Chapter 172: The Power of Money Unleashed (For the Alliance Leader

Xu Ying's restaurant had moved. Though still in a poor location, it was now a two-story building.

He named it Shunde Tower.

Its reputation had gradually spread, and even the vegetable farmers outside the Jinxian Gate had begun planting chili peppers in large quantities. Simply because Shunde Tower's business was good, other restaurants followed suit and started using chili peppers too, causing a sharp surge in demand for them in Nanchang.

In a private room upstairs, a group of scholars were gathered.

The restaurant Xu Ying had opened had already become the headquarters of the "Returned Natives Society."

The Returned Natives Society's membership kept growing, including scholars from the newly occupied Linjiang Prefecture, many of whom had fled to Nanchang to get by.

Before all the dishes had been served, the society head Xiao Puyun said in a low voice, "Governor Li is probably going to leave Jiangxi."

"After suffering such a crushing defeat, he can't stay even if he wanted to. He'll likely be recalled to the capital to answer for his crimes!" said a scholar named Chen Heming.

Xu Ying asked curiously, "If Governor Li leaves, who will go suppress the rebels in Raozhou?"

Although the rebels in Raozhou Prefecture held little territory and were not causing much of a stir, that was the Prince of Huai's domain.

The Prince of Huai was named Zhu Yiju, the same name as a Prince of Jing from over a hundred years ago. One could only say they had been far too careless in choosing the name, for even such an obscure name managed to collide.

Zhu Yiju was in his thirties this year, and he himself had managed to flee quickly. But the previous Prince of Huai's consort and concubines, as well as his own consort and concubines, including his four-year-old legitimate eldest son, had all been captured by the peasant rebel army.

As for their fate, it went without saying.

This matter was just as troublesome as the Zhao rebel in Luling. In order to atone for his crimes, Li Maofang had thrown all his strength into suppressing the rebels in Raozhou.

Xiao Puyun smiled and said, "The Raozhou rebels are already finished."

"It's only been a little over a month since the troops were dispatched to suppress them, and the Raozhou rebels have already been wiped out? They were far too fragile," a scholar named Lu Yu could not resist remarking with sarcasm.

"Do you take all rebels to be that Zhao Yan of Luling?" The speaker was none other than Zuo Xiaocheng, that fellow who had fled to Nanchang.

That was the one topic no one wanted brought up. As soon as the words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

That Zhao rebel in Luling was truly detestable. He had already defeated two successive governors, and no one knew when he could finally be wiped out.

After an awkward silence, Xu Ying hurriedly eased the atmosphere: "Eat, eat, quickly try our house's poached beef in chili broth. This beef is not easy to come by; we only managed to buy two catties yesterday."

"Yes, yes, let's eat!" Xiao Puyun also said.

The earlier Chen Heming asked, "Since Governor Li has already wiped out the Raozhou rebels, which is an act of atonement, why do you still say Governor Li is leaving?"

Xiao Puyun smiled and said, "Censor Chen's impeachment memorial already reached the capital at the beginning of the year, before the battle against the Zhao rebel had even begun. Censor Chen impeached Governor Li, accusing him of fleecing the people and lining his own pockets under the pretext of training troops. After Governor Li's defeat, Censor Chen investigated the reasons and further impeached Governor Li for allowing his troops to plunder Linjiang Prefecture, causing the common people to hate the government troops and join the rebels. Yesterday afternoon, a messenger and imperial guards arrived in Nanchang by boat, most likely targeting the governor."

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and Xu Ying went to open it himself.

A scholar rushed in, panting heavily. He scooped a spoonful of soup to moisten his throat and said, "A major incident has occurred. Jiangxi Regional Commander Li Ruolian has been demoted and recalled to the capital. The Jiujiang Military Defense Assistant Commissioner Wang Siren has been demoted to County Magistrate of Qianjiang."

Everyone looked at each other, completely baffled by the situation.

Clearly, this battle was a great defeat, and the Governor of Jiangxi should bear the primary responsibility. Why were the Regional Commander and the Assistant Commissioner being punished instead?

It was very simple. Li Maofang had deployed his money power.

All the officials of the Jiangxi Provincial Administration, Surveillance, and Judicial Commissions spoke in Li Maofang's defense. Many ministers in the imperial court also spoke in Li Maofang's defense.

The Chief Grand Secretary Wen Tiren did not take a single penny for himself, nor did he accept bribes. But his partisans and allies were each greedier than the last. Wen Tiren said not a single word about the Jiangxi affair.

Although Wang Siren was a member of the Donglin Faction, many in the Donglin Faction at court had also accepted silver and were unwilling to speak up for Wang Siren.

The Donglin Faction was a motley mix, with internal conflicts among its members, and could be divided with silver.

For this defeat, Wang Siren took the biggest blame. The court determined that he had feared the enemy and fled, and that the naval defeat had triggered the main army's collapse. Li Ruolian was charged with incompetent command, his soldiers burning, killing, and looting the common people. Li Maofang pinned all the things he himself had done squarely onto Li Ruolian.

Of course, as the chief official, Li Maofang could not escape punishment entirely.

Demoted one rank, his salary reduced by six piculs, yet continuing to serve as Governor of Jiangxi, ordered to atone for his crimes through meritorious service — this was the court's disposition of Li Maofang.

"Bang!"

Xiao Puyun slammed the table in fury: "Li Maofang is utterly incompetent. If he remains as governor, when will the Zhao rebel ever be wiped out?"

"His Majesty… His Majesty must have been deceived by treacherous ministers," Lu Yu slumped in his chair, as if all his strength had been drained away.

The scholars of the Returned Natives Society were all utterly bewildered at this moment, not understanding what had become of the world.

The one they trusted most was Wang Siren, and they considered Li Maofang a fool, yet the court had done the exact opposite.

The scholar who had rushed over last to deliver the news added, "The court also issued an edict: for juren from Ji'an, Linjiang, and other prefectures whose hometowns have been occupied by bandits, the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commission must provide travel funds for them to go to the capital for the examinations."

Xiao Puyun was moved to tears: "His Majesty still thinks of us Jiangxi scholars. It is the treacherous ministers at court who have ruined the situation. In two years' time, I shall certainly have my name inscribed on the golden roster, and at the Palace Banquet for new jinshi, I will personally tell His Majesty the truth!"

"We place all our hopes on Brother Xiao!" Everyone rose and bowed with clasped hands.

Among these members of the Returned Natives Society, Xiao Puyun was the only juren.

Although Liu Tongsheng had also fled to Nanchang, he stayed at home studying diligently, single-mindedly hoping to turn his fortunes around through the imperial examinations. This was also the thinking of many juren: their lands were gone, and the Zhao rebel was not easy to wipe out, so they would put all their effort into passing the jinshi exam, perhaps allowing them to purchase land elsewhere.

Xu Ying suddenly produced a copy of The Great Unity Collection: "A merchant friend of mine, while passing through Ji'an Prefecture, was forced by the Zhao rebel to buy The Great Unity Collection. What this book contains is utterly seditious. Gentlemen, please pass it around and read it here."

The crowd immediately gathered around. After a long while, they finally finished reading, and then erupted into furious curses.

Among its contents, the "Discourse on the Mandate of Heaven" and the "Discourse on Family, State, and All under Heaven" openly put forth theories of rebellion. This stuff was absolutely terrifying.

Xu Ying said, "This book is not long. We can refute it point by point, pool funds to print several hundred copies of the refuted version, and distribute them to the students of the prefectural school. Let all the scholars of Nanchang Prefecture see just what malicious intent that Zhao rebel harbors!"

Xiao Puyun asked suspiciously, "Won't some people read this book and join the rebels?"

"The students of the prefectural school all read the books of sages. How could they be deluded by the Zhao rebel?" Xu Ying said. "Moreover, we are not printing the original text. We will draw on collective wisdom and refute these words that bring calamity to the nation, sentence by sentence. With our commentary, how could any educated man still fail to understand reason?"

Xiao Puyun hesitated for a long time, and finally made the decision: "Good, let's do it!"

In the evening, Xu Ying returned to his residence.

The young widow, Madam Liu, had already prepared the meal, and had even hired a maidservant.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, she immediately rushed out to greet him, her face full of smiles: "Uncle is back. The meal is ready. Will Uncle eat now, or rest for a while?"

"I'll rest a bit. Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law," Xu Ying said, somewhat afraid to face Madam Liu directly.

The two lived under the same roof, and being a handsome man and a beautiful woman, it was inevitable that feelings would develop over time.

Madam Liu had been especially passionate lately, which made Xu Ying feel a bit fearful. He was afraid he might lose control; the charm of a young widow was truly terrifying.

Xu Ying waited a short while in his study, and Huang Daliang finally returned. He came in to report: "Young master, Uncle-in-law has gone into business with the Li clan of Nanchang and sent some assistants to help. These assistants are all working in the Li clan's commercial firm. Uncle-in-law said to first establish footholds in Nanjing, Zhenjiang, and Yangzhou, sending four men to each, twelve men in total. Of the remaining assistants, send four to Jiujiang, and keep the rest here in Nanchang."

"I understand. Go make the arrangements — I want to meet these fellows," Xu Ying said with a nod.

Thump, thump, thump!

A knock came at the door, and Mrs. Liu called from outside, "Uncle, the food is going cold."

"Coming," Xu Ying said with a smile as he opened the door.

That very night, Xu Ying began refuting The Great Unity Collection line by line, deliberately making his logic a tangled mess while still giving it a veneer of plausibility — in short, a whole lot of rambling nonsense.

Xu Ying not only wanted to spread The Great Unity Collection in Nanchang, he also intended to make those scholars of the Return-to-the-Hometown Society pay to have it printed.

Several days later, before he had even finished his refutation, Xu Ying already obtained definite news and sent a secret letter to Zhao Han: "Governor Li Maofang is to remain in Jiangxi. Gansu Regional Commander Yang Jiamo is transferred to serve as Jiangxi Regional Commander. Dong Xiangheng, a vice bureau director of the Ministry of Personnel, is transferred to serve as Jiangzhou Circuit Intendant."

These appointments showed that although the grandees at court had taken Li Maofang's silver, they were at the same time now taking Zhao Han with the utmost seriousness.

Yang Jiamo was Gansu Regional Commander, assistant commissioner of the Chief Military Commission of the Rear Army, and General of the Swift Cavalry. He had long campaigned against roving bandits alongside Cao Wenzhao. Now, with the northern war growing desperate, transferring such a "fierce general" to Jiangxi could be considered giving Zhao Han considerable face.

But then again, if he had kept company with Cao Wenzhao, he could surely keep company with Li Maofang as well. The people of Jiangxi were bound to learn firsthand what was meant by "soldiers passing through comb finer than a fine-toothed comb."

Cao Wenzhao was indeed ferocious in battle, but he was just as ferocious in slaughtering civilians. A children's rhyme recorded it: "Better the roving bandits come to loot, than let Cao's troops bar the route. The bandits' looting has its bound, Cao's soldiers' harm knows no ground. The bandits seize the people's wealth, Cao's soldiers take the people's lives themselves."

As for Dong Xiangheng, who was replacing Wang Siren, he came from the Donglin Faction and was likewise a formidable man.

When Dong Xiangheng served as Regional Inspector in Shandong, he dared to ride alone into a rebel stronghold and order the rebels to surrender at once. Later, serving as Circuit Intendant in Fujian, he took part in suppressing the southern Fujian uprisings and performed with great distinction.

Incidentally, Dong Xiangheng was a kinsman of Dong Qichang.

When Zhao Han received the secret letter, he immediately went to consult Li Banghua.

Li Banghua frowned and said, "This Yang Jiamo — his military discipline is utterly corrupt, and he habitually murders innocents to claim credit. The troops under his command do fight with real courage, but the moment they meet a setback they are prone to flee. Now that he is transferred here as Jiangxi Regional Commander, he will certainly bring his household retainers with him. When it comes to battle, we must guard against cavalry charging our lines. You may order the weapons bureau to recruit carpenters and build war chariots to withstand cavalry."

Yang Jiamo's household retainers were Gansu cavalrymen to a man. Although Jiangxi's crisscrossing waterways would prevent cavalry from making long-distance raids, at critical moments they could still prove decisive.

This was because the people of Jiangxi had never seen a cavalry charge. Suddenly confronted with such a terrifying sight, they were very likely to collapse from sheer fright.

When Li Maofang and Wang Siren went to relieve Fengyang, they were exactly thus frightened by Zhang Xianzhong's cavalry — the Jiangxi troops began fleeing before they had even engaged the enemy.

Li Banghua added, "As for Dong Xiangheng, though I know of the man, I do not know the measure of his ability."

What he meant was: a mere junior, their time working together had been brief, and there had been no real close contact.

Zhao Han immediately ordered the construction of war chariots — which were, in essence, movable chevaux-de-frise. Their functions, however, were highly versatile: on the march they could carry provisions and arms, and in battle they could be placed before the lines to hold off cavalry.

At the same time, the great battle in Linjiang Prefecture finally spread throughout all of Jiangxi. The name of Heavenly King Zhao was now enough to stop little children from crying at night.

Yanshan County, at the easternmost edge of Jiangxi, now received the news as well — and Fei Yinghuan had returned home!

(End of chapter)