Chapter 344: Helping Out

"... It is only because there are people in this world who act recklessly without understanding, never examining or reflecting — this is merely blind action. Therefore one must speak of knowledge first; only then can action be correct. And there are also people who drift aimlessly in empty speculation, wholly unwilling to engage in earnest practice — this is merely groping at shadows. Therefore one speaks of action; only then can knowledge be true."

Chen Xin finished reading in a low voice, marked this passage with his brush, and wrote beside the page: "True knowledge comes from practice."

He set down the brush and read on. In his hand was a copy of Wang Yangming's *Chuanxilu*, and Chen Xin had only just reached the section in "Xu Ai's Inquiries" concerning the unity of knowledge and action. After returning from Pingdu, he had ordered someone to buy the works of Wang Yangming and Wang Gen, and he would leaf through them in his spare time. Now with a venture involving hundreds of thousands of people, the more people there were, the more complicated their minds became. He felt it was time to study methods of thought, lest he be caught completely ignorant when questioned.

The Yangming School of Mind that Chen Xin had known in his previous life had been stamped with an ideological label. In reality, the scope of the School of Mind was very broad, far from being summed up by a few words like "nothing exists outside the mind." Chen Xin paid no attention to whether it was idealism or materialism. In his system of thought, the interplay of practice and theory was a matter of course, because he had been required to study these things since childhood. It was rather the School of Mind's concepts of the unity of knowledge and action, the extension of innate knowledge, and so on that were extremely useful at this moment, especially when contrasted with the empty talk prevalent in the Ming and Qing eight-legged essay examination system.

He would not wholesale adopt any single theoretical system. Since the Yangming School of Mind had such a large following in the late Ming, Chen Xin felt he could extract the beneficial parts from it, but not every theory necessarily had to guide one's worldview. Chen Xin thought it served quite well as a methodology.

The School of Mind's tenets of the unity of knowledge and action and the extension of innate knowledge had played an important enlightening role in the Meiji Restoration in Japan. The annotated editions of the *Chuanxilu* alone numbered thirty-two in Japan. When Chiang Kai-shek studied abroad, he once lamented in his diary that nearly every Japanese student owned a copy of Yangming School of Mind works. He himself was also a devotee of the school, and after arriving in Taiwan, he renamed a mountain beside Taipei as Yangming Mountain.

Chen Xin continued reading. The next question was the issue of "the mind is principle." It seemed Wang Yangming also held the view of preserving Heavenly Principle and eliminating human desire, which was not entirely consistent with the Taizhou School's advocacy of human liberation. Chen Xin glanced at it; it was somewhat difficult to understand, and he had no desire to understand it anyway, so he skipped over it.

There was a soft knock at the door. Hai Gouzi said from outside, "Sir Zhou Shifa has arrived."

Chen Xin placed the *Chuanxilu* under two other booklets to weigh it down, then loudly bade Zhou Shifa enter. The spymaster walked in carrying a stack of reports, ready to give his routine briefing.

"My lord, shall I begin with field operations as usual?" Zhou Shifa said upon entering.

Chen Xin gestured for him to sit. "Start with the urgent matters, regardless of whether they are field or internal."

Zhou Shifa thought for a moment, then took out a notebook. "The most urgent matter: the pay chits have only been in circulation for just over two months, and already there are counterfeits. The first was discovered at the general store of No. 11 Tunbao in Pingdu Department. Its outward appearance is very similar to our own, only the blue color cannot match the standard of our specially made pigment, and several hidden thick and thin points in the background pattern were not replicated. It was spotted on the spot by the store clerk. The Tunwu Office immediately referred the matter to my office. I dispatched Qin Rong to Pingdu at once to take charge of the case. Three users were captured in the department city. Investigation revealed it was produced by a bookshop in Anqiu County, Qingzhou Prefecture. The field operations team has been notified to eliminate this point."

This matter was within expectations. Chen Xin was using the pay chits to test the feasibility of issuing paper currency. In the late Ming, silver notes and exchange notes were already widely used. Paper currency was essentially fixed-denomination silver notes, only more convenient to use.

But this convenience also brought certain troubles, counterfeiting being one of them. Silver notes and exchange notes involved larger sums and could incorporate special anti-counterfeiting measures. The Shanxi piaohao banks used watermarks, and the notes bore various auspicious phrases that were in fact all coded language, adjusted periodically. The strokes used to write the amounts contained many inconspicuous special techniques — certain places thick, certain places thin, every flourish deliberate. Some banks also used serial numbers, along with secret exchange codes, achieving a high level of security.

Therefore, the shopkeepers of money shop branches often had to have their families controlled as hostages. Even their correspondence and clothing sent to and from home had to pass through the head office for inspection before being forwarded, precisely because these shopkeepers knew all the details.

But pay chits could not be handled like exchange notes, so the risk was greater. However, Chen Xin's resolve was not so easily shaken. He asked Zhou Shifa, "What did those captured men say?"

"They had just produced their first batch of counterfeit pay chits and brought them over. Because the money shops all have guards, they planned to first try using them at the external general stores. If they could pass them off smoothly, they would then go to the money shop to exchange them directly for silver."

"Did they have any contacts in Pingdu Department?"

Zhou Shifa replied in a low voice, "A Licentiate from Laizhou Prefecture. He is a maternal cousin of the bookshop proprietor, and it was he who gave the proprietor the idea."

"Laizhou again." Chen Xin could not help feeling some impatience with this major thorn in his side. Last time in Zhaoyuan, they had seized the Linglong Mountain gold mines and captured over twenty Laizhou gentry and Licentiates, who were still locked up in the jail of Penglai County government office, nominally awaiting investigation for Wenxiang Sect ties. All those captured were utterly docile, but in Laizhou's administrative seat of Yexian, those people were instead leaping about even more frantically, constantly sending people to Jingshi to find censors to file accusations.

Chen Xin was not afraid of their accusations, but Laizhou Prefecture city was embedded right within Dengzhou and Laizhou, forcing him to station troops as a deterrent. Zhu Wannian did not buy his deterrence and still frequently lodged complaints with Wang Tingshi, causing Chen Xin to owe Wang Tingshi favors again and again.

Thinking of this man, Chen Xin asked Zhou Shifa, "What has Zhu Wannian been up to lately?"

Zhou Shifa replied, "He is still constantly sending letters to Jingshi, seeking out several of his fellow Metropolitan Graduates who are now censors. One of them is a Supervising Secretary in the Office of Military Affairs. According to news from within the palace, this man has submitted a memorial impeaching us for organizing and training peasant troops. The Emperor ordered the Directorate of Ceremonial to verify the matter. The Directorate of Ceremonial ultimately forwarded it to Lu Zhi. Lu Zhi's end should pose no problem."

Chen Xin gently rubbed his chin with his hand. "No problem it may be, but it means we have to share benefits with Lu Zhi again. Last time we gave a full hundred heads. Who did those heads end up going to?"

"Thirty to the Mobile Corps Commander of the Dengzhou Naval Battalion, thirty to the Regional Military Commissioner, and forty to Geng Zhongming."

After saying this, Zhou Shifa leaned closer. "My lord, that Zhu Wannian is truly detestable. Would it not be simpler to just eliminate him directly?"

Chen Xin slowly shook his head. "Wang Tingshi keeps Zhu Wannian precisely to disgust me. If he were eliminated, Wang Tingshi would certainly know who did it and would be even more guarded against me in the future. Besides, if he were assassinated right while he is impeaching this official, it would create a great deal of trouble at court as well. I will think further on this matter. Continue with the rest."

"Another important matter: according to information Zhang Dahui gathered at the Ministry of War, the thirty-six bands of roving bandits show signs of fleeing eastward. Troops from Changping, Baoding, and Zhending are all on alert along the eastern side of Mount Taixing. However, the area is far too vast. There are few major passes, but countless minor ones. It is unknown whether they can be held."

Chen Xin looked at the map. The roving bandits were still confined to the Nine Border Garrisons region, affecting only Shaanxi and Shanxi. The situation in Shaanxi was improving. Hong Chengchou had accepted the surrender of Bai Guang'en. In the eighth month, they had killed the bandit leader Ke Tianfei. Now with several columns closing in, the remaining bands — Xue Hongqi, Yizuo Cheng, Hao Lin'an, Duxing Lang — found their range of movement shrinking steadily, while the Qin army grew stronger with each battle. A great victory for Hong Chengchou was imminent.

Shanxi's borders were far too extensive; completely sealing them off was no easy task. The roving bandits could go south just as easily as east. The Zhili troops, meanwhile, had to secure Zhending and Baoding without fail, for if the bandits broke into Shuntian Prefecture, a great many heads would roll. Given the bandits' logistics of seizing grain wherever they went, their mobility was very high. The government troops of the present still had some scruples, and besides, after the bandits finished looting ahead, there was not much left for the government troops behind to loot even if they wanted to.

"How much does this concern us?"

"My lord, Liang Tingdong discussed mobilizing Dengzhou Garrison troops during ministry deliberations, but in the end it was not reported to the Grand Secretariat. The Emperor has not mentioned it either. It is said the Emperor is extremely enraged over Shen Qi's unauthorized peace negotiations. Shen Qi's fall is certain. The Provincial Governor of Xuanfu has yet to be decided..."

Chen Xin suddenly interrupted, "Wait — you said the Provincial Governor of Xuanfu has not yet been decided?"

"Yes." Zhou Shifa looked up in astonishment. This matter truly had nothing whatsoever to do with Dengzhou and Laizhou.

Chen Xin stood up and took two paces, then turned to Zhou Shifa and said, "Send relay horses to Jingshi immediately. Have Zhang Dahui seek out people in the Ministry of Personnel. We must delay the selection of a candidate for now."

Zhou Shifa asked in puzzlement, "I shall see to it upon my return, but what does this matter have to do with us?"

Chen Xin smiled faintly. "Zhu Wannian has guarded Laizhou Prefecture city and preserved the peace of Laizhou. His strategy has been sound and his organization effective. He ought to have a very good chance of being promoted to Provincial Governor. Let us find a way to help him rise in office."

Zhou Shifa suddenly understood. Chen Xin wanted to send this adversary Zhu Wannian packing. Although it was a promotion, Chen Xin's intentions were not necessarily benevolent. Now that the Chahar had withdrawn, the border wall's outer defenses were completely gone. The entire Xuanfu-Datong region lay under the direct threat of the Jianzhou Bandits. There was no telling when they might come again.

Chen Xin in fact had no idea whether the Jianzhou Bandits would come to Xuanfu-Datong again or not. But as long as there was an opportunity, he wanted Zhu Wannian driven away. He decided, "That is how it shall be. Song Wenxian returns tomorrow. When he does, I shall dispatch him to the capital to help Sir Zhu secure an official post. Remember to tell Zhang Dahui: spending some silver is not to be feared, but this matter must only involve those low-ranking secretaries we are on good terms with. Have them find ways to stall for time. It must not become known to anyone at the rank of Vice Minister or above, and even less to anyone in the palace."

"Understood." Zhou Shifa noted down Chen Xin's instructions, then continued, "Since the smuggling across the Liao Sea was concentrated at Nanchenghuang Island, no further Jianzhou Bandit spies have been discovered in Dengzhou and Laizhou recently. The most urgent tasks for the operations team are mainly striking that Dongyue Tobacco Factory in Linqing, and the counterfeit chit bookshop in Qingzhou Prefecture. Qin Rong will lead the Linqing operation, and Wu Jianzhong will lead the Qingzhou Prefecture one. I wonder if Sir Chen has any other instructions."

Chen Xin returned to his seat and waved his hand. "Handle it yourselves. I will not review the specific plans. But of these two, deal more harshly with that counterfeit chit bookshop in Qingzhou Prefecture. After eliminating it, find people to spread word in Qingzhou Prefecture that it was done by the Four Seas Trading Company of Dengzhou. As for that Licentiate contact in Laizhou, do not move against him for now. Wait until Zhu Wannian is gone."

Zhou Shifa recorded everything, then began to report on less urgent matters, including the state of the Liao Sea smuggling and the Jianzhou Bandit spies in Dengzhou and Laizhou. After speaking for roughly a quarter of an hour, Zhou Shifa came to the subject of Wu Xiang.

Chen Xin said in surprise, "He still has not left?"

"No, he remains in Dengzhou. Wu Xiang seems to know he is being watched. He still goes to the trading company once every day, saying that a batch of horses is due to arrive soon and he will stay until after the delivery. This man has visited a tunbao outside Dengzhou city and often goes into teahouses to sit idly. I surmise he is trying to gather intelligence on our Dengzhou Garrison."

At present, the forces in Dengzhou and Laizhou were interlocked like the teeth of dogs. On the military side, there was Lu Zhi's naval battalion and Wang Tingshi's personal battalion. Among the civilian populace, it was even more complex. Apart from the Dengzhou Garrison's tunbao system, Laizhou was also a major power bloc, along with the various local government offices, plus all the merchants and travelers coming and going. It was utterly impossible to establish a tight security system...

Although Chen Xin could implement the baojia system in his own tunbaos, the whole of Dengzhou and Laizhou was like a drafty shack. Chen Xin could only smile wryly and say, "Then let him look. The Tianyou Army has learned a single pike formation. Let us see what sort of knockoff the Guanning Army can come up with."