Chapter 1311: Look East

With things having come to this, there was no peaceful way out. By now, it wasn't just Commander Zhang himself who was losing his nerve — the cavalrymen behind him all sensed something was wrong too. These rural guards were nothing like the real thing. Those bird guns were held level and barely wavered, and those spear-wielding foot riders looked like men who wouldn't blink at killing. Their own numbers were so few, and now they could see the other guards closing in with drawn bows and blades. Were they planning to swallow them all in one bite?

At this moment, aside from the few small merchant groups that had joined up along the way, every other company knew they had to side with the Sun household. If this business of killing officials was pursued afterward, the destruction of their families would be all but certain. Since Old Master Sun was willing to take responsibility, they too had to show some loyalty in return. By now, the shopkeepers had already spotted the "opportunity." Investing capital in this Old Master Sun would certainly not be a loss. How much they could earn — that was another matter entirely.

Commander Zhang's face had gone somewhat pale. He wanted to say this was all a misunderstanding, but he had brought so many brothers with him and promised them rewards beforehand. If he backed down now, how could he ever lead troops out again? Yet the scene before him was such that if he didn't yield, they might well be wiped out.

Passing merchant caravans and travelers, seeing these two thousand-odd men with swords drawn and bows bent, would rather take a detour or wait than dare come close, afraid of suffering the calamity that befalls fish in a drained pond. But just then, they heard several riders approaching from the north. A glance showed them to be in official uniforms. A few looked like garrison commanders and their guards, while the others were dressed as government runners, all of them looking utterly frantic.

Seeing the two forces facing off ahead, and then spotting the identifying banners the merchant company was flying, they hurriedly made their way over. Both the merchant company and the government troops noticed these riders and were equally puzzled. It was the shopkeeper of the Yanbei Trading Company who recognized them as garrison commanders from the pass and let them through. The garrison commanders and runners, having rushed here in haste, were all panting heavily.

When they reached the front where the two sides stood facing off, by rights, since the commander was from the trade bureau, these garrison commanders and runners should have paid their respects to him first. Instead, the garrison commander asked, "Which one is Old Master Sun?" Once he had identified him, he and the runner hurriedly dismounted and knelt before Sun Chuanting's horse, knocking their heads on the ground. After kowtowing, the runner raised his voice and said, "Is that Sun Chuanting, the Great Old Master of Daizhou, on horseback?"

Sun Chuanting, still on horseback, furrowed his brow. Flattering forms of address in private were one thing, but for a government runner to publicly call him "Great Old Master" — that was a title only befitting a prefect or higher. Since returning home from the capital, he had been living in idle retirement. What was this form of address about? But the situation before him allowed no ambiguity. He answered in a deep voice, "I am he."

The arrival of this garrison commander and the runner had somewhat eased the tense atmosphere of moments before. This garrison commander and Commander Zhang knew each other. As he knelt there, he turned his head and shot Zhang a meaningful look, his expression one of desperate urgency, which only made this Datong commander increasingly uneasy and apprehensive.

"Great Old Master Sun, an imperial edict has arrived from the court, appointing you Grand Coordinator of Datong, with concurrent authority over Shanxi affairs! The imperial rescript was sent from Daizhou to Datong in pursuit of you. At this moment, the imperial envoy is waiting at the Grand Coordinator's official residence for you to receive the decree!" The runner's voice was very loud, and the several hundred people around heard every word clearly.

There was a moment of silence all around, followed by an uproar. Commander Zhang, still on horseback, turned deathly pale, and the cavalrymen behind him all wore expressions of bitter dismay. What was the Grand Coordinator of Datong? He was the highest official of the Datong border garrison, with overall authority over both civil officials and military officers. He held the Wangming Banner and Tablet, granting him the power to execute first and report later — a high-ranking frontier official. And with the added authority of concurrently managing Shanxi, this was tantamount to the position of Supreme Commander of Xuan-Da, an even more exalted and weighty post.

Though civil officials were esteemed and military officers held cheap, nowadays whoever held the blade spoke the loudest. Had it been the previous Grand Coordinator of Datong, Commander Zhang might not have been afraid. You've got the skill to come arrest me? I'll just lead my troops and raise hell — let's see who can stop it. But this current Great Old Master Sun, the nearly a thousand hardened fighters under his command were no joke. His official hat was smaller, and his grip on the sword hilt was weaker too. How could he still put up a tough front?

"Old Zhang, get the hell off your horse and pay your respects, you fool!" The garrison commander who had rushed over saw Commander Zhang sitting dazed on his horse and immediately grew frantic, shouting out a reminder.

Jolted by this, Commander Zhang finally came to his senses and scrambled to dismount, but one foot didn't come free cleanly and got caught in the stirrup. He fell straight to the ground, landing hard with a solid mouthful of mud, which drew a roar of laughter from the surrounding merchant company crowd. Even his own cavalrymen had some who couldn't hold back their grins. But then everyone realized — those nearly a thousand men around Sun Chuanting had not laughed at all. Noticing this, a chill ran through every onlooker.

As for the several shopkeepers of the merchant company, their eyes were all shining. Their families were truly blessed with great fortune, to have shared life and death with this high official who was about to take charge of both Shanxi and Datong. By this point, any resentment over being used as bait had been swept clean away. They felt only that they and the trading companies behind them had latched onto a lofty branch, and that great opportunities surely awaited them in the future. The Yanbei Trading Company's Shopkeeper Zhou was all smiles, and the Arms Instructor Gao beside him was filled with admiration. So this was the plan all along — he had been overthinking things the entire journey.

Knowing to announce the news publicly in a loud voice, adding luster and glory to Sun Chuanting — this runner had an exquisite sense of propriety. One could tell at a glance he was a man who had spent many years navigating the yamen. Next would be waiting for Sun Chuanting to bestow a reward; a handsome gratuity was surely in store. But upon hearing this news, Sun Chuanting was likewise stunned, and for a moment on horseback he made no reaction.

Only after a guard commander beside him coughed did Sun Chuanting stir. He did not give any reward money. Instead, he directly swung off his horse, knelt in the direction of the capital, and declared in a ringing voice, "Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years! This humble minister shall not fail the imperial grace, and will serve with utmost devotion until his dying breath!"

The moment he knelt, those in front of him all hurriedly scrambled out of the way. Everyone around, once they grasped the situation, knelt as well. Only the Sun household guards remained on alert, weapons in hand, without the slightest slackening. After Sun Chuanting rose, he looked around, sighed quietly, and directly mounted his horse again. He then addressed Commander Zhang, who was just then scrambling up from the ground in a fluster.

"Three days from now, I want to see you at the Datong official residence." Sun Chuanting's voice carried little emotion. Commander Zhang hastily agreed in a panic.

Sun Chuanting fixed his gaze on Commander Zhang for a few moments, then added, "If I do not see you, I will exterminate your entire household, every last one!"

When civil officials handled military officers, they usually spoke of the law and impeachment. Sun Chuanting, however, stated the consequences directly and bluntly. Commander Zhang's body trembled, and involuntarily he knelt on the ground again. Though this was their first meeting, he knew that this young master, who resembled a great underworld overlord, truly meant what he said and would do what he promised.

After saying this, Sun Chuanting paid Commander Zhang no further attention. The cavalrymen behind Commander Zhang had long since dismounted and moved aside. Without much hesitation, they all obediently knelt on the ground. Sun Chuanting merely ordered the main force to continue marching as usual. This place was still less than two days' journey from the city of Datong.

The runner who had delivered the news was thoroughly disappointed, but dared not say anything. Having seen many people in the yamen, he knew whom he could provoke and whom he could not. This Great Old Master was not to be trifled with. Others might look at those hardened fighters, but this runner saw that this Great Old Master Sun was a native of Shanxi, and a local magnate from the border region between Datong and Taiyuan Prefectures at that. Such a local magnate was not like those itinerant officials who served a term or two and then left. This was a man whose family had lived in Shanxi for generations. To offend him — never mind oneself, one's family, relatives, and friends would all suffer. The court had broken precedent by allowing a native to serve as a local official. Just for the sake of that broken precedent, one had to endure it. But the days ahead would likely be very hard to bear.

Just as this runner was inwardly calculating, the Yanbei Trading Company's Shopkeeper Zhou produced a ten-tael silver ingot and handed it over. In such social niceties, they would never be remiss.

"A ship is coming from the south! It's a big ship from Xuzhou!"

A wooden tower had been built on the inner side of the southern dock of Pi Island. There, men kept watch in shifts day and night, scanning the sea. One reason was to guard against the Jianzhou Jurchens attacking from the sea; the other was to watch for when the ships from the Deng-Lai Garrison and Xuzhou would arrive.

Compared to when Liu Yong first came here, the condition of the soldiers and civilians on Pi Island had improved considerably. All able-bodied young and middle-aged men who could be of use looked reasonably healthy. Everyone had a set of neat clothes to wear, and the weapons they carried were all quite presentable. The original sense of tense desperation, of living from hand to mouth, had diminished greatly. One could even see some relaxation. Carefree children ran about everywhere, their laughter drifting on the air, adding much vitality.

The military provisions and equipment shipped by the Deng-Lai Garrison were not plentiful. Too many people in the capital and Shandong wanted their cut; how could much be left over? That Pi Island could be as it was today was entirely thanks to trade with Xuzhou.

Aside from the first batch of supplies, which was half-sold and half-given, the grain, cotton cloth, and weapons that came afterward were all barter trade. The special local products of Liaodong from the Dongjiang Garrison — ginseng, deer antler, furs, timber, and all other goods in demand outside — were exchanged at fair prices for the necessities the island required.

Mao Wenlong, the Regional Commander of the Dongjiang Garrison, was somewhat dissatisfied with this. He felt that his desperate struggle for survival on Pi Island, rallying the remnants of the Great Ming's soldiers and civilians, was a righteous cause. Supplies and such should be provided free of charge. Now, the island's soldiers and civilians still had to labor diligently, and even had to sell the young men and women the island needed most as commodities, or else there would be no supplies.

Contrary to his dissatisfaction, the soldiers and civilians of Pi Island actually liked this arrangement very much. Because this way, they were eating by the labor of their own hands, not relying on the charity of others. They could hold their heads high with justification, their backs straight and firm.

Compared to the former situation of living hand to mouth, startled three times a day, things were much better now. Though the able-bodied young men and women who had been gathered were constantly being bought and taken away to Shandong, those who remained received decent weapons, even armor to wear, and could eat their fill. Under such circumstances, Pi Island's counterattacks and harassment raids into Liaodong were far more effective than before.

The remnants in Jinzhou, once in imminent danger, had now been relieved and strengthened. Along the Liaodong coastal line from Jinzhou to Pi Island, the Dongjiang Garrison's operations grew increasingly composed. The Jianzhou Jurchens, having suffered a few minor setbacks, no longer dared to sally forth rashly. With the Jianzhou Jurchens' movements constrained, more fleeing Liaodong soldiers and civilians had the chance to reach Pi Island.

What surprised Mao Wenlong even more was that, because of Pi Island's stability, trade had actually flourished tremendously.

Tu Youyou winning the Nobel Prize, the Chinese men's basketball team regaining the Asian championship — several recent events have been quite heartening.

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