Chapter 275: Blood-Silver Ingots

ps: Begging, begging for monthly tickets.

After Geng Zhongming left, Chen Xin waved away a few guards, then asked Song Wenxian and the others, "What do you all think of the method Geng Zhongming proposed?"

Song Wenxian spoke first: "This subordinate thinks it's not bad. Li Jiucheng and Kong Youde are both illiterate; all their correspondence and documents are ghostwritten by that private secretary. After writing, the two only need to make their marks, and those marks are very easy to imitate. The key is that the secretary's handwriting should be in his own best hand. Since we've captured that secretary, we can have him write some letters, but the content must be carefully crafted."

Zhou Shifa also said: "This Chen Youshi once served together with Li Jiucheng at Kuandian, and the two have a deep relationship — everyone in Dongjiang knows this. To nail down the charge, nothing beats having evidence and witnesses. Geng Zhongming and Wang Bingzhong both count as witnesses; as for evidence, we don't have any right now, but we can have that secretary write a few letters, faking a correspondence spanning some time. After we go to Lushun to arrest Chen Youshi, we'll plant them in his bedroom. Lu Zhi still has a few agents from the Embroidered Uniform Guard — best if they discover the letters themselves."

The Lushun garrison commander Chen Youshi could never have imagined that a group of terrifying people across the Liaodong Sea would set their sights on him. In the original history, this man was also one of the rebels. After Li Jiucheng occupied Dengzhou, he crossed the sea to join him, vacating the Lushun position. Once Chen Youshi left, it was then seized by Gao Chengyou, who had defected from Pi Island. Huang Long, precisely because he could no longer bear to stay on Pi Island, sent Li Weilian to drive out Gao Chengyou, and under the pretext of guarding nearby against the Dengzhou rebellion, shifted his garrison to Lushun.

But now Chen Xin had his eye on this place first, so Huang Long could only remain on Pi Island. The several people seated in the room were all old hands at scheming and plotting. These abilities are not innate — they come with practice, it's just that most people don't get many chances to practice. A few industry elites settled on a rough plan in just a few words, and Zhou Shifa and Zhang Dong immediately went to fetch that private secretary.

Only Song Wenxian and Chen Xin remained in the room. Song Wenxian relaxed and took a sip of tea, then said to Chen Xin, "My lord, that was masterfully done. I'm afraid Geng Zhongming will be having nightmares for a long time. How should we use this man going forward?"

Chen Xin smiled. "Wang Bingzhong cannot be kept alive. He knows the Dengzhou affair most clearly; using him to frighten Geng Zhongming was just a convenient byproduct. As for keeping Geng Zhongming, the benefits are far too many. First, this man Geng Zhongming has old ties with Li Jiucheng and Kong Youde, and he also came from Dongjiang. These past two years, the Dongjiang garrison has seen one upheaval after another. I reckon the imperial court now inwardly recoils at the mere mention of the word 'Dongjiang.' Regardless of whether Li Jiucheng defects to the Jianzhou Bandits, as long as Geng Zhongming is in Dengzhou, the court will not feel at ease, and this official will have even more reason to remain in Denglai."

Song Wenxian listened attentively, nodding at just the right moments from time to time, so that the leader could feel an even greater sense of accomplishment.

Chen Xin continued: "Secondly, killing Wang Bingzhong this time can somewhat alleviate the resentment of the local people of Pingdu. Over in Dengzhou, however, there's no need for such alleviation. After the Intelligence Bureau returns, we'll spread some rumors unfavorable to Geng Zhongming, using him as a shield to stand as the target of local opposition. We, as the mediating force, will have far more room to maneuver."

Song Wenxian said admiringly, "My lord's open schemes are twofold. The third benefit must be 'buying a horse's bones with a thousand gold pieces,' laying the groundwork for future plans in Dongjiang."

"Exactly. With Mr. Song assisting this official, this official indeed saves a great deal of worry. Geng Zhongming is the highest-ranking officer left in the personal battalion this time. We've dealt with Li Jiucheng and Kong Youde, captured Li Yingyuan, killed Wang Zideng, and will soon move against Chen Youshi — all men from the Dongjiang garrison. If we don't keep Geng Zhongming as a figurehead, the people on Pi Island in the future will feel there is no path to survival in Shandong, and out of desperation might turn to the Jianzhou Bandits. Keeping Geng Zhongming changes everything entirely. Not only is there an example to point to, but through his connections we can attract Dongjiang manpower to our side. These people are all Liaodong Han Chinese, and they will be very useful when we later manage Liaonan. Even if some are old army loafers, it's still better than them defecting to Huang Taiji. Huang Taiji can buy horse bones with a thousand gold; this official can do the same. Geng Zhongming must not only be used, but used greatly in the future. Once the situation stabilizes this time, I plan to establish a Foreign Affairs Department and invite Mr. Song to formally assume an official post in my command. The Dongjiang garrison will be a key area for Mr. Song to focus on."

This matter Chen Xin had discussed with Song Wenxian before. Song Wenxian had always done this kind of work and was not one to decline when duty called. He said, "My lord, this Geng Zhongming may count as a capable fighter in the Dongjiang garrison, but our Wendeng Battalion is thick with fierce generals — he probably doesn't amount to much. How can he be used greatly?"

Chen Xin gave a dark grin. "Have him collect commercial taxes, and test the reactions of all parties."

Song Wenxian paused blankly for a moment, then his expression slowly shifted into a smile. "With Li Jiucheng as a cautionary tale, and the slaughter this time as a fresh horror, who among the locals would dare provoke Geng Zhongming? If he really tries to collect commercial taxes, the local authorities won't dare report it upward. In the past, collecting commercial taxes made one a target of universal condemnation. Now, after such chaos, collecting a bit of commercial tax is nothing — far better than murder and arson. If they push Geng Zhongming too far, they'll instead have to worry about losing their heads, or at the very least their official posts. Having rapped Geng Zhongming on the knuckles this time, I doubt he'll dare harbor any other ideas. Besides, the man's mind is still nimble; perhaps he can figure this out himself."

Chen Xin smiled. "If he can't figure it out, Mr. Song can find a time to enlighten him, so he can do his work with peace of mind. I plan to use his name as a front to collect taxes on all the overland routes in Denglai. Inside Dengzhou city, we'll use him as the villain, while our Wendeng Battalion collects the taxes and protects the merchants — guaranteed those merchants will pay willingly. Dengzhou has suffered severe damage this time; in the short term, all trades will wither. But those with vision can also see this as an opportunity. The trades originally monopolized by the great households have all become vacant. Now there is plenty of land, and refugees will continue to gather in Dengzhou. As long as there are people, it will soon become more prosperous than before. Many merchants from Jinan and Qingzhou will come here to do business. Let them first form the habit of paying taxes, so that when we reach those places in the future, the resistance won't be too great."

After speaking, he smiled again. "In the future, we must still plant our people on Geng Zhongming's side, turning the personal battalion into a support force for our Wendeng Battalion. For anything that needs testing or path-breaking, let Geng Zhongming do it. If he wants to make some money, as long as it's not excessive, let him be."

"This subordinate obeys. But if Geng Zhongming is to be stationed inside Dengzhou city in the future, my lord must also guard against him."

"Most of the north city was burned down. Clear out an area near Caoqiao for a barracks, station a company commander's unit there, and dispatch one brigade daily to control the north gate barbican. Geng Zhongming has barely a thousand men. If the Intelligence Bureau plants a few more eyes and ears, and he still dares to entertain ideas, then he's simply tired of living."

Outside the east gate of Pingdu, the First Company Command Unit was encamped there.

On the official road beyond the camp, the Reserve Battalion's Fourth Company Command Unit was breaking camp, heading in the direction of Dengzhou by the look of it.

Chen Ying paced restlessly by the camp wall. Zhou Shao'er crouched on the ground and laughed. "No use being anxious. This mobilization is for the Second Company Command Unit. The talk about returning to Liaodong is just the training officers saying so. The central army command hasn't issued any clear orders — whether we go in the end is still uncertain."

"If there's even a shred of hope, I've got to find a way to go back. If it really won't work, I'll apply to transfer to the Second Command."

"Don't even think about it. Company Commander Lu won't let anyone go. I heard that this time Company Commander Lu might be assigned to garrison a place on his own — he's not going to let veterans leave. Besides, if you really go back to Liaodong, don't expect to come back for a year or more. What about your wife?"

"Ah. Wife." Chen Ying suddenly stopped. "Right, I've got a wife now."

Zhou Shao'er kept laughing. "Look at you, even your speech is like a Wendeng person now. What's wrong with staying and becoming a Wendeng person?"

Chen Ying was silent for a long moment, then shook his head. "My feud with the Jianzhou Bandits is irreconcilable — we cannot live under the same sky. Even if I've killed enough to reach seven men, it's still hard to quell the hatred in my heart. Back in the Dongjiang garrison, there was nothing to eat. I fled with a boatload of people to preserve this life for revenge. Now I have a wife. As long as I can have an heir, even if something happens, my wife and child won't have to worry about going hungry. Even if it means dying in Liaodong, I still have to go."

"Then you've got to wait until you have an heir, don't you? You don't even know if your wife is pregnant yet. Who knows, maybe by then we'll also be transferred to Liaodong."

Chen Ying suddenly said, "The Reserve Battalion's Fourth Company Command Unit — isn't that the original First Farm Soldier Command? Zhong Laosi is a company commander there. I'll apply to transfer to his unit..."

"Zhong Laosi? Better forget it. He can barely save himself. He defied the authority of the military judge in Dengzhou. Nie Hong wants to make an example of him, and Wang Zhangfu isn't too keen on protecting him either. Only Zheng Sanhu is fighting for him. The case has already reached Lord Chen."

Everyone now knew about Zhong Laosi's situation. Not only had he thrown away his company military judge's booklet at the time, but later when Zhao Xuan went to mediate the matter, he again spoke insolently to the training officer, cursing Zhao Xuan as a reincarnated demon, saying that in the old days when there were no training officers, they fought battles better. It was said that both Huang Side and Nie Hong were furious with him and were joining forces to deal with him.

"Zhong Laosi really is something. Although Zhao Xuan was originally a demon, look how good he is now. Even the lowest private who seeks his help always finds him cheerful and willing. Whoever's family has trouble, he's always ready to help. And that dog Zhong Laosi still has to curse him. That brain of his never stops to think — training officers and military judges have enormous authority now. These days, without a training officer's countersignature on the evaluation, a promotion can't even be submitted to the central army command. And he just had to go and do that."

Zhou Shao'er cursed Zhong Laosi a few times, but after all, he was still somewhat worried about this old superior. He carefully watched the formations passing outside, but in the Third Company's column, he didn't see any sign of Zhong Laosi, and he didn't know if he'd been arrested.

Just then, a burst of suona horns sounded from the company command post. "What now?" Zhou Shao'er muttered, then sprinted toward the direction of the company command banner. He tossed a sentence back over his shoulder: "Have your squad don armor. Everyone else, fall in."

Chen Ying hurried back to his tent and ordered his soldiers to don armor. The other squads also formed up at their respective tents. Several squad leaders gathered together, exchanging their own bits of grapevine news, wildly speculating about what new orders might come.

Before long, Zhou Shao'er came rushing back. The squad leaders went up to meet him. Chen Ying was first to ask, "Are we being transferred to Liaodong?"

Zhou Shao'er waved his hand. "The troops under Geng Zhongming and Wang Bingzhong garrisoning the south gate barbican are fighting among themselves. According to what the unit training officer says, Wang Bingzhong plundered excessively and is suspected of indiscriminate killing. At the same time, he had some old grudge with Geng Zhongming, so the two sides started fighting. The Third Brigade has been transferred to the east gate barbican. We stay put, no going outside, and keep one squad in armor."

The Reserve Battalion troops garrisoning the north gate barbican also began donning armor and climbing the city walls. The short, urgent assembly bugle calls echoed in the barbican's courtyard.

"What's going on now?" Liu Minyou muttered to himself in confusion at the sound of the bugle. He was still inside the barbican. The inventory of supplies was nearing its end — everything had been sorted and piled into categories. The gold, silver, and jewelry seized already approached the haul from Dengzhou. Among it, roughly sixty thousand taels of gold formed a major category. Items like cloth, silk, cattle, and horses were far fewer than in Dengzhou.

The cleared farmland in Pingdu was also more than in Dengzhou. In just a few short days, the land deeds Dong Yu had brought from the department office already exceeded two hundred thousand mu. The Pingdu department office was like a machine producing land deeds, endlessly spitting them out day after day, as if the land cost nothing at all.

Chen Xin had notified him an hour ago that the central army command was preparing to return to Dengzhou, and told him to take the civil affairs personnel and remain in Pingdu to continue clearing the farmland.

A mounted scout from the Reserve Battalion's Fifth Company Command Unit came rushing over and reported to Liu Minyou, "Lord Liu, Geng Zhongming and Wang Bingzhong are fighting among themselves. Fierce combat is underway inside the south gate barbican. Our unit will seal both gates of the north gate barbican. The troops are already deployed. The company commander asks Mr. Liu not to worry."

"Ah, with you all here, there's nothing to worry about." Liu Minyou let out a long sigh, then asked with some puzzlement, "Weren't Geng Zhongming and Wang Bingzhong both suppressing the mutinous soldiers? How did they end up fighting each other?"

The mounted scout lowered his voice. "Replying to Mr. Liu, this subordinate is not clear on the matter. It was the central army's light cavalry who came to inform us. We've only heard that the fighting is fiercest in the south gate barbican, and that there are also troops clashing in some places within the city. No one told us to go suppress it."

Liu Minyou said urgently, "There's fighting in the city too? Then isn't Lord Chen at the department office? Quickly dispatch some men to the department office to stand guard."

"Lord Chen has already left the city through the east gate. This subordinate saw the central army's banner depart. The fighting at the south gate only started after the lord left."

"That coincidental?" Liu Minyou's brow furrowed deeply.

The mounted scout did not think much of it and merely asked, "Does Mr. Liu have any other instructions?"

"No. Go report to your company commander and tell him not to worry about us."

After sending the mounted scout away, Liu Minyou stood alone in a daze. From the scattered bits of information he had picked up since arriving in Dengzhou, this mutiny was more or less connected to Chen Xin. The Intelligence Bureau's funding had increased continuously before the battle, and it had coincidentally appeared at Zhenhai Gate during the rebellion. Liu Pojun had been full of confidence at several military councils in Wendeng, utterly unperturbed by a mutiny just a few hundred li away. The troops hidden in Qixia and Ninghai Prefecture had received intelligence and set out on the second day of the mutiny — clearly there had been ample intelligence support.

In both Dengzhou and Pingdu, the great households had suffered devastating losses. While the military chaos in the cities was still unsettled, local officials and clerks had swiftly altered land deeds — obviously the Intelligence Bureau had a prearranged plan before entering the cities. Everything seemed like a grand play staged under Chen Xin's direction.

This Wang Bingzhong, who just days ago was a hero defending the north gate, was today a criminal who plundered the common people. This stirred an even deeper sense of unease in Liu Minyou's heart.

On one hand, there was a disquiet of conscience. On the other hand, he also knew that these resources could allow more poor, suffering commoners to survive, which made him unwilling to think this matter through to the end. He had met with Chen Xin many times after arriving in Dengzhou and Pingdu, and several times had been on the verge of questioning him outright. In the end, he had never opened his mouth.

He stood alone, quietly pondering the recent events, until Wang Erya came over with disheveled hair and interrupted him. "Mr. Liu, you still have time to stand around in a daze? This servant has finished everything you assigned. One million one hundred twenty-eight thousand taels of silver — all counted and packed into chests. What exactly is all this silver to be used for? Originally you said there wasn't enough land; now there's enough land. How about we open another tobacco factory? Allocate me an extra hundred thousand taels of silver, and this servant will open another tobacco factory near Dengzhou, shipping goods to Northern Zhili, Tianjin, Guanning, and Dongjiang. What do you say?"

"Open it." Liu Minyou was distracted. "That Jinghai factory is a bit small. Shipping goods north requires going around Weihai, which is truly inconvenient. I estimate sales will increase greatly this year. Once you finish the Pingdu matters, go to Dengzhou as quickly as possible to arrange this."

"Alright!" Wang Erya's ashen face immediately lit up. "Then Mr. Liu must also have the trading company put some thought into expanding the northern trade routes more quickly. To this day, no one from Shanxi has come directly to Wendeng to buy goods. The north is bitterly cold — they like this stuff even more."

Liu Minyou looked at her disheveled, dusty appearance and couldn't help feeling amused. "Factory Director Wang, you, a woman, can endure hardship even better than most men. But you are also a bit too harsh on your subordinates and workers. Behind your back, they all call you..."

"She-Demon Yaksha. I've known that for ages. Yesterday Old Cai couldn't take the hardship anymore and cursed me with that to my face. There are worse names too."

Liu Minyou said in surprise, "You don't take offense?"

"What's there to take offense at? The Tatars killed everyone in my family but me. If the imperial court's troops could fight, how would I have ended up all alone? The cigarette factory earns money for Lord Chen to support his troops. In times like these, what hardship is this? If there were no troops and the Tatars came here one day, that would be true hardship. If I can help more people survive this chaotic age, so they don't end up like me, then I have nothing to be ashamed of in my heart. Taking a few curses is nothing."

After Wang Erya finished speaking, she lowered her head in desolation and fell silent.

Just then, the main gate opened again. Two men from the civil affairs department went over to receive several horse-drawn carts, each loaded with chests. One man said to Liu Minyou, "Geng Zhongming has delivered a batch of Wang Bingzhong's illicit silver. He requests that Mr. Liu send someone to inspect and accept it."

"I'll go back to work now." Wang Erya gave Liu Minyou a woman's curtsy, then directed a few men to unload the chests. They opened them right in front of Liu Minyou — inside, they were full of gold and silver.

Liu Minyou was silent for a moment. His gaze swept over the stacks of title deeds on the table, the mountains of supplies and silver chests piled up in the barbican, and finally settled on one of the silver chests before him. It was full of white silver ingots, and on the ingots were still stained with shockingly vivid traces of red blood. He let out a soft breath. "To have nothing to be ashamed of in one's heart — easy to say, but how many can truly do it?"

38 Reading Net Sea Pavilion)w