Chapter 24: A Heart-to-Heart with a Subject

Inside the command tent, Zhu Shuang was writing furiously at his desk, his vision for the future of Kaifeng City taking shape on the paper. After a long while, he finished and blew on the ink to dry it.

He summoned Zhang Yu and commanded: "Have this public notice regarding the pacification of the people circulated to Jin the Quartermaster, Scholar Yang, and Scholar Tie. I invite them here to discuss state affairs."

There was no helping it; his staff consisted of only these few scholars. Although they were destined to become famous officials in the future, these fledglings were still far from the caliber of prime ministers capable of governing the world. Zhu Shuang had considered rounding up all the scholars in the city, but he was no mere bandit leader like Li Zicheng. He dismissed the thought; a twisted melon is never sweet.

Zhang Yu acknowledged the order.

Meanwhile, Jin Zhong was busy in the city, providing relief to the disaster victims until his feet barely touched the ground. Seeing Yang Shi-qi and Tie Xuan wandering about idly, his anger flared.

"The two of you are well-versed in the teachings of the sages," Jin Zhong remarked indignantly. "You should naturally emulate them. There are countless starving people in Kaifeng crying out for sustenance. If you have nothing else to do, please help distribute the relief grain. Even a meager effort is ten thousand times better than standing around doing nothing."

"Having received your instruction, Master Jin, I, Yang, feel deeply ashamed as a man of letters."

As Yang Shi-qi stepped forward, Tie Xuan pulled him back. "Brother Yang, you must not! I have observed that this rebel Zhu acts against the natural order, behaving like the tyrants Jie and Zhou in his cruelty toward the gentry. He will surely become an enemy to all the scholars of the world."

Yang Shi-qi hesitated. Throughout history, emperors had always treated scholars with favor because the power of public discourse lay in their hands. Moreover, in this feudal age, landlords and gentry were the bedrock of the dynasty. Even the Mongol Yuan, no matter how brutal they were to the common people, treated the landlords and gentry with great generosity—otherwise, there would have been no "Yanyou Restoration of the Civil Service Examinations" under Emperor Renzong of Yuan.

"Alas, Brother Tie, your sentiment is precisely why I have hesitated to pledge my loyalty. Crown Prince Zhu Biao of the Ming is known for his benevolence, respect, and humility, carrying the hopes of the court and the people. Yet, the man before us acts without regard for ritual or law; I fear he is not a wise ruler."

"Since you, like me, favor the Crown Prince, why not wait on the sidelines? When the rebel Zhu is defeated, we can go to Yingtian and pledge our service to the Crown Prince. If we assist His Highness, won't we be remembered in history as virtuous ministers serving a wise lord?"

"For now, that is all we can do," sighed Yang Shi-qi, whose given name was Yang Yu.

Just then, Zhang Yu rode up, handed them the document, and cupped his hands. "By order of the Commander, I invite you two gentlemen to the command tent to discuss matters of state."

***

Upon receiving the letter, Yang Shi-qi was initially skeptical, but as he read, his expression changed. He blurted out in admiration: "To think such a magnificent leader exists in this world! Even Emperor Taizong of Tang reborn would be no match for this. This move is truly earth-shattering."

Tie Xuan, hearing Yang Shi-qi compare Zhu Shuang—whom he considered a scoundrel—to Li Shimin, one of the top three emperors in history, leaned in like a curious child. "Brother Yang, what kind of masterpiece is this that warrants such high praise from a man of your caliber?"

Yang Shi-qi placed the letter in Tie Xuan’s hands and bowed. "Brother, I have found the wise ruler I have been searching for. Forgive me, but I cannot accompany you to Yingtian to serve in the Eastern Palace. Farewell."

With that, he borrowed a swift horse from a soldier and galloped toward the camp outside the city. Tie Xuan read the letter word for word. He recited the thousand-character notice repeatedly, and after a long time, he slapped his forehead in regret.

"Tie Xuan, oh Tie Xuan, for all your claims of being a good judge of character, such a brilliant leader was right before your eyes, and you intended to serve another! You are truly a dense fool."

Tie Xuan laughed at himself, snatched a horse from a nearby soldier, and raced after Yang Shi-qi.

When Jin Zhong finished his tasks and returned to the command tent, he ignored the three men laughing and chatting, slamming his ledger onto the desk instead. Pointing at the "Public Notice on Pacification," he threw up his hands. "Commander, please allow me to retire and return to my hometown. You have no idea how hard it is to manage the household finances. I simply cannot continue as your quartermaster."

Zhu Shuang quickly soothed him: "My dear Master Jin, my head accountant, you are not even thirty yet, and you want to retire?"

"Commander, I could overlook your other clauses, and establishing a national bank is a good thing, but the Yuan dynasty’s paper currency is worth less than two copper coins per hundred guan! The people use it as toilet paper because it’s a nuisance. If you use one guan to exchange for real money, aren't you afraid of burning your hands? We finally have a surplus after raiding the wealthy, but we can't afford your spendthrift ways."

"Commander, why not just give money directly to the people? Please, spare me!"

Seeing Jin Zhong’s pained expression, Zhu Shuang patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "You are right, I am giving money to the people. If we simply threw silver at them, we would only get a round of applause. But if we turn their worthless paper into real currency, how will the people view us?"

"Commander, are you emulating the 'Moving the Log to Establish Trust' of Lord Shang?" Tie Xuan, a man of progressive thought in his previous life—the same man who would later hang the ancestral tablets of the Hongwu Emperor on the walls of Jinan to thwart Zhu Di—immediately grasped the intent.

***

"Scholar Tie, you are correct," Zhu Shuang said. "The cruel Yuan turned the people's wealth into scrap paper; we are turning their scrap paper into wealth. How will the world view the Pacification Army now?"

"The Imperial Army marches north, and the hearts of all under heaven will turn toward us," Yang Shi-qi exclaimed in admiration.

"Swords and horses can conquer the world, but they cannot govern it. From the First Emperor to the great emperors of the past, all were sovereign rulers, yet why did their dynasties perish by the second generation?"

"Because conquering is easy, but governing is difficult. My father, Zhu Yuanzhang, won the hearts of the Han people not just through his military might or the restoration of Han attire, but because he gave fairness to the people under Mongol tyranny. The Ming Code ensures that land is not divided by north or south, and people are not divided into four classes. The unification of the world is within reach."

"My generals often beg to march north to join forces with the Great General of the Northern Expedition to strike Shandong. Why do I hesitate here in this small city of Kaifeng? I have read the books; *The Eastern Capital: A Dream of Splendor* and the *Along the River During the Qingming Festival* hanging in the Forbidden City all tell me how beautiful Bianliang was."

"Yet, this magnificent capital, the greatest in the world, was ground into dust under the iron hooves of the Jin. Kaifeng has been occupied for two hundred years; its glory is gone, turned into a broken, wretched city. Its people have fallen from prosperity to abject poverty, becoming refugees with nothing to wear. If we cannot govern this land well, even if we hold all the lands and millions of people like the Mongols did, it will all be but a spring dream, a wedding dress made for someone else."

"Conquering a city is easy; winning the hearts of the people is hard. This is the great cause we must undertake. Even if we have to make temporary sacrifices, we must prioritize the people's livelihood. Even if we lose Kaifeng one day, we will never lose the hearts of its people."

"I named this army 'Pacification' (Anmin) not only to bring stability to the realm but to comfort the lives of the people."

Tie Xuan thought in shock: *The Crown Prince may be a wise ruler for maintaining the status quo, but compared to this Prince of Qin who holds the world in his heart, he is but a drop in the ocean.*

Yang Shi-qi was equally stunned: *If this man succeeds in winning the hearts of all under heaven, I fear even the Great Ancestor of the Yuan would be no match for him.*