Chapter 191: Coastal Defense Mobile Corps Commander

The "Imperial Sword" system so often seen in later television dramas was actually only formally implemented starting from the "Three Great Campaigns" of the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era.

At that time, the Tatar chieftain Bobai of Ningxia gathered troops in rebellion, and the Ming Court granted the Gansu Grand Coordinator Ye Mengxiong an "Imperial Sword" to encircle and suppress the rebels.

In the aftermath, Ye Mengxiong stormed the city and "utterly executed Bobai's faction and two thousand who surrendered"; Bobai's son Bo Cheng'en and others were bound and sent to the Capital, where all were put to death. Victory in this campaign gave the Ming Court a taste of the benefits, and the bestowal of Imperial Swords began to grow frequent.

The basic function of the Imperial Sword was the Emperor granting supervising grand coordinators the authority to bypass the law: "judge on the spot," "execute those of Fifth Rank and below," "dismiss from office those of Third Rank and below."

Thus, Xiong Wencan also held this legendary treasure in his hands — as the saying goes, once the Imperial Sword is drawn, brotherhood ends.

At this moment, Xiong Wencan, sitting in the hall, desperately wished to call upon his brother Imperial Sword and sever the dog's head perched on the neck of the blabbering fool before him.

And who was this fool? Fuzhou Prefecture Vice Prefect Lin Shudi.

Xiong Wencan's mood had originally been excellent.

The previous night's conversation with Cao Chuan had given Lao Xiong sufficient assurances on both public and private fronts, some even exceeding his expectations, which left him in a very pleasant frame of mind.

Unexpectedly, that very afternoon, Left Administration Commissioner Cai Shanji had brought him yet another pleasant surprise.

Previously, on the matter of summoning and pacifying Zheng Zhilong, Old Cai had only vaguely expressed opposition — after all, the specific handling of the matter fell to Xiong himself, so Old Cai could hardly say much.

But now, Cai Shanji had come in full regalia, wearing his official robes in the great hall of the Fuzhou Governor's Office to state his stance. This was an unequivocal, official act: in this moment, Cai Shanji had effectively raised the banner and declared his political position. He now represented the entirety of the Fujian gentry and merchants who opposed the pacification of Zheng Zhilong, making their stance clear to Grand Coordinator Xiong Wencan.

Old Cai held the right of direct memorial to the throne; today's conversation would swiftly become a memorial reported to the Capital.

And Xiong Wencan? Xiong Wencan was more than happy. This was a pillow delivered just as he felt drowsy — timely rain indeed!

Had it been before last night, Old Cai coming to declare his stance would have struck Xiong Wencan as somewhat abrupt: was this a forced abdication? Who exactly was calling the shots?

But after a single night, the situation had completely changed.

Xiong Wencan now desperately wished for powerful local forces to support his decision to pacify the Transmigrators.

After all, if Lao Xiong were to pacify Cao Chuan, it would amount to overturning the resolution previously set in the court. Lao Xiong would have to bear the political pressure — if the Transmigrators proved ineffective afterward and Zheng Zhilong continued his rebellion, Lao Xiong would be left holding the bag entirely.

This was precisely why Lao Xiong had repeatedly hesitated and deliberated, not daring to make a decision lightly, even though he personally held the Crossing Faction in high regard — he had since Hangzhou.

Perfect. Timely Rain Cai Shanji, wreathed in cremation fire and lightning, had leaped out so abruptly.

At the time, Lao Xiong had barely restrained himself from laughing out loud three times: such a momentous political decision, Old Cai was bound to submit a memorial, which meant half the blame on his own head had just been shared away!

In fact, after happily sending Old Cai off that afternoon, Lao Xiong had already formulated the central theme of his own memorial: Your Majesty, it is not that I, Lao Xiong, am brainless — look, these Fujian local officials also do not advocate pacifying Zheng Zhilong...

All this good mood was utterly destroyed the moment he met Fuzhou Prefecture Vice Prefect Lin Shudi.

Lin Shudi had come sneaking in to request an audience just before the office closed that afternoon.

Xiong Wencan knew perfectly well what Lin Shudi had come for. This man was Zheng Zhilong's mouthpiece in Fuzhou; ever since Xiong had taken up his post governing Fujian, this fool had come more than once to agitate for the recruitment and amnesty of the Zheng Clan, stopping just short of shouting: Yiguan is coming, no more grain taxes!

Yet Xiong Wencan could not simply expel this fellow, nor could he refuse to see him — wouldn't that be openly telling people he did not wish to pacify Lao Zheng?

At such a critical juncture, Lao Xiong naturally would not be brainless enough to reveal his intentions to the outside world.

So, despite being the exalted Grand Coordinator of an entire province, Lao Xiong could only suppress the tempting thought of summoning a flying sword to behead the man, sitting expressionlessly in the Public Hall, quietly watching this Servant posture and preen — Lin Shudi's official rank was Fifth Rank, precisely the upper limit for flying-sword execution.

On this visit, the latest Zheng Zhilong quotation Lin Shudi produced was, impressively, that famous line from history: "I dare not oppose the Official Army; I had no choice. If I could but obtain a single noble title, I would serve the Court with deadly loyalty, and the Southeast Half Wall could rest easy."

Xiong Wencan said not a single word.

Years of cultivating composure in officialdom allowed him to keep his face as still as an ancient well, even when inwardly furious.

Lao Xiong, whose temper had long been cultivated into proud petulance by a certain faction's gentle, modest, and power-eschewing style, now faced Zheng Zhilong's blatantly arrogant rhetoric of using military force to coerce and carve out territory in the southeast, and no longer possessed the forbearance he had shown historically.

In the next moment, Lao Xiong gently stroked his long beard, a trace of gentle smile appearing on his face: "Zhilong's meaning, I fully understand. You may return now. Within these next few days at most, there will be news."

Lin Shudi left happily.

This was the first time he had seen a smile on Lao Xiong's face, so his mood was quite good. Vice Prefect Lin was now brimming with confidence about the coming pacification.

Xiong Wencan was likewise brimming with confidence about the pacification.

And so, that very evening, he once again received Cao Chuan, and through Cao Chuan's introduction, met the broad-waisted and round-bellied sailing instructor Sha Zhengming.

It was the same study, still lit by the bright white solar-powered light, only this time there were two more people in the room.

One was Sha Zhengming, the other was Comrade Emei Peak, holding a folding fan — Lao Xiong no longer hesitated to reveal his inclination toward pacification in front of his most capable advisor.

"What a towering, imposing fellow!"

Even though the man was in a kneeling posture, upon suddenly seeing the 1.88-meter, muscle-bound Sha Zhengming in the cramped study, Lao Xiong could not help but draw a sharp breath.

After Sha Zhengming rose, Lao Xiong carefully scrutinized this Great Monk, clad in monastic robes with a close-cropped haircut, his face full of admiration: "Before turning bandit, at which temple did the monk take his vows, to have been blessed with such a fine physique?"

"In reply to the Grand Coordinator, in my youth Zhengming took vows at the Baoji Temple of the Pure Land School in Siam. Thanks to the temple's flourishing incense offerings, I secretly ate quite a bit of the Abbot's fragrant oil, and thus, my frame is slightly larger than most..."

"Hahaha." The three people seated in the room laughed simultaneously.

"Sit down and speak," Lao Xiong said, shaking his head with a smile. "What an honest monk."

Sha Zhengming, whose persona had been set during prior training as the simple, honest, and brash type, naturally understood no polite refusal at this moment and plopped himself right down onto a chair.

"Well, Sha Heshang, when the troops are reorganized in the days to come, would you dare to do battle with the Zheng Clan?" Xiong Wencan now slowly voiced the central theme of this meeting.

Upon hearing these words, Sha Zhengming's nostrils flared, fury blazing in his eyes, and with a sudden jolt he sprang up from his chair: "I would slay him as easily as butchering a dog!"

After the drama aficionados had thoroughly satisfied their acting itch that night, they quietly withdrew from the Fuzhou Governor's Office, leaving behind a gift list and taking promises with them.

Three days later, at the same hour, continuing in that same study, a momentous event for this plane finally occurred: Xiong Wencan, clad in full official robes, formally accepted the instrument of surrender from "Cao Chuan," who knelt before him, and in return bestowed upon Cao Chuan the commission and official seal of "Fujian Coastal Defense Mobile Corps Commander."

Yes, it was a perfectly standard Coastal Defense Mobile Corps Commander commission. The Transmigrators had no intention of following historical Lao Zheng's example by asking Lao Xiong for the empty title of "Five Tigers Mobile Corps Commander General" — aside from flaunting a bumpkin's total ignorance of officialdom, it offered no benefit whatsoever.

Although Cao Chuan's Mobile Corps Commander General appointment ultimately required endorsement from the imperial court, since Xiong Wencan, as a Fujian Dayuan, had recommended the pirate Cao for this official post, the court was bound not to refuse.

Thus, from this moment on, the overall Ming policy Xia Xianze had originally devised — using pacification to leverage the Ming Court's power for the Crossing Faction's development — took its first step forward.

And the "Card Position Plan," which had been in execution since Hangzhou, also reached its perfect conclusion at this moment — Zheng Zhilong had ultimately failed the interview and was blocked by the Transmigrators at the very last checkpoint.

What would follow and take its place was the "Contending for Supremacy" plan, centered on tactical ambushes and pirate suppression campaigns. The behind-the-scenes heroes active in Fuzhou City would fall silent, and in the next stage, other Transmigrators would leap onto the stage.

With the motion of "Cao Chuan" accepting the commission and seal, the wheels of history violently swerved at this point, and the Crossing Faction commenced its process of openly and righteously leeching off the Ming Dynasty.

The great stigma of "gaining the realm illegitimately, usurping the throne" was not one the Transmigrators wore on their heads for nothing — this single act of pacification could save everyone at least five to ten years of development time.

The reason was very simple: the "Coastal Defense Mobile Corps Commander" work permit issued by Xiong Wencan was valid throughout the entire Great Ming.

That is to say, from this moment on, no matter how much the civil official system might despise Mobile Corps Commander General Cao, a fleet flying the banner of "Mobile Corps Commander General Cao" could still enter any port in the Great Ming and purchase any supplies and personnel, including all items prohibited from export by the government.

The Transmigrators' business could henceforth swagger openly from north to south. As their fame for annihilating pirates spread in the days to come, the Ming Court would gradually come to rely on the military strongman Cao, who held heavy troops. And by then, the actions of dumping commodities across Ming provinces, while simultaneously transporting populations and steering the course of history, would become incomparably effortless, and the Crossing Faction's power would inflate like a balloon.

Compared to the strategic benefits to be gained in the future, the deference and apparent weakness Xiong Wencan now sees are the greatest camouflage of a certain power base.

Lao Xiong would never imagine that this world could possess a steamrolling technology called industrialization. The so-called comparisons of strength and grand strategic control in the traditional sense would soon be swept away before machine tools and assembly lines. The Transmigrators would use even greater speed and deeper methods to control every inch of territory within the range of their guns and cannons.

After the secret rank-conferring ceremony concluded that night, despite the enormous gap in their official grades, Cao Chuan and Xiong Wencan were now, in legal terms, court-appointed officials and could be considered close colleagues.

And so, the two colleagues naturally began to discuss how to handle the problem of Zheng Zhilong.

On this matter, "Cao the Mobile Corps Commander" had long been prepared, so he proposed two strategies on the spot, a superior and a middling one, for Lao Xiong to choose from — there was no inferior strategy. The inferior strategy would be to send the entire army to fight Lao Zheng head-on; that was too brainless, and no one would support it.

Be prepared to