Chapter 104: Ming Dynasty Literati Really Do Have Black Hearts!

Zhu Youjian and Sun Chengzong sat facing each other on soft, bright-yellow brocade stools.

This was a new custom Zhu Youjian had introduced: during audiences, unless there were special circumstances, both sovereign and minister sat.

But for Sun Chengzong, a "raw recruit" who had just entered the capital, this grace was deeply discomfiting.

He wore a crimson "fighting-bull" robe, his graying beard trimmed immaculately, his back ramrod straight — yet he only dared to perch tentatively on half the brocade stool, the muscles of his back and waist rigid, his posture hovering between sitting and kneeling, more exhausting than standing.

On that weathered, dark face, his expression was as composed as ever, but his tightly pressed lips betrayed his inner unease.

"So — where exactly is Liu Aita now?"

Zhu Youjian's voice broke the silence.

His tone suppressed a faint, barely detectable excitement, like a treasure hunter who had finally found the crucial clue to a treasure map.

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes blazing as they fixed on Sun Chengzong, awaiting the answer.

Sun Chengzong cupped his hands and replied, "In reply to Your Majesty, these two years this subject has been living in retirement in Gaoyang and exchanged several letters with Yuan Chonghuan. In those letters, we did indeed discuss this man."

"After the battle of Jinzhou and Fuzhou, he fell under the barbarian chieftain's suspicion and became inclined to surrender directly. Only, Yuan Chonghuan believed the time was not yet ripe and ordered him to remain as an inside agent for the time being, to await the future."

At this, a trace of curiosity surfaced on Sun Chengzong's face. He raised his eyes to look at Zhu Youjian and asked, "It is just... this subject is somewhat puzzled. Why would Your Majesty suddenly inquire about this man? Among the barbarian generals, he is not considered particularly illustrious."

"Ha ha ha..."

At these words, Zhu Youjian let out a peal of delighted laughter.

"Master Sun, yesterday We said that the words of Sunzi are not the learning of an emperor. But We likewise acknowledge that they are indeed the discourse of a renowned commander."

"The highest form of warfare is to attack the enemy's plans; the next is to attack his alliances. Our desire to pacify the Mongol tribes appears to be a military undertaking, but in essence, it is precisely to 'attack his alliances' — to sever one of the Jianzhou barbarians' arms. However..."

Zhu Youjian shifted his tone, leaning forward, and his entire bearing suddenly sharpened.

"However — could we perhaps carry out the work of 'attacking plans' directly within the Later Jin state?"

His voice was not loud, yet every word carried immense weight.

"The Later Jin is ruled jointly by the Four Beile. Hong Taiji, for all his cunning, is merely one of the four princes — and ranked no higher than fourth, at that."

"Now that he has been elevated to ruler, do Amin, Manggultai, and Daishan — those three Great Beile — truly submit to him from the heart?"

"We have heard that at the start of the year, it was Beile Amin who led the troops attacking Joseon and won great merit."

"Yet in the middle of the year, Hong Taiji personally led a great army, riding the prestige of a major victory, only to stall beneath the walls of Ningyuan and Jinzhou, achieving not the slightest merit."

"The sovereign's prestige is damaged, while a vassal's achievements are illustrious — is there not, in this, material to be exploited?"

"Furthermore, the Later Jin state is in dire straits and engages in considerable smuggling with our Ming's Liaodong and Dongjiang. We refuse to believe that no Later Jin nobles are involved. Can we, in turn, make use of this trade route — turn it to our own purposes, for espionage?"

"Case after case — We ponder them and truly cannot sleep at night! If this intelligence work can be accomplished, for the state and for the people, it would truly surpass a million crack troops!"

The more Zhu Youjian spoke, the more excited he became; flames seemed to burn within his eyes.

These words were a plan he had arrived at after deep deliberation, combining the knowledge of later ages with the information before him.

Sun Chengzong listened in silence, the astonishment on his face growing ever more pronounced, his rigid body unconsciously relaxing.

When Zhu Youjian's words fell, a startling radiance burst forth from his deep-set eyes, and he could not help but slap his thigh in emphatic admiration!

"A fine 'attack the enemy's plans' indeed! What Your Majesty has been thinking... coincides entirely with this subject's own thoughts!"

"Oh?"

Zhu Youjian's smile froze for an instant.

What did he mean, "coincides entirely"?

You thought of it too? You're not just putting on an act here, are you?

The history books never recorded you people engaging in these kinds of schemes.

Thoughts raced through Zhu Youjian's mind, but his face revealed nothing.

He maintained his easy smile and, with a hint of curiosity, followed Sun Chengzong's lead: "Oh? From what Master Sun says, it seems you have long had plans in mind? Then We shall be all ears!"

Hearing the Emperor's test, Sun Chengzong's stern face showed, for a rare moment, a trace of self-satisfied smile.

He stroked his graying beard and shook his head.

"Your Majesty overpraises me. This subject has now been out of office for nearly two years and is already out of touch with the situation beyond the passes; I dare not claim to have any plans. Everything must wait until this subject arrives at his post and investigates the latest conditions in the Later Jin in detail before any calculations can be made."

He paused, shifted his tone, and a look of reminiscence flickered in his eyes.

"However, in the third year of Tianqi, when this subject served as Supreme Commander in Liaodong, I did indeed carry out something of a similar nature."

"This subject begs to tell Your Majesty of one man."

"That man is none other than the present Regional Commander for Pacifying the Barbarians — Wang Shizhong!"

Wang Shizhong?

Zhu Youjian's brows furrowed slightly.

He had an impression of this name; it had appeared several times in memorials from Liaodong, always as an official responsible for liaising with Ligdan Khan's tribe and handling matters of pacification and recruitment.

What connection could he have to intelligence work against the Later Jin?

Sun Chengzong seemed to perceive Zhu Youjian's puzzlement. He did not explain directly, but instead posed a question.

"Does Your Majesty know how the old savage Nurhaci rose to power?"

On this point, Zhu Youjian was quite clear. He replied, "We know a little. He began with the Jianzhou Jurchens, then attacked and destroyed the various Haixi Jurchen tribes, unified the Jurchens, and only then did he become a force to be reckoned with."

The words had barely left his mouth when a bold notion flashed through Zhu Youjian's mind like a bolt of lightning!

He abruptly raised his head, his eyes carrying a trace of disbelief, and pressed: "Master Sun's meaning... could it be that this Wang Shizhong is actually a descendant of the Haixi Jurchens?"

"Your Majesty is divinely wise!"

Sun Chengzong clapped his hands in praise, and this time, the praise was filled with genuine, fervent admiration.

"Precisely so! Wang Shizhong's original name was Kebaku. His father was Menggebulu, ruler of the Southern Pass of the Haixi Jurchens!"

"In those years, when the old savage led his troops to attack and destroy the Southern Pass, Kebaku was captured along with his father and his elder brother, Wurgudai."

"Later, our Great Ming issued an edict sternly rebuking the old savage, and under pressure, he returned Kebaku."

"The Shenzong Emperor, pitying his plight, raised Kebaku within the inner court and bestowed upon him the name Wang Shizhong, signifying loyalty to the royal house."

Sun Chengzong spoke unhurriedly, as though recounting a story long buried in dust.

Yet Zhu Youjian's heartbeat quickened without his noticing.

He had already begun to dimly guess the scheme Sun Chengzong had laid back then.

"Master Sun," Zhu Youjian said, his voice somewhat dry, "how exactly did you manage this affair at the time?"

A meaningful smile tugged at the corner of Sun Chengzong's mouth — a smile that held a chess-player's confidence and a reminiscence of bygone days.

"Your Majesty, why not venture a guess as to how this subject handled it back then?"

Zhu Youjian smiled faintly. At this stage, the answer was practically laid out in plain sight.

He spoke slowly, enunciating each word: "Could it be that the key lay with his father and his elder brother?"

"Ha ha ha! Your Majesty is indeed possessed of brilliant natural discernment!"

Sun Chengzong laughed heartily, his laughter brimming with the joy of having found a kindred spirit.

"Precisely so! Nurhaci, though he had executed the father and destroyed his kingdom, nevertheless — to pacify the Hada tribe — took the elder brother, Urgudai, as his son-in-law."

"Urgudai fought with fierce courage, repeatedly earning merit in battle, and rose steadily through the ranks. By the third year of Tianqi, he was the Later Jin's First Chief Minister, foremost among the Eight Great Ministers!"

Sun Chengzong's eyes glinted with fervent light as he continued:

"At the time, this subject, on the one hand, lavishly rewarded and comforted Wang Shizhong — before the assembled generals, I personally draped my own robe upon his shoulders, to display favor and grace."

"On the other hand, I let slip word that Wang Shizhong, cherishing his former kingdom, intended to rally the four tribes of the Haixi Jurchens under the name of the old lord of the Southern Pass, and restore the glory of his ancestors."

Zhu Youjian's mind was wholly captivated. He could not help pressing further: "And did this truly produce results?"

Even as he asked, he knew it had likely been fruitless — for if it had truly worked, the situation today would not be what it was.

But the matter was so astonishing that even he could not help feeling a surge of expectation.

As expected, Sun Chengzong shook his head, and the smile on his face took on a trace of helplessness and regret.

"Whether it bore fruit or not was never truly within this subject's control."

"I laid this idle piece not in expectation of certain victory, but merely to add one more fraction of a chance."

He paused, and in his dark, weathered face, his eyes abruptly blazed with piercing intensity.

"However — this subject's masterstroke lay elsewhere entirely!"

"Wang Shizhong's elder brother, Urgudai, held high rank within the Later Jin, and now these rumors of restoring the kingdom were circulating abroad. Your Majesty, consider: between the Haixi Jurchens and the Jianzhou Jurchens within the Later Jin, how could suspicion not arise? Between sovereign and subject, how could their hearts remain united?"

"This — this was this subject's true killing stroke! To use words as insubstantial as mist to sow chaos in the hearts of sovereign and minister, to sever their internal arms — that is the highest stratagem of attacking an enemy's plans!"

Zhu Youjian felt a chill climb up his spine.

He had always thought that summoning a civil official like Sun Chengzong was merely to inquire about Liu Aita's whereabouts.

He had never imagined that this old minister, who appeared so upright and righteous, could wield such schemes of power with such consummate mastery!

This was no longer the simple planting of a spy, but an attack on the fundamental weakness of human nature — suspicion — an attempt to disintegrate the enemy from within!

Groundless accusations, groundless accusations — was it only the Han emperors who could level groundless accusations?

Truly, in all the world, the minds of scholars are the most devious!

Yet Sun Chengzong's piercing, blazing eyes soon dimmed.

He let out a long sigh, laden with boundless regret.

"Alas… alas, though that old slave was brutal and tyrannical, he still possessed the decisiveness of a generation's arch-villain. The moment he caught wind of the rumors, he immediately used the pretext of corruption to arrest and confine Urgudai — yet he did not kill him. Thus, with such ease, he quelled a potential tribal upheaval."

"This subject's manifold schemes did manage to stir some ripples within the Later Jin. In the aftermath, for instance, Liu Xingzuo secretly communicated signals, and Zhang Pan of Dongjiang seized the opportunity to recover Jin Prefecture and other territories — all occurred during this period."

"However, the new army was only just trained, and men's hearts were not yet united. Rushing into action, Jin Prefecture was taken and then lost again. The southern Liaoning strategy ultimately came to naught."

Zhu Youjian fell silent.

In the third year of Tianqi, the Later Jin suffered a great famine; hearts were in turmoil, and the Han officials were in a state of panic.

In a certain sense, it had indeed been a very favorable window of time. It was only a pity that each side acted in scattered disarray, and in the end, the opportunity was still missed.

The atmosphere in the great hall grew heavy for a moment.

After a brief silence, it was Sun Chengzong who first rallied his spirits. He looked once more at Zhu Youjian.

"However, Your Majesty, the situation among the slave-tribe today is vastly different from what it was in those years."

He pondered for a moment, as if marshaling his words.

"This subject believes — this man Hong Taiji is nothing like the old slave Nurhaci!"