Chapter 305: Farewell

() PS: Almost dropped off the rankings — begging for monthly tickets.

In the capital at the end of the fifth month, various factions were making their moves. The bureaucratic shake-up triggered by the Dalinghe and Dengzhou mutinies had opened opportunities for many, while those bearing criminal charges were also arriving in the capital to lobby.

He rarely had a chance to visit the capital, so he took the opportunity to call on acquaintances in various ministries — mostly people he had met during the city defense in the Jisi campaign. Back then, Chen Xin had not dared to leave the city and had stayed inside for quite some time, only heading for Tongzhou once the main army had massed. Riding the prestige of the Gu'an victory, he had made quite a few contacts in the capital. And with this year's military pay at stake, he needed to do some lobbying as well.

Wu Zongda, Min Hongxue, Liang Tingdong, and the rest of Wen Tiren's faction were must-visits. Cao Huachun's side also required a dedicated trip, along with Cao Zhen at the Ministry of Works and Bi Ziyan at the Ministry of Revenue. These departments were all links in the chain of the Liaodong military tax. Song Wenxian could handle the bureau-level contacts, but Chen Xin's presence in the capital was common knowledge — failing to pay his respects might invite resentment.

Besides visiting others, there were also people coming to visit him. Chen Xin was now a celebrity. The Guanning Army had originally been at odds with him, but now even Wu Xiang was proactively seeking his acquaintance. The other factions naturally had to make their rounds as well. So for five or six days straight, he spent every day receiving and seeing off visitors — mostly return visits from various sides, all building goodwill so that future dealings would be easier.

Wang Tingshi was in a similar situation, except even more people sought him out, because he was a civil official and had two personal battalion command posts under him worth competing for. Chen Xin, on the other hand, had no official authority to take in troops. By the court's institutional rules, men like Dai Zhenggang did not even count as his subordinates — just as he had never before considered Zhang Keda his superior.

Wang Tingshi did not stay at the same inn as Chen Xin. Having served as an official in the capital for two years, he already had his own residence. This time he was also taking his family with him, and the intelligence station had not devoted much effort to him. A little probing revealed that quite a few people were reportedly lobbying Wang Tingshi — especially those who had lost their posts in the Changshan defeat. They all had their eyes on positions in the Dengzhou garrison.

The Dengzhou garrison had Chen Xin's crack troops, and it also had Lüshun, where one could fight the Jianzhou bandits — making promotion easy to come by. If one did not cross the sea, it was also very safe, far more secure than Liaoxi, and one could even make a fortune smuggling. Where else could you find such a good posting?

Chen Xin had no interest in whom Wang Tingshi was meeting. In any case, he had long been mentally prepared for the tangled power dynamics in Dengzhou. Since he was developing within the system, monopolizing a region was impossible. With civil officials now gradually weakening and his own strength in Dengzhou the greatest, Wang Tingshi and Lü Zhi probably would not move against him either. As long as everyone could find common interests, future dealings would not be difficult.

Though he had not deliberately pried, Chen Xin still picked up some new information. With the Emperor's approval of the new Three-Pronged Strategy, the command structure around the Liaodong Sea might undergo changes. This time, Wen Tiren stepped to the forefront.

Originally, Sun Chengzong had proposed that the overlapping authority of the Regional Commander, the Viceroy of Ji-Liao, the Liaodong Governor, the Yingtian Governor, the Jizhen Governor, and other posts was actually hampering command. He recommended abolishing the Regional Commander post. Outside the passes, only the Liaodong Governor would remain; Shanhai Pass and Yongping would have a Shanyong Governor; the rest of Jizhen would fall under the Shuntian Governor's jurisdiction. The three governors would then be overseen by the Viceroy of Ji-Liao.

Sun Chengzong's proposal actually had a selfish motive — he had never wanted this post. Over two years he had submitted more than ten resignations, none successful, so he put forward this suggestion hoping to extricate himself. Before he could get free, the Jianzhou bandits freed him instead.

Originally, eliminating one post would not have mattered much, since a new Shanyong Governor would be created — the number of posts was about the same. But later, when the new Three-Pronged Strategy that Chen Xin and Wang Tingshi had cobbled together emerged, the operational direction against the Liaodong Sea would no longer be limited to Liaoxi. With the three prongs not under unified command — especially Deng-Lai not under the Viceroy of Ji-Liao — the Regional Commander post became necessary again.

History had taken another turn here. The sudden rise of the Wendeng Battalion had given Deng-Lai a far more prominent position than in the original timeline, and the new Three-Pronged Strategy was affecting the redistribution of the Liaodong military tax. The Regional Commander of Ji-Liao post, abolished in the fifth year of Chongzhen in the original history, had now become indispensable.

This post commanded all fronts against the Jianzhou bandits, and with Deng-Lai now able to check Liaozhen, it was arguably even easier to hold than before — the power and benefits were both considerable. The ones who deliberated on setting up this office were the two ministers, Min Hongxue and Liang Tingdong. Wen Tiren wanted this Regional Commander to be someone from his own side, while Zhou Yanru also intended to contend for it.

The choice of Regional Commander was not easy to settle. The Ming court handled personnel matters chaotically, and Chongzhen was impatient — the slightest dissatisfaction and he would replace someone. Not long after Dalinghe erupted, Chongzhen, displeased with Qiu Hejia, hastily appointed Xie Lian as Governor of Liaodong and Shanhai Pass in the eighth month. At that time, Qiu Hejia was still Governor of Liaodong, so there were effectively two Liaodong Governors.

Before Xie Lian even took office, opposition arose at court. They deemed Xie Lian's appointment too rash and considered changing commanders on the eve of battle highly improper. Xie Lian was unfamiliar with local conditions and personnel, drawing objections from many court officials. As a result, they had to order Xie Lian to temporarily station at Shanhai Pass — two Liaodong Governors existing simultaneously.

Whether Chongzhen forgot or not is unclear. Before the two Liaodong Governors here were sorted out, the Emperor, in a hurry, produced yet another. In the eleventh month, Vice Minister of War Liu Yulie was also appointed Liaodong Governor. Perhaps the Ministry of Personnel had also forgotten there were already two Liaodong Governors. And so it went — Liu Yulie had been doing perfectly well as Vice Minister of War when he was suddenly promoted to Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief. Governor Liu, thoroughly bewildered, took his appointment and headed for Shanhai Pass, where Liaodong Governor Liu Yulie encountered Liaodong Governor Xie Lian.

In the end, neither new official made it to Jinzhou. They stayed at Shanhai Pass with no idea what to do. The actual Liaodong Governor remained Qiu Hejia. Ultimately, these two new governors got no meat but plenty of mud on their boots. Xie Lian was inexplicably impeached — the censors said he had achieved nothing of substance. In the original history, his fate was even more tragic: after the Changshan defeat, someone impeached him, and the Emperor, in towering rage, paid no heed to Xie Lian's grievances. Seeing the words "Liaodong Governor" was enough to ignite his fury, and he punished him all the same.

Later, when Kong Youde stirred up trouble, the court officials remembered Xie Lian again and assigned him to redeem himself by taking over Sun Yuanhua's mess. In Laizhou, he fell for Li Jiucheng's trap and was captured on the spot by the rebel army. Zhu Wannian, the one who had tried to intimidate Chen Xin, was also killed.

And what of Qiu Hejia, the legitimate Liaodong Governor? He had vigorously advocated building Dalinghe, then later fought disastrously at Jinzhou — deceiving, concealing reports — and in the end was merely demoted two ranks and reassigned as Shanyong Governor.

The Chongzhen Emperor certainly did not handle this matter convincingly, but he was a man who prized his dignity and did not correct it. Liu Yulie, at least, was not arbitrarily punished, because he was genuinely a victim of the chaos. In the end, he returned to the Ministry of War as Vice Minister.

From this, one can see just how chaotic Ming court personnel matters had become. Everyone now had some understanding of the Emperor's temperament. No matter how much merit you had, the slightest displeasure would bring severe punishment. Everyone had concluded that having merit was worse than having no faults — best if he never noticed you at all.

Some contended for this Regional Commander of Ji-Liao post, while others wanted no part of it. The most qualified at present were Xiong Mingyu and Cao Wenheng. Cao Wenheng was the incumbent Viceroy of Ji-Liao — a title that sounded similar to Regional Commander of Ji-Liao but in reality carried far less authority. What he could control was limited to the border walls near Jizhen. This man was rather slippery; having observed Liaozhen's style, he adamantly refused to oversee the Liaodong Governor, submitting a memorial requesting that the Liaodong Governor be given the Regional Commander title and manage his own affairs.

Xiong Mingyu was Minister of Justice in Nanjing, formerly Vice Minister of War, and enjoyed a reputation at court for understanding military affairs. In the original history, he should have replaced Liang Tingdong as Minister of War last year, but Liang Tingdong had weathered that crisis. Later, with the breathing room gained from retaking Jinzhou, he was still serving as Minister of War — and had also thrown in his lot with Wen Tiren's faction.

Now even Qiu Hejia had not been punished, and Liang Tingdong had received only a light penalty — demoted one rank but still managing the Ministry of War's affairs, plus a year's salary forfeited. At his level, salary was basically unused anyway, so it had little impact. This left Xiong Mingyu able only to contend for Regional Commander of Ji-Liao.

The capital was a dance of demons. Chen Xin stayed in the capital for seven days, making the rounds everywhere. He heard many familiar names and met quite a few people, including Chen Xinjia, Zhu Dadian, Hou Xun, Yang Yufan, Ma Shiying, and others.

Chen Xinjia had originally been the Vice Military Defense Commissioner of Ningyuan and was also dismissed this time. He sought out the newly appointed Liaodong Governor Fang Yizao, and after some lobbying, Fang Yizao submitted a memorial requesting that Chen Xinjia be retained to redeem himself.

Hou Xun was the father of that Young Master Hou in The Peach Blossom Fan — Zuo Liangyu's superior. He was helping Zuo Liangyu lobby. Zuo Liangyu had been Vice Regional Commander of Changping before the campaign. He had also spent time in the Guanning Army, rising to Regional Military Commissioner before being promoted to Vice Regional Commander of Changping for his merits in the Four Cities campaign. Zuo Liangyu had led troops to reinforce Liaodong this time. In the original history, he had missed the Battle of Changshan, but now, due to the delays caused by Chen Xin's influence, he had been added to the force sent to rescue Zu Dashou. Knowing the ways of Wu Xiang's crowd, he had been well prepared before the Battle of Changshan. He was only slightly slower than Wu Xiang, and likewise led his retainers in a whirlwind retreat back to Jinzhou, abandoning his three thousand infantry to the Jianzhou bandits. He too was impeached and dismissed. Hou Xun was hoping to find him an opportunity to rise again.

Yang Yufan's situation was similar to Zuo Liangyu's. His original trajectory should have been to relieve Dengzhou, but Chen Xin had crushed the rebellion in two swift moves, so he was transferred to Jinzhou instead, where he suffered defeat alongside Liaozhen and ended up sentenced to military exile. Naturally, he had to come lobby — at the very least, to get his exile location assigned near Jizhen, so he would not be stranded in unfamiliar territory with no one to look after him.

Zhu Dadian was the Military Defense Commissioner of Tianjin. He had lost his chance to become Governor of Shandong and had come to the capital to look at other governor posts. Military Defense Commissioners were generally the reserve pool for governors, so he was qualified.

Ma Shiying was a name Chen Xin was relatively familiar with. He was currently the Military Defense Commissioner of Yanghe in the Xuan-Da region and had fairly good court connections. He had found an excuse to come to the capital to lobby, also eyeing several governor posts.

These were all men with real authority. Zhu Dadian's Tianjin was a crucial link in Chen Xin's commerce — a junction where the Liaodong Sea commercial circle met the Grand Canal commercial circle. Ma Shiying's Xuan-Da region was also an important trade route Chen Xin intended to develop in the future — a place where he could not only sell southern goods but also purchase horses.

So Chen Xin met with all of them. Zhu Dadian struck Chen Xin as extremely shrewd and decisive, with considerable expertise in military matters — one of the more capable traditional officials. Ma Shiying, though later branded a treacherous minister, was undeniably competent and showed real insight in conversation.

Chen Xin had already taken in even Geng Zhongming, one of the Three Turncoat Kings — he was hardly afraid of associating with one more treacherous minister. His visits to these men were all low-key, mostly gatherings at the homes of other officials he knew well, where they discussed doing business with each other. They essentially confirmed the intention to open a Four Seas Trading Company branch in Yanghe.

For every such visit, Chen Xin brought Song Wenxian along, building his local connections and establishing his image as the Wendeng representative, so that Song Wenxian could operate more easily in various places in the future. Anyone they had met face-to-face would be easier to talk to later.

This continued until the seventh day of the sixth month. Early that morning, Chen Xin and his party went to the Ministry of War to collect their commissions, official robes, and command tallies, then went once more to the Forbidden City for the palace farewell audience. Chongzhen placed high hopes on the Deng-Lai officers. When Chen Xin departed, Chongzhen even personally saw him off for a stretch, only turning back at the Meridian Gate.

This was an immense honor for a military officer. Chen Xin bade a reluctant farewell to Chongzhen at the Meridian Gate. After exiting through the West Flower Gate, he parted ways there with Wen Tiren and the others. Only Liang Tingdong remained to see them off. They did not return to Qipan Street but prepared to exit the city through the Xuanwu Gate with their personal belongings.

Liang Tingdong rode in an official sedan chair, clearing the way with his own retinue. Chen Xin adopted a respectful demeanor, walking deferentially beside his sedan and conversing with him.

Liang Tingdong had already benefited many times from Chen Xin's battlefield achievements. To keep his seat as Minister of War secure, he still needed the support of this local power broker. Eventually, he abandoned the sedan chair altogether, dismounted, and rode alongside Chen Xin on horseback, chatting idly the whole way.

The western part of the inner city was slightly less prosperous than the east, and the foot traffic was not as heavy. After heading south from the West Flower Gate for a stretch, there were still many dilapidated houses along the street, though it was much improved from the first time Chen Xin had come.

Liang Tingdong pointed down Xuanwumen Avenue and said to Chen Xin, "General Chen, in the sixth year of Tianqi, a great calamity occurred here — over twenty thousand dead and wounded, tens of thousands of houses destroyed. Its force made heaven and earth change color."

The first time Chen Xin came to the capital was in the seventh year of Tianqi. The year before, the mysterious Wanggongchang Explosion had just occurred — listed among the world's three great unexplained natural disasters. Even in the twenty-first century of Chen Xin's previous life, no conclusion had been reached. The southwestern corner of the inner city had been severely damaged, with broken walls and rubble everywhere at the time. By now, a large portion had been restored.

Liang Tingdong then recounted some of the rumors he had heard, including the strange celestial phenomena before and after the explosion, and the bizarre incidents during the blast — clothes being torn off, trees uprooted, and other oddities. Chen Xin and his companions listened with their hair standing on end.

Word of this event had even reached the Later Jin. Nurhaci believed it was a heavenly sign that the Ming dynasty was about to collapse. The rumors circulating in various parts of the Ming were even more outlandish — claims that the world's morals had grown too degenerate, and so Heaven was meting out punishment, and so forth. Chen Xin had heard some of this before, but each time he still felt a sense of bewilderment, because even by the time he later lived, no scientific theory could explain those phenomena. People always fear what they cannot understand.

Listening as they went, the party passed through the Xuanwu Gate into the outer city. Here it was extremely lively, with crowds of people on the streets all heading south.

Chen Xin was slightly puzzled. Liang Tingdong casually remarked, "Does General Chen not know? Today they are executing people at Caishikou."

Chen Xin said, stunned, "Who is being executed today?"

Liang Tingdong said flatly, "It is none other than Sun Yuanhua. The Prison Court has completed its investigation and set today for the execution. Also among them are the rebel commanders you captured alive, such as Li Yingyuan." He glanced at the sky. "It is already past the second quarter of the noon hour. The execution begins at the third quarter. General Chen happens to be able to watch."

Chen Xin hesitated. Lu Chuanzong and the others following behind had also heard, and an indescribable feeling rose in their hearts. Chen Xin had not expected to run into this today, just as he was about to leave the capital.

Liang Tingdong did not wait for Chen Xin's answer but spurred his horse ahead. Chen Xin had no choice but to follow. They soon arrived at Caishikou. Chen Xin had originally thought that "pushing out the Meridian Gate" meant beheading, but after coming to the Great Ming, he learned that Caishikou was the place for executions. The Meridian Gate was only for beatings — how could such things be done at the main gate of the Forbidden City?

Caishikou had been a firewood market in the Yuan dynasty, called Chaishikou. By the Ming dynasty, it had become a vegetable market, and the name changed to Caishikou. Executions were held here because of the large crowds.

At this moment, Caishikou was a sea of people. A cordon of troops from the Five Wards Military Command stood around the perimeter. A supervision shed had been erected by the roadside, inside which sat two execution supervisors. The prisoners on the platform had already been identified. A wooden frame was bound to their backs, and their hands were tied behind them.

Sun Yuanhua stood on the platform. His official robes had long been stripped; he wore new clothes, likely changed specially for this. His hair was extremely disheveled, and he stared blankly ahead with lifeless eyes.

The red-clad, masked executioner was broad-shouldered and barrel-waisted. Swaggering, he kicked Li Yingyuan to his knees with one foot, tore off the death placard stuck behind his back, and pushed aside Li Yingyuan's hair to expose his neck. Li Yingyuan, now utterly devoid of his former ferocity, was like a puppet, letting the executioner handle him as he pleased. Chen Xin heard Geng Zhongming's heavy breathing behind him. Geng Zhongming had known Li Yingyuan very well and surely felt it more deeply.

When it came to Sun Yuanhua's turn, the executioner, knowing he was an official, treated him very politely. He gently removed the death placard, then said loudly, "My lord, this lowly one eats this bowl of rice. I beg my lord's forgiveness. This lowly one will certainly send my lord on his way cleanly and will not let my lord suffer. When you reach the other side, be reborn soon, and do not bear a grudge against this lowly one."

Liang Tingdong lowered his head. In truth, a high official of the second rank like himself could face such a moment at any time — especially the Minister of War, who might be pushed out to take the blame any day if a major defeat occurred. He had originally wanted to watch the spectacle, but now his heart grew heavy. He turned to Chen Xin and said, "General Chen, let us not watch. Though Minister Sun's crimes are unforgivable, he was still a colleague. This official finds it ultimately unbearable to watch."

Chen Xin nodded, hesitated, then asked, "Will his family come to collect his body?"

"The Sun family must have made arrangements with the executioner. That is why the executioner spoke thus. Minister Sun will not suffer. Naturally, someone will collect the body." Liang Tingdong did not wish to linger. He ordered his men to clear a path, intending to detour through a side lane.

Just as Chen Xin turned his horse around, he heard Li Yingyuan's voice suddenly ring out: "Chen Xin, you treacherous dog! You bastard! One day you'll take this blade too! Don't you leave... and you, Geng Zhongming, you shameless wretch..."

Everyone in the crowd turned to look this way. Chen Xin glanced back at the platform — the executioner had already stuffed a cloth ball into Li Yingyuan's mouth. Sun Yuanhua, hearing Chen Xin's name, struggled to lift his head, and the gaze he fixed on Chen Xin was filled with unbearably complex emotions.

Chen Xin met his eyes for a moment, then after a brief silence immediately turned his head away. Seeing the other onlookers all looking their way, Dai Zhenggang declared righteously, "We are from the Wendeng Battalion. That man on the platform cursing is the rebel commander Li Yingyuan, who rose in revolt in Dengzhou."

The onlookers instantly burst into cheers. Chen Xin put on a smiling face, cupped his hands in thanks, and without further delay followed Liang Tingdong as they took a detour through the western alleys toward You'an Gate. They had just turned two street corners when they heard a great roar of shouting from the execution ground.

Liang Tingdong had lost all desire to talk. Chen Xin made some empty small talk with him, and they traveled this way all the way to You'an Gate, where Liang Tingdong gave him a few more exhortations before the two finally parted ways.

After exiting the barbican, Chen Xin reined in his horse and looked back at the towering walls of You'an Gate. Song Wenxian quietly came up behind him and said in a low voice, "My lord, we should come to the capital less often from now on. Zu Dashou saw things clearly — this subordinate believes he will never set foot in the capital again in his lifetime."

Chen Xin nodded slightly. Song Wenxian certainly understood his thoughts, which was why he offered such counsel. And Zu Dashou was his ready-made example.

Chen Xin spoke flatly, "I am not the same as Zu Dashou. He acts only for the sake of his Zu clan. Besides, I will come to the capital again." (To be continued.)