Stealing the Ming Dynasty [Complete] - 21

Chapter 26: A Brilliant Plan -

Mid-July of the Fifth Year of the Tianqi Emperor's Reign, the Capital, the Imperial Palace.

The daily work of the Ming Dynasty's central government was generally handled by the Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial. The Emperor was reviewing their work over the past few days. Since a memorial had been presented, the Tianqi Emperor's impatience had vanished. He focused intently on each word, occasionally muttering to himself as he read the text. Wei Zhongxian, the Director of the Eastern Depot, and the scribes and seal-bearers of the Directorate of Ceremonial stood respectfully on either side, their hands tucked into their trousers, their eyes fixed on the tips of their black boots, not daring to breathe loudly, for fear of disturbing the Emperor who was reviewing the memorial.

The young Emperor read the memorial several times before putting it down, his expression a mixture of joy and worry. After a moment of contemplation, Emperor Tianqi suddenly asked, "How many soldiers does General Huang command now?"

The other eunuchs were taken aback, and just as they were about to rack their brains to recall, Wei Zhongxian blurted out, "Reporting to Your Majesty..." He maintained his previous respectful posture, his eyes fixed on the ground in front of him as he spoke. He recited the names of the military households reported by Huang Shi, Zhang Pan, the Shang brothers, Zhang Minghe, and Li Chengfeng from Jinzhou as if they were his own treasures—"...The Left Assistant of Dongjiang Town has a total of 20,000 military households and over 70,000 able-bodied men."

"Good." Emperor Tianqi clapped his hands and laughed. With this relieved shout of approval, the worry on the emperor's face disappeared, leaving only a face full of joy: "This time, there's no need to promote General Huang again, otherwise I wouldn't know what to promote him to."

This time, the number of beheadings was less than one percent of the number of soldiers reported by the Left Assistant of Dongjiang Town, and Wei Zhongxian was secretly pleased about this. This time it seemed there wouldn't be any trouble; a few hundred taels of silver each for Mao Wenlong and Huang Shi would suffice: "Your Majesty is wise. General Huang is not yet thirty, yet he has suddenly received a high position; this may not be a blessing for him."

The young emperor hadn't thought that far ahead; he just felt it wouldn't be easy to handle. If Huang Shi were promoted further, besides being granted a title, the only other option would be to bestow upon

him the title of Grand Master of the Palace. Moreover, Huang Shi had Mao Wenlong above him; whatever was given to Huang Shi, Mao Wenlong would inevitably receive an even greater reward, which particularly troubled Tianqi. However, the Ming emperor still felt somewhat guilty, having already considered how to compensate Huang Shi. After hearing Wei Zhongxian's words, he pondered for a moment before finally uttering, "Oh?" "

The eunuch Wu Mu, the military supervisor of Changsheng Island, has a secret report." Wei Zhongxian, standing with his head bowed, remained calm in his tone, while the eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial opposite him immediately presented a memorial.

Tianqi opened the book and read two lines. His breathing suddenly became rapid. He hastily flipped to the next few pages, skimmed a few sentences, and then forcefully threw Wu Mu's book to the ground.

"Utterly laughable!" the young emperor shouted.

Immediately, the sound of eunuchs kneeling and shuffling clothes filled the air, followed by a chorus of voices: "Your Majesty, please calm down."

Still furious, the emperor abruptly stood up, stared at the memorial on the ground for a few more glances, then kicked the book into the air. It flew a long way before landing with a thud in front of the eunuchs: "I have ruled for five years, and those below me are either corrupt officials or incompetent cowards! And many are both corrupt officials and incompetent cowards."

Tianqi hurriedly stepped down from his desk, chasing after the memorial until he reached several eunuchs before regaining his footing. His chest was still heaving, and his heavy breathing echoed in the deathly silence of the inner palace. Then another furious outburst erupted: "We finally have a capable and incorruptible General Huang, and yet he's turned out to be abnormal... Am I so morally bankrupt? Are all my subjects supposed to be a bunch of good-for-nothings and embezzlers?"

Wei Zhongxian and several other eunuchs below had already kowtowed until their heads bled, repeatedly shouting, "Your Majesty, please calm down! Please calm down!"

Tianqi, hands behind his back, took several heavy breaths, but still couldn't contain his emotions and couldn't help but curse again: "Those who act against reason should be treated with caution—nonsense!" This was originally Wu Mu's comment about Huang Shi, saying that Huang Shi, holding a second-rank official position, did not take a wife or relatives, and his merits in Liaodong were unparalleled, yet he did not embezzle military funds; such a unique military general should be used with caution. But the emperor, in his rage, took it out of context and rebuked him.

"General Huang takes 50,000 taels of military pay from me every year. He reports a victory every few months. Is that what you call unreasonable? Does it have to be that General Huang asks me for millions of taels of military pay every year, and then loses every battle, and every defeat is a major one, and every major defeat results in the loss of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and generals, before it is considered reasonable?! Only then should he be entrusted with important responsibilities and relied upon as a pillar of the state?" Tianqi became angrier and angrier as he spoke, and his tone became more and more agitated. He gritted his teeth and pointed at Wei Zhongxian, cursing, "How could there be such a fool as Wu Mu? What kind of people have you recommended, you old dog?"

Wei Zhongxian, who had fallen to the ground, wailed, "This old servant deserves to die a thousand deaths."

A eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs quickly presented another prepared memorial, announcing loudly, "Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion and Liaodong Military Commissioner, Mr. Sun, also has a secret memorial to submit."

"You should have died long ago!" the emperor said harshly, then temporarily spared Wei Zhongxian, angrily opening Sun Chengzong's memorial to read. Tianqi became increasingly serious as he read, finally slowly returning to his throne and settling down. After a moment, the emperor rested his hand on his forehead, flipped the memorial back, and began to read it again from the beginning.

After reading it, Tianqi looked up and saw Wei Zhongxian still lying on the ground, too afraid to move, with blood on his forehead. A pang of guilt rose in his heart: "You, go and help Minister Wei up."

The emperor now understood the situation, assuming Wei Zhongxian had arranged for the memorial to be submitted after reading the two. Although the emperor regretted his earlier indiscriminate reprimand of Wei Zhongxian, he couldn't publicly apologize to a mere servant, so he changed his tone: "Wu Mu is diligent and loyal."

"However..." Tianqi hesitated after reading Sun Chengzong's memorial. He had just severely reprimanded Wu Mu; if he immediately turned around and spoke ill of Huang Shi, he would not only lose face in front of the eunuchs, but he himself couldn't convince himself.

"Your Majesty is wise. Wu Mu is ignorant and speaks nonsense. But this old servant believes he is still loyal." Although Wei Zhongxian couldn't control what memorial Sun Chengzong submitted, he could certainly control Tianqi's mood while reading it. Although he didn't dare to criticize Sun Chengzong in front of Emperor Tianqi, he certainly dared to use Wu Mu as a target—like pointing at a monk and calling him a bald donkey.

"Oh?" Emperor Tianqi seemed to think Wei Zhongxian was right, and he perked up: "Tell me about it."

Wei Zhongxian had already gotten up from the ground. He was secretly pleased with the brilliant order in which he had presented the two memorials. If he had presented them in reverse, General Manager Wei estimated that Chairman Zhu would have been skeptical, while Wu Mu's memorial would have been a perfect opportunity to strike while the iron was hot. Although Wu Mu was plotting political suicide—probably because he was too loyal? Wei Zhongxian had no intention of suffering with him. Besides, an ally like Huang Shi was very important, and Wei Zhongxian believed he could control this military man firmly.

"This old servant believes that General Huang's decision to forgo small gains must be for a greater purpose..." Wei Zhongxian had already prepared his explanation. He explained to Emperor Tianqi that Huang Shi's incorruptibility was for the sake of his future hereditary fiefdom. After pacifying Liaodong, even if Huang Shi doesn't receive the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, as long as he wins many battles and achieves great merit, it wouldn't be impossible for him to claim that each of his military households has more than a dozen male soldiers and that each household should be allocated 100 or even 150 mu of land. Besides, Liaodong has always been sparsely populated. Now, in that remote corner of Northeast China, more than five million Liaodong people have been slaughtered by wild boars, leaving only a few hundred thousand. At that time, even if Huang Shi were granted 100 mu per household, no civil official would object.

The Ming Empire's system consisted of three sets: military farms, civilian farms, and princely residences. For princes or members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the interior, the amount of land granted was merely a standard for distributing money. For example, when Emperor Wanli granted his beloved son, Prince Fu, two million mu of land, it meant that local officials had to pay Prince Fu tens of thousands of taels of silver annually according to the court's standard—for example, one li of silver per mu (Zhang Juzheng also stipulated that half a li of silver per mu be given to members of the imperial family and members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard). Members of the imperial family and hereditary officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard did not have the right to resell the land or rule over the farmers on it.

However, although Huang Shi, as a border general and the hereditary commander of the Liaodong army, did not have the right to sell the land (because it was state-owned military farms), all the military households on the land did not pay national taxes but instead paid military rations, which were also given to Huang Shi and his descendants (generally about 40% of the output). The hereditary commander of Liaodong was supposed to use these military rations to purchase supplies, arm and train the Ming Dynasty's border defense forces. Therefore, if Huang Shi could obtain 100 mu of land for each of his 5,000 military households, his family's income would certainly be considerable—Wei Zhongxian absolutely did not believe that Huang Shi would spend all the output on the army after acquiring a million mu of land.

Emperor Tianqi nodded repeatedly, then laughed heartily, "General Huang only asks me for tens of thousands of taels of silver each year. If he can pacify the Jurchens with that little money, then even if I grant him 150 mu per household, I won't lose out." He laughed again, "Even if I include Marshal Mao's share, it's not a problem. Even if I grant both Marshal Mao and General Huang 10,000 households, as long as the annual Liaodong tax of 3 million taels is stopped, I won't lose out." Since the land was now in the hands of the Later Jin, Emperor Tianqi certainly wouldn't be at a disadvantage.

"Your Majesty's wisdom is boundless." Wei Zhongxian's self-defense was successfully completed, and now it was time to launch a counterattack against Grand Secretary Sun: "In this old servant's opinion, we'll probably have to give Mr. Sun some explanation. Mr. Sun is the pillar of our Great Ming Dynasty. This old servant would rather wrong Huang Shi than let Mr. Sun lose face."

...

Sitting in his room drinking tea, Wei Zhongxian was still cursing: "Has Wu Mu lost his mind? If he doesn't win over a fierce general like Huang Shi, who else is he going to win over? When Mr. Sun was trying to win over Huang Shi, he should have offered double the benefits. This scoundrel actually kicked him! Isn't this clearly trying to push Huang Shi to Mr. Sun's side?"

Wei Zhongxian gulped down two mouthfuls of tea, still feeling lingering fear. Wu Mu's memorial definitely wouldn't kill Huang Shi, not even with Sun Chengzong's. Wei Zhongxian thought Sun Chengzong's tactic was a classic case of feigned indifference. Once the truth is revealed to Huang Shi afterward, Huang Shi will definitely hate Wu Mu and himself behind the scenes. Sun Chengzong will not only be completely exonerated, but will also gain a lot of favors. If the Liaodong campaign fails, Tianqi will instinctively believe that Sun Chengzong has been misled, and that everything is Wu Mu's fault—that is, Wei Zhongxian's subordinate. Wei Zhongxian has been busy for months trying to shift the blame for any potential defeat onto Sun Chengzong.

Lost in thought, General Manager Wei gripped his teacup and lid so tightly they creaked, cold sweat beading on his contorted face. "Mr. Sun," he muttered, "you're too cunning." He then lightly patted his forehead a few times, a relieved smile appearing on his face. "Luckily," he muttered to himself, "I was always on guard, careful in every way, and I saw through Mr. Sun's brilliant plan in no time."

Having defeated his imagined enemy, Wei Zhongxian laughed smugly at his victory. After a few moments of self-satisfaction, he summoned a lowly eunuch: "Write a letter to Wu Mu, give him a good scolding! A mere deputy general in trouble—how could he even think of that?"

Wei Zhongxian dictated the letter's summary, explaining his analysis of Huang Shi's greed for titles and hereditary lands, and then told Wu Mu not to be so overly sensitive. Furthermore, Wei Zhongxian believed Huang Shi needed to be recalled and sidelined for a while. Otherwise, Sun Chengzong would conquer the Later Jin.

Wei Zhongxian now believed he had done his job perfectly. He had already elevated Sun Chengzong to the highest esteem before Emperor Tianqi, and Huang Shi, the most capable fighter in Liaodong, was also protected by Wei Zhongxian. Huang Shi's departure from the battlefield was only to save face for Sun Chengzong, who had brought him back. If he could detain Huang Shi in Liaodong and cause him to suffer a defeat, then the blame would fall entirely on Old Sun. If Old Sun could still win every battle… then Wei Zhongxian would have no choice but to accept his fate.

"Mr. Sun…" When the room was empty again, Wei Zhongxian proudly shook his head and said, "I'll go and complain to General Huang first, so that General Huang knows that I'm the one who protected him. And you pushed him to his death, hehe, 'Xin Bu's courage,' truly killing without shedding blood."

"Godfather, your son has investigated." A eunuch rushed in excitedly, "The eldest daughter of the Prince of Fu has not yet been betrothed, and she's about the right age to get married."

…

July 22nd, Tianqi 5th year, Changsheng Island.

Jin Qiude, Yang Zhiyuan, and Li Yunrui returned the day before yesterday. They had systematically completed their work in Fuzhou. Starting yesterday morning, Huang Shi convened a large plenary meeting. Hong Antong, in charge of the internal security, Zhang Zaidi, in charge of the Loyal and Patriotic Catholic Church, and Bao Jiusun, among others, attended.

After the meeting concluded this morning, Huang Shi glanced at the sky; it wasn't lunchtime yet. He gave Zhao Manxiong a look.

Zhao Manxiong coughed, stood up, and said loudly, "While everyone is here, I'd like to discuss our Changsheng Island military regulations. Hmm, it's about officers getting married."

His words caused a stir among the officers—exactly the effect Zhao Manxiong wanted.

"Our Changsheng Island's past rule was that an officer could only get married if half of his subordinates were married. This regulation greatly boosted our morale and effectively consolidated our army's spirit. It also greatly helped..." Zhao Manxiong's opening was very fluent. However, he always used the same clichés without changing them, which bored Huang Shi slightly. He didn't pay attention to what Zhao Manxiong was saying at all, since his opening remarks were always similar. Zhao Manxiong would definitely emphasize the key points.

Sure enough...

"But this regulation has also caused us some trouble. That is, many people would rather not be officers than not get married, and some officers try every means to delay their promotion or openly refuse the promotion orders issued by Changsheng Island, even at the cost of being punished with military flogging," causing

another stir in the room.

"Song Jianjun, that fire brigade officer who just received the Third-Class Medal of Excellence, I think everyone remembers him. After arriving on Changsheng Island in the third year of the Tianqi reign, he arranged a marriage within a year with the help of his then-commander. He originally planned to get married at the end of the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, but because of his outstanding performance in the Battle of Gaizhou, he was promoted to Guozhang (a military rank). According to the regulations of Changsheng Island, each Guozhang must help at least five of his subordinates get married after getting married, so Song Jianjun was busy arranging marriages for his subordinates during those months when he should have been preparing for his own wedding."

Zhao Manxiong maintained a serious expression while recounting the story, but his words brought smiles to the faces of many officers present.

"The former Guozhang Song finally achieved this goal before the Battle of Nanguan, but during the Battle of Nanguan, he was promoted to Huoqiang Bazhong (another military rank) because of his outstanding performance. As a result, he suddenly discovered that four of the five Guozhangs he was facing had not yet met the marriage regulations of Changsheng Island."

Sneers began to rise continuously, but Zhao Manxiong remained calm and composed.

"For the past six months, Battalion Commander Song has been actively helping his subordinates find husbands. Until last month, the third officer in his battalion finally got married. But after the Battle of Fuzhou..." Zhao Manxiong deliberately dragged out his words, then continued in his usual calm tone, "Battalion Commander Song was promoted again, this time facing hundreds of bachelors in the recruit camp."

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd like a volcanic eruption. Zhao Manxiong patiently waited until everyone stopped laughing and began wiping away tears before continuing, "Instructor Song said to me—God help me, please don't promote me again, or my fiancée will have to break off the engagement."

Another wave of laughter exploded in the tent. Zhao Manxiong turned and bowed to Huang Shi: "Your Excellency, I believe a new regulation can be added: officers aged twenty-four or older, or those with a rank exceeding that of a centurion, will no longer be restricted from marrying."

"Agreed! Agreed!" Before Huang Shi could speak, Li Yunrui shouted loudly. He had been staring intently at Zhao Manxiong's lips, afraid of missing a single word. After Zhao Manxiong finished speaking, Li Yunrui clapped and cheered wildly, almost as if he wanted to crush his hands, his face contorted with excitement.

(Chapter 27: Entering the Capital)

In this morning's meeting, Zhao Manxiong's proposal was unanimously approved, and it was finally decided that officers over the age of twenty-four would no longer be restricted from marrying. However, this would bring a serious problem: on Changsheng Island, where there are more men than women, how could it be ensured that officers wouldn't take resources from the soldiers? Or, to put it another way, how could high-ranking officers not take resources from lower-ranking officers? Huang Shi worried that the sudden passage of this regulation would lead to a large number of women canceling their engagements or breaking off marriages. If this were to happen, it would undoubtedly severely disrupt morale within the army.

After further discussion, it was decided that this regulation would not be implemented for officers of the rank of Qianzong and below until January of the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, and for officers of the rank of Qianzong and above until July of the same year. During this period, officers would not be allowed to marry or place engagements immediately. Huang Shi believed that this would give the soldiers a buffer period, since no one in the army knew when they would die or what their future would hold in the coming year, thus preventing a wave of women canceling their engagements or breaking off engagements.

With the plan settled, everyone happily went to eat. Although it would still be a year for most people in the house, at least they had something to look forward to and wouldn't have to keep asking Huang Shi to go on business trips to Shandong.

After so many days, Huang Shi finally went to see the sea again with lunch. To be honest, he didn't have any particular feelings for Oyster Girl at first. Huang Shi's initial intention was just to give a poor person a meal, and later it felt more like a lonely person comforting his pet. Oyster Girl was very lively and cute, and Huang Shi enjoyed talking to her, feeling like he had returned to his carefree childhood.

However, women of this era were obviously not interested in "pure friendship." A few days ago, Huang Shi recalled the Zhao family girl he had met before. That Zhao girl also seemed to think that Huang Shi, having spoken a few words to her, should be his girlfriend, not just a female friend. In the end, it all ended badly, and thankfully the Zhao family didn't ruin him.

After his conversation with the Wang family girl a few days ago, Huang Shi resolved to abandon his irresponsible attitude towards his future partner. He quietly walked down to the shore. The feeling in his heart was strangely familiar, like when he was in elementary school and his parents were called in by the teacher, and he paced up and down the stairs in the doorway, eventually having to stand back outside his own door.

Although Huang Shi was tiptoeing, the rustling of his clothes still startled Wang Xiaoniangzi, who was watching the sea. The girl glanced back quickly, then lazily stood up. As she came to greet him, she said in a calm tone, "Young Master Wang, you must be very busy lately?"

Huang Shi couldn't see a trace of surprise or joy on the girl's face, which made him feel slightly disappointed. He stammered and replied, "Yes, I've been swamped with official duties lately and haven't had a moment to spare."

As he spoke, Huang Shi foolishly handed the food (a type of flatbread) to Wang Xiaoniangzi, who accepted it with a smile, just as always. She didn't seem more excited, nor did she appear any more indifferent than before. A profound sense of frustration welled up in Huang Shi's heart. In his previous life, he had been repeatedly manipulated by women, and now, even in the late Ming Dynasty, he was still like an idiot in front of women.

Huang Shi wanted to find a way to bring up the changes in the regulations today without revealing his intentions or losing face, but after much thought, he couldn't find a tactful way to say it. In Huang Shi's calculations, women in this era should be more sensitive, and besides, bringing it up directly probably wouldn't suit his current status.

"What is General Huang thinking about?" The Wang family girl looked at him curiously, deftly cutting the pancake in half. She really seemed as if nothing had happened.

Huang Shi had originally thought he would encounter a sorrowful woman, and he could tell her that he could finally make a promise for a year later. But the current development was too unexpected, and he finally made up his mind. So be it. He subconsciously waved his hand: "Miss Wang, are you engaged?" No matter what the girl answered, Huang Shi was already prepared.

Unexpectedly, the girl was startled. Her large eyes were filled with surprise: "Engaged? Engaged in what way?"

Huang Shi was stunned, like a toad struck by lightning. He stammered for a long time, wanting to help Wang recall their last conversation, but suddenly paused as if realizing something, and ultimately said nothing.

Wang propped her mouth up with a finger, her eyes darting around before glancing at the distant horizon. After thinking seriously for a while, she let out a soft "Ah," then touched the topknot on her head and said, "Is the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian referring to something that happened ten days ago? Someone went to propose to my brother then, oh dear, sir, I've completely forgotten."

Without making a sound, Huang Shi casually put his arm behind his back. The little girl in front of him turned her gaze away from the blue sky and white clouds, her dark eyes blinking innocently, her long eyelashes fluttering honestly. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest, her upper body swaying slightly back and forth, as if to assure herself that she hadn't lied at all: "My brother wasn't very satisfied with that family and immediately refused. I had just finished the first part of what I said to you, sir, and was about to ask if it was appropriate for you to do this, but you had to leave early because of an urgent matter..."

As Miss Wang spoke, she kept her eyes on Huang Shi's face. When she saw the smile on Huang Shi's lips becoming more and more obvious, she finally couldn't keep up the pretense any longer. The little girl blushed, stuck out her tongue, lowered her head, and clutched the hem of her clothes, humming and muttering, "That's right, it's kind of you that the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian still remembers this."

Huang Shi shook his head, smiled, and sighed, "What a child!"

"Who's a child? I'm almost nineteen!" The pancake girl retorted indignantly, but then she suddenly realized there seemed to be an ambiguous meaning in her words, so she blushed again and lowered her head, saying in a barely audible voice, "Does Your Excellency have something to say to this humble girl today?"

—If you're in a hurry for me to give you a guarantee, then I'll ask you to wait a year. But you little thing, always playing tricks on me, you really need to be taught a lesson.

Huang Shi was silent for a while, then started chatting casually with Miss Wang. He glanced at the little girl and saw her gradually becoming restless, feeling both amused and sorry for her.

Just before Huang Shi could speak, Miss Wang suddenly asked softly, "Is the master angry?"

"No," Huang Shi smiled slyly. "Why would I be angry with you? What did you do to make me angry?"

"Ah," Miss Wang hesitated, then said gently, "Last time, the master said he couldn't write poetry and teased me. I'm petty, so I've been wanting to get revenge. I only have this little mischievous thought; surely the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian won't be angry?"

Huang Shi chuckled. "Miss Wang, you're just going around in circles, still mocking my pettiness."

"I wouldn't dare," Miss Wang glanced at Huang Shi's smile and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. She also chuckled.

Huang Shi stopped being mysterious and gave a general overview of the rules from that morning. Miss Wang listened quietly; although her expression remained largely unchanged, a hint of joy flickered in her eyes. After the deliberately arranged incident last time, this girl surnamed Wang had a fairly clear understanding of Huang Shi's true intentions. When Huang Shi came to see her again today, the girl guessed that there would be some good news.

"...That's basically it. However, no one above the rank of commander-in-chief can be betrothed within a year, this is also for the sake of morale." Huang Shi didn't make any promises to Miss Wang, but his words at this point were practically a guarantee. After he finished speaking, he glanced at the girl beside him. She still had a meek and submissive look on her face. Huang Shi couldn't help but think to himself—you really can't judge a book by its cover. This little girl has completely fooled me, and in the end, she got what she wanted without any problems. God, if I could read women's minds, please strike me dead with lightning.

After Huang Shi finished explaining the new regulations, Miss Wang still looked at the ground without much reaction, only giving a harmless, soft "hmm."

"Here, take this." Huang Shi said, handing over a heavy cloth bag. Miss Wang took it with both hands, squeezed it, then squatted down and opened it... Inside were dozens of Changsheng Island silver coins. She flipped through them with her fingertips, puzzled, then looked up at Huang Shi with a confused expression.

"My salary." Huang Shi shrugged habitually. "The imperial court doesn't pay Dongjiang Army officers a salary, but I can't not pay them."

Since the establishment of Dongjiang Town, because the number of soldiers reported by Mao Wenlong differed greatly from the number approved by the imperial court, the thousands of officers in Dongjiang Town were also not paid a salary; otherwise, the accounts would be unacceptable. The number of soldiers registered with the imperial court for Changsheng Island was originally two thousand, but later Mao Wenlong gave the two thousand soldiers of the lost Steel Vanguard Battalion to Changsheng Island, so now the number of soldiers registered with the Ministry of War is four thousand.

The Changsheng Island army had tens of thousands of soldiers and auxiliary troops, and all the refugees had been incorporated into Huang Shi's military households. This brought the total number of officers to over eight hundred, not to mention the other units of the Dongjiang Town Left Brigade. Since the implementation of military scrip, Huang Shi had been responsible for the officers' salaries.

Over the years, Huang Shi had received nearly a thousand taels of silver in rewards, and this time the court had ordered a reward of two hundred taels for the Fuzhou battle. Huang Shi, who had been eating in the canteen and hadn't touched the silver, specifically asked Yang Zhiyuan for fifteen taels for his sister, Shaobing: "The court's order has come down, summoning me to the capital immediately to meet the Emperor. I estimate it will take at least half a month round trip, and if there's a delay, it might take a month. You can take these ten-odd taels of military scrip."

"Yes," Miss Wang replied without a word of thanks, tying the cloth bag to her waist with an air of entitlement. Her and her brother's combined monthly salary was less than one tael.

The young woman stood up gracefully and stared at Huang Shi. Her expression was so gentle it seemed to melt your heart, and her large, dark eyes seemed to speak volumes. Huang Shi sighed inwardly again—such a promising young man, and he'd been so easily lured into this trap.

Despite these thoughts, Huang Shi involuntarily took two steps forward. Wang Xiaoniangzi looked up fearlessly at the approaching man's face.

"My lord."

At this crucial moment, Hong Antong's voice rang out again, as if out of nowhere. Huang Shi tilted his head slightly: "I'll be going now. Take care, Wang Xiaoniangzi."

"Take care, my lord."

Huang Shi turned and quickly walked towards Hong Antong, who gave Wang Xiaoniangzi a professional smile before following behind. "My lord, Guerrilla Jin insists on seeing you; I couldn't stop him no matter what I did."

Upon seeing Huang Shi, Jin Qiude's first words were: "This humble general dares to request that Your Excellency dismiss everyone."

At this moment, only Hong Antong remained close to Huang Shi; the rest of the guards stood far away, unable to hear their conversation. Seeing the unwavering determination in Jin Qiude's eyes, Huang Shi waved Hong Antong aside as well.

"My lord, I heard the court wants you to go to the capital, is that true?" Jin Qiude asked impatiently after Hong Antong left, having just heard the news from the Imperial Guard.

"Yes, I plan to arrange the work of the old camp this afternoon. Is there a problem?" Huang Shi had only received the imperial decree this morning after the meeting. He had instructed the Imperial Guard to inform the officers of various departments to continue the meeting in the afternoon while he took his lunch to the seaside.

"My lord, you absolutely must not go to the capital!" Jin Qiude exclaimed anxiously. He clapped his hands and said, "My lord, I think we can stage a mutiny. We'll say you just said you were going to the capital, and Changsheng Island is in chaos. It'll be a good opportunity for Eunuch Wu to see."

Huang Shi was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, "Brother Jin, what's wrong with you?"

Jin Qiude and Huang Shi looked at each other for a while, then Jin Qiude finally knelt down and began to kowtow forcefully, making his helmet thud against the ground.

"Brother Jin, please rise." Huang Shi was truly astonished this time; such etiquette hadn't been used among the old brothers of Changsheng Island for a long time. Huang Shi squatted down and supported Jin Qiude's shoulders: "Brother Jin, please speak frankly."

...

At the afternoon meeting, Yang Zhiyuan, He Dingyuan, and the others showed no unusual behavior. They even jokingly asked Huang Shi to bring back some local specialties from the capital, especially He Dingyuan. When He Dingyuan heard that Huang Shi was going to the capital to meet the emperor, his face was filled with such envy that it almost dripped water. He kept insisting on going with Huang Shi.

Wu Mu had already received a secret letter from the palace, so he had somewhat anticipated today's situation. Although Wu Mu felt that Wei Zhongxian's words made a lot of sense, he still vaguely felt that Huang Shi was too conspicuous—but Eunuch Wei must know more than him, otherwise how could Eunuch Wei be the Director of the Eastern Depot, while he was just a military supervisor on Changsheng Island?

Huang Shi calmly handed over the various tasks, and the officers of Changsheng Island all accepted the orders. Wu Mu stole a few glances at Huang Shi, feeling a little guilty. But after thinking about his own heart, he immediately felt relieved—those who achieve great merit are not rewarded, and those who intimidate their lord are punished. Commander Huang, you are not obvious now, but if you don't share your merits with Liaoxi and Liaodong, you will eventually reach this point. I have been through thick and thin with you for so long, and I can't just watch you go down a dead end... For both public and private reasons, you should go to the capital to rest.

Wu Mu wasn't the only one having such plans; Sun Chengzong was also speaking with Ma Shilong. After the Battle of Fuzhou, both Sun Chengzong and Ma Shilong were more confident. They believed the Later Jin army was exhausted and on the verge of collapse.

"Rest assured, Lord Sun," Ma Shilong said confidently, "our Guan Ning cavalry is ten times stronger than the Changsheng army and a hundred times stronger than the Jianzhou Jurchens. We will surely win in Hedong." His spirit pleased Sun Chengzong. As the saying goes, "An army is raised for a thousand days, used for one." For years, Sun Chengzong had provided the Guan Ning army with sufficient armor and weapons, paid them their full salaries, and trusted them implicitly, never interfering in military matters. Now, Sun Chengzong hoped the Guan Ning army would repay his years of hard work and trust. Old Sun had no doubt that Ma Shilong would not let him down. However,

thinking of Huang Shi's risky attack for the Liaoxi offensive, Sun Chengzong felt a vague unease. However, he believed that transferring Huang Shi to Zhili was also a good way to protect him. The more Sun Chengzong pondered Huang Shi's behavior, the more he felt that this man was not simple. He believed that letting Huang Shi alone claim the credit for the pacification of Liaodong would be irresponsible to both the Ming Dynasty and Huang Shi himself.

...

The capital, the Imperial Palace.

Today, Emperor Tianqi finished planing a new wooden pipe, part of the fountain he designed for the Imperial Garden. After working up a sweat, the emperor was in a very good mood, even humming a tune while bathing. Wei Zhongxian seized the opportunity to approach...

"To bestow the princess of the Prince's family upon General Huang? How amusing." Tianqi found the idea quite interesting and asked with a laugh, "But why do this? It's not just for fun, is it?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Wei Zhongxian immediately launched into a long list of benefits: "According to ancestral rules, military households that marry members of the imperial family can have their descendants take the imperial examinations. This old servant believes that General Huang has rendered such great service, it is only right for Your Majesty to reward his descendants."

Tianqi pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes, yes, is there anything else?"

Wei Zhongxian smiled obsequiously, "There is also the matter of bestowing titles. This old servant believes that if we only consider the merit of pacifying Liaodong, if General Huang is granted the title of Earl, then Marshal Mao must be granted the title of Marquis; if General Huang is granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, then Marshal Mao cannot only be granted the title of Ten Thousand Households, so..."

The young emperor smiled and interjected, "So we should bestow the title of the Prince's daughter upon General Huang, so that even if only General Huang is granted the title after pacifying Liaodong, it can be said that it is out of consideration for my Princess sister, and no one else will have anything to say. Right?"

Wei Zhongxian immediately exclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"Haha, Minister Wei is truly cunning. Alright, I grant your request. Use my name to send a letter to Uncle Wang." (

Chapter 28, "Sweeping Through the Army Like a Rolling Mat")

At the southernmost point of the Nine Provinces, at the Emperor's ferry crossing.

August 2nd, 5th year of the Tianqi reign, Tianjin.

On this trip to Beijing, Huang Shi brought not only a small squad of imperial guards as his personal troops, but also Jin Qiude. Jin Qiude had vehemently opposed Huang Shi's trip to Beijing, but to no avail, and insisted on accompanying him. Although Huang Shi didn't believe the court would engage in any "discarding the bow after the birds are gone" tactic, he couldn't bear to disappoint Jin Qiude's unwavering loyalty, so he brought him along. Hong Antong remained on Changsheng Island, as his duties as

an imperial guard were still quite demanding. At this time, Tianjin, like Jinzhou Fort in Liaodong, was a thoroughly militarized garrison fortress. After more than two hundred years of construction by the Ming Dynasty, this fortress was far more fortified than the Liaodong fortress, with its four walls constructed of staggered, horse-faced forts. The city gates were also guarded by magnificent semi-circular forts.

However, in the eyes of Huang Shi and Jin Qiude, these two soldiers, the city's architectural design, while exquisite, seemed somewhat impractical. For example, the semi-circular gates of Tianjin Wei's city walls were positioned at the front, which, while more dignified and convenient for pedestrians and merchants, weakened the city's defenses from a military perspective. Military regulations in Liaodong stipulated that all barbicans and semi-circular gates must be positioned to the side of the city wall—meaning enemy troops had to be close to the wall to attack the gates, and even if they breached the outer gate, they had to laboriously turn their siege weapons 90 degrees to attack the inner gate.

A wide stone bridge spanned the moat directly opposite the city gate. The original drawbridge was now useless; both the ropes and planks were rotten and unusable. As Huang Shi and his party crossed the bridge, the bustling merchants and travelers paid no attention to them, a group of foreigners.

Following the guide through the city gates of Tianjin, Huang Shi saw the city guards chatting in the shade on either side, letting pedestrians flow in and out without anyone being checked. Most people wore smiles, talking loudly as they passed the sentry posts, their voices mingling with the noise of children and the laughter of women – a stark contrast to the solemn silence at the gates of Liaodong. The cheerful scene replaced the tense atmosphere of Liaodong.

Entering the city, Huang Shi looked at the bustling streets and sighed, "This is peace. I haven't seen it for ten years."

Jin Qiude, who had maintained a tense expression on the way there, seemed to share a similar sentiment. Like Huang Shi, he had never been to Shandong, having worked diligently on Changsheng Island all these years. Jin Qiude looked around for a while, then said emotionally, "I was exiled to Liaodong at sixteen, almost ten years ago. I wonder what Suzhou is like now."

Upon entering the city, the first thing to do was to go to the Tianjin County government office to exchange for travel permits. In the Ming Dynasty, according to the regulations established by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, only those with official titles were exempt from travel permits. Scholars who passed the provincial examination and became a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar) could travel the country with a sword, no longer hindered by checkpoints. However, without official titles, even a hereditary second-rank military officer like Huang Shi had to change his travel permit every time he entered a province or prefecture, and report his personal guards and all his weapons.

Although Emperor Taizu Zhu Hongwu came from a poor background, he believed that scholars—that is, intellectuals—were the essence of the nation. Therefore, he adopted various measures to encourage scholars and elevate their status. For example, he encouraged Confucian scholars not to kneel before the emperor and to speak frankly about the emperor

's faults. After more than two hundred years of refinement, Ming Dynasty scholars considered it an honor to dare to speak out against the emperor's mistakes. By the Wanli era, scholars were no longer satisfied with criticizing only the emperor; they often criticized the emperor's wife, sons, and even his mother, and this had developed into rude and unrestrained speech. They even frequently speculated maliciously and openly discussed the emperor's private conversations.

For example, the maritime ban was one of the targets of attack by civil officials.

After changing their travel permits, the soldiers on Changsheng Island strolled around the streets. At this time, Tianjin City was no longer just a military fortress. A large number of merchants and artisans lived in the city. Many trading markets also appeared outside the city. All these changes were the result of the Wanli Emperor's complete lifting of the maritime ban.

In fact, as early as the Jiajing era, the Ming Emperor had already begun to open the maritime ban in a disguised way. The young Jiajing Emperor had fought bitterly with civil officials, but in the following twenty years, he never revised a single word of the cabinet's draft proposals. By the late Jiajing period, the once young and impetuous emperor was already old and frail. After simply increasing the number of ship permits, the Jiajing Emperor left the heavy responsibility of further opening the maritime ban to his son, the Longqing Emperor.

Huang Shi always thought that the Longqing Emperor was, to put it nicely, a "good old man," but to put it bluntly, a coward. When he ascended the throne, the old men in the cabinet were all seasoned veterans who had spent most of their lives navigating the complexities of the Jiajing Emperor's reign. Any one of them could easily subdue Longqing. During imperial meetings, it was essentially just the cabinet ministers discussing matters amongst themselves. Whenever the newly enthroned Longqing tried to offer an opinion, the cabinet would bluntly and bluntly rebuke him—"Your Majesty, the imperial family's population is not large right now. You should spend your time in the harem having a couple of children, instead of constantly bothering us."

In the days that followed, Emperor Longqing would listen to his ministers' discussions after each court session. Once they had finalized their plans and presented them to the emperor, he would simply say "Approved," and the ministers would shout "Long live the Emperor!" before dispersing and going home. Historical records indicate that for several years, Emperor Longqing only had the opportunity to say "Approved" every day. Because the Jiajing Emperor had opened several ports for export trade before his death, Longqing's audacity was limited to this extent.

After Longqing's death, the next emperor, Wanli, refused to attend court. As a result, the officials gave the emperor the nickname "Little Bee." "Little" meant the emperor was rather frail, and "bee" implied he only liked to flit about among the women of his harem.

During the Wanli era, the two general managers of the Ming Dynasty were both incredibly capable. General Manager Gao Gong, accustomed to the incompetent former chairman Longqing, and seeing that the imperial edicts originated from the cabinet, felt nothing to fear. However, he yelled at the eunuch delivering the edict: "Do you really want me to believe a ten-year-old's words are 'imperial edicts'?"... Unexpectedly, the current chairman Wanli's two mothers (his birth mother and stepmother) were two very capable young women—at least more capable than their deceased husbands. These two women secretly bribed Vice General Manager Zhang Juzheng, and together they forced General Manager Gao to retire.

After Wanli assumed personal rule, the Little Ice Age began. To increase revenue, Wanli ordered the complete abolition of the maritime ban and ship permits, replacing it with a fixed maritime tax levied on each ship. For example, forty taels…

On their journey from Tianjin to Beijing, Huang Shi saw not only Ming Dynasty merchants but also many foreign merchants. They transported various goods between Beijing and Tianjin, including caravans of black slaves. After Wanli lifted the maritime ban, many Ming officials—especially those in Beijing—felt it prestigious to have a few black guards. Therefore, black slaves and clocks were highly sought-after commodities for Western merchants.

Because of the lifting of the maritime ban, Wanli was relentlessly attacked by civil officials. But this emperor had his own rules; seeing that the cabinet wouldn't approve, he sent eunuchs to collect taxes. These eunuchs reported that Ming Dynasty merchants were building increasingly larger ships; goods that previously required two ships could now be transported in one. The stingy Wanli Emperor felt he was being taken advantage of, so he increased the tax on each ship… Merchants built even larger ships… Wanli collected even higher taxes… By Huang Shi's time, the customs duty on each Ming Dynasty ship had risen to eighty taels.

Huang Shi recalled that the Spanish had completely different assessments of China around the time of the Wanli Emperor's reign. Initially, they said China's maritime trade capabilities were low, and its sailors were too few to defend themselves. But ten years after the Wanli Emperor opened the seas to foreign trade, the Governor-General of Manila wrote to the Spanish King, claiming that Chinese ships had become large and numerous: "If the Chinese Emperor wished, he would have so many ships that he could build a pontoon bridge from Quanzhou to Malacca."

Upon entering Beijing, Huang Shi frequently saw various bookstores and bookshops. Besides selling Confucian classics for scholars, these bookstores also carried countless novels, Buddhist scriptures, Taoist texts, as well as Western works translated into Chinese and various promotional brochures.

The Ming Dynasty paid two million taels of silver in agricultural taxes annually. Due to the Little Ice Age, Emperor Wanli had to exempt a large amount of agricultural taxes and provide disaster relief each year. He first ordered disaster relief funds to come from the Imperial Treasury, then special war expenses, followed by funds for river repairs and flood control, and subsidies for poor harvests in military farms.

To cover these various expenses, Wanli racked his brains to make money. In addition to collecting nearly three million taels of maritime tax and tens of millions of taels of commercial, industrial, salt, and tea taxes, he also ordered the opening of bookstores to the Imperial Treasury to generate revenue. Any book that could be sold was printed, or printed if a fee was paid.

Therefore, this era saw the highest volume of book printing in China's feudal dynasties. Huang Shi recalls that the scriptures of Xu Hongru, the leader of the Wenxiang Sect, were printed by the Imperial Bookstore, as were the sect's propaganda leaflets—all because Xu Hongru paid for them…

The clothes worn by people on the streets of Beijing were also colorful, all for tax revenue considerations. An official once lamented that commoners in the Ming Dynasty dressed more beautifully than officials, and some even wore bright yellow fabrics. The civil officials urged the emperor to rectify the court and forbid the people from overstepping their bounds. Initially, Wanli hesitated, but the eunuch collecting taxes on silk and cloth asked him, "If commoners are not allowed to wear fine silks and satins, who will Your Majesty collect taxes from?"

In the end, Emperor Wanli succumbed to the silver-bombing offensive, withstood the officials' vehement criticism, and revised the ancestral laws of the Ming Dynasty. He abolished all restrictions on carriages, clothing, and sedan chairs.

"General Huang, the Imperial City is just ahead, please stop," the Beijing guide interrupted Huang Shi's thoughts. He pointed to the Forbidden City in the distance: "General Huang can come a little closer, but not too close. After you've seen it, we'll go to the inn and await the imperial summons."

Huang Shi walked a little further; his current location was roughly where the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall was in his previous life, and the south gate of the Forbidden City was already visible in the distance. Huang Shi strained his eyes to see, but he was too far away to make out the plaque on the city gate, let alone the words written on it.

Seeing Huang Shi's focused gaze, the guide couldn't help but lean closer and ask, "General Huang, what are you looking at?"

"Isn't there a plaque above the city gate?" Huang Shi quickly pointed to the south gate of the Forbidden City, his voice trembling with excitement, "Does it say 'Da Ming Men' (Great Ming Gate)?"

The guide smiled and nodded, "General Huang is right. Have you ever been to the capital before?"

"No," Huang Shi denied without turning back. He saw the vast fleet of ships outside Tianjin Port; he saw merchants from all over the world in Tianjin and along the way to Beijing; he saw the rows of bookstores and bookshops in Beijing; and he saw the residents of Beijing, adorned with flowers. Although Huang Shi couldn't see the plaque on the south gate, the thought of the three characters "Da Ming Men" and the fact that China had lifted its maritime, road, book, and clothing restrictions made him feel that everything he had done in the past had been meaningful.

"Daming Gate, oh Daming Gate." Huang Shi felt his eyes welling up with tears. All the hard work of the past years seemed to have paid off at this moment. He murmured to himself, "Tomorrow, or at the latest the day after, I'll be summoned, right? I must take a good look at that plaque; it symbolizes the Chinese civilization I risked my life to protect, the glory of my ancestors and the blessing of future generations."

September 10th, the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, Shanhaiguan, Liaodong Military Command of the Ming Dynasty.

Ma Shilong spread a large map on the table. After dismissing everyone, General Ma personally explained the situation in Hedong to Sun Chengzong.

Just like the original history of Huangshi, Ma Shilong ultimately chose Yaozhou as his target—a key hub connecting the Liaozhong Plain to the Fugai Hills: "Lord Sun, recently many Han soldiers have fled to western Liaoning from the Yaozhou and Haizhou areas. After careful questioning, it turns out that Yaozhou only has some bannermen and Jurchen families. Moreover, the current fortress in Yaozhou is an expansion of a post station, and the city walls are low, easily climbed by human ladders."

The map on the table was also covered with some colorful flags, which were used to indicate the distribution of the Later Jin army in the vicinity, making the military situation clear at a glance. Ma Shilong pointed to the location of Gaizhou and said, "According to intelligence from the Battle of Fuzhou, there were originally seventy or eighty Niru belonging to the six banners of the Jurchens in the Gaizhou area. In the past two months, our army has discovered that the Jurchens of five of these banners have returned to Liaozhong. Lindan Khan also wrote to the Ministry of War, saying that the Jurchens there are under great pressure, so I believe that the main force of the Jurchens has returned to northern Liao."

"The rest," Ma Shilong gestured with his hand above the map, then clenched his fist and slammed it on the Gaizhou area, "are only the twenty-one Niru of the Jurchen Plain Blue Banner entrenched here. This Plain Blue Banner has been defeated twice by the Dongjiang Army this year. According to reports from spies, the banner lord Mangultai of the Plain Blue Banner has also been wounded. Lord Sun, my plan is to first seize Yaozhou with lightning speed, and then march south with overwhelming force. Annihilate the Jurchen Plain Blue Banner and capture Mangultai alive!"

Sun Chengzong nodded repeatedly, the intelligence and strategy seemed perfect. He stroked his long beard and asked in a deep voice, "General Ma, how confident are you?"

Ma Shilong straightened his body, raised both hands, and spread his ten fingers wide: "Absolutely, absolutely..."

After a passionate speech, Ma Shilong, radiating confidence from within, seemed to exude an aura of dominance: "Lord Sun, you are wise. In the battles of Nanguan and Fuzhou, there were instances of soldiers fleeing at the mere sight of the enemy. It is evident that the Plain Blue Banner is the weakest banner among the Jurchens. According to my analysis, this banner, from top to bottom, has completely lost the courage to confront our Ming army. This battle will be as easy as turning the palm of your hand. Lord Sun, you can rest assured."

As he spoke, Ma Shilong chuckled: "If it weren't for the need to recapture Gaizhou, I really wouldn't bother fighting such a weak Jurchen force."

The "who else but me" attitude in Ma Shilong's words pleased Sun Chengzong. He simply smiled and reminded him, "It's good that Commander Ma is so confident. But don't be careless, and don't be too arrogant either."

This made Ma Shilong laugh heartily, "Lord Sun, you're overthinking it. This time, I've appointed the renowned Guan Ning general Lu Zhijia as our commander, and the vanguard Li Chengxian is also a warrior of unparalleled strength. Whether in strategy or martial prowess, I dare say they are no less than Huang Shi. As for the Ningyuan Central Army, we have one artillery battalion, one cavalry battalion, and two naval battalions. This strength is unmatched, not just by the small Dongjiang Left Army, but by the entire Dongjiang Town!"

On September 12th of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, Huang Shi was still anxiously awaiting an audience in Beijing, while at this time, Lu Zhijia, the deputy commander of the Guan Ning Army and the Ningyuan Central Army, sacrificed a bull to raise the flag, and the four field battalions set off in a mighty procession towards Sanchahe. Leading the charge was none other than the fierce general Li Chengxian, well-versed in military strategy and renowned for his ability to draw a ten-stone bow and wield a twelve-foot spear.

Li Canjiang's artillery battalion, deployed for the first time, comprised 2,480 combat soldiers and 5,500 auxiliary troops. They possessed 88 cannons, 350 chariots, 600 horses, and 1,500 muskets of various types. The three battalions that followed, according to their established quotas, would have several thousand combat soldiers and nearly ten thousand auxiliary troops; 60 cannons and over a thousand muskets. In addition, over two thousand warships would accompany them.

Like the personal guards of several other generals, Li Chengxian's personal retainers were also going on their first campaign. Most of them were murderers selected by Li Chengxian from among the conscripted soldiers over the past few years. This large group of former江湖 heroes marched noisily, looking quite menacing.

The wheels of history had finally rolled to this point—the curtain of the bloody battle of Yaozhou was being gently drawn back… Sweeping through

the enemy ranks like a whirlwind. Chapter 29: Turning Point.

In Huang Shi's previous life's history, Lu Zhijia did indeed lead a large army on his campaign. This was a force that had never experienced war; they had never been on the battlefield before. Historically, Ma Shilong did indeed believe that Yaozhou consisted of only a bannerman and women and children. The difference between history and the present is that historically, Ma Shilong launched his campaign on September 22nd, while this time it was brought forward to September 12th.

In Huang Shi's previous life, Ma Shilong misjudged the troop strength in Yaozhou. There wasn't just a single Niru (a military unit) of unarmored soldiers and women and children; there was also a full hundred soldiers under the command of the Niru Ejen, Tunbulu! When Tunbulu heard that Lu Zhijia intended to attack Yaozhou, he immediately ambushed both sides of the main road. When the Ming army arrived at night, Tunbulu ordered the unarmored soldiers, women, children, and the elderly inside the city to light fires and beat drums and gongs. Lu Zhijia and Li Chengxian, filled with suspicion, led the Ming army outside the city for half the night, hesitant to attack. They decided to

wait until dawn to see clearly. Only after the Ming army was exhausted did Tunbulu suddenly lead a Niru of soldiers out from both sides of the main road. In the darkness, the Ming army couldn't see how many enemy soldiers there were, and their army collapsed in panic. Lu Zhijia and Li Chengxian were swept away by the chaos and fled back to Sancha River. But when they reached the riverbank, they discovered that the Guan Ning Army's Iron Cavalry, who had escaped earlier, had destroyed the pontoon bridge to guard against pursuit by the Later Jin army. Ming soldiers jumped into the river in droves, and those who drowned because they couldn't swim nearly filled the Liao River.

In the ensuing chaos, Lu Zhijia and Li Chengxian couldn't find boats to cross, and both were caught and killed by Tunbulu. In this battle, Tunbulu, with a single Niru (military unit), routed a Ming brigade, beheading over 400 men, including a deputy general and a vice-general, and capturing 700 suits of armor, over 600 warhorses, and countless supplies and weapons. Nurhaci personally went 40 li outside the city to welcome Tunbulu and slaughtered cattle and sheep to thank the gods for this "epic" victory.

The Liaoxi commander Ma Shilong offered three explanations for this: First, he was misled by the words of a deserter. If he had been told beforehand that there was a full-strength, well-equipped Niru in Yaozhou, he might have been more cautious about sending troops. Second, Ma Shilong believed the main mistake lay with Lu Zhijia. If the Guan Ning army had attacked Yaozhou during the day, four battalions of 7,000 soldiers against a single Niru of 100, they should have been able to win. Finally, and thirdly, Ma Shilong pointed out that if the cavalry hadn't breached the Sancha River pontoon bridge during their escape, so many people wouldn't have died.

However, Ma's explanations were not accepted by the harsh and ungrateful Tianqi Emperor. Although in Huang Shi's previous life, Tianqi had developed a strong mental fortitude from constantly missing reports of victory, he still couldn't understand how a brigade could be defeated by a mere niru.

In the timeline Huang Shi arrived in, the Tianqi Emperor, having witnessed some of the army's victories, had become intolerant of defeat. The niru of Tunbulu, having suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Ming army during the Fuzhou campaign, had already returned to Liaozhong with Daishan to rest. However, this time, Yaozhou was not just inhabited by bannermen, women, children, and the elderly…

September 13th, Tianqi 5th year, Yaozhou.

A group of men marched listlessly to the fortress gate, led by Mangultai, whose arm was still in a sling. He had just received a secret letter saying that Liu Xingzuo of the Right Garrison of Gaizhou had stabilized after hearing that Huang Shi had gone to the capital. After careful consideration, Liu Xingzuo decided it was best to wait and see how things developed, which put Mangultai's mind at ease after nearly two months of anxiety.

Killing Liu Xingzuo was out of the question, at least not now. Therefore, Mangultai had always harbored the idea of striking later, hoping the Han army wouldn't suspect anything. Once he confirmed the situation was as he wished, Mangultai felt a great sense of relief. He left five relatively intact Niru (military units) and half of the unarmored soldiers to continue defending Gaizhou, while he himself led the remaining sixteen Niru back to Liaozhong to recuperate.

Recently, Mangultai had been physically and mentally exhausted; his face was haggard, and even some gray hairs had appeared. While passing through Yaozhou, Mangultai's personal guards spotted many deer in the nearby forest. He was stunned for a long time after hearing this, and finally gave a bitter smile: "Then let's rest in Yaozhou for a day, and go deer hunting tomorrow. Ah, it's been so long since I've hunted, I really miss it."

Mangultai's guards were secretly saddened when they saw the long-lost smile on their master's face. Although it was a bitter smile, it was still a rare smile since the Battle of Fuzhou. As they led Mangultai's horse to Yaozhou for the night, they secretly assigned tasks, searching the surrounding area for wine and liquor, preparing to make Mangultai have a good time the next day.

Huang Shi, who was still wandering around Beijing today, decided to visit Mao Chengdou's house again. Since Mao Wenlong established his garrison, Mao Chengdou, as Mao Wenlong's eldest son, had lived in the capital with his mother. Huang Shi already had a good personal impression of Mao Chengdou, and after arriving in the capital, Huang Shi had also visited Mao Chengdou. Mao Chengdou was convinced that he would inherit his father's hereditary title of General Pingliao, so he was very polite to a general like Huang Shi. After all, he felt that, in the long run, the Mao and Huang families would support each other for generations to come, and in the short term, Huang Shi was his father's right-hand man.

Mao Wenlong's wife was someone he married after he rose to prominence, back in his hometown of Hangzhou. Therefore, Mao Chengdou was only twenty-two years old, and his life in the capital made him appear somewhat immature. However, whenever Huang Shi visited, Mao Chengdou would invite him to stay for a meal and give him a red envelope—a so-called "gift money"—when Huang Shi left. Each envelope contained only five taels of silver, but it was an important courtesy between superiors and subordinates in the late Ming Dynasty.

In Huang Shi's previous life, many of Mao Wenlong's clansmen died in war. By the time of the disastrous defeat at Tieshan, over three hundred of Mao Wenlong's clansmen had perished, leaving Mao Chengdou as Mao Wenlong's only surviving son. After Mao Wenlong's death (the defeat at Tieshan was one of the charges Yuan Chonghuan used against him), Mao Chengdou remained in the capital to seek justice for his father, his fallen brothers, and his clansmen. Later, when the Manchus entered the Central Plains, Mao Chengdou fled back to his hometown of Hangzhou.

After the Hongguang regime collapsed, Mao Chengdou went into the mountains to live like a hermit. At that time, Kong Youde and other former Dongjiang generals had already been enfeoffed as kings and marquises. They sent troops to search the mountains and found Mao Chengdou. These people all wanted Mao Chengdou to join them and share in their wealth, but Mao Chengdou said without hesitation, "I fear that would go against the will of the former general (who pacified Liaodong)." Historical records state that Mao Chengdou then disappeared without a trace.

After Huang Shi presented his visiting card to the Mao residence, the main gate quickly opened, and Mao Chengdou, as usual, personally came out to greet Huang Shi.

"Greetings, Young Marshal."

"Greetings, General Huang."

Every time Huang Shi saw the frail, scholarly-looking Mao Chengdou, he secretly sighed, wondering how such a person could become a qualified border general. He thought that if he married and had children, and if the Later Jin dynasty was not yet destroyed, his wife and son would also live in the capital, and the next Liaodong commander might be appointed without ever having experienced war.

Just as Huang Shi stepped across the threshold of Mao Chengdou's house, he saw another person standing there waiting for him. The man was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, about the same age as Huang Shi. Dressed in a simple blue scholar's robe,

he bowed respectfully to Huang Shi, saying, "General Huang." Huang Shi quickly returned the bow. Seeing the man's dignified bearing, Huang Shi knew he was likely from a prominent family. His blue robe further suggested he was a child from an official family who hadn't yet passed the imperial examinations. Because someone in their family held an official position, they needed to be mindful of etiquette. Such children dared not dress as flamboyantly as ordinary people, lest they be impeached by officials for neglecting their upbringing. By the late Ming Dynasty, all the people Huang Shi encountered who paid attention to their attire were scholars and officials' children with official titles; ordinary people and merchants of that era had no such taboos.

When returning the bow, Huang Shi respectfully asked, "What is your esteemed surname? And your rank?" Although the man was still a commoner, since someone in his family might hold an official position, Huang Shi dared not be careless.

"My surname is Sun, and my given name is Zhijie." The young man's tone and expression were extremely polite.

"Young Master Sun," Huang Shi greeted him politely, not yet knowing who the other man was.

Sun Zhijie seemed to sense Huang Shi's confusion. A look of pride flashed across his face, and his tone remained as indifferent as before: "My grandfather once mentioned General Huang to me," Sun Zhijie paused again, "My grandfather is a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, Minister of War, and Liaodong Military Commissioner..."

September 14th, Tianqi 5th year, Yaozhou.

Mangultai, looking worried and haggard, summoned his generals for a address. He had just been about to go hunting when he received news of a large Ming army arriving at Sanchahe. Now he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. His former vitality seemed to have left him. Mangultai's movements, expression, and tone made him look like an old man.

"This Beile has already sent people to Gaizhou to move women and children. What we must do now is defend Yaozhou to the death, otherwise the elderly, children, and women of our Zhenglan Banner will all fall into the hands of the Ming army." Mangultai slowly shook his head. He estimated that once Yaozhou fell, Liu Xingzuo would rebel. And in the current state of the Zhenglan Banner, it was absolutely impossible to resist the two-pronged attack of the superior Ming army. His eyes were filled with sorrow as he spoke: "Can you imagine what the Ming army will do to our people? Can you imagine such a thing happening?"

Mangultai slowly waved his arm, a faint resolute glint flashing beneath the thick layer of twilight on his face: "We must defend Yaozhou to the death, so that the bannermen of Gaizhou can retreat to Liaoyang. Let us die here." Mangultai cried out: "Let us die here."

At this moment, Lu Zhijia by the Sancha River was already impatient. Both naval camps had countless large ships, and each large ship was tied with many small boats. Sun Chengzong theoretically allocated a thousand boats to each battalion, but Li Chengxian had been waiting since dawn, and even after Lu Zhijia's central army arrived, not a single boat had appeared.

They were unaware that Zhou Shoulian of the Iron Cavalry Battalion had secretly conspired with Liu and Jin to teach Lu Zhijia and Li Chengxian a lesson during this campaign. They wanted to show them their arrogance, reminding them that clinging to Ma Shilong's powerful backing meant they could act with impunity. Finally,

as the sun was setting, Lu Zhijia received seven fishing boats. The leading naval officer, disregarding his armor, performed a full salute: "Reporting to Lord Lu, the naval forces couldn't send all their boats, so Lord Jin ordered me to gather these seven fishing boats and send them over."

"Why couldn't they send all their boats?" Lu Zhijia exclaimed, his eyes widening in alarm.

"Reporting to Lord Lu, our ships are too large, and the Liao River is too shallow. Moreover, the naval camp doesn't know the low tide season, so the ships might run aground," the naval officer said confidently.

Lu Zhijia, his beard bristling and eyes wide, asked, "What about the smaller boats? Aren't there dozens of small boats tied to each large ship?"

The naval officer calmly replied, "Reporting to Lord Lu, the small boats are too small. If they leave the large ships, they would probably be blown away by the waves. The sea is really too rough today."

Lu Zhijia was speechless for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively to shoo the man away. He then ordered his soldiers to use fishing boats to cross the river and build a bridgehead, while simultaneously ordering tens of thousands of auxiliary troops to cut down trees and build a pontoon bridge.

Yaozhou was still brightly lit in the darkness. Mangultai, fully armored, sat in a chair, drinking wine from a small cup with a gloomy expression. He had his large iron shield tightly bound to his left upper arm. Mangultai looked at his left forearm, still tightly bound, and sighed again.

"Master, please rest a while," a servant of the Plain Blue Banner finally broke the silence. He had seen his banner lord wait in this state from dawn till dusk, and then from nightfall until just before sunrise. "It's almost daylight, Master, please rest a bit."

Mangultai gave a bitter smile. "Rest? I'll have plenty of time to rest soon." He then drank another small cup of wine. He muttered to himself, "The pontoon bridge will be built soon, and the Ming army will cross the river this morning. Twenty thousand troops! But I will still fight to the death!" At noon on the

fifteenth,

a batch of cannons had been transported across the river overnight and into the morning. Li Chengxian had also led a group of soldiers across, but the pontoon bridge was still far from being completed. To be precise, the Ming army hadn't even finished collecting the timber needed to build the pontoon bridge. Lu Zhijia looked at the sky with frustration and could only urge the seven fishing boats to transport troops back and forth. The cannons were incredibly heavy, and the auxiliary soldiers were all newly recruited farmers from the fields, so they were too clumsy to move quickly…

Mangultai had fallen asleep leaning back in his chair when a soldier in white armor from the Plain Blue Banner tiptoed over him and draped a cloak over him. This seemingly innocuous movement startled Mangultai awake: “The Ming army is here!” Mangultai jumped three feet high in the air, his eyes wide with fury as he roared, “Kill! Follow me!”

“Master! Master!” Several soldiers in white armor rushed forward and embraced the still somewhat disoriented Mangultai. “Master, the Ming army hasn’t finished repairing the pontoon bridge yet. Don’t worry, sleep a little longer.”

…

Just after lunch today, a servant from the Mao family delivered a letter to the post station. Huang Shi tore open the letter and saw that it was from Mao Chengdou, inviting him to go for an autumn outing the next day. Mao had also mentioned inviting Sun Zhijie, and that they would be having a banquet at a pavilion in the suburbs of the capital. Huang Shi inquired about the pavilion's location, gave the messenger a small reward, and sent him back to tell Mao Chengdou that he would arrive as soon as possible.

The 16th.

Lu Zhijia was still busy organizing the river crossing, while Li Chengxian had set up a tent on the opposite bank to rest. Even worse news came from the sea today: the naval camp had returned to Ningyuan due to the rough seas. Lu Zhijia immediately detained all the naval land troops and urged them to cut down trees to expedite the construction of the pontoon bridge.

At noon, Mangultai of Yaozhou was taking a nap. His armor had loosened considerably, allowing his chest, which had been confined for two days, to breathe. When the scouts arrived, Mangultai snorted, "The Ming army's pontoon bridges... I suppose they're still not built properly?" The five relatively intact Niru from Gaizhou had already arrived, and Mangultai, while reassuring them, told them to take the time to rest.

"Your Majesty is wise,"

the scout reported. Afterward, Mangultai lazily said, "I know, go down and drink and eat meat." Back when Nurhaci crossed the Sancha River, he built a large number of pontoon bridges in just one night, and 60,000 troops crossed the Liao River in five hours. This time in Fuzhou, Huangshi's 20,000 troops crossed the Sha River in less than two hours. Recalling the past, Mangultai muttered, "These are all Ming troops, how come the difference is so great?"

September 17th, 5th year of the Tianqi reign, afternoon, Sancha River estuary.

In Huangshi's previous life's history, Lu Zhijia had been working on the pontoon bridges from September 24th to September 27th without success. This time, he had been toiling from September 14th to September 17th, and still hadn't built the bridge. Lu Zhijia looked at the timber he had just collected and finally made an important decision: "I'm crossing the river by boat. You all repair the pontoon bridge tonight, and have the Iron Cavalry catch up before dawn. I've been sleeping in the wilderness for three days already, and I must go to Yaozhou to rest tonight."

Just a bunch of old men, children, and women? At most, two hundred bannermen without even armor. Lu Zhijia still thought it wouldn't be a problem.

This afternoon, Mangultai took several white-armored soldiers to hunt in the forest. When the messenger ran in, Mangultai was loudly eating piping hot roasted venison, his left arm still firmly slinged around his neck, his armor removed and thrown aside. Upon hearing the messenger's report, Mangultai, without even looking up, rejected his generals' plan to launch a night attack. He felt that while fighting at night could create a false impression, the number of beheadings and spoils would be greatly reduced: "Send men to create a false impression, let those cowardly rats suffer another night of cold wind outside."

Mangultai ate with greasy mouth, swallowing his food without looking up, his mouth stuffed with venison, muttering indistinctly, "Tonight I'll eat and drink my fill, then have a good sleep, and tomorrow morning I'll slaughter those fat pigs."

Chapter 30: Sweeping Through the Army Like a Rolling Mat

. September 21st, Tianqi Year 5, Beijing, the Forbidden City.

Today, the Emperor had worked hard all day, finally completing his self-designed fountain in the Imperial Garden before sunset. Of course, the concept of fountains didn't exist in this era, so this fountain in the Forbidden City was China's first man-made fountain. Tianqi was very proud of his brilliant idea. Along the way, the young Emperor hummed a tune he had heard from Empress Zhang, feeling that he hadn't been as happy as he was today in a long time.

"I'm starving! Bring me food quickly!" After taking a bath, the emperor threw on a cloth and returned to the inner palace shouting, his whole body steaming with heat.

At this time of day, the eunuchs would rush out to set the table, and soon steaming hot food would be served to the emperor. But today, after the emperor called out, he noticed something was amiss. The Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Director of the Eastern Depot stood silently before the inner palace steps—these two men rarely visited the palace without a reason. Tianqi paused for a moment, then stopped the eunuchs who were busy setting the table: "Wait, you can all leave now."

As he spoke, the emperor glanced at Wei Zhongxian, whose head was almost touching his feet, looking as anxious and uneasy as a schoolchild who hadn't done his homework. Tianqi sighed and sat down on his throne, supporting his forehead with his hand. After the eunuchs helped him put on his dragon robe, the young man spoke: "Speak, what bad news has arrived this time?" "

General Ma Shilong of Guan Ning has submitted a memorial to plead guilty." With Wei Zhongxian's low report, the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial handed over a memorial with trembling hands, then waited anxiously beside the emperor, beads of cold sweat rolling down his thick chin.

Tianqi frowned at him, asking with disgust, "What are you waiting for? A reward?"

"This old servant wouldn't dare," the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial replied, as if granted a pardon. He didn't even dare wipe his sweat as he quickly retreated to Wei Zhongxian's side, then immediately lowered his head again.

The emperor's fingers lingered on the memorial, paused, and then swiftly opened it. Tianqi read slowly, his lips trembling slightly as if he were reading each word aloud. Wei Zhongxian, his head bowed to the ground, could occasionally hear the emperor's soft chuckles. The laughter grew more frequent and louder as the memorial progressed.

"Ha, I thought it was something serious. Look how frightened you all are."

Tianqi closed the memorial with a smile, lightly patting it. "It's just the death of a deputy general and a lieutenant general, the loss of over ten thousand soldiers, what's the big deal, huh?"

Although the emperor's expression was amiable, the Director of the Eastern Depot and the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial lowered their heads even further.

“Ma Shilong mistakenly believed what the fugitive said, thinking he could bully some old, weak, women and children... Haha, of course, if you send out a detachment of 20,000 government troops to fight a few hundred women and old men, and you still can’t win, are you even human?” Tianqi laughed and flipped through the memorial again, occasionally picking out some sentences that he thought were well written.

Emperor Tianqi read through the entire document from beginning to end, still savoring the experience, and exclaimed with delight, "Well said! I didn't know that Ma Shilong hadn't told me. Every year, I spend three million taels of silver to support hundreds of thousands of soldiers, yet they only dare to fight against a few hundred women and old men. If they encounter Jurchen men, they should lose, and lose with dignity!"

Wei Zhongxian and all the eunuchs in the hall immediately knelt down again, shouting in unison, "Your Majesty, please calm down."

"Get up, all of you get up." Emperor Tianqi greeted them with a broad smile, "Who said I was angry? I'm quite happy. Can't you see how happy I am?"

Seeing that the eunuchs were still grumbling and refusing to stand up, Emperor Tianqi slammed his hand on the table, the sound as loud as a thunderclap. At the same time, he shouted sternly, "All of you, get up!"

The eunuchs, their faces pale, scrambled to their feet. Tianqi's arm, which was gripping the table, trembled violently. After a long, gurgling sound, he finally managed to squeeze out a broken sentence: "Wei Zhongxian, where is the draft resolution from the Grand Secretariat?" Tianqi's whole body began to tremble. He slammed the memorial into Wei Zhongxian's face, letting out a roar that was barely audible: "Why can't I see the Grand Secretariat's draft resolution? Answer me!"

The memorial had just hit Wei Zhongxian's nose, and blood immediately gushed from his nostrils, streaming down his face and dripping onto the memorial at his feet. Wei Zhongxian, still with his hands pressed tightly to his sides, replied, "Your Majesty, the Cabinet dares not draft a resolution."

Tianqi laughed in fury, "Ha, dares not draft a resolution? It's one thing that my imperial troops dare not fight men, but my Cabinet dares not even draft a resolution? What's the point of having a Cabinet then? Haha, truly amusing."

The emperor's cold, malevolent laughter echoed in the inner hall, causing all the eunuchs to pale in shock. The few junior eunuchs serving the emperor rarely saw the usually amiable Tianqi in such a state, and their legs trembled uncontrollably. Only Wei Zhongxian, his nose bleeding profusely, remained unfazed, speaking in a calm tone: "Your Majesty, Ma Shilong has failed in his duties and betrayed the Emperor's favor, but..."

He paused, then, having successfully drawn the Emperor's attention, stepped forward, knelt upright, and looked up to meet Tianqi's gaze: "Your Majesty is wise. Ma Shilong was promoted by Mr. Sun himself, and this year Mr. Sun even personally requested an imperial sword for Ma Shilong. Though this old servant is foolish, I dare ask Your Majesty, if the Cabinet were to draft a punishment for Ma Shilong, where would that leave Mr. Sun?"

Seeing Tianqi fall silent, Wei Zhongxian emphasized, "This old servant believes that Ma Shilong is incompetent and has misled the Emperor, but since he was promoted by Mr. Sun, we must give Mr. Sun face. This old servant's sincerity is as clear as the sun and moon. Your Majesty, please see this clearly."

"However, however..." Tianqi looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then suddenly said, "If I remember correctly, this Mangultai, and the Jurchen Plain Blue Banner, have already been defeated twice by General Huang this year."

"Your Majesty is wise," Wei Zhongxian immediately chimed in, "The first battle was at Nanguan. This scoundrel Mangultai led three banners against one of General Huang's battalions. General Huang captured his banner and golden helmet, and beheaded nearly nine hundred. This scoundrel was also trapped at Nanguan by one of General Huang's battalions for more than a month."

Tianqi paced back and forth in the room a couple of times, while Wei Zhongxian continued without looking at him, "The second battle was the recapture of Fuzhou. This scoundrel Mangultai was still not giving up. He led the elite troops of six Jurchen banners to attack two of General Huang's battalions. This scoundrel used every trick in the book—feigning defeat, bait, ambush, etc.—he almost set fire to them." The waters were high. But General Huang possessed unparalleled bravery, and even in this unfavorable situation, he decisively defeated the elite of the six Jurchen banners with just two battalions. In the end, General Huang even wrote a letter of apology for having fallen into a trap, taking no credit whatsoever.

Hearing this, Tianqi let out another long sigh that sounded like a mix of crying and laughing. Wei Zhongxian continued relentlessly, "Ma Shilong himself admitted that the Jurchens on the other side only had Mangultai's banner, and it was a remnant of troops that had been defeated twice by General Huang... Your Majesty, this old servant believes that if General Huang had been in command of this battle, Mangultai probably wouldn't have even dared to fight." "

If only I had listened to Wu Mudi back then and transferred Huang Shi to be the Commander-in-Chief of the Liaoxi Military Affairs," Tianqi said, then remembered what Wei Zhongxian had said—Sun Chengzong had disagreed at the time.

Wei Zhongxian, observing the situation, pressed his advantage, saying, "This old servant believes it's best not to send General Huang to Liaoxi or back to Changsheng Island for now, otherwise Mr. Sun might lose face. Perhaps it would be better to wait until things calm down?"

Tianqi was speechless for a moment, then began pacing slowly in the hall again: "Xinbu's bravery, heh heh. Compared to someone like Ma Shilong, General Huang is certainly brave. How could he not be?" The emperor finally stopped pacing after a long while: "The censors know about this matter, don't they?" "

Your Majesty, the censors have already submitted their impeachments. This old servant has discussed it with the cabinet, and all impeachments against Mr. Sun will be rejected." Wei Zhongxian remained kneeling upright, blood streaming from his chest: "Those impeachments against Ma Shilong, this old servant thinks it would be best to send them to the Liaodong Governor's Office."

"Hmm." Tianqi first agreed, then frowned and thought for a long time before hesitantly asking Wei Zhongxian, "Wouldn't this put Mr. Sun in a difficult position?"

"Your Majesty is wise. This old servant believes that if Mr. Sun punishes Ma Shilong, the censors will naturally have nothing to say. Mr. Sun is like Zhuge Liang, who wept as he executed Ma Su; it would be beneficial to Mr. Sun's reputation. On the contrary, if Mr. Sun wants Ma Shilong to atone for his crimes through meritorious service, then Mr. Sun can also use these impeachment memorials to win over Ma Shilong, making him feel ashamed and then courageous."

Wei Zhongxian's words were clear and resonant, and Tianqi nodded repeatedly: "Indeed, Mr. Sun has his own plans. I will not cause him any trouble. Let it be done as you say."

The emperor turned around and saw Wei Zhongxian still kneeling there, blood streaming from his nose. He was moved by Wei's loyalty, but also regretted misunderstanding Wei's intentions and his own rashness. Of course, the emperor wouldn't apologize to the eunuch; he simply ordered, "Go help Minister Wei up and take him to stop the bleeding."

Wei Zhongxian thanked him and left. Long after he left, Tianqi still gazed at the palace gate where he had disappeared, and couldn't help but praise the eunuch beside him, "The Eunuch is truly loyal. Moreover, he acts with impartiality in everything, is worldly-wise, and never takes credit. He is truly rare."

At this moment, Wei Zhongxian had already run to the Directorate of Ceremonial. He first laughed heartily, laughing until tears streamed down his face, "I never expected this, never expected this!" Wei Zhongxian laughed until he was breathless, coughing intermittently, "I never expected to lose the first battle, and lose so badly!" After laughing to his heart's content, Wei Zhongxian's face darkened, and he coldly snorted, "

Which fools submitted the memorial impeaching Mr. Sun? Didn't I already give instructions? Our men can only impeach Ma Shilong, not Mr. Sun."

The eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial turned pale with fright and hurriedly kowtowed, explaining, "Reporting to the Directorate, our men are indeed impeaching Ma Shilong. Those impeaching Mr. Sun are just self-proclaimed upright individuals, not our people."

"Spread the word that His Majesty dislikes anyone impeaching Mr. Sun. If anyone still dares to be so blind..." A sharp glint flashed in Wei Zhongxian's eyes, and his teeth clenched, "Carefully scrutinize their writing. If there are any typos or incoherent sentences in their memorials, punish them with caning for disrespect."

...

On the 25th day of the ninth month of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign (1626), in a pavilion in the suburbs,

Sun Zhijie, Mao Chengdou, and Huang Shi were brewing tea and listening to music. Huang Shi originally preferred to be in military attire, but Sun Zhijie didn't like drinking tea with people in military uniform. Even Mao Chengdou disliked Huang Shi constantly wandering around in his military uniform. Although Huang Shi didn't understand their feelings, he knew there was nothing he could do about it. In the environment of the late Ming Dynasty, a soldier's armor was no more noble than a beggar's bowl...of course, it was more eye-catching.

Huang Shi asked himself honestly, "Isn't..." He preferred to sit at the same table as a beggar, so he changed out of his military uniform. Sun Zhijie had originally suggested that Huang Shi wear the crimson official robes of a second-rank military officer. Aside from the square-winged black gauze hat and the tiger pattern on the chest, it was otherwise indistinguishable from the robes of a second-rank civil official. Sun Zhijie thought it would be very imposing and would certainly display his status. But Huang Shi had no interest in this. He wore a white-bodied blue robe, just like Sun Zhijie and Mao Chengdou, and tied a headscarf around his neck.

After the tea was brewed, Sun Zhijie smelled its aroma and sighed with satisfaction, "It is a great honor that you two have come today." "

Recently, memorials impeaching Ma Shilong have been flying everywhere. Although the emperor has kept them all in the archives without issuing any replies, everyone, considering the Donglin Party's misfortunes this year, believes that Old Sun is also nearing his end. Therefore, everyone is keeping their distance from the Sun family. The Sun residence in the capital is practically deserted.

Huang Shi, as a border general, has never dared to visit any high-ranking officials since arriving in the capital. Those officials also avoid Huang Shi to avoid suspicion. Therefore, the only people he can associate with are the families of border generals, such as Mao Chengdou. After meeting Sun Zhijie that day, Huang Shi guessed that this might be Sun Chengzong's deliberate attempt to win him over." He used various methods, but he also readily made friends with Sun Zhijie. Huang Shi remembered that in the Battle of Gaoyang, Sun Chengzong's entire clan perished, even more tragically than Mao Wenlong—at least Mao Wenlong had a son whose whereabouts were unknown. Since Sun Zhijie was Sun Chengzong's direct grandson, he must also be someone destined for disaster.

Out of this heartfelt respect, Huang Shi did not avoid Sun Zhijie after hearing about the disastrous defeat at Yaozhou. Mao Chengdou was initially hesitant, but seeing Huang Shi's actions, he felt both respect and admiration and decided to go for it. As a result, Huang Shi and Mao Chengdou quickly became Sun Zhijie's comrades-in-arms.

"Grand Secretary Sun is a veteran of three reigns, isn't he?" Mao Chengdou, mimicking Sun Zhijie's manner, sniffed the tea, while also reassuring him, "I heard that the Emperor has begun to find fault and has punished some officials who impeached Grand Secretary Sun. This shows that Grand Secretary Sun's favor with the Emperor has not waned."

Sun Zhijie's face first lit up with joy, then turned to worry: "The Emperor's favor is immense; naturally, he cherishes my grandfather greatly." However, this has led many officials in the court to compare my grandfather to treacherous villains like Yan Song. Moreover, many officials in our dynasty consider it an honor to be flogged in court. His Majesty's intentions were originally one of protection, but now the number of memorials impeaching my grandfather has actually increased. Truly, this is both thunder and rain, a sign of imperial favor!

" Since Huang Shi and Mao Chengdou were close friends in adversity, Sun Zhijie couldn't help but mention another worrying matter. This was something Sun Chengzong had revealed in a letter to his family: "His Majesty has been incredibly kind, keeping all the memorials impeaching Ma Shilong and even sending a copy to the Liaodong Military Command. His Majesty wants my grandfather to decide how to deal with Commander Ma, alas..."

Hearing Sun Zhijie sigh again, Mao Chengdou asked, somewhat puzzled, "This shows His Majesty trusts Grand Secretary Sun, isn't that a good thing?" Huang Shi,

sitting to one side, remained silent. He often observed Mao Chengdou and Sun Zhijie with great interest. Mao Chengdou was a frail young man, his nails neatly trimmed and smooth—a complete scholar, lacking any of the bearing expected of him to succeed as the next General Who Pacifies Liaodong. Every time Huang Shi looked at this clean-cut young scholar, he found it hard to imagine what such a person would look like in tattered clothes, with disheveled hair, going into the mountains. He simply didn't possess the savage air of Tarzan.

Sun, sitting on Huang Shi's other side… Zhi Jie was the epitome of a scholar, a literati among literati. Huang Shi couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness upon seeing him—the army couldn't protect the country, and they had to rely on the Sun family's scholars to fight the enemy… Such refined scholars, no matter how brave, were utterly useless.

After listening to the exchange between Mao Chengdou and Sun Zhi Jie, Huang Shi sighed inwardly. These two scions of literary and military families—Mao Chengdou was incapable of governing the country, and Sun Zhi Jie had completely lacked experience in officialdom. The education of the Ming Dynasty's children was truly problematic.

"You may all leave now," Huang Shi dismissed the singing girl playing the zither, then solemnly said to Sun Zhi Jie, "Is there perhaps a villain around the Emperor?"

Sun Zhi Jie stared wide-eyed and retorted, "What do you mean, Brother Huang?"

The three stared at each other in silence for a moment. Seeing Huang Shi only smiling and remaining silent, Sun Zhi Jie finally asked again, "Brother Huang, what do you mean by saying there are villains around the Emperor?"

Seeing that Sun Zhijie still didn't understand his meaning after so long, Huang Shi suddenly realized that he might know his grandfather better than Sun Chengzong's grandson. He mentally reviewed Sun Chengzong's life again and asked with a smile, "Young Master Sun, I've met your grandfather more than once. Grand Secretary Sun is upright and never shifts blame to his subordinates. I wonder if I'm right?" "

Of course..." Sun Zhijie's face changed color halfway through his sentence.

Huang Shi was confident that he knew Sun Chengzong very well. In the Battle of Dalinghe in history, Sun Chengzong repeatedly ordered the Ming army to retreat from there, but the governor refused to listen to Sun Chengzong's orders. After the disastrous defeat, Sun Chengzong still felt that he bore a heavy responsibility—because he hadn't coordinated the relationships well, so he took all the blame.

"I've heard that most of the officials in the court are clamoring for General Ma to be punished severely, but General Ma's defeat seems to have also been due to internal constraints. Perhaps the responsibility for this strategic maneuvering lies with Grand Secretary Sun?" Huang Shi smiled and shook his head, saying to Sun Zhijie, whose expression was growing increasingly grim, "I don't think Grand Secretary Sun would shift the blame for Ma's execution onto him. I think Grand Secretary Sun is the kind of person who is determined to eliminate any potential threats to the military commanders."

Sun Chengzong was never one to shirk responsibility. Besides his personal character, if Ma Shilong were truly killed, how would Sun Chengzong, who had personally promoted him, feel about it? Therefore, Huang Shi could clearly predict that Sun Chengzong's reaction this time would be to take full responsibility, using his own official position to ensure the safety of all the military commanders.

"These memorials are putting my grandfather on the fire!" Sun Zhijie exclaimed through gritted teeth. He now understood the underlying meaning of Sun Chengzong's letter: "This must be another vicious scheme devised by those eunuchs."

"Probably." Huang Shi lowered his head and began to drink his tea. He vaguely realized that he had judged Sun Chengzong's reaction based on historical knowledge, but some people seemed to be able to predict the outcome completely in advance. Truly, they were geniuses in political struggle.

When he heard Sun Zhijie call him a "eunuch," Mao Chengdou's face paled slightly. After seeing Huang Shi agree with this statement without batting an eye, Mao Chengdou pretended to drink tea while his eyes involuntarily scanned the surroundings. Only after confirming that no one else had heard did Mao Chengdou feel relieved, put his teacup back on the table, and let out a sigh of relief.

When the three of them returned to the city, Huang Shi, as usual, took his leave first. Watching his departing figure, Sun Zhijie said thoughtfully, "Young Master Mao, General Huang is truly a man of great refinement."

After Sun Zhijie and Mao Chengdou also parted ways, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he said softly to himself, "Tomorrow I may need General Huang to do me a favor, a very big favor."

...I am a dividing line in time and space...

The second year of the Hongguang reign of the Ming Dynasty, outside the capital.

Sun Zhijie and Mao Chengdou were having tea in their usual pavilion. Sun Zhijie downed his tea in one gulp and said loudly, "Brother, no need to see me off any further, I'll be going now."

"Brother Sun, are you really not going to reconsider?" Mao Chengdou excitedly grabbed Sun Zhijie's sleeve. "Your Majesty..."

Seeing Sun Zhijie's brows furrow, Mao Chengdou stammered, "The Commander-in-Chief values you highly."

Sun Zhijie pulled his sleeve back, carefully considered his words, and said, "The imperial regalia has no master, only the virtuous and powerful shall possess it. Your Excellency, the Prince Consort, is renowned throughout the land, you cannot be said to be powerless, and you are praised throughout the land, you cannot be said to be without virtue..."

Meeting Mao Chengdou's gaze, Sun Zhijie said resolutely, "It is only that I fear it would go against the will of my late grandfather (the restoration of the Ming Dynasty)."

After saying this, Sun Zhijie stood up: "This empire is already in Your Excellency's hands, one more or less makes no difference, one less or less..." Not one was missing.

On the dirt road from Beijing to Gaoyang County, Sun Zhijie led a donkey with a heavy book box on each side, clearly filled with his collection of many years. Sun Zhijie himself, dressed in a blue scholar's robe and turban, sang as he walked away, watched by Mao Chengdou.

Chapter 31: The Whirlpool

. September 26th, 5th year of the Tianqi reign, Beijing.

Since arriving in Beijing, Huang Shi had been idle every day. At first, he treated it as a vacation, but Huang Shi was used to military life, and this leisurely life made him uncomfortable after a while. At breakfast, Huang Shi received a letter from Sun Zhijie and Mao Chengdou, these two idle men, inviting him to have tea at the pavilion, so he agreed without much thought.

After breakfast, Huang Shi went to the street to listen to storytelling. In this day and age, there wasn't much entertainment, so Huang Shi found this a acceptable form of entertainment and planned to pass the time by listening to it before heading to his appointment in the suburbs. Today

, the storyteller was recounting the story of Yue Fei. At the most moving parts, the storyteller was moved to tears, and the audience around him sighed in sympathy. Huang Shi hadn't been particularly interested in storytelling before, but now, sitting among the crowd, he couldn't help but be deeply moved by the atmosphere.

When the storyteller on stage recited Yue Fei's poem "Man Jiang Hong," his tone suddenly became high-spirited and spirited, his gestures conveying a sense of overwhelming power. Huang Shi, sitting below, was also deeply moved by the story. His heart was filled with turmoil. When the storyteller reached the end, uttering the eight words "Heaven and earth bear witness, heaven and earth bear witness" with bitter resentment, his voice became hoarse, his eyes glazed over, and his tone grew increasingly choked with sobs. His words were so poignant that it was almost unbearable to listen to. Huang Shi couldn't help but sigh.

As the storyteller wiped away his tears, the audience below also looked somber, silently tossing a few more coins into their bowls. After a while, the storyteller on stage suddenly raised his head and slammed his clapper down heavily, like a thunderclap in a clear sky, startling everyone. The storyteller said, "Gentlemen, for your patronage, I will now tell you another story."

After saying this, he struck the clapper again with a deafening sound, cleared his throat, and said loudly, "Today I will tell the story of a hero of our dynasty, a valiant man from Liaodong." "If you all think it's well-told, then give me a shout of approval..."

The storyteller began recounting Zhang Pan's story—indeed, tragic heroes are the most moving. Listening to the artistically embellished portrayal of the late General Zhang, Huang Shi couldn't help but recall Zhang Pan's voice and smile, and the two exchanging toasts after the Battle of Lushun... Overwhelmed with sorrow, Huang Shi found it difficult to continue listening. He quietly stood up and slipped out of the crowd.

Behind him came the storyteller's booming voice: "...But the Eastern Barbarians have launched a massive invasion of Lushun, and Huang Gongbao of Changsheng hastily led his troops to its aid..."

Then came a deafening thud, and a chorus of cheers erupted from the crowd. These storytellers, scattered throughout the streets and alleys of Beijing in this era, were like Huang Shi's former life as a news broadcaster, explaining the state of affairs as they saw them to the people. Hearing the cheers for his name from behind, Huang Shi felt a secret sense of pride. Being recognized by the people is, after all, a glorious thing—I've done quite a bit of work that benefits the people and the country, haven't I?

Upon arriving at the pavilion in the suburbs, the musician and tea boy hired by Sun Zhijie were already waiting there. After Huang Shi sat down, the tea boy brewed tea for him, and the musician respectfully came over to greet him, then asked him to choose a piece. Huang Shi knew nothing about the music of this era, so he let the musician play whatever he wanted.

The musician seemed used to Huang Shi's musical idiocy and sat to the side, fiddling around. After playing the zither for a while, he started playing the pipa. Huang Shi had been somewhat melancholy today; ever since the storyteller spoke of Yue Fei and Zhang Pan, he felt as if a large stone was lodged in his chest. The Ming Dynasty's military preparedness was lax, the border troops were impoverished, and the situation in Liaodong was perilous. But since arriving in the capital, everything he saw was a scene of prosperity.

The sound of the pipa made Huang Shi increasingly unhappy: "Enough, enough."

"Wait." "The speaker was Mao Chengdou, who arrived just as Huang Shi was speaking. After sitting down, Mao Chengdou swayed his head and savored the music: 'Every time I listen to this pipa, a feeling of heroic passion wells up within me, as if I were on a battlefield with clashing swords and galloping horses. General Huang, don't you think so?'

'Well said.' Sun Zhijie also arrived, accompanied by an unfamiliar young man who looked to be only twenty-four or twenty-five years old. After sitting down, Sun Zhijie also exclaimed: 'Since ancient times, the sound of the pipa has been most heart-wrenching. Especially when I think of the current political situation, with treacherous officials in power, I am filled with nameless hatred.'

Seeing that Mao and Sun were so passionate, Huang Shi didn't want to interrupt their enjoyment, so he smiled faintly: 'You two gentlemen speak well, but I have seen too much bloodshed in my daily life, so after arriving in the capital, I wanted to hear some gentle music and didn't want to recall those bloody memories.'"

Having said that, Huang Shi stood up and turned to face the unfamiliar young man, smiling as he asked, "May I ask your name, sir, and how you are?" The

young man, who had been preoccupied and uneasy, stepped forward and knelt down, grabbing Huang Shi's collar: "General Huang, save me!"

Huang Shi exclaimed in surprise, trying to back away but unable to break free from the man's tight grip. He bent down to help the man up, but even after two attempts, he couldn't lift him. The young man remained kneeling there, crying out again, "General Huang, save me!"

By this time, Sun Zhijie had already chased the bystanders away and then said to Mao Chengdou, "Young Master Mao, I will not hide today's events from you, but I hope you will not reveal them."

Mao Chengdou was already filled with astonishment. He said solemnly, "Brother Sun, rest assured, I will keep my mouth shut."

At this moment, Huang Shi was comforting the young man: "Please rise, young master. Speak slowly. I will do my best to help in any way I can." But the young man on the ground persisted, saying, "

General Huang must first promise to save my whole family's lives before I will get up."

Although Huang Shi knew that the ancients often acted this way, as a modern man, he still instinctively felt disgusted by this behavior that bordered on coercion. He suppressed his displeasure, not letting it show on his face at all: "Young master, please explain the reason first. If I can truly help, I certainly won't stand by and watch someone die."

The young man cried out urgently, "General Huang, you can definitely help!" But he still refused to get up: "Please, General Huang, you must promise me."

“Young master, how can I know if I can help if you don’t speak?” Huang Shi tried his best to soften his voice, maintaining a faint smile on his face. “Young master, please stand up and speak first, okay?”

Unexpectedly, the man staggered back a few steps, pulled a dagger from his sleeve, and pointed it at his throat. “General Huang, your words can save countless lives, turn the tide, and sweep away the treacherous officials in the court.” As he spoke, the young man brought the dagger to his throat again. “But this matter is too important. I will only dare to speak if General Huang agrees to my request. If General Huang agrees to my request, I am willing to atone for my disrespect today.”

At this moment, Huang Shi had already stood up straight with his hands behind his back, and the smile on his face had completely disappeared. He squinted at the newcomer, snorted, and turned to walk back to his seat, coldly saying, "I can't agree to anything until things are clear. Please do as you see fit."

Sun Zhijie and Mao Chengdou were both stunned, especially Sun Zhijie, who hadn't expected this outcome at all. He quickly reminded him, "General Huang, this young master is someone I brought. Does General Huang not even trust me?"

Huang Shi sensed the underlying dissatisfaction in Sun Zhijie's tone, and Mao Chengdou's expression also became strange, seemingly implying that Huang Shi didn't trust his friend. Seeing that

Huang Shi still didn't respond, Sun Zhijie slammed his hand on the table in anger, jumped up, and grabbed the unfamiliar young man: "Let's go." As he spoke, he turned back and glared fiercely at Huang Shi: "I thought General Huang was a righteous man; I, Sun Zhijie, have misjudged him."

Mao Chengdou gave Huang Shi a deep look, his reproach even more pronounced. He quickly stood up and greeted them, "Brother Sun, wait a moment, and this gentleman, wait a moment too. General Huang didn't say he wouldn't agree."

"I didn't say I wouldn't agree," Huang Shi said with a wry smile. He turned to Sun Zhijie , who was

visibly angry, and said, "I just want to know what it is. If it's truly aboveboard and within my power, why wouldn't I agree to Young Master Sun's request?" Unexpectedly, this remark provoked even greater indignation from the other party, whose tone rose: "General Huang, do you suspect that I, Sun Zhijie, would do something dishonest?"

...

Meanwhile, in Uiju, Korea.

Three Dongjiang soldiers were repairing their thatched huts. There were now a large number of Dongjiang soldiers throughout northern Korea, and countless more near Uiju. These soldiers were originally ordinary people from Liaodong. In the past five years, hundreds of thousands of Han Chinese had continuously fled into Korea and Kuandian. As soon as they entered the territory of Dongjiang Town, Ming army officers would come with supplies and rosters to recruit them.

Except for a very few exceptionally strong and conspicuous men, most male soldiers would only receive a set of military uniform and a ration coupon, after which the officers of Dongjiang Town would have them sign and affix their fingerprints to a roster. Once they became official Dongjiang soldiers, they would receive two dou of rice per month. Two dou of rice was certainly not enough, but Dongjiang Town would also organize them to work in mining, farming, and tilling the land. As long as they participated in these tasks, the military town would provide them with more food to sustain themselves.

Last winter, Liaodong and Korea experienced no snow, and the frost period along the Yalu River lasted for as long as 150 days, resulting in a complete crop failure for the hundreds of thousands of acres of military farms cultivated near Yizhou. In addition, the number of Liaodong refugees this year was greater than the total of the previous three years combined, and many elderly people and children in military households near Yizhou had already starved to death. After July, the Dongjiang headquarters issued an order to reduce the ration of each male soldier's household from two dou to one dou, a piece of news that made ordinary military households even more desperate.

However, life had to go on. Winter was fast approaching, and the three soldiers were busy repairing the roof of their thatched hut. The hut housed four men, all theoretically belonging to the household of Captain Ji Tuisi, a guerrilla commander under Mao Yongshi of the Dongjiang Army. Their superior, Captain Ji Tuisi, was said to have followed General Mao Yongshi since Guangning Town, and was one of General Mao's four remaining personal guards (originally known as Ji Si).

This year, General Mao Yongshi led his troops to Kuandian, while Captain Ji Tuisi stayed behind to prepare provisions and recruit new soldiers to continuously supply the front lines. Today, Ji Tuisi led a supply corps to gather provisions, asking who wanted to go with him. The eldest of the men in the hut joined Ji Tuisi's group, while the remaining three took advantage of the sunny weather to do odd jobs.

"Brothers, look what I've got!" a burly soldier shouted excitedly, running back with a sack on his shoulder in his right hand and a large, dark pot in his left.

After running into the house, the burly man casually tossed the bag on his back onto the ground, then proudly flipped the large pot over, tapping it a few times with his left hand to make a loud thumping sound: "Did you hear that? It's iron. Such a big iron pot!"

"It's really a good thing," the three soldiers gathered around, stroking the large iron pot with obvious delight. "Brother, where did you get this?"

"I dug it up outside a village," the eldest brother replied, beaming with joy. Today, he had seen traces of burial in an abandoned courtyard on the edge of a village, suggesting the owner had left. Suspicious, he eventually dug up a set of iron farm tools and a considerable amount of furniture. The Liao soldiers were too poor to care for much else; Commander Ji Tuisi took the heavy plow, horse harness, and kitchen knife, but rewarded the iron pot to the leader with his keen sense of smell. Besides this, Commander Ji also gave the leader half a bag of miscellaneous grains.

"It's been so long since we've had a big pot of rice cooked in; it's just stewed flatbread every day." The eldest brother, beaming, started washing the pot while sending his brothers to pick wild vegetables. "Let's have a good meal today, and then tomorrow we'll go find the blacksmith and have this pot forged into a knife."

During the meal, the four brothers discussed what kind of knife they wanted to make. The eldest brother finally decided on a long knife, and then a wooden shield. "Last time the Ministry of Revenue came to survey the land, anyone with a knife and shield was counted as a military household under the Ministry of War. Tsk tsk, as long as you're recorded, you get five dou of rice a month." The eldest brother calculated the days, lost in his daydreams. "In two months, the officials from the Ministry of Revenue will come again to survey next year's troop numbers. Then I'll just stand there with this knife and shield... and five dou of rice will be mine."

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted outside. The four brothers didn't pay much attention at first, but the noise grew louder and louder, soon becoming a bustling crowd. The eldest brother and his three brothers looked at each other for a moment, then dropped their bowls and chopsticks and ran out.

On the official road south of Yizhou, a troop of soldiers was slowly heading north. The soldiers on both sides of the road stared intently at the two large red military flags fluttering at the front of the column. Those who could read shouted to everyone:

the first flag read—General Who Pacifies Liaodong!

The second flag read—Commander-in-Chief of Dongjiang!

Shouts erupted from the crowd on both sides of the road…

“General Mao, it’s General Mao!”

“It really is General Mao personally leading the troops!”

…

After seeing the flags clearly, the eldest brother and his three brothers ran home as fast as they could.

“General Mao has gone to attack Liaodong again.” The eldest and second eldest brothers hurriedly put on their military uniforms. While putting on their straw hats, the third brother had already wiped two sharpened, thick wooden sticks clean and handed them to his two elder brothers.

The eldest brother tied four bundles around his waist, while the second eldest only tied three. He smiled and said to the eldest brother, "I'm not as greedy as you. I'll be satisfied if I can fill these three bundles with rice."

"As long as we come back alive, at least we'll get a bundle of grain." The eldest brother tightened his straw hat, then weighed the wooden spear in his hand—the weight was just right. "Even if we don't come back, we can at least eat our fill these few days, at least we'll die well-fed."

"Keep an eye on the house while we're gone." The eldest and second eldest brothers checked their equipment one last time, gave instructions to the third and fourth brothers, and then strode out of the house, joining the long column of the Dongjiang Army. The soldiers all had serious expressions, gripped their weapons tightly, and marched forward without hesitation. Along the way, Ming officers and soldiers continued to join this long, serpentine column, like thousands of streams converging into a surging river.

"We'll march on Zhenjiang and eat rice!" Someone in the army shouted the first command, and immediately the entire army echoed:

"Eat rice!"

"Eat rice!"

"Eat rice!"

Amidst this rhythmic chanting, and the soaring morale of the thousands of Ming soldiers, Mao Wenlong's two large banners burned like flames in the cold wind...

October 12th, the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, Phoenix City.

Amin, the banner lord of the Bordered Blue Banner, was eating. Large chunks of mutton and mushrooms bobbed in boiling water, emitting an enticing aroma.

"Master, Master!" a white-armored man with a blue-bordered banner rushed in, shouting, "The Ming army crossed the Yalu River last night and has already surrounded Zhenjiang."

The white-armored man knelt on the ground and reported loudly, "The Ming army in Zhenjiang is countless, probably tens of thousands, and is attacking the surrounding villages and warehouses. Mao Wenlong is personally leading the army."

Amin had a piece of mutton on his chopsticks. He silently blew on it, then put it in his mouth, chewing slowly for a long time before swallowing.

"This year has been a severe drought. Mao Wenlong must be running out of rice again, right?" Amin's eyes were filled with sorrow and pity. He looked down at the sheep bones he had tossed aside and couldn't help but sigh repeatedly, "Mao Wenlong is probably planning to forage for grass near Zhenjiang to survive the winter, isn't he? Alas, poor thing, in this cold weather, how can he survive without any food?"

Amin shook his head sadly again, then suddenly threw his chopsticks into the meat pot, his tone suddenly turning murderous: "If Mao Wenlong takes all the grass, what will I eat? Hmm?"

"That Eighth Prince really guessed right." Amin was busy preparing to don his armor for the expedition while instructing his servant, "Go and inform the Fourth Prince that I'm going to Zhenjiang. He'd better keep an eye on Chen Jisheng in Kuandian, lest he sneak up and rob me."

Chapter 32 of "Sweeping Through the Army Like a Rolling Mat" -

October 5th, 5th year of the Tianqi reign, Beijing.

Huang Shi carefully washed his armor. The day before yesterday, news came from the palace that he was to go to the palace to meet the Emperor today. The eunuch who delivered the message said that Emperor Tianqi had repeatedly expressed his desire to see Huang Shi not in his official hat and robes, but as the fully armored Left Assistant General of Dongjiang Town.

The young eunuch also deliberately reminded Huang Shi that this information had been carefully gathered by Wei Zhongxian, the head of the Eastern Depot. The head of the Eastern Depot specifically instructed the young eunuch to deliver this inside information to Huang Shi. Huang Shi thanked him profusely and gave the young eunuch ten taels of silver. Both then parted with profuse thanks.

After putting on the armor Wei Zhongxian had given him, Huang Shi also donned the sword Wei Zhongxian had given him—luckily, Wei Zhongxian had given him both a sword and a saber years ago; otherwise, giving the saber to He Dingyuan would have caused some trouble. Huang Shi turned around, feeling that he looked quite good, rather heroic.

Huang Shi let out a satisfied sigh, a relieved expression on his face: "I never imagined that coming to the capital would take so long to get an audience with the Emperor."

Only Jin Qiude was in the central hall. Hearing Huang Shi's complaint, he immediately leaned closer and whispered, "My lord, the more I think about it, the more I feel the court suspects you."

"I'm just a deputy general, with only two battalions under my command. Several other battalions in Liaonan are also holding me back. How could they suspect me?" Huang Shi was focused on adjusting his belt and sword, seemingly unconcerned by Jin Qiude's suggestion.

Jin Qiude's eyes gleamed, and he murmured even more softly, "My lord, may I ask, do you still remember your ambitions from back then?"

Huang Shi walked to the desk and picked up a memorial—a petition from Sun Zhijie, which he had asked him to forward to the Emperor last month. It contained the signatures of many Donglin disciples. Huang Shi had shown this memorial to Jin Qiude before. Seeing Huang Shi tuck the memorial into his robes, Jin Qiude hurriedly pleaded, "My lord, this memorial cannot be submitted!"

This urgent plea brought a smile to Huang Shi's face, but he still carefully tucked it into his robes. He looked up and smiled at Jin Qiude, saying, "Do you think I don't understand that it's a grave taboo for a border general to collude with a court official? Do you think I don't understand why Eunuch Wei only summoned me today?"

Jin Qiude's expression darkened. "My lord, you are wise."

"There are just some things I must do, otherwise my conscience will be uneasy," Huang Shi said, walking towards the door. As he stepped out of the hall, he turned back and said, "Don't worry, I will do my best to handle things well. They have their plans. I have my own."

...

Since the Battle of Yaozhou, memorials impeaching Sun Chengzong and the five generals of Guan Ning had never stopped. Of course, Wei Zhongxian's faction focused its main firepower on Ma Shilong. Censors listed ten reasons why Ma Shilong should be killed and twenty reasons why he should be executed, sparking public outrage and calls for the emperor to kill Ma Shilong to appease the people. Amidst this overwhelming accusations, Emperor Tianqi gradually realized that only Ma Shilong's execution could quell public anger. This placed increasing pressure on the Liaodong Military Command, which was strongly advocating for Ma Shilong.

Amidst this uproar, Sun Chengzong, the Liaodong military commissioner, stubbornly protected Ma Shilong. Even now, he still considered Ma Shilong a capable general. In Huangshi's previous life, Ma Shilong was imprisoned and sentenced to death during the Chongzhen era, but after Sun Chengzong's restoration, he helped him redeem himself through meritorious service. After his release, Ma Shilong distinguished himself in battle, safeguarding the northwestern border of the Ming Dynasty for over five years. He once commanded his old subordinates from Ningxia to defeat invading Mongol cavalry three times in six months, beheading over two thousand. When Ma Shilong died, his accumulated merits had earned him the titles of Left Grand Commandant and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince.

By the end of September, Sun Chengzong had submitted a memorial taking full responsibility and resigning from his post as the Liaodong Military Commissioner, thus clearing the names of the Guan Ning generals from the blame. Wei Zhongxian seized the opportunity to suggest to Emperor Tianqi that Sun be allowed to return home and rest for a while, which Tianqi approved after some hesitation. This pleased Wei Zhongxian greatly—he felt this indicated that Sun Chengzong's influence in Tianqi's eyes had significantly diminished.

On October 2nd, Sun Chengzong returned to the capital. Wei Zhongxian had already sent a group of men to welcome him, presenting Tianqi's edict allowing him to return home and rest. Without even giving Sun a chance to meet the emperor, he pushed the old man back to his home and confined him. Feeling that the matter was settled, Wei Zhongxian immediately arranged for Huang Shi to meet the emperor, preparing to send Huang Shi back to Liaonan as soon as possible to fight a few battles against the Later Jin. Wei Zhongxian considered his elaborate arrangements to be brilliant.

However… Eastern Depot spies also sent some reports, which Wei Zhongxian, after reading, felt might still have some minor hidden dangers, and he needed to meet with Huang Shi first.

"This humble general, Huang Shi, pays his respects to the Grand Eunuch." Upon entering the palace, Huang Shi was led directly to Wei Zhongxian. He respectfully performed a fist-and-palm salute, then knelt on one knee and bowed three times in place of the three kowtows: "Please forgive me, Grand Eunuch, for my armor prevents me from performing the full ceremony."

"General Huang, please rise," Wei Zhongxian said with a kind smile, even lifting himself slightly from his chair and making a gesture of support with his arms.

"Thank you, Grand Eunuch."

After Huang Shi rose, Wei Zhongxian said again, "Prepare a seat for General Huang."

"Thank you, Grand Eunuch," Huang Shi quickly thanked him a second time. After a bench was brought over, he sat down on the side, where a brocade was laid out.

Wei Zhongxian said slowly and deliberately, "His Majesty cannot see you for the time being; I'm afraid you will have to wait a while."

Huang Shi quickly jumped up from the stool, bowed, and said, "You flatter me, Eunuch."

"Sit down,"

Wei Zhongxian said with a smile, pressing his hand down. After Huang Shi sat down, he added, "I was afraid General Huang was getting impatient, so I came to sit with him for a while and have a chat, ha."

"You flatter me, Eunuch," Huang Shi realized he kept repeating these same few phrases, but he didn't know what else to say.

"Sit, sit." Wei Zhongxian's smile grew even more amiable. He glanced at Huang Shi's posture, which was pressed against the edge of the stool, and asked sincerely, "General Huang, aren't you tired sitting like this?"

Wei Zhongxian patted his thigh as he spoke, "General Huang, you don't need to be so reserved in front of me. Besides, I don't know how long we'll have to wait. If your legs go numb from sitting like this, you'll inevitably embarrass yourself when His Majesty summons you." Wei Zhongxian then burst into laughter, "General Huang, be careful. Disrespect before the Emperor is a capital offense!"

Knowing Wei Zhongxian was joking, Huang Shi laughed as well. He obediently moved back a little, making himself slightly more comfortable on the stool. Wei Zhongxian nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly asked, "I heard that General Huang was a beggar before joining the army, is that true?"

This question immediately stunned Huang Shi. His face flushed slightly, and he felt a little displeased. Just as he was about to sheepishly admit it, Wei Zhongxian slapped his thigh and laughed, "It seems that's really the case. In that case, I've outdone General Huang. General Huang probably doesn't know, but before I entered the palace, I was a farmer in the countryside."

Huang Shi was stunned for a moment and said, "This humble general is despicable. How can I compare to the Grand Eunuch?"

"That's why I say, General Huang and I both come from humble backgrounds. Besides, I'm illiterate, while General Huang can read a few words..." Wei Zhongxian said with a smile, recounting some of the hardships he endured before entering the palace. Huang Shi also joined him in reminiscing about the bitter past. Finally, Wei Zhongxian tugged at his crimson robe: "Although I've changed clothes, I've never forgotten my roots. So, General, there's no need for you to be so reserved. If it weren't for the fear of getting this robe dirty, I'd really like to sit side-by-side with General Huang on the threshold and chat—how delightful that would be!"

Huang Shi found Wei Zhongxian's words amusing and couldn't help but smile: "You jest, Eunuch."

After easing the tension between them, Wei Zhongxian inquired about Huang Shi's experiences in the capital. Huang Shi knew Wei Zhongxian had many spies, so he dared not lie. As for his recent relationship with Sun Zhijie and Mao Chengdou, Huang Shi had no intention of hiding anything. So he told them everything about drinking tea and listening to music with them.

The only thing that made Huang Shi hesitate was whether he should cover up the person Sun Zhijie had brought. But Huang Shi worried that the meeting between the group in the pavilion that day had already been noticed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Concealing the truth might displease Wei Zhongxian—although this man appeared to be a kind and gentle old farmer, Huang Shi knew that the person before him was no pushover.

Torn between two options, Huang Shi slowed his speech while rapidly calculating in his mind. Just then, Wei Zhongxian suddenly interrupted:

"Last month…" Wei Zhongxian frowned, as if recalling something, and lightly slapped his forehead: "Yes, it was September 26th. General Huang, did you meet Fang Zhenru's son?"

Huang Shi was startled, his expression changing slightly: "Indeed, Your Excellency is wise."

The person Sun Zhijie brought to see Huang Shi that day was indeed Fang Zhenru's son. After Wang Huazhen's defeat at Guangning, he defected to the eunuch faction. Wei Zhongxian naturally couldn't kill him, so he used Fang Zhenru as a scapegoat.

After some interrogation, Fang Zhenru was concluded to have embezzled fifty taels of silver, leading to the defeat at Guangning. Fang Zhenru was known for his incorruptibility; he served as an imperial inspector for over twenty years, yet his home remained impoverished. Although the authorities had convicted him of embezzling fifty taels of silver, they ultimately failed to find even fifteen taels in his house. Instead, they detained Fang Zhenru's daughter, intending to sell her later to offset the embezzled funds. Furthermore

, they wanted to execute Fang Zhenru. Fang's son frantically sought to borrow money to make up for the embezzled funds. However, each time he borrowed money, the presiding judge would use it as a pretext to further solidify Fang Zhenru's embezzlement charges, and the amount of embezzlement would steadily increase, eventually reaching over three hundred taels. In short, they were determined to kill Fang Zhenru and sell Fang's son's sister.

“Alas, I have done something to displease Young Master Fang, and I’m sure he won’t say anything good about me.” Wei Zhongxian sighed and shook his head, reaching for a teacup. “General Huang, you don’t need to tell me what he said; I don’t want to hear it.”

At this moment, Huang Shi was inwardly cursing him. Because Young Master Fang’s name wasn’t on the memorial, Huang Shi had been careful not to reveal it. If Huang Shi lied to Wei Zhongxian and Wei Zhongxian found out, their relationship would immediately deteriorate, and the outcome of this trip to the capital would be predictable. Even if Wei Zhongxian didn’t expose him, Huang Shi would inevitably be suspicious and unable to maintain a natural demeanor.

Now, Wei Zhongxian hadn’t given Huang Shi a choice between lying or not; he didn’t want to create such an enemy for himself. Once this relationship was exposed, Huang Shi would be in a neutral position, not part of the Donglin Party.

“Your Excellency, please forgive me,” Huang Shi knew he couldn’t hide it any longer and had no choice but to take the memorial from his robes. He gently stroked the cover: "Young Master Sun and Young Master Fang asked me to present this memorial to the Emperor."

"Oh?" Wei Zhongxian maintained his smile, took a small sip of tea, put the teacup back, and then, resting his hands on his knees, said seriously to Huang Shi, "That's perfect. Once you see His Majesty, General Huang can fulfill their request."

"Your Excellency, I have already read this memorial. It contains…"

Wei Zhongxian gently raised a hand, stopping Huang Shi from continuing, "In any case, it won't be anything good about me; I know that. But General Huang is a high-ranking officer holding the imperial silver token. If General Huang wishes to present this memorial to the Emperor, no one in the Ming Dynasty has the right to stop him. I imagine General Huang couldn't refuse Young Master Fang and Young Master Sun, so he has already agreed to forward it. As the saying goes: 'One who accepts a commission must be loyal to it.' General Huang, please hand this memorial to His Majesty."

He paused. Wei Zhongxian's face regained its previous amiable smile, and he placed his hands flat on his knees again. He said solemnly, "Your Majesty is wise and discerning. If Your Majesty believes I have committed a crime, I will confess and accept punishment. General Huang's willingness to inform me of this matter in advance is already a testament to your kindness. I cannot allow General Huang to be in a difficult position."

During the Zhengde era, it was only through a victorious military general's scathing critique of the eunuch Liu Jin before the emperor that civil officials were brought down. Huang Shi privately speculated that Sun Zhijie, this scholar, was certainly trying to emulate the same tactic used to overthrow Liu Jin. However, Wei Zhongxian's situation today was vastly different from Liu Jin's. Currently, Wei Zhongxian was the leading figure against the Donglin Party, backed by a large number of civil officials from the Qi and Chu factions, and the emperor's impression of the Donglin Party was extremely poor. Wei Zhongxian could not be brought down by a mere military general answering questions at the Imperial Library.

Huang Shi understood this, and he suspected that Wei Zhongxian understood it as well. Today, Wei Zhongxian's words sounded perfectly legitimate. As long as Huang Shi wasn't a staunch supporter of the Donglin Party, there was absolutely no reason for him to embellish the memorial. Therefore, Emperor Tianqi might very well think the Donglin Party was relentlessly seeking petitions to overturn verdicts. An emperor who already disliked the Donglin Party would only feel even more disgusted with them. So Wei Zhongxian wasn't afraid of Huang Shi submitting the memorial at all. So

what if Huang Shi was a staunch supporter of the Donglin Party? Wei Zhongxian made the matter appear perfectly legitimate and didn't stop Huang Shi from submitting the memorial. Once Emperor Tianqi understood the situation, he would probably think Wei Zhongxian was upright and honest, while Huang Shi himself was acting out of partisan zeal—"Heh heh, forming factions between border generals and those in the court is a grave taboo. Am I trying to kill myself?"

Wei Zhongxian's meaning was clear: he didn't force Huang Shi to side with him, but merely hoped Huang Shi would remain neutral. Moreover, his earlier attitude seemed to indicate he was willing to reward Huang Shi's neutrality—a point on which Wei Zhongxian far surpassed the Donglin Party's. Huang Shi couldn't help but recall the words Sun and Fang had used when they handed him the memorial; they were essentially forcing Huang Shi to die for the Donglin Party.

Because of his initial distrust and subsequent hesitation, Huang Shi had almost been categorized as a member of the eunuch faction and treacherous officials.

After seeing Wei Zhongxian's stance, Huang Shi understood why the powerful Zuo Guangdou and his group couldn't defeat Wei Zhongxian. He believed that fence-sitters always constituted the majority; the Donglin Party's "either allies or enemies" mentality clearly pushed the majority to Wei Zhongxian's side… In fact, if they hadn't insisted on killing Wei Zhongxian, this old man himself would have wanted to remain fence-sitters in the factional struggle.

Huang Shi pondered for a long time in front of Wei Zhongxian, who leisurely sipped his tea, not in a hurry to urge him.

After a while, Huang Shi sat down and bowed slightly: "Your Excellency is indeed magnanimous; I admire you."

"Hehe, General Huang, you flatter me." Wei Zhongxian smiled broadly. He felt he had received the necessary assurance, and Huang Shi seemed to be a clever man, so he could now confidently let Huang Shi see the Emperor: "General Huang, please sit for a moment longer. I will send another person to see if His Majesty is free. If His Majesty wishes to summon General Huang to the Imperial Archives, I will not accompany him."

At this point, Wei Zhongxian had already firmly grasped control of the Imperial Archives, so he feigned generosity and didn't even bother to personally supervise the proceedings. In any case, there were other eunuchs present during the dialogue between the emperor and his ministers at the Imperial Archives, and Huang Shi was surely aware of the power involved.

Seeing this, Huang Shi quickly responded, "Grand Eunuch, wait a moment."

He wondered if his arrival had brought some change to the factional struggles of the Ming Dynasty; the cases of Xiong Tingbi and Fang Zhenru hadn't been executed yet, so Huang Shi couldn't bear to remain uninvolved.

Wei Zhongxian raised an eyebrow and asked amiably, "General Huang, is there anything else?" Although Huang Shi's

acquaintances

were only junior members of the Donglin Party, he understood they were relaying messages for their backers. Huang Shi had read the jointly signed memorial, which contained nothing but a set of grand principles. First, it morally condemned eunuchs as crippled beings, then cited several historical examples of evil eunuchs, and finally tearfully pleaded with the emperor to "repent." While reading the memorial, Huang Shi had been wryly smiling—the civil officials had probably used this rhetoric tens of thousands of times. If this kind of clichéd talk were truly useful to the emperor, would he need to convey it?

Huang Shi gently stroked the memorial in his hand, then slowly recounted the events of that day. He believed that while Wei Zhongxian could guess the general outline, he certainly didn't know exactly what they had discussed. Huang Shi spoke slowly and deliberately, while Wei Zhongxian sat quietly to the side, listening with great composure. When Huang Shi mentioned that Young Master Fang had threatened him with suicide, Huang Shi caught a glimpse of a cold smile in Wei Zhongxian's eyes.

Wei Zhongxian, of course, knew that Fang Zhenru had been a benefactor to Huang Shi, and now that Fang Zhenru was imprisoned, he felt it wouldn't be good to completely suppress Huang Shi and prevent him from pleading for him. If Huang Shi were to be provoked and cause a scene before the emperor

, it would be troublesome. So he interjected, "General Huang and Fang Zhenru have a history. If General Huang is willing to use all his military merits to ensure his survival before His Majesty..." Wei Zhongxian emphasized the word "survival," drawing out the words. Huang Shi understood that this was the other party stating his bottom line: absolutely no reversal of the verdict would be tolerated. Wei Zhongxian observed Huang Shi's expression, confirming that this young general was not the kind of reckless person who didn't know his place. Wei Zhongxian, with a serious expression, extended a finger and leaned forward slightly to emphasize his tone: "...In my opinion, His Majesty will not sentence Fang Zhenru to immediate execution. In a few years, once His Majesty's anger has subsided, General Huang can petition again, and he should be released. As for Miss Fang, as long as her brother can repay the remaining embezzled funds, I think the Ministry of Justice will not make things difficult for her."

At this point, Wei Zhongxian had completely laid out his hand. His meaning was clear: Huang Shi could only protect Fang Zhenru. Wei Zhongxian was also willing to do Huang Shi a favor. According to the intelligence Wei Zhongxian possessed, Huang Shi had no connections with the other officials in the areas where the crimes occurred. As long as Fang Zhenru was spared, Huang Shi should be satisfied—that old bastard Fang Zhenru couldn't even find fifteen taels of silver in his house, and it was unclear how he had managed to become an official all these years. Moreover, after all these years, he was only a seventh-rank censor, so he probably wasn't very well received. I, Wei Zhongxian, won't stoop to his level; it's not worth offending a general like Huang Shi for him.

Upon hearing Wei Zhongxian's statement, Huang Shi finally felt a weight lifted from his shoulders, a weight that had been hanging in the balance since that morning. Since Wei Zhongxian didn't intend to exterminate the Fang family, and they clearly didn't intend to be his enemy... frankly, who in their right mind would want to make enemies for no reason... Huang Shi knew his plan was basically going to succeed.

Huang Shi bowed and said, "Your Excellency's kindness towards me is truly moving."

"Of course, of course," Wei Zhongxian replied with a broad smile, assuming Huang Shi had accepted his proposal. Although letting Fang Zhenru go made his "killing the chicken to scare the monkey" strategy somewhat less than perfect, trading Fang Zhenru's life for Huang Shi's gratitude made it a worthwhile deal for Eunuch Wei.

"Just now, I mentioned that Young Master Fang threatened to take his own life, demanding that I submit this memorial on his behalf..." Huang Shi presented the memorial to Wei Zhongxian with both hands. "But I did not agree to that!"

At the time, Huang Shi had used various ambiguous words to appease Sun and Fang. No matter what they asked, Huang Shi only promised to act according to circumstances. He told Sun and Fang that he, Huang Shi, would "do his utmost" to help the Donglin Party members—a phrase that became standard diplomatic rhetoric in later generations. Strictly speaking, Huang Shi made no guarantees.

Wei Zhongxian was slightly surprised. He carefully observed Huang Shi, and finally, without showing any emotion, accepted the memorial Huang Shi presented, dismissively refusing to even glance at it. The thick stack of memorials, filled with the efforts and hopes of the remaining Donglin Party members, was tossed aside like garbage. Huang Shi's reaction greatly surprised Wei Zhongxian. He had initially thought Huang Shi was a sentimental and loyal person, but now this man's behavior seemed more like that of a greedy and shameless scoundrel. However, Wei Zhongxian had seen countless villains. Since Huang Shi wanted to expose Fang Zhenru, why should Wei Zhongxian stop him?

After the memorial was set aside, Huang Shi asked calmly, "I've heard that the Grand Eunuch has thoroughly investigated the Guangning case and recovered over a million taels of silver. Is that true?"

"Hmph, those corrupt officials, I thoroughly investigated their crimes and recovered millions of taels of silver, all of which went into the imperial treasury." Wei Zhongxian squinted and shook his head a few times, his smugness overflowing. Not all members of the Donglin Party were as incorruptible as Fang Zhenru. According to historical records, Wei Zhongxian's crackdown on the Donglin Party resulted in the seizure of several million taels of silver from their homes. He also sold off the wives, land, and houses of the convicted officials, significantly increasing the imperial treasury's revenue for the Tianqi Emperor.

“These parasites truly deserve to die,” Huang Shi feigned a loud agreement, then lowered his voice and asked, “Eunuch, I heard that the female relatives of these convicted officials have all been confiscated and are waiting to be sold to replenish the embezzled funds. Is this true?”

“That is indeed true.” Wei Zhongxian nodded, then smiled again, “This embezzled money will also be used for the Liaodong military pay, and you should get a share.”

Huang Shi quickly flattered him, “Eunuch, your concern for the soldiers on the border is deeply appreciated.”

After Huang Shi finished speaking, his voice suddenly became low again, “This humble general humbly requests that you, Eunuch, grant these convicted women to Changsheng Island.”

“Oh?” Wei Zhongxian’s previously squinted eyes suddenly opened, and he stared thoughtfully at Huang Shi’s face, seemingly trying to see through his inner thoughts.

Facing Wei Zhongxian's piercing gaze, Huang Shi remained calm and composed, uttering the words he had prepared beforehand: "Your Excellency, there are far more men than women on Changsheng Island, so I have always wanted to establish a women's camp. However, most of the women on the island are the sisters and wives of soldiers. Although I have this intention, I have no suitable candidates."

Wei Zhongxian nodded slightly upon hearing this. He sighed, "I've heard Wu Mu say that General Huang's Changsheng Island is indeed harsh; most of the officers haven't gotten married. It's truly difficult."

Seeing that Wei Zhongxian agreed, Huang Shi continued, "Master, I've considered going to Shandong many times to buy some prostitutes to form a women's troop, but the cost is quite high, and I've been hesitant. I originally planned to buy some after the next paycheck was issued, but today I heard that Master is collecting stolen goods to fund the pay..."

"So you're planning to take her away from me?" If a young lady from an official family could be sold for one tael of silver, then buying her back would cost at least twenty taels. Wei Zhongxian laughed, lightly slapping his thigh: "The proceeds from official sales are already limited, and with the lower-level officials taking a cut, the money from selling three hundred women wouldn't even buy a hundred brothels in Shandong. Besides, these women who should be sold are either daughters of officials or maids, many of them still young virgins… Hmm, General Huang, your calculations are truly shrewd!"

"Your Excellency, I was merely being foolish."

Since arriving in the Ming Dynasty, what Huang Shi found most intolerable was this cruel system of collective punishment. One person's misfortune could implicate the entire family, often dozens or even hundreds. This time, the imperial purge had far-reaching consequences, with hundreds of girls confiscated and sold into prostitution. Under the Ming Dynasty's official sales system, they would all be sold to brothels and registered as prostitutes.

Huang Shi asked, "I hope Miss Fang is among them."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian's eyes flickered, a hint of displeasure appearing on his face.

Huang Shi knew what Wei Zhongxian was thinking. He must be wondering why Huang Shi would go to such lengths to help Fang Zhenru. So Huang Shi said seriously, "Your Excellency, though I am foolish, I know that border generals should not associate with court officials. Moreover, the court has its own laws, and it is not my place to interfere with what crime Lord Fang should be punished."

"Hmm, General Huang is right."

Seeing that Huang Shi would not interfere with his scare tactics, Wei Zhongxian was naturally pleased. Whether it was official selling or shady dealings, Wei Zhongxian didn't care. As long as court officials saw these bloody examples, and as long as no more censors dared to impeach him, that was enough. Of course, Huang Shi's statement also had significance. Wei Zhongxian understood that Huang Shi was not an ungrateful person. He didn't intend to kill Fang Zhenru immediately; after all, this minor official wasn't a particularly prominent figure.

Huang Shi tentatively asked, "Are these female criminals all in the imperial prison now?"

"Yes," Wei Zhongxian pondered for a moment, then slapped his thigh heavily, "I think this is how it should be. Once they are convicted, I'll send someone to inform General Huang, who will send a trusted person to receive them and then send them directly to Changsheng Island. What do you think, General Huang?"

Although there were female criminals in the Ming Dynasty, these criminals were generally not imprisoned in women's prisons. Firstly, of course, it was because women's social status was relatively low at that time. In the Ming Dynasty, women were appendages of men, so if a woman committed a crime, even a serious one like fighting or causing serious injury, officials would drag her father or husband away to be flogged, and then order the criminal's father and husband to return home and discipline her strictly. As for how the innocent husband, who had been unjustly flogged dozens of times, would discipline his wife after returning home, that was a matter of "even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes."

But there was another reason: female criminals in that era simply did not receive basic security. In this era, there were no female police officers; all civil servants were male, and many were low-level thugs. Therefore, imprisoning women would undoubtedly damage their future reputation.

Moreover, prison guards were often quite rude to female prisoners. In the Ming Dynasty, a woman entering prison generally meant either she would never get out (indicating a serious crime like murder, with a very clear conviction), or she would have no one to protect her (for example, if she had a husband, he would likely take the blame and serve time for her). In most parts of the Ming Dynasty, women's prisons were essentially brothels run by prison wardens. This was one of the traditional sources of illicit income for prison wardens in ancient times.

Before the verdict in this major case, Wei Zhongxian imprisoned these female prisoners in the Imperial Guard's prison. The Imperial Guard knew the situation was complex and dared not be negligent. But when they were sent to ordinary women's prisons to await official sale, Huang Shi was unsure if they would be mistreated.

After Wei Zhongxian promised to send someone to receive them, Huang Shi hurriedly thanked the Eastern Depot's director. He had long planned to use these literate women to establish a primary school to help his officers learn to read and write. Furthermore, after the New Year, the officers under Huang Shi, at the rank of captain and lieutenant, would be able to get married, and these young ladies from prominent families would be perfectly suited for the occasion.

Huang Shi also secretly harbored another idea: after the Tianqi Emperor's death and Wei Zhongxian's downfall, these women might still be a political resource. With such a group of relatives, the officers of Changsheng Island would surely have no problem securing their military pay, and the women's families would remember the benefits Changsheng Island and Huang Shi had received. Wei Zhongxian certainly hadn't imagined that their brothers and father would one day have a chance to restore the regime; Huang Shi couldn't afford to hang himself on the eunuch faction.

In addition, Huang Shi had heard that Wei Zhongxian had already internally decided on Xiong Tingbi's crime and was just waiting for the emperor's execution, so he subtly brought up the matter again. Xiong Tingbi was probably the most unfortunate person in the struggle between the Donglin Party and the eunuch faction; both parties were eager to put him to death. This time, Wei Zhongxian sentenced Xiong Tingbi to be beheaded in the nine border regions, and also accused him of embezzling 400,000 taels of silver. Since Wei Zhongxian only seized 180,000 taels, the unmarried Miss Xiong was probably still in prison waiting for Huang Shi to transport them to Changsheng Island.

"Lord Eunuch," Huang Shi said, "I wish to see Xiong Tingbi, but I don't know if it's appropriate to ask the Emperor. What do you think?" After probing for a while, Huang Shi went straight to the point, asking Wei Zhongxian if he would allow him to see Xiong Tingbi.

"General Huang wants to see Xiong Tingbi?" Wei Zhongxian was surprised by Huang Shi's request, but his face remained expressionless. "What does General Huang want to see him for?"

"Lord Eunuch, I have some military matters to discuss with Xiong Tingbi." Huang Shi knew that everyone had a high opinion of Xiong Tingbi's abilities. Even when the Donglin Party sentenced Xiong Tingbi to death, they acknowledged that Xiong Tingbi was "Liaoning's life depended on him, and its destruction depended on him leaving Liaodong." So Huang Shi told Wei Zhongxian that he needed to consult Xiong Tingbi about some issues concerning the terrain, geography, and hydrology of Liaozhong. He also wanted to ask Xiong Tingbi what problems Xiong Tingbi thought of his troop training and marching.

"This humble general also feels it's inappropriate for a border general to meet with a prisoner alone, so I humbly request that the Imperial Guard send a few Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) to accompany me. In case someone later accuses me of colluding with the prisoner Xiong, there will be someone to testify." Huang Shi was afraid Wei Zhongxian would think he had ulterior motives, so he immediately asked Wei Zhongxian to send spies along… As for how to gather information from Xiong Tingbi, Huang Shi naturally had a plan.

Unexpectedly, Wei Zhongxian wasn't worried at all about what Huang Shi and Xiong Tingbi would do. If one were to insist on comparing Mao Wenlong and Xiong Tingbi's backgrounds, both were legitimate members of the Donglin Party… Of course, with Wang Huazhen's defection, their party affiliation is somewhat controversial; for now, they can be considered non-partisan. Moreover, Wei Zhongxian felt that Huang Shi seemed to be getting closer to Sun Chengzong. He had always worried that Huang Shi would switch from neutrality to the Donglin Party because of Fang Zhenru's influence. But now it seemed that Huang Shi was clearly not a political idiot like Mao Wenlong, so Wei Zhongxian had already regarded Huang Shi as half one of his own.

As for the even bigger political idiot, Xiong Tingbi, he was now a fugitive. Fang Congzhe, who had previously strongly protected Xiong Tingbi, was identified by the Donglin Party as the leader of the "evil party." They even said that Fang Congzhe was the murderer who poisoned Emperor Taichang, the father of Emperor Tianqi, and had ten major crimes, three of which were punishable by death. They almost convicted Fang Congzhe and his party of treason. So now all of Fang Congzhe's followers were Wei Zhongxian's staunch supporters. The Donglin Party didn't say a good word about Xiong Tingbi either. After Wei Zhongxian convicted Xiong Tingbi of the serious crime of sending the heads of nine border guards, the Donglin Party, who had a deep-seated hatred for Wei Zhongxian, even shouted, "It's too lenient of him not to have Xiong Tingbi executed!"

As a military general, it seemed reasonable for Huang Shi to ask Xiong Tingbi, an old military officer, about some Liaodong issues. At least Wei Zhongxian didn't believe that Huang Shi would help Xiong Tingbi in any way—there was no friendship between them, and no benefit to be gained. What was Huang Shi after?

"General Huang can go and see Xiong Tingbi off. No need to trouble His Majesty, I'll arrange it." Wei Zhongxian gave a sinister smile. In his plan, killing Xiong Tingbi was just a matter of the next day or two: "However, Xiong Tingbi's mouth is notoriously foul and stubborn, and now that he has nothing left, he fears nothing. General Huang, are you confident you can get him to talk?"

Huang Shi habitually shrugged: "This humble servant will tell Xiong Tingbi that if he speaks well to this humble servant, this humble servant will find a good husband for his daughter."

Wei Zhongxian laughed heartily and nodded heavily: "Excellent! Before sending Xiong Tingbi on his way, I will send someone to take General Huang to see him. General, you can also visit Fang Zhenru and give him some good news. "

With the major matter settled, Huang Shi was just waiting to meet the Emperor. Wei Zhongxian was about to send someone to see what Tianqi was doing when a pale-faced eunuch hurriedly approached.

Huang Shi saw the eunuch whisper something in Wei Zhongxian's ear, vaguely hearing words like "Imperial Garden," "pond," and "boating." Wei Zhongxian's expression changed drastically. He abruptly stood up, his previous composure vanishing instantly.

"General Huang, please sit for a moment, I'll be right back,"

Wei Zhongxian said, leaving Huang Shi sitting there dumbfounded. He waited from morning until afternoon before a young eunuch came to tell him, "Eunuch Wei asked me to tell General Huang that His Majesty cannot summon you today. General Huang, please return home."

...

October 20th, Tianqi 5th year, Liaoyang.

Mangultai had been enjoying himself recently. In the Battle of Yaozhou, he had ambushed the Ming army's pontoon bridge on the Liao River, not only annihilating the Ming troops crossing the river but also pursuing them for over fifty li west of the river. In this battle, he beheaded 3,000 and captured over 7,000 prisoners, of whom over 3,000 were used as provisions and bondsers, freeing many of his bannermen from labor.

Moreover, Mangultai offered attractive terms: anyone who volunteered to join the Plain Blue Banner was immediately given land, women, and cattle. With these favorable conditions, he selected several hundred strong men from among the Ming prisoners to supplement his banner, and these men were quite satisfied with the treatment, finding the standard of living here better than when they were soldiers under the Ming army. The last batch of prisoners was sold by Mangultai to the chieftain of the Doyan Mongols, in exchange for some soldiers and livestock.

This time, Mangultai mobilized all the men, women, and children of his banner, capturing prisoners in the wilderness for three days, while also scavenging for scraps. He also deployed a large force to set nets at the mouth of the Liao River, retrieving the bodies of Ming soldiers who had fallen into the water and stripping them of their armor and clothing. In the end, he collected a total of 4,000 suits of armor and recovered over 3,000 horses. For this reason, Nurhaci went forty li outside Liaoyang to welcome him.

Besides presenting his father with some armor, Mangultai also moved the abandoned Ming army chariots, cannons, and muskets to Shenyang. There were blacksmith shops stretching for miles outside Shenyang, and Mangultai planned to melt down the Ming army's chariots and muskets to forge weapons and armor.

As for the cannons? Previously, they were always melted down to exchange for food, but this time Mangultai thought about it for a long time, until his head ached. Finally, the clever Mangultai decided to wait until his even smarter eighth brother returned, so he dug a huge pit and buried over a hundred cannons. He also fed and cared for the nearly two hundred captured Ming artillerymen—Mangultai felt that spending so much time with his eighth brother had made him more farsighted.

Yesterday, news came from Fengcheng. Mao Wenlong, relying on his fortune-telling instincts, escaped before Amin arrived with tens of thousands of troops. After several years of training, Captain Mao's skills in raiding for supplies had become unparalleled. His retreat was perfectly timed, neither too early nor too late, and his rearguard even cut down the pontoon bridge over the Yalu River right in front of Amin's vanguard.

Amin's letter stated that since the Ming army left, rats in the suburbs of Zhenjiang had begun to starve to death in droves, and even the crows had moved away. This was because Mao Wenlong had left nothing behind, not even grass roots or tree bark.

As Huang Taiji had predicted, Chen Jisheng emerged from the deep forests of Kuandian to raid for grain after Amin's departure. However, the ambush on Chen Jisheng failed, and the Later Jin army only managed to eliminate a limited number of rearguard units. Chen, the deputy general of the Dongjiang Right Wing, was a former captain of Mao Wenlong's personal guard. He immediately sensed the unusual scent in the air and immediately turned tail and ran. Huang Taiji hurriedly pursued but failed to catch up with his main force. The Ming army had carved out the official road through the Savage Mountain in Kuandian into hills, and Chen Jisheng had even creatively planted small trees on it. After he fled back to his territory, Huang Taiji could only sigh in despair—this vast primeval forest was so dense that even tigers would likely get lost.

Huang Taiji had written to Nurhaci suggesting an invasion of Korea, believing that capturing Yizhou and Shuozhou would cut off the supply lines from Korea to Kuandian, forcing Chen Jisheng, the elder of the Beggars' Sect, to obediently abandon his Savage Mountain… But Amin disagreed.

The Later Jin had managed to obtain a report from Mao Wenlong to the Ming court that year, and with the influx of Liaodong refugees into Korea, Mao Wenlong was boasting by the end of the year that he had a "super army" of 300,000.

The Ming court, of course, did not accept this number, but Amin believed the male population was roughly accurate. He countered Huang Taiji's question: Mao Wenlong has been in Korea for five years with his hundreds of thousands of "super soldiers." Even if everything were normal, let alone Korea's annual drought, what would be left?

Therefore, Amin believed that going to Korea to fight Mao Wenlong was a waste of resources. He felt that as long as Mao Wenlong and Chen Jisheng's 300,000 troops could be controlled in the Zhenjiang and Kuandian areas, it would be perfect.

Mangultai was summoned by Nurhaci again today for questioning, mainly about the Battle of Yaozhou. After confirming the Ming army's combat strength and equipment, Nurhaci seemed to be interested in taking a trip to Liaoxi. After returning to his tent, Mangultai carefully studied the map. Today, Nurhaci reminded him to prepare for the expedition to Liaoxi before he left.

Habitually, he first glanced in the direction of Changsheng Island, and a chill ran down Mangultai's spine. He quickly shifted his gaze northward... The situation in southern Liaoning was relatively stable at the moment. Since the Battle of Yaozhou, Liu Xingzuo had become more obedient. He assisted the Later Jin army in relocating the Han people near Gaizhou to the Haizhou area, and the Later Jin army also established a wide blockade line between Haizhou and Gaizhou. Gaizhou has now been largely abandoned, and the southward flight of Han Chinese has been effectively halted.

Mangultai gently traced the map westward along the road, his gaze following his hand from Haizhou to Sancha River, then across the Liao River, and finally towards Guangning. From Guangning onward, he would head south. Mangultai drew a long line with his fingernail, stretching towards Shanhaiguan beyond the Liaoxi Corridor.

This deep line crossed Daling River, Jinzhou, Xingshan, and then Ningyuan—Juehua.

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