Chapter 2692: The Capital (Part 48)

In the three years that followed, Zhou Lezhi spent most of his time in Zhaoqing, studying under the Teacher's guidance and helping him write books.

"The Kun are no ordinary creatures content to remain in a pond—I fear they harbor ambitions to transform into dragons."

Although both Master Wang and Zhou Lezhi urged the Teacher to take on more disciples, Mr. Zhou insisted his energy was limited and that he could only devote himself to cultivating Zhou Lezhi alone.

Despite saying this, he tacitly permitted Zhou Lezhi to take on a few students of his own. After all, Zhou Lezhi's time had become exceedingly precious, and many trivial matters needed to be delegated to others.

Under Mr. Zhou's counsel, Wang Yehao adopted an attitude of complete feigned deafness and blindness toward the Kun. He never interfered with their activities in Guangzhou, accepted their bribes with equanimity, and opened doors of convenience for them throughout the region. His only countermeasure was to secretly monitor the Kun's every move through the forces controlled by Liang Cunhou.

If the Kun mobilized their forces, the Royal Army would certainly lose. This was the unanimous judgment of the entire Old Man Stone clique, and during his tenure, Wang Yehao naturally had no desire to see such a confrontation occur.

When he first took office, Wang Yehao still harbored notions of reorganizing the army and stockpiling weapons for a potential battle against the Kun. But as the materials collected by the Yuyuan Society accumulated, such thoughts gradually faded away.

Thus these years could be called a time of calm winds and quiet waves. Although the Old Man Stone clique planned various actions in succession, most were minor skirmishes without significant impact. If there was any gain to speak of, it was that they had successfully recruited a large batch of "Anti-Thief Righteous Men," thereby strengthening their power.

As for wealth, this was now Wang Yehao's least pressing concern. The annual bribes from the Kun were no longer worth mentioning. His largest sources of income were twofold: first, following Mr. Zhou's suggestion, he had purchased ten thousand taels of silver worth of non-preference shares when the Zi brand firms issued them; second, he had his subordinates establish a trading firm to do business with the Kun, which proved enormously profitable.

With money in hand, Wang Yehao continued expanding his "Industrial Base" in Dongyang, manufacturing various "gadgets" that Mr. Zhou had invented or improved, which also earned considerable sums. Of course, such small ventures could not satisfy Master Wang's appetite. Engaging in various speculations and trading with the Australians was his true passion. During these years as Governor-General, though Master Wang worried daily about the Kun's ambitions and the future of Great Ming, this did not prevent him from doing business with the Kun and reaping golden profits every day.

Naturally, Mr. Zhou's ambitions extended beyond this. He sent people to Lingao to purchase numerous books and laboratory equipment, continuously enriching the workshops in Zhaoqing and Dongyang. The spending was substantial, yet tangible results remained scarce. This drew considerable criticism from many within their small clique. Some suggested that since Mr. Zhou understood so many of the Kun's techniques, why not have him oversee the Cannon Factory to replicate their artillery? Guangdong was famous for its foundries, after all, and craftsmen skilled in casting guns and cannons were plentiful. With Mr. Zhou's guidance, they could surely produce weapons to rival the Kun's.

To everyone's surprise, the Teacher rejected this proposal outright, saying he was unfamiliar with the craft of casting cannons and military weapons—supervising such work would only cause problems. He added that the Kun's cannons were essentially no different from the Red Barbarian Cannons Great Ming had introduced; only the casting was more refined. Given sufficient funding, similar cannons could be made.

These words attracted considerable dissatisfaction within the Old Man Stone clique, and Wang Yehao himself had reservations. Zhou Lezhi found it strange as well. Given the Teacher's abilities—he could speak with great authority about casting cannons, military weapons, warships, and gun carriages, explaining the merits and flaws of Chinese and foreign firearms with perfect clarity—why would he refuse this assignment?

"It's not that I'm avoiding hard work or seeking comfort. Truly, this is something I cannot do well." Hearing Zhou Lezhi's doubt, the Teacher smiled bitterly.

He had never practiced the craft of cannon-making. Although he possessed abundant written materials, they were ultimately just that—materials. Using them to guide actual cannon casting would leave far too many craft details unclear. Rather than stumbling about giving blind commands, it was better to let the old masters continue working according to their established methods. Regardless of whether the cannons produced were good or bad, at least they could be used.

"Just like what Teacher said about telescopes last time..."

"Exactly. The craft of cannon-making sounds simple but is far from easy—otherwise, why would the Red Hairs still need to recruit cannon-casting craftsmen from Guangdong to go to Macao? Wasn't the Red Barbarian Cannon originally sold to Great Ming by their own people!"

"Every trade has its own specialized knowledge."

"Precisely. When it comes to discussing firearms, I naturally understand more than most. But actually doing the work—that belongs to another field entirely. After all, regarding metallurgy and casting, I only possess superficial knowledge. Forcing the matter would only delay affairs."

"Teacher is truly humble..."

"It's not humility—one must recognize the limits of one's abilities." As Mr. Zhou spoke, he reclined leisurely in his chair, eating lychees at a unhurried pace. "Besides, Guangdong's Red Barbarian Cannons are already of decent quality. As long as the craftsmen's wages aren't docked excessively, producing a few good cannons isn't difficult."

"If Teacher were to oversee the work, surely you could spend less silver and still produce good cannons," Zhou Lezhi said. "I've heard that of the silver allocated for casting cannons, only thirty or forty percent actually reaches the workshops..."

"Do that, and I wouldn't live to see next year." Mr. Zhou smiled bitterly. "Cutting off people's wealth is like killing their parents. Never mind me—even Lord Wang wouldn't dare attempt it. Blending in and accommodating the situation keeps the peace. If cannons cost a bit more and fewer are cast, what does it matter? Having more cannons wouldn't help us deal with the Kun anyway."

Zhou Lezhi was struck dumb. He hadn't expected the Teacher to speak such disheartening words. He couldn't help but reply: "If that's the case, why is Teacher still bothering with all this? Better to simply defect to the Kun."

The Teacher's gaze rested on his face for a long moment, expressing both surprise and considerable approval. He said: "You speak rightly." Rising slowly from the bamboo couch, his expression grew complex. "The things I do here are largely meaningless. What I can leave behind is merely a few shouts of defiance—that's all."

These words were too profound for Zhou Lezhi to fully grasp, yet the Teacher's expression made clear that what he revealed at this moment were words from the heart.

"Comparing the Kun to Great Ming—who is strong and who is weak?" the Teacher suddenly asked.

Zhou Lezhi thought for a moment, then answered clearly: "Great Ming's territory is vast, its population numerous, its annual taxes reaching tens of millions. Yet externally there are the Eastern Barbarians, and internally the Roving Bandits; our national momentum declines daily. The Kun's firearms are excellent, their soldiers brave, and they excel at the Art of Tao Zhu in commerce. However, their territory is small and their population few—they cannot endure long. Comparing the two, their strength is roughly equal."

Mr. Zhou nodded lightly in approval. "Your words might have held true in the early Wanli years. But in the present day, they are far too optimistic. In my view, if the Kun have the will to contend for supremacy in the Central Plains, Great Ming will face ten thousand difficulties in resisting them."

"But the Kun only occupy a mere Qiongzhou Prefecture..."

"The Eastern Barbarians who are now the Court's greatest threat were also once just the Wild Jurchens of Jianzhou. Nurhaci was initially nothing more than a personal guard under Li Chengliang's command." A stifled expression crossed Mr. Zhou's face, as if he wished to speak but could not. "What if I were to say that perhaps the Eastern Barbarians could enter and master the Central Plains?"

"That... surely that's impossible." Zhou Lezhi found it hard to believe. These words seemed even more absurd than the notion of the Kun contending for the Central Plains.

"Nothing is impossible." Mr. Zhou lifted his teacup with casual ease and took a sip to moisten his throat, then frowned. "Why does this tea always have such a strange taste?"

He continued: "Great Ming's situation is now precarious as eggs stacked high. Beset internally by Roving Bandits and natural disasters, pressured externally by the Eastern Barbarians... and the Kun. Like a wounded man unable to retreat and recuperate properly, forced instead to bind his wounds and fight again—against multiple opponents at that. No matter how strong such a man might be, sooner or later he will be worn down to death..."

Zhou Lezhi recalled everything he had witnessed and heard in recent years, and felt his hair stand on end in horror.

"If Great Ming perishes, those who remain—whether Eastern Barbarians or Roving Bandits—none can resist the Kun. The Senate will eventually unify all under Heaven." Mr. Zhou sighed with emotion. "Originally, changing dynasties isn't necessarily a bad thing. As long as the world finds peace, it's always good for the common people. It's just..."

At this point, he fell silent for a long while. "If the Kun obtain the country too easily, they will inevitably look down upon the heroes of the world. What we do now is to let them know: Heaven and Earth have plenty of capable scholars and extraordinary men, heroes and good fellows. Even if they win, we cannot let them win too easily!"

Zhou Lezhi still didn't quite understand. He asked: "If that's the case, aren't we doing useless things?"

"Indeed," the Teacher nodded. "Have you read the Chu Shi Biao?"

"I've read both the Front and Rear pieces."

"Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions were merely doing what was humanly possible, to see if he could accord with Heaven's Mandate. We are the same today." Mr. Zhou rarely spoke so many heartfelt words as he did today. Although Zhou Lezhi couldn't fully comprehend everything, he understood the meaning of "knowing it cannot be done, yet doing it anyway."

"Ai, Master Wang is still scheming, hoping to grant amnesty to the Kun."

"Amnesty?" Mr. Zhou let out a laugh. "The Kun came to Great Ming with designs on supreme power. Even if they accept amnesty temporarily, sooner or later they will rebel. But no matter—if amnesty can be granted, we might at least drag out our feeble existence a while longer."

The matter of amnesty seemed to progress with great fanfare for a time. During this period, Wang Yehao frequently met with various figures connected to the Kun. Among them, one named Li Luoyou was summoned for meetings especially often. Zhou Lezhi heard that this man was deeply connected with the Kun. When the Kun had once besieged Guangzhou, it was ultimately his intercession that redeemed the city and lifted the siege. Many said that not only did he make great profits trading with the Kun, he had also established a trade depot in Lingao and was constantly seeking to have the Kun teach him the art of firearms.

The Teacher was quite interested when Zhou Lezhi told him about this matter. But his identity was confidential—apart from people within the Old Man Stone clique, outsiders knew nothing of his existence. So he sent Zhou Lezhi to meet Li Luoyou, to hear firsthand what the man had seen and learned of the Kun. He also proposed to Master Wang that they attempt to admit Li Luoyou into their small clique.

"I've actually considered this before." Wang Yehao frowned slightly upon hearing the Teacher's suggestion. "The trouble is, this man is no ordinary merchant. His connections at Court are deeply rooted and intertwined, and the powerful figures behind him are not idle men. To bring him in, I fear I would need to be Senior Grand Secretary to manage it."

(End of Chapter)