Chapter 14: Cornered at the Eastern Depot, Part Three

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“You killed a man named Boba, who belonged to the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner. He was one of two chief spies directly under Huang Taiji, responsible for military intelligence. These two reported directly to Huang Taiji and carried out secret missions. Boba’s men were all elite soldiers from the Baibaiyala troops.”

Yang Fan thought to himself, as expected, that man was not simple after all; he was involved in highly confidential matters.

“Boba came to Jizhen in the Ming Dynasty mainly to orchestrate a plan. He was secretly coordinating with Duoyan and the five tribes of Inner Kerqin, preparing to launch a pincer attack on Lindan Khan’s stronghold in Baicheng. Do you know who Lindan Khan is?” Tushan looked into Yang Fan’s eyes and asked.

“Master mentioned Lindan Khan. Isn’t he the Great Khan who rules over Southern Mongols? I think he is the leader of the Chahar tribe,” Yang Fan replied.

He had been to Baicheng as a child. His family was from Weichang County; the ruins of that ancient city were in Chifeng, not far away.

Baicheng’s latitude was roughly the same as Shenyang—one lying to the east, the other to the west. One on the Inner Mongolian steppe, the other on the Northeast Plain—facing each other from afar.

Tushan nodded and said, “He is a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, bearing the Borjigin name. He is the 35th Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. Chahar is also called Chahan; their Khan is known as Tuxetu Khan, which the Ming translates as ‘Hutun Tuhen.’ Sometimes Tuxetu Khan’s tribe is referred to as the Tuman tribe, but these are all the same. Their leader inherits the title of Mongol Khan and is called the ‘Little Prince.’”

“Is he very powerful?” Yang Fan asked.

“Very powerful! His influence stretches from Gansu to the Ergune River and the Heilongjiang. The Tumut tribe north of Jiayuguan, the Ordos tribe beyond Ningxia and Datong towns, the Duoyan tribe outside Jizhen, the Horqin tribe on the west side of Liaodong, and the five tribes of Inner Kerqin along the upper Songhua and Heilong Rivers are all under his command. His territory spans thousands of miles.”

“After the rise of the Jianzhou Jurchens, both the Ming and the Chahar faced great threats. Starting from the Tianqi era, the Ming annually provided Chahar with 200,000 taels of silver and supplies to help Lindan Khan stabilize internal affairs.”

“Stabilize internal affairs? So Lindan Khan has internal problems!” Yang Fan sharpened his focus.

Seeing Yang Fan’s intense gaze, Tushan’s eyes brightened with appreciation, clearly recognizing the point.

“Previously, the Mongol tribes all followed Tibetan Buddhism’s Yellow Sect. About ten years ago, Lindan Khan switched to the Red Sect, causing disunity among the tribes. Meanwhile, the Jianzhou Jurchens actively wooed Outer Kerqin and Horqin, gradually pulling them over through war and marriage alliances.”

“So Baicheng is essentially surrounded by the Jianzhou Jurchens from the north and east,” Yang Fan mused.

“Exactly. Only the south remains relatively stable. Boba was sent to persuade the Duoyan tribe south of Baicheng to side with the Jianzhou Jurchens. His presence deep inside Jizhen proves that he has already reached an agreement with the Duoyan. Lindan Khan is now besieged on all sides.”

Yang Fan asked, “Why could the Jianzhou Jurchens sway the Duoyan tribe? They don’t have a shared border, nor significant pressure or marriage ties.”

Tushan sighed.

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“The past two years have seen severe droughts in Mongolia and the Nine Borderlands. Pastures have withered, rivers dried up. The Mongols can barely survive. At such times, whoever provides them food becomes their master.”

Yang Fan was even more astonished. “Isn’t the Ming supporting them? Why wouldn’t they turn to the Ming, instead of seeking the distant Jianzhou Jurchens? That’s strange.”

Tushan’s expression darkened, as if struggling to explain. At this moment, the grim-faced one-eyed dragon, who had remained silent, spoke.

“After His Majesty ascended the throne, the treasury was empty, and countless domestic issues demanded funds. Continuing to support the Chahar became difficult. The first foreign policy decision he made was to halt silver and grain aid to the Chahar.”

Yang Fan’s heart sank. This Chongzhen Emperor really was cursed. Cutting off aid at such a critical moment was practically pushing Lindan Khan to his doom. The withdrawal of support caused the disintegration of the Southern Mongol tribes, handing them over to Huang Taiji. Later, due to economic hardship, the courier stations were closed, and the unemployed Li Chuangwang took matters into his own hands, starting anew with independent ventures. This emperor truly knew how to invite trouble.

“Does the Jianzhou Jurchens have food supplies? Aren’t they suffering from the same drought? Why does Boba’s entry into Ming territory prove the Duoyan have sided with the Jianzhou Jurchens? What is Boba doing inside Ming borders?” Yang Fan fired off a series of questions.

Silence.

A long silence.

Yang Fan understood. It wasn’t that no one could answer, but no one dared to speak the truth.

The only explanation: Huang Taiji’s grain supply to the Duoyan came from inside Ming territory. Damn it—traitors! Not just one, but a vast network of collaborators deeply entrenched in the system. This was a murky affair.

Otherwise, the Eastern Depot officials wouldn’t dare to speak openly even in a secret chamber.

Someone in the court was cooperating with the Jianzhou Jurchens. It was unclear what benefit they sought by toppling Lindan Khan.

This was dangerous for Yang Fan.

Seeing the pallor on Yang Fan’s face, Tushan nodded with satisfaction, pleased that he was afraid.

Yang Fan quickly weighed his options, palms sweating, wanting to activate his ring and run back immediately. “I’m done with this.”

He had to find a strong protector, someone who could guarantee his safety.

There was no more hesitation or choice. If he were an Eastern Depot agent, this mission would not be dangerous but a great honor.

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“I am willing to contribute my modest strength to the Ming,” Yang Fan stood up and cupped his hands respectfully.

“Hahaha!” Tushan laughed heartily. “I knew you understood the situation, brother.”

Everyone stood to congratulate him.

“From today on, Brother Yang is appointed as the Head Officer of the Chen Division of the Eastern Depot, directly under Tushan Yue. You must cooperate sincerely from now on.”

Everyone cupped their hands in agreement.

“Since Officer Yang has joined the Eastern Depot, rewards will follow. This time, Officer Yang killed the Jianzhou Jurchen undercover cavalry commander Boba, his son Niulu Erzhen Gumangan, as well as one undercover cavalry rider and one bonded rider. According to the Ming border army’s merit system, each captured enemy head raises one rank. Officer Yang will be promoted three ranks, skipping minor and general banners, directly to the rank of Captain of the Zunhua Guard. Given the high rank and importance of those he killed, and his great achievements, he will also be granted the Small Banner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and assigned to the Eastern Depot under that title.”

Seeing Yang Fan look confused, Tushan Yue cleared his throat. As Yang Fan’s superior, he was responsible for explaining the relationship between the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

“It’s normal you don’t understand. The Eastern Depot was established by Emperor Chengzu after the Jingnan Campaign, who found eunuchs very effective. He appointed eunuchs as directors and staffed it entirely from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. So, except for the director who is a eunuch, all others hold Embroidered Uniform Guard ranks. Officers of the foreign affairs division and above are transferred from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

Hearing this, Yang Fan finally understood. The Eastern Depot selected personnel from within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, not recruiting from society. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was itself a secret agency, and the Eastern Depot was an elite within an elite, even more covert.

The one-eyed dragon official, Yang Ji, also explained, “Our Eastern Depot’s director was initially held concurrently by the chief eunuch of the Imperial Secretariat, but due to increasing affairs, later the second or third highest-ranking eunuch of the Secretariat took over. Under the director, there is only one chief executioner and one execution officer called the ‘Tiexing officer,’ responsible for managing the headquarters’ daily affairs.”

“The headquarters has an administrative office with over forty staff transferred from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, handling routine matters.”

“The specific offices are divided into twelve departments named after the earthly branches—Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, etc. Each department is headed by a ‘Ke’ or ‘Si Shi’ (Director of Affairs). Their official dress includes round hats, black boots, and brown shirts.”

“Within the twelve departments, the sections are further divided into ten offices named after the heavenly stems—Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Kui. The head of each office is called a ‘Dangtou.’ There are 120 Dangtou in the Eastern Depot. Each Dangtou has several officers called ‘Yizhang.’ The number varies—some offices have one, others more. Yizhang lead several agents called ‘Fanyi’ or ‘Gan Shi,’ whose numbers depend on actual needs. The Dangtou is the independent person in charge.”

“The other members of the twelve departments wear the same boots and hats but wear straight garments. All wear pointed hats, white leather boots, brown clothes, and small silk belts.”

“Pay special attention: ‘Chen’ means dragon. The Chen department handles the emperor’s major and urgent cases. Only those with outstanding meritorious service can enter the Chen department. Brother Yang, you have entered the Chen department immediately upon joining the Eastern Depot—your future is boundless!”