Chapter 34: The Magistrate of Yangyuan County

"Your subordinate pays his respects to the Commander." Huang An appeared in the Commander's main tent dressed in his casual robes.

"Ah, Magistrate Huang, please, sit." Commander Li Kaiyang gestured toward a seat nearby.

"Thank you, sir." Huang An bowed slightly with cupped hands, walked to the seat, and sat down.

Li Kaiyang sat with a commanding presence, his legs spread wide, and said, "Magistrate Huang, I hear that a group of bandits escaped from the Northern Camp under your watch?"

The recently seated Huang An hurriedly stood up, hunched over, and said nervously, "It is my incompetence that allowed over twenty horsemen to slip away under the cover of night. I beg for your punishment, sir."

"Do not be nervous, Magistrate Huang. Sit, sit, sit." Li Kaiyang gestured toward the chair again, signaling for him to be seated.

This time, Huang An perched only on the edge of the seat, watching the Commander in the center with a look of apprehension.

Seeing Huang An’s cautious demeanor, Li Kaiyang smiled and said, "A few runaway bandits are of no great consequence. I brought you here to discuss another matter."

"Please, sir, speak your mind." Huang An leaned forward slightly, looking at Li Kaiyang with full attention.

"Someone, bring tea for Magistrate Huang," Li Kaiyang ordered his personal guard, then continued, "I heard that when you and Battalion Commander Zheng went to suppress the remnants of Shi Yunhu’s bandit gang today, you suffered a defeat?"

"S-sir..."

Li Kaiyang waved his hand and said, "No need to be nervous, Magistrate. Victory and defeat are common occurrences in military life. Besides, you and Battalion Commander Zheng only suffered because I had already taken the archers with me."

"Thank you for your understanding, sir." Huang An let out a secret sigh of relief.

Just then, the guard entered the tent, set two cups of hot tea on the low tables in front of Li Kaiyang and Huang An, and withdrew.

Li Kaiyang picked up his cup, blew the tea leaves from the surface, and said, "If I were to give you two hundred archers, would you have the confidence to lead your men and wipe out those escaped bandits?"

Huang An jumped to his feet, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply. "Your subordinate will certainly not fail your expectations, sir."

Hearing this, Li Kaiyang smiled. "You must be wondering why I am so determined to eliminate these particular fugitives."

"You are just and act for the people, sir. These bandits are a scourge on the region. Your actions serve the righteousness of the Imperial Court, and I admire you to the point of complete devotion." Huang An cupped his hands and bowed toward the direction of the capital.

"Enough, enough. It is just the two of us here; there is no need for such flowery talk," Li Kaiyang said. "I learned from the bandits I captured today that the group you and Battalion Commander Zheng let slip away are in charge of the grain supplies. I am sending you to hunt them down first for the supplies, and second to claim more heads to trade for rewards from the Court."

Huang An’s eyes flickered, and he quickly replied respectfully, "Yes, sir, I understand."

After taking a sip of tea and setting the cup down, Li Kaiyang added, "I have already sent a letter to the Magistrate of Yangyuan County, ordering him to assist you. You must wipe out these bandits within the borders of Yangyuan County; do not give them any chance to roam further."

"As ordered." Huang An knelt on one knee and cupped his hands.

"Very well. It is getting late, Magistrate Huang. Go back and get some rest. At first light tomorrow, you and Battalion Commander Zheng will take your troops to Yangyuan County to pursue the bandits." Li Kaiyang picked up his tea cup and used the lid to stir the leaves.

Huang An offered his farewells and backed out of the main tent. A guard led his horse over, handed him the reins, and helped him mount so he could return to his camp.

***

In the magistrate’s office of Yangyuan County, which bordered the Tiancheng Guard, Magistrate Zhu Jiuchang slammed the letter in his hand onto the table after reading it.

"Preposterous! This is absolutely preposterous!" Magistrate Zhu Jiuchang’s face was filled with fury.

Secretary Qian, standing to the side, asked, "What did the Commander of the Tiancheng Guard write in this letter to make you so angry, sir?"

Magistrate Zhu fumed, "A mere third-rank military officer actually dares to dictate to me, ordering me to do his bidding! There is no sense of hierarchy left. Since when does a mere martial brute get to climb onto the heads of civil officials and throw his weight around?"

In the Ming Dynasty, civil service was held in high regard while military service was looked down upon. Often, fourth or fifth-rank military officers were required to kneel before seventh-rank civil officials; even if they didn't kneel, they were expected to be the first to offer greetings and give way on the road.

Hearing the reason, Secretary Qian advised, "Why should you trouble yourself with such a vulgar soldier, sir? Just ignore him."

"No, a martial brute wants to climb over my head? I will impeach him!" Zhu Jiuchang declared. "Prepare my memorial; I am going to write a report to impeach him right now."

"Calm yourself, sir, please calm yourself," Secretary Qian urged. "You may not know this, but this Commander Li of the Tiancheng Guard comes from an official family. Li Guangyi, the Deputy Commissioner of the Shaanxi Military Defense Circuit, is his uncle. If you report him for arrogance, it will be useless, and it will only reflect poorly on your own reputation."

Magistrate Zhu had been in office for less than half a year, and naturally, he was not as well-informed as the local snake, Qian Guang. Hearing that Li Kaiyang was not just a simple military officer, his urge to write the memorial faded.

He could impeach a military officer, but offending one with high-ranking civil officials as backers was not worth the trouble—especially since he was a magistrate without strong connections, otherwise he wouldn't have been relegated to a border town.

Magistrate Zhu snorted. As a magistrate who had passed the rigorous imperial examinations, the fact that he couldn't even impeach a military officer left him feeling suffocated with frustration.

Secretary Qian, having read the letter from the Tiancheng Guard Commander, smiled and said, "Sir, do not be angry. I have an idea that might just put this Commander in his place."

"Oh? What idea?" Zhu Jiuchang looked at him, puzzled.

Secretary Qian pointed to the letter on the table. "The letter says a group of bandits has fled into our Yangyuan County, and the Commander wants you to cooperate with his men to wipe them out. My plan lies right here."

"Hmph! A civil official like me, cooperating with a martial brute under his command? It’s a farce!" Zhu Jiuchang flicked his sleeves in annoyance.

Secretary Qian smiled, "Do not be impatient, sir. In fact, Commander Li has already handed you the evidence you need. How you choose to handle it is entirely up to you."

"What evidence? I don't see it," Zhu Jiuchang said, picking up the letter to read it again.

Secretary Qian chuckled, "Think carefully, sir. How did these bandits enter our county, and how did a mere Commander of the Tiancheng Guard come to know of it?"

Zhu Jiuchang’s hand holding the letter trembled, and then he burst into laughter. "Yes, yes, yes! It was Li Kaiyang’s failure to suppress the bandits that allowed them to flee into Yangyuan County! I shall report him to the Regional Inspector for incompetence in bandit suppression."

"You are brilliant, sir. This way, even if the bandits commit atrocities within our county, it will not be your fault; it will be entirely due to Li Kaiyang’s failure to do his duty," Secretary Qian added.

"Ha-ha!" Zhu Jiuchang stroked his beard and laughed heartily.

"Sir, what about this letter..." Secretary Qian pointed to the document.

"Keep this letter safe," Zhu Jiuchang ordered. "With this in our possession, no matter how Li Kaiyang tries to argue, he cannot escape the fact of his incompetence."

Secretary Qian carefully placed the letter back into its envelope, called for a clerk, and had him take it away for safekeeping.