[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-stealing-ming":3,"chapter-stealing-ming-stealing-ming-chapter-184":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Stealing Ming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1220801,1614,"Chapter 184: Section One: The Situation","stealing-ming-chapter-184",184,"\u003Cp>At the end of the third month of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, Wei Zhongxian once again launched a major purge, and this caused Huang Shi’s economic interests to suffer no small loss. Originally, Chairman Wei of the eunuch faction thought that investing in Changsheng Island was a pretty good deal, and he had also agreed to put in additional investment. But as soon as the factional struggle erupted, Eunuch Wei tossed this matter right out of his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The topic the eunuch faction found this time was the case of “damaging the public to enrich the private.” Ever since the Hongzhi reign of the Great Ming, all copper coins had been regulated to be seventy percent copper and thirty percent lead, with each copper coin weighing one qian. During the Wanli reign, this was changed to sixty percent copper and forty percent lead, with each coin weighing one qian and two fen. The copper coins of the Taichang and Tianqi reigns also followed the Wanli-era regulations, and these standard sixty-forty copper coins were exactly what the counterfeit coins of Changsheng Island imitated. However, the coins cast by Regional Military Commissioner Liu Qingyang of Changsheng Island were forty percent copper and sixty percent lead, weighing one qian and three fen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Taichang and Tianqi reigns, the Donglin Party had controlled the Nanjing Coinage Bureau, and from then on the copper coins produced had deteriorated with each generation. By the second year of Tianqi, the copper coins minted in Nanjing had fallen to thirty percent copper and seventy percent lead, weighing eight fen — which is to say, their quality was even worse than the fake coins of Huang Shi and Liu Qingyang. By the third year of Tianqi, a new batch of copper coins out of Nanjing was actually ten percent copper and ninety percent lead, and the weight had also dropped to an unprecedented four fen per coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, in places like Suzhou, the common people of the Great Ming spontaneously launched a movement to boycott the Tianqi copper coins. This boycott wave lasted a full eight months and left the Donglin Party in Nanzhili utterly exhausted. By the fifth year of Tianqi, Wei Zhongxian, riding the lingering momentum of his great victory in the Guangning catastrophe case, boldly launched the coinage case campaign. The exposure of this case shocked and enraged Zhu Youxiao, Chairman of Great Ming Ltd., even more than the previous Guangning case. What angered him was not only the large-scale boycott of the copper coins — which of course severely damaged the credibility and revenue of Great Ming Ltd. — but more importantly, the Donglin Party had always reported to Chairman Zhu that since the first year of Tianqi, the annual coinage revenue — the so-called coinage interest — had been a pitiful few tens of thousands of taels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This struggle made Chairman Zhu of Great Ming Ltd. see clearly the true nature of the fight between the Donglin Party and the eunuch faction. Although it was nothing more than the traditional dog-eat-dog of factional strife, Wei Zhongxian was at least a house dog raised by him, Zhu Youxiao, whereas that bunch of Donglin Party people were clearly a pack of wild dogs snatching food. The Son of Heaven of Tianqi’s strategy changed accordingly. He gradually stopped using methods to maintain a balanced situation in the factional struggle, and instead tilted continuously toward Wei Zhongxian’s eunuch faction, indulging and even encouraging Wei Zhongxian and his gang to go after the Donglin Party — the Emperor acting in this way was, without question, extremely wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi’s personal feeling about this dispute was: the Donglin Party had already forgotten their original purpose. They had all forgotten the couplet written on the Donglin Academy: “The sound of the wind, the sound of the rain, the sound of reading — every sound enters the ear; family affairs, state affairs, world affairs — every affair concerns the heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this reflection was only a fleeting thought. Huang Shi’s most important administrative work at the moment was building windmills and reservoirs. After the Battle of Nanguan, by absorbing the able-bodied, Changsheng Island now had twenty thousand male inhabitants. Of course, the female inhabitants still numbered only a meager five thousand. This time, Huang Shi had learned the lesson of being pinned down before and resolved to build the new reservoir on West Island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the third month, it should have been the busy farming season, but this time Huang Shi had no heart even for planting corn. At his insistence, all surplus manpower was thrown into building the reservoir on West Island. After a month, two small reservoirs arranged at different heights had already taken rough shape. Fan Le had been measuring positions between the reservoirs all along. Huang Shi’s plan was to complete these two small reservoirs in three to four months, and then build four windmills to lift water. In this way, wind energy could be stored using the windmills and reservoirs to supply the daily operation of the waterwheels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After establishing the training corps, the work at Huang Shi’s hands immediately became even busier. A larger classroom had been built on Changsheng Island, and Huang Shi had to give literacy lessons to these one hundred and sixty-some instructors every day. The elementary course of this literacy class was “Hanyu Pinyin.” All the Latin letters were said by Huang Shi to have been copied from the foreign devil Deng Ken. The English of this era was very different from later English; at this time, English still preserved several cases and phonetic symbols similar to French — although this rendered Huang Shi’s half-baked English completely useless, the advantage was that everything needed for Hanyu Pinyin was readily available, and he didn’t have to worry about people wondering where he had dug it up from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Firefighting and Rock-solid battalions already took up forty-five hundred men. Huang Shi’s plan also called for forming logistics units and so on, meaning the two battalions still needed over five thousand more men. Taking half the men of Changsheng Island out of production for training was simply too outrageous, so for the moment Huang Shi had no choice but to temporarily organize a logistics force of over a thousand men. The engineering troops were also not to be formed for now. To squeeze the maximum human resources out of the peninsula, Huang Shi also incorporated over five hundred women into the army as medics. For now, the new recruits among these female soldiers were handed over to a bonesetter named Hu Qingbai for training. This fellow had terrible medical ethics, always swindling food, drink, and money. But since he had been conscripted and sent to Changsheng Island, Huang Shi was not afraid he couldn’t straighten out his medical ethics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At present, the main force of the Liaonan Dongjiang Left Brigade — that is, Huang Shi’s directly commanded troops — was still stationed on Changsheng Island, while the Vanguard Battalion remained in Jinzhou. Huang Shi’s staff department repeatedly assured him: the Battle of Nanguan was enough to sober up the Jianzhou slaves. From now on, they would absolutely not dare to penetrate deep into the Lüshun hinterland again without first taking Jinzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Pan was building Lüshun Fort, but the progress was very slow. At present, Lüshun had neither the manpower nor the financial resources. Huang Shi had also pondered whether to build a fortress at Nanguan, something like a massively powerful star fort. But after Yang Zhiyuan and the others finished the budget estimate, Huang Shi, thoroughly startled, immediately abandoned the idea. A medium-sized star fort of earth and stone would require five hundred thousand taels of silver and a large amount of manpower. Liaonan was not Liaoxi; there was not that much time and money here to build turtle shells. In the end, Huang Shi had the Vanguard Battalion in Jinzhou build some wooden beacon towers in the surrounding area and let it go at that. For this, Huang Shi allocated Jinzhou only two thousand taels of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The supplies promised by Sun Chengzong were also flowing into Changsheng Island. Large quantities of grain were the most urgently needed supplies at the moment. The Grand Coordinator of Liaodong sent fifty thousand shi in one go. According to Lord Sun, another fifty thousand shi would be sent to Changsheng Island within a few months. Huang Shi understood that no matter how promising the situation in Liaonan looked, the strategic focus of the Ming court could not tilt excessively toward Liaonan or Liaodong. After all, Liaoxi shielded Shanhai Pass and the capital region, and the court had always felt that if the Later Jin were to drive straight for Beijing, the armies in Liaonan and Liaodong would be like distant water unable to quench a nearby fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since crossing over, Huang Shi had always relied on his foreknowledge of history to seek benefits for himself. But the more he gained by relying on this ability, the greater his interference with history became. Since the first year of Tianqi, both of the Later Jin army’s large-scale strategic offensives against Guangning and Liaonan had been disrupted by Huang Shi. The first time, what the Later Jin army gained could be described as extremely limited compared to Huang Shi’s previous life, and this time, the major offensive against Liaonan had simply resulted in losses outweighing gains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Huang Shi’s memory, a few months from now Nurhaci would go plundering in Liaoxi. This act of plunder would trigger the famous Battle of Ningyuan. But in Huang Shi’s previous life, Nurhaci’s daring to commit crimes in Liaoxi rested on three premises: first, the Dongjiang main force and Right Brigade in Liaodong had suffered catastrophic losses in the fourth year of Tianqi, and Nurhaci believed Mao Wenlong had no strength to attack; second, Liaonan had originally been thoroughly crippled by the Later Jin army. In the original history, Zhang Pan, who took over Lüshun, had never commanded a major battle; his position came from three years of diligently transporting supplies and personnel and accumulating merit. Third, the Liaobei campaign of the fifth year of Tianqi had ended with Hong Taiji’s complete victory, and Lin Danhan had fled far into the grasslands, leaving the Later Jin’s northern frontier with little pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, from the Later Jin’s perspective, the situation in Liaonan had become extremely dire. The Two Red Banners, which in the original history had been pulled away, now not only could not be withdrawn but were also unable to face the military pressure of the Liaonan Ming army on their own. The Liaodong Ming army, spurred by the great victory at Nanguan, was also actively preparing to attack. Although the Bordered Blue Banner was a super-large banner, its burden grew heavier by the day. Finally, according to the dispatches from the Liaodong Grand Coordinator’s office, the Liaobei war, which should have ended at the close of the second month of the fifth year of Tianqi, was still ongoing. The Plain White Banner, which originally should have gone to reinforce the Khorchin Mongols in the second month, had been pinned down at Nanguan this whole time, and Nurhaci, in order to rescue them, had also pulled the Bordered Yellow Banner south from Liaobei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this way, Huang Shi no longer knew how much of the history he knew would remain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The artillery on Changsheng Island was also still drilling intensively. At Fan Le’s suggestion, some brand-new measuring tools had been produced by the carpenters. These tools felt very novel to Huang Shi, and they proved to be quite useful. According to Fan Le, these tools had already been around in Europe for some time, which made Huang Shi somewhat suspicious of Deng Ken’s identity as an “artillery officer.” How could a “qualified” artillery officer forget the ranging tools he always held in his hands? Recalling that this fellow Deng Ken had only come to China to make a living because he couldn’t get by in Europe, the cloud of doubt in Huang Shi’s heart grew even heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the cannons Deng Ken cast were still quite good. This showed he still had considerable ties to artillery. Huang Shi even felt that Deng Ken’s cannon-casting skill was far superior to his artillery-drilling skill. But Huang Shi had already decided to bury these doubts forever in the bottom of his heart. Whether or not Deng Ken had been a qualified artillery officer in the past, the courage, sense of honor, and professional pride he displayed in the Battle of Nanguan had already won Huang Shi’s approval. There was no casting of new cannons for now. At this moment, the captain of the Heidao fleet was leading those seagoing vessels on the route to Japan. Hopefully, this trip would yield a decent harvest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bao Jiusun was giving Huang Shi a private, face-to-face report. He introduced a number of improvement suggestions from the Changsheng Island ordnance department regarding pikes and firearms after several battles, such as the issue of the bayonet blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On a blueprint provided by the ordnance unit, the one-chi-five-cun bayonet blade had been lengthened to two chi five cun. As Huang Shi looked at the blueprint, Bao Jiusun, following the usual custom on Changsheng Island, casually dragged over a stool, sat down, and began to speak: “Although our army’s bayonet blades are far longer than ordinary pike heads, in the Battle of Nanguan, quite a few pikes were still hacked apart by the Jianzhou slaves. Therefore, your subordinate suggests lengthening the bayonet blade once again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Bao Jiusun turned a page for Huang Shi, revealing another blueprint below: “Or add a metal sleeve of at least one chi behind the bayonet blade. This should also protect the pike shaft.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two discussed and made decisions as they went. In the end, Huang Shi nodded and approved most of the improvements. These improvements would undergo trial production, and the labor hours consumed and the effects after improvement would all be recorded as the basis for the final policy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he turned to the last blueprint, Huang Shi stared at it, stunned for a long while. Bao Jiusun at his side smugly savored his superior’s astonishment for a moment before speaking to the still-dazed Huang Shi: “My lord, please observe clearly. This is a new type of weapon that the Changsheng Island Ordnance Department plans to manufacture. Your subordinate dares to explain it to my lord…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing the explanation, Huang Shi immediately pressed: “When can this weapon be issued to the troops?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Testing should be able to begin next month. If all goes smoothly, it can be issued to the troops within six months.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very good. I will speak with Mobile Corps Commander Yang and give full support to the manufacture and testing of this weapon. However…” Huang Shi warned Bao Jiusun in the gravest tone: “This weapon must absolutely not be known to outsiders. All manufacture and testing are to be moved to Zhongdao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Early in the fourth month of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, at Kuandian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle lines between the Dongjiang Army and the Later Jin Army had been deadlocked at Dadian Fort for quite some time. Vice Regional Commander Chen Jisheng, commander of the Dongjiang Right Brigade, had always advocated caution, so over the past year, there had not been many engagements between the Ming army and the Later Jin army. But recently, rumors very unfavorable to Chen Jisheng had been circulating among the officers and men of the Dongjiang Right Brigade. Quite a few people were secretly discussing Vice Regional Commander Chen’s judgment in private. It was said that it was precisely because of Chen Jisheng’s obstruction that the forces of the Dongjiang main body and Right Brigade had not been committed to Liaonan. As a result, the Jianzhou slaves had slipped away right under the nose of the famous Dongjiang general Huang Shi…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly happened at the Battle of Nanguan?” Kong Youde asked Geng Zhongming impatiently at the welcoming banquet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t see it, but it was definitely a great victory…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Geng Zhongming could finish, Geng Shuming, sitting to the side, cried out: “Brother Yongshi, we didn’t see Nanguan, but Jinzhou — that we saw clearly. A full six banners, I tell you. The old slave himself came. Those three banners that escaped were all in tatters. When they saw the old slave, those Jianzhou slaves were all streaming with tears, as happy as if they’d been given a second life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geng Zhongming never interrupted his younger brother’s speech and finally nodded in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Yongshi, why did you never tell my elder brother about your relationship with Vice Regional Commander Huang?” Geng Shuming spoke up again, both envious and dissatisfied. He also excitedly told Kong Youde: “This time Vice Regional Commander Huang gave us two hundred suits of armor and three hundred sets of saber and shield. Now in the camp, not to mention the personal guards and retainers, even the minor squad leaders no longer use bamboo spears and wooden clubs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kong Youde merely smiled faintly upon hearing this: “This trip to Liaonan, you two brothers have struck it rich.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One hundred sets of saber and shield are to be presented to you, brother.” Geng Zhongming had always felt that being able to gain so much from Huang Shi was inseparable from Kong Youde’s influence. After he finished speaking, Kong Youde did not decline and agreed to accept them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your brother has heard…” Geng Zhongming first sent away the outsiders, then lowered his voice and asked: “Our adoptive father flew into a thunderous rage?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.” Kong Youde let out a long sigh. After confirming the exact course of the Battle of Nanguan, Mao Wenlong’s mood had been consistently poor: “You know, our adoptive father has always followed Vice Regional Commander Chen’s advice without question and never once lost his temper with him. But this time… our adoptive father gave Chen Jisheng a thorough scolding! And refused to see him for days on end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is Vice Regional Commander Chen now?” Although both Geng Zhongming and Kong Youde were directly subordinate to Mao Wenlong, since they had been sent to Kuandian to assist the Dongjiang Right Brigade in operations, he was naturally very concerned about Chen Jisheng’s state of mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Kong Youde let out another long sigh: “Vice Regional Commander Chen is naturally in very poor spirits. I heard that our adoptive father has forgiven him and even encouraged him again. But I can tell that Vice Regional Commander Chen is utterly dejected. Ever since Vice Regional Commander Chen arrived in Kuandian, he has been drilling the troops day and night to prepare for battle. In the past, Vice Regional Commander Chen’s temper was considered quite good, but now, in just these few days, many officers have already suffered for it. Even those of us who came from the main body are all avoiding Vice Regional Commander Chen, afraid of running afoul of his ill temper.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geng Zhongming was silent for a long time, then asked softly: “Is Vice Regional Commander Chen worried that…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could he not be worried?” Kong Youde cut off Geng Zhongming’s words. At present, Huang Shi was dazzlingly brilliant. Not to mention the entire Dongjiang garrison, even the various military garrisons of Liaoxi, Jidong, Jixi, and Shandong were all unable to open their eyes under the glare of Huang Shi’s prestige. Thanks to Huang Shi, Mao Wenlong’s voice was growing louder and louder in his quarrels with the Shandong civil official clique, and the Shandong civil officials’ confidence was growing weaker and weaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kong Youde reached out and rearranged the bowls and dishes on the table. He pointed at the wine bowl and said: “This is my brother Huang. There are rumors that Grand Coordinator Sun of Liaodong wants to recommend him for Provincial Military Commander…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not a rumor. I heard it with my own ears.” Geng Zhongming tilted his head, pointing at his own ear, and exclaimed to Kong Youde: “It was with this very ear, from less than ten meters away, that I heard Lord Sun say he wanted to recommend Huang Shi for the post of Provincial Military Commander of Liaoxi and Regional Commander.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That settles it.” Kong Youde placed the bowl upside down on the dish, then pointed at the dish and said, “This is our adoptive father. As long as Brother Huang doesn’t leave, our adoptive father will always be one rank above him. If the court insists on appointing Brother Huang as Provincial Military Commander, then our adoptive father will be Grand Military Coordinator. That’s why when Brother Huang explicitly said he wouldn’t leave, our adoptive father was overjoyed. Even if he wanted to leave, I reckon our adoptive father wouldn’t let him go… But what about Vice Regional Commander Chen? He was always the undisputed second-in-command of Dongjiang Garrison, having risen from our adoptive father’s personal guard captain. Three years ago, when Brother Huang and I came to Dongjiang, what were we worth in front of Vice Regional Commander Chen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the final analysis, both Geng Zhongming and Kong Youde were military officers who had come from outside. They had originally acknowledged Mao Wenlong as their adoptive father precisely to squeeze into the ranks of the inner circle. But now, with Zhang Pan fallen, Chen Jisheng in decline, and Zhang Pan and other inner-circle officers who had come from personal guards unable to help much, it was instead Huang Shi, a military officer of outside origin, who was faintly emerging as Mao Wenlong’s successor. Geng Zhongming’s mind also began to stir: “Brother Yongshi, I have a thought.” He raised a hand toward Kong Youde: “Lend me your ear.”\u003C\u002Fp>",3640,"2026-06-04T07:54:30.907Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","5868a7a3496bdc43faa0f73c720fa34f7e9bf70c9a18962e1872b51db7703da9","stealing-ming-chapter-185","stealing-ming-chapter-183",323,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstealing-ming-cover.jpg"]