Chapter 1283 Mr. Qian
Since his capture, Qian Taichong had spent more than two years in Lingao. He came from a poor family. Though he had scraped together enough through tutoring and serving as a traveling advisor to marry and sire children back home, his household had never approached even modest prosperity. No one had ransomed him after his capture. He watched as the other officials and advisors in the camp ransomed themselves and returned home one by one, while he remained behind in the prisoner camp, laboring day after day. Resentment festered within him.
Chang Qingyun had been captured alongside him. Accustomed to a pampered existence, Chang had "nearly wanted to die" when confronted with the hard labor of the prisoner camp. Because Qian Taichong had interacted with him fairly often and because Chang was a knowledgeable Juren master, Qian Taichong looked after him in various ways, frequently shouldering portions of the harder work on his behalf. This moved Chang Qingyun to tears. He declared on multiple occasions that the moment he was released, he would become sworn brothers with Qian Taichong—their families would be friends for generations.
Eventually, Chang Qingyun's family ransomed him. He vowed that upon his return, he would immediately raise funds to ransom Qian Taichong as well. And so Qian Taichong waited eagerly in the prisoner camp for his friend to keep that promise.
Chang Qingyun was never heard from again. In the end, it was Qian Taichong himself who accumulated enough work points to earn his freedom. By then, spring of 1632 had arrived.
After obtaining his freedom, Qian Taichong declined the civil affairs cadres' invitation to settle and work locally. He had resolved to return to the mainland. During his years on the Kun bandits' construction sites, he had witnessed too much of their operations. He had grown convinced that the Australians would sooner or later become a grave threat to the Imperial Court. He had endured hardship for too long now. It was time to return home and serve the dynasty.
With the modest travel allowance issued by the prisoner camp and the few belongings he had retained since his capture, Qian Taichong took a public carriage from Lingao to Qiongzhou. There, he sought out his former employer: Shi Bangyao, the Left Administration Vice Commissioner of Guangdong and Intendant of Hainan Circuit.
Since the disastrous defeat at Chengmai, Shi Bangyao had been living in seclusion within the Circuit Intendant Yamen in Qiongshan County. He neither went to the office nor received guests, playing the "prisoner of Chu"—a posture of "non-violent non-cooperation" with the Australians. Remembering old obligations, he still agreed to meet with this former advisor. He explained that his own situation was precarious and he could no longer retain Qian Taichong. However, Shi Bangyao had once served as Prefect of Zhangzhou in Fujian and maintained connections with Zheng Zhilong. He penned a letter of recommendation for Qian Taichong, gave him twenty taels of silver, and instructed him to travel to Fujian and attach himself to Zheng Zhilong—at minimum, he would be able to earn a living.
"The Kun bandits have spread like wildfire through Qiongzhou," Shi Bangyao counseled him as he departed. "It is a pity that the Imperial Court—beset by roving bandits and Eastern barbarians—cannot attend to this, allowing these pirates to flourish. You, Sir, have been trapped among the Kun bandits for a long time. Now that you have escaped the cage, great deeds surely await you in the future."
Warmed by this encouragement, Qian Taichong made his way to Anping. To his dismay, Zheng Zhilong would not see him at all. These days, Zheng Zhilong was a figure of immense prominence; people recommended by every important patron to receive sinecures came in streams like crucian carp. Qian Taichong was merely a licentiate without distinction. Zheng Zhilong already employed forty or fifty advisors. So the great man referred Qian Taichong to Zheng Zhipeng.
Zheng Zhipeng took even less notice of him, merely assigning him as an assistant clerk-advisor. The work was simple, the position idle, and the compensation correspondingly meager. It was purely a courtesy to Shi Bangyao—a meal given for form's sake.
The destruction of the Zheng family did not surprise Qian Taichong as it did others. In his view, once the Kun bandits—already an established force in Qiongzhou Prefecture—decided to annihilate a maritime lord like Zheng Zhilong whose power derived from a gathered mob, the outcome was foreordained.
During his months of cold observation in Zheng Zhipeng's employ, Qian Taichong had come to understand that the Zheng Group was nothing more than a maritime merchant consortium. Everything was driven by profit; political foresight was virtually absent. Compared to the Kun bandits, the difference was as between clouds and mud. War with the Kun could only end in defeat.
Yet this contrast actually hardened Qian Taichong's determination to oppose them. Like most Chinese literati, he harbored grand ambitions for a great career. Under the old social order, it had been nearly impossible for a poor licentiate like himself to achieve anything. Now that the Zheng family had been devastated—torn apart, with the legitimate son Zheng Sen abandoned by all—here was the perfect opportunity for him to step forward and turn the tide.
If he could support Zheng Sen to the position of family head and then scheme patiently... Qian Taichong saw himself becoming the "Grand Tutor" of the Zheng clan. Perhaps, from this southeastern sea, he could carve out an entirely new world.
Those currently gathered around the young master were all bottom-tier figures of the Zheng Group. Matos and Tong Tailang were loyal, certainly, but they understood nothing of officialdom. Simple-minded and easy to use. Manipulation would not be difficult.
Now that the Japanese had delivered himself to his doorstep, Qian Taichong permitted himself a faint, knowing smile. He drew forth the strategies he had calculated and recalculated over these past days.
"Mr. Tong! It is rare indeed to find such unswerving loyalty." Qian Taichong nodded repeatedly. "You wish to support the young master's ascension. Your heart is admirable. But running about as you have been is utterly useless."
Though his time in Zheng Zhipeng's tent had been brief, he understood the Zheng Group's internal dynamics with crystal clarity. The splintering of the Zheng family's generals after Zheng Zhilong's death surprised him not at all.
"...Young Master Sen is still a child, and the General, in the prime of his life, had not yet prepared tutors or subordinates for him. Thus, the only thing Young Master Sen possesses is his identity as the General's legitimate son." Qian Taichong spoke carefully. "He has no power of his own. To the Zheng family's generals, he is beneath notice—so no one cares about his identity as legitimate heir. Furthermore, Young Master Sen's mother is Japanese. In the eyes of many generals, she is 'not of our race,' and there is no maternal family power to support him."
"Then what should we do?" Tong Tailang's anxiety was plain.
"Patience," Qian Taichong counseled. "There is still one person who cares about Young Master Sen. He simply does not yet know of the young master's predicament. Otherwise, I guarantee he would do everything in his power to help."
"Who?!"
"Fujian Governor Zou Weilian."
Tong Tailang knew the name—more than knew it; he had once accompanied Zheng Zhilong to pay respects to the Governor. He understood that this was the chief official of the entire province, a "Daimyo" of immense power. But he also knew that Zheng Zhilong and Governor Zou had always been outwardly harmonious while inwardly discordant—nothing like the amicable relationship with the former "Governor Xiong."
"Governor Zou and the General were always at odds..."
"That was then. This is now." Qian Taichong found it somewhat difficult to explain these matters to a Japanese. "Before, the Master was alive. Now that the Master is gone and heroes rise on every side within the Zheng family, the Governor has other considerations."
When Zheng Zhilong lived, the Zheng family as a unified whole had posed an enormous threat to the Fujian Governor. Now that Zheng Zhilong was dead and the Zheng family fracturing, the pressing danger had been eliminated—but a situation of many rivals chasing the deer was hardly cause for celebration. A splintered clan would inevitably descend into internecine warfare, and the Fujian coast would suffer collateral damage. The brief period of stability would deteriorate. When that happened, Zou Weilian would have much to explain to the Imperial Court.
A large but weakened Zheng family was precisely the situation Zou Weilian wanted. If Qian Taichong put himself in the Governor's place and thought it through, the ideal outcome was a unified yet internally divided Zheng Group. Under such conditions, all factions within the group would compete to court and win over the government—and Zou Weilian would possess ample room for maneuvering. It would benefit the court; it would benefit him personally.
For Zou Weilian, winning over other figures in the Zheng family would not be simple. The leading men all commanded their own teams and forces. Winning them would exact a high price, and once supported, any of them might become another Zheng Zhilong. Far better, then, to back a young child without desires—it would save immense trouble.
Moreover, Qian Taichong mused with an inward sneer, the Zheng family members currently battling for power in Zhangzhou Bay had failed to grasp a crucial point: Zheng Zhilong's rise owed much to the official robes he wore. Zheng Sen was not merely Zheng Zhilong's legitimate son—he was also the heir to his father's hereditary military position. At this moment, young Zheng Sen was a court-appointed official, while the other Zheng generals were merely "grassroots civilians."
If Zou Weilian stepped forward in his capacity as Fujian Governor to support Zheng Sen's "succession," the official justification would be unimpeachable. Privately, he would be protecting the legitimate rights and interests of "orphans and widows"—a posture both open and honorable. It would also provide Zou Weilian with sufficient excuse and opportunity to intervene in Zheng Group affairs with full justification.
Supporting Zheng Sen would cost Zou Weilian very little while exerting enormous restraint upon the Zheng clan.
With Zou Weilian's intelligence, he could not have failed to think of this. Qian Taichong felt confident in his reasoning—and he knew the Fujian Governor had already dispatched people to inquire about the whereabouts of Lady Tagawa and Zheng Sen. Clearly, His Excellency attached considerable importance to this mother and son.
Tong Tailang prostrated himself in admiration of this analysis. He declared himself willing to follow "Mr. Qian's" every instruction, so long as Fukumatsu could claim the family headship.
"We must not act hastily," Qian Taichong counseled, having long since calculated the next steps. "Those who have gathered in this county school and refuse to disperse are all loyal and righteous men who stand by the young master. We must not neglect them. Distribute some of the money, rice, and silver sent from various quarters in the young master's name."
"But we have very little money and rice..."
"The General was as wealthy as a kingdom when he lived. Would his legitimate son begrudge such trifles?" Qian Taichong smiled faintly. "What we need now is to stabilize people's hearts."
"Mr. Qian's insight is brilliant!"
"There are a few scholars outside who possess some learning and have proven willing to share the young master's hardships. We should draw them into the young master's service. Tonight, send someone to quietly invite the men on this list."
He handed Tong Tailang a note.
Not a single person surnamed Zheng appeared on it. Qian Taichong believed it unwise to involve clan members at this stage, lest someone attempt to leverage bloodline connections to seize leadership. In southern Fujian, the concepts of regional kinship and clan ran strong. He was both an outsider by surname and a stranger to this region—he would need to be especially vigilant.
Wait until the wood becomes a boat, he thought. Then consider absorbing Zheng family members.
"All according to Mr. Qian."
(End of this chapter)