Chapter 298: Warlord

That day, Wang Tingshi, in his fury, did not attend the welcome banquet and went directly to the relay station to lodge. Zhu Wannian knew he was in the wrong, so that evening he prepared a monetary gift and paid a visit — this was also customary in the late Ming. In the early Ming, the reception allowance set by Zhu Yuanzhang was roughly a few mace of silver, but by the late Ming it was different: when a Provincial Governor passed through, the reception fee was generally around three hundred taels, while the monetary gift had no fixed rule; at the prefectural level, it had to be at least five hundred taels or more. The best pretexts for official travel were assuming a new post or conducting official business — even if the place was not within one's own jurisdiction, local officials would still entertain the traveler attentively, so that the connection might prove useful in the future. Thus, high officials seized these opportunities, passing through one place after another and earning a handsome income. This was also one of the reasons why, back when Lu Zhi assumed his post, he insisted on taking the overland route.

Wang Tingshi did not make things difficult for Zhu Wannian. Local institutions in the Ming dynasty were extremely thin; to implement court policies, local officials relied heavily on the support of the gentry and clan elders. Having been an official for many years, Wang Tingshi understood very well the difficulties involved. After accepting the monetary gift, Zhu Wannian invited him out again for some entertainment, and naturally did not bring along Chen Xin and the other military men. Chen Xin and his group had no desire to go out either — Laizhou city was filled with hostility everywhere. He arranged for the Central Army guard unit to stand watch in shifts, and they passed this tedious night.

The next day, the party hurried on to Pingdu. The east and north gates here were still garrisoned by the Wendeng Battalion — Lu Chuanzong's First Main Battle Corps — so it was very safe for them here. The Department Magistrate here was surnamed Yang, newly arrived to take up his post. Most of the former officials had been cut down by the mutinous troops, while the clerks and minor functionaries were mostly the same ones as before. After the mutiny, most of these clerks had been bought off by Wendeng and had each reaped their own benefits. The Department Magistrate had just arrived and was completely in the dark; after the chaos of war, a thousand tangled threads demanded attention, and the clerks deliberately deceived him, so at present he actually held very little real power.

This Department Magistrate was also quite astute and quickly perceived the complexity of the local situation. There were countless refugees after the war, bandit gangs in the great marshes, and the Wendeng garrison troops, while civil disputes over land brought to the department government office were gradually increasing. Among these, some involved the influence of the Dengzhou Regional Commander. Soon after he took office, people from Wendeng came to visit and presented lavish gifts, from which he understood that Chen Xin wanted to claim the benefits of Pingdu — though of course he only believed that Chen Xin himself wanted to become a great landlord.

From his perspective, the Wendeng tun-bao settlements could absorb large numbers of refugees and reduce the risk of refugee unrest, and the Wendeng people could also give him no small benefits. Moreover, the Deng-Lai region had just undergone a military mutiny. Whether he liked it or not, the status of military men was rising. With the court beset by troubles both internal and external, if another mutiny broke out in Deng-Lai, the local officials would be the first to suffer. The previous Sun Yuanhua, Wang Zheng, Song Guanglan, and Wu Weicheng had all been arrested by the Embroidered Guard riders and were still imprisoned in the Imperial Prison — the best example of all.

Having thought this through, he turned a blind eye and merely hoped that the Wendeng people would not go too far out of line.

Wang Tingshi's passage through was an excellent opportunity for subordinates to show their regard. He led Wang Tingshi to see the gruel distribution points outside the department city, then entered the city to view the rebuilt streets and lanes. That evening, he hosted a welcome banquet for Wang Tingshi. The meal expenses alone for the several tables cost thirty to forty taels, and he also invited the top-ranked singing and dancing girls from the local pleasure quarter, which could be said to have stimulated local consumption. During the banquet, the Department Magistrate was extremely courteous to Chen Xin. The local gentry who accompanied them were few in number, and they fawned over the Wendeng officers to the utmost, especially bowing and scraping before Geng Zhongming — a world of difference from the arrogant swagger in Laizhou.

After the welcome banquet, Chen Xin declined the evening's pleasure-quarter activities and went first to the north city to conduct a spot inspection of military affairs. Dai Zhenggang and the others accompanied him in full force. Following routine, he inspected the training records, guard posts, post-battle summary compilations, and so on. After the routine formalities were completed, the results left Chen Xin fairly satisfied. After all, the First Corps was an old unit, worthy of being called the elite of Wendeng. It had suffered some losses last time at Shenmi Island, so in this Dengzhou campaign it had been assigned relatively easy tasks and had basically taken no losses. The other units had also been tempered in battle. Chen Xin was still quite pleased with his own troop dispositions at the time.

After the inspection, Chen Xin returned to the east gate barbican and specially arranged a midnight snack for the soldiers. All the soldiers were elated. Chen Xin took the time to tour the barracks, meet the soldiers face to face, and speak some words of encouragement, using every opportunity to strengthen his influence over the army.

Once this was done, he met with Mo Huaiwen and inquired about the recent establishment of the tun-bao settlements. Mo Huaiwen reported that all preparations were in order, most of the tun-bao were already armed, and he had also identified two model sites, one in the south and one in the north, ready to act at any time. Chen Xin instructed him to slow the pace of setting up tun-bao recently to avoid stirring up major trouble. Mo Huaiwen knew that Chen Xin was about to go to the capital, so he hurried back that very night to revise the plans.

It was nearly midnight by the time Chen Xin finally had a moment's leisure. He rubbed his own waist, which immediately ached with soreness, as wave after wave of fatigue washed over him. A whole day of jolting on horseback was indeed exhausting. Wang Tingshi, by contrast, rode in a sedan chair, but that meant Chen Xin could not travel quickly. Only after seeing the scale of the receptions arranged by the officials in the two places did he understand why Wang Tingshi had proposed taking the overland route, and he could not help regretting a little that he had fallen for Wang Tingshi's smooth talk. Had he known, he would have taken a ship to Tianjin.

After stretching for a while, Chen Xin let out a long sigh, then asked Wang Mafu, "Have Zhou Shifa and the others arrived?"

"They arrived a quarter-hour ago. Just now, my lord was meeting with Mo Huaiwen, so this subordinate did not announce them."

These men had been operating recently in Laizhou Prefecture, and Chen Xin had specifically notified them to meet him in Pingdu. Just as he was about to have Wang Mafu bring them in, Chen Xin remembered another matter and asked Wang Mafu, "Has Wu Jianzhong reported anything recently?"

Wang Mafu had an excellent memory and answered at once, "He has reported twice, neither urgent. The main points are that Zhang Dong and Qin Rong engaged in embezzlement during the Dengzhou operation, and Zhang Dong in particular seems to have also committed acts of rape. During several mopping-up operations in Laiyang and Pingdu after the battle, these two and their subordinates also accepted bribe money from bandits."

"Did the two embezzle together, or were these separate acts?"

"They embezzled separately. There is still some discord between the two."

Chen Xin nodded. "What about Zhou Shifa?"

"The two each gave Zhou Shifa a share of the spoils. Wu Jianzhong could not ascertain the exact amounts, but roughly estimates it to be around three thousand taels."

Chen Xin grunted in acknowledgment and stood in the middle of the large tent, lost in thought. Wang Mafu waited for a good while without hearing any instructions and quietly prompted, "My lord, shall we add the Intelligence Bureau to the military judges? Or perhaps issue them a warning?"

Chen Xin gave a rueful laugh and waved his hand dismissively. "Let the two of them come in. And call Mr. Song as well."

A moment later, Song Wenxian entered first, followed by Zhou Shifa and Zhang Dong. After they had paid their respects, Chen Xin greeted them with a smile and bade them sit. Wang Mafu and Hai Gouzi served them tea, then found stools for themselves and sat in the outer circle.

After sweeping his gaze over them, Chen Xin smiled and began, "The army can rest after fighting a battle. We, however, cannot rest. Shifa and Zhang Dong will still need to work hard and continue to stabilize the situation in Laizhou. But today, let us discuss matters of the capital. Has there been any major news from the capital recently?"

Zhou Shifa had come prepared. Cupping his hands, he replied, "After the Jianzhou Bandits withdrew, the capital has been generally stable. The court officials are still wrangling over the defeat at Dalinghe and the Dengzhou mutiny. Sun Chengzong and Sun Yuanhua are the two most frequently impeached. Sun Chengzong himself has also submitted a memorial admitting guilt."

Song Wenxian, very familiar with the official circles of the capital, said calmly to Chen Xin, "Sun Chengzong was the teacher of the late emperor and is held in high esteem for his virtue. I reckon His Majesty will at most strip him of his noble rank and hereditary privileges, but will not arrest and imprison him. This old man has once again taken up the post of Grand Coordinator."

"In the past two years, he has requested resignation over ten times. Now, at last, he can have his wish."

Zhou Shifa concurred, "Zhang Dahui and the others estimate much the same as Mr. Song. Although Sun Chengzong is of the Donglin faction, he has always served as Grand Coordinator in the field. Zhou Yanru and Wen Tiren will not keep hounding him. Sun Yuanhua, however, is in a rather precarious position. Zhou Yanru fought hard to get Xu Guangqi into the Grand Secretariat, hoping that Xu Guangqi could join in the effort to secure Sun Yuanhua's release. Xu Guangqi genuinely wants to save the man, but Zhou Yanru merely wants to mitigate Sun Yuanhua's crimes so that he does not drag Zhou down with him."

What concerned Chen Xin most was precisely this matter. He asked Zhou Shifa, "Has Sun Yuanhua said anything while in prison?"

"Zhang Dahui has learned some things from Wang Chengen. In prison, Sun Yuanhua only admits that he misjudged people. He also says that my lord has been training a private army on a large scale in Wendeng, forcibly seizing civilian land, and persecuting the gentry. He further claims that we pushed the Liaodong troops too far and wants to shift the blame for the Liaodong troops' rebellion onto us."

Zhang Dong let out a low snort and said darkly, "We should have finished him with one stroke of the blade back then. That would have saved him from running his mouth wildly now."

Song Wenxian smiled. "Why bother to kill him? Wen Tiren still needs him to use against Zhou Yanru. He can say whatever he likes in prison, but no one at court believes him. General Chen, Wang Tingshi, Lu Zhi, and Geng Zhongming all unanimously identify him as the one who gave the orders not to attack the rebels and to let the rebels into the city. The witnesses are countless — how could he possibly quibble his way out? The court officials all know he is Zhou Yanru's man. By refusing to confess even at the risk of death, he is merely trying to protect Zhou Yanru. No matter what he says, everyone just thinks he is biting wildly."

Chen Xin listened to their exchange with his hands clasped together. Now he mused, "Naturally, no one believes what he says. But everything tried in the Imperial Prison is recorded in full. Has His Majesty seen these statements?"

Zhou Shifa and Zhang Dong exchanged a glance and simultaneously shook their heads. Song Wenxian interjected with a smile, "The private training of troops is all done with guard battalion military households, a matter already mentioned in Wang Tingshi's memorial. What my lord is concerned about is merely the matter of land disputes. This subordinate, however, feels there is no need for excessive worry. After Mao Wenlong's death, the Dongjiang Garrison went from pinning down the Jianzhou Bandits to pinning down the imperial court, and even brought about the Dengzhou mutiny. With the cautionary tale of Li Jiucheng defecting to the Jianzhou Bandits, no one would dare casually move against the various military commanders who control troops. At present, we have a force in Lushun. If anyone were to move against my lord, who would not fear that this force might also defect to the Jianzhou Bandits? Thus, there is even less cause for concern."

Chen Xin broke into a grin upon hearing this. Lushun indeed served that purpose. Back when he cursed Cui Chengxiu at the Ministry of War, what power did he have? Now his family enterprise grew ever larger, yet his courage seemed to grow ever smaller. From any angle, the risk of this trip to the capital was minimal. The court's control over the great commanders in the field was steadily weakening.

He could not help thinking of Zu Dashou and asked Zhou Shifa, "Is Zu Dashou going to the capital or not?"

Zhou Shifa thought briefly and said, "The court has already summoned him to the capital twice, but each time he has declined on the grounds of defending Jinzhou. This subordinate thinks he is truly in some danger. Once he enters the capital, he fears being arrested. Zu Dashou himself knows this. Now he does not even return to Ningyuan, but stays put in Jinzhou without budging."

Hearing Zu Dashou's reaction, Chen Xin could not help shaking his head slightly. Zu Dashou had truly grasped the essence of being a warlord: never leave your own turf, openly defy the court's explicit orders, and now the court could do nothing to him.

From the court's perspective, they absolutely dared not pressure Zu Dashou now, because a host of his relatives were on the Later Jin side. If pushed too hard, Zu Dashou was highly likely to defect. The Dalinghe campaign had resulted in the complete loss of the Liaodong Garrison's elite troops. The only remaining elite forces were the Zu family generals, led by Zu Dale, Zu Dabi, Zu Kuan, and others. If they too went over to the enemy, there would be no troops left to defend north of Shanhai Pass. So in the end, the court could only let Zu Dashou remain in Jinzhou.

Chen Xin sighed. "Zu Dashou defected to the enemy and then fled back — that counts as a loss of integrity. Yet the court dares not punish him. But when we occupy a bit of land, so many people jump out to oppose us."

Song Wenxian and the other two all showed strange expressions. Zhou Shifa asked, "Why does my lord say that Zu Dashou once defected to the enemy and then fled back?"

The intelligence Chen Xin had received was transmitted in the third month, stating that Dalinghe had fallen, but with few details. Chen Xin had therefore spoken based on the history he had read before.

Chen Xin looked at the three men's expressions and said, puzzled, "If he didn't defect, then how did he escape back?"

Zhou Shifa flipped through his booklet, read for a moment, and replied, "The field report submitted by Qiu Hejia states that after the Battle of Changshan, unwilling to accept defeat, he personally led troops in a night raid on the Jianzhou Bandits. It happened that Zu Dashou led his troops in breaking through the siege and fighting his way out. The main Jianzhou army attacked in rotating waves, and they could not hold out. In the end, Zu Dashou hid on Baiyun Mountain, and after the Later Jin troops withdrew, he secretly made his way back to Jinzhou." (Note 1)

Chen Xin was stunned for a long moment, then muttered a curse, "That works too? Then how did He Kegang die?"

Zhou Shifa continued, "It is said that the day before the breakout, the food in Dalinghe was completely exhausted. He Kegang told Zu Dashou to break out and, in the future, to properly repay Grand Coordinator Sun. He himself wrote his own funeral elegy and died in battle at Dalinghe."

Song Wenxian could not suppress a laugh and shook his head with a smile. "This subordinate, on the contrary, finds my lord's account more credible. If Zu Dashou truly could have broken out, why would he have waited until the Jianzhou Bandits had besieged the city for half a year? He would likely have broken out long before. As for the matter of He Kegang, it is harder to speculate."

Having said this, he added to Chen Xin, "My lord, you see, the Guan-Ning Army is the truly powerful force. Even the Provincial Governor had to help them fabricate lies. In the end, the court probably had no choice but to hold its nose and accept it."

The Guan-Ning forces suffered defeat after defeat, yet their warlord power only grew stronger. The defections of the Dalinghe commanders and Kong Youde and others to the enemy made the Guan-Ning Army the intermediary force between Ming and Jin. As long as they could hold the Ning-Jin defense line, both sides would compete to buy them off.

Chen Xin sighed inwardly. So there was an art to being a warlord after all — even losing battles could be done with such swagger…

Chen Xin and his party continued their journey the next day, entering the jurisdiction of Shandong. The cities along the way continued to receive them warmly. The attitude of the various departments and counties in Qingzhou and Jinan Prefecture was even better than that of Laizhou. In particular, the Prefect of Qingzhou, who had witnessed Chen Xin seizing grain, now met Chen Xin with the full ceremony of a subordinate official.

The former Provincial Governor of Shandong, Yu Dacheng, had also been arrested. The current one was Xu Congzhi. The Dengzhou mutiny had been much shorter than in history, which meant that many people who would originally have been promoted as a result were affected by the butterfly effect — for example, Xie Lian and Zhu Dadian. Originally, they should have become the Provincial Governors of Deng-Lai and Shandong. Now, Xu Congzhi took office smoothly and securely; naturally, he would not die in Laizhou, so Zhu Dadian lost his opportunity. And Xie Lian, even more so, missed the opportunity of the Dengzhou mutiny and lost his chance for reinstatement in a moment of crisis.

Wang Tingshi was unaware of these changes. He was simply enjoying this journey immensely. Every evening there was a welcome banquet, and he collected a huge pile of silver. Chen Xin also partook of quite a few banquets with courtesans along the way. During the day, Wang Tingshi spent almost all his time dozing groggily in the carriage, but when they lodged for the night, he was full of energy and vigor, continuing his revelry.

At this pace, they could never move quickly. It took a full twenty days before they finally reached Tianjin. Exhausted in body and spirit, Chen Xin returned to this ancient hometown of his.

PS: Note 1: From the Chongzhen Changbian: Liaodong Provincial Governor Qiu Hejia… Wu Xiang and others dispatched troops to raid the enemy camp at night. It happened that on that same day, Zu Dashou also led thirteen thousand troops in breaking through the siege and fighting southward… Dashou, with only three men, hid on Baiyun Mountain… and only at dusk did he secretly make his way to Hejia's army. The day before the breakout, the food in Lingcheng was exhausted. Vice Regional Commander He Kegang said to Dashou: You may go out and console the Grand Secretary; I shall die here. He wrote his own elegy and then died.