Chapter 132: Questioning the Officials

At Tongcheng's Xiangyang Gate, Pang Yu stood on the city tower, his hand touching a blackened city brick.

Zilai Street outside the wall had been burned into a stretch of ruins, with many common folk picking through it, seeing if they could find anything still usable.

A scattering of farmers were selling crops by the roadside; nearly all the villages within twenty li of Tongcheng had been destroyed, and most of these farmers came from beyond that twenty-li radius.

The condition of the official road was better than Pang Yu had imagined, because the roving bandits had advanced very quickly, and aside from a few of their camp grounds, most of the areas along the official road were not severely damaged.

In the direction of Lujiang and Anqing, the official road once clamorous with carts and horses was now completely cut off from traveling merchants; apart from constables delivering messages and a handful of farmers, there were almost no travelers.

Below the city gate were two congee sheds set up by the county office, with some of the city's gentry donating grain. The common folk who had taken refuge in the city from the bandits were returning home one after another, but a large portion soon came back to the county seat, because their villages had mostly been burned down. With no food and no shelter back home, they could not even sustain their survival and could only return to the county seat to settle temporarily.

"Ruan Jin, on this journey of yours, do not rush your travel on the road. Inquire carefully all along the official road and around the towns and cities. On these several points, I need you to put in extra effort."

Ruan Jin's head was wrapped in bandages, and his face looked somewhat haggard. The night of the raid, he too had swum across the Tong Stream River, heading west into the mountains in the darkness, and only returned to the city after the roving bandits had withdrawn.

When he came back to the city, he was wearing a set of farmer's clothes, still stained with blood, and had a sword wound on his head. What he reported to Pang Yu was that the clothes were found in the Sanqing Temple on the mountain; as for the exact details, Pang Yu did not question him closely. That Ruan Jin had come back alive was already a great relief to him.

Ruan Jin cupped his hands and said, "Squad Leader, please give your instructions."

"First, the distance between each of the roving bandits' campsites. Second, observe the camp layouts — whether there are trenches, whether there are camp walls, the spacing between each camp, and the extent of destruction around the campsites. You must see these with your own eyes and record the distances. Third, for the prefectural and county cities, what siege equipment the roving bandits used, whether it was the same as at Tongcheng, how long they stayed at each city, the extent of surrounding destruction, their siege methods, and the number of casualties. Fourth, record important bridges along the way, noting whether they are stone or wooden bridges. Fifth, the arrival time of the roving bandits' vanguard, and how much earlier it arrived than their main force. Sixth, the names and designations of each roving bandit group…"

"This… Squad Leader, your subordinate fears he cannot remember so many key points. Your subordinate cannot read."

Pang Yu nodded and said, "A clerk will accompany you, borrowed from the Household Office. Anything you cannot remember clearly, you can ask him. Whatever needs recording, have him write it down. Look more, record more."

Hearing that the clerk was borrowed from the Household Office, Ruan Jin was slightly taken aback. In the past, clerks from the Household Office always strutted around the yamen with their noses in the air; when had they ever been assigned to serve runners like them?

"Originally, this would be a job for the mounted runners, but at present there are no mounted runners available in the city, so I can only send you on this trip. In short, everything related to the roving bandits, you must record it. Spare no trouble over the details, spare no effort over the thoroughness."

Ruan Jin hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Whatever task the Squad Leader assigns, your subordinate ought to handle it well. Should your subordinate travel to the border of Nanzhili, or continue into Henan?"

"Only to the border of Nanzhili. Shucheng, Luzhou, Shouzhou, and Fengyang must be reached."

"Your subordinate understands. But this is only the north. For the prefectures and counties to the south, should I go there after returning?"

Pang Yu shook his head. "If Jiang Fan returns, I will assign him to do that. If he does not return… I will go myself."

The two fell silent for a moment. The Fast Squad had suffered devastating losses this time, especially the mounted runners. Only three men remained usable in the yamen. The relay couriers at several post stations along the official road had long since fled, so even delivering letters to Anqing required using mounted runners. All three had already been dispatched, leaving not a single mounted runner in the yamen. For Ruan Jin's northward reconnaissance this time, they had even borrowed County Vice-Magistrate Zhou's allocated horse.

Ruan Jin raised his eyes to look at Pang Yu and asked, "When might that clerk be able to depart?"

Pang Yu glanced toward the north and saw Tang Weimin approaching from the direction of Dongzuo Gate. He turned to Ruan Jin and said, "Within two days, it should be possible. This journey will take no short amount of time; first, settle your household affairs."

Ruan Jin acknowledged and was about to leave, but Pang Yu called him back. "The roving bandits have not been gone long, and it is still unknown whether they might return. On this journey, your first priority is to ensure your own safety. If a city's gates are not open, do not stay at roadside inns. Lodge some distance away from the official road. Giving some silver to stay in a farmer's home is also fine. Stay alert at night."

Ruan Jin bowed and said, "Your subordinate understands. Thank you, Squad Leader."

After Ruan Jin left, Pang Yu walked north to meet the approaching Tang Weimin.

When the two met, Tang Weimin's face was troubled. He waved away a clerk who had been following behind him, then stood before the battlements and said, "Mr. Sun told me today that during this city defense, every granary was completely empty, down to the last grain. His Honor is extremely furious. I fear…"

Tang Weimin paused here, looked forward and back to ensure no one was nearby, then lowered his voice. "I fear he will use the opportunity of reviewing merit for the city defense to also investigate this matter."

Pang Yu leaned against the battlements and said, "Times are different now. In the past, if there was no grain in the granaries, so be it — it wouldn't cost lives. Now, with roving bandits running rampant, the moment there is an alert, they can besiege a city within days. Once the fleeing common folk from the surrounding area arrive, the city's population multiplies several times over normal. The yamen must always be prepared. This time the siege was short. Had it lasted ten days or half a month, the city's grain shops would not have held out. Without grain, there is no city."

Tang Weimin frowned and said, "Who could have expected the roving bandits would truly come? You were right, Little Brother Pang. But now, what wasn't lacking is lacking. The congee sheds outside the city are using grain donated by the gentry. The way things look now, who knows how long the congee sheds will need to operate. Once that grain is eaten, His Honor will certainly be even more furious."

"For now, first think of a way to transfer some grain here to relieve His Honor's most urgent crisis. Only then can we address the matter of the several granaries being empty."

"That matter is not difficult. Yesterday, Tang sent a lictor to Zongyang. The grain merchants at the docks have some stockpiles. Tomorrow, I will send men to buy some. It's just that there is not much silver in the treasury either, so we cannot purchase a great deal."

Pang Yu rubbed his forehead and said, "I will speak with Wang Wenyao and Yao Feisun, have them come forward and seek more donations from the gentry. But Tang, you are in charge of rations and pay. Donations are no long-term solution; rations and pay must ultimately come from the yamen. That there was no grain during this city defense, His Honor's fury is entirely reasonable. Someone will have to bear it, but it certainly won't be you, Tang. Whoever was watching the granaries — it will be them."

Tang Weimin let out a breath. Tongcheng had held out, after all. The granaries being empty had not started under his watch, and he reckoned the likelihood of Yang Erming moving against him was slim. Hearing Pang Yu say this put him even more at ease. Looking out at the area beyond the city, he said coolly, "The grain is gone — the granary keepers cannot shirk their responsibility. The treasury is empty — the treasury keepers cannot escape the blame."

"I, your brother, think the same. Let's not even speak of the previous granary reserves. Right before the Spring Festival, a collection of ben se was made to replenish the reserve granary, and within less than a month, the stores vanished into thin air. Moreover, I had already warned him in advance; at that time, there were already bandit alerts."

Tang Weimin said coldly, "Since someone is so incapable of appreciating kindness, Tang cannot keep him around."

In the course of their conversation, the fates of several granary keepers were sealed. The matter of empty granaries had always been like this — nothing new in the yamen. But when it came to a major event like a roving bandit invasion, it was impossible for no one to take the fall. Tang Weimin needed to protect himself, so naturally, he could only make an example of the granary keepers.

"Then tomorrow, I will trouble Little Brother Pang to bring a few runners and conduct another inspection of the reserve granary and the ever-normal granary with Tang."

Pang Yu cupped his hands. "At your disposal, Tang."

Tang Weimin had matters weighing on his mind and hastily cupped his hands in farewell to Pang Yu. Pang Yu stood a while longer on the city tower. Beyond the walls, devastation met the eye everywhere. Who knew how many years it would take to recover the prosperity that had existed before the war.

Turning around, he descended the city tower. Pang Ding was already waiting at the city stairs. He came over and said in a low voice, "Young Master, Zhuang Chaozheng came to speak just now. A total of thirty-four men from the Zhuang Squad want to leave. For those who died in battle, the yamen cannot produce any silver. The family dependents of several of them are making trouble outside the Ye Family Old Residence."

Pang Yu nodded, and without the slightest hesitation, said, "Understood. For those who want to leave, settle their monthly silver with them. After all, they helped defend Tongcheng; it is what they are due."

"But the yamen has no silver…"

"Have Liu Shopkeeper allocate some silver and settle with them first. For those who died in battle, giving relief silver is also only right. It's just… the yamen should be the one to pay it. This sum of silver is not small. We have the silver, but it is not convenient for us to provide it openly. I will think further on how to handle it. First, settle those family dependents. What else is there?"

"Ruan Dacheng's carriage has entered the city. He invites you to meet him at his residence."

Pang Yu said nothing more and headed directly for Ruan Dacheng's residence within the city. He soon arrived at the gate. The household servants, having participated in the city defense this time, all recognized Pang Yu and led him straight to the study.

Ruan Dacheng had a ruddy complexion. Seeing Pang Yu, he let out a hearty laugh and strode over. "This old man said it — with a stalwart like Squad Leader Pang here, Tongcheng would certainly hold. As expected, Squad Leader Pang took charge of the city defenses; the chief merit for the defense should be yours."

Pang Yu cupped his hands in greeting and shook his head with a smile. "Thanks to your good fortune, Ruan Xiansheng, we barely held on. But the losses were also quite severe. I feel somewhat ashamed before the people of Tongcheng."

"Pang Xiaoyou, you must not unduly belittle yourself."

The two took their seats as host and guest. Once the household servants had served tea, only the two of them remained in the study.

Ruan Dacheng was just about to ask about the merit-reporting document and was still organizing his words when, unexpectedly, Pang Yu spoke first.

"I would like to ask your advice on a matter, Ruan Xiansheng."

Ruan Dacheng said patiently, "Pang Xiaoyou, speak freely. Whatever this old man knows, he will surely tell you without reservation."

"I wish to become an official. Ultimately, is a civil post better or a military post better, and what are the respective paths to each?"