Chapter 310: Section Sixty: Opening the Pass (Part One) (I)

In the sixth year of Tianqi, after the Liaodong Regional Military Commission first made peace with the Later Jin, the Chahar Mongols formed an alliance with the Later Jin. In the seventh year of Tianqi, after Yan Mingtai swore an oath not to negotiate peace with the Later Jin, the Kharchin Mongols in turn broke their alliance with the Later Jin. Seeing that the Kharchin Mongols had been wavering between the Great Ming and the Later Jin all along, in the first year of Chongzhen the Great Ming bestowed lavish rewards upon the Kharchin Mongols and the Chahar Mongols, totaling three hundred sixty thousand silver taels, to spur them to go and fight the Later Jin.

But the Chahar Mongols and the Kharchin Mongols attacked each other, and the Great Ming was helpless to stop it. The Kharchin Mongols several times requested the Great Ming to mediate, but the Great Ming was consistently unwilling to provoke the Chahar Mongols, because they still hoped the Chahar could be sent to attack the Later Jin.

In the first month of the second year of Chongzhen, after the Liaodong Regional Military Commission once again negotiated peace with the Later Jin, the Kharchin Mongols and the various Khalkha Mongol tribes, thoroughly despairing of the future, once again held a league assembly with Hong Taiji.

Among them, the Kharchin Mongols moved fastest to defect to the Later Jin. By the end of the second month of the second year of Chongzhen, the Kharchin Mongols had already been organized into banners, and the Later Jin swiftly completed their incorporation. In addition to the Manchu Eight Banners, the Mongol Eight Banners were also established. Not long after, the Ming court's enfeoffed "Prince of Obedience" Boshugtu defected to the Later Jin, and the Mongol Eight Banners already had two banners.

In the second year of Chongzhen, a great famine struck beyond the frontier, and the various Mongol tribes all demanded that the Great Ming open frontier markets for grain. The Kharchin Mongols, that is, the Later Jin's Mongol Eight Banners, also made similar demands. The entire court held that grain must not be sold to the Later Jin's army.

Yuan Chonghuan first requested that Chongzhen issue seven hundred thousand taels of silver from the inner treasury. Chongzhen indicated he did not have that much money, because the maritime taxes, mining taxes, and other commercial and industrial taxes had all been suspended, the tea tax had also been greatly reduced, and this year's salt tax had yet to be collected. Yuan Chonghuan would not relent, saying that if the inner treasury funds were not issued, the Guan-Ning Army was at risk of mutiny.

This argument enraged Grand Secretary Wen Tiren of the Inner Cabinet. Ever since Chongzhen had suspended all commercial and industrial taxes, the Ningxia, Xuan-Da, and other frontier armies that had previously relied on inner treasury support had all lost their sources of military pay. Wen Tiren argued: Pingliang Garrison had accumulated seventy thousand taels in unpaid military wages, Xi'an had accumulated eighty thousand taels in unpaid military wages, yet the Qin Army did not mutiny; Yansui had accumulated one hundred fifty thousand taels in unpaid military wages, and the soldiers had not been paid for twenty-seven months, yet the Three Frontiers did not mutiny; the Xuan-Da Army had not been paid for thirteen months, among which the Xuan Garrison had even had its army provisions halted for five months, yet the Xuan-Da Army still survived by borrowing from merchants and did not mutiny. The Guan-Ning Army took seventy percent of the state's fiscal revenue, and they were the ones threatening to mutiny! On what grounds?

However, Chongzhen rejected Wen Tiren's draft rescript, and after a thousand hardships, scraped together another three hundred thousand taels of silver and had it transported to Yuan Chonghuan. Yuan Chonghuan, ever bold in undertaking affairs, then used insufficient military pay as a pretext and once again, acting first and reporting later, ordered that the Ningyuan army provisions be sold to the Later Jin army. And he did not report this to the court.

In early March, rumors swirled through the frontier regions, all unanimously claiming that the Kharchin Mongols were stockpiling army provisions for a southward campaign. Chen Renxi, a Compiler of the Hanlin Academy, happened to be inspecting the frontier passes. He urgently memorialized the court that the Kharchin Mongol tribe had ten thousand able-bodied men, of whom eight thousand were transporting Ming army provisions outside the Ningyuan pass, and among them were over four hundred able-bodied men from the Later Jin's Manchu Eight Banners.

Chongzhen, who knew absolutely nothing of this, was greatly alarmed upon hearing the news. He immediately issued an edict severely reprimanding the Viceroy of Ji-Liao, Yuan Chonghuan: "According to reports, the western barbarians are trading for goods. Clearly they are aiding the eastern barbarians, lending supplies to bandits and thieves — how can this be permitted?" Chongzhen ordered Yuan Chonghuan to immediately cease the sale of army provisions to the Later Jin army and to provide an explanation for his actions.

Yuan Chonghuan, without the slightest hesitation, defied the imperial edict. On one hand, he blockaded Dongjiangzhen in an attempt to starve Mao Wenlong to death. On the other, he sold army provisions to the enemy on a massive scale, while simultaneously vouching for the Later Jin's Mongol Eight Banners to Chongzhen with solemn oaths: "These people have pleaded with the utmost earnestness, willing to offer their wives and children as hostages, guaranteeing they dare not lure the slaves to invade Ji-Liao."

After the Ming court received the memorial, Chongzhen once again issued an order strictly prohibiting the sale of grain to the Later Jin army: "The western barbarians are colluding with the slaves; vigilance and defense are of critical importance. The various barbarians in the memorial are trading for cloth and silk in the east — clearly this is aiding and abetting. How then can the slaves be contained? The said Viceroy and Provincial Governor are to strictly enforce the prohibition." Ever since Yuan Chonghuan had guaranteed the pacification of Liao within five years, the Chongzhen Emperor had not once rejected a memorial from Yuan Chonghuan. So the Chongzhen Emperor then opened a small loophole for Yuan Chonghuan, permitting him to distribute grain by headcount, but forbidding trade, otherwise he would be "punished for colluding with the barbarians." And Yuan Chonghuan once again defied the edict and refused to comply...

At this time, in the western part of the Ming Empire, Shaanxi Province had not seen a single rainfall for a year. The common people largely subsisted on tree bark. By September, after the tree bark was exhausted, the people began eating earth and stones to fill their bellies, and within days they died one after another, their abdomens distended. Yang He requested that the Chongzhen Emperor allocate one hundred thousand silver taels for disaster relief, only to be flatly refused by the Son of Heaven.

That same year, a great famine struck Henan, and people ate one another. Like Shaanxi, the starving people of Henan soon began eating human flesh, and used human bones to fuel fires for boiling soup. The Henan Provincial Administration Commission and the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission implored the Chongzhen Emperor to at least exempt the disaster areas from taxes. The Son of Heaven replied, "Noted," but the taxes still had to be collected. If they could not be collected, the local officials would all be dismissed and fined.

Under the Chongzhen Emperor's harsh orders, the Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan Provincial Administration Commissions dispatched frontier troops to requisition grain and silver, forcibly seizing ninety percent of the tax quota from the hands of the people in the disaster areas, fulfilling the task assigned by the Son of Heaven. After the Chongzhen Emperor exhausted every means to squeeze the fat and blood of the people, he then had this grain, soaked in the blood and tears of the common folk, transported to Ningyuan, where Yuan Chonghuan then sold it to the Later Jin army.

As the Liaodong Regional Military Commission persistently engaged in trade with the Later Jin army, the quantity of grain Yuan Chonghuan sold to the Later Jin army became impossible to tally. This unprecedentedly large-scale grain trade led to the Liaodong Regional Military Commission's "frontier reserves beginning to run dry." The Guan-Ning Army and the Liaodong Regional Military Commission sold grain until their own reserves were insufficient to sustain military operations.

The ninth day of the tenth month, the capital.

Some days earlier, after receiving news of the successful pacification of the seas in Fujian, the Emperor had ordered that Zhu Yifeng and Huang Shi be commended. Moreover, the Emperor had read Zhu Yifeng's memorial over and over, three or four times.

In that memorial of his, Zhu Yifeng once again boasted of his own achievements, and he said that once the maritime pacification tax began to be levied, the debts owed to the common people could be repaid very quickly. To prove he was not merely boasting wildly, Zhu Yifeng also volunteered to serve several more years as Provincial Governor of Fujian, until the debts were fully repaid, and then hand the post over cleanly to the next Provincial Governor.

This memorial, brimming with confidence, left Chongzhen sighing with emotion for a long time. At the time, the Inner Cabinet drafted the rescript as "a gracious edict in response," but Chongzhen felt this was still insufficient. The Emperor told the Inner Cabinet that what he appreciated most was not Zhu Yifeng's confidence — though that was rare enough in the Great Ming, it was not unique to Zhu Yifeng. What moved Chongzhen most was Zhu Yifeng's sense of responsibility. For centuries, most Ming officials were mere paperhangers, who during their tenure would not hesitate to tear down walls to plaster over cracks, but left behind nothing but messes when they departed. A man as diligent, earnest, honest, and upright as Zhu Yifeng

was truly far too rare a sight.

As a result, the Emperor greatly commended Zhu Yifeng, and encouraged him to do his job well. If, after another two years, the repayment of debts also proceeded smoothly, Chongzhen would very likely promote him to Minister of Revenue or directly select him to enter the Inner Cabinet.

Today it was Wen Tiren and Li Biao's turn to work in the Wenyuan Pavilion, drafting rescripts for the memorials arriving from various regions. Among them, Zhu Yifeng's memorial piqued Wen Tiren's interest. Zhu Yifeng had responded to the Emperor's imperial edict with the utmost speed, and at the same time, with resolute attitude, expressed that he was unequal to the promotion the Emperor offered. Regarding the previous issue of the great maritime pacification loan, this time Zhu Yifeng elaborated further, claiming that if he could not personally "repay the very last tael of silver owed to the righteous people," he would be too troubled to eat or sleep.

Beyond this, Zhu Yifeng also informed the court that maritime affairs might yet see reversals. The sea bandits had just been settled, and the people's hearts were not yet stable, so Zhu Yifeng felt it would be better for the state to let him continue in his post for some time longer, to avoid complications. In addition to the above reasons, Zhu Yifeng also said his own talent was insufficient, merely at the level of a Provincial Governor, and he feared he was unfit for greater responsibilities, absolutely incapable of undertaking the weighty duties of Minister of Revenue or Grand Secretary.

Finally, Zhu Yifeng also said he had some physical ailment. The physician said it required a special kind of sea sandworm from Fujian as a medicinal guide for treatment, and moreover, this sea sandworm had to be a live specimen freshly dug from the seabed mud; it would lose its efficacy if out of water for more than a shichen. Zhu Yifeng's thousands of words could essentially be summed up in a single sentence: he did not wish to leave Fujian, and would rather die at his post as Provincial Governor of Fujian.

Wen Tiren read Zhu Yifeng's lengthy discourse aloud to Li Biao, then burst out laughing: "Other people sharpen their heads trying to become capital officials, yet this my lord Zhu desperately declines, avoiding the Six Ministries and the Inner Cabinet as if they were plague-ridden. Is the post of Fujian Provincial Governor really that good?"

"Fujian has many mountains and little arable land; its grain has never been self-sufficient and has always relied on imports from Zhejiang, Jiangxi, or Huguang. Hmm, compared to the north, Fujian might be passable, but in Jiangnan it is definitely a poor province." After Li Biao finished speaking, he cross-checked the agricultural taxes of several provinces, among which Fujian's was the lowest. Low agricultural taxes naturally meant fewer opportunities to skim off the top. But even so, even if the agricultural taxes were as high as in Huguang or Zhejiang, he had never heard of a Provincial Governor not wanting to enter the capital.

Then only one reason remained. Li Biao remarked: "Huang Shi is also very capable. Zhu Yifeng wants to reap frontier merits."

Wen Tiren asked in surprise: "Haven't the sea bandits been pacified? Zhu Yifeng has already reaped all the frontier merits there are to reap."

"Oh, Elder Wen, you are unaware. Last month, Zhu Yifeng sent another memorial, earnestly requesting to dispatch troops to attack the Japanese pirates of the Satsuma Domain." Li Biao had drafted the rescript for that memorial last time, so he knew it very well, whereas Wen Tiren happened to be ill when that memorial arrived and was absent: "His Majesty has already approved it."

Upon hearing this, Wen Tiren's interest was immediately piqued: "But Japan is a country not to be attacked."

Then he frowned again: "And how much silver will this cost?"

"Not a single coin of silver will be spent. It is being prepared by the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission itself, and it will not delay next year's taxes." Li Biao also did not quite understand how Zhu Yifeng was so adept at raising money. The several members of the Inner Cabinet had never understood where Zhu Yifeng had scraped up so much silver: "It is not an attack on Japan. It is to protect Ryukyu."

"Oh?"

"My lord Zhu's memorial states that, according to the confessions of the surrendered sea bandits, many Japanese pirates are still entrenched in Ryukyu, the majority being Japanese pirates from the Satsuma Domain of Japan. To ensure the smooth passage of Fujian's sea routes, my lord Zhu has once again ordered the Funing Garrison naval forces to strike. Moreover, Ryukyu is a vassal of our Great Ming, so the Funing Army's campaign is justified, and victory will suffice to spread our national prestige."

This matter was one that brought both honor and tangible benefit, and moreover required no spending of court silver, so Chongzhen and the Inner Cabinet immediately approved it. Huang Shi could dispatch troops from Xiapu, the entire military operation would be coordinated by Zhu Yifeng, and at the same time, official dispatches were sent to Shandong, Zhejiang, and other regions, permitting the Funing Army to make temporary stops to replenish fresh water and provisions.

"No wonder then. Huang Shi is invincible wherever he goes; defeating a few Japanese pirates would be mere child's play for him, wouldn't it?" Wen Tiren nodded. Put this way, the memorial made much more sense: "It seems Zhu Yifeng is unwilling to leave until he has reaped every last bit of military merit."

At this time, the Chongzhen Emperor also summoned Zhang Heming, Grand Secretary of the Wuying Palace. Recently, the Inner Cabinet had repeatedly warned the Emperor to pay attention to Ji Garrison. The Emperor handed two of Mao Wenlong's previous memorials to Zhang Heming to read:

"I consider that while Ningyuan is certainly a place the slaves must attack, their shortcut lies especially at Xifengkou, Yipianshi, Panjiakou, Qiangziling, and other such places. We must urgently assess the critical points in these places and set up decoy troops. If my words are not heeded, once the caitiffs arrive, it will be like entering an uninhabited land. How could the calamity then be the court's worry alone?"

After Zhang Heming finished reading Mao Wenlong's memorial, he stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then said: "Your Majesty, the words of Commander Mao during his lifetime were merely speculative, and did not say that the Jian caitiffs would definitely attack Ji Garrison."

"Here is another one." As Chongzhen spoke, he handed over another memorial from Mao Wenlong's lifetime. This one was far more definite. Mao Wenlong directly reported that "...the Fourth Prince has dispatched troops westward, intending to raid the passes at Xifeng, Yipianshi, and other routes — this is a fact."

Zhang Heming pondered for a while, then said: "Your Majesty, to this old minister's knowledge, the Viceroy of Ji-Liao has consistently held that the Jian caitiffs would not make a detour through Ji Garrison, is that correct?"

"Yes, Viceroy Yuan says the Kharchin Mongols are utterly loyal, a solid bulwark for Ji Garrison, and also a 'Great Wall of Flesh' for me. Moreover, Viceroy Yuan has also said that those who argue all worry that the Jian caitiffs might sweep through the western Mongols, bypass Liao, and attack Shanhai, Xifeng, and other places. Do they not know that such an unconventional route exists? But an unconventional route is also a dangerous route. Ever since they raised their troops, they have never undertaken any action that was not a foolproof strategy. Viceroy Yuan is certain they will absolutely not bypass the frontier to attack other places."

"Yet an unconventional route is also a dangerous route... certain they will absolutely not bypass the frontier to attack elsewhere." Zhang Heming softly recited Yuan Chonghuan's previous memorial once, then lowered his head to ponder the implications within the several memorials.

Chongzhen waited a long time without getting a single concrete word from Zhang Heming, and anxiously brought out other people's memorials. In these memorials, most mentioned the severity of the Later Jin army's spearhead pressing directly toward Jimen. Zhang Heming unhurriedly read through them one by one. Chongzhen stared at him full of hope, and only after a long while asked: "What high opinion does Elder Zhang have?"

Zhang Heming deliberated for a moment, then looked up and asked: "Your Majesty, does the Viceroy of Ji-Liao still insist that Liao Garrison is more important than Ji Garrison?"

"Yes, Viceroy Yuan has transferred Commander Zhao's four thousand personal troops from Ji Garrison to garrison Shanhai Pass, and has also cut ten thousand soldiers from Ji Garrison, and halted the provisions and pay for Liu Garrison to supply Liao Garrison."

Zhang Heming immediately nodded and repeatedly praised: "Your Majesty is brilliant. The Viceroy of Ji-Liao still transferred Commander Zhao from Ji Garrison to Shanhai Pass, which shows that in the Viceroy of Ji-Liao's mind, Shanhai Pass is more dangerous than Ji Garrison. But the Viceroy of Ji-Liao is personally at Ningyuan, with Jinzhou and other forts to his front, and Qiantun to his rear. Shanhai Pass is already the interior. Therefore, the Viceroy of Ji-Liao must certainly believe that Ji Garrison is absolutely safe."

Chongzhen patiently waited for Zhang Heming to finish, then said with an apologetic smile: "Elder Zhang speaks well. I also see it this way. But what I wish to know is how Elder Zhang views Ji Garrison and Liao Garrison, not how Viceroy Yuan views them."

"This..." Zhang Heming once again stroked his snow-white long beard, and after deep and thorough consideration, spoke eloquently: "Your Majesty! The art of war says: Be still like a mountain, move like a thunderclap. The Viceroy of Ji-Liao has concentrated his mighty forces in Liao Garrison, presenting the momentum of a fierce tiger in the mountains. The Jian caitiffs dart left and right, seeking a gap to enter. This is precisely a case of: when brave warriors meet on a narrow path, the brave wins; when the brave meet, the wise wins!"

"Elder Zhang's insight is most profound. But in the end, is there a possibility that Ji Garrison will face military action? Does Elder Zhang consider the Viceroy of Ji-Liao's arrangements appropriate?"

"Your Majesty, the art of war says: Troops have no constant momentum, water has no constant form. He who can move according to the time and the situation may be called a master of warfare, godlike in his command!"

"Yes, Elder Zhang speaks truly. But I simply wish to know: is it appropriate to transfer Commander Zhao from Ji Garrison to Shanhai? Are the defenses of Ji Garrison already sufficient?"

"Your Majesty, the art of war says: He who excels at attack moves above the nine heavens; he who excels at defense hides beneath the nine earths!"

The Emperor personally escorted Zhang Heming out of the imperial palace. When he walked back, he slumped down in his seat. A moment later, he suddenly asked Cao Huachun, who was beside him: "I have read Elder Zhang's strategy for pacifying the barbarians several times — it is truly brilliantly peerless. Commander Huang also praised Elder Zhang to the utmost, saying that Elder Zhang leaves nothing unaccounted for in his calculations and anticipates the enemy's every move. The people of the Inner Cabinet also all praise Elder Zhang endlessly... Hmm, how is it that whenever I ask him a question, Elder Zhang is always so vague and mist-shrouded?"

Cao Huachun cautiously replied: "My Lord of Ten Thousand Years, your servant ventures a presumptuous guess: could it be that Elder Zhang borrowed Commander Huang's momentum?"

"Absolutely impossible!" As soon as Cao Huachun began, Chongzhen flatly rejected his opinion: "I have met Commander Huang; he is absolutely not a person given to flattery and fawning. Hmm, Commander Huang's talent and Viceroy Yuan's are roughly on par. Ah, what a pity they, as civil and military officials, are at odds. Once Viceroy Yuan pacifies Liao within five years, I shall act as a peacemaker for them."

After saying this, Chongzhen furrowed his brow again. He carefully replayed the day's conversation with Zhang Heming in his mind, shook his head regretfully, and said, "It's always like this. Every time I say very little, Elder Zhang quotes the classics and says a great deal, but when I think it over carefully afterward, it seems as though I was the only one speaking, and Elder Zhang said nothing at all."

……

On the tenth day of the tenth month, Zhu Yifeng read out the imperial edict in Quanzhou, then solemnly handed it to Huang Shi: "You, the Japanese pirates, have without cause violated our tributary states. The court now explicitly orders a punitive expedition. Commander Huang, exert yourself."

"Yes, my lord Zhu, rest assured. I, your humble general, shall certainly display our nation's might beyond the seas and will not fail the trust the court has placed in me."

Dressed in full military attire, Huang Shi strode out of the Fujian Provincial Administration Office. Many of Quanzhou's commoners stood outside the gate, cheering loudly toward Huang Shi: "Commander Huang, teach those Japanese pirates a good lesson! Let them know the power of our Great Ming!"

Now that Fujian had returned to normal, after lifting the maritime trade ban, Huang Shi had ordered the entire Funing Army to deploy and help the people rebuild their homes. Moreover, Huang Shi had also ordered the use of the remaining funds from the Great Maritime Pacification Loan to purchase red bricks from the Dark Council's factories to build houses for coastal fishermen. Of course, Huang Shi and Zhu Yifeng had also heavily publicized their benevolent governance in the official gazette, declaring this was to thank the righteous people for their two years of support for the Fujian Provincial Administration's decrees.

In the past, fishermen could rarely afford brick houses; their dwellings were mostly built with wooden planks and mud. Now that Fujian had opened two new brick factories, Huang Shi's use of bricks to build houses for the common people was both beneficial to them and advantageous for supporting the brick factories' development.

In just a few short months, Huang Shi had already issued ten million silver taels' worth of Funing Army scrip, which naturally quickly triggered inflation. However, this massive amount of currency also nearly eradicated barter within Fujian Province, because Fujian merchants generally accepted paper money, and as a result, it instantly established credibility in the hearts of the common people.

The Funing Army scrip was originally backed by the maritime pacification tax and various other taxes as collateral, so merchants from other provinces could also use Funing Army scrip to pay the maritime pacification tax. To support the circulation of Funing Army scrip, Huang Shi also announced a discount when paying the maritime pacification tax with it, which made the scrip even stronger.

Because all silver ingots had an issue of fineness, when Funingzhen collected the maritime pacification tax and other taxes, silver ingots of insufficient fineness had to be converted at a discount. The scrip, however, contained full silver value and was worth more than the purest official silver of over ninety-five percent fineness. Therefore, by early October, it was no longer possible to exchange one tael of silver ingot for one tael of Funing Army scrip; ingots of poorer fineness even required three taels to exchange for two taels of Funing Army scrip.

This naturally benefited many of the merchants and commoners who had first purchased the scrip, and the scrip's credit thus climbed steadily. With the emergence of this exchange ratio, Huang Shi believed the day of abolishing the tael and adopting the yuan was not far off. Now the reputation of Zhu Yifeng the Blue Sky grew even louder. It was said that Provincial Governor Zhu had recently planned to stop collecting or reduce the customary gifts from his subordinates; Zhu the Blue Sky, holding a ten percent dry share of the Exchange, now looked down upon the paltry sums of a few silver taels.

Huang Shi could only pay this dry share until the end of Zhu Yifeng's term. Provincial Governor Zhu was well aware of this, so he had recently been desperately maneuvering, hoping to remain in Fujian as Provincial Governor forever. Besides Zhu Yifeng, the officials of the Fujian Provincial Administration were also crying and clamoring, unwilling to leave, because thirty percent of the maritime pacification tax went to the Fujian Provincial Administration, and they had long yearned for this extra income.

Because Huang Shi controlled Fujian's waterways, Funingzhen effectively collected the customs duties for the entire Great Ming. Besides customs duties, he could also collect a large amount of maritime trade commercial taxes. The maritime pacification tax was projected to reach as much as five million taels annually, and the over one thousand officials of the Fujian Provincial Administration would share as much as one million five hundred thousand taels. Under the assault of this enormous sugar-coated bullet, the entire Provincial Administration's officials had become utter degenerate scholars; like Fujian Provincial Governor Zhu Yifeng, they desperately protected and escorted Funingzhen.

Thus, only one outsider remained within the Fujian Provincial Administration: the Fujian Regional Inspector.

The Regional Inspector was an official with absolutely no real power and not much substantial profit either. The Great Ming had operated for several hundred years, and various unwritten rules had matured; there were established conventions in officialdom about what money could and could not be accepted. Therefore, the Regional Inspector did not have many handles for impeachment. Under normal circumstances, since Zhu Yifeng and Huang Shi had swept away the sea pirates, they were not too afraid that the Regional Inspector could bring them down with an impeachment.

However, both Zhu Yifeng and Huang Shi knew that the situation in Fujian Province was highly abnormal. If they allowed the Regional Inspector to find fault all day long, the two of them would have to constantly explain the problem of massive assets of unknown origin to the imperial court. Yet the job of provincial Regional Inspectors was impeachment, and they were very passionate about this work. Although it was not a lucrative post, if a Regional Inspector did not constantly pick faults with the Provincial Governor, he could not even earn a reputation for himself.

The Fujian Regional Inspector was naturally the same. Although he was merely a rank-seven censor, Zhu the Blue Sky and Commander Huang still had to treat him very courteously. Every time they met, this Regional Inspector's nose was raised to the sky. When he saw Huang Shi, apart from cold snorts and cold laughs, he spoke almost no complete sentence beyond sarcasm and mockery, and when speaking with Zhu Yifeng, he was always speaking in a bizarre, mocking tone.

After receiving the maritime pacification tax in July, Huang Shi immediately sent someone to deliver three thousand taels of silver to this upright official. According to the messenger's report upon returning, the Fujian Regional Inspector was so frightened he nearly knelt and kowtowed to Huang Shi's messenger. That censor, my lord, dared not accept such a large sum of money no matter what, and in the end, after much persuasion, he only kept three hundred taels.

This did not particularly surprise Huang Shi. Back then, he had wanted to give Fang Zhenru five taels of silver, but Regional Inspector Fang had refused to accept it. In this era of the Great Ming, a gift of one thousand taels of silver was already sufficient to bribe someone at the level of a Grand Secretary. A Provincial Governor's annual income from customary gifts was only a few thousand taels, and most of that was tacitly accepted gray income. This time, Huang Shi giving him several thousand taels clearly indicated there was an extraordinarily serious matter requiring his help in covering up.

Huang Shi knew that this rank-seven censor, my lord, was, by convention, a man of merely ten or fifteen taels' weight, so his willingness to accept three hundred taels the first time was a remarkably courageous act. However, the Fujian Regional Inspector's reluctance to accept it all did not mean Huang Shi dared not continue giving. Knowing that the Fujian Regional Inspector was relatively bold, Huang Shi then sent gifts for several consecutive days, finally managing to make the other party reluctantly accept the entire three thousand taels of silver.

However, the Fujian Regional Inspector was a man of great principle. Although he had accepted Huang Shi's silver, he still insisted on doing his own duty. Starting from August, the Fujian Regional Inspector began fiercely impeaching Zhu Yifeng and Huang Shi for their lifestyle issues. One day a rumor, the next day a piece of gossip, he diligently collected all sorts of hearsay and reported it to the imperial court, writing memorials that read like a tabloid specializing in scandalous news.

Huang Shi had once had the privilege of reading a few of these pieces and had since felt regret on behalf of this Regional Inspector, my lord—it was truly a waste of his talent that he was not born in the twenty-first century to be a paparazzo reporter. Previously, Huang Shi had also run into this my lord several times at the Quanzhou Stock Exchange and had casually invited him to dinner. Generally speaking, the Fujian Regional Inspector was a very talkative, refined gentleman.

Early this month, when Huang Shi went to the Quanzhou Stock Exchange again, he encountered both the Fujian Provincial Governor and the Regional Inspector, both dressed in plain clothes. The three of them drank some wine like old friends and exchanged views on securities and the returns from the maritime pacification tax. In short, everyone chatted very pleasantly, and when they finally parted, Huang Shi handed the Fujian Regional Inspector another thick red envelope, containing five thousand taels of Funing Army scrip.

The Fujian Regional Inspector, having gained experience from several prior interactions, had also become seasoned. He casually opened it, lightly counted, and then tucked it into his bosom as if nothing had happened. The next day, when the Fujian Regional Inspector submitted his impeachment memorial, he again stated he had heard rumors that Zhu Yifeng and Huang Shi had gone out together to drink at pleasure houses and had gotten roaring drunk, lacking the proper decorum of ministers. Because Chongzhen trusted the integrity of civil officials, he had immediately abolished the Eastern Depot upon ascending the throne and did not dispatch the Embroidered Uniform Guard outside the capital. Thus, the Fujian Regional Inspector's boldness grew increasingly greater.

……

As Huang Shi continuously issued Funing Army scrip, the entire Fujian province was filled with scenes of thriving prosperity. Almost every day, new factories were being built. Furthermore, because of the tariff barriers Huang Shi had erected, in just two months, countless people from other provinces had rushed to Fujian to request the purchase of ships. By early October, it was heard that even Spaniards had begun to come and inquire whether Fujian had seagoing ships for sale.

Besides Fujian merchants, many Shandong merchants also came south to Fujian to open factories; after all, it was far more convenient here than in Shandong. Master Zhu Jiu was one of them. Not long ago, he had sold off his business in Shandong and came to Fujian to open a shipyard. Even before this shipyard had started operations, Master Zhu Jiu had already taken orders for three seagoing ships, all with a ten percent deposit paid according to the rules for other provinces.

After the factory officially began operations, Master Zhu Jiu summoned the three clients and had them bid to determine whose ship would be built first. One merchant paid the full deposit outright and won the first ship, while the merchant who agreed to pay a thirty percent deposit only came in third, angering him so much that he went everywhere inquiring how to join the Dark Council.

And after receiving the deposits and orders, Master Zhu Jiu went to the Stock Exchange and used them as collateral to issue a small batch of bonds for his small factory, preparing to expand reproduction.

Because the Dark Council required all members to prioritize hiring military households from Funingzhen as workers, many people came to Funingzhen to register under a military household's name so they could find work. Bao Bowen, following Huang Shi's orders, opened a batch of technical schools, and these newly joined military households all had to undergo centralized training, in order to cultivate them into the workers needed by Funingzhen and the Dark Council.

Liu Qingyang's team was also expanding rapidly, and the various commercial regulations they formulated changed almost daily... Everything was very chaotic, with brand-new problems emerging every day. The newborn commercial group was full of vigor, radiating vibrant vitality from head to toe.

Walking on the streets of Quanzhou, Huang Shi saw one confident face after another. Huang Shi seemed to already see the changes of the future: Hua~Xia Chinese Network=0=-=0=-=ism Feng... hand-typed

Mountain folk from all around Fujian would begin to surge toward the coastal areas. The industrious commoners would work hard, then save their wages to buy stocks and bonds that would forever rise. The dispersed capital would gather together once more, and thus more factories would be built, and more farmers would put down their hoes to seek work near the cities and towns.

As prices along the Fujian coast soared, merchants from Guangdong and Zhejiang also

transported grain and cloth over; even after paying the high maritime pacification tax, they still made a profit, which in turn would further stimulate Fujian's shipbuilding industry, and so on.

Huang Shi believed that people's concepts would soon begin to change, just like the time he had experienced in his previous life. Once they set foot on this path, what followed would be an increasingly faster sprint.

This time, upon hearing that Funingzhen was sending out troops again, many commoners asked one another whether Huang Shi would sell bonds again. From the Provincial Governor's office to Quanzhou Port, the commoners along the road shouted toward him one after another, each declaring with great bravado that they had money in their pockets, and their entire beings were filled with the desire to support the Funing Army with action.

Amid the citizens' spontaneous farewell gathering, Huang Shi boarded the seagoing ship. As he left Quanzhou Port, it was as if he could still hear those commoners' passionate words in his ears:

"Commander Huang, we are all righteous people!"

"Commander Huang, we support the government!"

……