Chapter 26: Clouds of War

Chen Xin walked all the way back to Erdaojie. It was still morning, and the street was crowded with pedestrians, mostly customers coming to buy headscarves and hats. They were going in and out of the dozen or so headscarf and hat shops on Erdaojie, and the foot traffic looked considerable. Chen Xin figured opening a dress shop would probably do pretty good business. As for what Liu Minyou said about becoming the Pierre Cardin of this era — unlikely, but it should be enough to support the few people they had now.

The more he thought about it, the more optimistic he became, and he started humming a little tune. Suddenly he saw Zhou Shifa ahead, rushing over in a fluster from the southern First Street, panting heavily as if chased by a dog. Chen Xin went up to him and asked, "Brother Zhou, why such panic? If it's urgent, do you need my help?"

Zhou Shifa had a very good impression of Chen Xin. He stopped, wiped the sweat from his forehead, took a few deep breaths, and pulled Chen Xin to the side of the street. He said in a low voice, "Brother Chen, you don't know — the Jianzhou Bandits are coming!"

"The Jianzhou Bandits?! They've really come to Tianjin?"

"No, it's Jinzhou. The Jianzhou Chieftain marched out from Shenyang on the sixth day of the fifth month. The main Jianzhou army crossed the Sancha River by the eighth. They've probably already started fighting by now. Minister Wang from the Ministry of War urgently dispatched Vice Regional Commander Qian to Yuguan — Shanhai Pass. I have to go with him; we leave tomorrow. Damn these dog Tatars — they just finished fighting Korea and still won't take a rest. What's the hurry, rushing to be reincarnated?"

Chen Xin felt a tightening in his chest upon hearing this. After arriving in this era, in order to obtain a plausible identity, he had styled himself as a Liaodong man who had killed Tatars. Combining what he knew of history, he had fabricated a story, and by now he almost believed that identity himself. He often viewed matters from the perspective of that persona, and the hatred and fear toward the Jianzhou Bandits that unconsciously seeped into the daily talk of those around him constantly influenced him as well. As a man from the future, he knew how much damage the ignorant and barbaric two-hundred-year rule of the Manchu Qing had inflicted upon China. All of this naturally made him regard the Later Jin regime as the opposing side.

As someone from a generation that had never experienced war, when he read historical essays in later life, armies and warfare were nothing more than simple numbers. Now, hearing with his own ears that the Later Jin army was attacking the Great Ming, a heavy and oppressive feeling crept over his heart, because these armies were no longer just numbers. They were barbarians with sturdy armor and sharp weapons; they were real entities that could kill him. And Chen Xin truly felt a fear of war.

He hurriedly asked, "How many men do the Jianzhou Bandits have? Can just mobilizing the troops from Tianjin hold them off?"

Zhou Shifa said, "I heard from the Squad Commander that the Jianzhou Bandits number at least a hundred thousand. Armies from all over the north are being mobilized to Shanhai Pass. Brother Chen, I must go now. Before the news spreads, I need to buy some grain, rice, and firewood for my mother first."

Chen Xin quickly cupped his hands in salute. "Brother Zhou, please go ahead. Be sure to fight the bandits with peace of mind. If possible, kill a few extra Jianzhou Bandits for me. Don't worry about your home; every few days I'll have Daixi go to your house and help look after your mother."

Zhou Shifa had never expected Chen Xin to say such a thing. A touch of emotion showed in his eyes. He also cupped his hands toward Chen Xin and said, "I, Zhou Shifa, am usually no good man, but when it comes to killing Tatars, I will never waver. For the sake of Brother Chen's words today, I will certainly not bring shame to Erdaojie."

Having said this, Zhou Shifa hurried off toward his home. Chen Xin also rushed back to the courtyard. After walking a dozen or so steps, he heard Zhou Shifa shouting from far behind him, "Brother Chen, wait for me to return, and we shall drink until we're utterly drunk."

Chen Xin quickly turned his head and loudly agreed. Without stopping, as soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Lu Chuanzong, Hai Gouzi, and the others still training in the yard. Wang Daixi was sitting on the ground washing clothes. Liu Minyou's door was shut; he was probably still inside writing that proposal of his. Chen Xin told them all to stop, then called Liu Minyou out as well. Everyone gathered around the stone table — they had originally planned to move it away, but later found it genuinely convenient to use, so they had kept it there all along.

Once Chen Xin saw that everyone had arrived, he said, "Everyone listen up. Drop what you're doing right now. We're all going to the grain shop to buy four shi of grain." He did a rough calculation in his head: there were seven people here. Figuring one jin of grain per person per day, that would be two hundred and ten jin per month, close to two shi. This Jianzhou Bandit offensive probably wouldn't reach Tianjin, because even during the Ji-Si Incursion in the second year of Chongzhen's reign, the Jianzhou Bandits hadn't made it to Tianjin. The Later Jin, still in the post-Nurhaci era, lacked the capability for sustained warfare, and its strategic environment hadn't fundamentally improved yet. Chen Xin estimated the fighting would last a month at most, and then they would definitely have to withdraw, at which point grain prices would stabilize. Besides, he and Lu Lvzi were about to leave soon anyway, so buying just four shi of grain should be enough.

Liu Minyou said, puzzled, "Why buy so much grain? Four shi will cost over four taels of silver."

Chen Xin briefly recounted what Zhou Shifa had just said. After the people in the courtyard heard it, no one spoke; you could hear a pin drop. Faces like Hai Gouzi's and Zhang Dahui's all showed expressions of hatred. The Jianzhou Bandits had already destroyed one home for them — did they have to destroy another? Chen Xin comforted everyone with a few words to ease the mood, then said, "Now, first come with me to buy grain. Prices will probably go up very soon. We leave immediately. Everyone grab your sacks."

The group hurriedly took out rice sacks, wooden basins, and the like, and rushed to the nearest grain shop on Dongmen Street. The shopkeeper knew them by now. The grain-buying habits of commoners in Ming cities differed from later generations; they rarely kept large grain reserves. Ordinary families usually bought only enough grain for a few days or a dozen days, and would buy more when they were about to run out. So even though they had been here less than a month, they had already bought grain several times.

Tianjin had convenient access to both canal and sea transport, so grain was never in short supply and prices were relatively stable. Clearly, this shopkeeper hadn't heard the news yet; the price for rice, millet, and wheat was uniformly one tael and one qian per shi. When he heard the group wanted to buy two shi of grain, he gave them a suspicious look. Everyone kept a straight face, so he had no choice but to tell the shop assistant to weigh it out for them. Of course, the scale had definitely been tampered with, but this shop was still considered decent — selling to nearby neighbors, they probably still got about a hundred and ten jin per shi, which was already quite conscientious.

Liu Minyou paid the money. Just as the grain shopkeeper finished putting away the silver, a shop assistant rushed frantically into the shop and whispered something in his ear. After hearing it, the shopkeeper glared fiercely at the group. Lu Lvzi grinned back at him, hoisted two sacks of grain onto his shoulder in one go, and Chen Xin and the others picked up the other sacks and basins and headed home. The shopkeeper, fuming, took down the shop sign, hung a "Sold Out" placard outside the door, put up all the door planks, and stopped selling grain, waiting to sell at a higher price. A few other people who had already reached the grain shop entrance saw this and hurriedly banged on the door, but no one answered from inside. They stamped their feet in frustration and rushed off toward other grain shops.

Back home, everyone poured the grain into the rice vat, but there was still a lot that wouldn't fit. Wang Daixi emptied out a wardrobe and placed the grain sacks directly inside. Worried about rats, they moved the wardrobe into Hai Gouzi and the others' room. With three people in that room, it would be easier to deal with rats. Now, Hai Gouzi and the others lived in the side room where Chen Xin used to stay, and Chen Xin had moved into the main room where Er Tun was recuperating.

Once all this was arranged, Liu Minyou had Wang Daixi go inform the two neighboring households, telling them to buy at least a little grain as well. Chen Xin, meanwhile, called Lu Chuanzong aside and told him about the sea voyage. Chen Xin's plan was for Liu Minyou to stay behind — he could teach the followers how to read, and Lu Chuanzong also knew some boxing, which would be more useful out at sea.

When Lu Chuanzong heard there would be several dozen taels of silver upon returning, he agreed wholeheartedly. Chen Xin then took out the ten taels of silver the proprietor had given him, split off five taels for Lu Lvzi, and told him to keep it safe. Lu Lvzi's eyes went wide. He had never possessed so much money before. He cupped the silver in both hands and asked dumbly, "This is all for me?"

Chen Xin laughed. "Of course. The proprietor said a sea voyage is always a dangerous path, so he gave me ten taels as risk money. If you're scared, there's still time to back out." Lu Lvzi tucked the money away without a care, his face beaming. "Since it's a dangerous path, I'll go find a girl today and have some fun — then there'll be nothing to regret. Brother Chen, are you coming? My treat."

Chen Xin smiled and shook his head. He certainly wasn't going to dictate how Lu Lvzi spent his money. He himself had frequented such establishments plenty in the past and didn't see any moral issue with it. The reason he wasn't going was mainly that he needed to help Liu Minyou refine the plan for the clothing shop.

Lu Lvzi had never had this much money on him before and was in high spirits. Seeing that Chen Xin wasn't going, he hurried out the door. Chen Xin thought he had gone to the brothel, but he came back a moment later carrying several roast chickens wrapped in oiled paper and hugging a jar of wine. He set them on the stone table and said to Chen Xin, "Three roast chickens, only two qian of silver. Damn, it's good to have money. How am I supposed to spend five taels of silver in just two days?"

Lu Lvzi hollered for everyone to come over. Hai Gouzi and the others pounced, tearing off chunks of chicken and wolfing them down. Zhang Dahui, eating as he spoke, asked Lu Lvzi through a mouthful of food, "Brother Lu, did you strike it rich? How come you've got money to buy so many chickens?"

"Your Brother Lu did come into a bit of money, but it's all thanks to your Brother Chen. Anyway, just focus on eating. There'll be more tonight, and more tomorrow too."

The group, along with the wine, polished off the three roast chickens completely, even skipping lunch. Lu Lvzi, well-fed and content, patted his belly and headed off to the brothel, humming a tune.

Chen Xin called Liu Minyou into the main room and told him about the sea voyage. Liu Minyou was silent for a moment before saying, "Going to sea in this era really is dangerous. Do you truly intend to go?"

Chen Xin said resolutely, "I must go. Otherwise, why did I go to the Japanese dried seafood Dian in the first place? The way we are now, we're just scraping by. If the Tatars really do reach Tianjin someday, what will we do then?"

Liu Minyou knew this was the truth. They at least needed to buy a boat for a convenient escape, and given their current situation, it would be very hard to scrape together that much money.

Seeing that he remained silent, Chen Xin continued, "It's not necessarily going to be dangerous. Based on my analysis of various factors, this proprietor is an old sea dog, so as long as we don't run into a hurricane, it should be fairly safe."

He paused for a moment. "If, by any chance, I don't make it back, take Hai Gouzi and the others and head south. Find an opportunity to get to Taiwan. It won't fall until very late, so you'll be able to live out your life there, more or less."

Liu Minyou said, his mood low, "Don't talk like that. You'll probably be back in a month or so. That proprietor has sailed the seas for years and he's lived to this age, hasn't he?"

"True enough. I'm just preparing for the worst. Don't tell Hai Gouzi and the others about this for now. If they accidentally let it slip, it'll be trouble."

Liu Minyou had no choice but to agree. Thinking of this Jianzhou Bandit offensive, he asked, "How far can the Later Jin advance this time? Do you know?"

Chen Xin said, "In the seventh year of Tianqi, there was the Battle of Ningjin. That should be this one. Zhou Shifa said there are a hundred thousand Jianzhou Bandits, but how could Huang Taiji possibly have a hundred thousand men now? Fifty thousand at most. It seems like in the end, the Later Jin withdrew on their own without achieving any significant results, so there's nothing to worry about for now. But this era is a time of chaos. Apart from the Tatars, the scourge of the roving bandits will soon spread like wildfire. If we don't do something, we'll eventually run out of options."

"Alright. Then you and Lu Lvzi be careful on the road."

"Alright. Now let's discuss your clothing shop."