Chapter 302: Section 54: Raging Waves (Part 2) (II)

……

Ever since the Dongjiang Army captured Haizhou, the Grand Secretariat of the Chongzhen reign had been debating the question of moving Mao Wenlong’s garrison to Gaizhou. Mao Wenlong was resolutely opposed to this; he claimed that more than half of the Dongjiang Army’s provisions and pay came from Korea, and that if the garrison were moved to Gaizhou, the imperial court would have to take responsibility for feeding the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town.

The next day, the eleventh day of the third month. Liaodong.

The envoy Huang Taiji had dispatched to Dongjiang Town arrived in Zhenjiang today. This envoy, named Kuoke, was one of Huang Taiji’s trusted confidants. Upon reaching Zhenjiang, he immediately attempted to make contact with Mao Wenlong and requested that peace negotiations begin.

On the thirteenth, upon learning of this, Mao Wenlong at once ordered his men to escort Kuoke to Tieshan, and that same day he impatiently sent a military report to the imperial court. In his report of the thirteenth, Mao Wenlong made absolutely no mention of the fact that he himself had previously sent envoys to Liaoyang; he merely stated that Huang Taiji, in fear of Dongjiang Town’s military might, had sent someone to sue for peace.

Subsequently, on the fifteenth and the seventeenth, Mao Wenlong sent out further Dongjiang military reports in succession, repeatedly stressing to the court that Huang Taiji was suing for peace, and firmly asserting that this was an initiative taken by the Later Jin side under the military pressure of the Dongjiang Army. At the same time, in order to amplify the impact, Mao Wenlong also hastily requested that Korea dispatch envoys to witness the ceremony.

On the twentieth, after the Korean envoys had arrived at Dongjiang Island, Mao Wenlong threw open the main gate of his headquarters. Rows of soldiers stood on both sides. After Kuoke presented Huang Taiji’s letter, Mao Wenlong, with a stern and righteous air, declared that these were terms he absolutely could not accept. “You have long acted lawlessly and defied authority. Now, wishing to offer tribute and sue for peace, you ought in principle to be granted a hearing. But I have received my mandate beyond the frontier, and it is my duty to chastise none but the rebels. Moreover, the Heavenly Court has not yet sanctioned peace, and I absolutely cannot presume to decide such a matter on my own. Let us wait for the court’s disposition.”

This declaration naturally left Kuoke utterly baffled. Mao Wenlong did not elaborate; he insisted that Kuoke was a “menial” with whom it was impossible to speak clearly, and soon sent Kuoke back to Zhenjiang. At the same time, he had Kuoke carry back a letter demanding that Huang Taiji “return the former territories and swear an oath to Heaven,” and instructing him to send a high-ranking official for the next round of talks.

Having finished this task, Mao Wenlong immediately followed up with another military report to the court, stating that under the threat of the Dongjiang Army, the Later Jin regime was already in a perilous state, as precarious as a pile of eggs. If the court forced Dongjiang Town to relocate its garrison to Gaizhou without providing sufficient provisions and pay, it might impair Dongjiang Town’s ability to continue killing the enemy.

On the fourth day of the fourth month, officials from the Great Ming Ministry of Revenue arrived at Dongjiang Island and began counting the troops of Dongjiang Town.

On the twenty-sixth day of the fourth month, Kuoke arrived in Zhenjiang bearing Huang Taiji’s second letter. Two days later, upon receiving the news, Mao Wenlong immediately reported it to the court again on the twenty-eighth. At the same time, he lamented that Kuoke’s rank was too low. Mao Wenlong said that the reason he had released him the previous time was to try to lure out a bigger fish, “hoping for Dahai or one of the slave-chief’s sons to come, but in the end it did not succeed.”

On the first day of the fifth month, Kuoke arrived at Dongjiang Island. This time, Mao Wenlong not only invited the Korean envoys again, but also had Ministry of Revenue officials such as Huang Zhongse observe the ceremony together. According to the report of Ministry of Revenue official Huang Zhongse, after Mao Wenlong had the Later Jin interpreter, the traitor Interpreter Ma, bound, he was very quickly beaten to death by the soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang. Kuoke, meanwhile, was bound by Mao Wenlong and taken onto the Ministry of Revenue’s ship.

On the sixth day of the fifth month, Mao Wenlong sent another military report to the Great Ming, giving a detailed account of the circumstances leading to his capture of Kuoke. He seized this opportunity to once again expound upon the significance of Dongjiang Town, and also claimed, “Your servant does not dare to boast of this as an achievement.”

On the thirteenth day of the fifth month, seeing that his envoy had not returned for a long time, Huang Taiji again sent men to the Yalu River to gather information. Mao Wenlong hastily reported this in his military report of the fifteenth, and at the same time had a letter delivered to Huang Taiji. The letter made no mention whatsoever of Kuoke’s whereabouts, but warned Huang Taiji that there were people from the Great Ming Ministry of Revenue on Dongjiang Island, and that secret peace negotiations were extremely dangerous, and so on.

On the twenty-second day of the fifth month, Huang Taiji learned from Korean sources that Kuoke had been captured. He flew into a towering rage and bluntly called Mao Wenlong a “scoundrel.” The first round of peace negotiations between Later Jin and Dongjiang Town was declared a failure.

……

The end of the sixth month of the first year of Chongzhen. The capital.

Today, upon returning to the capital, Zhang Heming had just entered his house to rest when a gatekeeper came to report that Sun Chengzong was requesting a meeting. Zhang Heming naturally had the gatekeeper invite him in at once. After entering the room, Sun Chengzong performed the junior-generation salute toward his late mentor Ye Xianggao’s old friend. Zhang Heming laughed and said, “Kaiyang, you’ve come at a good time. Sit!”

Zhang Heming had rendered great service this time, and for a while his prestige was truly boundless.

After Sun Chengzong had seated himself, he cautiously asked, “Elder Zhang, tomorrow His Majesty may inquire about the strategy for pacifying Liao. Might I ask if Elder Zhang has already formulated a plan?”

Zhang Heming again began to stroke his beard. After pondering for a long while, he asked in return, “This old man still has no fixed plan. Might Kaiyang have something to teach me?”

Sun Chengzong said without the slightest hesitation, “Elder Zhang, in this campaign to pacify the southwest, you memorialized that Huang Shi’s was the foremost achievement in quelling the rebellion. If Elder Zhang were to take command of the Liaodong campaign, I believe Huang Shi cannot be employed.”

“Oh.” Zhang Heming wagged his head as he thought for a moment, then pressed, “And why is that?”

“Elder Zhang, the merit Huang Shi has achieved this time is already far too great. His Majesty originally intended to bestow upon him an earldom, and the court officials had to exert great effort to persuade His Majesty to abandon that idea.” Sun Chengzong shook his head slightly, almost imperceptibly, and his resonant voice dropped considerably lower. “Elder Zhang, Huang Shi is only thirty years old, and he has been in military service for but a few years.”

Zhang Heming and Sun Chengzong gazed at each other in silence for a long moment. Finally, Zhang Heming nodded gently and said in a drawn-out tone, “However…”

“Huang Shi is indeed the foremost general of the Great Ming’s restoration,” Sun Chengzong rushed to speak, his voice regaining its usual resonance. “But he has truly become too proud too soon. His edge is too sharp, and he lacks steadiness. At barely thirty, the Emperor was already considering granting him a title of nobility. With Elder Zhang present now, there is naturally no problem, and I can still barely keep him in check. But thirty years from now, which civil official of the younger generation will be able to match his edge?”

Zhang Heming nodded again, and once more said in a drawn-out tone, “However…”

“Elder Zhang,” Sun Chengzong shifted uneasily on his stool. The Emperor seemed somewhat eager for quick results, and also appeared to hold Huang Shi in rather high regard. But once a military officer slipped out of control, it was very likely that the realm would descend into chaos and the people would suffer. Therefore, Sun Chengzong felt he still had to shoulder the responsibility of a minister entrusted with the care of the state through three reigns. “At present, the Japanese pirates along the Fujian coast are running rampant. In this junior’s opinion, it would be best to first let Huang Shi properly fulfill his duties as Regional Commander for Coastal Defense and Anti-Piracy. I will speak to His Majesty myself on this matter. Elder Zhang need only refrain from mentioning Huang Shi before His Majesty.”

Zhang Heming inclined his head slightly. “Kaiyang’s concern is well-founded.”

……

The third day of the seventh month. The Imperial Palace.

Since Zhang Heming had entered the capital, Chongzhen had summoned him twice in succession. The sovereign and minister had conversed with great pleasure, and the Emperor was very fond of this spirited old man. Zhang Heming’s insights into military strategy also greatly earned Chongzhen’s admiration.

Today, Chongzhen summoned Zhang Heming for the third time and listened as Old Zhang recounted the entire process of pacifying the southwest in vivid detail. During the telling, the young Emperor was so excited that he rose from the dragon throne several times, and after each perilous moment, he would let out an innocent cry of delight.

“Can Elder Zhang not give Us a definite answer?” After listening to the story, Chongzhen turned again to the Liaodong situation. He looked at Zhang Heming eagerly. “If We were to put Elder Zhang in charge, would the Liaodong situation take ten years? Eight years?”

Zhang Heming said unhurriedly, “Your Majesty, this old minister can only repeat what he has said before. The art of war states: First make yourself invincible — that lies with yourself; then await the enemy’s vulnerability — that lies with the enemy.”

Chongzhen pressed urgently, “What exactly constitutes being invincible, and what constitutes being able to win?”

Zhang Heming narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, gently stroked his long, snow-white beard, and said lightly, “Your Majesty, the art of war states: The form of a military force is like water. Water avoids the heights and hastens downward; a military force avoids the enemy’s strength and strikes his weakness. A military force has no constant disposition, just as water has no constant shape.”

Chongzhen was clearly somewhat dissatisfied with this answer. He asked bluntly, “Elder Zhang, your strategy for pacifying the south was so brilliantly detailed. How is it that your strategy for pacifying Liao contains nothing concrete at all? You always speak of adapting to circumstances — can there truly be no planning in advance?”

Zhang Heming smiled faintly again and inclined his body slightly. “Your Majesty perceives clearly. As Prince Yue put it so well, the subtlety of employing troops lies entirely within the mind.”

Although Chongzhen was somewhat discouraged by what he heard, Zhang Heming’s achievements were solid and undeniable. Moreover, after these two summons of Zhang Heming, Chongzhen would recount their exchanges to the Grand Secretariat, and every one of those Grand Secretaries praised Zhang Heming as one who “deliberates with the seasoned prudence of an elder statesman for the good of the state.”

Chongzhen personally escorted Zhang Heming out to the Orchid Terrace, then summoned the Grand Secretariat to discuss the day’s exchange. Qian Longxi and the others all expressed boundless admiration for Zhang Heming’s views, unanimously declaring that the venerable Elder Zhang was truly a pillar of the state.

“We also feel that Elder Zhang is thoroughly versed in frontier affairs and highly capable in military matters,” Chongzhen concluded approvingly. He instructed the Grand Secretariat, “However, Yuan Chonghuan arrived in the capital yesterday. Tomorrow, We shall grant him an audience as well, for the time being. If this man can also be of use, then let Elder Zhang serve as Viceroy of Liaodong, and let Yuan Chonghuan be the Provincial Governor of Liaodong, assisting in military planning and lending Elder Zhang a hand.”

“Your Majesty is brilliant and wise!”

The next day, Yuan Chonghuan, in his status as a dismissed official, was granted an audience with the Son of Heaven. After performing the ritual obeisance between sovereign and minister, Yuan Chonghuan shook out his robes and seated himself on the stool the Emperor had granted him. Sitting there with an air of complete assurance, he parted his legs slightly, placed his fists lightly on his knees, and looked at the young Emperor with his head held high and his chest out.

“Minister Yuan, do you know why We have summoned you to the capital this time?”

“This humble minister believes that Your Majesty has summoned me on account of the Liaodong situation, without a doubt!”

Although Chongzhen knew that Yuan Chonghuan certainly knew this, Yuan Chonghuan’s reply was not the standard answer. By convention, a minister ought to feign ignorance with a show of humility and wait for the Emperor to personally enlighten him.

Somewhat surprised, Chongzhen inclined his head gently. “Correct.”

Yuan Chonghuan held his neck high and smiled faintly at the Emperor, bearing the full composure of one who has complete confidence in his own judgment. He declared in a ringing voice, “This humble minister has come to the capital precisely to relieve Your Majesty’s worries about the east!”

In the nearly one year since his ascension, the young Emperor had grown accustomed to the sight of ministers who merely kowtowed without offering any real proposals. The sharpness emanating from the man before him now gave Chongzhen a feeling of both surprise and delight. After thinking briefly, he hurriedly leaned forward and pressed, “Does Minister Yuan have a strategy for pacifying Liao?”

A trace of proud smile appeared at the corner of Yuan Chonghuan’s mouth, as if the Emperor had asked a question far too simple; a hint of disdain even seemed to flicker in his eyes, as if to say there was nothing in this world he could not accomplish; and an even greater steadfastness shone from his face, capable of inspiring tremendous confidence.

“Your servant can pacify Liao within five years!”

……

After Yuan Chonghuan’s audience ended and he departed, Li Biao had still not recovered from his shock. In the empty Wenyuan Pavilion, only Qian Longxi sat quietly to one side, drinking tea.

“His Majesty did not even consult the Grand Secretariat, yet insists on making Yuan Chonghuan — no, Lord Yuan — the Viceroy of Ji-Liao?”

Qian Longxi took a sip of tea and nodded. “Indeed.”

Li Biao turned his body sideways and leaned in Qian Longxi’s direction. “Lord Qian, it is Viceroy over Ji Town, Liao Town, Laideng Town, and Tianjin Garrison — three towns and one garrison in total. The military forces of the entire capital region are to be handed over to Lord Yuan alone.”

Qian Longxi found the tea a bit too hot. He nodded repeatedly while blowing on it. “Yes, Lord Li, you are quite right.”

Li Biao leaned his body forward again, pressing one arm onto the table between them. “Lord Qian, just now Lord Yuan demanded that His Majesty not dispatch any Army Supervisor and not establish any Provincial Governor!”

According to long-standing Ming practice, anyone commanding troops in the field was always subject to oversight by other appointed officials. In particular, the distribution of provisions and pay had to be reviewed by multiple parties to prevent abuses. Yet Yuan Chonghuan had requested of Chongzhen that no investigating censor be appointed, and that the allocation of six million taels of silver in annual military funds be decided by his word alone. In other words, he himself would be able to determine seventy percent of the imperial court’s fiscal expenditures, without any oversight from others.

"Yes, His Majesty approved it." Qian Longxi sighed, then continued blowing into his teacup.

"Lord Yuan also demanded the revocation of the exclusive memorial-submission rights of all other Liaodong officials."

Yuan Chonghuan hoped that Chongzhen would listen only to him on the matter of Liaodong, and trust only him alone, so it would be best if no one else even had the opportunity to speak.

"Mm, except for Mao Wenlong." Qian Longxi pointed out that Chongzhen had not granted Yuan Chonghuan's request one hundred percent on this issue. The Son of Heaven had merely revoked the imperial swords of Man Gui, Zhao Lujiao, and the Provincial Governors and Grand Coordinators of the three garrisons, directing them to take any concerns to Yuan Chonghuan. Chongzhen had made it clear that he would only listen to Yuan Chonghuan's one-sided account, explicitly telling everyone not to bring their grievances directly to the throne.

Li Biao continued leaning toward Qian Longxi's side, nearly sprawled across the table: "Before today's imperial audience, Lord Yuan was still just a dismissed official. He had even petitioned to build a living shrine for that traitor Wei. His Majesty hates Wei the traitor most of all!"

Qian Longxi had just taken another small sip of tea, so he merely nodded silently. Regardless of how he had entered, regardless of what he had done before, regardless of whether there was any precedent in the Great Ming — Yuan Chonghuan was now the Minister of War, Right Censor-in-Chief of the Chief Surveillance Bureau, and the Grand Coordinator of Jiliao bearing the imperial sword.

Li Biao suddenly straightened up from the table, his back snapping ramrod straight. He slammed the table heavily and shouted in utter bewilderment: "Lord Qian, how on earth did Yuan Chonghuan manage it?"

Qian Longxi, who had been drinking tea, darkened. He smashed his teacup down onto the table with a crash even louder than Li Biao's slam. Without even glancing at the tea splattered all over the table, he angrily shouted back at Li Biao: "Lord Li, are you asking me?"

……

The Great Ming had been plagued by the Little Ice Age for nearly fifty years. The state's normal annual agricultural tax of two million taels had long been heavily in arrears. In some disaster-stricken areas, agricultural taxes had been waived for over thirty years across the Wanli, Taichang, and Tianqi reigns. In the seventh month of the first year of Chongzhen, in order to accomplish the grand feat of "Pacifying Liao in Five Years," the "Sovereign of Yao and Shun," Chongzhen, decreed that not a single fen of the normal two million tael annual agricultural tax could be short, and furthermore, all past arrears must be recovered in full.

Beyond recovering the back taxes, Chongzhen was further determined to raise the Liaodong military tax to 7.33 million taels, and he strictly ordered provincial officials absolutely not to permit peasants to fall into arrears. According to the Chongzhen Emperor's decree, any official who could collect the full tax quota would be eligible for that year's merit evaluation, while any who allowed arrears would be uniformly demoted and fined.

The Chongzhen Emperor carried out his policies with thunderous speed. Those officials who could not bear to collect taxes from disaster victims were swiftly punished. Some seventh-rank officials were demoted over a dozen grades in a row; others had their salaries fined away for over a hundred years. Large numbers of local officials deemed themselves incapable of carrying on, and the Son of Heaven approved their resignations — because a vast pool of reserve officials were already rubbing their hands in anticipation, waiting to take office and squeeze the last drop of blood and sweat from the peasants, in order to prove their capability to the Son of Heaven.

Taking Shaanxi as an example, local officials everywhere commonly employed the method of beating tax-delinquent peasants once every three days to press for payment. Thus, long lines quickly formed outside the government offices in these regions. At first, the honest and simple Chinese peasants would punctually present themselves at the government office to receive their beatings, then return home to continue farming.

As time passed, a new profession quickly emerged in Shaanxi: the so-called "beating substitute." Initially, this was a spontaneous practice within each village, because nearly all able-bodied laborers in a village had to be beaten once every three days. So each village would select a few individuals to take the beatings on behalf of the entire village. Later, this gradually developed into a fixed occupation. The standard rate in Shaanxi was two copper coins per beating taken on someone's behalf.

This profession rapidly spread to Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, and Beizhili... Among these, Henan Province had suffered continuous severe droughts during the Wanli and Tianqi reigns, with one county recording a stretch of eight years without rain. There had even been the horrific tragedy of cannibalism. Yet under the remarkably effective relief efforts of the Tianqi Emperor, Henan Province had never produced refugees. But now, when the Henan Provincial Administration Commissioner begged Chongzhen for relief, the Chongzhen Emperor's reply was: Noted, but the taxes must still be collected.

In the eighth month, Huang Shi had put Yu Zigao in charge of drilling the naval forces. The new navy already possessed over fifty warships and nearly ten thousand officers and men. When this decree reached Fujian, Huang Shi silently walked out of the Funing Garrison's main camp and gazed out over the land of Fujian Province.

The sandy soil of Fujian Province had yielded scant grain since ancient times, so the custom was largely for women to farm the land while the men risked their lives fishing at sea. But regardless, the harvests in Jiangnan were always better than in the disaster-stricken north. Thus, historically, as the flames of war rose across the north, the Chongzhen Emperor would heap ever heavier taxes upon those lands that had not yet erupted in violent rebellion.

The officers and men of the Funing Garrison were drilling on the parade ground. Huang Shi saw the children from nearby playing cheerfully around the edges of the field. Sometimes these children would even beg a few steamed buns or a bowl of wontons from the soldiers. But Huang Shi knew that if his memory served him correctly, this scene of harmony between the army and the people would soon cease to exist.

During the Chongzhen reign, Fujian's land tax rose relentlessly. In the end, land that produced less than five qian of silver would be taxed ten taels of silver. By that time, when tax season arrived, the peasants would fortify their villages for self-protection, and the Fujian Provincial Administration Commissioner would dispatch the Funing Army to forcibly seize grain, breaking open the peasants' stockades and dragging away their property, wives, and daughters to offset the taxes. Every year, countless fierce battles of this kind would erupt between the Funing Army and the peasants of Fujian.

In the empty wilderness, Huang Shi murmured to himself: "If I do nothing, the fury of these impoverished peasants will ultimately become an unstoppable torrent, sweeping across the Central Plains."

Ever since the Great Ming established the national policy of the Son of Heaven guarding the kingdom's gates, the Central Plains had not known the flames of war for two hundred years. Countless millions of people had lived and worked in peace upon this land, providing the state with taxes and soldiers, ensuring that the Great Ming Empire could rally and rise again time after time in its foreign wars. These countless millions of people, and this peaceful land, were the very lifeblood of the nation.

"The raging tide, the raging tide is coming... and can I turn back the raging tide?"