Chapter Twenty-Two

In truth, the fall of Tianjin already signified the collapse of Qing rule in Zhili. The city defenses of Baoding were far inferior to those of Tianjin, and the garrison consisted mostly of new recruits hastily conscripted by Tong Dagang. Tu Hai, during this campaign, shifted a crucial aspect: he concentrated all the elite troops of Zhili in Tianjin, leaving the old, weak, and sick to make up the numbers in Baoding. He placed all his bets on a single hand. When this grand gamble ended in utter defeat, Tong Dagang found himself immediately plunged into despair.

Zhao Liangdong quickly reconnected with his old subordinates, and on a moonless, windy night launched a surprise attack on Baoding. Militarily, there was little remarkable about this night raid; in reality, most of the city's defenders had already received word and were prepared to surrender. Thus, after the city fell, Baoding remained tranquil, the residential streets silent as if abandoned, save for several hundred Manchu guards at the governor’s residence who fought to the death. But in such circumstances, resistance served only to preserve dignity. When the artillery shattered the walls, Zhao Liangdong pressed his entire force forward without hesitation. Within half an hour, every defender lay dead in pools of blood.

In his final moments, Tong Dagang locked his entire family inside a small courtyard and ordered his most trusted aide to ignite the prepared pile of wood. As the flames roared, the banners atop Baoding’s walls were quietly replaced.

Upon receiving the triumphant news of Baoding’s capture, Lin Feng immediately issued a flurry of attack orders. Wang Dahai, stationed in Beijing, dispatched a brigade and two battalions straight to Xuanhua. Zhao Guangyuan led his cavalry, joined with Zhao Guangyuan from Baoding, crossed the Inner Great Wall and advanced directly to Datong. Liu Laosi and Yang Haisheng each led their armies out, taking control of vast territories in Zhengding and Shunde, while also casting their eyes toward Dezhou, the gateway to Shandong.

This abnormal phenomenon soon caught the attention of the army commanders, who spent considerable effort unraveling its cause. It turned out that many rumors unfavorable to the Han army had been circulating in the Qing territories—vivid, persuasive, and highly inflammatory, with a history far longer than a day or two. Thus, as the Han troops advanced, the civilians fled en masse, unwilling to interact with them. The brigade commander in charge immediately reported this to Lin Feng, requesting instructions, as the situation posed significant challenges: they could not requisition guides or laborers, nor purchase supplies or provisions locally. The commander asked Lin Feng whether they should resort to harsh measures to intimidate or force the populace to cooperate with Han military operations.

Soon, reports from other advancing units echoed these concerns. After detailed discussions with Zhou Peigong, Lin Feng swiftly replied to all commanders, ordering that no violence be used against civilians, under penalty of military law. He also wrote to Li Guangdi, instructing him to strengthen logistics for all units.

“Civil service examinations?!” Zhou Peigong stared in disbelief, blurting out, “Now?!”

“Of course. Frankly, we've conquered so much territory, it's time to start cultivating our own loyal officials! Tomorrow, we’ll set off back to Beijing to sort things out there.” Lin Feng closed the dossier, then winked at Zhou Peigong with a mischievous smile, “Old Zhou, would you like to be chief examiner? Tut-tut… You’d be the mentor of the very first batch of Han officials!”

The army returning with Lin Feng to Beijing numbered over fourteen thousand. Aside from the central force—four thousand musketeers, over a thousand artillerymen, and a thousand cavalry—the rest were surrendered Qing soldiers from this campaign. While overseeing Tianjin, Lin Feng had spent most of his time sorting these troops, gathering all prisoners together, sending experienced officers to carefully select and organize them. The old, weak, and sick were released; those unwilling to serve were dismissed; the rest were integrated into his central army.

On his second day back in Beijing, Lin Feng was surrounded by a swarm of sycophants—most were former Qing officials who had surrendered. After the victory, they rushed to submit petitions to Lin Feng’s Grand Marshal’s Office, all urging him to take the throne as Han King, quoting the sages to insist that this was now essential for the stability of his great enterprise. At first, Lin Feng felt flattered, but seeing the grim faces of Li Guangdi and Chen Menglei, he quickly sobered and politely declined, instructing them to return to their posts and refrain from meddling in such muddled matters.

“You flatter me, my lord. This victory owes itself, firstly, to your wise and decisive command; secondly, to the bravery and loyalty of our troops. I, Li Guangdi, am but a feeble scholar, my contribution negligible,” Li Guangdi replied with a bitter smile. Suddenly his expression turned grave, and he bowed solemnly to Lin Feng. “My lord has long been at the front, unaware that our capital is now in crisis, decaying and rotten. If this continues, I fear calamity is imminent!”

Lin Feng was startled, mouth agape, staring at Li Guangdi in astonishment. “Guangdi, are you joking? How could this be?!”

Li Guangdi abruptly knelt upright, “My lord, the warrior dies for his duty, the scholar for his advice. I beg you to heed my loyal counsel!”

Lin Feng hurried forward to lift him up, feeling bewildered by Li Guangdi’s dramatic gesture. “Jin Qing, is there anything I wouldn’t listen to? Is all this display just to frighten me?” He brushed the dust from Li Guangdi’s clothes, “Let’s discuss things calmly—if need be, I’ll follow your advice entirely, all right?”

Li Guangdi rose with Lin Feng’s help. “My lord, do you know that the prices of grain, cloth, tea oil, sauces—all have skyrocketed in the capital? The people are crying out in misery, struggling to survive!”

“Sigh, I know about this, but isn’t it because of the war? What can be done?”

“My lord is mistaken. Our army has won successive victories, conquering four prefectures in Zhili, and now supplies from other regions are pouring in. Why, then, have grain prices not improved?”

“Well…” Lin Feng pondered, “It is odd. With the momentum of our victory, the prices should at least stabilize, if not drop.”

“Does my lord remember the decrees issued during the army’s reorganization?” Seeing Lin Feng’s confusion, Li Guangdi smiled wryly.

He asked in puzzlement, “Is there a problem with those?”

Li Guangdi replied with a bitter smile, “My lord’s decree has ruined countless merchants…”

“This… this… ah!!”

“My lord may not know, but among the Han army dependents are many schemers. They exploited your decree to force merchants to sell goods at half price, buying up everything on the market, hoarding for profit. As a result, Shuntian Prefecture has become desolate; countless merchants bankrupt, countless people unable to afford necessities, cold and hungry…”

Lin Feng slowly sat down, filled with remorse and guilt. He patted his head—there truly are no small matters in governance. Who could have foreseen such dire consequences from a simple order? He shook his head helplessly and looked to Chen Menglei nearby, who nodded gloomily.

“How many are involved? Are any high-ranking officers implicated?” Lin Feng steadied himself, immediately concerned about the impact. If generals were backing this, it would be difficult to resolve.

“No generals, not even officers above company level,” Chen Menglei shook his head. “Military affairs have been intense, and at this life-and-death juncture, most commanders are away, unable to meddle. Only a few Beijing-born captains under General Wang are involved, mainly some dependents colluding with unscrupulous merchants. Because we were preoccupied with urgent matters, this escalated, affecting the entire capital’s supply.”

“Oh! Jin Qing, what do you suggest to remedy this?” Lin Feng turned seriously to Li Guangdi, determined not to issue reckless orders as before.

Li Guangdi and Chen Menglei exchanged smiles. Li Guangdi stepped forward, “Our constables have been monitoring them, and since old Chen returned, his men have helped us greatly. So, rounding them up is not difficult. Restoring the market, however, requires careful planning.” He looked at Chen Menglei, “Brother Ze Zhen, please advise our lord.”

Chen Menglei nodded to Li Guangdi, then addressed Lin Feng, “The other day, you ordered me to arrest traitors in the capital. Aside from a few Baoding landlords who fled, all are in custody. We confiscated over 460,000 acres of fertile land, vast quantities of wheat, corn, sweet potatoes, soybean cakes, barley, and building materials, all registered and sent to Jin Qing for allocation. We’ve calculated the needs of Beijing’s residents; these supplies will suffice for now. But we believe it’s best not for the government to handle distribution directly…”

“Oh?! What do you mean?” Lin Feng hadn’t yet grasped their intent.

“We believe…” Chen Menglei stepped forward and whispered, “This matter is delicate. One misstep could unsettle the troops and severely damage our Han army’s reputation. We can openly blame these traitorous landlords, punish them harshly in secret, then rescind the decree forcing merchants to supply goods at discounted prices…”

Lin Feng was stunned for a moment, then let out a long sigh. It seemed there truly were many cunning and base individuals in the world—who could have guessed these two, usually so upright, had such schemes. His conscience troubled, he nodded approvingly, “Very good, this is the way.” Suddenly, he frowned, “If we abolish all privileges, the soldiers may object!” Having tasted special benefits, they would surely resist giving them up.

Li Guangdi smiled, “That’s easily solved. We’ll set up special shops for them in Shuntian Prefecture, register all Han army dependents, and issue discount cards by headcount. Each month, they can purchase a limited amount of grain and condiments at reduced prices. I’ve already made all preparations; just awaiting your command!”

Lin Feng stared at Li Guangdi, then suddenly clapped his shoulder heavily, “Jin Qing, you’re a true talent—remarkable!” The praise was heartfelt. Under his own absurd decree, Li Guangdi had devised a planned economy policy—truly a statesman of his age. Looking at Li Guangdi, Lin Feng suddenly thought of Zhou Peigong and sighed inwardly. Compared to Li Guangdi, Zhou Peigong really seemed second-rate; perhaps he’d chosen the wrong man.

“Time is of the essence. Please meet with the merchants and have them stabilize the market!” Seeing Lin Feng lost in thought, Chen Menglei gently nudged him.

“Oh? What did you say?—Merchants?” Lin Feng asked in surprise, “Which merchants? What fleet? The Dutch?”

Li Guangdi and Chen Menglei glanced at each other, speechless. Chen Menglei replied with a wry smile, “My lord, it’s the merchants from the Shanxi and Anhui Guilds. Jin Qing and I have spoken with them; they agreed to take over, but they request an audience with you.”

“Oh? So it’s the wealthy Shanxi men?” Lin Feng felt a slight disappointment, waving away his unrealistic fantasies. “Where are they?”

Chapter Two: The Rising Storm in Hebei — End

Please see Chapter Three: Cultivating the Self, Managing the Family, Governing the State