Chapter Seventy-Nine: Wang Pu Takes the Field

“Prince Consort,” Zhang Zi’an looked at Wang Pu with a puzzled gaze and asked, “Does Master Zhen keep his word?”

The condition seemed far too easy for Zhang Zi’an. He carefully reviewed everything Zhen Youcai and Wang Pu had said, summed it up, and realized that all the difficulties landed on Wang Pu’s shoulders, while all the benefits fell to him, Zhang Zi’an. Wang Pu’s only demand was those three thousand veteran soldiers! This was enough to make Zhang Zi’an suspicious.

In the late Ming, it was common for regional military commanders to privately maintain their own troops; any general would have over a thousand personal retainers. Zhang Zi’an never thought to associate the three thousand men with any disloyal intentions from Wang Pu. Even if Wang Pu did intend to rebel, three thousand personal soldiers would be far from enough.

Though Datong would lose three thousand troops for no apparent reason, it was not a serious problem. The Ming Empire was vast, with a population in the hundreds of millions; as long as there was pay and provisions, what difficulty could there be in recruiting more soldiers?

As for whether this Ming army’s proactive attack would succeed as easily as Zhen Youcai predicted, Zhang Zi’an hadn’t even considered it. In his subconscious, if Wang Pu dared to venture to Liaodong and managed to capture Shengjing, then leading troops against a small Mongol Tumet tribe would be a simple matter.

Wang Pu smiled. “What Master Zhen means is what I mean as well.”

Zhang Zi’an could not wait. “Prince Consort, let’s settle it as such.”

Wang Pu rose to his full height and declared loudly, “It is settled.”

Zhen Youcai added, “Eunuch Zhang, there’s one thing I must remind you.”

“Please, do tell,” Zhang Zi’an replied.

Zhen Youcai said, “It’s impossible to keep the mutiny among the border troops a secret. Whether to the court, His Majesty, or the mutinous soldiers below, you must have an explanation.”

“Thank you for your reminder,” Zhang Zi’an replied. In truth, even without Zhen’s words, Zhang Zi’an had already realized it. He might not excel in other matters, but he was an expert at finding scapegoats. A border army mutiny was not a trivial affair, and covering it up was impossible. The only course was to find a scapegoat to exonerate himself. That way, there would be an explanation for the court and also for the soldiers.

Northern outskirts of Datong, Border Army Camp.

The mutinous soldiers had waited outside the general’s residence until dawn, but Zhao Santai, the deputy general, never appeared. Not a single deputy, assistant general, or vanguard commander of Datong showed themselves; all had hidden away.

In the main tent, Tang Sheng spoke to Zhao Xin and a dozen company and platoon leaders: “Since Zhao Santai has turned coward and dares not return, we can’t just wait here forever. If he won’t take charge, then let’s go see Eunuch Zhang.”

“That’s right, we’ll go see Eunuch Zhang!”

“Let’s surround Datong city with our troops first!”

“If they keep hiding and refuse to appear, we’ll storm the city!”

“Brother Zhao!” Tang Sheng turned to glare at Zhao Xin and demanded, “What do you mean by that?”

Zhao Xin looked around at everyone and said gravely, “If we actually surround Datong, have you considered the consequences? That would be rebellion!”

“So be it!” Tang Sheng retorted fiercely. “At worst, we’ll lose our heads. If we don’t rebel, we’ll starve or freeze to death anyway. Either way, we’re dead. At least in rebellion we might die with full bellies!”

“Enough nonsense,” Zhao Xin snapped. “We’re imperial soldiers!”

“To hell with imperial soldiers,” Tang Sheng replied angrily. “It’s been almost half a year without pay. The court abandoned us long ago!”

As the quarrel intensified, a thunderous cheer erupted outside the tent. Several old veterans burst in, shouting, “Leaders, the General has returned! The General is back!”

Zhao Xin frowned, “Which general?”

“Of course, General Wang!” Tang Sheng yelled. “Who else in Datong is worthy of being called General but Commander Wang?”

With that, Tang Sheng had already rushed out like a whirlwind. Zhao Xin and the rest followed, heading for the camp gate, which was already packed with mutinous soldiers, some even climbing onto the gate and fences, waving their arms and cheering hysterically.

Many among these soldiers had only been transferred to reinforce Datong after the Battle of Songshan, coming from Huguang, Guizhou, and Sichuan; they barely knew Wang Pu’s name, having heard of him for just two months. Yet this did not hinder their adoration of Wang Pu. His heroic feats had spread across the land, and he was a true hero.

The Ming army had fought the Manchu Banner troops for decades—decades of battles, with the border garrisons fighting to the death, and reinforcements from all over being sent to the Liaodong front, only to suffer defeat after defeat. The Manchu Eight Banners cavalry was a massive, crushing weight on the hearts of the Ming soldiers.

Officers turned pale at the mention of the Manchus; soldiers lost their courage at their name.

But here was a man who dared to go against the trend, leading a thousand men to destroy the Manchu lair and even capture their leader alive, scoring an unprecedented victory that finally removed the crushing stone from the Ming soldiers’ chests. If you were not a Ming soldier, if you had not experienced those nightmarish decades fighting the Manchus, you could never understand the fervent, almost hysterical adoration they had for Wang Pu.

This is what they mean when they say the times make the hero.

Even Wang Pu had not expected such a feverish welcome.

Through the wild crowd, Zhao Xin, Tang Sheng, and a dozen other officers pressed forward, dropping to one knee before Wang Pu’s horse and saluting. “General!”

Wang Pu dismounted and spoke gravely, “Rise. We’ll speak in the tent.”

“Yes, sir.”

Zhao Xin, Tang Sheng, and the others followed Wang Pu into the general’s residence.

To reassure the mutinous soldiers, Wang Pu had donned the armor of the Datong Commander, appearing fierce and formidable, yet familiar and comforting to the officers.

Wang Pu suddenly stopped, turned sharply, and barked, “Why did you lead the unrest?”

Tang Sheng replied loudly, “General, we didn’t want to cause trouble, but we have no way to live!”

Zhao Xin added mournfully, “It’s been over half a year since the court sent pay. In camp we can barely manage two thin meals a day, but our families have nothing but bark and wild herbs to eat! The families of the fallen have it even worse; they can’t even find enough bark or herbs. In this freezing winter, they huddle over ice pits at night!”

Tang Sheng beat his chest and exclaimed, “General, our demands are not excessive. We risk our lives in battle; the court should at least let our families have two full meals a day! Should they have to freeze to death in winter without even money for firewood?”

Wang Pu asked sternly, “Is it only because of the back pay?”

Tang Sheng shouted, “If we weren’t truly desperate, none of us would dare defy our superiors like this.”

Wang Pu spoke loudly, “Let me be clear. Right now, the court is fighting both the Manchus and the rebels. The treasury is empty, and funds are tight. It’s true that pay has been delayed, but His Majesty specifically drew silver from the inner treasury for the border troops to buy rice and fuel for the winter.”

Tang Sheng protested, “But General, we never saw any silver!”

Wang Pu answered, “Because Zhao Santai and his lot embezzled it. Eunuch Zhang is investigating. Furthermore, I have prepared one hundred thousand taels of silver for you.”

“General,” Tang Sheng said hastily, “we can’t spend your money.”

Zhao Xin agreed, “Yes. How could the General make up the court’s back pay? Besides, if Eunuch Zhang uncovers Zhao Santai’s embezzlement, that silver can be used for pay.”

Wang Pu shook his head. “The silver Zhao Santai stole was from the inner treasury—a criminal case. By law, his property will be confiscated and returned to the Imperial Household. That silver won’t be used for your pay. The one hundred thousand taels I brought are not for back pay, but for the families of the fallen, to help them survive this harsh winter.”

Zhao Xin, Tang Sheng, and the others exchanged glances, momentarily speechless.

“Are you dissatisfied?” Wang Pu asked sternly. “Why should the families of the fallen receive compensation while you go without pay?”

“No, not at all,” Zhao Xin quickly replied, waving his hands. “General, this is fair. The families of the fallen are in the worst plight: they’ve lost their breadwinner, have no source of income, and depend on this compensation to survive. The silver should go to them first.”

“We who survive will never compete for food with those who died!” Tang Sheng declared. “You may rest assured, General; we have that much honor.”

“Good! Those are the words of real men!” Wang Pu thundered. “The living should not fight the dead for food, but neither should the living sit and wait for death.”

Tang Sheng demanded loudly, “General, just tell us what to do!”

Wang Pu said, “The living cannot let themselves die of thirst. You cannot count on Zhao Santai’s dirty silver, nor on the state or Datong treasuries—there’s not a tael left for your pay. No one can help you now; you must rely on yourselves. I know of a place where there is plenty of silver. Do you dare to seize it?”

Tang Sheng roared, “A man dies but once—what is there to fear?”

Zhao Xin shouted as well, “If you lead us, General, we’ll march to Liaodong again if need be!”

“Yes, just give the order.”

“We’ll all follow the General.”

The other officers all echoed their agreement.

“Good!” Wang Pu exclaimed. “You are all men without fear—true heroes! Zhao Xin, go explain the truth to the men, then take a detachment to the Wang family estate and collect the one hundred thousand taels for the fallen soldiers’ families. Tang Sheng, pick three thousand veteran soldiers from the ranks—men as fearless as yourself!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Yes, sir!”

Zhao Xin and Tang Sheng responded thunderously and went to carry out their orders.

It was not until dawn that Zhang Zi’an returned to his residence.

Zhao Santai, who had hidden in Zhang’s mansion all night without sleep, hurried to meet him as soon as Zhang returned, grinning obsequiously, “Eunuch, how did it go?”

Zhang Zi’an took the ginseng soup from a young attendant, sipped it, and countered, “What do you think?”

Zhao Santai asked uneasily, “Did Wang Pu agree to help?”

“He did,” Zhang Zi’an replied coldly. “He’s probably at the northern camp by now.”

“And the silver…?”

“He agreed as well,” Zhang Zi’an’s tone was even colder. “A loan of a hundred thousand taels.”

Zhao Santai let out a sigh of relief and whispered, “At least we have the silver now. But I wonder if Wang Pu can truly pacify those mutinous troops?”

Zhang Zi’an turned coldly and shot Zhao Santai a frosty look. “What do you think?”

Startled, Zhao Santai stammered, “He certainly can—of course he can.”

“Of course the Prince Consort can pacify the mutinous troops,” Zhang Zi’an said with chilling softness. “But since this has happened, it cannot be concealed. His Majesty allocated silver directly from the inner treasury, yet the border troops in Datong never received it. There must be an explanation for His Majesty and for the soldiers.”

Zhao Santai’s expression stiffened. “What do you mean, Eunuch?”

“I have it all prepared for you,” Zhang Zi’an said as he produced a small bottle from his robe, his voice icy. “Deputy General Zhao, just drink this, and I can give His Majesty an explanation, and the soldiers as well. As for your family… they will be well looked after.”

Zhao Santai recoiled as if struck by lightning. “Eunuch, you…”

Zhang Zi’an set the bottle gently on the table and said coldly, “Think carefully, Deputy General.”

With that, Zhang Zi’an strode out, ignoring Zhao Santai, who stood frozen, then suddenly staggered and collapsed limply onto the icy floor.