Chapter 1207: Debate

"Do you think the court should never have entertained such ideas? We never raised a banner of rebellion; every time we left room for ambiguity, letting everyone gloss things over if they could. And then we made them understand that Xuzhou is a tough bone to gnaw on. So they figured, better to let sleeping dogs lie — doing more inevitably means making more mistakes. So no one acted, and they just let us remain in this gray zone, growing unchecked, until the day it could no longer be concealed?" Zhao Jin asked.

Wang Zhaojing hesitated for a moment before answering with a wry smile, "Big Brother, you put it bluntly, but that is precisely the logic. Based on my understanding of the figures at court..."

He paused here, his smile fading as he continued, "In truth, I had also considered that men of insight would eventually emerge, both in court and among the common people, and begin targeting us in Xuzhou. But I never imagined that man would be Wei Zhongxian — a treacherous, evil eunuch of the partisan faction, yet able to see things so accurately."

His tone was deeply hesitant, clearly uncertain of his own judgment. Ruhui, who had been flipping through account books and calculating at the side, interjected, "Perhaps that eunuch Wei was merely seeking merit. He dared not touch the Mongols of the grasslands or the Jurchens of Jianzhou, and thought we would be easy to bully — only to end up hitting a brick wall."

"Not necessarily. Wei Zhongxian has no need for merit. His foundation is the favor of the Tianqi Emperor. As long as he has that, no one can shake him. That is precisely what puzzles me — why provoke us for no reason?" Wang Zhaojing shook his head.

Zhao Jin pondered for a moment before saying, "This time, Wei Zhongxian invested heavily. This scheme must have begun early in the third year of Tianqi. The news of the dike breach forced him to act prematurely. The man sent to oversee the covert operation was Wei Zhongxian's trusted confidant, and the various troops were all his adopted sons and personal forces. He even accounted for obstruction from civil officials and political enemies. The objective was speed — to divide and isolate our various forces in Xuzhou, then destroy them piecemeal."

The expressions of the people in the room grew solemn. Zhao Jin continued, "Let us consider the worst-case scenario. Wei Zhongxian and his inner circle likely first took notice of us during the first disruption of the grain tribute route. After we quelled the Smelling Incense Sect rebellion, they began to regard us with gravity. Then, through overt and covert informants gathering intelligence on us, they increasingly viewed Xuzhou as a mortal threat to the heart of the empire, and thus decided to exterminate us. Wei Zhongxian's side recognized our strength, but never imagined we were this strong — hence their failure. Yet this failure only made them see us as an even greater enemy, compelling them to mobilize half the realm's power for a decisive battle against us."

"Big Brother is right. The mobile frontier garrisons and local troops across the north are all mobilizing. They are even training new armies regardless of cost. This is indeed a fight to the death. There is no telling how long the coming battles will last, and the southern provinces are also massing great armies." Wang Zhaojing spoke gravely. Ruhui, seated to the side, furrowed his brow, incessantly flipping through the account book in his hands.

Zhao Jin's expression remained calm as he stated plainly, "This is the approach of 'pacifying the internal before resisting the external' — quell internal troubles, then throw everything into dealing with external threats. One cannot say this approach is wrong; we can only see if they are capable of carrying it out."

Wang Zhaojing laughed and said, "Big Brother thinks rather highly of these eunuchs. This must not spread outside. The scholarly circles already view Xuzhou as a mortal enemy, a great scourge. If they learn of Big Brother's sentiments, it will be an irreconcilable feud."

The words were somewhat awkward, and the others in the room pretended not to notice. Ultimately, Wang Zhaojing came from a distinguished, untainted background and had always held a very poor opinion of eunuchs. Yet Zhao Jin occasionally praised them, which Wang Zhaojing found hard to stomach, causing such remarks to slip out now and then. The Wang father and son already felt it was time to win over the scholars and literati, rather than treating them with such contempt and hostility.

"The eunuchs serve the Emperor, which means they serve this Great Ming. Those who are loyal and diligent in their duties naturally deserve a measure of regard. Yet the so-called upright officials and righteous men act with political infighting in mind, thinking only of their own private interests. Comparing the two, who do you think deserves more regard?" Zhao Jin asked in return.

Wang Zhaojing frowned slightly, ignoring the meaningful glance Ruhui shot him from the side. He was about to speak, but Zhao Jin cut him off and continued on his own, "The Emperor gives direct orders to the eunuchs, and the eunuchs carry them out. They may do harm in the process, but they often get things done. The tax commissioners and mining supervisors could squeeze out the tax silver. Their embezzlement and oppression of the countryside were evils, but for the Emperor, the silver was collected, the national treasury was filled, and he could raise troops for war, relieve disaster victims, and pay out grain, wages, and stipends. And what of the civil officials? They speak of sages and principles, yet they do nothing. They do not collect silver — or rather, they do not collect it for the state. Once their terms end, their own pockets are full. For instance, you know well how the Liao military surtax is collected: layer upon layer of markups from top to bottom, with officials, clerks, and runners each taking their cut. What is handed up is still insufficient, while the common people are exploited until they can only rise in revolt. Yet who do they blame? This court, the Emperor — not the officials and underlings below who do the actual exploiting."

"Big Brother, those are two different matters."

"No, they are actually one and the same. I acknowledge there are honest officials and loyal ministers, and righteous men who serve the country. They read the sages' books and follow the sages' principles — that is truly admirable. Those who died for their country in Liaodong, and those who fought us with both wit and courage, suffering casualties in the process — they are such men. But as long as they are in this officialdom, they must act according to the rules of the bureaucratic and scholarly world. In my view, the current system of Great Ming's officialdom is, in fact, an obstacle. With this obstacle in place, good policies turn into evil deeds, and vigorous action turns into endless delay. Wealth, energy, and talent are all consumed in these struggles and bickering. The infighting at the center ripples out across the realm, making it impossible to improve external campaigns or local governance." Zhao Jin's tone had turned stern.

Wang Zhaojing's face flushed red, but he still managed to restrain himself and listen. Zhao Jin picked up the tea bowl at his hand, took a sip, and continued, "Speaking of this, I do indeed admire Wei Zhongxian. He is not a good man. Many good men who should not have died perished at his hands. According to our intelligence and various rumors, Wei Zhongxian and his faction have indeed committed many treacherous and evil acts. But looking at the big picture, have those righteous gentlemen at court done much better than him? The Tianqi Emperor could not get the civil officials to carry out his will; they only wanted to do what they wished. So Tianqi was tormented to the point of helplessness — he took up carpentry, indulged in pleasure, and let Wei Zhongxian step forward to execute his will. Wei Zhongxian has done a decent job, desperately maintaining the imperial authority and the integrity of this Great Ming."

Zhao Jin took a deep breath, patted the armrest, and pointed at Wang Zhaojing, "Record what I am about to say. What I want to discuss is not the eunuch faction or the purists, but ourselves. After this war, we must establish our own government institutions, with our own officials, clerks, and runners. I know your father, you, Mister Cao, Mister Zhou, and all related parties have your own ideas. Some want to use Confucian scholars who have read books and understand reason. Some want to use the estate managers, shop stewards, and clerks we have trained ourselves. Others say to directly use the local worthies. Still others advocate using family retainers and militia. But the fundamental criterion for selecting those who will work for us is not their background, nor what grand principles they know. It is loyalty to us, the ability to execute our demands and achieve our objectives. When duty conflicts with grand principles, they must focus on their duty. When the people's hearts and wishes conflict with duty, they must focus on getting things done. They must know how we rose to power — and how we can fall by failing to act!"

As Zhao Jin spoke, the agitation on Wang Zhaojing's face faded, replaced by a complex, indescribable expression. Ruhui, who had been flipping through the account book, looked up, somewhat startled yet also excited. The several personal guards in the room widened their eyes. They only half-understood Zhao Jin's words, yet listening to them gave them a vague sense of gratification.

After Zhao Jin finished, silence fell over the room for a moment. Wang Zhaojing spoke slowly, "Big Brother, I understand your meaning. We are not taking the path of inheriting the past and ushering in the future. We are to create a new world, to forge an entirely new situation ourselves."

At this, everyone except Zhao Jin nodded, because Wang Zhaojing had articulated what they had vaguely understood but could not express. Wang Zhaojing's expression was very solemn as he spoke again, "Big Brother, this path is likely fraught with countless hardships and perils. It will not be easy to walk!"

Zhao Jin had picked up his tea bowl to drink, but upon hearing this, he set it down again and shook his head. "Thousands of years of heritage, thousands of years of rules — these things are tangled around you. If you try to inherit the past, you will be bound by them. How can you then usher in the future? Better to shatter them. What is bad and harmful, we discard. What is good and useful, we keep. That is the easiest path to walk."

Hearing this, Wang Zhaojing was stunned, and Ruhui looked thoughtful. Zhao Jin then asked, "Zhaojing, you and Mister Cao both enjoy conversing with those foreigners. What do you think of their laws, rules, and customs?"

This time, Wang Zhaojing did not speak. Ruhui said, "If it is truly as these barbarians claim, in that place they call Europa, gods and priests hold sway, every man fights desperately for profit, and students from humble families have no hope of advancement. To be honest with you, my lord, sometimes I truly feel that place is a land of beasts where all civility and culture have been utterly lost."

Zhao Jin smiled. Ruhui, not noticing Zhao Jin's expression, continued thoughtfully, "Yet when talking with them, one vaguely senses something — these barbarians seem to possess a kind of spirited, upward-striving energy. They seek huge profits, seek new knowledge, seek wealth and status, and for these things they are willing to cross vast oceans and risk their lives. This spirit is rarely seen in our Great Ming. No, under Heaven, I have only seen it under your governance, my lord. I would venture to guess that if those barbarians continue in this way, in ten years, several decades, or a hundred years, will they become like our Xuzhou?"

"The laws and rules of those barbarians do have their merits, but their inner substance falls far short of our Huaxia heritage. We should adopt the good methods and rules of the barbarians, but the heritage of Huaxia must be preserved and not discarded. Only then can we avoid the barbarians' mistakes without abandoning our own strengths." Wang Zhaojing interjected at this moment.

Ruhui remained silent. Zhao Jin laughed. Wang Zhaojing then spoke again with great solemnity, "The path Big Brother has forged is precisely the great Way of the Qin and Han eras, blending Legalism and Confucianism, where hegemony and kingly virtue walk hand in hand. As for the barbarians, their craftsmanship is passable; there is no need to borrow anything else."

Thanks to old friends "Jiang Feng, Li Meng, Wang Tong, Yuan Heng Li Zhen, zzb, Duan Yichen" for their tips, and thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you all.