Chapter 113: The Official Army Like Bandits

Datong, the main hall of the Wang family estate.

Wang Pu and Zhen Youcai were singing in harmony, haggling with Wei Daben, the Prefect of Datong.

"Prefect Wei," Wang Pu said hypocritically, "for me, a Prince Consort, to come forward and temporarily command the border troops of Datong Town—wouldn't that violate the imperial regulations? Besides, would the soldiers and officers of Datong accept me? After all, I am now the Commander of the Capital Garrison, no longer the General of Datong Town."

"Oh, Prince Consort," Wei Daben lamented, "it is a crisis, an emergency! Who has time to worry about regulations? Besides, this is not a violation; it is merely an emergency measure. Moreover, with your illustrious reputation, Prince Consort, who among the Datong border troops would dare to refuse?"

"Prefect Wei," Zhen Youcai said in a sinister tone, "the border troops of Datong are not easy to lead."

Wei Daben understood the implication, but he feigned ignorance. "What does Mr. Zhen mean by that?"

Zhen Youcai laid his cards on the table, speaking with shameless bluntness: "Since there is a war to be fought, the soldiers need food, don't they? The horses need fodder, don't they? Datong has over 18,000 border troops and tens of thousands of warhorses. Prefect Wei, why don't you calculate how much silver that costs per day? And the artillery battalions need silver to buy ammunition! If we win, the soldiers need rewards, and the families of the fallen need pensions. As far as I know, the military granaries of Datong have only a few thousand piculs of grain left, and the provincial treasury has only a few tens of thousands of taels of silver. With so little, how can this battle be fought? Do you expect the Prince Consort and the Wang family to provide all the grain and pay?"

Wei Daben remained silent, for everything Zhen Youcai said was true.

The military grain was indeed depleted to a few thousand piculs, and the treasury held little over ten thousand taels of silver. With these resources, the battle was unwinnable. Prince Dai and Zhang Zi'an did indeed have the intention that Zhen Youcai described: they wanted to push Wang Pu forward to lead the Datong troops, not only for his command ability but also to leverage the Wang family’s grain and wealth to sustain the defense of Datong.

In other words, the calculations of Prince Dai and Zhang Zi'an were to rely on the Wang family's people, eat the Wang family's grain, and spend the Wang family's money to fight their war for the defense of Datong.

After a long pause, Wei Daben said coldly, "Prince Consort, I do not know if I should say this."

Wang Pu replied, "Please speak, Prefect Wei."

Wei Daben said, "Defending Datong is not just my responsibility; it is the duty of all the commoners, merchants, and gentry of Datong Prefecture. As the saying goes, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. If Datong falls, I will surely die, but I fear the Prince Consort and the Wang family will find it difficult to escape unscathed."

Zhen Youcai retorted, "The Prince Consort and the Wang family never said they wouldn't provide grain or money, but Prefect Wei, you cannot pin all the costs on the Wang family alone, can you? If we follow your logic, the defense of Datong becomes the Wang family's private business. I must ask you, Prefect Wei: does Datong Prefecture belong to the Imperial Court, or to the Wang family?"

Wei Daben frowned. "It naturally belongs to the Imperial Court."

"Well said," Zhen Youcai applauded. "Since Datong belongs to the Imperial Court and the provincial treasury truly lacks sufficient funds, the burden should be shared by all the commoners, merchants, and gentry of Datong. Prefect Wei, isn't that the only reasonable way?"

Wei Daben could not refute this. He sighed, "That is the logic."

Wang Pu stood up abruptly, his tone rigid. "Please tell Prince Dai and Eunuch Zhang that I, Wang Pu, can come forward to temporarily lead the Datong troops, and our Wang family can contribute grain and funds to support the defense. However, we will only pay our fair share; we will not shoulder the burden of others!"

With that, Wang Pu ignored Wei Daben and retreated behind the screen.

Wei Daben opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found no words. From the side, Zhen Youcai added chillingly, "Prefect Wei, the Prince Consort can wait, the soldiers can wait, and the people of Datong can wait—but the rebel army will not."

Wei Daben gasped, offered a hasty farewell to Zhen Youcai, and left.

***

After Wei Daben had gone, Zhen Youcai spoke toward the screen: "General, do you think that stingy rooster, Prince Dai, and that old eunuch, Zhang Zi'an, will actually provide the funds?"

Wang Pu emerged from behind the screen and said in a deep voice, "Unless they value their own lives so little, they will have no choice but to provide them."

Zhen Youcai asked again, "And if they stubbornly refuse?"

Wang Pu sneered, "Then they can wait for the rebel army to arrive at the city gates in three days. Let's see if they pay then."

Zhen Youcai lowered his voice: "General, if you wait until the rebels are at the gates to take command, won't it be too late? By then, it will be impossible to recall the border troops from their various outposts, and the hundreds of thousands of people outside the city walls will not be able to enter."

"Wei Daben and Zhang Zi'an are not fools; they should know the stakes." Wang Pu thought for a moment before continuing, "However, to be safe, find a way to tip them off. Tell Zhang Zi'an to gather the border troops immediately, and tell Wei Daben to move the people outside the city into the city walls at once."

Zhen Youcai bowed. "I shall arrange it immediately."

As Wang Pu predicted, Zhang Zi'an and Wei Daben were clever men, but the measures they took were far from what Wang Pu had expected.

Gathering the border troops into Datong was not a problem. However, their treatment of the people was drastically different from what Wang Pu had intended. Wang Pu’s plan was to move the people, along with their livestock and grain, into the city within three days, leaving the rebels with no resources.

Instead, Wei Daben and Zhang Zi'an ordered the incoming border troops to plunder the people of Datong. They also dispatched troops from the North Camp to loot the livestock and grain of nearby villages. Clearly, Wang Pu had overestimated the character of Wei Daben and Zhang Zi'an. They did not see the people of Datong as citizens of the Great Ming; in their eyes, the people were nothing but cattle, sheep, and slaves.

From a purely military perspective, their strategy was more ruthless and effective than Wang Pu's. Sending troops to plunder was faster than protecting the people, and the stolen grain could serve as military supplies, reducing the pressure on the city's food stores. More importantly, leaving hundreds of thousands of starving refugees for the rebel army would inevitably exhaust the rebels' food supplies, forcing them to move on to other prefectures.

It was a vicious, scorched-earth policy—the equivalent of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Wang Pu intended to build Datong into his own base of operations; he could not allow them to act so recklessly.

By the time Wang Pu learned of this, it was already the afternoon. The troops of the North Camp had received Zhang Zi'an’s orders and were preparing to dispatch forty squads of one hundred men each to loot. The operation was led by Deputy General Zhao Lijin, who was standing on the reviewing platform, triumphantly addressing the 4,000 soldiers about to depart.

The imperial army looting the populace was not a new occurrence; it had happened years ago. Because the court provided no pay, the army had to loot to survive. However, this mostly happened in Shaanxi, Henan, and Huguang, rarely in Shanxi, and certainly never in Datong. But Zhao Lijin believed that looting the people was a matter of course.

His logic was simple: the rebels were coming, and he was risking his neck to fight for these people. Was it not justified to take some of their grain and pigs?

"Brothers," Zhao Lijin bellowed, "listen to me! We are not looting; we are following orders. This operation must be thorough. Do not leave a single grain for the rebels. Starve those bastards to death! Is that clear?"

"Clear!" the soldiers roared back.

Most of these soldiers were illiterate brutes. Even the well-read Wei Daben had abandoned the Confucian virtues of putting the people first. How could one expect these common soldiers to have a heart of gold?

Zhao Lijin waved his hand. "Move out!"

"Stop!"

The command had barely left his lips when a thunderous shout echoed from nearby. The soldiers turned to see Wang Pu, surrounded by dozens of his own personal guards, standing at the edge of the training grounds, his cold eyes fixed on Zhao Lijin. The entire army fell into an uproar.

Zhao Lijin gasped, scrambled off the platform, and ran to Wang Pu’s horse, bowing and scraping. "General, why have you come to the camp?"

Wang Pu said coldly, "If I hadn't come, you would have lost your head today!"

Zhao Lijin was stunned. "What do you mean, General?"

"Do you know what that order you just gave means?" Zhen Youcai shouted from beside Wang Pu. "Openly leading troops to loot the people of the Great Ming is treason! Deputy General Zhao, do you intend to lead the Datong border troops in rebellion against the Great Ming and the Emperor?"

"Ah?" Zhao Lijin stammered. "Mr. Zhen, how can you say that? I was only following orders!"

Wang Pu said, "Since you were following orders, it is no longer your concern. From this moment on, I am taking command of the Datong troops!"

"Uh..." Zhao Lijin hesitated, then straightened his chest and shouted, "Yes!"

Zhao Lijin knew that Zhang Zi'an and Wei Daben were inviting Wang Pu to take command, and he assumed that since Wang Pu was now in charge, everything was indeed up to him.

Wang Pu mounted his horse and ascended the reviewing platform. The eyes of the 4,000 soldiers were fixed on him. Regardless of the circumstances, Wang Pu had been the General of Datong for three years, and his recent campaign against the Mongols had proven his mettle. Even though they weren't his direct subordinates, their admiration for him bordered on worship.

Wang Pu took a deep breath and asked sharply, "Should the people of Datong be looted?"

"Yes!" the 4,000 soldiers roared in unison.

Wang Pu was furious. He drew his saber and slammed it into the thick wooden platform with a thud. The blade sank deep into the wood, the gold-and-jewel-encrusted hilt vibrating in the setting sun. The soldiers held their breath, feeling the heat of Wang Pu's rage.

"Bullshit!" Wang Pu roared. "Do you know who the people are? Among them are your fathers, your mothers, your brothers and sisters! If you loot the people of Datong today, other imperial troops will loot your own families in your hometowns tomorrow! In this world, where is the logic of a son robbing his own father? If you kill and rob your own kin, are you still human? You are beasts—worse than beasts!"

The 4,000 soldiers lowered their heads. If Wang Pu had tried to reason with them, it would have been like casting pearls before swine, but this blunt, angry tirade hit home. They immediately understood the simple truth: children are raised by their parents; how can they rob their own parents?

"Listen to me!" Wang Pu took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. "This operation will continue, but not to loot. You are to help and protect the people, and help them move into the city for safety. Anyone who dares to disobey this order will have to answer to the blade in my hand!"