at the three men, and said, “Three chiefs, the Grand General requests your presence.”