In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 927 The Liaodong Military Command is a den of snakes and rats

The following morning, a force of nearly five hundred men stormed into Yingzhou Right Garrison!
Liu Heiying dismounted, looking much thinner than before, though his skin remained dark.

His eyes were gleaming, and his steps were hurried. Facing the approaching Commander of the Right Garrison of Yingzhou, he asked directly:

"Where is the man?"

"Sir, the enemy is in the rear camp."

"How's it going?"

"Lord Xu and the goods are both fine, but some soldiers were injured, and some of them were too badly injured to survive last night."

"Um"

Liu Heiying hurried to the back tent.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw Xu Cheng, the commander of the 30,000 guards, whom I hadn't seen for two years!
Compared to before, Xu Cheng now exudes an air of quiet authority.
It added a touch of composure to the person in charge of the military command!

Upon seeing him, Xu Cheng was initially taken aback, but quickly remembered that this man was the deputy general who had accompanied Lord Lu to the Sanwanwei. He immediately stood up, strode forward, and bowed deeply.
"May I ask if you are Lord Liu Heiying in person?"

Liu Heiying looked him up and down, then let out a hearty laugh:
"Hahahaha, Lord Xu, it's been many years since we last met, but you still have the same charm."

At this moment, Li Xian, having heard the news, also rushed over.
Upon seeing Liu Heiying, for some reason, he felt a sense of relief.

"Lord Liu, you've arrived."

Liu Heiying turned to look at Li Xian and Wu Su'an, his expression instantly turning serious, and said in a deep voice:

"Given the urgency of the situation, how could I not come? The goods have all arrived, haven't they?"

"We've arrived, and there's not a penny less, and there's even some left over."

Wu Su'an took out a document from his pocket and handed it over while saying this.

"Excessive?"

Liu Heiying's expression was somewhat strange as he opened the document.

When he saw the figure of six hundred thousand taels, he raised an eyebrow and a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips:
"These Koreans are really rich; they can just take over 600,000 taels of silver without a second thought."

Upon hearing this, everyone present looked rather strange, not expecting him to be so blunt and unreserved.

"Sir, you should still be careful; walls have ears," Li Xian stepped forward and whispered a reminder.

Liu Heiying nodded and said with a smile:

"The Northern Pacification Command is united, unlike the fierce competition in Liaodong."

"Lord Xu, how is the struggle within the Liaodong Military Commandery progressing? Has there been any outcome?"

Xu Cheng looked somewhat embarrassed. Although he was thoroughly disgusted by the infighting within the military command, he didn't want outsiders to point it out, so he could only sigh and tell the truth:
"Lord Liu, to be honest, this dispute will probably not end until the money arrives."

Liu Heiying smiled slightly:
"Don't worry, since Lord Pan has gone to the trouble of covering for us, we will definitely keep everything we promised him."

"Let's pack them up now, so Lord Xu can take them back with him when he returns, saving him the trouble of carrying them back and forth."

Xu Cheng froze on the spot, giving him a blank look.
A moment later, a surge of ecstatic joy welled up within him:
"Really?"

"Of course it's true; there's no reason to go back on a promise."

Although 200,000 taels is not a small sum,

But compared to the combined efforts of you and me, it's nothing.

If 200,000 taels is not enough, just have Lord Pan write a document.
The commander now has some spare money, and lending some out won't delay his business, but let me make it clear from the outset: interest must be paid.

"Hahahahaha."

Everyone inside the tent burst into laughter.

Xu Cheng nodded repeatedly, deeply admiring Liu Heiying's generosity:

"Lord Liu, with you and Lord Lu jointly managing the Northern Pacification Command, it is bound to be excellent."

It's a pity that Lord Zhou of Liaodong isn't as sensible as you; he's embroiled in internal strife and neglects the development of the military command.

"Alas, struggles are inevitable. There's no reason to just hand over power that's already in your hands."

However, the chaos in Liaodong should end soon.

Once Lord Xu takes the silver back, the Commander will have no reason to squander the money.

Liu Heiying suddenly remembered something and reminded him:
"If Lord Xu has nothing else to do, he should set off as soon as possible."

A few days ago, an imperial envoy passed through Daning and specifically inspected the road construction progress; he should have reached Liaoyang by now.

"What? An imperial envoy?"

Xu Cheng's eyes widened suddenly, and a sense of urgency surged into his heart.

He knew from the letter that only part of the road construction calculations had been completed, and the real major project was far from over.

The imperial envoy has arrived at this time. If he cannot explain things properly, Lord Pan will probably suffer some hardship.

"The imperial envoy this time is Zhang Gou, the Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate."

A letter from the capital says that this person is very rigid and difficult to deal with, and has poor interpersonal relationships within the Censorate.
But he is a capable and competent official, which is why His Majesty and the court sent him.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Cheng became even more nervous and quickly said:

"Lord Liu, I would like to trouble you to prepare some fast horses and carriages for me."
I will leave today with my men and goods, and try to return to Liaoyang City within five days.
If construction is delayed due to insufficient funds, and the imperial envoy finds out, it will be disastrous.

Liu Heiying smiled:

Don't worry, I'll arrange all of that for you.

As for the wounded, they should stay here and receive proper treatment until they recover, at which point they will be sent back to Liaodong.

However, there's something I need to remind you of.

"What is it? Please enlighten me, Lord Liu!" Xu Cheng bowed respectfully, his face solemn.

Liu Heiying smiled mysteriously, leaned closer, and lowered his voice:

"The imperial envoy has arrived in Liaoyang. The fact that the Liaodong Regional Military Commission is short of funds may not necessarily be a bad thing."
"Lord Xu, there's no need to rush. Just proceed at your normal pace."

"Walking normally? That would take more than ten days."

Xu Cheng was somewhat shocked, but he wasn't stupid.
He quickly realized what was happening, his pupils contracted slightly, and he tentatively asked:

"You mean, Lord Pan could use the excuse of being broke to launch an attack?"

"Your military command's money hasn't been wasted, has it?"

No! Every penny is spent wisely!

Even the 100,000 taels of silver given by the imperial court were mostly used to replenish military equipment and pay soldiers' salaries.

With both officials watching closely, not a trace of corruption was found.

Xu Cheng's expression was somewhat strange. This sum of 100,000 taels was probably the most substantial amount of money spent since the establishment of the Liaodong Regional Military Commission.

"That's good. The road repairs have been delayed for months, so a few more days won't make a difference."

"Have the imperial envoy thoroughly investigate Liaoyang City to find out how the court's road repair funds mysteriously disappeared."

Li Xian, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow, instantly grasping the key point.
Whether it was the Northern Yuan or the Ming Dynasty, many problems could ultimately be summarized in one sentence:

Where will the money come from?

"Lord Pan! Where's the money?!"

"The imperial court scraped together 100,000 taels of silver and sent it to Liaodong!"

"The treasury only has three thousand taels left. Where did the money go?!"

Zhang Gou had arrived at the Liaodong Military Command ten days prior.

The dire situation in Liaodong could no longer be concealed!
Inside the main hall of the military headquarters, Zhang Gou stood in the center, holding a document, his voice strong and clear.

At the head of the table, Lu Yunyi and Pan Jing sat next to each other.

At the lower seat, Zhou E and several commanders from Liaodong took their seats in turn, and the atmosphere in the room became extremely tense.

The officials, more or less, dared not look directly at Zhang Gou, their eyes darting around.

Even Pan Jing felt uneasy, although spending 100,000 taels of silver wasn't his fault.
However, as the commander of the military headquarters, he could not escape responsibility for inadequate supervision.

No one answered for a long time. Zhang Gou's breathing became more and more rapid, and his eyes became bloodshot.

He looked at Pan Jing and Lu Yunyi, his voice tinged with a hint of sternness:

"Lord Pan, road construction is a national policy!"
Aside from water management and canal construction, this was the first time the imperial court had allocated so much money to local areas.

Money can just disappear like that now? Isn't that ridiculous?
Lord Lu, you have been in the capital for a long time, so you should know the difficulties the court faces.

The national treasury had only a few hundred thousand taels of silver available for use, and the court officials argued endlessly about it, even fighting to the death.

Now that the imperial court has given such great support

All I got in return was a "the money's gone?"

Before the two could speak, Zhang Gou abruptly turned his head.

He glanced at Yu Xin and Cheng Jun sitting below him, his voice forced out through clenched teeth:

"You are silver transport officials, and now the money is gone? How do you plan to explain this to the imperial court?"

The two men abruptly stood up, staring at the ground in silence. After a long while, Pan Jing sighed softly and said in a deep voice:
"Lord Zhang, this money was spent out of necessity, please bear with us."

"be magnanimous?"

Zhang Gou suddenly looked up, his face filled with anger:

"Lord Pan, the imperial court has ordered me to inspect the progress of the road construction."

I do not wish to see the bustling scene of Daming in Liaodong.

I'd at least like to see the laborers doing their best to repair the road.

It's okay to take it slow; as long as you're willing to put in the effort, you can always fix it.

But now?

The money for road repairs has all disappeared.

If we want to start construction, it will probably be a long time from now!

Has Lord Pan not considered how to explain this to the imperial court?

Pan Jing also felt embarrassed, and his face darkened.
"I will handle things with the court myself. If you are worried, Lord Zhang, please wait here."

"Sir, where does the money for road repairs come from?"

Zhang Gou's voice suddenly rose, his gaze fixed on Pan Jing, his eyes filled with absurdity.
"Ten thousand taels of silver is no small sum! Even if Liaodong covers a vast area and has abundant tax revenue, it would still take several years to accumulate enough!"
"Is this road going to take several years to repair?"

He paused, then pressed on:
"Furthermore, Lord Pan, if I may be so bold as to ask a question..."
Where exactly did the 100,000 taels of silver given by the imperial court go?

What could be so urgent that they would dare to dig up funds earmarked by the imperial court?

Upon hearing this, a glint of shrewdness flashed in Pan Jing's eyes, and he stiffened his neck and said:

"This is an internal matter of my department; Lord Zhang need not know about it!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou E's face instantly darkened.

If it were stated directly that the money was used to quell the rebellion and pay military salaries, perhaps that could be explained.
But given Zhang Gou's stubborn nature, he was bound to get to the bottom of Pan Jing's words.

As expected, Zhang Gou's expression became extremely solemn:
"Lord Pan, if you don't speak to me today, one day you'll have to speak to the court!"

The road construction was a matter of great importance, and the entire imperial court was watching closely.

We can no longer let things slide like we have in the past! We must face them!

Now that you have said so, I will report truthfully upon returning to court.
If we wait for the imperial court to send someone to investigate,
Even if Lord Pan had three mouths, he wouldn't be able to explain himself then!

But to his surprise, Pan Jing seemed to have been hit where it hurt, and his attitude became tougher than ever before!
Pan Jing frowned and shouted sternly:

"Zhang Gou! I'm only giving you face because of His Majesty and the court!"

You're just a low-ranking official of the fourth rank, who gave you the audacity to spout such nonsense here!

Guards, drag him out!

If he wants to enter the military headquarters again in the future, he must give prior notice.

"Without my order, you are not to be allowed to pass!"

Before he could finish speaking, the guards at the door rushed in.

Without saying a word, they grabbed Zhang Gou and dragged him outside.

Everyone in the room was stunned by this scene.

Even though Zhang Gou was being supported, his face was full of confusion.

He never imagined that anyone would dare to be so tough on the imperial envoy!

Seeing this, Zhou E's expression changed drastically. He cursed Pan Jing as a bastard in his heart, quickly stood up, and said urgently:

"Quickly, let him go! Lord Zhang is an imperial envoy, how can he be treated like this!"

Pan Jing ignored him completely, waving his hand to signal his guards to continue.

The guards would never listen to Zhou E.
In just three breaths, Zhang Gou was dragged out of the yamen.

Perhaps unable to withstand the cold outside, Zhang Gou suddenly realized what was happening, and a shrill scream came from outside:
"I must report this to the imperial court!
The Liaodong Military Command is corrupt and embezzles grain; they're a den of snakes and rats! A den of snakes and rats!!!

The sound gradually faded away, and Zhou E's face turned extremely grim.
He flicked his sleeves, snorted coldly, and strode away.

Seeing this, Yu Xin and Cheng Jun quickly stood up, bowed, and slowly withdrew.

Before long, only Lu Yunyi and Pan Jing remained in the main hall.

Lu Yunyi, holding his teacup, spoke calmly:
"Were your words a bit too extreme just now?"

"hehe."

Pan Jing regained his calm and composed demeanor, a stark contrast to his earlier angry expression.

"If we don't do this, how can we entice him to investigate the case?"
The deeper his hatred now, the more diligent he will be in investigating cases in the future. Hopefully, he will realize this soon.

At this point, Pan Jing suddenly seemed to be deep in thought:
"Why don't Yu Xin and Cheng Jun tell Zhang Gou the truth?"

They've been in Liaodong for almost two months; don't they know how fierce the infighting is within the military command?

Lu Yunyi smiled and shook his head, then put down his teacup.
"Lord Pan, you are asking too much of us."

Two lowly fifth-rank officials wouldn't dare get involved in a fight between second-rank officials, unless they were courting death.

"That's right."

Pan Jing's expression was somewhat strange; he scratched his head and clicked his tongue.

“But if they don’t say anything, are we supposed to arrange someone for Zhang Gou? But he might not believe us.”

"No rush. If you just want him to know, that's easy. The difficult part is making him believe."

Censors are officials who don't listen to others' opinions and only believe what they find out themselves, so let them investigate.

He's been trying to talk to Yu Xin several times lately, and he figures Yu Xin should be ready to tell him the truth by now.

Upon hearing this, Pan Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

He slumped into the chair, a smile on his face.

"Okay, okay. Once this is over..."
Let that old bastard Zhou E get lost, then we won't have to hold ourselves back anymore.

Lu Yunyi smiled and asked:
"Lord Pan, where is the silver?"

"It'll be soon. It's less than a hundred li from Liaoyang City. If we ride at full speed, we can get there in three days."

However, Xu Cheng was smart enough to travel slowly, even if he rushed, it would still take five or six days.

Don't worry, there's plenty of time.

"That's good. Once the money arrives, we'll be really busy. Once construction starts, we can't stop."
There's still a shortfall of 100,000 taels of silver. Is Lord Pan planning to borrow from wealthy families?

Pan Jing's expression became much more serious, and he nodded slightly:

"The Liu family and the Zang family have already reached an agreement."
As soon as the road construction started, the money came in immediately, and many villagers were even called in to help.

This time, I really have to thank them.

Without their support, it would have been really difficult to raise the missing money.

"What you ask for, you will get. It's both a good thing and a bad thing for big spenders to spend money; it's easy to be coerced by them."

But given the current situation, this is the only way to proceed. Lord Pan, please remember to exercise caution.

A hint of apprehension flashed in Pan Jing's eyes:

"I've heard that in some places in Jiangnan, things are extremely expensive, and the salaries paid by the garrison and government offices aren't even enough to eat."

Some wealthy families used the guise of providing relief,
They gradually coerced the government offices and garrisons into working for them.

"He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding; he who takes another's gift is obligated to do his bidding." There's really no other way.

I hope that Liaodong will never fall into such a state.

Lu Yunyi had also heard about this matter, and he solemnly stated:

"Once the road is repaired and trade is opened, the Commander-in-Chief will no longer lack silver."

Later, trade routes also included Goryeo (Korea).

"I can earn more money, and I won't have to be so restricted anymore."

Pan Jing looked on with longing; he had never actually worked in a government office that was never short of money.

If that day ever comes, I wonder if I'll be able to see it with my own eyes.
Inside the post station in Liaoyang, Zhang Gou sat in his room, his face extremely gloomy.
He looked at the numerous documents piled on the table and chairs.

I suddenly realized that all these days had been a waste of time!

The obstacle to road construction has never been the weather or technology, but simply a lack of money.

"call"

Zhang Gou let out a long sigh, as if to expel all the pent-up frustration in his heart.

Just then, a soft knock sounded on the door, and Yu Xin's voice came in:
"Lord Zhang, you wanted to see me?"

(End of this chapter)