Chapter 43: The Consequences of Not Reading Forbidden Books
Looking at the kind-faced Zhao Zesheng, a flash of insight struck Cao Xi. Perhaps his family had spent money and pulled strings behind the scenes, and this official was intentionally letting him off easy.
Seeing the flicker of hesitation in his eyes, Zhao Zesheng gave another encouraging nod.
"My lord has eyes like torches; that military merit of mine does indeed have some exaggeration in it."
"Ah, there we go. That's right. I shall call the Censor back into the hall. When a superior questions a subordinate, all he wants is an attitude of truth-telling."
Cao Xi’s expression turned tangled and conflicted.
"My lord, falsely reporting military achievements is a capital offense."
"Failing to open your heart to the imperial court is the most serious crime of all," Zhao Zesheng said sternly. "Let me remind you once more: the Prince Regent is dead, and the Emperor intends to merge your Plain White Banner with the Two Yellow Banners to form the Upper Three Banners, led directly by the Emperor himself. For the men of the Upper Three Banners, the single most important virtue is loyalty~"
"This humble one understands. This humble one is guilty, and this humble one will confess."
...
Before long, Jiang Qingyun returned to the main hall.
Flipping through the military dispatches, he asked, "Cao Xi, the frontline reports state that in Shuozhou you killed one Ming military commander, two sub-commanders, and 132 soldiers. In Luzhou, you killed one Ming magistrate, five Yamen runners, and 241 soldiers. Are these accounts true?"
Cao Xi hurriedly replied, "This humble one falsely reported military achievements. These were actually killed jointly by this slave and the soldiers under my command."
"Then how many did you kill with your own hands?"
"Forty."
"What weapon did you use?"
"This slave's personal saber."
"To kill those forty men, how many blades did you go through?"
"One."
"You didn't change blades midway?"
"No~ never."
"Judging by your slender build, how on earth did you manage to kill forty enemy soldiers?"
"This slave simply relied on a surge of raw daring. Besides, perhaps among the Ming soldiers there were commoners who had just been coerced into the ranks, making them rather easy to kill."
The scribe responsible for recording did not stop for a single second, raising his head slightly.
"My lord, the record is complete."
Jiang Qingyun nodded. "Have him press his thumbprint."
...
Cao Xi looked over the written record with trembling anxiety and wrote: *The above content is entirely consistent with my statement. Cao Xi, bondservant of the Plain White Banner.*
Then he pressed his red thumbprint.
The scribe put that away and replaced it with a fresh sheet of blank paper.
Jiang Qingyun continued his questioning:
"Cao Xi, this Censor has always been upright and unyielding, a man who cannot tolerate even a grain of sand in his eye. You claim you killed forty men in succession without once changing your blade. Do you have any idea how absurd that sounds?"
Cao Xi was completely dumbfounded.
He truly had no idea; he was nothing more than a logistics bondservant.
"Cao Xi, have you ever read *The Water Margin*?"
"This slave never reads rebellious books."
Jiang Qingyun pointed to the guards standing on either side of the hall.
"Tell this 'Master Cao' who refuses to read rebellious books: why must one change blades when killing continuously?"
"Reporting to your lordship, after hacking people down, the edge of the blade rolls severely. No matter how fine the sword or how skilled the technique, it is impossible to hack down forty men in a row."
...
Cao Xi’s complexion changed drastically. He suddenly realized he had been duped.
Yet by this time, Zhao Zesheng was no longer in the hall.
Jiang Qingyun delivered his final, decisive blow.
"Cao Xi, confess honestly: how much silver did you spend to buy your military merit? Whose connections did you pull? If you do not confess, the eighteen exceptionally cruel tortures of the Southern City Military Commandery await you."
"Niyong, a captain of the Plain White Banner... he took 120 taels of silver from this slave."
Cao Xi’s psychological defenses completely collapsed, and he slumped weakly onto the floor.
"Niyong? He has already died in battle. The dead can certainly no longer be held accountable; you might as well press your fingerprint first."
Looking at the transcript before him, Cao Xi felt as though the brush in his hand weighed a thousand pounds.
Jiang Qingyun pointed to the remaining military officers of the Two White Banners awaiting trial in the room.
"Which of you is willing to sign as a witness? Step forward, and the moment you sign, you will be immediately released to go home."
One man silently stepped out. He was Qingzhou, a senior lieutenant of the Bordered White Banner.
Jiang Qingyun did not break his word and had him released immediately.
Cao Xi’s mind completely shattered. With trembling hands, he signed his name and pressed his thumbprint.
...
Having laid this crucial groundwork, Jiang Qingyun felt a profound sense of relief.
At the Jiang residence.
He was lounging in a reclining chair when the calico cat climbed up once more, crouching in a furry ball and swaying back and forth along with its master.
While stroking the cat, Jiang Qingyun reviewed his recent strategic layout.
Before Hong Chengchou could completely botch the inoculation affair in the Inner City, the "Shanxi False Merit Scandal" involving Cao Xi was already investigated, kept under wraps while waiting for developments.
Through the Cao Xi case, a seed of suspicion was planted deep in the Shunzhi Emperor's heart: the military exploits of the Qing army subjugating Shanxi were all questionable! And the loyalty of the Two White Banners was even more doubtful!
Once planted, the seed might not sprout immediately, but sooner or later, it would break through the earth.
The tree of paranoia would grow wildly in the Emperor’s heart, flourishing with lush foliage and casting an ever-growing shadow until it enveloped the entire Eight Banners.
Even more thrilling was the fact that he would continue to scatter these seeds endlessly.
Until one day, a terrifying forest of terror would grow from the very depths of Shunzhi's soul.
...
Dozens of li north of Desheng Gate.
The atmosphere in the "temporary inoculation workshop" was oppressive. A row of bloody heads hung proudly from the gateway poles.
A messenger beat a gong and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"The Minister has ordered: whichever garrison falls behind in its output quota shall face the beheading of its commander for the first offense. For the second offense, the entire garrison shall be executed."
Fleeing was utterly impossible.
Cavalry patrols swarmed the perimeter with orders to execute all deserters on the spot.
Although the medical prescriptions from the Imperial Hospital had been copied by scribes into hundreds of copies—recited morning and noon in a desperate attempt to drill the knowledge into their skulls—these crude Green Standard Army soldiers remained utterly clueless.
Biological science had not even warmed up in the twenty-first century, let alone the seventeenth.
A commander called his subordinates together for a meeting.
"Brothers, things have come to this. If you want to stay alive, listen to me. Anyway, none of us are going to use it ourselves; what the hell do we care if it's real or fake? Just cobble something together to pass inspection."
The others nodded frantically.
The output began to skyrocket!
...
Hong Chengchou had been prone to sudden fits of rage lately.
Jiang Qingyun’s inoculation workshop in Nanyuan had already been disbanded; he had dispatched troops to Tianqiao to hunt for people, but to no avail. All the wandering pugilistic physicians who used to flock there had vanished.
Jiang Qingyun had even flatly refused to give his daughter away as a concubine.
This made it crystal clear that he intended to fight him to the bitter end.
"We can't wait any longer. Let's first test it on a portion of the Plain Blue Banner to observe the results. Go ask the Prince Consort Duo Ni, commander of the Plain Blue Banner, to cooperate."
"Father, if you fake illness right now, how will the court deal with us?"
"Stripped of rank and titles, at best exile, at worst execution."
Hong Shiming’s face turned ashen. For a long time, he could utter not a single word, as if his very spirit and vitality had been completely drained away.
After all, Hong Chengchou was a man who had served as Governor-General of five provinces; he possessed deep political acumen and simply waved a hand. "Execute this immediately."
...
Descartes once said: Those who attempt to spawn science through terror will ultimately fail!
Hong Chengchou’s reckless disregard for science was destined to fail, but before that failure materialized, he would undoubtedly struggle in his death throes, desperately clutching at the last straw of survival.
For instance, conducting small-scale trials within the Plain Blue Banner.
Prince Consort Duo Ni personally presided over the site.
As Dodo’s son and Dorgon’s nephew, his status was delicate, but after his father’s death, he had publicly professed his loyalty to the Shunzhi Emperor.
The Emperor had bestowed upon him the title of Prince, but changed his banner honorific from "Yu" to "Xin" (Trust/Loyalty)—the deeper meaning behind this was chillingly subtle.
Duo Ni had no other choice; he had to cooperate with Hong Chengchou.
Gazing at the apprehensive generals and officers before him, he knew he had to set an example.
"I shall be the first."