Chapter 619: Repercussions

In the twelfth month of the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, at Yulin Fort.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Dou had already been inside the fort for many days. The officers and soldiers were toiling outside, so he naturally had to lead by example and could not return to Yongning City to reunite with his family.

Originally, his thirtieth birthday fell on the twenty-ninth of last month, but it was postponed so that a grand celebration could be held once all matters were settled. For this affair, not only the household of the Marquis of Yongning, but even the shogunate staff had busied themselves over it; it was likewise a joyous occasion for the entire army and the people of the whole circuit.

Wang Dou's current status and position were no trivial matter. Those coming to offer birthday congratulations and felicitations came in an endless stream, from Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet to capital officials, and on to various local officials. Even those who were most at odds with Wang Dou sent trusted envoys one after another — it could be said that people from all quarters gathered.

Of course, the commercial warfare on the Eastern Circuit, as well as Wang Dou's decisive arrests and property confiscations, also stirred the minds of interested parties from all sides. In sending people over, they also had the intention of probing and gathering information.

The Viceroy of Xuan-Da and the Provincial Governors of the Three Garrisons had also arrived early at the Eastern Circuit and were all residing within Huailai City.

Many people were waiting for the progress and outcome of the matter.

Yang Guozhu had already ordered his subordinate troops to return to the garrison city, but he himself remained with a portion of his personal guards. The Ji Garrison was temporarily quiet, and more importantly, Wang Dou had not yet entered the garrison city to hand over military affairs with him.

In the Ming Dynasty, assuming a new office was no simple matter. Apart from all being issued official credentials, the regulations on assuming office stipulated by the Exalted Emperor numbered as many as several dozen articles, requiring the old and new officials to hand over and take over each item clearly. Therefore, Yang Guozhu also stayed behind to observe the progress of events.

This incident once again stirred up a great storm of controversy.

The Marquis of Yongning, Wang Dou, had barely rested from various matters in the capital when, upon returning to the Eastern Circuit, he immediately launched another major offensive. This time his actions were even larger: besides the Eastern Circuit troops, he also allied with troops from Datong Garrison and Shanxi Garrison. Simultaneously, he carried out arrests and property confiscations against treacherous merchants in over a dozen cities, his footprints covering all three garrisons of Xuan-Da.

Such audacity and recklessness truly left people gasping in astonishment.

Although the Intelligence Department sent agents everywhere, disseminating vast amounts of evidence of the treacherous merchants' crimes throughout the capital region and across the land, north and south of the great river, the roar of anger was still like a tide, and impeachments were as thick as clouds.

After all, the interests and factions implicated in Wang Dou's arrest of the treacherous merchants this time were far too enormous. Many people could not help but feel grief for their own kind. Moreover, many among them had collusion and connections with the treacherous merchants; if these people fell, would it implicate them in the future? Everyone harbored fear in their hearts.

Therefore, not only the inspecting censors and provincial governors of the Three Garrisons, local officials of Shanxi origin everywhere, members of the eunuch faction who shared their sentiments, but also many members of the Donglin faction who sympathized with them all submitted memorials of impeachment.

Local and popular public opinion could invert black and white, yet when submitting memorials of impeachment, one could not avoid discussing the crimes of the treacherous merchants. This point became increasingly difficult to cover up as the handbills spread. However, to attack a person, one could naturally find other charges.

To be honest, in the eyes of the many officials, finding a vulnerability to attack Wang Dou was far too easy. Setting aside other matters, just this: how did your Eastern Circuit troops, Wang Dou, have the qualification and authority to cross boundaries and run to other places like Datong Garrison and Shanxi Garrison?

What was the meaning of this?

Furthermore, attacking cities without authorization and engaging in armed clashes with local garrisons — what sort of crimes were these?

Even if the various merchants were guilty, there were respective departments to handle them. As a Garrison Defense Regional Commander, what authority did you have to arrest these individuals? Your hand stretched far too long; this was a serious act of overstepping authority. Were there also ulterior and treacherous motives within?

And so on and so forth.

Impeachment memorials rained down like drops from the court and the provinces.

Popular public opinion was also in a boiling uproar. In the capital, Wang Dou's supporters and opponents argued into a chaotic din. At the Six Offices of Scrutiny copy rooms, countless copyists crowded, waiting for the reactions of the imperial court and the Emperor.

According to the regulations of the Great Ming system, after the Six Offices received the memorials from each government office daily, they would copy them into booklets and send them to the Grand Secretariat every five days for compilation.

After the vermilion-endorsed memorials and edicts were transmitted down, the Six Offices or the Office of Transmission likewise had to compile these memorials and edicts, or edit them into court gazettes. Each government office in the capital that wished to know the contents of the court gazette would either send its own clerks to the copy rooms to transcribe them, or the Six Offices would dispatch personnel to distribute and forward them to each office so they might be informed of court affairs.

This was also the origin of the official gazette.

For the various parties involved, from the contents of the gazette, one could clearly discern the attitudes of the court and the Emperor.

Yet the palace and the court remained silent. The mountain of memorials submitted sank like stones into the vast sea.

In the end, everyone discovered that, apart from clamoring with their mouths, they had no means whatsoever against Wang Dou. His property confiscations and arrests still proceeded methodically. As each person fumed with anxiety, they could not help but feel a touch of desolation.

Some people adjusted their strategy, turning instead to impeach the Viceroy of Xuan-Da, Ji Shiwei, and further figures such as the Provincial Governor of Xuanfu, Zhu Zhifeng; the Provincial Governor of Shanxi, Cai Maode; the Provincial Governor of Datong, Wei Jingyuan; and the Garrison Defense Eunuch, Du Xun, among others.

However, these people belonged to different factions, each with their own connections, disciples, former subordinates, and supporters in the provinces and at court. Impeaching them inevitably caused internal strife among the various parties, leading to mutual attacks — it was truly utter chaos.

In late November, several edicts of reprimand were issued from the palace, causing everyone's spirits to lift. Yet after that, there was no further word...

As one merchant family after another was arrested and their family properties confiscated, some people again adjusted their strategy, focusing their efforts on the point that the confiscated properties of these great families should be handed over to the imperial court.

Also, the matter of these treasonous merchants colluding with the enemy was far too extensive in its implications; it was no longer merely an affair of Xuan-Da. Therefore, it should be handed over to the imperial court for a joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices, with the presiding officials of the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicial Review jointly interrogating and handling it.

On these points, the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet all agreed.

Furthermore, because some officials and generals might be implicated, those arrested should also be reported to the throne in memorials requesting imperial decision, asking for His Majesty's judgment.

According to the statutes of the Great Ming Code, when officials commit offenses, all capital officials and officials of the fifth rank and above serving outside the capital who commit offenses must be reported to the throne in memorials requesting imperial decision; unauthorized interrogation is not permitted.

For those of the sixth rank and below, they are to be heard by the itinerant censors, the Provincial Surveillance Commissions, and the relevant branch offices, who shall investigate and interrogate clearly, then deliberate and draft a proposal to be reported to the throne for disposition. Even when officials of prefectures, departments, and counties commit crimes, their superior authorities may not arbitrarily detain and interrogate them, but are only permitted to itemize the facts of the offense and report them in a sealed memorial.

The various great families were nominally merchants, but how could they not hold official ranks and titles?

Among their clans and various family members, many were likewise either officials or generals. If these people were arrested and brought to the capital, the room for maneuver would be great for themselves; after all, no one was clearer than them when it came to exploiting loopholes in the law.

Although Wang Dou had yet to declare his stance, applying pressure could never be wrong.

Amidst all the clamor, Wang Dou was leisurely at the Assistant Regional Commander's residence in Yulin Fort, reviewing the ledgers and results of the property confiscations from various places. The final tally of gold and silver seized might reach fifteen million taels. This was an astonishingly huge sum; the wealth of these great families was indeed worthy of their reputation.

This was merely the ready silver.

Of course, a portion of the silver within also came from officials and generals who were in league with the treacherous merchants and had their properties confiscated when they resisted arrest.

Although Wang Dou only targeted the great families in this operation, he would not be polite to those who openly allied with them in resistance.

For example, the several Assistant Regional Commanders of the Xuanfu circuit — Lai Tianlu, Li Jian'e, Yang Tianfu, and others — who led troops to besiege and attack Wen Fangliang's Left Battalion, which was searching and confiscating Zhangjiakou. This act was unforgivable.

Especially when Wang Dou received scout reports that Lai Tianlu, Li Jian'e, and others had driven women and children to charge the formation, Wang Dou was furious. He ordered all these officers to be arrested and their properties confiscated, while simultaneously dispatching additional second-class troops to Zhangjiakou for support.

With this gold and silver, he could accomplish many things.

Moreover, besides gold and silver, this operation also yielded a multitude of material goods, such as vast quantities of grain and rice, bean fodder, cloth, salt, tea, coal, iron, and other supplies. There were also the numerous confiscated residences, farmland acres, commercial shops, pawnshops, and money houses belonging to the treacherous merchants.

The various goods could be stored in the warehouses. The residences, farmland, and shops could be used for auction, to draw in merchants and officials friendly to him.

As he calculated, Wang Dou picked up another piece of intelligence.

Not long ago, Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen had already headed south. When passing through Zhuozhou, they received there the five thousand Eastern Circuit arquebuses and three hundred thousand rounds of powerful ammunition that Wang Dou had sent in support. At this time, Kaifeng was still besieged; after they went south, the war situation might see a turning point.

However, Tang Tong was still dragging his feet. From the look of it, he would probably only head south after the new year.

There was also intelligence that officials from the Three Judicial Offices might come to the Eastern Circuit.

As he was deep in thought, suddenly Wang Dou received a report from his guards that the Provincial Governor of Xuanfu, Zhu Zhifeng, had come to seek an audience once again, accompanied by the Provincial Governor of Datong, Wei Jingyuan.

Wang Dou shook his head: "That old man."

Because the specific confiscation operations were carried out by the Jingbian Army, verified and inventoried by the Pacification Commission, and then continuously transported to the Eastern Circuit, where they were taken over by the Finance Department, it was very difficult for outsiders to know how much Wang Dou had seized.

Regarding Wang Dou's gains, opinions from the outside world were varied, with all sorts of figures circulating. Yet one point was certain: Wang Dou had grown rich. The various birthday celebrants gathered in the Eastern Circuit discussed this point all day long.

A doggerel had already spread: "The treacherous merchants fall, and Wang Dou eats his fill."

Because of this, many censors also impeached Wang Dou, accusing him of opaque information, non-public administrative affairs, and suspected embezzlement.

Even Du Xun grew suspicious and paranoid; one moment he felt what Wang Dou had given him was already more than satisfying, the next he felt it was too little. He even ran over to Wang Pu to fish for information, but Wang Pu was far too shrewd — he either changed the subject or just smiled without a word.

Zhu Zhifeng was also extremely concerned about the seizures. He came to Wang Dou several times to say that all this wealth and silk was the blood and fat of the common people and should be turned over to the imperial court for use in various places in urgent need, and so on.

After the gold, silver, grain, and rice were transported over, he even wanted to personally lead men to take inventory, but was resolutely blocked outside by officials from the Pacification Office and the Finance Bureau, leaving him huffing with rage and glaring all day.

Regarding this silver and wealth, Wang Dou was also calculating: aside from the one million taels for the Emperor and various other expenses, how much silver should he turn over to the imperial court.

Very soon, Zhu Zhifeng came in with a dark face, followed by the smiling Wei Jingyuan, Provincial Governor of Datong, who was likewise dressed in a bright red official robe.

The moment he saw Wang Dou, Zhu Zhifeng said furiously, "Marquis Yongning, this humble official dares to ask, are you still a subject of the Great Ming?"

Wang Dou said in surprise, "Of course I am. Why does Lord Zhu say such a thing?"

Zhu Zhifeng's expression eased slightly, but he still questioned angrily, "Then why does this official not know the specific total amount of the traitors' illicit property seized? When I intended to send men to verify, they were blocked by officials of the Eastern Route. Are they still officials of the imperial court?"

At this point, his voice and expression grew stern.

Wang Dou said, "Oh, is that so? Lord Zhu, rest assured, I will certainly investigate thoroughly and give you an explanation."

The matter was quickly clarified. Wang Dou sternly reprimanded the personnel involved and ordered them to take Zhu Zhifeng to conduct the inventory.

Zhu Zhifeng went off happily, while Wei Jingyuan, who had not spoken a word except for the greeting, merely sighed.

His character was soft yet firm within. Facing him, Wang Dou felt it was even more taxing than dealing with Zhu Zhifeng. Because he had signed his name on the arrest warrant, he too was subjected to intense impeachment attacks.

Very quickly, Zhu Zhifeng completed the inventory and compiled the figures into a register.

Like a thunderclap, astonishing news spread in all directions: the Eastern Route's seizure of the treacherous merchants' property this time had yielded an astonishing amount of gold, silver, and valuables totaling over two million taels — and that was just the ready silver. The confiscated physical goods were not yet included in the calculation.

In the capital, when the news arrived, there was likewise a public uproar. Even the Chongzhen Emperor, upon learning the results of the property seizure, drew a sharp, cold breath.

Over two million taels! This was not two hundred taels, nor two thousand taels, but over two million taels! When Emperor Xian dispatched tax commissioners on a grand scale, after decades of repeated wrangling, how much did he obtain? The silver that entered the inner treasury was less than three million taels!

The consequences brought about are still being bitterly denounced by all the officials to this day!

Moreover, this silver did not even include the one million taels given to himself.

In a property seizure, it was inevitable that Wang Dou and the others would privately keep some benefits. By his estimate, the gold and silver seized from the various treacherous merchants should total over three million taels, perhaps even four million!

And this was just the silver; some physical goods were still not counted in.

He gnashed his teeth and said bitterly, "I never imagined these slave-colluding treacherous merchants could be so wealthy!" (To be continued.)