Chief Armaments Master of the Ming Dynasty

April of the third year of the Chongzhen reign.

Dongjiang Town, Pidao Island.

The sea breeze blows from the East China Sea, carrying salty, fishy vapors, sweeping over the low hills and scattered camps on the island.

The sky was overcast, with leaden clouds hanging low, threatening rain or snow—although it was already April, the island in Liaodong was still bitterly cold.

Pi Island, also known as Jia Island, is located at the southern tip of the Tieshan Peninsula, east of the mouth of the Yalu River, facing Soonchon in North Korea across the sea.

Since Mao Wenlong led more than 200 people to occupy this island in the first year of the Tianqi reign, it has become an exclave of the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong—Dongjiang Town.

It was like a wedge driven into the back of the Later Jin, forcing Huang Taiji to divide his troops to defend against it every time he launched a southern campaign, as if it were a thorn in his side.

But today, Pi Island is shrouded in gloom.

Mao Wenlong is dead.

He died last June, on Shuangdao Island, by the imperial sword bestowed upon him.

The person who killed him was Yuan Chonghuan, the military governor of Jiliao.

The charges were embezzlement, collusion with the enemy, and arrogance—twelve major crimes, each punishable by death.

But the soldiers on Pipi Island did not recognize it.

All they knew was that Mao had led them to endure nearly ten years of hardship in this cold and desolate land. Without food and supplies, they had to find their own way. Unable to confront the Jin head-on, they resorted to daily raids.

Marshal Mao was their god.

The sky had fallen, but Yuan Chonghuan simply packed his bags and returned to Ningyuan, abandoning tens of thousands of mouths to feed on Pi Island and his soldiers who had lost their leader.

Yuan Chonghuan divided Dongjiang Town into four detachments: one detachment was led by Chen Jisheng, one detachment by Liu Xingzuo, one detachment by Mao Chenglu, and one detachment by Xu Fuzou.

The four associations are not subordinate to each other and each manages its own affairs.

Later, probably feeling that the four corps were too scattered, Chen Jisheng was temporarily appointed as acting commander-in-chief.

Chen Jisheng.

This name has been like a thorn in the hearts of many people on Pi Island these past few days.

Chen Jisheng is 45 years old this year. He is of medium build, with a slightly dark complexion and a short beard. He speaks slowly and deliberately, and does not look like a general leading troops into battle, but rather like a civil official sitting in a government office.

He was Mao Wenlong's old subordinate, and had endured nearly ten years of hardship with Marshal Mao in Liaodong.

In terms of seniority, he's experienced enough; in terms of loyalty, he's beyond reproach.

But he has a flaw—he's too soft.

It's not that they're soft-hearted, it's that they're weak in their methods; they don't know how to win people over, much less how to suppress them.

Since he took over as acting commander-in-chief, there has been no peace on the island. Salaries and provisions are still in arrears; the imperial court has promised to allocate funds, but how many checkpoints must the silver pass through on its journey from Dengzhou and Laizhou to Pi Island by sea?

After layers of deductions, by the time it reached Chen Jisheng, only 30% remained out of 100%.

This 30% of the silver and grain had to be distributed to tens of thousands of mouths on the island—the soldiers needed to eat, their families needed to eat, and there were also a large number of refugees who had fled from Liaodong and sought refuge on the island.

What was distributed to each person was not even enough to drink porridge.

Chen Jisheng also considered asking the imperial court for help, but he did not have the prestige of Marshal Mao, and his memorial was ignored.

He also considered following Mao's example and leading his troops ashore to seize some territory, but he lacked Mao's courage and decisiveness.

He could only manage to keep going, scraping together scraps from here and there, robbing Peter to pay Paul, like a poor family head struggling to keep the business afloat.

That's not the worst part. The worst part is the instability among the people on the island.

When Marshal Mao was alive, although life on the island was tough, the soldiers had a pillar of support and knew that following him meant there was hope for the future. Now that Marshal Mao is dead, the island is divided into four brigades, and the generals of each brigade have their own agendas.

Mao Chenglu was a cousin of Mao Zedong. Relying on this relationship, he ignored Chen Jisheng's orders and often said to others in private, "Who does Chen Jisheng think he is to order me around?"

Xu Fuzou was a slippery fellow who avoided offending either side, sitting back and watching the tigers fight, and not taking anyone's orders seriously.

Liu Xingzuo was closer to Chen Jisheng, but he was also a man with his own agenda.

Liu Xingzuo had served under the Later Jin, and after surrendering to the Ming Dynasty, he rose through the ranks to become a deputy general, making him a capable fighter on the island. However, he was upright and outspoken, which offended many people. Coupled with his past surrender to the Jin, there were always people gossiping behind his back, saying that he was "physically in the Ming camp but his heart was with the enemy."

Last winter, the Jurchens broke through the pass and invaded the capital region. Liu Xingzuo was ordered to lead the Dongjiang troops to reinforce the capital. He did fight bravely—engaging in battles with the Jin army in the Zunhua and Yongping areas.

What use is bravery? After the Jurchens withdrew their troops, Yuan Chonghuan was imprisoned, and the court investigated and punished those responsible for the "loss of defense of Jizhou," resulting in widespread repercussions.

Liu Xingzuo was a soldier in Dongjiang Town and a subordinate of Yuan Chonghuan, so he was naturally implicated. Although he was not formally held accountable, memorials impeaching him from the court never ceased.

In the spring of this year, Huang Taiji once again sent troops to attack and plunder Liaodong. Liu Xingzuo led his troops in the counterattack and died fighting valiantly. When the news reached Pi Island, people on the island mourned.

But what happened next completely broke the heart of Liu Xingzuo's younger brother, Liu Xingzhi.

Huang Taiji found Liu Xingzuo's body, placed it in a coffin, and sent it back to Pi Island.

This was originally a tribute to the brave warriors on the battlefield, but Huang Taiji's shrewdness lay in the fact that he also sent people to spread rumors that Liu Xingzuo had a secret agreement with the Later Jin and that his "death in battle" was because the matter was exposed and he was silenced.

The rumors, like the wind, blew from Liaodong to Dengzhou and Laizhou, then from Dengzhou and Laizhou to Pi Island, and finally into Beijing.

On Pi Island, whispers began to circulate: "Liu Xingzuo originally came from the Tartar side; who knows if he truly surrendered?" "His death was suspicious; perhaps he was killed by his own people?"

Before Liu Xingzuo's body was even cold, these rumors had already spread throughout Pi Island. Although the imperial court did not say anything explicitly, the supervising eunuch sent from Dengzhou and Laizhou clearly looked at Liu Xingzhi with a different gaze.

The fire in Liu Xingzhi's heart began to burn from that moment on.

Liu Xingzhi is thirty-two years old this year. He is tall and strong, with a square face and a wide mouth. His eyes are big and bright, revealing his shrewdness and bravery.

Like his elder brother Liu Xingzuo, he was originally a Han Chinese from Liaodong. He surrendered to the Later Jin dynasty in his early years and later surrendered to the Ming dynasty. He rose through the ranks to become a military commander on Pi Island. His subordinates were mostly Han Chinese from Liaodong, and they were a formidable fighting force on the island.

Unlike his elder brother, Liu Xingzhi was more fiery and ruthless. While Liu Xingzuo would be more patient and consider things carefully, Liu Xingzhi was hot-tempered and easily provoked.

His dissatisfaction with Chen Jisheng had been brewing for a long time. In his eyes, Chen Jisheng was a good-for-nothing—he couldn't get the pay and supplies, couldn't maintain morale, and didn't dare to investigate the matter thoroughly despite the gossip.

My brother died in battle. He died on the battlefield, on the road to killing the Tartars. The court not only didn't provide any compensation, but they also allowed those rumors to circulate on the island, letting those sons of bitches gossip behind his back. What did Chen Jisheng, as the acting commander-in-chief, do?

He did nothing. He dared not offend the court, dared not offend the military supervisor, dared not offend anyone who might impeach him. The only people he dared not offend were us, his brothers who were risking our lives on the front lines.

Liu Xingzhi didn't say these things to anyone openly.

But his close confidants all knew that Liu Xingzhi's patience was about to run out.