Chapter 157 Do You Want to Be Cao Cao?

Sun Chuanting had one wife and two concubines, but only two daughters and no sons. Therefore, when he met a young man like Wang Pu, who was both bold and resourceful and matched his own temperament, he grew exceptionally fond of him. If he could truly take Wang Pu as his adopted son, it could, to some extent, make up for his regret of having no male heirs.

Wang Pu chuckled cunningly, "Taking you as my foster father isn't out of the question, but..."

Sun Chuanting asked eagerly, "But what?"

Wang Pu replied, "But you have to get me ten Red Barbarian cannons."

"Well, you rascal," Sun Chuanting said. "You really know how to open your lion's mouth wide, asking for ten heavy cannons just like that?"

Wei Dabang's mind was beginning to struggle to keep up. The way Sun Chuanting and Wang Pu communicated made it difficult for him to adapt. After all, interpersonal communication in this era placed a heavy emphasis on etiquette and proper manners. The propriety advocated by Confucianism was deeply rooted in everyone's heart, and people of status and position were particularly fond of pomp and ceremony.

"Lord Sun, Your Honor the Imperial Son-in-law, should this subordinate take his leave first?"

Wei Dabang truly could not bear to watch any longer. The marketplace-rogue style of interaction between Wang Pu and Sun Chuanting left him feeling completely at a loss and entirely unable to comprehend it, so he felt it was best to leave.

Sun Chuanting waved his hand, and Wei Dabang sensibly took his leave.

Wei Dabang could not understand the bargaining between Sun Chuanting and Wang Pu, but Sun Chuanting thoroughly enjoyed this unconstrained style of communication. The bond between him and Wang Pu had originally been forged in the celestial prison, where their special circumstances at the time allowed them to communicate freely in an extraordinary manner.

Now, times had changed. Wang Pu had been restored to his official rank and had become a prospective imperial son-in-law, while Sun Chuanting had become the Viceroy of five provinces. Yet, the two of them maintained with tacit understanding the exact same way of interacting and communicating from their days in the celestial prison. Though they actually had little contact with each other, both could sense what kind of person the other truly was.

What made it even more fatal was that both men were extremely confident in their own ability to read people.

In fact, Sun Chuanting subscribed to the School of Mind of Wang Yangming, and held a rather dismissive attitude toward the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues as well as the numerous rules and rigid frameworks advocated by Confucian Neo-Confucianism.

The School of Mind of Wang Yangming advocated that "the mind is principle," believing that all moral standards should first be cultivated within the heart and then manifested outwardly. In contrast, Confucian Neo-Confucianism advocated "preserving heavenly principles and extinguishing human desires," emphasizing the formulation of numerous moral standards to forcibly restrain human behavior. While Confucian Neo-Confucianism aimed to shackle people's minds and turn the entire society into stagnant water, the School of Mind advocated self-centrism with the aim of liberating thought.

Therefore, it was entirely logical for Sun Chuanting to disregard the rituals and etiquette advocated by Confucian Neo-Confucianism.

Sun Chuanting nodded and said, "You call me father first, and this old man will give you ten Red Barbarian cannons."

"Give me the cannons first," Wang Pu said, "and then I will call you."

Sun Chuanting laughed, "You rascal, you're just like you were in the prison, truly hasn't changed a bit."

Wang Pu also laughed, "You old rascal, you're much the same, stubbornly refusing to fall into any traps."

"Then hurry up and kneel down to call me father," Sun Chuanting said. "This old man has already hauled twelve Red Barbarian cannons here. They should have arrived at the North City Camp by now."

Sun Chuanting meant what he said. He had indeed brought twelve Red Barbarian cannons with him to Datong this time, and they were prepared specifically for Wang Pu.

Of course, Sun Chuanting giving the twelve Red Barbarian cannons to Wang Pu was by no means as simple as taking him as an adopted son; he actually had much deeper considerations. To put it bluntly, it was to win Wang Pu over to his side!

Although Sun Chuanting was now the Viceroy of the five provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, the Metropolitan Prefecture, and Shandong, and nominally all the troops of these five provinces were under his command, he was actually a commander without a real independent power base.

Although the elite armies of Cao Bianjiao and Bai Guang'en were subject to his deployment, both men were trusted subordinates nurtured by Hong Chengchou, and Sun Chuanting ultimately found them somewhat difficult to command smoothly.

The Metropolitan Garrison belonged entirely to His Majesty, and only Wang Chenghao and Gao Qiqian could command them.

Liu Zeqing, the Regional Commander of Shandong, was a slippery character, and the army under his command was merely a mob—better left unmentioned.

Zuo Liangyu, He Renlong, Meng Ruhuting, and Jiang Xiang could be considered capable fighters, and each of them commanded a formidable force. However, these men were warlords who relied on their own troops and wielded heavy military power; unless given sufficient benefits, it was utterly impossible for them to obey Sun Chuanting's commands!

Therefore, Sun Chuanting did not have a single core troop truly belonging to him, which was a fatal flaw. Without a sufficiently strong elite force in his hands, it would be extremely difficult for him to control proud and fierce generals like Zuo Liangyu, He Renlong, Meng Ruhuting, and Jiang Xiang, let alone speak of suppressing the roving rebels.

Sun Chuanting thought of Wang Pu and the elite Datong troops under his command.

Sun Chuanting ultimately chose Wang Pu as his confidant not only because Wang Pu was bold, resourceful, courageous, and strategic—a rare young hero—but also because Wang Pu dared to act, dared to love, and dared to hate, just as Sun Chuanting himself was a man of bold actions and intense passions.

Therefore, the moment the Jiannu retreated back to Liaodong, Sun Chuanting arrived in Datong with twelve Red Barbarian cannons.

Hearing Sun Chuanting's words, Wang Pu asked in astonishment, "Old man Sun, are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious," Sun Chuanting said. "This old man knows your Firearm Division is formidable, but a Firearm Division with only muskets and no heavy cannons simply won't do. Look, the Jiannu have just left, and this old man has eagerly brought the cannons to you. You rascal, why aren't you kneeling down to acknowledge your father yet?"

Wang Pu was overjoyed beyond measure. He actually knelt down in front of Sun Chuanting and stammered incoherently, "I am your old man—oh no, you are my old man! You are my biological father, Father!"

Putting aside the fact that Sun Chuanting had genuinely brought twelve Red Barbarian cannons, even without these twelve cannons, acknowledging such an illustrious and historically renowned statesman as an adoptive father was still an immensely honorable matter.

What did kneeling down and kowtowing amount to? He would just consider it bowing to a national hero.

"Ah, good son, get up quickly."

Sun Chuanting gave a hearty and solid response, hurriedly rushing forward to help Wang Pu to his feet.

The corners of Sun Chuanting's eyes were actually somewhat moist. He had longed to have a son for nearly thirty years, and today his wish was finally fulfilled. Although the boy was not born to him, being able to take a young hero like Wang Pu as an adopted son felt like smoke rising from his ancestral tombs.

Wang Pu helped Sun Chuanting to sit down in a chair and asked eagerly, "Your Honor, your trip to Datong this time surely wasn't just to deliver cannons to your son, right?"

"Humph, humph," Sun Chuanting sneered twice and said, "Do you know what a catastrophic disaster you've brought upon yourself, you brat?"

"A disaster?" Wang Pu said dismissively, "What disaster could your son have brought?"

Sun Chuanting ticked them off on his fingers: "Are the disasters you've caused few in number? First, using food to relieve the roving rebels; second, colluding privately with the roving rebels; third, trading privately with the roving rebels, exchanging saltpeter for weapons and armor; fourth, arbitrarily disbanding the Datong garrison troops; fifth, arbitrarily placing Prince Dai under house arrest! For these five offenses alone, even if you, brat, had ten or eight heads, it wouldn't be enough to chop them all off."

Wang Pu protested with a grievance, "You are wronging your son here."

Sun Chuanting demanded, "How am I wronging you?"

Wang Pu replied, "It's true that your son committed all five of these offenses, but every single one of them was for the sake of the people of Datong, and for the foundation of the Great Ming Empire."

Sun Chuanting said, "So you're saying you're justified?"

Wang Pu also began counting on his fingers: "Take the first offense for example. Your son used grain to relieve the roving rebels because keeping this band of rebels useful could at least check the Jiannu. Later, it was precisely this band of rebels that helped your son immensely; otherwise, Datong would have fallen long ago. Tell me, Father, to preserve nearly one hundred thousand people inside the city of Datong, was doing this worth it?"

Sun Chuanting said, "Go on, keep talking, let's see what fancy reasoning you can come up with."

Wang Pu continued, "The second and third offenses follow the same logic, so I won't elaborate. Let's talk about the fourth offense—disbanding the Datong garrison troops. You, Father, once served as the Viceroy of the Three Frontiers in Shaanxi, and you should know what kind of rotten state these garrison troops had fallen into. When the Jiannu came, they ran faster than rabbits, but when it came to ravaging the people, they were fiercer than tigers. Such trash troops deserve to be disbanded; failing to do so would defy heavenly principles!"

Sun Chuanting said, "Keep going."

Wang Pu said, "As for the fifth offense—placing Prince Dai under house arrest—it is true your son did it, but this was to protect Prince Dai, and even more so to protect the people of Datong!"

"What?" Sun Chuanting said, "Placing Prince Dai under house arrest was to protect him? That's a novel concept."

With an expressionless face, Wang Pu said, "Father, you don't know this, but Prince Dai wanted to kill your son. If your son died, so be it, no big deal. But the Firearm Division under your son's command are no softies; these fellows are either highway bandits or hardened veteran soldiers. If your son were to die, no one else would be able to keep them in check. If these men were to revolt, Prince Dai would undoubtedly die, and the people of Datong would suffer alongside him."

"That sounds like it has some merit." Sun Chuanting nodded, then suddenly changed his tone and said, "However, your method was deeply flawed. By acting so recklessly, showing contempt for the imperial court, and ignoring national laws and discipline, where do you leave His Majesty's dignity? Do you expect His Majesty to bow to you?"

"In troubled times, heavy codes must be used; extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures," Wang Pu said solemnly. "What your son did may have been somewhat reckless and made His Majesty lose face, but as long as the ultimate result is for the Great Ming Dynasty and for the people of the realm, there is nothing that cannot be done."

Wang Pu deliberately emphasized the word "people," because he had discovered that in the minds of many knowledgeable scholars, the weight of the common people actually outweighed that of the emperor. Wang Pu believed that Sun Chuanting was also a knowledgeable scholar; to persuade him, it was impossible without elevating the issue to the height of the people of the realm.

Sun Chuanting gave a light snort and said, "If it weren't for the fact that you still hold the people of Datong in your heart, and though your actions were unorthodox, you always put the protection of the people first, based on the treasonous acts you committed, this old man wouldn't be sitting here talking nicely with you."

"Actually, your son was forced into this," Wang Pu said with a bitter smile. "Father, do you want to hear your son's true thoughts?"

Sun Chuanting said, "Of course I want to hear them."

Wang Pu said, "Your son's true thought is that the Great Ming Dynasty belongs to the people of the realm, not to the Zhu family. The emperors of the Great Ming can be members of the Zhu family, but they must consider the people of the realm. If they are unwilling to consider the common people, then we have no need to obey the Zhu family."

Speaking thus to Sun Chuanting so soon might seem a bit abrupt, but in reality, it was not.

Although these words sounded treasonous, they were certainly no more treasonous than what Wang Pu had already done. Having already committed acts such as colluding with roving rebels and placing a prince under house arrest, what was there to fear in speaking such words aloud?

Of course, Wang Pu had another reason for saying this to Sun Chuanting: he felt that Sun Chuanting was not a pedantic Confucian scholar. This fellow dared to execute corrupt gentry and wealthy bullies while serving as the Viceroy of Shaanxi to raise military provisions, which showed he was not a narrow-minded person. If he could persuade Sun Chuanting, given his status as Viceroy of five provinces, he might actually be able to accomplish a great undertaking.

"What do you mean?" Sun Chuanting's face immediately darkened, and he asked in a deep voice, "Do you really want to rebel?"

"It is not a rebellion," Wang Pu shook his head. "Your son has never thought of rebelling; your son simply feels that the emperor's power is too vast—vast beyond all bounds. It's fine if one encounters a sagacious ruler, but if one encounters a foolish ruler, the people of the realm will suffer. To look no further than the past, just take the events of the Wanli reign."

Sun Chuanting asked, "What about the Wanli reign?"

Wang Pu said, "Father, speak from your conscience: was the Wanli New Deal good or not?"

"Does that even need to be asked? The Wanli New Deal was naturally a great and beneficial policy for both the country and the people."

Wang Pu's question struck the chord deep within Sun Chuanting's heart. Sun Chuanting certainly supported the Wanli New Deal, and he even believed that restoring the Wanli New Deal was the only hope for the revival of the Great Ming. During his audience at the imperial court, he had proposed to the Chongzhen Emperor that the Wanli New Deal be restored. Unfortunately, it met with unanimous and fierce opposition from all civil and military officials, and in the end, it could only be dropped without a settlement.

"Well said," Wang Pu praised, striking the table rhythmically. "Yet such a great and beneficial policy for the country and the people was abolished by a single word from the Wanli Emperor. Father, do you think the Wanli Emperor was right to do so? Knowing he was wrong, must one still support him simply because he is the emperor? Is whatever an emperor does considered right, even when it is wrong?"

If Sun Chuanting had subscribed to Confucian Neo-Confucianism, he would surely have trotted out the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues to refute Wang Pu. However, because Sun Chuanting subscribed to the School of Mind of Wang Yangming, he was left speechless by Wang Pu's questioning. Indeed, if the emperor's power could be appropriately restrained and the Wanli New Deal could have been pushed forward to the present day, the Great Ming Dynasty would be facing a completely different situation!

If that had been the case, the people would have lived in prosperity—who would have revolted?

If that had been the case, the state would have had abundant wealth and grain, and mere Jiannu would hardly have been a threat!

Wang Pu continued, "The Sage Mencius already said: The people are of supreme importance, the altars of state come next, and the sovereign is of least importance. It is clear that the common people of the realm come first. If an emperor's actions endanger the people of the realm, then his behavior must be restrained. We must never unconditionally tolerate the recklessness of an emperor."

"Son," Sun Chuanting stood up, patted Wang Pu's shoulder, and said earnestly, "Just as you said, as early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Sage Mencius attempted to restrain the power of sovereigns. If we could truly place appropriate restraints on the imperial power, the Great Ming Dynasty would never have fallen to the state it is in today. Unfortunately, by the strength of one man alone, it is ultimately impossible to change such a reality."

"Therefore, your son must have an army," Wang Pu said solemnly. "Only with an army can one do what one wishes to do."

Sun Chuanting said coldly, "Do you want to be Cao Cao?"

Wang Pu replied, "Father, your son hopes you will be Cao Cao."

"Nonsense," Sun Chuanting flew into a rage. "This old man will not be a treacherous official."

"Father, you are wrong," Wang Pu said. "Cao Cao never usurped the Han until the day he died; he was actually a loyal minister."

"But Cao Cao's son, Cao Pi, usurped the Han," Sun Chuanting suddenly asked. "Are you thinking of being Cao Pi?"

"No," Wang Pu shook his head. "Your son does not oppose letting members of the Zhu family continue to serve as emperors of the Great Ming, but he resolutely opposes the emperors of the Great Ming continuing to possess unrestrained power. Your son only hopes that the people of the Great Ming can live good lives, free from the plunder of the Jiannu and the devastation of the roving rebels."

"Enough, let's leave today's discussion at that," Sun Chuanting said decisively. "This old man will treat it as if you never said anything, and as if I heard nothing at all."

Although Sun Chuanting subscribed to the School of Mind and was rather dismissive of the "Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues" practiced by Confucian Neo-Confucianism, it was still not easy for him to instantly overturn the deeply ingrained concept of "supremacy of imperial power." It was even less possible for him to emulate Cao Cao and become a warlord who relied on his own troops.

Wang Pu curled his lips and said no more. He knew that one should not rush things, otherwise it would be counterproductive. Sun Chuanting was now his adoptive father, and there would be plenty of time in the future to slowly instill these new ideas in him. Wang Pu believed that one day Sun Chuanting would accept these new ideologies, because deep down, Sun Chuanting was not a pedantic or conservative man.