Chief Armaments Master of the Ming Dynasty

By April 13, the bloodstains throughout Pi Island had been washed away by the sea.

Liu Xingzhi's armored soldiers took control of all the camps, granaries, and ferry crossings on the island, and everything seemed to have returned to a semblance of order.

Inside the main tent, Liu Xingzhi sat in the general's chair that he had just seized, with paper and pen spread out in front of him.

Li Dengke and Cui Yaozu stood on either side of him, while Liu Xingxian stood behind him.

"How should this document be written?" Liu Xingxian asked in a low voice. "It needs to be reported to the imperial court; there must be some explanation."

Li Dengke suggested: "Let's say that Chen Jisheng colluded with the Jurchens, intending to surrender the island, but was discovered by the Second Master, and should be executed."

Liu Xingzhi shook his head. "Not enough. Chen Jisheng alone is not enough. The court needs to know that all the blame on the island lies with them, and that I have cleansed the court of treacherous officials."

He picked up his pen and began to draft a memorial to the throne.

The wording of the memorial was carefully considered—its gist is:

The traitor Chen Jisheng colluded with Liu Yinghe, the grain supervisor, and Ma Shirong, the military supervisor, and had been secretly in contact with the Jurchens for a long time. They embezzled grain and salaries and mistreated the soldiers, causing the loyal and brave army on the island to be scattered for more than ten years and reduced to a crowd crying for hunger and cold.

There are letters to prove it. After discovering the plot, the deputy commander Liu Xingzuo was framed by the three men. He fought valiantly and died for his country, only to be falsely accused himself. Liu Xingzhi sought justice for his brother and uncovered the letters of treason. Seeing their scheme exposed, the three men resisted arrest with their troops and were killed in battle. Liu Xingzhi will temporarily take command of Dongjiang Town.

After finishing writing, he handed the memorial to Liu Xingxian. Liu Xingxian read it through from beginning to end, his expression strange. "Brother, this letter—"

"It will happen," Liu Xingzhi said. "Once they pass the imperial examination, find a few literate people to draft several letters in the style of the Jurchens, and affix Chen Jisheng's private seal. Make sure they look authentic."

Li Dengke nodded emphatically. "Yes." Then he turned and went to do it.

Liu Xingzhi then turned to Cui Yaozu. Cui Yaozu was his personal guard captain, loyal, reliable, and efficient.

"Yaozu, who do you choose to deliver the message?"

Cui Yaozu thought for a moment and said, "General, this is a matter of great importance. Why don't I go to Dengzhou and Laizhou myself?"

"You can't leave." Liu Xingzhi shook his head. "The situation on the island is unstable, and I need you by my side. Pick a few clever ones from among the old brothers and divide them into two groups, one by sea and one by land. One group will take a boat, going through Dengzhou and Laizhou; the other group will take the land route, detouring through Korea to Shanhaiguan and going directly to the capital, making sure that the memorials and other documents reach the capital."

Cui Yaozu nodded in agreement.

Liu Xingzhi sealed the letter and stamped it with the newly engraved Dongjiang Town seal.

Then he stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and looked out at the gray sea.

Beyond the sea lies Dengzhou and Laizhou, and beyond that is Beijing, the court of the Ming Dynasty, the behemoth he must confront with sword and blood.

"Remember," he said to Cui Yaozu, his voice low but each word clear, "tell the court officials that Pi Island still belongs to the Ming Dynasty. Chen Jisheng colluded with the enemy; I killed a treacherous official, not a court official."

Cui Yaozu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Understood."

That afternoon, the two groups of messengers departed from Pi Island by boat. One group headed east, detouring through Korea and entering the pass by land, escorted by Choi Yo-jo himself; the other group headed west, crossing the Bohai Sea and heading straight for Dengzhou.

On April 18th, at Dengzhou Port, a messenger carrying Liu Xingzhi's memorial and "letters of treason" landed, only to be intercepted by soldiers of Sun Yuanhua, the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, and taken to the governor's office.

Sun Yuanhua, courtesy name Chuyang, was a native of Jiading, Southern Zhili. He was a Juren in the 39th year of the Wanli reign and a Jinshi in the first year of the Tianqi reign.

He was Xu Guangqi's prized student, proficient in firearms manufacturing and Western calendrical calculations, and could be considered the first-rate firearms expert in the late Ming Dynasty.

After Yuan Chonghuan was imprisoned last year, the position of governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou became vacant, and the court promoted him from his post as a vice minister of the Ministry of War to be stationed in Dengzhou.

The jurisdiction of the Dengzhou-Laizhou Governor was Dengzhou Prefecture and Laizhou Prefecture, which overlooked Liaodong and Dongjiang across the sea.

The supplies and official documents for Pi Island had to be transported through Dengzhou and Laizhou, so although Sun Yuanhua could not manage the personnel of Pi Island, his position was crucial to Pi Island.

At this moment, he sat in the main hall of the governor's office, with Liu Xingzhi's handwritten memorial and several ambiguous "letters of treason" in front of him.

His fingers tapped lightly on the letter for a long time.

"Huodong," he called out.

"Your student is here." A thin scholar stepped forward in response. His name was Zhang Tao, courtesy name Huodong. He was a trusted advisor to Sun Yuanhua and had served Sun Yuanhua for many years.

"Take a look at this."

Zhang Tao took the letter and read it carefully, word by word. After finishing, his brow furrowed. "Master, this letter... is not right."

"What's wrong?"

"If Chen Jisheng were truly in league with the Jurchens, the letter they sent him would have been a confidential document, not written so blatantly—things like 'explaining the greater good' and 'serving the Jin dynasty' are clearly written for laymen." He paused. "Furthermore, the letter is dated December of last year. At that time, the Jurchens were in the capital region. How could Huang Taiji have had the time to write a letter of surrender to a deputy general from Pi Island?"

Sun Yuanhua nodded. "You didn't see wrong." He picked up Liu Xingzhi's memorial again and read it through from beginning to end.

Liu Xingzhi's memorial was written very cleverly—he did not directly ask for the position of general, but devoted most of the document to listing the "crimes" of Chen Jisheng and others, only mentioning at the end that "the town of Dongjiang will be temporarily led by Liu Xingzhi."

He wasn't asking the court for an official position; he was telling the court: Pi Island is already in my hands. If you don't give it to me, I'll still occupy it; if you give it to me, then it's rightfully mine.

Sun Yuanhua put down the memorial, gazed at the gloomy sky outside the hall, and remained silent for a long time. Then he said, "The border generals of the Ming Dynasty are all more difficult to manage than the last."

Zhang Tao continued for him: "But Pi Island cannot be in chaos. If it is in chaos, the Jurchens will have no worries about their rear."

"So...the court had no choice but to accept Liu Xingzhi's case." Sun Yuanhua smiled bitterly. "Yuan Chonghuan killed Mao Wenlong, and the court accepted that; Liu Xingzhi killed Chen Jisheng, and the court had to accept that too. What else could they do? Send troops to fight? The Jurchens in Liaodong were eyeing them covetously, and bandits were rampant in Shaanxi. What could the court possibly use to attack Pi Island?"

Zhang Tao remained silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Master, we can't make this decision. Just forward the memorial to the court."

Sun Yuanhua nodded, picked up his pen, wrote a few words on Liu Xingzhi's memorial, and then summoned a messenger.

"Send it to the capital by fast horse. The military report is four hundred li away and must not be delayed."

"yes!"

The messenger took the document and hurried away.

Sun Yuanhua stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the old tree in the yard that had just sprouted tender buds.

Spring has arrived, and the trees are sprouting new buds, yet the world remains in such chaos.

He then thought of another person—Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng's killing of officials and rebellion made him an enemy of the imperial court. However, Sun Yuanhua's views on these "bandits" were far more complex than those of the cabinet ministers in the court who only knew how to suppress them.

He had seen those "bandits" with his own eyes.

They weren't born thieves, they were just hungry.

The Ming Dynasty starved them into becoming bandits, and then sent troops to suppress them.

"Huodong," he murmured, "tell me, how many people in this world are truly dedicated to saving the people?"

Zhang Tao remained silent for a long time. "Few. And most of them don't have a good ending."

Sun Yuanhua did not say anything more.

April 19th. Pi Island.

Liu Xingzhi's temporary general's residence was located in a large stone courtyard on a high ground in the south of the island. It was originally a council hall built by Mao Wenlong.

The paint on the threshold was worn and faded, and a brand new "Liu" character flag had been replaced on the flagpole in front of the door.

A sea breeze swept by, and the banner fluttered in the wind.

Liu Xingzhi stood under the flagpole, gazing at the flag in silence. He had changed into a clean battle robe, the bloodstains on his face long since washed away, but the weariness and melancholy in his eyes remained.

He had just finished dealing with the resettlement of Chen Jisheng's remaining confidants and then went to each camp to appease them. He had just found a moment to sit down.

"Brother, Mao Chenglu is here." Liu Xingxian walked up from behind and said in a low voice.

Mao Chenglu's wound had been bandaged. He had been slashed in the right arm, not deeply, but he wouldn't be able to hold a knife for a while. When he stood in front of Liu Xingzhi, he looked much more docile than a few days ago, and the angular features of his thin face seemed to have been smoothed out.

"General Liu." He cupped his hands in greeting, using the new title.

Liu Xingzhi glanced at him. "Deputy General Mao, how is your injury?"

"It's just a superficial wound, nothing serious." Mao Chenglu hesitated for a moment. "General, I came to ask what our next step is. Should we hold Pi Island, or look for an opportunity to launch an attack? The brothers are somewhat unsure."

Liu Xingzhi did not answer directly. He gazed at the surging waves on the sea and said:

"Pi Island is mine. Huang Taiji wants me to be his pawn? Dream on. But I do need time to stabilize the situation—the troops need to be reorganized, the food needs to be procured again, and the officers and soldiers of each battalion need to be identified one by one."

"What about the imperial court...?"

"Wait," Liu Xingzhi said. "The memorial has already been submitted. If the court wants to give it to us, we will accept it; if not, we will hold onto it. However, the court currently lacks the resources to manage Pi Island—the Jurchens are eyeing us covetously in Liaodong, and bandits are rampant in Shaanxi. The court's elite troops are all there. As long as we don't raise the flag of rebellion, the court will not touch us for the time being."

Mao Chenglu nodded thoughtfully.

April 20th. Beijing, Ministry of War.

Sun Yuanhua's memorial, along with Liu Xingzhi's handwritten memorial and those "letters of treason," were all sent to Liang Tingdong, the Minister of War.

Liang Tingdong is fifty-seven years old this year. He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) during the Tianqi era. He was from Zhaoyuan, Dengzhou and Laizhou. He was known for his talent from a young age and commanded troops in more than a hundred battles in his early years. He had served in Liaodong and Shaanxi. He was one of the few civil officials in the late Ming Dynasty who was truly capable of leading troops in battle.

But over the years, his sharpness has been worn down considerably, and now he is old and frail, only wanting to keep this mess going for as long as possible.

After reading the document, Liang Tingdong leaned back in his chair, gazing at the dark, heavy beams above him, remaining motionless for a long time. Finally, he called out, "Someone, summon the Left Vice Minister Hou Xun and the Right Vice Minister Yang Sichang."

Hou Xun and Yang Sichang were both Vice Ministers of War. Hou Xun was a member of the Donglin faction, known for his integrity and outspokenness; Yang Sichang was more pragmatic and better at weighing the pros and cons.

After the three of them sat down, Liang Tingdong handed them the documents to read.

After reading it, Hou Xun's face turned ashen: "Liu Xingzhi's actions constitute a mutiny! This is insubordination! If the court does not punish him severely, every general in the nine border regions will follow suit. Where will the court's authority be then?"

Yang Sichang, however, remained calm. He held several letters to the window, examining them carefully against the sunlight to determine the age of the paper fibers and ink, then put the letters down and began to speak slowly and deliberately:

"This letter is most likely fake. But whether it's real or fake isn't important. What's important is that there's no commander-in-chief on Pi Island right now."

He paused. "Chen Jisheng is dead, his bones are rotting on Pi Island. We can't give orders to a dead man. Mao Chenglu is too inexperienced, and Xu Fuzhao can't offend either side and can't control the situation. In Dongjiang Town, the only one who can fight and maintain order is Liu Xingzhi. If not him, who else can we use?"

Hou Xun retorted, "The imperial court can appoint another general!"

"Who should I send?" Yang Sichang looked at him. "Lord Hou, name one. Someone who dares to go to Pi Island, someone who can keep Liu Xingzhi in check, someone the court can mobilize, someone who has served in Liaodong—list one."

Hou Xun opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Yang Sichang turned to Liang Tingdong.

"Grand Marshal, the Jurchens have retreated, the mess from the Jisi Campaign is still unresolved, the four cities of Yongping have just been recovered, and the border armies urgently need rest. In Shaanxi, Wang Jiayin has occupied Fugu, Li Zicheng is entrenched in the Ziwu Ridge, Wang Zishun has fled into Shanxi, and Zhang Xianzhong's army is approaching Henan. They need troops and supplies everywhere. What are we going to use to attack Pi Island?"

Liang Tingdong listened with his eyes closed. Then, he opened his eyes and said, "Draft the decree."

Hou Xun exclaimed urgently, "Grand Marshal!"

"Draft the decree." Liang Tingdong repeated, his voice aged and weary. "It is true that Liu Xingzhi killed an official, but Chen Jisheng's letter of collusion with the enemy is not without basis. To stabilize the morale of the Dongjiang army, Liu Xingzhi is to temporarily assume the duties of the Dongjiang garrison commander and atone for his crimes through meritorious service. Furthermore, Sun Yuanhua, the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, is to be dispatched to verify the authenticity of the letter and to investigate whether Liu Xingzhi has indeed colluded with the enemy."

This statement was perfectly worded—it acknowledged Liu Xingzhi's position, temporarily stabilizing Pi Island, while simultaneously leaving room for investigation and providing a way out for the court to turn against him later. Hou Xun and Yang Sichang both understood this implication.

Yang Sichang cupped his hands in greeting: "Grand Marshal is wise." Hou Xun remained silent for a moment, then also cupped his hands in greeting, no longer objecting.

On April 21, Liang Tingdong's proposed handling of the matter was sent to the Cabinet.

Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru glanced at it, wrote "Approved" on his pen, and then sighed: "Let's leave the matter of Pi Island as it is for now. As for Shaanxi, Hong Chengchou is pressing for grain again."

Second Grand Secretary Wen Tiren took the document, glanced at the signature without reading the contents, and then affixed his seal.

Then he slightly raised his eyelids and said something that sent a chill down the spines of everyone present:

"Sun Yuanhua, the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, is a student of Xu Guangqi. I don't need to say much about who Xu Guangqi is. He has always been enthusiastic about Western learning and has close ties with missionaries. What could he possibly find out by investigating Liu Xingzhi? But it seems there is no more suitable candidate at the moment."

No one spoke. Wen Tiren stopped there, having made his point.

April 25th. Dengzhou, Governor's Office.

The imperial reply was delivered to Sun Yuanhua at the fastest speed possible.

Sun Yuanhua opened the document and read it word by word. Then he leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a long time.

Zhang Tao stood to the side, observing his expression. "Master, what did the imperial court say?"

"The imperial court says that Liu Xingzhi will temporarily act as the commander-in-chief of Dongjiang Town." Sun Yuanhua placed the document on the table, "to atone for his crimes through meritorious service."

Zhang Tao was taken aback, but then he understood. This was the least bad option the court could make—to acknowledge Liu Xingzhi's status, stabilize Pi Island first, and deal with the rest later.

"Then let's..." Zhang Tao asked tentatively.

Sun Yuanhua stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the vast blue sea to the east. Beyond the sea lay Pi Island, Dongjiang Town, the last exclave of the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong.

"Send someone to Pi Island. Tell Liu Xingzhi that the court has ordered him to temporarily serve as commander-in-chief, to atone for his crimes through meritorious service. The Dengzhou-Laizhou governor's office will allocate him a batch of rations and pay, not much, but enough to keep his troops in line. Also," he paused, "tell him to behave himself and guard Pi Island well. Don't kill anyone else."

Zhang Tao noted it down and turned to carry it out.

Sun Yuanhua stood alone by the window, gazing at the sea. The sea breeze blew in through the window, ruffling the white hair at his temples.

With grain supplies in Dongjiang Town and Liu Xingzhi's efforts to stabilize the situation, Pi Island will remain relatively stable for the time being.

But when will the Ming Dynasty finally be free from chaos?

Early May, Pi Island.

When the messenger landed, the sea was calm.

Compared to the traces of the bloody mutiny two weeks ago, the island looks completely different now.

The camp had been repainted, and the shouts of the various battalions during their drills rose and fell, while provisions and supplies were being loaded and unloaded in an orderly manner at the ferry crossing.

Those horrific scenes of corpses strewn everywhere and rivers of blood flowing down the ground seemed as if they had never happened.

Liu Xingzhi received the messenger at the General's Mansion. After reading the official documents from the Dengzhou and Laizhou Governor's Office and the imperial court's reply, he rolled up the documents, held them in his hand, and stood there for a long time.

Liu Xingxian, standing nearby, asked anxiously, "Brother, the imperial court—"

"The imperial court has appointed me as acting commander-in-chief temporarily." Liu Xingzhi handed him the document, "to atone for your crimes through meritorious service."

Liu Xingxian took the document and glanced at it, his face beaming with joy: "Brother, it's settled! The court has approved it! You must hurry to Dengzhou to personally thank Governor Sun and solidify this relationship."

"No rush," Liu Xingzhi said. "I've heard of Sun Yuanhua before. He's different from those civil officials who only know how to ask for money. He's a disciple of Xu Guangqi, he knows firearms, and he knows how to train troops. He's giving me provisions and pay not only to keep me in line, but also because he genuinely wants to manage the Dongjiang business."

He walked back to the desk, picked up his pen, and personally wrote a reply to Sun Yuanhua.

The letter was sincere, expressing gratitude for the court's trust and generously outlining the current difficulties faced by Dongjiang Town—a shortage of ships, cannons, and horses. He mentioned items needed for warfare.

After finishing the letter, he handed it to the messenger and gave special instructions: "Tell Governor Sun that Dongjiang Town belongs to the Ming Dynasty. I, Liu Xingzhi, will always be a border general of the imperial court."

The messenger clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned, and left. Liu Xingzhi stood under the flagpole, watching the ship's silhouette gradually disappear into the distance.

"Brother, what should we do next?" Liu Xingxian asked softly.

"Train the troops. Repair the ships. Build cannons. Once we have the capital, we'll cross the sea to fetch the governor to oversee the battle." He patted the flagpole, the large banner bearing the character "Liu" fluttering overhead. Then, he turned and walked back to the general's mansion, his back straight as a knife.