Chapter 41: Calculations

In the Tuisi Hall of the Tongcheng county yamen, a lamp-lighter hung two lanterns, their glow outlining Pi Yingju's somewhat weary figure.

Anqing Prefect Pi Yingju had only reached Tongcheng that afternoon. Ever since Judicial Commissioner Xue's botched, half-baked attempt to recruit the rioters to surrender, the situation in Tongcheng had spiraled out of control in just two days. Businesses inside and outside the city had all shut down; idlers and ruffians from near and far were swarming toward the county seat; the official road, the main thoroughfare linking north and south, was blocked. The situation was already so critical that the Prefect himself had no choice but to rush to Tongcheng to handle the civil unrest.

In the past, when Pi Yingju came to Tongcheng, he would stay at the Fenshou Circuit office, a place kept ready for the Fenshou Circuit's business trips. Though small, the office was always swept and watched over, so Prefect Pi chose it every time. But this time Tongcheng was in a state of anarchy, and the only place in the whole county town still somewhat safe was the county yamen. Pi Yingju therefore had to make do with a side room in the rear quarters, and this Tuisi Hall became his working space.

Tongcheng County Magistrate Yang Fangzao came before the hall and said to Pi Yingju with deference, "Sir Pi, your subordinate has prepared the Anqing Prefectural Office's recruitment proclamation. Tomorrow morning it will be posted at the six gates and four corners."

Pi Yingju gave an "mm." Yang Fangzao looked up, studied Pi Yingju's expression for a moment, and then continued, "That Huang Wending came before the yamen this afternoon and reiterated that he would not violate the county granary, the South Prison, or the official residence, but his manner was extremely arrogant. The rioters in every part of the city are still gathered as before. This afternoon they also looted the home of Xiucai Liu and burned it to the ground."

After he finished, Pi Yingju still gave no reaction. Yang Fangzao knew Pi Yingju was displeased. His throat felt dry, and he finally admitted, "Your subordinate lacks the strength to restrain the bandit mob. Even the yamen's own Xuli clerks are hard to control. Those coming to the yamen on daytime duty now number less than three-tenths of the usual."

Pi Yingju spoke softly, "And even that three-tenths who do come, you dare not trust or use. Word on the street says the yamen's Xuli clerks are all in the bandits' employ."

"Your subordinate is dull-witted!"

Pi Yingju waved a hand. "The information this official has received is that the Ministry of Personnel has initially decided to appoint you as Xinghua Prefect in Fujian. A splendid future — you absolutely must not let this civil unrest drag you down."

Yang Fangzao's whole body gave a faint shudder. He had indeed commissioned people to maneuver in the Capital, precisely to secure promotion to Prefect, and Pi Yingju's evaluation of him had been extremely favorable. Pi Yingju had truly shown him the grace of recognition and patronage.

He had toiled diligently for years in Susong, and now, just when he knew for certain that the Ministry of Personnel had settled the appointment, a post that had been practically in the bag had become unreachable because he was acting as Tongcheng County Magistrate. A knot of frustration simply could not be eased. In his heart he cursed the eighteen generations of ancestors of that former County Magistrate, Gu Chaojian. If Gu Chaojian had not left his post early, how could he himself have run into this once-in-a-century civil uprising? This luck — no one else could match it.

Yang Fangzao bowed his body, his voice trembling slightly. "Your subordinate only assumed office on the second day of the eighth month. It has been barely twenty-some days. Your subordinate is truly wronged."

Pi Yingju's face showed not a trace of sympathy. "The realm is in turmoil. Nanzhili is the pillar of the court's finances and taxes. Though Anqing is a remote corner of Nanzhili, it is still Nanzhili. Its weight in the Emperor's mind is different. If chaos truly erupts, who do you think will have the inclination to check when you assumed office? Still less will anyone care whether you were wronged or not."

Yang Fangzao was left speechless. After a moment, he said wearily to Pi Yingju, "What you say, sir, your subordinate understands it all. But the bandits run rampant, and your subordinate has indeed exhausted his ability to respond."

Pi Yingju stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, took two steps, and then said, "Before this official came to Tongcheng, Wang Circuit Intendant, the Hoeryong-Chizhou-Taiping Military Defense Circuit, came to the prefectural office with a Mobile Corps Commander surnamed Pan, claiming that if the Tongcheng rioters continued to gather, he would lead troops to Tongcheng to suppress the unrest. This official refused him outright. Do you know why?"

Yang Fangzao thought for a moment and replied, "Troops are easy to invite but hard to send away. You, sir, fear that Tongcheng will suffer a military calamity."

"Not so. If troops enter Tongcheng, it means that you and I, as Mushou, are incapable of quelling the unrest."

Yang Fangzao fell silent for a moment, then let out a heavy breath. "Wang Circuit Intendant is the Military Defense Circuit; naturally he uses troops to suppress violence. But the difficulties we who shepherd the locality face are truly not fit to be told to outsiders."

Yang Fangzao was full of pent-up resentment. In his heart there was one more thing: Wang Gongbi was probably itching for Tongcheng to erupt in chaos so he could lead his troops in, wipe everyone out in one sweep, and win military merit to have a chance at promotion to Grand Coordinator.

Both men understood this in their hearts, but neither spoke it aloud.

Pi Yingju slowly paced in circles in Tuisi Hall. "Even the street urchins everywhere are singing: 'Bandits pass like a comb, soldiers pass like a fine-toothed comb.' If the Chizhou troops cross the Great River into Tongcheng, Sir Wang may indeed win glorious frontier merit, but if the grunts poison the region and the Tongcheng gentry submit joint impeachment memorials, this debt will in the end still be laid at the feet of us Mushou."

"What exactly is the discipline of those Chizhou troops like?"

Pi Yingju gave a scornful laugh. "A clerk from Chizhou Prefecture came across the river and said that once word spread that Wang Gongbi wanted to transfer troops to suppress the bandits, the soldiers in the Chizhou Battalion scattered like stars. Those who remain declare that without Mobilization Silver they absolutely will not cross the river. If troops like that come to Tongcheng, will you, the County Magistrate, have a single day of peace?"

Yang Fangzao sighed. "When the bandits come, we suffer from the bandits; when the soldiers come, we suffer from the soldiers. Your subordinate is caught in a dilemma either way."

"That is why the Fenshou Circuit side feels that if we can avoid troubling the Military Defense Circuit, we should. The situation in Tongcheng has not yet reached an irretrievable point. Although the bandits' power has already taken shape, they can still be dealt with slowly."

Yang Fangzao nodded. "What you say is true, sir. Yet your subordinate also worries that if we do not request troops, a small disturbance may grow into a great one — would that not be a case of the loss outweighing the gain?"

Pi Yingju raised one hand. "That is why the words 'do not request troops' cannot be spoken by this official, nor by you. They must be spoken by the Tongcheng gentry. That way, even if some trouble arises later, we will have something to exonerate ourselves with."

Yang Fangzao said with admiration, "Your subordinate understands. Those country squires and scholars have great family estates; they are the last people who would ever want troops to come. We need only ask them to submit a letter to Wang Gongbi, and that will be solid evidence."

Pi Yingju nodded. "Troops we will not request, but the unrest must still be quelled. The first thing to remember is that the rioters cannot all be lumped together. Those causing chaos in the city number in the thousands — are they all rioters? No. We must distinguish the ringleaders from the followers, in order to disperse their strength. The ringleaders are no more than Huang Wending and his clique — at most two or three hundred. The rest are ignorant commoners merely looting while the house burns, coveting the immediate gain before their eyes; they are by no means risking their lives for Huang Wending and his lot. We do not wish troops to come, but we can borrow the threat of troops. This official asked Wang Gongbi for a Military Defense Circuit recruitment placard. When the time comes, we will announce that Chizhou troops are coming from Anqing. The coerced followers will then scatter in an instant, and after that we can deal with things slowly. With only those two or three hundred bandits left, they will be easy to handle. Since the yamen's Xuli clerks are unreliable, we must rely on the strength of the city's gentry. Fortunately, just this afternoon when this official arrived, Fang Kongzhao came seeking me out and spoke of a method for officials and gentry to join forces to eliminate the bandits."

Yang Fangzao silently thought for a moment and then recalled this Fang Kongzhao. The man was a Director of the Bureau of Operations, currently in Tongcheng observing mourning for his father. Because he was an active Capital Official, he would resume his original post once the mourning period ended, so he carried considerable influence among the local gentry.

If Fang Kongzhao lent his aid, then Yang Fangzao's confidence would be somewhat bolstered, and he completely dismissed any possibility of requesting troops, because the risks posed by the army were even greater than those posed by the bandits.

Yang Fangzao drew a breath and said to Pi Yingju, "Thank you, sir, for coming to Tongcheng in person to point out the way. Your subordinate now knows how to proceed. At this point I can no longer worry about my own prospects; I only hope to quell the unrest as quickly as possible, so as not to implicate my various superiors."

"This official making one trip to Tongcheng is nothing — it is within my duty. Nanzhili is the region that produces half the realm's wealth and taxes; any stir of trouble here is a major matter. This time, as long as we do not provoke the Grand Coordinator or the Regional Inspector to come to Anqing in person, it will be a heaven-sent stroke of luck. Otherwise, this official would also be ashamed before Director Zhang."

"Suzhou and Anqing are a thousand li apart. I wonder if Director Zhang has received the Detailed Report yet."

Pi Yingju raised his head and closed his eyes. "By express relay post, he should receive it soon."

……

In the county town of Wu County, Suzhou Prefecture, a black-canopied skiff rowed through the winding river channel and drifted gently to a stop beneath a large banyan tree on the bank of the Shitang sluice. The boatman, wearing a white short jacket, came ashore and expertly tied the small boat to a stone post, then picked up his oar and walked up the bank.

Seven or eight people were waiting on the bank, among them a civil official in a seventh-rank mandarin square, along with several yamen runners and clerks.

That civil official came forward and respectfully took the oar. The short-jacketed boatman raised his head — around forty-some years of age, with a lean face and piercing, spirited eyes; he looked extremely capable and efficient.

He merely gave the civil official a slight nod, with no word of thanks.

The boatman tidied a few water stains on his clothes, then said to the civil official, "From the Nanren River to Guanlan Port is the most critical section for Grand Canal flood control. According to this official's review, its length and width were fixed during the Zhengde and Hongzhi eras, a long time ago now, and the river channel has changed in many places. The width of the main channel and its tributaries absolutely must not be reduced. Just now, while inspecting the flood conditions, I already found three places where the channel has narrowed. Since you are the County Magistrate, you should dredge them as quickly as possible. This place concerns both flood control and the protection of canal transport — it must not be treated lightly."

The County Magistrate listened, bowed, and assented. The boatman had been about to discuss some other river channel matters, but seeing an old man nearby take a step forward, he knew the old man had something to say, so he told the County Magistrate, "Wait a moment."

The County Magistrate hastily withdrew. The old man immediately stepped up and reported in a low voice, "Just now we received a Dispatch Submission from Wang Gongbi, the Hoeryong-Chizhou-Taiping Military Defense Circuit, and also a Detailed Report from Anqing Prefect Pi Yingju — both by express relay post. Investigation reveals that in Tongcheng County, Anqing Prefecture, on the twenty-second day of the eighth month, anonymous posters appeared containing phrases such as 'Substitute Imperial Law Enforcement.' On the night of the twenty-third, a crowd gathered to cause unrest, killing people on the city tower and hanging the corpses, and set fire to the gatehouses of two local gentry-official residences."

The boatman had remained very calm, but at the last part he frowned slightly. "Gentry-officials?"

The old man lowered his head. "That is precisely the perilous aspect. Last year there was the Yixing Incident, and in the fourth month the Liyang Incident's aftershocks have yet to settle — both involved gentry-officials."

The boatman mused, "Are you suggesting that behind this Tongcheng affair there is again some grandee pulling the strings?"

"Your subordinate would not dare. I merely say this affair is perilous, all because that grandee understands His Majesty's mind best. If a matter involving gentry-officials is handled improperly, it invites the suspicion of Forming Cliques."

"Who are those two Tongcheng gentry-officials?"

"Wu Yingqi and Ye Can, who respectively served as Southern Court of Judicial Review Minister and Southern Ministry of Revenue Minister. They have been in retirement for many years. Neither of these two men is of the Donglin. For the moment, they have no connection to you, sir. But Tongcheng has no small number of great clans that pass down classical learning through the generations. Apart from He Ruchong, there are both Donglin and Eunuch Faction elements. Among the Tongcheng scholars, many belong to the Restoration Society. The entanglements are complex. If Tongcheng's matter is merely an ordinary murder case and ends there, then so be it. But if the situation continues to develop, it will be hard to predict the full extent."

"Since there are posters about 'Substitute Imperial Law Enforcement,' it is no ordinary murder case." The boatman paused, then said softly, "Donglin. Restoration Society."

The old man lowered his voice to the barest minimum. "Once these two are implicated, that grandee in the court will pursue it relentlessly, determined to tie it to Mr. Yushan."

"The whole court knows that Mr. Yushan is this official's examiner. His Majesty sees through all things across ten thousand li and will not be easily deceived by him. If he strains to draw far-fetched connections, he will only make himself a laughingstock."

"You, sir, govern the Jiangnan Ten Prefectures, the source of the realm's tax revenue, a post that has always drawn the whole court's attention. That grandee may not be content to let you occupy this post for long." The old man raised his eyes and glanced obliquely around. "Some time ago, Zhang Pu was locked in polemics with this prefecture's Judicial Commissioner Zhou Zhikui. The Restoration Society scholars rose up en masse to besiege Zhou Zhikui, vowing to drive him out of Suzhou Prefecture. This matter has already stirred a boiling storm of criticism in the court, with talk that the Jiangnan officialdom is indulging the Restoration Society. The Liyang Incident in the fourth month was full of treacherous undercurrents, and because you, sir, handled it properly, the people behind it did not fully achieve their aims. Now that the Tongcheng affair has arisen, whether great or small, it cannot be treated lightly. We absolutely must not hand anyone a handle against us."

The boatman narrowed his eyes, thought in silence for a moment, and asked, "What is Wang Gongbi's opinion on how to handle it?"

"Wang Circuit Intendant states in his Dispatch Submission that when he received the report, he had no knowledge whatsoever of the number of rioters or their leaders. Pi Yingju and Tongcheng County Magistrate Yang Fangzao firmly refused the transfer of troops. Those two have already entered Tongcheng by night to calm the hearts of the gentry and commoners. Wang Circuit Intendant intends to station himself in Anqing to observe the situation and will not transfer troops across the river for the time being."

"'For the time being not transfer troops'? Can Wang Gongbi even transfer any troops out?"

The old man said in a low voice, "Your subordinate went to Chizhou last month. Under the Hoeryong-Chizhou-Taiping Military Defense Circuit, there are truly no usable troops. South of the Great River, that might be acceptable, but Anqing is isolated north of the river. This one prefecture falls under the jurisdiction of the Yingtian Grand Coordinator, yet it is a thousand li from Suzhou, and cut off by a natural moat — truly difficult to attend to both."

"Anqing falling under the Yingtian Grand Coordinator's jurisdiction is like Nanyang being divided between Henan and Huguang, or Liuhe and Jiangpu being assigned to Yingtian Prefecture. This is the court's principle of 'interlocking like dogs' teeth,' to prevent any one person from monopolizing a natural barrier. But there is no point discussing that now."

"Even so, Anqing has only one naval Garrison Commander. On land, not a single soldier is available. Once trouble breaks out, it must look for help from a thousand li away. Now the Roving Bandits are running rampant through Huguang and Henan. If by chance they spread their poison to Jiangbei, it will ultimately be a hidden peril for you, sir."

The boatman sighed softly. "This matter has already been memorialized to the Emperor twice this year, and both times rejected. It can only be set aside and discussed later. Send someone to keep an eye on the Circuit Inspector Yamen. We cannot let them be the first to report the Tongcheng affair upward."

"I understand. This evening I will contact the eyes and ears we have placed with the Regional Inspector."

"The matter of Tongcheng must not be taken lightly. Tomorrow you will go to Chizhou to meet Wang Gongbi in person, and order Wang Gongbi to report daily. Have him gather troops on the south bank as quickly as possible. The moment any disturbance arises in Tongcheng, he is to cross the river at once and exterminate the rebel bandits, lest a great calamity be allowed to brew."

Having spoken, the boatman brushed the mud from the hem of his robe that had been splashed by the oar, and with a leap mounted the horse. The old man immediately mounted his own horse and followed.

A runner standing nearby asked the person beside him, "Do you know who that man is?"

"I would think he's no one of great importance; otherwise, why would he be patrolling the flood waters alone in a single boat?"

The runner laughed teasingly. "Then you've guessed wrong. That man is the Yingtian Grand Coordinator, Zhang Guowei!"

……

Note 1: Zhang Guowei assumed the post of Yingtian Grand Coordinator in the fourth month of the seventh year of the Chongzhen reign. He placed great importance on water conservancy, often patrolling the flood waters alone in a single boat, and authored the Complete Book of Water Conservancy in Wu.