Chapter 1288: A Guardian Talent of the Realm

Wei Zhongxian had long known this outcome, and he also understood why they had to take such a roundabout path beforehand — without first establishing the moral justification, nothing could be put into practice; otherwise, they would be mired in endless doctrinal disputes. At this thought, Wei Zhongxian felt a touch of helplessness. In his view, if Zhao Jin of Xuzhou wanted to implement some policy, he would push it through with clean efficiency, with full cooperation in manpower and resources, whereas the imperial court wasted endless effort on useless complications.

Once everyone's opinions were unified, Sun Chengzong's face showed a trace of a smile, and he spoke out in a clear voice: "Your Majesty need not worry over the present crisis. The Great Ming has a population of hundreds of millions, and its heroes and talents number far more than a million. With so many brilliant minds united in effort, what problem cannot be solved? This time, as the Xuzhou bandits wreak havoc upon the realm, concerned scholars in the provinces have offered advice and strategies, and among them are some truly insightful views."

Now they had reached the main point. Sun Chengzong continued: "The former Director of the Bureau of Honors in the Ministry of Personnel, Sun Chuanting, is currently recuperating in his hometown. He once served as Magistrate of Yongcheng County in Guide Prefecture, Henan, and as Magistrate of Shangqiu County in Guide Prefecture. That area borders Xuzhou. When Sun Chuanting was traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations, he encountered that Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing. At the time, they even became close confidants, never imagining the other party was a treacherous bandit concealing malicious intent. After he assumed his post in Guide Prefecture, disregarding his own safety, he infiltrated Xuzhou alone to gather intelligence, and managed to learn a great deal about the Xuzhou bandits' foundations."

As Sun Chengzong narrated, everyone from the Tianqi Emperor down listened with rapt attention. On one hand, this concerned grand principles and major state policy; on the other, it was also a riveting tale. To think that Zhao Jin and his core followers had actually come to the capital, that someone had met and befriended them, and by a twist of fate ended up stationed next to Xuzhou, and then had the courage to go there and spy out their secrets — even the twists and turns of a storyteller's tale could hardly compare.

"At that time, Sun Chuanting already believed Zhao Jin to be a grave threat to the realm. As it happened, when the Smelling Incense Sect in Shandong rose in revolt, Sun Chuanting was just returning home from the capital and was trapped in the Jining area. He witnessed firsthand the might of the Xuzhou bandit army. Hundreds of thousands of sect followers were swept away by the Xuzhou bandits in a single stroke. From that moment on, Sun Chuanting began making preparations in his hometown, gathering and recruiting men from the Xuzhou bandits' ranks, learning their methods, and watching their every move. By now, he has developed his own set of insights."

At this point, Sun Chuanting swept his gaze over the people in the room and continued: "Sun Chuanting began writing letters to the capital from the eleventh month of last year, entrusting family elders to forward them upward. Some of you may have heard of them, some may have overlooked them. From the very start, Sun Chuanting said that the Xuzhou bandits might not be widely known, but their strength was formidable. The court should not rashly start a war at this time, and if war was started, it must be pursued with full force; otherwise, it would invite a crushing defeat."

From Wei Zhongxian of the inner court to the several upright officials in the Grand Secretariat, everyone felt somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this. In the two great campaigns, each of them bore more or less responsibility. More critically, they actually had all heard of Sun Chuanting's letters, because Sun Chuanting had very solid connections in the capital and many of his words could be passed through. At the time, they had dismissed them with contempt and sneers. Looking back now, they had indeed missed words of profound wisdom.

"Master Sun, this Sun Chuanting from Shanxi shares your surname — is he of the same clan or a relative?" the Tianqi Emperor asked.

Sun Chengzong hurriedly rose and replied: "Your Majesty, your servant and this Sun Chuanting merely share a surname. Your servant only learned of this man's name recently."

An emperor was an emperor after all; this question carried many implications. Yet the emperor was still a young man in the end, and after asking this, he pressed on eagerly: "Master Sun, does this Sun Chuanting have any sound strategy for exterminating the bandits?"

"Your Majesty, Sun Chuanting mentioned one line in his letter that your servant believes is a maxim of true wisdom for dealing with the current situation: 'Learn the bandits' strengths to subdue the bandits.' For the present strategy, since the bandits can run rampant using these methods, the Great Ming should learn the bandits' methods to strengthen itself. Once the bandits are suppressed and wiped out, it will not be too late to restore the great moral order." This line from Sun Chuanting was essentially the core proposal for today.

No one raised any objection to this argument; they had all just agreed that this was the course to take. Now it was merely a matter of finding the person to carry it out, and from what Sun Chengzong described, this was someone who knew the Xuzhou bandits inside and out.

The appearance of this Sun Chuanting seemed almost too coincidental, yet no one harbored any suspicion or concern, because Sun Chengzong was a reliable and steady figure. If he was bringing this up in such a setting, and had already reached a tacit understanding with Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou, then the man was certainly trustworthy. The Tianqi Emperor even realized that before this proposal was voiced, Wei Zhongxian must have already investigated and verified it; otherwise, he would have given an early warning.

"If there is such a suitable talent, then he should be put to important use. Master Sun, my beloved ministers, grant this man a position as quickly as possible and have him come to the capital to take charge. I will not be stingy with official rank or salary. If he can accomplish the great task of suppressing and pacifying the bandits, entering the Grand Secretariat and being enfeoffed as a duke or marquis — all of this is possible."

Had such a promise been made in an ordinary setting, some minister would have long since risen to remonstrate, saying how could one disregard laws and established precedents. But now, no one had anything to say. If the Xuzhou bandits could truly be pacified, a princely title would indeed be a modest reward.

That said, Sun Chuanting had gone from county magistrate to secretary, and then to Director of the Bureau of Honors in the Ministry of Personnel. That position of Director of the Bureau of Honors was one of the very best posts in the entire realm. How could a presented scholar of merely middling rank casually assume it? Moreover, the fact that after he resigned from office, everyone still had some impression of his letters showed that Sun Chuanting had sufficient backing in the capital to help convey his messages, and that this backing was reliable enough.

Looking at all these aspects together, Sun Chuanting certainly had ambition and talent, but he also had the patrons and background to support it all. Under such circumstances, it was best for everyone to simply agree, and not rashly raise objections, lest they give deep offense.

Everyone was already calculating: a person like this entering the capital, factoring in his previous service record and such, would probably be made a vice minister overseeing a ministry, or be sent out to the capital region as a grand coordinator, with various concurrent titles added on.

"Your Majesty, this Sun Chuanting is unwilling to come to the capital for an appointment." These words from the Senior Grand Secretary Sun Chengzong took everyone by great surprise, and the Tianqi Emperor's expression also darkened.

Yet Sun Chengzong had a smile on his face as he explained: "Your Majesty, Sun Chuanting's thinking is very clear. He says the bandits are at their most rampant right now, and that Zhao Jin is meticulous in his schemes, rarely revealing any openings. If new policies are implemented and a new army trained here in the capital region, the bandits will likely grow suspicious immediately. He wishes to carry this out in his home province, and asks the court to grant him discretionary authority. He stated it very plainly: Shanxi, with the Yellow River to its west and the Taihang Mountains to its east, is a naturally enclosed and defensible terrain, difficult for the bandits to reach. Shanxi has flourishing commerce and trade, benefits from the horse administration and border trade, and its border troops and border folk are hardy and fierce — precisely suited for implementing new policies and training a new army. Moreover, being a native of the place, certain matters will be more convenient for him."

The assembled men exchanged glances, but no one interjected. A native indeed had advantages in his own home territory, especially someone from a powerful gentry clan like the Sun family. Every person sitting or standing here commanded the same kind of influence in their own hometowns. Yet at this point, some felt a twinge of misgiving. Sun Chuanting's own family was already of the pure and prestigious Ministry of Personnel lineage in his home region, and he had such backing in the capital, not to mention four generations of examination success. He was already a top-tier local magnate. Give him discretionary authority to learn the bandits' methods and train a new army in Shanxi — what if, in the end, besides the Xuzhou bandits, a Daizhou bandit also emerged?

In the past, no one would have thought of such things. But now, watching Zhao Jin of Xuzhou grow powerful, and watching the regional commanders of the various border garrisons increasingly defy orders, did they really want to breed yet another similar calamity? Would that not be bringing disaster upon themselves?

The Tianqi Emperor shared this same concern. He turned his head to look at Wei Zhongxian. Wei Zhongxian stepped forward and said in a respectful, low voice: "My Lord of Ten Thousand Years, this Sun Chuanting has already been investigated. He is indeed a loyal and patriotic talent, capable of shouldering great responsibility, and harbors no ulterior motives."

"Good, good. Whenever this dynasty faces great peril, Heaven sends down heroes and talents to protect it. This is the blessing of our imperial ancestors; this is the fortune of our Great Ming's realm. Since this Sun Chuanting possesses great ability and great ambition, I shall not waste his talents. My beloved ministers, during this crisis in the capital, the Datong border troops found excuses not to come, and the Datong Grand Coordinator was unable to restrain the officers and men under his command. What use is there in keeping him? Deliberate his crimes, remove him from office. Appoint Sun Chuanting as Datong Grand Coordinator, with concurrent authority over the military and civil affairs of all prefectures and departments in Shanxi." Having received confirmation, the Tianqi Emperor issued the appointment with crisp decisiveness.

When the Xuzhou troops threatened the capital, the border troops of Shanxi and Datong had defied orders and failed to arrive. This had indeed enraged the central authorities. To charge the Datong Regional Commander and the Shanxi Regional Commander with crimes might provoke mutiny, but removing a few civil officials posed little problem. However, the post granted was no vague appointment. The Datong Grand Coordinator oversaw the military and civilian affairs of Datong Prefecture and the Datong border garrison, while the Shanxi Grand Coordinator oversaw the military and civilian affairs of all prefectures and departments in Shanxi outside Datong. Giving Sun Chuanting the Datong Grand Coordinator post with concurrent authority over all Shanxi's prefectural and departmental military and civil affairs was tantamount to handing him the entire province of Shanxi intact.

The situation was truly desperate. No one cared anymore that a native should not hold office in his own province, or about the checks and balances of overlapping jurisdictions. In ordinary times, if such a wildly unconventional appointment were made, from the Grand Secretariat down to the Six Ministries and the censorial circuits, countless officials both related and unrelated would rise in opposition, and some would even resist to the death to make their name. But now, not only was there no obstruction here, but everyone would even have to suppress those blind fools who might still come out to object.

"Your Majesty, your servant believes that with Sun Chuanting as Datong Grand Coordinator concurrently overseeing Shanxi, yet with the Shanxi Grand Coordinator still in place, two equal-ranking officials will inevitably obstruct and hamper each other at every turn. It would be better to transfer the Shanxi Grand Coordinator and leave that post vacant!" Sun Chengzong suggested.

The Tianqi Emperor nodded in agreement: "What Master Sun says is absolutely right. Let it be done this way. Issue the edict today and send it out as quickly as possible. There is no time to lose now!"

Everyone voiced their approval and concurrence. In effect, this was granting Sun Chuanting a position of supreme commander or even supreme overseer — a post that normally oversaw two grand coordinators. It was only because his seniority and age were not yet sufficient that one post was left vacant. In a sense, this was a reenactment of Sun Chengzong's own appointment as Supreme Overseer of Ji-Liao.

Many at the court session looked toward Sun Chengzong, thinking to themselves that this Senior Grand Secretary truly spared no thought for himself. Everything he proposed and recommended today would, should the situation shift, become grounds for reckoning and conviction. Such utter devotion. Then everyone looked toward the Tianqi Emperor. At this moment, the young sovereign's face was flushed with excitement. Whether the emperor's rousing of his spirits was a good or bad thing, no one could say — after all, it had been decades since any of them had seen such a sight.

Old Bai published an article in the National Geographic-affiliated magazine *Chinese Heritage*, a social science piece titled "The Rebirth of the Three Great Halls." The magazine has been published. I received it late last night upon arriving home — a most pleasant surprise. Sharing this joy with everyone.

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