“Zi Hou, we’ve faced the wokou siege together—comrades through life and death—so I’ll be straight with you. Regarding Traitor Wang’s betrayal, I bear the fault of oversight. Even if the higher-ups deem I fulfilled my duties and pin it all on Wang’s own folly, I can’t escape the perception of poor judgment and weak leadership. As the old saying goes: ‘Failing to judge people clouds your future; failing to control your subordinates makes you unfit for great tasks.’ Whether it’s negligence, misjudgment, or lack of control, it’s an indelible stain on my record,” Prefect Shang said quietly to Zhu Ping’an after glancing around to ensure no one was near.
Shang’s candor impressed Zhu Ping’an, who nodded inwardly.
“Zi Hou, it’s not that I’m obsessed with my reputation or chasing wealth and glory. I genuinely believe I’m more competent than most officials—more beneficial to the state and the people. Look around—how many officials merely occupy their posts and do nothing? How many scheme and grovel like dogs? How many extort and oppress the common folk, yet still hold high office? It’s why the bureaucracy is so rotten, and the people suffer in misery. Under my governance, the people live better than they would under those others. You’ve been in Suzhou for a while now, Zi Hou—you know I’m not exaggerating,” Shang pressed on earnestly.
Zhu Ping’an nodded again. Shang’s reputation among the people was indeed solid—he was a capable official who cared for the populace, earning much praise.
“Zi Hou, could we perhaps…” Shang rubbed his hands, hesitating.
“Please go ahead, Prefect Shang,” Zhu Ping’an encouraged.
“Could the victory report describe Traitor Wang’s incident like this: that I had already seen through his surrender to the wokou and his plan to lead them into the city, so I played along with you via carrier pigeon messages? We devised a plan to strike them mid-crossing—I pretended not to notice Wang’s and the wokou’s scheme, deliberately letting them enter. When half their forces were inside, your Zhejiang troops sprang into action as planned, first repelling those outside the city, then annihilating those within,” Shang laid out his carefully crafted proposal, speaking slowly.
After finishing, he looked at Zhu Ping’an with eager anticipation, hoping for agreement.
Zhu Ping’an narrowed his eyes slightly. Shang’s plan was cleverly designed—it didn’t stray far from the facts. It only altered the reality that Shang hadn’t detected Wang’s betrayal, claiming instead that he’d seen through it and coordinated with Zhu Ping’an via pigeon to set a trap. To sweeten the deal, Shang credited the Zhejiang troops with both driving back the wokou outside and wiping out those inside.
This way, Shang shed all blame for negligence, dodging the labels of poor judgment and weak leadership.
As for Traitor Wang, his surrender and actions remained unchanged—he’d bear the full weight of his crimes, no more, no less.
Meanwhile, Zhu Ping’an and the Zhejiang troops’ achievements would even grow…
Shang was a seasoned official indeed—this plan was a win-win.
The fabricated pigeon messages and mid-crossing strike would turn from fiction to fact with Zhu Ping’an’s endorsement—no one could disprove it.
With both key parties vouching for it, what outsider could challenge them?
Zhu Ping’an couldn’t help but admire Shang’s ingenuity.
Twisting a single detail atop the facts erased all his accountability.
Of course, this hinged on Zhu Ping’an’s agreement—without it, even the cleverest plan was just words on paper.
Should he back Shang?
Zhu Ping’an narrowed his eyes again.
For Shang, this was a flawless boon—potentially life-changing. For Zhu Ping’an, it made little tangible difference.
He didn’t need that extra sliver of merit.
Seeing Zhu Ping’an pondering, Shang clasped his hands nervously and pleaded, “Zi Hou, every wokou head and all the spoils from this defense belong to your Zhejiang troops—we claim not a single one. For us in Suzhou, keeping the city intact is enough. For me personally, avoiding the fallout from Wang’s betrayal is more than sufficient.”
He then pulled a pre-drafted victory report from his sleeve, handing it to Zhu Ping’an with both hands. “To be frank, Zi Hou, I’ve already prepared this urgent 800-li report and signed it. Suzhou’s key officials have signed too. Please take a look—if there’s no issue, add your joint signature, and we can send it off tonight to the capital. It’ll avoid any complications and bring joy to His Majesty sooner.”
Zhu Ping’an took the report and skimmed it rapidly. As Shang had said, it attributed the annihilation of over 30,000 wokou, destruction of over 200 ships, and all spoils to the Zhejiang troops, with detailed and convincing evidence. Reading it felt like witnessing the Zhejiang troops’ bloody battles firsthand. The report lavished praise on Zhu Ping’an and his men—likening Zhu to a living Zhuge Liang or Yue Fei, a master of strategy and valor, leading a disciplined, brave, and selfless force excelling with firearms. It outlined the pigeon messages and mid-crossing strike, noting how Suzhou’s officials united heroically with the Zhejiang troops to defend the city, ultimately safeguarding its hundreds of thousands of citizens from wokou brutality under the troops’ protection…
Shang’s writing was masterful—vivid, factual, and captivating.
At the end, Shang had signed first, leaving the second spot for Zhu Ping’an, followed by signatures from Suzhou’s key civil and military officials.
So many officials endorsing the report vouched for its truth and affirmed the merits as Zhu Ping’an’s and the Zhejiang troops’.
Shang had gone all out to win his trust.
“Prefect Shang, this report…” Zhu Ping’an paused.
“Please, Zi Hou, if anything’s off, we can revise it. Exaggerating the merits further isn’t an issue—thousands of wokou bodies were lost to fire or the river, so it’d hold up,” Shang said quickly.
“No need, Prefect Shang. The merits are already grand enough. Let’s stick to the facts—no need to gild the lily,” Zhu Ping’an waved off the suggestion.
“So, Zi Hou, you agree?” Shang beamed with delight.
“In principle, I’ve no objection. After all, you’ve always supported our Zhejiang troops generously…” Zhu Ping’an nodded.
“Zi Hou, you fought for Suzhou’s safety—of course we’d support you fully. I’ve already ordered the purchase of mules, provisions, iron ingots, saltpeter, sulfur, and more to not only restore your pre-battle strength but elevate it further. Also, Suzhou’s gentry, grateful to you and your troops, spontaneously donated 100,000 taels of silver for your military needs. The prefecture took the liberty of accepting it on your behalf. Following your example from Jingnan, they’ve signed donation pledges, which we’ll deliver to you along with the supplies later,” Shang rattled off eagerly.
“Prefect Shang’s right—His Majesty has long suffered the wokou’s menace. As his subjects, we should bring him joy sooner,” Zhu Ping’an said, signing the report under Shang’s hopeful gaze.
“Zi Hou, I owe you a favor—one I’ll repay handsomely someday,” Shang declared with unrestrained joy and solemn promise.
