Chapter 99: No More Collusion Between Officials and Merchants (Seeking Favorites, Seeking Recommendations)

No money? You think it's too little?

Shen Tingyang was taken aback, and quickly took a few gold leaves from his own steward's hand, intending to give them to Ren Yizhou as well.

Ren Yizhou hastily waved his hands and said with a wry smile, "Don't misunderstand, Director. It's not that I find it too little — it's that I cannot take it..."

What? Cannot take it?

Shen Tingyang was startled. It wasn't that he had never met an honest official — Su Guansheng, who had come with him from Dengzhou, was an honest official. But Su Guansheng was a civil official, while the man before him was from the Embroidered Uniform Guard... wearing a flying-fish robe! How could an Embroidered Uniform Guard inspector not want money? How terrifying was that? Could he have become an imperial prisoner?

"This inspector..." Shen Tingyang said uncertainly, "Has Shen committed some offense?"

"No, no..." Ren Yizhou shook his head repeatedly. "His Highness the Thousand Years has given orders: no one is permitted to take money from the Sand Ship Gang!" As he spoke, he made a beheading gesture. "Whoever takes it will be beheaded! So I truly dare not take your money!"

"Ah... beheaded?" Sweat beaded on Shen Tingyang's forehead.

Taking his own money meant beheading... what did that mean? Had he really become an imperial prisoner? Whom had the Sand Ship Gang offended? The Sand Ship Gang had always been utterly loyal to the court. Now that Beijing had fallen to the roving bandits, proper officials were all rushing to surrender, yet the Sand Ship Gang had braved danger to come to the rescue — what fine, loyal merchants! How could they not even be allowed to offer a bribe?

If bribery was no longer permitted, how was he supposed to do business in the future? Even if he could, he would never feel at ease!

Never mind the Sand Ship Gang's Shen family and its modest power — even the great chief of the Eighteen Zhi, Zheng Yiguan, with all his power, commanding no fewer than 20,000 naval troops and dozens of great half-Chinese, half-Western warships, still made annual offerings to all the lords in Beijing and Nanjing. It wasn't that he feared anyone, but that harmony breeds wealth, and money earned together is money shared. Only when everyone profits can business endure!

"Don't worry, Director Shen," Ren Yizhou said, cupping his hands and making a gesture of invitation. "Please come with me... His Highness the Thousand Years has long been awaiting you. Don't keep him waiting."

Zhu Cilang was indeed growing impatient. Tianjin was still too close to Beijing. Zhu Cilang dared not linger here long; even if he was waiting for Wu Sangui, he would have to withdraw to Dagu before he could rest easy. So he had specifically instructed Ren Yizhou, the Embroidered Uniform Guard Chiliarch guarding the docks, to bring Shen Tingyang to meet him the moment he appeared.

And the order forbidding the acceptance of bribes from Shen Tingyang had also been personally given by Zhu Cilang at that time. Moreover, he had given this instruction not only to Ren Yizhou, but also to Embroidered Uniform Guard Guard Commander Li Ruolian, the Grand Marshal's Office military-order guard commander Cao Youyi, military-administration guard commander Wu Xiang, the Directorate of Ceremonial brush-holding eunuch Huang Dabao, the Directorate of the Imperial Horses superintendent eunuch Pan Shuchen, and all the other key figures of the Eastern Palace system — one by one: Shen Tingyang, this "fat pig," is under Our protection. None of you may touch him!

By the time Shen Tingyang followed Ren Yizhou to the Grand Marshal's Office, Zhu Cilang was in the middle of speaking with candidate officers for the Hard-Work Army.

This work had begun that morning. He had already met four candidate division commanders and four candidate division vice commanders, and from among them had selected the division commanders and vice commanders for the Hard-Work Army's Left and Right Divisions.

The Left Division commander was a steward of the Wu family retainers, a Liaodong man named Wang Ran, in his forties, of imposing build, who had even passed the military xiucai examination.

The Right Division Assistant Regional Commander was another of Zhu Cilang's old subordinates, Wang Qi. Pairing Wang Qi, who came from the Eastern Palace, with the Wu family steward-retainer Wang Ran was, of course, a way of mixing in sand. Not that he distrusted anyone, but the new Hard-Work Army had to be firmly controlled.

The Right Division commander was Li Ruolian, and the Assistant Regional Commander was Wang Zhou. Neither of these two was one of Wu Xiang's men, though the Right Division they controlled still contained many officers of the Wu faction.

Besides officers drawn from the Eastern Palace guards and the Wu family retainers, the Hard-Work New Army's officer corps also included officers from the Capital Camps, the Tianjin garrison, the Tianjin patrol, the Tongzhou patrol, the two Caos' retainers (Cao Huachun and Cao Youyi), the Han Generals, and the Purified Troops.

Following Zhu Cilang's instructions, Wu Xiang, Wu Sanfu, and Cao Youyi had selected eight division-level candidates, thirty-two brigade-level candidates, one hundred twenty-eight battalion-level candidates, and five hundred twelve banner-level candidates — six hundred eighty men in all. From these, Zhu Cilang first had to choose three hundred forty men to serve as the core officers of the Hard-Work New Army's two divisions, eight brigades, thirty-two battalions, and one hundred twenty-eight banners.

In other words, below the division level, the Hard-Work New Army used a four-four organization: one division commanded four brigades, one brigade commanded four battalions, one battalion commanded four banners, one banner commanded four squads, and one squad consisted of five soldiers including the squad leader. Excluding the direct-attachment units and officers at each level, a full-strength division numbered 5,120 men, and two divisions numbered 10,240. Adding the three hundred forty officers and the direct-attachment units at each level, the two divisions totaled roughly thirteen to fourteen thousand men.

The manpower could certainly be assembled. Tianjin was both a major military stronghold and a major grain-transport hub, full of poor military-household sons and laborers who made their living from the grain transport. And Zhu Cilang still had no small amount of the gold and silver he had brought out of Beijing; in Tianjin he had also confiscated the property of four corrupt officials — Yuan Yuzong, Jin Bin, Lou Guangxian, and Yang Weihan — gaining several hundred thousand taels. At present, silver equivalent to more than four million taels remained in Zhu Cilang's hands.

Troops gather where pay is offered; since Zhu Cilang could pay, he could certainly recruit soldiers. But he did not recruit openly without limit. He only filled out the establishment of one army and two divisions, sixteen thousand men (the army level directly commanded one cavalry brigade, hence the total strength of sixteen thousand).

That meant recruiting another three or four thousand men here in Tianjin. However, their treatment could not compare with that of the troops who had followed Zhu Cilang before the bloody battle on Tianjin's West Gate Avenue. There would be no ten-tael settling-in allowance; they would simply draw monthly pay. The lowest-ranking soldier received one tael and five mace of silver per month, eighteen taels a year, and after reaching Jiangnan would be given fifty mu of good farmland... This treatment was not too low, so as soon as the recruitment notice was posted, many able-bodied men within Tianjin came forward to enlist.

But what could be assembled was only a headcount; combat strength was not to be expected. Being reliable and able to intimidate enemies within and without would be good enough.

Besides recruiting soldiers, Zhu Cilang also offered high pay to recruit craftsmen, because Tianjin was a major center of military industry with many artisans, among whom were not a few of outstanding skill. Zhu Cilang focused on recruiting blacksmiths, and he tested craftsmen's skill by having them forge bayonets — any craftsman who could forge, to specification, a bayonet that could be fitted to a turtledove matchlock or a matchlock musket (Zhu Cilang's army currently had three hundred turtledove matchlocks and more than two hundred serviceable matchlock muskets) would be hired, and would receive a ten-tael settling-in allowance and a three-tael monthly wage. After reaching Nanjing they would also be given housing, though no farmland.

When his attendants came to report, Zhu Cilang had just finished meeting a candidate Mobile Corps Commander. Hearing that Shen Tingyang had arrived, he summoned him at once.

……

"Your subject, Shen Tingyang, Director of Studies of the Imperial Academy, manager of sea transport and Liaodong supply affairs, prostrates himself before the Crown Prince, Thousand Years."

Zhu Cilang looked at the "red-hatted merchant" kneeling in the hall below. Dressed in official robes, the man actually looked rather the part.

"Rise. Grant him a seat," Zhu Cilang said with a smile.

The embroidered stool was brought to Shen Tingyang by Huang Dabao's godson, named Huang Xiaobao, only seventeen this year, whose height and build somewhat resembled Zhu Cilang's, while his face was much like Huang Dabao's — a round, doughy face.

Shen Tingyang did not dare seat himself with any air of ease; he perched on half his buttocks, hands on his knees, looking for all the world like a schoolboy meeting the headmaster.

"Shen Tingyang, how much did you pay for your post as Director of Studies of the Imperial Academy?" Zhu Cilang asked gently.

Shen Tingyang was startled and immediately moved to kneel again. Zhu Cilang quickly stopped him. "Don't kneel — stay seated! We are only asking; We have no intention of pursuing the matter."

"Your subject, your subject..." Shen Tingyang did not know how to answer. Of course he had bought his office... otherwise how could a mere Imperial Academy student have risen to his present post? And his Imperial Academy student status had also been bought. Otherwise, how could a gang chief have entered the Nanjing Imperial Academy without paying?

Zhu Cilang picked up a written decree and had Huang Anshun hand it to Shen Tingyang.

"Tingyang," Zhu Cilang said with a smile, "although our Great Ming has the institution of 'honorary officials,' an 'honorary official' is merely a status and cannot hold substantive office. You, however, did not enter service as an 'honorary official,' but as an Imperial Academy student, and have now risen to Director of Studies — no doubt at considerable expense. This sort of buying and selling of offices is something We cannot tolerate!"

Was he really going to be punished?

Shen Tingyang felt deeply wronged! Although he had bought his office, he had never taken bribes or embezzled while performing his duties. At most, he had monopolized the northern sea trade and smuggled to evade taxes... but every task the court assigned him, he had carried out to the very best of his ability!

Because he was so exceptionally capable in his duties, the Chongzhen Emperor had even said: If all officials performed their duties as Shen Tingyang does, how hard would the empire be to govern!

And now he was to be punished?

Was there no justice in the world?

(End of Chapter)