Chapter 606: A Total Loss (Part 2)

Old White Bull: We've made the monthly category rankings again — many thanks to all my friends for your support.

……

After the various shogunate officers and generals had taken their leave, Xie Xiuniang turned into the rear courtyard. Her gait was unhurried, neither slow nor fast; the bearing and deportment she had painstakingly practiced day after day had long since seeped deep into her bones.

Rounding a long covered corridor, she heard the voices of a gaggle of children from a side chamber, among them her own son, Wang Zheng.

She glanced inside. Over a dozen small children sat cross-legged on warm cushions, every one of them speaking with the utmost seriousness.

Among them, her son Wang Zheng occupied the highest seat. To his left and right were Zhong Tiaoyang's son Zhong Yiyuan, Xie Yike's son Xie Tiandi, Han Zhong's son Han Hou, Han Chao's son Han Si, Wen Fangliang's son Wen Wentao, Gao Shiyin's son Gao Dexiang, as well as Zhao Xuan's son, Wen Daxing's son, Zhong Xiancai's adopted son, and so on…

This whole bunch of little brats were all cadets of the Military Lecture Hall. At this moment, gathered around Wang Zheng, they were hypothesizing how they would handle the present calamity of the treacherous merchants, were it up to them.

Gao Dexiang had the exact same temper as his father, Gao Shiyin. He clamored loudly, "Nothing to discuss — just chop off every last one of their heads!"

Han Si said cautiously, "Best to first deploy the Intelligence Division to gather evidence of their crimes, so that our cause is just. Then we can advance to attack or retreat to defend…"

Wen Wentao said, "Young General, our forces could adopt a divide-and-conquer strategy: recruit a traitor from among them, then use poison against poison."

The children present all chattered at once, eagerly offering their schemes — some absurd, some marginally feasible. Considering their young age, it was already quite remarkable.

Wang Zheng, maintaining a straight face, nodded from time to time. He looked toward Zhong Tiaoyang's son, Zhong Yiyuan, seated to his lower left: "What does Brother Yiyuan think?"

Like his father, Zhong Yiyuan was dark and rough-featured. Taciturn and steady, he was slightly older than most of the others. He said, "Young General, in this humble officer's view, this matter requires prudence. Best to co-opt one batch and behead another."

Wang Zheng said, "Hmm. Your words, generals, accord deeply with my own heart. Rewards for everyone… A-Di, bring me my money pouch… Ahem, how come the grain tickets have dwindled so much… How dreadful, there's not much of the monthly allowance left…"

Then, inside the room, footsteps pattered again as one child after another delightedly stepped forward to receive their reward. Then came Wang Zheng's astonished voice: "…A-Hou, what happened to your face?"

The other children noticed it too, one after another, and all cried out in surprise.

Han Hou burst into a loud wail: "…It was Zhuzhu, Wen Zhuzhu! I only glanced at Yaoyao… a few glances, to coax a smile out of her, and she hit me…"

Sobbing and sniffling, he said, "Wuwu… Mother used to always hit Father. After Father became a god, she would often cry, saying she regretted it, that she never should have raised a hand against Father back then… Do I have to be like Father for Zhuzhu to stop hitting me? Wuwuwu…"

All the children were indignant.

"This is outrageous — a little wife striking her lord and husband."

"It's simply preposterous. Wentao, you ought to go home and talk to your sister. If she hits A-Hou again, we won't play with her anymore."

"A graceful maiden, a gentleman's courtship. Sister Yao is adorable; it's perfectly normal for us to look. She hasn't even crossed the threshold yet, and she's already beating her husband — what will become of things later?"

Wang Yao, the daughter born to Liu Qing, was lively and adorable. Not only did adults dote on her, but children did as well. Wen Zhuzhu was Wen Fangliang's legitimate daughter. In the tenth month of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, during a march, Han Zhong and Wen Fangliang had, in the course of conversation, arranged a marriage alliance, betrothing Wen Zhuzhu to Han Hou.

Wen Zhuzhu was fine in every other respect — it was just that, young as she was, her jealous streak was enormous.

Han Si was furious, Wen Wentao was mortified, and Wang Zheng consoled Han Hou: "Rest assured, A-Hou, I will speak with Zhuzhu. She listens to me very well…"

Han Hou said, "Many thanks, Young General. Wuwuwu…"

Outside, Chun Chun — Xie Xiuniang's personal maidservant, whose build nearly rivaled Gao Shiyin's — beamed with delight and said to Xie Xiuniang, "Congratulations, Lady of the Marquis! The Young General is more and more displaying the bearing of a great general."

Xie Xiuniang smiled faintly. Her son was indeed growing ever more mature, and as his mother, she felt comforted in her heart. Gracefully and elegantly, she passed by the side chamber and turned onto the flower-tree-lined path ahead.

……

The sound of the qin and xiao duet had just ceased, yet the chamber still seemed to linger with its resonance. The hall full of noble ladies all voiced their admiration.

At this moment, the company was gathered in Ji Junjiao's pavilion. The Grand General's residence was exceedingly spacious; the rear courtyard was the private quarters where Wang Dou's mother and his wives and concubines dwelled. Given Ji Junjiao's status, she naturally occupied an entire garden estate.

The arrangement of her residence was just like the woman herself — elegant yet suffused with luxury. Every table and desk was exceptionally exquisite. Outside the window, flowers and trees grew in tasteful profusion, dense shade blanketed the ground, and a few red plum trees were in furious bloom, faintly sending in wafts of cold fragrance.

Ji Junjiao wore a deep-red sable coat that further set off her skin, smooth as congealed cream, and her peerlessly ravishing beauty. She reclined languidly on a brocade couch, slowly lowering her long xiao. Not far from her, beside a qin, the Young Madam's jade fingers had just lifted from the strings.

She wore a pale green sleeveless over-robe. Compared to Ji Junjiao, her beauty remained, but her expression was somewhat haggard.

"Truly exquisite."

The ladies all marveled.

They were the wives of various officers and officials from all circuits of Xuanfu Garrison, and even from outer garrisons, who had come to pay their respects out of admiration or at Ji Junjiao's invitation. Some among them considered themselves graceful or elegant, yet before Ji Junjiao, they could not help feeling ashamed of their own inferiority and sighing at how far they fell short.

Look at the carpet spread upon this floor — placed anywhere else, it would surely seem gaudy, but set within this pavilion, it felt noble.

Gazing at this woman of peerless grace, many of the wives from this circuit and even outer garrisons felt indignant in their hearts. She was of noble birth and devoted herself wholly to her husband's welfare — yet she could only humbly dwell beneath a commoner woman. How was that fair?

Among the assembled ladies, some also looked dazed and distracted. After entering the Eastern Circuit, they had discovered its might. Was it wise or foolish for their own husbands to assist those merchants in opposing the Marquis of Eternal Peace?

After conversation and laughter, the gathering eventually had to disperse, and each lady took her leave one by one.

As Ji Junjiao saw them off, she said to a few of them with meaningful weight: "…When you return, do urge your own men not to invite great calamity for the sake of trifling profit. Besides, as you ladies have seen for yourselves regarding the Eastern Circuit's affairs — if they cooperate with my husband, is there any need to fear a lack of prospects?"

After Ji Junjiao returned, seeing the Young Madam gazing at her thoughtfully, she smiled faintly: "What is Sister Wanyun thinking about?"

The Young Madam said, "Sister, I was thinking — if they do not persuade them, or fail to persuade their husbands, then the Marquis of Eternal Peace, he…"

Ji Junjiao gave a charming laugh: "Are not men's achievements and enterprises all built upon fresh blood and corpses?"

She giggled, her laughter like a flowering branch trembling.

The Young Madam's lovely face turned pale. Ji Junjiao spun around lightly, then intimately wrapped her arms around the Young Madam's full, supple waist, and said, "There, there — each person has their own fate, so let's speak no more of this. It's been many days since we last met, and I've come by some fine things here. I'll bring them out to help settle your nerves, Sister."

Approaching the hour of You, the Young Madam took her leave and departed the residence. Although Ji Junjiao had urged her to simply rest within the General's mansion, the Young Madam herself wished to avoid any suspicion.

Ever since the rumors, even upon arriving in Eternal Peace City, many people had scrutinized her with strange eyes. If she stayed overnight in the General's mansion, who knew what people outside would say? Fortunately, she had long since purchased a mansion of her own within Eternal Peace City.

After the Young Madam left the residence, Ji Junjiao went to a side room, her expression dark as she looked at the person before her — it was her second elder brother, Ji Zhongkun.

The ordinarily arrogant Clerk of Yanqing Prefecture now hung his head dejectedly, shifty and evasive, not daring to meet his sister's gaze.

After a long while, Ji Junjiao's tears fell in a daze: "Father and Eldest Brother both told me. Second Brother, how could you be so muddled?"

Ji Zhongkun's face crumpled miserably: "I didn't know. I was used by those people. They told me there was an easy chance to make big money. You know yourself — a mere Clerk, without some side-door opportunity, how can one support a family?"

His expression grew agitated: "Sister, you know your sister-in-law. She's always been a big spender. The moment the Eastern Circuit releases any new product, she's the first to buy it, and she buys in bulk. And I have several concubines to placate too. If I don't find ways and means, how am I to provide for them?"

Ji Junjiao said through tears, "Our Ji family is a great clan. Over in Zhending Prefecture, we own no small number of fields, residences, and shops, with considerable monthly dividends. Even here in the Eastern Circuit, Second Sister-in-law runs shops and livestock farms, and also holds farmland. With so much wealth, is it still not enough for you to live on?"

Ji Zhongkun cried out, "How could it be enough? My father is the Supreme Commander of Xuan-Da, and my brother-in-law is a marquis of standing! If I go out without pomp and circumstance, won't I become a laughingstock to outsiders? In socializing among friends, if I'm not lavishly generous, where is my face?"

Ji Junjiao said angrily, "For the sake of your face, you leaked information and abetted treacherous merchants?"

Her delicate frame trembled: "…You… you even tried to lay your hands on Marshal Yang's New Army farmland. Do you not know your brother-in-law's taboos? Do you truly wish for him to cut off your head?"

Ji Zhongkun collapsed to the ground at once, muttering, "I didn't know it would come to this, didn't know they meant to move against my brother-in-law… And I wasn't the only one who did this…"

Like a drowning man clutching at a straw, he suddenly seized Ji Junjiao's hand and implored, "Fifth Sister, you know — ever since we were little, among all our siblings, your Second Brother doted on you the most. When our brother-in-law returns, please plead with him on my behalf, beg him to let your Second Brother off…"

Ji Junjiao grabbed her brother's hand and wept, "Second Brother, go to the Suppression Bureau at once and turn yourself in. Confess everything you know and earn merit by exposing the crime... When my husband returns, I will plead for you as well. You will certainly receive a lighter sentence."

Ji Zhongkun cried out in alarm, "What? A lighter sentence? I still can't escape prison? No, no! I won't do it!"

He begged Ji Junjiao, "I can give up everything else, I only ask not to be thrown in jail. Fifth Sister, help me plead with the Marquis of Eternal Peace!"

Ji Junjiao's heart felt as if twisted by a blade. She only shook her head. "Second Brother, I cannot do this."

Ji Zhongkun's face turned ashen. He suddenly stood up and laughed coldly. "As the saying goes, a married daughter is like water thrown out. I finally understand what that truly means. Fifth Sister, in the past, Second Brother indulged your every wish. Now I ask you for one small thing, and you make excuses and refuse. In your heart, do you have any regard for the bond between brother and sister?"

He then roared even louder, "Or is it that this man surnamed Wang never truly held you in his heart?"

He shouted, "Look, just look! That Xie Xiuniang has already been made Lady Marquis. And you? What have you gotten? What have you gotten?"

With a sharp slap, Ji Zhongkun clutched his right cheek and stared blankly at Ji Junjiao. "Fifth Sister, you hit me?"

Tears streamed down Ji Junjiao's face, but her expression turned cold. "I stand by what I said before. Second Brother, go now, this very moment, to the Suppression Bureau and turn yourself in. Afterward, your sister will plead for you. What path you choose is your own decision!"

With a cold face, she left the room. When she reached a corner, she wept silently and uncontrollably.

On the seventeenth day of the eleventh month, at Hunyuan Department in Datong Garrison.

The great families were naturally preoccupied with the trade war against the Eastern Circuit. Fan Yongdou, Jin Liangyu, Liang Jiabin, along with the heads of the Kang, Qu, and Wang families, had all relocated to a guild hall in Hunyuan Department near the Eastern Circuit to direct operations from afar.

The specific affairs were handled by the most astute stewards of each great family, under the unified command of the Fan family's eldest son, Fan Sanba.

Although the Eastern Circuit's capacity had surprised them, it was clear that a single circuit could not contend against the deep-rooted foundations of the great families.

The Eastern Circuit's economy was on the verge of collapse. The time had come.

"Ah, who would have thought that brute Wang Dou would have such influence. News from the capital says the court situation has changed drastically. Many courtiers close to us have been demoted or exiled. Not only did that brute Wang Dou escape punishment for his agitation, he was even granted a marquis title. The court and the realm have yielded to the hands of a military thug. If this continues, the state will no longer be a state."

Head Steward Kang's face was grim. A faint sense of regret stirred in his heart. At first, when news from the capital said Wang Dou had joined the border troops in agitation, he had been pleased. But then events unfolded far beyond anyone's expectations. Not only was Wang Dou unharmed, he was promoted. What would happen when he returned to the Eastern Circuit?

He was not alone. The other families were equally uneasy. It was just a pity that they were now riding a tiger and could not dismount.

Fan Yongdou coughed and said in a quavering voice, "Gentlemen, there is no need for worry. Observe the Eastern Circuit's actions. They only dare to engage us in a civil manner, which reveals the limits of their administrative power. This plays right into our hands."

He sneered, "In a trade war, never mind a single military thug and a bunch of mud-legged peasants — even the Wanli Emperor back in the day had to slink away in defeat and withdraw all his tax eunuchs. What does Wang Dou count for?"

He continued, "For a hundred years, in the Great Ming, officials have been merchants and merchants have been officials. Although the several Grand Secretaries in the Ministries of Personnel and Revenue have fallen, the newly appointed Grand Secretaries Zheng and Ni have equally deep ties with us. We simply continue our tributes. They are backed by the Donglin faction, and in this trade war, the merchants of Jiangsu and Zhejiang are also supporting us."

He said contemptuously, "Unlike the tiny pond of the Eastern Circuit, the three garrisons of Xuan-Da are a very different place. Even if Wang Dou loses in the end, what can he do? What does he dare to do? Does he dare to use swords and spears like he did in the Eastern Circuit?"

He said, "For a hundred years, bureaucrats and merchants have been one body. From the officers at every level below, up to the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet and the eunuchs in the palace, who has not accepted our favors? How many Supreme Commanders and Grand Coordinators, how many cabinet ministers, have tried to target merchants over the years? And what was their fate in the end?"

His expression darkened. "Not to mention, in the three garrisons of Shanxi, over ninety percent of the officers are connected to us. In the forts near the border, ninety-nine percent of the commanders secretly collude with the Mongols and the Manchus. Does Wang Dou dare to make a move? Against whom would he move? Against the Prince of Jin, the Prince of Dai, or the Prince of Gu? Or would he slaughter all the officials and officers in Shanxi?"

"Setting that aside, take Yang Guozhu... hmm, Yang Guozhu has no dealings beyond the border, but among the officers under his command, to varying degrees, how many favors have they received from us? How many turn a blind eye to the military goods being shipped beyond the border?"

"If there is guilt, then not just in Shanxi, but in the entire Great Ming, ninety-nine percent of all civil officials, military officers, merchants, eunuchs, and imperial clansmen are all guilty. Would Wang Dou slaughter them all too? Does he intend to let ghosts govern the common people?"

Fan Yongdou's words put everyone more at ease.

Noticing the Wang family head's distraction, Fan Yongdou chuckled, "The Wang family has contributed greatly to this trade war. A major merit shall be recorded."

The corpulent Wang family head, exuding an air of extreme wealth and privilege, gave a dry laugh. "That scoundrel Wang has incurred the wrath of both heaven and the people. With all the great families working together this time, I have merely contributed my humble efforts."

Fan Sanba mused, "The time has come. We should notify Sanba and the others to release the goods. Let's set it for the twenty-first."

On the eighteenth, Fan Sanba, hiding in Bao'an Guard City, received his father's instructions.

By now, the trade war in the Eastern Circuit was raging fiercely. The market shortage of goods had reached an indescribable level. In every city and fort, the people were restless. In his hands and those of the major merchants, grain tickets of every denomination had piled up, while in the warehouses, all manner of commercial goods were stacked like mountains.

The time had come for a run and a dump of goods. After a single thunderous strike, the Eastern Circuit's economy would surely collapse. Their grain tickets would all become worthless paper, and vast amounts of grain, silver, and wealth would be swept away by them.

Yet faintly, Fan Sanba felt as if an invisible net was being cast. This net was hard for others to detect, waiting only to be slowly drawn in. By the time they sensed it and tried to move, the opportunity would already be lost.

But looking at the trade war overall, it was still proceeding remarkably smoothly. The spreading of rumors, the issuing of counterfeit tickets, and so on — although the Eastern Circuit had responded, outside the circuit, grain tickets had become waste paper. Wang Dou's image in the hearts of the common people everywhere was already utterly ruined, and the Eastern Circuit's economy was on the brink of collapse.

Perhaps he was just being paranoid. He shook his head and pushed the thought from his mind.

Just as Fan Sanba was coordinating the layout, like a bolt from the blue, at noon on the nineteenth, countless carts suddenly surged into every city and fort of the Eastern Circuit. They were loaded with salt, tea, soy sauce, vinegar, cloth, and other commercial goods, and began selling them off in massive quantities, lowering prices as they sold. At the same time, the Eastern Circuit Shogunate lifted the temporary rationing decree.

Another piece of news spread — terrible news for the profiteers, but excellent news for the people of the Eastern Circuit. The army beyond the border had returned from the Manhar tribe, bringing back plundered salt and tea, enough for the Eastern Circuit's people to consume for several years. Moreover, the Grand General would soon return to the Eastern Circuit, and accompanying the army was an equally vast quantity of various goods.

It was truly a bolt from the blue. Watching the market prices of commercial goods plummet and seeing large batches of grain tickets being printed, the hidden merchants could no longer hold back. They crowded around Fan Sanba, urging him to release their goods immediately.

Fan Sanba had not yet recovered his senses. He could not understand how, under a strict blockade and embargo, the Eastern Circuit had obtained so many goods. And how was it such a coincidence that they had rushed to sell just before they themselves were about to release their goods? Could there be a traitor among them?

He no longer had the luxury to ponder this. Under immense pressure, he had no choice but to let the major merchants release their goods.

But the Eastern Circuit's merchants were selling their goods at far lower prices, so they too had to continuously cut their prices. Seizing the opportunity, the Eastern Circuit's merchants bought up their goods at these low prices, then continued to lower prices further. By noon on the twenty-first, the profiteers had already suffered catastrophic losses and lost their entire capital.

During these few days, Fan Sanba also mobilized his forces, not only using the grain tickets held by the merchants but also inciting the common people to rush to the grain shops to redeem their tickets. Yet it was like a bottomless pit — no matter how many grain tickets were thrown in, an equal amount of grain was paid out, making it impossible to imagine the sheer volume of grain stored in the Eastern Circuit's warehouses.

By noon on the twenty-first as well, there were no longer any people following the rush to redeem in the Eastern Circuit's cities. Every one of Fan Sanba's tactics had ended in utter defeat.

At this moment, Fan Sanba was in Huailai City. In just a few short days, he seemed to have aged ten years. His expression was haggard, his hair had turned white. In a daze, he walked out of the city. Even now, he still did not understand why he had failed, where he had gone wrong!

Moreover, for this trade war, the great families had invested years of accumulated savings, yet in this tiny Eastern Circuit, they had suffered massive losses. Even if they returned, their vitality would be severely damaged.

The attendants around him and the stewards of the various great families were equally glassy-eyed, their expressions ashen. It was over!

In his daze, he did not notice the city's residents pouring out of the gates, all cheering and leaping with joy. Suddenly, a voice jolted Fan Sanba awake: "The Grand General has returned!"

Like a tidal wave, the people from every city and fort converged on a single location. Ahead, a dark, overwhelming mass stretched as far as the eye could see, an immeasurable crowd gathering.

This power made Fan Sanba jolt in shock, and then a chill ran down his spine, his hairs standing on end.

"Grand General, ten thousand victories!"

Cheers rose up ahead.

More and more soldiers and civilians shouted, their voices finally merging into one, forming a sound that seemed to shake the very clouds in the sky: "Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories!"