Chapter 297: A Brass-Wall Face

The carriage and retinue of Yang Sichang, Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, arrived with great fanfare. Besides a long, imposing procession of banners and insignia clearing the way, the carriage of this powerful late-Ming minister, known as "Prime Minister Yang," was flanked by a host of personal guards and attendants. A large crowd of civil officials, military officers, trusted aides, and private secretaries rode on horseback behind the carriage.

In addition, two thousand troops from the Personal Battalion of Chen Xinjia, Viceroy of Xuanda, provided escort. After receiving letters from Wang Dou and Yang Sichang, Chen Xinjia had set out from Tianjin at once, traveling day and night, and finally encountered Yang Sichang's party departing the capital just as they neared Fangshan.

As for the remaining troops in Tianjin, Chen Xinjia had already ordered them to march afterward and redeploy to areas south of the capital region and to Liangxiang.

Several li outside the Xuanda encampment, Yang Guozhu, Regional Commander of Xuanfu Garrison; Wang Dou, Mobile Corps Commander of Xuanfu Garrison; and Hu Dawei, Regional Commander of Shanxi Garrison, led their subordinate officers. They were joined by Zhang Qiping, Provincial Governor of Baoding; the Military Defense Circuit of Yizhou; the Assistant Regional Commander of Zijing Pass; the Garrison Commander of Laishui; the Garrison Commander of Zhuozhou; and others, all waiting together to receive them.

Among the crowd, Zhang Qiping, Provincial Governor of Baoding, wore an extremely grim expression. He had rushed from Baoding to Yizhou to offer congratulations to the Xuanda army, yet Wang Dou and the others had given him the cold shoulder. In the past, he would have long since impeached these three military boors for gross disrespect, but now that Wang Dou, Yang Guozhu, and the others had achieved extraordinary merit, no one cared about his anger anymore.

At the same time, Zhang Qiping was inwardly anxious. During this Qing incursion, many cities and towns under his jurisdiction had fallen, and he did not know how the imperial court would deal with him in the future. Now that Senior Grand Secretary Yang had arrived, he had to sound things out carefully, even if it cost him a great deal of wealth.

The carriage and retinue arrived before the welcoming party. Amid a cluster of officials, Yang Sichang and Chen Xinjia descended from the carriage. This was the first time Wang Dou had ever seen Yang Sichang.

It was undeniable that Yang Sichang cut a fine figure. He wore a scarlet python-robe of official rank, a beam-shaped crown on his head, and a jade belt at his waist. His beard was jet black, his eyes bright and piercing, his entire bearing shrewd and commanding. Chen Xinjia beside him also possessed a refined, scholarly air; his official demeanor and comportment were exceptionally distinguished.

Judging by appearance alone, both men were the sort who could make a powerful, favorable impression at first glance.

To the kneeling obeisance of Zhang Qiping, Provincial Governor of Baoding, and the others, Yang Sichang gave no clear response. His gaze swept over Yang Guozhu, Wang Dou, and Hu Dawei, and then over the ten thousand crack troops behind them. There, Yang Guozhu's Main Army Battalion, Hu Dawei's Main Army Battalion, and Wang Dou's Shunxiang Army soldiers were all arrayed in orderly formation. Men and horses seemed to blanket the earth, their banners a dark, oppressive mass like storm clouds, snapping and rustling in the bitter wind.

They stood in solemn attendance, utterly silent. The aura of men who had survived a hundred battles shook Yang Sichang and the others to the core. Wang Dou's Shunxiang Army in particular — not a single man so much as twitched in the freezing cold. Their posture as an elite force was displayed with stark, piercing clarity. The frigid wind swept across their red cotton cloaks and greatcoats, a surging, blazing expanse of crimson.

Gazing at this army, a feeling welled up unbidden in Yang Sichang's heart, as if they possessed some power that could neither be described nor explained. A power he could not comprehend. Before this power, he felt as insignificant as an ant; it seemed they could crush him as effortlessly as crushing an ant.

Looking at the army before him, a complicated expression surfaced on Yang Sichang's face. Chen Xinjia beside him also felt a sense of strangeness. Was this his Xuanda army? Yet at the same time, he secretly rejoiced. With this army in Xuanda's hands, his own meteoric rise was only a matter of days.

The expressions of the Personal Battalion soldiers behind Chen Xinjia were equally complicated. After the army had been divided, they had followed behind the new Viceroy. When word of Viceroy Lu's martyrdom reached them, every man was dejected. Some had also felt relieved that they had not had to die in battle at Julu. But then the situation had reversed: the Xuanda army had achieved heaven-shaking, extraordinary merit. Their former comrades in the army were now on the verge of soaring to glory.

Nothing in this world was harder to predict.

"We pay our respects to the Senior Grand Secretary!"

Wang Dou, Yang Guozhu, and Hu Dawei pushed aside the mountains and toppled the jade pillars, prostrating themselves in salute before Yang Sichang.

With a clangor of iron armor, over ten thousand Xuanda soldiers roared in unison: "We pay our respects to the Senior Grand Secretary!"

They all dropped to one knee, saluting Yang Sichang and the others, their voices like a peal of thunder.

Yang Sichang, Chen Xinjia, and the few others were visibly startled. Even Zhang Qiping, Provincial Governor of Baoding, and the rest changed color drastically. Truly, this was the tiger-and-wolf army of the Zhuozhou Great Victory — even the force of their salute was earth-shaking.

Yang Sichang quickly recovered. He cleared his throat lightly and strode forward rapidly: "You three generals have rendered great service to the nation. Such grand ceremony is unnecessary. Please, rise quickly."

He personally helped Wang Dou and the other two to their feet, showing them every consideration, without the slightest air of "Prime Minister Yang." In terms of poised grace, he was indeed beyond reproach.

When he helped Wang Dou up, he sighed even more deeply: "So this is General Wang, whose valor crowns the three armies? Truly a hero. No wonder you could achieve such extraordinary merit for the nation."

Wang Dou replied: "All was thanks to His Majesty's divine might, the two Viceroys overseeing the bloody battle, and the officers and men of the three armies risking their lives. Only thus could such battle results be achieved. This lowly general dares not claim credit."

Yang Sichang nodded repeatedly with a hum. He studied Wang Dou for a moment and said: "I have heard that Viceroy Lu once bestowed a courtesy name upon General Wang?"

Wang Dou said: "Indeed. The Viceroy bestowed upon this lowly general the courtesy name Guoqin."

Yang Sichang murmured thoughtfully: "Guoqin…"

He warmly took Hu Dawei and Yang Guozhu by the hands, and at the same time gestured for Chen Xinjia to take Wang Dou's hand. With affectionate concern, he said: "Guoqin, General Yang, General Hu, in this deep winter's bitter cold, the officers and men must not be kept out in the field for long. Let them return to camp and rest at once."

Although the matter of Lu Xiangsheng had left Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei resentful toward Yang Sichang, his actions now still brought expressions of deep emotion to their faces, even a sense of being overwhelmed by the favor. Zhang Qiping, Provincial Governor of Baoding, and the others watching from the side were even more envious.

On the way to the encampment, Yang Sichang inquired solicitously about their well-being and asked Wang Dou and the others if they had any difficulties that needed resolving.

Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei coughed lightly. Wang Dou said: "After the Battle of Julu, our army suffered heavy losses. Then came the Battle of Zhuozhou, leaving us even more short of weapons and provisions. In addition, we rescued tens of thousands of captured commoners and urgently need supplies."

Yang Sichang pondered for a moment, then said with gravity: "Indeed. The officers and men of Xuanda have rendered service to the nation, and those commoners are also innocent subjects of the Great Ming. How can we allow them to endure hunger and cold?"

He instructed Zhang Qiping, Provincial Governor of Baoding, and the others to properly resolve the matter of provisions for the Xuanda army and the rescued commoners. Zhang Qiping responded with repeated assent.

Entering the Xuanda army's command tent, Yang Sichang and Chen Xinjia could not be bothered with the fatigue of travel and immediately wished to inspect the heads and battle merits. When they entered a certain area of the encampment, every single one of them was stunned. Before them, Qing soldier heads were piled like small mountains, filling tent after tent — who knew how many thousands of heads there were.

The officials who had come from the capital all exclaimed in wonder. Yang Sichang and Chen Xinjia were also astonished. But what the two men were most anxious to do was to examine the corpse of the Plain Red Banner's Beile, Yoto.

They were then led to another tent. Inside lay Yoto's corpse, still wearing his gilded armor. His body was riddled with spearheads and broken spear shafts; no one knew how many spear thrusts he had suffered before dying. Just looking at the corpse, one could imagine the brutal circumstances. The fact that the spearheads and shafts had been deliberately left in the body only heightened the scene's visceral impact.

Looking at Yoto's corpse, Yang Sichang trembled all over. The crowd of officials behind him let out a dense chorus of sharp intakes and exhalations of breath. Thanks to Yang Sichang, they were entering the core area of the Xuanda encampment for the first time to view these heads and banners, and every one of them was shaken beyond measure.

Chen Xinjia even stepped forward to stroke Yoto's armor, then flipped through the Plain Red Banner's dragon-emblazoned great banner placed beside him. His voice trembling, he said: "It is undoubtedly the Plain Red Banner slave chieftain, undoubtedly the Plain Red Banner slave chieftain…"

He and Yang Sichang exchanged a glance, both seeing the wild delight in the other's eyes.

Then Yang Sichang coughed once: "You three generals, I have heard that the great army also captured Yoto's son?"

The crowd's exclamations of wonder had long since made Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei flush with excitement. Hearing Yang Sichang's question, Yang Guozhu hurriedly said: "In the Battle of Zhuozhou, our army indeed captured Yoto's eldest son, Luoluohong, along with one hundred Plain Red Banner slave soldiers and over three hundred army laborers. All are securely held under guard. This lowly general and the others will lead the Senior Grand Secretary to see them."

After viewing the captured Plain Red Banner Qing soldiers, including Luoluohong, Yang Sichang, Chen Xinjia, and the others felt even lighter, as if floating on air. Soon, the accompanying officials from the Ministry of War also finished inspecting the severed heads — over seven thousand in total. In recent days, Wang Dou, Yang Guozhu, and the other two had distributed over a thousand heads to the various generals in the surrounding area, but the remaining heads were still numerous.

Looking at these heads, Yang Sichang and the others again found it inconceivable. Not a single one was a civilian killed to falsify merit; all were genuine slave heads. The Xuanda army's combat power was truly unexpected. The accompanying officials were already discussing that a great victory like Zhuozhou had perhaps not been seen since the founding of the dynasty by the Exalted Emperor, the Great Ancestor.

By now, Yang Sichang had calmed down. He glanced at Chen Xinjia, then said to Yang Guozhu, Wang Dou, and the third man: "You three generals have achieved world-startling, extraordinary merit. Let us go into the tent to discuss the details of this battle."

He and Chen Xinjia, along with Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, and Wang Dou, entered the tent, but ordered all the other officials to wait outside.

…

Long after Yang Sichang and Chen Xinjia had left the tent, Yang Guozhu, Wang Dou, and the other man still stood looking at each other in bewilderment.

Hu Dawei sighed: "No wonder Lord Yang could enter the Grand Secretariat and be so highly valued by His Majesty. No wonder indeed."

Wang Dou said flatly: "With such a brass-wall face, it would be hard not to prosper."

Yang Guozhu coughed lightly: "Guoqin, guard your words."

He then said: "So be it. Since Senior Grand Secretary Yang and Viceroy Chen want this credit for strategic planning, let us give it to them."

He sighed: "In this way, our crime of losing our commanding general in battle will be pardoned, and the Viceroy's coffin can be carried into the capital for a grand funeral and posthumous honors."

Hu Dawei said: "At least they won't swallow up our battle merits and heads. In the future, we'll be promoted several ranks, and with the seized silver in hand, our Battle of Zhuozhou will not have been in vain."

Wang Dou gazed up at the sky for a long while, then said: "You two military lords, let us go to the Viceroy's mourning hall. I imagine Senior Grand Secretary Yang and the others are already prepared to perform their ritual weeping."

…

Chen Xinjia kept close to Yang Sichang's side. Seeing that the retinue of attendant officials was far off, he said softly: "Senior Grand Secretary, do you think Yang Guozhu, Wang Dou, and the others will cooperate?"

Yang Sichang said flatly: "It is merely the credit for strategic planning. They will give it. What they gain is far greater."

He continued: "Not to mention the many things they seek, and moreover…"

He gave a cold laugh: "In the Battle of Zhuozhou, where did all the captured population, wealth, and silver that the eastern slaves had looted go? They do not mention it at all. We simply understand tacitly."

Chen Xinjia said: "I have heard that the wealth the eastern slaves had looted and brought to Zhuozhou was enormous. The gold and silver alone likely amount to several hundred thousand taels, and the cattle and sheep are countless…"

He shook his head, his tone full of regret.

Yang Sichang's expression did not change. He said, "Enough. Prepare to mourn for Lu Xiangsheng!