Chapter 214

When Wang Dou arrived at Changping, Lu Xiangsheng — who had been granted the Imperial Sword, held command over all relief troops of the realm, served as Minister of War, and was temporarily acting as Viceroy of Xuanda — was gazing out from the watchtower within the city.

This watchtower was the highest point in Yong'an City; it housed a bronze vessel water clock and survey markers for every part of the city, so in peacetime it could beat drums to tell the hour for the people, and in wartime one could ascend to direct and maneuver troops inside and outside the city. Therefore, after Lu Xiangsheng reached Changping, he established his viceroy headquarters inside the watchtower.

Gazing at the dense encampments of relief troops spread across the countryside, Lu Xiangsheng felt his heart swell with ambition. Over the past few days, the relief forces from Xuanfu Garrison, Datong Garrison, Shanxi Garrison, and the various Guanning garrisons that had reached Changping numbered no less than fifty thousand; together with the several tens of thousands of combat-ready troops from the capital's Three Great Battalions, if the court truly had resolve, even though the Qing army was powerful, they might not necessarily lack the strength to fight.

Yet an inexplicable anxiety always lingered in his heart. When he first arrived at Changping, he had already heard that Grand Secretary Yang Sichang and Supreme Overseer Gao Qiqian were advocating peace talks with the Qing army. Word of this had spread furiously inside and outside the capital, and everyone throughout the city was discussing it. What worried Lu Xiangsheng even more was that he had heard His Majesty was also quite inclined toward it.

As for Gao Qiqian, the Chongzhen Emperor merely used him as a loyal and obedient servant, but Yang Sichang he regarded as his own trusted minister, a man of profound statecraft. That year, after he received Yang Sichang, a single exchange of questions and answers drew from him the lament, "I regret only that I employed you so late," and he immediately appointed Yang Sichang Minister of War, granting him full authority over the campaign to encircle and suppress the peasant armies.

Deeply moved by the Emperor's trust and favor, Yang Sichang exerted himself to the utmost and devised the encirclement plan known as the "Four Regulars, Six Corners, Ten-Sided Net," which proved quite effective. Had the Qing army not invaded this time, men like Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Luo Rucai might long since have been annihilated; one could say that the several Qing invasions had saved the lives of Li Zicheng and the others.

With the encirclement of the peasant armies showing marked success, the Chongzhen Emperor prized Yang Sichang all the more, and approved every proposal he submitted. In the sixth month of this year, Yang Sichang was appointed Minister of Rites and concurrently Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, participating in confidential state affairs while still overseeing the Ministry of War. He became a chancellor-like figure who held overwhelming power in the late Ming. His hometown of Wuling already called him "Grand Secretary Yang" and "Chancellor Yang," which showed the extent of Yang Sichang's authority and influence.

This year the Qing army again invaded south in force, shaking the capital. Yang Sichang vigorously advocated peace talks and opposed a decisive battle with the Qing army. He held that the troops the Great Ming could currently field in battle were only these; if they staked everything on a single throw and were defeated, the consequences would be too dreadful to contemplate. He also said: "To repel external foes, one must first pacify the interior. Since ancient times, there has never been one who could achieve victory abroad while internal disorder remained unchecked."

He believed that although the Qing army had invaded several times, the true mortal threat remained those peasant armies. Once the peasant armies were exterminated and there was no worry of internal strife, the state could then marshal its forces and prepare for war, launch a punitive expedition against the Qing army to wipe away years of humiliation, and forever end the frontier menace. Today's endurance of humiliation and bearing of burdens was for the revenge and vindication of future years.

The Chongzhen Emperor was also quite stirred by Yang Sichang's words. The Great Ming had waged war for many years and suffered enormous losses. If they fought a decisive battle with the Qing army and were defeated, his several tens of thousands of battle-worthy troops would all fall, and it was conceivable that he would then lack the ability to suppress those peasant armies again. Yet the Great Ming had never concluded a peace negotiation in several hundred years, and he was also utterly unwilling to let the Qing army rampage so brazenly through the realm. Thus his mood these days was extremely conflicted, and he found it hard to make up his mind.

As for Lu Xiangsheng, he was a staunch advocate of war. After hearing the rumors of peace talks circulating in court and country, he was utterly furious. When he arrived at Changping in the tenth month and the Chongzhen Emperor summoned him for an audience, Lu Xiangsheng spoke with impassioned fervor, arguing that with the Eastern Slaves' great army pressing on the borders, one could only speak of war — how could one speak of peace? He was willing to lead the army in battle against the Qing men and requite the state with his death.

After hearing Lu Xiangsheng's words, the Chongzhen Emperor was quite moved. On the second day after Lu Xiangsheng returned to Changping, he sent thirty thousand taels of silver to reward the troops, of which ten thousand taels was a personal reward for him. At the same time, he also bestowed upon him one hundred imperial steeds, one thousand horses from the Court of the Imperial Stud, and five hundred iron whips.

Lu Xiangsheng was both heartened and grateful for the Emperor's rewards. Each time he received a reward, he would immediately submit a memorial of thanks, while secretly feeling ashamed in his heart, believing that he had publicized his sovereign's shortcomings and violated the rites of a subject. He distributed all the silver the Emperor had granted him among the officers and men, keeping only a little over one tael to have a silversmith fashion a silver cup as a memento.

It seemed His Majesty's determination to wage war was firm, and while Lu Xiangsheng was heartened, he was even more resolved to requite the state with his death.

Yet he was always worried that with Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian at the Emperor's side sowing confusion, His Majesty's attitude might change again. A few days earlier, he had discussed military affairs with Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian at Andingmen, and the two men's ambiguous, insinuating manner had only deepened the anxiety in his heart.

……

At that moment, Lu Xiangsheng was gazing westward from the second floor of the watchtower; beneath the eaves of that floor hung a plaque bearing the inscription "Mighty Pass of Hua and Yi."

People came and went inside the watchtower, but none of it disturbed Lu Xiangsheng's inner contemplation. He was brewing a bold plan: in a few days, he would divide the incoming relief troops into four columns and, under the cover of a moonlit night, launch a surprise assault on the enemy camp and utterly rout the Qing army.

But this plan required the cooperation and consent of Supreme Overseer Gao Qiqian. Would he approve of his plan?

Just as Lu Xiangsheng was lost in thought, he suddenly saw a body of troops surging in from the west. Though they were too far away to make out the banners and insignia of those soldiers, he could still feel an oppressive martial presence. With no alarm from the mounted scouts, and an army coming from the direction of Juyong Pass, it had to be some relief force arriving to guard the capital — but which unit was this body of troops?

A figure flashed through Lu Xiangsheng's mind. He stood even more intently at the window and watched. Very soon, that body of troops drew near the city; they halted and began to dress their ranks outside the walls. In a matter of moments, they had finished forming up and stood arrayed outside the city in several perfectly neat square formations, utterly motionless.

Lu Xiangsheng watched for a long while, and still they did not move; the several formations remained perfectly orderly. Such martial bearing and presence could be called the equal of the finest troops in the Great Ming. Although he still could not make out the appearance of their banners, Lu Xiangsheng's heart was already overjoyed — another crack force had arrived, greatly increasing his chances of victory.

He was just about to send someone to ask which army had arrived below the walls when a personal guard came upstairs and reported: "Reporting to Viceroy, Wang Dou, Mobile Corps Commander of Baoan in Xuanfu Garrison, has come in response to orders and has now arrived outside Yong'an City, awaiting the Viceroy's instructions."

Lu Xiangsheng was overjoyed. It was indeed Wang Dou. He said: "Summon General Wang at once to meet with me."

Every contingent of troops that arrived for the relief of the sovereign, Lu Xiangsheng would summon in person to encourage and console — all the more so for Wang Dou, whom he had always held in high regard. He ordered his personal general, Chen An, to go and convey the summons.

Very soon, several riders came in through the western gate, and shortly after, the heavy footfalls of boots upon the staircase rang out. Then, tall and powerfully built, clad in silvery-white iron armor and a vivid scarlet cloak, Wang Dou strode up.

He strode before Lu Xiangsheng, swept back the scarlet cloak behind him, dropped to one knee, clasped his fists, and cried in a loud voice: "Your subordinate, Mobile Corps Commander of Baoan Department in Xuanfu Garrison, Wang Dou, pays his respects to Viceroy Lord Lu. I beg the Viceroy's pardon that, being in full armor, I cannot perform the full ceremony."

His face wreathed in smiles, Lu Xiangsheng raised Wang Dou up and said: "Wang Dou, it is well that you have come. Was the journey smooth?"

Wang Dou said loudly: "I thank the Viceroy for his concern. Your subordinate's journey was smooth. I have brought three thousand five hundred relief troops; all have arrived, not one has fallen behind or is missing."

Lu Xiangsheng exclaimed in admiration: "Excellent."

For relief troops like Wang Dou's who met their deadline, after receiving the urgent transfer orders, officers feared exceeding the time limit and facing severe military punishment, so most raced ahead at full speed, rarely attending to the condition of their ranks. When three thousand men were dispatched, after a day of running, men and horses would be exhausted and already half the men would be missing; after another day of running, another half would be gone. By the time they arrived on schedule, the troops that reached the destination numbered only a few hundred, mostly the personal retainers of the subordinate commanders.

The rest of the troops would mostly trickle in only many days later. Often, when three thousand men were dispatched, in the end only a little over two thousand would assemble, the remainder vanishing without a trace. For someone like Wang Dou to arrive on schedule with his full complement was truly far, far too rare.

With a great battle looming, and to avoid shaking the army's morale, commanding officers mostly turned a blind eye to this phenomenon. Lu Xiangsheng, mindful of this entrenched malady in the army, also found it awkward to casually punish those officers; as long as the commanding general arrived, the remaining soldiers could arrive a few days later.

Precisely because of this, the value of Wang Dou arriving on schedule with his full force stood out all the more. Lu Xiangsheng looked at Wang Dou, his appreciation for him deepening, and once again offered him warm encouragement.

There were quite a few officials in the watchtower. Seeing how much favor the Viceroy bestowed upon this young Mobile Corps Commander named Wang Dou, they all exchanged astonished glances and scrutinized Wang Dou again and again.

After exchanging a few words with Lu Xiangsheng, Wang Dou asked: "Viceroy, where should your subordinate encamp?"

When Wang Dou arrived outside Yong'an City, he saw that every suitable place to camp in the vicinity was already packed full of men, let alone inside the city — hence his question.

Lu Xiangsheng said: "You are a relief troop of Xuan Garrison, so you will be under the direction of Xuan Garrison Regional Commander Yang Guozhu. I will have Chen An accompany you there."

Lu Xiangsheng's manner could be said to show Wang Dou the utmost favor. Taking his leave of Lu Xiangsheng and coming outside the city, Wang Dou saw that the several square formations his army had formed were still perfectly orderly. Even now, all the soldiers still stood motionless, letting the cold wind buffet them.

Not far from Wang Dou's formation were several military camps. Seeing the martial bearing and discipline of Wang Dou's great army, many officers and soldiers were astonished and pointed at the formation from behind their camp enclosures. And such martial bearing and presence represented the strength under Wang Dou's command; in the eyes of those with discernment, the commander of this army was a person worth befriending.

Wang Dou had only just arrived at Changping, yet already many people were inquiring and probing about his name and the story of his life.

The martial bearing and discipline of Wang Dou's army also drew unceasing praise from Chen An. Chen An commanded Lu Xiangsheng's personal battalion; although his personal martial prowess and equipment were superior to those of Wang Dou's troops, in terms of such formation and discipline, Chen An frankly admitted he was no match.

He sighed: "In years past, when Grandfather Qi was transferred to Ji Garrison and lamented that the border troops' military discipline was hopeless, he transferred three thousand Zhejiang troops over. It happened to be pouring rain, and the three thousand Zhejiang troops were arrayed in the outskirts; from dawn until sunset, they stood planted and unmoving. The border troops were utterly awed, and only then understood military orders. Brother Wang possesses the manner of Grandfather Qi in those days."

Chen An's praise was too generous. Wang Dou said: "General Chen overpraises me. How dare your subordinate compare himself with Grandfather Qi?"

The encampment area for the Xuanfu Garrison relief troops lay in the area east of Changping city. Outside the eastern gate there was a pine garden, planted entirely with pines and junipers without a single stray tree, spanning over a li in circumference. Because the Great Ming had prohibited woodcutting there for over two hundred years, the grove was exceedingly lush, and it was one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Yanping at the time.

Wang Dou led his troops along the way. This body of troops drew the attention of many, and Wang Dou also carefully observed the encampment conditions of the relief troops from the various garrisons. He had read military treatises, and the late Ming garrison troops mostly lacked proper order; not only did they each form their own separate formations, but their encampments were the same. Wherever they went, each commander chose whatever spot suited him and made his own home, with no distinction between left, right, front, or rear camp sectors, making it hard to tell which camp was which. It was also common to see friendly troops in danger across the way go unrescued, or even to see commanders abandoned in mortal peril with no one caring.

Looking at the encampments outside the city, aside from the armies of the three Xuan-Da garrisons being slightly better, indeed the various armies were encamped in a rather loose and scattered fashion. It was hard to tell which garrison or which unit an army belonged to, and even harder to figure out where a garrison commander's tent was located.

Fortunately, with Chen An leading the way, he finally found the encampment area of the Xuanfu Garrison relief troops. It was several li from the eastern gate, at a place locally called Changjin Village, not far from the pine garden, with a river and a small lake nearby — indeed an excellent place to camp.

When he reached the outside of the main camp, Wang Dou saw banners within like clouds, dense wooden palisades outside the camp, and a towering camp gate and watchtowers, all conveying an aura of armored steeds and martial might.

Not long after Wang Dou announced his arrival, he saw a large group of officers in helmets and armor come out to greet him. At their head was a middle-aged officer of powerful build, his face weathered, wearing a suit of thick iron armor with a vivid scarlet cloak behind him — it was none other than Yang Guozhu, Regional Commander of Xuanfu Garrison.