Chapter Sixty-Five: Futuyu

That afternoon, Wang Pu prepared to set out for Datong; he had long since grown weary of Beijing.

Outside the Guangqu Gate, Wang Pu was bidding a fond farewell to Chang Yanling and Li Zushu.

“Elder brother,” Chang Yanling said with some reluctance, “who knows when we’ll meet again after today’s parting?”

Li Zushu added, “Elder brother, why don’t we go to Datong with you?”

“Nonsense,” Wang Pu replied with a smile. “What would you both do in Datong with me?”

Li Zushu said, “Why, to fight the Jianzhou Jurchens, of course.”

“That’s unnecessary,” Wang Pu responded. “Sending you two to fight the Jianzhou Jurchens would be a terrible waste of talent.”

Li Zushu flushed with embarrassment. “Elder brother, you’re making fun of me again.”

Wang Pu smiled faintly and suddenly turned around, waving his hand. “Bring the boxes up here.”

At his command, Xiao Qi led the household retainers forward, carrying two large chests. They set them down in a row before Chang Yanling and Li Zushu. Chang Yanling looked at him in surprise. “Elder brother, what is this?”

“You both escorted me from Jinshanwei to the capital, enduring much hardship by land and water. In Jining, you even lost several hundred soldiers,” Wang Pu said, pausing before continuing. “Inside these chests are two hundred thousand taels of silver, as compensation for the Jinyiwei’s service and as condolence money for the fallen.”

Li Zushu protested anxiously. “Elder brother, we cannot accept this.”

Wang Pu continued, “There are also some jewels and ornaments as personal tokens of my gratitude. I insist you accept them.”

“This absolutely won’t do,” Chang Yanling also declined. “Escorting you to the capital was a duty to the court. The families of the fallen will receive compensation from the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing. How could we take your silver? And besides, your silver was wrested from the Jianzhou Jurchens at the cost of our brothers’ lives. We really can't accept it.”

“You must take it,” Wang Pu said in a tone that brooked no refusal. “Not a single coin of the men’s hard-earned pay has been touched. All of this is my personal gift to you, my brothers. If you refuse, it means you don’t acknowledge me as your elder brother and wish no further bond with me.”

“Well…” Chang Yanling and Li Zushu exchanged wry smiles. “In that case, it seems we have no choice but to accept.”

Wang Pu smiled. “If you feel uneasy, then in the future, should I ever take office in Jiangnan, just lend me a hand when you can.”

“That goes without saying!” Li Zushu exclaimed. “If you really come to Jiangnan, just say the word. No matter how great the matter, I can settle it for you. Heh, in the capital my word means little, but in Jiangnan, among my own turf, Brother Chang and I can still make things happen.”

Wang Pu clasped his fists in farewell. “Then let us part ways here.”

Chang Yanling and Li Zushu returned the gesture. “Take care, elder brother.”

Watching Chang Yanling and Li Zushu lead their troops away, Wang Pu took one last look at the majestic silhouette of Beijing. In his heart, he thought, “Once the hundred days are up, I will never return to the capital. But one day, I will come back—when no one can decide my fate but myself. Something like this will never happen to me again…”

Turning, Wang Pu waved his hand and shouted, “Brothers, let’s move out!”

■■■

The journey passed without incident. After a few days, Wang Pu and his party of over two hundred reached Wuhu Ridge, at the border of Shuntian Prefecture and Datong Prefecture.

Though Wang Pu was the General of Datong, this was actually his first time there, since the real Wang Pu had already perished in western Liaoning. The current Wang Pu was, in fact, Wang Pu, a man from another world who had taken his place. Fortunately, among his retainers was the simple-minded A Mu, from whom he could glean much information about the original Wang Pu, thus avoiding any major blunders.

At this point, it is necessary to say a word about Datong Garrison.

After Emperor Yongle moved the capital to Beijing, he established nine border garrisons: Liaodong, Xuanfu, Datong, Jizhou, Yansui, Ningxia, Gansu, Shanxi, and Guyuan. Datong was one of these nine vital defenses. Each garrison was heavily fortified. At the height of the Wanli era, the nine garrisons together fielded a regular army of some six hundred thousand elite soldiers, all seasoned and battle-hardened.

By the end of the Wanli reign, the Jianzhou Jurchens of Liaodong rose in rebellion, waging relentless war against the Ming. Not long after, roving bandits from Shanxi and Shaanxi plagued the Central Plains. The Ming court had no choice but to redeploy its border troops to fight on two fronts. By the end of the Chongzhen reign, the once-formidable tens of thousands of border troops were all but gone.

The recent Battle of Songshan had destroyed what little remained of the Ming Empire’s elite border forces.

By the fourteenth year of Chongzhen’s reign, in the tenth lunar month, just before Wang Pu’s return to Datong, the empire’s grip over the Central Plains was already hanging by a thread. On one hand, the situation in Liaodong remained dire, despite Wang Pu’s daring raid. On the other, the armies of the rebel leaders Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Luo Rucai grew ever more powerful in the heartland.

To suppress these rebels, the court was forced to draw troops from every region. Yet soldiers needed pay and provisions, which the court could not supply. What then? The generals had no choice but to allow their men to loot. The common people of the Central Plains, ravaged by the government troops, had nowhere left to turn and so joined the rebels in desperation.

Thus a vicious cycle emerged: the more the government suppressed the rebels, the weaker it became, while the rebel numbers only swelled.

Since the thirteenth year of Chongzhen’s reign, government troops pursuing bandits in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Huguang, and Shandong had begun to openly plunder. In contrast, Li Zicheng’s forces grew ever more disciplined. The people of the Central Plains came to hate the imperial troops and began to support the “King of the Uprising” instead.

“Open the gates and welcome the King of the Uprising; when he comes, we pay no taxes”—so the folk song went, spreading quickly across the land.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Central Plains had utterly collapsed. Local governments had ceased to function. The imperial troops looked more like bandits, while the rebels seemed more like an official army. North of the Yangtze, the court’s writ extended only as far as the capital and the nine border garrisons.

However, even these garrisons were under dire threat.

They had to repel incursions from the Jianzhou Jurchens and Mongol horsemen, suppress bandits and thieves within, and block the advance of large rebel bands. With the court constantly siphoning off troops, most border garrisons were left dangerously undermanned.

As a man from another world and an enthusiast of history, Wang Pu understood the situation of the Ming Empire all too well. He knew one thing for certain: there was no future in holding out in Datong.

The Jianzhou Jurchens and Mongols remained unscathed, while the rebel armies of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong had grown formidable. Datong was caught between the Mongols and the rebels, and still subject to the court’s interference—a perilous situation indeed.

Yet for now, Wang Pu had nowhere else to go. He could only return to Datong.

Lost in thought, Wang Pu was approached by Zhen Youcai, who rode up and asked, “General, what is this rugged mountain ahead?”

Wang Pu turned to Xiao Qi, who quickly answered, “Master Zhen, the mountain ahead is called Wuhui Mountain, also known as Wuhu Ridge. Its terrain is treacherous, and there’s only one winding path up to the main peak—hence the name Wuhui, or ‘Five Turns’ Mountain. At the foot of the ridge lies Futuyu Pass, guarded by a hundred-man garrison. This is the only route from the capital to Datong.”

Wang Pu looked up at the gray, overcast sky ahead and ordered, “Pass the word: have the men pick up the pace. We must reach Futuyu Pass before nightfall.”

“Yes, sir,” Xiao Qi answered, spurring his horse and galloping away.