Chapter 155: A Visitor from Fujian

"Your humble servant Zuo Changhao, pays respects to General Chen." A young man knelt inside the tent and said loudly.

Chen Xin said amiably, "Mr. Zuo, please rise."

After Zuo Changhao rose and sat, Chen Xin ordered his personal guards to serve tea, leaving only Nie Hong and Liu Minyou in the tent. Liu Minyou carefully sized up this Zuo Changhao. The man had a youthful face, but like everyone else he wore a beard, which gave him an air of maturity.

Chen Xin smiled and said, "Mr. Zuo, traveling all the way north from Fuzhou must have been arduous. With the chaos of war in Beizhili now, for you to have found the location of my Wendeng Camp must have been exceedingly difficult."

Zuo Changhao calmly replied, "You are too kind to be concerned, my lord. In truth, it was not so difficult. I set out from Fuzhou in the third month and caught up with the relief army dispatched by Viceroy Xiong halfway. Because of my connection to Lord Xu, I had some standing with the various officers, so I traveled with them to Jingshi. By the time we reached Tongzhou, the Jianzhou Bandits had already withdrawn. When the Vice Regional Commander learned that the Minister of War and Grand Coordinator Sun were both in Yongping, he sent someone to request instructions on our next move. I came along with them and found you, my lord, without much trouble."

Chen Xin nodded and said, "So that is how it is. Has Mr. Zuo ever been to the north before?"

"I have not."

"Then since you have come this time, you must stay in the north a while longer, see the northern scenery, and travel around a good deal."

Zuo Changhao bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, my lord."

After a few more pleasantries, Chen Xin turned to the main topic and asked, "Lord Xu is far away in Fujian. For him to send Mr. Zuo a thousand li here, what important matter is there?"

Zuo Changhao took a letter from his bosom and presented it with both hands. Nie Hong received it, felt it over, and then gave it to Chen Xin. Chen Xin opened and read it. It was written by Li Guozhu, introducing Xu Xinsu to Chen Xin and telling him that Xu Xinsu was that friend in Fujian.

It had already been two years since Chen Xin had expressed to Li Guozhu his wish to befriend that friend in Fujian. Li Guozhu had likely spoken to Xu Xinsu long ago, but at that time Xu Xinsu simply hadn't thought much of him. Zuo Changhao had set out from Fujian in the third month; judging by the timing, it must have been after news of the great victory at Guanxian reached Fujian that Xu Xinsu raised his assessment of Chen Xin's strength and sent someone to establish ties.

Chen Xin had been pretending all along not to know who Xu Xinsu was, waiting for Li Guozhu to act as the go-between. Now that there was finally some progress, he immediately put on a respectful demeanor, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "So you are a friend of Young Master Li. I was somewhat remiss just now; my apologies, my apologies."

Zuo Changhao, unsuspecting, returned the courtesy and said, "Lord Xu received Young Master Li's letter last year and learned that General Chen had warned about the possibility of Zheng Yiguan seeking amnesty several years ago. Young Master Li's servant, Xin Youwei Men, has also mentioned the General's talents many times. Lord Xu has long held you in great admiration and wished several times to visit you personally, but Lord Xu is entangled in affairs, and the journey is long, so it never came to pass. In the third month, thinking of this matter, he sent me ahead to come here, bringing some modest gifts to express his sentiments."

After Zuo Changhao finished speaking, he handed over a gift list. Chen Xin had received gifts from others many times before. He took it and glanced at it briefly. It listed ten South Sea pearls, one branch of red coral, and one hundred taels of gold. The value of coral and South Sea pearls varies greatly depending on quality, but given Xu Xinsu's status, they would certainly not be poor. Adding the hundred taels of gold, it was worth at least a thousand taels of silver.

Chen Xin felt a twinge of envy in his heart. For an ordinary military officer he had never even met, the man had offered over a thousand taels right from the start—truly the style of a great sea merchant.

Chen Xin did not decline, thanked him, and accepted. At this moment, Zuo Changhao made no mention of the great victory at Guanxian, so as not to appear too obvious. Chen Xin also did not bring it up. Liu Minyou, however, was completely baffled. He had never heard Chen Xin speak of matters in Fujian and did not understand why a Mobile Corps Commander Xu had suddenly appeared bearing gifts. The fact that Chen Xin had specifically discussed commercial plans with Liu Minyou before receiving this man only confused him further.

After Zuo Changhao sat down, the atmosphere had become much more cordial. Chen Xin smiled and said, "Lord Xu is too courteous. Regarding Brother Zuo's return south, I also have some local products of the north that I must trouble Brother Zuo to take to Lord Xu. The year before last, when I was on Wudao, I heard that Young Master Li's friend had survived the battle at Zhongzuosuo, and I was very happy for Young Master Li. Now that I know Lord Xu is Young Master Li's strong support, that Zheng Yiguan must be utterly beleaguered by now."

A trace of pride appeared on Zuo Changhao's face. He replied, "General Chen sees clearly. That Zheng Yiguan is indeed in such a state now. Li Kuiqi submitted last year and then rebelled, falling out with Zheng Yiguan. Zheng Yiguan was raided repeatedly by Li Kuiqi and suffered heavy losses. He finally defeated Li Kuiqi once, but who knew Li Kuiqi would then go to Guangdong and acquire a batch of large black ships, far surpassing Zheng Yiguan's Fujian junks, and beat Zheng Yiguan so badly he dared not put to sea. Viceroy Xiong is quite dissatisfied with Zheng Yiguan. Li Kuiqi gained the upper hand and also colluded with the Dutch, preparing to act as a goods middleman for the Dutch to earn silver. Zheng Yiguan originally wanted to ask Viceroy Xiong to ban goods from going to sea, cutting off Li Kuiqi's financial route, which would surely cause him to fall into chaos without being attacked. But how could Viceroy Xiong fully trust a sea bandit like him? So he did not agree. Currently, Li Kuiqi is still in Penghu and Beigang."

Chen Xin put on a look of sudden understanding. Zuo Changhao spoke lightly, as if it had nothing to do with Xu Xinsu, but Chen Xin could fully guess that the driving force behind Zheng Yiguan's predicament was Xu Xinsu. Xu Xinsu had originally been doing transit trade with the Dutch and knew the business inside out. Now that Li Kuiqi could humble Zheng Yiguan and already possessed the strongest power in the Taiwan Strait, Xu Xinsu would naturally use his network to provide Li Kuiqi with goods. He could earn silver and deal with Zheng Yiguan at the same time—why wouldn't he enjoy doing so?

Zheng Yiguan had been beaten by Li Kuiqi to the point of not daring to show his face, and the attitude of the Fujian officialdom toward him was shifting. Coupled with Xu Xinsu applying plenty of underhanded tactics behind the scenes, Zheng Yiguan's situation was far worse than in the original history. He was long delayed in receiving official support to restore his strength, which caused the situation in the southeast to deviate from the original history. Li Kuiqi had a stable financial source, and his subordinate Zhong Bin had not rebelled. With the support of the Dutch, Li Kuiqi had temporarily become the overlord of the seas off Fujian.

Chen Xin had not known that history had already changed so much, but he could see Xu Xinsu's power in this. Xu Xinsu had an official rank, money, a commercial network, and countless ties to various pirates. The only thing he lacked was his own reliable armed force. This was perhaps the reason he had contacted Chen Xin.

Neither Chen Xin nor Liu Minyou interrupted, waiting for Zuo Changhao to continue. After taking a sip of tea, Zuo Changhao went on, "Zheng Yiguan is now a dragon stranded in shallow waters. Young Master Li arrived in Fuzhou at the end of the second month to see how Zheng Yiguan will end up."

Hearing this, Chen Xin knew that Li Guozhu had come to oversee matters personally, surely intending to fish in troubled waters while Zheng Yiguan's subordinates were restless, perhaps even directing someone to assassinate Zheng Yiguan. He shook his head and said, "Young Master Li must still be careful. For a man as young as Zheng Yiguan to have reached this stage, he is by no means ordinary. Young Master Li must be vigilant."

Zuo Changhao thanked him and added, "It was only upon reaching Tongzhou this time that I learned Lord Chen had achieved such great merit. Young Master Li mentioned on this occasion that General Chen intends to do some business in southern goods, and Lord Xu is also interested."

Chen Xin finally heard what he most wanted to hear, but on the surface he remained very calm and said lightly, "I do have such an intention. I wonder if Lord Xu originally had any trade routes in the north?"

"Originally there were some. The goods sold were mostly brocades and satins, delivered at the southern section of the Grand Canal, and they transported them north themselves. The goods bought were mostly northern local products and Shandong cotton. The merchants were large traders from Henan and Jingshi, who delivered at the northern section, and we transported them to Jiangnan. I just wonder how General Chen intends to proceed?"

Chen Xin looked at Liu Minyou. Liu Minyou had now finally figured out what this Xu Xinsu did. He cleared his throat and said, "Greetings, Brother Zuo. My surname is Liu, and I am General Chen's staff advisor. The General and I have devised a plan, and it is just the right time to bring it up for discussion with Brother Zuo, to see if it is feasible."

"Please speak, Mr. Liu."

"We wish to buy some goods from the south, including silk, cotton cloth, bamboo ware, lacquerware, sugar, and tea."

Zuo Changhao said, "If it is this matter, I can make the decision and agree. You two only need to settle on the place of delivery."

"In addition to buying southern goods, for the goods Lord Xu needs in the north, we can purchase them on his behalf and transport them to the southern section of the Grand Canal for delivery to your side. You only need to send one person to submit a list, and we guarantee it will be handled properly for Lord Xu, saving you, Brother Zuo, the hardship of long journeys."

Zuo Changhao found this somewhat difficult to decide. What Liu Minyou proposed was essentially acting as Xu Xinsu's commercial agent in the north, not merely a single transaction, so it exceeded his authority.

"There is one more thing. Lord Xu is accustomed to large-scale business, so he must surely have money shops as well."

Zuo Changhao hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yes, they are all in the Jiangnan and Fujian areas."

Liu Minyou said, "That is excellent. On the matter of money shops, I also wish to cooperate with Lord Xu..."

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Chongzhen Emperor was listening to the reports of two ministers who had returned from Yongping. The Later Jin army had been driven out of the passes, and the Ming army had demonstrated a certain degree of combat effectiveness, which set Chongzhen's mind at ease considerably. But before he could rejoice, Liu Xingzhi had stirred up trouble in Dongjiang.

Liang Tingdong was reporting: "Your Majesty, Grand Coordinator Sun sent Vice General Zhou Wenyu on a trip to Zhangshandao to inform them of the great victory at Zunhua and Yongping. With Liu Xingzhi's intelligence, he should know when to advance and retreat."

Chongzhen asked, "Has the matter of Liu Xingzuo been verified?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, it has been verified that he indeed died fighting fiercely. His body was sent by the Jianzhou Bandits to the Jianzhou Chieftain and dismembered, which is why it had not been found previously."

"Then the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel must quickly finalize the rewards. This man was loyal and courageous, endured countless hardships to return to our Great Ming, and died fighting fiercely. He must be given generous posthumous honors and compensation."

Liang Tingdong grumbled inwardly, wondering what compensation there was to give. Liu Xingzuo had no heirs in Dongjiang, only two younger brothers. With Liu Xingzhi being so domineering, how could they dare be generous? For now, he just agreed perfunctorily.

Wen Tiren stepped forward and said softly, "Your Majesty, ever since the disgraced Provincial Military Commander arbitrarily killed Marshal Mao, Dongjiang has been on the verge of collapse. Now Liu Xingzhi has seized the island in revolt. To the south he can reach Denglai, to the west he can reach Jinmen—all are vital coastal areas of Liaodong. The people of Dongjiang are mostly from Liaodong and are quite skilled in war. If not handled properly, I fear they may become another powerful bandit force besides the Jianzhou tribe."

Chongzhen said, "What Minister Wen says is very true. Currently, among the court officials and censors, some advocate suppression and some advocate pacification, each with their own reasoning. I have not yet reached a conclusion. Minister Wen has never led troops, yet possesses considerable frontier talent. I wonder what your view is on the matter of Liu Xingzhi."

"Your Majesty, whatever reasons Liu Xingzhi may have, he should not have falsely used the central government's orders to arbitrarily kill a senior general, let alone Chen Jisheng, who was acting in charge of Dongjiang. Now he has attacked and occupied Zhangshan, and Lushun and Denglai are in a state of extreme alert. Our Great Ming's capital region has been invaded by troops, and the north has been locked in fierce battle for half a year. We truly have no strength to start another conflict, so I also agree with offering amnesty and pacification."

Chongzhen nodded slightly but said nothing.

Wen Tiren continued, "However, amnesty and pacification alone are insufficient to prevent future troubles. Since the Jianzhou Bandits invaded last year, first the Guanning Army fled back beyond the passes, the Shanxi relief army collapsed near the capital, and among the passes of Jizhen and the cities in the outskirts of the capital, more than ten cities surrendered at the mere rumor of their approach. How many more abandoned their cities and fled? There were even men like Bai Yangcui. Is this how the state is repaid for nurturing scholars? Now this Liu Xingzhi acts as if in rebellion. Temporary pacification is an expedient measure, but there is no guarantee this man will not harbor other intentions in the future. Even more worrying is the fear that others with disloyal thoughts may follow his example. I believe that we should make thorough preparations in Denglai and establish a strong army to overawe men like Liu Xingzhi."

Chongzhen sat up slightly straighter. He knew that what Wen Tiren referred to was the instability of the Guanning Army and Dongjiang Zhen. Zu Dashou and Liu Xingzhi had each set a bad example, and due to the circumstances, neither had been punished. Precautions were indeed necessary. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Does Minister Wen mean that the Wendeng Camp should remain in Wendeng?"

"Your Majesty sees clearly. Since the Wendeng Camp came to the relief of the throne, they have slain over a thousand Jianzhou Bandits and this time also captured over a hundred, shaking the realm with their might and displaying unparalleled loyalty. Some days ago, I also heard that a supervising censor proposed transferring the Wendeng Camp to Guanning, but I truly cannot agree. Firstly, the Wendeng Camp consists mostly of mountain folk and fishermen from Dengzhou, who have fields and families in Wendeng. To make them leave their homes would not only be costly in pay and provisions, but General Chen also has considerable friction with the various officers of Guanning and would surely be ostracized, and the troops' morale might also become unstable. Secondly, defense against the Jianzhou Bandits is not limited to Guanning alone. From Weihai, with a favorable wind, one can reach Lushun in two or three days, Dongjiang in a few more days, and Juehua and Jinmen in ten-odd days. Even if reinforcing Jingshi, as they did this time, they can arrive in twenty days. Keeping this strong army, the Wendeng Camp, as a strategic reserve for the various garrisons is far superior to stationing them in Guanning. Thirdly, it can also overawe men like Liu Xingzhi."

Chongzhen's eyes flickered. The lawsuit Chen Xin had helped Wu Zimian with had already reached his desk. The sharp conflict between the Wendeng Camp and the Guanning Army was something he was pleased to see. Thinking of this, he finally smiled. "Minister Wen is experienced and plans for the state, truly not comparable to those who merely theorize on paper. The Minister of War oversees military administration. What is your opinion on Minister Wen's views?"

Liang Tingdong had also recently gained the Emperor's favor. Originally, some had said his promotions were too rapid—from a mere circuit official, suddenly to Provincial Governor, then to Regional Commander, then to Minister of War—yet he had achieved little in any of these posts. Now, with the great victory at Zunhua and Yongping, in which over a thousand Jianzhou Bandits were slain, the mouths of all the censors were immediately sealed. He knew perfectly well in his heart that it was entirely thanks to the Wendeng Camp serving as the sharp edge; everyone else had just followed along in favorable battles. Moreover, Chen Xin was very adept at handling affairs, so he was almost always responsive to Chen Xin's requests.

He then replied, "Minister Wen's insights have always earned my admiration. The Ministry of War has deliberated and proposes establishing a reinforcement camp at Wendeng, still under Dengzhou Zhen, which coincides with Minister Wen's view. There is only one small addition: Wendeng is surrounded by the sea on three sides. Whether to Guanning, Jinmen, Denglai, or Dongjiang, sea transport is the fastest route. Therefore, it is proposed to establish one Coastal Defense Mobile Corps Commander and one naval camp, subordinate to the Wendeng Camp. In case of urgent alarm, they can set out instantly without having to go back and forth to Dengzhou to mobilize naval forces."

Chongzhen clapped his hands and laughed, "The Minister of War lives up to his reputation for frontier talent. Such an arrangement is most appropriate. You two may summon General Chen to Jingshi to personally instruct him on the strategy, ensuring he understands the subtleties involved."

"Your Majesty, due to the Liu Xingzhi affair, the Ministry of War yesterday already transferred all units of the Wendeng Camp back to Wendeng. I only fear that changing orders overnight..."

Chongzhen sighed and said, "Then let it be. General Chen has not had a single day of rest in half a year, achieving earth-shaking merit with an army that received no pay—truly unparalleled in loyalty. Though he is not here, when you discuss the rewards, you must be generous."