Chapter 632: What's the Rush?
Zhang Zongheng fell into deep thought.
Tie Niaofei then began to fulfill "the task assigned to him by the Heavenly Lord," continuing, "Actually, it's not just Tian Shenglan; I know seven other people who are selling various goods to the Manchu and Mongols."
Sun Chuanting's heart skipped a beat.
Zhang Zongheng also snapped out of his contemplation, "Who are these other seven people?"
Tie Niaofei listed, "Fan Yongdou, Wang Dengku, Jin Liangyu, Wang Dayu, Liang Jiabin, Zhai Tang, and Huang Yunfa. Oh, Huang Yunfa is already dead, so there are only six left."
At these words, both Sun Chuanting and Zhang Zongheng were startled once more.
They had just heard these very names from the mouth of the Guanyin Bodhisattva; to hear them again, so soon, from Tie Niaofei was truly unexpected.
Almost simultaneously, both men grew suspicious of Tie Niaofei, thinking, *Could that strange voice just now have been a trick played by this fellow?*
*But how could he have managed it?*
*No, no, that's impossible!*
*How could a mere mortal possibly arrange for a Bodhisattva to speak? If the Bodhisattva was truly divine, then this man's words simply happened to confirm the heavenly secrets revealed earlier.*
*Only if the Bodhisattva were fake could one even consider that this person manipulated it.*
A whirlwind of thoughts spun through their minds.
In those brief few breaths, they processed more than they ever had while holding their brush, staring at an imperial examination paper.
*Should they trust him?*
*Or not?*
*Was it A or B?*
Just then, Zhang Zongheng suddenly seized upon a crucial point.
"Kong Youde!"
He leaned closer to Sun Chuanting, whispering, "When the Bodhisattva revealed the heavenly secret just now, Kong Youde was mentioned first. And the Bodhisattva also disclosed events that would transpire a month from now."
A metaphorical lightbulb flashed above Sun Chuanting's head. He too lowered his voice, "Are you suggesting we'll know whether to trust him by observing Kong Youde?"
"Exactly!" Zhang Zongheng affirmed in a low tone.
Sun Chuanting mused, "But since we now know there's a possibility of Kong Youde defecting to the Manchu, shouldn't we definitely submit a memorial to the imperial court, asking them to guard against this?"
Zhang Zongheng offered a wry smile. "We ourselves aren't entirely convinced this will happen. Would you dare write a memorial about it? And how would you even phrase it? If we rashly report this, claiming the Guanyin Bodhisattva predicted Kong Youde's defection to the Manchu, wouldn't everyone brand us as White Lotus cultists?"
Sun Chuanting was speechless.
Upon closer thought, he realized Zhang Zongheng had a point.
If he himself barely believed the Bodhisattva, how could he expect others to? Would the court ministers believe it? Would the Emperor? If they saw such a memorial, wouldn't they consider him a madman? He often penned essays on "border affairs" without official prompting, and some court officials already viewed him as utterly deranged; even his own student, Feng Rong, advised him to stop meddling in state affairs.
Sun Chuanting let out a long sigh. "Are we truly left with no choice but to wait for this matter to settle?"
Zhang Zongheng also sighed. "Indeed, that's our only recourse. We must wait. If Kong Youde truly defects to the Manchu, then it will confirm the heavenly secrets revealed by the Bodhisattva. In that case, the matter of the Eight Great Jin Merchants supplying the Manchu will naturally also be true. Why would we need to press this merchant, Tie Niaofei, for further proof? At that point, a thorough investigation of the Eight Great Merchants' caravans along the border would suffice; if they truly colluded with the enemy, finding evidence would not be difficult."
Sun Chuanting conceded, "That... is also true... Alas!"
Having settled their discussion, Zhang Zongheng looked up and addressed Tie Niaofei, "Mr. Tie, we have noted down the names you've provided. Later, I, the Supreme Commander, will deploy additional personnel to monitor these merchants. Should they indeed engage in treasonous acts of colluding with the enemy, I assure you, I will not show them any leniency."
"The Supreme Commander is truly enlightened," Tie Niaofei praised.
Perceiving that the two esteemed officials were offering tea as a polite dismissal, Tie Niaofei, with practiced self-awareness, took his leave and exited Sun Chuanting's residence.
He had barely walked a short distance from the residence when he heard the Heavenly Lord, in his cotton thread form, speak from his chest, "That's enough. You can go back now. For the time being, don't squabble with Tian Shenglan here."
"What?" Tie Niaofei exclaimed, "Are we just returning like this? I haven't even had a chance to eliminate Tian Shenglan yet."
The Heavenly Lord, in his cotton thread form, smiled. "Some things cannot be rushed; it's better to let events unfold. Once you return, prepare for 'border trade.' Take a little over a month to prepare thoroughly. When the Eight Great Jin Merchants fall and are dealt with, the border army will certainly face a shortage of supplies with fewer merchants providing goods. At that point, you can naturally take over the Eight Great Jin Merchants' business and standing. From now on, the supply of materials to the border army will be handled by us."
Tie Niaofei lowered his voice, "Heavenly Lord, forgive my audacity, but Gao Family Village's current trajectory surely means it will eventually replace the imperial court. Everyone will undoubtedly revere you as the Heavenly King and establish a new imperial government. If that's the case, wouldn't supplying goods to the border army be considered aiding the enemy?"
Li Daoxuan chuckled. "No, this isn't aiding the enemy; it's resisting the enemy."
Tie Niaofei's mind reeled.
Li Daoxuan explained, "Letting the imperial court hold off the Manchu while we steadily expand our influence in the Central Plains is far better than allowing the Manchu to surge in and devastate the entire region. Because... the Manchu are far more brutal than roving bandits."
"Oh?" Tie Niaofei uttered, comprehension dawning.
Li Daoxuan elaborated, "While roving bandits also loot, burn, and kill, their strategy toward the common people leans more towards coercion. Unable to sustain such large numbers, they merely force people to follow them, leaving the populace to fend for themselves amid their constant movement. The Manchu, however, have one simple solution for those they cannot sustain: slaughter."
"Kill, kill, kill! If you reduce a population of a hundred million to merely thirty or forty million, then, of course, you can sustain them and control them."
Tie Niaofei's entire body stiffened, a chill creeping up his spine.
Now Tie Niaofei understood. The Heavenly Lord, with his benevolence, could not bear to see the common people suffer, and thus was unwilling to destabilize the border army and allow the Manchu to invade. Since Gao Family Village's influence had not yet expanded significantly enough to directly assist the border passes, they could only aid the border army through other means.
As long as the border army could hold steady and fend off the Manchu, Gao Family Village could, with peace of mind, slowly consolidate its power in the Central Plains.
Nibbling away was better than swallowing whole!
Because swallowing whole would inflict too much harm on the common people.
With this realization, Tie Niaofei couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
The Heavenly Lord truly cared deeply for the common people.
*He truly is... I could cry.*
The Heavenly Lord possessed the power to overturn mountains with a single palm, yet he was in no rush, steadily implementing his plan to save all beings under heaven, striving for a peaceful transition for the common people.
*So why should I be in such a hurry for revenge? Tian Shenglan's head can remain on his shoulders for now.*
Having grasped this, Tie Niaofei's mood lightened considerably.
"Heavenly Lord," he declared, "Your subordinate will return immediately to prepare the caravans and gather ample supplies for the border armies of Xuanfu and Datong, to help them hold back the Manchu."
Tie Niaofei swiftly departed Daizhou. In the forest outside the city, he rendezvoused with Zao Ying and Zheng Daniu, then returned to his own territory.
Comments