Chapter 603: Attention from All Sides

The storm in the capital, and this commercial war on the Eastern Route, drew attention from both the court and the common people; naturally, the officers and officials of the Xuan-Da garrisons were no exception.

Within their jurisdiction, the defense zone of Shanxi Garrison encompassed Taiyuan Prefecture and its surrounding areas, though the Regional Commander had always been stationed at Ningwu Pass, while the Provincial Governor usually stayed within Taiyuan city.

The defense zone of Datong Garrison included Datong Prefecture, bordered on the south by Mount Xiawu, with Yanmen Pass marking the boundary with Shanxi Garrison.

Xuanfu Garrison stretched east to Longmen, near the Man Taoer region beyond the frontier, and west to not far from Tiancheng Guard of Datong Garrison; further west past Tiancheng Guard was Yanghe Guard, and Yanghe City had always been the stationing place of the Xuan-Da Viceroy.

Aside from Xuan-Da Viceroy Ji Shiwei, Xuanfu Provincial Governor Zhu Zhifeng, Shanxi Provincial Governor Cai Maode, and Datong Provincial Governor Wei Jinghuan had either just assumed office, had not been in office long, or had yet to arrive; each had their own reaction to the affairs of the Eastern Route and the capital.

Whether Wang Dou was lucky or unlucky, among the many local provincial governors of the late Ming, the three relatively incorruptible, wholly public-spirited, and most loyal to the Great Ming — Zhu Zhifeng, Cai Maode, and Wei Jinghuan — were all concentrated in the three garrisons of Xuan-Da.

Historically, after Li Zicheng pressed his advance, these three provincial governors all committed suicide and died for the country; in contrast, the Regional Commanders of the three Xuan-Da garrisons, except for Zhou Yuji, along with the garrison eunuchs, surrendered to a man — hundreds of thousands of troops laid down their weapons without firing a single shot, utterly shameless.

Among these three provincial governors, Xuanfu Provincial Governor Zhu Zhifeng was fiercely upright and unyieldingly principled; historically, as soon as he took office, he impeached and imprisoned the corrupt Regional Commander Tang Yu; of course, he also had a side that craved power and had a strong desire for control.

Zhu Zhifeng was a Metropolitan Graduate of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign and had served as a local official in Shandong; after assuming the post of Xuan Garrison Provincial Governor, he was full of ambition, intent on bringing clear skies back to Xuan Garrison; upon taking office, he immediately resolved to cut redundant troops and superfluous personnel, revive military farming, inspect false claims in military pay, investigate hidden fields within the garrison, and moreover put an end to the malpractice of local officials and officers embezzling tax silver.

He worked day and night supervising the compilation of the garrison tax and corvée registers, and was equally very concerned about Yang Guozhu's New Army farmland; he issued stern warnings that any officer or official who dared set their sights on the New Army's fields would face merciless impeachment and dismissal.

Under his strict supervision and auditing, corruption within Xuan Garrison was brought under control; of course, he inevitably offended a great many people, and many officials and officers hated him to the bone, secretly cursing Zhu Zhifeng as Zhu Black-Sky and Zhu the Skinner.

Wang Dou's renown was illustrious, and the newly appointed Provincial Governor Zhu was naturally aware of it; the relevant intelligence he had gathered filled more than a hemp sack; he even summoned Eastern Route Military Defense Circuit Ma Guoxi for detailed discussions, and greatly appreciated Ma Guoxi's proposal to win over Wang Dou and do his utmost for the imperial court and the Great Ming.

He was also confident that he could pacify Wang Dou well, making the Xuan Garrison Provincial Governor and Regional Commander a model of local civil-military harmony, jointly serving the court.

After the rumors from the capital reached Xuan Garrison, he was quite angry; disregarding the written advice of his private secretaries and numerous disciples and former subordinates, he resolutely submitted a memorial to the court, vigorously defending Wang Dou.

And when news came that Wang Dou had joined with the border troops to clamor and make a disturbance, he was equally angry; he submitted a memorial to the court, rebuking Wang Dou, stating that even if he had grievances, he should not coerce the court in such a way, placing His Majesty in an unrighteous position, sternly demonstrating his stance of being hard on the matter, not the person, and his unbending integrity.

When the various great families attempted to cut off external commercial goods from entering the Eastern Route, Provincial Governor Zhu was again furious, severely condemning the treacherous merchants' acts of harming the locality; he stated: merchants are base people by origin, how can they be allowed to control the state and disrupt court discipline?

For a time, everyone looked askance; in the early days of the dynasty, merchants were indeed base people, but now, how immense was the power of the merchants? Even among Senior Grand Secretaries, there had successively been men from merchant families; his words could be called shockingly unconventional.

Moreover, because many merchant convoys entering the Eastern Route successively fell victim to the criminal hands of the great families, and his subordinates paid only lip service while acting otherwise, Provincial Governor Zhu, in his fury, personally led a part of his personal battalion to escort some salt and tea into the Eastern Route; even with their influence reaching to the heavens, the great merchant powers dared not openly kill a garrison provincial governor or intercept his convoy.

When news of Wang Dou's ennoblement as marquis arrived, Provincial Governor Zhu immediately dispatched an envoy to the Grand General's mansion on the Eastern Route to offer congratulations, saying that the Yongning Marquis would soon return, and that he, the governor, was full of anticipation for working together with the Yongning Marquis — having just finished rebuking Wang Dou, he now offered congratulations.

For a time, all parties were helpless against this man who feared neither heaven nor earth, feared not even death, and proclaimed only his unbending integrity — a complete blockhead.

Wherever Provincial Governor Zhu went, it could be said that ghosts and gods scattered, and none dared approach him; only the number of people close to him grew fewer and fewer, giving him quite the air of a solitary man.

Of course, through this affair, the soldiers and civilians of the Eastern Route still had a very good impression of Provincial Governor Zhu, and the Chongzhen Emperor appreciated him even more; in the land of Xuan Garrison, with Zhu Zhifeng above and Ma Guoxi below, affairs in that quarter still held promise.

Shanxi Provincial Governor Cai Maode had formerly served as Right Administration Vice Commissioner of the Ningqian Military Defense Circuit in Liaodong; during the Battle of Jinzhou, he could be said to have fought side by side with Wang Dou, forging a deep comrade-in-arms bond; even back in Ningyuan, he had discussed Buddhist theory with Wang Dou; he took Wang Shouren as his idol, was frugal and self-disciplined, and always bore the appearance of a modest and courteous gentleman.

His seniority had long been sufficient, he was mild-mannered, and with the added merit from the Battle of Jinzhou, he was now promoted a step to become the Provincial Governor of Shanxi Garrison; he was still on the road to Taiyuan, and regarding the struggle between the various merchants and the officials and officers behind them against the Eastern Route, he said only one sentence: "General Wang is of a fierce and unyielding nature, yet he has rendered great service to the state; he should not be treated thus."

He believed that both sides should value harmony; if relations soured, it would benefit neither party; especially the great families' blockade of the Eastern Route — this was improper, and he called for peace and harmony above all.

Datong Provincial Governor Wei Jinghuan, like Zhu Zhifeng, was deeply principled at his core, equally just and incorruptible, enforcing the law without bending; in the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign, he had served as Investigating Censor of the Shanxi Circuit, and earlier had served as a Judge in Henan, where he had caned to death local despots and caned to death corrupt government office underlings.

He had even impeached Senior Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru, impeached Vice Minister of Personnel Ceng Chuqing, and opposed the Minister of War Yang Sichang's proposal for a suppression surtax; he was a man who held ideals in his heart, yet did not fear losing office, did not fear execution, spoke boldly and freely, utterly unflinching.

However, unlike Zhu Zhifeng, whose face was dark and grim all day, he was rather genial in manner, a constant smile on his face in daily life; secretly, he was known as the Smiling Tiger.

At this time, Wei Jinghuan had also not been in office long; he had no fondness for local merchants and local despots, and he admired Wang Dou for fighting north and south, exhausting himself for the country; of course, like Zhu Zhifeng, he was displeased in his heart at Wang Dou's collusion with the border troops to clamor in the capital.

He was quite mindful of his manner of speaking, only hinting at this point subtly in his memorials, yet his attitude was very clear; he stated that the various great families and officials jointly blockading the Eastern Route was improper conduct, saying: "The national crisis has reached this point; we should all pull together in the same boat. Why act like this?"

Of course, these three men were quite attentive to how the commercial war between the Eastern Route and the great families would turn out.

Even this uproar slowly spread to the Central Plains and various circles in Jiangnan, drawing equal attention.

Faintly came word that the Prince of Jin in Taiyuan, the Prince of Dai in Datong, and the Prince of Gu in Xuan Garrison were quite displeased with Wang Dou.

Accompanying this were many local civil officials and military officers, and local despots everywhere; especially Xuanfu Garrison Vice Regional Commander, "Gold Book Officer" and Regional Military Commissioner Zhang Guowei, who gloated over the misfortune, telling everyone he met that the virtuous gain much support, the unvirtuous little — Wang Dou had been too arrogant and domineering, and deserved this retribution.

However, though he was delighted, he did not participate in the various activities this time! Perhaps Wang Dou's great slaughter on the Eastern Route back then had left a shadow on him; once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of a well rope — he dared not openly engage in activities anymore.

Then there was Xuanfu Garrison Eunuch Du Xun, who also sneered and jeered at Wang Dou; if Wang Dou really was as the great families said, wouldn't all his avenues of wealth be cut off? He had only just arrived in Xuanfu Garrison and was in the midst of collecting all kinds of red envelopes and silent partnerships, enjoying it immensely — was it all going to vanish?

Eunuchs cannot become officials, cannot take wives, and are even more stirred by wealth; it is hard to understand their psychology of passion for gold and silver; moreover, the great eunuchs in the palace Wang Yumin, Qi Benzheng, Zheng Zhihui, and others, along with local eunuch Liu Yuanbin, had been either demoted or died because of Wang Dou — these men were all on good terms with Du Xun; it would be strange if he had any good feelings toward Wang Dou.

In the middle of the eleventh month, at Yanghe, in the residence of the Xuan-Da Viceroy.

Ji Shiwei sat musing in his study; the current affairs of the Eastern Route worried him; to him, the importance of this son-in-law Wang Dou had already surpassed that of his own several sons; therefore, if trouble befell Wang Dou's Eastern Route, it was something he did not wish to see.

Only...

Ji Shiwei heaved a long sigh; lamentable that he, as Viceroy, even if he wanted to help with the Eastern Route affairs, his heart was willing but his strength insufficient.

Not long ago, Ji Shiwei had received the result of the court recommendation, and was appointed Viceroy of the three Xuan-Da garrisons; how full of high spirits he had been then.

Yet very quickly, after Ji Shiwei arrived at Yanghe, he encountered that same feeling of frustrated impotence he had known back when he served as Military Defense Circuit; the power of local despots was too heavy, all parties paid only lip service while acting otherwise, and whatever he tried to do, every step was a struggle; he had no choice but to blend his light with the dust.

And now, even blending light with dust was no longer possible; all parties had nearly torn their faces off with his son-in-law, and all manner of open spears and hidden arrows came one after another; the power of the merchant class was so great, it made him shudder with alarm.

When the great families had blockaded the Eastern Route earlier, he was worried and flustered, and had a merchant on good terms with him lead a trade convoy, escorting salt and tea, intending to enter the Eastern Route; he never expected that shortly after the convoy departed from Yanghe City, before it even neared Xuanfu Garrison, the convoy personnel would be slaughtered to the last man by "Mongols from beyond the frontier."

That merchant on good terms with him was even stuffed into a hemp sack and trampled to death by horse hooves; when he saw his corpse, he could no longer be sure — was that pile of minced flesh really Manager He, who had chatted and laughed with him daily?

He was furious and wanted to investigate, but before he could act, impeachment attacks from all sides came thick and fast, leaving him utterly overwhelmed.

Through this incident, he deeply learned the power of the collusion between officials and merchants; over a hundred years, the influence they had built up was so immense that even as Xuan-Da Viceroy, if he opposed them, he felt like a mantis trying to stop a cart.

At times, he even felt the impulse to persuade his son-in-law not to oppose those merchants, but then he would deeply suppress this thought.

He knew his son-in-law's temper; was he a man who would let things rest?

If he returned with his main army, that would be the time when blood would flow like pestles everywhere; thinking of it, he could not help but shiver.

If it truly came to that, could he still hold onto his post as Viceroy?

And those three provincial governors were none of them easy to deal with either, which was another cause of his headaches.

Perhaps he truly was not suited to survive in officialdom; he recalled that in the eleventh year of the Chongzhen reign, because of his daughter's elopement, he had summoned his son-in-law Wang Dou to speak with him; at that time, his son-in-law had said: "As for this subordinate's status as a military man, in these troubled times for the Great Ming, a military officer who can lead troops and fight battles may not necessarily be inferior to a civil official; it is not certain that the Provincial Governor will never have need of this subordinate."

"Who can say what the future holds? One day, perhaps the Provincial Governor will think that letting Junjiao follow me was a wise decision."

Yes, letting his daughter follow Wang Dou was indeed a wise choice.

Only, as Wang Dou's status grew ever more exalted, now even residing as Yongning Marquis, there were also many things in Ji Shiwei's heart that dissatisfied him; that village woman Xie Yike received an endless stream of titles and rewards, yet his own daughter had not a single honorary title — this was unfair.

His own daughter's status was so noble, yet merely because of formal rank, she had to yield precedence to a village woman; how could he be content?

Yet, however discontent, what could he do? He had already secretly received word that for Xie Yike's sake, his son-in-law had even refused a noble princess; ah, truly stubborn.

Of course, on this point Ji Shiwei still approved; so what if she was a princess? If she wanted to enter the Wang family gate, she too would have to line up behind his own daughter.

He suddenly made up his mind — even if it cost him his Viceroy post, he would gather as much evidence as possible of those treacherous merchants’ crimes for his son-in-law, so that when the time came to act, it would be fully justified.

At worst, he could resign afterward, return to his fields, and devote himself to urging his daughter to bear a son.

Having made his decision, Ji Shiwei suddenly felt lighthearted, though at the same time he pitied himself — could it be that he could only rely on his son-in-law for a living?

The cheap father-in-law’s heart was full of bitterness.

Just as he was lost in thought, the steward suddenly came to report that the eldest young master sought an audience.

Ji Shiwei’s spirits lifted — his eldest son, Ji Boqing, still satisfied him. Soon he would be transferred from his post as County Magistrate of Guangchang County to serve as Department Magistrate of Weizhou; he was in his prime and full of vigor.

Not long after, Ji Boqing, just past thirty and of imposing appearance, entered the study. From within came the sound of hushed whispers: “If Fifth Sister wishes to advance further, there is only brother-in-law…”

After another moment of quiet, Ji Shiwei’s furious roar suddenly erupted, along with the clatter of teacups: “That beast — he’ll be the death of me! A disgrace to our house, to have spawned such a wretch!” (To be continued — for exciting novels, remember our web address:)