Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 286 Yang Lian Heads North and Ding Baiying Arrives in Liao
"General." Just when Mao Wenlong's blood suddenly boiled over and he was about to go down and play with the boys, a messenger from the General's Office brought Mao Wenlong an order.

"What's wrong?" Mao Wenlong asked, "Are there any new tasks for me?"

"Yes." The messenger clasped his fists and said, "The governor has ordered you to immediately review your troops and leave the city to deliver the message."

"Huh?" Mao Wenlong was puzzled. "Isn't it the job of you messengers to pass messages? Why are you looking for me?"

"There are not enough people. If they are all sent out, there will be no one left in the yamen. And it's not just to deliver messages." said the messenger.

"Where are you spreading the news and what are you telling it about?" Mao Wenlong became much more serious.

"Announce this to every city and fortress in Liao. The rebel Gao Huai will be executed by slicing in Liaoyang on the 11th of this month. Five men from the garrisons and ten from the citadels will be sent to Liaoyang to witness the execution," the messenger said. "Please also send cavalry escorts."

"Gao Huai? He was brought to Liaodong by the imperial envoy? He was in that car!" Mao Wenlong immediately thought of the mysterious carriage.

The messenger saw many horse-drawn carriages and donkey-drawn carts driving into the camp to unload goods, but he didn't know which one Mao Wenlong was talking about, so he just nodded blankly to show his agreement.

"Okay. I understand. I'll select the troops right away." Without waiting for the messenger to leave, Mao Wenlong stood up and shouted, "Assemble, form up!"

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That night, the governor went to the headquarters.

Xiong Tingbi got off the sedan chair and entered the yamen. Hearing the yamen runner say that Yang Lianli was still there, his mind suddenly cleared up. He hurried to the study in the backyard and saw a candlelight inside. He didn't even knock, but pushed the door open. "You haven't left yet?"

After the official business was over, Xiong Tingbi hosted a welcoming banquet for the four imperial envoys. Yang Lian was the only civil servant, or rather, high-ranking official, in Liaodong officialdom who did not attend the reception. He offered no valid excuse, simply claiming he was ill and needed to rest in bed. It was a rather lame excuse, and everyone knew it was a lie. But no one called him out, so they simply decided not to come, allowing everyone to have some fun.

Yang Lian didn't even bother pretending. He wasn't idle at all. After Xiong Tingbi took the imperial envoys to the restaurant they had arranged in advance, Yang Lian led his staff and the clerks of the yamen to check the gifts sent by the emperor and make a receipt.

"Greetings, Xiong Zuotang." Yang Lian closed the book in his hand, stood up, and saluted Xiong Tingbi politely.

Xiong Tingbi was stunned for a moment, then returned the greeting perfunctorily.

"Zuo Tang, that's quite a feast for you," Yang Lian teased. "Can you drink from noon until curfew?"

"It's just a chance to watch a play and listen to music," Xiong Tingbi shrugged. "It's a good balance of leniency and severity. It's also a chance to entertain the generals, relax everyone, and improve understanding."

The so-called "enhancing understanding" wasn't entirely Xiong Tingbi's pretext. The Battle of Sarhu shattered the Liaozhen's false image of strength. To quickly replenish combat forces and stabilize the situation, the Ministry of War initially mobilized troops from neighboring areas such as Yansui, Ningxia, Guyuan, Gansu, and Shandong. After Xiong Tingbi took office, he expanded the scope of mobilization and began to draw elite troops from across the country.

While the local troops, Zhejiang troops, Shaanxi troops, and even the Liao troops under He Shixian's command might have been effective individually, the southern and northern armies lacked a common language and mutual trust, much less coordination. Without addressing this issue and ensuring effective group coordination among the various armies, a large-scale counteroffensive would have been difficult to launch.

"Are you going to take them out for drinks and a play tomorrow to help them get to know each other better?" Although Yang Lian was still teasing, his tone was not that of a big deal.

"How could that be? We all have important things to do. Let He Tingkui, the military governor, take someone to look after them." Xiong Tingbi specifically warned, "I arranged this. Don't impeach them just because you're full."

"Hmph! If I'm going to impeach you, I'll impeach you first." Yang Lian hadn't intended to dwell on this matter. He handed over the receipt book and said, "The rewards have been counted. Here's the book. You can start distributing them tomorrow."

"That imperial envoy named Cui seems to have a lot of opinions about you." Xiong Tingbi took the booklet, opened it, and browsed through it quickly.

Yang Lian still used the traditional method of accounting, and did not adopt the Western method of accounting that Xu Guangqi vigorously promoted.

"He drank too much and kept saying things like 'It's a good thing you didn't come'." Xiong Tingbi said while trying to do two things at once.

"He has a father named Cui Wensheng. Of course he has something against me." Yang Lian didn't care what the eunuchs thought of him. "Fortunately, he didn't join the East Factory at that time, otherwise he would hate me to death."

"It seems I really rely on you." Xiong Tingbi closed the booklet and handed it back to Yang Lian. "If you weren't here, who knows where his tail would go."

Xiong Tingbi had not had much dealings with eunuchs, but he had indeed witnessed their arrogance.

"What are you saying? I'm not some demon-suppressing door deity." Yang Lian took the booklet, put it away, and said, "I'll stay here with you today."

"Why are you staying here with me? Aren't you going to Li Zhenshuai's place today?" Xiong Tingbi said with a look of disdain. "There's still half an hour before curfew."

"There's nothing to see there anymore," Yang Lian said. "I'm still worried about Shenyang."

"Shenyang." Xiong Tingbi's face darkened slightly. "Are you heading north tomorrow?"

"Yes." Yang Lian nodded.

Xiong Tingbi opened his mouth, wanting to say something. But before he could finish, he changed his tone and said, "Since the money awarded to He Shixian and his men for their meritorious service has arrived, you should take the general's reward along with this money."

Since Xiong Tingbi took office, He Shixian has accumulated over 600 heads. These are all genuine, rigorously inspected, barbarian heads, not fake heads of Mongol refugees or surrendered soldiers. However, these heads were not counted towards general expenses; they required the Ministry of War to compile a list and submit it to the Emperor for approval before they could be distributed.

During the Wanli reign, He Shixian's latest batch of heads was still being verified. It was only near the New Year that they passed the Ministry of War's inspection. Adding to previous arrears, the court still owed He Shixian's troops nearly 20,000 taels of silver.

This time, the emperor's generosity was truly astonishing. Not only did he grant officers of all ranks the escalating rewards requested in the secret memorial, he also used the imperial treasury to pay the court's arrears in head bounties to all the troops in a lump sum. Compared to the previous emperor's stinginess, it was a world of difference. "Yes," Yang Lian nodded.

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Xiong Tingbi's eyes narrowed, and the atmosphere between the two began to grow tense.

Yang Lian knew what Xiong Tingbi was about to say, but Xiong Tingbi wanted Yang Lian to speak first. After staring at each other for a moment, Xiong Tingbi finally broke the silence. He said to Yang Lian, "Tomorrow when you leave, take my royal banner with you and go north to kill that man."

"Do you really want to kill him?" Yang Lian asked back.

"Besides my personal reputation, I really can't think of any reason to spare his life." Xiong Tingbi laughed, "I've been in Liao for over a year. I've chopped off at least ten heads for disturbing military morale. He's just a Semite, why is he special? Besides, I'm doing this for the sake of the government."

For Xiong Tingbi, the Semu interpreters, unlike the Joseon emperor and his ministers, were not considered diplomatic targets. Of course, they were within the scope of the imperial sword, so killing them was enough. As for the high salaries mentioned in the decree, Xiong Tingbi simply considered them a form of rations for the foreign soldiers, not a sign of the emperor's favoritism towards the Semu.

"They are uncivilized barbarians. Because of the witchcraft and superstition in some places, they have fallen into nonsense. It is not impossible to educate them." Yang Lian still wanted to persuade Xiong Tingbi again.

"What do you mean? Just say it directly." Xiong Tingbi's face darkened completely.

"Alright. Then I'll be frank. Your strategy requires Xu Zixian's support." Yang Lian said, "You killed his men without even saying hello. How could he not turn against you?!"

Xiong Tingbi had so many enemies, both inside and outside the court, that few would speak up for him. This worried Yang Lian greatly. Within the cabinet and the Nine Ministers, only Xu Guangqi and Liu Yirong were relatively supportive of Xiong Tingbi. Yang Lian hoped Xiong Tingbi could at least establish some kind of relationship with them.

"Bullshit! What my strategy? That was his strategy to begin with. It's just that he had too little influence to execute it. If Xu Zixian turns against me over a traitor who insulted the emperor, I'm not afraid of him!" Xiong Tingbi could hold his liquor well; the little rice wine at the welcoming banquet wouldn't have made him dizzy. But now, with his face flushed and his neck stiff, he looked ready to fight Xu Guangqi to the bitter end, as if the heat was taking its toll.

"Okay, let's not talk about that. Let's just talk about the facts." Yang Lian said, "What's written in that letter may not be completely true. I want to check it out more carefully."

"Are you suspecting Sun Boya or He Shixian?" Xiong Tingbi frowned.

"I don't suspect anyone. But in the whole of Liaodong, there is only one interpreter. If we investigate the case alone, he is just a solitary evidence." Yang Lian said, "If you want to kill someone, at least investigate first."

"How can we investigate? Can you speak that bird language? For a thorough investigation, we'll have to have the court send more people who understand it. Wouldn't that mean another report?" Xiong Tingbi interrupted Yang Lian. "You're just making things difficult for yourself! I executed first and reported later, killing people to get them killed, just to get a clearer picture of the case and reduce the bickering involved. And you're sending people to Liaodong to investigate. Are you crazy?"

"Why not inform the imperial envoy and ask them to bring the criminal back to Beijing and hand him over to the Jinyiwei or the two factories for investigation?" Yang Lian said. "That way, the case can be determined faster, right?"

"Are you stupid? How is this any different from submitting a secret report?" Xiong Tingbi patiently explained to Yang Lian, "Can't you think about this carefully? Even if Sun Boya's letter contains some omissions, this evildoer must have slandered the emperor. If I kill him, public opinion will only discuss whether I should have killed this person. But what if the Jinyiwei confirms this matter? That would then pass the blame to the emperor. Let the emperor decide whether he lives or dies."

"Then, the emperor replaced me as the center of public opinion."

"We left the capital to relieve the Emperor's worries. If such a small matter causes His Majesty to worry, then wouldn't my royal banner, which allows me to act with ease, be in vain? Don't you understand this simple truth?"

"." Yang Lian was silent.

Xiong Tingbi continued, "If you are hesitant and unwilling to kill Xu Guangqi's men, then you should stay in Liaoyang and accompany the imperial envoy to complete the task of cleaning up the Liaoxin people for the court. I will go to Shenyang myself to kill them. You don't have to co-sign my memorial anymore."

"Crazy Bear, who do you think I am?" Yang Lian suddenly felt angry. "I'm thinking about you, at least leave yourself a way out!"

"I don't need any escape route!" Xiong Tingbi sneered, "I'll ask you one last time, are you going or not? If you don't, stay in Liaoyang."

"Go!" Yang Lian left with a wave of his sleeves, slamming the door, and leaving only one sentence: "Tell your flag officer to bring me the royal flag tomorrow morning."

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On the day Yang Lian set off for Shenyang, a caravan of donkey traders and grain merchants arrived at Haizhou, their final destination.

Because the area north of Shanhaiguan was not peaceful, looting was common. However, with abundant money and limited goods, profits were lucrative. A successful round trip could often turn one tael of silver into two or even three. Therefore, many merchants, eager to take a chance, were willing to risk the journey north. Consequently, escort agencies were able to secure large orders, offering commissions of three, even five, percent off every hundred taels.

After the caravan checked into a merchant inn, Liu Biaotou, who was in charge of protecting the caravan, found the temporary escort from outside the province with a small cloth bag filled with money.

"Master Ding. This is for you." said Liu Biaotou.

"No, no. If you say it's free escort, then it's free escort." The female escort had disheveled hair and a dirty face, and it was obvious that she hadn't washed her face for several days.

After learning that his senior brother had gone south on business, Ding Baiying waited for a few more days. But such waiting obviously would not yield any results, because Lu Wenzhao had no memory of such a thing at all.

Although her senior brother had broken his promise, she could not betray her original intention. So, Ding Baiying came to Liaodong on her own according to the original plan.

Liaodong was a dangerous place, which was well known to everyone at that time. Going to Liaodong alone was not a wise decision. In order to avoid dying on the way, she found an escort agency and worked as an escort in Liu Biaotou's team without any fees.

But following the caravan proved even more dangerous than riding alone. Her caravan encountered several robberies. Generally speaking, dealing with a mob of robbers only required shooting or beheading one or two, and the rest would disperse. Ultimately, robbery was a business; there was no need to risk one's life. But after the slave rebellion, bandits in Liaodong were rampant. Whether they were partially assimilated Liao people or scattered Mongol cavalry, they dared to attack the escort team, even at the risk of casualties.

(End of this chapter)