He Chunhua was the local authority, while the Li clan were commoners. Even if several of their clansmen served as officials at court, Li Rong himself held neither office nor title. Out in the open, how could they possibly outmuscle the government?
Governor-General He was making an example out of him to warn the rest, and every squire and magnate in Dunyu—indeed, in all of Xiazhou—was watching with wide eyes.
"Before Li Rong even went in, several of his sons came to make arrangements, donating two hundred thousand jin of corn flour and over a hundred thousand jin of sorghum flour to the prefectural storehouse," Sun Hongye said with a chuckle. "A man like Li Rong can't stomach the harsh conditions of a holding cell. Rather than greasing the palms of jailers and bailiffs, it was far better to go straight to Lord He."
"Li Shuang isn't foolish after all."
"Indeed. Before Li Rong was locked up, the bailiffs gave the cell a thorough cleaning and even sprayed it with pest repellent. They reportedly killed over thirty rats, not to mention countless cockroaches and bedbugs. Li Rong was given the largest space, right by the door, where the ventilation and light are best, and his bedding was entirely new."
"And once Li Shuang donated another five hundred padded coats, three hundred pairs of cotton socks, and six hundred pairs of military boots, his father's meals went from two a day to three, complete with wine, and the Li family was permitted to send in food."
He Lingchuan smiled. With Li Rong in his grasp, He Chunhua had a firm hold on that branch of the clan.
"The second major matter: seeing Lord He assume office, sixty-six families—great and small nobility, wealthy gentry, and prominent merchants of Dunyu—all came to present gifts." Sun Hongye raised a second finger. "Every gift registry was exceptionally long; those registries alone could fill an entire carriage."
Seeing his father deliver such a heavy blow to the Li clan had clearly frightened the watching gentry, prompting them to send lavish gifts. He Lingchuan perked up. "How much did he accept?"
"Lord He returned every single one. Not an item was kept."
His face fell. "Not even one?"
"Not a single one."
He Lingchuan's expression went blank, knowing his hopes for a raise in his monthly stipend were completely dashed. "Those fellows wouldn't truly be so dense as to leave it at that, would they?"
"Of course not," Sun Hongye replied with a smile. "Word had already spread that Li Rong's sons were refused when offering gifts and pivoted to donating supplies instead. The others caught on at once. They converted the value of their original gifts into military supplies, donated them to the prefectural storehouse, and submitted revised registries to the residence. I spent several years in an Imperial Censor's estate, yet this was the first time I've ever seen gilded registries listing things as down-to-earth as cured pork and vermicelli. I heard the local magnates went on a wild buying frenzy for grain across Dunyu and the nearby farmsteads, driving grain prices up by five percent in just two days."
When all was said and done, grain was still the cheapest option. Delivering it by the hundreds of thousands of jin provided bulk and prestige alike.
"Has it been sent to the front lines?"
"The tally was only completed yesterday, and Lord He immediately dispatched men to escort it north." The gifts—or rather, donations—consisted of all sorts of miscellaneous goods. Just auditing and inventorying them took immense effort, but they were precisely what the front lines needed.
He Lingchuan murmured, "These magnates truly have whatever one could ask for."
"The third major matter follows naturally from the second. Over the past few days, the state government office was dreadfully inefficient at tallying supplies, and the accounts were bungled twice. Lord He was furious. Citing dereliction of duty, negligence, and incompetence, he dismissed thirty percent of the old officials and clerks on the spot, reassigning them elsewhere. A shake-up this drastic hasn't been seen in fifteen years; it shook all of Dunyu."
"The skies of Xiazhou have changed. It is better that they get used to it sooner rather than later," He Lingchuan said with a nod. "There is no construction without destruction. Have our own people filled the posts?" As head of a state, He Chunhua had the authority to appoint and dismiss personnel and promote his core retinue.
"Mozhe Jingxuan, Zhao Qinghe, and others, as well as nineteen men Lord He recruited from Shihuan City, have all been assigned to fill the vacancies." This cadre would serve as He Chunhua's foundational retinue in the near term. "Oh, Lord He also wanted to appoint me as the state office's Section Administrator of Records, in charge of documents and paperwork."
"Oh? That's quite a prominent post." Was his old man trying to poach his own people now?
Sun Hongye shook his head. "I politely declined."
"Why?" He Lingchuan looked at him, surprised. "You've been idling under my wing for quite some time without any real business to tend to."
"You were the one with the keen eye who recognized my worth back in Shihuan," Sun Hongye said solemnly. "Therefore, the one I follow is you, Master, not Lord He."
He Lingchuan clapped his hands and laughed. "Good, good!" Who wouldn't appreciate a loyal subordinate?
"Besides, I prefer building something from nothing to following routine within a prefectural administration."
Indeed, this fellow possessed ambition and drive; he was not the type to punch a clock and work a standard post.
Sun Hongye reiterated, "Master, the timing of your secluded cultivation was unfortunate. You missed a splendid opportunity."
"What do you mean?"
"Two days ago, traces of the enemy were discovered near Wutu Town to the north. As soon as the report arrived, Lord He dispatched Zhao Qinghe and Wu Shaoyi to lead troops and attack them."
None of the first three pieces of news were as striking as this last one. He Lingchuan's heart sank. "Fighting has already begun? How many men do they have?"
"They are said to be a guerrilla unit. Lord He hasn't released their numbers. Zhao and Wu's forces set out this morning." Sun Hongye sighed. "Had you emerged half a day earlier, this prime assignment might very well have fallen to you." At the very least, he would have had a share in it.
"A missed chance is a missed chance; there will be others." He Lingchuan took it in stride. "It seems my father has already calculated how this battle should be fought."
He Chunhua's first engagement upon taking office was of immense importance; victory was the only acceptable outcome.
"The advantage lies with us," Sun Hongye analyzed. "When the Xunzhou army broke through Baichegang to push south, they merely tore a hole in General Zhao Pan's defensive line. They will certainly seek to capture a city or two in that vicinity to consolidate before expanding their gains. Looking at Wutu Town's location, it is already over a hundred and fifty li deep into Xiazhou's interior. That Xunzhou guerrilla force cannot be large. It can only be a small harassment detachment, likely tasked primarily with gathering intelligence. So long as Commander Wu and Commander Zhao catch their trail, victory should not be difficult."
No wonder Sun Hongye called it a "prime assignment." He Lingchuan chuckled. "Very true. Once the victory report returns, we must play it up properly."
More than anything, the news that "Xunzhou troops have advanced as far as Wutu Town" was terrifying. If He Chunhua defeated that force, local morale and his prestige would skyrocket.
Sun Hongye continued, "Lord He only arrived a few days ago, so word has likely not reached the Xunzhou forces yet. They probably assume Xiazhou remains as hollowed out as before, which is why they sent a detachment to probe and harass. During this window, we can also make our move. If I am not mistaken, Lord He will undertake further grand actions soon."
Here, he shifted the topic. "That reminds me, I have a recommendation for you, Master: you cannot afford to have no men of your own."
He Lingchuan's gaze sharpened.
Those words spoke directly to his heart.
"Go on."
"I have observed you for a long time. You have the outward trappings of wealth, but no manpower at your beck and call." Sun Hongye lowered his voice. "I have seen many high officials, magnates, and royal scions. Even an idle young master of a wealthy house maintains his own personal retinue. You are destined for great things; without men at your disposal, wouldn't things become awkward?"
He Lingchuan's eyes flickered. It was true. For whatever reason, his original self had possessed no confidants, only an unreliable bunch of fair-weather cronies. Since he took over this body, the He family had been caught in a whirlwind of upheaval—brushing with death, slaying bandits, or traveling vast distances—leaving him no time to recruit followers.
Always receptive to counsel, he asked, "What thoughts do you have?"
"In the beginning, quality matters more than quantity. We can scout them out gradually."
He Lingchuan nodded repeatedly. He couldn't afford a large retinue anyway; his monthly allowance was a mere hundred and fifty taels of silver. A monkey and a rock wolf alone could eat him out of house and home, let alone a hundred hearty men.
If they were to be his personal confidants, their wages would have to come from his own pocket. If his father paid them, how could they remain loyal to him?
"To my mind, the sand bandit Maotao whom you brought from Blackwater City is quite suitable. He is agile and sharp, and has no ties to anyone else. He can count as one," Sun Hongye reckoned. "There are a few capable hands in the Auxiliary Army, but they are ultimately your father's subordinates; it would be improper to pull them into your personal guard."
"You mean I should choose from Dunyu locals?"
"Master is perceptive." Sun Hongye felt once more that this Eldest Young Master He was exceptionally quick on the uptake, far from the reckless, straightforward youth he appeared to be. "A few days ago, when the Li and Zhan clans clashed, I noticed two men among the Li clan's private retinue who were quite remarkable."
"Oh?" He Lingchuan smiled wryly. "Just where was your attention focused?" While everyone else had been watching the brawl for entertainment, Sun Hongye had been scouting talent.
"One of them is named Jiao Tai, and the other Shan Youjun. Both showed excellent martial prowess—one agile, the other possessed of great strength. At the Zhan manor, each took on six or seven opponents with ease. What was truly admirable was that they even took several blade strikes for their companions without flinching from injury."
At that, He Lingchuan let out a long "Oh!" "You mean those two! I remember them."
He had been there as well and indeed recalled two men batting the Zhan family's guards around like child's play. Their movements had been orderly and their strikes measured, unlike the rest of the Li estate's hired bravos, who were mere market ruffians.
"I made discreet inquiries. They previously served as border light cavalry scouts and were among the fiercest fighters in the Li retinue. Others avoided crossing them, but they didn't get along with their captain. This time, Fourth Master Zhan's pregnant wife died along with her unborn child, and the blame was pinned entirely on that poor wretch Jiao Tai, claiming he pushed her against the rockery."
Scapegoats were something He Lingchuan found particularly intriguing. "Have they been caned?"
"They have. The very day Governor-General He arrived in Dunyu, both were pinned down in the prefectural yamen and publicly given ten strokes." Sun Hongye had investigated thoroughly. "After Fourth Master Zhan filed his complaint with Lord He, the Li manor hauled Jiao Tai to the authorities, and he is currently held in the cells awaiting trial."
He shrugged. "Li Zhi and Li Rong will most likely escape any physical suffering, but Jiao Tai is looking at certain death. Screaming of injustice from his cell will do him no good."
He Lingchuan rubbed his hands together. "Splendid. I leave this matter to you. Clear his name and deliver him justice, and bring me two fine men."
"Understood."
Sun Hongye bowed out with a beaming smile. Now that He Lingchuan had accepted his counsel, he finally had a stage to display his talents.
He Lingchuan was in high spirits as well. For Sun Hongye to recommend those two meant he was confident in recruiting them.
The fellow was right; it was indeed time he developed his own wings.
He had just seen Sun Hongye out to the main gate and was about to turn back when two figures strolled around the street corner, chatting as they walked. Who else could it be but He Chunhua and He Yue?
Chapter 227