Chapter 355: The New Viceroy

In the inner harbor of Dengzhou's Water City, a bird ship was slowly entering port, flying a large banner of the Mobile Minister of War — it was the newly appointed Viceroy of Ji-Liao, Xiong Mingyu. The old man was just over fifty; like Zhou Yanru, he had been a youthful prodigy, passing the metropolitan examination at twenty-one, starting as a county magistrate and rising to Vice Minister of War, then transferred to Minister of Justice in Nanjing — he knew the ways of officialdom inside and out.

His current post as Viceroy of Ji-Liao was the same office Yuan Chonghuan had once held, with the substantive rank of Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, concurrently Mobile Minister of War, overseeing Ji, Liao, Deng, Lai, and Tianjin. This followed late Ming convention: viceroys received the concurrent title of Vice Minister of War, while provincial governors received no concurrent title, serving directly as Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Chief Surveillance Bureau.

Originally, because of the impact of the Dalinghe campaign, Sun Chengzong had recommended upon leaving office that this post be abolished in the fifth year of Chongzhen, but the new Three-Pronged Strategy that Wang Tingshi and Chen Xin had cobbled together kept the position alive. At court, Wen Tiren's faction currently held the upper hand; the critically important Ministries of Personnel and War were both held by Wen's men. Liang Tingdong and Min Hongxue had maneuvered to place one of their own, but after the Emperor balanced things out, the post fell naturally onto Xiong Mingyu's head.

However, Xiong Mingyu had several provincial governors beneath him, each responsible for their own defense zone — unlike Yuan Chonghuan, who had monopolized power. Waiting on the dock were Wang Tingshi and a group of civil officials. Chen Xin, as a court favorite, stood in the first rank. Zhu Wannian, Prefect of Laizhou, was also among them; he was about to depart for the capital and then take up his post as Military Defense Circuit Intendant of Yanghe, which was also the seat of the Viceroy of Xuan-Da. He should have left ten days ago but had stayed on, waiting for Xiong Mingyu's inspection.

All the Dengzhou Garrison military officers stood behind them. Geng Zhongming, Liu Zeqing, and the other personal-battalion officers kept a slight distance, marking their separate circles. Geng Zhongming, however, did not speak to Liu Zeqing. He now nominally controlled the road taxes and the Dengzhou city brokerages; Chen Xin had also given him a thousand taels' worth of shares in the trading company, which had paid out five hundred taels at the end of the previous year. Wang Tingshi generally did not overly restrain him, and Lu Zhi's approach was mainly to win him over. As Dengzhou Garrison's power grew steadily, and most of the mid-ranking officers of Dongjiang Garrison leaned toward Chen Xin, Geng Zhongming entertained no other notions. Privately, he followed Chen Xin wholeheartedly, helping to buy over the hearts of Dongjiang Garrison. As for this Liu Zeqing, Geng Zhongming did not think much of him and maintained only surface politeness.

Liu Zeqing was now a Personal Battalion Assistant Regional Commander. During the last attack on Fuzhou, he had not gone with the Dengzhou Garrison. Afterward, Wang Tingshi had requested fifty heads, all of which went to Liu Zeqing. It was said that for this coming campaign against the roving bandits, Wang Tingshi planned to take him along.

The bird ship slowly drew alongside the dock. Drums and horns sounded in unison on the pier. Even if Wang Tingshi and Lu Zhi did not fear this Viceroy of Ji-Liao, they still had to put on a sufficient show of face.

Xiong Mingyu was slightly plump, with a graying beard on his chin. Supported by his personal guards, he stepped down the gangplank. Wang Tingshi hurried forward to support Xiong Mingyu's left hand. Once Xiong Mingyu stepped onto solid ground, he smiled genially and received the officials on the dock.

When it came to Chen Xin, Wang Tingshi made a special introduction: "My lord Xiong, this is the Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent, General of Dengzhou Garrison bearing the Pacify Liao seal, Chen Xin."

Chen Xin was about to kneel when Xiong Mingyu seized both his hands and said, "So this is the Commander Chen who swept through the Jianzhou bandits. When I was in the Southern Metropolitan Region, I long heard of the General's loyal and valiant name. Seeing you today, you are indeed a robust warrior — no wonder even the new Jianzhou chieftain finds it hard to gain any advantage."

"My lord overpraises me; I am ashamed. Whatever slight merit I have won in the past was all due to the planning of my lords. I merely acted according to my lords' strategies. In the future, I beg the Viceroy to instruct me without reserve."

Chen Xin still knelt down, only rising when Xiong Mingyu forcefully lifted him up.

Next came the prefects and county magistrates of Deng and Lai. Zhu Wannian saluted Xiong Mingyu with neither servility nor arrogance. After hearing Wang Tingshi's introduction, Xiong Mingyu helped Zhu Wannian up and said, "Intendant Zhu, you defended Laizhou as solidly as a metal wall. Even one as fierce as Li Jiucheng could only sigh at the city walls. Now you go to Xuan-Da as Military Defense Circuit Intendant; you must strive for ever greater excellence. Now that Ligdan Khan has fled far away, the Tumote beyond Xuan-Da have fallen to the Jianzhou bandits. Every part of the border requires the utmost caution. Xuan-Da is the right arm of the capital, mutually supporting my Ji Garrison."

Wang Tingshi quickly chimed in, "Whenever Intendant Zhu faces a great enemy, he delights in going to the front lines himself. On this journey to Yanghe, he must still be prudent."

Zhu Wannian bowed to both men and replied calmly, "To live as an extraordinary man, to die as a martyr of integrity — in killing the bandits for our country, should we not be so?"

Xiong Mingyu clapped his hands in admiration, took Zhu Wannian by the hand, and praised him repeatedly. The territory Xiong Mingyu oversaw bordered Xuan-Da directly. Although the inner Great Wall still served as a defense line, the importance of Xuan-Da was self-evident, especially against the backdrop of the Chahar's westward flight. Xuan-Da's own defense had a critical impact on the capital.

Zhu Wannian had originally intended to lodge a complaint against Chen Xin, but Xiong Mingyu gave him no further chance to speak. After hastily meeting the civil officials, he took Chen Xin's hand and walked together toward Zhenyang Gate, asking along the way about the details of Chen Xin's Fuzhou campaign. When he heard about the sudden appearance of the Plain Blue Banner, he frowned and said, "General Chen should have scouted and guarded against this in advance. How could an entire banner of Jianzhou bandits suddenly appear beside the main army? Had General Chen been harmed, it would have been an immeasurable loss to our Great Ming. The Jianzhou bandits are fierce and cunning; in the future, you must be exceedingly careful."

"Your subordinate will bear it in mind." Chen Xin seized the chance to kneel and acknowledge the order, freeing himself from Xiong Mingyu's clutches.

Who knew that once Chen Xin rose, Xiong Mingyu still took his hand and walked all the way. Wang Tingshi could only follow behind, introducing the Water City's defenses along the route. This was Xiong Mingyu's first visit to Dengzhou; he listened very attentively, occasionally issuing some high-level directives. During the spring planting season, they would launch the next phase of the Fuzhou strategy to pin down the Jianzhou bandits' forces — this time mainly mobile cavalry farming.

Xiong Mingyu listened all the way to Wang Tingshi's report. Only after Lu Zhi had also finished speaking did he put forward his own strategy. He demanded that the Dongjiang axis be strengthened and indicated that he would contact the Joseon court when they came to present tribute at Ningyuan, asking Joseon to contribute more manpower and resources in an effort to restore the defenses in the Tieshan direction.

After he had made his demands, Wang Tingshi also raised Deng-Lai's military pay needs for the year, hoping to extract more arms and provisions funds from the Viceroy of Ji-Liao. Xiong Mingyu hemmed and hawed, parrying with a bout of shadowboxing, and in the end said nothing definite. Then he demanded to see the Dengzhou Garrison's drill. Chen Xin had long been prepared and led Lord Xiong to Mishen Shan, where the Fifth Battalion — the officially authorized militia battalion — was stationed.

When Xiong Mingyu entered the Mishen Shan main camp, the parade ground was a sea of red formations. Over two thousand soldiers in gleaming armor stood in solemn ranks. Xiong Mingyu first inspected the front of the formation. He felt only that this unit stood extremely neatly. They all wore short, sleeved, vest-style military uniforms; the large lapels and brass buttons in front looked very spirited. Beyond that, he had no particular impression.

Once he ascended the command platform, Lu Zhi said to Xiong Mingyu, "Reporting to Viceroy Xiong, my main-force battalion suffered heavy losses in the Fuzhou campaign. A portion still remains in Jinzhou, pressuring Fuzhou together with the Left Auxiliary Force. These here are all newly recruited militia battalion troops."

Xiong Mingyu's mouth opened slightly, then he nodded with a look of sudden understanding. He asked Wang Tingshi, "Is the commander of this militia battalion present?"

Wang Tingshi quickly beckoned behind him. Liu Minyou, wearing a suit of mountain-pattern armor, was mixed in among the officers. Seeing Wang Tingshi wave, he had no choice but to steel himself and step forward. After a moment's hesitation, he still knelt down.

Wang Tingshi said to Xiong Mingyu, "My lord Xiong, this is Liu Minyou, Militia Commander of Dengzhou Garrison. He originally drilled guard-battalion military households in Wendeng and has a talent for training troops. This appointment by the Ministry of War as Militia Commander is indeed putting the right man to the right job. Because the Henan campaign is so urgent, even his audience at the capital has been postponed; he was ordered to first train the militia troops well."

Xiong Mingyu was well-informed and naturally knew that this militia battalion was meant to fight the roving bandits and had little to do with confronting the Jianzhou bandits. In his mind, they could not remotely compare to the Dengzhou combat troops. He politely asked Liu Minyou to rise and instead had Chen Xin demonstrate the formations.

Two square-formation company-commander units demonstrated an attack advance. Eight companies spread out into a broad front. On the flanks of the pikemen, musketeers rotated to fire their guns in support, maintaining the battle line while steadily pushing forward.

Xiong Mingyu stared wide-eyed. Once they deployed, these militia soldiers revealed the difference between them and ordinary garrison troops. Their formations were strict and orderly, and amid the drumbeats there was a strange whistling sound.

This kind of strict order was something Xiong Mingyu had never seen before. It gave him a very novel sensation. After watching, he became intensely interested in that troop-training Commander Liu.

However, he did not try to poach him on the spot. He merely called Liu Minyou over and questioned him in detail. Liu Minyou, however, pleaded ignorance on all three counts. This was not him playing dumb; Liu Minyou had only participated in troop training in Weihai and had not looked at the drill manuals or actual training since. When Xiong Mingyu suddenly asked about formations and tactics, how could he answer? Coupled with his discomfort at speaking nonsense, the scene was rather awkward.

Xiong Mingyu merely assumed Liu Minyou was unwilling to say more. Smiling genially, he did not reproach him, thinking instead about how he might later establish a connection with this Militia Commander.

After watching the drill, Xiong Mingyu rose from his seat. Below him were the two thousand garrison soldiers, still in perfect order. He waited for the customary kneeling salute that always accompanied inspections, but Liu Minyou acted as if he did not know of it and did not let the soldiers kneel at all.

The soldiers who had just finished drilling stood with stern dignity, all in the same posture. Only now did Xiong Mingyu perceive the difference in this unit. When they stood, they tilted their heads slightly upward, exuding a kind of high-spirited air. But this impression did not sit well with him, because to him it seemed almost like contempt.

Chen Xin stood respectfully to one side, offering no reaction. According to the court's military system, this militia battalion had no subordination relationship with him. Day-to-day training and management were the Militia Commander's responsibility; only during campaigns would they take orders from the seal-bearing general. In reality, by the late Ming, even during campaigns, a regional commander could not control other battalions. Orders were issued by the commanding civil official; a regional commander's influence was limited to the scale of a single battalion.

Chen Xin also did not want soldiers kneeling to civil officials. During Wang Tingshi's usual inspections, they mostly used the excuse of wearing armor to avoid it. Now that it was the militia battalion, he simply acted like an outsider.

Wang Tingshi and Lu Zhi, for their part, knew Liu Minyou's background. With their usual web of intertwined interests, they found it awkward to say anything at this moment. Xiong Mingyu stood for a moment, ignored by all. Lu Zhi leaned in and said quietly, "My lord, shall we go to the West Gate to see the personal battalion?"

Having been given the cold shoulder, Xiong Mingyu seized the excuse to step down from the platform. "Of course. I was just thinking the same."

Just then, a retainer came through the camp gate and handed Wang Tingshi an urgent dispatch. Wang Tingshi read it hastily; his expression changed, and he passed it to Xiong Mingyu.

After reading it, Xiong Mingyu's face was expressionless. He raised his head and swept his gaze around, finally looking at Chen Xin and Liu Minyou. "Generals, the roving bandits have entered Wu'an. The Changping troops have been annihilated. Vice General Rui Qi and Garrison Commander Wang Jitong fell in battle. Zuo Liangyu barely escaped with his life. Garrison Commanders Li Ding and Wang Guozhong of Jingxing Pass fell in battle. The Jingxing Pass troops have been nearly wiped out. The southern capital region is undefended. The roving bandits intend to drive straight for Baoding."

The group of officers looked at each other, never imagining the roving bandits were now so ferocious. Xiong Mingyu said with stern authority, "The Ministry of War strictly orders: all battalions under the Deng-Lai Provincial Governor shall draw five thousand or more crack troops and arrive at Baoding before the fifth month. They must arrive by the deadline."

Wang Tingshi, Chen Xin, and the others knelt in unison. "We obey the Viceroy's command!"

Below the platform, Zhong Lao Si stood in the first row. Beside him was Zhou Shao'er, transferred from the Guard Battalion. He was now a company commander in the Fifth Battalion, in charge of a company of men.

Zhou Shao'er kept his eyes straight ahead and said quietly to Zhong Lao Si, "Lord Chen said there is no kneeling in the army, that soldiers have honor. Why does he still kneel to that Viceroy?"

"The Viceroy's rank is high, that's why," Zhong Lao Si said irritably. "I just can't stand these officials. What the hell do they know? Why should they make Lord Chen and Mr. Liu kneel to them?"

"Lord Chen is a first-rank military officer. What rank is this Viceroy?"

Zhong Lao Si spat. "Who the hell cares what rank he is? Even if a prince came, it's none of my damn business. Lord Chen only kneels to give him face. Watching it pisses me off. After the review, let's go drink a few bowls."