Chapter Forty-One: The Fall of the White Lotus
On the official road from Luqiao Town to Qingzhou Prefecture, two thousand Imperial Bodyguards were escorting four prison carts and over a hundred “silver carts,” moving forward at a measured pace. Chang Yanling glanced up at the newly risen sun in the east and asked Li Zushu beside him, “Do you think the rebel soldiers in Jining City will fall for it?”
“They probably will,” Li Zushu replied after a moment’s thought. “Brother Wang trusts Mister Zhen completely, so it shouldn’t go wrong.”
Chang Yanling hesitated. “But I can’t shake the feeling that something’s not right.”
“Oh, stop worrying so much,” Li Zushu said. “Brother Wang is an extraordinary man—he’s already crushed those arrogant northern invaders; a bunch of ragtag bandits should be nothing for him.”
“That’s true,” Chang Yanling conceded. “Perhaps I’m overthinking it.”
“Report!” Suddenly, before Chang Yanling could finish, a cavalry scout galloped back at full speed, shouting, “Generals, a large force of rebel soldiers has been spotted twenty li to the north!”
“How many are there?”
Both Chang Yanling and Li Zushu called out in unison.
The scout answered, “They cover the hills as far as the eye can see—at least ten thousand!”
“Good heavens, that many!” Li Zushu exclaimed. “Looks like every last bandit from Jining has swarmed out.”
“Hurry!” Chang Yanling urgently turned to several captains and ordered, “Quickly set up the cannons and form the wagon barricade!”
At Chang Yanling’s command, the two thousand Imperial Bodyguards swiftly arranged themselves into battle order, ready to meet the enemy. Though not elite frontier troops, they were still regular soldiers, better equipped and trained than the motley ranks of the White Lotus cultists. Moreover, they were well-prepared this time: ten small cannons had been dismantled from naval warships and mounted on the wagons.
As the Bodyguards finished forming up, the massed ranks of rebels appeared on the horizon.
Both Chang Yanling and Li Zushu, scions of noble families who had never witnessed battle, felt their hearts quail at the sight. Fortunately, Wang Pu had anticipated this, dispatching Scarface with two hundred elite retainers to reinforce the line. As soon as the rebels charged within range, Scarface brandished his steel blade and shouted, “Open fire!”
A thunderous roar erupted.
Ten small cannons, two hundred retainers at the front, and over five hundred arquebusiers hidden behind the barricade all fired at once. The battlefield was instantly engulfed in deafening explosions, smoke, and flashes of fire, the ground trembling with each blast.
The charging White Lotus rebels were thrown into chaos, men and horses blown apart, limbs and bodies flung through the air. Many more were felled by gunfire, collapsing with screams into pools of blood. Having never seen such carnage, the rebels panicked, scattering in all directions. Neither Li Qingshan nor Yuan Shizhong could restore order.
The three thousand vagrant soldiers led by Li Yan and Red Maiden were more disciplined, but the fleeing White Lotus rabble threw their ranks into disarray. By the time Li Yan and Red Maiden managed to restore order and prepare to attack the government forces ahead, a deafening war cry rose suddenly from behind.
Red Maiden turned in alarm to see a mass of gleaming, armored regulars charging from the rear—Huang Degong leading two thousand battle-hardened troops, veterans of countless naval campaigns. As the panicked White Lotus rebels crashed into Huang Degong’s men, they were cut down in droves.
Huang Degong led the charge, his troops mercilessly cutting through the fleeing White Lotus ranks.
Almost simultaneously, the two thousand Imperial Bodyguards, emboldened by the enemy’s collapse, charged from their barricade toward the vagrant soldiers led by Li Yan and Red Maiden. The sight of the rebels’ rout transformed the Bodyguards from sheep into wolves, and they fell upon the enemy with savage ferocity.
These Bodyguards were no match for seasoned warriors in a pitched battle, but they excelled at striking down the weak and defeated.
“Husband, we've fallen into a trap!” Red Maiden cried, her face drained of color. “The White Lotus rabble has completely collapsed, the so-called Holy Mother has betrayed us, and there are far more government troops than we thought—at least five thousand, front and rear!”
Li Yan said grimly, “There’s no use discussing this now. We must find a way to break out.”
Red Maiden replied, “There are government troops ahead and behind, and we can’t cross the canal on the right. Our only option is to break out to the left!”
Li Yan shook his head. “If the government planned this trap so carefully, they won’t have left such a glaring weakness. There are surely ambushers to the left; we’d be marching right into their hands.”
“Then what do we do?” Red Maiden asked.
Li Yan gritted his teeth. “There’s no other choice—we must break out toward the canal. It’s not wide, and our men can swim across.”
“Then let’s try the canal!” Red Maiden declared without hesitation.
At Li Yan’s command, the three thousand vagrant soldiers turned south toward the canal, with Huang Degong, Chang Yanling, and Li Zushu’s combined forces in pursuit. Just as the vagrants reached the canal bank and prepared to swim across, Wang Pu’s naval fleet doubled back, cutting them off.
Li Yan, renowned for his caution and cunning, was rarely deceived, but this time his intelligence worked against him. The three thousand vagrants were encircled at the canal, nearly annihilated. Only a handful of mounted bodyguards managed to escort Li Yan and Red Maiden through the encirclement, fleeing back to Jining in disarray.
Wang Pu acted decisively, leading his troops along both banks of the canal to attack Jining.
With the White Lotus rebels having thrown everything into the field for a chance at Wang Pu’s immense fortune, Jining was left almost empty, inhabited only by the old, young, women, and children. The government troops captured the city with ease. Standing at the city gate, Magistrate Huang Xiyong was moved to tears—Jining was recovered, and his own head was safe.
“General!” Huang Xiyong knelt before Wang Pu, weeping. “Thank you for saving my life!”
“Please rise, Magistrate,” Wang Pu said, uncomfortable with such displays, and hurriedly helped him up. “You needn’t thank me. Reclaiming lost territory for the court is our duty as military men.”
“No matter what you say, General, you have saved my life. From this day forth, you are as a father to me,” Huang Xiyong insisted.
Wang Pu smiled faintly. “You flatter me, Magistrate. Send a report to the capital at once—inform them that I have recaptured Jining and struck a heavy blow against the White Lotus rebels!”
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The Forbidden City, Palace of Heavenly Purity.
The Chongzhen Emperor was reviewing memorials when Minister of War Chen Xinjia hurried into the hall, visibly flustered, and knelt. “Your Majesty, an urgent report from Shandong.”
“Shandong?” the Emperor frowned. “Bring it here!”
Chen Xinjia shuffled forward, handing the dispatch to Chief Eunuch Wang Cheng’en, who presented it to the emperor. The Emperor scanned the lines, and his face darkened. “Jining has fallen? This is intolerable! With Jining lost, the transport of southern grain to the north will be cut off. The people of the capital and the border garrisons will face famine!”
“Your Majesty,” Chen Xinjia stammered, “I have already begun redeploying troops from the border garrisons, aiming to quell the Shandong rebellion and reopen the grain route within three months.”
“And what of Liu Zeqing?” the Emperor thundered. “How does the Commander of Shandong allow a band of rabble to seize Jining? If grain from the south does not arrive on time, and the capital faces famine or mutiny among the border troops, I will hold him solely responsible!”
Chen Xinjia trembled. “Your Majesty, the White Lotus cult is powerful, and Commander Liu was defeated in his first engagement. He is now gathering troops from Qingzhou, Dengzhou, and Laizhou to retake Jining.”
The Emperor suddenly remembered something. “Minister Chen, is General Wang not about to reach Jining?”
“Ah!” Chen Xinjia’s face lost all color. “Judging by the schedule, he should be arriving soon.”
The Emperor barked, “Wang Cheng’en!”
Wang Cheng’en hurried forward. “At your service, Your Majesty.”
“Draft an edict at once: Liu Zeqing is to dispatch troops to support General Wang. Should any harm befall General Wang in Shandong, I will exterminate his entire clan!”
“By your command.” Wang Cheng’en bowed. “I will prepare the edict immediately.”
Still uneasy, the Emperor turned back to Chen Xinjia. “Minister Chen, send the Capital Garrison to Shandong to provide reinforcements at once.”
“I obey, Your Majesty.”
Chen Xinjia wiped the cold sweat from his brow with his sleeve and departed to carry out the orders.