Chapter 523: Defusing

"When did we get this news?"

"Seven days ago at the Ningyuan station. The source was Wu Xiang's residence. After he returned from Jinzhou, he summoned several advisors to discuss it. One of those advisors later spoke of it with two close friends, and one of those friends is an external contact of the Ningyuan station."

Outside Fuzhou City, Chen Xin stroked his chin as he listened to Zhou Shifa's report. Besides Zhou Shifa, Song Wenxian was also at his side. He was not surprised at the possibility of peace talks with the Jianzhou bandits. Huang Taiji had fled in panic at Caohe Fort; thousands of troops had been unable to take a position held by four hundred men. That must have left a shadow on Huang Taiji's mind.

"Any unusual movements from the Liaodong Provincial Governor or the Ningqian Military Defense Circuit?"

Zhou Shifa produced another piece of intelligence. "The Liaodong Provincial Governor's government office is a priority surveillance target. Most of its staff were brought in by Fang Yizao and have little interaction with locals. However, in the days after the Ningyuan station learned of this, several unfamiliar faces did visit Fang Yizao's residence. The Later Jin's terms are still unknown. I have dispatched capable officers to Ningyuan to take charge of this matter. In addition, an urgent dispatch has been sent to Zhang Dong and Zhang Dahui in Jingshi; news inside the imperial court is actually easier to gather."

Fang Yizao took office in the fifth year of Chongzhen. His jurisdiction only covers the area from Shanhai Pass to Jinzhou. After the Battle of Dalinghe, when Zu Dashou killed He Kegang and surrendered, the matter was exposed. Chongzhen grew worried about the Shanhai Pass fortress. Unwilling to leave it under Liaozhen's control, he detached Shanhai Pass from the Liaodong Provincial Governor's jurisdiction and established a Shanhai Pass-Yongping Provincial Governor. The first governor was Qiu Hejia, who at the time could not be punished.

Therefore, at this moment, there is no nominal Guanning Army; the troops of Liaozhen and Shanhai Pass are under separate commands. You Shiwei, the Regional Commander of Shanhai Pass, hails from Yulin Guard and has no close ties to the Liaodong military families. He was originally supposed to be dismissed after the Jianzhou bandits' second invasion of Xuanfu, but because Old Fourth Zhong unexpectedly killed Manggūltai, and Song Wenxian, in order to deal with Zhangjiakou, shared the credit for the kill with You Shiwei, Chongzhen, out of a desire to check Liaozhen's power, also let You Shiwei off. So You Shiwei is still sitting securely in the position of Shanhai Pass Regional Commander.

In recent years, Liaodong has seen no major battles. Fang Yizao has performed his duties as Provincial Governor adequately, keeping Liaozhen within limits the court can accept. He is considered a relatively capable governor. Historically, he served as Liaodong Provincial Governor from the fifth year of Chongzhen all the way to the thirteenth year. If he could pacify and enlist the Later Jin during his tenure, it would be a monumental achievement, one that no one could easily refuse.

"Shifa, what terms do you estimate the Jianzhou bandits will propose this time?"

"In my humble opinion, the terms the Jianzhou bandits proposed in the past were essentially outrageous demands, with no real intent to negotiate. Nominally, they would follow the precedent of tributary states like Korea, but in reality, they would act like the Turks during the early Tang dynasty. Not only would they refuse to withdraw beyond the border walls, they would also demand the court give them gold, silver, cloth, and silk annually, offering only some sable pelts and ginseng in exchange. The court's minimum demand is that they withdraw beyond the border walls. In my view, if His Majesty insists on this point, Huang Taiji absolutely cannot accept it. He can offer very few terms."

Song Wenxian laughed. "What Huang Taiji can offer is to follow the Korean precedent, acknowledging the Great Ming as his suzerain state, or to go a step further and accept enlistment, claiming to submit to the jurisdiction of civil officials. However, he will not hand over the wealth, population, or armored soldiers, or else his position would become unstable."

Zhou Shifa said in a low voice, "Sir Song has profound insight. But I believe even enlistment may be impossible. Those Banner Lords have always looked down on Han officials. They rarely kneel even to each other. To make them kneel and kowtow to a court-appointed Provincial Governor or Grand Coordinator would be immensely difficult. The matter of ritual alone would be enough to keep them talking. Even if Huang Taiji could agree, the ruling Beile would not consent."

Chen Xin looked at the two men and nodded. "So Huang Taiji's move is the same old trick: using talks to wait for change. He wants to use peace negotiations as bait to make the court restrain our Dengzhou garrison. Ideally, he wants to buy time to catch his breath after the autumn harvest, while watching the situation in the Central Plains. But this scheme won't work here, and we won't need to expend much effort."

Zhou Shifa and Song Wenxian said in unison, "Please instruct us, my lord."

"The key to this matter is neither Jinzhou nor Ningyuan. If the Later Jin wants peace talks, it ultimately has to go to Jingshi. Neither Fang Yizao nor Xiong Mingyu would dare to make a decision on their own. The best example is the several officials who privately negotiated peace in Xuanfu two years ago. So as long as Jingshi does not agree, it's useless even if Huang Taiji convinces everyone in Liaodong. Shifa, send someone immediately to inform Zhang Dahui. Spread rumors everywhere in Jingshi. Say that someone in Liaodong and the court has taken bribes from the Jianzhou bandits and is helping them negotiate peace and enlistment. The more outrageous the rumors, the better."

Song Wenxian laughed heartily. "First impressions prevail. Stir up a storm of public sentiment. That way, whoever dares to say a word of agreement will be marking themselves as that official who took bribes. When the time comes, a host of investigating censors will naturally rise up to strike them down. Huang Taiji probably still doesn't truly understand the court's system, nor that His Majesty's word is not truly absolute law."

Zhou Shifa also said, "This is an opportunity to earn fame, and those censors won't let it pass. Actually, based on my collected analysis of His Majesty's character, the possibility of His Majesty agreeing is also extremely slim, especially given the Jianzhou bandits' current weakness."

After settling this matter, Chen Xin turned to Song Wenxian. "I must also ask Mr. Song to make a trip to Ningyuan. Only your rank is sufficient. This time, you must meet Zu Dashou and discuss future matters with him. Explain the benefits thoroughly, and the drawbacks just as thoroughly. It would be best if Liaozhen could help. But even if they can't, they must not make private deals with the Jianzhou bandits. The war against the Later Jin is a matter of fundamental right and wrong. Ask him to recognize the greater trend. Otherwise, the guns of Dengzhou will no longer recognize friends from foes."

Song Wenxian agreed. The two men discussed a few more details among themselves. Chen Xin folded his arms across his chest, looked toward the direction of central Liao, and murmured, "Huang Taiji, your bargaining chips are running out."

Zhang Zhongqi followed behind a squad of Plain Blue Banner armored soldiers, slowly walking toward his own tun-bao. His tun-bao was also on the fertile plains of central Liao. Apart from going to war, he rarely ever left that place.

During the Battle of Caohe Fort, Zhang Zhongqi took advantage of the square formation's collapse to hide in the woods. He dared not flee back to the main road, as he would be beheaded by the armored soldiers enforcing the line there. Relying on years of experience and luck in escaping death, he fled in time when Dengzhou reinforcements appeared, once again saving his own life.

Dengzhou's eastern front offensive has largely concluded. Yue Tuo defended Lianshan Pass to the death. After two unsuccessful assaults, the Dengzhou garrison besieged it without attacking, completed their diversionary mission, and withdrew to Xiuyan. They retained some troops to garrison Tongyuanbao as a forward outpost and built two new forts in the Caohe river valley, making both Fenghuang City and Xiuyan secure rear areas. After stockpiling grain, the forces Dengzhou can commit will continue to increase, and the next offensive will be even more powerful.

On the western front in the Gaizhou direction, the Dengzhou garrison's total strength did not hold an advantage. The Dengzhou army withdrew to its starting line before the reinforcements Huang Taiji dispatched could arrive. Gaizhou City held out under Huang Taiji's strict orders. The performance of the Tianyou Army exceeded everyone's expectations. They were poor in field battles, but they defended the city with considerable zeal. Just like the Tianyou Army in history, they were stationed in Gaizhou, a place depopulated by war. This was granted to them by Huang Taiji. If they lost Gaizhou, they would have no place to settle.

But the situation in Gaizhou is also very dire. Spring planting was not completed from Gaizhou to Haizhou. The area around Gaizhou City is particularly desolate. This year, the Later Jin's garrisoned troops must rely on grain shipments from the rear, and the Later Jin's logistical pressure is growing increasingly severe.

For Zhang Zhongqi, he couldn't think about such distant matters. All he knew was that the Battle of Caohe Fort had resulted in heavy losses. Many armored soldiers and Han troops who fled into the mountains and forests failed to return. The losses were estimated to be around two thousand.

The squad of armored soldiers he followed belonged to the same Jala. Some had returned from Gaizhou, others from the eastern front. All were exhausted, men and horses alike. Last winter, even the people didn't have enough to eat. The horses, lacking concentrated feed, were also poorly cared for, and they looked even more emaciated after returning from battle.

Arriving outside his own tun-bao, they returned under the leadership of the Boshoku, Cergel. This Cergel had served in the battle-enforcing squad at the Battle of Caohe Fort. Zhang Zhongqi had no idea how he had finally managed to escape. After regrouping at Samaji Fort, this man had been taciturn the whole way. He used to curse and beat the Nikan at every turn, but now he no longer cursed. Instead, he often sighed.

When they reached the village entrance, Zhang Zhongqi handed his gun to Cergel. The other Han soldiers from the same fort did the same. Zhang Zhongqi felt no attachment to this gun; he only found it rather heavy to carry. He handed it to Cergel without any reluctance.

However, he knew this gun was very powerful. As long as one was hit, no armor could stop it. In normal times, each square formation had armored soldiers supervising the formation. The gunpowder was kept under their control. Zhang Zhongqi, being a banner-raiser, was considered a minor leader. The armored soldiers trusted him a bit more, and he had to help check if anyone was hiding gunpowder privately. Zhang Zhongqi knew these masters feared the Nikan would turn on them, but he had never entertained such a thought, nor did he worry about the masters' precautions.

After the weapons were handed over, Cergel called some bondservants to carry the guns away and store them in the Niru Ejen's home. According to the instructors' requirements, they needed regular maintenance. There would be inspections before future battles. Any Han soldier whose gun was not well-maintained would be summarily beheaded. Although the Later Jin army had conducted little collective training recently, military law remained harsh.

Zhang Zhongqi stepped aside to let the bondservants carrying the guns pass and walked along the street toward his own home. Not far from his house, he ran into Taketan, who also looked rather haggard, his queue even somewhat dry and brittle. Seeing Zhang Zhongqi, Taketan stopped.

Zhang Zhongqi quickly nodded and bowed. "Master Taketan, this slave heard you were also on campaign. Seeing you return safely, my heart is at ease."

Taketan stared at Zhang Zhongqi for a moment, then suddenly said in a gentle tone, "It is also very good that you could return."

Zhang Zhongqi raised his head in some surprise.

Taketan said softly, "Regarding the matter with Hailan that day, the elder Daishi later came to speak with me. He said he saw it clearly, that you had come up to help, and that I had wrongly blamed you."

Zhang Zhongqi said, moved, "It's good that Master understands. This slave came from Master's household. The old master... was also very good to this slave. This slave would never harm Master."

"I understand. You and I have faced life and death together many times. I trust you." Taketan nodded, was silent for a moment, then stepped aside. "Hurry home and see. Your family..."

Zhang Zhongqi lunged forward and grabbed Taketan. "What about my family? What happened?"

Taketan did not push him away but avoided his gaze. "That old bondservant of your family was taken away by the village head of Master Laidaku's household to perform labor service. He died out there some days ago."

"What about my wife and child?"

"They are both there. Just yesterday, I gave them some grain to help them out."

Zhang Zhongqi panted heavily, a complex look in his eyes. He abruptly lifted his leg and ran toward his home. Taketan grabbed him and advised in a low voice, "Don't cause trouble. Master Laidaku is not like the previous Ejen. He is extremely harsh toward the Nikan. You must not show any discontent whatsoever. A bondservant dying is just dying. Next time, just capture another one and bring him back."

Zhang Zhongqi agreed repeatedly as he broke free from Taketan and sprinted toward his home. He pushed open the broken door made of branches and immediately collapsed limp on the ground at the sound of a child's familiar crying coming from inside the house. (To be continued.)

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