MLMD -Chapter 133 Yue Yang’s Help

Hearing this, Yue Yang couldn’t help asking curiously, “Governor, may I ask who this gentleman is…?”

Lu Xiangsheng smiled. “Lord Yue, I forgot to introduce him to you. This is my zan hua, Yang Tinglin. He has followed me for many years.”

The so-called zan hua in ancient times was essentially a counselor—much like a modern staff officer—whose role was to offer plans and advice. Though the position sounded unremarkable, it was usually held by a commander’s trusted confidant.

Yue Yang did not dare be negligent. He immediately stood up and cupped his hands. “So it is Mister Yang. My apologies for the discourtesy!”

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare!”

After Yue Yang and Yang Tinglin exchanged courtesies, they sat down again.

Once seated, Yue Yang picked up the calling card on the table and asked Lu Xiangsheng with some curiosity, “Governor, isn’t the Xuan–Da Governor-General supposed to be Lord Zhang? Why does your signature here… could it be that…?”

Lu Xiangsheng merely smiled without saying anything. Yang Tinglin quickly interjected, “To inform Lord Yue, His Excellency the Governor has received His Majesty’s grace and has already assumed the post of Xuan–Da Governor-General. He is now on his way to take office in Datong. Passing through Yingzhou Prefecture, he came to have a look—and only then did we discover that Wulizhai truly is as prosperous as the rumors say.”

“You flatter me, my lord.” Yue Yang smiled bitterly. “As the saying goes, people fear fame as pigs fear growing fat. Wulizhai has only just gained a little renown, and trouble has already come knocking. The aide sent earlier by that Lord Zhang is proof enough.”

“Hmph!”
Lu Xiangsheng snorted coldly, his face darkening. “That Zhang Zongheng has truly disgraced the court. One thousand warhorses worth nearly a hundred thousand taels of silver—how could he even bring himself to say such a thing? I really don’t know how someone so greedy managed to become governor-general.”

“He probably didn’t even know that his official hat had already been taken off by the court when he sent that aide,” Yang Tinglin added with a cold laugh.

Yue Yang nodded. “Indeed. Thankfully, it is Your Excellency who has now taken charge of Shanxi. Otherwise, I would truly have been in a difficult position.”

After a few more exchanges, Lu Xiangsheng smiled at Yue Yang and said, “Lord Yue, I am a few years your senior. May I call you Zhenghong?”

In those days, addressing someone by their courtesy name was a sign of intimacy. Yue Yang promptly cupped his hands. “That would be my honor!”

“Good.” Lu Xiangsheng paused, then said, “Since that is so, I shall speak plainly, though our acquaintance is still shallow. Along the way, upon reaching Wulizhai, I saw vitality everywhere—a scene of renewal. This proves that your abilities are indeed remarkable. Yet the Sage said: When poor, cultivate oneself alone; when prosperous, help the world. Since you now possess considerable wealth, why not share more of the court’s burdens and ease His Majesty’s worries?”

Lu Xiangsheng spoke obliquely. Yue Yang thought for a moment before understanding his meaning: since Yue Yang was so wealthy and the court’s finances were exhausted, why not contribute more silver to the treasury?

At this, Yue Yang could only smile wryly to himself. This Lu Xiangsheng was indeed as upright as the histories described—upright to the point of being almost endearing. After pondering for a while, Yue Yang replied, “To inform Your Excellency, although I have enjoyed a good harvest this year, I have tens of thousands of refugees under my command, and the cost of maintaining troops is enormous. This grain is barely enough to eat. Even if I wished to remit funds to the court, I would lack the means. Moreover, even if I did, it would likely provoke criticism at court and in the countryside. Therefore, I believe it best to proceed step by step and simply do my duty.”

Lu Xiangsheng was a man of great intelligence. Hearing this, he immediately understood. Yue Yang’s words carried two meanings: first, that he truly had no surplus funds to offer the court; second, that the Chinese tradition valued moderation—the bird that sticks its head out gets shot. When everyone else was evading taxes, if you alone jumped out to pay more, wouldn’t that be slapping everyone else in the face? If Yue Yang truly did so, he would certainly invite envy and obstruction from all sides in the future.

Lu Xiangsheng sighed softly and said nothing more. At that moment, a maid stepped forward with a tray of tea. Lu Xiangsheng took a sip and fell into thought. For a time, an oddly heavy silence settled over the hall.

After a while, Yue Yang noticed Lu Xiangsheng set down his teacup and look at him as if wanting to say something, yet hesitating. Beside him, Yang Tinglin discreetly gave Lu Xiangsheng a subtle look.

Seeing this, Yue Yang grew curious. He turned to Lu Xiangsheng and said sincerely, “Governor, you have only just arrived in Shanxi and must have many matters to attend to. If there is anything you require me to do, please speak freely. As long as it is within my ability, I will not refuse.”

“Well…”
Lu Xiangsheng still hesitated. Finally, he let out a long sigh. “Zhenghong, I do indeed have something I wish to trouble you with, but I don’t quite know how to begin. Very well—Boxiang, you tell Zhenghong.”

Yang Tinglin, who had long been waiting anxiously, immediately cupped his hands to Yue Yang. “Lord Yue, to be frank: this time, the Governor’s appointment to Shanxi was rather hasty. Although he has trained a Heavenly Hero Army over the past two years, they lack clothing and provisions, and their weapons and armor are incomplete. In taking up the post at Datong, while we expect Zhang Zongheng will not dare defy the imperial edict, Datong has always been a battleground. Its generals—Yang Guozhu, Wang Pu, and others—are not easy to deal with. If the Heavenly Hero Army goes there in its current state, it may be looked down upon. Thus, the Governor wishes to ask whether Lord Yue might have surplus weapons, armor, or grain to provide some assistance.”

At this, Yue Yang noticed that Lu Xiangsheng’s originally fair face had flushed red with embarrassment. Seeing this, Yue Yang couldn’t help sighing inwardly. This Lu Xiangsheng truly was an honest man—so honest that he could barely bring himself to ask for help. How unlike that Zhang Zongheng, who opened his mouth and demanded a thousand warhorses as if someone owed him. People really couldn’t be compared.

With this thought, Yue Yang smiled and said, “Your Excellency, you give me too much credit. For a loyal minister like you, wholly devoted to the public good, how could I refuse to help? I will immediately have three thousand ‘mandarin-duck battle coats’ prepared, along with five thousand sabers and long spears, and five thousand dan of grain (each dan being one hundred jin). As for armor…”

He hesitated briefly before continuing, “I do have some armor here, but it differs greatly from the standard Ming issue, so I will not give it to you. Instead, I have recently opened a mine and begun smelting iron. I will have pig iron transported to Datong for you to forge the armor yourselves. What do you think?”

When Yue Yang mentioned three thousand battle coats, thousands of weapons, and five thousand dan of grain, Lu Xiangsheng and Yang Tinglin were already so delighted their hearts were pounding. When they heard that Yue Yang would even allocate pig iron for forging armor, Lu Xiangsheng felt his breathing quicken and hurriedly waved his hands. “Zhenghong, that’s too much—far too much. There’s no need for armor, really!”

The Ming army had a peculiar practice: aside from cavalry, where everyone wore armor, most infantry—ordinary soldiers included, even firearms troops—had no armor at all. This had been the case for over two hundred years. The so-called mandarin-duck battle coat was merely a coat, with no real protective function. But to someone like Yue Yang, who came from the modern world, sending soldiers into battle wearing no protection was simply unimaginable.

Yue Yang said firmly, “That won’t do. These soldiers guard the frontier and give their lives for the nation. How could I, in good conscience, let them fight the barbarians without armor? Let’s do it this way: I will immediately allocate one hundred thousand jin of pig iron to you. If it’s not enough, write to me, and I’ll find a way to gather more!”

“Good… then on behalf of the soldiers, I thank you, Zhenghong!”
Usually composed, Lu Xiangsheng was so moved that he could scarcely contain himself. His eyes even reddened.

Lu Xiangsheng calculated silently. Using standard Ming blue-cloth iron armor as a benchmark, each set required about fifty jin of iron. One hundred thousand jin could make roughly two thousand suits. As for sabers and spears, each required ten to fifteen jin of iron; five thousand weapons would consume fifty to seventy thousand jin. At the current price of pig iron—about one qian five fen of silver per jin—those one hundred thousand jin alone cost fifteen thousand taels. Adding weapons and grain, the total easily reached sixty or seventy thousand taels. This was an enormous favor indeed.

Deeply moved, Lu Xiangsheng stood up and said solemnly to Yue Yang, “Zhenghong, I will never forget this great kindness. Still, I cannot simply take your things for nothing. This pig iron counts as a purchase—I will send you the silver as soon as I arrive in Datong!”

Looking at this upright, almost endearingly honest pillar of the Ming, Yue Yang laughed heartily and waved his hand. “Governor, that won’t do. You will have many expenses upon entering Shanxi, and your funds will surely be tight. If you give all the silver to me, wouldn’t your own days become even harder? Let it be settled this way. When you depart, I will send men to escort all the supplies with you to Datong.”

“Then I thank you for the trouble, Zhenghong.”

Lu Xiangsheng was a man of resolute character. After the surge of emotion passed, he quickly regained his composure. Yet his goodwill toward Yue Yang only deepened. Upon arriving in Datong, he would need to establish his authority swiftly. In ancient times, leading troops was simple in principle: beyond prestige, a commander needed grain. If soldiers could not even fill their bellies, who would listen? With the weapons, armor, and provisions provided by Yue Yang, Lu Xiangsheng would be greatly aided in taking control of Datong and the frontier forces. It was for this reason that he felt such profound gratitude toward Yue Yang.