Chapter 390: Warm Pavilion

In Nanjing, by Mochou Lake, the lakeside willows were a lush emerald green. On the painted barges upon the water, women loosed kites into the wind — a scene of perfect spring splendor. In a small courtyard house on the lake shore, Jiang Fan stood at a second-floor window, his gaze crossing over the wall to take in the lake view just beyond the compound.

This place had originally been a residence Pang Yu purchased for lodging in Nanjing, though he lacked Ruan Dacheng's extravagant wealth and could only afford a modest two-courtyard house — still, it was lake-view property at least. The courtyard, situated by the lake, was relatively defensible and convenient to the docks; it now served as Jiang Fan's residence.

"Just now I inquired at his silver house. They have flying tickets to the Capital, redeemable at Dongjiao Mixiang. For one hundred taels you can only retrieve ninety-three; for three thousand taels or more, you can retrieve ninety-five."

Jiang Fan turned back. The speaker was Yuan Zheng, deputy Gang Leader of the Canal Gang — a man Jiang Fan had trusted ever since the Tongcheng county office. Yuan had not originally intended to follow Pang Yu to Anqing and had not even joined the Zhuang Squad, but because he had accompanied Jiang Fan to Susong to seize men and threaten Chen Ten Prefectures, he had thereby entered the Canal Gang and subsequently the Dark Sentinel Division.

The man smoking beside him was called Xu Da'er. He had entered the yamen as a mounted constable even earlier than Pang Yu, had not been purged after the Tongcheng civil unrest, and during the first bandit incursion had been dispatched to scout the Taihu and Susong direction. Afterwards, he too had first entered the Canal Gang, had taken part in the assassination of the Anqing Boat Dock Master, and now mostly remained stationed in Nanjing. He was also a Centurion now. Tilting his head, he said, "Other silver houses charge fees for flying tickets. Lord Pang's silver house gives silver to people, and still has to open branches in the Capital. Won't the losses just keep mounting?"

"Which is why after all these years they're still in this state." Jiang Fan stepped away from the window. "Prepare a flying ticket for ten thousand taels, and bring two thousand taels in ready silver."

Xu Da'er replied, "The shipping company has only one thousand three hundred taels in ready silver on hand. This subordinate will have to withdraw more from the silver house, and will inevitably have to endure more of Liu Shopkeeper's grumbling again."

"What exactly did Liu Shopkeeper say?"

"He said the Dark Sentinel Division has already withdrawn nine thousand taels in Nanjing, and at this rate the budget likely won't last until the sixth month. He wants the Company Commander to write to Lord Pang soon and request an increase in the budget, so that neither side is put in a difficult position later."

Beside him, Yuan Zheng said coldly, "Was the Yangzhou dock matter something the Dark Sentinel Division wanted? It was clearly work done for the silver house. How did that expense get charged to the Dark Sentinel Division's account? If everything is going to be calculated so narrowly, then we simply won't go to the Capital. Let's see how his silver house manages to open there."

Jiang Fan waved his hand. "Liu Shopkeeper also said that if we request an increased budget from Lord Pang, the problem is solved. It's not an unsolvable situation. No need to create Dissatisfaction with the silver house over a minor matter. Everywhere we operate is newly opened — territory carved out by force. We can't do without silver. Da'er, first send a document to the Deputy Garrison Headquarters requesting a thirty-thousand-tael budget increase. He County Yamen can't authorize this on his own; it will still have to be sent to Lord Pang in Huguang, a long journey both ways. I will speak with Liu Ruogu myself. If the budget has indeed been exceeded, ask the silver house to advance another ten thousand taels first, and we'll balance the books once the budget allocation arrives."

"But when Lord Pang looks at the accounts at year's end, he'll see the Dark Sentinel Division spending all the silver. This debt will all be recorded under our names."

"What Lord Pang will see is that the Dark Sentinel Division handled the Yangzhou matter. Whether the silver was spent as a silver house expense or a Dark Sentinel Division expense makes little difference to Lord Pang. You two both entered the mounted constables back in Tongcheng. You know Lord Pang well. He keeps a tight grip on silver, but when silver needs to be spent, he never hesitates. He only looks at whether the silver was spent worthily."

Neither Xu Da'er nor Yuan Zheng spoke further. Being in the Dark Sentinel Division, they were already far more generously funded than they had been in the Canal Gang.

Jiang Fan turned and stared out at the painted barges. "We have two other matters to discuss. First, the matter of assigning Garrison Inspector officers. It was discussed for a long time but none were sent, because we had no permanent station. Now our station is fixed at Shimen Lake, and the Academy is set at Zongyang. One senior and one deputy Garrison Inspector officer will be assigned — still fewer than what the War Soldiers get. Second, the Clerk Officers. This was proposed by that newly appointed Wu Dacai. Besides the army, they are now being assigned to every company in the yamen. The Dark Sentinel Division will also receive one."

Yuan Zheng curled his lip. "What use is sending these Document Teams and Garrison Inspector officers? They can't handle official business and just get in the way."

"Keep such words within this room." Jiang Fan reflected a moment. "We are the Dark Sentinel Division of Cavalry Camp. We are all, in the end, soldiers and officers. Garrison Inspector and Clerks are military posts, so naturally they can be assigned." He paused. "Besides these few, we have one more old colleague joining us — you both know him. Ruan Jin from the Tongcheng county yamen. Lord Pang originally had him garrison Anqing. Ruan Jin had only been at his post for a little over a month when an urgent letter arrived by grain transport today. Ruan Jin is being transferred to Huguang, so Anqing will have no Centurion left to hold it."

Yuan Zheng and Xu Da'er both listened intently. Ruan Jin was an old hand from the Tongcheng county yamen; of course they knew him. They had gone down to the countryside together for Tax Grain Comparison more times than they could count, and they also knew Ruan Jin had once been Pang Yu's trusted aide. Being transferred to Huguang clearly meant he was being given important responsibilities by Pang Yu.

Yuan Zheng said with some displeasure, "It's true Ruan Jin is an old hand, but he has rendered no Merits to the Garrison Camp. Being made a Centurion right upon arrival — I fear it will be hard for the men to accept."

"Ruan Jin led the Zhuang Squad against the Roving Bandits in Tongcheng as well. He has the seniority." Jiang Fan spoke evenly. "I had originally intended to take both of you to the Capital to handle affairs, but Anqing and Nanjing cannot be left unattended. Xu Da'er, you are familiar with Nanjing; you will oversee Nanjing and Yangzhou. Suzhou is where the Grand Coordinator's Military Command is stationed. Mr. Ma said no violence there — he will negotiate with the yamen and the docks himself and switch to a franchise model, so no Centurion need be stationed there. Anqing's various locations need defense against bandit spies, and Zongyang has opened the Academy, with many new recruits needing oversight. Yuan Zheng, you go to Anqing and take charge of counter-espionage and the Academy. Those people originally held under guard all have connections; keeping them in Anqing is not secure enough. Send them all to Zongyang this time."

Xu Da'er exhaled a puff of smoke. "We'll follow the Company Commander's arrangements. Only, a matter as important as going to the Capital — I fear it will be hard to manage with too few men."

Jiang Fan sat back down in his seat. "Lord Pang set the Dark Sentinel Division one vertical line and one horizontal line: the Great River and the Grand Canal. The Ming Dynasty's silver flows along these two waterways. The Capital is the head of this vertical line. This year, establishing our network in the Capital is the most critical task. Wuhu is quiet; the local militia garrisoned there has been negotiated with, so there's no need for Zhang Mazi to remain in command. I have already summoned him to assemble in Nanjing. Now we only wait for Ruan Dacheng's departure date."

……

"Yesterday Ruan Dacheng convened a Society Gathering of the Qun She. Among those listening to opera and drinking were Yang Weiyuan, Huo Weihua, Fan Jingwen, Lü Yixuan, Ye Can, Liu Ruogu, and over twenty others. He proclaimed that he will soon be restored to office."

At Mei Lou on Taoye Ferry, a bang rang out. The fiery-tempered Wu Yingji slammed the table and raged, "The blood-written petition of the Donglin orphans still exists, yet a Donglin man like Fan Jingwen colludes with the Eunuch Faction! If this can be endured, what cannot!"

Fang Yizhi, sitting across from him, raised a hand, then hesitated and said nothing. All present today were Restoration Society scholars, but this was a small, private gathering. By custom they were to critique current ills, and the conversation had immediately turned to this fellow townsman of his. The one who had just spoken was Zhou Biao, a Presented Scholar of the first year of Chongzhen, formerly a Ministry of Rites Principal Officer — the highest-ranking person present and an elder statesman within the Restoration Society.

Zhou Biao continued unhurriedly, "The members of the Qun She fawn over the eunuch Ruan, going so far as to call him the faction leader in the Southern Capital. Their insolence is beyond words."

Seated on the other side was Chen Zhenhui. He turned his head to look at Liu Shenyan, the chief editor of the Jiangnan Times. "Ruan Dacheng boasts everywhere that he personally helped break the Roving Thieves at Tongcheng, that he had a hand in the Susong Great Victory, and even claims that Anqing Vice General Pang Yu will join his society to discuss military affairs, deceiving many scholars into joining the Qun She. This Pang Yu co-operates the Jiangnan Times with us, relying on the Restoration Society's Current Affairs Essays to distribute it across the realm — who knows how much silver he's made — yet why does he still maintain such ties with Ruan Dacheng?"

Liu Shenyan looked somewhat embarrassed. Though he was chief editor, he could only decide the newspaper's content; Pang Yu was his master. He could only prevaricate. "These are all just rumors. The Times doesn't make money either; it loses over a thousand taels every year, and this year the losses will be several thousand taels."

Fang Yizhi coughed, glanced first at Zhou Biao, then said carefully to Chen Zhenhui, "I know a little about this matter. Pang Yu is from Tongcheng. It is true he originally knew the eunuch Ruan, but it can hardly be called collusion."

Wu Yingji waved a hand. "Yet he co-operates the Jiangnan Times with us, disseminating Current Affairs Essays and upholding righteousness. What the eunuch Ruan says is likely pure fabrication. We absolutely must not wrong a good man on such grounds."

Chen Zhenhui was not familiar with Pang Yu. He looked at Fang Yizhi doubtfully and asked, "Pang Yu rose through the ranks to Vice General on solid Military Merits alone. Whether the eunuch Ruan truly rendered any service in the defense of Tongcheng — Pang Yu knows best. Why has he never uttered a single word about it?"

Fang Yizhi gave an awkward smile and looked toward Wu Yingji. Wu Yingji, having spent much time at the Newspaper Office, greatly admired Pang Yu. He spoke up: "That is General Pang's own affair. He is not a member of our Restoration Society. If you ask me, Old Wu, it is not only Donglin men who fawn over the Eunuch Faction; the Restoration Society has no shortage of such people either. That Ruan Dacheng runs rampant in the Southern Capital is not without cause. Given such circumstances, what standing do we have to dictate whether Pang Yu speaks or not?"

Zhou Biao seemed to have little interest in discussing Pang Yu either. Picking up the thread, he said, "Wu Changshi thought he was being secretive, but his visit to Feng Quan in Zhuozhou is known to some in the Capital. The intermediary in that connection was none other than Ruan Dacheng."

The assembled company immediately broke into discussion. Liu Shenyan took no part, merely sitting quietly and listening.

Zhou Biao stood and said, "Whether it is a momentary lapse or a change of allegiance is beside the point. The Restoration Society is the Restoration Society of its members; it does not belong to any one man. If a certain man colludes with the Eunuch Faction, he is no longer the master of the Restoration Society. We, its members, will of our own accord revive the ancient learning and return to the proper path."

At these words, everyone knew whom he meant. More than half fell silent, and the gathering turned cold for a moment.

Seeing this, Chen Zhenhui smiled and said, "All these connections Ruan Dacheng is making are likely just in hopes of a restoration to office. The Emperor is of peerless talent; in the end, Ruan is merely wasting his efforts."

Wu Yingji slammed his palm on the table again. "The Tartars absolutely must not be appeased, the Roving Thieves absolutely must not be granted Feigned Surrender, and the traitors of the Reverse Case absolutely must not be employed! These three stakes bear upon the fate of the nation. Any who dare advocate these three — every man is duty-bound to slay them!"

……

"Your servant was originally not of the traitorous faction. When His Majesty ascended the dragon throne and restored officials to office, I likewise never recommended or employed anyone implicated in the Reverse Case. This Reverse Case was imperially decreed by His Majesty; a single word stands unaltered for ten thousand generations. That various ministers now wish to further expand it — I fear there is no such principle."

In the Forbidden City at the Capital, within the Left Warm Pavilion at Yuntai Gate, the Chongzhen Emperor sat in plain robes before a screen. Below, over ten high ministers stood arrayed in two columns.

The Emperor generally discussed state affairs in three places: the most formal court assemblies were at the Gate of Imperial Supremacy, followed by Wenhua Hall and the Platform. The Platform Summons involved the fewest people; the Emperor would selectively summon ministers to discuss matters of his personal concern. Those present today included three Grand Secretaries, Liu Yuliang among them, as well as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Personnel, along with their subordinate officials.

Yang Sichang stood in the eastern column, waiting for the Emperor's questions. The man currently delivering his memorial was Tian Weijia, the Minister of Personnel, who had been impeached, which had then led to talk of proposals to continue the Reverse Case.

The Reverse Case was the first great undertaking after the Emperor ascended the throne, laying a solid foundation for his control of the court. Not many were executed, but at the time the Donglin faction had dominated the case and had rather exploited it to strike at political enemies. Many were dissatisfied, and in recent years there had been no shortage of people seeking restoration, yet to this day not a single one had succeeded.

The Emperor's voice came from above: "The case need not be continued."

This matter touched upon the Emperor's own face, and the Donglin faction's face as well, so Yang Sichang would absolutely not get involved. He merely remained a silent listener, while mentally preparing for the matters that might be raised shortly.

Tian Weijia continued, "Your servant's ministry bears the responsibility of appointing officials. Every man wants a good post in a desirable location; the slightest dissatisfaction breeds resentment. This is why many ministers hate your servant. If, henceforth, any who recommend traitors of the Reverse Case are severely punished by His Majesty, they will naturally not dare — what need is there to continue the case?"

Yang Sichang's gaze shifted over to look. The implication of Tian Weijia's words was to have the Emperor issue another decree making it explicit, cutting off all hope for those implicated in the Reverse Case, so that all sides would stop pressuring the Ministry of Personnel — it was practically asking the Emperor to do the ministry's work for it.

Sure enough, the Emperor's tone shifted slightly. His voice Cold Expression, he said, "You need not take it to heart, nor need you defend yourself."

The Emperor did not continue the topic. He directly ordered the Minister of Personnel to return to his column, then called upon Yang Sichang to present his memorial.

"Minister Yang."

Yang Sichang hurriedly stepped out of line and knelt. "Your servant is here."

"Xiong Wencan has memorialized regarding the Feigned Surrender of Zhang Xianzhong and Liu Guoneng. Has the Ministry of War reached a decision and prepared a reply?"

Yang Sichang said respectfully, "Your servant has a memorial submitted by Yu Yinggui, the Huguang Grand Coordinator, stating that these two men are cunning and treacherous by nature, and fears their request for Pacification is a false pretense to buy time. Since both claim they are willing to suppress bandits to redeem themselves, they should be ordered to annihilate the two Ying of Li Inner City and Ma Shouying before they may be granted Pacification. To date, all we have seen are evasions and excuses, which shows their nature is hard to change. We should seize the moment when they are off guard and rigorously deploy troops to exterminate them."

"What kind of talk is this from Yu Yinggui? Surely you cannot mean that when someone says they wish to Surrender, you shout for their blood? Who would ever come to Surrender after that? There are no fewer than a hundred bandit Ying in Shaanxi and Henan. If we simply fight our way through exterminating them one by one, when will we see real results?"

A wave of disappointment washed through Yang Sichang. These few sentences had already set the tone. In the end, the decision on this Feigned Surrender would still have to come from the Ministry of War — and this was not Yang Sichang's original intent.

The Chongzhen Emperor's commanding voice continued, "If they could be wiped out cleanly, why have we seen the bandits only multiply rather than diminish over these years? Previously, the Linlan Bandits besieged Changsha for over twenty days, and we still had to transfer troops from the Pian Yuan Grand Coordinator just to lift the siege. Can the Huguang garrison still handle the bandits?"

The Linlan Bandits were a rebellion of Mine Bandits that had arisen in southern Huguang, and their momentum was considerable. At the time, Yu Yinggui had been dealing with Zhang Xianzhong near Macheng, leaving southern Huguang undefended. The Linlan mine bandits had advanced by water and besieged Changsha Prefecture, forcing the court to transfer the Pian Yuan Grand Coordinator to lift the siege. Military operations in southern Huguang were now temporarily under the Pian Yuan Grand Coordinator's authority.

The Emperor's dissatisfaction with Yu Yinggui was already abundantly clear in his words; every minister in the Warm Pavilion understood it plainly. Yang Sichang did not, in his heart, approve of granting Feigned Surrender at this moment, but the Emperor was quite resolute — a drastic change from his earlier attitude when he had set a deadline for extermination.

After a moment of hesitation, Yang Sichang said, "The Linlan Bandits reached Changsha by water. Before the siege, Yu Yinggui urgently transferred Military Camp forces into the city, forcing the bandits to withdraw without success. At that time, Yu Yinggui still had to guard against the Zhang and Liu ying, which shows his ability is still sufficient to deal with the bandits."

The Emperor neither agreed nor disagreed with Yang Sichang's statement, merely looking at a memorial in his hand. The Warm Pavilion fell silent for a moment. Discussing while reading was common during platform audiences, but it at least showed the Emperor was not satisfied with his answer. Yang Sichang could only kneel on the floor and wait.

Yang Sichang knew the Emperor was dissatisfied with his answer, but he was equally caught in a dilemma. The Emperor had set a three-month deadline to pacify the bandits. He had assumed it must be suppression first, or at least suppression before pacification. The Ten-Sided Net had been cast, yet the final strike had turned into pacification. As the architect of the Ten-Sided Net, he was deeply disappointed.

Everything had deviated far from his plan. The Bandit Suppression Pay had so far only reached nine hundred thousand taels. Troop strengths in the various garrisons were in chaos, the distribution of pay among different units was unclear, and local grain tax in kind supplies were a mess of accounts. The planned one hundred twenty thousand troops were nowhere near in place, and the three-month deadline was fast approaching. Perhaps the Emperor was also deeply disappointed, which was why his attitude had changed so drastically.

And as Minister of War, the Tartars in the north were an even greater threat. Over the past year or so, two great victories had been achieved, and the Roving Bandits were gradually weakening. But this had been accomplished while the Tartars did not invade last year. Although things were currently chaotic, the Bandit Suppression Pay had at least partially arrived, the strength of government troops had somewhat recovered, and the main forces of the Government Troops were mostly in position. In Yang Sichang's view, they should seize this opportunity to exterminate the Old Bandits as much as possible. Once these elite Roving Bandits were eliminated, any that emerged later would be mere Local Bandits, whose harm would be far less than that of the Roving Bandits.

Once the Tartars invaded, the military situation would immediately change drastically. The risk of these Roving Bandits rebelling again would be enormous then. When that happened, besides the local authorities, the Ministry of War would still bear the primary responsibility. Yu Yinggui was extremely vigilant against the Roving Bandits, and Yang Sichang wanted to protect him, even if the Emperor's anger might turn toward himself as a result.

After a long while, the Emperor's voice sounded again. "Yesterday, Supreme Commander Lu Xiangsheng's dispatch report contained a secret plan. Does it stop there, or is there another purpose?"

Yang Sichang froze on the floor. Lu Xiangsheng's secret report — he had not expected the Emperor to inquire about it in front of other officials. He had previously assumed it would be discussed in private with the Emperor after the audience. The words he had prepared in his mind were completely unusable in the current setting.

Steadying his thoughts, he said, "The purpose should not be limited to that. But beyond the dispatch report, I have heard nothing else. Not daring to delay, nor daring to act on my own authority, I therefore submitted it for Your Majesty's preview and sacred decision."

The Chongzhen Emperor was still looking at the memorial. "He reports it concerns the Tartars. How can we open markets with them? If those involved are old hands of the Chahar Tribe, it might be permissible. As long as they have standing and identity, the state must not be disgraced."

The officials from the Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of Revenue at the side did not know the contents of the secret message. Only upon hearing this did they realize it was about opening markets with the Tartars. This was an extremely sensitive matter. They all stole glances at Yang Sichang. Today's content would soon spread throughout the court. They could well imagine that soon, a flood of Censors would drown Yang Sichang with their criticism.

Yang Sichang naturally also knew the sensitivity of this matter, but in his view, it was imperative. In his understanding, the court currently had no capability whatsoever to fight a two-front war. And this decision was not one the Ministry of War could make on its own.

His mind raced. The Emperor's words had said it was not permitted, yet seemed to leave an opening. As long as Yang Sichang stated that those requesting to open markets were old hands of the Chahar, they could follow old regulations. But words spoken now in front of the Court Officials would be recorded and then sent to the Six Offices of Scrutiny for copying. By tomorrow, the entire court would know. If someone later exposed them as Tartar agents, Yang Sichang's guilt would be inescapable, while the Emperor would bear no responsibility whatsoever.

After thinking it over, Yang Sichang replied, "Although they are old hands of the Chahar Tribe, by now there are none who have not surrendered to the enemy. Those coming to negotiate markets must be directed by the Tartars. To say there are no Tartars behind it — I dare not deceive Your Majesty."

Seeing that Yang Sichang had not followed his lead, the Chongzhen Emperor said with a cold expression, "The Tartars have committed a heaven-defying great crime. They have ruined the ancestral lands and slaughtered countless civil and military officials and subjects. There is absolutely no principle for granting them market rewards."

Yang Sichang steeled himself and said, "What Your Majesty speaks of is the great righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Annals' grand unification. But in my observation, the state has used troops for twenty years. The palace and government stores, official and private savings, have all been utterly exhausted, poured away like flowing water. Moreover, so many lives have been slaughtered, yet no good has come of it. The realm is in ruins and urgently needs rest and recovery. Eastern Affairs need not be rushed in the short term. It is analogous to how Shun and Yu dealt with the Sanmiao affair."

To say in front of the Emperor that no good had come of it — although it was the truth, it was not the court that had forced the Tartars into war; it was the Tartars who had rebelled and caused it. Yang Sichang attributing the outcome to twenty years of military action was an untenable argument. Those in the ranks who were familiar with Yang Sichang all broke into a cold sweat for him.

Sure enough, the Emperor waited almost not at all and immediately raised his tone. "In twenty years, no good has been done. It is all because we ourselves are weak, lacking men with true heart for the country. The Sanmiao's defiance of orders is not the same as today's situation. It was merely that they did not come to pay tribute. How can it compare to the crimes of the Tartars?"

These few sentences were not directed only at Yang Sichang; they practically scolded all the ministers present. The atmosphere in the Warm Pavilion had become extremely heavy.

Yang Sichang was still responding. "In former years, when Anda was alive…"

"It does not compare to Anda either!" The Chongzhen Emperor was clearly somewhat angered now. He directly switched to the next topic. "Minister, yesterday you asked what strategy could make the enemy retreat without requiring many troops or much pay?"

Yang Sichang gritted his teeth and said, "I know my own meager talents. I request that it be referred to the high ministers for collective discussion, each contributing their strengths. I originally had no such proposal."

The Chongzhen Emperor sat up straight and stared at Yang Sichang. A flush rose on his somewhat pale face, and his voice grew increasingly severe. "Every time the Tartars invade, there are calls to increase pay and troops. memorial of suggestions and arrangements are made, much economy discussed. Yet when the beacon fires come, no one knows where all that economy has gone. Can it be that there are no men left in the Central Plains to deceive?"

Yang Sichang knelt and kowtowed to the floor, simply not answering. The court hall was utterly silent. The ministers in the ranks kept their eyes on their noses and their minds inward, like rigid statues — not moving their eyeballs, not swallowing saliva, not even letting a single hair stir, terrified of making any sound.