Chapter 54: A Cooperative Relationship

On the twenty-second day of the eighth month of the seventh year of Tianqi, the Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youxiao passed away, at the age of twenty-three. Zhu Youxiao lived even shorter than his short-lived father, though at least he was emperor for seven years — his father only lasted two months. By Chen Xin's standards, Tianqi's life wasn't too bad. On the twenty-fourth day of the eighth month, his younger brother Zhu Youjian ascended the throne, setting the reign title for the following year as Chongzhen.

When the emperor died, people spread the news and discussed it a bit, but no one wept inconsolably on television. After all, it was the Zhu family's realm — common folk couldn't elect an emperor anyway, so life went on as usual. No one else was in a hurry, but Chen Xin alone stood outside every day watching the street corner, waiting for Song Wenxian and Dai Zhenggang to return, nearly turning into a Wangfu Stone at the gate. Lu Lvzi bought a house in Jingshi and returned to Tianjin on the tenth day of the ninth month. Liu Minyou's clothing shop business hadn't improved much — though better than other clothing shops, it fell far short of the Issey Miyake he envisioned, so he went to the shop early every day, reportedly developing new products.

The wait stretched until the thirtieth day of the ninth month. Chen Xin was as usual peering out from the doorway when he finally spotted the travel-worn Song Wenxian and Dai Zhenggang. The moment Chen Xin saw them, he jumped up in excitement and hurried to greet them. Song Wenxian wore a look of smug satisfaction.

"Brother Chen, I have not failed the mission. The documents from the Shandong Regional Military Commission are all settled." As soon as Song Wenxian sat down, he pulled the rank-purchasing papers from his bundle. Chen Xin glanced at the bundle and casually took the documents.

Song Wenxian sighed. "I heard on the road that His Majesty has passed away. I hear the newly enthroned one is Xizong's full younger brother, just seventeen years old."

Chen Xin thought about this Zhu Youjian. From the moment he took the throne, he never had a comfortable day. The Tatars left and the roving bandits came; the Eunuch Clique left and the Donglin faction came. He rotated through more than fifty Grand Secretaries like a revolving lantern, all to no avail. From the time he became emperor, he practiced strict frugality. Though the tales of patched clothes may be exaggerated, in the later years he was indeed trapped by finances — even the palace silverware was all sent to the Silver Bureau to be melted into ingots. He toiled diligently his whole life, enjoyed no pleasures, and in the end was saddled with the rumor of hoarding tens of millions of taels in the treasury. Being the last emperor of a dying dynasty was no good thing. By comparison, his carpenter brother, though short-lived, had a carefree life.

But now was not the time to pity him. This young Son of Heaven, who aspired to be a ruler like Yao and Shun, was currently brimming with ambition. Judging by his composure and calm in dealing with Wei Zhongxian, his cunning and political skill were highly accomplished. If the realm were at peace and he could be a tranquil sovereign, this pack of court officials likely couldn't outmaneuver him.

Chen Xin put away the documents and said to Song Wenxian, "Mr. Song, you and Brother Dai have had a hard journey, but I can let you rest one day at most. I'm in a hurry to go to Jingshi."

Song Wenxian said anxiously, "Jingshi may not be the place to rush to right now. A new emperor brings a new set of officials — the situation in Jingshi is unsettled. If we go, what if we get caught in the crossfire?"

Chen Xin laughed. "Then I'll set the fire first. Since he's a young emperor, he might just throw himself into reforms and overhaul the old system. If after a while he suddenly halts the rank-purchasing, where would I go to complain? Better to get it done now while all the ministries are still staffed with the old people."

"Wouldn't new people handle matters just the same?"

"Mr. Song, you've served in the staff office long enough to know. You yourself said a new emperor brings a new set of officials. If they know their posts won't last, they'll rush to handle whatever they can. As for money — they'll take whatever they can get. If we wait for a new official to come up, someone who spent silver to get promoted, they won't do it for less."

Song Wenxian suddenly saw the light. "So that's what Brother Chen is worried about. You see through this matter clearly. Then I shall follow your lead."

Dai Zhenggang's joy was written all over his face. "Then Brother Chen will soon be a Battalion Commander."

Chen Xin chuckled. "When the time comes, Brother Dai will come with me to Weihai. I'll make sure you all have prospects too."

Song Wenxian said, "Brother Dai truly possesses heaven-bestowed strength. When others couldn't push a cart uphill with several men, he pushed it up alone. Since Brother Chen is joining the military, he should bring Brother Dai along. Given time, he'll surely be a fierce general like Lü Bu or Zhang Fei."

Dai Zhenggang hurriedly demurred modestly.

Chen Xin laughed. "Brother Dai not only has heaven-bestowed strength, his character is also excellent. He can write quite a few characters now too, so I'd rather not see Brother Dai merely become a fierce general."

Song Wenxian looked at Dai Zhenggang with some surprise. "So Brother Dai can write as well — truly rare."

Dai Zhenggang's face flushed slightly, though luckily his skin was dark enough to hide it. "I've only just learned two or three hundred characters. My writing isn't fit to be seen yet."

Chen Xin and Song Wenxian both laughed. During this period, when the clothing shop business slowed a bit, Liu Minyou resumed teaching several people to read in the evenings. Unexpectedly, Wang Daixi had the best academic performance — she picked up characters quickly, and her abacus skills were now smoother than Chen Xin's, showing real potential to become a female bookkeeper. Moreover, during the daily study sessions, everyone was extremely earnest. Perhaps it was because educational resources in this era were so scarce — many people went their whole lives unable to write even their own names, and when signing documents, cross marks and circles were everywhere. So these few people especially cherished the learning opportunity, and no one ever said they were too tired to study. The only exception was Zhang Dahui, who was usually at the brothel doing odd jobs and selling clothes, only returning once every few days, so he had already missed learning many characters. Now that business at the brothel had also slowed, Chen Xin was planning to have him come back.

Chen Xin finished laughing before saying, "Writing squarely and neatly is enough. We're not calligraphers — as long as it's legible, that's fine."

Dai Zhenggang had no confidence whatsoever in his handwriting and quickly steered away from the topic. "Brother Chen, on this trip back, some of my old brothers from the towpath days also want to come follow you, my lord, to Weihai. I thought this was a big matter and didn't dare agree rashly."

These men Dai Zhenggang had worked with as towpath haulers were exactly the kind of recruits Chen Xin considered the best soldiers. They had mostly seen Lu Lvzi and Dai Zhenggang making money and, envious, now wanted to follow him too. Of course he wanted them, but not everyone would do. Chen Xin considered briefly and said, "Take all who are willing to come, but in batches. It'll definitely be tough at first — those with families may be hard to look after. The first batch will be thirty men, only bachelors, and you must tell them upfront: they might lose their lives. If wounded or killed, it's thirty taels of silver in compensation."

"Understood, Brother Chen. I'll go to the dock right now and have the fellow townsman send word back. Whether they come or not is up to them." Dai Zhenggang finished speaking and hurried out the door, heading for the dock.

Song Wenxian narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "Brother Chen's ambitions are not small. I fear you're not just after a purchased Battalion Commander post."

Now that only the two of them remained — birds of a feather — Chen Xin didn't hold back and said flatly, "The eastern slaves run rampant. This is the time for a man to win merit. If not now, then when?"

Song Wenxian looked at this Chen Xin before him — a bookkeeper who went to sea, hid behind a gun to kill people, and somehow killed his way to prestige. He understood human affairs and social graces, and might even have a future in officialdom. Yet he insisted on becoming a guard battalion officer, which Song Wenxian found somewhat baffling. And now he was talking about earning rank through martial achievement.

After thinking it over, Song Wenxian decided to try dissuading him. "Brother Chen, those Jianzhou Bandits aren't so easy to fight. Since the old chieftain raised his troops with the Seven Grievances, our Great Ming has had almost no victories. Countless Regional Commanders and Vice Regional Commanders have died. We'd best not wade into these murky waters."

"Last year there was the victory at Ningyuan, this year the great victory at Ningjin. Liaodong still holds great promise."

Song Wenxian, terrified that his business partner was going to get himself killed, said urgently, "Brother Chen, are you pretending not to know? How can the court's embellished rhetoric be taken as truth? As for the so-called great victory at Ningyuan — just look at the head count. Brother Chen should know what kind of thing that was. Since ancient times, has anyone ever heard of a 'great victory' with two hundred heads taken? At Juehua alone, over ten thousand soldiers and civilians were lost, and eight or nine out of ten forts in Liaoxi were destroyed. In this battle of Ningjin, Dalinghe and Xiaolinghe were torn down as well…"

Chen Xin added from the side, "Huang Taiji conveniently helped the Guanning army harvest the winter wheat too. You have to say, he's quite considerate, coming all this way to help out."

Song Wenxian let out a laugh. "Of course he'd harvest it — otherwise, after returning from Joseon, he couldn't even rest. What would be the point? Who knows who really won the great victory. We can joke about it now, but actually going to fight the Jianzhou Bandits is no laughing matter. Brother Chen, you must not lightly believe the court gazette's words."

Chen Xin, seeing Song Wenxian's anxious expression, couldn't help laughing.

"Aiya, Brother Chen, you're still laughing. The court pours three million taels of Liaodong Tax into it every year, supporting a hundred ten or twenty thousand troops inside and outside the passes (Note 1), and twenty or thirty thousand in Dongjiang (Note 2). With so many troops unable to defeat the Jianzhou Bandits, you can imagine how ferocious they are. If we want rank and fame, we don't necessarily have to stake our lives like common soldiers."

"Then there's one thing I don't understand. Since Mr. Song once passed the Licentiate exam, why didn't you pursue the proper path of the imperial examinations to win rank, instead of risking your life at sea like us soldiers?"

Song Wenxian opened his mouth but no words came out. After a long moment, he glanced toward the door, confirmed no one was there, and whispered to Chen Xin, "I won't hide it from you anymore. Just know this — my Licentiate status is also fake. But it's not that I couldn't outdo others in the exams; it was truly just bad luck."

Seeing him finally admit it, Chen Xin was inwardly satisfied. He had always harbored suspicions — this Song Wenxian, with his obvious hunger for power, would never have been content to remain a mere private secretary if he had a genuine degree. All that talk about having passed the Licentiate exam was a lie. But Chen Xin did believe he had the ability of a Licentiate.

Song Wenxian had exposed Chen Xin once, and now Chen Xin had exposed him once. They were even, once again proving they were truly birds of a feather. Song Wenxian showed not the slightest embarrassment and leisurely sipped his tea.

Chen Xin didn't mock him either. He put away his smile and said thoughtfully, "Mr. Song, if I were doing maritime trade now, what difference would there be between me and Zhao Haiming?"

Song Wenxian was slightly taken aback. "Brother Chen is accomplished in both civil and martial…"

"Brother Song, spare me the pleasantries. Right now, there's no difference between me and Zhao Haiming. To put it bluntly, I'm just a street fighter on the sea. On the ship we're united, but once ashore we're a disorderly mob, each going his own way. If I have a foothold and territory in Weihai, people's hearts will gather, and the whole situation will be vastly different. The same maritime trade — you can run one ship, or three or five ships. You can go to Japan, or to Jiangnan. The profit won't be limited to just this bit of silver. So whether Mr. Song serves as a private secretary or pursues official rank, we must support each other. That is the long-term strategy."

Chen Xin wasn't going to give Song Wenxian a share. Although there was now a share available after Qian Zhongxuan's departure, a mere private secretary's influence wasn't worth that much silver. Under normal circumstances, the silver given to him each time wouldn't exceed a thousand taels — unless it was like this time when they seized a ship, but most of the time they didn't seize anything. The biggest reason Chen Xin partnered with this man was Song Wenxian's familiarity with Dengzhou officialdom. And Chen Xin's strength and the maritime trade profits were also powerful support for Song Wenxian's position in the Provincial Governor's office. So Chen Xin seized this moment to clarify this strategic partnership with him, so that he would seriously help him get things done.

Song Wenxian, crafty and experienced, quickly understood. But in his heart, he still valued the maritime trade profits most. With that, his position in the Provincial Governor's office was very secure. As for the mutual support Chen Xin mentioned, he didn't think much of it. Song Wenxian had more or less absorbed the Ming dynasty's contempt for military officers — what kind of support could a purchased guard battalion commander provide in an era when civil officials were exalted and military men debased?

Song Wenxian naturally agreed gladly. He also hoped Chen Xin could expand the maritime trade. Maritime trade wasn't like the Grand Canal — you couldn't set sail at any time. The big maritime merchants of Jiangnan and Fujian generally made two trips to Japan a year, mostly traveling in groups. In the sixth or seventh month, they followed the northward ocean currents and monsoon winds to Japan; in the eighth or ninth month, they followed the southward currents back. Those going to Japan after the ninth month took longer, and with the time needed to purchase their own goods, they usually had to wait until after winter to return. In the past, Zhao Haiming sometimes only made one trip a year. If they had one more ship, profits could double.

But ships were easy to find — sailors were not. They dared not use naval personnel. Using fishermen meant slowly training them, and if they ever encountered another bloody battle like the last one, the lost hands wouldn't be easy to replace. If they had territory, they could recruit refugees, and the manpower problem would be solved.

Song Wenxian thought of this and asked Chen Xin, "Are Hei Pao and Ba Zi planning to follow you?"

"Ba Zi came to see me. He said he wants to follow me. For now, he's rented a shop near the dock — he and Zhu Guobin are both staying there. Hei Pao is still guarding the grave for Proprietor Zhao. He says he'll keep vigil for a year."

"Ba Zi and Hei Pao are quite popular. Many sailors listen to them. If you're going to sea, you'll need to use these two."

Chen Xin agreed, then thought of another person from the ship. "Mr. Song, Han Bin is usually in Dengzhou. Now that he's lost his influence, has there been any unusual activity since he returned?"

Song Wenxian snorted. "Han Bin is narrow-minded and treats people harshly. Apart from a few fellow townsmen, no one wants to listen to him. Since returning to Dengzhou, he's been in the brothels and gambling houses every day. That three thousand-plus taels of his won't last long."

Chen Xin pondered for a moment, then said quietly, "If his silver runs out, Mr. Song should pay even closer attention. He knows everything about the ship. Once the money's gone, he might get some crooked ideas."

Song Wenxian said coldly, "I'll have Wang Yong keep an eye on him."

Note 1: Troops inside and outside the passes — in the seventh year of Tianqi, the troop quota was 117,000. The actual number of troops is harder to say.

Note 2: Dongjiang garrison — quota of 28,000 troops.