Chapter 86

The chaos in Macheng that night quickly reached the ears of Magistrate Lu, as well as those of Mei Zhihuan and Li Changgeng.

Lu Jinxi was relieved that the unrest had been timely quelled. He was very dissatisfied with Zhao, the county magistrate's assistant, who had caused the incident, and severely criticized him. After Zhao left in a sorry state, Lu Jinxi secretly sighed with relief, thankful that Liu Jun had appeared in time and skillfully calmed the situation. Otherwise, his position as magistrate would have been at risk.

Magistrate Lu suddenly realized that in recent times, the name Liu Jun had been appearing in his ears more and more frequently. The massacre at Lin Family Village had once made him anxious, but Liu Jun had quietly taken the initiative to find and eliminate Da Ma Zi. Later, in the battle to break the bandit stronghold at Qiting, Liu Jun had also made significant contributions.

And this time, it was thanks to him again.

This Liu Jun, appointing him as the patrol inspector was indeed the right choice. At first, when Mei Zhihuan suggested that he be appointed as the patrol inspector of Houtou Pass, Lu had been somewhat reluctant. Who would have thought that this young man would turn out to be so capable.

In the east of the county, at the foot of Guishan, Li Changgeng had built a villa, nestled by the mountains and water, quiet and elegant, especially cool in the summer. After retiring, Li Changgeng spent most of his summers here.

Today, the weather was clear, and Mei Zhihuan came uninvited. The two of them went to the river to fish, enjoying the rare elegance of fishing under the shade of the trees.

Mei Zhihuan wore a straw hat and a short cotton shirt, looking like an old farmer.

"Have you heard that Gongji is going to Nanjing?"

"He set off this morning," Li Changgeng replied, his scholar's robe and white beard giving him a refined air.

Mei Zhihuan chuckled, "Actually, the Nine-Headed Bird that he and Liu Jun created is quite interesting. The imperial examination is still far off, and staying in the team for a while longer would certainly be more beneficial."

"This period has been very helpful to Chunjiang, but Chunjiang is ultimately not very suitable for military service. On the other hand, Liu Jun seems to be a natural-born general, with courage, wisdom, and strategy. At such a young age, he is already so sharp and capable. However, he is too rigid, which could lead to his downfall," Li Changgeng had been closely following the Nine-Headed Bird team and felt increasingly amazed and appreciative of the deputy his nephew had chosen.

"In today's world, what we lack are people like Liu Jiyeh. There can never be too many such people, only too few. The world is in unprecedented peril, but unfortunately, few can see the situation clearly," Mei Zhihuan sighed. When Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, the Tartars invaded, and the emperor called him to lead troops to defend the capital. However, halfway there, there was a rebellion in the rear, and he decisively ordered his troops to return to quell the rebellion. By the time he had pacified the rebellion and marched to the capital, the Jurchen troops had already retreated, but the emperor punished him and sent him back home.

Later, he became involved in the struggle between the Donglin Party and the Eunuch Party. Although the Eunuch Party fell and he was reinstated, he was never given a real position again.

As a member of the Donglin Party, Mei Zhihuan was one of the few who was relatively upright and had a clear understanding of the national situation. Last year, when the Jurchens invaded on a large scale, the court transferred the two great generals, Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou, who were responsible for suppressing the bandits in Central China, to the capital. However, the Jurchens still managed to reach Shandong and capture Jinan, looting and pillaging before returning to Liaodong.

The departure of Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou, along with the elite troops, led to the failure to suppress the bandits. After Bear Wencan took over, instead of taking the opportunity to crush the bandits, he halted the campaign and tried to pacify them, allowing Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Ruzai, Li Zicheng, and Old Huizui to survive and regroup. Now, they have returned, and bandits are re-emerging in various places.

Missing such a good opportunity to suppress the bandits, it will be very difficult to eliminate them now. Opportunities are fleeting, and the situation in Central China is deteriorating. The Jurchens outside the pass are growing stronger, and the internal and external threats are putting the Ming Dynasty at risk of collapse.

Although Mei Zhihuan worked hard, he could only influence a small part of Eastern Hubei.

Li Changgeng held the fishing rod quietly, looking at the calm water and listening to the cicadas in the trees. "The Ming Dynasty has come to this point, and it is not something that happened overnight. It took a long time to get here. The current situation is beyond saving. Suppressing the bandits, who knows, one day they might take over the empire and sit on the golden throne."

Li Changgeng had served as a minister in four departments and as the governor of Shandong. He had a clear understanding of the corruption in the Ming Dynasty. In his view, if things continued this way, it would not be long before a new dynasty would emerge. It was just a matter of whether it would be Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Ruzai, Old Huizui, or Li Zicheng.

In his opinion, if these bandits had not been focused on plundering and establishing a base, the Ming Dynasty might have already fallen. However, as their power grows, they will eventually realize the need to settle down, establish a government, and set up a tax system, and win over the gentry. When that happens, the world will truly change.

Li Changgeng felt that he could not change these things, and no one could. He supported Li Chunjiang's decision to take the imperial examination. In his view, no matter who ruled the country in the future, it would still be the world of the gentry and landlords, not the world of farmers, craftsmen, or vagrants.

The Ming Dynasty's imperial scholars would also be the scholars of the new dynasty.

The emperor might change, but the landowners would not.

Mei Zhihuan did not like this view. "The Fusha is not a good thing either, even worse than the Donglin Party. Joining the Fusha will be of no use to Chunjiang, as it will only lead to empty talk and the ruin of the country. I have spent my life in politics and have come to understand something: talking is useless; what matters is action. If the Ming Dynasty had more people like Yu Qian, Zhang Juzheng, and Qi Jiguang, there might still be hope for a revival. But looking at the current situation, we might end up as slaves of a fallen nation and a fallen clan."

Li Changgeng frowned. "I admit the Jurchens are strong. They have been pressing the Mongols and Korea and have repeatedly invaded the pass. But how many people do the Jurchens have? I don't believe they can take over Central China. The Liao and Jin dynasties once occupied half of Central China, but the Song Dynasty still lasted for several hundred years."

In Li Changgeng's view, if the bandits were properly dealt with, even if the Jurchens became more powerful, the Ming Dynasty could still move the capital to Nanjing, divide the country, and hold onto half of the territory. If the Ming Dynasty could not properly deal with the bandits, the country might be destroyed by the bandits, and the Ming Dynasty would be replaced by them. Perhaps the new dynasty would, like the early Ming Dynasty, lead a northern campaign to subdue the Jurchens.

"We don't need to argue about this. We are both old and don't have many years left. Whether the world collapses or floods, we won't see it."

Both fell silent for a while. Ignoring the situation was impossible. Their families were here, and in times of turmoil, even local gentry were in danger.

"Will the Left Fifth Camp attack again?"

"Temporarily not. The bandits were just testing the waters last time. After Liu Jun dealt them a blow, they retreated and have been quiet," Mei Zhihuan replied.

"What about Xiangyang? Are there any movements from the government troops?"

"Not much. The court has assigned Yang Sichang and Xiong Wencan to suppress the bandits, but Yang Sichang is still in the capital, and Xiong Wencan is the current commander. However, it's clear that the court is just letting him temporarily lead the anti-bandit forces until Yang Sichang arrives. Once Yang Sichang gets here, Xiong Wencan will be arrested and taken to the capital."

"You don't have high hopes for Yang Sichang?"

"If it were Sun Chuanting or Hong Chengchou, or even the recently deceased Lu Xiangsheng, they would be better than Yang Sichang. The emperor trusts him, but Yang does not truly understand military affairs. What hope is there with such a commander?"

"Will Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Ruzai move east to South Zhili to join the Left Fifth Camp, raid the north of the river, and attack Nanjing?" Li Changgeng, though long in a high position, was not skilled in military affairs. Mei Zhihuan was clearly better in this area, so he asked humbly.

"Currently, the court has heavy troops stationed in Henan and Xiangyang, making it difficult for Zhang Xianzhong to move east. They are more likely to invade Sichuan, where the defenses are weak and the terrain is rugged. The government troops have cannons, but they are hard to transport, while the bandits can move freely. After being suppressed by Sun Chuanting and others, the bandits have been weakened, but now that they have rebelled again, they need to move around. Once they start moving, they can quickly gather tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people, loot money, food, and weapons. They will definitely move around. I just hope they don't come to Eastern Hubei."

Li Changgeng sighed.

"According to the official gazette, the court is levying new taxes and training troops in each town, and each prefecture and county is also training local militias."

Mei Zhihuan sneered, "It sounds good but is useless. It's just a way to deceive the emperor, giving the towns an excuse to be greedy."

"According to the imperial edict, Macheng County must train five hundred local militia and abolish the position of county secretary, replacing it with a training commander, who will be equivalent to a battalion commander in the capital and border troops, with a rank of eighth grade junior," Li Changgeng said calmly.

"What do you mean by this?" Mei Zhihuan asked curiously. Did Li Changgeng have his eye on such a low-ranking position, or did someone in the Li family want it? But Li Chunjiang had gone to Nanjing, and Li Changgeng's two sons, Li Chunchao and Li Chunhong, were focused on the imperial examinations.

Li Changgeng suddenly reeled in his rod, and a carp was lifted out of the water. As he reeled in the line, he smiled, "It's Gongji. Before he left this morning, he talked to me a lot and finally asked me to help him. He wants me to help Liu Jun become the training commander of Macheng. I don't have the ability to do this, so I need your help. Can you do it?"

Mei Zhihuan laughed and scolded, "Old man, what do you mean you don't have the ability? It's just a matter of your word. Besides, the Nine-Headed Bird team is still under the Li family's name, and Liu Jun is also one of your people."

"Don't say that. The Nine-Headed Bird team is still under the Bao Sheng Fort militia, and you are Liu Jun's boss."

The two laughed and scolded each other, but they both spoke some truth. No matter what, the Nine-Headed Bird and Liu Jun were seen by outsiders as belonging to the Mei and Li families, not truly to Liu Jun.

"Can you do it?" Li Changgeng took the carp off the hook and put it in the bucket.

"Of course, he has the qualifications. However, he just got promoted to patrol inspector, and it's still a temporary position. Let him secure the position first, and then we can propose him as the training commander. Anyway, the training commander is just a rank, and the five hundred local militia are just farmers. They only train for a couple of months a year, wasting money, effort, and time, and are of little use."

"I'll remember your promise. You've agreed to this. If it doesn't work out, I'll let Chunjiang find you, not me," Li Changgeng baited the hook and cast it into the water.

...

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