Chapter 234: The Heads Are for Viceroy Chen — I'm Leaving

Under everyone's expectant gaze, Wang Dou said flatly, "We will not come to this place again. We cannot leave these provisions for the Tatars. After we leave tomorrow, set fire to these storehouses and the entire estate — let those Tatars take the blame!"

Everyone felt a chill. The Mobile Corps Commander had always been decisive and ruthless. Though his tone was calm, the meaning behind his words made their hearts tremble.

Armor plates clanked as everyone clasped fists and accepted the order.

Han Zhong straightened up, a grin splitting his face, and shot a smug look at Wen Fangliang, who gave him a thumbs-up.

Seeing that night was falling, everyone entered the estate, and immediately the place bustled with noise and activity. The officers and soldiers had already been assigned campsites; each squad crammed into a room. They built fires and sat around them, warming themselves by the flames while drinking steaming meat broth and eating large chunks of horse meat. Every man was full of laughter and cheerful talk.

Wang Dou made a round inside the estate. Seeing that the men were eating well and in good spirits, he was quite satisfied, and then went to visit the wounded and the fallen.

About forty men had died in this battle, and over one hundred and ten were wounded. Most of the injuries were not serious and would heal after a few days' rest, but over thirty men were more severely wounded and needed proper recuperation. Since his own campaign route was uncertain, they probably could no longer follow the main army.

Wang Dou's mood grew somewhat heavy. The fallen brothers — over such a vast distance of a thousand li, their remains probably could not be transported home either. They could only be cremated on the spot. He would take their ashes and clothing back, bury them at the foot of Mount Fushan by Shunxiangbao, and have their spirit tablets enshrined in the Baozhong Shrine, to receive incense offerings year after year.

Seeing the Mobile Corps Commander leading all the officers to visit and console them, his expression sorrowful and earnest, the wounded were all deeply moved. Perhaps in other Ming armies, when a soldier died, he simply died. To have a straw mat at the moment of death and a grave mound afterward was already considered very good. After their deaths, their families could not even speak of any compensation.

But in Shunxiangbao, the spirit tablets of fallen soldiers could all be enshrined and honored in the Baozhong Shrine. Every year, superior officers would pay homage. Every year and every month, their families would receive pensions; their wives, children, and parents would be cared for. Even if they died, what was there to fear?

Wang Dou saw one wounded soldier clutching the body of a fallen comrade. He did not know whether the two were friends or brothers.

Seeing Wang Dou approach, the man struggled to rise. As Wang Dou consoled him, he wept and said, "This lowly one and Gou Sheng grew up together, as close as brothers. In the seventh and ninth years of Chongzhen, both our parents and sisters were slaughtered by the Tatars. At that time, the two of us swore to take revenge. Now that revenge is done. I killed two Tatar soldiers, and Gou Sheng killed three. Even if I die now, it's worth it. Worth it."

He burst into wild laughter, and after a long while, broke down into uncontrollable sobs.

Wang Dou nodded silently and departed quietly with the officers.

……

After visiting the wounded, Wang Dou likewise summoned Company Commander Han Zhong, Wen Fangliang, the various Squad Commanders, and the direct commanding officers of each battalion to eat in his room.

Several tables were pushed together to form one large table, upon which sat several large pots of boiling horse meat. Everyone ate and chatted, the atmosphere lively. It was a pity there was no fine wine, and Wang Dou also did not permit drinking while out on campaign. In the freezing cold, sitting indoors drinking hot soup and eating large chunks of horse meat was exceptionally comfortable.

"Comfortable. Damn comfortable."

Han Zhong wolfed down his food, stuffing chunk after chunk of horse meat into his mouth, and mumbled indistinctly, "Damn, haven't had meat in days. Baoanzhou is still the best — meat every day."

He ate until his mouth was slick with grease. His father-in-law, Li Guangheng, glanced at him with a frown. Although his own eating manners were not much better, inwardly he quietly blamed his son-in-law for lacking official decorum. There was meat on the table, but unfortunately no wine. Li Guangheng was a drunkard; after so long on campaign, he had long been desperately craving a drink. Even the horse meat tasted flavorless in his mouth. Hearing his son-in-law eat with loud, smacking sounds, he could not help but cough.

Han Zhong jolted alert. His father-in-law had a fiery temper. Although in the army, rank took precedence, and in public settings Li Guangheng had to salute him, still…

Han Zhong's movements slowed slightly. Wang Dou smiled and placed a piece of horse meat in his bowl, saying, "Brother Han, no need to rush. Eat slower."

Wen Fangliang glanced at Han Zhong with some envy and cried out oddly, "Old Han, you're eating so fast — you'll polish off all the meat before the rest of us brothers get any."

After thanking Wang Dou, Han Zhong heard Wen Fangliang's words and, equally unwilling to back down, shouted, "I say, Old Wen, from what I see, you don't seem to be eating any less than me."

Everyone burst out laughing.

After joking for a while, Wen Fangliang tentatively said to Wang Dou, "General, are we really not taking the silver in the storehouse? This humble officer reckons there must be twenty or thirty thousand taels. It would truly be a pity to leave it."

Everyone looked at Wang Dou. Wang Dou smiled and said, "Brother Wen, this silver is a trifling matter. The army is out on campaign, and with soldiers and chaos everywhere, there's nothing to buy — it's just a pile of scrap metal. There's plenty of fighting ahead. When the opportunity presents itself, if the Tatars have plundered grain and silver stored somewhere near Baoanzhou, we'll hit them hard once. In one strike, we'll seize tens of thousands of dan of grain, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, and tens of thousands of people to bring back."

At present, with war and chaos everywhere, silver was indeed of little use. Historically, when Lu Xiangsheng led his army south, he also carried some silver with the army, but could buy nothing. They were reduced to stripping bark and digging up grass roots to eat — a pitiful sight beyond endurance.

Hearing Wang Dou say this, everyone grew excited. They began calculating where the Tatars might gather their plundered wealth, so they could strike their nest in one breath and seize enough in a single raid.

Seeing their excitement tinged with lingering regret, Wang Dou considered for a moment but ultimately let it go. For subordinates to see wealth and not take it was indeed hard to bear; he could not demand that their economic concepts and awareness match his own.

The silver in the storehouse — let the soldiers divide it among themselves. At ten taels per man, it would probably be fully distributed. Although silver was useless while the army was out on campaign, it would still be useful after they returned. It was just that after going home, he would have to find a way to solve the problem of too much silver and too little grain within his jurisdiction — a serious inflation problem.

Hearing that Wang Dou was willing to take the silver from the storehouse, everyone present let out a chorus of strange cries: "The General is wise!"

The matter was thus decided. The task of retrieving the silver from the storehouse was assigned to Zhong Diaoyang. Wang Dou also instructed him, "Squad Commander Zhong, work through the night and have the battalion logistics craftsmen repair a portion of the captured Tatar armor. There is also quite a lot of salt seized in the estate — process that horse meat overnight as well."

Zhong Diaoyang loudly accepted the order.

By now he had eaten and drunk his fill, so he took leave of Wang Dou and the others and went out.

……

Wang Dou cleared his throat, swept his gaze over everyone, and said solemnly, "Let's discuss a matter."

Immediately, everyone sat up straight and respectful. Wang Dou said, "At present, our army's provisions are sufficient for a month's consumption, and the cannon ammunition is also estimated to last about a month. As for the firelock ammunition, there is no problem sustaining us until the slave troops withdraw."

In an era combining cold and hot weapons, opportunities to fire gunpowder were never many. In Wang Dou's army, the firelock soldiers formed up in three ranks when facing battle; three volleys from the three ranks counted as one round. Under dense firelock fire, the enemy would usually rout after two or three rounds, and sometimes even after just one. Even in the great battle fought earlier that day, the firelock soldier who fired the most ammunition had only fired six shots.

Each firelock soldier carried a powder bag on his person containing thirty pre-packaged paper cartridge rounds. Even in a major battle like today's, the ammunition on each soldier could support at least four or five more engagements. Not to mention that in Wang Dou's supply wagons, there were still tens of thousands of pre-packaged paper cartridges — they would likely return home victorious before using up all the firelock ammunition.

Even though cannon ammunition consumption had been relatively high today, the breech-loading cannons that fired the most gunpowder had fired fewer than ten shots. A conservative estimate was that the remaining cannon ammunition would last a month without issue.

Wang Dou said, "We have provisions, and we have military achievements. Therefore, in my view, there is no need to remain in the capital region any longer. I have decided to go pursue Viceroy Lu and rendezvous with Viceroy Lu, Army Supervisor Yang, and the others."

On the second day after the army had divided again, Lu Xiangsheng and the troops of the three garrison Regional Commanders had already struck camp and set out for Baoding Prefecture. For one, the Qing troops were sweeping south in force, and there were no longer many Qing soldiers left in the various parts of the capital region, so they were heading there to resist the enemy. For another, remaining near the capital meant no provisions and constraints from all sides — Lu Xiangsheng could not hold out either.

Lu Xiangsheng believed that refusing to fight would make the Qing troops look down on them, while engaging in battle would stir up trouble, with endless impeachments from all quarters. Better to go to Baoding Prefecture and Zhending Prefecture, where they could kill the enemy and serve the country, and perhaps there would be a turn for the better regarding provisions. Thus, on the twenty-fourth day of the tenth month of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, Lu Xiangsheng led his army away from the capital. If Wang Dou transported grain back to the village fort and then began pursuit, there would be at least four to five days' journey to cover.

After hearing Wang Dou's words, the room fell silent.

Han Zhong was the first to cry out, "This damned capital — I've long been sick of staying here. Too many treacherous ministers, and those eunuch slaves stirring up trouble. Military achievements go unreported, and we have to go out and seize our own provisions, losing nearly a hundred brothers in the process. Going to Viceroy Lu is fine too. At least the old man takes very good care of our Shunxiangbao army. Following beside him, there won't be so many vexing matters — we can just kill the enemy to our hearts' content."

Wen Fangliang, more cautious, said in a low voice, "General, if we leave like this, might Viceroy Chen have some thoughts on the matter? After all, our army is under his command, and he is now the Viceroy of Xuan-Da."

Wang Dou smiled faintly. "With these six hundred and fifty-seven heads, what thoughts could he possibly have?"

Wen Fangliang slapped his own head and said with a grin, "True. Seeing these several hundred Tatar heads, he'll probably be both shocked and delighted, and will only regret not having supplied us with provisions sooner, causing our army to leave in anger."

A cold glint swept through his eyes. "The way the Great Ming is, as long as our military achievements keep coming and our troop strength suffers no significant losses, then even with Viceroy Chen's esteemed status…"

At this, he laughed coldly a few times.

The various Squad Commanders under the other two men were all men Wang Dou had brought with him since Jingbianbao or Shunxiangbao, and they always followed Wang Dou's lead. Wherever Wang Dou led them, they would go. Even Tian Zhijue, the trusted officer formerly under Company Commander Tian Changguo, who had now become a Squad Commander in Wang Dou's army, could not wait to draw closer — naturally he would have no objections. Everyone voiced unanimous agreement.

Zhao Xuan, that nonconformist, thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere in Wang Dou's army. As long as he could manage his precious cannon unit, he was content, and had no objections either.

Li Guangheng said in a deep voice, "This humble officer will follow General Wang, serving at his stirrup and bridle, forever offering the labor of a hound or horse."

Everyone's declarations of loyalty pleased Wang Dou greatly. In the end, only the Judicial Commissioner Chi Dacheng remained.

Chi Dacheng was silent for a long while, then said, "General, as officers and soldiers of the Great Ming, how can we leave without taking leave, treating the national laws and military discipline of the Great Ming as nothing? Now our Baoanzhou army is under the unified command of Viceroy Chen. Even if we are to leave, we must first obtain Viceroy Chen's consent."

Everyone looked at him, exchanging glances. Wang Dou furrowed his brow. Chi Dacheng scrupulously fulfilled his duties within the army, handled affairs effectively, and powerfully safeguarded the strict military discipline throughout the Shunxiang army. In registering military achievements and seizures, he was likewise free of selfish motives, making the clear rewards and punishments Wang Dou hoped for a reality. Yet perhaps in all of Baoanzhou, he was the only one who remembered his identity as a Great Ming military officer and placed the imperial court above Wang Dou himself.

Wen Fangliang eyed him sideways and said, "Old Chi, if the General really did leave without taking leave, you wouldn't…"

Chi Dacheng shot Wen Fangliang an angry look. "This Judicial Commissioner's loyalty to the General can be witnessed by heaven and sun alike."

He rose from his seat, knelt and kowtowed before Wang Dou, then raised his head to look at Wang Dou and said, "The General may disregard this subordinate's remonstrance, but this subordinate has duties to fulfill and cannot but offer counsel. When the General crossed the border to suppress bandits and take in refugees, though such actions did not conform to the law, they were deeds beneficial to the state and the people. This subordinate is no pedant and in his heart naturally approved. However, now that we have led the army to the capital and there is a commanding superior officer above us, this subordinate believes that leaving without taking leave truly cannot be tolerated by national law. I beg the General to think thrice before acting."

At this point, he knocked his head heavily on the ground.

Wang Dou watched him for a moment, then said flatly, "Rise, Assistant Regional Commander Chi."

He looked at the people beside him: "Tomorrow, after we return to the village fort, we set out at once to pursue Viceroy Lu."

The crowd roared their assent. Chi Dacheng scrambled to his feet; those around him all edged away, intentionally or not, yet Chi Dacheng still stood there with a rigid face.

……

The night passed without incident. There was no activity that evening, let alone any enemy raid. It seemed those Bordered Red Banner troops left to garrison Tongzhou had truly lost their nerve.

Early the next morning, Wang Dou's great army assembled outside Gaolizhuang. With the captured Qing armor and a night's worth of repairs, at least now every man in Wang Dou's entire force, from top to bottom, was fully armored.

The several dozen Shunxiang soldiers who had fallen in battle were cremated outside Guangfu Temple. The troops stood in solemn silence. After their ashes and clothing were gathered, the more seriously wounded were each settled onto carts and horses. The four hundred-odd captured Qing warhorses were now all turned into draft animals. Inside Gaolizhuang, there were plenty of carts the Qing soldiers had looted; after selecting some to carry provisions, a portion of the wounded were placed on these carts. The large quantities of processed horse meat were likewise loaded onto the carts.

The logistics soldiers from the battalion headquarters also carried over chest after chest of silver, shouting loudly, "Brothers, we're sharing out the silver!"

The sorrowful expressions were swept away, and every face beamed with joy. Each officer, each common soldier, received about ten taels of silver. Watching everyone's delighted looks, Wang Dou also smiled: "Perhaps living simply — having food and drink, and a bit of silver put away — is a kind of happiness."

Looking at the great army assembled outside the village, the surrounding area thick with carts and horses, this trip had truly been a fully laden return.

Wang Dou shouted, "Burn the village! Burn every storehouse to the ground — leave not a blade of grass or a scrap of wood for the slave-thieves!"

Cheers and wild shouts rang out. Wen Daxing led a squad of Night Scouts, each man bearing a torch, riding into the village or galloping to the dockside storehouses to set them ablaze. Soon flames soared everywhere. The winter wind swept in, fanning the fire; inside and outside the village, fierce fires raged, finally merging into a vast, dense pall of smoke and flame visible for several li.

Everything the Qing army had amassed at Gaolizhuang through plunder was reduced to ashes.

Amid the sky-covering blaze, Wang Dou's great army advanced in a line formation column, with Night Scouts still ranging front, rear, left, and right. The great army, with its rolling carts and horses, headed back toward the village fort.

……

"They really did come to seize grain, and even burned our village to the ground with a single torch. This Wang Dou — what a ruthless heart, what vicious methods!"

Several li from Gaolizhuang, Dudu, the Banner Lord of the Bordered Red Banner of the Eight Banner Manchus, gnashed his teeth in Wang Dou's direction. Everyone beside him wore expressions of bone-deep hatred.

Beside Dudu stood Wontu, the Bayara Banner Commander of the Bordered Red Banner. He cried out bitterly, "Prince Anping, are we to let that Ming general swagger back just like that? At the very least, we could send warriors to harass them, make their return less smooth!"

"Perhaps we could even set a large-scale ambush and strike a fierce blow against their arrogance!"

Dudu snapped, "Harass them how? Of our two thousand cavalry here, no more than five hundred are armored men. And that Ming general Wang Dou has at least five or six hundred cavalry on his side, every one of them brave and battle-hardened, no less than our own armored warriors. How many men would you send to harass them — a hundred, two hundred, three hundred, four hundred? Do you think the military merit heads we've already given them aren't enough?"

"An ambush? From here to the Ming capital is only a few dozen li. Apart from yesterday's battlefield, where can you find ground suited for our cavalry to fight an ambush? That Ming unit has sharp firearms, fights fiercely, every man fearless in the face of death, and their provisions and gunpowder travel with the carts — not a single opening to exploit. To ambush them, we would need terrain that could force Wang Dou into a hopeless position, and we would need several banners to encircle him — only then would it be possible!"

"Yesterday, the warriors of our three banners already suffered over a thousand dead and wounded — our vitality is badly damaged. Even if there were ambush ground in this area, relying on our Bordered Red Banner alone… Wontu Banner Commander, do you want to exhaust every last warrior in our banner?"

Dudu watched Wontu's face turn ashen. Recalling yesterday's battle, he felt like weeping but had no tears. Right there on the field, six or seven hundred warriors had fallen, dead or gravely wounded — and there was no need to wonder: every one of them had become a military merit head for Wang Dou. Some of the wounded had managed to flee back, but many had been struck in the body by lead balls. Given the backward medical skills of their Manchu people, most of them had died that very night.

There were also some who had been hit in the hands or feet by musket balls or cannon shot. To save their lives, their limbs had to be cut off — a great many died on the spot from the agony. Even if they survived, what use were men without hands or feet, other than being a burden to the banner? Counting both the Eight Banner Manchu and the two Mongol banners, the total losses for the three banners reached over thirteen hundred men, the majority of them armored soldiers.

Just from a single chance encounter yesterday, the Bordered Red Banner had been crippled. Now the main camp at Tongzhou was hollow. Apart from the empty reputation of Qing soldiers being invincible in the field to bluff with, if a bold Ming force actually came to assault the camp, they truly would not know what to do. If word of Wang Dou's great victory spread and other Ming units began stirring restlessly, that would be disastrous.

Dudu's heart was heavy with worry. When he then heard Wontu's shameless boasting, his temper flared, and he delivered a thorough, blistering reprimand.

Rebuked so mercilessly by Dudu, Wontu hung his head in dejection. He understood the situation within his own banner well enough; he was simply nursing his frustration.

At this, he asked cautiously, "In Prince Anping's judgment, what should be done?"

Dudu said in a deep voice, "Let them leave. Do not stir up further trouble. The grain is gone — we can continue to plunder more. This Beile refuses to believe that all Ming armies are so capable in battle!"

He pondered for a long moment, then added, "We have also gained something from this: we now know that the Ming still possess such a sharp army. Send fast riders to inform the remaining banners: if they encounter this Ming unit, they must be careful and more careful, cautious and more cautious!"

"Should an opportunity arise to eliminate them, we must spare no cost to utterly destroy this army of Wang Dou's!"

……

The journey was peaceful and uneventful. Aside from a few Qing sentry riders who kept far away, they encountered no large Qing force.

That afternoon, Wang Dou and his men returned safely to the village fort.

Back inside the fort, everyone was laughing and chatting cheerfully. Tian Qiming, the Squad Commander in charge of defense, saw the vast, fully laden convoy and his eyes went wide again: "My mother, brothers, you've really brought back quite a haul."

Wang Dou summoned Tian Qiming and questioned him. During the two days he had been away, there had been no activity around the village fort. The newly appointed Viceroy of Xuan-Da, Chen Xinjia, had neither sent anyone nor delivered any provisions. Wang Dou gave a cold snort. If his own army had not gone out to seize grain, the soldiers would likely have been starving very soon.

He had resolved to leave and could not be bothered with much else, so he swiftly arranged the withdrawal and the pursuit of Lu Xiangsheng. Early the next morning, Wang Dou led his army away from the capital, heading for Baoding Prefecture.

At the same time, Wang Dou assigned two physicians, each with two guards, gave them several carts and a chest of silver, and sent the thirty-odd soldiers with more serious wounds into the capital to find a residence where they could properly recover. Once healed, they could either return to Bao'an Prefecture on their own or come to rejoin the army — whichever they chose.

Seeing how thoughtfully their Mobile Corps Commander had considered them, how lovingly he cared for his subordinates, these thirty-odd wounded men all had tears in their eyes as they bid Wang Dou's great army a tearful farewell.

When Wang Dou departed, Night Scout Company Commander Wen Daxing led a small squad of Night Scouts, driving several carts loaded with the Qing heads taken in this battle, and entered Chen Xinjia's command tent.

……

At that moment, Chen Xinjia was also returning to his own tent. He had just come back from Senior Grand Secretary Liu Yuliang's quarters, full of elation and confidence. Lord Liu had volunteered to serve as Army Supervisor and was finally about to leave the capital. Chen Xinjia would accompany the army at his side, with over ten thousand crack troops under his command, and even a fierce general like Wang Dou — his future prospects were boundless.

A smile crept onto Chen Xinjia's face. He had schemed by every means possible and finally managed to scrape together a batch of provisions. With these provisions, he would win the hearts of all his subordinates — would not Wang Dou then be utterly devoted to him?

Suddenly, his personal guards reported that Wang Dou, Mobile Corps Commander of Xuanfu Garrison, had won another great victory with more heads taken, and the heads had already been delivered outside the camp. Chen Xinjia was overjoyed. This Wang Dou, truly… he had just taken over two hundred slave-thief heads, and now he had more?

He could not wait and strode out of his tent. Around him, a crowd of personal guards and soldiers had already gathered, pointing and gesturing at the carts, exclamations of astonishment rising on all sides. Beside the carts stood several tall, burly soldiers under Wang Dou's command, guarding them. One of the officers had a full beard and was clad in armor.

Seeing Chen Xinjia approach, he strode forward and saluted, then handed a personal letter from Wang Dou to Chen Xinjia.

Chen Xinjia opened it and read. Instantly his face turned ashen: "Fine, Wang Dou — so little regard do you have for this Viceroy!"

Then he froze, his gaze seized by the great heap of heads exposed on the open cart. He could not help but exclaim in wonder, "So many slave-thief heads…"

He strode forward and, unable to wait, began inspecting them with his personal guards, his mouth running all the while: "One, two, three, four…"

Suddenly he heard someone beside him say, "We take our leave!"

Chen Xinjia waved his hand impatiently: "Go, go!"

Wen Daxing glanced at Chen Xinjia, who was absorbed in counting heads, gave a cold smile, exchanged a look with the several Night Scouts beside him, mounted his own horse, and departed without a sound.

Chen Xinjia remained utterly oblivious. When he had finished counting every last head, he could not help but tremble all over: "…S-six… six hundred and fifty-seven slave-thief heads?"

……

Within the Forbidden City of the Great Ming, inside the Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace.

The Chongzhen Emperor, his face wreathed in smiles, was reading a memorial that the Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Wang Dehua, had delivered not long before.

The imperial environs lay in ruins, the Qing soldiers roaming as if through uninhabited land. In recent days, the Chongzhen Emperor had lost count of how many times he had flown into a rage, and every palace maid and eunuch around him had been trembling on edge. Now, seeing His Majesty's dragon countenance so delighted — could it be that some news of victory had arrived from the front?

Chongzhen suddenly slapped the table and stood up: "What a fierce general — to have taken over two hundred and twenty slave-thief heads! Our Great Ming is not without men after all."

He excitedly paced several circles around the Warm Pavilion, recalling the time he had met Wang Dou in person years ago. He nodded repeatedly. This Wang Dou had indeed not failed his emperor's expectations. He had seen then that the man was a talent, and sure enough, he had rendered tremendous service to the Great Ming. Then he stopped, his face showing considerable regret: "It is not that my beloved Lu cannot fight — I stripped him of his Minister rank…"

He concentrated and pondered deeply — perhaps he should immediately restore Lu Xiangsheng’s rank as Minister of War, and also grant him an Imperial Sword, to better urge the empire’s loyal troops to fight. He abruptly returned to his desk and wrote an imperial decree, commending Lu Xiangsheng and Mobile Corps Commander Wang Dou for their loyal and courageous deeds, and bestowing upon them silver taels and silks, encouraging them to slay the enemy even better.

Just as he was writing with flying brushstrokes, Wang Dehua, the Seal-holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, came bounding in again with joyful excitement: “Your Majesty, a great victory, a great victory! Chen Xinjia, Viceroy of Xuanda, reports in a memorial that his subordinate Mobile Corps Commander Wang Dou has again taken six hundred… six hundred and fifty-seven enemy heads.”

Chongzhen was somewhat short of breath. He rose with difficulty from his desk and said to Wang Dehua: “Quickly, quickly bring Minister Chen’s memorial for me to see.”

After carefully reading the memorial several times, the Chongzhen Emperor urgently said to Wang Dehua: “Summon Minister Yang to come see me.”

Then he called back Wang Dehua, who was about to leave: “Minister Chen has rendered great service to the state. With such a great victory, summon him to an audience with His Majesty.”

※※※

Old White Ox:

Some readers have raised the issue of the Qing army attacking the protagonist’s wagon formation, suggesting the use of flanking attacks and rear-wing tactics. If you read the book carefully, you will see that the protagonist deployed a square camp, with firepower and troop strength evenly distributed on all four sides. There are no so-called flanks or rear wings — every side is a front.

Ming dynasty wagon camps and cavalry camps, or most infantry camps, likewise deployed in square formations when encountering the enemy in the field — perfectly square, with troops and firepower evenly distributed on every side. The chevaux-de-frise and war wagons they carried could wrap the entire army tightly on all four sides. Why they were so often breached by the Qing army can only be attributed to problems such as lax training in peacetime and weak fighting will.