Chapter 607

Like a sudden thunderclap, the outcome of the eastern route’s commercial war left all sides utterly stunned.

Within a few days, from Xuanfu’s garrison city to Yanghe City, to Datong’s garrison city, to Ningwu Pass, to Taiyuan Prefecture, and then down to Taigu, Yuci, Jiexiu under the prefecture, and on to Pingyang Prefecture and other places — every main street and back alley erupted in clamor.

Though the roads were poor at the time and there were no later-era means of communication, the result still spread like a lightning flash — deliberately publicized and disseminated by interested parties — rapidly passing beyond Xuan-Da-Shanxi toward Jiangnan, Huguang, and other regions, not to mention the capital district closer to the eastern route.

To resist the combined encirclement and assault of several great houses with the strength of a single route, and in the end actually win a complete victory — this bizarre outcome exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Not only the powerful families and officials, civil officers and military commanders everywhere who had been following the commercial war, but even Xuanfu’s Provincial Governor Zhu Zhifeng, Shanxi’s Provincial Governor Cai Maode, and Datong’s Provincial Governor Wei Jingyuan were dumbfounded when they got the news; Xuan-Da Viceroy Ji Shiwei, even more discomposed, knocked over his own teacup and muttered to himself, “They won, just like that?”

When the news reached the capital, every teahouse and wineshop was packed again, and inside the palace, the Chongzhen Emperor sighed after hearing it: “As expected — not only in martial achievement, Wang Dou’s civil governance is equally outstanding. The eastern route is already a state within a state…”

Fan Yongdou and the other great houses all looked ashen as the dead. They had swept across the Great Ming unhindered, never failing in commercial affairs — yet never imagined they would capsize in a ditch. Inferior in martial force, and now inferior in commerce too — how were they to deal with Wang Dou in the future?

The leeches on the same rope as them, or their supporters and sympathizers on all sides, also sighed and lamented one after another — no matter what, they could not bring Wang Dou to heel, and the scoundrel would only grow more imperious from now on. Discontent and wariness deepened in many hearts — for example, the garrison eunuch Du Xun, the Prince of Jin in Taiyuan, the Prince of Dai in Datong, the Prince of Gu in Xuanzhen, and also the powerful officials and commanders in many places across the Great Ming — it was the same for them.

Of course, many people’s eyes also lit up. The Marquis of Yongning was outstanding in both civil and martial governance. At present, the Great Ming was a sheet of blackness, burdened with layer upon layer of entrenched abuses, its prospects utterly dark. Perhaps going to Xuanzhen, going to the eastern route, was an ideal choice for themselves.

No public figure can ever be liked by everyone; there are bound to be supporters, opponents, and neutrals. After the commercial war, many neutrals had already made up their minds to throw in their lot with Wang Dou — among them were no small number of literati and gentry, as well as officials and minor functionaries.

Perhaps this was the positive gain for Wang Dou from this commercial war: he had displayed his strength to the outside world, and in these chaotic times, it was like a bright lamp — so dazzling, so eye-catching, so powerfully attractive.

On the twenty-first day of the eleventh month, Wang Dou led his army back to the eastern route. Accompanying him were Yang Guozhu’s Xuanfu troops, Wang Pu’s Datong troops, and the Shanxi garrison troops led by Shanxi Garrison Commander Li Yunshu.

In the Liaodong campaign, Shanxi Regional Commander Li Fuming had died in battle, and over half the garrison’s troops had been killed or wounded. At the time, Li Yunshu had been wounded and unconscious; when he awoke and learned that his grand commander had fallen, he was so grieved he wished for death. Because the Liaodong fighting was initially settled and the Jin troops were no longer needed as guest soldiers, Li Yunshu and the other garrison officers led their remnant troops back together with Wang Dou and the others.

Li Yunshu had originally been a Mobile Corps Commander; after this campaign’s merits were rewarded, he should be promotable to Vice Regional Commander. However, before long, the Shanxi garrison’s Regional Commander would be replaced by the capital-battalion officer Zhou Yuji. He did not know Zhou Yuji, and was quite at a loss as to what course to take.

It was not only him — the officers of the various battalions of the Shanxi garrison were equally at a loss. Privately, Li Yunshu had hinted to Wang Dou of his intention to submit and serve him.

In truth, both Wang Pu and Yang Guozhu had tried to win Li Yunshu over. After enduring successive bloody battles, this remnant Shanxi garrison force had many elite soldiers in each battalion, and their combat strength had undergone a great transformation; many of them could be incorporated into the main-line battalions.

Wang Dou had also been tempted. Indeed, many men in the Shanxi army were qualified to be incorporated into the Zhongyi Battalion. But swallowing up allied troops easily gave others grounds for criticism, and besides, he had considerable friendship with Zhou Yuji and could not bear to do such a thing.

Zhou Yuji was now on his way to assume office, bringing with him only some household retainers and personal guards — perhaps just a few hundred men. The Shanxi garrison’s battalions had already suffered grievous losses; if he pulled away more of their troops, how would Zhou Yuji manage the Shanxi garrison’s defense in the future?

So Wang Dou set aside that thought and only said to Li Yunshu, “The new Shanxi garrison Regional Commander, General Zhou Yuji — this marquis once met him in Xiangyang. He is an honest and generous man, and will certainly treat you all well. General Li need not worry.”

He added meaningfully, “And in the future, it is not impossible that we may have opportunities to cooperate.”

After Wang Dou’s counsel, the hearts of Li Yunshu and the others settled somewhat.

Seeing Wang Dou act this way, Wang Pu and the others were too embarrassed to raise the matter of winning them over again.

The returning armies of the three Xuan-Da garrisons, together with the Shanxi troops who had been in Liaodong at the time, had set out with a total of about fifty thousand men. After half a year of fighting, the three garrisons had suffered over ten thousand casualties combined, but the remaining troops were still vast and mighty; with the supply train behind them, their banners were a dense black mass like storm clouds blanketing the fields.

Upon entering the eastern route’s territory — Yang Guozhu went without saying, and Wang Pu’s Datong army had also seen the eastern route’s wealth, prosperity, peace, and contentment before, so they were fine.

But Li Yunshu and the other Shanxi troops were seeing it for the first time. Every one of them was full of praise, exclaiming in wonder. The first reaction of many soldiers and officers was that after retiring from service they would come live in the eastern route, or buy fields and houses here and move some of their family over. The state of the Great Ming’s world made them more and more uneasy.

And once they passed Chadao City, they saw welcoming eastern-route soldiers and civilians cheering continuously. Near Yulin Fort, both sides of the official road were a dense black mass — all soldiers and common people there to greet them.

As the great army marched, cries of “Ten thousand victories!” rose to halt the clouds. On both sides of the ranks, saber after saber and sword after sword were raised at an angle; in the cold wind, all one could see was the dazzling gleam of metal, spreading in sheets to the horizon.

According to eastern route ordinances, when welcoming the army’s return, the weapons each person ordinarily kept at home could be carried out to display the flourishing of martial prowess — though bird guns and pistols were not permitted.

Observing the atmosphere of the eastern route, Li Yunshu and the others were both alarmed and deeply moved. Any of these military households, if casually pulled out, would form a qualified, even crack, army. That the Marquis of Yongning had attained his present status and position was absolutely no fluke or accident.

Although he had suffered considerable casualties in the Jinzhou battle, he would surely be able to replenish them very soon, restore his strength, and even rise to a higher level. In the Great Ming, who could match him in the ability to rapidly raise troops?

At the same time, seeing Wang Dou’s long-established prestige within his territory, and how he had thoroughly won the hearts of both soldiers and civilians, each of them felt envy — when would they themselves be able to achieve the same?

Although they had returned, Wang Dou only gave orders to encamp between Yulin Fort, Yanqing Subprefecture, and Huailai City. Apart from the wounded, he did not for the time being allow the troops to return to their city defense encampments, nor did he go to Shunxiang Fort to pay respects, nor did he return himself to Yongning City. No one could fathom what was on his mind.

However, at the warm invitation of Nanshan Route Assistant Regional Commander Yu Gui, he took up residence in Yulin Fort, in the Assistant Regional Commander’s residence that Yu Gui had specially vacated. He said to Li Yunshu and the others, “General Li and the others are newly arrived in the eastern route. This marquis ought to fulfill the duties of a host. Why not linger here for a few days?”

Wang Pu revealed a knowing smile. Yang Guozhu sighed. Li Yunshu and the other Shanxi garrison officers had in fact also learned of the eastern route’s commercial war. Given the Marquis of Yongning’s temperament, he was hardly one to swallow his anger in silence — how would he react next? Li Yunshu was also quite concerned.

He said, “In that case, we shall trouble the Marquis of Yongning. For the provisions and fodder the army consumes in your esteemed territory, after returning to the garrison, this junior officer will have the garrison send them over as quickly as possible.”

Wang Dou smiled faintly. “The three garrisons of Xuan-Da are one body, all brothers of the same family — why stand on ceremony?”

According to the Great Ming’s provisions supply system, when an army went out to campaign, part of its provisions and fodder was supplied by the imperial court, but the greater part was still supplied and sustained by the local government offices. The difference between the frontier garrisons and the interior guard battalions was merely a matter of the ratio.

Of course, when an army went out, for various reasons it could not be continuously supplied from its home base. For the most part, local authorities along the route supplied it, and afterward the officials of those places sought reimbursement from the army’s home government offices. This naturally created many difficulties, since seeking reimbursement after the fact was exceedingly troublesome.

Although many frontier troops were issued march-out silver before departing, and could use that silver to purchase provisions and fodder along the way,

the court was frequently in arrears with pay, and the commanders often did not have enough grain and silver on hand. Moreover, with the Great Ming presently plagued by one natural disaster after another, or for other reasons, sometimes even with silver one could not buy provisions and fodder — just as in the past, Lu Xiangsheng had silver but could not buy grain.

This was also why guest troops were unwilling to go out: if any link went wrong, the soldiers and officers would go hungry.

In the early Ming, this system had its reasonable aspects, but by the mid-to-late Ming, it had already become a pernicious policy.

The Shanxi army numbered several thousand men. For every day they remained in the eastern route, the provisions and fodder for the soldiers, horses, and mules had to be supplied locally — which, when calculated, was no small sum, to say nothing of the tens of thousands of Xuanfu garrison and Datong troops. Hence Li Yunshu and the others made such a remark.

Yulin Fort was not large, but the Assistant Regional Commander’s residence was not small. Yu Gui had arranged resting rooms for Wang Pu, Yang Guozhu, and the others. Because of the fatigue of marching, and because the stream of people coming to greet and pay respects to Wang Dou was unending, Li Yunshu and Wang Pu spoke for a while, then took their leave to rest.

Before walking out of the great hall, Yang Guozhu said to Wang Dou, “My daughter is several months with child now. It’s only a pity that Zhending Prefecture is too far — otherwise, bringing her to the garrison city to recuperate would be better.”

Wang Dou nodded and sighed, “Yes.”

When he had been in the capital, he had sent people to visit Xu Yue’e, and had also sent from the capital some tonics and supplements, along with some older women experienced in attending to pregnant women. But the journey from Zanhuang to the eastern route was too long, and with all the jolting of carts and horses — Xu Yue’e was already several months along and could not endure the travel.

Come to think of it, he had too many miscellaneous duties and could not be in two places at once. Although Xu Yue’e was a strong and independent woman, he ought to find a day to go see her.

After Yang Guozhu left, Wang Dou soon also saw off Huailong Military Defense Circuit Intendant Ma Guoxi, Yanqing Department Magistrate Wu Zhi, and others who had come to welcome and congratulate him, as well as his good friend, the Rear Mausoleum Regional Commander Chen Jiugao. To their indirect probing — about his reaction to the commercial war, and about who the future garrison commander of the eastern route would be — he did not reveal any hint.

With Wang Dou’s return to the eastern route, the eyes of the multitude were upon him, and many people awaited his next move. Apart from Shanxi Provincial Governor Cai Maode and Shanxi Regional Commander Zhou Yuji, who were still on their way to assume office, even Xuan-Da Viceroy Ji Shiwei, Xuanfu Provincial Governor Zhu Zhifeng, and Datong Provincial Governor Wei Jingyuan all hurried toward the eastern route.

At present, Wang Dou and Yang Guozhu were marquises, and Wang Pu was a count — all of exalted and honored status. Even if they came to pay a call, it would be entirely proper and beyond reproach.

The various members of the staff headquarters residing in Yongning City had long since joined Ma Guoxi and the others in the ranks welcoming the army. After the outsiders had all withdrawn, they gathered together in the great hall of the Assistant Regional Commander’s residence at Yulin Fort.

At this moment, Wang Dou sat high in the seat of honor, his expression pained as he looked down at certain people kneeling before him. They were the traitors within the eastern route from this affair.