Chapter 661: The Brewing at Zhuxian Town

In the sixth month, in Shanxi, Lu'an Prefecture, Zezhou.

Cai Maode felt he could not sleep. He tossed and turned, recited Buddhist scriptures for a while, and had just lain down fully clothed and drifted into a haze when the crowing of a rooster woke him.

He looked out the window — the sky was nearly bright. Cai Maode rose, washed and combed, and ate breakfast.

In between, he also read through the "Sun Rises in the East" commentary in this issue of the Xuanzhen Times. Compared to many Ming literati and officials who liked reading the commentary articles in "Love the Golden Lotus Best," he actually preferred "Sun Rises in the East," feeling it was full of a spirited, uplifting energy.

Satisfied, he set down the newspaper. Such leisurely moments were rare these days. Taking a few private secretaries and personal guards, he hurried out. The sky grew brighter.

Outside, the mottled stone and dirt road surface and the gray walls and black tiles on both sides reflected each other, mingled with all kinds of voices. The streets of Zezhou were now filled with carts and horses transporting grain, coming and going, along with multitudes of civilian laborers pushing wheelbarrows, heading south. Some local militia wearing uniforms were assisting in the transport.

The war in Henan could erupt at any moment. To ensure military supplies, the court ordered grain transported from everywhere. Shanxi, adjacent to Henan in particular, bore a heavy share of the grain and provisions burden. Pingyang Prefecture and Lu'an Prefecture coordinated the transport of rice and beans day and night, with urgent and severe pressure to deliver.

Cai Maode, as Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief and Provincial Governor of Shanxi, had even come from Taiyuan to Zezhou in Lu'an Prefecture to personally supervise.

The city of Zezhou was quite large in scale. Cai Maode ascended the southern gate tower. At the far end of the plain, a scene of overlapping mountains unfolded.

Although Zezhou city lay in a basin, Mount Taihang and Mount Wangwu were not far to the southeast and southwest. It had always been the gateway from Shanxi to Henan, praised as "the screen and pillar of the Central Plains, the mighty town of southern Ji." The Great Dan River and Little Dan River meandered south, flowing into the Qin River at Huaiqing Prefecture in Henan, and then into the Yellow River.

Cai Maode watched for a while. In recent months, on the southward roads entering the mountains, whether by water or by land, from morning till night, the clamor of people never ceased.

He turned his head. On the city wall, some armored soldiers were arrayed. These men all wore bright helmets and long body-covering armor. Some musketeers in particular also wore full sets of cotton armor with armor plates inside.

Compared to the local garrison troops — who wore red-tasseled felt hats, mandarin-duck battle jackets with front-and-back vests over them, or waist-length armor, or nothing at all — these were far more elite. They were soldiers from the main-battalion of Zhou Yuji, the Regional Commander of Shanxi.

After Zhou Yuji took over as Regional Commander of Shanxi, upon assuming office, he eliminated the old, weak, and disabled, and repaired weapons and equipment. With Cai Maode's support, he had painstakingly drilled a main-battalion into shape, and this was even after Li Yunshu had taken away part of the main-battalion soldiers.

After returning to Shanxi, Li Yunshu became Vice Regional Commander. The backbone was the original main-battalion soldiers. They had experienced the bloody battle of Jinzhou, and their combat effectiveness had been tested. Moreover, after participating in Wang Dou's operations, they had received a fair share of money and grain. Their usual provisions and equipment could be guaranteed. They were now a famous strong army in the Shanxi Garrison.

Because the Henan Prefecture opposite was a key area of the Chuang bandits, his detached battalion was stationed within Pingyang Prefecture.

As for Zhou Yuji, his current main-battalion had over three thousand soldiers, with about over a thousand cavalry. The backbone was the several hundred retainers he had brought with him.

Footsteps sounded. A senior general, accompanied by a few personal guards, walked up from below the city wall. He wore a cloud-winged bronze helmet, below which was waist-length bright armor and an armored skirt. A bow and arrows and a sword hung from his belt. As he walked, the armor plates clanked — it was Zhou Yuji.

Zezhou was a critical point for transporting Shanxi's grain and fodder to Henan. Cai Maode had personally rushed over to supervise, and Zhou Yuji had also been ordered to come from Ningwu Pass.

After all, this place could not be lost. Opposite was Henan. Within its borders, Huaiqing Prefecture and Weihui Prefecture now both had many bandits running rampant. Some were even Chuang Army troops. Relying solely on the local officers and soldiers of Zezhou, they probably could not protect the safety of the grain and fodder.

Zhou Yuji's expression was respectful. He bowed with clasped hands and said to Cai Maode, "Greetings, my lord."

"General Zhou, there is no need for excessive ceremony."

Cai Maode said with a smile, personally reaching out to support him, but Zhou Yuji still insisted on performing the full salute.

Toward Shanxi Provincial Governor Cai Maode, Zhou Yuji felt sincere reverence. Cai Maode was fond of Buddhist studies, frugal and self-disciplined, a modest gentleman, and kind to others. Zhou Yuji had not read much, so he usually respected scholars the most, especially scholars of true character like Cai Maode, whom he regarded as a good teacher and helpful friend.

The two men looked down from the city wall and spoke.

"In the third year of Chongzhen, the Shaanxi bandits raided and plundered Shanxi. There were thirty-six camps, claiming two hundred thousand in number. The court exhausted all its strength to drive them out of Jin. Now the Chuang bandits are flourishing in Henan. Shanxi and Henan are separated only by a river. Especially in winter, when the Yellow River freezes, the bandits can cross on the solid ice at any time, anywhere. The defense of the Yellow River is no simple matter."

Cai Maode sighed, "Defending the river is defending all of Jin. Defending Jin is defending the Divine Capital. It concerns safety and danger in the extreme. Alas, the bandits' momentum is erratic and unpredictable. Routing them is easy, but annihilating them completely is difficult. Even with the valor of the Earl of Jingnan and the Earl of Ningnan, they still cannot encircle and exterminate them entirely. What is even more worrying: Liu Fangliang, a trusted confidant of the Chuang bandit, if Lord Wang cannot settle the affairs of Henan Prefecture, any opening there, and the Chuang bandits can immediately cross the river north. With nothing in Jin to rely on, the situation will instantly crumble like earth collapsing and tiles shattering."

Zhou Yuji's expression was also grave. The Henan Prefecture opposite to the southwest was where the Chuang bandits drilled their new army, and they had also distributed land and fields, showing clear signs of setting up a separatist regime. Although Cao Bianjiao and others had routed Liu Fangliang, they had quickly fled into the mountains, their main force intact.

If the government troops withdrew and things returned to their old state, it would exert severe pressure on Shanxi's defenses.

Especially in the winter season, when the Yellow River froze, in the past there had been small bands of Chuang bandits secretly crossing the Yellow River into Shanxi territory, coming and going swiftly, hard for government troops to guard against. Along the Yellow River line, there were many poor people in Shanxi, selling their children and wives, with turbulent hearts, providing a strong foundation for joining the bandits.

He said with fervor, "I have read little poetry and history since childhood, but I understand the principle of serving the country with utmost loyalty. As long as I am here, I will certainly protect the territory and pacify the people, so that the elders of my homeland will be spared the harassment of bandits."

Cai Maode was very pleased with Zhou Yuji's attitude. He said, "The most crucial point: to eliminate the bandits of Jin, one must first soothe the poor people of Jin. Only, it is difficult..."

He mused, "The Three-Jin trading firms are now recruiting refugees from the three garrisons on a large scale. Perhaps this can reduce the hidden danger of bandits in Jin territory..."

Zhou Yuji said with admiration, "The Marquis of Yongning is truly remarkable."

He had marched south with the army from the capital, and then north from Huguang, witnessing with his own eyes the various tragic conditions of the disaster victims. If they could all eat their fill and wear warm clothes, who would be willing to join the bandits and rebel? Of course, those coerced didn't count, but this would greatly reduce the foundation of the roving bandits.

Cai Maode said, "Indeed. If the Great Ming had a few more Marquises of Yongning, the affairs of state would not be like this."

Regarding his view of Wang Dou, Cai Maode maintained a fair attitude, and also believed that many officials, officers, and gentry's accusations against Wang Dou were unfair.

He changed the subject and said, "I hear that General Zhou intends to purchase muskets and ammunition from Xuanzhen?"

Zhou Yuji said, "Yes. Their muskets and ammunition are truly good. I cannot produce them."

He said, "A few months ago, the Marquis of Yongning gifted me one thousand muskets and thirty thousand rounds of ammunition. But the officers and men in the army still want more, so we have no choice but to buy them."

Cai Maode stroked his beard and pondered. In the Great Ming's provision of grain and pay, generally after military pay was distributed, under normal circumstances, the majority of weapons, equipment, horse training, etc., were decided by the officers themselves. Of course, making their own was rare; they usually purchased from the armory.

After Cai Maode became Provincial Governor, because among the physical assets Wang Dou had confiscated from various profiteering merchants, after much contention, quite a bit had remained in Shanxi. Moreover, after Wang Dou's purge, political obstacles had also lessened considerably. So he gathered craftsmen, also wanting to produce some sharp muskets and powerful ammunition.

But the products simply could not compare with those of Xuanfu Garrison.

Cai Maode, of course, had no concept of standardization or systemization. In fact, at present, very few Great Ming officials had such awareness. Moreover, Wang Dou's use of the weights and measures standards set during the early Ming, in the time of the Ming Taizu, was also a secret, never revealed to outsiders since the Shunxiang Fort era.

For Great Ming officials, over several centuries, they had grown accustomed to the influence of various corrupt practices — large and small dou measures, large and small chi rulers, inconsistent standards. To suddenly try to correct their thinking, this concept could not be turned around in a moment.

Not skimming off expenses was already extremely good. For them, as long as the weapons were produced, it was good enough. They did not realize that a slight discrepancy in the beginning leads to a huge error in the end.

Therefore, even though there were many craftsmen within Shanxi, the muskets produced were of varying specifications and quality, some good, some bad. Looking at such products, and then looking at the muskets of the Jingbian Army, the call of "making is not as good as buying" had become mainstream. The newly established military workshop in the Shanxi Garrison was instantly struggling to survive.

Besides, the Marquis of Yongning was currently friendly toward the Datong Garrison and the Shanxi Garrison. The price of one musket was only between seven and ten taels, and it came with ten rounds of powerful ammunition. Silver, grain, minerals, local products, and various goods could all be used as payment.

Sometimes things one considered worthless could be used to offset accounts over at Xuanfu Garrison. Only a fool would make their own.

Cai Maode vaguely felt something was wrong, but did not know exactly what was wrong. He had no choice but to respond to the calls of the officers and soldiers and purchase weapons from Xuanfu Garrison to equip the soldiers within the garrison.

Speed was also necessary. After all, Xuanfu Garrison's weapons were famous, and many people wanted to buy them. The products were in short supply, and he feared they would be gone if he was late.

The two men began discussing the issue of purchasing weapons.

Zhou Yuji heard that Wang Dou's army was now beginning to equip itself with flintlock muskets. He also wanted to buy some, but unfortunately, they were not selling them for the time being. Also, the cannons of the Jingbian Army — unfortunately, they were not for sale to outsiders either.

As the sixth month arrived, more and more relief troops reached Kaifeng. Banners covered the land, and densely packed tents filled the ground along the Yellow River.

Of course, most of these arriving relief troops wore red-tasseled felt hats, with mandarin-duck battle jackets covered by front-and-back vests or waist-length armor, wearing leggings and hemp shoes.

Those with bright helmets and bright armor, or bright helmets and dark armor, were very few, which also indicated that cavalry was scarce. After all, in the Great Ming, generally only cavalry had armor, that is, bronze or iron helmets and long body-covering armor. Even more elite soldiers also had arm guards.

And the increasing number of troops also posed a severe problem for the supply of grain and fodder. After all, if there were over a hundred thousand men, how much grain would a great army consume in a day? How much fodder? How many assigned civilian laborers would be needed? How many assigned livestock and carts would be needed?

Such a vast amount of manpower and material resources was now unbearable for Henan locally. Therefore, grain was transferred from Shaanxi, from Shanxi, and also tribute grain, all transported in an endless stream. On the Yellow River, grain fleets gathered all day long, and the laborers carrying grain were unending.

On this day, Baoding Viceroy Yang Wenyue, leading Regional Commander Hu Dawei, along with the quite famous Baoding chariot battalion, and Vice Regional Commander Jiang Mingwu of Tongzhou, who was under his command, had already reached the north bank of the Yellow River and was about to cross over.

However, Grand Coordinator Ding Qirui, leading the armies of Regional Commanders Zuo Liangyu, Yang Dezheng, Fang Guoan, and several other garrisons, advanced north from the south and was still far from reaching the outskirts of Kaifeng. (To be continued.)