Chapter 131: Civil and Military

Early that morning, Liu Zeqing had just risen, washed his face with clean water, and was drying it, happily anticipating going to find the young lady of the Zhou family from last night for some tender dalliance.

But just at that moment, a household retainer inopportunely rushed in hurriedly, reporting that Governor Wang and the newly appointed Censor from the capital were about to arrive within Linqing Prefecture's borders, and requesting that he go out of the city to welcome them.

Hearing this, Liu Zeqing waved his hand in annoyance, his heart full of joy vanishing in an instant.

In fact, the previous evening Liu Zeqing had received reliable intelligence from a certain Donglin minister at court, saying that the Chongzhen Emperor had beaten five ministers to death in the Winter Warm Pavilion, and that the former Vice Minister of Revenue, Dang Chongya, had been sent off to Shandong to serve as Censor.

The former piece of news pleased Liu Zeqing considerably—after all, in his view, the more heavily Chongzhen killed, and the more he killed, the more chaotic the governance of the Great Ming would become, and the better his own chances to fish in troubled waters.

But when he heard the latter piece of news, Liu Zeqing could not muster the slightest joy.

Although the Censor was only a seventh-rank official, he supervised local officials in the name of the Son of Heaven, and nominally even held greater authority than a Regional Commander like himself who truly commanded a region.

In peaceful times, the Censor was also a position of high rank and great power, with few daring to provoke them; military officers ruined by a single memorial from them were legion.

But now, such an official was utterly beneath notice in the eyes of Liu Zeqing, who commanded heavy troops.

The Chongzhen Emperor's intentions had always been simple; Liu Zeqing needed no careful deliberation—this fellow Dang was clearly someone the court had arranged to spy on him.

As for fear, there was no need. In the region, only Yanzhou Regional Commander Mou Wenshou, Assistant Regional Commander Qiu Lei stationed at Wuding Prefecture, and Denglai Regional Commander Chen Hongfan had the strength to contend with Liu's forces.

But even these three were ordinarily deferential to Liu Zeqing, and there was almost never any open conflict. Last time Liu Zeqing had not answered the imperial summons to defend the capital, and although these three had their complaints, not one dared utter a word of defiance.

The reason Liu Zeqing had not gone as far as Zuo Liangyu was precisely because he felt he lacked the strength to break with the court outright—moreover, he simply did not have such grand ambitions.

This Censor being suddenly dispatched, though he knew full well Chongzhen had sent him to spy, still meant trouble to deal with. Liu Zeqing set aside his annoyance and said to the household retainer Platoon Officer:

"Send word to the soldiers below: since this Censor has just arrived these past two days, tell them all to tread carefully—at least give him face on the surface!"

The household retainer Platoon Officer nodded, but with a vicious look on his face said:

"Commander, shall this subordinate send assassins—?"

"Are you out of your damned mind?" Liu Zeqing turned and kicked him without a second word, cursing him roundly: "This Dang Chongya is a jinshi of the Tianqi era, and in the fourth year of Chongzhen he even served as Censor of the Sichuan Circuit—he's no pushover!"

"Besides, don't you know what sort of goods the Donglin Faction are? They'd love nothing more than for you to kill him. Killing him would be easy, but it would make his name glorious while harming our own interests! If this commander ends up suspected by the court, how would that be settled?"

"The Commander is wise; this subordinate admires you!" Though he had been ruthlessly kicked, the household retainer Platoon Officer dared not show the slightest anger, and immediately said with an ingratiating smile.

Liu Zeqing was quite satisfied, his mood seeming much improved. Humming tunelessly, he mounted his horse and said:

"Assemble the household retainers—follow this commander to welcome the Censor and the Governor!"

The new Censor Dang Chongya had come, and Liu Zeqing could not refuse to see him; at the very least he had to put on a show of utmost deference on the surface, so he could only lead his subordinates in formation outside Linqing Prefecture city to receive him.

From afar came a procession of carriages and horses. The two men at the lead both wore the civil official robes of the Great Ming. On the left was the current Shandong Governor, Wang Gongbi; half a horse-length behind was Dang Chongya, demoted from Revenue Ministry Grain-Supervising Vice Minister to Shandong Circuit Censor.

Looking at the slovenly officers and soldiers before him, Dang Chongya finally realized how different the capital's regiments and the Capital Camps were from these troops.

At the very least in armor and weaponry, the capital's forces had been completely transformed. After the great victory at military pay and provisions, many men even stood with a spirit and bearing utterly different from these local troops.

Along the journey, Dang Chongya's naive belief in a peaceful realm had been thoroughly shattered. Having spent so long in the capital, he had never realized just how chaotic this world had become.

After brief pleasantries, Liu Zeqing personally led Dang Chongya and the others into the main hall of the official residence.

Following the Great Ming's custom of honoring civil over military, Shandong Governor Wang Gongbi and Censor Dang Chongya were seated in the host and guest seats of honor, while Liu Zeqing and several Assistant Regional Commanders took the lower seats.

Before long, Liu Zeqing rose, clasped his hands in salute, and said with a smile:

"This Shandong is a poor and remote corner, with nothing much to entertain Lord Dang with. Even so, this humble officer must still fulfill the duties of a host. Come—serve Lord Dang some tea!"

Looking at the plain tea brought up by the household retainer, Dang Chongya swallowed, then surprisingly smiled and pushed it back: "Commander Liu's kindness, this official appreciates in his heart. A brief rest will suffice, a brief rest will suffice."

Hearing this, Liu Zeqing's expression stiffened for a moment, but after a few seconds he burst into loud laughter, and with a fixed gaze said: "Could Lord Dang be afraid this commander means to do you harm?"

Hearing the change of address in Liu Zeqing's words, Dang Chongya hastily waved his hands, speaking somewhat urgently:

"No, no. This subordinate, as Censor, has the duty of supervising the regions on behalf of the Son of Heaven. As a newly appointed official, how could I set aside public duty for private concerns, or covet personal gain?"

Dang Chongya was indeed strange—no matter how Liu Zeqing insisted, he sat there without moving a muscle, not even glancing sideways at anything the officers and soldiers of Liu's forces brought before him.

"Heh heh." Liu Zeqing set his teacup back on the table with a 'bang' and slightly more force than necessary, saying coldly:

"Since Lord Dang insists so, this humble officer cannot very well press the matter. But there is one thing this humble officer does not understand. When His Majesty sent Lord Dang here, did he happen to mention the matter of military pay for Shandong?"

"Er..." Dang Chongya was left speechless. The Chongzhen Emperor had simply thrown him out of the Winter Warm Pavilion—how could matters as great as military pay ever have been within his purview?

Seeing this newly arrived capital official fall silent, the officers and soldiers of Liu's forces below immediately darkened their expressions, and many began muttering among themselves.

Assistant Regional Commander Dong Hu appeared to be a rough fellow. With a 'bang' he slapped the table, rose, and said boisterously:

"Months ago, Datong and Xuanzhen already made up their arrears in military pay. The capital region has also begun issuing back pay. Word has it that at the start of the month, even Shanhai Pass received an additional 3.8 million in Liaodong levy—so why is Shandong alone left out!?"

"Exactly! What's the reasoning?"

"We risk our heads and spill our blood for the court, fighting a hundred battles on the sand, yet we've gone a full two years and eight months without pay. The soldiers are dressed in rags like beggars, and the blades in their hands even have notches—how are we supposed to fight like this!"

Although Shandong Governor Wang Gongbi was the senior local official, his conduct was no different from Dang Chongya's—his whole body trembled, yet he could not utter a single word to soothe anyone.

As the saying goes, when a xiucai meets a soldier, reason cannot prevail. Before these crude brutes who recognized only money and no one else, no matter how high Wang Gongbi's position, no matter how silver-tongued Dang Chongya, there was still no reasoning to be had.

Liu Zeqing watched the panicked Shandong Governor and Censor, then raised his hand without the slightest warning and shouted loudly:

"All of you shut up! In the presence of these two lords, when is it your place to speak!"

"Now get the hell out!"