Chapter 137: Meeting Xiong Tingbi

Outside the palace, at a tavern.

Xiong Tingbi bowed deeply and said in a clear voice, "Your subordinate Xiong Tingbi pays respects to His Highness Prince Hui!"

Zhu Xu looked at Xiong Tingbi—broad of waist and shoulder, in clean plain clothes, face bearing a smile, with quite an air of spirited confidence.

Zhu Xu laughed inwardly, but his face showed nothing. Standing before him with hands clasped behind his back, putting on airs, he said: "Lord Xiong, you've just been released from prison. Was I too hasty in seeking you out so soon?"

Xiong Tingbi appeared very forthright, smiling as he said: "Your Highness saved my life. Your subordinate ought to have come to pay respects earlier."

Zhu Xu looked at Xiong Tingbi, his gaze shifting slightly. He didn't know much about this Lord Xiong—was his conduct here born of natural temperament, or was he deliberately probing something?

Zhu Xu smiled and continued putting on airs: "Then Lord Xiong, have you brought any gift of thanks?"

Xiong Tingbi was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at Cao Wenzhao standing not far away.

Cao Wenzhao stood there, head slightly lowered, as if he hadn't seen anything.

Xiong Tingbi immediately burst into laughter, raising his hand and saying: "Your Highness must forgive my embarrassment. I spent all my family wealth to secure my release this time. In a few days, Xiong will surely repay Your Highness handsomely!"

Zhu Xu nodded and said: "Good. I paid forty thousand taels for you, plus another hundred thousand in various bribes and grease—all told, with your gift of thanks, that makes two hundred thousand. If in gold, one hundred thousand taels will do."

Xiong Tingbi looked at Zhu Xu's utterly serious expression, and his face finally changed. One hundred thousand taels in gold—that was more than all his family assets combined, ten times over!

At the same time, he realized—he had underestimated this young prince.

Xiong Tingbi composed himself, respectfully bowed to Zhu Xu once more, and pulled a stack of banknotes from his bosom, offering them over as he said: "Your subordinate was presumptuous. Here are one hundred thousand taels in banknotes. I hope Your Highness will deign to accept them."

Zhu Xu narrowed his eyes, took the banknotes from his hand, flipped through them, and counted them very carefully.

Xiong Tingbi dared not act rashly anymore. His earlier loud speech and heavy breathing were gone; his expression was rather tense.

Zhu Xu finished counting, nodded slightly, and said: "One hundred thousand taels, not a single tael short."

Xiong Tingbi's expression turned serious. Clasping his fists respectfully toward Zhu Xu, he said: "I hope Your Highness will offer guidance—how should your subordinate stage his comeback?"

Zhu Xu found it secretly amusing. This Lord Xiong was indeed no ordinary man—just out of prison and already thinking of staging a comeback.

He pretended to ponder, turned, and sat down on a stool at the table.

Cao Wenzhao hurried over to pour water, but Xiong Tingbi beat him to it, grabbing the teapot and pouring a cup, then handing it to Zhu Xu with an ingratiating, eager air: "Your Highness, please have some water."

Zhu Xu smiled and nodded—not exactly an unyielding stone, this one. He took a sip of tea, looked up at him, and said: "In your view, given the situation in Liaodong, what should our Great Ming do?"

Xiong Tingbi knew the test had come. His brows knitted tightly, he pondered for a while, then said with a solemn expression: "Your subordinate believes we should hold the line!"

Zhu Xu's expression did not change. "Hold the line? Right now the entire court is thinking of how to recover Shenyang and reclaim Liaodong, yet you only think of holding?"

Xiong Tingbi's face grew even more earnest as he looked at Zhu Xu and said: "Your Highness, Liaodong is vast with sparse population. The Jin cavalry ranges freely, coming and going without trace. Our Great Ming has no cavalry, and military discipline is lax—from top to bottom, all are filled with a spirit of cowardice. Therefore, your subordinate believes the urgent task now is to fortify the borders and hold, while internally rebuilding military governance."

Zhu Xu nodded imperceptibly. This view rather suited his taste. Had Xiong spouted Yuan Chonghuan's 'Pacify Liaodong in Five Years' a few years early, he would have kicked him straight out the door.

Zhu Xu looked at him with some interest and said with a slight smile: "Besides internally rebuilding military governance, is there anything else?"

Seeing that he had roused Prince Hui's interest, Xiong Tingbi took a deep breath and said: "Your subordinate believes we should win over the Tatars, letting them continuously harass the Jin, wearing each other down. Once our Great Ming's military strength recovers, with one rising and the other falling, we can surely win in a single decisive battle!"

The Ming people of this era really were still quite arrogant.

Zhu Xu sighed inwardly—though confidence was better than inferiority. Neither approving nor rejecting Xiong Tingbi's words, he said: "Lord Xiong, do you know that lately there have been many memorials impeaching Mao Wenlong, Lord Mao of Joseon?"

As Zhu Xu's words fell, Cao Wenzhao at the side suddenly understood—everything connected now.

'So His Highness wants Lord Xiong to go to Joseon...'

Cao Wenzhao glanced at Xiong Tingbi, who remained silent with a grave expression, and felt secretly pleased. Though it wasn't the Governor-General of Pacifying Liaodong as before, Xiong was after all a man of criminal record—this comeback was already quite good.

Xiong Tingbi vaguely guessed Zhu Xu's meaning and probed: "Does Your Highness mean to have your subordinate go replace Lord Mao?"

Mao Wenlong had run rampant in Joseon, arrogant and overbearing, committing who knows how many outrageous acts—padding the payroll with phantom soldiers, killing civilians and claiming their heads as enemy kills, even bullying the Joseon court from top to bottom. He had long stirred discontent at court, with an unending stream of impeachment memorials. Had it not been for Governor Yuan Keli of Penglai shielding him, he would likely have been dragged back and beheaded long ago.

What Zhu Xu thought more about was not letting the containment role on the Joseon side be lost. He needed a capable man to organize it. Though one couldn't expect too much effect, at least it should make the Jin cautious, unable to commit fully to marching south.

"Correct." Zhu Xu nodded, his gaze meeting Xiong's directly.

Xiong Tingbi's face showed some hesitation. Going to Liaodong he did not fear, but succeeding Mao Wenlong to do training work always felt like being shelved aside or having one's talents wasted.

Zhu Xu was in no hurry either. He made no sound, waiting for his reply.

After a while, Xiong Tingbi's gaze hardened and he said: "Your Highness, Xiong is willing to go. I only ask that Your Highness make the arrangements for me!"

Both were men of ambition.

Zhu Xu clicked his tongue inwardly, then stood up with a smile and said: "Good. Then Lord Xiong, after you return, contact your old associates and deliver a big blow against Lord Mao."

Xiong Tingbi was not one to drag things out. Clasping his fists and bowing, he said: "If this can be accomplished, your subordinate will be grateful beyond measure!"

Zhu Xu nodded slightly without saying more: "Old Cao, see Lord Xiong out."

Cao Wenzhao acknowledged and said: "Lord Xiong, please."

Xiong Tingbi still had many questions he wanted to ask, but seeing this, he had no choice but to take his leave, following Cao Wenzhao's gesture down the stairs.

Just as they reached the door, Xiong Tingbi stopped Cao Wenzhao, glanced up at the upper floor, and asked in a low voice: "Wenzhao, tell me honestly—will this really work?"

Cao Wenzhao let out a small laugh and said: "Rest assured, my lord. As long as His Highness is willing to do something, there is nothing he cannot accomplish!"

Xiong Tingbi let out a breath of relief and said: "Good, I trust you. If this truly succeeds, then in the future, whatever His Highness commands, Xiong will not utter a single word of objection!"

Cao Wenzhao was just about to exchange pleasantries when his heart suddenly stirred—a startling thought abruptly surfaced in his mind: His Highness is laying out a scheme for Liaodong!

Connecting it with the firearms and cannons and all the rest, Cao Wenzhao grew even more certain. Changing what he had been about to say, he instead said: "My lord, you should still do some things to show His Highness."

Xiong Tingbi's earlier words had come from the heart, yet they weren't exactly an offer of allegiance. But hearing Cao Wenzhao's recruiting words, he was briefly startled before saying: "Please convey to His Highness that Xiong will certainly not disappoint him!"