Chapter 312: All or Nothing

"Today at Baishun Hall, exchange ten taels for chips and get two White Pigeon Tickets — a thirty-tael prize! Hurry... run!"

At the Baishun Hall west of the Great Central Bridge in Nanjing, the hired hands who had been standing at the entrance swarmed into the main hall, causing a flurry of alarm inside.

"What's this! What's this!" Jiang Shuqiong parted the crowd in a fury and strode out the door with the maidservant, only to find the street outside in equal chaos — several yamen runners were raising their whistle staffs and beating a beggar-like man senseless, and in moments they had beaten him to the ground.

One yamen runner shouted to the surrounding crowd, "The yamen is arresting Roving Bandit spies. No household within the city may shelter beggars, itinerant craftsmen, wandering monks or Daoists, and the like. Any household or shop employing Westerners must have them leave the city within three days. Concealing and failing to report will result in being sent to the authorities for punishment; neighbors who know and do not denounce them will share the same crime."

After the yamen runners finished their shouting, they hauled the beggar up from the ground and dragged him off eastward. The onlooking commoners buzzed with discussion and had yet to disperse.

"Who's still sheltering beggars? Arresting people right at my doorstep and scaring off all my customers — a pack of dog runners." Jiang Shuqiong spat on the ground. Lately, arrests were happening everywhere in Nanjing. Word was that Roving Bandits captured north of the river had confessed that over a thousand bandit spies had crossed the river into Nanjing, waiting to act as inner responders when the crossing came this year.

This year, an especially large number of people had crossed the river from Jiangbei. The horrors in Hezhou, Chao County, Quanjiao, and other places were gradually becoming clear, and tales of the Roving Bandits relying on inner responders to break through cities everywhere grew more and more fantastical. This year's massive spy hunt in Nanjing had solid popular support, but it also stirred no small panic. Many believed Nanjing had become a target of the Roving Bandits; wealthy families had long since left the city, heading to safer places like Suzhou.

This had somewhat affected Baishun Hall's business, but the Great River Silver Bank across the way was doing better and better. Liu Ruogu had opened another branch in Yangzhou on the other side of the river and was also preparing a Suzhou branch to launch Flying Ticket services — it was said that even before opening, many people were already vying to deposit silver. Liu Ruogu now hardly ever came to Baishun Hall; Jiang Shuqiong managed everything, which made her all the more concerned with performance. Now that the Roving Bandits were hurting business, Jiang Shuqiong naturally held them in even greater contempt.

The maidservant tugged at her sleeve. "Jiang Jiejie, don't go cursing dog runners. Wasn't our master a yamen runner himself before?"

"master was an honest runner — how can those wretches compare?" Jiang Shuqiong put both hands on her hips and lifted her chin. "From now on, you must call me Jiang Shopkeeper. Liu Da Shopkeeper already told me — he's going to Suzhou next to open a silver bank, so from now on, all matters big and small at Baishun Hall are for me to manage. No more of this 'Jiejie' nonsense; it confuses the hierarchy for the people below."

The maidservant leaned in close. "He hasn't said you'll be Shopkeeper yet. I heard from people at their silver bank that Liu Shopkeeper wants to curry favor with Boss Pang and intends to make Zhou Yueru the gambling hall Shopkeeper. You'd still just be the second-in-command."

"Don't listen to their nonsense." Jiang Shuqiong was furious, her face flushing red. "That Zhou Yueru is nothing but a bookkeeper. When she first came to Tongcheng Baishun Hall, she needed me to look after her. How could she possibly manage this hall full of riffraff and old women?"

"That's exactly why Liu Da Shopkeeper said he'd let you, Jiejie, manage all matters big and small — isn't that because he knows Zhou Yueru can't handle it? Which means you, Jiejie, do all the work, and Zhou Yueru reaps the ready-made benefits."

Jiang Shuqiong gritted her teeth and panted heavily. This was not the first time she had heard such talk. Ever since the silver bank opened, although Liu Ruogu was right across the street, he basically paid no attention to the gambling hall's affairs, spending every day meeting endlessly with officials and gentry. Everyone was waiting to see who would be appointed the new Shopkeeper, and judging by the rumors leaking out now, Zhou Yueru was the more likely candidate.

"Think about it, Jiejie," the maidservant said cautiously. "You see, Zhou Yueru has never treated you like a sister. With that silver bank deposit business, all of us local hired hands at the gambling hall pooled our silver and had you deposit it for us. Now she'll accept anyone who comes — clearly she's trying to keep you, Jiejie, from earning that interest."

Jiang Shuqiong's mouth twisted. "I told you not to call me Jiejie. So, Mao Yatou, tell me — what's to be done about this?"

"Jie... Jiang Shopkeeper, isn't Zhou Yueru exactly a Westerner? If someone were to report her and have her barred from the city, she naturally couldn't be Shopkeeper."

"An upright person like me, going behind someone's back to report them — that's never a good thing." Jiang Shuqiong gave a cold snort and cast a sidelong glance at the maidservant. "But if Jiejie here becomes Shopkeeper, then the affairs inside this main hall will be yours to manage."

"Isn't it Baishun Hall you want? This is the perfect moment to seize the opportunity."

At the Garrison Command west of Nanjing's Imperial City, Garrison Junior Supervisor Zhou Renzai lay on a reclining chair and lightly tapped his own leg. Guo Zuoshan hurried over and skillfully began massaging it for him.

"Sworn Father's meaning is..."

Zhou Renzai let out a soft sigh. "Word from the Directorate of Ceremonial in the Capital — the Emperor wants Qian Qianyi taken. The Ministry of Justice has issued the order for Zhang Guowei to escort Qian Qianyi and the other man to the Capital."

Guo Zuoshan hesitated a moment. "But Qian Qianyi has hardly any connection to Baishun Hall. How should your son proceed? I beg Sworn Father's guidance."

Zhou Renzai pulled his small blanket up a little and shook his head with a smile. "The boy's usually sharp — how is he so muddled today? Who says you have to attack a gambling hall through the gambling hall itself? That congratulatory message Qian Qianyi wrote for the silver bank is printed right there in the Jiangnan Times. Pang Yu thought he was getting a bargain from the Shi Lin, but little does he know he's handed a bargain to you."

"But the Shopkeeper of Baishun Hall is Liu Ruogu. Should your son ultimately target Liu Ruogu, or target Pang Yu?"

"If Pang Yu doesn't fall, you'll never hold Baishun Hall securely. Once Pang Yu falls, Liu Ruogu is nothing. Besides, Liu Ruogu is merely a man of Commoner Status — what could you impeach him for?"

Guo Zuoshan's eyes flickered for a moment. "Your son originally only wanted Baishun Hall, but with the silver bank's opening this time, your son's heart truly desires it."

"That silver bank..." Zhou Renzai paused. "It is indeed imposing. But a silver bank — its profits all depend on official loans. Money lent out in Nanjing must be collected back in the Capital. If you take over the silver bank, I fear you'll be running back and forth between north and south."

Guo Zuoshan showed no hesitation. "Your son originally wanted to do official loans as well. The Southern Capital has the Provincial Examination, and it's a necessary stop on the way to the Capital for the Metropolitan Exam. I've already made preparations on the Capital side, and with Sworn Father's old friends looking after things, given the Great River Silver Bank's reputation, great profit from official loans is only to be expected."

Zhou Renzai did not express an opinion. His left hand stretched out slightly, and Guo Zuoshan immediately fetched the tobacco pipe, lit it on the bronze warming stove, tested it himself, and only when he saw smoke emerge did he hand it to Zhou Renzai.

There were no shortage of pawnshops and silver banks in Nanjing. Silver banks at this time all relied on lending; Nanjing's silver banks mainly depended on official loans. Quite a few people were already in the business, and one also needed a certain degree of influence in the Capital — otherwise debt collection was difficult. Guo Zuoshan already had one himself and had done some official loan business, but the volume was too small to be a major source of profit. So while he knew silver banks made money, they were more troublesome compared to gambling halls. It was just that this Great River Silver Bank was far too enticing — to give up such a juicy piece of meat right before his eyes would truly be a pity. Of course, if they knew how much deficit was on Pang Yu's account books, their thinking might change somewhat.

"You see the Great River Silver Bank as naturally impressive, but they pay interest on deposits, and they turn no one away. In these few months, deposits must be no less than a million. At his annual rate of ten percent, you'd need to pay out a hundred thousand taels of silver a year. On such short notice, where would you find that many official loans?"

"Sworn Father need not worry. If there truly are that many deposits," Guo Zuoshan glanced behind him and lowered his voice, "then there's no need to do official loan business at all. When those depositors come to collect their debts, they can only go after Pang Yu. If Qian Qianyi and Pang Yu both fall, we'll have Liu Ruogu vanish without a trace — and that million taels of silver will be utterly untraceable, slipping silently into our hands."

Zhou Renzai had been smoking with half-closed eyes; hearing this, he rarely opened them, even slightly raising his head to stare fixedly at the ceiling. A million taels of silver — even for Zhou Renzai, long accustomed to the heights of power, it was a temptation hard to refuse. Just thinking about it was enough to stir excitement.

After a long moment, Zhou Renzai lay back against the chair, took a deep drag, and tapped his tobacco pipe against the armrest. Guo Zuoshan immediately reached out to take it.

"Since you've set your mind on this silver bank, act quickly. You must ensure Pang Yu is implicated in the Qian Qianyi case. This matter cannot be handled in Nanjing alone — you'll need people in the Capital. Those our family can use, we will use." Zhou Renzai's eyes gleamed. "Zhang Yixian is dead; now the Garrison Command is under Eunuch Zhang's say. And it happens to coincide with the Qian Qianyi case breaking. Since the silver bank offers such great profit, this heaven-sent opportunity must not be delayed."

"Your son understands. Sworn Father said last time that Mobile Corps Commander Pang's smugness wouldn't last long — and sure enough, it's so." Guo Zuoshan's face was full of excitement. "His brief moment of glory is, in the end, merely sewing a wedding dress for us."

Over a hundred li east of Nanjing, at the Branch Inspection Office of the Branch Surveillance Circuit in Zhenjiang Prefecture — this was Zhang Guowei's temporary field headquarters. After the first month, the Roving Bandit situation had undergone new changes. The great battle at Chuzhou the previous year and the subsequent killing of Gao Yingxiang had indeed severely damaged the Roving Thieves' strength. This year, government troops everywhere were better prepared, and the range of the bandits' marauding was far smaller than the year before.

By past practice, during the peak period of Roving Bandit activity, Zhang Guowei would move his headquarters from Suzhou to the vicinity of Nanjing. Last year his station was Jurong; this year it was Zhenjiang, to facilitate closer command.

He needed both to prevent the Roving Bandits from crossing the Great River and threatening Nanjing, and to stop them from crossing the Grand Canal eastward into the fertile heartland of the Ming Dynasty. Judging from the current situation, the only large force active north of the river from Nanjing was the Purple Tenuity Star, and it was being pursued by three thousand Zhejiang Troops dispatched by the Canal Transport Governor. The threat facing Puliu was not great, and the likelihood of a canal crossing was even smaller — but Anqing was growing increasingly tense.

The last time Pang Yu and Shi Kefa had filed complaints against each other, Pang Yu had strongly advocated taking the initiative and striking out, to prevent the various Roving Bandit bands from ultimately converging on Anqing. Now there were signs of exactly that development.

Mr. Ma spoke in a low voice beside him. "Shi Kefa reports: the Roving Bandits Pangzi and Hun Shiwan have combined camps at Lujiang. They attacked Kongcheng Town but failed to take it, then turned north toward Luzhou. Circuit Intendant Shi, knowing the bandits' habitual cunning, dared not relax in the slightest. Sure enough, three days later, the bandits turned back. Circuit Intendant Shi led Pang Yu, Pan Keda, and others to form ranks at Kongcheng Town. The vanguard fought over ten engagements large and small, taking over a hundred heads. Cowed by our military might, the Roving Bandits fled toward Shucheng. Circuit Intendant Shi personally led troops to Beixia Pass, sleeping with his spear as a pillow, vowing to protect Tongcheng's safety."

"Pang Yu also sent a dispatch report?"

"Yes. This time at Kongcheng Town, Mobile Corps Commander Pang once again advocated crossing the county boundary to smash this large bandit force, but Circuit Intendant Shi firmly refused permission. Pang Yu is quite critical of this."

"What does Mr. Ma think?"

"This subordinate believes... Circuit Intendant Shi certainly deserves merit for holding Kongcheng Town, and defending Beixia Pass should likewise be without worry. However, the bandit situation in Anqing has not eased in the slightest — on the contrary, it has worsened. The bandit force under Pangzi remains intact, pinning down the Tongcheng troops here. The large force of the Eight Bandits west of Macheng, blocked by Huguang troops, has also turned eastward. The whereabouts of another large force from Macheng, previously in the Yingshan mountains, are still unknown. Add to that Geli Yan and the Left Golden King, who are already in the Yinghuo Mountain range — the greatest fear is that the bandit force west of Macheng will come via Huangmei and Guangji. Then Anqing will face bandits on every side, and when that time comes, how will Circuit Intendant Shi defend it?"

"The Provincial Courier Official from the Viceroy of Water Transport has sent a dispatch — an additional fifteen hundred Sichuan Troops are being sent to Lu'an Prefecture." Zhang Guowei's brow was tightly furrowed. "Zhu Dadian means to force the Roving Bandits toward Henan, but the bandits may not necessarily be able to go to Henan."

"Zuo Liangyu has already reached Gushi, with Chen Yongfu and Zu Dale following. The Henan bandits will first have to fight this force of government troops — otherwise their only option is to take refuge in the mountains. That being the case, the main body of the Roving Thieves is already in the Yinghuo Mountain range. If they emerge from the mountains to the south, the Roving Bandits facing Anqing will number no less than several hundred thousand." Mr. Ma's expression was grave. "In ordinary times, that might be manageable, but today, Your Excellency cannot afford defeat."

"You have seen His Majesty's edict — 'No delay, no delay.'"

Mr. Ma lowered his head. "What is even more critical is the matter of Mr. Yushan. Although the Ministry of Justice's official document has not yet arrived, word has already come from the Capital — the Emperor wants the Military Commander to escort Mr. Yushan to the Capital. That fully reveals the imperial will. Others can read that will too. There are always those stirring restlessly, and no small number have their eyes on the position of Yingtian Grand Coordinator. If Your Excellency suffers a military setback at this moment, and someone with intent gives the slightest prod, it will be a calamity of heaven's scale."

Zhang Guowei sighed softly. The turn of events had completely exceeded his expectations. Originally, all focus had been on Zhang Pu — who could have known the winds would shift so suddenly, with Wen Tiren directing all his attacks at the Donglin Party.

Qian Qianyi was the literary leader of the Donglin and, at the same time, Zhang Guowei's own patron teacher. Once Wen Tiren brought down Qian Qianyi, it would be all too easy to implicate Zhang Guowei. The Emperor had further ordered Zhang Guowei to arrest his own patron teacher — no different from roasting Zhang Guowei over a fire. At the same time, the pressure to prosecute the war here was intense; without a military achievement worthy of the name, it would be tantamount to delay and dereliction of duty.

The pressure from all sides was nearly crushing him. At this moment, Zhang Guowei felt some regret. Had he followed Pang Yu's method of warfare, he might already have won a major victory, which would have given him the capital to defuse Wen Tiren's current offensive — or at least to ease his own situation.

But now he had no military achievement whatsoever to speak of. Although Shi Kefa had preserved Tongcheng, in the Emperor's eyes that was merely his duty. If Zhang Guowei were to plead for Qian Qianyi now, it would be no different from going empty-handed to beg a favor. Developments on every front had backed Zhang Guowei into a corner, with no retreat behind him. Merely holding Anqing this year was no longer enough; he needed at least one victory worthy of the name just to barely scrape through.

"Mr. Ma, draft the order. Detach the following troops: three hundred from Yongsheng Camp, three hundred from Changzhou Biao Camp, two hundred from Jinshan Battalion, two hundred under Chief Training Officer Lu Wangyou, three hundred from Zhenjiang Land Camp, two hundred from Fushan Camp, two hundred under Lian Zong Wang Xihan, four hundred under Jiang Ruolai from Jiangpu, three hundred under Chen Yuwang from Liuhe, and three hundred under Chief Training Officer Zhan Peng. All must be actual strength. Vice General Cheng Long of Yongsheng Prefecture shall command them. All units are to assemble at Jiangpu within seven days."

Mr. Ma hesitated a moment. "Your Excellency sees clearly — every unit has inflated numbers, and each has already detached a portion to Anqing. If we draw actual troops again on this scale, Jiangnan will have virtually no usable soldiers left. Even Liuhe will be an empty city."

"Xu Strengthening's troops stationed at Longtan — send them to Anqing as well."

"Your Excellency, this humble servant dares to say one thing: this is... staking everything on a single throw."

Zhang Guowei drew a deep breath. "Draft the document accordingly. Inform the General Officers of All Camps that I will personally lead the relief force to Anqing."