Chapter 1282: The Bandits

Sun Chengzong's news had already shown the sovereign and ministers of the Great Ming what had to be done. The booming of cannons beyond the city walls made them reach a decision swiftly. This time, they did not even let the inner-court eunuchs or the Tianqi Emperor himself step forward. The newly promoted Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Yang Lian, proposed peace negotiations and endorsed what Sun Chengzong had written in his letter: give the Xuzhou bandits whatever they want. The urgent matter now was to make them leave first; otherwise, this situation truly could not be salvaged.

When he rose to state his case, Yang Lian's face was full of grief. Wei Zhongxian and the faction close to him, however, felt some shame. At a moment like this, these diehard upright officials of incorruptible integrity still proved useful after all. The Tianqi Emperor, weak and listless, issued an edict ordering Zhao Nanxing to negotiate peace. As he gave the order, the Tianqi Emperor's eyes were red-rimmed, and he fought hard to hold back tears. In over two hundred years of the Ming dynasty, they had never faced such a situation. In their hearts, this was nearly the same as national ruin.

Yet each of them also harbored thoughts they could not voice. The Ming took the Song as a cautionary tale, terrified of repeating its mistakes. Now, at this juncture, they suddenly understood the plight of the sovereign and ministers during the Northern and Southern Song. Who cared about forfeiting sovereignty and humiliating the nation? Who cared about groveling and swallowing pride? As long as they could drag out a wretched existence, as long as they could keep things going, they had to continue. As long as they could continue, there was still a chance to rise again and change things. If they could not continue, then nothing would be left at all.

"The bandits are short-sighted as rats and will surely never achieve greatness. As long as Your Majesty rouses yourself to govern diligently, and we, your ministers, serve with loyal hearts, our Great Ming will certainly have a resurgence and will surely destroy these great bandits!" After the decision to negotiate peace was issued, Zuo Guangdou spoke in a deep, solemn voice. No one found much to dispute in these words.

How could matters of state and war tolerate wishful thinking? This Xuzhou bandit army, with a small force, had marched against a great nation. Over twenty thousand troops had swept through all resistance like dry weeds and rotten wood, arriving beneath the walls of the capital. They had defeated every reinforcing army along the way and pressed their advantage with ease. Yet instead of seizing this chance to strike the capital and overturn the realm, they were in a hurry to sue for peace. This showed that these men were short-sighted as rats, fixated on paltry gains, unaware that such a perfect opportunity would never come again.

Next time, the Great Ming would already know what a formidable foe the Xuzhou bandits were—how could they arrange their defenses so carelessly? Next time, the Great Ming, having endured this great calamity, would surely rouse itself to govern diligently—how could it be so decrepit? Next time, perhaps these Xuzhou bandits, sunk in wealth and pleasure, would have long since lost their ferocity, and might even be divided and dissolved by the court's high offices and rich rewards.

Since you let such a fine opportunity slip by, it will never come again. Though the Tianqi Emperor was still aggrieved and distressed, the clear-headed eunuchs and ministers had already thought it through. Endure a moment's humiliation, and there would still be a chance to rise again. The bandits' urgent desire for peace talks this time proved that the Great Ming's allotted span had not yet run out, and that the spirits of its successive ancestors in heaven were still protecting the Ming realm.

"…The Great Ming shall pay Xuzhou a war indemnity of two million taels of silver. If silver coin is insufficient, grain, copper, lead, and the like may be substituted…"

"…The Great Ming shall open the ports of Tianjin, Dengzhou, Lüshun, and Haizhou as treaty ports. The ports may be placed under official government jurisdiction, but no troops may be stationed in the ports or within thirty li of their surrounding areas. Xuzhou shall establish ports in Laizhou Prefecture and Qingzhou Prefecture in Shandong, and the government shall not interfere…"

"…The government offices and officials of the Great Ming in Shandong, the Jiangbei region of South Zhili, and Guide Prefecture in Henan may be retained, but no troops may be stationed there, nor may taxes or corvée labor be levied. Great Ming troops may not cross through these territories. Xuzhou shall not approach the vicinity of the Fengyang Imperial Tombs. The unimpeded flow of canal transport shall be maintained, and the continued remittance of the Huai salt tax shall be preserved…"

"…The Great Ming shall pay Xuzhou an indemnity of five thousand artisan households. During their relocation, their families shall not be detained, their rations shall not be withheld, and starving refugees or criminals shall not be used to impersonate them…"

"…The Great Ming shall transfer the shipwrights of the Tianjin and Dengzhou port shipyards to Xuzhou as indemnity…"

"…The Great Ming shall not obstruct Xuzhou's trade routes to the lands beyond the frontier via Henan and Shanxi, nor shall it impose transit taxes or levies. Any infringement or loss shall be treated as a breach of treaty…"

"…When Xuzhou goods travel to Shandong, the Jiangbei region of South Zhili, Guide Prefecture in Henan, or any other location beyond these, the Great Ming shall not levy taxes or transit duties. Xuzhou merchants may purchase goods and personnel within the Great Ming and overseas, and the Great Ming shall not obstruct them…"

"…The Great Ming and Xuzhou shall each establish a liaison office in Cangzhou, Hejian Prefecture, and in the city of Yangzhou, Yangzhou Prefecture, South Zhili, to coordinate and discuss matters as they arise…"

"…Xuzhou merchants traveling abroad often encounter conflicts due to differing local customs… The Great Ming Emperor, pitying the difficulty of their livelihood… specially decrees that Xuzhou village elders be stationed in various localities to exercise discipline, and to adjudicate cases concurrently with the respective prefectures and counties…"

The initial terms had been very broad, merely guaranteeing the Zhao family army's control over Shandong and the Jiangbei region of South Zhili, along with usage rights to a few Great Ming ports. But when it came to concrete negotiations, every clause had to be discussed in detail.

With the army at the city gates and the situation what it was, the tacit understandings and established practices of the Great Ming court were utterly useless. After the court agreed to negotiate peace, the Minister of Personnel, Zhao Nanxing, and several ministers chosen for the mission wanted to renege and stir up public opinion in the capital. But this time, the Tianqi Emperor directly deployed the Imperial Guard. Over a dozen censors were thrown into prison, and several were beaten to death that very day.

Those who hid at home claiming illness were directly rooted out by the Eastern Depot and the Brocade Guard in house raids and forced at knifepoint to go negotiate. The message was made very clear: if you go, your family and sons will be safe; if you refuse, your entire household will be imprisoned to await sentencing. And don't think of trying any tricks once you're there—just remember the family members in the hands of the secret police.

The Minister of Personnel, Zhao Nanxing, and several of his associates left the capital utterly dejected. On the day of their departure, Sun Chengzong entered the capital under the escort of several hundred elite cavalry. The Emperor had issued an edict the day before, and the court officials, without a single objection, conducted a court recommendation. Sun Chengzong became the Senior Grand Secretary of the Great Ming Cabinet and, defying convention, was placed in charge of the Ministry of War. The Tianqi Emperor could no longer trust anyone else.

If there was one surprise in this Great Ming peace delegation, it was the newly appointed Minister of War, Wang Zaijin. He had been imprisoned in the Imperial Prison for his military defeat. But after the Zhao family army reached the capital's walls, Wang Zaijin's crushing defeat no longer seemed so unforgivable. More crucially, Wang Zaijin had experience dealing with the Xuzhou bandits. And given the current situation, the post in the Ministry of War was a magnet for blame—whoever took it on would likely face utter disaster next. Out of this consideration, Wang Zaijin had actually been promoted compared to before his defeat.

Everyone knew that the new Senior Grand Secretary, Sun Chengzong, had clashed with Wang Zaijin when he was overseeing military affairs in Liaodong, and had directly impeached him to have him removed from office. But at this moment, Sun Chengzong said nothing more and accepted the appointment. Some also said that Grand Secretary Sun, who had led troops back to the capital for its relief, held heavy military power, was the Emperor's tutor, had been appointed Senior Grand Secretary, and was in charge of the Ministry of War—his authority was in no way inferior to that of Zhang Jiangling, Zhang Juzheng, in his day. It was only fitting that there be a Wang Zaijin, with whom he was at odds, to serve as a check.

What was truly surprising, however, was that after Wang Zaijin was released from prison and promoted, he voluntarily submitted a memorial requesting to join the peace mission. He stated very clearly that he had dealt with the Xuzhou bandits before and could be considered experienced. Moreover, he had truly witnessed the strength of the Xuzhou bandits and would know how to grasp the proper measure during negotiations, lest another great disaster be stirred up. No one objected to this request. If a man was willing to carry the black pot himself, what could others say?

Although the Minister of Personnel, Zhao Nanxing, knew his power was spent, he was still anxious and fearful before the negotiations began, terrified that the Zhao family army would make outrageous demands. The more terms of national humiliation he agreed to, the more thoroughly his own reputation would be destroyed. By now, Zhao Nanxing no longer harbored any extravagant hopes for official rank and wealth; he only wished to return home in peace and to have a good name in the local gazetteers and history books after his death. But if he conceded too much, even that would be utterly impossible.

The ministers and eunuchs of the delegation were still astonished by the youth of Zhao Jin and his companions, but no one paid it much mind. The situation had already come to this—who cared about old or young? What truly astonished them were Xuzhou's terms. Though they were far more detailed than before, they truly amounted to nothing much.

Two million taels was no small sum, but it could be scraped together easily. Moreover, Xuzhou had "considerately" agreed to accept grain, copper, lead, and other goods in lieu. They wouldn't even need to touch the imperial privy purse or the national treasury; they could simply allocate it directly from this year's canal grain shipment. As for those ports—aside from the Dengzhou naval base, which currently had to supply the Dongjiang Garrison and the remnants of the Liaodong Garrison—what really mattered at Tianjin was the canal docks. The seaport was some distance from the city and was used more for civilian commerce. Lüshun Port hardly even counted as a port, merely dragging out a wretched existence under the threat of the Jianzhou Jurchen barbarians. Haizhou Port, for that matter, had never even existed in official government documents.

If they wanted those ports, let them take them. As for them being a threat to the capital region—Xuzhou was a thousand li from Tianjin. How could they possibly come by sea? Even if spies and informants infiltrated, were there any fewer of them now? Of the other locations, only the Dengzhou naval base was somewhat troublesome. Without Dengzhou's support, the Dongjiang Garrison and the remnants of the Liaodong Garrison would likely find it very hard to hold on. But with the capital itself struggling to survive, who could still worry about those remnants in Liaodong? No one had ever truly counted on them to recover the whole of Liaodong anyway.

As for setting up ports in Laizhou Prefecture and Qingzhou Prefecture in Shandong, the coastal areas there were all barren counties. They produced little grain and had sparse populations. If they wanted to waste labor and money to open ports, let them do as they pleased.

The demand for five thousand artisan households and the shipyard shipwrights was even more inconsequential. Artisan households were like slaves; some fled every year, and the goods they produced were unusable. In the final reckoning, they were worth less than cattle and horses. Since Xuzhou wanted them, just give them over. As for matters like trade routes and transit taxes, everyone even harbored a trace of contempt. These were, after all, crude and ignorant rural bandits who had never seen the world. Why even bother mentioning such things? Who would dare levy transit taxes on Xuzhou's commercial goods now?

As for those areas in Shandong, South Zhili, and Henan, the Zhao family army's approach actually let the envoys breathe a sigh of relief. Everyone understood this was a cession of territory. But if the government offices and officials could be retained, then the Great Ming's institutional dignity remained intact. Not stationing troops and not levying taxes could both be glossed over with excuses. The black pot they carried would not be so heavy, and they could find ways to shift the blame afterward.

All these terms reinforced one judgment among the envoys: this gang of ferociously fierce Xuzhou rebels were, in truth, short-sighted as rats, men of no great ambition who coveted only wealth and goods. They had stumbled into their current position by luck, but it certainly could not last long.

The bottleneck period seems to be ending. Do I really have to write more while I'm away? How boring…

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