Chapter 152: The Ten-Sided Web

The smoke of battle had dissipated over Datong Prefecture, but thick war clouds loomed densely outside the walls of Beijing.

Dorgon had led a formidable force of one hundred thousand Later Jin troops cutting a swathe through all opposition. Arriving smoothly outside Beijing the previous night, they pitched their main camp outside the Guangqu Gate. After allowing the army to rest overnight, Dorgon was just preparing to assemble the forces of all banners to launch a tentative assault on Beijing when a piece of bad news suddenly arrived.

The imperial reinforcement army of the Great Ming had arrived, and it was led by none other than the most intractable commander of all: Hong Chengchou!

Dorgon did not dare to be negligent. He hurriedly summoned his trusted advisors, Fan Wencheng and Ning Wanwo, to the main tent to deliberate. Fan Wencheng and Ning Wanwo scurried eagerly into Dorgon's tent, dropped to their knees before him, and kowtowed, saying, "This humble servant pays respects to Your Highness."

Dorgon gestured with a solemn hand and said, "Rise, both of you."

Fan Wencheng and Ning Wanwo scrambled to their feet and stood at attention below Dorgon. With a grave expression, Dorgon said, "Advisor Wencheng, Advisor Wanwo, scout reports have just returned. A large force of Ming cavalry has appeared in the Wanping region, numbering at least over ten thousand by a rough estimate, and they are flying the banners of Hong Chengchou."

"Hong Chengchou has arrived so quickly?" Ning Wanwo said dismissively. "That is nothing to worry about. No matter how formidable Hong Chengchou may be, with merely a force of ten thousand light cavalry, he cannot possibly turn the tables."

"It is not quite that simple," Fan Wencheng shook his head and said. "These ten thousand light cavalry are likely just the vanguard. Since the vanguard has already reached Wanping, it means the main force cannot be far from Beijing either. Hong Chengchou is no ordinary adversary; he commands several garrisons of brave and battle-hardened border elites. Your Highness, we must not underestimate him."

Dorgon nodded in agreement and said, "That is precisely what this Prince thinks. If Hong Chengchou's main army truly manages to reach Beijing, this battle will inevitably drag out into a protracted war of attrition. However, this is ultimately not Liaodong; if Beijing cannot be taken swiftly, the imperial Ming armies stationed across various regions will arrive in an endless stream, and the consequences would be unimaginable."

Fan Wencheng said in a chilling tone, "It appears our attack on Beijing must be postponed. We must eliminate Hong Chengchou first."

Dorgon looked at Fan Wencheng eagerly and asked with urgency, "Does Advisor Wencheng have any brilliant strategy in mind?"

Twirling his long beard, Fan Wencheng paced back and forth inside the grand tent a few times. Suddenly, he halted his steps and said in a booming voice, "I have it. Your Highness, this humble servant has a plan to deal with Hong Chengchou!"

"Oh?" Dorgon said with delight. "Do tell, Advisor Wencheng."

Fan Wencheng smiled cunningly and said, "Hong Chengchou abandoned his main army and rushed to the rescue of Beijing with only ten thousand light cavalry. This shows that the little Chongzhen emperor is panicked, and Hong Chengchou is equally anxious. Your Highness can take advantage of the little emperor's impatience to set a trap, forcing him to compel Hong Chengchou to leap right into the snare we have laid. Hehehe..."

Dorgon asked impatiently, "How shall we set this trap?"

Fan Wencheng explained, "Your Highness can dispatch a division of troops toward Wanshou Mountain, making a grand display of digging up the little emperor's ancestral tombs and severing the dynastic dragon vein of the Zhu family. Once the little emperor learns of this, he will undoubtedly panic and order Hong Chengchou to lead his light cavalry at breakneck speed to guard the mausoleums. Your Highness can then lay an ambush along the vital route leading to Wanshou Mountain, casting a net in all ten directions to await Hong Chengchou!"

"A brilliant strategy," Ning Wanwo praised. "Once Hong Chengchou is eliminated, even if their backup army arrives, they will no longer be anything to fear."

"However..." Dorgon frowned and said, "With our Great Qing forces pressing hard upon the border, the city of Beijing is already in imminent danger. Will the little emperor really allow Hong Chengchou to divert his troops to Wanshou Mountain to guard the tombs? Furthermore, Hong Chengchou is an astute man; he cannot possibly fail to realize this is a trap. Will he truly walk willingly into it?"

Fan Wencheng smiled triumphantly and said, "Your Highness, it seems you still do not quite understand the essence of Confucian ideology."

Dorgon answered honestly, "I must ask Advisor Wencheng to enlighten me."

Fan Wencheng said, "The essence of Confucian ideology is loyalty and filial piety. What is loyalty? Loyalty means the ruler is the guide for the subject; it means if the sovereign commands a subject to die, the subject cannot refuse. As long as the little emperor issues an imperial edict, Hong Chengchou will have no choice but to go. What is filial piety? Filial piety means the father is the guide for the son; it means if a father commands his son to die, the son cannot refuse. If the little emperor does not wish to bear the infamy of being an unfilial descendant and be reviled for eternity, he must dispatch troops to Wanshou Mountain to protect the mausoleums—even if he knows full well they cannot be adequately defended, he must send them."

"So that is how it is," Dorgon said, slapping his thigh in realization. "That means this Confucian ideology is hardly a good thing; it is capable of getting people killed."

"That depends on who is using it and how it is applied," Fan Wencheng replied. "If used properly, Confucian ideology is a sharp instrument for governing the state and pacifying the realm. If used poorly, it is the primary culprit in the downfall of nations and the loss of empires."

***

"There is still one issue," Dorgon pondered and said. "How do we let the little emperor know that we intend to go to Wanshou Mountain to dig up his ancestral tombs and sever his dragon vein? We surely cannot have this Prince send someone to deliver a letter to him, can we?"

Fan Wencheng said, "That is simple. Has Your Highness not captured quite a few eunuchs along the way? These eunuchs are people from the inner palace; they have the means to see the little emperor directly. We merely need to find an opportunity to leak this news to one of those eunuchs, and then arrange for him to escape. The little emperor will then be certain to learn of the news."

Dorgon said doubtfully, "Is this not simply the trick the late Emperor used before? Will it actually work?"

"Of course it will work," Fan Wencheng smiled sinisterly. "The late Emperor's alienation tactic did not actually deceive the little Emperor back then, but Yuan Chonghuan was executed in the end nonetheless. Does Your Highness know why?"

Dorgon remained silent.

Fan Wencheng continued, "That was because the officials of the Ming court were forever divided into factions, perpetually engaged in internal strife. If one faction claimed something was true, the opposing faction would invariably declare it false. They did not care whether the matter was actually true or false; they opposed simply for the sake of opposing. That is why Yuan Chonghuan ended up dead, and that is why this time, regardless of whether the little Emperor believes it or not, he will have to order Hong Chengchou to lead his troops to guard the mausoleums."

Fan Wencheng was truly worthy of being Dorgon's chief strategist and a well-read, erudite scholar of the "sage teachings." He had thoroughly fathomed the minds of the officials in the Ming court. How they would think and how they would act upon encountering such a crisis—everything was already calculated within his grasp.

***

Forbidden City, Hall of Supreme Establishment. The daily morning court session, held rain or shine, was underway.

With a gloomy expression, the Chongzhen Emperor gazed at Chen Xinjia, who was kneeling before the imperial dais, and asked, "Minister Chen, has the capital been placed under martial law?"

"It has, it has," Chen Xinjia replied hurriedly. "The entire city was placed under martial law the night before last."

"The outer city, the inner city, and all the gates of the imperial city are to be placed under strict martial law, strictly forbidding any person from entering or exiting," the Chongzhen Emperor said with a dark face. "The spies of the Later Jin are pervasive everywhere. Fushun, Kaiyuan, Tieling, Liaoyang, and Shenyang in Liaodong were all captured precisely in this manner. We must not give them any opportunity to exploit."

"This humble subject understands," Chen Xinjia said. "The capital garrison has been dispatched to guard every gate. Your Majesty may rest assured."

The Chongzhen Emperor nodded, then asked, "Where has Hong Chengchou's vanguard cavalry reached? And where is the main army?"

Chen Xinjia reported, "Before attending court, this subject received the latest dispatch from Hong Chengchou. His nine thousand vanguard cavalry have already reached Wanping, and the main force of eighty thousand has already passed Baoding."

The Chongzhen Emperor could not help but let out a breath of relief. His mind settled slightly; Hong Chengchou had finally arrived.

At that moment, a young eunuch hurried in through a side door and whispered a few words into Wang Cheng'en's ear.

Upon hearing this, Wang Cheng'en's complexion changed drastically. Seeing this, the Chongzhen Emperor furrowed his brows tightly and demanded in a stern voice, "Wang Cheng'en, what has happened now?"

"Your Majesty..." Wang Cheng'en said with a troubled expression. "Might we..."

"Speak!" the Chongzhen Emperor said coldly. "Is there anything that cannot be spoken of before the assembled court officials?"

Wang Cheng'en reported, "Yan Cong, the military surveillance eunuch of Zhuozhou Guard, just escaped from the Later Jin camp and brought back a startling piece of news. He claims the Later Jin are dispatching troops to Wanshou Mountain to dig up the Great Ming's ances... and also threatened to sever the dragon vein of the Zhu family..."

"Outrageous! The Later Jin are far too arrogant!"

"Your Majesty, we can never allow the Later Jin to unearth our Great Ming ancestral tombs!"

"Indeed. Even more so, we cannot let the Later Jin sever the dragon vein of the Great Ming. Your Majesty, this is a matter concerning the eternal generations of the Great Ming dynasty!"

The censors and remonstrating officials in the hall instantly erupted into an uproar. One by one, they stepped forward to present impassioned arguments, while some even wept openly with tears streaming down their faces.

Finally, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Rites stepped out of the ranks and memorialized, "The imperial mausoleums at Wanshou Mountain cannot tolerate desecration by the Later Jin. This subject implores Your Majesty to immediately dispatch Commander Hong's nine thousand cavalry to protect the tombs."

As soon as this supervising secretary finished speaking, the censors of the thirteen circuits, the censors of the Censorate, and the minor officials of the low-ranking Hanlin Academy offices stepped forward one after another to second the motion. Although these individuals did not hold high ranks and were merely insignificant petty officials, the founding Emperor Hongwu had bestowed upon them immense authority. If these men submitted a joint memorial, it would be an event of monumental proportions.

Zhou Yanru, being old and cunning, did not dare to step forward and court such trouble.

Chen Xinjia was still somewhat inexperienced, and furthermore, he bore the heavy responsibility of defending Beijing; the security of the capital had to be his primary consideration. He stepped out to argue against it, saying, "Your Majesty, this subject believes the words of Zhuozhou surveillance eunuch Yan Cong cannot be trusted. This is very likely a mere trap, and its sole purpose is to lure and annihilate Hong Chengchou's nine thousand cavalry..."

"Chen Xinjia!" Before Chen Xinjia could finish speaking, the supervising secretary who had spoken first interrupted him unceremoniously, demanding in a severe and stern voice, "Protecting the imperial mausoleums is a matter of utmost gravity! How dare you obstruct it? Regardless of whether the news brought back by Yan Cong is true or false for the moment, if it should prove true and the imperial mausoleums at Wanshou Mountain are desecrated by the Later Jin and the dragon vein is destroyed, can you bear that responsibility? Do you wish for Your Majesty to bear the infamy of being unfilial?"

Chen Xinjia's expression changed drastically, and he did not dare to utter another word.

The Chongzhen Emperor was deeply suspicious of the veracity of the news brought back by Yan Cong as well. He was even more worried that this was a trap deliberately laid by the Later Jin specifically targeting Hong Chengchou.

However, the Chongzhen Emperor did not voice his inner thoughts. Because he was not entirely confident in his own deduction, if he were to forcefully overrule the opinions of the ministers and the final outcome proved the ministers right, it would inevitably damage his prestige as the Emperor.

Therefore, the best course of action was for a minister to step forward in opposition so that the Chongzhen Emperor could smoothly ride the trend down and reject the proposal. That way, even if the Chongzhen Emperor ultimately turned out to be wrong, he could shift the blame onto that opposing minister, while he himself would bear no fault whatsoever, and the imperial prestige would remain entirely intact.

Regrettably, no minister stepped forward to oppose it this time. Chen Xinjia, who had barely managed to voice a sentence earlier, quickly shrank back. Senior Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru lowered his eyelids, assuming a drowsy expression, yet just moments before, this fellow's eyes had been burning bright and full of energy.

Left with no alternative, the Chongzhen Emperor could only agree to the joint memorial of the ministers, issuing an imperial decree right there in court for Hong Chengchou to lead his troops to Wanshou Mountain to guard the mausoleums.

When all was said and done, the Chongzhen Emperor still valued his own reputation and imperial prestige above all else. In order not to compromise his own pride, he had no choice but to let Hong Chengchou take the risk.

***

Wanping, Hong Chengchou's main camp.

Not far ahead lay the city of Beijing, and three hundred thousand Later Jin troops were camped outside Guangqu Gate, with weapons sharpened and awaiting dawn.

Hong Chengchou did not dare to draw too close either. He led his nine thousand cavalry to station themselves in Wanping County. The reason he had rushed over with nine thousand cavalry was not to fight a desperate battle to the death with the Later Jin, but rather to give peace of mind to the Chongzhen Emperor and the citizens of the capital, as well as to pin down the Later Jin and deter them from attacking Beijing recklessly.

Hong Chengchou had always been cautious in his military campaigns. As soon as he received the Chongzhen Emperor's imperial edict for reinforcements, he had already formulated a comprehensive plan to counter the Later Jin. Hong Chengchou believed that the Later Jin troops were fierce and their weapons sharp, making them difficult to defeat in a hasty battle; only by digging deep trenches and building high walls to stand in a stalemate with them could they wear the Later Jin down through a protracted war of attrition.

Therefore, as soon as the army arrived in Wanping, Hong Chengchou immediately issued orders to levy grain and provisions, preparing for a long-term defense.

While Hong Chengchou was discussing grain collection matters with the Magistrate of Wanping County, he suddenly saw a eunuch draped in a red robe enter the military headquarters, escorted by a squad of burly imperial guards. The eunuch held aloft an imperial decree and shouted in a shrill voice, "An imperial decree has arrived! Let Hong Chengchou, Imperial Tutor of the Heir Apparent, Minister of War, and Left Censor-in-in-Chief, commander of the Jiliao armies, receive the decree..."