Chapter 357: Schemes

On the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month, spirit money drifted everywhere in Old County, the sound of bells still lingering in the air. Led by several soul-summoning banners, a long column of horse-drawn carts advanced in the direction of Taihu.

Pang Yu saw them off as far as Old County Bridge. This column carried the coffins of the Jiangnan Reinforcement Generals. After the great battle, the common people had scattered and supply routes were blocked, so the coffins were hastily made at the last moment. Even the Daoist priest conducting the rites had been summoned overnight from the Prefectural City — at least the funeral rites were managed properly.

Once the column had gone far, Pang Yu nodded to Zhu Jiaxiang beside him, and the two entered the pavilion at the bridgehead and sat down.

This Qianshan County Magistrate had come specially after hearing news of the great victory, bringing over a hundred civilian laborers. These were the very people now transporting the remains of the Reinforcement and Suppression Generals. According to Pi Yingju's arrangements, the route would pass through Taihu and Qianshan County seat, finally reaching Anqing to board boats.

Pang Yu raised his head and glanced around. This pavilion was very old and rustic. Around Anqing, pavilions were often built near bridges to provide resting places for travelers, usually donated by the local gentry. In later ages, the Anqing region would have a great many place names connected to pavilions.

The pavilion blocked the sunlight. In the distance, some captives were digging pits under guard, preparing to bury the nearby corpses. Although no major battle had been fought here, corpses were still numerous — Pang Yu could see at least two or three hundred. Some still floated along the riverbank and needed to be retrieved. Among them were both Roving Bandits and government soldiers. A few Reinforcement and Suppression troops were identifying them so they could be handled separately.

Zhu Jiaxiang rose from his seat and said, "This humble official congratulates Your Excellency on routing the bandit horde and capturing the Giant Bandit alive — a peerless deed of merit."

Pang Yu turned back to look at Zhu Jiaxiang and smiled. "Magistrate Zhu is too kind. Killing bandits for the realm, I dare not speak of merit."

"This humble official speaks from the heart. That day when Circuit Intendant Shi and Regional Commander Xu passed through Qianshan and spoke of the Roving Bandits sweeping in from Huguang, inside Tianning Fortress there were several panics a day. Those commoners who could flee all fled toward the Prefectural City. Their livelihood was already precarious, yet they still had to become refugees far from home. Fortunately, by the General's tiger-like might, this official believes the Roving Bandits will henceforth not dare look upon Anqing again."

Pang Yu waved his hand dismissively. "It was also due to the Military Commander and Circuit Intendant Shi planning properly. This official merely did a military man's duty. But whether the bandits dare come again — that is hard to say. Those bandit spawn are all utterly vicious and desperate men. Their first need is to secure the means of survival. If they see any gap to exploit, they will come. Just a month ago, Left Commander defeated the Roving Bandits here, yet they still came."

"Your Excellency speaks truly. Those bandit spawn indeed cannot be judged by ordinary reasoning. This humble official experienced it personally in the bandit camp — it is exactly as Your Excellency says."

Zhu Jiaxiang's head was slightly lowered. Pang Yu caught the meaning in his words. This Magistrate Zhu had been captured alive by the Roving Bandits several months ago. How exactly he escaped, no one knew. Pi Yingju and Shi Kefa had reported the matter up through the ranks. For now, though he had not been dismissed from office, the county yamen's affairs were being handled by the County Vice-Magistrate in his stead. At any moment, Zhu Jiaxiang could be removed. If the Emperor were in a bad mood, the Embroidered-Uniform Guard horsemen coming to arrest him and send him to the capital was also a strong possibility.

Zhu Jiaxiang himself was not a Presented Scholar degree holder, so he lacked personal connections at the court level. He could basically only resign himself to fate. Facing this unresolved fate, Pang Yu could well understand the pressure Zhu Jiaxiang was under. In peaceful times, a County Magistrate would not have held a military officer in any regard. Now, needing something from others, Zhu Jiaxiang was adopting the deferential posture of a subordinate official — a reflection of the shifting status between civil and military ranks.

But in Pang Yu's view, the most likely scenario for Zhu Jiaxiang's three-day disappearance was that Zhu Jiaxiang had feigned agreement to the Roving Bandits' terms to secure his own release. As for the claim that he had truly gone over to the Roving Bandits, Pang Yu considered it essentially impossible. The Roving Bandits had nothing with which to buy Zhu Jiaxiang off. At most, it was coercion, and coercion only works under specific conditions.

"I also congratulate Magistrate Zhu. During the Erlang Town action, it happened that at the Chema River we captured several Roving Bandits who had offended Your Excellency that day. Under interrogation, we learned they were under the Ten Great Kings' camp, in the Precious Banner unit, bandit alias Black Tiger. His confession matches Your Excellency's account. Presumably, this can sweep away others' doubts and restore Magistrate Zhu's innocence."

A trace of emotion flickered across Zhu Jiaxiang's expression. That single sentence from Pang Yu had essentially secured his life and his official post. This Ten Great Kings was a minor Camp Head who had been active around Taihu and Qianshan this year. That Pang Yu had chosen this man was clearly something he had thought through.

He opened his mouth and drew a breath. Only after calming himself slightly did he speak. "Might I ask where that Black Tiger is now?"

"Magistrate Zhu wishes to see him?"

Zhu Jiaxiang looked at Pang Yu. "This humble official wishes to see the end that such a vicious bandit met."

Pang Yu smiled faintly. "I fear Magistrate Zhu will not get his wish. When this bandit was captured at Erlang Town, he was already gravely wounded. He died on the twenty-sixth. Fortunately, his confession was fully recorded and is kept in my Central Army Dispatches Office."

Hearing Pang Yu's words, Zhu Jiaxiang felt even more at ease. Against the backdrop of such a great victory at the Chema River, no one would come to scrutinize the confession of a mere Precious Banner soldier. And with the man dead, there was no possibility of the confession being retracted. The only thing he now had to resolve was his transaction with Pang Yu — getting that confession from the Dispatches Office into formal documentation and reported up to the Yingtian Grand Coordinator's Yamen and the Cabinet.

"Your Excellency restoring this humble official's innocence is no less than the grace of being given a second life. This humble official is engraved with gratitude in his very core. Whatever General Pang commands, this humble official will absolutely not decline."

Pang Yu stood and invited Zhu Jiaxiang to sit. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Magistrate Zhu speaks too heavily. Your Excellency governs the territory of an entire county. Though I am a military man, I too am on Anqing soil. In these times when the realm is in turmoil, civil and military officials supporting one another is only proper."

"Your Excellency is most noble. This humble official thinks the same. Yet of all the countless government troops that have passed through, only Your Excellency Pang can pacify a region, and moreover does not begrudge extending a helping hand. This humble official speaks from the heart. If Your Excellency Pang has any command, please speak plainly."

Pang Yu nodded. "Magistrate Zhu is direct. I do indeed have a matter to discuss with Your Excellency, though it is not for my own sake."

"Your Excellency, please speak."

"Just now we spoke of the Roving Bandits possibly returning. This great battle has shown that the Reinforcement and Suppression Guest Troops are mostly useless. My Garrison Battalion is permanently stationed at the Prefectural City. Qianshan, Taihu, and Susong are critical defensive points for Anqing — their protection cannot be neglected. Just like last time, a few dozen Roving Bandits could enter a city and run rampant. In my view, since the Qianshan Local Militia has an authorized strength of six hundred, it should be properly drilled to prepare for unforeseen needs."

"Your Excellency sees clearly. Each county in Anqing has an authorized strength of six hundred Local Militia. However, after Qianshan was ravaged by the bandits, it is utterly broken. Rations, pay, manpower, weapons — there is not one thing that is not lacking. Though the recruited Local Militia number several hundred, in truth they were recruited by various local gentry and are only useful for patrolling along the mountain belt. Whenever they face a large bandit force, they cannot hold a proper battle line. Even defending Tianning Fortress was beyond their strength."

Pang Yu stood up. "The shortcomings of the Local Militia are exactly as Your Excellency describes. Therefore, my meaning is this: these six hundred Local Militia should be troops the county yamen can actually use. In peacetime, drill them strictly. When bandits attack, they can hold out for a time while awaiting my Garrison Battalion's relief. What concerns me is that the Local Militia's rations and pay are insufficient, and their drilling misses the essentials. When battle comes, they are absolutely useless — a waste of the Emperor's intent in establishing the Local Militia."

Outside the pavilion, the sun blazed brightly. Zhu Jiaxiang wiped away some sweat. "The Local Militia's annual pay is five taels of silver per man. That is already insufficient for soldiers' drilling, let alone for soldiers to risk their lives. After the bandit incursion, the land is poor and the people destitute. Even though the Emperor has waived both the old and new surtaxes, local finances remain strained, and we must still meet fortress construction expenses. The silver previously collected and deposited at the Great River Silver Bank has already been drawn down by more than half, yet it still does not cover expenditures. Even these three thousand taels for the Local Militia's pay cannot be found anywhere. But since Your Excellency gives the command, this humble official will certainly do his utmost to preserve it. Only, if the drilling is not done properly, might Your Excellency send one or two fierce officers to provide guidance?"

"Magistrate Zhu and I are of one mind. For the Local Militia to be useful, rations, pay, and drilling are indispensable. This official will send capable men to assist Your Excellency in drilling the troops. As for rations and pay, the Silver Bank can also lend some to the county yamen to get the soldiers raised quickly for emergencies."

"On behalf of the people of Qianshan, this humble official thanks Your Excellency for your nobility."

Pang Yu waved his hand. "Having troops is only one side of it. This official also gained some insights from this great battle. Soldiers and civilians are to each other as fish and water. With only civilians, there is no strength to defend oneself. With only soldiers, there is no endurance. The rations and pay used by the Local Militia can be covered by loans in the short term, but in the long run, they must be supported locally. Qianshan was originally a land of fish and rice. It is only that after the bandit incursion, no one farms the fields. I have a thought here: if we can gather some refugees to cultivate the abandoned fields, the grain needed by the Local Militia need not be purchased from outside. Only then is it a lasting solution…"

……

"Zhu Jiaxiang has already agreed to this matter. My Garrison Battalion will establish three fortified strongholds along the post road. The middle one is Tianning Fortress. The output from the land we take will supply only the Local Militia's needs." Pang Yu paused briefly. "The Local Militia will be drilled by men I send."

On the Wharf docks at Erlang Town, Pang Yu walked slowly along the shore. Jiang Fan followed behind him. Hearing this, he could not help asking, "Then in battle, whose orders will they follow?"

Pang Yu smiled. "The county yamen only provides five taels of annual pay. That money will first be handed over to me. Any shortfall, I will make up. It will be distributed uniformly through the Silver Bank. They will all be drawing pay from the Garrison Battalion. The officers will all be men from the Garrison Battalion. Tell me, whose orders will these Local Militia follow?"

"Naturally, they will follow Your Excellency's." Jiang Fan's expression relaxed. "In the end, it was Your Excellency who won the hard battle at the Chema River. Thinking it over these past few days, your subordinate sees many matters now resolving themselves with ease."

"This year, with emergencies reported everywhere, what the Emperor lacks most is a single great victory. With this battle merit now in hand, Zhang Guowei can protect himself. Qian Qianyi's affair cannot implicate him, and we, naturally, can also pass this hurdle."

Jiang Fan laughed quietly. "That Junior Supervisor found a Censor to submit an impeachment memorial, accusing Your Excellency of colluding with Military Commander Zhang and falsely reporting battle merit for irregular promotion. After this battle, it is nothing but a laughingstock."

Pang Yu walked to the dock and stopped. "Once past this hurdle, the road ahead will be somewhat easier. But this battle is only a new beginning. The things we must do are actually more numerous now. That new organization I spoke to you about last time — establish it as quickly as possible. How are your preparations?"

"Your subordinate has already drafted the subordinate departments and candidates for the chief officers. Only the required rations and pay have not yet been fully calculated. Tomorrow I can submit it for Your Excellency's review and approval. Only the name has not yet been decided. I wish to request Your Excellency to bestow a name."

Pang Yu thought for a moment. "It will be established under the Garrison Battalion Central Army. Set its regulations according to military rules. Since its work must be conducted covertly, this official thinks it can be called the Dark Sentinel Division. Apart from its own organic personnel, the Canal Gang will also be subordinated to the Dark Sentinel Division's jurisdiction, to facilitate operations."

Hearing the name, Jiang Fan understood that this organization's rank was at the Division level — meaning the chief officer's grade would be equivalent to a Company Commander.

"Your subordinate thanks Your Excellency for bestowing the name. With the Dark Sentinel Division about to be established, it should naturally attend to some matters within its purview. Your subordinate wishes to request Your Excellency's permission to first settle some loose ends."

Pang Yu narrowed his eyes. "The matters in Nanjing City must naturally be settled. But those matters are now minor. The Dark Sentinel Division has more important things to do."

"Please instruct me, Your Excellency."

"On this occasion, Mr. Ma revealed something. Among the sources of rations and pay for Military Commander Zhang's newly added troops, there is a levy on Zongyang's rice and bean brokers of two sheng per dan. The silver is not much, but the method is what matters. Here in Anqing, we collect money through the brokerages, but we have never been able to do it elsewhere. Once Zongyang opens this door, it will be easier to handle going forward." Pang Yu looked at Jiang Fan. "Extrapolating from intelligence gathered from various sources, the rice and beans traveling on this river each year is no less than ten million dan (Note: from A History of Yangtze River Shipping)."

"Your Excellency means for the Canal Gang to intercept them on the river?"

"Intercepting on the river is the Water Army's job. But with ships traveling on this river day and night, interception alone is not enough." Pang Yu looked at the Grain Transport Ships at the dock. "But the Dark Sentinel Division must go ahead. My current objective is that all rice and beans must pay this two-sheng levy."

Jiang Fan did a quick mental calculation. "If calculated at ten million dan, that would yield two hundred thousand dan in levies. But Your Excellency could also raise the rate. If the levy is one Bean per dan, that is one million dan. At two Bean, it would be two million dan."

"It will naturally be raised. But what this official has his eye on is still not this levy. If they do one thing according to my requirements, this levy can also be reduced."

Under Jiang Fan's puzzled gaze, Pang Yu smiled confidently. "This official wants grain trade settlements. Those that go through the Silver Bank can be reduced or exempted. Those that do not go through the Silver Bank will uniformly be levied one Bean. And then — the trade settlements for all shipping goods on the Great River."

After hearing Pang Yu out, Jiang Fan was even more confused. But ever since their time at the county yamen, he had never been able to fathom this superior's thinking. Money that could clearly be taken after so much effort — this superior still wanted to reduce or waive it, always trying to bring business to the Silver Bank, yet the Silver Bank did not even make money.

He gave up on trying to understand. Following Pang Yu's line of thought and mulling it over briefly, Jiang Fan said to Pang Yu, "Then relying solely on the Anqing stretch of the river, I fear we cannot stop that many ships. The Silver Bank would still need a Branch Office at every major dock to handle settlements properly."

"Company Commander Fang's words are quite insightful. What the Dark Sentinel Division must do is control the docks at every prosperous place along the river. As for the local Water Camps, this official naturally has other arrangements. The Canal Gang, the Boat She, and the Silver Bank must all establish a firm foothold at every dock."

"The ports along the Great River's current are all on the southern bank. From Jiujiang down, everything is under the Yingtian Grand Coordinator's jurisdiction. Your Excellency has achieved such battle merit and given Military Commander Zhang a great convenience. Presumably, Military Commander Zhang will always extend some convenience in return. Gaining a foothold should be no problem."

Pang Yu nodded. "We want to do business on the Great River. We absolutely cannot let Anqing be carved out of the Yingtian Jurisdiction. This official needs to go see Military Commander Zhang soon, to reassure him about keeping Anqing."