Chapter 689: In Front of Our Own People

The several dozen men Ma Chonghao was hosting—the watchmen on duty at the gate naturally saw them too. At the time they simply ushered the guests inside, but once everyone had entered, they couldn't help showing looks of contempt on their faces. Sneering, they said, "Cripple Ma is only fit to associate with crude fellows like these, brawling and killing with no sense of decorum. What difference is there between these blood-stained auxiliary runners and those cooks and grooms? And he actually invites them all together for a New Year's meal. If word of this gets out, it'll disgrace our Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had been passed down generation after generation, and the vast majority never worried about food and clothing. Naturally, they had neither the drive nor the inclination to diligently practice martial skills. As a result, over the long years, apart from official formalities, they'd completely lost all real ability. Whenever it came to actual fighting and killing, to bloody business, they all turned into weak-kneed cowards, utterly useless. But the work still had to be done, so just like every other government office in the Great Ming, they hired those un-salaried irregular runners and auxiliary runners to do the jobs, and the spoils they raked in were shared out as their reward.

These irregular runners and auxiliary runners who worked for the Embroidered Uniform Guard were either highly skilled in martial arts or ruthless and merciless—in short, each had some specialty. Much of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's fearsome reputation was earned by them. Yet although these men could get things done and accomplish tasks, their status within the Embroidered Uniform Guard was very low; they were regarded as the servant class.

Compared to the capital's Embroidered Uniform Guard, who were driven by the center of power, the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard had grown accustomed to a comfortable life and considered themselves a cut above others. They looked down on these irregular and auxiliary runners even more. And today, Ma Chonghao was inside drinking and making merry with these low-class nobodies, while making them—men with proper backgrounds and waist tokens—stand outside watching the gate and drinking the wind. It truly left them feeling deeply resentful.

"The great Embroidered Uniform Guard—those on the rolls drawing pay, wearing flying-fish robes, with tokens hanging at their waists—there must be tens of thousands of them across the realm. But how many can actually get things done? In the end, it's still us brothers!" Ma Chonghao raised his wine bowl and shouted.

The atmosphere at the banquet was already very heated. Hearing his words, everyone roared and rose to their feet. Someone lifted his wine bowl and hollered, "Ever since you left the capital, my lord, we underlings have suffered no end of petty grievances. We've all been thinking of your kindness, my lord, thinking of the good times when we followed you. This time, when you summoned us, we came at once. Through life and death, through water and fire—we're at your command with a single word, my lord!"

Once someone started it, the others immediately followed suit, shouting and rising. Ma Chonghao laughed heartily, drained the wine in his bowl in one gulp, and said in a rough voice, "This time, what need is there for life and death, for water and fire? This time I've called you brothers here to get rich together. The more men we have, the more things we can keep an eye on, so I don't go to all the trouble of setting up a scheme only to have someone else pluck the fruit."

Everyone drank that cup with him, and the hall erupted in laughter. The atmosphere was so heated it seemed about to blow the roof off. Ma Chonghao was already in high spirits. Someone at his side seized the moment to refill his bowl, and he drained it dry again. He slammed the wine bowl heavily onto the table and shouted, "Once we pull this off, I'll lead you brothers back to the capital. We'll overturn that rotten Guard headquarters and the Northern and Southern Pacification Offices, and put our own brothers in their place!"

A roar of approval rose from below. Ma Liu, who was pouring wine for Ma Chonghao, deliberately slowed his pouring, but Ma Chonghao impatiently lifted his bowl and urged him on. Once it was full, he took a drink and spoke again: "What can that bunch in the capital accomplish these days? All day long they tear at each other with mouths full of dog fur, pulling those mangy, petty schemes. But they can't win battles, can't collect silver, can't do a damn thing. When we go back, we'll topple all those officials and put a batch of capable men in their place, to assist His Majesty the Emperor in preserving the Great Ming's ten-thousand-year reign!"

He rambled on incoherently, and the cheering continued below. At his side, Ma Liu frowned, leaned in close, and said in a low voice, "My lord, you've had too much to drink. It's unwise to say so much!"

Ma Chonghao drained the wine in his bowl clean once more and chuckled. "What's there to be afraid of? Everyone here is my most trusted brother. That Zhao Jin has gotten carried away playing house—he actually dared to survey the fields and register the populace. The charge of plotting rebellion is already nailed down and confirmed. Once we seize his family assets, once that colossal fortune is in hand, we'll grease the wheels from top to bottom, and then we can return to the capital to do great things and make a huge fortune!"

As he spoke, his voice rose again: "Brothers, you all know why Liaodong keeps suffering major defeats. Those bookish pedants spout nonsense back and forth. If you ask me, it's because the silver wasn't spent properly. The military pay allocated by the court is already at a twenty-percent discount. At the Ministry of War, it gets slashed by another thirty percent. Every governor, inspector, and circuit official has to peel off a layer. By the time it reaches the battalion commanders below, how much is left? Just these scraps, not even ten or twenty percent of the original, and they still withhold it and refuse to pay out. No money, no grain—fight your mother's victorious battle!"

"Master Ma is absolutely right. When soldiers don't have full bellies and can't get their pay, when they think of their old parents starving at home, their wives and children without even a stitch of clothing to cover themselves—who still has the heart to fight? And on top of that, they don't even have usable armor or weapons. Have you heard this one? Bold Du at Sarhu got shot through the helmet by an arrow. That was supposed to be an iron helmet—how could it be so useless? When slaughtering an ox, the knife handle snapped. Everyone knows these things. No pay, no weapons—what victorious battle can you fight? Not surrendering to the Tartars is already doing right by your conscience!"

Someone below—no one knew who—shouted out. Behind him, Ma Liu's frown deepened. Ever since the news of what Zhao Jin had done in Xuzhou reached here, his master had been extremely excited, to the point of going somewhat overboard. Not only had he summoned all his old men from the capital, but his usual conduct and speech had grown far less cautious. He was acting as if the great deed was already accomplished.

Ma Liu still clearly remembered that day. When the news arrived that Zhao Jin was conducting a general survey of land and population in Xuzhou, Ma Chonghao had burst out laughing after hearing it, his face full of relief. He simply clapped his hands and said, "He's delivered himself right to our door!"

The scene before him, in Ma Liu's view, was somewhat excessive. Some of those words were true, but they shouldn't be spoken here. Ma Liu wanted to speak up and remonstrate, but he opened his mouth and then stopped, merely sighing. His master carried too heavy a burden in his heart; it was rare for him to have a moment of unguarded joy. Besides, everyone present was one of their own—speaking freely wouldn't hurt.

Ma Liu poured another bowl of wine for Ma Chonghao. Standing behind him, he shook his head. Being a runner in the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the capital, one originally had a proper background and lineage—that was the foundation for a lifetime of glory and wealth. Later, having attached himself to the Zheng family, his prospects had been boundless. Even after the Zheng family fell from power, the silver they'd amassed was enough to last several lifetimes without worry. But his master was unwilling to be content. Beyond making a fortune, he always wanted to accomplish some great enterprise. What was wrong with simply enjoying a life of wealth and ease? Why insist on seeking hardship? He never stopped to think that the realm nowadays belonged to the scholars—what business did military officers have in any of it?

"... Brothers, when the time comes, we'll confiscate those bastards' family properties. We'll share the spoils among ourselves. As for the military pay issued by the state—not a single copper coin shall be skimmed..." Ma Chonghao was shouting again, his tongue thick.

This Hanjing famous liquor was being drunk freely, and its potency was indeed considerable. Everyone had been drinking without restraint. Some were already dead drunk, slumped over the table in a stupor. The others were forcing their eyes open with effort. This crew truly were crude fellows who'd come up through brawling and killing—they had no sense of decorum or restraint whatsoever, not the slightest moderation.

Seeing this scene, Ma Liu felt somewhat relieved. Chances were, by the next day, everyone would be so hungover they wouldn't remember a thing.

Just then, someone below began to weep. Through his tears, he said, "They should pay in full, they should issue grain. At home, the pot was often empty. It drove me to go out and rob on the roads. I finally managed to kill a few merchants, but by the time I got back, my little sister had already starved to death..."

"What a mess, sheer madness!" Ma Liu frowned and shook his head repeatedly. Wasn't this supposed to be about getting rich? How had it suddenly turned into such a chaotic spectacle?

The night passed just like that. As Ma Liu had predicted, when everyone rose the next day, they were all in a dazed and muddled state, with no idea what they'd actually said the night before. Only a few with serious drinking habits were muttering about the fine liquor, looking as if they still hadn't had their fill.

However, Ma Chonghao no longer allowed his men to drink. "Once this business is done, you can drink all you want—bathe in the wine if you please. But before that, no. You all know my rules!"

These men had worked under Ma Chonghao in the capital for so long that they naturally understood these rules and the reasoning behind them. Each of them pulled himself together and began busying himself.

Ma Chonghao was generous with them as well. Each man received one hundred taels of silver as hardship pay, and all their food, drink, and expenses were covered by the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard. The lavish rewards after the job was done went without saying. Everyone knew that "Commissioner Ma" never shortchanged his own people.

Besides those who had attended the feast, another dozen or so arrived in dribs and drabs, making forty-nine men in total. Ma Chonghao deployed all of them, gathering the capable personnel from several Nanjing thousand-households under his own control. Although this somewhat sidelined those thousand-household commanders, no one could find fault with it. A commanding officer using his private retainers to manage his subordinates was, after all, standard practice in the Great Ming—that was precisely what household troops and personal soldiers were for.

For anyone who was to do actual work, pay was issued in full, with all expenses subsidized from above. Moreover, a clear reward schedule was openly posted: as long as that business of arresting the rebels was accomplished, several dozen taels of silver per man was guaranteed.

Silver flowed out like water, enough to make one marvel at the depth of Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard Assistant Commander Ma Chonghao's private fortune. Those in the know, however, were not surprised. With Yangzhou's salt merchants providing large sums of silver as subsidies, of course there was money to spend.

"... Don't be afraid of alerting the snake. Right now, we need to spread the word, precisely to frighten them. This Zhao Jin has built such a large operation—heaven knows how many people, inside and out, are trying to cling to him and curry favor. Now, once we release this charge of treason and rebellion, let's see who still dares to cozy up to him..."

"... Do you think they don't know we're investigating? If they're at all vigilant, they'll have caught some hint of movement. At this point, concealment is useless. It's time to do this with real swords and real spears!"

Ma Chonghao's words were crystal clear. A storm was coming. Before the tempest breaks, there must always be a dark, oppressive overcast sky. For many people, the truly unbearable part is precisely this gloom and pressure.

Releasing word before making a move could throw Zhao Jin into panic, could make the peripheral members and supporters of the Zhao Camp lose heart and scatter. If this continued for a while, when the real strike came, there would be far less trouble—as easy as a ripe fruit dropping from the vine.

Thank you, everyone.