Chapter 533: Escape from Danger

Zhang Dahui saw this comrade he had parted from less than two hours ago, and his heart first leaped with joy — this man was an intelligence expert, and with his cover he could surely shake off any possible factory guards. But the scene before him now felt somehow wrong. The sharp intuition honed by years of secret work also told him something was off, because if they were coming to extract him, Zhang Dong would not have come alone; there would certainly be an action team providing cover nearby, and they would be within line of sight. Yet Zhang Dahui had spotted nothing at all. Zhang Dong's past conduct immediately surfaced in his mind — they were both from the Intelligence Bureau, and Zhang Dong's actions were no secret.

Zhang Dong was beckoning faintly, signaling Zhang Dahui to follow him. People came and went all around, yet Zhang Dahui felt as if he were stranded in a wilderness bristling with hidden dangers.

All these thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning. Zhang Dahui showed almost no flicker of surprise on his face. He turned his head directly and nodded toward the mouth of the alley beside him. The alley was empty, but Zhang Dahui's manner made it seem as if he were telling someone to leave. From Zhang Dong's position, he could not see the situation inside the alley, and a subtle change came over his cold gaze.

After glancing twice into the alley, Zhang Dahui took the initiative and stepped toward Zhang Dong, preventing Zhang Dong from walking over and seeing the conditions inside the lane. He came right up to Zhang Dong without adopting any defensive posture. "Brother Dong, what are you doing here? Did the barbarians come after you too?"

Zhang Dong glanced at the alley mouth, then shook his head slightly. "I came to extract you. I heard someone means you harm. Since you have people covering you, I can rest easy."

Zhang Dahui said with a trace of urgency, "Brother Dong, it's not just me they're after. A lot of our contact points may have been discovered by the barbarians."

"A lot of contact points?" Zhang Dong's eyes remained fixed on Zhang Dahui's face.

"Right." Zhang Dahui's mind raced. Right now he needed to stall Zhang Dong and buy time. He spoke in a low voice. "Just now, when I came out from Qian Yuanke's place and went to the teahouse to pick up intelligence, I spotted barbarian watchers outside the teahouse. I had to slip out the back. I also sent another man to walk through the alley and check the surroundings. Brother Dong, have you spotted any barbarian watchers on this street?"

Zhang Dong shook his head. He had been observing Zhang Dahui's expression all along. After years of accumulated experience, the Intelligence Bureau had developed its own set of methods for judging whether someone was lying, similar in principle to the rough seven-step interrogation technique Chen Xin had used back in the day.

Zhang Dong was able to be here because he had predicted in advance that Zhang Dahui might emerge from this contact point. Their usual method was exactly this: the waiter and the shopkeeper inside the teahouse were both Intelligence Bureau personnel. If someone passed through the teahouse main hall to tail Zhang Dahui, they would find ways to delay them or send someone to provide backup from behind.

He had separated from the cover team at the south end of Qipan Street and had not told the cover team where he was going. That confidant's words had, in truth, planted a seed in his heart, which was why he had appeared alone on this back street.

Zhang Dong heard Zhang Dahui say there were barbarian watchers at the front entrance. After carefully studying Zhang Dahui's expression, he detected no flaw. Zhang Dong knew that Zhang Dahui also understood this set of techniques and had very likely trained himself in how not to reveal a flaw.

Unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, Zhang Dong was forced to shift his attention. He quickly scanned the surroundings and spotted no one suspicious. But if there really were barbarians up ahead, they might have followed Zhang Dahui out, and the teahouse staff might have come out to check as well. Most of those intelligence operatives had met Zhang Dong, so for the moment Zhang Dong dared not make a move against Zhang Dahui.

Moreover, Zhang Dahui's earlier gesture toward the alley mouth also made Zhang Dong hesitate. It suggested Zhang Dahui might have subordinates nearby. If he acted and killed Zhang Dahui, then as long as anyone saw him before he left the scene, it would leave him endless trouble. After all, he knew Chen Xin's style very well, and he also knew the relationship between Zhang Dahui and Chen Xin.

Zhang Dong was thoroughly familiar with Zhang Dahui's combat skills. The man had a nimble mind but had never been willing to train hard in martial arts. Zhang Dong was confident he could kill him in two or three moves, yet the conditions right now simply prevented him from making that decision.

"I'll take you away from here, to one of my safe houses," Zhang Dong said to Zhang Dahui.

Zhang Dahui shook his head. "Brother Dong, don't forget the Intelligence Bureau regulations. At our level, we can't mix safe houses. Your younger brother has his own preparations. It seems now the factory guards are making their move. A familiar face like mine isn't suited to stay in the capital. From now on, the capital will rely on you, Brother Dong. I'll go back to Denglai. After all these years, I'm bone-weary. I'll just take it easy under Big Brother Liu as a section chief."

Zhang Dong finally showed a hint of a smile. At that moment, one of Zhang Dahui's subordinates appeared behind him. Spotting Zhang Dahui's back, the man stopped at the rear door of the tea shop.

Zhang Dong recognized the man and immediately abandoned all his schemes. He said to Zhang Dahui, "This place is unsafe to linger. Leave as quickly as you can. I'll cover you as far as Xijiaomi Lane."

Zhang Dahui glanced back and spotted his own subordinate as well. His suspended heart settled at once. He cupped his hands toward Zhang Dong and said, "No need to trouble you, Brother Dong. A few of my men will be here any moment."

"Take care on the journey." Zhang Dong cupped his hands. He decisively abandoned the risky venture and headed directly west into a hutong, quickly vanishing from Zhang Dahui's sight.

Zhang Dahui let out a long breath. After surveying his surroundings, he continued south. The subordinate behind him provided cover all the way to Xijiaomi Lane. Zhang Dahui did not go directly to the safe house. He doubled back multiple times on Xijiaomin Lane, and only after confirming he was not being followed did he dismiss the subordinate who had been covering him.

Zhang Dahui made a wide detour and finally reached his safe house. This was a civilian dwelling he had purchased under a false identity from Xuanfu. He alone knew of it. Inside were ample silver, clothes, and grain — enough for him to lie low for a period — as well as several weapons for self-defense. He had two such safe houses, prepared for use if the core personnel in the capital were captured, meaning when all backup contact points were compromised. In his heart, he was deeply grateful for Song Wenxian's reminder back then, which had prompted him to prepare these two safe houses with care.

Now, for Zhang Dahui, that scenario seemed to be unfolding. Because transmitting messages was difficult, he did not know whether the factory guards had made moves elsewhere, nor whether anyone from the Dengzhou Intelligence Bureau had been arrested. He had to prioritize protecting himself, because he knew the most.

And Zhang Dong's actions were highly suspicious. Although Zhang Dahui had not caught any solid evidence, that did not stop him from bearing a grudge against Zhang Dong. Zhang Dahui was not afraid of him now, because Zhang Dong would absolutely never dare use the Intelligence Bureau's resources against him — that would leave a fatal handle against Zhang Dong himself. If it ever leaked out, Chen Xin wouldn't even need to act; Zhou Shifa would take his life. For someone like Zhang Dong, he would never let a handle fall into another's hands — not even into the hands of his own confidants. So Zhang Dong alone could never find Zhang Dahui.

Zhang Dahui set aside his worries. After tidying everything up, he lay back on the bed. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the roof tiles, casting faint halos of light. At this moment, it felt just like years ago when he had first come to the capital alone — in this city of a million souls, filled with loneliness. Then later, he had commanded wind and rain in the capital. Now, at last, the time had come for him to leave alone.

Zhang Dahui stared at the ceiling and murmured, "The eighth year of Chongzhen. Almost five years. Back to Denglai, back home… I will return to the capital, and Zhang Dong, you remember this."

…

In late May of the eighth year of Chongzhen, just as Zhang Dahui quietly set out on his journey home, another grain shortage struck the areas along the Grand Canal. The rampant bandits had reduced grain output in the northern territories of the Great Ming and in Huguang. Excessive commercialization in Jiangnan had made the region extremely dependent on Huguang and Jiangxi for grain. Now, the largest granary, Huguang, had suffered a poor harvest, and grain prices throughout Jiangnan had been rising steadily.

This year's grain shortage struck with even greater ferocity than the last. Grain prices began to rise starting from Yangzhou. At every dock along the Grand Canal, people were buying up grain. Aside from the imperial court's tribute grain barges, which could proceed north unhindered, local officials, gentry, and the Canal Guild everywhere were intercepting grain ships, demanding they release their grain locally. Even the contraband carried by the tribute barges rarely made it past Tianjin.

Grain prices in places like Tongzhou rapidly soared to nearly four taels. In Yongping, Luanzhou, Guanning, and other areas, prices were even more staggering, reaching six or seven taels per shi in Yongping and Luanzhou. And the final wave of grain-price suppression the previous year had driven many traveling merchants into bankruptcy.

The high grain prices caused many locals to flee famine. Commerce around Yongping withered and the population thinned, making transportation costs even higher. Many merchants in the capital were holding back and watching. The only ones who still dared to transport goods to the Guanning region were the large commercial houses backed by high-ranking court officials. And these people were in league with the Four Seas Trading Company. They shared not only the profits from grain but also from cigarettes, cotton cloth, southern goods, and more. In terms of financial strength, the capital they could mobilize was far inferior to the Four Seas Bank, which had absorbed vast amounts of silver deposits this year. Moreover, having tasted the sweet profits the previous year, they all kept in step with the Four Seas Trading Company, releasing grain only in small quantities and maintaining high profits with minimal goods.

The previous year, the Four Seas Trading Company had bought up large numbers of private vessels in Tianjin. Many of those boats now sat idle in Tianjin, unmoving. The volume of seaborne shipments to Guanning was very small. Then, in early June, sailors were suddenly recruited, and the ships left port for an unknown destination. The Four Seas Trading Company also sent people to hire the remaining vessels, supposedly to go to Denglai to haul cotton cloth.

With both sea and land routes disrupted, the densely populated Liaoxi region fell into a severe grain shortage. One urgent dispatch after another pleading for grain flew toward the capital. Chongzhen sternly ordered the Ministry of Revenue to make up the shortfall as quickly as possible. But by now, the power of the imperial court was far inferior to the Dengzhou system. The various corrupt practices and inefficiencies of officialdom in the late Ming era only widened this gap.

By mid-June, grain prices in Liaozhen had reached ten taels. The previous year's wave had already stripped the common people of Liaoxi of their silver savings. Many garrison soldiers' households had no grain to last the next day. After the grain in kind shipped by the court was skimmed and divided up by officers at every level, it was basically only enough to feed the garrison soldiers themselves. Many of the officers in Liaozhen also opened their own grain shops, using various methods to buy grain from the Four Seas Trading Company and its associates, then selling it to the Liaozhen garrison soldiers. The soldiers' silver pay was thus recycled back to the merchants and officers through the high grain prices.

Many Liaozhen officers had long been trading in Four Seas Trading Company goods. Key Liaozhen commanders like Wu Xiang, Zu Dale, and Zu Kuan had also grown rich by engaging in transit trade with the Mongols and the Guanning region through the Four Seas Trading Company. Zu Dashou himself was much the same. After the previous year, the Four Seas Trading Company had seized control of the Liaoxi trade routes, and officers at every level became increasingly entangled with Four Seas. Unknowingly, Dengzhou had already bound the Liaoxi military families with commerce.

By the time Zu Dashou realized the scheme within, these interests had become impossible to untangle. Zu Dashou's control over Liaozhen relied primarily on marriage alliances and shared interests. The trading shops of the various officers were a crucial source of their income, allowing them to support more retainers and gain greater status within Liaozhen. These were interests that even Zu Dashou dared not touch, for doing so would destroy the very foundation of his control over Liaozhen.

This was also the first time Zu Dashou had encountered someone like Chen Xin who operated this way. In the past, the Later Jin had mostly relied on military intimidation, sending troops periodically to deliver a beating, then privately reaching out to the Zu family army. But the current Dengzhou garrison was pervasive and all-penetrating. Although Zu Dashou could not defeat the Later Jin in battle, defending the city was no problem for him. Yet now, he could find no way to counter the Dengzhou garrison.

But the grain shortage had to be resolved. Left with no choice, Zu Dashou prepared to once again send Wu Xiang to Denglai. Wu Xiang was a familiar visitor to Dengzhou, and he did not decline the mission. This time, however, he brought an extra person along.

Before his departure, Wu Xiang made a trip to Jinzhou. This was Zu Dashou's main base. Ever since the killing of He Kegang had been exposed, Zu Dashou had adopted the attitude of a warlord and had remained holed up in Jinzhou. The question of Jinzhou was no longer whether the court was willing to withdraw. If Chongzhen insisted on abandoning Jinzhou, then Zu Dashou would have no choice but to defect to the Later Jin. Thus, the court could only continue to sustain Liaozhen in this manner.

Zu Dashou appeared to be a regional warlord, but in reality his situation was far worse than Dengzhou's. Chen Xin faced the sea on three sides and only fought the Later Jin in Liaonan, leaving his rear area completely secure. Zu Dashou, on the other hand, was surrounded by enemies on all four sides. To say he was carving out a fief in Jinzhou would be less accurate than to say he had cut off his own escape routes and was forced to hole up in Jinzhou alone, not even daring to go to Ningyuan, where Fang Yizao was stationed.

Wu Xiang's party came from Ningyuan. Along the route, beacon towers stood in dense clusters, and the entire stretch between Ningyuan and Jinzhou was shielded by fortresses large and small. If there had been an elite force capable of field battles against the Later Jin, this defensive line could have been relied upon. But the Ming army's problem remained field combat and mobility. Fortresses that had lost their offensive capability could not fulfill the true purpose of a fortress.

Wu Xiang entered the city through the south gate. Arrayed on the city wall here were two Hongyi cannons and a large number of old-style Grand General cannons, Frankish breech-loaders, and the like. It looked extremely formidable. But Wu Xiang knew that while this kind of defensive line could withstand an attack by the Jianzhou bandits, it could not withstand a siege.

Jinzhou's city walls were strong. Zu Dashou had originally planned to store a year's worth of grain here. Given the current situation in Liaodong, that would have been sufficient, because with the Dengzhou garrison tying down the Later Jin in Liaonan, the Later Jin lacked the strength to mobilize a large army to besiege him for a full year. At most, they could launch brief plundering raids. However, due to the grain shortage, Zu Dashou's grain reserves currently stood at only three months.

Because of his current predicament, Zu Dashou could only concentrate his forces as much as possible in Jinzhou. He had even moved the craftsmen who had previously manufactured cannons for Liaozhen into Jinzhou, right on the front line. If he had even a little room to maneuver, he would not be so cramped.

The consequence of his doing this was that after the Battle of Song-Jin, Huang Taiji captured intact the Ming army's high-level cannon-manufacturing system. Wang Tianxiang and Jin Shixiang, who had originally been in charge of the Later Jin's "Heaven-Blessed Awe-Inspiring Grand General" cannons, were immediately transferred to Jinzhou. Relying on those captured craftsmen, the Later Jin managed, within a single year, to produce the considerably more advanced "Divine Might Invincible Grand General" cannon. The technique used was an iron core with a bronze body. The barrel thickness was reduced by thirty to fifty percent compared to the old cannons. The cannon weighed around 3,600 jin, with a barrel length twenty times the bore diameter. It used five jin of gunpowder and fired a ten-jin ball — a vast improvement over the original Heaven-Blessed Awe-Inspiring Grand General cannons, which often weighed over 5,000 jin. Thus, in the production of Hongyi cannons, they approached the standard of the Great Ming.

After the Ming-dynasty Hongyi cannon was introduced to China, Chinese craftsmen rapidly made improvements. Before the first year of Chongzhen, they had already created the unique technology of the iron-core bronze-body Hongyi cannon (Note 1), making the cannons lighter and more portable while also capable of withstanding higher bore pressures. In the craftsmanship of that era, it surpassed the West. Even though the Later Jin's level improved greatly by the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, it still could not match the Great Ming's standard. In the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Wu Sangui cast the "Pacify-Liao Grand General" cannon. Though its barrel was slightly thinner than the Later Jin's, its tube was twenty to forty percent longer than the Divine Might Invincible Grand General (366 cm). The higher bore-diameter ratio gave the cannonball a higher muzzle velocity, and in technical terms it still steadily surpassed the Later Jin.

Wu Xiang, of course, was not pondering so many questions at that moment. After entering the city, he went straight to Zu Dashou's Regional Commander's residence. Zu Dashou received this brother-in-law in his study. Accompanying Wu Xiang inside was a young military officer.

After Zu Dashou had them seated, he spoke to Wu Xiang with a grim expression. "Lianghuan, on this trip to Dengzhou, you must get a clear answer on Chen Xin's intentions. It was one thing for him to create a grain shortage last year to make silver, but he can't come to our Ning-Jin every year to bleed us dry."

"Fuyu, rest assured. On this mission, I will certainly get a clear answer. Chen Xin fighting the Jianzhou bandits is one thing, but what's the meaning of causing a grain shortage in Guanning year after year?"

Zu Dashou said flatly, "Last time Song Wenxian came, the implication was that he could at least guarantee our wealth and status. It seems Chen Xin at minimum intends to take Liaodong. Once the Dengzhou garrison occupies Liaodong, it will be far more powerful than the Jianzhou bandits. Liaodong alone, needless to say, could support two to three million people. Moreover, they would hold the three prefectures of Deng, Lai, and Qing, placing the Shandong section of the Grand Canal right under their noses."

"Commander, truth be told, this Chen Xin is actually more formidable than Huang Taiji. The current grain shortage, while not good for us, also shows that Chen Xin does not use ordinary methods. Never mind him cutting off the Grand Canal — if he simply creates a grain shortage like this once a year, the capital will sooner or later become the Chen family's. Our Liaozhen sits in this critical position. If several sides remain locked in stalemate, that would naturally be best. But if one side has already become unstoppable, we had better choose sides early."

The young military officer beside them heard this and looked up at Zu Dashou. He saw that Zu Dashou's brows were tightly furrowed. The leading figure of the Zu family army had grown much more haggard over these past two years.

After a long moment, Zu Dashou finally spoke. "Huang Taiji sued for peace last time, which shows he too is being forced into a corner by Dengzhou. Dengzhou and the Dongjiang army are already approaching central Liao. Anyone can see the Later Jin is in dire straits. Joseon has arrested the Later Jin envoys and handed them over to Dongjiang Garrison. Among the Mongols, sudden changes have also occurred recently. I hear that people from various tribes went to Liaonan to observe Dengzhou's spring offensive and were so terrified by Dengzhou's military might that they nearly lost their souls. After returning, they deliberately distanced themselves from the Later Jin. From all indications, Huang Taiji is walking the same old path as the old chieftain, surrounded by enemies on all sides."

"That is why your subordinate says Chen Xin never uses ordinary methods. Who would have thought he would invite the Mongols to watch Dengzhou go to war? I hear those Mongols went as far as Lianshan Pass and saw with their own eyes the Later Jin troops cowering inside, not daring to come out. Lianshan Pass is already close to central Liao, yet the Later Jin was still unable to counterattack. Those Mongols are all fence-sitters. With Dengzhou luring them again with commerce, they naturally no longer dare to stay so close to the Later Jin."

Zu Dashou said bluntly, "Fine. On this trip, speak openly with Chen Xin. Put it plainly: how many benefits will he give us, and how will he guarantee the safety of our lives and property?"

"Your subordinate obeys."

Zu Dashou raised his head and addressed the young military officer. "Sangui, on this trip, observe more and learn more. Your father and I are both old. Lianghuan has been to Denglai several times but hasn't seen it clearly. You, a young man, go and discern the real skill behind it. If we truly cannot learn to do the same, then we should negotiate terms with Dengzhou early, so that in our future actions we will know where we stand, and avoid ending up in an awkward position again."

The young military officer knelt and said, "Your nephew will remember. Uncle, you are a hero of the age, one who has weathered countless storms. There is no need to fear the Dengzhou garrison in every respect. Our Liaozhen is also the strongest garrison among the Nine Border Garrisons. On this trip, Sangui will help Uncle see whether the Dengzhou garrison truly has the capability to swallow us whole."

……

Note 1: The "Chongzhen First Year Victorious Flying Sky-Scouring Border-Pacifying Cannon" was a small red-barbarian cannon cast using iron-core bronze-body technology, using two jin of powder and two to three jin of shot. It is currently preserved at the Badaling Great Wall Museum of China. The Later Jin only mastered this technology in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen by capturing craftsmen, thereby producing the "Divine Might Invincible Grand General Cannon," which approached Great Ming standards. (To be continued..)