Chapter 339

Wu Xiang was prepared to spend thirty thousand taels of silver to buy two hundred and seventy heads from Chen Xin. His information was well-sourced; he knew Chen Xin's heads were never counterfeit. As long as they were two hundred genuine barbarians, in the previous couple of years that would have been enough to count as a major victory. The Battle of Ningyuan had only yielded two hundred and sixty-nine heads, and he was buying precisely to match the Ningyuan Great Victory — just one head more, so the imperial court would have no excuse to brush it aside.

But just as Chen Xin sat down in his study, a guard entered and whispered something in his ear. A very grave expression came over Chen Xin's face. He stood and said to Wu Xiang, "General Wu, some urgent business has come up here. I truly cannot delay."

Wu Xiang hurriedly rose and cupped his hands. "This evening would be just as well. My lord, please attend to your affairs first. I have nothing else to do in Dengzhou; waiting a while is no trouble."

Chen Xin shook his hand firmly. "I hit it off with General Wu the moment we met. Keeping you waiting these past few days was already improper — how could I make you wait even longer? Here is what I will do: I will find two trusted men to discuss matters with the General. They are both people who can make decisions. General Wu may rest assured."

Wu Xiang could hardly say anything more. A moment later two officers entered from outside. Chen Xin said courteously to Wu Xiang, "General Wu, these two are from the Dengzhou garrison's supply battalion. They are in charge of verifying heads. They can make the decisions regarding the General's business."

Chen Xin then introduced the two: one was called Huang Side and the other Dong Yu. Wu Xiang had a bad feeling. Both men wore military uniforms, yet they lacked the particular bearing of the Dengzhou troops. Who knew whether they could actually discuss business? He suspected Chen Xin had arranged for two accountants to handle him. But since Chen Xin had already made the arrangements, he could hardly say he was unwilling to talk with these two — that would offend them to the ends of the earth.

Chen Xin left as soon as he finished speaking. Wu Xiang sat down with the two men. Just as he was about to exchange pleasantries, Huang Side spoke first: "General Wu, I have long admired you. I am also well aware of the General's situation. Let us speak plainly, as honest men do. Has General Wu come to purchase some heads?"

Seeing him so direct, Wu Xiang decided to come straight to the point as well. He was thick-skinned enough anyway, so he did not beat around the bush. He nodded, though he changed the phrasing: "I intend to exchange some goods with Lord Chen. That is to say, warhorses for heads — two hundred and seventy of them."

"Three thousand warhorses plus twenty thousand taels of silver."

Sure enough, Huang Side's opening nearly made Wu Xiang stumble. Three thousand warhorses plus twenty thousand taels of silver — three thousand horses alone were worth a full sixty thousand taels, making eighty thousand taels in total, over three hundred taels per head. Wu Xiang certainly could not be such a fool. He immediately indicated that was unacceptable.

The officer beside them named Dong Yu brought out an abacus and slowly began calculating with him. "Over two hundred heads can be reported to the court for reimbursement of thirteen thousand five hundred taels. Lord Wu can be restored to his original post and will receive the pay and provisions for one battalion every year. Lord Wu was formerly the militia training Regional Commander of Liaozhen, commanding one regular battalion of roughly three thousand five hundred men, with five hundred counted as retainers. Retainer monthly pay is two taels and four qian — one thousand two hundred taels per month. Battalion soldiers get one tael and five qian — four thousand five hundred taels per month combined, sixty-eight thousand four hundred taels per year. There is also five dou of grain in kind per soldier per month, plus eight months of horse fodder every year. The court additionally provides swords, spears, bows, arrows, firearms, horses, and other arms and armor, worth at least tens of thousands of taels annually, sometimes exceeding one hundred thousand. Adding all this up, Lord Wu is getting an enormous bargain."

Wu Xiang naturally could not calculate it that way. Arms and armor were what the court was supposed to provide; now they had become Chen Xin's bargaining chips. Wu Xiang was also an eloquent man. He took the abacus and began his own calculations, which were of course different. As he calculated, he said, "The reimbursement of thirteen thousand five hundred taels is true enough, but seven or eight thousand must be given as gifts to the various ministries. Only half the pay and provisions actually reach one's hands. As for the remainder in kind, I have never drunk my soldiers' blood, which means not much ends up in my own hands."

Huang Side interrupted, "If my lord wishes to calculate that way, then I will speak plainly. Two hundred and seventy heads of genuine barbarians will restore more than just you, my lord, to your original post. One need only look at the Ningyuan Great Victory to deduce this. Quite a few generals in Liaozhen and Shanhai Pass will be able to rise another rank, including those officers who fled back from the Battle of Changshan. That is far more than a single battalion command."

"Not that many will be promoted," Wu Xiang denied. "A few years ago perhaps, but Lord Chen has the victory at Fuzhou. If Guanning is promoted too much, what will the court use to reward Dengzhou garrison? It is also because Dengzhou's fighting strength is too great. Over the years they have taken several thousand heads, so the market price has fallen. When goods are plentiful they are not as valuable as before — that principle holds everywhere."

Dong Yu continued, "Once the court establishes a precedent, there will not be too much disparity. Otherwise, how can they command respect if they are inconsistent? For our Dengzhou garrison to slay these two hundred-plus Jianzhou bandits, Lord Chen himself was struck by two arrows, and over a thousand officers and men were killed or wounded. The families requiring pensions and compensation number over five thousand. The court has never provided such pensions. Spread across eighty thousand taels of silver, each of these families would receive only a little over ten taels, not even counting the damaged arms, armor, and equipment. Three hundred taels per head is already not expensive. Yesterday an officer from the Xuanfu garrison rushed over and offered four hundred taels per head."

Wu Xiang did not believe his nonsense for a moment, but Jianzhou bandit heads were a seller's market, and he was always in the weaker position. Moreover, Huang Side had come straight to business without giving him any chance to build a personal connection. His eyes darted about as he began searching for other arguments.

…

Wu Xiang fought fiercely with the two men all afternoon, haggling the price down to two thousand five hundred horses plus ten thousand taels of silver — sixty thousand taels in total. Although he had chipped it down somewhat, he still felt it was too expensive. Yet his psychological price point had already been pulled considerably higher by the two.

When all three were utterly exhausted, the main door opened and Chen Xin returned. After seeing Huang Side's quoted price, he flew into a rage. Slamming the table, he roared at Huang Side and Dong Yu, "What did I tell you before I left? General Wu is a good friend of mine. How could you demand such an outrageous price? All you think about day and night is a little silver. Do you care nothing for the bonds of friendship between allied armies? Both of your monthly salaries for this year are forfeited! Reflect deeply on this."

Huang Side lowered his head. "We gave the same price we quoted to the Xuanfu garrison. Aren't they… also an allied army?"

"The Xuanfu side is an allied army, but they are not Lord Wu." Chen Xin tossed out this line, ending the performance.

He turned to Wu Xiang. "Lord Wu, I am truly embarrassed. These subordinates are far too ignorant. It is merely two hundred-odd heads — Lord Wu may simply take them. For brothers like us, the days ahead are long. As for silver, it should be earned in business, not on heads."

Wu Xiang had been traveling the world since his teens and saw at a glance that Chen Xin was putting on an act. But he also now understood Chen Xin's price point. He certainly could not follow Chen Xin's words and give nothing. If he truly gave nothing, who knew how much Chen Xin would secretly hate him, and future dealings would be difficult. At the same time, he did not wish to owe Chen Xin a favor. He immediately said, "My lord, please do not blame these two brothers. They were very courteous to me, and we just now agreed on the terms of exchange. This matter benefits both garrisons. Lord Chen is also a Regional Commander and understands all the ins and outs of the court. I will not hide it from Lord Chen: Guanning has been in dire straits these past two years and urgently needs a major victory to boost morale. Lord Chen, on the other hand, lacks warhorses. With this exchange, Liaozhen can greatly improve, and Dengzhou will make the strong even stronger. A little silver is nothing. My lord's heads were not simply picked up off the ground — they were traded for with lives. No matter what, I must show some regard for those families."

Chen Xin clicked his tongue lightly. "What kind of talk is that, Lord Wu? Since I have made you my friend, I will naturally handle these matters and will not treat those families poorly."

Wu Xiang knelt, his voice choked with emotion. "My lord is most righteous, but I just heard that even you, my lord, were struck by two arrows on the battlefield. How could I dare receive reward without merit? I appreciate my lord's kind intentions, but I beg you to also accept my regard. Just now these two gentlemen and I agreed: two thousand five hundred warhorses plus ten thousand taels of silver."

"General Wu, please rise. This… what is to be done? Then I will reluctantly accept. However, I will not take that ten thousand taels of silver. I will take only two thousand warhorses. In addition, I will pay silver to buy another thousand horses. Lord Wu, do not add any more — adding more would be looking down on your brother."

Only then did Wu Xiang wipe away his tears and rise. "This time I also brought two hundred horses with me. To gather a total of two thousand horses will take considerable time and cannot be done all at once. I will first deposit the silver in my lord's bank and withdraw a batch each time I deliver a batch of horses."

"Why go to such trouble? I trust General Wu. Delivering them all by the sixth month of next year is fine — there is no rush." Chen Xin smiled warmly. "As I said, the days ahead for Brother Wu and me are long."

With the business concluded, everyone appeared delighted on the surface. Wu Xiang and Chen Xin had not damaged their rapport; it even seemed as if their friendship had deepened. In practical terms, each had gotten what they needed. Wu Xiang had paid a total of forty thousand taels, but the heads were finally in hand. Chen Xin gained both goodwill and income. He was not afraid that giving heads to Guanning would truly make Guanning rise — after all, the system of warlord factions large and small was already in place, and he did not believe the court would give all the Liaodong tax revenue to him. The Guanning army controlled Shanhai Pass; the court dared not cut their silver too drastically. Wu Xiang's value lay in the trade routes leading to Liaoxi and to the Kalaqin, Khalkha, and Khorchin Mongols. Incidentally, it also privately eased relations with the Guanning army. The Guanning army's warlord structure had already solidified; in the future, it would be an independent force in the Liaodong sea region, one he needed to win over — or at least one it was not suitable to stand against.

Wu Xiang was extremely weary by now, but he still needed to accompany Chen Xin to verify the heads during the handover at sea, to avoid too many eyes and loose tongues in Dengzhou. Chen Xin arranged a side room for him to rest, then hurried off again to the Civil Affairs Department.

Wu Xiang stared at Chen Xin's retreating back and shook his head slightly. "Such thick skin, such methods, and he can fight so well — no wonder Grand Guardian Zu is no match for him."

………

The Dengzhou docks were a sea of people. Colored banners fluttered atop the walls of the Water City. Many commoners also waited inside and outside the Zhenyang Gate, eager to see the thousand-plus Tatar heads.

A No. 2 Fujian junk slowly docked at the pier. Drums and music sounded in unison from the shore. At the bow, Chen Xin saw Wang Tingshi and Lu Zhi had both come in person to welcome the army. He hurried down the gangplank and knelt to salute them.

"Your subordinate pays respects to Commandery Prince Wang and Lord Lu. By your lordships' orders, I led the Dengzhou garrison's regular battalion, left auxiliary, and raiding battalions to strike at Fuzhou. Acting according to the strategy set by your lordships, we have taken over nine hundred heads of genuine barbarians in battle, plus four hundred heads of coerced Han traitors. Among them are one Bordered White Banner jalan ejen, one bayara jalan ejen, three niru ejen, and one Plain Blue Banner niru ejen. Some Jianzhou bandits also died inside Fuzhou city whose heads could not be taken; Jianzhou losses exceed two thousand. Additionally, we captured one Bordered White Banner jalan ejen banner and five niru banners. We have heavily mauled the Jianzhou Bordered White Banner, Plain Blue Banner, and Ujen Cooha Black Banner units."

Wang Tingshi laughed heartily. If a thousand heads were taken, it was perfectly logical that two or three thousand Jianzhou bandits had been killed or wounded; writing it that way in the official report was unproblematic. He happily helped Chen Xin up. "When General Chen set out on campaign in the seventh month, it seems as if it were just yesterday, yet now you have returned in great victory. For one garrison to take nine hundred heads of genuine barbarians is truly a great achievement unseen in a decade. Though Fuzhou was not taken, the flaw does not obscure the gem."

Lu Zhi could not hide his delight either. With bandits now rampaging through Shanxi and Shaanxi, and Guanning arrogant and hard to control, the only place that could bring good news to the Emperor was Denglai. Strictly speaking, the rebellion of Kong Youde and the others also implicated the Army Supervisor. Unlike ministers, eunuchs did not require a joint trial by the three judicial offices to be convicted — the Emperor could order an execution with a single word. Thanks to Chen Xin's timely arrival, Lu Zhi had instead gained the great merit of recovering Dengzhou. With this bargaining chip, those censors at court who wanted to move against eunuchs could only watch helplessly. Several impeachment memorials had been withheld, and the Grand Secretariat had said nothing either.

The two battles at Jinzhou and Fuzhou had not only restored Denglai's good impression in the Emperor's mind but had also greatly strengthened its position via Lushun. Lu Zhi had also earned a reputation with the Emperor as someone knowledgeable in military affairs. Cao Huachun, who had recommended him, was promoted this year to Superintendent of the Capital Training Divisions, partly because he had recommended Lu Zhi as a frontier talent. Now, with the Fuzhou Great Victory yielding nine hundred genuine barbarian heads and over four hundred heads of bondservants and Han traitor troops — numbers that needed no inflation whatsoever — it was a tremendous achievement. Whenever he thought of how delighted the Emperor and Eunuch Cao would be, excitement surged in his heart.

Lu Zhi approached Chen Xin and smiled. "This time Denglai raided Liaodong and Liaonan. Dongjiang garrison took a total of two hundred and ninety-seven genuine barbarian heads. Combined with General Chen's, the head count is only slightly less than the Zun Yong Great Victory. However, the Zun Yong Great Victory was achieved by gathering the elite of all our Nine Border Garrisons. This Liaonan Great Victory was accomplished by the strength of our Denglai garrison alone. There is a difference in quality there."

Wang Tingshi stroked his beard and smiled. He was the top man in Denglai. Although Lu Zhi's words might offend some other garrisons, Wang Tingshi found them very gratifying. Having learned from Sun Yuanhua's lesson, he and Lu Zhi now had a relatively balanced division of power. On matters like the naval battalion, the armory, grain in kind, and the central personal battalion, he largely kept his mouth shut, and Lu Zhi no longer contested the matter of military pay and provisions. Dengzhou's power structure was now fairly stable. When it came time to divide military merits, the three of them would also compromise with one another.

Even Chen Xin knew that he alone could not monopolize the military merit of these nine hundred heads. Among those three hundred heads from Dongjiang garrison, at least half were certainly bondservant heads. Wang Tingshi and Lu Zhi would both secure some credit for their own subordinates as a means of winning loyalty.

As for Wu Xiang buying heads from Chen Xin, Wang Tingshi and the others would find out sooner or later. Because Wu Xiang would ultimately have to report his achievement to the Ministry of War and the court, he would naturally claim he had ambushed Jianzhou bandits on a distant campaign near Kalaqin or Jinzhou, at a time not far from the Fuzhou battle. Old hands like Wang Tingshi could guess the truth, but everyone would keep it an unspoken understanding.

The three foxes, big and small, all wore beaming smiles. Wang Tingshi and Lu Zhi then met the wounded soldiers who had returned on the same ship, offering them words of comfort and giving each man five taels of silver. They put on a full show, aiming to win hearts. Though Chen Xin was reluctant, he could only watch their performance.

Many of these wounded soldiers were missing arms or legs. A large number of this batch of wounded would never be able to return to the ranks. Yet Chen Xin still regarded them as treasures. They possessed invaluable battlefield experience, and from victorious battles at that. Arranged into the fortified villages, schools, and the Civil Affairs Department, these men could not only pass on combat experience to the village households and students but would also bring with them a spirit of uplift and daring to fight.

Veterans like those in the Guanning army also had rich battlefield experience, but since they had suffered defeat after defeat, the result was a great mass of crafty old soldiers. Even if there were soldiers willing to fight, they could not play their proper role within such a group.

After the reception for the wounded ended, people carried them out of the city on stretchers. Outside the Water City were even more commoners from the Dengzhou area. The wounded soldiers drew fervent cheers from the crowd; cries of "heroes" rang out continuously. Some youths rushed into the procession and lifted high those wounded whose injuries were less severe. The youths shouted excitedly to the surrounding commoners, "Kill the Tatars!" drawing endless applause and cheers from the crowd.

Wu Xiang was also there, dressed in the clothes of a common soldier. He had already received the heads, which Chen Xin had sent on two ships bound for Juehua Island. He had made a special trip back to ask Liu Minyou about that interest matter.

At this moment, Wu Xiang was mingled among the guard unit from Chen Xin's ship, heading out of the city. Outside was a vast sea of people. Watching the lively scene on the shore, Wu Xiang was secretly alarmed. Denglai had just suffered a rebellion; he had expected it to be in worse shape than Northern Zhili. He had not imagined the commoners' morale would be so high. The shouts of "Kill the Tatars" from the commoners before him surged like ocean tides — an enthusiasm he had never witnessed among the soldiers and commoners of Liaozhen.

"No wonder the Dengzhou soldiers fight so well. You can tell just by looking at these commoners. But how did Chen Xin achieve this?" Wu Xiang wondered to himself in bewilderment. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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