Chapter 105: Not Daring to Forget the Danger, I Must Not Waste My Prime

"From afar I know the barbarian isles float on the sky's edge; not daring to forget the danger, I must not waste my prime. If Grand Commander Qi came back to look, would he die of rage?" Two days later, Chen Xin stood before Wendeng Camp and said to Liu Minyou, looking at the great camp that was no different from any ordinary fortified post.

The Wendeng Camp before him had been built in the tenth year of the Xuande reign, ten li east of Wendeng county town, situated on the flat plain between Li Shan and Jia Shan. The camp's fortification wall was an earthen rampart, three li in circumference, with three gates — east, west, and south. The Baolong River flowed past the southern side of the fort, and after passing Wendeng county town to the west, it merged with the Songjia River at Wenxing Rock to enter the sea. Chen Xin and his party came from the north and circled around to the east gate, preparing to enter the fort.

At the east gate stood a soldier with a saber, his appearance just like the military households of Weihai. Beside him lay a dog, lazily dozing off. A few chickens and ducks wandered back and forth at the entrance, the ground covered in piles of their droppings. Under the great tree before the fort gate sat some elderly men and women with children — no trace of a military camp's atmosphere whatsoever. Only the four characters inscribed on the gate lintel, "Qi Dong Zhong Zhen" — Eastern Bulwark of Qi — faintly recalled its former prestige.

The soldier guarding the gate, seeing over two hundred men with strong soldiers and sturdy horses, came forward timidly to question them. Zhou Shifa at the front said he was the newly appointed Picket Officer. The soldier hurried inside to report. Chen Xin dismounted, easing the sore inner thighs rubbed raw from riding. He had been practicing horsemanship for barely a month and could just manage a gallop.

Liu Minyou looked at the many cracked and parched fields around them and sighed to Chen Xin, "The whole way here has been wasteland. In many places, if the irrigation channels were just slightly repaired, the land could be fully cultivated. Why do these local officials simply watch it happen and do nothing?"

"Isn't abandoned land even better? The owners have all fled — we can just go and claim it."

"They hold the land deeds. Even if they've fled, the land is still theirs. If we cultivate it into mature fields, they'll just come back and demand it — what a loss that would be."

Chen Xin chuckled. "Mr. Liu, we are officials now. How could we let them take it back? If the gentry and military officers can seize land, so can I. Are they going to sue me in court?"

As the two were talking, the soldier soon came back out and led Chen Xin to the Garrison Commander's office. Everything they saw along the way was much like Mazi Post — all thatched huts, with only a few more temples and an opera stage.

Zhou Hongmo was already waiting at the entrance of the Garrison Commander's residence, a full beard across his face, dark-skinned and burly. Zhou Hongmo was extremely courteous upon seeing Chen Xin, quickly calling him brother, with no air of a superior officer whatsoever.

Chen Xin had sent someone to pay respects to Zhou Hongmo back in the eighth month, along with a gift of silver. Zhou Hongmo had never been well-received in this place — the surrounding guard battalions ignored him, and he rarely received the pay and provisions for his allotted troops. At present, even the most critical Guanning Army and Jizhen Garrison were in arrears on pay; the other places of the Nine Border Garrisons owed countless back wages. How could there possibly be any silver for him, the Garrison Commander of Wendeng Camp? He could only rely on some military fields of Wendeng Camp, turning the remaining military households into his tenant farmers.

He had also heard of Chen Xin's reputation — first, for opposing the eunuch faction, and second, for fighting very effectively during the bandit suppression early in the year. Moreover, Chen Xin had sent him a gift of silver the previous month, so Zhou Hongmo did not put on the airs of a superior officer. He hosted a welcoming banquet in the rear hall of the office, with Lu Chuanzong and Liu Minyou both attending.

When Chen Xin asked Zhou Hongmo about the situation at Wendeng Camp, Zhou Hongmo heaved long sighs. In short, it was utterly dilapidated. They were neither a guard battalion nor could they receive grain and pay under the garrison system. A little was allocated each year, but they still had to go and work connections with the Provincial Governor and the Coastal Defense Circuit. What they actually received was not even enough for his twenty-odd retainers. What was even more infuriating was that Wendeng Camp did not even border the sea — there was nowhere to even deal in private salt. The only thing left was some military fields, now cultivated by the hundred or so remaining military households in Wendeng Camp. These military households were left over from the days of defending against the Japanese pirates and had simply stayed here over the long years.

Chen Xin observed Zhou Hongmo's expression — one of deep regret. He guessed that Zhou Hongmo had been far more comfortable in his old post at the Wanquan Regional Military Commission, where at least there were more military fields to embezzle than at Wendeng Camp. Chen Xin then hinted during the banquet that he had a solution.

After the banquet, Zhou Hongmo invited Chen Xin to his study. Once the maidservant had served tea and withdrawn, Zhou Hongmo said to Chen Xin with some urgency, "Worthy Brother Chen, this Wendeng Camp is worse than even a guard battalion. Had I known earlier that you were coming, I would have dissuaded you. You would have been better off serving as a Vice Guard Commander in a guard battalion."

Zhou Hongmo was the type to treat strangers as old friends. Chen Xin did not stand on too much ceremony with him either and said with a smile, "Many thanks, my lord Zhou. I am merely an acting Vice Guard Commander, not a substantive one. I had originally thought that the camp troops would be better off, but it is far from what I expected."

Zhou Hongmo slapped his thigh. "Who says otherwise! I had seen that the camp troops at Xuanfu got more silver, so I eagerly sought a Garrison Commander post — and this is the scene I get."

Chen Xin sighed. "Indeed. I, your subordinate, was likewise forced to come. At Weihai Guard, there are thirty or forty men above the rank of Assistant Guard Commander, but only a few substantive posts. When would it ever be the turn of an outsider like me?"

Zhou Hongmo felt a deep resonance. The more he spoke, the angrier he became. He suddenly stood up, his eyes glaring like a bull's. "So that's how it is! I, too, am an outsider. I was originally a substantive Assistant Guard Commander at the Wanquan Regional Military Commission. That damned Zheng Blockhead told me Wendeng Camp was good and made me spend several hundred taels of silver to arrange it. Now that I think about it, he must have wanted to free up an Assistant Guard Commander post for his nephew."

Spittle flew from Zhou Hongmo's mouth, a few drops landing on Chen Xin's face. Chen Xin could not very well wipe it off, so he raised his teacup to his lips and took a sip, using his sleeve to stealthily wipe his face in the process. Only after setting the cup down did he say to Zhou Hongmo, "From what my lord Zhou means, this Wendeng Camp is a quagmire. Once you come here, there is little profit to be had and no military merit to be earned. Once you fall in, it is hard to get out."

"Exactly so." Zhou Hongmo panted heavily, furious. "From this Garrison Commander post upward, there are even fewer vacancies. I am unwilling to go to the Nine Border Garrisons either. If it were a substantive post in a good location, I could not scrape together the silver anyway. That cur Zheng has harmed me terribly."

Chen Xin could not help but laugh inwardly. Zhou Hongmo had revealed himself in just a few sentences. He was simply afraid of fighting the western barbarians at Xuanfu. The Wanquan Regional Military Commission was on the very front line of Xuan-Da. Being able to hide away in Wendeng as a peacetime official was certainly better than risking his life. Now that he had come and found little profit, he blamed the man who had arranged it.

Having basically grasped Zhou Hongmo's bottom line, Chen Xin leaned in and said, "My lord Zhou, you and I are in the same boat. We must think of a way to leap out of this quagmire. We military men rely on these very years to advance our careers. Once they pass, promotion becomes even harder."

"Exactly — not daring to forget the danger, I must not waste my prime. Our prospects are now in grave danger, danger beyond all danger. This is precisely the time for us to strive for a future. How can we spend our days here dealing with farmers? I know about you, Worthy Brother Chen. Last year you were merely a Battalion Commander by purchase. How did you rise so quickly and raise so many troops? If you have any ideas, tell your elder brother at once."

That even this crude military man could recite that poem of Grand Commander Qi's — Chen Xin could not help but feel ashamed. He cupped his hands in flattery. "My lord, your literary and military talents are beyond my reach. This makes me feel even more indignant on your behalf."

Zhou Hongmo actually only knew that one line, but he still waved his hand smugly. "Poetry is but a trivial pursuit. Though I understand it, there is no need to flaunt it. Worthy Brother Chen, better to first speak of the method to leap out."

"My lord, you see, to leap out, there is no way other than promotion. Promotion relies either on military merit or on silver. Speaking first of silver — we military men have only a few ways to get rich: eating empty pay slots, seizing military fields, and engaging in trade. Here we cannot trade border goods as in the Nine Border Garrisons, and there is no pay silver either, so only the military fields remain."

Zhou Hongmo said with great disappointment, "Military fields, ah. There could be over ten thousand mu of those. The trouble is there is no one to cultivate them. The civilian households that could flee have all fled, and only the old and weak remain among the military households. I dare not push too hard now. Still, blame those Jianzhou Bandits. Shandong supplies Dongjiang with tax-in-kind grain, and the levies increase almost every year. After a year of farming, you still end up owing grain tax. Who the hell wants to come farm? Worthy Brother Chen, you must have seen on the road — wasteland everywhere. This path is likely blocked."

"So we must think of another way — one that yields both silver and military merit." Chen Xin paused and looked at Zhou Hongmo. He was quite willing to help Zhou Hongmo get promoted; only if Zhou Hongmo was transferred away would there be a position for himself.

Zhou Hongmo set his not-too-agile mind to work, thought for a long time, then gave up. He asked Chen Xin urgently, "Worthy Brother Chen, speak quickly. What should it be?"

"We go suppress bandits. The territory around Wendeng — our Wendeng Camp can go anywhere. No one can accuse us of trespassing into assigned zones. And the bandit lairs contain no small amount of valuables."

Zhou Hongmo said, still somewhat disappointed, "Valuables there may be, but that requires trading lives for them. The men I have now in Wendeng Camp — how could they defeat bandits?"

"I, your younger brother, will send out the troops and make up the full troop count. Of the bandits' valuables, my lord takes sixty percent, I take forty. As for the bribe money for the higher-ups, my lord and I will each pay half."

Zhou Hongmo's big mouth split into a grin, and he laughed heartily. "Since Brother Chen is so thoughtful, I, your elder brother, will not decline. The troop quota is all yours, Brother Chen. But these bandits — what military merit is there in bandit heads?"

Chen Xin chuckled. "How could we report them as bandits for merit? My lord Zhou, what is the purpose of working the connections? It is for these heads. In the territory of Shandong, whatever the imperial court most fears happening — that is what we report."

Zhou Hongmo's eyes lit up. "The Wenxiang Sect!"

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Chen Xin set up camp outside Wendeng Camp, south of it by the Baolong River. He did not move into Wendeng Camp to live — the municipal conditions inside were far too poor, and he had no desire to undertake an old-city renovation. He simply built a separate barracks outside. For the time being, the soldiers all lived in tents. Once the camp was established, Zhou Shifa raised the central army banner. The drummer beat the drum once, and the cooks from each squad left camp for the river to fetch water and gather firewood, preparing to cook.

It was nearly dusk by then. Chen Xin and Liu Minyou strolled casually to the riverside for a walk. They walked a stretch toward Jia Shan before stopping. The sun in the west had turned into a faintly reddish egg yolk, dyeing the world between heaven and earth in a thin yellow hue. The Baolong River flowed gently, its murmuring waters shattering the reflection of the setting sun into countless shimmering fragments of light.

The Baolong River was broader than Qincun River. The land near the riverbanks was all cultivated. The golden wheat fields had been partially harvested, and some farmers were putting away their tools, preparing to go home. White cooking smoke rose from several villages on both banks. Farther away, vast stretches of abandoned land were overgrown with weeds, the irrigation channels collapsed and nearly vanished.

Looking at the surrounding fields, Liu Minyou sighed. "The grass is so tall — this must have been very fertile land originally."

"Tomorrow I'll go borrow the land registers from Zhou Hongmo. If it's military land, we'll just seize it directly. If it's civilian land, we'll wait until I've worked some connections in Wendeng county. Same old rule — you handle civil affairs."

Although Liu Minyou did not want to seize others' property, seeing good land lying waste was truly a pity. Cultivating it first to harvest some grain was acceptable. He said to Chen Xin, "If I come here, what about the workshops in Weihai? And the counterfeit coin workshop, and the port?"

Chen Xin thought for a moment. "That side is our foundation. It's best if you keep an eye on it. Fortunately, it's not far. But in the beginning here, we'll still need to rely on you. We need to build barracks here and recruit farming households. Once you've arranged the civil affairs, you can go back."

Liu Minyou felt a surge of relief. He disliked changing environments the most, but following someone as overly active as Chen Xin forced him to keep moving. Weihai was a quiet place, and he liked the seaside.

Chen Xin, unaware of this, continued speaking. "Leave Xu Yuanhua here. Let Xu Yuanhua take charge of civil matters on this side. With so much wasteland here, I want to establish our own fortified settlement and recruit more soldiers."

"We already have over seven hundred soldiers. Do you intend to fill all one thousand one hundred slots of Wendeng Camp? You don't need that many to fight bandits."

Chen Xin shook his head. Just then, the neighing of horses came from nearby — it was Zhu Guobin's cavalry leading their horses to the river to drink. A few of them stood in the water, constantly stamping their hooves in the stream, sending up bursts of spray.

The twenty cavalrymen Zhu Guobin led had also come to Wendeng Camp. They drew water at the riverside, washed and brushed the horses, then let them out into the wasteland to graze. After eating the green grass, the horses still needed to be fed concentrated fodder. Liu Minyou had bought black beans for them. None of these cavalrymen had originally been professionals — only a few had ever ridden a horse, and the horses were not specialized warhorses either. Zhu Guobin had picked out some slightly better ones at the horse market in Wendeng. Chen Xin figured they could only serve as scout riders and, at most, chase down routed enemies.

Liu Minyou also looked over. He had been learning to ride recently and could barely manage on the road — far simpler than getting a driver's license in later ages. Still, he said to Chen Xin, "Horses are too expensive. Over twenty taels each. Zhu Guobin says they aren't even warhorses. One horse costs as much as several oxen. The area around Wendeng is all mountainous — cavalry isn't very useful against bandits. These are enough."

"No, we need at least over a hundred cavalry."

Liu Minyou immediately lowered his head and began calculating. After a moment, he looked up. "Our infantry's monthly pay is one tael. If we have a thousand men, that's twelve thousand a year. Add in monthly provisions, equipment, training, clothing, and barracks — each man costs at least over twenty taels a year. That's nearly thirty thousand taels of silver. Cavalry is even more expensive. A horse eats several jin of fodder a day, plus it needs saddlery. Zhu Guobin once requested accompanying grooms and a veterinarian — I refused. Even as things are now, the annual cost is seventy or eighty taels per horse. A hundred cavalry is seven thousand taels. Better to raise more infantry."

Chen Xin exhaled. "Damn it, raising troops really is burning money. But we have to do it even if it costs a hundred taels. Next year, it won't be about fighting bandits anymore."

"Fighting Li Zicheng?"

Chen Xin gazed north with a relaxed expression. "Li Zicheng should still be at the postal station right now. It's the Jianzhou Bandits from across the sea who are coming — at the end of next year."

Liu Minyou's mouth hung open. After a long while, he said hesitantly, "No wonder you want to recruit troops. They're coming to Wendeng? If we really can't hold them off, we'll just run. We can run to Taiwan if we have to."

"Not Wendeng. They're going to raid Beizhili."

Liu Minyou had just breathed a sigh of relief when he immediately tensed up again. "Then should we have Zhou Laifu and the others all come over? If the Tatars go to Tianjin, they'll be in danger."

"Including Pan Jinlian?"

Liu Minyou pointed at Chen Xin, about to curse him, but Chen Xin had already continued, "No need. Tianjin will be fine. But this is an opportunity. I need to have the strength to seize this opportunity. So no matter how hard things get, we cannot shortchange the army."

"You call this an opportunity? The Tatars aren't like bandits. If you ask me, we should just hold Wendeng and be done with it. Can you even reach the affairs of Northern Zhili? Even if you took over all thousand-plus men of the Wendeng camp, could you defeat tens of thousands of Tatars? Stop stirring up trouble over this. Those great matters are naturally for the imperial court's high officials to worry about. You're a Picket Officer, I'm a Mr. — can we really clean up the Jianzhou Bandits that even a hundred-thousand-strong army couldn't defeat?"

"Of course we can't defeat them, but gaining advantage doesn't necessarily require annihilating the enemy."

Liu Minyou still tried to persuade him: "You just got married. Lady Zhao is still waiting to hold a grandson. You'd best count the days, go back a few days each month, and conceive early. Once you have a child, what's wrong with a family? If you go fight the Tatars — to put it bluntly — if you get killed, what grand ambitions can there be?"

As they spoke, the sun had already fallen to the mountaintops, imprinting the clear ridgeline of the distant hills against the sky. From the main camp came the bugle call signaling return to camp. The soldiers nearby who were still drawing water and washing horses hurriedly packed up their things and rushed back toward the main camp.

"Brother Liu is right." Chen Xin replied absently, perfunctorily, and walked slowly back with Liu Minyou in silence.

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