Chapter 166: The Parade Ground

"This military law you've revised, my lord, strictly forbids gambling and whoring in the army, yet your annotation does not prohibit alcohol. You must know that after drinking, a man's mind and judgment are disordered, and ten thousand military laws are cast to the back of his head. This seems open to further discussion."

In the Second Hall of the Garrison Command, Pang Yu and Jiang Guoyong sat facing each other across a tea table. Jiang Guoyong pointed at the register and spoke to Pang Yu with earnest gravity.

The camp's military law had only its first chapter drafted, called the Essential and Concise Chapter, meant for new recruits entering camp. It was not yet clear or detailed enough and needed further drafting. This task had been assigned to Jiang Guoyong. Pang Yu had specifically sent for Jiang Guoyong today, and the two men had already been studying the matter for two double-hours.

Pang Yu held a thread-bound book, its cover bearing the two characters Zhen Ji. Beside it lay other military texts — the Wujing Zongyao, the New Treatise on Military Efficiency, the Training Records — all used as reference.

"This article stays for now. He Liangchen has it as well." Pang Yu closed the book. "I have my own reckoning. In the human heart, all yearn for ease and comfort. Whatever the labor, it is mostly forced by the need to survive. The soldiers who enter my camp are no different. They do not come to endure hardship; their first aim is to seek a way to live, their second to feed their families. In my camp, the pay is ample, but it is a place of toil and suffering. Flesh, muscle, sinew, and bone are worn down; everywhere there are rules, granting no man ease. The slightest infraction brings scolding, beatings, and punishment. The soldiers are weary and on edge. To say they harbor no resentment in their hearts — that would make them all sages. With no outlet for their grievances, resentment accumulates deep within them. The high pressure of military law can suppress it for a time, but one moment of carelessness and it will recoil upon you — things like a Camp Howl. So we must leave an opening. Since gambling and whoring are both forbidden, let alcohol not be forbidden."

"But once drinking starts, it is hard to bring to an end…"

Before Jiang Guoyong could finish, Pang Ding's figure appeared in the doorway. "Young master, Zhang Delong, Seal-holding Commandant of the Anqing Guard, is waiting outside to pay his respects."

Pang Yu set down the military text in his hands and reached out to take the visiting card Pang Ding handed him. The card was trimmed with gold thread — clearly some thought had gone into it — but the gift list recorded only a hundred strips of dried fish, which is to say a hundred taels of silver. In official circles, this was not a heavy gift, especially when calling upon a superior. It seemed the Anqing Guard did not have much silver, or else the value of this Garrison Commander post was not high.

Handing the visiting card back to Pang Ding, Pang Yu straightened his clothes. "Have him come to the Second Hall."

Jiang Guoyong hurriedly stood. "Then this humble one will withdraw."

"You will stay." Pang Yu waved his hand. He looked at Jiang Guoyong and added, "During the handover, you dealt with him. What sort of man is he?"

Jiang Guoyong bit his lip. "Slippery and incompetent, much the same as the various clerks and officers at the Tongcheng county yamen. Not the slightest air of a General Officer about him."

Pang Yu laughed in spite of himself. "He was never a General Officer to begin with. The Guard Post is nothing but a name now. Otherwise, what use would they have for Battalion Commanders like us?"

"In these five years alone, the Anqing Guard Post has defaulted on over a thousand items of equipment and matériel owed to the Garrison Battalion. This humble one asked him to make up at least some of the shortfall, and he rambled and dodged for an entire double-hour. Looking back afterward, this humble one realized he had said nothing of any use — yet he had clearly been talking that whole double-hour, and I could not even recall what he had said. Pan Keda also once remarked that the man is too slick to hold."

"He is the Seal-holding Commandant. Sending a mere clerk like you to deal with him was putting you in a difficult position."

Jiang Guoyong raised his eyes to look at Pang Yu. "My lord wishes to ask him for the Dajiaochang. On the day of the handover, your subordinate already asked him about it. That parade ground is mostly occupied by bamboo and timber merchants. Shops have been built all along the street frontage. Inside, not only is bamboo and timber piled up, but some hired laborers have put up shacks. If my lord wants him to clear the parade ground, I fear he will not easily agree."

Pang Yu smiled. "Negotiating with that kind of man requires a different method. I wager he will agree today."

Seeing that Pang Yu did not elaborate, Jiang Guoyong did not press further, for Zhang Delong might arrive at any moment. Pang Yu stacked the military texts neatly and placed them on the desk behind him. When he returned to his seat, his expression had become stern and unsmiling.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in official robes followed Pang Ding into the Second Hall. He was somewhat portly, and his eyes were rather nimble.

This man was, needless to say, Zhang Delong. He walked into the hall wearing an ingratiating, fawning smile, but on the steps he paused briefly, slightly taken aback.

Jiang Guoyong stole a glance and saw Pang Yu sitting rigidly upright, an image of solemn propriety. Combined with his Military Officer's uniform, he naturally exuded an air of authority.

Ordinarily, Pang Yu was rather stern on the training ground but relatively amiable when receiving subordinates. His talks with Jiang Guoyong were also exceedingly cordial. Even when Jiang Guoyong disagreed with him, he never rebuked him. This was the first time Jiang Guoyong had ever seen Pang Yu put on the full dignity of office.

Zhang Delong advanced cautiously to the center of the hall and knelt. "Your subordinate, Zhang Delong, Seal-holding Commandant of the Anqing Guard, kowtows in audience before Lord Pang."

Pang Yu did not bid him rise, but left him kneeling there in the center of the hall. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

"Lord Zhang holds command of the Anqing Guard. I am newly arrived and have never been familiar with the military guards. I wish to consult Lord Zhang on one matter: how is the duty of the Seal-holding Commandant defined?"

Zhang Delong remained blankly in the lower part of the hall for a moment, then, still wearing his fawning smile, said, "Managing registered soldiers, drilling troops, City Defense, patrols and arrests, Military Farms, horse-rearing, grain transport — overseeing all affairs within the Guard. And also handling any tasks assigned by the various superior officials. Those must be done as well."

Pang Yu remained unmoved, his expression unchanged. "When I went to Suzhou this time to pay my respects to Lord Zhang, just before parting, Lord Zhang made a point of mentioning one matter. Does Lord Zhang know what matter that was?"

At the words "Lord Zhang," Zhang Delong replied with a trace of nervousness, "Your subordinate does not know."

Pang Yu observed Zhang Delong's expression, feeling an inexplicable satisfaction in his heart. This was the Seal-holding Commandant of a Guard Post. Though he was merely a Guard Post officer, he was still a third-rank Military Officer of the imperial court. Pang Yu felt as though he had stepped into the role Zhang Guowei had played that day.

Pang Yu did not even offer tea, but continued his questioning. "In the seventh month of last year, the Emperor wrote an annotation on a Memorial: 'It is reported that the Anqing Guard's nominal troops are largely phantom registrations. If a thorough investigation could be made to fill the ranks, and men selected for drill and training, that would naturally suffice to provide for defense. Moreover, Militia are to be encouraged. Repeated edicts have strictly ordered this — why has no sincere implementation been seen?' Does Lord Zhang know of this matter, personally annotated in the Emperor's own hand?"

"This… your subordinate knows of it."

"Then in this past One Year, has Lord Zhang conducted an investigation to fill the ranks, selected men for drill and training? Can Anqing now sufficiently provide for its own defense?"

"Your subordinate… your subordinate…" The smile vanished from Zhang Delong's face, and his forehead began to bead faintly with sweat. He had not expected to walk into such a situation today. He licked his lips and said, "But your subordinate has his difficulties. The Guard must not only defend the city but also farm the Military Farms and transport grain. The Guard's Dingkou have long since Scattered and fled almost entirely. At present, even the grain transport soldiers have to be hired with silver. How can there be any investigation to fill the ranks?"

"Then the city shall simply not be defended." Pang Yu looked down at Zhang Delong. "When the time comes, if Lord Zhang explains these reasons to the Roving Bandits, will they simply say 'take care' and turn around and leave? Lord Zhang need only answer me one thing: have you, in accordance with the Shengzhi, conducted an investigation to fill the ranks and selected men for drill and training? Can Anqing sufficiently provide for its own defense? Yes or no."

"Your subordinate did fill them — filled some of them."

"Then today I shall muster and inspect the troops. Lord Zhang will immediately assemble the Guard's registered soldiers."

"My lord, for your clear judgment, the Guard does not have that many soldiers. It never has. And some were transferred away…"

Pang Yu said loudly, "The Anqing Guard has a nominal strength of five thousand two hundred men: three thousand six hundred Garrison Farm Troops, one thousand six hundred City Defense Troops. During the Longqing reign, half were transferred to Xuanfu and have never returned. There should still be two thousand six hundred on the registers. The City Defense Troops should number eight hundred. I do not concern myself with the Garrison Farm Troops. Are the City Defense Troops present and accounted for?"

Zhang Delong knelt on the floor, his mouth hanging wide open. Pang Yu was actually this clear on the troop numbers of the Anqing Guard. The previous Garrison Commander, Pan Keda, had not even known the total figure.

Pang Yu looked at Zhang Delong with stern authority. "Year after year has passed, and the Anqing Guard remains as decrepit and neglected as ever. Lord Zhang has tremendous gall — not even the Emperor's own handwritten annotation did you take seriously. Truly, there has been no sincere implementation. Do you treat the Shengzhi as child's play!"

The atmosphere in the hall shifted abruptly. Even Jiang Guoyong felt his mouth and tongue go dry. Pang Ding kept stealing glances at the two men.

Zhang Delong waved his hands repeatedly. "Your subordinate did not mean it that way. How would your subordinate dare…"

Pang Yu gave him no time to explain. Raising a cupped-hand salute to his left, he cut him off directly. "I have already petitioned Lord Zhang. In view of the Roving Bandits' rampages, permission has been granted for me to mobilize Anqing Guard troops for battle preparations. Though this unit is currently stationed in Anqing, it is now an army on Military Expedition. Today I shall muster and inspect the troops. Of the eight hundred registered City Defense Troops under Anqing, I shall select the able-bodied to enter the camp, with Lord Zhang commanding them as a Ying, to advance and garrison Susong as a defensive screen for Anqing."

Zhang Delong's breath came in rapid gasps. He had originally not taken Pang Yu seriously at all, only knowing that this man had cut down several dozen heads during the popular uprising, and that even becoming Garrison Commander was no great matter. Who could have known that today he would deliver such a crushing show of force, not even giving him a chance to speak.

The Guard Post and the Battalion Commanders were two separate systems. Although the Anqing Garrison Commander held military command authority, the Guard Post answered to many superior officers. It had to not only defend the city but also deliver Rations and Pay, handle grain transport, flood control, and a whole series of duties. The Commandant's yamen, like a county yamen, had Six Offices and one treasury, each corresponding to different superiors.

According to the court's institutional structure, when there was no Military Expedition underway, the Anqing Garrison Commander had no authority over anything, and held no weight whatsoever in Performance Evaluations. Thus, the Guard Post officers' disdain for the Regional Commander was systemic.

But now Pang Yu had brought out a devastating weapon: using the Roving Bandits' rampages as grounds, he intended to shift to a wartime footing. His orders would then become military orders. He even meant to conscript Zhang Delong and send him to Susong. Zhang Delong was a hereditary Commandant. By the time he was born, the Guard Post was already derelict. Never mind Battle — he had never even seen what a drill was like. Cowering in Anqing already left him trembling with fear; how would he dare go defend Susong?

Everyone now knew that Susong had no City Wall. If the Roving Bandits came there again, staying meant death at the bandits' hands, fleeing meant death at the court's hands. Zhang Delong's petty life would be forfeit without a doubt.

"Lord Pang, for your clear judgment, the Guard's affairs are numerous and complicated. How could your subordinate possibly extricate himself? Those Military Farms, that grain transport — none of it can suffer the slightest delay. Otherwise, your subordinate could assign a Vice Prefect to lead the troops. It would be the same."

"Lord Zhang is the Seal-holding Commandant, and thus naturally the man of highest ability in the Guard. How else could he hold the seal? I have always made it a rule to employ the most talented. The Anqing Guard has three Commandants and eight Vice Prefects. Even if Lord Zhang leads troops out on campaign, there are plenty of people to handle affairs. The Military Farms and grain transport cannot suffer delay, but protecting the territory and securing the people is a matter of life and death, concerning the million souls of Anqing. Can that suffer delay?"

Beads of sweat densely covered Zhang Delong's forehead. Pang Yu was clearly targeting him personally, wanting no one else. Zhang Delong did not know whether Pang Yu's words were true or false, but for a man to suddenly rise from a yamen runner to a third-rank Military Officer, he probably really did have some connection to Zhang Guowei. Zhang Delong suddenly felt he had underestimated this petty yamen runner before.

Recalling the circulating tales of the Siege of a City at Susong, Zhang Delong's hands and feet turned cold. This was not asking him to lead troops — this was asking for his life.

The more Zhang Delong thought, the more terrified he became. Suddenly he let out a loud cry and kowtowed repeatedly to Pang Yu. "My lord, spare my life! Your subordinate's death ten thousand times over would be no pity, but I fear I would ruin my lord's military operations. I implore my lord to raise your hand high in mercy. Your subordinate will surely repay you — surely repay you."

An awkward silence fell over the hall. Zhang Delong panted heavily. Jiang Guoyong did not even dare to breathe loudly, nor did he dare look at Pang Yu in the seat of honor. His eyes remained fixed on the gray flagstones of the floor.

Pang Yu suddenly softened his tone. "However, the dereliction of the military guards is not unique to Anqing alone. The difficulties Commandant Zhang faces — I am aware of them as well."

"My lord sees clearly!" Zhang Delong clutched at this as if grasping a life-saving straw and kowtowed several more times, his voice desperate and tinged with a sob. "Your subordinate dares not deceive my lord. Over the years, the Guard's Military Farms have long since been entirely encroached upon and seized. The originally registered soldiers have fled to other regions or entered the civilian registry. Yet the Rations and Pay and corvée labor demands have not diminished in the slightest. Even the grain transport soldiers must be hired with silver. We rely solely on the grain transport levies and the rents from the Guard Post's shop-fronts to make do. How could there possibly be an investigation to fill the ranks?"

"Lord Zhang, please rise." Pang Yu said to Pang Ding, "Serve Lord Zhang some tea."

Zhang Delong remained kneeling on the floor. Pang Yu gave a cough, and when Jiang Guoyong looked over, he shot him a meaningful glance.

Jiang Guoyong hurried over and helped Zhang Delong to his feet. Whether from kneeling too long or from the fear in his heart, Zhang Delong Staggered as he rose.

When he finally managed to take a seat, the somewhat portly Zhang Delong gasped for breath several times. As soon as the tea was brought, he hurriedly took a sip.

Pang Yu waited until he had caught his breath a little, then slowly began, "This official is the Garrison Commander of Anqing. Defending Anqing is this official's duty, and it is also the duty of the Anqing Guard. Even setting the Anqing Guard aside, once the Roving Bandits break through the city, your very life, your entire family, young and old, are all here — that is a matter of supreme importance."

Zhang Delong wiped away his sweat and echoed, "What the Great Man says is correct."

"This official has jurisdiction over the Anqing Guard. Yet the Guard Post troops are unfit for battle, and Commander Zhang also says he cannot lead troops out to fight…"

The muscles on Zhang Delong's face twitched. "This humble officer truly cannot! That Susong — I dare not go."

Pang Yu waved his hand dismissively. "If Commander Zhang will not go, then this official can only dispatch his own main-battalion troops to guard Susong, which adds to this official's difficulties. If this official accommodates Commander Zhang, I wonder how Commander Zhang might reciprocate."

Jiang Guoyong felt his face flush repeatedly. He had not expected that Pang Yu, now a high-ranking official of the third grade, would still speak in such a manner; even listening to it was deeply awkward.

Even more bizarrely, Zhang Delong did not take offense in the slightest, as if he were long accustomed to it. He immediately responded, "So long as the Great Man speaks, whatever the Anqing Guard can accomplish, we will certainly handle for the Great Man. This humble officer will carry it out with sincere dedication."

Pang Yu looked at Zhang Delong, and for the first time, the hint of a smile appeared. "Then this official will first ask Commander Zhang to handle one matter. Only once it is handled can there be a foundation of mutual trust. This official's battalion troops have newly established a Land Division of five hundred men, but they have no place to drill. I ask Commander Zhang to first clear out the Dajiaochang outside the Zongyang Gate. That is a place for the imperial court to drill troops — how can it be appropriated as a marketplace for common peddlers? In how many days can Commander Zhang have this settled?"

"This humble officer, five days…" Seeing Pang Yu's smiling face tightening, Zhang Delong immediately corrected himself loudly, "This humble officer will have it settled in three days. In three days, I ask the Great Man to inspect it."

"Very well. This official shall await good news from Commander Zhang." Pang Yu stood up, and Zhang Delong hurriedly stood as well.

Pang Yu walked up to Zhang Delong. "This official never uses people for nothing. So long as Commander Zhang handles matters for this official, whether it be military merit or copper coins and wealth, Commander Zhang will not be shorted his share in the future."

Zhang Delong kept his head lowered. "This humble officer dare not expect it. Handling matters for the Great Man is handling matters for the imperial court — it is all within my duty. This humble officer will return to the Guard immediately to deploy personnel. I will not delay the Great Man further."

"Commander Zhang, do as you please."

Zhang Delong bowed with his body bent, then hurried off toward the Main Hall, still constantly wiping sweat along the way.

Jiang Guoyong remained standing where he was. Only now did it occur to him that Pang Yu's plan today had merely been to obtain the Anqing Guard's Dajiaochang. They had talked for ages, yet only the last few sentences had touched on this matter, and it had seemed almost incidental.

It was Pang Ding who sidled over. He asked Pang Yu, "Young… did Lord Zhang really let you requisition the Anqing Guard?"

"It was false, but he dared not gamble." Pang Yu turned and walked back into the hall. Seeing Jiang Guoyong still standing there, he could not help but say, "Guoyong, sit. Let us continue discussing Military Law."

Jiang Guoyong hurried over, gathering up the military texts. When he reached the tea table, he could not resist asking, "How could Commandant Zhang possibly believe it?"

"Because he knows the imperial court has this system." Pang Yu took the military texts. "Originally, he only feared the government offices. A single failing in canal transport, rations and pay, or flood control could all cost him his official hat. In times of peace, no matter what I said, he would never have feared me. But now, with the Roving Bandits running rampant, once this official requisitions him, I can demand his life at any moment. Therefore, the cost of him not believing me is extremely high, while for me there is little to lose. So his optimal choice is to believe me."

Jiang Guoyong nodded silently and sat down opposite Pang Yu. Pang Yu glanced at him, then raised his head to look at Pang Ding. "We are officials now. In dealing with people of the official world, there is one fundamental rule: the imperial court's system. In the official world, whether in conflict or cooperation, the imperial court's system is the weapon. Just now, it was the Anqing Garrison Commander speaking to the Seal-holding Commandant of the Anqing Guard — it was not Pang Yu going to speak with Zhang Delong. In the future, when handling matters in the army, you must manage the General Officers, and the General Officers must manage the soldiers. Military Law is the weapon. The officers and soldiers may not respect you as an individual, but they must respect the authority you represent. This is the principle by which you will handle matters from now on, and this is also why Military Law is of the utmost importance."

Jiang Guoyong pondered for a moment, then bowed and said, "This humble one understands. I beg the Great Man to continue instructing and correcting me on Military Law."