Chapter 130: Harvest, Summons from the Garrison Commander

After those Manchu soldiers of the *jiala* fled, Wang Dou hurried to inspect the people and valuables they had left behind.

Before his eyes, carts and common folk stretched densely as far as he could see, and among them were multitudes of cattle, sheep, mules, horses, grain, rice, bolts of silk, and other goods. The sight made Wang Dou and his men beam with delight — this time they had truly struck it rich.

Those captured commoners huddled to one side. Every one of them was in tattered rags, gaunt and emaciated. As they looked upon the Ming soldiers before them, their faces showed fear, shock, and joy all at once — joy that they had been rescued, and shock that they had never seen Ming troops like these, who could frighten off those Tartar soldiers merely by forming up a battle array.

It would have been understandable if there had been tens of thousands of Ming troops, but this Ming force numbered no more than a thousand men, yet they had scared off an equal number of Tartar soldiers — truly the sun had risen from the west. They had no idea where this royal army had come from, to be so formidable.

Seeing that Wang Dou appeared to be the leader, they all came over, knelt, and paid him homage, a dark mass of people kneeling across the ground: "Many thanks to the General for saving our lives — this great kindness and great virtue we shall never forget as long as our teeth last."

A few bolder commoners asked Wang Dou's name: "May we presume to ask the General's exalted name? When we return home, we shall surely set up longevity tablets for the General, praying that the General may live a hundred years and be ennobled as a high marquis for ten thousand generations!"

Han Zhong, standing beside Wang Dou, rushed to answer: "This is our Defense Commander, His Lordship Wang. We are all officers and soldiers of Shunxiang Fort in Bao'an Department. When we heard you had been taken by the Tartars, His Lordship led us here to rescue you."

A chorus of exclamations arose. No one had imagined that these Ming troops before them were merely the garrison soldiers of a small fort in Bao'an Department, yet they had been able to frighten off over a thousand Tartar soldiers — it was utterly inconceivable. A buzz of astonished discussion spread among the commoners.

Han Zhong declared loudly: "Our Lord is fierce and invincible. When five thousand men under a Tartar Beile besieged our Shunxiang Fort, our Lord beat them until they fled clutching their heads. These very Tartar soldiers, over a thousand of them, are the remnant force that suffered defeat beneath our fort. When they saw our Lord advancing, they feared the mighty name of our great army and naturally retreated in terror."

The commoners found it even more inconceivable. They discussed it among themselves in astonishment, gazing at Wang Dou and those tall, fierce Ming soldiers with expressions of awe.

Once more they knelt and paid homage to Wang Dou: "His Lordship is so benevolent and righteous, daring to brave extraordinary danger to come rescue us. We humble folk are grateful beyond words."

Wang Dou stepped forward a few paces, personally helped several of them to their feet, and said gently: "Fellow countrymen, no need for such ceremony. As officers and soldiers of the Great Ming, when we see the common people suffering, how could we not lend a hand? Whether you are soldiers and civilians of Bao'an Department or Huailai Guard, you are all subjects of our Great Ming. I, Wang Dou, have deeply received the state's grace; when the people are in distress, I will certainly not stand by with folded arms!"

His words drew a further wave of praise. Beside him, Han Zhong, Wen Fangliang, and the others swelled with pride, all feeling that Wang Dou's words carried real weight and brought honor to their faces. The Shunxiang Fort soldiers around them likewise held their heads high and puffed out their chests, taking it as a great honor.

Seeing these spirited Great Ming soldiers, many of the women among the captured commoners cast glances their way. Noticing the women's eyes upon them, the Shunxiang Fort soldiers straightened their backs even more rigidly, fully displaying a manly bearing of martial valor.

After soothing the commoners, Wang Dou ordered the Shunxiang Fort soldiers to bring out their dry rations and drinking water and distribute them to those captured folk, which set their minds further at ease as they wolfed the food down. In the late Ming, military discipline had collapsed, and the conduct of many officers and soldiers chilled hearts and bred fear. Though they had been rescued, the commoners' hearts were still full of anxiety, worried that they had just escaped the tiger's jaws only to enter a wolf's den.

Only after witnessing the conduct of Wang Dou and his men did they truly set their hearts at rest. This Ming force was not only brave and fearless; more importantly, their military discipline was strict and clear — truly like the legendary armies of Yue Fei and Qi Jiguang, a righteous host.

Wang Dou instructed the three picket officers — Zhong Diaoyang, Han Zhong, and Wen Fangliang — to maintain vigilance. Han Chao, together with the Garrison Provost Chi Dacheng and others, swiftly inventoried the people and valuables seized this time. At the same time, Wang Dou summoned several men who appeared to be village elders from among the commoners and questioned them about the origins of these people.

According to what they said, the captured commoners came from a mix of sources. There were military household commoners from places along the northern route of the Xuanfu Branch Patrol Circuit — Dushikou, Longmen Guard, Chicheng Fort, Diao'e Fort, Chang'an Ridge, and so on — as well as military household commoners from the eastern route of the Xuanfu Garrison's Huailong Circuit — Bao'an Guard, Huailai Guard, and other places. After their respective forts and towns were breached, all the soldiers and civilians inside had been taken captive by the Qing troops. As they were being escorted along the way, captured military household commoners from various places were continuously merged into the column, and they were all gathered together at Huailai Guard, heading in the direction of Changping Department.

In their talk, they were endlessly grateful. After being captured, their fates had hung between life and death. The Qing army was brutal and cruel; along the way, apart from the beatings and curses, they were given nothing to eat or drink. People kept dying along the road — the scenes of misery were beyond description. They had heard they were to be taken all the way to the Tartar lair a thousand *li* away, and among their group, no one knew whether they would live to see the day they arrived. Fortunately, in the Wolf Mountain area of Huailai Guard, they had encountered Wang Dou's rescuing army.

Recalling those wretched days, everyone felt as if a whole lifetime had passed.

Several village elders said with grief and indignation: "If all the royal armies of the Great Ming could be like His Lordship Wang, how could the Tartars rampage through our Ming heartlands?"

"Indeed. Nowadays, officers and soldiers cling to life and fear death, dreading the enemy like tigers. Someone like His Lordship Wang is far too rare."

Several other village elders chimed in noisily as well.

Without prior agreement, they once again loudly expressed their gratitude to Wang Dou. A few of the village elders were local residents of Huailai Guard and Bao'an Guard. After profusely thanking him, they asked Wang Dou whether they could return home.

Wang Dou glanced at Han Zhong, Wen Fangliang, and Zhong Diaoyang beside him. Wen Fangliang understood and spoke up: "Respected elders, tens of thousands of Tartar soldiers are still rampaging across the lands of the Great Ming. If you return home and the Tartar soldiers come again, what then? If you wish to go back now, you must think it through clearly."

Those village elders looked at one another. Indeed. They had heard that the Tartar soldiers were plundering everywhere at present. If they went back and the Tartar soldiers came again, what would they do?

Wen Fangliang declared loudly: "Why not come with us first to Shunxiang Fort? Our Shunxiang Fort is as solid as a boulder — even several thousand Tartar soldiers could not take it. As everyone has seen, our Lord's mighty name spreads far and wide. The moment our great army arrived, without expending a single spear or bullet, we sent those Tartars fleeing! Once you reach our Shunxiang Fort, whatever else may be said, your lives will at least be free from peril."

Those village elders turned the thought over in their minds: "That is also true. The Ming troops before us are so formidable — going with them to Shunxiang Fort would at least guarantee safety. As for when to return home, that can be decided later."

…

Wen Fangliang and Han Zhong vigorously preached the advantages of Shunxiang Fort to those captured commoners. At that moment, Han Chao and the Garrison Provost Chi Dacheng came over. Their several hundred men had already roughly inventoried the people and valuables seized this time.

They drew Wang Dou aside. Surrounded by Han Zhong and the others, Chi Dacheng reported to Wang Dou: "My Lord, the seized people and valuables have been tallied. In total, there are five thousand four hundred and thirty-eight persons; two thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven *dan* of grain and wheat; three hundred and sixty-six head of cattle; nine hundred and seventy-five sheep; three hundred and twenty-three mules and horses. There are over three hundred and fifty taels of gold, over four thousand eight hundred and seventy taels of silver, and over one hundred and seventy bolts of silk."

For all of Chi Dacheng's rigid and steady nature, his voice trembled continuously as he reported these figures to Wang Dou. Han Zhong and the others beside him sucked in their breath, every one of them grinning from ear to ear, their faces filled with barely containable delight. This time's harvest was truly... huge, far too huge.

Wang Dou suddenly burst into loud laughter. The men around him could hold back no longer and laughed along with him. Even Chi Dacheng beamed, his face blooming like a flower.

Han Zhong's grin was crooked with mirth. He rubbed his hands together and said repeatedly: "Damn it all, as expected, going out to plunder really does get you more. Pity we can only plunder this once."

Wen Fangliang threw an arm around Han Zhong's shoulder and laughed: "Brother Han, I, Old Wen, admit I'm greedy, but hearing this much loot even I'm scared. I never imagined your heart would be greedier than mine."

Everyone around laughed. This harvest was indeed extremely rich. Relying on the hard farming of Shunxiang Fort, even years of accumulation could not match the speed of this single plundering. Wang Dou, however, naturally had no intention of letting himself become a roving bandit. The management of his own territory could not be slackened. The reason those rebels in the late Ming were not on the same level as the late Yuan heroes like Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang was precisely their roving-bandit mentality.

Roving bandits would never amount to anything great, even in ten thousand years. Wang Dou had to keep their lessons and experiences firmly in mind.

Once everyone's expressions had settled to a slightly more presentable state, Chi Dacheng further reported to Wang Dou: "Our army also took eighteen heads, and captured thirty-six sets of armor and sixty-seven swords, spears, and other weapons."

The Qing soldiers' Barchu and others had been killed before the battle line. Their heads were cut off, their armor stripped, their swords, spears, and other weapons collected. As for the horses that had been killed, the harnesses and equipment on them were all taken, and the meat of those dead horses was also entirely cut away — that meat could still be eaten. Making use of everything usable was now a glorious tradition of the Shunxiang army.

Hearing this head count, the officers beside Wang Dou were not so stirred, for the Shunxiang Fort soldiers had already taken plenty of heads these past days. These heads were merely the icing on the cake, though having some was always better than having none.

Wang Dou looked around. Whether Shunxiang Fort soldiers or the rescued commoners, every single person was beside themselves with joy. The soldiers' brows were alight with delight, naturally because this seizure was extremely heavy — when the rewards were distributed after they returned, every man's purse would be bulging. And the commoners were happy because they had been rescued and delivered from a sea of bitterness.

Wang Dou shouted: "Brothers, we return to the fort."

A wave of cheers.

…

On the journey back, Wang Dou had Zhong Diaoyang lead one picket of soldiers to urge those commoners to quicken their pace, and also had them push the carts and drive the cattle, sheep, mules, horses, and other goods forward. He himself led three pickets of soldiers, maintaining vigilance along the route against any Qing troops that might pursue.

But the journey was uneventful; no Qing troops were seen in pursuit. Along the way back, those Ming soldiers still cowered inside their forts, and not a single man was seen emerging from any fort.

The road from Huailai Guard to Bao'an Department was level, and since it was summer without rain, the path was easy to travel. The grain and rice were transported by cart, so the return journey was swift. The reason those commoners had been unable to walk fast before was that the Qing troops were cruel and stingy, refusing to give them food or drink, leaving them weak and strengthless — naturally they could not walk fast.

Wang Dou, of course, would not act that way. Every day he let them eat and drink their fill. Moreover, with everyone's hearts urgent to reach the safety of Shunxiang Fort as soon as possible, the pace of the entire column greatly quickened. On the road back, the Shunxiang Fort soldiers also continuously preached the various advantages of Shunxiang Fort to those commoners, stirring the hearts of many. Even before reaching Shunxiang Fort, many had already made up their minds to stay there.

Three days later, Wang Dou led the more than five thousand captured commoners back to Shunxiang Fort, along with all that grain, rice, cattle, sheep, money, and other goods, all safely transported and delivered.

Seeing Wang Dou and his men return safely, and bringing back such a multitude of people and valuables, the soldiers and civilians inside the fort were overjoyed. They poured out of the fort to welcome Wang Dou and his men, and inside and outside the fort, there was jubilation everywhere.

…

The twenty-fifth day of the seventh month of the ninth year of the Chongzhen reign.

Two days after Wang Dou returned to the fort, Yang Dongmin, the personal servant of the Drill Officer Xu Zucheng, came to Shunxiang Fort once again. The moment he saw Wang Dou, he laughed and said: "Brother Wang, great joy, great joy! Yesterday the victory dispatch reached the guard city, and Garrison Commander Li Yi'an urgently sent word, naming you specifically to see him."

As he spoke these words, the envy in his eyes could not be concealed no matter how hard he tried.