Chapter 430: If Not That, It Is Still That

Amid swirling snow, a procession of carriages bearing ceremonial regalia arrived before a grand mansion. In front of the main gate stood a red spirit screen; the courtyard was vast, and the gate itself featured upturned eaves and angled brackets, its lintel carved with all manner of wooden fretwork.

A strange four-wheeled carriage in the middle halted before the gate. Its curtain was drawn back, revealing Liang Tingdong's ruddy face. Supported by a household servant, he stepped down from the carriage. The gatekeeper of the Wen residence came forward to greet him, bowing to Liang Tingdong with a manner both warm and poised — neither obsequious nor haughty. They say a gatekeeper at a grand secretary's gate ranks as a seventh-grade official. This gatekeeper's bearing was so apt that, had he taken the imperial examinations and entered officialdom, he would have been more adept at currying favor than many officials. Liang Tingdong was on familiar terms with the gatekeeper; he chatted with him cordially, and the two entered Wen Tiren's mansion together through a side gate.

The Wen residence covered a vast area, with over a dozen small courtyards arranged symmetrically along a north-south central axis. Wen Tiren lived in the central section. Along the way, rockeries and fish ponds lined the path; though the flowers and trees were withered, the crisscrossing bare branches possessed a distinct charm, a landscape of the snow country all their own.

Nor was the Wen residence as thronged with visitors as one might imagine. Those without connections who came calling were usually met with a closed door. Wen Tiren was extremely cautious in this regard; those who came with petitions were generally his trusted confidants. People who merely offered silver now found it very difficult to see him directly.

The gatekeeper led Liang Tingdong to the study. Inside, it was spacious and elegantly understated; the furnishings and decorations showed no trace of extravagance. Two charcoal braziers stood in the center, warming the room like spring. The gaunt Wen Tiren was practicing calligraphy. Seeing Liang Tingdong enter, he set down his brush and came forward to greet him.

"My lord, what refined taste," Liang Tingdong said to Wen Tiren in flattery.

"Minister of War, come, sit and talk," Wen Tiren greeted Liang Tingdong courteously. Lately, Liang Tingdong had handled all affairs of the Ministry of War very well, especially the great victory at Lushun. Both Wang Tingshi and Chen Xin had praised Liang Tingdong's strategic planning in their victory dispatches, stating that the Lushun defense line had benefited from Liang Tingdong's guidance, capturing the essence of Western-style gun platforms, and thus had been able to withstand the Jianzhou Bandits' tidal-wave assaults.

With this achievement, the Emperor was extremely satisfied with him. At present, the southwest was pacified, and the northern roving bandits were trapped in a narrow area of Yubei. The mountain and Shaanxi border forces had sealed off the north. The Henan Mao troops, Sichuan troops, and the forces from Changping, Baoding, Great Ming, and the capital garrison had sealed off the east; to the west and south lay the surging Yellow River.

Although the two prefectures of Huaiqing and Weihui had been looted clean, the roving bandits had caused the autumn grain harvest to yield nothing. With winter's arrival, the bandits had nowhere to forage. Large numbers of refugees froze and starved to death in Yubei. Coupled with the capture of Tongtian Liang, who was sent to Jingshi and executed, the morale of the Thirty-Six Camps was utterly spent. No one at court believed they could still wreak havoc; it was only a matter of time before tens of thousands of elite troops wiped them out in one stroke.

"The court deliberation has already passed. His Majesty's most favored choice is also you. In the future, you will be a colleague in the Grand Secretariat."

Liang Tingdong replied steadily, "It is His Majesty's profound grace, but I must also thank you, venerable sir, for your promotion. When I walk the halls of the Grand Secretariat in the future, should anything be amiss, I must still ask you, my lord, for guidance."

Wen Tiren smiled and shook his head. "The Grand Secretariat is the highest place for us literati, but it is not the highest place in the imperial court. If you want things to go smoothly, you must maintain harmonious relations with the Directorate of Ceremonial. Follow custom and pay a visit to the Seal-Holding Eunuch. You should also show some token of regard to the several Eunuch Scribes. You have been in the capital for many years and understand these matters well. How to handle them needs no further words from me."

"I understand," Liang Tingdong said, assuming the attentive posture of one leaning in to listen.

"As for official posts, I would have preferred you to serve as Minister of Personnel, but it seems His Majesty is unwilling to let anyone else serve as Minister of War, which has caused some vexation. It is also true that in these past ten-plus years, your tenure has seen the most major victories against the Jianzhou Bandits. After this battle at Lushun, some are already speaking of pacifying Liaodong in three years. His Majesty's heart may be somewhat stirred by this. At such a critical juncture, it is only reasonable that he will not release you from your post. You must harbor no resentment in your heart."

Liang Tingdong felt somewhat helpless. In truth, ever since Wang Yongguang stepped down, he had always wanted to transfer to the Ministry of Personnel. His current post filled him with trepidation, especially during the half-year siege of Dalinghe, when he could scarcely sleep peacefully at night. Fortunately, his luck was not bad. Hong Chengchou and Cao Wenzhao in Shaanxi were very capable, and Dengzhou Garrison, in particular, always delivered victory dispatches at critical moments. Only thus had he kept his position as Minister of War. But now, ironically, it was precisely these military merits that forced him to remain as Minister of War.

"How could I possibly utter words of resentment? If His Majesty has already decided on this course, I can only devote myself utterly to the task until my dying breath."

"It is right that you think this way." Wen Tiren stood up, paced a few steps in the room, then turned to Liang Tingdong and said, "Among the great affairs of state, Liaodong remains the top priority. Although the Jianzhou Bandits have suffered minor setbacks, their strength remains. Therefore, regarding Chen Xin, you must show him more consideration. When Liu Yulie proposed transferring Zhu Guobin to Datong as Regional Commander, you absolutely must not agree. Though Chen Xin is courteous, what he dislikes most is anyone meddling with his men, horses, money, or grain. The earlier matter of Zhu Wannian — I later heard it was handled by Song Wenxian — was precisely because Zhu Wannian opposed him in Denglai. Chen Xin can fight and understands how to conduct himself. While you are in the Ministry of War, you should help him. Reciprocity is what makes a relationship lasting."

"I understand. Liu Yulie is a cornered dog leaping over the wall. Lately, he has been incessantly harping on Dengzhou Garrison's refusal to heed Xuan Mo's orders in Henan, and he has been clamoring that fierce generals should not be concentrated in one corner of Denglai. He wants to reassign the officers under Dengzhou Garrison. Just yesterday, he proposed transferring Dai Zhenggang to Liaodong and adding a new Regional Commander at Qiantun. It is nothing more than an attempt to drag Chen Xin into the fray, merely accusing Dengzhou Garrison of using military power to assert self-importance, and then dragging in the matter of frontier generals attaching themselves to Grand Secretaries, so that the supervising censors will no longer focus on Zhou Yanru's affairs. I will absolutely not permit him to cause such mischief."

Liang Tingdong thought for a moment and then added, "It's just that Chen Xin has already reached the highest rank of military office. Recently, he seems wholly intent on making money and becoming a wealthy man, always thinking about business and incessantly seizing land in Denglai. I also worry that his heart is no longer on the battlefield. Lately, with Dengzhou Garrison seizing land among the populace, many of the local gentry have fled to the capital, seeking out relatives and friends in office to cry injustice. They say Dengzhou Garrison relies on its strength to run rampant, wantonly plundering private wealth, setting up commercial checkpoints in Denglai to collect taxes, and even privately drilling troops with seditious intent. Just yesterday, a supervising censor in the War Section submitted a memorial, stating that Chen Xin was seizing gold mines in Zhaoyuan to compete with the people for profit."

Wen Tiren narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Just looking at how these people can find connections upon reaching the capital, they are no common folk. Chen Xin is a military commander. How many generals have you seen who reason things out? As for the claim that he plots sedition, what is your view?"

"Such memorials have been submitted several times. His Majesty has kept them all without issuing a response. I have also learned some superficial details. The grounds cited are land seizure, establishing fortifications, and training private troops — these few items."

Wen Tiren stroked his beard and said leisurely, "Then think about Liaozhen. Is it not the same? The same items, only Liaoxi is narrow, so less land is seized. If one must speak of a difference, it is not that Liaozhen cannot defeat Dengzhou Garrison. However, I see Chen Xin as still resembling Liaozhen — merely an earlier version of Liaozhen."

Liang Tingdong lowered his voice. "Venerable sir, do you mean Li Chengliang?"

Wen Tiren lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said pensively, "When an official reaches the pinnacle, he can only contend for wealth and property. Everyone says Chen Xin is another Qi Jiguang, but I see he wishes to be a Li Chengliang. In his day, Li Chengliang had eight thousand retainers in Liaodong, while his regular troops numbered no more than three to five thousand. Which retainer was not a private soldier? Each had land and a house. Where did Li Chengliang's land come from? It certainly didn't fall from the sky. The border trade with the Mongols was also entirely in Li Chengliang's hands. How is that different from what Chen Xin is doing now? If Chen Xin does not amass some capital, on what grounds will his subordinates sell their lives for him? Whatever he wants, let him have it. We are fortunate he also has some skill in business. As for the claim that Chen Xin plots sedition, even Liu Yulie himself does not believe it. Every time Chen Xin encounters the Jianzhou Bandits, he fights until he is battered and exhausted. In Dengzhou, he has offended every single member of the gentry and scholar-official class. He does not win the hearts of the literati, and he has fought back and forth with the local populace of Denglai several times. What kind of sedition is this supposed to be?"

"Hearing you put it that way, my lord, it is indeed so. I also feel that Commander Chen is not that sort of person, but I had not thought it through as thoroughly as you have."

Wen Tiren turned to look at Liang Tingdong and smiled. "The Minister of War is about to enter the Grand Secretariat. In the future, court affairs will be numerous and complicated. There will always be matters that are thus — what you cannot control, let be."

Liang Tingdong pondered inwardly. In truth, Wen Tiren's words carried a considerable intent to exonerate Chen Xin. He knew that Wen Tiren also benefited from Chen Xin's trading company. Wen Tiren had even sent his own household servant with his name card to Shandong, carrying a verbal message to Xu Congzhi, hinting that Xu Congzhi should look after the trading company's business. He would never cut off his own financial path. At that, he asked no more about Dengzhou Garrison's affairs and turned to discussing current court politics with Wen Tiren.

After emerging from Wen Tiren's mansion, Liang Tingdong boarded his carriage again. The ceremonial guard ahead first cleared the street. Then the carriage slowly started moving. The interior was far more spacious than the previous carriages. This carriage was four-wheeled, also a gift from Chen Xin. Dengzhou currently had only a small number of four-wheeled passenger vehicles; the military versions lacked shock-absorbing devices, but their cargo transport efficiency was far superior to two-wheeled carts. The four wheels themselves could bear weight, so the draft mules or horses did not need to support the vehicle's weight.

The Ming Dynasty also had four-wheeled carriages, but they lacked a steering mechanism and were used only in specific southern regions. A large sixteen-yoke cart could transport fifty dan of goods (see Tiangong Kaiwu). The West had a front-wheel steering device as early as the first century BC, but until the late Ming, this not particularly complex device had not been widely adopted in the East.

This Dengzhou four-wheeled vehicle had a front-wheel steering device, connected to the chassis via a rotating pivot, allowing the four-wheeled carriage to turn with relative agility. This passenger vehicle for officials also had primitive leaf-spring shock absorption underneath, making it far more comfortable than the original two-wheeled carriages. More importantly, its exterior showed no ostentation, while the interior was exquisitely refined. This point greatly suited the tastes of capital officials, as it could spare them the attention of the supervising censors.

Liang Tingdong reclined comfortably in the seat, stroking the pearwood armrest wrapped in fox fur. Though a small design, this armrest allowed the arm to relax. The backrest also had a curve like a Grand Tutor's chair, fitting snugly when one leaned back. The seat was very warm, for beneath it was a small copper stove, into which a servant added charcoal from outside.

Wisps of fragrance drifted from the incense burner on its stand. Liang Tingdong, who favored sandalwood, felt even more at ease. He could be said to be utterly fond of this carriage. Lately, he had not even taken his sedan chair, using this carriage whenever he went out. This item was something money could not buy anywhere in the capital at present. Chen Xin had only given one to each high official with whom he was well-acquainted. Outsiders who wished to copy it could not even find a sample vehicle, because none of these officials would lend theirs out.

This carriage also had a brand name, written along the lower edge on all four sides of the cabin, called "Dongli" (Eastern Hedge), which suited these officials who dabbled in artistic pretensions. Several of Chen Tingdong's trusted subordinates in the Ministry of War were all asking him where they could buy such a carriage.

"Lord Wen speaks reason. Even if it were so, what can we do about it? What cannot be controlled, let be." Liang Tingdong pulled over the small square brocade blanket beside him and draped it over his legs, narrowing his eyes and murmuring to himself.

His relationship with Chen Xin was now extremely close. Military merits, armaments, warhorses, Liaodong Tax kickbacks, the trading company, the money shop, and so on — Chen Xin could always provide whatever Liang Tingdong needed, and he could always obtain the best armaments from the Ministry of War. Meanwhile, Liang Tingdong received over seventy thousand taels of silver annually from Dengzhou Garrison, not counting the ceremonial gifts for certain ad hoc matters. More importantly, the two were also political allies. Chen Xin could not go to Wen Tiren for every single matter; it was with the Ministry of War that he had the most dealings. Liang Tingdong needed Dengzhou's military merits for support, and also needed Dengzhou to suppress Liaozhen and other military cliques. Chen Xin, in turn, needed Liang Tingdong to speak for him at court.

Outside, ice and snow filled the sky; inside the cabin, warmth pervaded. Liang Tingdong closed his eyes to rest. "Li Chengliang it is, then. If not that, it is still that." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at Qidian.)