Chapter 1219

"I and my lads went to fight for profit? I stirred up the people's revolt? I'll own the name 'Eunuch Faction,' but how could that gang of bandits in Xuzhou raising chaos have anything to do with me? If I wanted gold and silver, I could have as much as I pleased — why would I set my sights on that poverty-stricken Xuzhou to make a move! Grand Secretary Sun, those Xuzhou bandits have harbored disloyal ambitions from the very day they rose up..."

"Eunuch Wei!" Sun Chengzong suddenly raised his voice. At that moment, the serving eunuch had just entered the door; the tea bowl in his hands crashed to the floor and shattered to pieces, but no one had time to mind such a trifle. Wei Zhongxian waved the man away impatiently.

Sun Chengzong fixed his gaze on Wei Zhongxian, hesitated a moment, then sighed and said with a somewhat desolate air: "Eunuch Wei, do not persist in your delusion. Do you not know the news from the capital? Do you not know why I was dispatched here? Have you considered that if you keep fighting those Xuzhou bandits, the canal grain shipments likely won't resume again this year — just how many people will you offend by that? Eunuch Wei, heed this old man's word of advice: return to the capital. His Majesty sending me here was also an act of protective care for you. If you tarry here much longer, I fear you may never be able to go back!"

Wei Zhongxian started, then slapped his thigh and said shrilly: "So what if the grain shipments are cut off? The provisions the capital requires can be fully levied from Baoding Prefecture and Zhending Prefecture. Whatever is still lacking can be supplemented by sea transport via Tianjin, and can also be requisitioned from the estates near the capital environs. I exhaust my heart and mind for His Majesty, yet these wretches fixate only on their own paltry profits. For the sake of such trifling wealth, they'd even..."

He had already lost his composure in speaking, but his voice grew softer and softer, until at last he merely gave a long sigh and bowed his head deeply.

"Eunuch Wei, the Son of Heaven governs all under Heaven together with the scholar-officials — that is the proper way. It is precisely because inner-court eunuchs meddle in governance that all these disorders arise. After learning this lesson, restrain yourself a little!" Sun Chengzong's tone softened somewhat.

Wei Zhongxian raised his head, his eyes now completely bloodshot. Dispensing with empty pleasantries with Sun Chengzong, he asked directly: "Grand Secretary Sun, after I leave, what will be done with the Hejian Encampment? And how will those Xuzhou bandits be dealt with?"

"Six thousand troops will be newly established here in Hejian Prefecture. The other forces will each return to their garrisons. The Daming Garrison and the Shandong troops together amount to roughly three thousand cavalry — all elite soldiers — and will be stationed in Jinan Prefecture. The Denglai Garrison will recruit Liao troops for rebuilding. As for those Xuzhou bandits, to have stirred trouble to this extent and with such method, there must be powerful gentry and scholars involved. Such foes look troublesome but are in fact easy to handle. Conferring a few official posts as reward will suffice. Once the leaders receive official rank, they will naturally settle down, and the bandit followers beneath them will disperse. When the court has a free hand later, dealing with them then will not be too late."

After hearing Sun Chengzong's account, Wei Zhongxian gave another long sigh. He seemed to have aged many years all at once. Rising unsteadily from his seat, he said in a muffled voice: "Today I must also thank Grand Secretary Sun for his guidance. I shall set out on my return to the capital this very day. I hope we may have further dealings in the future. If I do not fall this time, I may still be able to help the Grand Secretary in some matters."

Sun Chengzong, Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion and Supreme Commander of Liaodong, hesitated a moment, then spoke: "When Eunuch Wei returns to the capital this time, urge His Majesty more to beget a dragon son soon — that is the great plan of the realm. As for other matters, this old man has spoken of them, but Eunuch Wei does not care to hear them, nor do the various gentlemen in the capital."

"Will Grand Secretary Sun not return to the capital?"

"No. I will lead the troops directly to Liaodong."

On the fourth day of the second month of the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, Wei Zhongxian, Supervising Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, returned to the capital and voluntarily requested punishment before the imperial presence. The great army encamped at Hejian returned to its respective garrisons. Shandong Regional Commander Yang Guodong was dismissed from office and indicted for his crimes. The former Caozhou Regional Commander Yang Zhaoji was reassigned as Shandong Regional Commander. A new Henan Regional Commander was established, with orders to recruit ten thousand troops and garrison Kaifeng Prefecture.

At the request of Denglai Grand Coordinator Yuan Keli, a new Regional Commander was established for the Denglai Garrison, recruiting Liao Garrison soldiers and local troops to fill its ranks, coordinating with the Dongjiang Garrison in Liaodong.

The former Minister of War Zhao Yan was reassigned as Grand Coordinator of Fengyang, jointly overseeing the amnesty of Xuzhou with Fengyang Defense Eunuch Cui Wensheng.

In this court shake-up, the arrogance of Wei Zhongxian's faction suffered a heavy blow. Two Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet retired and returned to their hometowns. Countless official posts in the Six Ministries, the Censorate, and all the various prestigious and critical offices changed hands. Even within the Directorate of Ceremonial itself, so-called upright and incorruptible inner-court officials were brought in.

The disbanding of the Hejian Encampment and the news that the court was preparing to grant amnesty to Xuzhou spread along the Grand Canal at the swiftest possible speed. Never before, not even for the most urgent military dispatches sent by eight-hundred-li express relay, had news traveled so fast.

Everyone understood what this news meant: it signaled the reopening of the canal grain shipments. This year's canal-related business would not be held up.

When the news reached South Zhili, the previously plummeting price of bulk grain began to rebound. The purchasing and stockpiling of grain by the Zhao Character Camp's various departments grew increasingly difficult. Fortunately, this news also meant that the agricultural estates within Xuzhou's sphere of influence could proceed with spring planting at leisure, with no need to prepare for war or famine, so the Zhao Character Camp's demand for grain was no longer so urgent.

When this news arrived, the price of Songjiang cloth fell back in response, while the price of Xuzhou cloth began to rise. Some merchants at the Qingjiang Great Market had already noticed, while others only now sensed it: it turned out that every move made by this Xuzhou power could influence the prices of bulk commodities — grain, cloth, salt, and ironware, all matters bearing on the national economy and the people's livelihood.

After the court adopted this posture, the taut strings in many people's minds had yet to relax. These days, it was no longer a matter of whatever the court and officials said being taken as final — the key still lay in what Xuzhou would do.

Those familiar with the inside story knew just how thoroughly and exhilaratingly those two great victories in Henan and Shandong had been won, and they also knew how abjectly servile the South Zhili government troops had been. With such an excellent situation, why would Xuzhou not keep fighting? Who wouldn't want to seize all under Heaven? Who wouldn't want to become emperor?

But everyone soon learned Xuzhou's stance. The Zhao Character Camp's household-troop brigades in several locations all began withdrawing to their garrisons, and government army officers were permitted to ransom themselves. The various estates busied themselves with spring plowing, while Cloud Mountain Trading went around finalizing this year's business and trade deals with all parties.

It seemed Xuzhou did not wish to keep fighting either. Speculation abounded, but people also found it only natural. The Great Ming realm had a population in the hundreds of millions — what kind of power was that? No matter how fierce and ruthless Xuzhou might be, it only controlled territory amounting to about half a province, and apart from Xuzhou itself, it had not seized any other cities. The disparity in strength was overwhelming, so naturally they dared not tear away all pretense.

Many also felt that Zhao Jin and his comrades lacked great ambition, that they were all short-sighted, young and impetuous yet only wanting to enjoy wealth, rank, and luxury. Everything, everything, was done to make their business grow even larger. The court was unwilling to disrupt border defense and the people's livelihood, and he, the Zhao Character Camp of Xuzhou, was likewise unwilling to disrupt his own business. It seemed there would be peace and quiet for a long time to come.

Withdrawing to camp was withdrawing to camp, but the Zhao Character Camp purchased estates in Baoying County, Gaoyou Subprefecture, and the area around Jiangdu, the seat of Yangzhou Prefecture — a good number of these came from the confiscated properties of Yangzhou magnates. Into these estates, tenant households and commoners under Xuzhou's control began to be relocated.

To be able to come from the impoverished lands of the Huai'an North District to the territory of Yangzhou Prefecture, a place famed as a land of fish and rice — there was no one who would be unwilling. Of course, those newly recruited tenant households and commoners did not receive this treatment. Those who came this time were all veteran tenant households from Xuzhou, Suzhou, the Kong Family Estate, and the Huai'an North District, all called Xuzhou tenant households or old tenant households.

In every newly established estate in Yangzhou Prefecture, the old tenant households had to make up at least forty percent of the total. The original long-term laborers and tenant farmers were either dismissed on the spot or sent to cultivate estates within Xuzhou's sphere of control. The estate heads, managers, and militia trainers of the newly built estates could only be drawn from among these Xuzhou tenant households.

For the agricultural estates in Yangzhou Prefecture, each estate was to have two hundred militiamen. Then, in Baoying County, Gaoyou Subprefecture, and Jiangdu County, the seat of Yangzhou Prefecture, Cloud Mountain Trading branch shops were opened. Each branch shop had a varying number of patrol guards as protection. There were also the salt patrol teams moving between the various prefectures, subprefectures, and counties, as well as Xuzhou volunteers hired as guards. Xuzhou's armed force, unnoticed, took root everywhere across Yangzhou Prefecture.

According to the intent of the Agricultural Reclamation Office and the Trade Office, for the estates in Yangzhou Prefecture, there was no need to bother with title deed transfers. Whatever our Zhao Character Camp occupied was ours; there was no need for recognition from the Great Ming authorities. Zhao Jin's meaning, however, was very clear: for now, the procedures must still be completed in full.

Since the order had been given, no one would raise any objection — they would simply carry it out. The Zhao Character Camp was already thoroughly experienced in dealings of this sort with local authorities everywhere; it was just a matter of doing the same once more here in Yangzhou Prefecture.

Yet what no one had anticipated at all was that obtaining the field deeds, land titles, and all related documentation for the newly established estates in Yangzhou Prefecture proved to be exceedingly difficult.

Among the clerks and runners of the government offices, the reckless and brainless ones simply demanded exorbitant bribes, while the perceptive and savvy ones offered tactful explanations, saying these matters were not theirs to decide. It wasn't just that the official masters wouldn't give the word — the key was that the local big shots had also spoken. It wasn't that they wouldn't process them; it was truly that they could not afford to offend these people.

The various government offices, great and small, throughout the Yangzhou Prefecture region were in fact not controlled by the prefects, subprefectural magistrates, and county magistrates, nor by the few salt administration grandees within Yangzhou city, but by the salt merchants and local strongmen entrenched in the area. They did not go into the government offices to serve as officials themselves, but instead sent their own servants and household slaves into the offices to serve as minor clerks and runners, thereby controlling administrative affairs.

Why had these powerful gentry, who had been terrified into submission by the Zhao Character Camp, suddenly grown so bold? Did they not know how formidable the Zhao Character Camp was?

What left the Zhao Character Camp's Agricultural Reclamation and Trade offices utterly at a loss whether to laugh or cry was that there were even people questioning the ownership rights of those Zhao Character Camp estates. The authorities had even accepted several lawsuits, indictments accusing Xuzhou of forcibly seizing farmland estates.

However, aside from instructing his subordinates to complete the contract procedures, Zhao Jin also made his own stance clear: whatever the Zhao Character Camp occupied belonged to the Zhao Character Camp. If anyone wanted to take it back, they would have to defeat the Zhao Character Camp's household troops and militiamen first.

During the second month of the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, although there was pushback everywhere among the common people of Yangzhou, the government troops absolutely dared not take a single step beyond their bounds. They did not dare to take the risk — if they truly violated the agreement and the Xuzhou troops came charging straight at them to start a fight, that would be a catastrophe.

The Imperial Guard quickly got to the bottom of such an anomaly — the reason was simple: the court wanted to offer amnesty and enlistment to Xuzhou, and Xuzhou had no desire to keep fighting. One layer deeper, the eunuch faction's momentum had suffered a heavy blow, while the Donglin faction's power in the court was surging.

Although from the Chengzu Emperor's reign to the present, there had been many occasions when the court was filled with righteous officials — and though nothing particularly brilliant had ever come of it — everyone always felt it signified peace and order, with internal troubles and external threats vanishing like smoke. With the eunuch faction in the court thwarted and upright men holding sway, these Xuzhou powerbrokers probably wouldn't run rampant for much longer.

Thanks to old friends "Wu Liulang" and "Duan Yichen" for their tips, and thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets — thank you all for your support.