Chapter 265: 263: The Ambition to Seal Langjuxu Is Too Small

The officials departed one after another, and Fang Shengchang was tasked with receiving people at the dock.

Fei Ruhe and Zou Guangdi were kept behind.

Zhao Han said abruptly, "The investigation into corruption and bribery will begin with the army — begin with the army's military judges and propaganda officers."

Fei Ruhe started in alarm. "I run a very tight ship. A few soldiers may have hidden things, but the officers absolutely could not have taken bribes."

"You think you're very clever?"

Zhao Han's face suddenly went cold. "And you let your subordinate commanders take everything offered, pooling the silver the merchants sent as military funds? You were saving me money for the war? Should I thank you and issue an army-wide commendation! I didn't bring it up before so you'd be convinced when the truth came out. Director Zou, take men and investigate the army at once!"

"At your command!" Zou Guangdi clasped his fists and left.

Fei Ruhe started to speak, then stopped. He did not feel he had done anything wrong.

"If you have something to say, say it. Don't stand there playing mute!" Zhao Han snapped.

Fei Ruhe explained, "These merchants are deeply entrenched. I'm a stranger here, I don't even have usable clerks under me. I figured I'd take the silver first to steady people's hearts, and it would also serve to mislead the merchants."

Zhao Han raised a hand. "Say no more. I didn't punish you when I arrived, and I won't punish you now. We'll wait for the Anti-Corruption Bureau's findings. I know that no matter how much you say now, you still won't admit you were wrong."

Fei Ruhe fell silent. He knew Zhao Han was angry — furious, even.

Because the Anti-Corruption Bureau could only oversee civil officials; army discipline, including corruption and bribery, was handled by the military judges.

By having the Anti-Corruption Bureau investigate the army now, Zhao Han clearly no longer trusted the military judges. Or rather, Zhao Han believed the military judges themselves were suspected of corruption, and so brought in the civil Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Whatever the investigation turned up, many officers were going to be demoted.

The head of Fei Ruhe's military judges would be the first held accountable. The best outcome, since they had just won a great victory, would be having merits and offenses cancel out and being reassigned. The worst outcome would be being stripped of all rank. If he had actually pocketed silver, it was a hundred percent beheading!

"You're not going anywhere. Stay and meet Zheng Zhilong with me," Zhao Han said.

"Fine." Fei Ruhe sighed inwardly. He was confined to quarters, just with his dignity left intact.

Ah, Brother Han had grown ever more inscrutable. He'd been in Guangzhou all these days, and only when the Anti-Corruption Bureau people arrived did he suddenly move to investigate army corruption.

Fei Ruhe's feelings were deeply mixed.

They waited a full two quarters of an hour, and still Zheng Zhilong had not come. Fei Ruhe finally calmed down and reflected. He realized he had gotten carried away. The string of great victories in recent days, and taking Guangzhou without a fight, had made him act willfully and forget the army regulations Zhao Han had laid down.

Apart from the quartermaster, no other army post was permitted to lay a hand on money!

Abruptly, Fei Ruhe said, "One man does the deed, one man bears it. Taking the merchants' money for the public purse — I ordered all of it. Old Liu, Old Yang, Old Chen" — the command, propaganda, and military justice system officers — "they all advised me against it at the time. Don't punish them. Everyone who came south on this campaign was hoping to earn merit. Because of what I did, the men who fought under me not only can't earn merit or reward, they'll be judged guilty and punished instead. I've truly let them down."

Hearing this, Zhao Han grew even angrier and rebuked him: "Is this outlaw brotherhood, or are you trying to buy men's hearts?"

"His mother's!"

At those cutting words, Fei Ruhe exploded. He stood and pointed at Zhao Han. "You and I have known each other ten years. What kind of man I, Fei Ruhe, am — do you, Zhao Han, still not know? I've already admitted I was wrong. One man does the deed, one man bears it. What more do you want from me before you let it rest?"

At his core, this fellow was a soldier-boss who lived by personal loyalty.

"Sit down!" Zhao Han barked.

Fei Ruhe's bull-headed temper flared. He stood there and refused to sit, glaring at Zhao Han with wide eyes.

The two stared each other down for a long moment, one seated, one standing. Fei Ruhe was the one to back down.

"Speak!"

Fei Ruhe dropped heavily into his seat.

Zhao Han asked, "What is your job?"

"Fighting wars," Fei Ruhe said.

Zhao Han repeated, "What is your job? Be clear."

Fei Ruhe said, "Southern Administrator of the Military Affairs Court."

Zhao Han asked again, "When you first followed me in revolt, what did you say your ideal was?"

"To do great things!"

Fei Ruhe suddenly stood again. "When I was young I didn't understand, but now I've thought it through. A true man born into a chaotic age should raise a three-foot sword and achieve unmatched deeds! Right now, Jiang Dashan is sweeping eastern Guangdong, Zhang Tieniu is sweeping western Guangdong — soon we'll have the whole territory of Guangdong. I hear we've also taken most of Huguang. Securing the south is only a matter of time. Once the south is pacified, we swear an oath and march north, destroy the court, the roving bandits, and the Tartars! I ask for nothing else — no wealth, no land. When the new dynasty is founded, there should be a Lingyan Pavilion. Whatever pavilion it is, put my name in it, and even if I die, this life will have been worth it!"

"I thought you'd forgotten about wanting to do great things," Zhao Han said mockingly.

"I'd never forget." Fei Ruhe sat back down.

Zhao Han said, "A state has its laws, an army has its regulations — nothing is accomplished without rules. As a commander of the Military Affairs Court, you are not some knight-errant of the jianghu. If you want to do great things, you cannot break the rules!"

Fei Ruhe explained, "I already said, this time I did wrong. Punish me, that's fine, but you can't chill the hearts of the officers and men below me. None of them have it easy, coming out to fight."

"Why are you being so unreasonable? I can't get through to you," Zhao Han swore. "Rules, rules — your mother's, do you understand what rules are or not?"

Fei Ruhe was silent for several breaths, then nodded. "I understand. I just feel I've let my subordinates down. If they're demoted or dismissed and I stay in this post, how could I have the face to lead troops into battle again?" He put on the stance of a barefaced rogue. "Brothers who eat from the same pot share good fortune and bad. If you dismiss anyone, dismiss me too. I'm not threatening you — I truly couldn't show my face. I was the one who started this!"

Fine. After all that talk, circling around, it was still that same outlaw brotherhood.

Zhao Han could only placate him. "It's not as serious as you think. As long as no one pocketed silver, I'll handle it properly. Everything must follow the rules. Chen Daihui is the Chief Military Judge of the Southern Military Affairs Court — he certainly can't stay in the army after this. I'll transfer him to a civil post. As for you... Jiang Dashan will take charge of the Southern Military Affairs Court, Jiang Liang will be promoted to Deputy Administrator, and you'll be temporarily stripped of rank but keep your troops."

"That works too. Stripped to the bottom, free and easy."

Fei Ruhe really did feel free and easy. Otherwise he truly couldn't face the officers and men under him.

And both men knew perfectly well that he would certainly be promoted back later.

The Military Affairs Court already had a Southern Court, a Northern Court, and a Central Court; an Eastern Court and a Western Court would be added in the future. It was essentially Zhu Yuanzhang's Five Chief Military Commissions — the name was changed only to avoid provoking the imperial court.

In another year or half a year, Fei Ruhe would again head a Military Affairs Court, though by then it would be as chief of the Eastern Court or the Western Court.

Zhao Han suddenly rose, went into the inner room, and brought out a map. Smiling, he said, "Look at this."

Fei Ruhe glanced at it. "A map of the four seas. Deng Yunjhan also presented me with a copy — said he traced it from a scholar's copy when he was traveling and studying in Hangzhou."

One copy of this thing was stored in the Forbidden City, titled the "Kunyu Wanguo Quantu."

The map template came from Matteo Ricci. Li Zhizao consulted ancient texts and replaced some of the place names from Africa to China with names from the Zheng He era, and others with names commonly used by Europeans.

There was no Australia; Central and South America were severely distorted; China's area appeared somewhat shrunken; and the island of Ryukyu was shown larger than Taiwan.

After studying it closely, Zhao Han discovered something even more interesting.

The place that should have been labeled "Egypt" was labeled on this map as "Babiluoniya," with a text note stating that its largest city was called "Menfeici."

Babylon, Memphis!

These two names were actually marked on the land of Egypt!

The map template Ricci used came from a sixteenth-century map. In just a few decades, on European world maps, "Babylon" had been replaced with "Egypt," and the capital "Memphis" had been replaced with "Cairo."

Was the map drawn wrong, or is there a problem with the history the Europeans have concocted?

"You want to do great things — I'll tell you what great things really are," Zhao Han said, spreading out the map and pointing to China's location. "Here is the Great Ming, here is Liaodong, here are the Mongols. We must not only replace the Great Ming, but also exterminate the Tartars and swallow up the Mongols. Then, recover Dongfan (Taiwan) and resettle people from every province to Dongfan and Qiongzhou (Hainan) to open up wasteland and farm. Next, take this place — it is called Annam, originally the Great Ming's Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Commission!"

At the talk of expanding territory, Fei Ruhe was instantly fired up and asked, "Will we take the Western Regions or not?"

"The Western Regions must of course be taken — that is the old territory of the Han and Tang!" Zhao Han said.

Fei Ruhe swallowed and said, "Where is Langjuxu?"

Zhao Han pointed toward the direction of the northern desert: "It should be around here — I can't make out the exact location."

"I'll be the one to strike here!"

Fei Ruhe's blood boiled as he declared, "From now on, no one is allowed to fight me for it — I'm going to fight all the way to Langjuxu Mountain!"

"No one will fight you for it," Zhao Han said, pointing to the Philippines. "Look here — a huge stretch of islands, all occupied by the lesser Folangji people. This is Luzon, a tributary state of the Great Ming. How can we let foreign barbarians steal and occupy it? In the future, we must take Luzon back!"

"Take it, take it," Fei Ruhe said, showing little interest in the Philippines. "Let the navy handle the taking — I only care about sealing Langjuxu."

"No grand ambition at all!" Zhao Han reproached him.

Fei Ruhe grew displeased: "Sealing Langjuxu is no grand ambition?"

Zhao Han pointed to India: "This is the land of India. The Folangji, a tiny little country, has already stolen and occupied vast coastal territories of India. It is said the soil of India is fertile — the arable land there exceeds even that of the Great Ming. Do you not wish to go and conquer it?"

"They're all uncivilized people beyond the pale — even if we took it, we couldn't govern it," Fei Ruhe said.

Zhao Han patiently guided him: "Since it is fertile land, we can naturally resettle people to farm it. As Han people migrate there while we simultaneously civilize the local populace, after several centuries, won't India become Han territory under heaven? When that time comes, how will future generations honor you and me?"

Fei Ruhe stared blankly at India, stunned. After a long silence, he asked, "The arable fertile land there truly exceeds that of the Great Ming?"

Zhao Han's tone was absolutely certain: "Absolutely true!"

"Fuck his mother!" Fei Ruhe slammed the table.

Just at that moment, Zheng Zhilong arrived.

(End of Chapter)