Chapter 23: I Will Win

"Suppressing bandits, asking the wealthy families in the county to contribute funds, and taking the opportunity to make a profit—that is winning once."

"Suppressing bandits, clearing the trade routes for passing merchants, and maintaining safety for the common people—that is winning twice."

"Suppressing bandits, creating a favorable business environment, and ensuring social stability—that is winning three times."

"Suppressing bandits, avenging myself, and rescuing the captured subjects—that is winning four times."

"Suppressing bandits, taking the opportunity to cultivate my own trusted subordinates and planting my people among the county yamen clerks and runners—that is winning five times."

"What a total victory!"

The act itself is not the key; the goals that can be achieved through that act are what truly matter. An Xin intended to use the pretext of bandit suppression to quickly sink his roots, with the ultimate goal of transforming nominal power into actual, tangible authority firmly in his own hands.

As he calculated how many times he had won, he arrived at the prison located in the southwest corner of the county government office. On the prison’s screen wall, carved with the image of a Bi'an—the mythical creature that guards the gates—with its mouth holding a ring and eyes glaring, he stepped inside. The jailer approached him, bowing his head in a fawning manner.

The previous magistrates rarely set foot in this filthy place. He truly did not expect that the new magistrate would visit the county prison on only his second day in office.

The prison was dim and damp. An Xin did not venture deep inside but sat down in front of the interrogation room. "Bring over those two bandits captured yesterday."

"Yes, sir!"

The jailer went to fetch the prisoners. Soon, amidst the clanking of chains, the two bandits in prison garb were dragged up. They had clearly been subjected to a "deterrence beating"; although they could walk, they could not straighten their waists, as their hips and lower backs were evidently injured.

The listless bandits were stood before a wooden post. They trembled instinctively, clearly having been beaten severely. They were then bound tightly to the posts.

"Do you recognize me?" An Xin asked.

Upon hearing the voice, the two dared to lift their heads. When they saw An Xin, they were dumbstruck with shock. "You! You, you, you!" Their mouths stuttered, unable to speak clearly.

"The grievances between me and you bandits need not be stated by me; you yourselves should know them well. If you do not wish to suffer more physical agony, then honestly and completely confess everything regarding the Tuoshan Mountain Stronghold. I want to see the written record of your confessions before dinner."

An Xin did not intend to interrogate them himself, nor did he intend to let the jailers do it. Magistrates come and go, but the local gentry are permanent. It went without saying that the county yamen had long been riddled with the influence of the local gentry.

An Xin sent all the jailers and guards away, leaving only Hu Changshan behind. "Changshan, stay and conduct the interrogation yourself. Besides the details regarding whether there are experts, secret passages, or treasures at the Tuoshan Stronghold, also find out the relationship between the bandits and the Su family. Make them sign and seal their confessions."

"Success depends on secrecy; failure comes from leaks. Do not make a scene. If the Su family finds out, this matter will not be accomplished."

"Rest assured, sir, I understand." Hu Changshan patted his chest confidently. "Besides, I have quite a few methods for dealing with these mountain bandits!"

Returning to the inner hall, An Xin summoned Lu Xun, Qian Ruming, and Huang Shouyin to discuss matters.

"Have you read the latest official gazette?" An Xin put down the newspaper on his desk.

"In reply to the Magistrate, we have indeed read it," Lu Xun replied. The other two nodded as well.

"There is fighting in the north again, though it seems to be minor skirmishes for now. The weather turned cold early this year; it will surely be another harsh winter. In a few days, the Tatars beyond the pass will be short on grain and will raid the borders again. Raiding requires war, and war requires money. Where will that money come from?"

"I have examined the ledgers. To fund the wars, the imperial court has levied tens of thousands of taels of 'Liaodong military taxes' on us alone over the past two years. Now, in Dongyang Prefecture, they are still resisting the Japanese pirates, and even the few soldiers from our Wuyang County inspection office have been drafted away. That also costs money. If the autumn taxes are increased by another ten thousand taels this year, I fear the people of Wuren County will be exhausted and unable to sustain it."

An Xin said, "Registrar Qian, you are in charge of finances and grain. Tell us your thoughts."

Qian Ruming said, "Magistrate, the county currently has a deficit. If we increase the tax by another ten thousand taels, we can only allocate it according to the acreage of the fields and let the people suffer a bit more..."

An Xin smiled. "Then the responsibility for this year's autumn land tax will be yours, Registrar Qian."

"This, this, this... your subordinate is of low status and little influence..." Qian Ruming stood up, his speech stumbling.

"Loyalty to the sovereign and the country is the highest virtue." An Xin bowed toward the north. "The imperial court has imposed these levies; we have no choice but to comply. The court has a quota for Wuzhou Province, and the province has a quota for Wuren County. If we cannot collect the grain and funds, how will the surrounding counties view us? How will the prefecture view us? How will the province and the court view us? When that time comes, it won't just be me, the Magistrate, who suffers; you, Assistant Magistrate Lu, Registrar Qian, and even you, Chief Constable Huang, will not escape punishment."

An Xin looked at the three of them and paused. "However, Wuren County has its own circumstances. After consecutive droughts and floods in recent years, the people's strength has not fully recovered. If we oppress them too harshly, we must consider social stability. If the people revolt, none of us will escape blame."

The three sat there, eyes fixed on their noses, mouths, and hearts, like wooden puppets, silent and unresponsive.

"The people's strength has its limits." An Xin picked up the gazette. "There is still a deficit of over ten thousand taels in the county. This part must be filled. After much thought, I have an idea."

He looked at the three men below. Their eyes lit up, and they suddenly became alert.

"Your subordinate is all ears!" Lu Xun said respectfully.

"Suppress the bandits!" An Xin spat out the two words.

"Suppressing bandits?" Lu Xun was stunned, not knowing what this had to do with raising money.

Qian Ruming, however, suddenly had a bright look in his eyes. "Wonderful! Brilliant! Magistrate, this move is truly brilliant!"

Chief Constable Huang Shouyin had initially been dazed, but seeing Qian Ruming's reaction, he immediately feigned enlightenment and chimed in, "Indeed, the Magistrate is right!" Regardless, he felt the need to support this; as the Chief Constable in charge of public security, establishing a bandit-suppression project would expand his own power.

"Suppressing bandits requires training troops, and training troops requires money. Since these bandits are being suppressed for the sake of all the people in the county, we should naturally collect a 'suppression levy.' Isn't that where the money will come from?" Qian Ruming and Lu Xun remarked.

Lu Xun sneered inwardly. This was nothing more than collecting exorbitant taxes under a different name. How was it any different from the Liaodong or anti-Japanese levies?

"What more wealth can be squeezed from the common people?" An Xin looked coldly at Qian Ruming. "Suppressing bandits to clear trade routes benefits the wealthy merchants and big families the most! These bandits blocking the trade routes and robbing travelers are effectively breaking a leg of these gentry families. Our training of troops to suppress bandits is equivalent to setting their broken leg for them. It is not unreasonable to ask them to contribute some money!"

"Wonderful!"

"The Magistrate's words are absolutely correct. Asking the wealthy families to contribute some silver not only allows us to train troops and suppress the bandits, striking at their arrogance, but it is also a benevolent policy that protects the borders and brings peace to the people."

"Assistant Magistrate Lu is right!"

Seeing that all three expressed approval and were in unanimous agreement, An Xin smiled. "In that case, you should all work together to bring this to fruition."

The three left, whispering to each other. An Xin watched them coldly through the window lattice. With Wu Yin, the chief clerk of the household department who knew the ins and outs of the county yamen, An Xin naturally knew that none of his three officials were free from greed. Greed for money was not the main issue; sometimes, "greed" was the driving force for getting things done. In this matter, An Xin allowed them to be greedy, but the bandit suppression must be accomplished!

As time passed, An Xin studied the "Shangqing Huangting Inner Scene Scripture" in his hands. When evening arrived, he rolled up the ancient text, tucked it into his sleeve, went out, and boarded a sedan chair for the Mingyue Pavilion.

At the Wu residence, Wu Damou was dressed neatly with the help of a maid, slicking his hair with pomade.

"The new magistrate didn't invite you. What's the point of going? What does it matter if you dress up?" Madam Wu couldn't help but grumble as she watched him primp.

Wu Damou sneered. "What would a woman like you know? If I can get a familiar face before the Mingyue Pavilion, that's already something. As long as I'm a familiar face, it's already a step toward closeness."

"What about Lijun? Are you going to keep her locked up? She hasn't eaten or drunk for days, she's wasted away!" Madam Wu thought of Wu Lijun and felt a pang of heartache.

"It's better to suffer now than to be in pain for a lifetime later," Wu Damou said coldly before turning away and walking out the door.