Chapter Fifteen: Coal Briquettes and the Briquette Stove
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Madam He’s voice drifted over, quiet and distant. “Marshal Yue once said, ‘Civil officials must not love money; military officials must not fear death.’ Why did he not say that military officials must not love money? Because most generals go to war for the court with their heads in their hands, risking death and the destruction of their entire clans. It is impossible to scrutinize every detail.”
“Generally speaking, so long as the court provides a reasonably adequate military budget and the war is won, a certain amount of embezzlement is tolerated. As long as no one touches the soldiers’ pay, the court turns a blind eye.”
“Only after a defeat will the Three Judicial Offices investigate the accounts thoroughly.”
Only then did He Chong’an remember Qin Shouzhong saying that the Marquis of Wuning’s household had made a fortune through its campaigns and horse expeditions. It seemed that their wealth came not only from spoils of war, but also from the surplus of military funds.
“That is precisely the problem with the Western Sea,” Madam He said with a sigh. “More than a decade ago, the court sent a detachment to conquer the Western Sea. The commanders who led that campaign plundered the region mercilessly, filling their coffers to overflowing. Everyone in court and country knows that they stripped the people bare—even the golden towers were torn apart and carried away. When the court drew up the Western Sea’s military budget, it naturally assumed the region was wealthy. It authorized an army of twenty thousand, with an annual subsidy of two hundred thousand taels from Yunnan. Everything else was to be supported by local taxes.”
“The problem is that the Western Sea rebels every year. How can taxes possibly be collected? Whenever we submit a memorial requesting additional military funds, the court refuses. They believe the Western Sea is a place where one can still squeeze out plenty of profit. The He family has already eaten its fill there, yet now it wants additional military funding as well. They consider it utterly outrageous.”
“They do not understand that the situation in the Western Sea can still be maintained if we refrain from plundering and instead pacify the people. But once we begin lining our pockets, the early Ming conquest of Annam becomes a warning from the past.”
During the Yongle era, Annam was conquered, but not long afterward it rebelled again because many eunuchs plundered the region without restraint.
The Western Sea today was the Annam of those days. At least Annam had a history of submitting and joining the empire. Burma, by contrast, had never been directly governed by the Central Plains, making it even more difficult to pacify. If the people were given time to recover and properly comforted, lasting peace might be possible. But with the commanders consumed by greed and intent only on making money, the situation was bound to collapse.
“Even so, if my He family refuses to make money, can we really expect the officers beneath us to travel thousands of miles to the Western Sea and play saints?”
“Besides, there have been rebellion after rebellion—few great battles, but endless small ones. After every battle, we submit requests to settle the military expenses, and the Ministry of Revenue always cuts them down as much as it can. They think that killing only a few dozen or a hundred enemies is nothing worth mentioning.”
“They do not understand that when an army remains on campaign for years, money is needed to maintain its morale and fighting spirit.”
“The court provides insufficient funds, and even those arrive late.”
“Many things have to be paid for out of our own pockets. Take pocket watches, for example. The military budget would never reimburse something like that.”
“In short, if the Western Sea is not subsidized, I fear we will suffer a crushing defeat.” Madam He could not help sighing.
“The Western Sea is such a troublesome place,” He Chong’an said. “Has Father never considered transferring somewhere else?”
“How could he not have?” Madam He let out another sigh. “That brings us to the awkward position of my He family.”
“There are two great powers in the military today: the founding nobility and the meritorious families of the southern campaigns.”
“There is no need to speak of the founding nobility—the men who followed the First Ancestor in establishing the dynasty and the Grand Ancestor in his northern campaigns. But my family does not belong to them. Our ancestors even fought against some of those founding heroes and gave them no small amount of trouble. It is quite unusual that our family received its title during the Grand Ancestor’s reign. Most of the generals employed then were descendants of the founding heroes.”
“As for the southern campaigns, your father merely accompanied the army. The ones who truly distinguished themselves were the naval forces.”
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“Although your father could be counted among Prince Zheng’s former followers, he still could not enter the inner circle.”
“Everyone knows the Western Sea is a rotten mess, and no one wants to take it on. Our family cannot cast away this hot potato. We can only hold on by sheer force. After all, everything our family possesses rests on military merit. It is military merit that has brought us our present glory and wealth. The moment we suffer a defeat, the He family’s destruction will be close at hand.”
He Chong’an’s heart tightened.
He had never imagined that the He family’s situation had already become so grave. He had suffered enough hardship already.
He had no desire to return to that ruined temple. He immediately knit his brows and began thinking of a solution.
Seeing this, Madam He smiled faintly. “Do not worry. Your father can manage it. It is only that we must subsidize the army by tens of thousands of taels each year.”
“But given the state of the household, where could we find tens of thousands of taels?”
Madam He smiled. “A centipede may be dead, but it remains rigid. The He family may have no money on the books, but if we squeeze a little, there is still some grease to be found. The household owns a few shops. We have some estates outside the capital, and I still possess part of my dowry. Supporting the army will not be a problem.”
There was a trace of worry in Madam He’s eyes. If it were merely a matter of money, it would be easy enough to discuss. But often, the problem was not merely money. Those other matters were things Madam He was not yet willing to tell He Chong’an.
Because they were the true core of the He family.
Although Madam He had spoken with such confidence, He Chong’an still could not help feeling anxious.
Given the terrain of the Western Sea and the current state of affairs, it was entirely possible that a disastrous defeat could wipe out the entire army. The He family’s fate might be, at worst, execution of the entire clan, or, at best, exile.
For a moment, He Chong’an could not tell whether he was unlucky or whether the He family was unlucky.
They had actually encountered a situation like this.
He had worked so hard to obtain the status of a nobleman’s son, only to find himself in danger of being implicated and beheaded.
How could that be acceptable?
He Chong’an immediately began devising a way to solve the family’s problems. He truly did not want to experience the snow and wind of that ruined temple again. After pondering for two days, he found an opportunity to speak to Madam He.
“I have a way to earn some money for the household.”
Madam He had not expected much from He Chong’an, but seeing that he was willing to share the family’s burdens, she was prepared to give him a chance.
“Oh? Tell me about it.”
“It is difficult to explain clearly. Mother, please wait two days. I will have the household craftsmen make it, then bring it for your inspection.”
“Very well.”
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Only a few days later, He Chong’an brought forth the results of his work.
He immediately went outside and carried in a coal-briquette stove.
“Mother, please take a look.”
It was a very ordinary sort of coal-briquette stove, wrapped in an outer layer of iron. The stove wall in the middle held the briquettes, while the space between the two layers had been packed and secured with mud. It was rather heavy. There were handles on the sides, allowing two people to carry it.
Madam He examined the stove carefully, but could not see anything remarkable about it.
“It is quite light and convenient,” she said.
He Chong’an immediately demonstrated it for her.
He stuffed some firewood into the stove and lit it. Then he placed a single coal briquette inside. In moments, it caught fire.
Madam He gave a soft hum. “Not bad.”
Lighting a fire in ancient times had never been impossible.
In later generations, some people had even given him lighters, yet they still could not get a campfire started in the wilderness.
In ancient times, the only tool for starting a fire was a fire tube. Lighting a fire required skill, especially when coal was involved.
The ancients generally used lump coal. It was easy to transport and burned for a long time, but it was difficult to ignite. Every fire had to be started with the utmost care, sometimes by blowing on it little by little.
This coal-briquette stove, however, had been designed with ventilation both inside and out, making it exceptionally easy to light. It seemed that even a single sheet of paper could set the briquette burning.
Once the stove was lit, He Chong’an used fire tongs to place two coal briquettes inside. Before long, they were glowing red, and flames leapt upward. The fire burned vigorously.
Madam He could not resist stretching out her hands to warm them. She was already nodding inwardly.
“It is far more convenient for heating a room than a brazier.”
He Chong’an, however, blocked the lower vent and covered the top with a sheet of iron.
“Mother, if you wish, you may see for yourself whether this fire is still burning tonight.”
Madam He stared at him in surprise. “What did you say? The fire can last until tonight?”
“Yes,” He Chong’an replied. “It can last even longer.”
Madam He’s expression changed completely. She was astonished.
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