The Zhejiang Governor’s Office, also known as the Futai Yamen, was established in Shaoxing. In the Ming Dynasty, the position of Zhejiang Governor was not always fixed, so the location of the Futai Yamen varied as well. After Li Tianchong took office as Zhejiang Governor, he settled the yamen in Shaoxing.
Today, however, Li Tianchong was not at the Futai Yamen. He had been summoned to Yingtian by Governor-General Zhang Jing to discuss the recapture of Jiaxing.
Jiaxing fell within Zhejiang Province, under the jurisdiction of both Li Tianchong as Zhejiang Governor and Zhang Jing as Governor-General of Jiangnan.
“Zicheng, you’re here! Come sit, join me for a simple meal. Old Zhao, add a bowl and chopsticks,” Zhang Jing said warmly, spotting Li Tianchong’s arrival and instructing his old servant to prepare a place for him.
The meal was modest home fare: vinegar-stir-fried mung bean sprouts, tofu stewed with pickled vegetables, shredded pickled radish as three small dishes, a bowl of millet porridge, and plain steamed buns. It was as frugal as it got.
“How is it that the higher your rank gets, the worse your lifestyle becomes? Not even a scrap of meat for lunch,” Li Tianchong teased as he took a seat.
The two had a close relationship, having worked together for years with seamless coordination. They were both superior and subordinate as well as old friends.
“No choice. I wish I could stretch every coin into two. You don’t realize how expensive firewood, rice, oil, and salt are until you’re in charge. With troops arriving one after another, feeding men and horses is draining the treasury dry. I close my eyes, and all I see are grain, weapons, and soldiers’ pay. I dream about raising funds every night. If I can save a single coin, I will—every bit goes to the blade’s edge. These cravings of the stomach can wait,” Zhang Jing said with a bitter smile. Lately, aside from organizing and training the summoned troops, he’d been consumed with worrying about provisions.
Grain and funds were nowhere near sufficient. The court’s allocations were meager, and local taxes were limited, far from enough to sustain the training and combat of so many soldiers. By the time he became Governor-General, it was already autumn; most local taxes had been sent to the court, leaving only a fraction behind.
“Governor, provisions can’t be rushed, but the pressing matter now is Jiaxing,” Li Tianchong pointed out.
“Exactly. That’s why I called you here,” Zhang Jing nodded.
“Since learning of Jiaxing’s fall, I’ve been mustering troops to prepare for its recapture. If you’re launching a campaign to take it back, I volunteer to lead the vanguard,” Li Tianchong said eagerly, standing to request the assignment.
“Calm down, sit. Tell me, how many troops have you gathered, and how’s their equipment?” Zhang Jing asked.
“Reporting to the Governor: I’ve assembled 3,000 garrison troops, with 30% armored, 1,000 bows and crossbows, 800 shields, and the rest wielding assorted sabers and spears. I’ve also conscripted 3,000 civilians to assist with transporting grain and supplies,” Li Tianchong replied, rattling off the details like a memorized list.
Jiaxing was in his jurisdiction within Zhejiang Province, and its fall had him more anxious than anyone to reclaim it.
“Good. I’ll assign Yu Dayou as your deputy, with 3,000 wolf soldiers under his command, all at your disposal,” Zhang Jing said, nodding with satisfaction as he made the arrangements.
“Yu Dayou’s brave and resourceful. With him as my deputy and 3,000 wolf soldiers, I’m confident I can retake Jiaxing within a month,” Li Tianchong declared, issuing a military pledge.
“No, a month is too long. You’ve got half a month at most,” Zhang Jing shook his head.
“Half a month? That’s tight,” Li Tianchong frowned slightly, his tone hesitant.
Before retaking Jiaxing, his garrison troops would need at least some joint drills with the newly assigned 3,000 wolf soldiers. Without familiarity, they’d lack coordination, making it hard to form an effective fighting force in battle.
“I know it’s tight, but the situation demands it. We must reclaim Jiaxing as soon as possible, or Zhao Wenhua will seize the chance to stir trouble and make a big fuss. He’s already pestered us to march multiple times. Now with Jiaxing fallen, if we don’t act fast, he’ll cause a ruckus,” Zhang Jing explained.
Zhao Wenhua had been incessantly urging them to fight, and according to reports from those watching him, he’d been sending complaints—both overt and covert—to the capital more than once!
“That Zhao Wenhua—knows nothing about warfare yet insists on meddling. Again and again, sticking his nose in. Thankfully, you saw through him early, Governor, or if we’d followed his whims—march, march, march, with no preparation—we’d have suffered who knows how many losses,” Li Tianchong grumbled.
“So, can you take Jiaxing in half a month?” Zhang Jing asked, staring at Li Tianchong without blinking.
“If you give me one more person, I’ll take Jiaxing in half a month, no question. If I fail, punish me however you see fit—I’ll have no complaints,” Li Tianchong replied.
“Who?” Zhang Jing asked.
“Zhu Ping’an!” Li Tianchong answered without hesitation, explaining to Zhang Jing, “The wokou in Jiaxing are Zhu Ping’an’s defeated foes. He crushed 40,000 of them, leaving only a few hundred stragglers. If that fool Zhao Chong hadn’t fallen for their trick, those few hundred couldn’t have taken Jiaxing! But because Zhao Chong blundered into their ruse, those remnants seized the city, bribed over 10,000 rogues and criminals with gold and jewels, not only recovering but attracting countless other wokou bands. Their momentum’s stronger than ever.”
“Fine! I’ll draft a letter ordering Zhu Ping’an to lead 1,000 Zhejiang troops to assist you,” Zhang Jing agreed with a nod.
He limited Zhu Ping’an to 1,000 troops—not all the Zhejiang forces—out of concern for Suzhou’s safety. The remaining Zhejiang troops had to stay and guard Suzhou against wokou retaliation.
Xu Hai had suffered a crushing defeat at Suzhou, losing 40,000 men and nearly his life. If he hated anyone most, it was undoubtedly Suzhou.
After taking Jiaxing and regaining strength, would he seek revenge on Suzhou?
Absolutely!
It was only a matter of time.
Thus, half the Zhejiang troops had to stay behind to deter Xu Hai from striking Suzhou.
“With Zhu Ping’an and 1,000 Zhejiang troops, I’ll take Jiaxing in half a month! If I can’t, punish me severely!” Li Tianchong said with unwavering confidence.
“Excellent! Retaking Jiaxing will shut Zhao Wenhua up! Plus, Jiaxing’s in a prime spot. I’ve long planned to move my yamen from Yingtian to Jiaxing. It’s not too far from Xu Hai and the Tuolin wokou, nor from Wang Zhi’s Ligang. Once you reclaim it, I’ll relocate the yamen there!” Zhang Jing said, nodding in approval and revealing his relocation plan.
“I won’t let you down, Governor,” Li Tianchong promised.
