Chapter 422: The Bait

Under the night sky, the Forbidden City was lit everywhere by palace lanterns, their gentle yellow glow spilling across the carved railings and jade-inlaid steps. In the Western Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, the Chongzhen Emperor still had not slept. A pile of memorials remained unread on his desk, but his expression was suffused with delight.

In this period, the battles at Lüshun and in northern Henan had been what worried Chongzhen most, especially the situation at Lüshun. Wang Tingchen had sent three field reports, claiming that a hundred thousand Jianzhou Bandit troops were besieging Lüshun day and night without pause, that the Dengzhou Left Wing had suffered grievous losses, and Chen Xin had also separately submitted two memorials, declaring that he would share life and death with Lüshun.

Waiting is always the most agonizing time. After receiving that letter of resolve from Chen Xin, Chongzhen had turned it over and over in his mind. If Chen Xin died in battle like so many Regional Commanders before him, Chongzhen could scarcely imagine any hope left of recovering Liaodong. It was always at such moments that he recalled the military feats Chen Xin had accomplished, giving him hope each time he despaired — it had been so ever since the great victory at Gu'an.

Chongzhen could not accept a defeat for the Dengzhou Garrison, still less could he accept Chen Xin dying in battle. The blow to the Ming army might surpass even the death of Du Song back then. He personally wrote a letter and had Wang Tingchen forward it to Chen Xin, telling Chen Xin he must remember never to personally enter the fray. On the other hand, he pressed the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to guarantee military supplies and provisions, even withholding the army rations for the Henan bandit suppression and sending them to Lüshun. He also ordered Xiong Mingyu to mobilize the Liao Garrison for relief. Xiong Mingyu kept saying there were tens of thousands of Jianzhou Bandits west of the Sancha River, that the Liao Garrison was engaged in repeated fighting with them, yet not a single head had been seen. Only yesterday did he report that they had fought the Later Jin at the former Dalinghe site, slaying over a thousand Later Jin soldiers, that the heads were being processed, and that the main Later Jin army had already withdrawn.

Having learned the lesson of the previous Dalinghe affair, Chongzhen naturally did not trust the Liao Garrison and simply waited to see their heads. It was not enough for only the Liaodong Provincial Governor and Xiong Mingyu to inspect them; Chongzhen intended to send personnel from the Ministry of War and the Censorate to verify whether those heads were genuine.

Because of Zu Dashou, the Liao Garrison had always made him anxious. That man had a great number of trusted followers and offspring among the Jianzhou Bandits. If pressed too hard, everything north of Shanhai Pass might be lost. So no matter how much Chongzhen disliked it, he could only disburse the Liaodong military tax on schedule. This feeling of being held hostage was extremely unpleasant.

Today, news from Lüshun had finally arrived. The Jianzhou Bandits had been beaten back, the Dengzhou army had swept forward to recover Jinzhou, and Chen Xin had pursued them all the way to Fuzhou. Over ten thousand heads had been taken. Although the exact numbers were not yet out, a great victory was beyond doubt. The Dongjiang Garrison had also reaped considerable gains, reportedly over a thousand heads as well.

The Ministry of War and the palace were filled with jubilation. When Wen Tiren came in the afternoon, his face shone with smiles. This was the greatest victory since the beginning of the Liaodong campaign. Every Grand Secretary entered the palace to offer congratulations on the victory, and they discussed the ceremonies for presenting the victory and the captives. Even Zhou Yanru, that Senior Grand Secretary crawling with troubles, came and offered Chen Xin some insincere praise.

The dark clouds over Chongzhen's head instantly dispersed for the most part. Today he once again had the mood for bird's nest soup, his favorite snack. He even bestowed a bowl upon Wen Tiren, who had come for an audience that afternoon.

Setting down the small bowl, Chongzhen stretched his arms comfortably, stood up, and took a few steps within the hall. Wang Chengen attended him diligently at his side, clearing away the small bowl and replacing it with a fresh bowl of bird's nest soup, then brought over three more plates of sweet pastries.

Seeing that Chongzhen was not looking at memorials for the moment, Wang Chengen said quietly to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, the night is deep. It would be best to retire early. If you sleep late, Her Majesty the Empress and the Imperial Consorts will again blame this slave for failing to care for you properly."

"Wang Chengen, come, sit." Chongzhen returned to his seat and said with a smile, gesturing to a chair below. Wang Chengen had enjoyed this treatment many times before. He moved the chair a little closer and sat down cautiously.

Chongzhen picked up the bird's nest soup and handed it to Wang Chengen. Wang Chengen immediately dropped to his knees with a thud. "This slave..."

"Enough with 'this slave' this and that. I'm bestowing it on you, so just eat it." Chongzhen's face was full of gentleness.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the bestowed gift." Wang Chengen accepted it nervously, sat on the stool, and took a tiny sip. The bird's nest soup entered his mouth like sweet dew. He had eaten it before, but this was the first time the Emperor had bestowed it upon him. Ordinarily, Chongzhen was rather frugal. He had abolished some unnecessary extravagances. For certain garments, the previous rule had been a new set every day; after Chongzhen entered the palace, he changed it to once every half month, and later to once a month. Still, it was not as arduous as the later legends of wearing patched clothes.

Chongzhen was quite fond of this young eunuch, because although Wang Chengen was not old and had spent some time in the palace, he still retained a certain simplicity in his bearing. That was the reason for Chongzhen's affection.

After drinking a few mouthfuls, Wang Chengen thanked Chongzhen, "This slave has never tasted such delicious bird's nest soup. It is all thanks to Your Majesty's good fortune."

Chongzhen chuckled. "Today you are indebted to Regional Commander Chen's good fortune. Had there not been this great victory at Lüshun, I do not know when I would have had the heart to eat this again."

"Your Majesty speaks truly. However, this slave has met Regional Commander Chen twice. Each time he said that whatever meager merits he had achieved were all thanks to Your Majesty's great fortune. So, calculated this way, this slave is still indebted to Your Majesty's good fortune."

Chongzhen burst into hearty laughter, the sound brimming with pure delight. It was a good while before he stopped, shaking his head. "Regional Commander Chen is certainly well-spoken. Men who can both fight and speak well are rare."

Wang Chengen hastened to add, "And he has a heart loyal to his sovereign. This slave feels that is the most precious thing about Regional Commander Chen. Otherwise, if he were like the Liao Garrison, the more capable he is at war, the more troublesome he becomes."

"Regional Commander Chen does possess loyalty," Chongzhen said with a faint smile. "It is just that there are many affairs under heaven. One cannot always rely on a few men to do everything. Some people are a little less capable, so they assist these loyal and capable men. Only then can loyal ministers serve long."

Wang Chengen quickly said, "This slave is one of those with lesser ability. It is fortunate that Your Majesty does not disdain me and allows this slave to attend upon Your Majesty. Lord Chen is the Martial Star incarnate, sent by the Jade Emperor to aid Your Majesty."

Chongzhen's mood was relaxed and joyful. He spoke to Wang Chengen again, "This year the Dengzhou Garrison has campaigned east and west, pacifying the Purple-Gold Liang in Henan and dealing a severe blow to the Jianzhou Bandits in Liaodong. Their battle honors are naturally illustrious. However, Cao Wenzhao, Deng Qi, and the others are not mediocre either. And there is Regional Commander Wang Chengen, who shares your name — he too has recently achieved some considerable gains. Even that Geng Zhongming can fight a bit. Though they cannot compare to Regional Commander Chen, they are still strong armies. Having several more strong armies, a hundred flowers vying in splendor, is always better than a single branch blooming alone."

Hearing this, Wang Chengen offered another round of flattery. Because Chongzhen was in high spirits, he spoke a few more words with Wang Chengen. Eventually, he began to yawn. "I must rest. Chengen, prepare the new memorials. I shall read them first thing tomorrow morning. Place the ones left over from today on top. Do not miss the hour."

Wang Chengen then summoned the palace maids to attend the Emperor as he changed and retired. Because it was already late, Chongzhen, as was his custom, slept in the Western Warm Pavilion.

After Wang Chengen finished his tasks, he returned to the imperial desk to tidy up. He brought in a stack of new memorials from the outer room and placed the remaining twenty-odd on top. He glanced left and right. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he pulled out the second-to-last document from the bottom and inserted it at the very end.

After stepping out of the Western Warm Pavilion, Wang Chengen let out a breath of relief. Shaking his head, he murmured, "This Regional Commander Chen grows ever more capable in battle, yet the number of people impeaching him grows ever greater. What a mess this is."

On the twenty-eighth day of the ninth month, Chen Xin and Liu Minyou returned to Dengzhou by ship, accompanied by the troops of the Personal Guard Battalion. It had already snowed in Liaodong. Had they left any later, the sea might have frozen over any day, and returning by ship would have taken considerable effort.

Once Chen Xin's determination to develop southern Liaoning was set, every department and bureau established branch offices there. Among them, the Military Affairs Bureau set up a special consolidated training base at Nanguan, requiring the construction of large numbers of barracks. The captured bondservants and Mongols were the best labor force. The defensive line at Nanguan was beginning to take shape. Chen Xin planned to transfer the Third Battalion back, leaving the Second Battalion and the Fourth Battalion in Jinzhou.

Because of the Lüshun campaign, both Dengzhou and Tianjin had shipped large quantities of grain to Lüshun, enough for the Dengzhou army in southern Liaoning to eat for over half a year. Chen Xin had reaped a bountiful harvest in terms of provisions. In the ninth month, a batch of reserve troops was shipped from Dengzhou. Outstanding men were selected from the auxiliary troops and garrison units, to be trained by the Military Affairs Bureau at Nanguan and then used to replenish the two battalions.

The Civil Affairs Department also established relevant offices. Liu Minyou appointed a director from the Colonization Bureau to take charge. They would complete the preparatory work during the winter and devote full effort to building up southern Liaoning once spring began. Transporting grain in winter was inconvenient, so the settler households had not yet been sent to Liaodong. Military administration would remain in place until the start of spring. The Regional Commander in Liaodong was Liu Po.

During the winter freeze, communication between southern Liaoning and Dengzhou was difficult. Sending a single message took considerable time and effort. But Chen Xin estimated that the Later Jin had suffered grievous losses this time and would lack the strength to return to southern Liaoning in winter. He handed over all defense duties for the Jinzhou isthmus to Liu Po and Zhu Guobin, and hurried back to Denglai himself. He still had many matters to attend to.

Both Wang Tingchen and Lu Zhi were at the naval port to welcome them. Lu Zhi was in high spirits, his attitude toward Chen Xin nothing like that of a superior. Wang Tingchen also showed not the slightest air of authority. For the distribution of military merits from this Lüshun campaign, both men had sent personnel to Lüshun and had already reached an agreement. The merits would be reported within the next couple of days. With everyone gaining both benefits and face, they naturally became even more courteous. By regulation, Liu Minyou, as the Militia Regional Commander, was not permitted to leave Dengzhou without authorization. Now he had secretly made a trip to Lüshun and even returned together with Chen Xin. Both Wang Tingchen and Lu Zhi pretended not to notice and did not even question Liu Minyou about it.

They had arrived in the morning and attended a welcoming lunch at the Provincial Governor's government office, not leaving until the afternoon. During the meal, Geng Zhongming kept his distance from Chen Xin, while Liu Zeqing, on the contrary, deliberately flattered him, which Liu Minyou found extremely strange. However, he knew about the matter of the Qingzhou Regional Commander. With Geng Zhongming acting this way now, he would certainly go to see Chen Xin afterward. The interest relationship between those two ran far deeper than with Liu Zeqing. As for whether Wang Tingchen truly did not know or was merely pretending, Liu Minyou could not guess.

The two men returned from the Provincial Governor's government office, discussing the cotton spinning affairs along the way and planning to arrange a time to inspect the workshop area at Lingshan Guard. Just as they reached the Regional Commander's residence at the Dengzhou Naval Port East Parade Ground, they saw Zhou Shifa waiting there. He went up to Chen Xin and began whispering continuously. Chen Xin listened as he walked at first, then stopped.

Liu Minyou walked a few steps further, saw the two were not following, and stopped to wait. As Zhou Shifa spoke, he repeatedly turned his head to look at Liu Minyou. Chen Xin also glanced at Liu Minyou twice. Liu Minyou felt puzzled. What matter could this spymaster have that involved him?

After a moment, Chen Xin walked over, cleared his throat, and said, "Brother Liu, it seems you will need to bring a few more men with you recently."

"What men?"

"Bodyguards. There may be a fairly high-level Jianzhou Bandit spy within the Dengzhou Garrison. It is said he can often see you. From now on, you must have at least three guards by your side."

Liu Minyou's mouth fell wide open. He searched his memory, faces flashing by one after another — all of them were people who worked steadfastly and capably. He truly could not imagine who among them could be a spy.

Zhou Shifa also came closer. "Lord Liu, for now only a single piece of intelligence has arrived, and it cannot yet be verified. But in such matters, it is better to believe it exists. Bringing a few more men is always safer."

Chen Xin nodded. "The main concern is when you receive subordinates and when you go out. At the residence, I will deploy the Regional Commander's guard for tight security. You need not worry about the household. Recently, reduce the number of times you go out. Have Li Ranzhu personally prepare your meals; do not leave them to those hired helpers. Or, you could simply use working overtime as an excuse and stay in the Civil Affairs Department dormitory."

Liu Minyou stood stunned for a moment before saying, "What kind of solution is it to just keep guarding against it? How do we catch this person?"

Chen Xin nodded to Zhou Shifa. Zhou Shifa said in a low voice, "This matter is the Intelligence Bureau's highest priority. I worked through the night with my men to devise a plan and listed those who can often see you. They are mainly concentrated in the bank, the trading company, the workshops, the Civil Affairs Department, the Commissariat Bureau, and a few hired helpers in your residence. It also includes some women who associate with your honored wife. We are currently eliminating suspects based on their process of coming to Denglai and their identities. They are all under routine surveillance as well..."

"Surveillance on them?" Liu Minyou frowned. "If they find out, it might not be good. Do not let one person ruin the people's trust."

Zhou Shifa knew Liu Minyou's temperament and hurriedly explained, "They will not find out. Moreover, if this person can often see Lord Liu, his status cannot be low. If we do not dig him out early, it will be even worse for Denglai. Should it involve a threat to Lord Liu's safety, I could not bear the responsibility. The surveillance is a last resort. It is only one of the methods. If we cannot confirm him, we will still need your cooperation, Lord Liu. That is, to summon the people on the list in separate groups for meetings and release some specially crafted false information. Once that spy obtains the information, he will try to pass it on, and that is when he will reveal himself."

"What if his method of passing messages is too secretive and we still cannot find him?"

Zhou Shifa said quietly, "That is why it is specially crafted false information. Different information is told to different people. In the end, we see what information reaches the Later Jin side. That will confirm which group it came from, narrowing the scope of the investigation. It will be much easier then."

Liu Minyou nodded. "Fine. What do you need me to do? What information should I give?"

"I have a preliminary draft here. I am not very familiar with civil affairs, so I must ask you, my lord, to refine it. Since most of those involved are from the Civil Affairs Department, the information should not be too obvious. Do not directly mention troop movements, or it might arouse his suspicion. Arrange it according to your usual routine, my lord. It is essential that they deduce it themselves from your civil affairs arrangements. The information is divided into four batches, with different information given to different people. The first piece is shipping grain to Lüshun. The second is that the workshop has a new type of fire arrow requiring materials to be arranged. The third is to have the trading company prepare a large number of ships, with crews familiar with the sea routes near Dongjiang and Tieshan. The fourth is..."