Huangming

Chapter 344 On the brink of death, secret communications

The parade ground of the General's Mansion in Jizhou City was bustling with activity for the next two days.

Liu Qu personally oversaw the operation, holding the roster of soldiers from previous years, and examined each soldier in the battalion one by one.

On the training ground, the black-armored soldiers stood in formation, awaiting inspection.

The reason for inspecting the soldiers of the standard battalion was that even Liu Qu did not know how many "regular soldiers" were in the standard battalion.

He only knew the approximate number, around two thousand people.

But if this approximate figure is reported, will Yang Lian give him a good outcome?

Therefore, he wanted to drag out all the servants in the camp.

As for the fact that a large number of servants were mixed in with the standard troops, this was a secret that Jizhou and even the Nine Borders had kept quiet for many years.

In fact, the imperial court was aware of this as well.

The reason they didn't care was because the combat effectiveness of the regular troops was worrying, and many tough battles were actually fought by their own retainers.

Also.

The difference between regular soldiers and household servants is also easy to distinguish.

The "established soldiers" were soldiers whose personnel numbers had to be reported to the Ministry of War for record-keeping, and whose food, pay, and weapons were all allocated by the imperial court according to the established system.

The household servants were mostly trusted confidants of the generals, without official positions, and their food and pay were entirely raised by the generals themselves.

In previous years, soldiers of the standard battalion either died in battle or deserted, and the vacant positions were never reported truthfully.

All previous commanders of the Jizhou Garrison had taken advantage of this vacancy to receive their pay. After Liu Qu took office, in order to fill the vacancy and maintain the fighting strength of the standard battalion, he used his own personal guards to fill the positions. Over time, the personal guards became "half the sky" of the standard battalion.

"Name! Place of origin! Years of military service!"

The officer in charge of verification spoke in a loud voice, and every time a name was called, a soldier stepped forward to respond.

Liu Qu sat on the high platform, his sharp eyes sweeping across the queue, his vermilion pen occasionally marking the names on the roster.

After two days of inventory, a brand-new list of standard camp roster was placed on Liu Qu's desk.

He ran his fingertips over the names on the roster, his expression growing increasingly grave.

With a planned strength of 5,000, only 2,300 were actually registered as regular soldiers, leaving a vacancy of 2,700!

As the commander-in-chief of Jizhou, Liu Qu felt very heavy-hearted.

If this list is presented to Yang Lian, all the past shady dealings will be exposed, and even if there is a chance to redeem himself, he will still face severe accountability.

but.
Could they possibly burn the imperial envoy alive?

He should try to atone for his crime by performing good deeds.

Just as he composed himself and prepared to personally deliver the roster to the imperial envoy's residence, a guard rushed in from outside, knelt on one knee, and reported:

"General, Military Commissioner Wang Bingxian has come to pay a visit and is currently waiting outside the residence."

"Wang Yingzhi?"

Liu Qu's brows furrowed suddenly.

Two nights ago, he visited Yang Lian late at night. Upon returning, he immediately began to take stock of the battalion. Such unusual behavior could not be hidden from the quick-thinking Wang Bingxian.

Wang Yingzhi's arrival at this moment was definitely not for casual conversation or reminiscing; he had clearly come to gather information.

Liu Qu took a deep breath to suppress the turmoil in his heart.

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and said in a deep voice, "Please ask him to wait in the front hall. The town will be there shortly."

The guards withdrew, and Liu Qu stood there, his gaze fixed on the heavy roster.

Wang Yingzhi has deep ties with the local forces in Jizhou and is very close to Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Shixian and Lieutenant General Du Yingkui. If he were to learn of Yang Lian's true intentions, he would probably immediately inform them, which would increase the resistance to the investigation of Jizhou.

"We have to put on a good show in this performance."

Liu Qu muttered to himself, shoved the roster into his breast pocket, and strode toward the front hall.

Inside the front hall, the underfloor heating was burning brightly, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere, but it couldn't dispel the chill in Wang Yingzhi's heart.

He was dressed in the winter official robes of the military commissioner, the brocade fabric embroidered with exquisite intertwined floral patterns. But at this moment, these robes, which symbolized power, felt like heavy shackles, making him restless.

now.

Wang Yingzhi paced back and forth on the blue-and-white porcelain tile floor with his hands behind his back.

The servants had already served him a steaming cup of Qimen black tea, with delicate candied fruits and pastries placed beside it, but the wafting aroma of the tea and the sweet scent did nothing to arouse his interest.

As the military commissioner of Jizhou, Wang Yingzhi wielded immense power in the region.

This position was a civilian inspector specially dispatched by the imperial court to Jizhou, holding three core functions: military supervision, administrative supervision, and logistical support. It is no exaggeration to call him the "divine sword of Jizhou".

In military affairs, he had the authority to control all military officers below the rank of General of Jizhou, from deputy generals and assistant generals to guerrilla generals. He could exercise the power of impeachment if he believed someone was wrong. If a military officer below the fourth rank committed a crime, he could even "arrest them first and report later" and directly arrest and interrogate them.

Military equipment inspection was also part of his daily duties. He had to regularly check firearms, warhorses, and city walls every month to prevent generals from privately reselling weapons such as breech-loading cannons and arquebuses. After all, if these weapons were to enter the black market or fall into the hands of the Mongols or Jurchens, the consequences would be unimaginable.

In terms of administration, his power was equally astonishing.

If local officials such as prefects and magistrates within the jurisdiction of Jizhou were found to be corrupt or derelict in their duties, the emperor could impeach them directly without going through the local governor.

In addition, Jizhou also had a special "Military Affairs Court" where he personally tried cases of soldiers fighting, desertion, and looting, and even had the power to execute the most heinous criminals on the spot.

If a peasant uprising is triggered by the desertion of military households, he can also mobilize troops to suppress it and stabilize local order.

In terms of logistical support, Wang Yingzhi controlled the "lifeline" of Jizhou.

He oversaw the allocation of grain from Tongzhou to various checkpoints in Jizhou to prevent officers from intercepting or misappropriating it, ensuring that soldiers could have enough to eat.

The encroachment of military farmland by generals was a chronic problem in border towns. He had a responsibility to survey the land, redistribute it to soldiers for cultivation, and ensure the livelihood of military households.

Even major events concerning the finances of the border town, such as the salt permit issuance, were handled by him. He recruited Shanxi merchants to transport grain to the border town and exchange it for salt permits, allowing the Shanxi merchants to profit while also raising funds for the Jizhou garrison.

According to the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty, the generals of Jizhou were mostly hereditary military officers, while the military commissioners were civil officials who "controlled the military with civil power" in order to prevent military generals from becoming too powerful and threatening the safety of the capital.

In the past, when the imperial court inspected Jizhou, he, as the military commissioner, was responsible for the self-inspection. The reports submitted were always carefully crafted to depict a peaceful and prosperous scene, and there had never been any mistakes.

But now, the emperor has directly sent Yang Lian, the imperial envoy, which clearly shows that he does not trust him!
Wang Yingzhi became increasingly anxious as he thought about it, and his pace quickened involuntarily.

If Yang Lian really finds out something, he, as the military commissioner, will first be held guilty of dereliction of duty. Being stripped of his official position and demoted to a commoner would be the least of his worries.

But if we were to expose the things he's done in private over the years...

If they were to be exposed for colluding with generals to intercept grain transport, tacitly allowing them to seize military farmland, or even profiting from salt diversion, they might not even be able to save their own lives!

Thinking of this, Wang Yingzhi's heart clenched. He stopped and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his eyes filled with anxiety and fear.

He had to find out Yang Lian's whereabouts from Liu Qu as soon as possible. If Yang Lian was really going to make a move, he had to prepare in advance and could not sit idly by and wait for his death.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the front hall. Wang Yingzhi looked up abruptly, a hint of tension flashing in his eyes, before he quickly put on a kind smile and looked toward the door.

"The military commissioner has such refined tastes that he has come to my humble abode?"

With a slightly teasing remark, Liu Qu, the general of Jizhou, strode into the front hall.

He had just returned from the training ground, and his official robes were still covered in dust, but he showed no signs of fatigue. Instead, he exuded a calm and collected demeanor befitting someone who had been through many battles.

Liu Qu glanced at Wang Yingzhi, who was pacing in the hall, and a half-smile appeared on his lips. His tone was ambiguous, neither polite nor distant.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yingzhi turned around and cupped his hands slightly: "General, you flatter me. Your General's Mansion is decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and paved with gold bricks. If this is considered a humble abode, then there is probably no place in Jizhou City that can be called 'decent'."

His words were half flattery and half a test, but his eyes were fixed on Liu Qu, trying to catch a hint of something unusual in the other's expression. Liu Qu remained noncommittal and walked straight to the head of the table.

He slowly sat down and gestured to Wang Yingzhi, saying, "You must be tired from your journey, Military Commissioner. Please sit down."

Wang Yingzhi followed the instructions and sat down in the guest seat. As soon as he raised his hand, the servant standing beside him understood and quickly removed the cooled teacup and replaced it with a steaming cup of fresh tea.

The tea was emerald green and fragrant, but Wang Yingzhi's mind was not on the tea at all; his gaze never left Liu Qu.

Liu Qu picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and the warm tea slid down his throat, but it did not dispel the wariness in his heart.

The moment he put down his teacup, he looked up at Wang Yingzhi and asked bluntly, "The military commissioner has come to visit today, surely not just to chat and drink tea with me? What are your orders? Please speak frankly."

These words were exactly what Wang Yingzhi wanted to hear. He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice:
"General, you are wise. I have heard that you went to see the Imperial Envoy late at night two days ago, and upon your return you immediately went to the drill ground to inspect the troop strength of the standard battalion. I wonder... what information did that Imperial Envoy give you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Yingzhi's eyes suddenly sharpened, staring intently at Liu Qu like a hawk, not wanting to miss even the slightest change in the other's expression.

He knew Liu Qu's temperament all too well; if Yang Lian hadn't given him instructions, this general would never have suddenly attacked the "foundation" of the standard battalion.

After all, the shady dealings in those vacant positions were an open secret among the successive generals of Jizhou.

Upon seeing this, Liu Qu suddenly chuckled softly, his voice full of helplessness: "The military commissioner is overthinking it. The imperial envoy only summoned me to reprimand me for delaying my journey after receiving the summons. He said a few harsh words and then sent me back. What special instructions did he give me?"

He shrugged, putting on a wronged and innocent look, as if he had really only been scolded.

But Wang Yingzhi clearly didn't believe it; his brows furrowed even more, and a distinct look of suspicion appeared on his face.
"If that's the case, why does the General Commander suddenly want to inspect the troop numbers? We all know the situation of this battalion. Inspecting it for no reason is just asking for trouble."

Liu Qu picked up his teacup, took another sip, and then slowly spoke:
"The military commissioner is mistaken. The imperial envoy is currently in Jizhou. Who knows when he might suddenly investigate the standard battalion? I need to conduct a thorough review beforehand to understand our situation so that I can respond more effectively in the future. I can't wait until the imperial envoy asks and find myself, as the general, completely clueless, can I?"

These words were perfectly worded, but Wang Yingzhi remained skeptical and pressed, "Is that really true?"

He always felt that Liu Qu was hiding something, but he couldn't find any evidence, which made him even more anxious.

"Indeed."

Liu Qu put down his teacup, the ease on his face gradually fading, replaced by a serious expression.

"Moreover, you don't know until you investigate, and what you find is shocking. Of the 5,000 men in the standard battalion, only 2,300 are actually registered, leaving a shortfall of more than 2,700. If Yang Lian, with his incorruptible nature, finds out, I'm afraid my position as the commander-in-chief of Jizhou will truly be over."

As he spoke, Liu Qu reached into his inner breast pocket and pulled out a thick booklet, gently placing it on the table and pushing it towards Wang Yingzhi:

"This is the revised troop quota list. If the military commissioner doesn't believe it, he can take a look for himself."

Wang Yingzhi's pupils contracted, and he quickly reached out and picked up the booklet.

Fingertips flipped through the pages, which were densely filled with the names, hometowns, and years of service of the soldiers in the battalion. The vacant positions were clearly marked in red, and the number was exactly the same as what Liu Qu had said.

The more he looked, the less doubtful he became.

It turns out that Liu Qu was simply afraid of being held accountable by the imperial envoy, and had not actually reached any agreement with Yang Lian.

"The number of vacancies is so large..."

Wang Yingzhi closed the booklet, his tone tinged with a sigh, as if the weight that had been hanging over his heart had finally been lifted.

Liu Qu watched the change in his expression, a cold smile playing on his lips, but his face remained that of concern.
"That's right. Now I just hope Yang Lian won't dwell on this, otherwise it's hard to say whether I can keep my head."

The standard battalion is short of nearly three thousand men. If Yang Lian investigates this matter thoroughly, Liu Qu's tenure as general will be over.

He looked up at Liu Qu, his previous suspicions completely gone.

“General, if the vacancy of 2,700 men were presented to Yang Lian, given his meticulous nature, you might really lose your position as general.”

"In the end, you and I are in the same boat now. Yang Lianruo is just going through the motions; we can scrape together some gold and silver and find a few scapegoats to appease him, and that will be the end of it. But if he's determined to thoroughly investigate Jizhou..."

Upon hearing the words "thorough investigation," Wang Yingzhi's eyes narrowed sharply, a cold glint appearing in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. His previous warm smile vanished, and the murderous intent hidden in his tone was almost palpable.
"Then your vacancy, my past misdeeds, and the shady dealings of Deputy Commander Zhang and Lieutenant General Du will all be exposed. At that time, you will be in deep trouble, and I, the military commissioner, will also be implicated!"

Liu Qu paused, holding the teacup, causing the warm tea to ripple.

He could clearly sense the coercion and enticement in Wang Yingzhi's words, and he understood the other party's thoughts at that moment.

Instead of fighting alone, it's better to unite and fight together.

As long as the Jizhou garrison remains united, even the emperor cannot subdue it.

Xuan Da's arrogance was even greater than theirs, yet nothing happened to them.
Upon hearing this, Liu Qu sighed heavily, feigning seriousness. He frowned and said with concern, "What the military magistrate said is quite right. However, Yang Lian has five hundred of Li Hongji's trusted men by his side, all of whom are tough guys who have fought their way up from the battlefield. If we really want to take him down, it won't be so easy."

"Not that easy?"

Wang Yingzhi suddenly chuckled softly, his laughter filled with malice.

“Don’t the three guards of Doyan north of Jizhou often have cavalry crossing the border? If one day a thousand Mongol cavalry suddenly barge in and happen to run into the imperial envoy’s entourage, causing Lord Yang to ‘unfortunately perish,’ it would be perfectly normal.”

He spoke casually, as if discussing a trivial matter, but the ruthlessness in his eyes chilled the air.
"Then, we'll muster our troops and relentlessly pursue that cavalry force. This will not only avenge the imperial envoy but also demonstrate our loyalty to the court. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"

"Hahaha!!"

"Wonderful! Wonderful!"

Liu Qu slammed his hand on the table, his eyes lit up, and he burst into a hearty laugh.

His acting skills are definitely at the level of an award-winning actor.

"It seems the commander-in-chief also approves of my method?"

"If Yang Lian doesn't know what's good for him, then let him go and reason with the Tartars!"

"Hahaha~"

Wang Yingzhi laughed along. In his view, Liu Qu had already boarded his pirate ship. Now that Jizhou was a united front, even if Yang Lian really wanted to investigate thoroughly, he wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble.

His heart can finally be at ease.

Liu Qu looked at Wang Yingzhi, who was laughing loudly, and felt a chill run down his spine.

I thought these people were just greedy and embezzled, but I never expected that they would actually dare to take the life of the imperial envoy in order to protect themselves!

soon.

As the laughter subsided, Wang Yingzhi picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp. Then he instructed Liu Qu, "General, go to the official post station first and sound out Yang Lian's intentions, to see if he's soft or hard. We'll discuss the follow-up matters later."

"Easy to say."

Liu Qu nodded in agreement, his face still bearing a cooperative smile.

"I understand the principle of sharing honor and disgrace, and the principle that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold."

“If that’s the case, then we won’t stay any longer. The matter is urgent. I’ll go and talk to Deputy Commander Zhang and Lieutenant General Du. As long as we are united, even Yang Lian can’t do anything to us.”

“What the military magistrate said is absolutely right.”

Liu Qu slowly rose and saw Wang Yingzhi out of the General's Mansion. Only after watching the blue sedan chair disappear around the street corner did he slowly wipe the smile off his face.

A cold wind blew by, carrying dust with it. He tightened his official robes, feeling that the winter in Jizhou was even more biting than the snowstorms in Gansuwei.

These people are deeply entrenched in Jizhou. Once Yang Lian reveals his intention to conduct a thorough investigation, they will immediately bare their fangs.

The knife is practically at his throat.

I wonder if Yang Lian has a solution.

If not
The ship he boarded might actually be the real pirate ship.

ps:
It's the end of the month.

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(End of this chapter)