Chapter 820: The Grand Coordinator

At these words, everyone in the room nodded — it was indeed a prudent and thoroughly considered plan. Fengyang Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou nodded and spoke: "Then send the directive down to Wolf Mountain and Xuzhou, and dispatch an urgent letter to Eunuch Cui's side. Begin the preparations..."

"My lord, sending a letter would be unwise. For a matter this critical and confidential, it would be better to invite Generals Lu and Zhou here to discuss it in person. A face-to-face talk will make things clearer."

After his advisor finished speaking, Guo Shangyou fell silent. A moment later, he finally spoke: "You have all read that document just now. Was there any report in it mentioning rebellion or treason?"

Everyone there shook their heads. Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou nodded and said: "Since no one has called it rebellion, then it is merely common folk stirring up trouble. First, let Huai'an Prefecture go and drive them off. I estimate that if the dispersal fails, it will take another three days for the report to reach us. Draft a memorial requesting troops to suppress the unrest. Ask me about it in five days, and I will decide then whether to send it. Assign men to keep watch on Lord Zhu and Lord He's sides — report back immediately if there is any movement."

After speaking, Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou fell silent again for a moment, then said: "Liu Meng, you go to Yangzhou and prepare a suitably lavish gift. I need to establish a rapport with Eunuch Cui. In the future, Eunuch Wei of the Inner Court will be in a position of great authority."

This Eunuch Cui was none other than Cui Wensheng, the eunuch serving as Director-General of Grain Transport, concurrent Superintendent of the Waterways, and Garrison Commander of Fengyang. During the Taichang reign, he had already been a Supervising Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial and concurrently managed the Imperial Pharmacy. Because he had originally served as an attendant to Noble Consort Zheng, when the Red Pill Case broke, Cui Wensheng — the very man who had presented the red pill — was considered one of the prime suspects. Assailed from both within and without the court, he was ultimately banished to Nanjing to sweep the palace halls. However, after the Tianqi Emperor ascended the throne and Wei Zhongxian entered the Directorate of Ceremonial, Cui Wensheng was immediately promoted. One must understand that for decades, there had never been a eunuch serving as Director-General of Grain Transport — yet Cui Wensheng became the exception.

Seeing all this, aside from recognizing the overwhelming power of Eunuch Wei Zhongxian, everyone also understood the nature of his relationship with Cui Wensheng. Naturally, they all sought to curry favor.

The Grand Coordinator's official residence in Taizhou immediately bustled with activity. Fast horses were dispatched in every direction to deliver messages and make preparations, and the entire region of Southern Zhili north of the Yangtze began to stir.

Over at Qingjiangpu, however, the waterway was simply blocked. There was no rebellion, no rioting — everything remained perfectly quiet. The common folk noticed nothing at all. Only a few insiders vaguely guessed that something major had happened, noticing that several of the Grand Coordinator's trusted advisors and confidants had all been sent out on assignments.

With Qingjiangpu as the midpoint, the waterway was jammed with a massive number of boats stretching both north and south. A few boats, having found some connection or another, managed to dock and unload their cargo directly, or else abandoned the northern route and simply sailed east along the Yellow River. They returned either laden with new goods or riding empty. But the vast majority of boats remained stuck there.

No matter how much they feared the Zhao Camp, some people could no longer hold back. How many had grown rich off the tribute grain? How many had built their livelihoods on the grain transport trade? Those merchants could switch to sea transport, but the people tied to the canal could only watch as their source of wealth was cut off. Severing a man's path to wealth is like killing his parents — how could they possibly endure it?

And right before their eyes was yet another infuriating spectacle. That Geng Mancang, who had been arrested and exiled, had actually come charging back. He was buying up grain at low prices and stockpiling it right in the local warehouses of Qingjiangpu, wearing the blatant face of a man looking to profit from national calamity. Who couldn't see through what he was doing? Buying grain cheap, waiting for the canal to reopen — grain prices were bound to soar, and he would make a fortune sitting right where he was. Even though everyone knew he was working for Zhao Jin, watching someone else get rich while they suffered losses — their fury burned hotter by the day.

It wasn't that no one had considered using force. But recalling those blood-soaked examples from before, everyone decided it was better not to act. Better to petition the imperial court to uphold justice.

In those days between the end of the sixth month and the start of the seventh, every connection and favor accumulated in Qingjiangpu over many years was called in. Fast horses galloped north and south — some to the capital, some to Nanjing, and quite a few to seek out Eunuch Cui in Fengyang, begging them to uphold justice.

At first, the messengers heading to the capital still wore civilian clothes, some even disguising themselves as merchants. A few even tried to take roundabout routes. But gradually, they discovered that the Zhao Camp had not set up any roadblocks to intercept messengers after all. No one knew what they were thinking, but this discovery only made Qingjiangpu and the interested parties redouble their efforts.

"Big Brother, Assistant Regional Commander Zhou has received an urgent letter from the Fengyang Grand Coordinator, summoning him to Taizhou to discuss important matters. The topic is a joint campaign to encircle and annihilate us. Commander Zhou, fearing we might misunderstand, took the letter to Eleven and explained everything. He also said that for something like this, he has to send someone over, or else he'll have no way to account for himself. He asks you, Big Brother, to lend him a horse so he can send a trusted personal soldier to Taizhou to handle the formalities. He swears he would never dare harbor any other intentions," Liu Yong said with a grin.

Zhao Jin stood before a square table on which a map was carved, with several abstract markers placed upon it. Studying it closely, he spoke: "Didn't you tell him — if they want to fight, then let them fight?"

"Eleven did. Commander Zhou said he'd rather give up his post than risk his entire family's lives."

Everyone in the room laughed. Zhao Jin let out a snort of a laugh as well, shifted a marker, and asked: "Zhaojing, what word from the capital?"

Wang Zhaojing's eyes were bloodshot, but his expression remained relatively composed. His voice hoarse, he said: "Big Brother, both sources report the same thing — my father has been imprisoned in the Northern Pacification Commissioner's imperial prison, under strict guard by men from the Eastern Depot. I'm told that one needs a written order from a high-ranking eunuch in the palace just to see him. It's been extremely difficult to get any news out. The only thing we can confirm is that he has not been subjected to torture."

The smiles faded from the faces of the men in the room. Everyone understood that Wang Zhaojing's voice had been hoarse for nearly a month now.

"The capital is too far from us. If everything has gone as planned, the central authorities should be receiving word of Qingjiangpu by now," Zhao Jin said thoughtfully.

"Are we going to start fighting?" Ji Xiang asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"That depends on whether the various forces in Southern Zhili north of the Yangtze still have the guts. If Wolf Mountain dares to move, then within half a month, we'll strike first south of Qingjiangpu. If they don't dare, then we'll have to wait for word from the capital," Zhao Jin said in a low voice.

After saying this, Zhao Jin looked at Liu Yong and gave a stern warning: "You don't need to worry about the Prince of Lu's estate anymore. Now that we've torn off all pretense, there's no need to pay them any mind. But you must keep a tight watch on several critical locations — the capital and Taizhou. Report back the moment there's any news. And there's the Smelling Incense Sect — Xiaolan is watching them, but you need to keep an eye on them too. Don't let those demons and monsters fish in troubled waters."

Liu Yong acknowledged the order with grave seriousness. Ji Xiang, however, muttered a little dejectedly: "So we still can't fight."

"I hear that the various regiments and battalions are all unwilling to train with firelocks? Fine, then. We'll select from the militia instead. Anyone willing to train and willing to learn will be promoted to household soldier immediately!" Zhao Jin raised his voice.

Ji Xiang coughed, suddenly at a loss for words.

The Xu family had many blacksmiths, and quite a few possessed masterful skill. Crafting those new-style firelocks was actually somewhat simpler than making matchlock arquebuses. Because the barrel was not so long and slender, the reject rate dropped significantly. Add to that a reward of three taels of silver for every two firelocks produced, and the pace of production quickened considerably. Moreover, Xu Zhenzhen, aware of the tense situation, had issued orders to rush the work. Several hundred firelocks had already been forged.

Originally, the household soldiers no longer resisted training with firelocks. In fact, everyone could see that mastering the firelock offered a brighter future. But the sudden intensification of drills, along with the veiled hints dropped by their squad leaders, made the household soldiers realize that war was coming.

The household soldiers of the Zhao Camp were not afraid of battle — some were even excited by it. But when it came to a life-or-death fight, they had more confidence in the weapons they knew. Moreover, forming a pike formation meant fighting shoulder to shoulder with their comrades, which felt far more reliable than the unfamiliar firelock. On top of that, both Ji Xiang and Chen Sheng were reluctant to see the complete formations under their command temporarily broken up. All this had resulted in a persistent lack of enthusiasm among the household soldiers for firelock training.

The cadet corps was somewhat better in this regard, but they had a problem of their own: many of them were simply too young. Though diligent in their studies, they lacked the height and strength needed and were in no condition to take the field.

Zhao Jin's response was equally blunt — he simply filled the gap with the militia. But the whole affair was deeply irritating, and he would bring it up from time to time.

Whenever this topic came up, Ji Xiang fell silent as well. Though Zhao Jin's eyes were fixed on the tabletop, his mind was racing, turning over many, many thoughts.

The clatter of armor sounded from outside, and Chen Sheng walked in. As he entered, he leaned his long saber against the doorframe, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said: "The days are just too quiet and idle. You'd never even know a fight was coming."

A tense atmosphere had already settled over the Grand Coordinator's official residence in Taizhou. Even the servants pouring tea wore an extra touch of solemnity on their faces, and their footsteps quickened as they moved about.

In Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou's study, Guo Shangyou sat in the seat of honor. Several men dressed as military officers sat on either side, while the Grand Coordinator's advisor stood behind him.

Fengyang Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou's face was dark, as if he were struggling to suppress his fury. The men seated or standing below him wore expressions ranging from odd to awkward and embarrassed.

"My official duties include the superintendency of military affairs! All troops in Southern Zhili north of the Yangtze fall under my overall command! What is the meaning of this? I summon officers to discuss military affairs, and neither the Vice General nor the Assistant Regional Commander comes. Each sends a mere Chiliarch in their stead. Is this contempt for me? I am the Grand Coordinator acting on Heaven's behalf — is this contempt for the imperial court?!" Guo Shangyou's voice suddenly rose to a shout.

The man seated below wore the robes of a Brigade Commander, clearly the commander of the Fengyang Grand Coordinator's own standard brigade. The two men standing wore the uniforms of Chiliarchs. Hearing Guo Shangyou's outburst and the severity of his words, the two exchanged a glance, then hastily dropped to their knees and hurriedly began to explain.

"Lord Grand Coordinator, our commander has fallen gravely ill. He lies in bed, unable to move!"

"Lord Grand Coordinator, our commander fell from his horse and cannot ride. That is why he sent this humble one to receive your orders."

The two had spoken almost simultaneously. After they finished, they glanced at each other, anger flashing in both their eyes, each thinking that the other's identical excuse only made his own story sound false.

The Brigade Commander of the standard brigade, seated to the side, nearly burst out laughing. He quickly covered it with a cough and lowered his head slightly.

"Insolence! Utter insolence! Very well, since your commanders are ill, then they shall be relieved of their duties! Have every battalion under your commands prepare — my own Brigade Commander Jiao here is also a seasoned commander of troops. He shall lead you instead!" Grand Coordinator Guo Shangyou was practically fuming with rage. Deception he could tolerate — he had seen plenty of it in his official career. But this kind of deception, treating him like a complete fool, sent him into a fury.

Got a front-page feature on Qidian — feels rather strange. Thanks to old friends "Yuan Heng Li Zhen," "Wu Liulang," "Qi Sanwen," "Guzhou Diao Ke," and "Tianmi de Ganzhe" for the tips, and thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets.