Chapter Forty-Four: “The Fine Tradition”

At Liu Zeqing’s words, the bearing of a regional commander finally showed itself, if only by a fraction.

Seeing that, Yang Chuan gave a soft laugh and at last came to the point. “If Qin Xia is going to Kaifeng, then the Grand Commander need only agree to it. That, in fact, is the strategy I have in mind.”

Liu Zeqing kept his face cold and unchanged, simply staring at Yang Chuan.

Unruffled, Yang Chuan went on. “Qin Xia may have a hundred or so spear troops under him, and they can indeed be called elite. But to think that such a force could gain the upper hand before the rebel hordes of a million men is out of the question. If Kaifeng is to be relieved, Qin Xia will naturally have to rely on the Grand Commander. And once it comes to that, circumstances change; the initiative lies in the Grand Commander’s hands.”

“When the time comes, once the army is on the march and battle is at hand, provisions and pay will have to be prepared, won’t they? By rights, that means petitioning the court for grain and military wages. At that point, Qin Xia cannot simply stand by and watch, can he? Whether the court grants the funds or the tax office offers temporary support, the Grand Commander can think carefully about the benefits involved…”

At those words, Liu Zeqing’s brows and eyes finally shifted. The expression he fixed on Yang Chuan softened a little as well.

Yang Chuan did not stop there. “Of course, even that is not enough. Not nearly enough.”

“The Grand Commander surely has no wish to wade into the muddy waters of Henan. Sending troops from Shandong into Henan is troublesome enough as it is. Though the waterways connect and a direct advance northward would not be wrong in principle, the river route is long and plagued by bandits. The rebel Li’s generals, Li Yan and the Red Lady, have already turned their blades northward and occupied Dongming County, repeatedly harassing the vessels traveling the Yellow River to Kaifeng. If one is to enter Kaifeng in the end, no matter what else is said, Li Yan’s forces are impossible to bypass.”

Having said this, Yang Chuan stopped speaking. He poured himself a cup of tea and leisurely sipped it.

If Liu Zeqing still did not understand by this point, then he would truly have wasted the “fine tradition” handed down to late Ming commanders: betraying one’s allies.

Imagine it: just as both armies marched to relieve Kaifeng, Li Yan suddenly lunged forth.

Just as Zhu Cilang was locked in fierce battle with his elite spear troops, Liu Zeqing abruptly withdrew.

If Zhu Cilang fled at that moment, then all would naturally be over. After all, it was Qin Xia who had proposed the campaign in the first place. Now that Zhu Cilang was the one running first, whom could anyone blame?

And given what they knew of Zhu Cilang, a man determined to win undying glory would certainly not run. Not only would he stay, he would be desperate to win.

To win, Liu Zeqing would have to exert himself to the utmost, and Zhu Cilang would have to court Liu Zeqing’s favor.

Even if Zhu Cilang were too proud to flatter him, the only troops truly capable of fighting would be Zhu Cilang’s own hundred-odd spear men.

By then, once Zhu Cilang’s men had been worn down, crippled, or destroyed, Liu Zeqing could lead his household retainers in a sudden charge. The credit would be his for the taking, and even if the court investigated, no one could say much.

“Indeed, there is no need to make it so troublesome. On this stretch of the Yellow River, I happen to know a few hard men among the bandits… Most of these forest outlaws are in league with the rebels as well. I only need to give them a little nudge, and then, heh heh…”

Thinking of that, Liu Zeqing gave a self-satisfied laugh, as though he could already see Qin Xia bowing and scraping before him in plea and humiliation.

But then he noticed that Yang Chuan, still smiling, was calmly drinking tea before him, and his heart gave a slight lurch.

In that instant, he too felt the fearsome power of a scholar.

A warrior killed with blood; at the very least, one could see the blade coming and perhaps dodge it.

But a scholar killed without blood at all, in a way so clean that one could not even find a chance to evade.

Perhaps sensing Liu Zeqing’s unease, Yang Chuan narrowed his eyes and smiled again. “I have some understanding of the Chancellor Zhou standing behind the Grand Commander. Though I am only a country scholar, I still dare to comment on the world to come. If Chancellor Zhou lives in a peaceful age, then of course he could sit securely in the office of chief minister. And the Grand Commander, naturally, could rest easy in his post and enjoy a share of wealth and honor.”

He paused slightly, then raised his voice a little. “But has the Grand Commander never considered why Chancellor Zhou accepted you in the first place? A thousand ounces of gold may be charming enough, but Chancellor Zhou’s fortune rests in the Emperor’s hands. And what is it that the Emperor loves to speak of most? Military affairs, money, and grain. As for you, sir, being a commanding officer and a military man, what is the most important thing of all?”

“To have support at court and strong troops in Shandong. Strong troops bolster military merit, and merit nourishes splendor at court. Chancellor Zhou’s support of you was likely also in hopes that you would win a few achievements, so that his own seat as chief minister might be made more secure. Only for that reason can the Grand Commander’s wealth and honor continue without end.”

When Yang Chuan finished speaking, his bearing as a man of letters surpassed even what it had been before.

At the very least, in Liu Zeqing’s eyes, Yang Chuan’s image had suddenly risen by countless degrees. How high? Probably as high as two stacked Buddhist pagodas.

Yang Chuan’s blunt words made the things Liu Zeqing had only half-understood before suddenly clear.

In peaceful times, Liu Zeqing only needed to send silver year after year to preserve his position. But now it was a time of war, a time when the state was in turmoil and wise men were needed.

Only by winning military merit could Liu Zeqing catch the eye of the great men at court, and of the Emperor himself.

More than that…

He still had to use this to crush Qin Xia under his thumb.

Thinking of this, the conviction in Liu Zeqing’s heart finally hardened.

“I’ll follow Master Dongshan’s lead!” Liu Zeqing said, wearing the look of a man who had cast caution to the wind. “Let’s do it!”

Yang Chuan only smiled, closing his eyes as though he already saw Qin Xia prostrate before him.

…

Recently, the Revenue Office had been busy. Everyone above and below was busy, all for one especially consistent goal: collecting silver.

By rights, such a major matter should have kept Zhu Cilang, as the head of the Revenue Office, constantly on the move, overseeing every place himself for fear of some error bringing disaster.

Yet in truth, it was nothing like that.

Zhu Cilang merely made one circuit, saw that after Yan Wei took over the Tax Department everything was in perfect order, and then ran off. With Wu Sen’s Audit Office in place, there would certainly be no major mistakes; as for minor ones… if Yan Wei could not even handle those, then Zhu Cilang’s judgment would have been in vain.

The Revenue Office ran smoothly, and Zhu Cilang’s money pouch was finally secure.

And once he had money, of course Zhu Cilang had to pursue what he truly wanted.

That was simple: raise a banner and drill the troops.

North of the city, at Tang Kiln.

Zhu Cilang and Fu Rugui rode side by side toward a stretch of saline-alkaline wasteland. No one farmed such land, and it was especially cheap. Added to that was the name of the Revenue Office; with only fifty taels of silver, Zhu Cilang had obtained a land deed large enough to build an entire town upon.

At this moment, barracks were being thrown up in rows on the open ground in a flurry of activity.

Outside the barracks, a wall was being raised. It was already becoming a small fortress of some scale.

To the west of the fortress, on an even more open patch of land, four hundred men stood in solemn formation, and the entire field was silent as death.