Chapter 241: Persuasion

"I have been inside the Pass for nearly two years now. During that time I have dealt with many Regional Commanders and great generals, and have also exchanged visits several times with Mr. Shen, a staff officer in Marshal Hong's tent. Listening to him discourse at length on affairs of the court — these were things I could never learn of beyond the Pass. Mr. Shen once said that in his many years following the great Governor-General Hong in suppressing the bandits, he watched the bandits grow more numerous the more they were suppressed, the situation daily worsening, with military pay and provisions for the government troops no longer sustainable and the soldiers already growing weary of battle. In private conversation with Governor-General Hong, both felt ever greater anxiety for the Ming empire's altars and shrines, and were deeply disappointed in the court's senior ministers. Who would have thought that from the eighth year of Chongzhen onward, His Majesty suddenly displayed a heroic bearing, governing with vigor and determination — adopting thunderbolt measures to collect the salt revenues, root out corrupt merchants, punish dissenters, train elite troops, appoint worthy ministers, and reward starving soldiers. From then on, officers and men of the government forces were of one heart above and below, striving together with united purpose, and within a mere two years they had utterly annihilated the bandit hordes that had already spread like wildfire. Originally most of the court's forces were weak, and the strongest among them was none other than our Ning-Jin army — this was what the court relied upon! The rest, though holding strong troops, harbored divided loyalties that the court could not control. But look at today: the Shaanxi Qin army, the Hebei Tianxiong army, the capital's Yongwei Camp, the Capital Camps, the Xuan-Da and Yansui border troops — all are now elite forces of the realm. Our Ning-Jin army is no longer what the court leans on! Under such circumstances, how could His Majesty and his senior ministers tolerate what our Ning-Jin has done before?"

Wu Sangui, calm of demeanor, spoke with ease and confidence, while Wu Xiang listened, stroking his beard and nodding slightly in approval.

Wu Sangui was fond of socializing. During his time in northern Shaanxi suppressing bandits under Hong Chengchou, he had dealings with great generals such as Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong, and with Shen Shiyu, a staff officer of the Governor-General's office, he conversed most pleasantly. From Shen Shiyu, Wu Sangui heard many secret matters unknown beyond the Pass, greatly broadening his horizons and knowledge, and he gradually grew weary of his family's isolated corner in Liaodong.

Wu Xiang, timid and weak-willed by nature, was a native of Gaoyou in the Southern Direct Administration. Though he had earned the military jinshi degree in the second year of Tianqi, after marrying Zu Dashou's sister he rose through nepotism to the post of Regional Commander. Yet his love for poetry and literature far exceeded his interest in martial affairs. Wu Sangui's name was taken by him from Liu Yong's Northern Song lyric "Watching the Tide at Sea · Southeastern Splendor": Lakes upon lakes, peaks upon peaks, clear and fair — osmanthus blooms of autumn, lotus flowers for ten li.

Under the instruction and influence of his father Wu Xiang and his maternal uncle Zu Dashou, Wu Sangui studied both letters and martial arts. Before he was twenty he had passed the military examination, and in the battles large and small that followed he made his mark — truly a dragon among men, accomplished in both civil and martial arts. It was precisely because Wu Sangui possessed a solid literary foundation, so different from other crude and illiterate generals, that he was able to form so close a friendship with the learned Shen Shiyu.

Shen Shiyu was exceedingly fond of Wu Sangui, who was refined and scholarly in bearing at ordinary times yet incomparably fierce and brave in battle. Added to this, Wu Sangui frequently presented him with generous gifts and curried his favor, and the two gradually became friends across the generations.

The crafty and deep-scheming Hong Chengchou, learning of their association, secretly instructed Shen Shiyu to exert influence on Wu Sangui by imperceptible degrees, so as to amass sufficient political capital for the future.

As the roving bandits gradually died out, Hong Chengchou also made his prediction regarding the next step in his official career — the Governor-General of Ji-Liao being one such prospect. At this time, cultivating relations with Wu Sangui was a matter of all benefit and no harm.

"What my son says differs little from what your father has been thinking. That our house should have such a fine son — your father's old heart is greatly comforted!"

Wu Xiang could not conceal his admiration for this son in his words: it seemed the step of staking the most promising second son on the Ming court had been the right move. Judging by the conclusion Wu Sangui had just drawn, the decline of the Jianzhou side was now inevitable, and for the long-term interests of the family, the eldest son serving under Hong Taiji was no longer worth preserving.

When two great states contend, great families will always dispatch members to stand on both sides, so that no matter which side ultimately prevails, the family's interests will be safeguarded.

Wu Xiang's eldest son Wu Sanfeng and his aunt's husband Pei Guozhen were both generals under Zu Dashou, ordered to garrison Dalinghe. In the fourth year of Chongzhen, during the Battle of Dalinghe, they led their troops in surrender — joining the Jianzhou barbarians as members of the Wu and Zu families' stake on the Jianzhou side. Wu Xiang, meanwhile, staked his most valued second son Wu Sangui on the Ming court.

"Father, I wish to purchase a residence in the capital. Once I have brought Mother back, I will settle the family dependents within the capital city. The Ji Garrison is after all a frontier post — it has both the danger of border troubles and none of the capital's splendor to enjoy. It is truly no place for a long stay. What does Father think of this?"

Wu Sangui made a bow and said.

Since he planned to bring his mother and his own wife and children back from beyond the Pass, he might as well settle them directly in the capital. Whether Jinzhou or the Ji Garrison, neither could compare with the capital's splendor and safety.

"Heh heh! Has my son forgotten that your father is already a Left Commissioner-in-Chief? While my son was campaigning in northern Shaanxi, your father had already purchased a great mansion in the capital! Ever since we moved our garrison to Jizhou, your father has harbored the thought of moving the family to the capital, but fearing your eldest uncle's suspicions, I delayed until now! Does my son have a good plan for this? The Zu and Wu families are bound by blood, dependent on each other for survival. If this should breed discord between the two houses, our Wu family would surely bear the charge of ingratitude!"

Wu Xiang knew full well in his heart that the Wu family's present wealth and honor were all bestowed by Zu Dashou. At a time when the court was growing ever more stringent toward Liaodong, when the two families should be united in solidarity against external pressure, his moving his family within the Pass would inevitably enrage the Zu household from top to bottom — the result would likely be pleasing no one.

"Father, though eldest uncle's household has shown our Wu family the grace of promotion and advancement, our Wu family has likewise given much to Liaodong over the years. Though the Zu family's kindness is more than the Wu family can repay, at this delicate juncture the Wu family should also make good provision for itself! Moreover, this time it is merely to bring Mother back within the Pass, to ease the suffering of separation between parents — hardly an act of betrayal or breaking of kinship ties. Eldest uncle and the others will surely understand Father's intent. I will personally go before eldest uncle to explain and beg forgiveness — I am confident he will harbor no other thoughts!"

Wu Sangui saw the overall situation with great clarity: with internal troubles eliminated and elite troops in hand, the court would never again tolerate the continued existence of the Liaodong military clans. Within a few years, the court would surely muster great armies to destroy Jianzhou. By then, the foundation of the Liaodong military clans' policy of nurturing bandits to enhance their own importance would be utterly swept away, and the court's years of forbearance toward Liaodong would surely be repaid with ruthless settling of accounts.

It was precisely because he saw this clearly that he insisted on persuading his father to agree to bringing back the family dependents — this was the first step toward completely breaking away from the Zu family.

Though the Zu family's kindness to the Wu family was weighty, it was not enough to warrant sacrificing the future prospects of the entire Wu household as burial companions. If Jianzhou should be destroyed in the future and the Liaodong military clans were suppressed and cast out by the court, on what would the Wu family's descendants rely to secure generations of wealth and honor?

The Zu family's thigh might be thick, but another ancient and colossal thigh was looming indistinctly in the distance. Now he must take the first step, lest he suffer calamity by association in the future.

Wu Xiang was no fool — merely timid by nature and irresolute when faced with decisions. He understood perfectly the implications hidden in his son's words, yet he could never bring himself to make the final resolution.

"Let your father think it over further. This matter is no small thing. It concerns not only the Zu and Wu families — in the eyes of those who watch closely, the moving of family dependents within the Pass carries great significance. If unforeseen troubles should arise from this, affecting affairs within and beyond Liaodong, your father would be unable to rest easy in conscience for the rest of his life!"

After hesitating again and again, Wu Xiang still did not agree to his son's request.

Just as Wu Sangui was about to press his case once more, a personal guard from the yamen came to report that the newly appointed Governor-General of Ji-Liao, Hong Chengchou, had arrived twenty li outside the city and had sent a man ahead to announce that the entire household of the Ji Garrison Regional Commander's office should go out of the city to receive him.