Chapter 515: Have You Heard What Happened in Xuzhou?

At these words, Ma Chonghao's brow furrowed. He said gruffly, "Old Hu, none of the brothers below rely on this pay to feed their families, but issuing it to them in full every month is a token of our regard. Only when we show them sincere regard will they work for us with full vigor. You're a hereditary Chiliarch in Nanjing for generations — do you really care about this pittance?"

The fat man addressed as "Old Hu" quickly bowed and said with an apologetic smile, "This subordinate failed to consider that. I'll handle it exactly as the Dutang instructs!"

He wore an apologetic smile and spoke with deference, but inwardly he sneered. The Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard had originally been run by a few Chiliarchs. No one had expected this gentleman to arrive. At first they thought he was some fallen figure from the capital, not worth taking seriously. This Assistant Commissioner Ma had also kept a very low profile initially — when they withheld his customary fees and ignored his orders, he simply laughed it off.

Who could have imagined that two months later, this gentleman would personally cut down two Centurions with his blade and beat three rule-breaking Chief Flag Officers crippled. When everyone wanted to turn on him and settle accounts, they never expected he had already gotten hold of each man's fatal secrets.

After that, from top to bottom, everyone obediently fell in line. By rights, an Assistant Commissioner of the Guard should be addressed as "Your Excellency," but to curry favor, everyone used the form of address reserved for the Chief Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, calling him "Dutang." And this Master Ma accepted it without the slightest qualm.

That said, this gentleman truly had a knack for amassing wealth. In the past, everyone in Nanjing had merely scraped for loose change, using their positions to run some businesses. But this Master Ma from the capital was adept at ********, and had already quietly swallowed up a great deal.

In Nanjing, the wealthy merchants and great households often had connections that reached to the heavens behind them. Everyone could only eye them with envy. But after this gentleman arrived, he swiftly and cleanly seized quite a few. At the time, everyone was waiting to watch the joke, waiting for Ma Chonghao to meet disaster. Unexpectedly, none of these affairs had any repercussions. Those powerful merchants and great households either dared not make a sound, or their backers had collapsed. A staggering amount of wealth fell into Ma Chonghao's lap for nothing.

With such a talent for amassing riches, many in the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard, from top to bottom, were tempted. Quite a few threw in their lot with him to get rich together.

With such methods and conduct, in less than a year since arriving in Nanjing, Ma Chonghao had already seized firm control of the three Chiliarchs of the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard. The several managing Chiliarchs of the Guard hated him to the bone, yet they dared not show one bit less deference on the surface, nor dared they be careless with any task he assigned, terrified that he would find fault and deal with them.

Although the civil officials were sworn enemies of the Depot and Guard, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue did not discount the pay allocated to the Embroidered Uniform Guard by much. Moreover, the palace had provided subsidies throughout the dynasties, so the Embroidered Uniform Guard always received their full pay and provisions.

However, when this full pay and provisions were distributed below, the customary practice in Nanjing was for the Chiliarchs to take a thirty- or forty-percent cut, and divert the rest to do business, delaying the disbursement by two months. As soon as Ma Chonghao arrived, he changed this rule. Though the Chiliarchs gnashed their teeth in hatred, they were helpless — the rank-and-file Guardsmen, Force-Bearing Soldiers, and even the Squad Commanders and Chief Flag Officers all supported it fervently, so they could only obediently comply.

But whether they wanted it was one thing; whether they offered it was a matter of respect. Hu Huigong, the Right Chiliarch of the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard, had rolled about in officialdom for so many years that he naturally understood this principle. Every time, he would take the trouble to ask.

Hearing Ma Chonghao speak thus, Hu Huigong knew it would be the same this time. However, this routine matter was not the purpose of his visit, and Ma Chonghao naturally knew that too.

"Is there something else?" Ma Chonghao took a sip of yellow wine and asked.

Chiliarch Hu Huigong cursed "boorish thug" inwardly, but his outward deference did not diminish in the slightest. He simply said, "Before the new year, Eunuch Yu over in Fengyang asked Eunuch Liao to seek our help, saying he wanted to investigate a case in Xuzhou. Two Guardsmen were dispatched at the time, but they still haven't returned. I wonder what trouble those two brats have gotten into?"

"Even if the Depot Director assigns us a task, he must go through the Dutang. How could Eunuch Liao order us about at will?" Ma Chonghao said coldly.

"Dutang, please do not take offense. In this city of Nanjing, Elder Liao is the greatest — even the Duke cannot compare. When the old gentleman speaks, we can hardly refuse to give him face." Hu Huigong replied with a dry laugh.

Since the founding of the Ming, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was established first, controlled by trusted military officers of the Son of Heaven. Later, however, finding them not entirely convenient, the Emperor used eunuchs to establish the Eastern Depot, Western Depot, and Internal Depot — a whole set of institutions. The Western Depot and Internal Depot existed only briefly, while the Eastern Depot endured. These offices all requisitioned officers and guardsmen from the Embroidered Uniform Guard to carry out tasks. And because they enjoyed even greater trust from the Son of Heaven, their authority far overshadowed that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, overshadowed as they were in authority, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's own system was never disrupted. If one wanted to use Embroidered Uniform Guard personnel for a task, one had to direct them through Embroidered Uniform Guard officers.

Even the Director-General of the Eastern Depot, a eunuch of such overwhelming influence that he ranked second within the Inner Court, could only command the Embroidered Uniform Guard officers and guardsmen assigned to the Eastern Depot. For Embroidered Uniform Guard personnel not under the Eastern Depot's jurisdiction, he had to go through the Chief Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard or other Guard commanders to assign them.

This Eunuch Liao was the Grand Defender of Nanjing, considered the foremost magnate in Nanjing and indeed all of Jiangnan. Yet he likewise had no direct authority over the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If he wanted to assign them a task, he could only do so by calling in a personal favor. A direct order would not do. However, the Chiliarchs of the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard were all old hands at personal connections. Doing a favor for a big shot was something they did casually, and no one took it too seriously.

Hu Huigong certainly did not want to bring this matter up. The Embroidered Uniform Guard here was grossly overstaffed, but even more men simply did not report for duty, and no one bothered to manage it. After Ma Chonghao arrived, however, he seized on major matters as leverage and picked at faults in minor ones. The matter of roll-call and muster was also revived. Anyone with men absent from duty under his command — that was a fault, neither big nor small, to be recorded and used against him.

The Chiliarchs of the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard naturally understood that Ma Chonghao was using this to suppress them. But now, having lost all ability to resist, they could only do their utmost to be thorough, daring not the slightest concealment. After dismissing over a dozen men, the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard's duty roster was without a single error.

"At that time, the Dutang had not yet arrived. After those two lads left, there was no word. The others were lazy and no one brought it up. This subordinate was also muddled and simply forgot. Today, while preparing the payroll roster, I saw that for these past months, their families had been collecting their pay on their behalf. I felt deeply ashamed and knew this was improper, so I came to confess my fault to the Dutang and ask the Dutang to decide on a course of action. This humble officer is at fault and willing to accept punishment." Chiliarch Hu Huigong spoke with deference and apparent sincerity.

Ma Chonghao gave a scornful laugh. He raised his wine cup to his lips, then set it down and said leisurely, "What fault could there be? By regulation, I can't even dock your salary. They're your own men — just keep a tighter leash on them yourself!"

Hu Huigong breathed a sigh of relief and said with an ingratiating smile, "The Dutang's lesson is correct. This subordinate will certainly keep a tighter leash on those brats. Those two lads have really gone too far — gone for nine months, abandoning their wives and children at home. Who knows how much they've extorted this time, off spending it on pleasure and debauchery."

At this point, Hu Huigong smacked his lips and said with a chuckle, "Maybe they're in Yangzhou, or perhaps right here in Nanjing. Just hole up in some pleasure boat — who could ever find them?"

Hearing Ma Chonghao's cold laugh, Hu Huigong only then caught himself and quickly put on a stern face, saying, "When those two rascals Han Song and Yan Shao'an return, they will certainly be severely punished!"

"Punished? Return?" Ma Chonghao sneered, repeating the words. He flicked the broad bean he had just picked up out the window, turned to face Hu Huigong, and said, "You still expect them to return? They're dead out there. If even a single bone remains, it's virtue accumulated from a past life."

"Dead?" Hu Huigong's eyes widened.

"Stayed at a brigand inn, ran into bandits — dead, just like that. Dig a hole and bury them, tie a stone and toss them in the river. No one sees them alive, no corpse is ever found."

"Who would dare lay a hand on men of our Imperial Guard?"

"What wouldn't they dare? It's only you lot in Nanjing who are timid and see little trouble, cooped up in the city all day and never venturing out. How many brothers from other places have died? How many went out and never came back?"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard were the Imperial Guard of the Son of Heaven, and they often called themselves that. Elsewhere, Embroidered Uniform Guard personnel went everywhere making arrests and handling cases, and there was no shortage of them exploiting their authority to reap benefits and earn side income. Nanjing was different. Nanjing and Jiangnan were full of powerful families; even an ordinary commoner might be connected to a pure and prestigious household or a high official in the capital. One misstep in judgment could mean utter ruin, body and bones crushed to powder.

Therefore, in Nanjing and several parts of Jiangnan, they were exceedingly cautious, preferring to use their status for business rather than lightly dare to extort wealthy merchants and powerful households.

Yet no matter how cautious and careful they were, they were still the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Depots and Guard. No one dared slight or disrespect them. Wherever they went, both officials and commoners treated them with courtesy and deference. Hearing Ma Chonghao speak like this, Chiliarch Hu Huigong found it utterly unbelievable.

"A poor, remote backwater like Xuzhou — they'd dare lay hands on us?"

"The more desolate the place, the more lawless it is. Never mind elsewhere — how many have died inexplicably inside and outside the capital? And how many of those have ever been solved?" Ma Chonghao commented offhandedly.

The death of two Guardsmen did not weigh on Hu Huigong's mind. What worried him was Ma Chonghao seizing on it as a pretext to deal with him. Now that he had reported and explained, the matter was settled. Saying they had overstayed their leave would be enough to handle any external inquiry.

But at this moment, Ma Chonghao's interest was piqued. He turned around and asked, "What did they go to Xuzhou for? With Eunuch Yu's money-grubbing nature, how would he ever take notice of a poor, desolate place like Xuzhou?"

"... Dutang, you've drunk that Hanjing Famous Liquor, haven't you..."

"... I hear that three-quarters of the shops and farmland in Xuzhou are in his hands alone..."

"... Dutang probably doesn't know about the Kong Family Village matter. That's also fallen into the hands of this Zhao Jin now..."

"... They say that back then, a hundred thousand roving bandits besieged Xuzhou, and it was this Zhao Jin who led men to defeat them, only to have that Assistant Regional Commander Zhou Baolu steal the credit..."

"... Dutang must know about the Feng family affair. I hear they were also beaten into submission by that brat..."

No matter how diminished the Embroidered Uniform Guard might be, they still had channels and methods for gathering information. Zhao Jin was based in Xuzhou in the Southern Metropolitan Region, and the things he had done were simply too shocking. Even if he deliberately kept a low profile, he could not hide them from others. Hu Huigong knew all this not from any deliberate investigation, but simply from having heard it so often.

Thank you everyone. Asking for monthly tickets, tips, and subscriptions.