Chapter 864: Is It a Fraud

After Cui Wensheng arrived in Fengyang, he also knew that the Liao supplies were killing people, that the common folk's family savings had been scraped clean, and that the people were worried about livelihood and survival — how could they still laugh? If they did laugh, it would only be a bitter smile. But here in Xuzhou, these were happy smiles of people not worried about food and clothing.

"Great thieves — these are the true calamity of the realm." The eunuch Cui Wensheng grew more alarmed the more he looked.

No matter how vicious and evil the Xuzhou rebel mob might be, Cui Wensheng would not be afraid, because that was nothing more than temporary bluster, utterly unsustainable. Apart from plunder and intimidation, you could get no supplies, and plunder and intimidation were like draining the pond to catch the fish — either you cut off all vitality in the locality, or you provoked the common people to resistance.

Without provisions and fodder, without replenishment of personnel, what use was heaven-storming ferocity? With empty bellies, you had no strength to fight. One dead meant one fewer, one less measure of fighting strength, with nowhere to replenish. And if you tried to forcibly conscript and plunder, you would clash with the locality, bringing further losses, weakening and exhausting you in an unending spiral.

The government army, on the other hand, was different. It had the great righteous name of the imperial court, and the manpower and material resources of the entire vast realm as support. Even if it suffered temporary setbacks, minor defeats, or even major defeats, it could continuously receive replenishment, fighting battle after battle, throwing in ever more men and materiel.

Under such a dynamic of one side waning as the other waxed, no rebel or mob could withstand the crushing force of the Great Ming's government troops. Eunuch Cui was also a scholar who had come out of the Inner Library, well-read in historical records and allusions, and naturally understood this. In his view, Xuzhou was exactly such a case.

Offering amnesty and pacification was nothing but a temporary measure. Once they got past the critical juncture of the year-end autumn grain tribute transport, the court would surely dispatch a great army for another joint encirclement campaign. The only fate for this Xuzhou rebel mob was annihilation.

Yet what he had seen and heard since entering Xuzhou chilled Eunuch Cui Wensheng's heart. Fengyang Prefecture, where he was stationed, bordered Xuzhou. He had heard only that Xuzhou had local tyrants running rampant, but never that anyone in Xuzhou had raised a banner in rebellion against the court — not even this time. The Xiao County yamen was still operating as usual, and the Xuzhou Department magistrate's yamen was sitting safe and sound inside Xuzhou city. Knowing this, Cui Wensheng had assumed the Xuzhou mob was nothing more than a local toughs' armed gang running wild in the countryside, unable even to enter the cities — a mere skin rash of a problem.

But after staying a night in Xiao County and seeing the conditions and popular mood in Xuzhou's core territory, Cui Wensheng began to feel something was wrong. The situation before his eyes seemed even more terrifying than open rebellion. It seemed this Zhao Jin did not even care about raising a banner in revolt. He controlled the Xuzhou region more deeply and securely than the government itself. The government yamen were mere decorations — keeping them around did no harm.

If that was truly the case, then this was no mere skin rash but a mortal disease of the heart. This Xuzhou territory, along with Suzhou and the rumored surrounding areas, could continuously provide the Xuzhou mob with manpower and provisions. Then it would not be a matter of one side waning as the other waxed in a short time.

Why were the Jianzhou Jurchens in Liaodong so troublesome? Was it not precisely because they had the land of Jianzhou, which could provide a source of soldiers and supplies? Seen in this light, had Xuzhou not become a place just like Jianzhou? That here in the very heartland of the Great Ming, there might emerge a chieftain like the slave-chief and a force like the Jurchen caitiff barbarians, rising up in chaos? That would be far too terrifying.

But Eunuch Cui was not a man so easily fooled. He had served for many years both in the palace and in the provinces, and had seen countless schemes and devious tricks. He figured that since he had come this time to offer amnesty, the two sides would inevitably have to negotiate and dispute. And since they had to talk, bluffing and making outrageous demands was always part of it. Putting on a show before him to intimidate him would naturally make the negotiations much easier.

"Playing such petty tricks before me — you're still too green." Eunuch Cui Wensheng muttered to himself. He pulled his horse around, preparing to leave the main road and head deeper inside. No matter how much those youngsters wanted to put on a surface show, they could only spend the effort along the road he had to take. Deeper inside, they surely could not manage it.

Just as he was about to turn, the personal guards beside him hurriedly spurred their horses forward to dissuade him, saying urgently, "Gonggong, the bandits' riders are following us. We fear they may do harm."

Cui Wensheng was taken aback. Only then did he consciously look around, and indeed he spotted the several riders in the vicinity. Although Eunuch Cui had provincial experience and was bold enough to ride a horse, that was the extent of it — he had not noticed such things. At this sight, his face paled considerably.

"Since when have they been following?"

"They've been there since we entered Suzhou territory, just trailing from a distance without drawing close. We underlings thought it was only to be expected, so we didn't mention it," the personal guard replied.

"Worthless wretches! Why didn't you report this earlier?" Eunuch Cui cursed in a shrill voice. He gritted his teeth on horseback but still pulled his horse around, muttering, "Since these bandits are waiting for the court's amnesty, they surely wouldn't dare do anything against us. Otherwise, who would negotiate with them? I refuse to believe that mere Xuzhou bandits would dare defy the entire realm!"

His words did have some logic. The personal guards had probably not reported it for the same reason. Watching Cui Wensheng turn his horse, they hesitated a moment, then hurriedly followed.

The scouting light cavalry circling in the distance indeed posed no hindrance, still only watching from afar. This set everyone's minds at ease.

He had not ridden far along the side path before Eunuch Cui Wensheng slowed his horse. He vaguely felt there was no need to go further, for the road here was just as smooth, with all the proper construction standards in place. He could also see the ditches and channels in the fields by the roadside. The occasional farmers he spotted in the fields were all unusually spirited and hearty.

Xuzhou was also flat, open terrain. From horseback, one could see very far, and no matter which direction he looked, what he saw was not much different from what lay before his eyes.

If everywhere was a surface show, then it was no surface show at all. Eunuch Cui's face showed both doubt and shock. After a moment's hesitation, he spurred his horse forward again. He saw a village ahead, where the villagers were busily working outside on the threshing ground — a perfect place to go and take a look.

"You all wait here. The Xuzhou territory is peaceful; no one would dare act recklessly." Cui Wensheng stopped his subordinates from following. After saying this, Eunuch Cui spat on the ground himself, his expression sour. He had only been here a few days, and already, without realizing it, he was speaking well of Xuzhou.

Although he was riding a horse, he wore no official robe or boots, so he looked like nothing more than a wealthy gentleman, unlikely to draw anyone's curiosity. He looked around — no Xuzhou mob riders were heading toward that village. Presumably, they could not have arranged anything in advance either. Eunuch Cui nodded and spurred his horse over.

The weather in recent years had been on the cold side, and the harvest came somewhat late. This season was precisely the time for processing the harvest. Cui Wensheng knew a bit about this. As he drew near, Eunuch Cui worried about alarming them, so he deliberately slowed his pace. From horseback, he took the opportunity to observe the situation here.

Near the threshing ground, there were clear traces of a demolished earthen wall. That was no surprise — Cui Wensheng had heard people say that in the regions of Xuzhou and Fengyang, villages on flat terrain all had to build earthen walls and dig moats, or else they could not fend off the plundering raids of mounted bandits.

Eunuch Cui also saw many people on the threshing ground look over at him, then each one lowered their heads and went back to their own work. By now the distance was close enough. Cui Wensheng saw that the threshing ground held men and women, old and young alike — that was not unusual either. The strict separation of men and women was a matter for scholars and the wealthy; in the villages, sturdy women were also laborers. But what was different from other places was that the complexions and clothing of the men and women, old and young, on this threshing ground were clearly better than elsewhere.

This "elsewhere" did not refer to the Xuzhou region, but to the countryside around Shanxi, Fengyang Prefecture, and the capital region where Cui Wensheng had once stayed. The common folk and farmers there all had a sickly pallor, while here they were much more ruddy, and the patches on their clothes were far fewer.

Good complexion meant they ate their fill. Fewer patches on their clothes meant they had a bit of spare money in hand — at the very least, they could spin thread and buy cloth to make new clothes and the like. Having served on assignments for a long time, Cui Wensheng possessed the most basic deductive skills. He also noticed something else: ordinarily, villages in the countryside were very closed off and intensely curious about outsiders. But the people here were not particularly curious, which showed they had considerable dealings with the outside world.

Cui Wensheng roughly calculated the time he had been riding. He had traveled about a dozen li from the main road. That was not exactly close. By all reasoning, it should not be easy for villagers to go out.

Thinking again of the fleeting glimpses he had caught of the villages he had passed along the way, they were all roughly the same as what he saw before him. A strong sense of disappointment welled up in Cui Wensheng's heart. So the other side had not put on any surface show at all — this was the solid, genuine reality.

Not far ahead, an old man was squatting at the edge of the threshing ground, looking as though he was tired from working and taking a rest. Cui Wensheng hesitated a moment, then dismounted and walked over.

"Old sir, what place is this?" Cui Wensheng asked amiably. Though his voice tended toward the soft and shrill, the common folk of Xuzhou had never seen a eunuch or palace servant.

The old man had been staring at Cui Wensheng ever since he approached. Hearing the question, he hastily stood up and replied, "Great master, this is Yan Family Village."

Cui Wensheng wore no official robe, but his entire attire was that of a wealthy, noble man. Moreover, having long occupied high positions, he had naturally cultivated an air of authority and reserve. No matter how amiable he tried to be, when ordinary commoners dealt with him, awe would arise spontaneously.

"Old sir, it looks like the harvest is quite good this year. Is it a bumper crop?" Cui Wensheng asked with a smile.

"The harvests these past few years have been better year by year — favorable weather, and we've gathered a bit more than last year," the old man hurriedly answered.

Cui Wensheng nodded. Using the conversation as cover, he swept his gaze across the grounds. He could see that around the threshing ground, besides the demolished earthen wall, there were also deep moats that had been filled in.

"With more harvest and a good life, you must be enjoying your blessings, old sir!" Having navigated the official world for so many years, Cui Wensheng naturally had a knack for reading expressions and making conversation. After a few exchanges, the old man had already shed much of his wariness.

The old man felt honored to speak with Eunuch Cui. Besides, he was idle at the moment, and having someone to chat with was nice — especially such a wealthy gentleman. It would make a good boast when he went back to the neighbors.

Hearing the other's words, the old man sighed and said, "The harvest's not bad, but the imperial grain levy is no joke either. Of the grain we've toiled so hard to produce, a full thirty percent has to be handed over."

"Thirty percent? Just thirty percent?" The answer stunned Cui Wensheng, and he immediately pressed further.

Thanks to old friends "Yuan Heng Li Zhen," "￡Luan Kong Yi Tan々," and "Kun Kun Yang" for their tips. Thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Please support Great Ming Warlord at the start of the month.