Chapter 535: The Public Proclamation

"Has the dispatch ordering the various rally-to-the-king forces back to their garrison posts been issued?"

"It has already been issued. This batch has the most battalions — Yansui, Xuan-Da, Henan, and Nanzhili are all included. What remains are a few battalions from Shaanxi."

In the rear hall of the Ministry of War on the east side of Chessboard Street in the Capital, Shen Xun faced Yang Sichang behind the desk and replied respectfully.

Yang Sichang leaned sideways against the right armrest. This was the rear hall of the Ministry of War, the Duty Room he had long been accustomed to, and his posture was completely relaxed — no need for the restraint required in the Cabinet.

"Any new movements from the Eastern Invaders along the Song-Jin line?"

"Fang Yizao has memorialized about signs of the Jurchen Slaves. The Tartars who broke out through Qingshan Pass have already passed Yizhou — it is confirmed they are returning to Liaodong. He is requesting recognition for Jin Guofeng, the defender of Songshan. This time he defended the city for over forty days and inflicted heavy casualties on the Eastern Invaders."

"The Bandit Slave chieftain attacked Songshan in order to take Jinzhou. The Jinzhou supply route must pass through Songshan. The Bandit Slave chieftain has attacked Songshan several times already. This time it was to link up with the force that entered the interior — they did not commit full strength. But Song-Jin is territory they are determined to take. Every year brings a medium-scale battle. Next time they will certainly launch an attack there, and it will absolutely last more than forty days. They want to wear down our Border Army's elite troops to facilitate their next incursion."

Shen Xun said in a low voice, "Then that strategy Pang Yu proposed — in Liaoxi, only defend without fighting, mass troops in the interior, and when the enemy enters the interior again, use our full strength against their half strength. That truly is a better place to engage than Jinzhou. However, once the Eastern Invaders attack Jinzhou and lay prolonged siege like at the Beating the Bell River, the Jurchen Slaves will besiege the city to strike at our reinforcements. Even knowing this clearly, with the uproar at court, we still could not refrain from sending relief..."

Yang Sichang shook his head. "Yesterday that Guo Jingchang submitted an impeachment memorial accusing this official of crimes greater than Yan Ancestral Sacrifice's, stating that the blame for the Jinan affair lies with the Central Hub. The impeachment memorials from the censors are beyond counting, and not a few bluntly say this official deserves death a thousand times over. When battle erupts at Jinzhou and Songshan, if we follow what Pang Yu said and only defend without reinforcing, the impeachment memorials piled as high as my body aside, once Song-Jin falls, it will be this official who handed Song-Jin to the enemy. So that strategy Pang Yu proposed — this official has no intention of raising it with the Emperor. This matter can only be prepared in secret, preserving some elite troops as much as possible. When the Eastern Invaders are about to enter the interior, transfer them in advance to the vicinity of Xuzhou and Dongchang under the pretext of suppressing bandits — merely doing what little one can."

"In the memorial submitted from Dongchang Prefecture, it says that where the Eastern Invaders passed, bandits have swarmed for hundreds of li, and the He Governor Military Forces cannot suppress them. They request the Ministry of War dispatch troops for support. But between Dezhou and Jinan, there are likewise mobs of rioters everywhere. Right now Yan Ancestral Sacrifice and Ni Chong have both been arrested and imprisoned, and there is no one in Shandong to take charge of military affairs. This subordinate plans to first transfer the Provincial Commander's Standard Troops to Jinan, the Dengzhou Garrison Standard to Dezhou, and Ni Chong's original unit to Dongchang."

Yang Sichang nodded. "Proceed accordingly."

"Fang Yizao also sent a private letter to this subordinate, saying that regarding the matter of evaluating merit and punishing offenses, Zu Dashou discussed it with him and asks you, Elder Sir, to take the trouble. The Liao Garrison will hand over Zu Kuan, and then the matter of entering the interior will no longer implicate other men of Shanyong and the Liao Garrison. It would be best to dismiss Zu Kuan from his post and sentence him to military exile."

"The three Grand Coordinators of the afflicted regions — Yan Ancestral Sacrifice, Zhang Qiping, and Chen Zubao — have all been interrogated and imprisoned. In these two Imperial Summons, the Emperor's intent goes beyond merely evaluating merit and discussing fault." Yang Sichang was silent for a moment, then said, "Reply to Fang Yizao: this official can submit a memorial accordingly, but I promise him nothing. The Emperor has merely ordered this official to preside over this evaluation of merit and punishment, and has also issued an explicit edict — judicial review and merit evaluation are both indispensable. Once sent down to the Three Judicial Offices for deliberation of punishment, it will not be merely dismissal and imprisonment. Beheading, strangulation, penal servitude, exile — none can be predicted. The Ministry of War does not have the final say. Let them go negotiate with the Three Judicial Offices themselves."

Shen Xun was silent for a moment. The officials at court already had a fair understanding of the Emperor's style, but exactly what he would do — no one could predict. Those who had received clear orders to return to their garrison posts, such as Pang Yu and Xu Strengthening, were basically safe. Men like Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, Wang Pu, and Li Chongzhen might face minor penalties like salary fines or demotion, but were also basically safe.

Others who might bear blame for the border incursion were all in a state of extreme terror, and many were active in the Capital lobbying — men of the Liao Garrison among them.

Yang Sichang thought for a moment, then added, "The Emperor favors Fu Zonglong to serve as Minister of War. If he arrives quickly, then he should take charge. I can just unload this troublesome, nerve-wracking business."

The two men in the room were silent for a moment. Shen Xun sighed softly. After Yang Sichang entered the Cabinet, the Emperor had in fact deliberately left the post of Minister of War vacant. Yang Sichang was nominally called the Grand Secretary managing Ministry of War affairs, but in truth he was the Minister of War.

Before the Eastern Invaders entered the interior, the Roving Bandits had largely been quelled, and many believed Yang Sichang would be the next Chief Grand Secretary. But Shen Xun knew that cracks had already begun to appear in the relationship between Yang Sichang and the Emperor — mainly over the issue of opening the Border Market. Yang Sichang was unwilling to bear alone the reputation of appeasing the Slaves, and the Emperor was even less willing to lose face. The two were at an impasse. After the Eastern Invaders entered the interior, the war went unfavorably. Though the Emperor did not place all the blame on Yang Sichang, there was certainly dissatisfaction. Yang Sichang could naturally feel the pressure, and took the initiative to propose filling the vacancy of Minister of War — tantamount to handing over part of his duties. The Emperor agreed at once.

Originally today the Ministry of War had received multiple dispatch bulletins about the Roving Bandits, and the situation in both Sichuan and Henan was not optimistic. But seeing Yang Sichang's appearance today — the evaluation of merit and punishment for the Eastern Invaders' incursion had exhausted him — Shen Xun did not intend to present them to Yang Sichang now. He would send them to the Cabinet in the afternoon, so that Yang Sichang would only see them tomorrow, and could at least have half a day of ease.

"There is one more matter to report, Elder Sir. Sun Chuanting has submitted another memorial, still mentioning that morale in the Shaanxi Provincial Commander's Standard Troops is unstable, with men forming gangs and deserting back to Shaanxi in an unending stream. Two men were captured in Liangxiang and executed before the troops. He still requests an early transfer back to his garrison post. He also claims he has gone deaf and requests to resign as Baoding Governor. He also... requests an audience at the palace."

"Gone deaf?" Yang Sichang gave a cold laugh. "When the Jurchen Slaves streamed out through Qingshan Pass for over ten days without cease, he was playing deaf and mute then. Now he's resorting to old tricks again? The rally-to-the-king troops were all massed at Santun Camp, seizing the heights at Taiping Fortress and fighting with great clamor. We see only reports of victory arriving, yet where are the severed heads, the spoils, the refugees? The Eastern Invaders fled in panicked disarray — where is the proof?"

"The truth is indeed as you say, Elder Sir. When this subordinate was in Jizhou, all the officials and civilians traveling to and from Santun Camp said that tens of thousands of rally-to-the-king troops were there, yet all hesitated and looked about, unwilling to advance. At the mountain passes south of Taiping Fortress, the Eastern Invaders passed by in countless numbers every day, and the rally-to-the-king troops did not even pursue their rear, let alone intercept and strike them."

"That is why the Emperor personally wrote in his Imperial Approval that he 'vacillates and blusters, utterly without planning.' The battle at Qingshan Pass had no real achievement whatsoever — it was all clever words and cover-ups. The Emperor will not grant him a palace audience. Send him a reply, still ordering him to await punishment in Tongzhou — he is not permitted to enter the Capital." Yang Sichang sighed wearily, pushed against the armrest, and rose from his chair. Shen Xun came over to support him, but Yang Sichang waved him off. "All this with Sun Chuanting is trivial. Right now Liu Yuliang's dismissal is imminent. Yesterday the Emperor summoned Xue Guoguan for a private Imperial Summons. He will be the next Chief Grand Secretary. The matter to be handled immediately is initiating the collection of the Training Levy."

"There are already the Old Stipend, the New Stipend, and the Bandit Suppression Pay. If this Training Levy is collected on top of that, I fear the people's resources cannot bear it..."

"The Bandit Suppression Pay will be suspended."

Shen Xun looked at Yang Sichang. The year before last, when the proposal to initiate the Bandit Suppression Pay was made, it was put forward together with the Ten-Sided Net strategy. This Minister of War had been full of spirit and vigor, ready to make great strides. In the end, the Ten-Sided Net started with a flourish and fizzled out. In the blink of an eye, the north was in ruins. Now the Bandit Suppression Pay was suspended, the Roving Bandits were surging up again, and the Yang Sichang before him wore an utterly defeated, ashen expression — not a trace of that former spirit remained.

Shen Xun said cautiously, "The localities generally collect a year in advance. As for what has already been collected, I wonder..."

Yang Sichang waved his hand. "That is the localities' own affair. We will concern ourselves with it no further. I will handle the evaluation of merit and punishment. You prepare for the initiation of the Training Levy collection. With the Cabinet undergoing changes, the evaluation of merit and punishment for the border incursion still unsettled, the situation is delicate and unpredictable — we must be careful in everything. The Emperor is impatient by nature. In a few days he may well demand a report on the Training Levy. You must handle it urgently. Consult often with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. Whether to assess by silver or by acreage, whether based on fields or on grain — the pros and cons of each — you must make thorough preparations."

"How goes the inquiry into the information on the Training Levy that Master Zhang wanted?"

In the small market beside the North Depot of the Fuel Office, Lin Dengwan crouched beside the stall of his contact eunuch. "Haven't found out anything. The weather's warm now — no need for braziers inside the platform, so I can't get into the Warm Pavilion where those awaiting summons wait."

"Isn't there the Tea Room next to it?"

"The Tea Room only needs two men each day, all men who've followed the Junior Supervisor for years. I only get rotated in once every three to five days. The ones adding tea and delivering water are all from the Directorate of Ceremonial — I still can't get into the Warm Pavilion."

The contact said discontentedly, "Lin Dengwan, when you needed to go outside the city in the chaos of war to find people and bury them, when you needed silver to rent a house and buy rouge, Master Zhang approved it all. That was because you could gather information. Two or three tasks were assigned, and in half a month not a shred of information has been seen. Do you think Master Zhang—"

"What exactly does our Master Zhang do? The evaluation of merit and punishment and the Training Levy are both major court affairs. Why is he inquiring into these things? You know the rules inside the palace. If anyone found out I was sending information outside, my life would be forfeit too."

"Master Zhang told you before — what should be told to you has been told; what hasn't been told, don't ask." The contact lowered his voice. "Truth be told, I don't know either. But I do know one thing: if you fail to handle the tasks Master Zhang assigns, not only will the silver stop, but your life will be forfeit just the same."

Lin Dengwan stared at the ground for a long while, then said, "Is Fu Shu still well?"

"When I delivered the silver, he had just fallen ill. He said the whole winter was bad — several times he couldn't get up. In the temple's main hall, he wasn't allowed to lie there during the day. The ones he shares quarters with dragged him to the corner behind the monks' quarters at the back. Good thing you sent silver — he barely made it through this winter."

The contact stared at him and said, "If you can't get any information, and Master Zhang gets angry and stops giving silver, this Lu Fu won't survive the next winter. That Eating Partner of yours is someone from Tian Fei's palace. The Emperor likes going to Tian Fei's place. If you can't get into the platform, then find her and ask around more."

Lin Dengwan nodded silently, rose, and walked out. Head down, he walked to the northeast corner of the Imperial City, then turned into an alley. Those coming and going inside were all eunuchs.

This was outside the Forbidden City. This area had more buildings and served as the living-service district for the Forbidden City. Palace maids, eunuchs, and laborers mostly lived within the Imperial City, and many Eating Partners lived there.

The room he lived in originally still belonged to the Fuel Office and was normally meant to house six or seven people. But after paying silver to the person in charge of housing, it had become his room.

The door was not locked. Lin Dengwan slapped the Gate Leaf twice. Hurried footsteps sounded from inside. The door plank creaked open, and a palace maid's smiling face appeared before him.

"You're back."

Lin Dengwan forced a faint smile and entered the room. Not far from the door was a wooden table, its surface boards split with gaps. Beside the table were only two chairs. Lin Dengwan went straight to the one against the inner side and sat down.

The palace maid held a water ladle and scooped water from the water vat into a wooden basin, saying to Lin Dengwan as she did so, "I told Xueyan today that we need to buy two more chairs. If guests come to the house, there'd be somewhere for them to sit. Otherwise, no one would dare visit."

Lin Dengwan grunted in acknowledgment and took the face cloth the palace maid handed him. Wiping his face, he felt a cold, icy sensation. He tossed the cloth onto the table, stood up, and reached to unfasten his belt.

The palace maid happened to turn her head around at that moment. Lin Dengwan hesitated, then stopped his hand. The palace maid's gaze darted away. After a moment she said, "If you want to change into dry ones, I'll get them for you."

"I'll get them myself."

Lin Dengwan went to the corner, where some Clothing and Belongings were piled, and rummaged through them directly.

"In the future we'll need to buy a bench for here. The Imperial Consort's palace has several benches. I'll ask Granny Tang where to buy old ones..."

Lin Dengwan found a dry cloth, stood up, and Turned Around to ask, "Has the Emperor been to your mistress's palace recently?"

"The Emperor hasn't come at all these recent days. It's still because of those Tartars causing trouble. They say from Zhili to Shandong, several million people were killed. In the end they turned back and went out east of the Capital. That Sun Supreme Commander led troops but didn't dare attack, letting the Tartars take all the Rations and Pay and women out with them. They also say those Roving Bandits from before have emerged again and broken quite a few cities. The Emperor's heart is troubled. These days he hasn't gone to anyone's palace — just sleeps in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, not even stepping out the door all day..."

The palace maid tidied the water basin as she spoke. Lin Dengwan sighed softly and murmured to himself, "Who exactly is Master Zhang's master, that he needs to inquire into court affairs?"

On the twenty-seventh day of the fifth month of the twelfth year of Chongzhen, the Official Road outside Xuzhou Prefecture in Nanzhili was bustling. Both sides of the Road Passage were packed with commoners and peddlers carrying goods on shoulder poles. The Anqing Army, clad in red uniforms, was passing through the streets outside the city.

Their experience purchasing grain in Xuzhou last time had made this Government Troops unit famous in the city. On this return journey passing through, the shops along the streets had not closed their doors, the commoners had not fled, and many people still wanted to come sell supplies.

Pang Yu set up his Central Army at the same inn where they had held discussions last time. Some of the wounded and disabled soldiers returning with them were also here.

Pang Yu submerged his face in the wooden basin for a moment, then raised his head and wiped it with his hand. He said to Pang Ding, "Have that Mr. Luo come see me in a bit. Ask him to introduce some influential local gentry from Xuzhou city."

"Young Master, Xuzhou is the Canal Transport Governor's territory."

"This is a place we absolutely must contend for, and Shandong we must also contend for."

Pang Ding glanced back at the door, then lowered his voice. "Young master, you've practically seized the entire Great River, and now you want to contend for Xuzhou and Shandong — what exactly are you contending for?"

"What I contend for naturally has its uses. Now that we've entered Northern Zhili, tomorrow we part ways with the army and head to Nanjing on business. First we'll look in on the silver house. Ruan Dacheng has already arranged a meeting with Zhang Pu, and there's a Huizhou merchant as well. Right now we have Feng Quan, Dong Xinkui, and Wu Changshi in the Capital, and Zhang Pu and Qian Qianyi in Jiangnan. We have money, we have soldiers, we have connections. If we can push Zhou Yanru into the Chief Grand Secretary seat, everything we do will go smoothly. You just follow my arrangements on these matters — trying to figure it out yourself, you won't get it."

Pang Yu took the dry cloth and began wiping his hands. At that moment someone knocked at the door. Pang Ding went to the door, where Yan Guan spoke a few words to him in a low voice and handed in a newspaper.

Pang Ding took it and turned back, reading as he walked. Before he could even speak, Pang Yu had already snatched the newspaper away. On the front page, in huge type, was an eight-character headline: "Riding a Thousand Li to Rally to the King, Beheading the Bandit Slave Chief in Battle."

"Look at this — Liu Shensi really is effective at getting things done. This passage, 'two signal cannons and ambushing troops surge forth on all sides' — it's written so grippingly."

"Young master, look at the second…"

"Listen to this passage: 'General Pang's hand rose and the Sword fell — the Bandit Slave Yoto's head was already in his grasp. The Eastern Invader bandits quaked with terror, mouths all crying out…'"

"Young master, look at the second page."

Pang Yu lowered the newspaper and saw Pang Ding tilting his head behind him. Pang Ding pointed at the newspaper. Puzzled, Pang Yu turned it over. At the very top of the second page, in stark bold characters, were six large words: "Auxiliary Capital Anti-Disorder Public Denunciation."

Pang Yu fixed his gaze on the page, scanning column by column, his expression gradually darkening. After reading to the end, he slowly lowered the newspaper, stared at Pang Ding, and said, "Dispatch mounted scouts to the Upper River and Lower River to notify every dock. Intercept all undistributed copies of the Times — as many as you can stop."