Chapter 26: Xi'an Left Guard (2)

The two men were heavy drinkers, and although the wine was strong, a whole pot was drained in no time. Fearing that drink would delay their business, they did not order another.

Zhuang Yuanzhou called for the innkeeper, who came bustling out from the back kitchen and approached with a smile, asking, "Honored guests, are the wine and dishes to your satisfaction? This humble place is out of the way and cannot produce proper fare, so I beg your indulgence!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou smiled and said, "We are traveling merchants and make no such demands. We called you over to ask about a few matters. Please, innkeeper, have a seat!"

The innkeeper hesitated for a moment, then found a stool and sat down, saying with a smile, "Honored guests, ask whatever you wish. I was born and raised here as a local, and I will tell you everything I know without holding back!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou smiled and said, "The two of us came over from Shanxi. The goods you saw just now are all daily necessities. We had intended to sell them in Yulin, but hearing that roving bandits have entrenched themselves near Yan'an, we did not dare go on. Since we happened to pass through here, we thought we might unload these goods and head home early. We only need to recover our principal. Innkeeper, do you know who here could buy up our entire stock at once?"

The innkeeper asked in reply, "May I ask how much silver this batch of goods is worth? And after selling, would you like to purchase some local goods to carry back for trade?"

Zhuang Yuanzhou said, "The goods on this cart total one hundred fifty taels of silver!"

Without a moment's thought, the innkeeper said, "One hundred fifty taels of silver is a huge sum here. Only the Guard Commander can afford it—his family owns shops in the prefectural city!"

Having said this, the innkeeper hesitated, looked around, and then said in a low voice, "I advise the two of you not to sell here. The Guard Commander is fond of wealth, and his household steward Liu Laor is no easy customer. If you deal with him, never mind one hundred fifty taels—you'd be lucky to get fifty! I can see you two are honest folk, which is why I speak the truth. Best that you keep this in mind!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou pulled a lump of silver weighing several taels from his bosom, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward the innkeeper, saying with a smile, "Thank you, innkeeper, for telling us in advance. This is a token of thanks—please accept it!"

Seeing how generous the guest was, the innkeeper did not decline. He picked up the silver and tucked it into his bosom, then cupped his hands with a smile and said, "Thank you for your generosity, honored guest. I acted out of a momentary kindness and never expected such reward. It seems good deeds truly bring good fortune!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou smiled and said, "It is only fitting. May I ask, innkeeper—does your Guard Commander always conduct himself like such a tyrant?"

Having just received a considerable sum from the man, the innkeeper no longer held back and said, "My words leave my mouth and enter your ears—beyond this door, I will deny everything. To be frank with you both, this Guard Commander has an ugly way of doing things. Our Left Guard has over two thousand qing of land, with more than eight thousand registered persons and over two Battalion Commander. Now the Guard Commander himself holds sixty percent of the fields, and most hereditary military households have become his tenant farmers, paying seventy percent of their harvest as rent. These past years of continuous drought have yielded meager crops, yet the rent has not been reduced by a single fraction. The military households barely manage a few full meals a year. Some who cannot endure simply flee with their entire families to other places. Alas, in this world there is no way to live!"

Sun Chuanting listened nearby, his brows gradually knitting together and anger steadily rising.

Knowing his hatred of evil and his unbending nature, Zhuang Yuanzhou saw his expression and, fearing he would flare up, hurriedly changed the subject, saying with a smile, "Innkeeper, since you can run a shop here, you must not be an ordinary man yourself, I take it?"

The innkeeper smiled and replied, "To be honest with you, though I too am from a hereditary military household, I have a cousin who is a Vice Prefect of the guard station. I have benefited from his connection—my family still holds several dozen mu of allotted land, which I lease out to a few households to farm. I have only a daughter, who married far away in Shandong, so it is just my wife and myself at home. How much can we eat or drink? My heart is not so black—I only take fifty percent as rent, for I cannot bear to watch my fellow villagers live worse than beasts of burden. And since you are outsiders, I have spoken more than I should. That is all I have to say!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou smiled and said, "I understand perfectly. Still, I thank you, innkeeper, for telling us this. Had you not, and had we truly dealt with the Guard Commander, we might have lost everything! It is getting late, and we need to rest. Innkeeper, please go about your business!" With that, the two returned to the rear courtyard to rest.

Once in their room, Sun Chuanting frowned and said, "Over two thousand qing of land, and this Liu has seized sixty percent, with rents as high as seventy percent. As for the remaining land, it is in the hands of Vice Prefects and Chiliarchs and their ilk. One can well imagine what kind of life the military households lead! This Liu has accumulated wealth over generations—his fortune must be considerable. Very well, you shall serve as the sacrifice for my banner!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou smiled and said, "Though I too sympathize with the military households, what I see is that Brother Baigu will not have to worry about money and provisions for several years in Shaanxi, haha."

Sun Chuanting also broke into a smile and said, "Officials like this are numerous throughout the provinces. The Xi'an Forward Guard that our worthy brothers Cui and Xie have gone to investigate is likely the same. When I left the capital earlier, His Majesty already told me plainly to act as I see fit in Shaanxi—that he would support me unconditionally and that I need not heed slanderous attacks but should act with a free hand. It seems His Majesty has deep knowledge of conditions throughout the realm and wishes to reform the status quo with bold measures, but is constrained by the general situation and cannot act personally. With His Majesty's full support, even if I offend every wicked official and gentry member in the world, I will never turn back! Zhongfang, should the opportunity arise, I will surely bring you to an audience with His Majesty. Though my own audience lasted only half a day, I felt with full conviction that our sovereign is a wise ruler rarely seen in a thousand years. Throughout the dynasties, few emperors have treated their ministers with such sincerity. I am past forty and have seen countless men, yet I truly felt His Majesty's absolute trust in me—without any pretense or suspicion of those he employs! His Majesty's breadth of mind, the profundity of his speech and insight, and the equality with which he treats his ministers—I have never seen the like, nor is it recorded in any history book. He seems almost not to belong to our era! Zhongfang, with such a sage sovereign on the throne, it is a blessing for us both!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou knew how proud his elder brother was at heart—there were few men he admired. The only ones he deigned to praise were Hong Chengchou, Lu Xiangsheng, and a handful of others. As for Grand Secretaries like Wen Tiren, Sun Chuanting dismissed them with a sneer, calling them "corpse ministers."

Though Sun Chuanting spoke highly of Hong Chengchou and others, he did not truly admire them. Never had Zhuang Yuanzhou heard him speak of anyone with such heartfelt reverence. It seemed the rumors were indeed unreliable—the talk of the Emperor being suspicious, obstinate, and impetuous must have been fabricated by those with ulterior motives. Otherwise, given Sun Chuanting's keen judgment of men, he would never hold anyone in such high esteem. When this elder brother spoke of the Emperor, his eyes shone and his face flushed—it could not be feigned.

The two discussed matters a while longer, then each retired to rest.

The next day around the hour of Mao, Sun Chuanting and his party rose, ate a simple breakfast, thanked the innkeeper, and set off with their goods back toward Xi'an. The innkeeper naturally understood that his words from the previous day had been heeded—they were avoiding the place.

Upon returning to the government office, they learned that Cui and Xie had not yet come back. Sun Chuanting changed into his official robes and, together with Zhuang Yuanzhou in his scholar's gown, went to the public office in the front courtyard.

Sun Chuanting sat behind his large desk, while Zhuang Yuanzhou took a seat at a writing table off to the side.

The old servant brought from their hometown in Daizhou hurriedly served tea to both men. Sun Chuanting instructed his clerks to go separately to the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office and the Regional Military Commission's office, requesting Zhu Yongyou and Li Dazhong to come for discussion.

Before long, Zhu Yongyou and Li Dazhong arrived at the Governor's office one after the other. Zhu Yongyou smiled and cupped his hands in greeting. Li Dazhong, being a military officer, knelt on one knee in the military salute. Sun Chuanting ordered seats for them, and once they were settled, he said with a smile, "This gentleman is a staff advisor I have engaged—Zhuang Yuanzhou, a juren from Shanxi. Henceforth he will participate in all official business of this office. Master Zhuang is greatly talented and should have no trouble passing the next examination—in the future he may well serve at court alongside us." Zhu and Li exchanged greetings with Zhuang Yuanzhou, cupping their hands.

Zhu Yongyou asked with concern, "I heard Your Excellency was unwell. Nothing serious, I trust?"

Sun Chuanting smiled and said, "I felt slightly indisposed yesterday. After taking medicine last night, I am much better today."

Zhu Yongyou secretly sneered to himself—could it be he drank too much at the welcome banquet and could not get up? Otherwise, no illness could be cured overnight by medicine. But in a tone of concern, he said aloud, "Your Excellency may be suffering from the change of climate. You must take care of your health—Shaanxi cannot do without you!" Li Dazhong also hurriedly offered his regards.

Sun Chuanting sneered inwardly: I'm a Shanxi man—what climate change is there for me in Shaanxi? And "Shaanxi cannot do without me"—you'd love to take my place!

Aloud he expressed his thanks: "I am grateful for your concern, both of you. I am quite recovered now!"

Changing the subject, he continued, "I invited you both here today because there is a matter I wish to discuss."

At this moment a servant brought tea for the two men. Sun Chuanting took a sip, set down his cup, and continued, "I have been appointed by imperial decree to govern Shaanxi, and I am well aware of the dangers here and the difficulty of my task. The roving bandits now plaguing Shaanxi, Henan, and Huguang originated in Shaanxi—one could say Shaanxi is their home and base. To suppress the bandits, we must recruit soldiers and purchase horses. Most of Shaanxi's border troops have already followed Governor-General Hong on campaigns across the provinces. The remaining border troops must guard against the Tatar Mongols, and the regular troops of the guard stations are too weak to be of any use. Therefore, I have decided to recruit a new army to exterminate the rebels. My initial plan is to raise ten thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry. Provided they are properly trained, with adequate military pay and provisions and clear rewards and punishments, they can be formed into an effective force within half a year. Then, coordinating with Governor-General Hong, suppressing the bandits in Shaanxi will be well within our grasp!"

Zhu Yongyou and Li Dazhong exchanged glances. Zhu Yongyou spoke up, "Your Excellency's plan to recruit a new army has my full endorsement. But where will the pay come from? The provincial treasury, after remitting the required taxes to the court, is already stretched thin. I fear it cannot support the enormous expense of a new army of the size Your Excellency describes."

Li Dazhong's lips moved a few times, but he said nothing.

Sun Chuanting asked, "How much silver remains in the treasury?"

Zhu Yongyou replied, "Only one hundred thousand taels remain. This silver must cover officials' salaries, water conservancy projects, famine relief, and so forth—it will be gone in the blink of an eye!"

"And how much tax silver is due to the court?" Sun Chuanting asked next.

"Two hundred thousand taels in total, including both grain converted to silver and direct payments," Zhu Yongyou answered.

Sun Chuanting said, "When I took leave of His Majesty, he specially drew one hundred thousand taels from the privy purse for me. So the funds for raising the new army need not draw on other sources for the time being—do not worry, Master Zhu. Once our discussion is concluded, I shall post recruitment notices in the name of the Governor's office. You will send men to post and publicize the notices in the surrounding prefectures and counties, focusing on the guard stations around Xi'an. Commander Li, you will draw the relevant personnel from the Regional Military Commission and set up a recruitment station in the square before the Governor's office, with soldiers maintaining order. Anyone who comes to enlist must have his background thoroughly investigated—the foremost requirement is that he be honest and obedient. Additionally, preference shall be given to those who are tall and sturdy, who can ride horses, who understand formation warfare, who know strategy, who are literate, and who come from hereditary military households. Street-wise slick fellows are absolutely not to be accepted! Keep my words firmly in mind. When the time comes, I will send Master Zhuang or one of my other two advisors to oversee the proceedings, and you must personally participate. Do you understand?"

Hearing that the provincial treasury would not be touched, Zhu Yongyou breathed a sigh of relief and immediately nodded in agreement.

Li Dazhong knelt on one knee to show his obedience to the order. Sun Chuanting nodded with satisfaction and sent the two men back to make preparations. Zhuang Yuanzhou had already drafted the recruitment notice, and the dozen or so clerks in the office copied out several hundred copies, which were then handed to the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office to be posted throughout the region.

After the two men left, Sun Chuanting sent Sun Zhian to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Chiliarch office to check on the progress of the materials Li Guoliang was preparing. Then he began discussing with Zhuang Yuanzhou how to deal with the guard station matter.

Half an hour later, Sun Zhian returned with Li Guoliang, who carried a stack of papers in his hand. After saluting, Li Guoliang presented the materials to Sun Chuanting and said, "These are dossiers on the principal officials and gentry of Shaanxi, including the situations of some military commanders who lead troops. Essentially everything is here—please review them, Your Excellency."

Sun Chuanting took them and quickly flipped through, finding the file on Liu Fuguo, Guard Commander of the Xi'an Left Guard, in short order.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard indeed lived up to its reputation as the Ming dynasty's secret service—their work was meticulous. They had investigated everything in detail: how Liu Fuguo's ancestors had risen, what great deeds and merits successive generations of the Liu family's Guard Commanders had performed, and down to Liu Fuguo himself—how much military farmland he had encroached upon each year of his decade-plus tenure, whose fields he had forcibly seized, how many merchants' goods he had murdered for, how many military households had fled the guard station, how many hated him to the bone, and how many subordinates he had bullied.

As for the exact size of Liu Fuguo's fortune, no specific figure was given. Of course, this was merely the result of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's investigation, without testimony, confessions, or fingerprints from the parties involved. After all, gathering intelligence was the Guard's primary duty; whether it was put to use depended on the intentions of their superiors. In recent years, Luo Yangxing, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had gradually lost his ambition and let the affairs of the Guard slide, reducing it to a toothless tiger—nothing but a tiger skin to frighten people with.

At the end of Liu Fuguo's file, Sun Chuanting saw a list of officials with whom he had close relations. "Close relations" did not mean frequent social contact, but rather officials whom Liu Fuguo had bribed according to his needs.

Sun Chuanting did not examine this closely, for his current target was Liu Fuguo himself. He was confident no one would speak up for the man—after all, it was not worth offending a regional magnate for the sake of a guard station military officer. Those who regularly accepted Liu Fuguo's favors might put in a word on small matters, but once a superior was involved, every official would quickly distance himself.

Sun Chuanting set down the stack of papers and said with a smile, "Chiliarch Li, you have worked hard, and you have done well. Once this matter is concluded, I will certainly report your merits to the court. Furthermore, I would ask you to arrange for your subordinates to gather more intelligence on the rebels—that is where the true merit lies!"

Li Guoliang was inwardly delighted. After all, he had been in Shaanxi for five years, and the grandees in the capital had likely forgotten him entirely. Now, with merits to report, his future prospects would broaden. He cupped his hands and said, "Rest assured, Your Excellency. I will immediately assign men to investigate this matter upon my return. The moment any intelligence comes in, I will report it to Your Excellency at once!"

Sun Chuanting said with a smile, "When I confiscate a certain man's property, I will also need you to send men to assist!"

Such a welcome task naturally pleased Li Guoliang greatly. He saluted and took his leave.

Zhuang Yuanzhou spoke up, "Your Excellency, I believe we should not move against the guard station for the time being. For now, focus on gathering intelligence. You have only just arrived in Shaanxi and have not yet secured your footing—others do not yet know your strength. If you strike at the likes of Liu Fuguo first, they may not dare resist out of fear of imperial authority, but the rest will not be truly cowed. After all, the guard station's military strength is feeble—Liu Fuguo is merely a fat sheep without the power to resist. Others will think you only dare strike at the weak. I believe Your Excellency should first establish your authority and display the force at your command, then proceed naturally to reorganize the guard stations and everything else. That way, even those who hold military power will tremble, and your affairs will proceed far more smoothly thereafter!"

Sun Chuanting laughed heartily and said, "Zhongfang, you and I have arrived at the same conclusion without consulting each other—that is exactly my plan. Zhongfang, you know that when I left the capital, His Majesty specially assigned five hundred elite cavalry from the Yongwei Camp as my personal guard. In the days since you arrived, have you wondered why you have not seen those five hundred horsemen?"

Zhuang Yuanzhou asked in puzzlement, "I have been here for several days and was just wondering why I had not seen that elite cavalry force you rely upon. Could it be that Your Excellency has already..."

Sun Chuanting stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "By now, Luo Shifang should have already accomplished his mission!"