Chapter 128: This Battle Will Be Difficult

Before dawn the next day, Zhen Youcai returned to Datong.

Accompanying him back to the city were Tang Sheng and Zhang Heshang’s two regiments. Because Wei Daben had already used the civilian militia to seal all four gates of Datong, they had to scale the walls using ladders. Zhen Youcai remained completely baffled by Wang Pu’s decision to abandon the Leigong Mountain camp to the rebels.

After descending the rampart, Xiao Qi and Zhen Youcai mounted the fast horses prepared for them and rode straight to the commander-in-chief’s headquarters. Tang Sheng and Zhang Heshang led the two thousand musketeers directly to their barracks. When Xiao Qi and Zhen Youcai reached the headquarters, Wang Pu had just risen and was washing up.

"This subordinate greets the General."

The two bowed and clasped their hands. Wang Pu waved his hand, wiped his face hurriedly, handed the towel to the young maid beside him, and asked urgently, "Xiao Qi, Youcai, did everything go smoothly?"

Xiao Qi nodded. "It went reasonably well."

Zhen Youcai looked around and said in a low voice, "General, let us speak inside the tent."

"Mm."

Wang Pu nodded and entered the main tent first, followed by Zhen Youcai and Xiao Qi. Lu Liu, who was guarding the entrance, immediately stepped forward to block the doorway, his vigilant eyes scanning the surroundings. Aside from the young maid, no one was allowed to approach the commander's tent without permission.

Inside the tent, Zhen Youcai whispered, "General, giving the Leigong Mountain camp—along with the twenty thousand piculs of grain and over eight million catties of cured meat—to the rebels, is that not going too far?"

Wang Pu calmly retorted, "Why does Youcai think so?"

Zhen Youcai replied, "General, too many people know about this; it is impossible to keep it hidden."

Wang Pu asked, "Why should it be hidden?"

Zhen Youcai said, "General, this is treason! If this reaches the ears of the Emperor, it is a crime punishable by the execution of one's entire clan!"

"Execution of the clan?" A mocking smile appeared on Wang Pu's face. "That would require the Emperor to have the capability to do so, heh."

"Hiss..." Zhen Youcai gasped, his voice trembling. "General, you don't actually intend to revolt, do you?"

"Revolt?" Wang Pu shook his head with a smile. "Only a fool would revolt."

Zhen Youcai frowned. "Then this subordinate does not understand. If the General does not wish to revolt, why commit such an act of open defiance against the Imperial Court?"

Wang Pu asked calmly, "Does Youcai think my actions are an open defiance of the Court?"

Zhen Youcai countered, "Am I wrong?"

"Youcai, let me give you a few examples," Wang Pu said. "You know of Mao Wenlong, the commander-in-chief of the Dongjiang Garrison, do you not? He held a general’s seal."

"I know of him," Zhen Youcai said. "During the Tianqi reign, Mao Wenlong was a major thorn in the side of the Jiannu (Manchus)."

Wang Pu continued, "To my knowledge, while serving as the commander of Dongjiang, Mao Wenlong frequently sold strategic supplies—salt, iron, silk, and cotton—to the Jiannu for massive profit. Does this not count as colluding with the enemy and defying the Court? Yet, neither the Tianqi Emperor nor the Chongzhen Emperor did anything to him."

Youcai nodded. "That is true. If it weren't for Yuan Chonghuan, Mao Wenlong might still be the commander of Dongjiang today."

"Then there is Zu Dashou," Wang Pu said. "When Dalinghe City was besieged by the Jiannu, they ran out of food and began cannibalizing the dead. The garrison was wiped out, yet Zu Dashou was the only one who returned to Jinzhou alive. Did the imperial censors not slander him before the Chongzhen Emperor, claiming he had surrendered to the Jiannu? Of course they did. But in the end, the Emperor did nothing to him either."

Youcai nodded again. "That seems to be the case."

"And the brothers Jiang Rang and Jiang Xiang," Wang Pu added. "The Jiang family has held Yulin for generations, running horse markets to trade with the Mongols. Do you think the Chongzhen Emperor was unaware? Impossible. Governors of the Shaanxi border were replaced one after another, yet the Jiang family kept a firm grip on Yulin. Do you know why, Youcai?"

Zhen Youcai asked solemnly, "Why?"

"Four words." Wang Pu picked up a brush and wrote on a piece of paper. Zhen Youcai read it aloud: "Nurturing bandits to ensure self-importance!"

"Exactly. Nurturing bandits," Wang Pu said. "The Emperors did not touch Mao Wenlong because they needed him to hold back the Jiannu; they didn't touch Zu Dashou because the Zu family is a powerful clan in Liaoxi; and they didn't touch the Jiang family because they were a powerful clan in Yulin needed to keep the northern Mongols at bay."

"I understand," Zhen Youcai said. "Even if the General gives the rebels grain, the Emperor will not, and dare not, do anything to the General. Because the Wang family is a powerful clan in Datong, the Emperor relies on the General to maintain the situation here—to resist the Jiannu and suppress the rebels."

Wang Pu smiled. "That is the logic. As long as the rebels exist, as long as the Jiannu exist, and as long as I do not openly raise a banner of rebellion, even if I turn Datong upside down, the Emperor will not dare move against me. What is a little grain to the rebels?"

"But why give them the Leigong Mountain camp? Do you truly believe the rebels will join us to fight the Jiannu?"

"It’s hard to say." Wang Pu shook his head. "I don't know Li Yan well, but I’ve heard he is a man of honor. I saved him, and by giving him the camp and food, I’ve essentially saved him again. If he is a man of his word, he might join us. But I am not doing this solely for that purpose."

Zhen Youcai asked, "Then why?"

Wang Pu said, "Regardless, these rebels are also Han people. I cannot stand by and watch them slaughtered by the Jiannu. If I didn't give them the camp and the food, they would have been wiped out. Furthermore..."

"Furthermore?"

"Furthermore, there are no permanent enemies or friends in this world. Today we are enemies, but who knows? By doing Li Yan a favor now, if the tides turn, we have another path open to us."

There is an old saying: "A clever rabbit has three burrows." Wang Pu never intended to be a loyal subject to the Ming Dynasty. If Li Zicheng truly rose to power as he did in history, and Wang Pu had not yet secured his own position, shifting his allegiance to the 'Chuang' rebels would be a viable strategy. After all, they are Han, not Jiannu.

"Brilliant!" Zhen Youcai understood. "The General’s foresight is far beyond my reach."

***

At the Leigong Mountain camp, Li Yan was counting the grain with Red Maiden. Looking at the mountains of supplies, she sighed, "Husband, I never expected Wang Pu to actually hand over such an impregnable camp and so much food. I can hardly believe it."

"Indeed," Li Yan nodded. "Wang Pu has saved us once again."

Red Maiden asked, "Why would he do that?"

"I have pondered this," Li Yan said. "Only Wang Pu knows his true intentions. Perhaps it is to keep his own power, or perhaps, seeing that we are all Han, he could not bear to see us slaughtered."

"Husband, shall we join him to fight the Jiannu?"

"You overestimate our strength," Li Yan smiled bitterly. "He probably doesn't expect much help. But whether we can help and whether we have the heart to help are different things. We must do it. A man must have honor."

Red Maiden worried, "What if someone tells on us? What if the Chuang King finds out?"

Li Yan said calmly, "An honorable man has nothing to hide. I will report this to the King myself. With his greatness, he will understand."

***

The next morning, two Jiannu armies reached the walls of Datong. Dorgon ordered his 170,000 troops to set up four camps, sealing the city completely. That afternoon, Dorgon ordered a fence built around the city to cut off all contact. Dorgon was determined; he had to break Datong and capture Wang Pu to establish his authority as Regent.

In Dorgon’s tent, Dodo strode in. "14th Brother, I have found out the truth."

Dorgon looked up. "What happened in that battle?"

Dodo said, "It wasn't the Ming army that fought the 12th Brother; it was the rebels from Shaanxi. They had been besieging Datong for two days before we arrived!"

"Rebels," Dorgon muttered. "Not the Ming army."

He had heard of these rebels. During Hong Taiji’s time, they had considered an alliance against the Ming, but it never materialized.

Ning Wanyi, a strategist, chimed in, "Master, the rebels are enemies of the Ming. Why not give them some benefits and use them to exhaust the Datong garrison?"

Dorgon agreed. Dodo asked, "We just fought them. Will they cooperate?"

Ning Wanyi replied, "They are greedy rats. A little benefit, and they would sell their own ancestors."

Dorgon asked Dodo, "Where are they?"

"At Leigong Mountain in the north."

Dorgon ordered Ning Wanyi to take 2,000 piculs of grain, 200 fat sheep, and 50 horses to negotiate. Ning Wanyi bowed low, "This servant will not fail you."

After he left, Dorgon turned to Fan Wencheng. "Tong Yangxing fired two shots from the Red Barbarian cannons at the North Gate, but Wang Pu sealed the gates with stone, just like Zu Dashou did. The gates won't break. We must dig tunnels."

Fan Wencheng suggested, "Use deception. Have Tong fire heavily at the East Wall to mask the sound of digging and distract the defenders. The soil in Datong is soft; within ten days, we will reach the wall. Once the explosives are set, move heavy troops to the West Gate to lure Wang Pu into shifting his main force there. Then, strike the East Wall."

Dorgon praised, "Excellent plan!"

***

At the East Gate, Wang Pu and his officers were observing the Jiannu camps from the watchtower.

"By your estimate, how many men have the Jiannu brought?" Wang Pu asked.

Zhen Youcai pondered. "At least 150,000."

"Agreed," Wang Pu said. "Between 150,000 and 200,000. It is a severe situation. They have cavalry, archery, and Red Barbarian cannons. They outnumber us nearly twenty to one."

"It is a hard fight, but we have no choice." Wang Pu felt the suffocating pressure of the approaching army. He never wanted to be a martyr for the Chongzhen Emperor, but he certainly didn't want to be a slave to the Jiannu, wearing a pigtail and calling them "Master." That was a life he would never accept, even in death.

"General," Tang Sheng suggested, "Should we sally out and crush their spirit?"

"No," Wang Pu shook his head. "They are not common rebels. Do not underestimate them."

Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed. Cannonballs slammed into the wall, shaking the watchtower.

"Red Barbarian cannons," Zhao Xin said, his face pale.

Zhen Youcai frowned. "Are they trying to collapse the wall?"

"No," Wang Pu said firmly. "That would take two months. They don't have that kind of time."

"Then why are they firing?"

"I don't know," Wang Pu said, "but the battle has just begun. Keep the men well-fed and rested. We prepare to fight to the death!"

"Yes!" the officers replied in unison.

***

At Leigong Mountain, Ning Wanyi was brought into Li Yan’s tent. Seeing the rebel leader, he stood tall, his arrogance showing. "I have traveled far. Why is there no seat for me?"

Li Hu, a subordinate, stepped forward and kicked Ning Wanyi behind the knee. "Kneel before the Marshal!"

Ning Wanyi let out a pig-like shriek and collapsed to his knees before Li Yan.