Chapter 153: Hong Chengchou Captured

The imperial decree delivery eunuch had been gone for a long time, yet Hong Chengchou still knelt in the main hall with a vacant expression, showing no intention of getting up. His trusted personal general, Tang Shijie, hurriedly stepped forward to help him to his feet.

"Sigh."

Hong Chengchou gently shook off Tang Shijie's support and let out a long sigh.

"Commander, we cannot go to Tianshou Mountain," Tang Shijie urged with a furrowed brow. "There is definitely a trap in this."

What kind of man was Hong Chengchou? How could he need Tang Shijie to remind him?

If the Jiannu truly intended to dig up the imperial tombs at Tianshou Mountain, they would certainly do so in secret. Only after they had actually excavated the imperial tombs and severed the dragon vein of the Great Ming would they trumpet it far and wide. Yet now, contrary to all common practice, they were broadcasting it widely before taking any action. There was undoubtedly more to this than met the eye.

The situation was already transparent. This was undoubtedly a trap set by the Jiannu, and its sole purpose was none other than to deal with Hong Chengchou and the nine thousand Capital Garrison cavalry under his command.

The nine thousand Capital Garrison cavalry could remain put; Emperor Chongzhen had not specified how many troops to bring for the protection of the tombs anyway.

Could Hong Chengchou refuse to go?

No, Emperor Chongzhen had already issued the imperial decree. Even knowing that going meant certain death, Hong Chengchou had no choice but to go. When the sovereign demands a subject's death, the subject cannot refuse to die...

"Enough, say no more," Hong Chengchou waved his hand and said in a low voice. "Go and invite General Sun and Military Inspector Lu."

"Understood."

Tang Shijie acknowledged the order and departed to carry it out.

Soon, Capital Garrison Regional Commander Sun Yingyuan and Military Inspector Lu Jiude arrived at Hong Chengchou's temporary headquarters.

Along the way, the two men had already learned of Emperor Chongzhen's decree. Capital Garrison Regional Commander Sun Yingyuan shouted loudly, "Commander, we cannot go to Tianshou Mountain!"

Military Inspector Lu Jiude, however, frowned and said, "This humble servant also believes that going to Tianshou Mountain is ill-advised. But after all, this is His Majesty's decree."

Hong Chengchou waved his hand and said, "Tianshou Mountain must be visited, but this commander will take only five hundred personal cavalrymen. The nine thousand elite Capital Garrison cavalry will remain stationed in Wanping and will not move. Until the main armies of the three commanders, Cao Bianjiao, Bai Guang'en, and Liu Zeqing, arrive, you must not act rashly! I trust that General Sun and Eunuch Lu will place affairs of state above all else and face this national crisis together."

"Commander!" Sun Yingyuan anxiously urged. "The safety of the Great Ming rests upon your shoulders; you must not lightly court danger."

"Indeed," Lu Jiude echoed. "To go to Tianshou Mountain to protect the tombs with only five hundred personal cavalry—isn't Lord Hong being far too reckless?"

"My mind is made up," Hong Chengchou said decisively. "General Sun and Eunuch Lu need not try to persuade me further."

Sun Yingyuan pressed anxiously, "Commander..."

"Sun Yingyuan!" Hong Chengchou suddenly stood up, glaring fiercely as he shouted, "Are you trying to place me in a position of disloyalty and unfilial piety, leaving me with a legacy of eternal infamy?"

"This..."

Sun Yingyuan and Lu Jiude exchanged glances and dared not offer any further persuasion.

Datong, Leigong Mountain.

Li Yan waved his hand to dismiss Jing Maochong, Li Hu, Li Xuan, and the others, then spoke sincerely to Liu Zongmin, "General, you have just arrived in Datong and do not yet know what has happened here. If you knew the whole story from beginning to end, this subordinate is deeply convinced that with your wisdom, General, you would never attack Datong again."

"Oh?" Liu Zongmin asked. "What happened here?"

Li Yan stated solemnly, "Just over half a month ago, nearly two hundred thousand Jiannu smashed through the passes and launched a massive offensive against Datong!"

"What?" Liu Zongmin was startled, blurting out, "Two hundred thousand Jiannu?"

Liu Zongmin was far from unfamiliar with the Jiannu; his profound impression of them stemmed from their shared enemy—the Great Ming frontier army.

The rebel armies led by Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin had suffered bitterly at the hands of the Great Ming frontier army. Yet this very same Ming frontier army, which had beaten the rebel forces into a routed mess, had been utterly crushed by the Jiannu from beyond the frontier.

From this, it was evident that the Jiannu beyond the frontier were exceptionally formidable, far superior to the Ming frontier army.

Yan said solemnly, "Two hundred thousand Jiannu."

"You're lying," Liu Zongmin said skeptically. "If there really were two hundred thousand Jiannu attacking Datong, where are the Jiannu? Why is the city of Datong still in the hands of the imperial troops?"

"This is precisely what this subordinate wishes to explain," Li Yan took a breath and said in a deep voice, "The two hundred thousand Jiannu launched a massive offensive against Datong, but they were thwarted by Wang Pu, who also annihilated nearly fifty thousand of the enemy! The Jiannu then split their forces into two routes, leaving thirty thousand behind to continue besieging Datong, while the remaining main army has already killed its way toward Beijing."

Liu Zongmin still doubted him, asking, "Then what about the thirty thousand Jiannu left behind?"

Li Yan replied, "Just before the General's arrival, those thirty thousand Jiannu were wiped out by this subordinate and Wang Pu working together. If the General does not believe me, you can ask every single officer and soldier on the mountain. Furthermore, the armor on the soldiers' bodies, the weapons in their hands, and those eight thousand warhorses were all captured from the Jiannu."

Liu Zongmin gazed at Li Yan with deep, enigmatic eyes, asking in a condensed tone, "Li Yan, are you cooperating with the imperial troops?"

Li Yan answered, "We are cooperating with Wang Pu, not with the imperial troops."

Liu Zongmin retorted, "Wang Pu is an imperial—"

Yan shook his head, saying, "Wang Pu's army is different from other imperial troops. Other imperial troops are the running dogs of the court, but Wang Pu is not. Wang Pu wants to establish himself as a king and become a regional warlord! Therefore, this subordinate advises the General not to be in a hurry to attack Wang Pu. Having Wang Pu garrisoned in Datong can only be beneficial for the development and expansion of our Shaanxi rebel army."

Liu Zongmin looked at Li Yan with some astonishment, suddenly feeling that the fair-faced scholar before him had become somewhat unfamiliar.

Although Liu Zongmin was a rough man, it did not mean he lacked cunning. Li Yan was openly cooperating with Wang Pu, yet not a single person had stood up to oppose him. What did this indicate? It indicated that Li Yan had completely gained control of this army, and the commanders belonging to the former Ge-Zuo Five Camps faction had all been completely purged.

Before coming here, Liu Zongmin truly had not expected this fair-faced Li Yan to possess such daring.

Liu Zongmin suddenly understood that taking over this army smoothly from Li Yan's hands might not be so easy. If he acted too hastily, the result would likely be counterproductive. Should Li Yan truly turn hostile, with the five thousand men Liu Zongmin had brought, he could by no means defeat Li Yan's force of over twenty thousand.

"Hahaha..." Liu Zongmin laughed heartily as he threw an arm around Li Yan's shoulder, saying in a resonant voice, "Brother Li Yan, you are right. Since this fellow Wang Pu wants to become a regional warlord, we will leave him alone for now. Let us first return to Shaanxi, conquer the three prefectures of Pingliang, Qingyang, and Yan'an, and then capture Xi'an. How about that?"

Li Yan said, "Pingliang, Qingyang, Yan'an, and Xi'an must certainly be conquered, but not right now. We have already procured military provisions; the food supplies on the mountain are sufficient to tide us over through this lean year. Therefore, the top priority right now is to seize the time to drill the troops and forge an elite fighting force as quickly as possible."

"Right. The top priority is troop training," Liu Zongmin shouted in agreement, then tentatively asked, "How about Brother Li Yan drops the idea of going to Henan and stays in Shaanxi to help this General train the troops?"

"How can that be?" Li Yan shook his head. "Since His Majesty has summoned me, how can this subordinate not return to Henan?"

Liu Zongmin asked, "Then... when does Brother Li Yan plan to leave?"

Li Yan replied, "Once we return to Mizhi and finish handing over military affairs, this subordinate will set out."

Datong, Regional Commander's Headquarters.

Just as Wang Pu and Zhen Youcai were talking, Monk Zhang entered the headquarters, cupped his fists, and bowed to Wang Pu, saying, "Did the General summon this subordinate?"

"Sit down," Wang Pu waved his hand, signaling Monk Zhang to be seated, and asked, "Monk, did Jing Maochong come looking for you?"

"Indeed," Monk Zhang said. "Jing Maochong said they will break camp tomorrow to return to Shaanxi, and he specifically came to bid this subordinate farewell."

Wang Pu asked, "Did Jing Maochong mention anything about the roving bandits pillaging outside the city?"

"Oh, he mentioned it," Monk Zhang said. "Jing Maochong said someone named Liu Zongmin has arrived and seems intent on seizing military command from Li Yan. The pillaging outside the city was done by Liu Zongmin's men."

"Liu Zongmin?" Zhen Youcai said. "General, this fellow seems to be Li Zicheng's premier general. It appears the dashing rebels have already grown suspicious of Li Yan. If that's really the case, wouldn't all the favors we previously bestowed upon Li Yan have been given for nothing? This Liu Zongmin might not necessarily appreciate our goodwill."

"It doesn't matter," Wang Pu said indifferently. "Since we are raising rebels, does it matter which rebels we raise?"

Zhen Youcai asked, "General, do you think Li Yan will obediently surrender military command?"

"That's really hard to say," Wang Pu shook his head. "However, as long as they return to Shaanxi, it doesn't matter who holds military command in the end. What worries me most right now is the safety of the capital. If anything untoward happens to the capital, or if His Majesty meets with misfortune, I'm afraid our Great Ming Dynasty will immediately plunge into nationwide chaos."

Zhen Youcai asked in a condensed tone, "Does the General mean... to dispatch troops to lift the siege of the capital?"

Wang Pu let out a long sigh of relief and answered irrelevantly, "It is not yet time for nationwide chaos..."

"This..." Zhen Youcai was left completely bewildered.

He vaguely sensed that Wang Pu seemed to harbor the intention of dispatching troops to relieve the capital's siege, yet he could not understand why Wang Pu would do such a thing. Even less did he understand the meaning behind Wang Pu's previous remark: "It is not yet time for nationwide chaos..."

Zhen Youcai could not comprehend it. At present, Wang Pu's foundation was still far too shallow. If the Great Ming Dynasty were to plunge into a state of nationwide chaos and fragmentation right now, given Wang Pu's strength, it would be difficult for him to accomplish anything. Holed up in a corner of Datong, he would eventually either be swallowed up by the Jiannu or exterminated by Li Zicheng. The possibility of surviving in the cracks was virtually negligible.

Wang Pu pondered for a moment and suddenly said, "Youcai, there are two matters that must be handled immediately."

Zhen Youcai said, "Please instruct me, General."

Wang Pu stated, "First matter: all guards, garrisons, and fortresses across Datong Garrison are to be entirely abolished, and their stationed garrison troops disbanded on the spot. These pieces of trash are incapable of resisting enemies beyond the nation's gates externally, yet internally they only know how to ravage the local populace. Abolishing them will save us peace of mind. The military households belonging to all these garrisons shall without exception be converted into local commoners and placed under the jurisdiction of Datong Prefecture!"

Zhen Youcai said, "Abolishing the garrison troops is not difficult, but how should we resettle those demoted garrison commanders, lieutenant colonels, and company commanders?"

Wang Pu replied, "First have them return to Datong and stay with Zhao Liujin."

Zhen Youcai nodded and asked, "What about the guest troops and recruited troops?"

Wang Pu said, "This brings us to the second matter I wish to discuss. For those guest troops, give them travel expenses and send them back to their native places if they wish to leave. For those willing to stay, select the robust and battle-hardened soldiers among them to convert into regular recruits, and further recruit able-bodied men from among the Datong populace to gather eight thousand men. Form them into a matchlock musket battalion and a baggage train to serve as auxiliary arms for the artillery battalion."

Youcai acknowledged the order and asked again, "This subordinate will go and attend to it right away."

"Sigh."

Watching Zhen Youcai's slender figure hurry away, Wang Pu could not help but shake his head and let out a long sigh. An increasingly prominent problem was plaguing him: the talents available for his use were far too few. Zhen Youcai had to manage the weapon workshops and gunpowder bureau while also taking charge of abolishing the garrison troops and recruiting commoners; it was truly asking too much of him.

Yet in his haste, Wang Pu had no idea where to go to recruit talent, for Datong was inherently a barren land for scholars.

Along the banks of the Yu River, Hong Chengchou was leading five hundred personal cavalry, galloping forward like a bolt of lightning.

This journey to Tianshou Mountain could be said to be a matter of compulsion. Because Emperor Chongzhen had issued an imperial decree, Hong Chengchou, as a subject, had no choice but to obey; otherwise, it would be an act of rebellion and a violation of a subject's duty. Yet Hong Chengchou was no fool. Knowing this was a Jiannu trap, he took only five hundred personal cavalry and flew ahead, while the nine thousand elite Capital Garrison cavalry remained stationed in Wanping without moving.

In truth, Hong Chengchou also harbored a stroke of wishful thinking.

The five hundred light cavalry had a small profile and high speed. Even if the Jiannu had laid an inescapable net along the road to Tianshou Mountain, they might not necessarily trap him, Hong Chengchou. As long as he circled the vicinity of Tianshou Mountain and returned to Wanping, even if the Jiannu ultimately destroyed the imperial tombs, Hong Chengchou would still have an account to give Emperor Chongzhen.

However, Hong Chengchou still underestimated Fan Wencheng, that die-hard traitor to the Han race, and even more so, he underestimated his own weight in the hearts of the Jiannu!

Just as Hong Chengchou had departed from Wanping, Jiannu spies had already transmitted the news to the Jiannu grand camp outside Guangqu Gate. Dorgon immediately dispatched a flying courier to order all Jiannu detachments plundering around Qinghedian, Dayuhe, Xiaoyuhe, and Yuquan Mountain to make ready and cast their nets wide.

Hong Chengchou's five hundred light cavalry had just arrived at the banks of the Yu River and had not yet had time to cross northward when Jiannu iron cavalry, arriving upon the wind, simultaneously pressed in from more than a dozen directions.