Chapter 147: The Brain Trust

"My lord, two men in the camp violated another man's betrothed wife. Mobile Corps Commander Jin only sentenced each to forty strokes of the army rod. What is even more egregious..." Yang Zhiyuan shot another indignant glare at Jin Qiude and continued reporting in a loud voice: "Mobile Corps Commander Jin personally supervised the punishment, yet those two miscreants were able to turn out for drill the very next day as if nothing had happened! Yesterday, after your subordinate heard of this, I went to reason with Mobile Corps Commander Jin, but he refused to impose stricter punishment. Therefore, your subordinate humbly requests that my lord personally punish the chief offenders, so as to settle the hearts of the officers and men."

"Mobile Corps Commander Jin, what do you have to say?"

"The military code contains no article on violating another man's betrothed wife. Mobile Corps Commander Yang wanted your subordinate to sentence the two men to eighty strokes of the heavy rod and thirty days of hard labor under the charge of inflicting severe injury on a comrade. Your subordinate could not agree."

Jin Qiude glanced sideways at Yang Zhiyuan with a snort and continued his explanation: "Your subordinate adjudicated according to the Great Ming Household Code, finding the two men guilty and deeming the appropriate sentence to be exile and conscription, forty strokes of the rod, and double the betrothal payment in compensation to the aggrieved party. Since these two men were already in the army, exile was naturally moot. Your subordinate also made thorough inquiries and found that the man had offered no betrothal gifts when the engagement was made, so naturally no compensation was required. In the end, the men were given forty strokes of the army rod. What is improper about that? As for their ability to turn out for drill the next day, that is due to their robust physique. Moreover, persisting in drill should be encouraged. Would it make more sense to force them to feign illness and lie in bed for days?"

By this point, everyone understood that Jin Qiude was resorting to sophistry. Huang Shi cut straight to the point: "Mobile Corps Commander Jin, who are these two men? And who is the aggrieved man?"

"Your subordinate has already inquired with Mobile Corps Commander He. Both men distinguished themselves in the battle at Jinzhou. One of them once followed my lord to Lüshun and is now an acting Squad Commander. The other is also a Squad Commander. The aggrieved man is an auxiliary soldier who has been on our Changsheng Island for less than four months."

Having said this, Jin Qiude also reported the two men's names and meritorious deeds. He Baodao sighed, tacitly confirming the account.

Yang Zhiyuan bowed once more to Huang Shi: "Your subordinate humbly requests that my lord enforce the law impartially, so as to settle the hearts of the officers and men."

Seeing Huang Shi pondering in silence, Jin Qiude wore a smug expression and snorted again in Yang Zhiyuan's direction as a show of triumph.

The command tent fell silent for a long while. Huang Shi slowly asked: "In the end, how did you rule regarding the aggrieved man and the woman?"

"According to the Great Ming Household Code, when a woman is violated, her family bears no fault, and there is no need to compensate double the betrothal payment. If the man insists on breaking off the engagement, he may recover half the betrothal payment and allow her to remarry. Otherwise, the couple should be encouraged to complete their union. The aggrieved man was unwilling to break off the engagement, so your subordinate ordered them to marry on an auspicious day. The matter is thus settled and closed." Jin Qiude spoke at length, and his reasoning indeed sounded well-founded.

"If they had already been married, how would you have ruled?"

"According to the Great Ming Household Code, the violator shall be exiled and conscripted, and given eighty strokes of the rod. The couple shall be encouraged to complete their union. If the wife is permitted to remarry, the betrothal payment is not returned, but the dowry is sent back."

"So it would still only be eighty strokes of the rod, and they would still be able to turn out for drill the next day? And the aggrieved party would still receive nothing?"

Hearing the dangerous tone in Huang Shi's voice, Wu Mu could not help but interject: "General Huang, I wish to say a few words."

"Eunuch Wu, please speak."

"Mobile Corps Commander Jin has been in charge of military law for a long time. I believe he has handled his duties quite well. As for those two soldiers, from what I hear, they have also rendered meritorious service."

Huang Shi understood what Wu Mu was alluding to. The ice-breaking, drilling, and production on Changsheng Island had always been orderly, and this was inseparable from Jin Qiude's strict enforcement of military law. Jin Qiude had personally inspected the sick and wounded, tolerating no malingering or shirking. Moreover, he had truly grasped the spirit of the Changsheng Army's military code. The flexibly applied military law had become a major aid to training and production on Changsheng Island.

However, Huang Shi's intuition told him that this approach would yield no good long-term results. In feudal society, those with official rank or examination degrees could appear before a magistrate without kneeling and were immune to judicial torture, while a commoner suing an official would first receive forty intimidation strokes of the rod. Jin Qiude's set of standards was no different in essence from ordinary feudal law — it was still that old principle of "rites do not extend down to the commoners, punishments do not reach up to the scholar-officials."

But this feudal vestige was not so easy to cut away. Moreover, the Army Supervisor had also tactfully expressed his view, which forced Huang Shi to think of some high-sounding justifications. In any case, he could not let this trend spread, or else the feudal traditions on Changsheng Island would stage a comeback, and that would weaken Huang Shi's power and authority.

Since Army Supervisor Wu Mu had spoken, and his direct superior Huang Shi also appeared ambivalent, Yang Zhiyuan silently withdrew. The meeting ended there.

Two days later, Zhao Manxiong brought a stack of military plans for Huang Shi to review. Huang Shi nodded repeatedly as he read: "Very good. This time they are both fast and numerous, and you haven't pursued excessive detail. The battlefield changes in the blink of an eye. Brother Manxiong, you have finally grasped this principle."

"Most of it was decided by Jin Qiude. Your subordinate dares not claim credit."

Zhao Manxiong delivered these words with a cadenced tone, his voice carrying not the slightest hint of shame or jealousy.

Huang Shi focused intently on the reports in his hand and said coldly: "Manxiong, if you have something to say, say it plainly. Don't beat around the bush all day."

"My lord's incorporation of your subordinate officers' personal retainers was truly a brilliant move."

Huang Shi let out a scoffing laugh: "I am precisely turning this Firefighting Battalion into the Huang Family Army. I never hid that from you."

"Then you should not let Jin Qiude control military law. That power is too great. Your subordinate has observed that many officers and soldiers are exceedingly deferential toward Jin Qiude — mostly out of fear, but some seem to be out of respect."

Though his gaze remained on the reports, Huang Shi's hand had begun unconsciously rubbing the paper: "Brother Manxiong, continue."

"After the Guangning campaign, when your subordinate accompanied my lord in conversation that one time, does my lord still recall?"

"The time you advised me to become a local landlord, go hunting, and take a concubine?"

"Yes. At that time, your subordinate said that Jin Qiude was decisive in killing and ruthlessly ambitious. My lord assessed him, saying, 'He is nothing more than a blade.' Your subordinate deeply agreed. But since he is a blade, then it must be held firmly in hand, correct?"

The current Chief of Staff, Zhao Manxiong, spoke leisurely: "Looking across all the officers on Changsheng Island, the position with the least power is your subordinate's current post. When my lord has an idea, your subordinate leads men to formulate plans, then submits them for my lord's review. Every single move can be completely monitored by my lord."

"Can Jin Qiude handle it?"

"No problem. His mind is meticulous, and he is more decisive than your subordinate. This position does not require someone who thinks too much anyway. Your subordinate fears he has always thought too much."