MLMD -Chapter 124 The Question of Personnel

The establishment of the Youchuan Office and the Youshan Office was, in fact, merely the result of Yue Yang’s spur-of-the-moment decision. What Yue Yang did not realize was that these two departments he had set up on a whim would, in the not-so-distant future, grow into two immensely terrifying behemoths.

The creation of an intelligence organization was by no means something that could be accomplished overnight. Nor was it a matter of simply gathering a few people and handing them a few guns. It required specialized talent, professional equipment, and a tightly organized structure.

“Looks like the next time I go back to the modern era, I’ll have to buy some professional intelligence books and equipment. Things just keep piling up one after another—will there ever be an end to it?”

Sitting alone in his study, Yue Yang leaned over his desk with a ballpoint pen cap between his lips, the pen in his hand constantly scribbling future work plans onto a sheet of draft paper.

When he had first arrived in the Ming dynasty, the thing that made Yue Yang most uncomfortable was writing. The original owner of this body had been a xiucai, and writing with a brush was practically his profession. But Yue Yang himself had only ever been a so-called bottom-tier nobody who bragged about having “no best, only better.”

The twenty-first-century education system had long since molded people like him into awkward hybrids that were neither here nor there. Something as profound as writing with a brush—he had only ever seen it done on television, and the chances of actually doing it himself were extremely slim. As a result, during the early period, using a brush and writing in traditional characters became Yue Yang’s greatest headache. Fortunately, those troubles finally came to an end with the arrival of pencils and ballpoint pens. Moreover, as Yue Yang introduced them, pencils and ballpoint pens gradually spread outside as well, and before long, thanks to their convenience, speed, and portability, they became popular throughout Wuli Village and the army.

Stretching lazily, Yue Yang withdrew his gaze from the desk and casually picked up the teacup beside him, bringing it to his lips.

“Pfft—pfft… cough, cough…”

The moment the tea touched his mouth, Yue Yang hurriedly spat it out—it was far too hot.

“Puchi…”

A light, silvery laugh sounded beside him. Hailanzhu walked over, took the teacup from his hand, and laughed. “Serves you right. Who told you to drink without even looking? Scald yourself to death.”

Yue Yang said with a mix of laughter and helplessness, “But you can’t make it this hot either! You deserve a spanking!”

As he spoke, he reached out and wrapped an arm around Hailanzhu’s slender waist, giving her perky hips a light smack. Then he tightened his grip and pulled her onto his lap. Instantly, a refreshing, intoxicating fragrance filled his nose.

Held like this by her husband and breathing in that familiar masculine scent, Hailanzhu’s entire body softened. She leaned gently against Yue Yang’s chest and let out a comfortable, soft moan. “Mmm… it’s still most comfortable in my husband’s arms.”

“You…” Yue Yang smiled helplessly. The biggest difference between Hailanzhu and the Linglong sisters lay in their everyday behavior. If it were the Linglong sisters, they would never dare, in broad daylight, to sit like this in their husband’s arms in his study.

After sitting on Yue Yang’s lap, Hailanzhu’s eyes landed on the draft paper on the desk. She couldn’t help softly reading aloud, “Preliminary Thoughts on the Construction of the Youchuan Office and the Youshan Office. Eh? What are these Youchuan Office and Youshan Office? They sound like government offices. Yue Yang, are you planning to set up an official bureau?”

“Shh… keep your voice down.” Yue Yang was startled. He glanced around before lowering his voice and saying, “Quiet. If outsiders hear this, we’ll be in big trouble. Establishing offices and banners is a privilege reserved for the emperor and the court. If others do it on their own, that’s rebellion.”

Hailanzhu pouted. “Then why are you writing about this Youchuan Office and Youshan Office? Are you just writing for fun?”

“We’re doing it quietly. As long as others don’t know, it’s fine.” Faced with such a straightforward wife, Yue Yang could only smile bitterly. Didn’t she know that some things could be done discreetly but absolutely must not be spoken aloud?

“Alright, I was just teasing you.” Seeing Yue Yang’s troubled expression, Hailanzhu quickly kissed him on the cheek and giggled. “Don’t worry, I already checked when I came in—there’s no one nearby.”

“You…” Yue Yang reached out and lightly scraped her delicate nose. “Don’t you know that scaring people can scare them to death?”

“Hmph, what’s the big deal?” Hailanzhu snorted lightly. “If you ask me, the Ming dynasty is already starting to fall into chaos, and the emperor isn’t much to speak of either. You’ve made so many contributions, yet you were only promoted to garrison commander—a nominal post of the fifth rank. Even the pay and rations for your eight thousand troops can’t be guaranteed. If it weren’t for all the industries you’re supporting us with, we’d have gone hungry long ago.”

Yue Yang sighed softly. “There’s no helping it. Do you think I enjoy using my own silver to raise soldiers? But now that the world has entered chaos, if I don’t maintain an army, I won’t even be able to sleep peacefully. Otherwise, why do you think I work so hard to reclaim land and set up military farms? Isn’t it all to support the troops?

“These days, news keeps coming in from various regions. The bandits in Shaanxi are showing signs of entering Shanxi again. If we don’t have enough strength to protect ourselves, once the bandits break into the cities, it’ll be the destruction of families and homes.”

Seeing the worry on her husband’s face, Hailanzhu gently rubbed her cheek against his chest and comforted him. “Don’t worry. Eight thousand elite troops can already do a lot for us. Besides, isn’t there still the court’s army? They won’t just ignore it, will they?”

“The court’s army?” Yue Yang shook his head helplessly. “The court’s troops have long since degenerated. Aside from the border armies, which can barely still fight, the combat effectiveness of the inland forces is deeply worrying. What’s more, your dear brother-in-law is eyeing us like a tiger from the border. The Ming dynasty’s only remaining elite troops are all tied down watching them. Where would there be any strength left to deal with the bandits?”

At the mention of Huang Taiji, Hailanzhu’s expression darkened slightly. She also knew about what had happened at the military factory a few days earlier. To be honest, when she first heard the news, she had been so angry that her teeth nearly ground themselves to pieces. But she was also aware that her own status was rather delicate, so it wasn’t appropriate for her to say much. Now that Yue Yang had brought it up himself, she seized the opportunity to speak.

“Yue Yang, although I’ve only met Huang Taiji once, this man truly deserves to be called ambitious and extraordinarily capable. Looking at everything he’s done over the years, not a single move hasn’t been in preparation for swallowing up the Ming dynasty. Over these years, he’s campaigned west against the Mongol tribes and east against Joseon—everything points to the fact that he’s making his final preparations to attack the Ming. In my opinion, it won’t be many years before a great war between the Ming and the Later Jin is inevitable. So if my husband doesn’t want to become a slave of the Later Jin, he’d better prepare early.”

“Tsk, tsk…”

Yue Yang looked at Hailanzhu in surprise, his gaze traveling up and down her as though he were meeting her for the first time. He exclaimed, “Not bad! I didn’t expect there to be a female Zhuge Liang hidden in our household!”

“What female Zhuge Liang? This is just something I realized after spending more time with the Jurchens back when I was in the Khorchin tribe.” Hearing her husband’s praise, Hailanzhu’s pretty face flushed slightly, and she tucked her head shyly into his chest.

“Even so, that’s still impressive!” Yue Yang admired her deeply in his heart. If Hailanzhu’s views were placed in a later age, any pseudo–military enthusiast could probably say the same, since hindsight always makes people wise. But to be able to accurately judge, ahead of time, that a great war between the Jurchens and the Ming was inevitable—there were very few who could do that. This insight alone already surpassed those deadweight ministers in the Ming court by more than tenfold.

As he looked at Hailanzhu resting her head against his chest, a sudden idea struck Yue Yang. He said to her, “Wife, I’m planning to appoint you as the Chief Secretary of the Youshan Office, specifically in charge of external intelligence work. What do you think?”

“Me? In charge of the Youshan Office?” Hailanzhu’s small mouth fell open in shock. She quickly waved her hands. “How could that be? You know the relationship between our Khorchin tribe and the Later Jin. If you let me take on this position, wouldn’t that give others something to talk about? Besides, I’m a woman—if people found out, they’d gossip. No, no, that won’t do.”

“Why wouldn’t it?” Yue Yang tightened the arm around her slightly and said with displeasure, “The Youshan Office is secret to begin with. I never planned to make it public. Whoever runs it is the same. Why can’t you be the chief secretary? Besides, with me backing you, who would dare say a word?”

“I… can I really do it?” Hailanzhu hesitated. As a Mongolian woman, she possessed the straightforward boldness often lacking in Han women, as well as the delicate attentiveness unique to women. But in this era, regardless of ethnicity, society had long entered a patriarchal stage, and women’s status was naturally lower than men’s. That was why she felt uncertain.

Seeing that Hailanzhu was already tempted, Yue Yang continued to coax her eloquently. “You can do it. Think about it—let’s take a step back. The Youshan Office hasn’t even been formally established yet. Even if you mess things up, so what? Could the result really be worse than it is now?”

Hearing Yue Yang’s words, Hailanzhu began to waver. Ever since marrying Yue Yang, although he treated her with great care and affection, she had grown up on the grasslands and was used to freedom. Once the novelty of marriage faded, boredom was inevitable. A life of staying indoors all day embroidering and weaving simply didn’t suit her at all. Yue Yang’s proposal struck right at her weakest point.

After pondering for a long time, Hailanzhu finally seemed to make up her mind. She gently twisted in Yue Yang’s arms and said coquettishly, “Then… then I’ll give it a try. But you have to promise me—if I don’t do well, you’re not allowed to scold me!”

“Alright, I promise you!” Seeing Hailanzhu agree, Yue Yang smiled. He lowered his head and lightly kissed her full, cherry-red lips before saying, “Alright… I promise. No matter what, I won’t scold you. Is that good enough?”

“Mmm… then I’ll give it a try!”

And just like that, an intelligence organization that Yue Yang would later rely on as his left and right arms was established—almost like a husband-and-wife shop…