Chapter 259: The Wind of the New Policies Has Reached Shenyang After All (Ranked 35th~ Seeking Monthly Tickets)

This Dorji Ildeng—his tribe numbers only a few hundred souls. Showing him a little face is enough; he isn't worth Hong Taiji spending too much time on. The feast had barely reached its midpoint when Hong Taiji found an excuse to return to his residence early, leaving the crowd to continue their revelry.

Inside the Fourth Beile's residence, Dahai, the chief of the Literary Office, and a number of Han Chinese clerks had already been waiting for some time.

"Well? Have they all been translated?" Hong Taiji asked.

Dahai stepped forward to reply.

"Reporting to the Great Khan, this batch of the Ming Times and the Capital Gazette that just arrived has all been translated first."

"They can be delivered to the various Beile residences tomorrow."

"As for the many other printed books concerning the Han Chinese new policies, only about half have been translated so far."

As the man in charge of the Literary Office, Dahai was responsible on one hand for official correspondence with Liaodong, Mao Wenlong, Joseon, and the various Mongol tribes.

On the other hand, he was responsible for the translation of all manner of Ming books.

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Works such as the Collected Statutes of the Great Ming, the Three Strategies, the Six Secret Teachings, the Mencius, and the Records of the Three Kingdoms had always been part of the task. It was only after news of the new policies arrived that the Ming Times and other books related to the new policies took priority over the original assignments. At present, only the Records of the Three Kingdoms continued to be translated according to plan; all other books had been set aside for the time being, yielding to the new policies.

Hong Taiji nodded.

"This morning, I spoke with several Beile. Henceforth, among the Han Chinese in every circuit, anyone found privately circulating the Loyalty at Liaodong shall be beheaded on the spot upon discovery."

"Anyone who comes forward to report them shall be issued one sheep and rewarded five taels of silver. Draft this proclamation, and have it posted and promulgated tomorrow."

"Ma!" Dahai acknowledged the order with deference.

Shenyang lies no more than fifteen hundred li from the Ming capital, and only four or five hundred li from Jinzhou.

This distance is neither far nor near.

In the past, when Shenyang was still under Ming rule, official dispatches and messages traveling by the relay posts along the route could arrive in ten days.

Later, though the two places became enemy states, with spies moving in secret and many disguising their identities, fifteen or twenty days were still enough for news to get through. But ever since Sun Chengzong returned to Liaodong, he neglected all other matters and focused solely on one thing—mounted patrols along the frontier.

Mounted patrols ranged in all directions, scouring everywhere. Anyone who could capture those sneaking across or smuggling was rewarded fifty taels of silver and inducted into the Commissioner-in-Chief's elite guard battalion, enjoying the treatment of household retainers. This single measure abruptly stretched the time it took the Later Jin to obtain news from the previous half-month to a full thirty days.

Consequently, the price for bribing minor Ming officers in Liaodong to open the passageways had also soared.

Yet the most vicious thing of all had to be that inexplicable book—the Loyalty at Liaodong.

No one knew by what path it had come, but its plot had spread like wild grass among the Han Chinese under Later Jin rule.

The last two lines of its opening poem—"Who knew that drawing a blade to seek a moment's vengeance / Would send one's benefactor to the nether springs"—had not yet spread widely.

But the first two lines—"Nursing hatred, lying in the grass for half a year / The bloodied blade at last offers the foe's head in sacrifice"—were known to nearly everyone.

Along with them, all sorts of variant versions had sprung up.

Some said half a year was too short; it ought to be three years. Some said three years was not forbearing enough; it ought to be five years. There were even those who swore with absolute conviction that it took ten years to forge a single sword, and only then could one strike a fatal blow.

Fortunately, after Hong Taiji ascended the throne, he had resettled most of the Han Chinese into separate villages and appointed Han officials to manage them; only thus had a major upheaval been averted.

Otherwise, had they continued with Father Khan's old method of mixed Manchu-Han habitation, driving the Han like pigs and dogs, poisoning and assassination would surely have been unavoidable. But even so, the number of Han Chinese fleeing the villages lately had clearly increased. Hong Taiji rubbed his brow, temporarily setting aside this vexing matter that did not truly hurt but itched incessantly, and shifted the topic.

"The matter of Abatai is nearly settled."

"Dahai, set a date with Daishan, Manggultai, Amin, and the others. Convene a grand council of the realm to discuss this matter specifically!"

"Ma!" Dahai acknowledged the order once more, understanding full well in his heart.

Although Abatai was the late Khan's seventh son, his birth mother was of lowly origin, and his ties of affection with the various Beile were thin—he was just the right person to use in establishing the Great Khan's authority. Having dealt with two important matters, Hong Taiji swept his gaze around the room and said in a deep voice, "Do any of you have new stratagems to present today?"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

A clerk of tall and sturdy build stepped forward—none other than Fan Wencheng, formerly a government student of Shenyang County.

His expression was calm and composed as he slowly began to speak.

"Great Khan, this subject believes that the Ming Emperor's reform efforts must not be underestimated. Under no circumstances should we dismiss him merely because of his youth."

At these words, everyone's eyes converged upon him.

Fan Wencheng paid no heed to the others, focusing his gaze solely on Hong Taiji.

"These past days, this subject has read widely in the histories, examining the reforms of successive dynasties. In every case, haste breeds chaos, while gradual progress achieves success."

"The various Beile mock him as timid and cowardly, citing his talk of pacifying Liao in ten years. This subject believes they are mistaken."

"It is precisely because the new Ming sovereign does not seek a quick victory, and instead devotes himself to self-cultivation, family regulation, state governance, and bringing peace to all under heaven, that we must heighten our vigilance."

He paused, then added with emphasis.

"This method—not demanding harsh, rapid results, but advancing step by step, consolidating at every stage—appears mild and slow, yet in truth it is the most terrifying of all. For its foundation is solid and difficult to shake. Therefore, this subject suggests that we should not only collect the Ming Times, but should also find every means to gather intelligence on the methods and progress of those county magistrates across the Northern Metropolitan Region who are surveying the fields and reforming local governance."

"It would be best if we could also use the White Lotus sect to probe for some local reactions."

"Only by carefully observing how these developments unfold can we find the right opportunity to intervene."

This was indeed a remarkable piece of counsel.

The weariness on Hong Taiji's face vanished in an instant. He straightened up and praised.

"Xian Dou's words have struck right to my heart!"

"Dahai, speak with Li Yongfang about this later. Have him contact the White Lotus sect to inquire."

"Zhou Yingyuan is right under that Emperor's nose; he must be even more anxious than we are."

With Fan Wencheng's counsel receiving such high praise, the atmosphere in the room immediately grew animated.

Another clerk followed closely behind and also stepped forward.

It was Bao Chengxian, formerly Vice Regional Commander of Guangning, who had been recommended by Ning Wanwo and had also entered this Literary Office.

"Great Khan! The Ming Emperor intends to audit military payrolls in Ji-Liao—this matter may well be an opportunity!"

Bao Chengxian's voice carried a trace of excitement.

"In the past, whenever the Ming audited military funds, which of the censors sent down did not line their own pockets, stirring up universal wrath and resentment? In this subject's view, no matter who the supervising official is, whoever comes this time will never stop until they have collected tens of thousands in silver."

"That new sovereign is, after all, young, and does not understand the treacherous ways of men. No matter how well he plans things within the Forbidden City, once those plans reach the lower levels, they may not turn out as he imagines."

"If this affair can stir unrest among the troops in Liao, we may well be able to make something of it!"

Hong Taiji pondered in silence for a moment, first nodding, then gently shaking his head.

"That's a sound line of thought. Have Li Yongfang give it a try as well."

"But after the battle of Ning-Jin, Ming morale has recovered considerably. Replicating a feat like Fushun or Shenyang will be difficult now."

"First test the waters, sound them out, and then we shall see."

Seeing both men's proposals win approval, Ning Wanwo grew so frantic that sweat beaded on his forehead. He racked his brains on the spot, yet for the moment no inspired stratagem came to mind — when word of the new policies had first arrived, he had confidently submitted a recommendation.

He had argued that since antiquity, any reform must have a grand minister to command the whole undertaking.

Like Shang Yang of Qin, or Zhang Juzheng in the Wanli era.

To wreck the Ming court's new policies, one need only concentrate the attack on that one man.

After all, factional strife at the Ming court had never ceased since the Wanli reign — when one man rose, others were certain to suffer.

One need only spend some silver, work a few connections, even help the opposing faction pass along damaging material, and bring down that leading minister. The new policies would then be stalled for years at least. If the two sides could be made to fight to the death, it would be a reenactment of the old Song-dynasty story — a heaven-sent opportunity for the Great Jin!

Yet as the reports came in day by day from the south, they grew stranger by the day.

A spectacle unrecorded in a thousand years of Chinese history had simply materialized.

These new policies — they actually had no single commanding minister in charge?!

The Chief Grand Secretary, Huang Liji? No, not him!

The Governor of Shuntian Prefecture, Xue Guoguan? Even less so — his rank was not high enough!

Huo Weihua, Yang Jingchen, Lai Zongdao, and even Li Banghua and Zheng Sanjun, who had only entered the Grand Secretariat the month before — not one of them looked like the man running things. As for that newly established Secretariat, it was the greatest farce under heaven: several dozen low-ranked officials crammed together, without even a proper presiding officer! This vicious stratagem of his, before it could even be deployed, had simply gone bankrupt.

Ning Wanwo's mind raced; his face flushed crimson.

At this point, surely he could not… could not propose assassinating that Emperor!

The council went on for a long time.

Hong Taiji listened earnestly to each man in turn. Even suggestions that plainly carried a whiff of foolishness he acknowledged with a nod as best he could.

Only when every stratagem had been reviewed one by one did he wave for the others to withdraw, keeping Dahai alone behind.

"What do you make of it?" Hong Taiji asked.

Dahai understood what he was asking. He pondered a moment, then answered.

"Fan Wencheng and Bao Chengxian can be put to great use."

"Ning Wanwo is rash by nature, and fond of drink and gambling — he can only be half-used."

"As for the rest, they are mere pedants, good only for moralizing essays." "Men of this sort can be used when we adopt more Chinese institutions, but for great undertakings they are all useless."

Hong Taiji nodded and sighed, then asked another question.

"Do you think promoting those statecraft memoranda in the Literary Academy will be of use?"

Dahai was silent a moment, then shook his head.

"Great Khan, at present this matter is of no great use to us."

"The southerners' court is bloated with superfluous men, which is why they need such methods to discipline their work and select talent."

"On our side, however…"

Dahai gave a bitter laugh.

"The crux of the matter, in the end, still rests upon the several Beile."

Hong Taiji, too, was disconsolate.

He next asked after the progress of the covert purchase of telescopes and the cracking of the radio cipher, then waved him away as well.

By this hour, it was already the hai period.

Yet Hong Taiji still did not blow out the lamp.

He simply picked up those few booklets, already thumbed to tatters, and once again began to read them with close attention.

_New Policy Anecdotes_

This one had clearly been copied out by some marginal official; its contents were badly incomplete, the latest collected anecdotes going only to the third day of the eleventh month. Yet Hong Taiji still read it with immense relish, even recopying several passages that struck a chord with him.

_The Latest Combined Edition of Statecraft Memoranda_

This was the best-selling volume in the capital now, though the sheer volume of characters, forms, and charts had driven the price up considerably, so that poor scholars could only borrow and copy from one another.

This one, however, Hong Taiji leafed through hastily and then set aside.

This volume collected most of the "five-circle memoranda" that had been selected when the various secretaries gained admission to the Secretariat.

It contained much valuable intelligence.

At the court level, it discussed the salt administration, maritime transport, military farms, armaments, and the management of officialdom.

At the local level, it focused mainly on conditions across the Northern Metropolitan Region, but also included several pieces on conditions in other provinces such as Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi. On first reading, Hong Taiji had regarded it as a treasure and had read it forgetting to eat or sleep.

But after reading it several times, he realized it was, in the end, merely of marginal value.

His contact with the Great Ming now was confined to Liaodong alone. However fine and detailed all these local conditions might be, they had not the slightest relevance to him. He flipped to the end and, in the end, pulled out that piece "Several Conjectures on the Timing of the Great Ming's Fall" and read it carefully from the beginning once more. "…In the Cheng-Zhou period, the dynastic span was eight hundred years, the longest of any era…"

"…And for our Great Ming, from the Hongwu founding to the present, it has been two hundred and fifty-nine years…"

"…His Majesty said: 'Those who would join me in reversing this great tide and shattering this ordained fate… raise your right arms!'"

"…When His Majesty had spoken, every lord in that hall raised his arm like a forest."

Though he had read it scores of times already,

every time he reached this passage, Hong Taiji still could not suppress a chill in his heart.

He closed the booklet and ran his fingers over the names of the "Five Statecraft Masters" on the cover. He was silent for a long while, and at last could not help but sigh softly. "How numerous are the men of talent among the Han!"