Chapter Sixty-Nine: Girding for Battle

In the blink of an eye, Wang Pu had already been back in Datong for three days. Night had fallen, and Chen Yuanyuan, together with Nenniang, was attending Wang Pu, preparing a hot foot bath for him. Nenniang’s mother had passed away early, and now her father had also perished in battle, leaving her orphaned and without kin back in her hometown. Seeing her pitiful state, and needing a maid herself, Chen Yuanyuan decided to keep Nenniang by her side. Naturally, Wang Pu had no objection to her decision.

As Wang Pu was savoring the foot massage given by Chen Yuanyuan and Nenniang, Xiao Qi and Zhen Youcai suddenly arrived together. Sensing they must have important business to discuss, Chen Yuanyuan quickly dried Wang Pu’s feet and took the basin into the inner room, while Wang Pu beckoned Zhen Youcai and Xiao Qi to take a seat on the brick bed.

Zhen Youcai sat cross-legged on the bed, while Xiao Qi stood behind Wang Pu.

Wang Pu asked, “Is there news?”

Xiao Qi replied, “I’ve been keeping watch at the slaughterhouse outside the east gate these days, just as Mr. Zhen instructed. Yesterday afternoon, indeed, more than a dozen wounded horses were brought in. I slipped in when no one was looking and found these horses had all been gravely injured by iron shot from firearms, beyond recovery, so they were sent to be slaughtered.”

Wang Pu tapped his knee. “Did you find out where these horses came from?”

“I did,” Xiao Qi answered. “They were transported from the Kaolao Mountain area.”

Zhen Youcai said, “I can say for certain: these bandits are horse herders from around Kaolao Mountain.”

“General,” Xiao Qi asked, “shall I gather men and go to Kaolao Mountain at once?”

“No rush,” Wang Pu motioned for patience. “This is not urgent. Winning over these bandits won’t happen overnight. Let’s wait until we know their exact details before deciding. Xiao Qi, have the compensation funds for our fallen brothers been distributed?”

“All accounted for,” Xiao Qi said, his tone turning somber. “We took 1,107 brothers to Liaodong; only 267 returned alive to Datong. The other 838 all died in battle. As you ordered, I’ve given five hundred taels of silver to each fallen brother’s family, totaling 409,000 taels.”

Wang Pu asked, “Why is there still a sum unaccounted for?”

“It’s all been given out,” Xiao Qi replied.

“No,” Wang Pu insisted. “Back in Shengjing, before Big Beard led fifty men out of the city, I promised: if they returned alive to Ming, each would get a reward of 1,000 taels; if they died, their families would get 2,000 taels each. Now that all have died, their families are due an additional 2,000 taels each.”

Xiao Qi replied respectfully, “I’ll make up the remainder at once.”

“Do it now,” Wang Pu ordered. “Deliver the silver to the village tonight.”

“Yes, sir,” Xiao Qi answered, taking his leave.

“Mr. Zhen,” Wang Pu turned to Zhen Youcai, “apart from the bandit investigation, how goes the other matter I asked you to look into?”

“I’ve looked into it as well,” Zhen Youcai replied, stroking his goatee. “There are three official weapons forges in Datong Prefecture, all under the supervision of Chief Eunuch Zhang Zian. There are also two private forges, but they’re too small to produce any significant number of weapons in a year.”

“Zhang Zian?” Wang Pu frowned. “The chief eunuch in charge?”

Zhen Youcai whispered, “Shall I prepare a generous gift to deliver to Zhang Zian’s residence tomorrow?”

“Nonsense!” Wang Pu snapped. “This is not the capital—why should we send him silver?”

Zhen Youcai smiled bitterly, “It’s much easier to get things done with silver. If you want to build new firearms, you need Zhang Zian’s official forges. Besides, having a good relationship with him will only benefit you. The chief eunuch may not command troops or handle local affairs, but his power is immense.”

Wang Pu frowned, “Is it really necessary to give him silver?”

Zhen Youcai smiled, “Don’t worry, General. Though the money is given to Zhang Zian, it will soon return to the Wang family’s coffers.”

“How so?” Wang Pu asked.

“Once Zhang Zian has the silver, what can he do with it besides buying property? He can’t take it with him to the grave. Since you want your elder brother to sell off the Wang family’s assets, why not sell them to Zhang Zian? That way, the money finds its way back to our family vaults.”

Wang Pu thought this over and saw the logic. There were not yet the great Shanxi banks to transfer funds across the realm; Zhang Zian would have to spend the money locally, and as a native of Datong, with all his family here, he had every reason to invest in property nearby.

“Very well,” Wang Pu conceded. “Go and make preparations.”

“At once,” Zhen Youcai agreed, bowing and taking his leave.

Watching Zhen Youcai’s thin figure disappear through the doorway, Wang Pu stretched and reclined on the brick bed. Though Datong was not the ideal place to settle, he had no other choice. Here, at least, he was a former commander-in-chief, still holding some residual authority among the border troops; elsewhere, he would be just a nominal imperial son-in-law with no real power, unable to accomplish anything.

Moreover, without an imperial decree from the Chongzhen Emperor, he couldn’t go anywhere else.

Thus, Wang Pu could only strive for the best outcome in Datong. The most urgent tasks now were twofold: to recruit soldiers swiftly and form a well-trained elite force within the hundred-day mourning period, and to manufacture firearms, equipping this elite with the most advanced weaponry of the era.

Only with a loyal elite force could he secure his position and his life.

But he could not simply conscript peasants as his retainers—there was no time to turn a group of farmers into elite soldiers! Imperial spies in Mongolia and Korea had already reported back: the Jianzhou Jurchens had a new khan, the four-year-old Fulin had succeeded the throne, with Dorgon and Jirgalang as regents.

If nothing unexpected happened, next spring the Jianzhou would surely launch a retaliatory campaign against Ming.

It was easy to imagine that this would be an unprecedentedly ferocious assault. Datong, under Wang Pu’s command, would be a primary target. If he could not rapidly train a battle-ready force before the enemy arrived, his only fate would be to die on the battlefield.

Moreover, when the hundred-day mourning ended, the Chongzhen Emperor would never let him remain in Datong. What then? If Wang Pu hoped not to be summoned back to the capital, he would need both a plausible excuse and a loyal force at his command; otherwise, a mere prefect could easily escort him back to the capital in chains.

Wang Pu was pondering all this when Chen Yuanyuan came in and announced, “Husband, your elder brother is looking for you.”

“My elder brother?” Wang Pu exclaimed in surprise. “What does he want at this hour?”

“There must be something important,” Chen Yuanyuan said. “You’d better go quickly.”

“Can’t a man get any sleep around here?” Wang Pu grumbled as he sat up. He pulled Chen Yuanyuan into his arms and teased her until she was breathless and her eyes were soft with laughter. Only then did he straighten his clothes and head straight to his elder brother Wang Ju’s residence.

Wang Family Courtyard, main hall.

Wang Ju and Wang Hua had been waiting for some time. As Wang Pu entered, he greeted them, “Younger brother greets eldest and second brother.”

“That’s enough,” Wang Ju waved his hand. “Sit down, third brother.”

Wang Pu came to the kang and sat beside Wang Hua.

Wang Ju sighed, “Third brother, I called you here today because I have something to discuss.”

“Please speak, elder brother.”

“These years, Shanxi has suffered disaster after disaster, and with the chaos of war, our family’s businesses everywhere are barely holding on. Just this year we’ve lost over a hundred thousand taels. I truly have no other recourse but to ask you to lend me some silver.”

Wang Pu considered, then said, “Elder brother, I do have silver. After deducting the soldiers’ pay and compensation for the fallen, there’s at least five hundred thousand taels left. But I can’t lend it to you—I still need it to recruit soldiers and forge firearms.”

Wang Ju pleaded, “Could you spare just a hundred thousand?”

Wang Pu replied, “That’s not a problem, but I’d like to know—how will you repay it? Do you think our businesses in Shanxi can still turn a profit?”

Wang Ju was at a loss for words. “This…”

“Elder brother, if I may speak frankly?”

“Go ahead, third brother. We’re all family.”

“Take my advice: sell off all our properties in Shanxi while the situation hasn’t completely collapsed and they can fetch a good price. If you wait another two years, I fear they’ll be worthless.”