Chapter 762: Gentry and Commoners Alike Pay Grain Tax

When He Renlong’s blood-dripping head was brought in, all the generals trembled, not daring to move — especially the four Regional Commanders Zheng Jiadong, Niu Chenghu, Wang Ding, and Guan Fumin, each of them so terrified their faces turned the color of earth.

These old army foxes had thought this council would be mere routine for Sun Chuanting, or at most a bluff to scare them; they never imagined he would, without another word, have a provincial Regional Commander’s head chopped off.

And this head was no ordinary man’s head — it was He Renlong’s head, the most famous officer in Shaanxi, a man of “high prestige and seniority” among all the garrisons and generals, yet he was cut down just like that. Everyone’s appreciation of Sun Chuanting’s decisiveness and ruthlessness rose to a new level.

Not only that — right after He Renlong, several of his subordinates, men like Zhou Guoqing and Wei Daheng, shrieking and pleading, were one after another ordered dragged out and beheaded by Sun Chuanting. One blood-dripping head after another was brought in, and the generals’ legs grew even weaker and more trembling.

The officers of He Renlong’s faction who remained, such as Gao Jie and others, were likewise shaking uncontrollably, terrified they would hear themselves ordered out for execution.

Fortunately, after killing He Renlong and several of his trusted officers, Sun Chuanting killed no more. He merely said coldly: “The bandit chaos is endless, and His Majesty’s sacred heart burns with worry day and night. We, who have received the state’s grace for generations, dare we not exhaust our hearts to share His Majesty’s burdens? Henceforth, military discipline shall be the foremost duty. Any who dare disobey military orders — this Viceroy still has the Imperial Sword, and will surely punish severely without the slightest leniency!”

He continued icily: “To relieve His Majesty’s dawn-and-dusk anxieties above, and to deliver the common people from their hanging-upside-down misery below — this must be our charge! Men like He Renlong, who disregarded imperial grace, are not worth regretting in death. Transmit this Viceroy’s order: parade these traitors’ heads on tour through the three frontiers. Any who dare not exert themselves for the realm shall meet the same fate! Let all generals take this as a warning!”

Every officer knelt prostrate on the ground, trembling and not daring to make a sound. Men like Niu Chenghu had the heart to rage, grieving like a fox at a hare’s death over He Renlong’s end, yet when the moment came, they discovered how utterly craven and powerless they were. The court feared these military bosses — and were they not the same?

Holding troops to assert their own power — every one of them was willing. But to truly defect to the bandits, or to raise troops in rebellion — that was not a decision ordinary men could make.

Roving bandits were, after all, roving bandits: they had today but no tomorrow, homeless and rootless, often chased by government troops like stray dogs. Even Li Zicheng had several times fled into the mountains with just a dozen riders. Was that kind of life something Regional Commanders like them could endure?

Even if the roving bandits were powerful now, who knew what the future held? They were doing perfectly well as Regional Commanders — who would willingly go suffer that hardship?

They could threaten the court, make the officials hesitate to act for fear of wider consequences, but when it truly came to that final step, when the moment arrived, many simply lacked the courage — especially for men like them, Regional Commanders and senior generals in high positions.

And so Sun Chuanting simply ignored all that, paid no heed to their potential threats, and they were left with no recourse, meekly submitting in fear, kneeling there with hearts pounding and gall bladders quaking.

The staff officers and civil officials above, gazing at He Renlong’s and the others’ heads, each either felt great satisfaction, or sighed with mixed emotion, or sneered coldly, or pondered with stern faces. Wen Shiyan stroked his beard, glanced at He Renlong’s head, and said to himself in secret: “Well killed. These warlord rats — every one of them deserves to die a hundred times over!”

After the Battle of Zhuxianzhen, Wen Shiyan hated every kind of warlord to the marrow of his bones. He thought further: “He Renlong is dead. Under the Grand General’s design, the next one should be that scoundrel Zuo Liangyu!”

“Gao Jie.”

Having swept a satisfied glance over the generals’ expressions, Sun Chuanting’s gaze turned to the trembling Gao Jie, and he called out lightly.

Gao Jie started, hurried forward, and said respectfully: “Your subordinate is here.”

Sun Chuanting sized up this big fellow, noted his tall, powerful frame and striking appearance, and nodded to himself. He said: “Gao Jie, you are originally from Mizhi, the same county as the bandit Chuang. Yet you have a loyal and righteous heart, unwilling to join the bandits’ ranks, and instead turned back to serve the court — this is very good. These years you have also achieved considerable battle merit. This Viceroy shall recommend you as Regional Commander of Shaanxi, replacing He Renlong’s post. You are a man of capability; do not disappoint the court’s expectations, nor this Viceroy’s.”

Gao Jie felt joy fall from heaven. Amid the jealous and incredulous stares of his colleagues, he knelt and kowtowed desperately, tears streaming as he said with gratitude: “Your subordinate thanks the Viceroy a thousand times for his cultivation. The Viceroy’s great kindness and virtue — even if your subordinate were ground to powder and his bones shattered, he could not repay one ten-thousandth of it. Your subordinate will surely devote himself with all his might, body and bone ground to dust, in your lordship’s service.”

Sun Chuanting bade him rise and said warmly: “General Gao’s nature is loyal and good — this Viceroy knows it. That you have the heart to serve the court gives this Viceroy great comfort. In the coming campaign to exterminate the roving bandits, we shall still need to rely heavily on General Gao.”

He looked around at the generals in the hall: “And rely heavily on all of you generals as well. This Viceroy’s conduct has always been: merit is surely rewarded, fault is surely punished! Those who achieve merit in suppressing the bandits — this Viceroy will not stint in recommending rewards. Over a thousand silver merit plaques are prepared precisely for you gentlemen! But should any trifle with military orders or fight half-heartedly, this Viceroy’s three-foot blade, the Imperial Sword, still remains!”

By this point his voice and expression had turned utterly stern. Everyone in the hall stood with hands lowered, listening respectfully, not daring to look up at Sun Chuanting’s face. After hearing a long lecture from him, they all said in unison: “The Viceroy’s teachings — your subordinates engrave them upon our hearts. We shall surely give our lives in the court’s service.”

Then, as Sun Chuanting rose from his seat, all the officers bowed together with hands clasped, seeing him off. Only long after Sun Chuanting had departed did they file out in order from the White Tiger Hall. Then each was summoned individually by Sun Chuanting for private admonishment — grace and might applied in tandem — and each got a thorough taste of Viceroy Sun’s methods.

In particular, the newly appointed Shaanxi Regional Commander Gao Jie was received alone for an even longer time, making many secretly envious. They had not imagined that with He Renlong dead, this fellow would rise so fast — truly stepping up over his superior’s corpse. Of course, on the surface, toward this new favorite, everyone was all flattery and bootlicking.

……

This council was soul-stirring. Viceroy Sun had taught these arrogant, unruly soldiers a fine lesson, leaving a deep impression on the Regional Commanders and officers of every garrison. Some were awed, some were stirred — accounts vary.

Once word spread, it shook the Guanzhong region, shook the entire land of Qin, and even swiftly rippled outward across the Great Ming’s territories.

When the intelligence report was delivered into his hands by the intelligence department, Wang Dou was silent for a long moment, then said flatly: “He Renlong is not worth regretting in death. He should have died long ago!”

Toward these Great Ming warlords who were fierce in abusing the people and cowardly in major battles, Wang Dou felt not the slightest goodwill. Their survival was an injustice to the loyal officers and men who had fought bloody battles, an insult to men like Yang Guozhu, Jin Guofeng, Cao Bianjiao, and Wang Tingchen.

Moreover, the harm these warlords caused was immense. Abusing and tormenting the people was the least of it. At critical turning points of national calamity, they played a direct role in worsening state affairs, even accelerating the collapse — just like the Four Garrisons of the Southern Ming.

Had it not been for the surrender of men like Liu Liangzuo and Liu Zeqing, the Qing army would not have swept south so easily. Had it not been for Zuo Liangyu’s rebellion, the Jiang-Huai defense line would not have collapsed so readily. Detestable was this breed — experts at internal strife, utterly useless in external war, yet once they surrendered to the enemy, they became vicious beyond measure.

Zuo Liangyu slaughtered the entire city of Wuchang until it was empty. After Liu Liangzuo surrendered to the Qing with a hundred thousand troops, he served as their vanguard, besieging Jiangyin county town with tens of thousands of men. When repeated assaults failed, he had the gall to compose a “Song to Persuade the People,” hoping Jiangyin would surrender, and loudly urged Huang Degong to surrender as well.

After Xuzhou Regional Commander Li Chengdong surrendered to the Qing, he zealously besieged Yangzhou. Liu Zeqing knew only mass plunder; this man would bear a grudge over the slightest slight, his troops’ discipline was utterly rotten, and everywhere they passed was burned and looted clean.

When Duoduo’s troops surrounded Yangzhou and Shi Kefa sent urgent orders to the garrisons to send relief troops, Liu Zeqing’s choice was to flee north to Huai’an, then escape by sea, only to return and surrender to the Qing, willingly serving as their vanguard — just another beast.

Gao Jie was no good thing either — temperamental and perverse, hard to control, plundering, burning, and slaughtering everywhere along his route, so that wherever he passed, smoke and flame blotted out the sun and corpses littered the fields. In the end, he died in a courtesan’s arms.

The Four Garrisons of the Southern Ming were far inferior to the Four Garrisons of the Southern Song. The character of these military men at the end of Ming was simply too base. To call them rats is still too mild; to call them beasts is more fitting. The Southern Ming’s destruction was directly tied to these warlords. In assigning blame, they must bear at least eighty or ninety percent.

Among the Southern Ming generals, perhaps only Huang Degong was a little better, but he could not remedy the situation alone and could not hold up the sky by himself. That was why Wang Dou paid such close attention to educating new-model soldiers, and to ensuring no warlords emerged in his domain. In the future, eliminating warlords everywhere was also his responsibility.

The calamity wrought by military men is utterly terrifying. Civilian scholars, by nature, feel an affinity for order and people’s livelihoods, and willingly, consciously uphold order. Military men, by contrast, favor chaos. The states they rule are, nine times out of ten, poor, backward, and chaotic, their people without any sense of security.

Nor should one expect that military men in power would possess a pioneering spirit. In fact, they are even more inclined toward internal repression, conservative and inward-looking, seeking only to maintain their own rule. Civilized, prosperous nations with a pioneering spirit are, in truth, all nations governed by mature civil officials.

Of course, if one faction dominates alone, balance is lost, and it will likewise trend toward conservatism and inwardness, internally seeking only to preserve its own power and rejecting all new developments — this was also the reason for the inward turn of the Song and Ming.

Therefore, warlords must be eliminated, but a new-model military group must also be cultivated. One faction must never be allowed to dominate alone.

Leafing through the intelligence in his hands, Wang Dou finally looked toward Wen Daxing. He Renlong was dead. As for Zuo Liangyu, who was even more of a beast — what reason, what right did he have to remain alive?

At the same time, Wang Dou mused to himself: Sun Chuanting’s boldness was indeed something he approved of. He hoped Sun had the ability to hold Shaanxi, protect the Protectorate’s flank, and buy time for his own accumulation of strength.

……

He Renlong, who held heavy troops, was fiercely unruly, and was known as “Long-Legs General,” had been cut down with one stroke by the newly appointed Sun Chuanting. Setting aside the buzzing discussions in the streets and the endless debates in officialdom, through He Renlong’s head, Sun Chuanting easily established his own word-is-law authority in Shaanxi.

The generals were all the more awed into submission, obeying his military orders with fearful reverence. Wherever He Renlong’s head was paraded, the troops trembled in fear and dared not look up at Viceroy Sun.

He Renlong’s death did not stir up much of a storm. His trusted subordinates, such as Zhou Guoqing and Wei Daheng, had been beheaded by Sun Chuanting right at the Viceroy’s residence. As for men like He Guoxian and Gao Jinku, who had not yet come forward, upon hearing of He Renlong’s death, they fled to Jingyang with several hundred elite soldiers, intending to seize his family and join the bandits in rebellion.

But Sun Chuanting, having prepared in advance, had secretly consulted with Feng Shikong and dispatched Fu Biao Battalion Assistant Regional Commander Sun Shoufa to enter Jingyang first, take He Guoxian’s wife and children hostage. Guoxian, finding himself cornered, plotted to kill Gao Jinku and others and surrender. Feng Shikong secretly informed Gao Jinku of this, and Gao Jinku thereupon beheaded He Guoxian and the others, delivering their heads in a box.

In addition, the newly appointed Regional Commander Gao Jie led the charge, forcefully suppressing any stirrings of unrest among the ranks. Gao Ruli, He Yong, Dong Xueli, and others all retained their former posts, and very soon Shaanxi was calm and tranquil.

Having unified Shaanxi’s military and civil administration, Sun Chuanting was able to implement his ambitions with bold, sweeping strokes. He had previously served as Provincial Governor of Shaanxi for several years and was familiar with all manner of local affairs, so he needed only to review recent official documents to familiarize himself with the blank period of the last few years.

He was determined to train a new army on a grand scale in Shaanxi, but under current conditions, he had money but no grain.

In truth, Shaanxi’s tax revenues were not bad. According to statistics from the early Wanli years, the summer tax was 690,000 shi of wheat, the autumn grain 1.4 million shi of rice, plus considerable amounts of silk, cotton, and agricultural mulberry products — among the northern provinces, only slightly behind Shanxi.

In the sixth year of Wanli, Shanxi’s land tax converted to silver totaled 2.1 million taels of silver, of which the summer tax was over 400,000 and the autumn grain over 1.6 million. The Great Ming also retained a large portion locally. In Shanxi, for example, in Wanli 6, the amount forwarded to the central state treasury was over 800,000 taels, accounting for 39% of total tax revenue, while over 1.2 million taels were retained locally, accounting for 61%.

The retention ratios for Shaanxi and Shanxi were roughly similar. Of course, the high local retention in both places was also due to the need to supply the frontier garrisons with grain and pay.

Take Yansui Garrison, for instance: its own military farms produced just over 60,000 shi of grain a year, yet the Shaanxi and Henan Provincial Administration Commissions had to forward 305,000 shi of grain and fodder annually, plus 500,000 bundles of straw.

For Ningxia Garrison, the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission also had to send 130,000 shi of grain and fodder annually, plus 185,000 bundles of straw.

Then there were Gansu Garrison and Guyuan Garrison: the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission had to send, respectively, 310,000 shi of grain and fodder with 540,000 bundles of straw, and 380,000 shi of grain and fodder with 540,000 bundles of straw each year. Supplying the three frontiers imposed enormous pressure.

And that was the situation during the Wanli years. Now Shaanxi was stricken by drought everywhere — where was the grain to supply the local garrisons? Especially since, back when Sun Chuanting had vigorously and resolutely rectified the military farms, he had executed a good number of officials, gentry, and military officers who had seized farmlands. Yet now, only a few years after his return, those farmlands had been seized by them again.

Truly, if this can be endured, what cannot be endured!

Furthermore, the Emperor had permitted Shaanxi’s tax revenues to be temporarily withheld from the central government and used to support the new army — though these revenues were temporarily mortgaged to the Xuanfu Garrison.

And in Sun Chuanting’s vision, once the loans were repaid, these tax revenues would still serve a great purpose. Yet at present, farmland was extensively seized, especially by the gentry who concealed and evaded taxes, with arrears piling up year after year. By now, Shaanxi’s tax revenue was not even half of what it had been during the Wanli era!

A cold gleam shot from Sun Chuanting’s eyes: “Those who have devoured what is mine — all of them shall spit it back out!”

He was determined to investigate and clear up tax arrears, starting especially with those gentry, officials, and military officers. After all, the common people were wailing in misery — how much in arrears could be collected from them? The official-gentry were the main source.

These vermin of the state, having fed off the nation for so many years — the time had come for them to make their contribution.

Moreover, he had another insight. Why was the Xuanfu Garrison small yet wealthy? He already understood it clearly in his heart!

Yet when he voiced his vision, even the most steadfast of his aides beside him were horrified: “What? Investigate the gentry’s accumulated tax arrears over the years… and, and starting next year, make all Shaanxi gentry pay grain taxes equally? My lord, please think thrice! If you truly do this, you will plunge into an abyss of eternal damnation!”

Sun Chuanting laughed heartily: “Exactly! I intend to collect the old taxes, and moreover, make the gentry pay grain taxes equally! What does eternal damnation matter? I, Sun Chuanting, have long considered myself dead. Every day I live now is a gain — a gain!”

He let out a long, resounding laugh: “If by doing so I can save the Great Ming, why should I fear death?” (To be continued...)