Chapter 570: The Shanyang Garrison Commander

Not long after, the private secretary came bustling back in high spirits, two bailiffs carrying a wooden chest following behind him. The chest was quite heavy when set on the ground; anyone with a sharp eye could tell it must be filled with gold and silver.

The county magistrate looked surprised. Today was no customary day for delivering money, and being the first month of the year, it had nothing to do with the spring and autumn tax collections either. What was the occasion? The private secretary merely leaned in close to the magistrate's ear. Constable Liu, standing to one side, tactfully stepped back two paces, though his head tilted sharply that way, wanting to catch what was being said.

All he caught were a few fragmented words: "... grease the wheels... the prefectural office... as long as we..."

The conversation over there ended quickly. Constable Liu hurriedly straightened up, only to see the magistrate's face flush with excitement. The magistrate shot a fierce glance at the wooden chest on the floor, cleared his throat, and declared with proper gravity: "How can such vicious criminals be allowed to run rampant under this magistrate's jurisdiction? Secretary Deng, draft a document to the prefectural office at once. Request His Excellency the Prefect to intervene and persuade Garrison Commander Qin to deploy troops and exterminate these great bandits. Constable Liu, assemble the bailiffs and militia and stand ready to support at any moment. In the campaign to wipe out these villains, this county must also do its part!"

Constable Liu started, then loudly acknowledged the order. A man born into the yamen runner trade and a native of Shanyang County, he grasped the inner workings of this with a moment's thought.

That gang of thugs from Xuzhou must have gravely offended Lian Ping'an. This big shot had spread silver around, presumably to have Shanyang County report up to the Huai'an prefectural office, and then have the prefectural office step in and persuade the Shanyang Garrison Commander to send troops. Although imperial troops could only be mobilized by the circuit intendants overseeing military defense and patrols, in an urgent matter, with the prefect speaking up, the soldiers could act out of expediency. And since the heavyweight Lian Ping'an was the one pushing this, benefits and silver would surely flow to all sides, so naturally everything would go smoothly!

With silver greasing the wheels, the private secretary's brush flew like the wind, and an official dispatch was quickly drafted. The magistrate affixed his seal. Constable Liu, who had long since changed his trousers, rode out on horseback. After traversing two streets, he arrived at the Huai'an prefectural office and, knowing the place inside out, delivered the document.

Since Lian Ping'an, the Commissioner of the Ever-Full Granary, had spread silver to everyone high and low, this document, by tacit understanding, promptly landed before the eyes of His Excellency the Prefect.

By regulation, the prefect was also supposed to send an urgent report to the Fengyang Grand Coordinator stationed in Taizhou before he could dispatch local troops to suppress the threat. But this was what they called acting out of expediency. Since such ferocious bandits were active within Qingjiangpu in Shanyang County, under Huai'an Prefecture, the prefect could not afford to worry about shouldering the responsibility. He issued a document requesting Shanyang Garrison Commander Qin to deploy troops and exterminate the bandits!

Constable Liu was just then idly chatting with acquaintances in the prefectural office. Everyone was deeply troubled by the Xuzhou men's reckless behavior. If this went on, the customary tribute from Qingjiangpu might well go up in smoke — how would any of them make a living? They hadn't been talking long when they saw a yamen headman from the prefectural office stride swiftly out, dispatch in hand, mount a horse, and gallop off toward the outskirts of town.

The customary benefits from Qingjiangpu, both aboveboard and under the table — the prefect and the county magistrate certainly got their share, but the Shanyang Garrison Commander stationed here took an even larger cut. After all, he had soldiers and weapons in hand and was responsible for the peace of the region.

Although Garrison Commander Qin of Shanyang had been anxious after the incident at Cloud Mountain Cart Company, as a military officer, if he rashly deployed troops without a request from the local civil authorities, that would be a monumental taboo. If someone with ill intent seized on it, he could lose his post and even face criminal charges.

But once the document from the prefectural office arrived, everything changed. This official paperwork, seemingly a hollow formality, was in fact a mutual guarantee. Shanyang Garrison Commander Qin immediately had a reason to send out his troops.

In truth, before this document from the prefect had even arrived, the men and silver of Granary Commissioner Lian Ping'an were already here. And before Commissioner Lian's silver and men had arrived, figures from every corner of the Jianghu and the marketplace in Qingjiangpu had long since shown up, bringing heaps of gifts and favors. It was incredibly lively, his courtyard bustling like a marketplace.

The great battle at Cloud Mountain Cart Company had reshuffled the power structure across Qingjiangpu. The old bosses were either dead or hauled away, their families even implicated. The old wept, the new laughed. Yet after this crowd had ridden Zhao's Camp's coattails to power, far from feeling any gratitude, they immediately began scheming to bring down Cloud Mountain Cart Company.

The reasoning was simple: before, when they hadn't risen to power, the benefits they got weren't much. Now that they were in charge, naturally they wanted to grab as much as possible. And this Cloud Mountain Cart Company was the biggest obstacle to the new bosses' enjoyment.

However, that brief battle and its aftermath had struck such terror into the hearts of Qingjiangpu's Jianghu and marketplace that sending them to fight again was absolutely out of the question. Qingjiangpu might be large, but the usable forces were only these few. The only force left to call on now was the troops under the Shanyang Garrison Commander. And going forward, the only military force they could rely on was this very Shanyang Garrison unit.

In the Jianghu and the marketplace, when all is said and done, the man who holds the sword hilt has the final say. From now on —

A great many people had figured this out. Qingjiangpu bordered right on Shanyang County town, so it was no great distance for everyone to come swarming over, fawning on Garrison Commander Qin with a fervor several times greater than usual.

Shanyang Garrison Commander Qin Yue hailed from Dahe Guard and also held the hereditary rank of Assistant Commander. Dahe Guard was right next to Shanyang County, so he could be considered a native of Huai'an Prefecture. His entire career of promotions had never taken him more than a hundred li from his home soil. He lived a comfortable life and valued local ties, so he was easy for the locals to deal with.

Garrison Commander Qin was a figure of some note in Qingjiangpu, but ordinarily his status was only a sliver higher than the county magistrate's. He had never been so ardently courted and flattered by so many people. At first he remembered to exchange a few polite words, but later he couldn't help feeling lightheaded, very much under the impression that he was the one and only hero under heaven.

Feeling good was one thing, but he dared not touch the laws and regulations. Though everyone was united in begging "General Qin" to deploy troops, Garrison Commander Qin merely kept up the pleasantries and was resolute in not making a move. Benefits were benefits, but if he lost his head and sent out the troops, he'd lose his post, and then there'd be no benefits, let alone flattery.

Once the prefect's document arrived and he saw the great seal upon it, Garrison Commander Qin's confidence immediately swelled. Thumping his chest, he declared: "When the region is in peril, this general will never sit idly by! I shall assemble the troops at once, and tomorrow we will pacify and exterminate those Xuzhou villains!"

The crowd roared its approval and launched into another hearty round of flattery, promising all sorts of future profit-sharing. Garrison Commander Qin beamed with delight, utterly satisfied, feeling that never in his life had he known such joy as today.

Everyone was eager for Garrison Commander Qin to dispatch his troops at once, so they did not linger to disturb him. Especially when they heard that someone from Wolf Mountain had arrived, each and every one said, "General Qin is busy with military affairs; we shall trouble you no further today. Another day we must hold a joyous feast and all make merry together!" and with that, they took their leave.

On the way back, they could not help but discuss the matter. This visit from the Wolf Mountain Grand Commander's man was a good thing. The business of wiping out the Xuzhou villains could be formally reported; perhaps reinforcements might even be sent. Then that Xuzhou villain Zhao Jin would be utterly powerless to fight back. With such a splendid situation ahead, they all needed to plan carefully.

The jurisdictions of the Great Ming's garrisons were arranged like interlocking dog's teeth, each checking the other, with you inside me and me inside you. Although most of Huai'an Prefecture fell under the command of the Xuzhou Assistant Regional Commander, the border area between Huai'an and Yangzhou Prefectures — that is, the most prosperous region of Qingjiangpu and Shanyang County — was under the jurisdiction of the Wolf Mountain Vice Regional Commander.

Hearing that his superior had sent someone, Garrison Commander Qin dared not be remiss. He hastily tidied himself and went out to welcome the visitor. But the moment he saw who it was, his heart gave an involuntary lurch. The man who had come was not a military officer but an advisor, a private secretary. Yet this secretary was the trusted confidant of the Wolf Mountain Vice Regional Commander. He wondered what urgent matter required sending this particular man.

"Your subordinate Qin Yue greets Mr. Shi. Please, Mr. Shi, come inside to rest and have some tea." Garrison Commander Qin Yue was impeccably courteous, but Mr. Shi offered no such courtesy in return. With a cold snort, he strode straight into the main hall.

His warm face had met a cold backside. Garrison Commander Qin's expression immediately soured. Shi Ping'ao, no matter how you put it, was just an advisor. He, Qin Yue, was a ranked military officer. His courtesy was for the Vice Regional Commander's sake. A sourpuss scribbler who wrote letters and kept accounts — what did he have to be so arrogant about?

But seeing the dozen or so men who followed Shi Ping'ao inside, Garrison Commander Qin dared not act out. He recognized them, of course: they were the Vice Regional Commander's personal guards. To bring personal guards, and to have them follow right inside — what was the meaning of this? Could it be they were here to arrest him? Garrison Commander Qin grew nervous. He carefully reviewed his recent affairs and found that the customary tributes and festival gifts had all been delivered without omission. He truly could not think of any mistake. Only then did he settle down a little. He hastily ordered a trusted aide to prepare a sum of silver and a generous gift, then hurriedly followed them in.

Upon entering the room, he found Shi Ping'ao seated squarely in the seat of honor. The Vice Regional Commander's personal guards were either seated or standing, but no place had been left for him. Qin Yue was more baffled than ever.

"Qin Yue, I heard on my way here that you intend to lead troops to exterminate some Xuzhou villains?" Shi Ping'ao demanded without the slightest courtesy.

His tone and manner were like that of interrogating a criminal. Qin Yue's anger flared further, but so did his anxiety. He noticed that the Vice Regional Commander's guards on both sides were all eyeing him with hostility.

"Mr. Shi, that gang of thugs from Xuzhou has been disturbing the peace and killing people. Documents have come from both the Shanyang County and Huai'an Prefecture offices. Your subordinate is merely acting out of expediency, preparing to mobilize troops to exterminate the bandits and pacify the region... There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Qin Yue spoke without conviction.

Although it was acting out of expediency, the root of this matter was still not in line with regulations. If someone seized on that point, there would certainly be trouble. But Qin Yue could not figure out why this bit of trouble seemed to warrant a personal visit from the Vice Regional Commander's trusted man. Traveling from Wolf Mountain to Qingjiangpu, by horse and by boat, would take at least two or three days...

"Impudent! Without His Excellency's order, how dare you move on your own? Who gave you such gall!" Shi Ping'ao shot to his feet and roared.

Even a clay figurine has a bit of spirit. Qin Yue, now riled, could not help retorting: "Shi Ping'ao, this matter may not conform to regulations, but what is wrong with doing it? If real trouble broke out and I did nothing, and it later implicated the General, that would be a true disaster. Tell me, what exactly is my mistake? If you don't make it clear today, we'll take this dispute to Wolf Mountain!"

"Do you know who it is you're dealing with?"

"A gang of lawless barbarians from the Xuzhou area..."

"Have you not heard of Zhao Jin of Xuzhou?"

"I've vaguely heard the name before, but he's just some reckless brute from the Xuzhou region."

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