Chapter 283: Section 40: Joining Forces

General Huang’s pure-hearted loyalty is especially precious; your humble servant congratulates His Majesty on his sagely virtue.

Whether it was Ding Shaoshi speaking now, or Gu Bingqian who had earlier hinted that Huang Shi had won the people’s hearts, neither of them would ever again attack Huang Shi’s loyalty. A few days ago Gu Bingqian had once more probingly reminded Tianqi: a fierce general like Huang Shi left in the frontier army did not seem to be a blessing for the state.

But Tianqi seemed to dislike hearing such words very much. He told Gu Bingqian bluntly that an ambitious man would never take such a risk — Huang Shi’s trip to Liaoyang was practically a near-certain death, and his act of killing Nurhaci was almost no different from suicide. In the end Tianqi even cast aside all taboos and asked the Grand Secretariat directly: have you ever heard of any man harboring disloyal ambitions who did such things?

This manner of dialogue made Gu Dafo and the others very uncomfortable. Although suppressing military officers was the civil officials’ established policy, if suppressing one Huang Shi meant ruining their own careers along with him, Gu Dafo and the others were still unwilling. So today the three Grand Secretariat members broke with precedent and desperately extolled Huang Shi’s loyalty.

These words clearly suited Tianqi’s taste perfectly. He gladly accepted his ministers’ congratulations and withdrew from court in high spirits to amuse himself. When the Emperor left, the three Grand Secretaries rose from their chairs together, hands hanging at their trouser seams, to see the Emperor off.

“Nine Thousand Years, a valiant general like Huang Shi truly should not be stationed long in one place.”

After Tianqi had left, the three Grand Secretaries together poured out their complaints to Wei Zhongxian. Seeing Wei Zhongxian’s dark expression and his refusal to commit, Grand Secretary Gu was so anxious that tears nearly streamed down his face: “Nine Thousand Years, we do not bear any prejudice against Huang Shi, but that Mao Wenlong has always been arrogant about his achievements and habitually opposes the Ministry of War and the Shandong Provincial Administration. Ever since Dongjiangzhen produced a Huang Shi, Mao Wenlong’s arrogance has grown even more rampant — he practically wants to ride roughshod over the Shandong Provincial Administration. This discord between civil and military is a grave taboo in frontier affairs!”

“Yes, Nine Thousand Years. Mao Wenlong has again submitted a memorial demanding more pay and provisions — he opens his mouth asking for a million taels of silver. If we refuse, Mao Wenlong will again make a fuss by brandishing Huang Shi’s achievements. If we grant it, won’t the military governors of the Tang dynasty reappear in our own day?”

When Feng Quan spoke, he too wore an expression of heartfelt anguish, sighing and stamping his feet repeatedly as he talked.

Recently Mao Wenlong had again submitted memorial after memorial, impeaching the Shandong officials for continuing to embezzle his military funds and even allowing the grain commissioners to swindle Dongjiangzhen out of four hundred thousand taels of silver. To prove his own innocence, Mao Wenlong was determined to bring his case directly before Tianqi and argue it out clearly with the Dengzhou officials.

Besides refusing several times in a row to sign off on the embezzled pay and provisions, Mao Wenlong had even more brazenly attacked the central officials sent to review the troops at Dongjiangzhen, accusing them of having “blackened consciences.” Because these officials were only willing to inspect the troops at Dongjiang and Lüshun, and never even went to see the troops at the several hundred forts and islands like Zhangsheng, Kuandian, and Tieshan, yet they set Dongjiangzhen’s troop quota at a mere twenty thousand men.

Mao Wenlong’s fierce attacks truly turned the civil official bloc’s stomachs. What was especially detestable was that Mao Wenlong was still an Imperial Commissioner and a first-rank commanding general — the Tongzhengsi could not reject any of these memorials; every single one had to be delivered before the Emperor. So whether it was the Liaodong Regional Military Commission or the Shandong Provincial Administration, their tolerance for Dongjiangzhen was nearly at its limit.

But Wei Zhongxian’s attitude had always been ambiguous; he also kept a certain distance and distrust toward the scholars. Ding Shaoshi watched the shifting expressions on Wei Zhongxian’s face and guessed that the latter was worried about changes in the Liaodong situation — if he stepped forward today to speak for the civil official bloc, it would make it hard for him to explain himself to Tianqi later.

“Nine Thousand Years, the Liaodong Provincial Governor has submitted a memorial. According to what the Liaodong Provincial Governor has heard, the Jianzhou slaves seem to have been beaten by General Huang until their gallbladders split with terror. This time, in order to shift the blame for failing to protect the old chieftain, they actually drove their own primary mother to her death. The Liaodong Provincial Governor also says that the Jianzhou slaves are divided in heart and mind, so much so that they cannot even select a successor. The several brothers each have their own factions, and for now they are forced to sit facing south four abreast. Many among the masses are weary of war and thinking of surrendering.”

Wei Zhongxian shot Ding Shaoshi a cold glance. Assistant Grand Secretary Ding knew that the old man before him was not as easily fooled as Tianqi. He lifted his official robes and knelt on the ground: “Nine Thousand Years, the Jianzhou slaves number only in the tens of thousands, their territory less than five thousand li — in the end they are but a trifling border nuisance. Yet now Dongjiangzhen is faintly showing signs of growing too large to control. Every man of insight in court and country is deeply troubled by this. I beg Nine Thousand Years to examine this clearly!”

Ding Shaoshi spoke with both voice and emotion, but Wei Zhongxian merely gave another cold snort: “Liaodong affairs cannot go a single day without Dongjiangzhen, and Dongjiangzhen cannot go a single day without Mao Wenlong. Dongjiangzhen does not even have three months’ surplus grain — how could it grow too large to control?”

“Nine Thousand Years, your insight is clear,” Gu Bingqian, relying on his status as a core member of the Eunuch Party, knelt down alongside Ding Shaoshi: “The officials of the Six Ministries do not wish to abolish Dongjiangzhen, only to slightly divide its achievements. Over the years Mao Wenlong’s headcount of slain enemies has exceeded six thousand, yet half of those belong to Huang Shi. If Huang Shi were separated out from Dongjiangzhen, it would be both fair and reasonable, and would also make them check each other, preventing any one from growing too dominant.”

“But Huang Shi is unwilling to be ungrateful and betray his benefactor — this you all know.”

Feng Quan had long since knelt on the ground as well. Now the three of them bore upon their shoulders the pressure of the entire civil official bloc, and therefore they could not but argue with all reason: “Nine Thousand Years, your insight is clear. Even if Mao Wenlong is not yet too large to control, the present situation is already very clear: Dongjiangzhen will inevitably monopolize the achievement of pacifying Liao, and in the future eight or nine out of every ten military officers in the entire Liaodong Regional Military Commission will come from Mao Wenlong’s camp. Nine Thousand Years, one careless step and this becomes a great military governorate. All we seek is to let Liaozhen share a little of the achievement, so that Dongjiangzhen does not grow too dominant alone.”

Wei Zhongxian chuckled a few times, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced two circles in front of the three men: “Mao Wenlong receives two hundred thousand taels each of silver and grain per year. In a few years he has built something from nothing and recovered several thousand li of territory. Under his command fierce generals are like clouds and elite troops number in the tens of thousands. Liaozhen receives several million taels of silver a year, yet six years have passed and they still have not even touched the banks of the Liao River. You say let Liaozhen share the achievement — can they even manage to share it?”

“Nine Thousand Years, that is because Sun Chengzong was too incompetent. But now it is different. The Liaodong Provincial Governor Yuan Chonghuan possesses considerable strategic talent and has long prided himself on his frontier abilities. He once boldly declared…”

“To judge a man, look not at how he speaks but at how he does things. I have seen far too many scholars who only speak big words but cannot accomplish real tasks.” Wei Zhongxian cut off Feng Quan’s words. He first raised his head to look at the ceiling; after a long while he sighed, then surveyed the three kneeling Grand Secretaries once more with a complicated gaze and said in a deep voice: “However, this time at Ningyuan, the Liaodong Provincial Governor did perform rather well.”

Wei Zhongxian stared coldly at the Grand Secretariat of the Great Ming on the floor. After a long silence he added one more sentence: “I have my own opinion on this matter. You need say no more.”

Having thrown down these words, Wei Zhongxian strode out the door. The three Grand Secretaries pressed themselves tightly to the floor, their faces nearly touching the ground: “Your humble servants see off Nine Thousand Years.”

…

On the fourth day of the ninth month of the sixth year of Tianqi, at Zhongdao: “This is Desmond, a lens-grinding technician recommended by the Jesuits. He is also Dutch — you two can get better acquainted.”

Huang Shi introduced the newly arrived Dutchman to his fellow countryman Fan Le. This Desmond was a telescope lens technician. As more and more people in his homeland grew rich from seafaring, Desmond too had abandoned his old trade and come to the Far East full of hope, and then… and then he had spent several years scrubbing dock floors in Macau.

Up to now, the telescopes used in the Asian region were almost all imported goods. Back in the day Matteo Ricci had once made a telescope to attract Xu Guangqi to the faith, but on the whole the demand for telescopes in Asia was not large. Most European mariners also frequently brought some along; they would rather buy telescopes from Europe than invest in building a telescope factory in Asia.

Upon hearing that the Jesuits were recruiting telescope lens technicians, Desmond was overjoyed to discover that he could actually earn money by his craft again, and so he embarked on the journey to Zhangsheng Island, eager to return to his old profession…

A technician who could grind lenses was truly a precious talent. What pleased Huang Shi even more was that this fellow Desmond was also of vagabond origin and did not need too high a salary. Best of all, what Desmond believed in was not orthodox Catholicism either, but glittering silver coins. So Huang Shi did not need to trouble his mind over his faith.

Besides Desmond, Huang Shi had also found four pocket-watch technicians through the Jesuits. Compared to Huang Shi, the hands-on ability of these fellows was practically godlike. From mainsprings to gears, they could handcraft every component of a clock. What rather disappointed Huang Shi, however, was that among these technicians there were quite a few fanatical believers. So Huang Shi urgently set up a training class and selected a group of workers to become their apprentices.

At the same time Huang Shi continued to send letters to the Jesuits, asking them to find another batch of pocket-watch technicians. Huang Shi hoped to select a suitable group from among them and directly enroll them into the Great Ming military register, solving the technical problem once and for all.

After arranging the meeting between the two Dutch countrymen, Huang Shi hurried off again to see Bao Bowen. Once Bao Bowen had assembled Zhongdao’s best blacksmiths and the firearms manufacturing team as Huang Shi had ordered, Huang Shi solemnly and reverently brought out a red sandalwood box, placed it on the table with a face full of gravity, and carefully opened it.

Inside the box was a layer of red brocade, upon which lay a handsome leather holster. Huang Shi opened the holster and drew out a hand cannon. With a trace of a mysterious expression and under the crowd’s bewildered gazes, Huang Shi loaded powder and ball into the hand cannon, then aimed at an empty spot and… fired a shot with a “bang.”

The onlookers were all elite members of the Zhangsheng Island Ordnance Department, and they were stunned along with their immediate superior Bao Bowen. Huang Shi drew the hand cannon back vertically, blew gently at the still-smoking muzzle, watched the slowly dispersing smoke for a moment, then looked around at the crowd: “Did you all see clearly?”

“We beg my lord to fire one more test shot.”

Apart from a few who expressed their shock with silence, the great majority of the remaining people demanded in unison that Huang Shi demonstrate another shot.

“Very well.”

Huang Shi once again loaded powder and ball into the hand cannon. The people around him all widened their eyes, each holding their breath as they stared at his every minute movement.

He pulled back the cock with his thumb, then aimed at the empty spot. Huang Shi pulled the trigger once more… After the gunpowder smoke cleared, these ordnance elites of Zhangsheng Island all fixed their gazes on Huang Shi’s hand cannon, as if watching a magic trick.

“This hand cannon is a gift the Jesuits gave me. According to them, it has just been transmitted from the Far West. I have given this type of hand cannon a name: ‘flintlock hand cannon.’ Let us call our existing hand cannons ‘matchlock hand cannons’ to distinguish the two.”

Huang Shi handed the flintlock hand cannon in his hand to Bao Bowen. The crowd immediately swarmed around Bao Bowen with a hubbub to look at it, leaving Huang Shi neglected outside the circle.

“It really has no match cord.”

“And yet it can still ignite.”

“Take it apart and have a look.”

The crowd chattered in discussion about the flintlock hand cannon, while Huang Shi stood beside them and continued recounting the story he had just heard from the Jesuits: “Less than thirty years ago, in a country called France in the Far West, someone invented this kind of flintlock firearm. About seven years ago, France in the Far West began equipping their armies with flintlock firearms. The hand cannon you see now is produced in France — it is said to be the latest weapon, manufactured only last year, and its ignition rate has already reached over ninety percent.”

Over these years Huang Shi had already developed tens of thousands of loyal-to-sovereign-and-country Catholic converts. The Jesuits were extremely grateful to Huang Shi for helping Heaven collect so many souls. Taking Huang Shi’s status as a general into consideration, they presented him with this flintlock gun. This type of weapon was still very expensive in Europe at present, mainly a plaything for high-ranking officers and nobles.

The Jesuits thought they were merely giving Huang Shi a high-class toy, but Huang Shi immediately recognized the power of this object. In the coming decades, the flintlock would ultimately eliminate the matchlock entirely and become the decisive weapon of land warfare. Because matchlocks used an open flame, the match cord had to be kept away from the touchhole before loading, and great care was needed when loading the powder. These related actions greatly slowed the rate of fire of firearms.

Although the matchlocks currently used on Zhangsheng Island also had triggers, all the same precautions for matchlocks could not be omitted. From Huang Shi’s own experiments, the loading speed of this flintlock firearm far exceeded that of the matchlock firearm, taking roughly half the time needed to load a matchlock firearm. Besides rate of fire, because the flintlock used non-open-flame ignition, it could also employ a smaller touchhole and a larger priming pan. Its power was naturally also markedly greater than the matchlock’s.

“The things inside this firearm are nothing more than flint and steel — we have both of these things.” Huang Shi told the crowd to take this gun back and study it thoroughly, to carefully replicate every component and ponder the function it served: “Since the men of the Far West could make it, naturally we can too. I hope that within a few years, we can switch the entire army to this type of flintlock firearm.”

In Huang Shi’s impression, the principle of the flintlock seemed roughly similar to the flint in a lighter. But if Huang Shi were asked to build one himself, that would truly be demanding the impossible. In fact, even with this ready-made sample laid out before his eyes, he still could not quite understand the principle of the flintlock. However… fortunately this was not a problem that Grand Commander Huang needed to worry about. Zhangsheng Island kept so many blacksmiths precisely to solve this problem.

Huang Shi asked boldly and loudly: “Do you have confidence?”

The people of the Zhangsheng Island Ordnance Department answered with full confidence: “Rest assured, my lord, we have confidence.”

Huang Shi smiled: “Good. I also have great confidence in you.”

Before mass production was possible, the cost of flintlocks would certainly be somewhat higher. But if a person could travel from the twenty-first century back to the 1990s, then no matter how expensive internet stocks were at the time, he would buy them heavily and keep buying — because that is called foresight. Huang Shi’s advantage lay in possessing foresight. Almost all the money Zhangsheng Island earned was spent by him with impatient haste, and Huang Shi’s subordinates had long grown accustomed to this.

…

On the same day, in the capital, Wei Zhongxian sat high upon a grand tutor’s chair beside the table, holding a gift list in his hand. In the hall below him stood a middle-aged man dressed as a private secretary. Wei Zhongxian merely swept a glance over the gift list before placing it lightly on the tabletop, as if he did not take the ten thousand taels of silver listed on it to heart in the slightest.

Seeing Wei Zhongxian’s gaze turn back, the middle-aged man immediately knelt to the ground once more, kowtowing as he said: “His Excellency Yuan respectfully wishes Nine Thousand Years golden peace.”

“Enough. Rise.”

Wei Zhongxian’s tone remained flat and indifferent, giving no clue at all as to what he was thinking. Before the slave chieftain Hongli burned the confiscation records and claimed that Yuan Chonghuan’s household had no surplus wealth, Yuan Chonghuan had a reputation in the late Ming for possessing considerable riches. The ceremonial gifts of ordinary officials ranged from a few taels to a few dozen taels of silver, but whether to Xiong Tingbi or to Sun Chengzong, Yuan Chonghuan’s ceremonial gifts always started at several thousand taels of silver — so much so that Sun Chengzong and the others dared not accept them. As for Yuan Chonghuan’s subordinates like Xie Shangzheng, Yu Dacheng, and Cheng Zhiben, they too had all received heavy sums from Yuan Chonghuan and openly styled themselves as Yuan Chonghuan’s sworn men in ordinary times.

Wei Zhongxian also had an excellent memory. He recalled the troop recruitment incident from the year before last: Yuan Chonghuan had taken two hundred thousand taels of internal funds to recruit new soldiers, followed by a tremendous flurry of activity — pulling naval forces from Guangdong, pulling guard battalion troops from Huguang, and in the end only recruiting an unspecified number of new soldiers from Guangxi. After all that commotion, no one could say for sure how much money had actually been spent.

In the end, Yuan Chonghuan's own memorial accounted for only sixty thousand taels of silver: he recruited three thousand soldiers from Guangxi, paying each soldier a twenty-tael resettlement fee (the normal resettlement fee was five taels per man, raised to ten taels in the Chongzhen era; the figures Yuan Chonghuan reported were two to four times the normal amount), and the remaining one hundred forty thousand taels were left vaguely unaccounted for. Yuan Chonghuan managed to evade any audit of these expenditures. He also politely declined the imperial court's appointed commanding general, instead handing all the troops over to his "sworn man" Xie Shangzheng to lead. So how much money was actually spent, and how many soldiers were actually recruited — only Yuan Chonghuan's word could be taken for it.

In this battle of Ningyuan, Yuan Chonghuan reported that over a thousand of the soldiers he had recruited died defending Ningyuan Fort — which meant another twenty thousand taels of silver had vanished from the face of the earth. Based on Wei Zhongxian's experience, this whole set of tricks was called "fishing in muddy waters." Setting aside the hush money paid to those involved, Wei Zhongxian estimated that Yuan Chonghuan had made over a hundred thousand taels of silver from this maneuvering alone.

"You need say no more. I understand perfectly what the Liaodong Provincial Governor is thinking." Wei Zhongxian had already read Yuan Chonghuan's memorial. In it, Huang Shi's Liaoyang mission was also highly praised, and it expressed deep regret that Huang Shi had been unable to bring back Nurhaci's head. Furthermore, it vigorously proclaimed that the Later Jin were all stricken with terror and trembling in fear, and that accepting a call to surrender had become the mainstream view throughout the Later Jin.

Wei Zhongxian knew perfectly well that Yuan Chonghuan would absolutely not carry out any surrender negotiations now. First, Huang Shi had already roused the Great Ming's fighting spirit, and the court and public were united in a clamor for war. Second, if the Later Jin really did surrender now, all the credit would fall on Huang Shi's head alone — no one would praise the minister who went to persuade the Later Jin, because everyone believed Huang Shi's awe-inspiring reputation was enough to overawe distant lands. Finally, as long as this shining exemplar Huang Shi remained in Liaodong, no one else could ever hope to win tremendous renown through military merit again.

Now, as a civil official, the only possible chance to rise in Liaodong seemed to be hitching a ride on Huang Shi's coattails. But as long as Mao Wenlong was not given increased military funds, Mao Wenlong would not, for a single day, allow the civil officials of the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission or the Liaodong Regional Military Commission to meddle in the military merits of Dongjiang Town. So even if people wanted to borrow Huang Shi's coattails, they simply could not.

The man below knocked his head heavily on the ground again and said, "Your Nine Thousand Years sees with clarity across ten thousand li."

Whether it was the Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, or the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission and the Liaodong Regional Military Commission — though they each had their various considerations, there was one point on which all civil officials shared a consensus: Huang Shi must leave Liaodong, and the sooner the better.

These past days, the Tianqi Emperor, seated high upon his throne, had been very pleased. What he saw was a brilliant and excellent situation; he saw that Huang Shi had greatly earned him face, forcing even the civil official bloc, which had always been somewhat critical of him, to marvel at his far-sighted vision. But Wei Zhongxian sensed the undercurrents surging beneath this glorious surface — a force so abundant and powerful that even he, Wei Zhongxian, found it difficult to contend with.

"Take a message back to the Liaodong Provincial Governor for me."

"As you command. This humble one will remember it by heart."

Wei Zhongxian smiled faintly, his fingernail lightly tracing across the gift list. "Tell the Liaodong Provincial Governor that he did very well at Ningyuan and Juehua. I am quite appreciative, so I shall graciously accept this token of regard."

"Your Nine Thousand Years does him honor. The Liaodong Provincial Governor is deeply gratified."

Wei Zhongxian nodded slightly, then withdrew that faint smile from his face. His tone turned solemn at once. "Only, regarding the request to establish a living shrine, I cannot agree for the time being. Go back and tell the Liaodong Provincial Governor — tell him I said: work hard, bring the Liaodong affairs to a successful conclusion, handle them well. Never mind one living shrine — if the Liaodong Provincial Governor wants to build two, or three, I will not forbid it."

"Thank you, Your Nine Thousand Years..." The visitor was about to prostrate himself in loud acclamation.

"Hold," Wei Zhongxian coldly cut off his grand gesture of gratitude, his tone hardening further from solemn to stern. "This time, I will let the Liaodong Provincial Governor have his wish and remove the stumbling block to his promotion and fortune. But this is not because he is respectful toward me — it is because I trust the Liaodong Provincial Governor's strategic acumen. However, if the Liaodong Provincial Governor disappoints me and betrays my trust, then for the rest of his life, he need not even dream of being an Assistant County Magistrate!"

Wei Zhongxian immediately followed with another sharp shout: "Do you understand clearly?"

"Yes, Your Nine Thousand Years. This humble one understands clearly."

The next day, Wei Zhongxian quickly finished his administrative duties and went early to report them to the Tianqi Emperor. Then he diligently and earnestly helped the Emperor by serving as an assistant in his carpentry work. Wei Zhongxian shooed the other minor eunuchs aside, rolled up his sleeves, and personally pitched in, bustling about to hand the Emperor a hammer or carry a plank of wood.

With a trusted aide like Wei Zhongxian helping, the Tianqi Emperor's carpentry work progressed with twice the result for half the effort. He soon finished the fountainhead piece he had set out to make that day. Wei Zhongxian promptly rolled up his trouser legs and, together with several eunuchs, installed the fountainhead onto the rockery. By the time he jumped down from the rockery and ran back, the Tianqi Emperor was sitting in a chair resting. The Emperor was drenched in sweat, his outer robe soaked through.

The Emperor had been in good spirits these days anyway. He lazily pointed to a wooden stool. "My Factory Minister has been busy all day and must be tired. Sit!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Although it was already early September, after all this exertion, Wei Zhongxian's forehead was also streaming with sweat. He sat down heavily on the stool, breathing heavily.

"A cup of tea for my Factory Minister. Warm."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." In the Tianqi Emperor's presence, Wei Zhongxian did not stand on excessive ceremony. He took the teacup, tilted his head back, and drank in great gulps.

This straightforward action made the Tianqi Emperor burst out laughing. He called out from the side, "Minister Wei, drink slowly, lest you choke."

"Your Majesty," Wei Zhongxian set the teacup down heavily on the tea table and wiped the water droplets from his mouth. "This time, Commander Huang was unable to bring back the slave chieftain's head, and as a result, the Grand Secretariat refused to discuss any merit reward for Commander Huang on any grounds. Your servant is deeply aggrieved on Commander Huang's behalf."

The Tianqi Emperor was taken aback upon hearing this. Wei Zhongxian continued with impassioned fervor, "Your Majesty, after the last battle of Juehua, your humble servant and the Grand Secretaries sat idle in the capital, yet all received rewards, while Commander Huang's merit was assessed at only one grade. This time, Commander Huang ventured deep into the tiger's den, returned having accomplished a singular feat — yet receives no reward at all. Your humble servant fears this will chill the hearts of the frontier army's officers and soldiers."

The Emperor looked down at the teacup in his hand, turned it on the tea table surface, and let out a long sigh. "Ah, what you say is true. But this is indeed the ancestral institution, and besides, the Grand Secretariat's arguments are also quite reasonable."

"Today, your humble servant again argued strenuously on Commander Huang's behalf, but the Grand Secretariat still used the ancestral institution to make their case. Your humble servant could not out-argue them and returned. Just now, upon careful reflection, I realized that no matter what, Commander Huang can no longer be enfeoffed as a marquis."

"Oh?" The Tianqi Emperor raised his head at these words and looked at Wei Zhongxian in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

Wei Zhongxian then explained the issue between Huang Shi and Mao Wenlong. Although pacifying Liaodong was a great achievement, enfeoffment as a marquis was about the limit. Since Huang Shi was under Mao Wenlong, Mao Wenlong would certainly be enfeoffed as a marquis, while Huang Shi would probably only be an earl. "Commander Huang is utterly loyal and righteous, willing to remain under Commander Mao. While this is deeply admirable, it is a pity regarding the reward. When the time comes, if Your Majesty insists on enfeoffing Mao Wenlong as a duke, your humble servant estimates the Grand Secretariat will again invoke the ancestral institution and refuse to carry out the edict."

"Mm, indeed." The Tianqi Emperor thoughtfully raised his cup and took a sip of tea, a trace of helplessness on his face.

Previously, Wei Zhongxian had also suggested that the Tianqi Emperor bestow the Prince of Fu's daughter in marriage to Huang Shi, but Wei Zhongxian had never found a suitable opportunity to broach the subject with Huang Shi. The first time, Huang Shi was about to set out for the Juehua campaign — the commandery princess certainly could not become a widow waiting at the gate. The second time, Yuan Chonghuan submitted a memorial raising the issue of the second daughter of the Zhao family; since Huang Shi had agreed to it outright at the time, the Emperor could not very well bring up the topic then. Now, the matter of the second daughter of the Zhao family was still unresolved. Neither Huang Shi nor the Zhao family had mentioned breaking the engagement or withdrawing from the match, so naturally the Emperor could not go snatching the bride or ruining the betrothal. Thus, the matter had been left hanging.

"The commandery princess certainly cannot be a secondary wife. If it were a case of two equal wives, the Prince and the commandery princess might not be willing, and besides..."

"And besides, it would be far too damaging to the royal family's dignity," the Tianqi Emperor said flatly, finishing Wei Zhongxian's sentence. Although according to the Great Ming's ancestral institutions, daughters of the imperial clan were not to be married to prominent civil officials, they were far from being unable to marry into good families. If word of this got out, the censors would probably point at the Emperor's nose and scold him. The Tianqi Emperor said, "Fortunately, no word has leaked out yet. This matter still requires long-term deliberation; whether it succeeds or not is still uncertain."

"Your Majesty sees with clarity across ten thousand li. Your humble servant has already sent word to the Prince of Fu's residence. The Prince's household will not let any word leak."

"Mm," the Tianqi Emperor responded faintly, knowing that the pretext of bestowing a title through imperial clan marriage was likely to fall through again. He pondered for a moment, and a trace of displeasure appeared on his face. "Commander Huang is indeed being treated unfairly."

Wei Zhongxian stole a glance at the Tianqi Emperor's expression, gauging that the moment was about right. He stood up, walked behind the Emperor, and said quietly, "Your Majesty, your humble servant has a foolish opinion — though I do not know if it is feasible."

"Minister Wei, speak freely."

"Since the Jian rebels began their insurrection, no achievements have been greater than those of Commander Mao and Commander Huang. Commander Huang need not be elaborated upon; Commander Mao has also toiled meritoriously and is praised by all under heaven. When the day comes that the Liaodong affairs are settled, if the two commanders of Dongjiang cannot be enfeoffed as marquises, your humble servant fears it will chill the hearts of all under heaven and of future generations, and be detrimental to the ancestral altars and the realm. Therefore, your humble servant believes these two men should both be richly rewarded. Achieving a satisfactory outcome for both would be the perfect policy."

The Tianqi Emperor nodded repeatedly. "True, true. But how can a satisfactory outcome for both be achieved?"

"Your Majesty, forgive my offense. Your humble servant ventures to suggest: today, the military merit in the realm sufficient to confer a marquisate exists not only in Liaodong, but also in the southwest."

The Tianqi Emperor's brow gradually furrowed. He turned his head to look at Wei Zhongxian and asked, "My Factory Minister means that I should transfer Commander Huang to the southwest?"

"Your Majesty's insight is brilliant. Yesterday, your humble servant carefully read the memorial of Liaodong Provincial Governor Yuan Chonghuan. The Jian rebels are in a state of panic, and there is a strong inclination toward war-weariness and a desire to sue for peace. Your humble servant also believes: either Commander Mao or Commander Huang alone is sufficient to grip the Jian rebels by the tail and prevent them from turning westward. If both are present, it would truly be a case of using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken."

The Tianqi Emperor turned his head back and pondered Wei Zhongxian's words, murmuring softly under his breath, "Using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken, using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken."

"Your Majesty, in the third month of this year, the rebel An (An Bangyan) again led tens of thousands of troops across the river to invade Weiqing, Guiyang, and other places, but was subsequently repelled by the imperial army. However, after An the rebel returned to Shuixi, he coerced large numbers of able-bodied young men into banditry. Recently, Yunnan Provincial Governor Min Hongxue memorialized that An the rebel has again gathered a bandit horde exceeding one hundred thousand, with vague signs of another incursion into Weiqing."

The Tianqi Emperor snorted. "A petty chieftain, yet able to stir up such enormous waves. What else did Min Hongxue say?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, His Excellency Min also said that She Chongming has usurped the title 'Great Liang King' and has also gathered a bandit horde of one hundred thousand, colluding with An the rebel in mutual villainy, resisting the imperial army." Seeing the Tianqi Emperor's expression grow increasingly dark, Wei Zhongxian seized the opportunity to pile on a heap of recent alarm reports. In any case, whichever report had the largest numbers, he picked that one to recount.

"Two hundred thousand rebel troops?!" The Tianqi Emperor was shocked and alarmed. He turned his head back in astonishment and asked, "Minister Wei, when did the southwestern affairs reach such a state? Why was I not told earlier?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, these are all military intelligence just reported and not yet confirmed. Your humble servant dares not say they are absolutely true. It is just that the more your humble servant thinks about it, the more I feel Commander Huang should be transferred to the southwest — this is also to nip trouble in the bud. Even if every item of this intelligence is true, as long as Commander Huang is in the southwest, the two rebels She and An could never overturn heaven no matter what. If the local officials are exaggerating, then with Commander Huang's martial valor, he would presumably wipe them out with a flick of the hand."

This time, the Tianqi Emperor was silent for a long while, then hesitantly nodded his head slightly.

"Your humble servant believes that, from a public perspective: the pacification of Liaodong is only a matter of days. As the Southern Directly Ruled Region also says: the sooner Commander Huang is transferred to the southwest, the sooner the She-An rebellion can be quelled, and the officials and people of the four southwestern provinces can enjoy peace sooner. From a private perspective: this way, both Commander Mao and Commander Huang can be enfeoffed as marquises based on military merit, and Your Majesty will not feel you have treated them unfairly."

"Minister Wei speaks with reason." The Tianqi Emperor slapped the tea table heavily and smiled at Wei Zhongxian. "This is not a private matter either. If loyal ministers and true-hearted men like Commander Huang are not richly rewarded, how can the hearts of all under heaven and of future generations be won? Minister Wei is loyal and diligent in state affairs, always relieving my worries. Very good, very good!"

"Your Majesty overpraises me. Your humble servant's was merely a single foolish insight."

"Very well, Minister Wei, no need for excessive modesty. Have you discussed this matter with the Grand Secretariat?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, your humble servant did not know whether this idea was good or not, and dared not go to the Grand Secretariat on my own authority."

The Tianqi Emperor shook his head, laughed, and loudly issued an order to Wei Zhongxian: "This idea is very good. I am very pleased with it. Minister Wei, go and discuss it with the Grand Secretariat at once. If they also agree to transfer Commander Huang to the southwest, have them draft the memorial rescript immediately, then send it to the Directorate of Ceremonial for approval in red."

"As commanded!"

On the night of the fifth day of the ninth month of the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, the core members of the Eunuch Party gathered together to discuss Huang Shi’s future prospects. In the past, since Huang Shi had refused to speak up, no one could very well snatch a man or his achievements from under Mao Wenlong’s command by force. But this time it was Tianqi’s own golden words from the imperial mouth, and the Grand Secretariat was merely carrying out His Majesty’s orders. No matter how overbearing Mao Wenlong might be, he naturally would not dare to fault the Emperor.

Gu Bingqian first narrowed his eyes, stroked his long beard, and wagged his head from side to side. Then he suddenly opened his eyes wide, a sharp gleam shooting from them: “If we are to transfer Huang Shi completely out of Liaodong, then his military registration absolutely cannot remain in Dongjiang. Otherwise, he could be transferred back at any time, and it’s very likely that any military achievements he earns elsewhere would still count partly for Mao Wenlong.”

Wei Zhongxian, seated high in the central position, shot him a glance: “Does Elder Gu have a solution?”

“A lateral transfer! Huang Shi is already a Right Chief Commissioner. First transfer him laterally to the south to serve as a Regional Commander. Huang Shi’s retainers and subordinate officers will all follow him in this lateral transfer, and we can also allow the troops of the Left Auxiliary of Dongjiangzhen to accompany him. That way, even if they are transferred back later, they will no longer be troops of Dongjiangzhen, and any achievements earned will not be monopolized by Mao Wenlong.”

“The Elder’s words are most excellent,” Feng Quan, standing behind Gu Bingqian, applauded and cheered. As long as they were not troops of Dongjiangzhen, the civil officials could all claim a share of the credit for strategic planning. Although Huang Shi’s performance before the battle at Juehua last time had been poor, his reputation was, on the whole, still acceptable. Feng Quan said: “It is said that Huang Shi also knows how to read the situation and is far less unreasonable than Mao Wenlong. The elite of Dongjiang are all in the Left Auxiliary. If Mao Wenlong keeps that foul temper of his in the future, we’ll just transfer Huang Shi back to pacify Liao and not give him a shred of credit!”

“Yes, and then we can give him an additional title from the south and send him to the southwest to suppress the rebellions. It would be best if the Provincial Governor of Liaodong can settle the Liao affairs, but if not, we can simply transfer Huang Shi back at worst. It is truly foolproof.” Ding Shaoshi burst out laughing as he spoke. This was the best possible arrangement; at last, the accumulated resentment of the civil official clique could be released.

“Then where would be a good place for the lateral transfer?”

The three Grand Secretaries bustled about for a while, flipping through the Ministry of War’s registers. Finally, Feng Quan found a vacancy from the thick Ministry of War files: “Regional Commander for the Defense of Fujian.”

There was one Regional Commander for the Defense of Fujian, formerly a Vice Regional Commander, changed to this post in the forty-second year of the Jiajing reign, stationed at Funing Prefecture. Under him were one detached Assistant Regional Commander (called the Southern Route Assistant Regional Commander), three Garrison Commanders, seven Squad Commanders, and one Camp Commandant.

Facing the several people in the room, Feng Quan explained: “After our dynasty’s great victory over Japan in Korea during the Wanli years, Japan strictly enforced maritime prohibitions, and thus the arrogance of the Japanese pirates pirates greatly subsided. This Regional Commander post has been vacant for many years. For Huang Shi, it also happens to be a lateral transfer; it is practically tailor-made for him.”

Wei Zhongxian pondered for a moment and felt quite satisfied with this arrangement: “Yes, draft the rescript. Change Huang Shi’s assignment to Regional Commander for the Defense of Fujian, Pacifying the Seas and Guarding Against the Japanese pirates. He shall be under the jurisdiction of the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission, with the Supervising Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Directorate, Wu Mu, serving as the Defense Commissioner.”

Watching the Grand Secretariat begin busily drafting the rescript, Wei Zhongxian felt very satisfied with his own handling of this operation. Nearly everyone would owe him a favor—whether the Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, or the officials in Liaodong and Shandong. This time, Wei Zhongxian had done something that pleased everyone, and the Tianqi Emperor was once again moved by Wei Zhongxian’s “loyal diligence.”

“Next is the additional title for Huang Shi.” Wei Zhongxian took a deep breath. No matter what, the words spoken to Tianqi still had to be honored; otherwise, there would be no explaining it to the Emperor: “Imperial Commissioner for Pacifying the South with Full Discretionary Powers, Bearing the Seal of the Vanguard General Pacifying the Barbarians, Regional Commander of Military Affairs for Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi, and Regional Commander.”