Chapter 56: Chief Merit

Inside and outside the Tongcheng county seat, chaos reigned — yet the county yamen's main hall was utterly silent.

Since the civil unrest began, the yamen had been helpless; now that the country squires had quelled the rebellion, it was none of the yamen's concern either. From start to finish, the only thing the yamen could truly hold up with pride seemed to be that moment when Pang Yu hauled back the heads.

Reports of the pacification kept coming in, yet here in Tuisi Hall, Yang Fangzao still could not sit or lie in peace. He paced back and forth, and County Deputy Zhou dared not remain seated either, forced to stand and attend beside him.

"Honorable Magistrate, Huang Wending has been executed outside the East Gate. Those Da Hang altogether slew over thirty rioters and captured more than seventy. The gentry seized a copper cauldron at Wuyin Temple that the bandits used for ritual offerings, with the names of one hundred and seventy-two stockade bandits carved upon it."

Yang Fangzao stood up and quickened his pace with visible agitation, pacing two full circuits. Ever since the Chizhou troops reached Liantan, he had not slept a single peaceful night. After several days of anxious waiting, he had just begun to relax a little — never expecting the winds and clouds to shift so suddenly.

First, a yamen runner had paraded through the streets early that morning hauling over twenty heads. Then came word that the bandits were massing at Wuyin Temple to attack the yamen, and Yang Fangzao had even made preparations to quietly release Zhang Ru.

Next, common folk from the Guache River market town fled into the suburban area, saying the Chizhou troops had already seized Yunji Temple. Yang Fangzao hurriedly shut the six city gates, and then Fang Kongzhao suddenly sent word to the yamen, saying the pacification would happen today.

Everything had come without the slightest warning. Circulating officials like him all came from other regions and had to rely on the native sub-official clerks to govern. The clerks of the Tongcheng yamen were a loose sheet of sand, severely hampering the yamen's ability to gather information. Yang Fangzao and the County Deputy had been kept utterly in the dark by all sides. That was why everything today felt so shockingly abrupt.

In the blink of an eye, Huang Wending had gone from assaulting the county town to being hunted down. Yang Fangzao had gone from losing his city and territory to earning merit for quelling the rebellion. So long as Huang Wending was executed, Yang Fangzao — even without any experience in pacifying unrest — knew the bandit faction was already a spent crossbow bolt.

Watching the obstacle blocking his promotion to Prefect about to vanish, Yang Fangzao truly could not suppress that surge of excitement — it was like recovering an incomparably precious treasure once lost and now found again.

He pointed a finger at the County Deputy beside him. "With the bandit leader Huang Wending captured, our most urgent task is to pacify the locality and let the common people return to their livelihoods. Second, pursue and arrest the fleeing bandit remnants, with Wang Guohua as the highest priority. We must not allow unrest to flare up again. Third, submit a detailed report to Anqing Prefecture and Wang Circuit Intendant, informing them the civil unrest has been quelled, and clearly explain the causes and consequences of the unrest. Fourth — go and meet with Wang Circuit Intendant as soon as possible. Now that the great rebellion is pacified, the Chizhou troops should each return to their garrison posts. Ask him to restrain his battalions and not let them harass the common folk along the way. What is Lord Zhou's opinion?"

County Deputy Zhou hastily replied, "This subordinate approves. The bandits have already scattered like birds and beasts. We will keep the city gates closed for today, and tomorrow morning post pacification proclamations everywhere. We will also transport Huang Wending's corpse into the city, which should settle the people's hearts. However, regarding the arrest of the remaining faction, the squad leaders of the Fast Squad and Zhuang Squad in the yamen have not reported for duty in over ten days. I fear we must still rely on the Da Hang recruited by the gentry."

Yang Fangzao did not answer in haste. He lowered his head, paced two circuits, then stopped at the doorway. "We shepherd and guard this region on behalf of the Son of Heaven. Co-governance with the country squires is necessary, but local authority must never be wielded by country officials — that is a grave taboo of the imperial court. Arresting bandits is the yamen's proper duty; how can it be delegated to the gentry? Pang Yu is so valiant and martial. Since Li Squad Leader of the Fast Squad has long neglected his duties, let Pang Yu temporarily oversee the Fast Squad's affairs and lead men to arrest the fleeing bandit remnants."

County Deputy Zhou understood Yang Fangzao's meaning. The local yamen had to maintain good relations with the gentry, and many matters depended on gentry support to be carried out. Yet they could not rely entirely on the gentry — especially in a major event like quelling a rebellion, which would make the yamen appear utterly devoid of authority.

"Then this subordinate will first draft a detailed report and strive to send it to Anqing Prefecture tomorrow."

"Liantan is close to Anqing. Lord Pi has likely already received some news and must be extremely worried. The detailed report cannot be delayed until tomorrow — it must be sent today, no matter how early or late. The pacification process in the report must be clear and unmistakable." Yang Fangzao's right hand opened slightly before him, patting the air to emphasize his tone. "Whatever official posts those country officials once held, once they retire to their hometowns, they are commoners. Though the country officials rendered assisting merit, they must not overshadow the host. The pacification was led by the county yamen. Pang Yu, having been ordered to infiltrate the enemy camp, saw an opportunity and decisively struck where they were unprepared, single-handedly annihilating dozens of bandits at Yunji Temple and striking terror into the remaining bandits — this is heaven-startling merit. Had he not cowed those petty villains in one stroke, how could the Da Hang recruited by those country officials have broken the bandits so easily? The chief merit for quelling the rebellion must belong to the yamen runner. The cause and effect within this must also be written clearly in the detailed report, with no ambiguity whatsoever."

"Pang Yu has already written a detailed report and submitted it to this subordinate. It mainly recounts the bloody battle inside Yunji Temple yesterday, but the surrounding causes and effects are written quite in line with Your Lordship's intent."

Yang Fangzao said in astonishment, "Pang Yu wrote a detailed report in half a day?"

County Deputy Zhou drew a sheet of petition paper from his sleeve. Yang Fangzao hastily read it through, then looked up in surprise. "The report this man wrote is clear and well-organized. With only some polishing by an advisor, it could serve as an official document."

"This subordinate also only learned of it last time during the granary inspection, when an advisor mentioned that this man possesses considerable literary talent. I had planned to employ him in an important role within the yamen, but then the civil unrest erupted and everything was delayed. I never imagined he also had the valor to kill bandits."

Yang Fangzao was silent for a moment, then said, "Since he is accomplished in both civil and martial arts, let him help write that detailed report. He is the person involved; what he writes should be more convincing."

"This subordinate understands. Once the detailed report is written, I will present it to Your Lordship for review and correction. Lastly, there is the matter of the Chizhou troops. There are rumors in the city that a great banner bearing the character 'Wang' was seen passing through Guache River. Most likely Wang Gongbi also went to Yunji Temple — it was not only soldiers in that temple. If we are to request he withdraw his troops, I fear a formal petition would be more appropriate."

"Then I must trouble Lord Zhou to draft that as well. At that time, request the gentry to send one or two mature and prudent individuals to accompany Lord Zhou to Yunji Temple and deliver it to Wang Circuit Intendant in person, requesting he withdraw his troops back to Jiangnan as soon as possible."

"Mr. Yu, in the detailed report on the pacification sent to Anqing Prefecture, this junior's name must appear — and it must be sent as quickly as possible."

In the main hall of the County Vice Magistrate Office, Pang Yu, still wearing his bloodstained clothes, spoke to Mr. Yu with a calm expression. Mr. Yu, who usually carried himself with great hauteur, today unconsciously stepped backward when facing Pang Yu.

The cart carrying those twenty-some heads was parked right below the moon terrace of the County Vice Magistrate Office's main hall, the horse still harnessed to it, because no one was willing to touch that cart. The cart bed was covered in sticky red liquid, much of it already congealed, with occasional scattered drops of blood dripping onto the floorboards.

Everyone else in the yamen office hid inside their respective duty rooms, stealing glances from afar at those heads with their varied expressions. Occasionally, someone pointed and whispered about Pang Yu.

Pang Yu was in the advisor's room on the left side of the main hall. From last night until now, Pang Yu had barely closed his eyes, yet he still felt no drowsiness.

Mr. Yu did his best not to look at the cart below the hall. Hearing Pang Yu's request, he merely assumed Pang Yu was heavily driven by fame and profit, wanting to use this merit of quelling the rebellion to soar to success.

He paused for a moment, then said, "Since Little Brother Pang wishes it so, I, Yu, will use Little Brother Pang's own detailed report as the foundation, make slight revisions, and then send it to Anqing Prefecture. As for whether Anqing Prefecture still includes it when reporting to the Grand Coordinator Yamen — that is beyond my control."

Pang Yu looked at Mr. Yu seriously and said in a sincere tone, "This junior will not deceive you, sir. This detailed report is extremely important to this junior, and also critically important to the Tongcheng county yamen. The gentry broke the main body of the bandit faction. If this junior claims the chief merit at Yunji Temple, that is also the chief merit of the county yamen. Right now, only the heads are at the yamen; the corpses are at Yunji Temple. The Chizhou troops occupy Yunji Temple. To placate his soldiers, Wang Gongbi is very likely to contend for this chief merit in quelling the rebellion. Our detailed report absolutely must reach the Grand Coordinator Yamen before Wang Gongbi's does."

Mr. Yu shook his head with a bitter smile. "His Honor the Magistrate also wishes to send it before Wang Gongbi, so that Grand Coordinator Zhang will urge the Chizhou troops to leave Tongcheng. But Wang Gongbi is, after all, the Five Prefectures Military Defense Circuit Intendant. Even Grand Coordinator Zhang would not openly offend him. Even if our detailed report arrives first, the chief merit may not necessarily be won over Wang Gongbi."

"If Grand Coordinator Zhang proves biased, could the County Deputy Lord submit a separate detailed report to the Regional Inspector?"

Pang Yu finished speaking and silently looked at the ground. This was something he had heard from Tang Weimin — the Ming dynasty official yamen's system of mutual checks between major and minor.

The County Deputy was constrained by the County Magistrate, primarily because the Magistrate could evaluate the Assistant Officials. But the County Deputy had another direct superior — the Vice Prefect of Anqing Prefecture. The Vice Prefect was not so fearsome; what was fearsome was the Vice Prefect's direct superior, the Investigating Censor.

This minor seventh-rank official was an anomaly in Ming dynasty officialdom. The central government had the Remonstrance Officials and Censors of the Censorate; the Regional Inspector was the local Censor, a position akin to the Grand Coordinator's Assistant Official, yet not subordinate to the Grand Coordinator. Although the Regional Inspector's rank was low, he wielded immense power locally — not only could he appoint Assistant Officials, but he could also impeach the Chief Officials of prefectures and counties. Because of this, Chief Officials held their Assistant Officials in wary respect. Due to the Regional Inspector's existence, the Assistant Officials formed a relatively independent vertical system, rather than being merely subordinates of the local Chief Officials.

Because of this powerful backing, the Chief Officials and Assistant Officials of prefectures and counties served as mutual checks on each other. The County Magistrate could not act with unchecked power and was generally very polite to the Assistant Officials, not daring to casually scold or punish them the way he might the Chief Clerk.

In normal times, the Assistant Officials had to report regularly to the Vice Prefect. For a major event like civil unrest, the Regional Inspector would require the County Deputy to report directly to him, in order to obtain more detailed information.

The Regional Inspector and the Grand Coordinator also served as mutual checks. As long as Pang Yu's merit was mentioned on the Regional Inspector's side, the Grand Coordinator could not possibly ignore it entirely. The higher the level at which the chief merit was recognized, the more important it was for Pang Yu — because it would make Fang Zhongjia more hesitant to act recklessly.

But this might create a rift between the County Deputy and the County Magistrate. Mr. Yu hesitated. "First, the County Deputy Lord must sign his name. Afterward, it still requires His Honor the Magistrate's countersignature before it can be sent to the Vice Prefect's yamen in Anqing Prefecture."

"Sir will surely think of a way." Pang Yu lowered his voice. "Please trouble yourself over this matter, sir. This junior will certainly offer generous thanks. This evening, I will have Zhou Guniang deliver it to your residence."

Mr. Yu lowered his head, furrowed his brow in thought for a moment, then said, "Then I, Yu, will do my utmost to persuade the County Deputy Lord to send a separate detailed report to the Vice Prefect. As for the Document Receiving Section on the Anqing Prefecture side, I can also think of some methods."

Pang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, but the suspended feeling in his heart never quite settled. Judging by today's events, the Da Hang recruited by the Fang Family possessed formidable combat strength, suffering virtually no casualties, dealing with the rioters like chopping melons and slicing vegetables. If Fang Zhongjia truly sought revenge against him, Pang Yu would be utterly unable to resist. He planned to stay in the County Vice Magistrate Office these next two days and avoid going out as much as possible, in order to evade Fang Zhongjia's retaliation.

Fortunately, the County Deputy had given him considerable support. Today, Yang Fangzao had arranged for Pang Yu to temporarily oversee the Fast Squad. As long as he had enough silver, Pang Yu could quickly build up a force of trusted confidants.

But silver again involved Yunji Temple, which was still occupied by the Chizhou troops. Pang Yu himself lacked the strength to drive the Chizhou troops away; ultimately, he would have to rely on the soft power of the yamen and the gentry. Right now, the County Deputy was personally writing a petition to Wang Gongbi.

Pang Yu felt the weakness of his own power. Everything he did was maneuvering within an extremely narrow space, constrained by others at every turn. Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth. "Wang Gongbi..."

"... he stockade leader Huang Wending was pursued by the common people to outside the East Gate and killed. The remaining faction has fled and collapsed, and all can be captured at any moment. All this relied upon your awe-inspiring reputation to achieve success in an instant, without harming a single commoner, without wasting a single meal. Now that the people's hearts are just beginning to settle, their remaining courage can still be harnessed. At this juncture, the various gentry have all stated that the Chizhou soldiers have been away from home for nearly a month, and we fear they are long homesick and longing to return. Since the unrest in Tongcheng has been quelled, we dare not further trouble the great army to march east..."

Inside the main hall of Yunji Temple, Wang Gongbi set down the petition from the Tongcheng county yamen. In the official document, Yang Fangzao's wording was polite and his attitude humble, even flattering Wang Gongbi. But the overall meaning was one of extreme disdain for the Chizhou troops. Now that the civil unrest was barely pacified, he was impatiently demanding that Wang Gongbi lead his troops away, deathly afraid the Chizhou troops might enter the county town.

Wang Gongbi, as Military Defense Circuit Intendant, was a civil official of considerable status. Only a Prefect who had passed his term evaluation could have the chance to hold such a post. Wang Gongbi had already served as Prefect of Ningguo Prefecture back in the third year of Tianqi, and only now, after all this time, had he become a Military Defense Circuit Intendant. Moreover, according to the rules of Ming officialdom, if an official was promoted locally, he had to have served as a Military Defense Circuit Intendant before he could be promoted to Grand Coordinator — making this post a preparatory step for the Grand Coordinator.

Yet even a civil official of such status, once he led troops out, was met with all kinds of disdain from every locality along the way, guarded against even more tightly than against bandits. If the localities had their own armed forces, they would have wished nothing more than to annihilate these government troops in one fell swoop.

Wang Gongbi himself had transferred from a capital post to a local one, so he could quite understand the local mentality. Even he himself, in truth, held the Chizhou troops in extreme disdain. From the moment they crossed the river, he had constantly worried these soldiers would stir up trouble. Since the Chongzhen reign began, no small number of Military Defense Circuit Intendants and Grand Coordinators had been impeached and punished over troop mutinies. To say Wang Gongbi was not worried at all would be a lie.

Fortunately, Pan Keda had been quite effective in restraining the battalions. Many of the conscripted soldiers pressed into service to make up numbers had deserted along the way, but no major incidents had occurred. In the end, they had even seized Yunji Temple and rooted out the bandits' nest. It was just a pity that the heads had been taken by someone else, and not much silver had been found either.

Wang Gongbi suppressed his anger and refrained from tearing the petition to shreds, instead casually handing it to the advisor behind him.

He turned his head to Pan Keda on his left. "Dispatch spies to inspect the Tongcheng county seat. If what Yang Fangzao says is true, then reorganize the troops and return to Anqing."

"Yes, my lord." Pan Keda replied listlessly. He had already been at Yunji Temple for two days. That day, they had followed the trail of scattered silver coins toward Huaining, but in the end, found not the slightest trace of the dirty silver. After careful thought, he realized that the person who stole the silver had likely gone toward Tongcheng, and those bits of broken silver were merely meant to lure them toward Huaining.

From this raid on Yunji Temple, all they had gotten was the thousand-odd taels of broken silver discovered at the foot of the mountain that night. Some had probably been pocketed by the soldiers, but at most one or two thousand taels — absolutely nowhere near the full forty thousand taels.

And what infuriated Pan Keda the most was that the two gentry members who had just come to deliver the letter had explicitly demanded the Chizhou troops return the dirty silver, practically convinced that Pan Keda had pocketed it all himself.

Because everyone believed that Pang Yu had gone alone that day to exterminate the bandits, and his cart had been loaded with heads. At most, he could have smuggled out a few hundred taels. There was simply no way he could have transported tens of thousands of taels of silver. Even Wang Gongbi was more inclined to believe the conclusion of the Tongcheng gentry and regarded Pan Keda with half-belief, half-doubt, constantly hinting in his words that he suspected Pan Keda had embezzled the silver.

Pan Keda suppressed the frustration in his heart and probed softly, "Should we stay a few more days and search the nearby mountain forests thoroughly? Perhaps those bandits are hiding in..."

"A mountain forest the size of a palm — if they were here, several hundred men searching for two days would have found them by now." Wang Gongbi said coldly. "Perhaps they are long gone. Why waste time in vain?"

Wang Gongbi flicked his sleeves and left as soon as he finished speaking. Pan Keda stood stunned for a long moment, muttered a couple of curses under his breath, and finally headed back toward the Monks' Quarters, preparing to send spies to Tongcheng to investigate.

Passing by that stench-charging manure pit, Pan Keda could not suppress his anger. He coughed up a mouthful of thick phlegm and — ptooey — spat it into the pit.

Pan Keda held his breath as he walked past that stretch of road. "You motherless bandit spawn," he cursed under his breath. "Where did you hide the silver?"