Chapter 116: A Reason

"Guobin, Liu Pojun, Li Donghua — you all came from Liaodong. If the Later Jin were to break through from Ji Town, roughly when would it be?"

Inside Chen Xin's office, Song Wenxian, Dai Zhenggang, Lu Chuanzong, and the few men just mentioned were all present, standing before the rough map Chen Xin had hung up.

The three from Liaodong, hearing Chen Xin say the Later Jin would break through from Ji Town, had their eyes light up. Li Donghua, stirred with excitement, stepped forward and was about to speak when he remembered that Zhu Guobin was the commanding officer, far higher in rank than him, and hastily stepped back.

Chen Xin smiled and said, "Since you've stepped out, go ahead and speak."

Li Donghua glanced at Zhu Guobin, who also smiled and nodded, before he said, "My lord, if the Jianzhou bandits truly intend to come, it should be at the end of the ninth month. Liaodong does not plant winter wheat; after harvesting the autumn wheat, there is only hoeing and fertilizing, which can be finished by the ninth month."

Lu Chuanzong was not clear on Liaodong affairs. He feared neither Tatars nor bandits anyway, and asked bluntly, "Could the Tatars come in the seventh or eighth month?"

Zhu Guobin shook his head and said, "These days, with people from Dongjiang coming over, we have also gathered some intelligence on the Later Jin. They lack labor, and with droughts year after year, many Han people have starved to death. This year, grain prices are above ten taels of silver per shi. If the Jianzhou bandits want to mobilize on a large scale, they will inevitably need to bring many bondservants, which means they will be short of hands for the farming season. So I also believe that if they are coming, it will be after the farming season ends."

Chen Xin looked at the long route between Wendeng and Jingshi, troubled by how to transport troops over such a distance. The time of the Later Jin's arrival, he recalled, was also at year's end. If the Later Jin set out at the end of the ninth month or the beginning of the tenth, they could begin striking the passes around the end of the tenth month and reach the walls of Jingshi by the eleventh month — roughly matching the timing he knew.

Dai Zhenggang raised a slight doubt. "My lord, if they enter from Ji Town, the journey is long. With so many men and horses moving, the Mongol side has no real passes — it's flat open ground. Someone would always be able to get out and bring word. The Guanning Army need only send out a few scouts, and they would certainly receive the news. Wouldn't the enemy fear being encircled inside the passes by our Great Ming?"

Li Donghua said, "In the past, when the Jianzhou bandits went out on campaign, we at Dongjiang would strike into Liaodong, make a circuit, seize things, and leave. The Jianzhou bandits could do nothing about us either. If the Jianzhou bandits go out to plunder, I'm afraid it would be much the same."

Liu Pojun pointed to the vast area north of Sancha on the map. "If they take the Liaohe river bend, that region is sparsely populated and easier to hide in. The Guanning Army does not even go east of the river, let alone to the Liaohe bend, so they could be kept completely in the dark. The last intelligence summary said that Kalaqin also suffered a severe drought this year and is leaning ever closer to the Jianzhou bandits. In the fourth month, when the Subudi outside the Ji Town passes were selling grain at Ningyuan, over four hundred Jianzhou bandits were mixed in among them. A capital official discovered this, and many of the gentry near Ningyuan knew of it. They are all spreading word that the Subudi are buying grain for the Jianzhou bandits."

Liu Pojun was currently serving in a staff officer role, though Chen Xin had not clearly defined what kind of staff officer he was. In any case, he had to do a bit of everything.

Dai Zhenggang burst out cursing, "Then why the hell haven't they been stopped? Seventy or eighty thousand Guanning troops, damn it, letting over four hundred Jianzhou bandits buy things right under their noses. Otherwise, my lord, take us there and let us deal with them."

Chen Xin waved his hand. "I cannot enter Guanning's designated territory without authorization. Besides, I'm not the one drawing the Liaodong tax. The people taking the silver aren't managing it, so why the hell should I? Let's drop this matter. Everyone, take a look at the possible invasion routes the Later Jin might use." Although he knew the Later Jin would go via Zunhua, he still wanted these men to think it over more, and perhaps in the process discover some talent among them.

Liu Pojun said, "My lord says the Jianzhou bandits will break through from Ji Town. This subordinate believes it is highly likely they will come near the border walls around Miyun and Huairou — that is, along the Gubeikou line or near Qiangziling. That is the closest route to Jingshi. After breaching the border wall, they could reach the walls of Jingshi in two days."

Zhu Guobin thought for a moment and said, "I believe Lengkou to Xifengkou is more likely. Gubei is close to Chahar. Although Hundun Tuer has never won, the Jianzhou bandits would not willingly go to a place where they could easily be attacked from two sides." Chen Xin nodded approvingly.

Lu Chuanzong asked, puzzled, "They're going so far — aren't they afraid the Guanning Army will raid their lair? The Guanning Army still has tens of thousands of men, after all. By the way, just how many troops do the Jianzhou bandits actually have?"

Chen Xin also looked at Liu Pojun and the other few from Liaodong. They had gathered intelligence several times, but the numbers were different each time. After the Dongjiang people arrived, they had collected intelligence once again.

Liu Pojun flipped open the notebook in his hand and said, "After the Dongjiang people arrived this time, we questioned them one by one and verified the enemy forces by region. There are roughly around two hundred and forty niru. The number of people per niru varies — some are called half-niru. The smallest half-niru has only a bit over ten households and a few dozen adult males. A normal niru averages about one hundred armored men. In addition, there are the Mongol left and right wings and some Mongol tribes that have submitted."

Lu Chuanzong's eyes went wide. "You mean there are only a bit over twenty thousand who have armor and can fight?"

Li Donghua said, "No, their 'armored' is a term for a kind of status. Other people within a niru may also have armor and can be deployed as soldiers, much like the military households in our guard battalions. They are also called yuding. Some are in their teens, some over fifty. When the Jianzhou bandits go on campaign, some of these yuding voluntarily follow along to loot. So when they go on campaign, it's like..." Li Donghua raised both hands and gestured a few times, unable to think of how to describe it.

Chen Xin added with a smile, "It's like neighbors from the same street banding together to go rob another street."

Li Donghua managed a rare smile. "Exactly."

Chen Xin inwardly felt contempt for the Jianzhou bandits — organized horse bandits indeed. Lu Chuanzong laughed heartily. "My lord puts it amusingly. Doesn't sound like much to be afraid of."

The several men from Liaodong shook their heads at the same time. Zhu Guobin said, "Brother Lu, what you don't know is that most of these Jianzhou bandits were originally hunters deep in the old mountain forests. The conditions were harsh, and coupled with the bitter cold of Liaodong, it made these people extremely tough. They can keep fighting on very little food each day. And the old chieftain is brutal by nature; their military discipline is extremely strict. When they fight, they are truly ferocious."

Lu Chuanzong said dismissively, "No matter how fierce a man is, blast him with one shot and he'll still die. I refuse to believe he can block a musket ball. Even if he does, I'll just shove a crouching-tiger cannon right up against him and give him a blast, so that not a single piece of good flesh can be found on his whole damned body."

Li Donghua, this time, agreed. "Well said, my lord Lu. When this subordinate was at Dongjiang, I had only a broken blade, yet I still killed a Jianzhou bandit. In the end, they are just men who are slightly tougher than others. Now that we have iron armor and sharp blades, I fear them even less. If he wants to kill me, I will certainly drag him down to die with me. To be able to follow my lord and kill Tatars — even death would be worth it."

Song Wenxian chuckled as he listened to these officers speak. He had originally detested military men, but now these men were his backing. On Chen Xin's behalf, he had visited the county magistrate in Wendeng twice, and because of the Wendeng Camp, the magistrate treated him with great courtesy. So now he found military men far more agreeable to the eye.

Song Wenxian interjected at this point, "So, by this account, the Jianzhou bandits have at most fifty or sixty thousand men who can fight. If another several tens of thousands go out to plunder, then at most twenty or thirty thousand remain — and not all of those are necessarily armored men. The Guanning Army still can't defeat them?"

No one could answer that question. Chen Xin smiled bitterly to himself. The legend of nine thousand routing one hundred thousand — if such a cavalry force truly existed, just stationing it at Jinzhou would be a powerful strategic deterrent. The Jianzhou bandits, let alone breaking through the passes, would not even dream of crossing the Sancha River, not to mention that the entire male population of the Jianzhou bandits might not even reach one hundred thousand.

Li Donghua said coldly, "The Guanning Army went east of the river once, lost troops and commanders, and dragged Lord Sun down with them until he was dismissed. We at Dongjiang go many times every year. Anyway, lives are cheap at Dongjiang, so no one thinks much of it. It's only a pity about Marshal Mao..."

At the mention of Mao Wenlong, the military officers in the room fell somewhat silent, because it showed that a civil official could easily execute a military officer he found disagreeable and then casually pin a charge on him. Take those twelve capital offenses of Mao Wenlong — they could be applied to anyone, with at most a slight modification. If it were someone like Chen Xin, a mere picket officer, he wouldn't even need to submit a memorial to the throne.

Song Wenxian whispered in Chen Xin's ear, "Should we make a trip to Shanhai Pass? There's no telling what this Lord Yuan will do next. What if one day he finds out about you buying Dongjiang troops and decides to give you a slash of the blade as well? Better to send some silver."

Chen Xin gave a cold laugh. "No. His territory is large; he probably won't remember me. Once the Jianzhou bandits enter the passes, his career as an official will be over. It's only a matter of months. If I were a civil official, I would definitely impeach him in the ninth or tenth month."

Song Wenxian was very puzzled. "My lord, are you truly so certain the Jianzhou bandits are coming?"

Chen Xin said in a low voice, "They will certainly come. In a few days, you will go to Jingshi first. There is a very important matter. When we deploy troops, we cannot just stupidly kill people — we also need added value."

At that moment, Zhu Guobin pointed at the map and said, "My lord, if the Jianzhou bandits enter the passes and Jingshi issues a summons for the king's service, it will take at least two days to reach Tianjin, another five days from Tianjin to Dengzhou, and three or four days from Dengzhou to Wendeng. That is already over ten days. Even if we are fully prepared and set out immediately, it will take five days to reach Dengzhou, and we will still need the Dengzhou naval fleet to load us. Boarding the ships will take at least a day, and disembarking at Tianjin another day. It will take at least twenty-some days just to reach Tianjin. If we go by land to Jingshi, that will take at least another six or seven days. That means a month will have passed. If we add the time needed to prepare supplies and baggage at Tianjin, it will only be longer."

Chen Xin looked at the distant route from Wendeng to Jingshi on the map and also felt somewhat uncertain. He had already dispatched Qin Lufang to prepare the supplies and baggage for after they landed. The part of this journey least under his control was the transport from Dengzhou to Tianjin. He was not in a frantic hurry to get in front of the Tatars, but arriving at Tianjin one day earlier meant gaining timely intelligence one day earlier.

His own few ships were far from capable of transporting two thousand troops; he had to rely on the Dengzhou naval fleet. If he could find a reason to move the troops to Dengzhou first, he could save nearly ten days. Those ten days would be good even just to let the troops rest at Tianjin.

Chen Xin stroked his chin. "What reason can I find?" Thinking of this, he walked back to his desk. The Laiyang bandit-suppression battle report sent back by Wang Zhangfu via relay horse was lying there. The last few words on the first page caught his eye: "White Lotus Sect."

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A few days later, over ten captives were escorted before Chen Xin and made to stand in a row, all with their hands bound behind their backs. Wang Zhangfu came to Chen Xin's side and said in a low voice, "These are the ones. Tight-lipped as can be. Won't say who the ringleader is."

Chen Xin nodded to Zhou Shifa, signaling him to preside over the interrogation. Zhou Shifa asked the group, "Which of you is the shopkeeper?"

No one spoke. Zhou Shifa waved a hand at a guard commander behind him. The guard trooper, holding a combined-stock musket, walked directly up to the captive on the far right and, without a word, blasted him with a shot. The bandit in front of him was hit in the abdomen and fell to the ground screaming.

The faces of the group of captives all changed. The guard trooper slowly reloaded his powder and shot right in front of them, still not saying a word. In a short while, he had finished loading and clipped the match cord into the dragon's head.

Zhou Shifa asked again, "Who is the shopkeeper?"

This time, several captives no longer dared to remain impassive. They all looked toward the middle of the row. Zhou Shifa and Chen Xin also followed their gaze to the middle.

A somewhat pale young man in the middle suddenly kicked at the person next to him, cursing as he kicked, "You bastard, you've tricked me so badly! I'm done keeping secrets! My lord, he is the shopkeeper!"

The man beside him was kicked to the ground. The young man, relentless, continued to kick him. The other captives were all silent as winter cicadas, turning their faces aside. Zhou Shifa and Chen Xin both watched the young man with keen interest and did not stop him.

When the young man stopped, Zhou Shifa had the guard commander take the others away but kept this young man behind. He said to the man, "You don't need to pretend. You are the grand shopkeeper of the Red Sun Sect, aren't you?"

The young man, seeing he had not fooled them, trembled in both legs and dropped directly to his knees. His voice shaking, he said, "Official grandpa, this lowly one merely inherited the shopkeeper position from my elder brother. I have never committed any evil. From this day forward, this lowly one is willing to turn from evil and return to righteousness, to go home and farm..."

Zhou Shifa picked up a booklet in his hand and said coldly, "Did you write this? Do you think you can still walk away? Do you know what fate befell Xu Hongru back then?"

The young man's tears and snot streamed down. "That was all written by this lowly one's elder brother. This lowly one was merely coerced, coerced."

"Where is your elder brother?"

"Dead for several years now. This lowly one has never thought of rebelling, and has never even killed anyone. I merely swindled incense money from foolish peasants and ignorant women. I beg you, my lord, spare my life. This lowly one has information to report — the Wenxiang Sect in Laiyang is planning to rebel. This lowly one is informing on them."

As soon as Chen Xin heard that the Wenxiang Sect was planning to rebel, his eyes lit up. Beside him, Zhou Shifa slammed the table and cursed, "Xu Hongru was also just swindling foolish peasants and ignorant women. Since it was your elder brother who compiled this, does he have any heirs? If you want to live, hand them over to take the punishment."

The young man lowered his head, grimacing and grinding his teeth for a long while, but still kept his mouth shut.

Zhou Shifa sneered, "If you won't talk, I will naturally have ways to make the others talk."

Only then did the man finally say, "It's those two outside wearing red clothes."

Chen Xin cursed inwardly, "Scum." But scum had their uses too. He asked the young man amiably, "Such young children — they are innocent as well. From what you say, it was all your elder brother's evil doing, and you were all forced into it. Since you know of the Wenxiang Sect's planned rebellion in Laiyang, tell me about it in detail. Perhaps neither you nor your two nephews will have to be convicted, and I will even give you silver to settle down. If you are willing to speak, start by telling me about yourself."

The young man's face lit up with surprise and delight. He hurriedly said, "This humble one is called Zhao Xuan. My father was a Huizhou salt merchant, but later the family fortunes declined, and I drifted from place to place with my elder brother. My brother had some natural talent and went to Shandong to study the White Lotus Sect scriptures, then started a Red Yang Sect of his own. A few years ago he fell ill and died, and I inherited the position of shopkeeper. I've mostly spent my time up in the mountains, just swindling some of the nearby mountain folk. But I am truly timid — every day I fear being exposed. I've long wished to live a peaceful life, but unfortunately I have no means of making a living, so I've just kept on with it. In the fifth or sixth month of this year, after the Wenxiang Sect people over in Laiyang found out, they sent someone to get me to join their uprising. How would I dare rebel? But under pressure from the Wenxiang Sect's power, I did go to meet them twice, and that is how I learned of this matter."

"What is the name of the Wenxiang Sect's shopkeeper? When do they plan to rise up?"

"Dong Dacheng. He is originally from Liujiazhuang and never did any bad deeds. Then a man named Li Shengming came along. This man is extremely well-versed in the Wenxiang Sect and White Lotus Sect scriptures, a smooth talker who completely deceived Dong Dacheng into believing him. Now Dong Dacheng has also arranged with Xu Tang, the Wenxiang Sect shopkeeper in Zhaoyuan, to rise up in the third month of next year."

Chen Xin glanced at the two children outside the window and said to Zhao Xuan, "If you wish to live a peaceful life and preserve the lives of your nephew and sister-in-law, then do something for me."

"Whatever my lord commands, this humble one will surely accomplish."

"Think of a way yourself to make Dong Dacheng move the uprising date forward to mid-tenth month, at the latest late tenth month. Otherwise, your nephew and sister-in-law will both die."

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Note: The Wenxiang Sect rebellion in Laiyang is recorded in the Laiyang County Gazetteer: "Dong Dacheng was a man of Liujiazhuang in this county, originally a follower of the demon bandit Li Shengming. Shengming's origins are unknown... He arranged with the Zhaoyuan bandit Xu Tang to rise in rebellion on New Year's Day of the third year of the Chongzhen reign. It happened that Tang was pressed by a murder he had committed, and he rebelled ahead of schedule in the eleventh month of the second year of the Chongzhen reign, occupying Mount Yao as his base."

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