Sweep Yuan

Chapter 249 The Will of the People Leads to the Settlement of Jiangning
Shi Shan was always decisive and efficient. Now that he had learned of Sun Yan's talent from Xia Yu and had the desire to recruit him, he no longer delayed. He ordered his men to prepare pen, ink, paper, and inkstone in the tent and asked Xia Yu to write a letter on the spot, sincerely inviting Sun Yan to come to Jiangning to plan a great undertaking together.

As soon as the letter was written, Shi Shan immediately handed it over to Guo Ying, ordering him to take men and deliver it to Jurong County by fast horse, which shows that Marshal Shi was eager to find talented people.

However, Sun Yan did not receive the letter quickly, because when the letter reached Jurong, Wang Bi was leading the Mighty Guard army in a fierce attack on the city. Banners outside the city blotted out the sun, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens; inside the city, people were filled with fear, and the city gates were tightly shut.

Sun Yan was trapped in Jurong County and could not receive his friend's invitation in time, so he had no idea that Marshal Shi was eagerly waiting for him.

Previously, Shi Shan, after comprehensively assessing the battle situation, considered that the Yuan army outside Jiangning had been wiped out, and the next strategic focus would shift to consolidating the foundation and completely isolating Jiangning. Meanwhile, the pressure of feeding and transporting provisions for tens of thousands of troops was immense.

He then ordered Wang Bi to lead all the Weiwu Guard troops eastward to Jurong County to "find food" in order to alleviate logistical pressure.

After the Weiwu Guards reached the walls of Jurong, Wang Bi immediately ordered the felling of timber to build siege equipment such as siege ladders, battering rams, and shield siege towers. Relying on their superior strength and high morale, they launched a fierce attack on Jurong County for several days.

Although the Yuan army and local militia defending the city fought desperately, they were ultimately overwhelmed by the relentless attacks of the Weiwu Guard. On the third day after Guo Ying and his men arrived in Jurong, the Weiwu Guard soldiers brazenly breached the city walls.

In this battle, the Jurong County Lieutenant put up a stubborn resistance but was killed on the spot by Hua Gao, the commander of the Ninth Battalion of the Weiwu Guard who led the vanguard. When the County Magistrate learned that the city had fallen, he knew that all was lost and, in despair, hanged himself in the back hall of his government office.

County Magistrate Chen Jing, assessing the situation, knew that the Yuan Dynasty's fate was sealed and persuaded Militia Commander Li Yuan and others to give up resistance and surrender to the Red Flag Battalion.

After the city fell, a whole host of tasks were to be done, including checking the treasury, registering and identifying surrendered soldiers, pacifying the people, and restoring order. Fortunately, the newly surrendered Chen Jing and Li Yuan cooperated well, which prevented Wang Bi, a "Jiangbei native" who was unfamiliar with the situation in Jurong, from being overwhelmed.

Chen Jing was a highly respected local gentry, while Li Yuan was a powerful figure who made his fortune in the salt industry. Both of them had considerable influence and connections among the upper-class scholars and the lower-class people of Jurong County.

Under the Yuan dynasty system, except for the areas inhabited by ethnic minorities in Yunnan, western Sichuan, and Huguang, where local chieftains were allowed to serve as "native officials," in core and prosperous areas like Jiqing Road, the system of "avoiding local registration for selection" should have been strictly enforced, meaning that officials could not serve in their native place or neighboring areas.

However, at the end of the dynasty, the system collapsed, discipline was abandoned, and many old systems had long since become mere formalities, giving way to the unfortunate social reality.

The Yuan Dynasty repeatedly abolished the imperial examination system in its later years, resulting in a lack of proper channels for selecting officials and an insufficient talent pool. In addition, in recent years, the Jiangnan and Jiangbei regions have been ravaged by the Red Turban Rebellion and various other rebel armies, resulting in severe casualties and the flight of officials, leaving a huge vacancy.

Left with no other option, the imperial court had to issue the "Order to Appoint Officials by Donating Grain," which allowed local gentry and powerful figures with wealth and influence to exchange money and grain for official positions in order to barely maintain its crumbling rule.

This edict, like the previous one lifting the ban on employing people from the south, was issued a year ago: "All officials and commoners in various places who are able to contribute to the country and provide their own grain to supply the military shall be appointed as regular officials in accordance with the established rules, and shall be promoted and granted titles and honors in accordance with the regulations."

Chen Jing was a beneficiary of this new policy, and was appointed as the assistant magistrate of Jurong County through donation.

This man was quite insightful and decisive. Seeing that the Yuan Dynasty was hopeless and the Red Flag Battalion was at its peak, he decisively changed course and sided with the new strongman.

He not only fully cooperated with the Weiwu Guard in taking over the city, but also took the initiative to donate a thousand bushels of rice from his own granary to fund the army.

Following Chen Jing's example and mobilization, other gentry and wealthy families in Jurong County also "enthusiastically" donated money and grain to support the army.

This move enabled Wang Bi to quickly solve the problem of food supply for the Weiwuwei army in Jurong, and also allowed him to organize laborers to transport large quantities of grain and fodder to the main force of the Red Flag Battalion besieging Jiangning, thus supporting the main force in its long-term siege.

In fact, after capturing Lishui Prefecture, Hu Dahai was also actively organizing forces to send supplies to the city of Jiangning.

The establishment of these two new supply lines greatly reduced the logistical pressure on the Luzhou Road army to support its campaigns, allowing the Marshal's Office to better accumulate strength to deal with any possible fierce counterattacks from the Yuan court.

In Jurong County, after the urgent military and political affairs were initially dealt with and order was restored in the city, Wang Bi remembered another important task entrusted to him by Marshal Shi—to find Sun Yan. So, carrying Xia Yu's letter, he went to visit Sun Yan under the escort of a group of soldiers.

The Red Flag Battalion had just breached the city yesterday, and today its commanding general personally led his troops to his doorstep. Sun Yan, naturally, dared not put on airs. Having received a message from his servant, he tidied his clothes slightly, quickly went out the gate, and bowed to Wang Bi, who was waiting outside, saying:
"Commander Wang has personally graced my humble abode with his presence. I have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me!"

Wang Bi observed that Sun Yan was not handsome, had a dark complexion, and walked with a slight limp in his left leg.

Although Sun Yan was composed and spoke eloquently, he was still far from the image of the romantic and talented scholar that Wang Bi had imagined. A few doubts arose in his heart, and he tentatively asked:

"You... are you Mr. Sun Yan, Sun Borong?"

Sun Yan was clearly used to this kind of reaction from strangers upon first meeting, and simply smiled calmly, saying self-deprecatingly:
"The Commander-in-Chief has not mistaken me for someone else; I am indeed Sun Yan. Although I share the same illness as Wang Shize and Fang Fengchen, I lack the talents of these two sages. I am ashamed!"

His words cleverly borrowed the analogy of a famous disabled but talented person in history to describe himself, which both defused the awkwardness and subtly expressed his ambition.

Wang Bi came from a small landlord family and had some education, but not much. He knew roughly that Wang Shize, who shared the same surname as him in the Northern Song Dynasty, was lame and widely known for his legendary achievement of becoming the top scholar in the imperial examinations.

Sun Yan listed Fang Fengchen and Wang Shize together. Wang Bi vaguely felt that the names sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember when he had heard of them before. He guessed that they were probably similar figures, but it was not convenient to ask him for details at the moment.

Wang Bi came to visit today specifically to invite Sun Yan to serve in the government. He remembered the Marshal's instructions and dared not be negligent, immediately stating his purpose:

"I have come here today with great difficulty, specifically to deliver a letter to Mr. Sun."

After saying this, Wang Bi took out a letter from his pocket and handed it over.

Sun Yan quickly accepted the letter with both hands, recognizing his close friend Xia Yu's familiar handwriting at a glance. Combined with the fact that the messenger was a general under Marshal Shi Shan, he quickly guessed what was going on: Yunzhong (Xia Yu's courtesy name) must have gained Marshal Shi's favor and wanted to invite him to join him!
When distinguished guests arrive, there is no custom of standing outside the door to speak. Sun Yan quickly stepped aside to make way for the guests and said:

"I am deeply grateful for the Commander's personal delivery of this message! This is not the place to talk. Please come inside and have some tea!"

Wang Bi had been accustomed to social interactions in his hometown since his early years, and his prestige grew even stronger after he took command of the army, so he was naturally adept at handling such situations. He immediately nodded and, with four personal guards, followed Sun Yan into the courtyard.

The Sun residence is built by the water, with white walls and blue tiles. The layout is typical of a front hall and a rear bedroom. The doors and windows retain the original color of the wood and have not been painted. The interior furnishings are simple and elegant, yet they exude the solemnity of a scholarly family.

The two men arrived at the main hall and took their seats as host and guest. Servants from the Sun family immediately served them drinks to cool them down and quench their thirst. Sun Yan apologized to Wang Bi, then opened the envelope and quickly scanned the contents of the letter.

As expected, in his letter, Xia Yu praised Marshal Shi for his great talent and ability to listen to good advice, and strongly urged Sun Yan to seize the opportunity to leave his post immediately and join him in assisting the wise ruler and creating a great cause together.

Seeing that Sun Yan looked thoughtful after reading the letter, Wang Bi further explained his purpose:
"Mr. Sun, the Marshal is eager to find talented people and has specifically instructed me to do so. The war is not over yet. Although the route from Jiangning to Jurong is generally safe, it is hard to guarantee that there will be no deserters or ruffians causing trouble. The journey is not peaceful."

If you are determined to go to Jiangning, my troops must dispatch capable soldiers to escort you along the way and ensure your safety.

If it were another army with poor discipline and no popular support (among the gentry), such "escort" would be practically a kidnapping.

However, the Mighty Guard had captured Jurong a day ago, and since entering the city, their military discipline had been strict, with no offenses committed against the people. They had also made every effort to appease the populace and restore order to the city, truly displaying the demeanor of a royal army. Sun Yan, with his keen observation, naturally would not have such negative suspicions.

He is thirty years old this year and has a disability. Under the rigid and regionally discriminatory old selection system of the Yuan Dynasty, he has almost no hope of getting ahead.

Shi Shan led the Red Flag Battalion across the river, sweeping through Jiqing Road and bringing about the long-awaited change for Sun Yan. He keenly realized that this might be his only chance in life to realize his ambitions. Once he missed it, there would be no next opportunity.

Therefore, Sun Yan's earlier strong persuasion for Xia Yu to return to Jiangning and serve Marshal Shi was undoubtedly partly motivated by a desire to pave the way for himself.

In retrospect, the results have far exceeded expectations.

Marshal Shi not only readily accepted Xia Yu and immediately granted him a substantive position, but also sent one of his generals to personally deliver a letter inviting him to the capital, showing him ample face and respect. Sun Yan, never one to feign arrogance, immediately accepted without hesitation, bowing and clasping his hands in greeting to Wang Bi:

"Marshal Shi's kindness and Brother Xia's hospitality are beyond my ability to refuse! I will pack my things and settle my family today, and set off for Jiangning at dawn tomorrow. I hope you will make arrangements for my safety along the way!"

"It's my duty, no need to be so polite. I'll make sure you have a safe journey!"

Seeing that the other party agreed so readily, and that he had successfully completed the task assigned by the marshal, Wang Bi was overjoyed. Immediately, he remembered something he needed to discuss and seized the opportunity to consult Sun Yan, sincerely asking:
"Before I set out with my troops, Marshal Shi repeatedly instructed me that after capturing a city, the first priority should be to appease the people and stabilize the region. You are a wise and virtuous man from Jurong, and you are familiar with the situation and problems of this county. Could you please teach me something?"

As the saying goes, "What the superiors like, the inferiors will follow even more fervently." Shi Shan attached great importance to the governance of people's livelihood, and his generals, influenced by what they saw and heard, also deeply understood the importance of stabilizing the local area and winning the hearts of the people. Every time they conquered a place, they would do their best to appease the people and restore production as soon as possible.

Conversely, if a pure warrior only knows how to kill and doesn't know how to govern, no matter how high his military achievements are, Shishan will not give him the opportunity to guard a region.

After Ju Rongyi took control, Sun Yan had been carefully observing the actions of the Red Flag Battalion. In his view, Wang Bi's actions after entering the city, from quickly restoring order to utilizing local forces such as Chen Jing, were quite remarkable, far exceeding those of ordinary military men.

But since the other party was so eager to learn and so sincere, Sun Yan naturally couldn't just give a perfunctory answer. He thought carefully for a moment and then cautiously replied:

"Commander Wang is too modest. In my opinion, your troops' actions since entering the city have been remarkably commendable. I am not well-versed in military affairs and dare not speak presumptuously about camp deployment or warfare. But regarding civil matters..." He paused slightly, reorganizing his thoughts, and continued:

“Chen, the county magistrate, is highly respected, virtuous, and capable, and is also familiar with the affairs of Jurong County. The commander can rely on him with confidence and entrust him with practical matters.”

Then, he changed the subject and pointed out the key point:
"But Chen Jingfu (Chen Jingbiao's courtesy name was Jingfu) was, after all, a local gentry. According to the old system of the imperial court in previous dynasties, in order to avoid suspicion, it was not appropriate for local people to serve as local officials. Although this matter was done expediently due to the chaotic times, it was ultimately inconsistent with the system."

In my humble opinion, the Commander-in-Chief should first submit a written report detailing the matter to Marshal Shi, requesting the Marshal's decision. This would not only comply with procedure but also avoid any potential future criticism.

His words affirmed Chen Jing's abilities while also pointing out potential political risks, demonstrating considerable thoughtfulness.

Chen Jingnian was over fifty years old. Although he rose to official rank through the "grain tax" system, he was a truly ambitious gentryman.

This person had just taken office last year when he was deeply moved by the frequent droughts and floods in Jurong County and the hardship faced by the people. He went to great lengths to raise money and grain, and took advantage of the winter off-season to supervise the dredging of the silted-up Jurong River, reinforce the river embankments on both banks, and preside over the construction of key water conservancy facilities such as the Tongji Sluice Gate, which benefited the local area.

After the Weiwuwei captured the city yesterday, Chen Jing surrendered. Instead of slacking off, he took the initiative to propose to Wang Bi that they should take advantage of the change of regime and the less resistance to start working on the historical problems of "powerful people hiding their land and transferring taxes, making it unbearable for ordinary people" in Jurong County.

In Wang Bi's view, Chen Jing was indeed a capable and pragmatic person who was willing to get things done. He appreciated him greatly and was willing to accept all of his suggestions. He planned to report the good news to Marshal Shi after the results were achieved.

At this moment, after listening to Sun Yan's advice, he finally realized that he had only considered efficiency and neglected the rules and potential dangers of officialdom, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He stood up solemnly and bowed respectfully to Sun Yan, saying:

"If it weren't for your reminder, sir, I would have almost made a grave mistake! I have learned a great deal!"

The next morning, a light rain began to fall, and the roads became muddy. Wang Bi thought that Sun Yan would definitely postpone his journey because of this.

Unexpectedly, Sun Yan arrived at the military camp on time as promised. Upon seeing Wang Bi, he explained, "It is rainy in Jiangnan during the transition from spring to summer. I dare not let a little wind and rain delay my important business of visiting Marshal Shi."

Wang Bi admired his decisiveness and immediately said no more. He carefully selected a group of soldiers to escort Guo Ying, Sun Yan, and others to Jiangning.

This spring rain lasted for six days straight, and it kept getting heavier and heavier.

The rain soaked the land, making the roads muddy and difficult to travel, which ultimately greatly delayed the journey.

At the same time, Wang Bi also dispatched a fast horse to deliver a document to the marshal's headquarters outside Jiangning City.

The report detailed the course of the Battle of Jurong, the spoils of war, and informed the commander-in-chief that Sun Yan had been summoned and set off. It also highlighted the appointment of Chen Jing, the former magistrate of Jurong County, to remain in charge of the county affairs and his suggestions on clearing up hidden land and reforming taxes to stabilize Jurong. The report was submitted for the commander-in-chief's instructions.

Shi Shan was very satisfied with the smooth progress of the Jurong campaign and the solution to the food supply problem, and he was also very interested in Chen Jing's suggestions.

He knew that the tax problems in Jiangnan had been long-standing and could be traced back to the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, or even further.

In order to minimize resistance and win the support of the gentry in Jiangnan in order to pacify the Southern Song Dynasty as soon as possible, Kublai Khan, the Yuan emperor, adopted a policy of appeasement, such as appointing a large number of former officials of the Southern Song Dynasty, reducing taxes, and exempting gentry from corvée labor.

This made the Yuan army's conquest of Jiangnan exceptionally smooth, with virtually no large-scale resistance.

As for the Yuan court's later political suppression of the "Southern people" and the continuous imposition of various commercial and salt taxes due to the financial crisis, that happened after the Southern Song Dynasty was pacified.

The promised "good policies" such as tax reductions and exemptions from corvée labor have continued to this day in Jiangnan in various forms and to varying degrees, especially the privilege of "exemption from miscellaneous corvée labor" for gentry and Confucian households.

The actual increase in land tax later was more due to the distortion of policy implementation and the corruption of officials, which led to the failure of implementation. It was by no means that the Yuan court fundamentally overturned the general principle of appeasing the gentry in Jiangnan that Kublai Khan had initially set.

As a conqueror from a foreign tribe, Kublai Khan saw every inch of land he occupied in China as an extra benefit. Naturally, he was happy to exchange "rights that did not belong to him" for the smooth conquest at hand, without considering what kind of hidden dangers these "benevolent policies" would sow for the governance of Jiangnan in the future.

—In particular, there are problems such as the expansion of privileges of the gentry, damage to the national tax base, widening gap between the rich and the poor, and accumulation of social contradictions.

Shi Shan was determined to rebuild China and establish a strong new regime, so that the Chinese people would not be reduced to slaves by foreign races again. Naturally, he could not allow these long-standing problems that seriously damaged the country's vitality and exacerbated social injustice to continue to exist.

As a whole, the privileges that the Jiangnan gentry should not enjoy must be restricted (complete deprivation is impossible, and Shishan admits he cannot do it in his lifetime), but this does not mean that he wants to exclude all Jiangnan gentry.

He also readily gave important positions and opportunities to those elites who had lofty ambitions and genuine talent, who were willing to follow the trend of the times and serve the new regime.

Clearing out hidden land and reforming taxes have always been extremely difficult and easy tasks that can offend people and affect the interests of countless vested interests.

Even if the person in charge succeeds, they will often be criticized by the gentry who have suffered losses and bear a bad reputation.

Chen Jing himself was a member of the Jurong gentry class, yet he dared to experiment on his hometown and "take action" against his own class. This courage, vision, and foresight are extraordinary.

If this matter can be accomplished, Shishan can guarantee that the position of Jurong County Magistrate will be the starting point for Chen Jing's soaring career.

Therefore, upon receiving Wang Bi's petition, Shi Shan did not hesitate and immediately issued a reply: granting Wang Bi's request, formally appointing Chen Jing as the magistrate of Jurong, and encouraging him to take bold action to explore strategies for clearing up hidden land and reforming taxes and corvée labor, with the Red Flag Battalion Marshal's Office providing him with necessary support.

The fast horse delivered official documents, braving wind and rain, and was much faster than the carriages and horses of Sun Yan and his party.

By the time Sun Yan finally arrived at the gates of Jiangning after his arduous journey, it was already mid-April. However, Shi Shan's promise to "welcome him with open arms" did not materialize—because he was not at the Yuhuatai camp.

The day before Sun Yan and his group arrived, the Nanhe River west of Yuhuatai suddenly breached its banks, and the flood destroyed more than 100 houses along the river, submerged more than 3,000 mu of farmland, and affected more than 1,000 people.

Upon learning of the disaster in Nanhe, Shishan left only 4,000 troops in his camp to continue monitoring Jiangning and guarding against any potential raids by the enemy forces. He himself led the rest of his troops to the breached dike to direct rescue and relief efforts and to resettle the affected people.

In fact, the Nanhe River is just a small tributary of the Qinhuai River, and its flow is not large.

This breach was entirely due to the fact that the Yuan Dynasty's Jiangning government had long been focused on collecting taxes and had no intention of developing water conservancy projects, resulting in severe siltation of the river channels and extremely fragile dikes. Coupled with continuous heavy rains, the water level rose sharply, ultimately leading to the disaster.

Fortunately, the breach in the small riverbank was not too difficult to repair.

When Sun Yan, escorted by Guo Ying and others, arrived wearily at the west bank of the Nanhe River, he was greeted by an extremely shocking scene:

Thousands of Red Flag Battalion soldiers took off their heavy armor and outer robes, went shirtless and barefoot, and mingled with the conscripted laborers and local disaster victims.

Shouting in unison, they worked together to drive in wooden stakes, fill bamboo cages with pebbles, and pass around bags of mud-filled straw, striving to plug the breach and reinforce the dike. The once-great dike had become a bustling construction site.

Mud and water splattered all over everyone's bodies, but no one retreated.

A makeshift shack had been erected beside the dike, with several large pots under it, the stoves burning brightly, and ginger soup simmering inside. Further away, a row of field kitchens were bustling with cooks steaming rice and preparing dishes.

Anyone who has finished transporting supplies can go over and have a bowl of hot ginger soup to ward off the cold.

After everything is done, I should be able to have a hot meal.

"Mr. Sun, please look, the Marshal is right there!" Guo Ying pointed to the crowd in front of them.

Sun Yan looked in the direction Guo Ying was pointing and saw a burly man standing barefoot on the embankment, surrounded by a crowd. He was wearing a muddy turban and his body was steaming with heat. He had obviously just participated in the heavy rescue work and looked no different from ordinary soldiers and laborers.

If it weren't for his extraordinary demeanor, who would have thought that this was Marshal Shi, who commanded 100,000 soldiers and whose might shook the land of China!
Sun Yan stared blankly at this "unusual" scene of soldiers and civilians united in fighting the natural disaster, then turned to look at the silent and gloomy city of Jiangning shrouded in rain. He deeply realized that the hearts of the people on this land were undergoing a decisive shift. He couldn't help but sigh:

"This is what the people want!"

……

PS: 1. Wang Shize of the Northern Song Dynasty was disabled when he was 6 years old because a rolling stone hit his right ankle. He became the top scholar in the imperial examination twice in a row (the only person in history to be the top scholar in two consecutive examinations); Fang Fengchen of the Southern Song Dynasty was "lame in the right foot and blind in the left eye", but he also became the top scholar.

2. Chen Jing was a historical figure. His deeds of donating grain to support the army, repairing water conservancy, and reforming taxation are all recorded in the "Jurong County Annals" and are not fabricated.

(End of this chapter)