Chapter 140: Garrison Commander

The pagoda stood outside the Zongyang Gate overlooking the river. From a distance it rose a full several dozen meters high — since arriving in the Ming dynasty, Pang Yu had never seen such a towering structure. On his two previous trips to Anqing, he had always entered through the north gate, finished his business at the prefectural office, and returned straight to Tongcheng, so he had never laid eyes on it.

"'Pagoda Shadow Across the River,' one of the Ten Scenic Sights of Huaining — that is this very spot. The pagoda is named Yingjiang Temple Pagoda (Note: Zhenfeng Pagoda). Some busybodies claim that before our dynasty, Anqing never produced a Zhuangyuan because the river current was too swift and the literary wind unsteady, so a pagoda had to be built to anchor it. Thus in the second year of the Longqing reign this pagoda was first erected. Once night falls, its lanterns blaze bright and can serve as a beacon on the river — who knows how many boatmen it has saved. That is the compassion of the Buddha. But that Zhuangyuan never appeared. By the forty-seventh year of the Wanli reign, the pagoda body had suffered much damage. My granduncle, together with Wu Yingzhong and others, raised funds to restore it. And sure enough, in the first year of the Chongzhen reign, Huaining produced its Zhuangyuan." Ruan Dacheng let out a hearty laugh, his face showing self-satisfaction. "Tell me, Pang Xiaoyou — doesn't my granduncle deserve some credit for that Zhuangyuan?"

Pang Yu was still gazing at the illuminated pagoda. After growing so accustomed to single-story buildings these days, suddenly seeing such a tall man-made structure stirred a fair bit of awe in his heart — especially with all those lights blazing. However, from the angle of Zhongjiang Tower, the pagoda's reflection in the river was not visible, so the "Pagoda Shadow Across the River" lost some of its charm.

Hearing Ruan Dacheng's words now, Pang Yu said with surprise, "Such a miraculous affair! And where, may I ask, does this Zhuangyuan hold office now?"

"His name is Liu Ruozai. After earning Zhuangyuan, he was immediately appointed Expositor-in-Waiting at the Hanlin Academy, later serving as Court Diarist for the daily lectures. Now he is already a Reader-in-Waiting, often in attendance at His Majesty's side." Ruan Dacheng stroked his full beard and said to Pang Yu with a mysterious air, "The current Chief Grand Secretary, Wen Tiren, was also a lecture official back in the day. The rank is not high, but the value lies in proximity to the Emperor. When the Emperor has some difficulty, he usually won't ask the Grand Secretaries, because the Grand Secretaries are deep schemers with vested interests. Some words spoken behind the scenes — those he asks of the lecture officials he sees every day. As the saying goes, capital officials are as numerous as ox hairs, but those who can speak in the Emperor's presence are exceedingly few. A Reader-in-Waiting — that is a true close minister."

Pang Yu's eyes lit up. This sounded like an imperial secretary, or some sort of academic advisor. He had heard before that Sun Lin's elder brother was in the Censorate, and the gentry of Tongcheng all regarded Sun Lin with newfound respect — but compared to this Liu Ruozai, that seemed to fall a bit short.

The name sounded like he might be related to Liu Ruogu, but after a moment's thought Pang Yu dismissed the idea. If Liu Ruogu and this high-level secretary were actually close kin, there would have been no need for Liu Ruozai to even say a word — the local powers would have long since flocked to curry favor with Liu Ruogu. He would never have needed to go work for Wu Yingqi.

Pang Yu offered some flattery. "I never imagined Huaining had produced so many talents."

Ruan Dacheng smiled. "As it happens, I have some slight connection to this Liu Ruozai."

Pang Yu promptly raised his cup to toast Ruan Dacheng. He noticed that after drinking, Ruan Dacheng's guard dropped considerably. The last time they spoke of drilling troops in Tongcheng, Ruan had merely suggested Pang Yu seek out He Ruchong and Sun Lin, never once mentioning this Liu Ruozai — yet today, without Pang Yu even asking, he brought him up.

"Liu Ruozai is precisely my granduncle's son-in-law." Ruan Dacheng's expression showed a trace of pride. He pointed at the brilliantly lit Yingjiang Temple Pagoda. "The very granduncle who restored this pagoda. Such a coincidence! The common folk all say that when Granduncle repaired this pagoda, he was repairing it for his own family — he brought the Zhuangyuan's blessing right into his own house. Ha ha ha!"

Pang Yu did the calculation — that made Liu Ruozai equivalent to an uncle of Ruan Dacheng's generation. In his dealings with Ruan Dacheng, Pang Yu had noticed that in casual moments, Ruan would always bring up Huaining's several great families — names like Liu and Wu, all high gates and great houses passing down classical learning through the generations. People without official examination rank could not enter that circle.

Before, Pang Yu had only known in the abstract that feudal society selected talent through the imperial examinations, but living in this era now, he felt the importance of the exams viscerally. They not only determined one's prospects in officialdom but also defined one's level in the social hierarchy. Even though Ruan Dacheng treated Pang Yu well, when hosting him, he would not invite people from other families to gather — because Pang Yu's status did not yet grant him entry to that circle.

Although Ruan Dacheng had offended the Donglin Party by picking the wrong side, he could still hold a place in the Shi Lin, and that was inseparable from this kind of circle. Such social standing and connections usually took two or three generations to form — for the current Pang Yu, it was still far too remote.

Pang Yu raised his cup in toast. After setting it down, he said, "Both of Anqing's tall towers are connected to your granduncle. To be able to drink wine in this tower today — I, too, am basking in your esteemed ancestor's reflected glory. If your granduncle was already so remarkable, then that nephew who earned Presented Scholar the same year as him, as you mentioned earlier — by my reckoning, that nephew would be a paternal uncle to you, Ruan Xiansheng. He must also be an extraordinary figure."

"That nephew who earned Presented Scholar the same year as my granduncle — that was my father. In those years, my father had no sons of his own. I was adopted into his line; my birth father is my father's own brother." Ruan Dacheng's gaze grew somewhat distant. "My father's taboo name was Yi Troops. In our Ruan family, my great-grandfather was also a Presented Scholar and once served as Grand Coordinator. My grandfather did not fare well in the examinations, and compared to his brothers, his family circumstances were merely ordinary, so he made my father study diligently. My father was assiduous in learning, fond of inquiry, and widely read. That year, he and my granduncle passed the Presented Scholar together, winning great face for my grandfather. After that, my father was always serving as an official away from home. I was raised by my grandfather, and just as he had once pressed my father, he made me study diligently — I was to become an official, pass down classical learning, and bring glory to the family name..."

He stopped there and said no more. Pang Yu gave an "Oh" of understanding. He had not expected the Ruan family to have already been wealthy for three generations.

From that short account of Ruan Dacheng's, Pang Yu could guess the story: since Ruan's great-grandfather had been a Presented Scholar who became a high official, he naturally favored the sons who were good at their studies. Ruan Dacheng's grandfather had likely been slighted within the family, and so his demands on both his son and grandson were the same — study hard and rise above the rest.

What was more, Ruan Dacheng was adopted, holding the status of an heir. Pang Yu even suspected that Ruan Dacheng's birth father might not have been much of a scholar, which was why the grandfather had the clever Ruan Dacheng adopted into the line of the son who had passed the Presented Scholar. That special status likely had a great influence on shaping Ruan Dacheng's values.

Thinking of it this way, it was only natural that Ruan Dacheng, from his childhood circumstances, had developed an addiction to officialdom.

Pang Yu toasted him again. Ruan Dacheng's face was somewhat flushed, but his state was clearly good — he was probably a bit lightheaded, yet without any physical discomfort, exactly the state many drinkers enjoy most. Today, on the verge of leaving his hometown and having drunk quite a bit, he had even told Pang Yu so much about his personal background.

Ruan Dacheng set down his cup and continued, "Since childhood, I too studied with such diligence. I passed the Juren at seventeen and the Presented Scholar at twenty-nine — I did not disgrace my father. That year, the Fang family's Fang Kongzhao and Fang Datong both earned Presented Scholar in the same cohort. Fang Kongzhao and I got along the best. Just a few years ago, Fang Yizhi even made a special trip to Huaining to hear my granduncle lecture on the 'Li Sao.' Our ties with the Fang family go back generations. That year, Fang Kongzhao placed the highest, entering the Second Class. In the Third Class, I ranked tenth. Behind me was Hou Xun, then Li Chunye, and further down, Wei Dazhong. Wei Dazhong..."

When Ruan Dacheng began speaking of the Presented Scholar, the light in his eyes flickered repeatedly. At the end, he repeated Wei Dazhong's name several times, and his expression grew complicated. He did not continue, but picked up his cup and drank on his own. From the moment he mentioned his granduncle Ruan Zihua onward, he had not taken a single bite of food — only kept drinking steadily.

Pang Yu only knew that the Fang family kept Ruan Dacheng at arm's length — Fang Kongzhao maintained surface courtesy, while Fang Yizhi kept a respectful distance. As for the matter of Wei Dazhong, he had only heard Ruan Dacheng allude to it, but as for the specifics, Pang Yu had never inquired in detail.

Ruan Dacheng's mood had fallen; he was probably recalling some past events.

Pang Yu offered some consolation. "Ruan Xiansheng, you are brimming with classical learning. Going to Nanjing, a place where culture and talent converge, its influence far surpasses Anqing. There will always come a time when you are restored to office."

Ruan Dacheng shook his head. "The realm is now in turmoil. What the Emperor values most is frontier talent. Ever since the Tartars raided the Capital, the Emperor has distanced himself from the Donglin and employed Lone Ministers. The Donglin have been weakening ever since. Zhang Pu of the Restoration Society could not even remain in the Capital and had to use the pretext of mourning to flee back to Jiangnan. Without the Emperor's tacit approval behind the scenes, Wen Tiren could never have managed that. This alone reveals the truth. So-called 'culture' — in times of peace, it is used to govern the world and benefit the people. In times like these, those who can plan campaigns and wage war find greater favor."

"But you, sir, can discuss military strategy and swordsmanship — that ability you do possess. This time..." Pang Yu started to say, then felt it was inappropriate and stopped mid-sentence.

This time, after Ruan Dacheng returned to Tongcheng, he had still wanted a share of the military merits. Pang Yu had put in effort at the county office, but Yang Erming remained noncommittal. However, thanks to Pang Yu's publicity efforts, Ruan Dacheng had gained some good reputation among the common people of Tongcheng — but the actual tangible benefits he had not obtained.

Later, when Mr. Ma arrived, Ruan Dacheng hurried over to pay his respects, but after his calling card was delivered, Mr. Ma did not even see him.

Mr. Ma was merely an advisor to the Grand Coordinator. His standing in the examination hierarchy was worlds apart from Ruan Dacheng's. Even Zhang Guowei was only a Presented Scholar of the second year of the Tianqi reign, while Ruan Dacheng had already risen to Supervising Secretary by then and become a key figure in the Donglin faction.

One mistake in picking sides, and he had fallen to the point where even an advisor to Zhang Guowei could refuse to see him. Ruan Dacheng naturally felt some dejection.

Sure enough, Ruan Dacheng shook his head and said, "Pang Xiaoyou has already done his utmost. It was I who was overly impatient in my desire to serve the nation. I can blame no one else."

Hearing this, Pang Yu felt somewhat embarrassed. He had accepted over a thousand taels of silver from Ruan Dacheng in total, yet had been unable to add Ruan's name to the Detailed Report of merits. He had tried to return the money, but Ruan had refused to take it back.

Ruan Dacheng raised his eyes to look at Pang Yu. "Pang Xiaoyou earlier asked me about civil and military officials. Having heard my past today, you should understand that the path of the examinations is no easy one. In this day and age, one must cultivate both civil and military skills to win the imperial favor. Pang Xiaoyou quelled civil unrest — that has already reached the imperial ear. This recent severe blow to the Roving Bandits is an even more illustrious military achievement. If you truly enter a military appointment, a boundless future is by no means impossible. That is why I support your idea of making a donation for National University and taking up a military post."

Pang Yu looked at the tabletop and said, "What you say is reasonable, sir, but how it will ultimately turn out has yet to be decided. I have also made inquiries. Near Anqing, there is only the Garrison Commander position, which has always been responsible for river defense. At present, that Garrison Commander post is occupied by Pan Keda — he only got it last time by basking in the glory of suppressing the Tongcheng Uprising. This Garrison Commander post does not seem particularly important."

"That Garrison Commander is indeed a bit low. Having lived in Huaining for many years, I am quite familiar with this military post. The Anqing Garrison Commander is under the jurisdiction of the Anchi Military Defense Circuit, commanding five hundred water troops and the warships of his own camp, primarily responsible for guarding against river bandits, mine bandits, and salt smugglers in the area from Anqing to Jiujiang. He therefore also holds authority over the two Guard Posts at Anqing and Jiujiang — though those Guard Posts are not even worth mentioning. Even that five-hundred-man Water Camp — its soldiers and boats are mostly diverted for grain transport duties, engaging in smuggling all along the way. It is no wonder that river bandits and salt bandits run rampant these days."

The effects of the wine were rising to Pang Yu's head; his gaze was somewhat unfocused. Suddenly he looked up and asked, "You just said, sir, that the Anqing Garrison Commander also holds authority over the Jiujiang Guard Post?"

"Indeed. Jiujiang and Anqing are both critical points on the Great River. During the Rebellion of the Prince of Ning back then, Jiujiang collapsed at the first touch, while Anqing held as firm as a metal fortress. It was after that that the Anqing Garrison Commander was specially established, with jurisdiction over the Anqing and Jiujiang Guard Posts — precisely because Anqing and Jiujiang are linked by the Great River, and both defense and offense must be integrated to be effective. But that is only nominal. Nowadays, the Anqing Guard has scattered and fled almost entirely, with the surviving troops used for canal labor. The Jiujiang Guard is much the same. It truly is not worth contesting."

Pang Yu frowned as he stared at the tabletop. This Anqing Garrison Commander post had not originally been within his considerations, because during the last civil unrest, he had already witnessed firsthand the degree to which Anqing's military preparedness had decayed. If he took the military officer path, his plan was to fight for a separate Military Camp in Tongcheng. He had not inquired carefully into this Anqing Garrison Commander post, and the people of Tongcheng were not very clear on it either. Only today did he hear Ruan Dacheng explain it so clearly — this was the difference between circles.

Pang Yu's eyes flickered as he pondered for a long moment. Then he raised his head and said to Ruan Dacheng, "I have a request to make of you, Ruan Xiansheng. If this step can succeed, then in the future I will also be in a position to effectively assist you, and not be as I am now — willing but powerless."

Ruan Dacheng immediately perked up upon hearing this. "Pang Xiaoyou, please speak."

"Please, sir, rally the Huaining gentry to submit a joint petition to the Prefectural Office and the Grand Coordinator Yamen, impeaching the Anqing Garrison Commander Pan Keda for losing his troops and evading the bandits."