Chapter 1021: One General's Success, Ten Thousand Bones Withered — Best If They Are the Enemy's Bones

Yao Guangqi launched an index reflecting price inflation.

This index was created by Yao Guangqi during the Soul-Calling Case, when he observed a scholar named Sun Shangli who refused to discard his long robe, bought expensive goods instead of cheap ones, and starved himself to death; Yao Guangqi summarized the experience.

This index consists of two types: affordable and expensive.

Among similar goods, affordable items are those consumed by rural gentry and scholars and below, while expensive items are those consumed by rural gentry and scholars and above; it reflects the speed of price growth, facilitating correct decisions by policymakers.

It must be emphasized that these two cannot be conflated.

Yao Guangqi once attempted to assign respective weight coefficients to derive a single index reflecting price growth speed, but he failed; no matter how weights were assigned, distortion occurred.

Because the price fluctuations of expensive goods are extreme, extreme data easily cause distortion, similar to averaging the rich and powerful with poor laborers, which would falsely suggest universal peace.

The Yao Guangqi Index is a very important tool in the hands of Ming dynasty officials; it is not troublesome to collect—simply strolling through places like Cai Cai Shi Kou and Mei Cai Shi Kou once a month suffices, or even asking around if necessary; it is truly not as difficult as imagined.

Once a price shows a significant fluctuation, it indicates that a situation is developing, with contradictions silently intensifying in unseen places; if not addressed early, it may very well lead to uprisings like the Tian Bing rebellions in Ninghua, Ruijin, and Ningdu counties.

Once civil unrest erupts, local officials from provincial inspectors to county clerks must bear the brunt; the Emperor ignores this or that, but when civil unrest occurs, everyone must take responsibility.

The sword of heavenly change hangs over the heads of the Ming court and local authorities; no one dares to be complacent about civil unrest.

The Yao Guangqi Index is the achievement of Tongshu Pangtong; Wang Guoguang is listed among the names of reform meritorious officials, from nominal to actual recognition.

"A delusion of having no way for the people." Zhu Yijun glanced at a bit of the content of 《Deep Translation》, already feeling the weight of this sentence; a few simple words pierced the so-called way of governance.

The way of governance is not entirely about hiding one's light and enduring for the state, or enduring for the country; the narrative of having no way for the people is merely an excuse to evade responsibility.

Zhu Yijun intends to read this book bit by bit, just as he did with 《Turning Over》, to understand it thoroughly.

Hou Yuzhao looked down at his feet; the Emperor is in Songjiang Prefecture, not Shuntian Prefecture.

The Emperor came personally to preside over Songjiang Prefecture to resolve the various issues arising during the reform process.

It appears that monopolistic capital, this colossal entity, cannot be resolved, but the Songjiang provincial inspector and prefect are also doing their utmost to address it.

The Ming dynasty has never lacked loyal and capable officials; what it lacks is a stage for them to display their talents.

Hou Yuzhao spoke up to this point and then stopped briefly, without further discussion, because continuing would inevitably involve touching upon an untouchable topic—the general

negligence in governance.

Hou Yuzhao has served in local posts for many years; most officials are like those sitting idle at the fishing terrace; to say they are individuals is less accurate than saying they are that seal.

They wish to bear no responsibility, shifting all blame downward; when subordinates report matters, their first consideration is their own promotion, second their own purse, third whether they need to take responsibility.

As long as these three considerations are not met, subordinates' reports will not be stamped; once these three are satisfied, whatever subordinates say becomes accepted, without ever wanting to personally investigate.

Is this reasonable? Of course it is—people not acting for themselves invite heavenly punishment and earthly destruction—but Hou Yuzhao sees that they have already been completely alienated by power; they are no longer human, but merely a seal and ribbon.

But as soon as one looks up, one will find that, besides the Taizu High Emperor and the Chengzu Wen Emperor, the Ming emperor is no different from these officials—he is a seal, not a living person.

The Daoist priest counts as half a person; after all, for the first twenty years of his life, he was energetic and enterprising, the Jiajing New Policies were in full swing, but ultimately, he failed to firmly grasp the sword of military power, repeatedly fell into danger, and later began to practice ascetic burning.

Now it is the twenty-first year of the Wanli reign; the Emperor has been a living, complete person for these twenty-one years; Hou Yuzhao hopes the Emperor remains a person, not falling into the delusion of having no way for the people.

If there is no way, then blaze one out.

Hou Yuzhao slanders the Emperor in his heart, while Zhu Yijun also observes the ministers.

Hou Yuzhao has always gone against the crowd since the beginning—he went to farm in the Daining Guard, unwilling to mingle with the petty scholars of the time; he served in Daining, Liaodong, and Zhejiang, and his style of action remains to go against the grain.

The Ming dynasty has few loyal and upright officials who are both principled and obedient; Lao Zhao counts as one—he is not as principled as Xu Chengchu, but compared to most petty bones, he is still far too steadfast.

"Ye Xianggao wrote a letter saying he had arrived at the problem of Jilin Prefecture's administration; Jilin is vast, at least equivalent to a province's population and territory; Jilin County has deviated from the main road of development, while Changchun County is better." Hou Yuzhao mentioned the earlier issue raised by Ye Xianggao.

The Ming dynasty has a clear line for developing Liaodong: that is the chariot road.

From Shanhai Pass to Liaoyang, then from Liaoyang to Changchun, then from Changchun northward along the main trunk road—this road is called the chariot road, also known as the black soil; development proceeds northward along fertile land, and Jilin County lies somewhat off this route.

"This matter, Ye Xianggao has already handled." Zhu Yijun and Hou Yuzhao discussed the Liaodong land reclamation issue in detail.

Especially now, the main contradiction is that land has reached its labor limit, yet those rushing into Liaodong continue to stream in endlessly, requiring land reclamation to increase farmland for distribution.

Distributing new land is simple, but distributing existing land is as difficult as climbing to heaven; even if Liaodong's land system and hinterland are completely different—being a collective land system under the Reclamation Bureau—redistributing existing land will still cause many minor troubles.

On one side, land cannot be farmed; on the other, land is insufficient for farming—truly a bizarre situation.

Hou Yuzhao shook his head and said: "The court has overcomplicated this matter; although the Grand Situ comes from Liaodong, at that time Liaodong had not yet been reclaimed; Your Majesty, Liaodong is vast, vast—only four or five million people; even if twenty million were dumped in, it could still support them."

"The main contradiction in Liaodong land reclamation remains insufficient productivity."

Hou Yuzhao and Ye Xianggao wrote several letters to understand the current situation in Liaodong.

Zhang Xueyan considers problems from the perspective of the imperial court; Hou Yuzhao differs—he believes the main contradiction in Liaodong is still a lack of people, a lack of labor force, a lack of productivity.

"Oh?" Zhu Yijun said upon hearing this, and he and Hou Yuzhao discussed it in detail.

Zhang Xueyan's understanding of Liaodong affairs is still from nineteen years ago; he indeed knows little, and his understanding of the local main contradiction has its own limitations; Hou Yuzhao is completely different—he left Liaodong, but his disciples and former subordinates are still reclaiming land there.

Hou Yuzhao knows Liaodong well; he speaks fluently, clearly explaining his understanding.

Zhang Xueyan insists on inviting Hou Yuzhao back, for this reason—what Hou Yuzhao says has made Zhu Yijun's eyes light up.

Hou Yuzhao fully understands that redistributing existing land in Liaodong is far simpler than in the interior.

Because Liaodong is primarily based on collective production in camps and manors, which is fundamentally different from the interior; collective production in camps and manors represents the redistribution of existing land stock, which largely depends on imperial decrees rather than landlord resistance.

Liaodong has no significant rural gentry and scholars.

Landlords, rural gentry and scholars are common in the Ming interior, but rare in Liaodong, due to the harsh external environment.

Severe cold weather, wild beasts roaming everywhere, barbarians prone to plundering, accumulated water bubbles, pagoda heads, marshes, poor roads, and so on—these harsh external conditions force everyone in the camps and manors to huddle together to resist natural and human disasters.

This environment also encourages the camps and manors to accept newcomers; they care more about survival than land ownership; any strong laborer arriving in Liaodong becomes a target of competition, not an outsider to be despised and bullied.

The atmosphere in Liaodong is completely different from that of the Ming interior; Liaodong's atmosphere is more like that of Luzon.

"Your Majesty, Liaodong still has to worry about one issue: families with accumulated surplus tend to return to the interior to buy land and establish businesses, rather than stay long in Liaodong; currently, population appears to be flowing in, but in the long run, it will still flow out—those who have rushed into Liaodong will return to the interior." Hou Yuzhao spoke with a worried expression.

Zhu Yijun carefully understood; he grasped what Hou Yuzhao was worried about—the provincial capitals of the three eastern provinces are Sanya.

It is so cold that even Changchun is extremely cold; in Hou Yuzhao's view, if Liaodong could produce its own rural gentry and scholars, it would be a good thing, but it is unlikely that Liaodong will produce such gentry and scholars.

But anyone with even a little savings has all run away.

Liaodong finds it difficult to produce a large number of rural gentry and scholars on a scale; yet Liaodong must have a middle-strength force, a middle class, to maintain local stability; in Hou Yuzhao's twenty years of reflection, he has only thought of two words: artisans.

Liaodong found it difficult to produce a large class of local gentry and scholar-officials on any scale, yet Liaodong absolutely required a backbone force, a backbone class, to maintain local stability; after twenty long years of contemplation, Hou Yuanzhao could think of only two words: artisans.

After finishing his talk with Hou Yuzhao, Zhu Yijun simply felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.

Hou Yuzhao was possibly the person in the entire Great Ming who understood the land system most thoroughly and clearly; he reclaimed land beyond the passes, returned land in Zhejiang, guaranteed that the land-return decrees would not be undermined, achieved both orderly expansion and redistribution of existing holdings — the undisputed choice for Minister of Revenue.

No wonder Zhang Xueyan kept him in mind, insisting he return to the capital.

Finding a usable man is truly not easy.

"Your Majesty, a victory report has arrived from the Southwest: Hailongtun has been captured! Yang Yinglong and all his offspring have been taken alive and are being escorted to the capital!" A Embroidered Uniform Guard rushed in hurriedly and presented a dispatch tube before the imperial presence.

Zhu Yijun checked the fire-lacquer seal, opened the dispatch tube, read the memorials and several memorials inside, and revealed a brilliant, sunny smile.

This time, it was still he who won.

Previously at court there were some who opposed sending troops, believing pacification of the distant peoples was better — mainly to save money, effort, and worry; Hailongtun stood over a hundred zhang high, a fortress mountain city easy to defend and hard to attack, and attacking it would cause excessive casualties; once the Sichuan Han troops had second thoughts, the likelihood of nurturing the bandits and turning it into a quagmire was very high.

Especially since the war the court calculated would last six months dragged on for eight months, such voices at court rose again.

But the pro-war faction led by the Emperor won again; Hailongtun was taken, and it did not turn into a quagmire.

Ceng Shengwu repeatedly told the Emperor: the Sichuan Han troops are trustworthy.

However much he said, he could not dispel the suspicions of the court scholar-officials; better to fight one battle and see — this battle fought, it confirmed that the Sichuan Han troops were indeed trustworthy.

Zhu Yijun also fully understood why there had been a delay; the memorials wrote it very clearly.

Liu Ting and Liang Menglong had been encircling three sides and leaving one open, driving Yang Yinglong and his partisans to Hailongtun and annihilating them in one stroke.

Twenty-eight armies advanced to suppress; in eight months they uprooted over eleven thousand Miao stockades, recovered more than half of the bronze drums Zhuge Liang had left behind, over three thousand bronze drums piled into mountains.

Liang Menglong made new arrangements for these bronze drums; he placed them in the three prefectures of Guizhou, Dali, and Chongqing, rather than sending the bronze drums directly to the court.

The reason was simple: if all bronze drums were recovered, these Tusi would likely produce new tokens; better to let the bronze drums remain in the Southwest, still serving as tokens, but under direct court control.

Conferring rank without conferring the drum — keeping the token symbolizing power firmly in the court's hands — this way, there is no

need to worry about these Tusi scattering but not perishing, gathering again to rebuild Tusi rule.

The over eleven thousand Miao stockades — henceforth their Dongzhu and chiefs must all go to the three prefectures to seek appointment; doing so can greatly accelerate the replacement of Tusi with flow officials.

One fish, three dishes: eliminating the rebellious Bozhou Yang clan, clearing out the Yang clan partisans, accelerating the replacement of Tusi with flow officials — this is the answer sheet Liang Menglong handed in.

To win, one must win not only militarily, but also politically.

"Good, good, good! Old Zhao, look at this."

"Liang Menglong's method is good; do as he says! Send an edict to the Ministry of War, reward merit according to regulations!" Zhu Yijun thought a moment and said: "From the palace, 1.2 million silver to reward the soldiers of this campaign."

After this battle, the many Tusi of the Southwest will at minimum be peaceful for twenty years; the Great Ming's expansion in the Southwest and development of Dongyu can continue for another twenty years; giving Yunnan a seaport is no longer an impractical fantasy.

Hou Yuzhao wanted to correct the Emperor's address, but in the end let it go; the Emperor had previously called him Hou Aiqing, and in urgency still blurted out the two words "Old Zhao."

No matter, he was used to it too.

As for the military aspect, there was somewhat little worth mentioning.

Liu Ting said this battle was fought very easily; the entire war process was cannons bombard, then infantry charge, infantry charge then cannons bombard; the massive deployment of firearms completely changed the battlefield landscape; the Great Ming's firearms crushing victory was the key to this military victory.

Liang Menglong was responsible for political victory, Liu Ting for military victory.

Liu Ting felt the win was truly easy; just regarding the final Hailongtun annihilation battle, cannons bombarded for a full seven days, nearly 700,000 catties of gunpowder expended, the ground turned over three times; after the cannons finished, Liu Ting used a full ten thousand Shenhuo Feiya, setting the entire Hailongtun ablaze.

Gunpowder, once brought out, must be used up, otherwise it spoils; layering, dampness, gunpowder leaving and entering storage, logistics — all are considerably troublesome; the cost of bringing it back would be even higher.

The great army brought 800,000 catties of gunpowder; by the time they reached Hailongtun over 700,000 remained, so they simply used it all up.

This time, Yang Yinglong suffered terribly.

Before the first-rank sharp troops in heavy armor could enter, Yang Yinglong led his men to surrender; the Shenhuo Feiya ignited the granaries — if he didn't surrender he'd have to surrender.

Yang Yinglong's soldiers all wore rattan armor; this rattan armor fears nothing else, only fire; once the Shenhuo Feiya appeared, morale collapsed instantly; if he didn't surrender further, he would be beheaded by his own subordinates, his head used as a surrender token.

This battle left Liu Ting a bit bored — just firing cannons…

But Liu Ting was truly happy; this meant the Great Ming army didn't need to sacrifice too many men attacking these mountain cities with heavy casualties; for him, who campaigns long-term in the Southwest and needs to capture mountain cities, this is truly tremendous good news.

Benevolence does not command troops — does not mean Liu Ting does not cherish soldiers' lives.

Soldiers are all parents' children, and also children's parents; fellow villagers entrusted their children to him; excessive casualties, he has no face to meet these elders and fellow villagers.

Fewer deaths and still win — simply wonderful!

Hou Yuzhao read all the memorials and memorials, and revealed a smile; he was not a completely pure civil official; back then he also followed Li Chengliang roaming the vast Liaodong.

At that time, the Great Ming did not have so many, so powerful firearms; every time a Yi tribe was captured, enormous casualties had to be paid.

Hou Yuzhao remembered that every time Li Chengliang returned triumphant, he would soak in the flower pavilion for a very long time, dissolute and unrestrained — merely to cover grief; grief is a weakness that should not appear on a Regional Commander.

So Hou Yuzhao differed from other Liaodong Grand Coordinators; he never opposed Li Chengliang building flower pavilions.

Hou Yuzhao personally experienced more than once: yesterday a still somewhat youthful face was calling "Grand Commander" at his side, Li Chengliang even gave him a knock on the head, scolding him for not doing his duty; today the young soldier has become a mangled, bloody skeleton.

The death of comrades who fought back-to-back is equally torture for the living.

One general's success, ten thousand bones withered — these withered bones, best if they are the enemy's.

"Go send the victory report to Mr. and Marshal Qi!" Zhu Yijun shared one portion of joy with Wen Zhang Wu Qi and Hou Yuzhao — that makes four portions of joy; after he publishes it in the official gazette, it becomes hundreds of millions of portions of joy.

Once the Southwest war enters a quagmire stage, it is not just a Southwest problem, but a problem for the entire Great Ming; provisions transported halfway across the empire is no empty phrase; therefore mobilizing massive manpower and resources into Sichuan concerns everyone in the heartland.

This problem, Zhu Yijun had long discussed clearly with Zhang Juzheng, written into the "Public and Private Discourse."

Ran Shupin came about this way: Zhu Yijun mentioned it once, and Zhang Juzheng found him a Ran Shupin.

The victory report reached the Grand General and Chief Auxiliary; the Grand General and Chief Auxiliary were fishing, right by a fish pond beside the traveling palace — the place the Grand General and Chief Auxiliary would inevitably go in leisure moments.

"As expected." Qi Jiguang read the memorial and even felt Liu Ting had fought very well; in his past, he also fought like this.

"Natural and logical." Zhang Juzheng read the memorial, set it down, then picked it up to read again; he no longer avoids people now; he reads if he wants to read; besides His Majesty saying a couple of sentences, no one dares speak.

And His Majesty watches too!

The victory report reached the capital, spread throughout the realm via the official gazette.

Amidst the joyous atmosphere, Zhu Yijun and the Songjiang prefectural officials had a slight disagreement, concerning the eighth-month Wanshou Festival.

Last time Zhu Yijun spent the Wanshou Festival in Songjiang Prefecture, the prefecture spent a whole month preparing; after he returned to the capital, he issued an edict forbidding extravagant preparations, everything simplified, cultivate oneself to respond to heavenly portents.

But Song

The Jiang Prefecture local authorities simply do not listen to the Emperor; they started preparing from the fifth month, insisting on making a grand affair of it. A full month is indeed a bit long; half a month is just right.

Zhu Yijun summoned Li Le and Wang Qian before him and gave them a thorough tongue-lashing. Li Le and Wang Qian appeared compliant on the surface, but secretly they were still busy preparing.

Wang Qian was to take up his post in Luzon on the third day of the fourth month. Before his departure, he insisted on seeing this matter through.

After careful inquiry, Zhu Yijun finally understood why Li Le and Wang Qian would rather defy the imperial will than not organize the Ten Thousand Longevity Festival.

Because it makes money.

Songjiang Prefecture differs from Shuntian Prefecture; the biggest difference is that Songjiang is rich beyond measure. Songjiang's commodity economy is highly developed, but opportunities to find a pretext for a grand celebration to stimulate consumption are truly few. The Ten Thousand Longevity Festival is obviously an excellent reason.

Both the capital and Songjiang Prefecture have commodity economies, but in the capital supply falls short of demand, causing prices to be very high. One shi of rice sells for five qian of silver in the capital, while in Songjiang Prefecture it costs only three qian; if eating imported grain, it can be even lower.

Of course, if one insists on buying expensive goods, there is also rice at half a tael of silver per jin.

Overall, Songjiang Prefecture is in a state of supply exceeding demand, so finding a pretext for a grand celebration to promote consumption has become Songjiang's need.

Moreover, this involves the issue of loyalty. The Emperor's stay in Songjiang Prefecture cannot be worse than in Shuntian or Ying Tian prefectures. What the capital has, Songjiang must have; what the capital cannot do, Songjiang must do well. In this way, the Emperor stationing his court in Songjiang becomes perfectly justified.

Now that there are post roads, why must Shuntian Prefecture necessarily be the capital?

In the end, the Emperor could not prevail over his ministers and agreed. Holding it is fine; half a month works too, but this year there is an intercalary eighth month, so it cannot be held again then.

According to Li Le's idea, he actually wanted to take advantage of the intercalary eighth month to hold another Ten Thousand Longevity Festival — simply outrageous.

"Zongxin, once you return to Luzon, you must remember: safety first. If anything changes, take a ship back; the rest I will handle." Zhu Yijun instructed the Prince Consort and the Princess so.

This time Yin Zongxin's return to Luzon carries some danger, because the ten battalions must be reorganized and rotated, and the participating generals and subordinate officers of the ten Luzon battalions must be recalled to the Great Ming for study, then reassigned elsewhere — for example Edo Castle, Nagasaki, Osaka Bay, and so on.

If the commanders of these ten battalions refuse to hand over power, Yin Zongxin will be treated as a traitor, and the trouble will be great.

"Your Majesty, this subject does not feel anything will happen; they are all Great Ming people." Yin Zongxin found it a bit strange; the court was being overly cautious.

General Who Pacifies the Waves Xu Zhen, General Who Guards the Sea Wang Hu — they themselves are both Guangzhou natives, not Luzon people.

They do not identify much with Luzon; being transferred back from the Governor's Office to the Great Ming heartland is a supreme honor — why would they resist?

In those years, the Great Ming court indeed could not properly settle the guest troops, so it had them risk their lives and go to Luzon. But this is not hatred; it is gratitude.

The pioneering action was supported by the Great Ming court. Although the court's power was limited at the time and support was meager — only a few Pingyi guns were given — the Qilin Ship is no fake!

Yin Zongxin believes Xu Zhen, Wang Hu and the rest should feel they were dispatched to Luzon by the Emperor from Guangzhou; Luzon is a Governor's Office rather than a province, only because the civilizing influence is insufficient.

And the Luzon Navy has always been part of the Nanyang Navy, not an independent military organization separate from the Great Ming.

Actively adjusting policy, easing mutual contradictions, and accelerating integration are the court's duty.

Moreover, most Han people in Luzon believe the Lord of the National Surname truly is a member of the Old Zhu family. That widely circulated legend — even Yin Zongxin believes it.

The story may be false, but the centripetal force is real.

However, Yin Zongxin understands perfectly the principle that tea cools when the guest leaves. For now the story can still be told, but as time drags on the story can no longer be sustained, and centrifugal force will only grow stronger.

Yin Zongxin believes this overall adjustment of Luzon policy is entirely without problem; it is the inevitable process of civilizing influence.

"Zongxin, also keep an eye on Wang Qian for me. My private friendship with him is extremely deep." Zhu Yijun glanced at Wang Qian and instructed Yin Zongxin: even if he truly harbors thoughts of seceding and ruling autonomously, the Provincial Governor absolutely cannot be killed; otherwise it would be a complete rupture, leaving only armed confrontation.

He spoke of private friendship, but it is also state affairs; a king has no private matters.

"This subject understands." Yin Zongxin accepted the order.

Yin Zongxin, Zhu Xuanchang, Wang Qian and a host of officials bade farewell to the Emperor at the Viewing Tides Pavilion, ascended the trestle bridge, and boarded the Qilin Ship.

Zhu Yijun stood at the Viewing Tides Pavilion for a very long time, until the silhouette of the Qilin Ship vanished into the vast sea.

The fleet departed Songjiang Prefecture on the third day of the fourth month and arrived at Manila Harbor on the eighteenth of the fourth month. General Who Pacifies the Waves Xu Zhen and General Who Guards the Sea Wang Hu welcomed Yin Zongxin's return at Manila Harbor. From today, Yin Zongxin is the National Surname Zongxin, and also the Marquis of Sishui and Governor of Luzon.

Regarding the arrival of this Luzon Provincial Governor Wang Qian, Xu Zhen and Wang Hu exchanged a glance, revealing worried expressions.

To welcome the return, Xu Zhen, Wang Hu and the other Ten Tigers of Luzon arranged a welcome banquet to wash the dust off Yin Zongxin.

At the banquet, Wang Qian pushed cups and changed goblets, displaying not the slightest scholar-official demeanor.

Wang Qian set down his wine cup, scanned the Ten Tigers once around. Yin Zongxin felt optimistic; the matter was extremely thorny.

At the very least the Ten Tigers are unwilling to leave Luzon, and they very likely represent the attitude of the ten battalions. Of course this does not mean the Ten Tigers have made up their minds to engage in armed conflict with the Great Ming.

The possibility of violence spiraling out of control exists, and at minimum it is over thirty percent. The Ten Tigers' attitude toward the Provincial Governor gives a glimpse of the whole.

This will depend on Wang Qian's ability to handle affairs; the court has given everything it can.

Wang Qian remained impassive, still pushing cups and changing goblets. At this welcome banquet, Wang Qian did not drink much wine,

but instead probed out the attitudes of all the Ten Tigers.

The greatest taboo in doing anything is prejudging — simply slotting people into one camp or another: this side loyal, that side disloyal. People are extremely changeable; even a person cannot empathize with their past self.

Doing anything, the greatest taboo is to jump to conclusions and simply categorize people into certain camps—this side is loyal, that side is disloyal; people are extremely fickle, and even, people cannot empathize with their past selves.

Identifying who is the enemy and who is the friend is the first principle of class-struggle theory.

Wang Qian's probing mainly tested their view of the court, their demands, what they want and do not want.

He set down his wine cup, revealed a smile. The key to the problem is finding the key problem; he found that crucial point.

That crucial point is Yin Zongxin.

The Ten Tigers certainly each have their own thoughts, but they lack a backbone.

Once Yin Zongxin is persuaded, the Ten Tigers will truly become man-eating tigers. If Yin Zongxin is not persuaded, the Ten Tigers are a leaderless mob, a sheet of loose sand — there are far too many usable methods. Wang Qian's eyes turned and he had nine methods.

Sowing discord, instigating from within, fanning the flames, giving high hats, wearing small shoes, splashing dirty water, grabbing painful feet, pinning labels (sticking tags), digging the wall corner, and so on — Wang Qian is not too skilled at these.

In a battle of wits, the Ten Tigers cannot match a single Wang Qian; but in a martial contest, the Ten Tigers could kill a thousand Wang Qians.

Not letting contradictions escalate fully to the point of conflict — the most critical key among them is Yin Zongxin's attitude. No matter what, it must not change.

Finding the key to the problem means finding the crucial entry point. After the welcome banquet dispersed, Wang Qian asked Yin Zongxin to stay behind alone to talk.

"The Governor must have also seen it — these few gentlemen do not really want to move their nest." Wang Qian poured a cup of tea for Yin Zongxin. The Prince Consort and Marquis of Sishui are both military merit super-grade nobles; their official rank is above Wang Qian's.

"There is a bit of that. I completely did not expect it to be like this." Yin Zongxin's brows knotted into a lump.

When did the change begin?

He actually still thought the Ten Tigers would be grateful; he never expected their attitude toward the Provincial Governor would be quite vigilant.

He actually thought the Ten Tigers would be grateful, never expecting their attitude toward the Viceroy to be quite wary.

Wang Qian's words were a test, probing Yin Zongxin's attitude.

In the short term, Luzon cannot break away from Great Ming to exist independently; Yin Zongxin must return to the capital to face the sovereign, receive the appointment as Governor of Luzon, in order to maintain the continuity of the Luzon Governor's Office.

Wang Qian tested whether Yin Zongxin was feigning hardship and resolve, deliberately acting humble and subservient, waiting until he received the seal of office as Governor of Luzon before making plans.

But Wang Qian discovered that Yin Zongxin was not pretending; he seemed not to be close to the Ten Tigers, and this lack of closeness meant that Yin Zongxin and the Ten Tigers were not of one mind.

But why would this be the case?

In the blink of an eye, Wang Qian thought of the arrangement made by the Prince with the Surname.

Yin Zongxin had long been stationed at Chijun Shangang in the Yuanchu Islands, nominally to have Yin Zongxin establish military merit there,

but it was not entirely so.

Because Yin Zongxin had been stationed abroad for a long time and had lived continuously with the Princess, his thoughts, considerations, and concerns were closer to the court than to the Luzon Governor's Office, and furthermore, due to Yin Zhengmao's deliberate arrangements, no bond of sworn brotherhood had been established between Yin Zongxin and the Ten Tigers.

From the time Yin Zongxin was stationed at the garrison in Chijun Shangang, Yin Zhengmao had already been arranging his own posthumous affairs, and even earlier than that.

"It doesn't matter if they are unwilling; we'll take our time. When people stay in one place for a long time, they naturally develop attachments. Do not rush or pressure them, let alone threaten. We must speak with them one by one, inquiring into their specific thoughts." Wang Qian advised Yin Zongxin not to rush, for His Majesty had granted a full year.

Wang Qian felt somewhat guilty; he was indoctrinating Yin Zongxin, instilling in him the three psychological suggestions: 'We are our own people, our goal is to fulfill His Majesty's mission, and what we do is right,' and then built activities around this suggestion.

People can indeed be indoctrinated, but Wang Qian did not believe that if Luzon were to break away from Great Ming, it would have a good outcome.