[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army":3,"chapter-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-743":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Little Soldier of the Late Ming Border Army",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1206032,1561,"Chapter 743: Sun Chuanting","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-743",743,"\u003Cp>\"Filling local posts with clerks is truly a stroke of genius by the Marquis of Yongning — a sound policy that strikes right at our dynasty's accumulated ills!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several days after Li Banghua and his party entered Xuanfu Garrison, another group of riders was also racing urgently along the flat official roads of Xuanfu Garrison. They pressed on at great speed the whole way, and in the cold weather, some of the horses were even dripping sweat; as they spurred forward, thick white plumes of breath streamed from their nostrils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the head of this group was a dignified man of about fifty, dressed in plain clothes, with an imposing countenance, a full beard of three thick strands, and piercing eyes that gleamed with sharp intelligence as he looked about — it was none other than the newly appointed Viceroy of the Three Frontiers of Shaanxi, Sun Chuanting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the day of the Start of Winter, Sun Chuanting had been recalled to office, and the Emperor summoned him for an audience at the Platform. Even now, Sun Chuanting could still clearly recall the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he paid his respects to the Emperor and discussed governance, and after he had spoken the words, \"To defeat the roving bandits, nothing less than twenty thousand crack troops and a million in provisions and pay will suffice,\" he could keenly sense the difficulty in the Emperor's heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A million in provisions and pay…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, after a long while, the Emperor sighed and said, \"We can only give you three hundred thousand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting had long been prepared for this. He settled for the next best thing and requested His Majesty's permission to raise funds on his own, to recruit and train a new army — \"use Qin troops to defend Qin land, use Qin land to sustain Qin troops\" — implementing military farming, recruiting soldiers and buying horses, and various other policies, hoping the court would not interfere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor fell silent again for a long time, and finally said, \"We grant it. We hope you will swiftly exterminate the roving bandits and not disappoint Our expectations.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, the Emperor entertained him in the rear hall, soothing the grievances Sun Chuanting had suffered over the years, and then asked about the administrative measures he would take once he reached his post. Sun Chuanting answered each point in turn. His years of investigation in Xuan Garrison had not been fruitless, and his words and proposals suited the Chongzhen Emperor's mind quite well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sovereign and subject talked of many things, both greatly animated. The Emperor adopted many of Sun Chuanting's suggestions one by one, leaving Sun Chuanting deeply stirred. And on that very day, the Ministry of War fully restored Sun Chuanting's official rank, appointing him Vice Minister of War on the Left and filling the post of Viceroy of the Three Frontiers of Shaanxi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, the Chongzhen Emperor further issued an edict rewarding Sun Chuanting with fine gold, silver, robes, cloth, and over a thousand silver commendation medals. He urgently ordered the various ministries to handle the provisions and pay needed for the Shaanxi region. He also granted another banquet at the Platform to bid him farewell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, everyone in the capital knew that Sun Chuanting was firmly in the Emperor's favor, and officials of all ranks vied to invite him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many others came to offer their service, hoping to serve as his private secretaries — a stark contrast to the cold and lonely scene of former days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ministry of War pressed him urgently. Sun Chuanting likewise had no intention of lingering in the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now he had read the field reports: after the defeat of the former Viceroy of the Three Frontiers, Wang Qiaonian, the Chuang bandits had attempted to attack Tongguan. Fortunately, Provincial Governor Feng Shikong had gathered the defeated troops and held the pass to the death, so the roving bandits could not enter. The situation in Shaanxi had eased slightly, but he was still urgently needed back to take charge of the overall situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anxious about the situation in Shaanxi and Henan, Sun Chuanting could not afford to stay longer in the capital. Only at parting did he go to pay a visit to his benefactor and mentor, Hong Chengchou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being enfeoffed as Count of Nan'an, Hong Chengchou had been recuperating in the capital. In truth, he too was a man of great ambition. When he learned that he would be appointed Viceroy of the Capital Training Divisions, he was equally delighted, but he was a man of deep reserve, and no trace of it showed on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his mentor looking even more gaunt, his body so thin that a gust of wind might blow him over, and coughing from time to time with a pain that seemed to tear at his heart and lungs, Sun Chuanting felt a pang of sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mentor had contributed greatly to his being recalled to office this time, yet he had no way to repay him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, though Hong Chengchou was his superior and his examination patron, Sun Chuanting, proud and arrogant, had not really held Hong Chengchou in much regard. But after several years of setbacks, standing before Hong Chengchou now, Sun Chuanting felt only gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his disciple so respectful and deeply restrained, Hong Chengchou nodded slightly, inwardly satisfied. He amiably bade Sun Chuanting sit down and said, \"Baigu, observing His Majesty's intent, he places great hopes on the situation in Shaanxi. You must be cautious and prudent, and must not fail the imperial grace.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting said respectfully, \"This student understands.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Chengchou asked about something he had heard: \"I was told that during the Platform audience, you said, 'Use Qin troops to defend Qin land, use Qin land to sustain Qin troops'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting abruptly raised his head: \"With the court's provisions and pay not forthcoming, the only recourse is to farm the land locally.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Chengchou mused thoughtfully: \"This is modeled on the Jingbian Army.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Sun Chuanting nod, Hong Chengchou sighed: \"Recruiting and training new armies is a good thing, and everywhere they are imitating the Marquis of Yongning. I only fear that in trying to draw a tiger, they end up drawing a dog.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Sun Chuanting, his eyes full of wisdom: \"Do you know what the Marquis of Yongning's true core is?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting looked at his mentor and said in a deep voice: \"The staff officer system, the troop training system, the logistics system!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Chengchou gazed at his student for a long while, then laughed with gratification, followed by another bout of heart-rending coughing. He waved his hand to stop Sun Chuanting from coming forward to support him, and said with a smile: \"Worthy of Sun Baigu, my most brilliant student — you have touched upon the crux of the matter!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paced the hall with his hands behind his back. His gaunt figure, in Sun Chuanting's eyes, stood as lofty as a green pine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Chengchou spoke slowly: \"The world says the Marquis of Yongning's success lies in the six words: 'sons of good families, distribution of land.' But how can the affairs of the world be so simple?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued: \"If that were truly the case, one could only train new armies like those of Cao and Wang... Of course, if the quantity were sufficient, having such new armies would be enough, but they would never reach the heights of the Jingbian Army!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression deepened: \"Living long in the capital, in my idle moments I have also been pondering this man, the Marquis of Yongning, and studying this army, the Jingbian Army. I have thought back, step by step, from when the Marquis of Yongning first rose to prominence at Jingbian Fort, and I realized that even back then, Wang Dou was a man of profound intent and great ambition!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said: \"Even back then, Wang Dou meticulously divided logistics, separating the command of troops from their training, and promoted the official language, making the soldiers literate...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly turned his head and looked at Sun Chuanting: \"What do you think was the intent?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting said in a deep voice: \"This was to forge an army of magnificent order!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said: \"By meticulously dividing logistics, the soldiers are well-clothed and well-fed, and can concentrate on fighting without worries behind them. By separating command from training, during training all soldiers are treated equally, eliminating the corrupt practice of personal retainers. Every man can fight — this is the principle of Qi Shuai's magnificent formations.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With command vested in a different person, the troops are not used by the generals, and authority rests entirely in the hands of the Regional Commander, eliminating the scourge of private armies! Even if the field commander is of mediocre ability, this army will have no rats like He Renlong or Zuo Liangyu, and thus no fear of collapse in the face of the enemy — it will be more than enough to stand on invincible ground!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said: \"By making the soldiers literate and promoting military and official speech, the army is filled with men of heroic quality who understand the principles of loyalty and service to the nation, thirsting for battle and daring to fight! They can also memorize military discipline. With strict and clear military law, and battle formations drilled to perfection, when those in front fall, those behind press on — the army is extremely resilient. How could it not be victorious?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He added: \"Even if it suffers an occasional minor defeat, the training side can continuously produce fresh troops, enough to replenish the ranks. Then veterans lead the new recruits, making the army even stronger. This is also why, as this student has observed, the Marquis of Yongning's forces grow more numerous the more they fight, and stronger the more they fight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Chengchou looked at Sun Chuanting in surprise: \"You have explained it very clearly. Some points I had not thought of, but you have brought them up!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He mused: \"However, during the Great Song, the troops were also not used by the generals...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting said disdainfully: \"Those were mere armchair strategists. With such men commanding the army, how could they not be defeated?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said: \"Therefore, this is the ingenious function of the staff officer system!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued: \"With strategists well-versed in military affairs and army regulations serving as advisors, with night scouts as eyes and ears, and with maps and sand tables for planning, the battlefield situation is condensed into a space of mere inches. Observing the situation is like reading the lines on one's palm — how can it be compared to the armchair strategizing of old? Thus, for the troops not to be used by the generals, yet still able to fight, the staff officer system is indispensable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Chengchou nodded thoughtfully and looked at Sun Chuanting: \"Once you reach Shaanxi, will you proceed in this manner?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting said: \"It is easy to say, but to form an army on this basis — difficult...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head: \"As the saying goes, one step late, every step late... Military farming requires honest and capable farming officials, and for the army of an entire province to farm enough provisions and pay, who knows how long it will take. As for advisors, there are many who speak grandly but few who are well-versed in military affairs and army regulations and have experienced battlefield combat. To establish a staff department is no easy matter. Sand tables and maps require detailed battle maps of every region to be drawn — that too is not simple... Making the soldiers literate and memorizing military law requires even more time. Time does not wait for me...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou had achieved his present results only after many years of development. For Sun Chuanting to start from scratch and forge a new army was no simple or easy task. He felt a thousand threads and ten thousand strands surging into his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Chengchou sighed: \"Indeed — difficult!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He murmured: \"The essence of managing an army is nothing more than crack troops and ample provisions, daring to fight and wanting to fight! But it is easy to say and hard to do — even just the four words 'crack troops and ample provisions'...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head repeatedly, able to imagine the difficulties Sun Chuanting would face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, when Sun Chuanting served as Provincial Governor of Shaanxi, he had also rectified the accumulated abuses of military farming to ensure ample military provisions. At that time, many powerful gentry and officials who had seized farmlands had instigated military ruffians to make trouble, and Sun Chuanting had suppressed them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But back then the matter was still relatively minor, and he had his own protection. Now that Sun Chuanting was serving as Viceroy and intended to train a new army on a large scale, he would be touching the interests of far more people — beset on all sides, attacked by the multitude — that would be the typical portrait of his future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting was also silent. Indeed, once he returned, rectifying the farming affairs would be no small difficulty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And why were the Great Ming's soldiers not crack troops? The greatest reason was also insufficient provisions and pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without grain, soldiers could not even carry out basic training. To train crack troops required large quantities of meat; otherwise, forced training or rectification would only lead to mutiny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did the various armies have personal retainers? Was it not precisely because provisions and pay were not forthcoming, so they had to set aside a portion of men to be well-fed and well-clothed while the rest endured hunger? These men became the elite retainers. Initially their role was quite significant, but by now they had become the source of private armies, and the court was helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The prerequisite for any rectification throughout history has always been sufficient provisions and pay to distribute; otherwise, one can only wait for all previous efforts to be wasted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, he still needed an army that would obey him completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Chengchou had also thought of this. He mused, \"It is a pity that Left Guangxian, the Auxiliary Pacification Regional Commander, died in battle. The elite of the Qin army were destroyed in a single day. Now you have no troops to bring back to Shaanxi… At present, the Shaanxi region is full of arrogant soldiers and fierce generals; the various commanders there are largely difficult to control. You, all alone…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had also heard some rumors. Looking at Sun Chuanting, he spoke with a pointed meaning: \"If anything can be done, you should still try your best to pacify and appease them first…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting remained silent, only a sharp, cold light flashing through his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, in the twelfth year of Chongzhen, he and Hong Chengchou had entered the capital region to reinforce it. Afterward, he himself was imprisoned and demoted to commoner status, while Hong Chengchou was transferred to Liaodong. Left Guangxian and other Qin army core members followed. In the battle of Songshan, Left Guangxian died in battle, and the remaining troops suffered devastating casualties, yet there were no troops for him to bring back to Shaanxi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting felt that his mentor's task of reorganizing the Capital Training Divisions was no less difficult than his own. It would be better to leave the few remaining troops in the capital region, so that his mentor would have some close forces he could deploy. As for Shaanxi's affairs, he would find a way to resolve them himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Sun Chuanting's expression, it was clear he had not taken his words to heart. Hong Chengchou sighed inwardly. Although Sun Chuanting had become much more restrained over the years, deep in his bones he was still stubborn and proud. He hoped everything would go smoothly after his return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two talked about many things. From all these years of suppressing bandits, what Hong Chengchou had come to understand most deeply was that \"civil unrest arises from hunger and cold.\" If one held grain supplies in hand, then when a band of roving bandits was wiped out, that place could be settled. The Chuang bandits would not repeatedly revive after being destroyed. He said gravely, \"I wonder if Baigu has any good strategies?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting told him. Hong Chengchou turned pale with shock. He said in a trembling voice, \"This violates the benevolent and forgiving way of our sage school. Absolutely not… Baigu, if you do this, you will be condemned by thousands, your reputation ruined and your person disgraced. Think about it — when the time comes, impeachers will gather like clouds. You…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was burning with anxiety and wanted to speak, but felt something hot and fishy surge up into his throat, and he forcefully swallowed it down. His body swayed unsteadily. Pointing a trembling finger at Sun Chuanting, he finally spoke again: \"…Absolutely not!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting suddenly raised his head. He let out a great roar, staring straight at Hong Chengchou. His eyes were full of a cold, severe light. His icy voice seemed to grind out word by word, squeezed from his chest: \"These people who follow the bandits — why not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint, ghostly light flickered in his eyes, and his words carried something of the deepest kind: \"There is a saying: if I do not enter hell, who will? For the Great Ming, even if I, Sun Chuanting, am ruined in reputation and my corpse lies strewn across the wilderness, what is there to fear?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the capital, the only people now accompanying Sun Chuanting, aside from a few guards, were the private secretaries he had recruited over the years. Like Sun Chuanting, they were all deeply concerned about the current situation, often discoursing on the realm and stirring themselves with impassioned writings — every one of them a person of great ambition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These men were also people he had come to know during times of peril and low tide, the result of Sun Chuanting's careful selection. In character, they were trustworthy, not like those in the capital who had recently flocked to power and influence. Sun Chuanting also regarded them as the framework of his personal staff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting, returning to Shaanxi, naturally did not ride in a sedan chair, nor did he display his ceremonial insignia. Instead, he urged his horse along the entire way at a rapid pace, sometimes even dozing off in the saddle. He wanted to rush back to Shaanxi as quickly as possible, leaving only a few trusted aides and staff members in the capital to handle the remaining affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The staff members, having finally waited for Master Sun to be reinstated so they could put their learning to use, were all extremely excited. Regardless of fatigue, they followed Sun Chuanting's saddle and horse the entire way, not a single one feeling tired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they entered Xuanfu Garrison, their party naturally had to have their documents checked. However, Sun Chuanting had spent a long time in Xuan Garrison and was long accustomed to this. He even greatly admired this system, considering it the foundation of Xuan Garrison's strict discipline and the reason orders from above were followed below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even exchanged a few jokes with the officer guarding the checkpoint when entering the pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>News of his reinstatement had spread quickly, and by now the checkpoint officer already knew. Also, because Sun Chuanting frequently passed in and out of the pass, the two had long been acquainted. The officer even offered him a few words of congratulations, but when Sun Chuanting smiled and tried to give him a reward in silver, the officer smiled and refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he had suffered deeply from such abuses in his early years, Wang Dou was pained by the malpractices at gatehouses and checkpoints. Therefore, when selecting these men, he paid great attention to choosing those with new ideas, good prospects, and relatively high status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These men held relatively honored positions in the Jingbian Army, and with substantial family wealth, plus a strict supervision and punishment system, their ability to resist temptation was naturally greatly enhanced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is easy to understand: a person with a brilliant future and a family fortune of millions or tens of millions will naturally disdain a bribe of ten or a hundred, and will certainly not ruin his own prospects over it. Conversely, for someone earning a wage of five hundred or a thousand a month, even when faced with the bribe of a pack of cigarettes, many will feel their hearts thump with temptation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting likewise greatly admired this system, pondering that after he arrived in Shaanxi, he would handle matters the same way. And before he went to the capital, he had long since obtained a travel pass, which had not yet expired. Therefore, in a very short time, he and his staff members passed through the checkpoint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had of course also seen the matters reported in the Xuanfu Times. Some agreed, some had differing opinions, and they argued ceaselessly along the way, especially in the evenings when resting at the post stations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding the staff members' comments that Xuanfu Garrison might be developing toward redundant governance and superfluous officials, Sun Chuanting flatly denied it and was full of unceasing praise for this policy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, \"Imperial authority not extending below the county level — this is the fundamental root of our dynasty's financial exhaustion!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, \"When local control is powerless, one must rely on the gentry and great households to undertake tax collection. These people collude inside and out with the petty officials, shifting the burden, and even concealing household registrations. The less tax the government collects, the heavier the burden on the common people. In the early dynasty, tax revenue still included nearly forty million shi of rice and wheat. Now how much is there? It is all because the lijia system has been abolished and the Fish-Scale Registers and Yellow Registers have become empty talk!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now the state, though large, is hollow and powerless, like a patient with paralyzed limbs. Add to that the control of the clans and the dominance of local strongmen, and the government grows ever weaker. Look instead at Xuanfu Garrison: the baojia system is tightly organized at every level, like an arm directing the fingers. Be they military officers or gentry, no one can evade taxes. This is being small but solid, the result of capable local officials!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting had dimly realized that village self-governance was the source of all the accumulated malpractices before his eyes. Once local power grew large, government strength inevitably shrank, and what this triggered was the regression of the fiscal machinery — the less tax grain that should be handed over, the more fatal it was in this era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, in local affairs, it was better to be overly strict than overly lenient!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also the result of his several years of investigation in Xuanfu Garrison. He deeply envied how Xuanfu Garrison was integrated from top to bottom, and its powerful tax-collecting machinery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he also recognized that the lack of a central financial authority that could plan the overall situation was one of the reasons for the Great Ming's current fiscal chaos. Localities had local finances, the central government had central finances — intertwined and tangled, much money and tax revenue was wasted on the transport routes, or swallowed up by various parties. There was not even a place to begin investigating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, look at Xuanfu Garrison: an independent Finance Division, managing everything comprehensively, so that every tael of silver could be used where it was needed, avoiding meaningless waste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting also said to his staff members, \"Take from the people, use for the people. Although Xuan Garrison has many officials, the tax sources do not run dry. Especially with workshops and factories flourishing everywhere, the annual tax revenue grows ever larger, sufficient to pay for the recruitment of the many officials needed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A staff member who understood local realities also said, \"Indeed, in every part of our dynasty, besides the officially authorized clerks, there are in fact a great many unauthorized clerks. Although they do not draw on the dynasty's tax revenues, they must be supported by the localities. If you calculate the total numbers in each prefecture and county, they are actually not much fewer than the local officials in Xuanfu Garrison.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the Great Ming, although the number of officials and clerks within the authorized establishment was very small, by now, due to the multitude of affairs, which government office had not recruited a large number of auxiliary clerks and unofficial runners? These people were of the same nature as temporary workers in later ages — they did not require state support, but they did require local support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In order to support these temporary workers, local governments everywhere had no choice but to greatly increase the amount they retained, so the tax grain handed over to the national treasury grew ever less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, these people were mostly local idlers and loafers, their character even more vile. Many things that the authorized clerks and the three classes of formal government office runners were too embarrassed to do, these people did without any scruple, capable of any evil or foul deed. The local common people suffered even greater hardships at the hands of these men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be better to recruit proper, regular officials — at least there would be a unified evaluation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group discoursed on the realm and spoke freely of their future endeavors. Sun Chuanting was full of passion, and his staff members' hearts were also ablaze, all wanting to follow Sun Chuanting and accomplish great things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, the group arrived at Huailai Guard. They rested for a night at the Chen-zi Warm Shop, and continued their journey the next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the sky had just barely begun to brighten, but Sun Chuanting was already energetically arranging his luggage, preparing to set out. The previous night, he and his staff members had discussed matters until late at night. After they took their leave, he had organized his notes by himself and had not slept for long, but Sun Chuanting did not feel the slightest bit tired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped out of his room. All the staff members were already fully packed and waiting for him. There was also his loyal personal attendant Ma Weizhong, wearing a long sword, vigilantly scanning in all directions. Although it was peaceful within Xuanfu Garrison, he had never relaxed his protection of his master's safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting stretched and said to everyone with a smile, \"Today we travel another day. At the latest, we can reach the garrison city by tomorrow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The staff members all laughed. One close staff member came near and said in a low voice, \"Master Sun, are we truly going to the garrison city to seek help from the Marquis of Yongning? This matter…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting waved his hand: \"I know what you want to say. But Shaanxi is a place of new beginnings, where a hundred affairs await revival. Without the support of the Marquis of Yongning, for the new army to get on the right track, who knows how much time it would take.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said with emotion, \"Time does not wait for me. For the Great Ming, what does a trifling matter of face count for?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his head to look back. Mount Woniu was faintly visible, its layered peaks emerald green, shrouded in clouds and mist. The road ahead was covered with much frost and shallow snow, and all around was silent and still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His personal attendant Ma Weizhong led over his horse, which let out a familiar neigh toward him, as if reproaching him for not being considerate of it, spending the whole day merely hurrying along the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chuanting smiled and stroked the horse's head. He said one phrase: \"Mount up!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took the lead, galloping onto the official road, and all his followers also mounted their horses and chased after him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neighs rose and fell one after another; the rustling sounds of the horses spread far into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After returning from Baoanzhou, Li Banghua no longer had any interest in traveling incognito. From Baoan Guard City to the garrison city was about several tens of li. Ma Guoxi had escorted them all the way to Jiming Post; for the remaining road, Li Banghua would have to travel on his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After bidding farewell to Ma Guoxi, the group continued on their journey. Because they were riding in official sedan chairs, their progress was slow. That day they traveled until dusk and again rested at a post station.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they rose the next morning, a snowfall had occurred. Because they were not far from the garrison city now, the banners and ceremonial insignia had to be displayed with some order and solemnity. However, when they were in the guard city, the retinue members had not managed to extort any ceremonial silver, and the melting snow brought an intense, bone-chilling cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Days of grievances made everyone complain unceasingly, especially the several eunuchs in the retinue, who cursed and swore repeatedly. They had once tried to extort ceremonial silver from Xu Zucheng, the Garrison Commander of Baoan Guard City, but were sternly refused by Xu Zucheng. Afterward, not even the Embroidered Uniform Guard could do anything; they were nearly beaten out by Xu Zucheng's retainers wielding clubs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were the Embroidered Uniform Guard! Once, merely a casual stomp of their feet would make the Great Ming's ground tremble three times. Now, they could not even handle a Garrison Commander no bigger than a booger in a frontier garrison. It truly gave everyone the feeling that a plucked phoenix was no better than a chicken — fury mingled with heartache.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, at this moment they were huddling and stamping their feet, and walking on the right side of the road — no matter how one looked at it, this honor guard procession lacked the dignity of an imperial commissioner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing outside, Li Banghua sighed softly, then closed his eyes again to rest, turning over in his mind only one thing: when he reached Xuanfu garrison city and met Wang Dou, what he ought to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one thing that comforted him was that, having received word that the imperial commissioner was arriving, Marquis of Yongning Wang Dou had already led the civil and military officials of the garrison city ten li beyond the walls to welcome him. (To be continued…)\u003C\u002Fp>",5126,"2026-06-03T14:06:10.567Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","b3c85cb51cef9393ece622c844bd7c732e149d6172ace779f5d0d91d2aa5a475","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-744","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-742",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]