Chapter 590: Urgent Report, Urgent Report

"Does no one keep them in check?" Wang Youshan asked in a grave voice. The moment the words left his mouth, he realized how naive they sounded — he had spent all these years navigating the official circles of the capital, yet here he was asking such a childish question.

"Keep them in check? Who could possibly keep them in check? When has the court ever dared to? Aside from not formally enfeoffing Liaodong to the Li family, what in that garrison doesn't belong to them? And you know what happened after that incident — Li Chengliang actually received imperial rewards for gathering refugees and displaced people. His noble rank was raised two full grades. Just think about that." Zhang Qinghai's tone was thick with scorn.

"The troops belong to the generals. Every fierce soldier and bold commander in Liaodong comes from the Li family's patronage. The court is afraid!" Wang Youshan said with a sigh.

The logic, once laid bare, was simple enough. Liaodong was the most powerful military force on the northern flank of the Northern Metropolitan Region. While it served to guard the vital capital zone, in a certain sense it was also a threat to the capital itself. After Qi Jiguang was dismissed, the court could no longer field a force capable of balancing the Li family. Though they tried every means to wear them down through successive campaigns, nothing worked. Even after the Korean campaign against the Japanese, the pacification of Ningxia, and Li Rusong's death in battle on the steppes — even after the Li family's military elite had been nearly wiped out — the court still feared that outwardly formidable but inwardly hollow giant.

The court feared the Li family would rebel. That was the gist of it, though neither Wang Youshan nor Zhang Qinghai would ever say it outright.

"The court fears the Li family, and the Li family fears the Jurchens. Why do you think they pulled out of Kuandian? Those garrison commanders are all money-grubbers to the marrow. With fertile land and border markets there, such enormous profit — why would they be willing to abandon it? Because they're afraid of the Jurchens, that's why. I've heard from people who came back from Liaodong that back when the Jurchens hadn't united, Li Chengliang was raising wolves. Once that so-called slave chieftain united the Jurchens, Li Chengliang became afraid the wolves would devour him..."

"The Liaodong Li family is afraid of the Jurchens too?" Wang Youshan asked in disbelief. For a garrison with such powerful troops to fear the Jurchens this much, even to the point of giving up so much — just how strong had the Jianzhou Jurchens become?

"Afraid. Deeply afraid. So you see this rotten, crumbling situation — whoever steps up, whoever tries to hold it together, will likely get dragged down with it. Far better to retire early and enjoy a life of leisure." Zhang Qinghai lamented a few lines, then changed the subject. He never even noticed that what Wang Youshan was focused on was everything related to the Jurchens.

Zhang Qinghai had been drinking too quickly, and with old worries stirred up, he kept pouring and drinking cup after cup by himself. Hanjing Famous Liquor was a strong spirit — how could anyone hold out drinking like that? In this state, he was in no condition to notice the grave expression settling on Wang Youshan's face.

How could he possibly know the shock Wang Youshan was feeling at this moment? Those words and actions of his junior Zhao Jin, which had always seemed laughable and absurd — could it be they were not mere delusions after all?

The eastern barbarians, the eastern slaves, were truly that terrifying? Zhao Jin was not even twenty, had never once left Xuzhou — how could he know these things? It must have been his second uncle Zhao Zhenxing who told him. Back in the day, the Zhao family's second uncle Zhao Zhenxing had traveled far and wide across the realm to earn his place in the world, fighting in quite a few battles. A man of such broad experience — could this be his assessment? A military man from a hereditary soldier's household, yet capable of such insight. Truly remarkable.

Wang Youshan's mind raced, and he quickly arrived at a satisfactory explanation.

After all that had been said, the fine wine and delicacies before him suddenly seemed to lose all flavor. Zhang Qinghai kept drinking, cup after cup, his beard beneath his chin now looking disheveled. This man, a Director of the Bureau of Operations in the Ministry of War, had once been famous in official circles for his magnificent beard. A physiognomist had even predicted he would rise to high office. Who could have imagined he would languish like this to this day? Wang Youshan shook his head, wondering if he should drink a few cups himself, get thoroughly drunk, and be done with it — why torment himself with such futile worries?

He had just picked up the wine pot when he heard hurried footsteps outside. The door was pushed straight open. Wang Youshan started — the Zhang household servants would never dare such boldness. Could it be a close family member? Zhang Qinghai was furious too. He slammed his cup down hard on the table and slurred, "Who has such nerve! Don't you know..."

By the lamplight, Wang Youshan recognized the visitor. The man wore a long gown of blue silk, a small cap on his head, but official boots on his feet. This attire marked him as a clerical scribe from one of the capital's government offices.

In the Six Ministries and the Chief Surveillance Bureau — even in a major office like the Chief Surveillance Bureau — the number of ranked officials serving in the capital did not exceed two hundred. Yet they bore the censorial responsibilities for the entire Great Ming. How could they possibly manage it all? As for the Six Ministries, the situation was even more obvious. To keep operations running, they needed a large corps of scribes and clerks to handle the detailed affairs.

This arrangement, to put it plainly, was no different from the prefectural and county yamens below. Examination-degree holders took charge of the broad direction; hereditary clerks and scribes managed the work and got things done.

Though they held no official rank, such men held no low status in the capital. Because they controlled the practical workings of government, any official at any level who offended them could easily be framed and ruined, doomed beyond redemption. And so officials and clerks each went about their own business, mutually preserving face for one another up and down the hierarchy. It was an unspoken understanding.

For such a man to come rushing in and barge into the room unannounced — it had to be urgent official business. The clerk, knowing that anyone sitting face-to-face with Zhang Qinghai must be a person of some standing, nevertheless offered only a nod in greeting. This struck Wang Youshan as even more peculiar. Clerks who worked in the ministries and bureaus were always the most meticulous in their courtesies, greeting everyone with a smile. Why was he disregarding all that today?

"Sir Zhang, urgent report, urgent report..."

The clerk approached and spoke in a low, urgent voice, but Zhang Qinghai was already drunk and muddled. He mumbled, "The city gates are already shut. What urgent report could there be? We'll deal with it tomorrow. Sit down, have a few cups yourself."

"It's an urgent report that came in just before the city gates closed." The clerk was clearly agitated. He glanced at Wang Youshan sitting there, then bent down and began speaking into Zhang Qinghai's ear.

Wang Youshan had no expectation of overhearing anything. He even leaned back deliberately to avoid any suspicion of eavesdropping. All he saw was that as the clerk spoke, the drunken flush on Zhang Qinghai's face gradually receded, while sweat poured out uncontrollably. His complexion went from the ruddy red of intoxication to a ghastly white, and his whole body began to tremble.

The clerk's expression was also extremely grim. When he finished, Zhang Qinghai turned his head to look at him and asked in a quavering voice, "Is it true?"

"Confirmed beyond doubt. Elder Xue has already gone to the ministry. Sir Zhao has gone too. They're summoning people from everywhere right now. Even the Imperial Stables Directorate has been alerted..."

Wang Youshan gently stroked his beard, his expression unchanged, but inwardly he was stunned and intensely curious. This "Elder Xue" must be Xue Sancai, the Minister of War. "Sir Zhao" must be Zhao Xingbang, the Chief Supervising Secretary of the War Section. The Imperial Stables Directorate was effectively the Ministry of War of the inner court. What on earth had happened to set the entire central apparatus of Great Ming's military affairs into motion in the middle of the night, rousing all its core figures?

"Sir Zhang, go at once. I still have one more place to visit." The clerk had come quickly and left just as fast.

Soon, only Zhang and Wang remained in the room. Zhang Qinghai sat there staring blankly for a while, then suddenly let out a long breath and said in a muffled voice, "Looks like this time I might well end up implicated."

Having said that, he offered no explanation to Zhao Jin beside him. He simply shouted at the top of his lungs, "Prepare my official robes! Ready the carriage and sedan! Prepare a sobering remedy!"

Only after shouting did Zhang Qinghai regain a measure of composure. He smiled bitterly at Wang Youshan and said, "My worthy brother, you should go back now. We'll gather again another day."

Wang Youshan nodded with a smile and asked, as naturally as could be, "What exactly has happened?"

"The Jurchen army has invaded Liaodong. Fushun has fallen. The garrison commander died in battle..." Zhang Qinghai spoke a few lines in a calm tone, but as he spoke, a sob suddenly crept into his voice.

"This realm is in grave trouble..."

"Brother Zhang, set your mind at ease. Could any trouble be worse than what we faced in the Jiajing Emperor's time? Altan Khan in the north, Japanese pirates in the southeast — we got through it all. Heaven protects the Great Ming..."

After offering that meaningless reassurance before taking his leave, Wang Youshan returned to his lodgings in a daze. He was sharper than those pure-talk colleagues of his who knew only how to spout grand but empty words, because Wang Youshan understood the ways of the world and the lessons of history. He knew the weight of Zhang Qinghai's words and the emotions behind them. Zhang Qinghai might be a mediocre, money-grubbing man, but he had served in the Ministry of War for so long — he understood the minutiae of the border garrisons and the military affairs of the Great Ming inside and out. If Zhang Qinghai was pessimistic, it likely meant that pessimism was truly warranted.

How could the Zhao uncle and nephew possibly possess such insight? How could they have known the Jurchens would become a great calamity for the Great Ming? Others might not realize it, but Wang Youshan knew that he himself had probably only tonight come to see the Jurchens as a grave threat. If not for this conversation with Zhang Qinghai, he would likely still be in the dark.

From Wang Zhaojing's letters home, he could see that a band of young brothers were making bold moves across Xuzhou, Huaibei, and even the lands north of the Huai River — gathering populations, training able-bodied men, expanding trade, reclaiming wasteland, advancing on all fronts, even stirring things up to the point where he himself had to get involved just to keep things stable.

At times, Wang Youshan had thought that Zhao Jin had already gone too far, that he had already secured a foundation of wealth and status to last his family for generations. Yet his greed knew no bounds. If he kept on like this, it would be a path to disaster. Wang Youshan had already considered having Wang Zhaojing come to the capital to live with him.

But after tonight's conversation, looking back at everything Zhao Jin had been doing in Xuzhou — could it be that Zhao Jin was preparing for something?

At this thought, Wang Youshan's entire body shuddered violently. He instinctively glanced around in all directions, and only when he confirmed the silence around him did he relax. Steadying his mind, he couldn't help but laugh wryly at himself. Tonight's drinking and talk with Zhang Qinghai, the things Zhang Qinghai had told him, had shaken his spirit. He had worked himself into a corner, frightening himself over nothing.

The government troops were rotten now, but had they been any better in the Jiajing era? That Altan Khan of the Tumed had punched through the border garrisons time and again, roaming at will across Shanxi, Shaanxi, and the Northern Metropolitan Region. In the southeast, a few dozen Japanese pirates had been enough to frighten Nanjing into bolting its gates shut, rampaging everywhere and poisoning the lives of countless commoners. Had the government troops been of any use back then? The prefectures and counties of the southeast had all been recruiting civilian militias to resist.

The vital hub of the capital had been threatened by Tatar armies, and the southeast, the very source of the Great Ming's tax revenues, had been ravaged and ruined. That had been a true crisis. Some had even thought the Great Ming was finished. And yet, had they not pulled through? Altan Khan had been robbed of his spirit by Heaven, lost himself in superstitious worship of gods and Buddhas, drowned himself in wine and women. In the southeast, famous generals had emerged one after another and utterly eradicated the scourge of the Japanese pirates. The Great Ming had revived. Now, it was merely one border garrison that had been breached. Back in the day, an emperor himself had been taken captive. What was he panicking over, letting his imagination run wild with suspicion? All those sage texts he had read, and for what — a mind so weak and irresolute.

Having thought through the whole chain of cause and effect, Wang Youshan finally calmed down. He washed up and went to bed. Yet for some reason, that night he was jolted awake by nightmares several times...

Thanks to the four old friends "Mu Ming," "Budong Rushan," "Yuan Heng Li Zhen," and "123*" for their tips. Special thanks to the book friend "Mu Ming," who has now become a Dharma Protector of this book — thank you. Special thanks also to the book friend "Budong Rushan" for the generous reward — thank you.

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