Chapter 819: There Must Be a Foolproof Plan

Because it was an urgent dispatch of the utmost priority, the aides dared not open it and handed it directly to the Grand Coordinator. When the Grand Coordinator opened and read it, he froze on the spot, his face filled with disbelief. His reaction startled the aides and attendants around him, who thought some catastrophic event had occurred.

"Truly... truly... absurd..." After a long, stunned silence, Fengyang Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou finally managed to utter these words.

After saying this, Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou directly handed the urgent dispatch to an aide. The aide hurriedly took it and read it. Upon seeing the contents, he too could not help but widen his eyes, understanding exactly what was meant by "absurd."

Who didn't know that the lifeblood of the Great Ming was this very canal transport? Without the tribute grain, who knew how much unrest would erupt in the north? A mere local magnate from Xuzhou actually dared to cut off the canal transport. Did he know what kind of colossal calamity he was inviting?

And after he cut it off, no one in Qingjiangpu dared to make a move. There were nearly ten thousand canal laborers in Qingjiangpu, plus over a thousand troops from the Shanyang garrison stationed nearby, and even constables, runners, and locally conscripted militia and able-bodied men. With such a massive force, no one dared to touch this local magnate.

And speaking further, even if you wanted to rebel, you'd need some sense. Blocking the canal junction in one move—you think you've seized the Great Ming's vital point, but in reality, you've also drawn out who knows how many of the Great Ming's troops, putting yourself right in the line of fire. When the time comes, extricating yourself will be difficult.

"Sir, dispatch troops to suppress them!" an aide offered the standard suggestion.

Fengyang Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou nodded, slapped the table, and said in a muffled voice: "Notify Xuzhou Regional Commander Zhou Baolu and Langshan Vice Regional Commander Lu Quanyou. It just so happens we'll send troops from north and south, a two-pronged pincer attack. How absurd. I thought this year would bring favorable weather and smooth sailing, yet such a damnable mess has arisen."

Having said this, he still felt his temper had not been fully vented. Pointing at the letter, he cursed: "The person who wrote this letter is also muddled. A mere Xuzhou local thug, and he's worth naming by full name? What 'Zhao Jin'—how would this official even know of him?"

The aide had been about to write the letter, and the military officers and guards below were also preparing to arrange the messengers. Hearing Grand Coordinator Guo's words, the personal troop commander standing nearby hurriedly cupped his fists and said: "May I ask, sir, did you just say 'Zhao Jin of Xuzhou'?"

The Grand Coordinator had his own elite force, the Grand Coordinator's Standard Battalion, commonly known as the Provincial Standard. Commanding the Standard Battalion was a Mobile Corps Commander, also an imperial military officer. The troops the Grand Coordinator could directly command were similar to a military officer's household retainers—they were his personal soldiers and household retainers, led by a Commander.

Since this man was a trusted confidant, he naturally had to be given some face. Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou nodded and said disdainfully: "Exactly, Zhao Jin of Xuzhou. I don't know where this audacious scoundrel came from. Just wait for his house to be confiscated, his clan exterminated, and himself cut to pieces!"

Upon hearing this name, the personal troop commander's expression changed. He hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Sir, have you heard about the previous incident where Nanjing Brocade Guard Assistant Commander-in-Chief Ma Chonghao led a force north to arrest rebels..."

"That farce? Didn't they just scatter in a hubbub afterwards? Those spies, they've got their heads stuck in a money hole. And the merchants of Qingjiangpu even brought lawsuits to this official, accusing them of extortion along the way." The Grand Coordinator was a high-ranking local official. If he applied himself diligently, nothing in the locality could be hidden from him. Speaking of this matter, Fengyang Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou laughed scornfully.

The personal troop commander cleared his throat and said in a low voice: "Sir, you may not know the details. According to the news this subordinate received, they indeed went to arrest rebels. They planned to report to the higher authorities only after capturing the person. They just didn't expect the other side to be so strong. They saw them holding a military review in the rain, and over two thousand cavalry were simply frightened into dispersing."

The Grand Coordinator's personal troop commander came from a military background and had much dealings with martial men and soldiers, so he naturally had more news on this front. Moreover, Ma Chonghao had led his force north with great fanfare, a large contingent traveling openly, and troops from several locations north of the Yangtze had joined them. It was only normal that he knew the details clearly.

Hearing this, Fengyang Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou's expression changed. The exact title of Grand Coordinator varied slightly from place to place, but "Grand Coordinator of Such-and-Such Place, Superintendent of Military Affairs and Provisions, Concurrent Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Concurrent Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Chief Surveillance Bureau"—these parts were all the same. The Grand Coordinator also oversaw military matters, so he naturally understood a bit about these things and naturally understood exactly what a force of over two thousand cavalry represented.

"This official heard that Nanjing, Langshan, Fengyang, Xuzhou—several places all sent men. At the time, I treated it as a joke. What exactly happened?" Guo Shangyou pressed.

"... Those sent out were all household retainers and personal soldiers of each family..." The personal troop commander spoke very plainly.

As a Grand Coordinator who led troops and had his own Standard Battalion personal guards, he naturally understood the difference between household retainers, personal soldiers, and ordinary troops. Fengyang Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou's expression turned extremely grim. The aide also stopped writing.

The personal troop commander glanced at the Grand Coordinator's expression and spoke again: "Langshan reported several instances of sudden deaths, saying many soldiers died of illness. Does the sir still remember?"

Although the Langshan Vice Regional Commander and the Xuzhou Regional Commander each guarded their own areas, their military superior was the Fengyang Grand Coordinator. The Langshan Vice Regional Commander's camp had suffered a plague and sudden illness, with nearly a thousand men dying suddenly. This was not a minor matter a military officer could decide on his own; it had to be reported upward. The Fengyang Grand Coordinator's office naturally knew of it. At the time, adopting an attitude of "the less trouble the better," he had lazily let it pass without inquiry. Only now, hearing it brought up again, did he feel something was amiss.

"This official naturally remembers. What exactly happened? Explain in detail. You will be credited, not blamed!" Fengyang Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou had become serious now and asked solemnly.

"General Lu of Langshan and the Feng family have always been very close. It's said that over a dispute for salt profits, they fought a pitched battle in the wild grasslands north of the Huai River. That time, General Lu sent over a thousand men to help, and they were lost there..."

The aides exchanged glances, each unable to conceal their astonishment. When Langshan Vice Regional Commander Lu Quanyou had reported the epidemic at the time, anyone could see something was off, but everyone had let it slide. No one imagined there were such details involved, and such a shocking reason at that.

A grand, imperially appointed general, and over a thousand troops under his command had actually been wiped out by a single local magnate. What was even more alarming was that this happened within the Fengyang Grand Coordinator's jurisdiction, yet from beginning to end, no news had been heard. If not for the canal blockade alarming the Grand Coordinator and prompting a joint military expedition, who knew how much longer it would have been concealed.

Fengyang Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou did not pursue the personal troop commander's crime of knowing but not reporting. In officialdom, many things were better left unknown. This personal troop commander was a trusted confidant and certainly knew how to gauge the right moment. The most pressing matter now was how to respond.

"According to this, Xuzhou also cannot be touched?"

"Replying to the sir, this matter sounds absurd even to this humble one. I heard that the Xuzhou Regional Commander doesn't even have horses left under his command; they were all taken by that Zhao Jin."

That Commander indeed knew quite a lot. What he didn't know, he didn't know, but what he should know, he knew everything. Xuzhou was a vital north-south transportation hub with countless people coming and going. The Xuzhou Regional Commander was no ordinary military officer, and his wretched, destitute situation could not be hidden from others. Those who knew simply treated it as a joke.

But now, hearing this, no one felt like laughing. The aides' faces showed shock and terror, while Fengyang Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou's face was grim and dark.

The room was silent for a moment. Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou nodded and said: "Liu Meng, you've done well. You know what should be said and what shouldn't, and you also know when things should be spoken."

Hearing this praise, personal troop commander Liu Meng hurriedly bowed in thanks. But the next moment, Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou erupted. He slammed the table hatefully and said angrily: "This is utterly lawless! In broad daylight, in the heartland directly governed by the capital, such a vicious and violent bandit exists! Are all the officials in Xuzhou blind? This official will certainly file a severe impeachment!"

After saying this, Guo Shangyou shook his head with extreme irritation, sighed, and said: "Even if we cannot win, cannot fight, this official cannot ignore it. If this blows up, the blame will still fall on this official's head."

"Sir, why not say it's disorderly folk stirring up trouble and gathering a mob, and let Huai'an Prefecture go disperse them..." one aide suggested.

"That won't do. Inspector Zhu, Canal Inspector He, and Salt Inspector Xu—those three may not necessarily call them disorderly folk. If the accounts from different places don't match up then, the implications for the sir would be too great!" another aide immediately refuted.

The Regional Inspector oversaw an entire province. Although his rank was only Grade 7, in actual power and status, he was nearly the Grand Coordinator's equal, providing balance and oversight. The Canal Inspector was the censor inspecting canal transport, and the Salt Inspector was the censor inspecting salt affairs. Each had the authority to oversee the locality and memorialize the Son of Heaven directly. Moreover, when personnel were assigned, they often arranged for people who didn't get along with the local Grand Coordinator to take these posts.

"They've only been in the localities for a few years; they only know how to act on impulse..." Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou muttered, but did not continue.

Regional Inspectors were Grade 7 censors from the Chief Surveillance Bureau, mostly not too old. In considering matters and governmental affairs, they were naturally not so "seasoned" or "thorough," so unifying the narrative would also be difficult.

The aide who had been refuted was somewhat angered and immediately followed up: "Since you say that, then what should the sir do? Lead troops to join the suppression? If it truly fails, won't the responsibility for the defeat fall on the sir?"

"Sir, according to what Commander Liu just said, if we truly mobilize troops for a joint suppression, the chances of victory are extremely slim. But if we don't mobilize troops, we can't account for it to all parties involved, and might even be branded with the crime of colluding with rebels. By then, it would truly be irremediable." This aide spoke very comprehensively.

Guo Shangyou leaned forward, listening very attentively. The aide glanced at Commander Liu Meng beside him and continued: "Just now, Commander Liu said quite a lot, but to put it bluntly, it's all hearsay and rumors. General Lu of Langshan, Regional Commander Zhou of Xuzhou, plus Mobile Corps Commander Jiao directly under the sir—that's nearly twenty thousand troops. If we also go discuss with Eunuch Cui, we can always scrape together twenty-five thousand. With such a grand army, what rebellion cannot be quelled?"

Commander Liu Meng immediately grew anxious upon hearing this and was about to speak, but the aide spoke again: "If the several generals are willing to go for the joint suppression, then it shows the rumors are not credible. If the several generals hesitate and refuse to advance, then it shows the rumors are true. When the time comes, everyone can jointly discuss and submit a memorial together, simply stating that we were defeated. The blame won't have to be borne by the sir alone, and we can also account to the imperial court."

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