Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 538: Newly Established Zhenjiang Military Preparations Department (Fake)
"Bank?" Xiong Tingbi was stunned. "What is this?"

"You can simply use it as a banknote number." Yuan Yingtai pulled out a silver note with a face value of only one tael from his pocket and handed it to Xiong Tingbi. "This is the silver note they issued."

Xiong Tingbi took the note with his free hand. It was a multi-colored, double-sided woodblock print, a palm's length and width. Its edges bore visible signs of cutting. It looked as if it had been cut from a large sheet of paper with a sharp guillotine.

The heading of the banknote was ten large red characters written in official script in a horizontal row: The banknote issued by the Great Ming Sun and Moon Bank.

The signature on the silver note was just four large red characters written in the official script in a horizontal row: The first year of Taichang.

The main part between the two lines of red characters is a column of official script printed in black ink: One tael of official silver.

In addition to these basic characters, the front of the silver note also has some anti-counterfeiting patterns printed on it. These patterns make the silver note look very similar to a treasure note at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it is obviously not a treasure note.

Within the two lines of red characters, a large pattern enclosing the main black characters is a Jiudiezhuan border. The left border contains the words "天下通行" written in Jiudiezhuan, while the right border contains the words "大明银票" written in Jiudiezhuan.

Unlike the Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes, the borders are not decorated with dragons or waves, but with images of rice ears and silver ingots, as well as a pair of waterfowl, looking towards each other, that resemble ducks. This is, in fact, the 鸂鶒 (xīchì) pattern found on the official uniform of a seventh-rank civil official. At least, that's what the banknote printers believed it to be.

The back of the banknote also had a border and text, which were several standard instructions printed vertically:
Promissory notes and official silver of equal value are accepted.

The promissory note is bearer and can be cashed on sight. Please keep it properly.

The promissory note was printed and issued by the Sun Moon Bank, which was affiliated with the Imperial Household Department.

Anyone who forges a promissory note will be executed and his entire family will be implicated.

"This note is printed very well, like a treasure note." Xiong Tingbi looked at it over and over again. "But does this have any direct connection with my Liao?"

Yuan Yingtai thought for a moment and said, "According to the person who sent me this banknote, this kind of banknote is already being used to pay salaries in the capital."

"Pay salaries?" Xiong Tingbi's eyes turned. "The Emperor wants to pay the soldiers with silver notes?"

"It's very likely." Yuan Yingtai said.

"Maybe!?" Xiong Tingbi was anxious, his pulse a little confused. "You don't even want to know the details of such a big thing?"

The old military doctor's brow furrowed immediately. If it had been anyone else, he would have cursed, but with Xiong Tingbi, he could only whisper, "The pulse is disordered. It's difficult to diagnose."

"Don't worry," Yuan Yingtai nodded to the old military doctor and said to Xiong Tingbi, "I haven't seen the eunuch Ma who is in charge of this matter. Eunuch Ma knew that the situation on the Shenyang front was urgent, so he stayed in Haizhou. He didn't come in person, but only sent a personal attendant to say hello."

"Alright," Xiong Tingbi exhaled slowly, his pulse gradually stabilizing. "What else did that attendant tell you?"

"There's nothing else. The personal attendant just asked the Finance Office to send a letter to Haizhou when it has time. When Eunuch Ma receives the letter, he will come to visit from Haizhou." Yuan Yingtai said.

"Visit?" Xiong Tingbi paused. "Isn't Eunuch Ma stationed in Liaoyang?"

"Oh," Yuan Yingtai explained, "the personal attendant who came to say hello said that the palace currently only plans to set up branches in Guangning, Haizhou, and Gaizhou. The Haizhou branch is temporarily the head of the three branches and is considered the bank's Shandong branch. Because the Shandong branch is still in the process of being planned and has no entity, the bank's Shandong branch is temporarily under the jurisdiction of the Beijing branch. The head of the Beijing branch is Hui Jingao, Eunuch Hui." The attendant sent by Eunuch Ma was very clear about the bank's organizational structure.

"What is the name of this eunuch Ma?"

"Constitution. Ma Xiandian."

"Okay," Xiong Tingbi handed the banknote back to Yuan Yingtai. "When I feel better, I'll go to Haizhou to meet that eunuch Ma in person."

"Please keep it. This is a sample ticket given to you. There are two in total, one for you and one for me." Yuan Yingtai waved his hand.

"If the bill can really be redeemed on sight, then this bill is equivalent to silver. How can you accept it casually?" Xiong Tingbi said.

"It's only one or two taels, but we're just looking at it," Yuan Yingtai said. "Just don't exchange it and don't use it. We can't just return it with a big fanfare; that would be embarrassing. It would seem like we're just trying to gain fame."

"Then under what pretext should we receive it? Is it a gift exchange between us and Eunuch Ma? Or is it a transfer of treasury silver between government offices? In other words, who is giving this money to whom?" Xiong Tingbi certainly didn't mind a moderate exchange of gifts with Eunuch Ma. But the problem was that the nature of these two taels of silver was truly unusual. If things went wrong, it would be like "Eunuch Ma privately used the palace's silver to bribe the governor of Liaodong."

"Then put it in the government treasury. Just treat it as a transfer of treasury silver between government offices and keep a record of it." Yuan Yingtai thought about it and seemed to understand what Xiong Tingbi meant. He reached out and took the silver note with a denomination of one or two taels.

"Alright." The military doctor finished taking the pulse, and Xiong Tingbi withdrew his arm. "What about the other matter?"

"Observe, smell, ask and palpate. Let's let Doctor Li ask about the symptoms first and then prescribe a prescription." Yuan Yingtai put away the banknote.

Before Doctor Li could speak, Xiong Tingbi took over the conversation: "It's still the same symptoms as when I first saw him a few days ago, just with a little more coughing."

"I understand. I'll go down and write a prescription and get the medicine." After talking for a long time, the old military doctor also understood Xiong Tingbi's complexion and voice.

"Please send the medicine over directly after it is boiled." This was said to the attendant.

"Yes." The attendant replied.

"No medical advice?" Yuan Yingtai asked Doctor Li.

"Haha," the old military doctor laughed. "The doctor's orders are to avoid catching a cold, drink less alcohol, and get more rest. It's best to not think about anything for a few days."

"Thank you for your help," Xiong Tingbi waved his hand. "I'll do my best."

"Goodbye." The old military doctor bowed and said goodbye, then went to the pharmacy with his personal attendants.

"Hurry up and tell everyone. Let me follow the doctor's orders." After Doctor Li left, Xiong Tingbi slowly lay down. "Do you still remember what you said, 'If the enemy can't attack me, they can plunder Korea to fill the gap,'" Yuan Yingtai asked.

"Of course I remember what I said, but I don't want to discuss strategy with you right now. Let's talk later." Xiong Tingbi didn't just want to discuss this with Yuan Yingtai; he didn't want to discuss any strategy with him. He discovered that Yuan Yingtai's soft-heartedness was so strong that he sometimes had to use his connections to coerce him.

"I'm not talking about strategies. I'm looking for someone who might be related to this matter," said Yuan Yingtai.

"Has North Korea sent people to Liao again?" Xiong Tingbi frowned.

As the gateway to the capital, Liaodong was also the only way for Korean envoys to pay tribute by land. Whenever Korean envoys passed through Liaodong, they would go to Liaoyang to pay a visit to the top official in Liaodong. This top official used to be the Liaodong Governor, and now he is the Liaodong Governor.
"No one came from Korea," Yuan Yingtai said. "The imperial court sent a new military governor to Zhenjiang."

"Send a military governor to Zhenjiang?" Xiong Tingbi was stunned for a moment and asked, "Then where will Gao Yidao be transferred? I just assigned him a mission."

The Liaodong Governor was in charge of five departments: the Ningqian Military Preparations Department, the Liaohai Dongning Department, the Kaiyuan Military Preparations Department, the Liaohai Dongning Department, and the Minister of the Yuanma Temple and the Jinfu Haigai Military Preparations Department.

Among them, they were assigned to guard the Liaohai Dongning Road, and were responsible for the border defenses of various castles in Liaoyang, Shenyang, Fushun, Puhe, Kuandian and other places, and were also in charge of military farming and horse management.

On April 15, the 46th year of the Wanli reign, Nurhaci, who had already proclaimed himself Khan and established his own state, formally launched a rebellion against the Ming Dynasty and laid siege to Fushun. That same day, guerrilla general Li Yongfang surrendered the city, and Fushun fell.

Upon hearing the news, Gu Yi, the Right Minister of Shandong who was in charge of the Liaohai Dongning Military Preparations, led his few elite troops north to try to recapture Fushun. He was defeated and retreated to Liaoyang.

In May, with no money or soldiers, Gu Yi, feeling himself in a desperate situation, wrote a poem on the wall, his own deathbed. The poem reads: "With the borders lost, how can a minister be ashamed? Unable to serve my country, I am content to die."

In June, Yan Mingtai, who had been in opposition for many years, was appointed as the governor of Shandong and took over the post of military governor of Liaohai Dongning.

In March of the 47th year of the Wanli reign, the Ming army set out in four directions. Yan Mingtai, in charge of military preparations, led Li Rubai's troops in the south, but they returned without success and retreated to Liaoyang.

In August, the incumbent Governor Xiong Tingbi arrived and dispatched Yan Mingtai to Shenyang. Yan Mingtai, fearing further advancement, returned home in tears midway through the journey, leading Xiong Tingbi to impeach and dismiss him from office. Thereafter, the post of Liaohai Dongning Road remained vacant for a long time. It wasn't until August of the 48th year of the Wanli reign that the emperor appointed Gao Bangzuo, the Shandong Provincial Governor and Councillor, to oversee the Liaohai Dongning Road and the reinforcements, thus filling the vacancy.

The reason why the emperor specifically wanted to fill this vacancy was because Zhenjiang was included in the "Kuandian and other places" under the jurisdiction of the Liaohai Dongning Road.

Therefore, for now, the civil servant directly responsible for the Jiuliancheng in Zhenjiang, under Xiong Tingbi and Yuan Yingtai, was Gao Bangzuo, who had accompanied Xiong Tingbi in emergency situations. Xiong Tingbi had already assigned Gao Bangzuo an errand, asking him to rest for a while before rushing to Zhenjiang.

Xiong Tingbi's order to him was to defend this fortress leading to North Korea to the death, either defend it to the death or die defending it.

"Gao Yidao should remain in office, as the post of Zhenjiang Dao is a newly created one," Yuan Yingtai explained. "The imperial court has designated Zhenjiang and the surrounding forts as separate posts, and established a military governor to guard Zhenjiang and other areas."

"Appoint another one." Xiong Tingbi wasn't surprised by that. The emperor had repeatedly emphasized the importance of Zhenjiang in secret letters. Appointing a military governor specifically to oversee Zhenjiang affairs was normal. "Who did the court send?"

"The former Left Minister of the Ministry of Public Security is Yuan Keli," said Yuan Yingtai.

"Yuan Liqing from Henan?" Xiong Tingbi nodded. Unlike Bi Ziyan, Xiong Tingbi was familiar with Yuan Keli's name. At least, Xiong Tingbi knew that Yuan Keli had been responsible for receiving all the memorials and petitions in recent months.

"Yes, it's him." Yuan Yingtai nodded.

Xiong Tingbi asked, "He hasn't arrived in Liaoyang yet, has he?"

"No, no. Yuan Liqing's latest note came from Jinzhou," Yuan Yingtai said. "Yuan Liqing said in the note that he would go to Yizhou first, and he might have arrived by now."

Xiong Tingbi looked puzzled. "Why is he going to Yizhou?" From Jinzhou to Liaoyang, one should have traveled along the various post stations in the southern part of Guangningwei, not even needing to go through Guangningwei itself, and Yizhouwei was definitely not on this arc. After reaching Yizhou, one would have to turn around and return the same way, or else traverse Yiwulü Mountain or take a detour from outside the Great Wall to reach Guangningwei.

"The note didn't mention it," Yuan Yingtai said, "perhaps the Emperor has assigned him the task of investigating the Wan Youfu case."

"Hasn't the Wan Youfu case been handed over to Yang Wenru?" Xiong Tingbi knew something about the case, but he wasn't particularly interested. Compared to his other matters, this smuggling case, involving only a few tens of thousands of taels, was a trivial matter. For so long, he hadn't even proactively inquired about the progress of the investigation. He trusted that stubborn Yang Lian would handle this matter properly.

"After all, Wan Youfu's case involves Wu Qinghou and others. It's always better to be cautious. Why don't we send a note to ask?" Yuan Yingtai was quite interested in this case, but he had been burdened with various trivial matters recently, so he had no time to care too much.

"If you really care, wait until he arrives in Liaoyang and ask him in person. Why bother?" Xiong Tingbi turned over, his back to Yuan Yingtai. "If there's nothing else, you can leave."

"Regarding this Yuan Liqing," Yuan Yingtai stood up, but didn't move immediately. "There's one more thing I need to mention."

"Hmm?" Xiong Tingbi closed his eyes and thought for a moment, deciding not to change the order to send Gao Bangzuo to defend Zhenjiang. This was a critical moment, one that even depended on the survival of North Korea. A hasty change of command could easily lead to disaster.

"He was recommended by Grand Master Xu Guangqi."

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Guangning Dao, also known as the Liaohai Dongning Dao, oversaw military preparations in Guangning, Jinyi, and other areas, as well as overseeing military farms and horse administration. Its jurisdiction extended eastward to the forts of Guangning, Zhenwu, and Xixing, Xiping, Xining, and Pingyang, and westward to the post stations of Jinzhou and Xingshan. It administered a total of 35 garrisons, post stations, post stations, and forts.

The Guangning Circuit's primary responsibility was to defend against the Tatars and northern barbarians. Generally speaking, the Guangning Circuit's governor was stationed in Jinzhou, the gateway to the Liaoxi Corridor, during the spring and summer. During the autumn and winter, he was stationed in Yizhou, north of Jinzhou and directly bordering the Chahar tribe. However, Guangning Guard, nestled to the west of Yiwulü Mountain, wasn't even the seat of the Guangning Circuit's governor.

Ever since the Ming Dynasty and the Chahar tribe reached an agreement on the Jiannu issue, stipulating that the Ming Dynasty would provide money and the Chahar tribe would send troops to fight the Jiannu together, the Guangning Dao official was stationed in Yizhou Wei, which was closer to the pass.

Coincidentally, there is a town called Yizhou in North Korea, just across the Yalu River from Zhenjiang.

On the afternoon of the second day of April in the first year of Taichang, Yuan Keli, the first Korean guardian who was about to usher in the so-called guardianship era in Korean history, entered Yizhouwei, an important border town between the Ming Dynasty and the Chahar tribe of Tatars, in the newly established capacity of military commander of Zhenjiang Road.

In addition to the two teams of escort cavalry assigned to him by the Ministry of War, Yuan Keli was accompanied by a team of Jinyiwei led by Lu Wenzhao, a captain of the Jinyiwei.

(End of this chapter)