Chapter 315: Three Questions at Yongchang

The former Minister of Personnel and erstwhile giant of the Donglin Faction, Zhao Nanxing, has died.

This news stirred hardly a ripple east of the Liao River.

Beyond Sun Chengzong setting up an incense altar in a side chamber and leading a few men in a distant memorial rite, there was no other stir.

Figures of a bygone era are, in the end, just that.

The men gathered inside Shanhai Pass right now were far more concerned with matters close at hand.

For instance — what exactly was today's meeting going to be about?

And Zu Dashou, who had arrived early, had been tormented by that very question for a long while.

Yes… why wait until the fifth?

The telegraph had been laid and refined in Liaodong for quite some time; now a single telegram could travel the whole line.

On the day it was sent, even You Shilu, garrisoned at Jinzhou, received the message.

Zu Dashou, garrisoned at Ningyuan, dared even less to treat this meeting lightly.

He handed over his defense duties early, dragged He Kegang along, and arrived inside the pass by the second day of the month to await orders.

As it turned out, arriving too early was not necessarily a good thing.

He entered the commandant's residence full of apprehension. Yuan Jixian, whose title was secretary but who was in truth an imperial commissioner, greeted him with a beaming smile.

Yet the moment he turned away, Wang Shide, the Assistant Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, coldly had their personal guards separated and isolated.

Then these officers were each stuffed into prearranged rooms to wait, forbidden from taking a single step outside the commandant's residence.

In an instant, it was as if they had all walked willingly into a trap, one after another placed under what amounted to house arrest.

And it was in this torment and sleeplessness that Zu Dashou endured four full days before finally waiting until the meeting began.

In the commandant's residence council hall, the many officers who had come for the meeting took their seats, but no one came to preside.

The men could only make desultory small talk, their eyes drifting toward the doorway time and again.

"Vice Regional Commander Zu? Vice Regional Commander Zu?"

He Kegang called softly several times before finally pulling the distracted Zu Dashou back.

"Ah? Oh! Yes, yes, precisely so. I share the same view." Zu Dashou nodded repeatedly, yet his eyes remained somewhat vacant. Faced with this answer that was completely off the mark, He Kegang did not know whether to laugh or cry.

What the two of them had just been discussing was the matter of the Liaodong Demonstration Battalion's quotas.

This battalion had a quota of nine thousand men, with two horses and one cart allotted.

Word was that a naval battalion was originally to be attached as well, but for some unknown reason it was ultimately canceled, much to the disappointment of the brothers in the Dragon Martial Naval Force.

Of these nine thousand men, three thousand would be drawn from personnel transferred during the Battle of Qingcheng.

Another three thousand were to be selected from the household retainers and picked warriors under the various Regional Commanders and Vice Regional Commanders.

The final three thousand would be recruited from across the whole of Liaodong.

When the time came, whether regular soldiers, supernumerary males, government students, or xiucai degree-holders — anyone who was willing could come to Shanhai Pass to undergo the recruitment examination.

Those wishing to pursue the military path would be tested on martial skills; those wishing to pursue the civil path could also try for civil posts in the army such as advisor, accountant, clerk, or military judge.

And what they had just been discussing was precisely this matter of civil posts in the army.

He Kegang had an eldest son named He Mingsheng.

Back when Liaodong collapsed, as he fled with his family, his eldest son had broken a leg along the way.

In Ming officialdom, appearance came first, and the body absolutely could not have any deformity.

With that leg broken, never mind taking the civil examinations and becoming a jinshi —

even trying to enter the Ministry of Personnel's selection process via the tribute student route would invite discrimination.

In loving their children, parents plan far ahead.

He Kegang naturally wished to secure a good path for his eldest son.

And now these "civil posts in the army," which seemed poised for reform, might have an uncertain future at present, but for He Mingsheng, it was not necessarily a bad opportunity. A pity that although Zu Dashou had even more sons, he had absolutely no mind to listen to any of this right now; the two of them were talking entirely at cross-purposes.

Seeing Zu Dashou's utterly distraught state, He Kegang understood perfectly well.

Once the pay-audit team arrived, whose heart wouldn't be pounding?

But He Kegang truly had never worried about himself. In the second year of Tianqi, someone tried to use the merit deed of a Guard Commander surnamed He from an earlier generation, hoping to sell it to him as a career springboard amid the Liaodong collapse.

He refused outright: "A true man should establish his own merit and renown — how could he falsely claim descent from another?"

Later, at the Battle of Qingcheng, he personally charged the enemy lines and earned a red-mark commendation and rewards of real gold and silver.

Now, back in Liaodong, hearing the winds of the new policies, his heart surged with excitement, and he simply took it upon himself to carry out a purge within the army.

Never mind embezzling money — he had even impeached two corrupt officers to the Supreme Commander's office!

To say nothing of all the work of building walls, repairing forts, and distributing the enthronement bounty — he gave his all to every task, ensuring every tael of silver was properly accounted for.

He truly was not worried that the pay-audit team's blade could fall on the neck of a man like him.

But seeing Zu Dashou so inwardly panicked, He Kegang could only set aside his own topic, planning to seek out Yuan Chonghuan after the meeting to sound things out.

The officers waiting in the room were all making small talk among themselves.

But those who could be as composed as He Kegang, even having the leisure to worry about their sons' futures, were, in the end, very few.

After all, if I myself might be in trouble soon, who has time to worry about my son?

At one moment, for some unknown reason, the hall suddenly fell silent all at once, and from then on, no one spoke again.

The whole assembly could only sit in tormented waiting.

After who knows how long, a sharp swish was heard as the door curtain was lifted.

The officers raised their heads in unison to see Yuan Jixian, Sun Chengzong, and the others file in.

"Gentlemen, my apologies for the long wait."

Yuan Jixian wore a smile on his face. "We held a small meeting just now to urgently confirm a few matters, which has kept you all waiting here a little longer." — A lie.

The matters to be discussed had been settled days ago.

Just now, Yuan, Sun, and the others had merely been chatting idly in a side hall.

They had deliberately watched the hour, forcibly dragging out the time by a full quarter-hour before finally rousing themselves to come over.

A trifling little new-policy stratagem, not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning.

The assembled officers rose one after another to salute, saying it was no trouble at all.

Yuan Jixian nodded, walked to the incense altar that had long been prepared, and drew out a yellow-silk imperial edict. His originally genial face turned solemn in an instant.

"Proclaiming His Majesty's oral decree!"

The officers' hearts tightened. Hastily they all bowed down together, kneeling across the floor.

Yuan Jixian's gaze swept over the assembly, and then he abruptly spoke:

"Is Zu Dashou present?"

A buzz exploded in Zu Dashou's head; he nearly collapsed on the spot.

What sort of edict opening was this?! Why start by singling out my name?!

Terrified out of his wits, he hastily shuffled forward on his knees out of the ranks and pressed his head dead against the floor. "This subject… this subject is here!"

Yuan Jixian paid no heed whatsoever to his reaction and simply continued reading on his own:

"In the ninth month, when We summoned the many officers of the Valiant Guard Camp, We made it clear that rank would be set by ability, with monthly examinations, selecting and appointing Company Commanders, Battalion Commanders, and camp supervisors tier by tier."

"Now three months have passed, and every point has been fulfilled."

"At that time, We also established with all you officers the Five-Picul Compact, and the reward of ducal and marquisal rank."

"Among these, the reward of ducal and marquisal rank has yet to be disbursed; We have only retroactively restored merits left unrewarded in former reigns of the dynasty."

"It is fortunate that the Valiant Guard officers could trust in Our bestowals and rewards, and indeed conscientiously carried out the Five-Picul Compact."

"From that day to this, a total of one hundred and four days, within the Valiant Guard Camp, those dismissed and struck from the rolls on grounds of corruption number no more than seven men." Zu Dashou lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to move a muscle.

These words sounded entirely like praise, but after years as an official, he knew this pattern all too well.

Sure enough, Yuan Jixian continued:

"Yet if the Valiant Guard Camp can achieve this, how will it be in other places?"

"The very day after the Five-Picul Compact was established, the next morning, the Eastern Depot detected numerous messengers departing from the camp, a flurry of men and horses, each heading off to report to Shaanxi, the Ji Garrison, Liaodong, and other places from which officers had been transferred. It may be presumed that this Five-Picul Compact naturally reached every quarter as well."

At these words, the other officers kneeling in the hall all held their breath. A few who were close by even stole sidelong glances at Zu Dashou.

What did this mean? Was this going to pursue the crime of prying into the sovereign's mind? Was Zu Dashou to be made an example of? Killing the chicken to warn the monkeys?

Or, following this line of talk, would it begin naming names in the corruption cases of the Ji and Liao regions?

They had to understand that, in the matter of the Five-Picul Compact, the Emperor's attitude could not have been made plainer.

He was utterly dissatisfied with the corruption in the present army, and moving against it was only a question of time.

Add to that the time since, when the Northern Metropolitan New Policies and the capital New Policies had erupted into action with a thunderous clamor that stirred up a boiling ferment.

At every month's grand court assembly, a dozen or more corrupt men would be hauled out from every quarter, dismissed, and their illicit gains pursued — not even sparing the Directorate of Ceremonial, a place of the Emperor's own trusted confidants. The Ming Times ran anti-corruption and asset-recovery reports issue after issue without pause, and under Sun Chengzong's vigorous promotion, the serial tales of Imperial Inspector Li Zhengli had become household knowledge throughout the Ji and Liao territories.

Every scamp of a boy, whenever playing with the companions in the fort, would lean on his family's influence and fight to play the part of that "Li Zhengli."

Wholly oblivious to the fact that their own fathers… might very well be the very targets Li Zhengli was striking against.

Where majesty resides, men scramble to flee it.

These arrogant soldiers and fierce officers filling the hall, faced with the tangible, crushing pressure of imperial power, had in the end instinctively chosen to recoil.

The truly clever ones had, one after another, long since reined themselves in.

By this point, they were even congratulating themselves that, back when Yuan Jixian had come to the Ji and Liao regions to disburse pay and had outmaneuvered them, preventing them from stretching their hands toward the Enthronement Bounty — otherwise, among those now hauled out to be killed as a warning to the monkeys, there would certainly be a share for them.

In their hearts, they felt both relief and the inescapable sentiment of the fox grieving at the hare's death.

Zu Dashou of Ningyuan had indeed been corrupt in the past, and had even nearly been beheaded by Sun Chengzong for it, saved only because Yuan Chonghuan pleaded for his life. But in these past months, the man had truly reined himself in considerably.

Yet even having gone this far, was it still not enough? Then what were they to do?

Yuan Jixian continued reading:

"Many officers and officials in every region, moved by the nation's declining fortunes and able to grasp the spirit of the New Policies, have, even without orders, reined themselves in. Our heart is truly comforted."

"Take you, Zu Dashou, for example. In the past, when Liao army pay passed through your hands, the customary practice was to deduct four mace per head. After the tenth month, you reduced it to a deduction of only two mace." "Another example: at Ningyuan, to cover the telegraph lines, two new garrison villages were established."

"In the past, you could not have avoided inflating the cost to two thousand taels each. This time, however, you reported only fifteen hundred taels per village — which also shows some slight restraint."

Zu Dashou lay prostrate on the ground, his mouth parched and his mind a boiling porridge of confusion.

Was this a conviction?

It did not seem like it. Taken literally, it seemed to be praising him.

But was this truly praise?

The accounts were laid out with such clarity — it must have been reported back by those Embroidered Uniform Guard men who had moved into Liaodong alongside the telegraph lines!

Then if they had uncovered these two matters, could other matters possibly have escaped their detection?

Zu Dashou thought of his several warehouses, thought of the cargo ships at Juehua Island that he had been unwilling to deal with because of the freeze, and despair flooded his heart. His thoughts raced, yet he could not grasp at all how to break out of this absolute dead end. He could only bury his head and desperately kowtow with all his might.

"This subject… is ashamed!"

"This subject is willing to—"

Before his mind could think it through, his mouth instinctively began to cry out offers to disgorge his illicit gains and donate silver, to save his life.

"Vice Regional Commander Zu, you may return to the ranks."

Yuan Jixian directly cut him off, his tone indifferent. "In His Majesty's oral decree, the portion concerning you has concluded."

Zu Dashou jerked his head up, his face full of bewilderment and dazed confusion.

As if his soul had left him, he obediently shuffled back on his knees to his original place.

Only then did the assembled officers react.

This was actually a date after all! It was not the club!

In their hearts, the fox's grief at the hare's death instantly receded, and for a moment they found themselves feeling rather envious and jealous.

But deeper in the crowd, several commanders still knelt rigidly, their faces pale as paper.

Yuan Jixian did not pause. His voice rang through the hall once more:

"Yet if this realm were filled with men who grasp His Majesty's intent and loyally devote themselves to the nation's affairs, how would the realm ever have fallen to its present state?"

"The greater number still draw their pay as before, still take their cut as before, still dance as before, still sing as before!"

"Even where there is some restraint, it is but a shallow veneer — beneath it, all remains dark and hidden!"

"You tell me."

Yuan Jixian leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over the assembly. "Must We summon every one of these men, name by name, and have them seized?"

A deathly silence filled the great hall.

Yuan Jixian raised a hand, as if to wave off a reply from the empty air, and his tone softened:

"Enough…"

"We gave the civil officials of the capital one chance. It is only right that We give you one as well."

"Today We put three questions to each of you!"

"First: We ask you — in your past dealings within the army, precisely what methods did you employ, and what total sums of silver did you amass?"

The moment this question landed, the minds of the assembled commanders were caught between advance and retreat.

Was this… demanding they disgorge every last bit of past gain, in exchange for a clean ticket aboard the new policies?

But how was one to answer?

Write too little, and they would likely be interrogated and seized.

Zu Dashou being singled out by name earlier — perhaps that was not praise at all, but precisely a warning, using the Embroidered Uniform Guard's intelligence to intimidate them on this very point.

Yet to write the truth — who could bear it?

Who, having embezzled silver, ever stored it all away in neat order, untouched to the last penny?

The silver these commanders embezzled — some went to pay their household retainers, some was passed upward layer by layer, shared out to eunuchs and civil officials.

Only the final portion remaining was for their own enjoyment and expenditure.

If they wrote the truth, what would happen when full restitution was demanded afterward?

Yuan Jixian continued:

"Second: We ask you — among the officers under each of your commands, who has acted most greedily and contemptibly, to what degree, and is there solid evidence to prove it?"

This question plunged the men into still greater terror.

Did this not amount to forcing them to betray their own subordinates?

Whom to name? Whom to omit?

The crux was… if they deliberately shielded their trusted men and wrote instead of a subordinate with whom they had friction, could that very answer be turned against them, trapping them in a death sentence?

Two questions in succession, each a heart-wrenching blow, left the assembly in the grip of extreme unease.

Fortunately, when the third question came, it at last allowed them a slight breath of relief.

"Third: We ask you — from this day forward, moved by the decline of the nation's fortunes and desiring to rouse it anew, what shall each of you undertake, and to what degree do you intend to accomplish it in the first year of Yongchang?"

This was simply a Northern Zhili new-policy pledge letter!

The Ji-Liao commanders had all seen such things, more or less, in the prefectures and counties around Shanhai Pass, so it was by no means unfamiliar.

Since there was a pledge letter, then presumably this trial could at least be weathered.

Otherwise, why make them write pledge letters at all?

Yuan Jixian finished reciting the contents, and only then concluded:

"These three questions — write the full truth for each, plainly and honestly. Do not attempt to muddle through!"

"Thus decreed!"

Yuan Jixian rolled up the imperial edict, and his face resumed its genial, smiling expression:

"Gentlemen, if you please."

"Supreme Commander Sun has already prepared a number of examination cells."

"When you exit the hall, follow the guides — each man will proceed to his own cell and answer independently."

"Those who are not versed in letters may request a scribe."

"All answer sheets must be submitted before the hour of shen today."

"During the process, if you require water or food, simply ring the bell to summon an attendant."

The commanders nodded woodenly, like puppets, then filed out of the hall in turn under the guidance of the pay-audit team members.

Once outside the great hall, the cold wind struck them.

Zu Dashou could not suppress a violent shiver.

Only then did he realize that his back was already drenched in cold sweat.