Chapter 94: Volume Three: Defender of Shunxiang Fort, Chapter Ninety-Four: Young Lady Ji

Volume Three: Defender of Shunxiang Fort, Chapter Ninety-Four: Young Lady Ji

After misfortune befell Xie Youcheng's family, he wandered aimlessly from place to place, finally settling down in Baoanzhou.

Over the years, through his own efforts he built up a theater troupe, widely beloved by the villagers throughout Baoanzhou, but his hatred for the Later Jin army never changed. After Wang Dou learned of Xie Youcheng's circumstances through Han Chao's night scouts, he conceived the idea of recruiting him for his own use.

In this ancient era, theater troupes and teahouse storytellers were both excellent tools for external propaganda, especially in an age when the illiteracy rate remained stubbornly high. To carry out his ideals, a powerful tool for propagandizing the common people was indispensable, so Wang Dou dispatched Han Chao to make contact with Xie Youcheng.

Hearing that the Defender wanted him to spread propaganda about fighting the Tatars, Xie Youcheng agreed without the slightest hesitation. Drawing on his own personal experience and using his troupe members, he created a series of programs in a short time, and indeed achieved outstanding results.

Tears still streamed down his face. After hearing Wang Dou's words, he dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowed, and said, "So long as my lord will fight the Tatars, whether blade meets my neck or axe descends upon my body, this humble one will follow my lord's lead as a horse follows its rider."

Wang Dou helped him up and said, "Proprietor Xie, rise and speak."

Having helped Xie Youcheng to his feet, Wang Dou instructed, "Going forward, you must perform not only in Shunxiang Fort but also in every fort under its jurisdiction. Do your utmost to stir the hearts and morale of the people. Whatever funds you need, simply tell me."

While using the theater troupe for propaganda to stir the people's hearts and morale, Wang Dou also tightened control over personnel entering and leaving Shunxiang Fort.

At every crossroads within several li leading to Shunxiang Fort, Wang Dou set up checkpoints, each manned by a number of soldiers who rigorously interrogated passersby about their travel permits and household registration identities. Anyone whose expression seemed off was arrested on the spot; those who dared resist could be killed then and there.

Refugees and beggars were also forcibly taken into custody. At the same time, Wang Dou strengthened his management of the merchant households within the fort.

Wang Dou had always been deeply wary of the merchants of the late Ming. For the sake of wealth and their own clans, these people were capable of all manner of shameless deeds. Who knew whether there might be Qing spies inside Shunxiang Fort? If, at the most critical moment of battle, merchant spies bribed scoundrels to open the gates and collaborate from within, Shunxiang Fort would suffer the same tragedy as Tieling, Kaiyuan, Fushun, Liaoyang, and other places.

Beginning on the eighteenth day of the fifth month of the ninth year of the Chongzhen reign, just as Wang Dou had previously done in Jingbian Fort, Shunxiang Fort began implementing a merchant registry system. Lin Daofu, Clerk Feng Dachang, leading several scribes, along with Han Chao leading some night scouts, conducted strict and meticulous audits of every merchant household. They registered the names of household heads, what employees worked in the shops, their places of origin, what goods they dealt in, and so on, examining each in turn.

For outside merchants in particular, the scrutiny was even stricter, and these people also needed guarantors before they could continue operating within the fort.

Wang Dou's approach naturally aroused discontent among the various merchants in the fort. In this late Ming period, opening a business or setting up a shop in any military fort required a certain degree of connections and influence. There were over forty commercial establishments and shops along the streets of Shunxiang Fort, run either by the sons and brothers of various military officers or by the sons and brothers of the major gentry families of Baoanzhou. They were hardly mere merchants without backing.

For a time, all sorts of talk circulated, but for the moment these merchants could do nothing about Wang Dou. Their usual tactic was to strike and close the markets, causing prices to soar and market instability, but this set of tricks would not work under Wang Dou's hand.

As the saying goes, with grain in hand, the heart is free of panic. The system Wang Dou now had inside the fort amounted to a rationing system. Even if some goods were purchased from merchants within the fort, they were dispensable. So long as he held the grain, the rest of the commodities—having them was fine, lacking them mattered little.

Moreover, Wang Dou had issued stern warnings: anyone who dared act lawlessly, hoard and corner goods, drive up prices, and especially those who struck and closed the markets, would have all their commercial goods confiscated immediately, be expelled from the fort, and be permanently barred from entering.

These merchants, having no alternative, had no choice but to mobilize the forces behind them to come and lobby. In their view, Wang Dou was doing this for no other reason than to extort some money and grain.

At the same time, there were several merchant households in Shunxiang Fort that Wang Dou found rather troublesome, such as the Qingtianfu Trading House on East Street. This trading house initially dealt in goods like grain, oil, salt, and cloth. In the latter half of the eighth year of Chongzhen, it also began trading in draft animals such as horses, oxen, mules, and camels.

The owner of Qingtianfu was called Lai Mancheng. This man was no simple character; his backing was very solid. He was the nephew of Xu Zucheng, the Garrison Commander of Baoanzhou city.

When Xu Zucheng served as Defender of Shunxiang Fort, Lai Mancheng had already opened a shop inside the fort. After several years of operation, his business had grown quite large. In the latter half of the eighth year of Chongzhen, after Du Gong and his brother-in-law Xie Cigao died, the ox trading business that Xie Cigao had originally run in Shunxiang Fort somehow ended up in Lai Mancheng's hands.

According to hearsay, after Xie Cigao's death, his family sold the ox trading business to Lai Mancheng at a low price, presumably because Lai Mancheng had employed some tactics behind the scenes.

Wang Dou's merchant registry registration for Shunxiang Fort's merchants hit a snag with Lai Mancheng.

Lai Mancheng let it be known: "That Defender Wang is registering merchants to guard against lawless elements within the fort—this I can understand. However, I, Lai Mancheng, am most loyal to the Great Ming and harbor a bone-deep hatred for the Tatars and bandit rebels. In the seventh year of Chongzhen, when the Tatars raided Shunxiang Fort, the Qingtianfu Trading House at that time also donated money and goods, sharing a common hatred for the enemy. For the Defender to lump me together with other merchants—that is somewhat excessive! After all, I am the nephew of Garrison Commander Xu Zucheng. Even if one does not consider the monk's face, should one not consider the Buddha's face?"

With the Garrison Commander's nephew having spoken, Lin Daofu and Feng Dachang both hesitated somewhat and came to seek Wang Dou's opinion.

Wang Dou had encountered this sort of thing before with Du Gong and his brother-in-law Xie Cigao. At that time he had upheld his principles, and he would do the same with Lai Mancheng. However, since it involved Garrison Commander Xu Zucheng, he would make the trip in person.

When he met Lai Mancheng at the Qingtianfu Trading House, Wang Dou was slightly surprised. Lai Mancheng was not old, not yet thirty, with a slick, powdered face, and in his hand he waved a gold-dusted folding fan. He did not look like a merchant but rather like a young dandy.

Yet although his outward appearance was frivolous, the occasional glint of sharpness revealed in his eyes told Wang Dou that this man was not as simple as he looked.

Seeing Wang Dou, Lai Mancheng was also somewhat surprised. For Wang Dou to serve as Defender of a fort at such a young age was equally rare.

Lai Mancheng was very seasoned in dealing with people. On the surface, one could not tell at all that not long ago he had spoken words of complaint about Wang Dou. He merely ushered Wang Dou in with a beaming smile, and the two exchanged pleasantries with ease before getting down to business.

But when the discussion turned to the merchant registry registration in Shunxiang Fort, Lai Mancheng merely chuckled, waved his fan, and remained noncommittal, exceedingly slippery.

Wang Dou looked at him and said with a faint smile, "Brother Lai, when the Illustrious Emperor occupied the throne, our Great Ming lost Tieling, Kaiyuan, Fushun, Liaoyang, and other places. I presume you know the reasons?"

Lai Mancheng waved his fan and said, "My uncle has mentioned this matter to me before. At that time, the eastern slaves' armor and weapons were sharp, and the imperial court's officers and soldiers were somewhat outmatched. However, the walls of Liaoyang and other cities were high and thick. Had it not been for spies collaborating from within and opening the gates, it would not have been so easy for the eastern slaves to seize the cities!"

He never stopped mentioning his uncle Xu Zucheng. Wang Dou pretended not to notice and said with a faint smile, "Indeed. This is precisely what I worry about. If one day Shunxiang Fort comes under attack by the bandit slaves, and there are those with treacherous intentions who open the gates to collaborate from within, then all the soldiers and civilians of my fort will be doomed! When the nest is overturned, can any egg remain intact? At that time, would Brother Lai himself be able to escape unscathed?"

Lai Mancheng wagged his head and said, "Though I have never served in the military and have been engaged in commerce since childhood, I do understand this principle."

He glanced at Wang Dou and said coolly, "It is just that, Lord Wang—as the nephew of a prefectural Garrison Commander, could you possibly suspect that I, Lai, would do such a thing as turn bandit and surrender to the slaves? Would I do that, knowing it would implicate my uncle and cost him his head?"

Wang Dou smiled faintly and said, "Of course I believe Brother Lai would not do such a thing."

He then said with a solemn expression, "The reason laws and decrees are strict and clear, and are enforced from top to bottom, lies in treating everyone equally. If I grant Brother Lai special treatment, then when others make the same demand, what am I to do?"

Wang Dou said, "The merchant registry registration for all merchants in Shunxiang Fort is imperative and must be carried out. No one is exempt! If any offense is given, I, Wang, will go in person to apologize to the Garrison Commander!"

For a moment, Lai Mancheng's expression turned ugly.

On the twenty-second day of the fifth month of the ninth year of the Chongzhen reign, at the residence of the Garrison Commander of Baoanzhou.

"That nephew of mine, relying on my influence, is always doing things that aren't quite right. I have already rebuked him. Wang Dou, you did the right thing. Registering the merchants to prevent lawless elements from infiltrating the fort—with bandits and rebels everywhere across the Great Ming these days, doing this to guard against bandits is necessary."

In front of Wang Dou, Xu Zucheng, the Garrison Commander of Baoanzhou, was reclining comfortably on a soft chair while two maids gently massaged his shoulders and back.

Because of the Lai Mancheng matter, Wang Dou had come to the Garrison Commander's residence in the prefectural city.

At this moment, Xu Zucheng spoke these words before Wang Dou, his expression betraying neither pleasure nor displeasure.

Wang Dou bowed in salute and expressed his thanks to Xu Zucheng.

After a pause, Xu Zucheng added, "Wang Dou, I have high hopes for you, but you are still young. Take care that your governance is not overly hasty or rash; it should be gentler and more gradual."

Some time ago, Wang Dou's relief of several thousand disaster victims had caused quite a stir in the prefectural city, and many people had learned that Shunxiang Fort had a young Defender named Wang Dou. When Xu Zucheng first heard this news, he too was somewhat surprised.

However, he kept his composure and did not summon Wang Dou to ask him how he had the financial means for this. Everyone had gray income, and Xu Zucheng was no exception. Relying on his salary alone, he could not support the retainers under his command. Even skimming from military pay was useless, for in the guard battalion territories, the court rarely disbursed any grain or pay.

Xu Zucheng only needed Wang Dou to hold Shunxiang Fort, maintain his loyalty, and add strength for his own future bid to contend for the position of Garrison Commander.

What worried Xu Zucheng was the departure of Xu Lu and the others some time ago. Shunxiang Fort had lost four Company Commanders in one go. Although these men had been transferred to the guard city by Wen Shiyan in his capacity as Guard Battalion Supply Officer, reassigning Xu Lu, Lan Bulian, Liu Wei, and Yu Qingyuan into the guard city before they left,

still, had it not been for Wang Dou's pressure as the catalyst, they would presumably have continued to remain in Shunxiang Fort.

In Xu Zucheng's mind, it should have been Wen Fangliang who was forced out. How could it have been Xu Lu and the others?

Now there were already rumors in the guard city that Wang Dou, the Defender of Shunxiang Fort, was ungrateful and unkind, ostracizing the trusted confidants of his predecessor. Such talk was detrimental to both Xu Zucheng and Wang Dou. Garrison Commander Li Yi'an had even sent someone to inquire of Xu Zucheng about the reasons behind the matter.

Xu Zucheng was somewhat surprised by Wang Dou's boldness—driving out four Company Commanders in one breath—but excessive boldness in a young man was not a good thing.

Hence Xu Zucheng's remark.

To Xu Zucheng's admonition, Wang Dou could only bow deeply and make a respectful salute. Regarding the matter of Xu Lu, there was no way he could explain it to anyone.

……

After leaving the Garrison Commander’s residence, Wang Dou thought for a moment. Since he was in the department city, he decided to visit Fu Mingqi, the Director of the Confucian School.

Since Wang Dou and Fu Mingqi became acquainted in the third month, the two had unexpectedly become close friends, visiting each other from time to time. In truth, Wang Dou now had almost no friends. Those around him and his subordinates either feared him, revered him, or hated him; there were very few people with whom he could interact as equals.

As his contact with Fu Mingqi deepened, he found the man witty in conversation, without the usual pedantic air of a scholar, nor the stiffness and formality of a Director of Studies. Wang Dou found chatting with Fu Mingqi relaxing and pleasant, and Fu Mingqi also found Wang Dou’s conversation very interesting. Sometimes, watching Wang Dou speak, Fu Mingqi would always wonder: was this man really just a common guard post soldier by origin? The facts confirmed it, so Fu Mingqi found Wang Dou all the more mysterious, and would often go to Shunxiang Fort to chat with Wang Dou.

When Shunxiang Fort opened a children’s school in the fourth month, Fu Mingqi would also frequently go down to teach a few lessons.

Fu Mingqi’s small courtyard was located in the Xun corner of the city, a very secluded and elegant little courtyard.

Arriving before the small courtyard, Wang Dou had his several guards wait outside the yard, while also stopping the horses outside.

He pushed the door open and entered the courtyard, calling out loudly, “Old Fu, Old Fu.”

Then he heard voices from within, and Fu Mingqi emerged from the house with two women. One was dressed as a young married woman, in her twenties, graceful and noble. The other was a maiden in the bloom of youth, seventeen or eighteen years old, with a charmingly beautiful face and lively eyes that, as they glanced about, held every kind of allure.

Wang Dou was stunned for a moment. He had seen both of these women before—it was last year: the young lady of the Department Magistrate’s household, and that maiden known as Young Lady Ji.

When the two women came out, they both bowed to Fu Mingqi. Young Lady Ji said, “We are truly grateful that you have taken the trouble to resolve our questions, sir…”

Just as she reached this point, Wang Dou’s voice rang out.

Hearing Wang Dou so casually call Fu Mingqi “Old Fu,” both women looked toward Wang Dou in surprise.