Chapter 295: Binding

During the mid-meeting break, a group of officials brought out tobacco to share, and the room was instantly filled with smoke and fumes, as if a volley of arquebusiers had just finished firing.

Chen Xin and Liu Minyou went to the break room next door, leaving Hai Gouzi to guard the door. The two of them lit up and blew clouds of smoke. Chen Xin asked Liu Minyou curiously, "Brother Liu, you are truly a great talent. That Mo Huaiwen is full of sinister schemes — did you teach him all that?"

Liu Minyou shot him a glance and said impatiently, "How would I know he had so many crafty ideas? Usually, when managing civil affairs, he is quite mild-mannered and very polite to subordinates and colleagues. It was only today that I realized he could be so decisive and ruthless."

Chen Xin leaned back. "Still, I don't plan to use the combat troops. I'll have Geng Zhongming hold the line, and just issue blades and spears to the civilian households. That Mo Huaiwen, though, is not bad — a big stick in one hand and a carrot in the other, even better than the methods the two of us came up with. How do you plan to use him?"

"Originally, I intended to make him my deputy in civil affairs, essentially the second-in-command. But now it seems he is quite ambitious. He usually keeps a very low profile, but with you present today, his other side came out." Liu Minyou was rather hesitant. Mo Huaiwen's drastically different behavior today suddenly made him feel that this man was unfathomable, and civil affairs had never produced someone like this before. He was very worried this man would become a second Huang Side.

Liu Minyou sighed, "That first literacy class truly is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Have you noticed? Both this Mo Huaiwen and Huang Side carry quite a bit of your style."

Chen Xin, not minding at all, chuckled, "But I have higher hopes for Mo Huaiwen. In terms of ability, Huang Side isn't even fit to carry Mo Huaiwen's shoes. It's also thanks to your good training — the very first class produced so many experts. The ones from all the later classes are just limited by seniority and haven't had their chance to stand out yet."

Liu Minyou snorted. "Let's set Mo Huaiwen aside for now. Do you know how capable your trusted lieutenant Huang Side is? That cultural troupe he put together — all beautiful women and handsome men. Was that prepared for you?"

Chen Xin quickly denied it. "It's for propaganda. Of course you need beautiful women and handsome men. If you just put a bunch of ugly mugs up there, who would want to watch? Do you think I'm that sleazy?"

Liu Minyou did not hesitate. "Yes. Do you think I don't remember when you were the office director and hired that..."

"Shh!" Chen Xin hurriedly cut him off. "That's all from a past life. Since we came to the Great Ming, I haven't enjoyed that kind of treatment. All around me are rough, uncouth men. Let's not bring that up."

"Forget about you — even Wang Zhangfu has his eyes on it. This propaganda team can't stay under Huang Side. Put it under civil affairs instead."

Chen Xin spread his hands. "You can strengthen oversight, but this was assigned to Huang Side to organize from the start. Transferring it to civil affairs for no reason — I can't justify that to everyone. I can't exactly say it's because someone has designs on the cultural troupe."

Liu Minyou said unwillingly, "I'll keep an eye on Huang Side. Propaganda is propaganda — he shouldn't go too far. You need to rein him in."

Chen Xin let out a breath, agreed fully, then probed Liu Minyou, "What do you think of Huang Side's suggestion just now about distributing some farmland to officers in advance?"

Liu Minyou shook his head. "This isn't the first time Huang Side has brought this up. The combat troops have military pay and retirement pensions. Those injured and discharged get land resettlement. If officers' land is also pre-assigned, wouldn't the treatment be too good? We don't have surplus land. Nearly ten thousand refugees arrived in Pingdu Prefecture in the third month. Civil affairs still plans to recruit along the Grand Canal this year under the trading company's name — at least one hundred fifty thousand this year. If land is given to officers, they have no one to farm it. They'll recruit tenant farmers. Wouldn't these officers then become a new gentry class? Doesn't this count as a kind of 'military-first' ideology?"

Chen Xin lowered his head in thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up and asked Liu Minyou, "Minyou, do your words carry weight in civil affairs?"

Liu Minyou, somewhat surprised, said, "Of course they do. No one dares not to carry them out."

"In other words, your will is unopposable in civil affairs, and mine is the same in military affairs. As long as an order is formally issued, no one dares to be slipshod about it. So isn't this a kind of... absolute power?"

Liu Minyou opened his mouth. He had never really thought about it carefully. He had simply taken it for granted that his ideas were for the betterment of the common people and that his methods were better than the ancients', so they must be correct.

Chen Xin continued, "Then what is the source of our power?"

Liu Minyou stared blankly. "What is it?"

"Violence. The power of any authoritarian system originates from violence. That's why things like 'military-first' ideology exist. In this era, there's nothing wrong with military-first thinking. Around Dengzhou, theoretically, there are no hostile forces. But look at the result — ever since Weihai, we've been entangled endlessly with civilian households, and the same with the three guard battalions of Wendeng. Every step we develop, we have to tear a chunk of flesh from the surrounding powers. That creates deep, irreconcilable hatred, often requiring life-and-death struggle. Just like if you hadn't had that arquebus, that impoverished Wendeng garrison farmer on the ground would have been killed by the Dengzhou civilian households, and his next step would have been to kill you."

Liu Minyou listened, dazed and at a loss, and offered no objection.

"Now we need to tie military and civil affairs more closely together. To put it more bluntly, we need to raise the cost of rebellion or surrender for them — that means tighter bonds of shared interest. When the time comes, we won't need to mobilize anything; they will fight to the death to defend Wendeng's system. In our army, some have families. Using the forts to control assets and dependents can achieve that goal. But a large portion are bachelors. With the refugees arriving later, I'm afraid there will be more and more bachelors. Relying solely on retirement pensions isn't secure enough. Huang Side's method has its merits. Land has always been the best resource for binding people."

Chen Xin dropped his cigarette butt and said seriously, "Not to mention we now occupy Lushun, where every day is the front line. Raising the army's status is not excessive. In this chaotic world, what we need is an army that possesses a civil affairs system, not a civil affairs system that possesses an army. Between the two of us, we need to reach an agreement on this point. Only then can we handle the matters ahead properly."

After speaking, Chen Xin looked at Liu Minyou, waiting for his opinion. Since arriving in Weihai, the army and civil affairs had been two parallel lines. There was no clear subordinate relationship between Chen Xin and Liu Minyou. Although the army's influence far exceeded civil affairs due to Wendeng's continuous victories, Chen Xin had always consulted with civil affairs and had not reached the point of absolute command as in the army. Liu Minyou would often compromise on parts he disagreed with. Now that things were expanding, Chen Xin felt it was necessary to determine the main body of the Wendeng system, so the entire system could have a unified guiding principle.

Liu Minyou rubbed the filter tip in his hand, squinting as he leaned back in his chair. Over the years, war had been incessant. Now that Lushun was occupied, the army becoming the main body was the general trend and the driving force behind Wendeng's continuous annexation of surrounding interests. But having always managed civil affairs, he was even more aware of land's appeal to refugees — that was the very foundation of Wendeng's step-by-step growth.

Countless thoughts raced through Liu Minyou's mind. Finally, he met Chen Xin's gaze. "Civil affairs can, of course, be placed under your jurisdiction, but absolutely not under the army's. And don't always think of yourself as some warlord. You should be the supreme leader of the system. Only you are the hub connecting the military and civilian sides. That is what I think. So I do not agree with Huang Side reaching into civil affairs. Wendeng should still be a complete, coordinated military-civilian system, not a deformed army. For now, I agree to make the army the main body, but once we develop to an appropriate level, we must immediately shift to balanced development."

"Minyou speaks reason." This was the statement Chen Xin wanted. He immediately pressed, "Then does Minyou agree to distribute land to officers first?"

Liu Minyou waved his hand. "If you want to bind the army's interests, don't use land. Land is also our best resource for absorbing fresh blood. You wouldn't want to end up cultivating a bunch of landlord armed forces. How about a different approach?"

Chen Xin was taken aback. "What approach?"

"Use the retirement pensions of all officers and soldiers as shares, invest them in the Four Seas Trading Company, and create a joint-stock company!"

Chen Xin stared straight at the floor, stroking his chin and murmuring, "Retirement pensions? A joint-stock company?"

This time it was Liu Minyou's turn to wait for his answer. Chen Xin's brow furrowed and relaxed repeatedly. After a long while, he suddenly clapped his hands, his face full of excitement, and shouted in a low voice, "What the hell Mo Huaiwen, Xu Yuanhua — compared to Mr. Liu, they aren't even the light of a grain of rice. This is true genius."...

At the Wendeng garrison farm in Anxiang Bao — originally a patch of abandoned land — the two hundred-some garrison farmers from Wendeng had built shacks after arriving. After the armed brawl a few days ago, over ten new graves had been raised around the area, and the families of the deceased were burning paper money and lighting incense.

Ming Dynasty funerals generally did not have opera troupes; most people considered it disrespectful to the deceased. Hiring troupes to perform only gradually became popular in the Qing Dynasty and was once seen by countries like Korea as a sign of the collapse of ritual propriety.

Every day, many locals gathered around the garrison farm, among them quite a few men dressed as Licentiates who were stirring up trouble. The farm had no defensive wall. The able-bodied young garrison farmers of Wendeng stood guard at the perimeter, holding farming tools. Everyone in the farm was on edge daily.

About a hundred paces away, there was a combat troop encampment where a reserve battalion was stationed. It was the presence of this combat battalion that kept the locals from daring to truly seek revenge. However, in the past few days, the combat troops had not proactively driven the locals away either, making those people bolder and bolder. They gradually closed in to within fifty paces of the farm, shouting curses at the mourning families.

Soon, both sides began long-range attacks with stones and clods of dirt. More and more people joined the fight, and soon some wanted to close in for melee combat. A horn sounded from the military camp, and the locals scattered in a rush, all retreating beyond fifty paces. Only when they saw no troops coming out of the camp did they stop again.

The garrison farmers did not pursue. The locals outside numbered over a thousand — they were no match. These farmers looked toward the military camp, their hearts full of resentment. They felt the army should have long since gone to exterminate those locals. Now, the land could not be obtained, and the spring plowing season had already passed. Even if they got the land later, this year they could only plant beans to fertilize the fields, or follow the Agricultural Research Institute's guidebook to plant two crops of vegetables. Ultimately, that was not as reassuring as grain.

At that moment, two horses came running from the direction of Dengzhou, followed by seven or eight carts. The items on the carts were covered with oilcloth, so no one could see what they were.

The two men in front wore armbands of the Propaganda Department. They dismounted at the village entrance, called over the worried farm headman, and gave him low-voiced instructions. The headman's face lit up with joy. He went to find several community heads to make arrangements. The able-bodied young garrison farmers on perimeter guard all withdrew into the village, and the carts followed them in.

The two men from the Propaganda Department then went to the military camp, took out a letter, and handed it to the sentry. The Squad Commander soon came out and whispered with the two for a while. The Propaganda Department men quickly returned to the garrison farm. The locals outside whispered among themselves, discussing what these outsiders were up to.

After only a moment, a dense mass of figures appeared on the distant official road, with some kind of banner at the front. The locals buzzed with noise, while the Licentiates loudly reassured them, telling them not to be afraid.

The dark dots slowly approached. At the front, there were actually cavalrymen, their armor gleaming brightly, the ranks full of sharp blades and spears. The Assistant Regional Commander's banner at the very front bore the character 'Geng'. As they drew near, the soldiers began to spread out toward the flanks.

The locals slowly shuffled backward, fear beginning to rise in their hearts. These soldiers did not seem to have come to reason with them, because they had sent no one over to talk at all.

Part of the soldiers, directed by officers, circled around the garrison farm. The other part approached directly via the official road and was soon within a hundred paces.

The locals looked at each other, their hearts already quailing. One Licentiate, fierce in manner but cowardly at heart, shouted loudly at the civilian households, "Everyone, don't be afraid! The sun shines bright in the heavens — would they dare to kill people? There is always the King's Law under Heaven." The surrounding civilian households felt slightly reassured. After all, they were illiterate and easily cowed by their lack of experience. But these gentry clan elders were knowledgeable; when great clans stirred up trouble, sometimes even the government offices had to back down.

This Licentiate was relatively bold. He strode forward to meet them and was soon about to encounter the other side. The opposing soldiers, though not as orderly as the Wendeng troops in the camp beside them, each had fierce, vicious eyes, looking at people as coldly as if they were corpses. The blades and spears in their hands glinted with cold light.

The Licentiate's mouth was dry. He raised his hand in a show of formality and shouted at an oncoming soldier charging with a long spear, "Have your officer come out to speak! I am a Licentiate of Anxiang Bao..."

With a thud, the sharp spearhead stabbed into his lower abdomen without any explanation. The Licentiate's whole body trembled as he stumbled back a step. The long spear was swiftly withdrawn. The Licentiate stared at his own abdomen in disbelief. He raised a finger, pointing at that soldier, still wanting to say something, but the soldier kicked him to the ground with one foot. A violent pain struck his abdomen. The Licentiate lay on his back on the ground, powerless to move anymore, blood gushing from the wound in his belly.

The soldier crouched down and began rifling through the Licentiate's body, stuffing the jade pendant, sachet, and silver pouch he found into his own bosom, all the while cursing, "I don't give a damn who you are. Let me tell you, I am a Liao soldier."

"Kill the Wenxiang Sect!" The Wendeng garrison farmers swarmed out from among the shacks, all with red cloth strips tied around their left arms. What they held in their hands were no longer farming tools but sharp waist knives and long spears.

"Mama!" When the locals behind saw this group of soldiers come up and start killing immediately, with none of the posturing of a village brawl, they let out a collective cry and instantly scattered like birds and beasts.

The Wendeng garrison farmers, having just formed a feud with them and at the peak of bitter hatred, chased desperately from behind. Whenever they caught one, they hacked him to the ground, and then a group of farmers with blood-red eyes would surround him, slashing and killing wildly.

The locals had no power to fight back against organized troops and fled in panic in all directions. But those Liao soldiers and garrison farmers were relentless, pursuing closely behind, following them all the way into their villages and killing. A few impulsive garrison farmers even began burning houses.

Chen Xin halted his horse on the official road, observing the surrounding situation with a telescope. He instructed Mo Huaiwen, "Have the farm headman and community heads go warn those garrison farmers. Ordinary tenant farmers who didn't kill anyone — only capture them, don't kill. Anyone who sets fires again will have their land allocation eligibility revoked."

Mo Huaiwen acknowledged, "This subordinate understands. Once we finish capturing the rioting Licentiates and clan elders this time, the rest should finally settle down."

Huang Side, however, asked, "Anxiang Bao is taken, but there's been quite a bit of killing this time. We may need to guard against repercussions in the future."

Chen Xin gave a cold laugh. "Having swords and spears makes all the difference. From now on, every tun-bao must form a tun-protection team; all able-bodied men except those in the peasant-soldier company must participate. Geng Zhongming also did well. Whatever he took from those licentiates' homes, he took it — no need to question him about it. Arrest all those troublemaking licentiates and the previous attackers and bring them back to Dengzhou. Have County Magistrate Tang put them in cangues in front of the county office for public display, and broadcast it widely. The day after tomorrow, halt the mopping-up. Huang Side, take the propaganda officers and go pacify those native people and tenant farmers. Say that Wendeng Camp has come to mediate the dispute between the Liaodong soldiers and the tun-folk. You'll know what to do after that."

Both men said in unison, "Your subordinates receive the order."

Chen Xin turned to look at Mo Huaiwen and smiled faintly. "Mo Huaiwen, your performance has been outstanding. I've discussed it with Mr. Liu. From now on, you are the Deputy Chief of Civil Affairs. Mr. Liu will be stationed in Dengzhou, and you will be stationed in Pingdu Department, handling local civil affairs, with a focus on the tun-bao and roads. Additionally, you are granted one authority: for any tun-protection team numbering under two thousand, you may mobilize them directly without reporting, to do what you deem necessary."