Chapter 409: The First Priority

After nightfall, Yu Cotton Lou was already stifling. Pang Yu, dressed in the short jacket and trousers of the Marine Corps, leaned against the railing and fanned himself vigorously with a palm-leaf fan. The breeze it stirred was still a wave of heat, and Pang Yu suspected the heat he was dissipating was less than what the fanning itself generated — which was why the more he fanned, the hotter he felt. His mood grew somewhat irritable.

Outside the building, lantern light wound along the Qinhuai River in a scene of prosperous times. This stretch of the Qinhuai channel was not wide; under the lantern glow one could see it with fair clarity. As painted pleasure boats passed by, women at the gunwales gently waved their round fans, also gazing toward the shore. Some of the women, upon spotting Pang Yu, covered their mouths with their fans and let out soft laughter.

"Being handsome is also a kind of trouble — too conspicuous."

Pang Yu sighed helplessly, turned and went back to his seat, then looked up at Jiang Fan across from him and said, "Fang Kongzhao has agreed. With the naval force having a mooring, the Canal Gang's business will be easier to handle. Three ports below Wuchang, plus Jiujiang, makes four. I want not only the river surface but also the docks. Within one month, these ports must be under control."

"Taking the docks at the three Huguang locations should not be difficult. It is only the brokerages and the local government offices — within one month, I fear…"

Pang Yu calmly cut him off. "Within one month."

Jiang Fan immediately shut his mouth. Pang Yu stared at the tabletop, paused a moment, and said, "Those who do business as Hangshang on the Great River mostly have some backing. If we suddenly began clearing the river along the entire line in ordinary times, it would be easy for them to bring complaints to the Censors. When the Tartars invade, the court will only pay attention to the border wall — that is a good opportunity. At that time, when the Anqing Naval Force clears the river and the Canal Gang controls the dock trade, no one will pay any heed. The Tartars will cross the border within two months at most, so you have only one month."

"Understood." Jiang Fan looked at Pang Yu. "Fang Military Gate agreed so readily — could he have other designs?"

"Fang Kongzhao has designated four places to train Local Militia: Jingmen Prefecture, Macheng, Qishui, and Suizhou. He also wants me to keep at least a thousand troops in Gucheng. But Gucheng is a place I never intended to abandon in the first place, so I agreed to that as well. Beyond that, he raised one more point." Pang Yu spoke thoughtfully. "Before Zhang Xianzhong rebels again, Fang Kongzhao wants me to join him in encircling and suppressing Yinghuo Mountain. The more I think about it, the more reasonable he sounds. Looking at the Central Plains, Xiangyang and Nanyang are the pivot, but looking at the three provinces, Yingshan and Huoshan are in truth the Roving Bandits' staging ground. Once government troops pursue, they swiftly flee into the mountains to hide. Once inside, for hundreds of li they vanish without a trace. The exits are a thousand channels and ten thousand paths — before they emerge from the mountains, you never know where they will come out. If we can firmly control Yingshan and Huoshan, the Roving Bandits will lose their shelter and staging area, which will greatly aid in containing their mobility."

"Macheng, Qishui, and Suizhou are all places along the mountain edge. From where Fang Military Gate is training Local Militia, one can see he means to tightly guard against Yingshan."

"I hear he has made a deep study of the strategic strongpoints of the Nine Borders. It seems he truly understands military matters better than other civil officials."

"It is just that, this being the case, my lord will need to train an additional force for use in the mountains."

Pang Yu said with certainty, "So long as it is necessary, one more force is just one more. So long as we control the Yinghuo Mountain Area, not only will Anqing be secure, Huguang will also be secure. Why do we want to control the river surface? The most important trade downstream from Wuchang is grain. Huguang and Jiangxi are the main grain-producing regions. If the grain-producing areas are destroyed, trade volume will drop drastically. Therefore Huguang is a place I must protect. Since Fang Kongzhao has proposed it, I naturally have no reason to refuse. At present, Fang Kongzhao needs something from our Anqing Battalion. The Canal Gang can act boldly in Huguang. The river is the first priority — that is our foundation. Next is the Western Camp, and only after that, the Capital."

At this point, Pang Yu paused and asked, "On this trip to the Capital, you met Feng Quan and Dong Xinkui. Feng Quan needs no comment. Is this man Dong Xinkui of any use?"

"He is useful. Although this man is of Commoner Status, he has wide-ranging connections and well-informed sources in Capital official circles, and enjoys considerable trust among the Capital Officials. He treats people with great generosity — whether they are in power or out of favor, he treats them all with courtesy. Those in power entrust their valuables to him, and he sends them back to their hometowns to avoid prying eyes. If anything is lost en route, he compensates for it all. When he meets officials who have been dismissed and fallen into ruin, Dong Xinkui also gives them travel funds. He has been like this for over ten years, and so every Capital Official trusts him and feels at ease entrusting him to transport their money and jewels. Dong Xinkui learned of the Great River Silver Bank from the Jiangnan Times. The reason he is willing to cooperate with my lord is that the Great River Silver Bank already has five branch offices. I told him that soon it will be accessible all along the river. If Dong Xinkui merely deposits silver in the Capital, he can avoid the risk of transporting silver long distances. Capital Officials can withdraw it anywhere in the south. He gains convenience, the officials gain interest to collect, and we in turn gain more deposits. In my humble judgment, having Dong Xinkui's assistance is the best possible choice for the Silver Bank."

Pang Yu nodded. Though he had never met Dong Xinkui, he had heard the name many times. That even he, a Military Officer far away in Nanzhili, had heard of him already spoke to this man's standing in the Capital.

"'He has been like this for over ten years' — that is what is called trustworthiness. Dong Xinkui wants a commission; we agree to it. For every sum of silver deposited through him, we give him a cut. If he wants to jointly run a Silver Bank in the Capital, that is also acceptable. You will no longer handle this matter. Have Liu Ruogu send someone to negotiate. The line through Feng Quan is the route into the palace — same approach. The Capital is where money and power converge, where financial transactions are frequent. Silver Notes, Money Orders, and Banknotes all have their uses there. All those great officials are Circulating Officials, and even eunuchs cannot be eunuchs their whole lives — eventually they all must return home. What they need most is a reliable circulation channel. Deposits from the Capital will be no less than those from Jiangnan. Once they grow accustomed to the interest, they will not easily withdraw their principal."

Pang Yu, slightly stirred with excitement, slowly rose and walked to the railing. From the river drifted the sound of string and bamboo instruments and the clear singing of women.

"The Capital is a critical place, but the Dark Sentinel Division cannot operate there the way it does on the river. No one can know that I have sent men to gather intelligence in the Capital. Below Zhang Mazi, there must be headmen recruited locally. Zhang Mazi must absolutely never have direct contact with the spies."

"I understand."

Pang Yu drew a breath. "Especially that line into the palace — it can only be a single-link chain. It does not matter if there are two extra cutouts in the middle, but absolutely no one can know it is connected to Anqing."

Jiang Fan said steadily, "I already have arrangements. That line into the palace has not actually been inserted yet. It will likely be around the eighth or ninth month before they can enter the palace. At the start, there will only be two people."

"Once these people are placed in the palace, without relying on Feng Quan's backing, I fear it will be hard for them to gain any standing. The Dark Sentinel Division must provide some assistance from outside the palace, so they can get things done." Before Pang Yu, painted boats came and went on the Qinhuai River, and layers of bright ripples on the water surged toward him. "How are the arrangements for the other locations in the north?"

"According to my lord's guidance, the intelligence posts are expanding from the Capital toward the Nine Borders, with the first priority being the Liao Garrison. The Fang Guangchen selected this time — it was Dong Xinkui who provided the information. Fang Guangchen had entrusted him to transport a batch of silver and jewels. He came to Nanjing precisely to receive this sum of silver, and it was through this that we were able to arrange for a female agent to be waiting in advance."

Pang Yu smiled and glanced toward the inner courtyard on the left. That side was rather secluded and quiet; not the slightest clamor could be heard. "I hear he is also at Yu Cotton Lou today."

"This is his second time coming, and he specifically requested that female agent to attend him. I believe he already intends to buy her freedom. If this matter succeeds, it will be the first time the Dark Sentinel Camp has accomplished such a mission. From then on, intelligence from the Liao Garrison will not be lacking."

Pang Yu did not ask the female agent's name. He merely offered Jiang Fan encouragement: "This matter has been handled very well. The Dark Sentinel Camp is not the Canal Gang, after all — it cannot only know how to fight and kill. Acquiring intelligence is the Dark Sentinel Camp's foremost priority. Is there any other important information?"

"There is word in Nanjing and Yangzhou that the Huizhou merchants who run Silver Banks and pawnshops everywhere are colluding. They intend to send someone to see Liu Ruogu and tell the Great River Silver Bank not to engage in the Official Loan business."

Pang Yu merely grunted in acknowledgment. Previously, the Silver Banks and pawnshops in Nanjing and Yangzhou had been largely run by Huizhou merchants. Since its establishment, the Great River Silver Bank had mainly focused on attracting deposits, while the Huizhou merchants primarily made loans — the two sides' businesses had not conflicted. Now that Liu Ruogu had begun issuing Official Loans, these Huizhou merchants were likely intimidated by the scale of the Great River Silver Bank and worried that the Official Loan business would be taken from them.

"If they are only sending people to negotiate, Liu Ruogu knows how to talk. Just keep an eye on whether anyone intends to resort to force."

Jiang Fan hesitated a moment, then added, "There is one more matter. Within Nanjing, some people from the Restoration Society are conspiring together. They want to launch a concerted attack on Ruan Dacheng. I hear they have already drafted a Public Denunciation, but it has not yet been posted. The contents have not been clearly ascertained."

"A Public Denunciation?" Pang Yu furrowed his brow. A Public Denunciation was essentially the same as the notices posted by government offices — written out and posted in crowded places for everyone to see. Pang Yu had spent an entire afternoon posting them during the Civil Unrest in Tongcheng, and it had seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

"What use is that?"

Jiang Fan had done this sort of thing himself. He shook his head as well. "I do not know either. I reckon these scholars simply have no other method."

"The Restoration Society and Ruan Dacheng have been at odds for more than just a year or two. Why suddenly write a Public Denunciation now? Who is leading it, and why do they want to attack Ruan Dacheng?"

"The leader is Wu Yingji, but the one stirring things up behind the scenes is Zhou Biao. As to why, it has not yet been clearly ascertained."

Posting a Public Denunciation only served to ruin the other party's reputation. Ruan Dacheng was different from Zhou Zhikui — Zhou Zhikui had been the seal-holding County Magistrate at the time, so the Restoration Society's Public Denunciation attacking him could have an impact. But Ruan Dacheng was a man of Commoner Status, without even a single official post. His reputation was not good to begin with, and Nanjing was not the Capital. This Public Denunciation did not seem like it could affect him much.

If someone posted a Public Denunciation scolding Pang Yu, Pang Yu simply would not pay it any mind — it could not harm him in the slightest. No matter how he thought about it, it seemed useless. He pondered for a moment but still could not grasp the point. Seeing this, Jiang Fan added, "It was mainly overheard in Mei Lou. I do not know whether this matter is large or small. It is just that we now rely heavily on Ruan Xiansheng, and since my lord asked, I reported it together for my lord to hear."

"Does Ruan Dacheng know?"

"The Restoration Society people have not concealed their actions. Ruan Xiansheng should have heard some rumors."

Pang Yu thought it over, then said, "That group around Wu Yingji — their actions have always been rather aimless. Perhaps it is just a passing whim, nothing more than a clash of personal grudges with Ruan Dacheng. Tomorrow I am going with Ruan Dacheng to see Wu Changshi. If he does not bring it up, I will not go asking about it. One last matter: send men to prepare a month's worth of grain and fodder for two thousand men at the Xuzhou docks. Two thousand men, two thousand horses. At Linqing, stockpile for half a month."

"My lord is preparing to go on rally to the king?"

Pang Yu nodded. "The greatest bargaining chip in our dealings with all parties is the military force of the Anqing Battalion. This year the Tartars are about to invade, and the court has no effective response. I had originally decided not to engage the Tartars in battle. But with the entire middle reaches of the Great River now in our hands and the Coupon Issuance about to begin, we truly need a bargaining chip we can put on the table. The more I think about it, the only option is to fight the Qing army once."

"My lord said last time that the Tartar invasion would last only one or two months — which also means that within one month's time we would have to turn around. If my lord dispatches troops from Anqing and rushes to Northern Zhili in one month, I fear the men will be exhausted and the horses spent, unfit for a major battle."

"By the time the Tartars exit the pass, they will already have their hands full with money, grain, women, and children, and will have marched over a thousand li — they will likewise be unfit for a major battle. If we can strike at their rearguard, we strike. If their force is too great, we do not fight. So long as we make the trip, the Times can always write about it."