Chapter 266: The Brute

Wang Zheng wore an official robe covered in dust, the wrinkles on his face making him look even older. The moment he saw Liu Minyou enter, he stood up in agitation, pointed at Liu Minyou, and shouted curses: "Liu Minyou, for all that you are honored as Mr. in Wendeng, you and your lot conspired with Lu Zhi to frame the loyal and good. Heaven's light shines clear — the day will come when you face your retribution."

Liu Minyou stared at him in astonishment. "My lord Wang, why do you say such things? The rebel army took Dengzhou first; our Wendeng battalion rushed to the rescue. Is that somehow wrong?"

"Rushed to the rescue — and just happened to arrive the very moment Dengzhou fell? And then, ignoring that Lord Sun had already offered amnesty to the rebels, you defied the Provincial Governor's strict orders and insisted on slaughtering the Liaodong soldiers who had already surrendered, bringing further misery to the people of Dengzhou. Is there any subordinate who behaves so?"

Liu Minyou felt a surge of anger. He looked around the utterly bare room — there was not even a teapot or teacup — and quickly told Hai Gouzi to fetch a set. Suppressing his temper, he said, "In war, how can there be no deaths? Had our Wendeng battalion not come, I do not believe Li Jiucheng would have willingly accepted amnesty."

Wang Zheng's eyes were bloodshot. He seized Liu Minyou's sleeve and roared: "If not for that brute Chen Xin framing Huo Dong without cause, how would Lord Sun have been so single-minded in pressing Li Jiucheng, and how would he have risked offering amnesty to the rebels? Your Wendeng battalion illegally seizes military and civilian land, secretly trains civilian militias — your intent is worthy of death. And now you frame loyal men who carry the common people of the realm in their hearts. In days to come, you will be a scourge as great as the Jianzhou Bandits, bringing calamity to the people of the realm…"

"Enough!" Liu Minyou, hearing him judge the Wendeng battalion so, could no longer contain the fury in his heart. With a violent sweep of his arm, he sent the tea set Hai Gouzi had just brought crashing to the floor, shattering into countless pieces with a clatter.

"If not for that brute Chen Xin, how would there have been the victories at Guan, Luanzhou, and Shenmi Island? How many lives of the common people of Guan were preserved? If not for this brute, who would have given a single mouthful of food to the refugees who have fled to Wendeng these past years? Has this brute ever taken military or civilian land for himself? Is the house he lives in even half the size of Sun Yuanhua's? When has he ever embezzled a single tael of the soldiers' pay? You say he framed the loyal and good — were the routed soldiers outside the city walls not let in by Sun Yuanhua? Was it not Sun Yuanhua who ordered that the rebels not be attacked? The moral gentlemen in your heart are all scholars full of books. You say they carry the common people in their hearts — then why do countless impoverished people under their rule flee to the brute of Wendeng? Even you, my lord Wang…"

Liu Minyou finished in one breath, panting as he pointed at the dumbstruck Wang Zheng. "Simply because he himself believes in the Jesuits, he is bent on casting off his concubine. A man who does not even hold his own family in his heart — how can he speak of carrying the realm in his heart? Lord Sun governed a region, yet had no strategy for defense or battle. The blame is his to bear. How can he not examine himself first, but instead shift the blame onto others? And what is more, these others have just led a band of crude brutes and soldiers from Wendeng to save Dengzhou. And what is more, these simple, crude brutes and soldiers suffered hundreds of casualties."

Hai Gouzi clapped loudly and said, "Well said, Brother Liu! That old man's been cursing me for two days, and I couldn't say any of that."

Wang Zheng was so furious his beard quivered, and he pointed at Liu Minyou, unable to speak. Liu Minyou's face was bright red. He kicked aside the shards on the floor, turned, and left. At the door he stopped, turned his head, and looked at Wang Zheng. "I hold no examination rank; I too am a crude brute and soldier. With you, my lord, our paths differ — we cannot plan together. Whether the Wendeng battalion brings calamity to the people of the realm, the people themselves will judge. Justice lies in the hearts of the common people, not in the mouths of you scholars."…

With a bang, Chen Xin slammed his palm on the table, stood up with righteous indignation, and raged: "How could Zhou Shifa do such a thing? Rest assured, I will immediately make him return the goods he plundered recklessly. We cannot let the common people suffer banditry and then suffer military disaster as well."

Liu Minyou looked at him with deep suspicion and asked, "Then summon Zhou Shifa here now and deal with him in front of me."

"Well, he went to Laizhou today to investigate the Liu Po army matter. When he returns, I will certainly make him submit a written self-criticism."

Liu Minyou pressed on: "Why was the Special Operations Team in Dengzhou so early? Was the breaching of the city by Li Jiucheng their doing?"

Chen Xin quickly waved his hands. "How could they do such a thing? The Intelligence Bureau discovered two merchants smuggling saltpeter and sulfur. Such matters absolutely cannot be tolerated. However, both families were gentry, and the government office might not be able to handle it. That's why the Special Operations Team was ordered to prepare to eliminate them directly. It just so happened that the rebels besieged the city, and they were trapped inside as well."

Liu Minyou could not lay hands on any evidence for the moment. He suspected Chen Xin had planned this long in advance, but after the tirade Wang Zheng had just delivered, he found himself disinclined to press the matter. He sat down heavily, yet still cursed: "That Zhang Dong practically robbed people openly. Among those gentry, though there are scum like Huang Gongcheng, there are also those who bring benefit to the countryside. Even if… even if you must rob them, you must leave them a way to live. If word of this spreads, what will become of the Wendeng battalion's reputation? Why do so many refugees flock to us every year? It is because of the Wendeng battalion's reputation. The wealthy also have legitimately earned money. If even the rich are plundered like this, who among the settlement households and common people would dare do business and earn money? Order is more important than sudden windfalls."

"Minyou is right. Zhou Shifa handled this matter poorly. It must be investigated thoroughly. I clearly instructed him not to practice collective punishment, not to wrong the innocent, and only to arrest the disorderly soldiers. Yet those below distorted it. These past few days I have been busy with the aftermath and have not had time to investigate in detail. It is indeed time to properly rein this in."

Liu Minyou, seeing how much time he spent putting on a show, asked suspiciously, "How do you intend to punish him?"

"Zhou Shifa and Zhang Dong must at least have their pay docked. Others in the Intelligence Bureau who were involved must be purged one by one. As for those righteous civilians, they were merely a bit overzealous. When Li Jiucheng besieged the city, the gentry and people of Dengzhou wanted to arrest the Liaodong civilians still inside the city (as recorded in 'Lie Huang Xiao Shi'), and the slaughter they committed was not small. Some among them lost family members; it is only human that they now seek revenge. Some excessive actions cannot be completely eliminated."

Liu Minyou had not heard of this before, but judging by the intense local conflict between the two sides, it was highly probable. This time Chen Xin was certain to be promoted — everyone assumed he would become the Regional Commander of Dengzhou and Laizhou. This made Liu Minyou even more worried about how to balance the conflict between the two groups in the future.

Amid his headache, he remained very dissatisfied with the Intelligence Bureau. "Right now, Dengzhou must restore order as quickly as possible. We should let the military judges take control of the city. Don't let the Intelligence Bureau handle those matters anymore. Also, the Intelligence Bureau's expenses are too high. This year they have already spent nearly thirty thousand taels. From now on, I will only give them ten thousand."

"Brother Liu speaks most wisely. The military judges should take over; order is the urgent priority. The Intelligence Bureau's expenses have indeed been excessive; their scale should be controlled going forward." Chen Xin joined Liu Minyou in continuing to curse the Intelligence Bureau a few more times.

After he finished cursing, his eyes darted about. He took out a sheet of paper and handed it to Liu Minyou. "Brother Liu, take a look. We've struck it rich. Tell me, how hateful are these disorderly soldiers, to have plundered so much silver? It's a good thing we defeated them. How wonderful to use it to benefit the common people. With Kong Youde and his lot stirring up trouble in Shandong this year, there will surely be even more refugees and beggars. We'll take a portion of this silver to shelter them. The rest will go into the bank. We'll discuss with Xu Xinsu and the others — from now on, all trade in southern goods will be settled with silver notes and trade bills. We'll strive to take over their entire northern trade route, and our strength will grow even greater."

Liu Minyou could not wait to snatch it and look. "So much! Quickly, take me to see it."

Chen Xin immediately had Hai Gouzi accompany Liu Minyou to the Mishen Shan main camp. After Liu Minyou left, the adjutant asked Chen Xin in a low voice, "My lord, shall we issue orders for the military judges to take to the streets and maintain order?"

Chen Xin smiled and waved his hand. "Continue as we are for now. Once Mr. Liu goes to look at those supplies, he'll be busy for many days. He won't remember the matters inside Dengzhou city."…

Half a shichen later, Hai Gouzi led Liu Minyou to the Mishen Shan main camp. Dong Yu was already waiting at the entrance. After the sentries verified their waist tags, Liu Minyou hurriedly told Dong Yu to lead the way.

"Mr. Liu, would you like to see the cloth and silk first, or the silver?"

"The silver, the silver."

Dong Yu quickly guided him to the left, arriving at a small encampment filled with guard posts. Only after their waist tags were verified again and they were registered were the two allowed to enter.

The tent was filled with chests of all sizes. Two auxiliary soldiers were pasting seals onto a chest. Nearby, a training officer and a military judge supervised. Two more quartermasters were at a table counting another chest — one weighing, one keeping the ledger.

Liu Minyou hurriedly stopped them. Opening a chest, he saw it was full of silver of varying purity.

"How much is in this chest?"

Dong Yu looked at the seal and answered in a low voice, "This chest contains two thousand five hundred and two taels and three mace. There are several more tents over there, all filled with silver. What has been counted so far amounts to over five hundred thousand taels, and more than half has yet to be inventoried. The total is estimated to be no less than a million. New illicit silver is still being uncovered in the city. I dare not say what the final figure will be."

Liu Minyou looked at the chests filling the room, his hands trembling slightly. Over a million taels of silver — he had never even imagined such a sum. The Wendeng battalion now could bring in four to five hundred thousand taels a year, but after expenses, almost nothing remained. To save up a million was a nearly impossible task.

Liu Minyou paced back and forth in the tent, touching one chest and then another. Seeing Liu Minyou momentarily distracted, Hai Gouzi pulled Dong Yu aside and whispered, "Lord Chen instructs you not to give it all to the Civil Affairs Department. Set aside two hundred thousand taels."

Dong Yu was slightly surprised. In the past, any funds needed had to be transferred through the Civil Affairs Department, and he too found dealing with Liu Minyou troublesome every time. After hearing this, he thought for a moment and asked, "Is it to be kept as funding for the Intelligence Bureau and the Propaganda and Education Bureau?"

"Seems so."

The two whispered among themselves. By the time Liu Minyou had finished inspecting the several tents, his expression seemed much more relaxed. The problem of feeding nearly a hundred thousand people, which had long troubled him, would not be a worry in the near term.

Dong Yu then led him out of the tent and toward another encampment where the cloth and silk were stored. As he walked, he said, "The cloth and silk are all top-quality brocade, satin, and the like, along with a good deal of cotton cloth. The value of the brocade alone is over four hundred thousand taels. The lord says all these things are to be transferred to Civil Affairs."

As the two spoke, they reached the cloth and silk encampment, which was situated on slightly higher ground. Along the way, they could see the scene below the mountain. To the south of the military camp, a vast area was packed with over a thousand ox-carts and horse-drawn carts. The number of individual oxen and horses was even more countless. Liu Minyou estimated the total exceeded three thousand head.

He said to Dong Yu, "All these oxen and horses must be well cared for. The settlements will need many in the future. The price of oxen has been rising; next year they may reach ten taels per head. Sort through the horses — keep the military horses for yourselves, and transfer the mixed-breed horses to Civil Affairs."

"Ah, Lord Chen has already given instructions. He plans to keep a portion of the mixed-breed horses to establish an experimental mounted infantry battalion. Others will be used to set up post stations in various places around Dengzhou where the settlements are concentrated. Whether the post stations will be under military or civil administration has not yet been decided."

Liu Minyou nodded repeatedly as he listened, but then suddenly sensed something amiss. He looked up and asked, "There are settlements in other places around Dengzhou? Where did the land come from?"

"Many prominent families were completely wiped out. Lord Chen wants you to bring Civil Affairs personnel over as quickly as possible precisely to sort out the idle land."

"Oh, but these lands all have titled deeds and contracts. How can we just seize them?"

"How would this subordinate understand such things? But Lord Chen says he has a method."