Chapter 426: A Gathering of Opinions

"This old man is ashamed, Pang Xiaoyou."

Ruan Dacheng hurried into the inn where Pang Yu was staying; Pang Yu quickly invited him to take a seat.

The portly Ruan Dacheng wore a look of shame. Seeing other military officers in the room, he pulled Pang Yu by the sleeve to one side and said, "That Magistrate still refuses to show his face, won't even accept letters, and sent word that because the Shandong troops looted, too many commoners have fled into the city, and there isn't enough grain inside. Mr. Zhou and I pleaded every way we could, passed several messages in, and in the end they've permitted two hundred shi of grain to leave the city."

The officers behind them had in fact heard it all, and they looked at each other in dismay. The Anqing army had volunteered for rally to the king, yet it couldn't even get its hands on grain it had paid for itself. That Mr. Zhou was none other than Zhu Dadian's Advisor, and even his presence had been useless.

Two hundred shi of grain was twenty thousand jin. Pang Yu's force here numbered two thousand men, plus over a thousand civilian laborers. Even on strict rations, that would last only seven or eight days. There were over a thousand warhorses, and the transport mules and horses pulling the carriages also exceeded a thousand head. During combat and marching, horses had no time to graze slowly on grass and had to be fed beans; the daily consumption was staggering.

Ruan Dacheng had practically been Pang Yu's last lifeline, yet in the end he had secured only two hundred shi — less than what Pang Yu had consumed in the past ten days.

Pang Yu closed his eyes for a moment and said, "Two hundred shi is still something. When can we get it?"

"The Magistrate has agreed to let the stored grain out of the city tomorrow, but the troops cannot enter the city. It can only be carried out by people from inside the city through the north gate. When the gate is opened, the Anqing troops must remain at the south gate. If the troops move about, the north gate will be shut. After the grain has been moved out and the gate closed, the Anqing carriages may then go to the north gate to load it. Pang Xiaoyou, you must make this absolutely clear to the officers and men."

"Ruan Xiansheng has worked hard. The Anqing troops will not leave camp before noon."

Pang Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief. The provisions had barely been secured, but they were still far from enough for the entire campaign. Even for the whole northward rally to the king march, it was still insufficient. Even by the end of the twelfth month as estimated in the military council, he was still short by over half a month's marching rations, and that was not counting the return journey. By then, Northern Zhili would be a complete wasteland, making resupply even more impossible; he estimated they would have to return by traveling through Shandong territory.

After thinking a moment, he said to Ruan Dacheng, "Could we buy some more from Xuzhou, to be delivered the same way as this time?"

Ruan Dacheng's face showed difficulty. Pang Yu guessed that the Magistrate was indeed utterly impervious to persuasion, and Ruan Dacheng might be reaching his limit. He did not press the matter; at least they had secured two hundred shi.

"Ruan Xiansheng, your coming to Xuzhou in these chaotic times is already an enormous help. But I must trouble you to make a trip to Huai'an on your way back — it's still about the Silver Bank matter."

Pang Yu did not mention the Canal Gang. Huai'an was a key town on the Grand Canal, the place where the Fengyang Pacification Commissioner stationed his headquarters. The canal was the lifeline of the Capital. In the court's eyes, the docks here were more sensitive than any place along the Great River. The Huai'an docks could not be taken by force; they could only be infiltrated slowly.

"Pang Xiaoyou, rest assured." When the matter of Huai'an was mentioned, Ruan Dacheng was visibly more confident. "Not just the Canal Transport Office — within the Lianghuai Salt Transport Commission as well, this old man has plenty of connections. The Huai'an Branch Office goes without saying. I will certainly make the salt merchants understand the benefits of the Silver Bank."

"And also the Banknotes. Huai Salt mostly circulates along the Great River. Ruan Xiansheng, you must tell them that using the Silver Bank is the most secure and convenient."

After Ruan Dacheng agreed, Pang Yu added, "Sir, you've been traveling nonstop. Don't rush your journey — rest a few days in Xuzhou first."

Ruan Dacheng shook his head repeatedly. "Mr. Zhou was originally returning to Huai'an from Fengyang; this trip to Xuzhou has delayed him considerably. He still has important matters in Huai'an, and I ought to accompany him back. Pang Xiaoyou is busy with military affairs — this old man won't impose further."

Pang Yu knew that Ruan Dacheng was timid by nature. Though Xuzhou was far from the Tartars, the Roving Bandits roamed nearby from time to time, conditions outside the city were cramped, and Ruan Dacheng, who lived a refined life, was unwilling to stay long.

Ruan Dacheng then produced an envelope from his sleeve and held it up before Pang Yu. "Little Friend Pang, do not worry too much about grain in Xuzhou. When I reach Huai'an, I will ask the Canal Transport Office to dispatch some troop boats to ship grain to Xuzhou. I will certainly not let this strong hometown force of Little Friend Pang run out of provisions. It's just that these local officials in every prefecture and county right now are more on guard against soldiers than against bandits. If you go further north into Shandong, getting provisions will likely be even harder. This old man has written a letter here."

Pang Yu quickly accepted it. "Ruan Xiansheng has old acquaintances in Shandong as well?"

"This old man dares not claim much else, but having old acquaintances all under heaven — that I do have. You may know this person too."

Pang Yu said in surprise, "I don't know anyone in Shandong official circles."

Ruan Dacheng waved his hand and smiled. "You certainly do know him. It's our Tongcheng native son Zhang Bingwen, the Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shandong. You dealt with him during the uprising."

Pang Yu suddenly understood. Zhang Bingwen was Fang Kongzhao's brother-in-law. At the time, Zhang Bingwen had also been a Country Squire and kept a low profile; he hadn't drawn much attention when he came to the county office. But his younger brother Zhang Bingcheng — Pang Yu was very familiar with him. Zhang Ru, one of the ringleaders of the Tongcheng Uprising, had been Zhang Bingcheng's household slave.

After Fang Kongzhao had assembled the Da Hang at the time, it was Zhang Bingcheng who devised the plan to capture Zhang Ru, and then lured Huang Wending down from the mountain, which gave Pang Yu the chance to take the risk at Yunji Temple. When dealing with Fang Kongzhao, as a condition of the exchange, Fang Kongzhao had specifically requested that Zhang Bingwen be written into the Detailed Report, to serve as capital for his future return to office. That was why Pang Yu's impression was quite deep. He hadn't expected Zhang Bingwen to have risen to Provincial Administration Commissioner so quickly.

"Is Commissioner Zhang in Jinan?"

"Exactly, in Jinan. But he can exercise authority over the local prefectures and counties. If he can speak on your behalf, the local authorities might be somewhat more forthcoming when supplying grain."

Ruan Dacheng did not dare make any firm promises. Pang Yu understood Ruan Dacheng's character. With the current turmoil in the north, his coming to Xuzhou to help was already an enormous favor. This big-bearded man would absolutely never go to Jinan in person.

That greatly reduced the letter's usefulness. Even if it were delivered to Jinan, Zhang Bingwen might not necessarily honor it, and even if he did, its effect would likely be limited. Although a Provincial Administration Commissioner could oversee local government affairs, in times of chaos, whether the prefectures and counties would give him face was another matter. The Xuzhou before his eyes was a ready example — even the Grand Coordinator's word was not necessarily effective. Shandong was closer to the war zone, and the prefectures and counties there would only be more wary.

Ruan Dacheng continued, "If you pass Linqing and head toward Zhili, dealing with the localities will be even harder. There are many high officials at the foot of the Capital, and even those who aren't high officials may not be powerless. The prefectural and county officials can all find someone to back them if they put in a little effort. A force of outside troops like yours going there — I fear neither civil officials nor military officers will be of much use. Even Old Mr. Feng can only help a little in Zhuozhou. If you truly must go to Zhili, you really must bring more provisions with you."

Ruan Dacheng stood up. Pang Yu knew he was anxious to leave and immediately rose as well, saying, "The area around Xuzhou is not peaceful. If Ruan Xiansheng is traveling by land, I will send some men as escorts."

Ruan Dacheng did not refuse. He looked at Pang Yu and said politely, "This old man will leave after eating. With so many military matters here, Pang Xiaoyou need not see me off personally. This old man has two more words. Pang Xiaoyou is a young hero; your single-minded devotion to rally to the king is truly admirable. But this road is not easy to travel, and provisions and the like are in short supply. If the Ministry of War has not sent a military order, then it means the rally to the king troops are sufficient. Pang Xiaoyou need not be in such a hurry to go."

Pang Yu understood Ruan Dacheng's hint — that rally to the king was a thankless task, and since the Ministry of War hadn't summoned him anyway, he might as well not go.

Pang Yu quickly nodded. Ruan Dacheng had truly taken this matter to heart this time. The man was quite snobbish and ordinarily did not speak his true thoughts. In the past, he would certainly have demanded that Pang Yu include his name in the official documents after the rally to the king mission. This time, however, he had even said something like this to him — likely out of genuine concern. Whether it was out of consideration for continuing to rely on Pang Yu, or whether a real bond had formed, Pang Yu felt somewhat moved.

He took a careful look at Ruan Dacheng. The big-bearded Ruan's face held a hint of worry, and his mental spirit did not seem very good either.

Pang Yu could not help recalling the matter of the Public Denunciation that Jiang Fan had mentioned last time. That denunciation had not yet been issued, but the Restoration Society had been continuously networking in Nanjing. Currently there seemed to be twenty or thirty people involved. Among them, Wu Yingji was the only one Pang Yu was fairly familiar with.

Pang Yu thought it over. The Restoration Society crowd had a long-standing grudge against Ruan Dacheng. This was something he truly seemed unable to help with. Even Wu Yingji might not be persuadable. And a denunciation written by twenty or thirty people might not necessarily have much effect. So in the end, he did not ask about it.

Outside the door, he presented a silver note to Mr. Zhou and arranged a guard detail to escort the two men. Pang Yu watched Ruan Dacheng's figure recede southward down the street.

A moment later, Pang Yu walked back into the main hall. Now that there were no outsiders, several officers immediately began cursing in anger.

When the Anqing Battalion had planned the rally to the king mission, they had referred to Huguang's experience and assumed they could buy some provisions along the way through the localities. They had never imagined the Huai River basin would be so devastated. But Xuzhou, at least, was on the Grand Canal line and did not lack grain. They had never expected this kind of treatment — having silver in hand yet unable to buy grain.

Wu Dacai first glanced at Pang Yu's expression, then probed, "How about we just send that Magistrate some silver?"

Jiang Guoyong rubbed his forehead and asked, "How much?"

Wu Dacai looked at Pang Yu again. "One… one thousand taels?"

Pang Yu was not opposed to it, but the Magistrate wouldn't even show his face on the city wall. Getting the silver in would be another enormous hassle. The Xuzhou Magistrate was absolutely not someone easy to deal with; even an old hand like Ruan Dacheng had found it somewhat unbearable.

Zhuang Chaozheng said in a low voice, "Sending silver isn't out of the question, but in the original plan, Xuzhou was a transfer point for the rally to the king march. If buying grain in Shandong proves difficult, the Logistics Team and civilian laborers would have to come back to continue transporting. Under these circumstances, how can we continue? We can't very well send the Magistrate silver every single day."

Chen Rulie slammed the table forcefully. "It's not like we want grain from the Magistrate's own house! The grain we bought ourselves — why the hell can't we take it out of the city? Bring up the cannons and blast his fucking gates open!"

Zhuang Chaozheng said nothing this time, only looked at Pang Yu.

Pang Yu considered himself someone who had seen the world. In his previous life, the people he dealt with were no saints either, and he ordinarily no longer got angry when dealing with others. But the few times he had led troops out, the things he encountered had repeatedly made his blood pressure spike. In his heart, he very much wanted to agree with Chen Rulie — let the artillery blast all of Xuzhou's city gates to rubble, then drag that Magistrate out and behead him as a public example.

But he also knew he could only think about it. After considering for a moment, he said, "Unless absolutely necessary, we cannot come into conflict with the prefectures and counties. Summon all officers of Centurion rank and above here for a military council. We'll think of countermeasures."

Wu Dacai raised his hand and said, "Sir, may we also call in those Canal Gang members traveling with the army? Some of them used to work the grain transport ships. They've traveled the Grand Canal a lot — perhaps they can think of a method."

"That's a very good suggestion. Bring in the Canal Gang people, and also the managers from the fortified villages. Everyone think together. Whoever comes up with a solution to the army provisions problem will be promoted one rank and receive one hundred taels of reward silver."

…

That afternoon, the inn's main hall was noisy and crowded. There weren't enough seats in the hall; many people could only lean against the walls or pillars, and some were squatting on the floor smoking — just like a clan shrine meeting in a farming village. Pang Yu sat at the head seat and did not interfere, merely listening to everyone speak.

The meeting had been going on for a quarter of an hour. First, Wu Dacai had explained the current situation, then everyone was told to think of ideas. Seven people had already spoken, and it was much the same as what had been said in the morning. The officers were all for shouting battle cries and killing, the Canal Gang people talked about sending silver to buy access, and someone suggested buying grain from Huai'an and shipping it by water to Xuzhou for resupply. Immediately, another Canal Gang member said that coming from Huai'an required passing through the boat locks, and the eunuch who controlled the locks charged exorbitant fees and might not open the locks for boats at any given time. So buying grain from Huai'an was unreliable and could be cut off at any moment. As of yet, there was still no conclusion.

Pang Yu was feeling somewhat vexed. He had never imagined that before fighting a single battle, he would be holding a military council over such a wretched matter. Just then, he suddenly heard someone say loudly, "This humble man has a suggestion."

Pang Yu glanced over. It was a gaunt man wearing a cotton cap. He looked vaguely familiar, but Pang Yu couldn't recall where he had seen him. Wu Dacai, standing nearby, saw the man and his face filled with contempt.

Wu Dacai was chairing the meeting and had said at the start that everyone present could speak freely. He could only nod at Tan Laizi, signaling him to speak.

Tan Laizi stood up and bowed to Pang Yu. "This humble man thinks there's no need to buy grain from Huai'an. This place is right beside the Grand Canal — it's just like our Anqing area. There's plenty of grain on the market. It's only because of the Roving Bandits causing trouble, and then the Shandong troops coming to loot, that everyone around here has been scared off. But in all those many places outside the city, there's so much grain — they surely didn't have time to move it all into the city. It's just that you, sir, have forbidden the troops from breaking down doors, so it simply hasn't been found yet. This humble man dares say that right here outside Xuzhou city, just like at Sheng-Tang Crossing, there are certainly several thousand shi. Besides, the grain carried into the city must belong to the gentry and grain merchants. No matter how many commoners flee into the city, if they have no money, they can't eat that grain. That grain sitting in the city is completely useless. Everything that Magistrate said is empty talk."

Pang Yu raised his head slightly. A buzz of discussion filled the meeting hall. Tan Erlin was a bit nervous and turned his head to look at the people around him.

Chen Rulie said to him, "Speak plainly — how do you propose to get the grain."

Tan Laizi lowered his voice a little. "Those storehouses by the river outside the city, the big residences in Guanxiang — we just smash the doors open. We're bound to find several thousand shi inside."

Jiang Guoyong cut him off. "Our Anqing Battalion does not loot the common people. And besides, what if there really is nothing outside the city."

"If there really is nothing outside, then we buy from inside the city. We tell the men on the wall… we write it on a big banner and show them: one tael of silver for one shi, cash on delivery. If no one comes to sell, then two taels a shi. Whoever wants to sell can figure out their own way to move it out of the city. If still no one comes, then three taels a shi. A thousand shi would only be three thousand taels."

A roar of noise erupted in the Main Hall. The officers still spoke in low voices, but the Canal Gang and Fortified Village men were all loudly debating, saying everything under the sun — some said it could work, others said Tan Laizi was throwing money away.

Wu Dacai had not expected that his own suggestion would instead give this Tan Laizi, whom he looked down on most of all, an opening. Inwardly unwilling to let Tan Laizi keep talking, he waited until it quieted a little, then said loudly to Tan Laizi, "Don't you know the Magistrate has shut all the city gates? Even if the grain merchants inside want to sell, they can't get out of the city."

Tan Laizi saw it was Wu Dacai, and the tension on his face vanished at once. Not caring that Wu Dacai was now Deputy Chief Clerk, he yelled right back at him, "Then you're the one who doesn't know. I've already looked at those walls — it's nothing but Corvee Soldiers or Community Soldiers up there. When I was in the Brokerage, I understood perfectly how the yamen does things. Go ask anywhere in Anqing — who doesn't know me, Tan Ya? Which of those grain merchants isn't in cahoots with the yamen? It's not like there are really Roving Thieves or Tartars outside the city — you think they're actually guarding against bandits? A little silver and they can get out of the city. The Magistrate won't let them open the gates, fine — how many gates can one man guard? I know best what sort those yamen runners are. At three taels a shi, there's no grain they can't get out of the city!"