Chapter 299: Earlier He Had Underestimated Wang Dou

With this voice, a group of Shaanxi military officers in full armor came up. The middle-aged officer at their head was extremely brawny, his build almost square-shaped, his face covered in greasy, bulging flesh crisscrossed with scars. At a glance, Wang Dou was reminded of Yang Guozhu's trusted personal general, Guo Yingxian.

He came up like a crab, his iron armor old and battered, even his cloak and mantle torn with several large holes. The officers behind him seemed equally the picture of dishevelment, every one in worn armor and clothing. Not only could they not compare with the gleaming armor and attire of the Capital Battalion troops, even the armor and uniforms of the Xuan-Da officers were several grades brighter than theirs.

Watching them clank their way up, Wang Dou thought to himself: "Coming with Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting, claiming the surname He, and acting wildly erratic — could this officer be the Shaanxi Regional Commander He Renlong? He's a famous figure in history."

The burly middle-aged man came up, clasped his fist to Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei, and said: "I, Acting Commissioner-in-Chief, Shaanxi Regional Commander He Renlong. The bandit soldiers gave me a nickname: Madman He. You two generals can call me Old He or Madman He, whichever you like. We're all brothers in arms, call me whatever."

Then the officers behind him also clamored over each other to pay their respects to Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, Wang Dou, and the others.

"I, Acting Commissioner-in-Chief, Guyuan Regional Commander Zheng Jiadong."

"I, Acting Commissioner-in-Chief, Lintao Regional Commander Niu Chenghu."

"Your subordinate, Shaanxi Vice Regional Commander Li Guoqi."

"Your subordinate, Shaanxi Mobile Corps Commander Gao Jie…"

Listening to these introductions, Wang Dou thought to himself: sure enough, that burly man was He Renlong, a Military Metropolitan Graduate from the Wanli reign. History records that he fought like a madman, utterly fearless, and was exceptionally fierce and brave. The peasant army feared him like a tiger and called him Madman He.

However, although He Renlong fought with ferocious courage, he was also utterly domineering and, more famously, a general with long legs. In the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, when Yang Sichang encircled and attacked Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai, He Renlong noisily retreated from Kaixian back to Shaanxi, allowing Zhang Xianzhong to break through the encirclement and spiral out of control.

In the battles of Xiangcheng and Xiangcheng, he twice abandoned his commander and fled, leading to the failure of the campaigns and the deaths of two Grand Coordinators.

Moreover, He Renlong, Li Zicheng, and Zhang Xianzhong were all from Mizhi in Shaanxi. After Zhang Xianzhong broke through the encirclement in the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, the Chongzhen Emperor suspected He Renlong of secretly colluding with the enemy and secretly ordered Sun Chuanting to arrest and execute him. On the first day of the fifth month of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Sun Chuanting arrested He Renlong and had him beheaded.

The archetype of the late Ming warlord, the representative of domineering unruliness — if in the future he fought alongside He Renlong, he would have to be wary of him abandoning him and fleeing.

This gang of Qin army officers came up in a chaotic hubbub to greet Yang Guozhu and the others. Although a few among them were Regional Commanders, their Regional Commander posts carried no seal and no title, so their weight was far inferior to that of Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei.

In the late Ming, there were over sixty Regional Commanders, but only eight Regional Commanders held seals and were titled Generals. Only two held general titles beginning with the character "Zhen" — the Xuanfu Zhenshuo General and the Yansui Zhenxi General. The rest began with "Zheng" or "Ping."

Generals with titles beginning with "Zhen" clearly outranked those beginning with "Zheng" or "Ping." Historically, Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong quarreled fiercely over the title of "Pingzei General." It could be said that Yang Sichang lost his life over these general titles and appointments.

Yang Guozhu was the Zhenshuo General, and Hu Dawei was the Zhengxi Front General, several ranks above He Renlong and his ilk.

When He Renlong and the others met Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei, they had to observe the protocol of subordinate officers.

Amid the greetings, Wang Dou also noted one name: "Shaanxi Mobile Corps Commander Gao Jie?"

His eyes swept over and indeed saw a big fellow standing behind He Renlong and the others. Though he forced a respectful expression onto his face, he could not hide the unruly look in his eyes.

Being among the Shaanxi officers and following behind He Renlong, it seemed this was indeed the historical Gao Jie.

It was rumored that he was originally a subordinate of Li Zicheng. Because he had an illicit affair with Li Zicheng's wife, after the affair was exposed he simply abducted the woman and surrendered to the government forces. Like Bai Guangen, both were surrendered generals from the peasant army. Bai Guangen was fierce and ruthless by nature and never submitted to discipline; Gao Jie was even more violent and cruel.

Because Li Zicheng always gnashed his teeth at Gao Jie, the Great Ming court repeatedly dispatched Gao Jie to battle. In the coming years, he would rise from Mobile Corps Commander all the way to Regional Commander, be granted the title of Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent, and have one son hereditary Embroidered Uniform Guard Assistant Regional Commander. In the Southern Ming, he was enfeoffed as Count of Xingping, ranked among the Four Garrisons, a figure on par with Zuo Liangyu.

As thoughts flashed through Wang Dou's mind, Yang Guozhu was already introducing Wang Dou to He Renlong.

He Renlong glanced sideways at Wang Dou: "The one whose valor crowns the three armies?"

He cackled strangely, and with a whoosh, threw a punch straight at Wang Dou's face.

Wang Dou had been prepared the moment he saw his eyes. He went along with the punch, and with an over-the-shoulder throw, slammed him to the ground.

He Renlong lay sprawled flat on his back on the ground, his expression seeming somewhat stunned. True to his background as a Military Metropolitan Graduate, He Renlong scrambled up at once and shrieked: "Good lad, you really do have some skill. Not bad, not bad."

Wang Dou clasped his fist: "Your subordinate has given offense."

He shook his head inwardly. His title of "valor crowning the three armies" did not refer to single combat. Yet every officer who saw him could not resist challenging him — truly exasperating.

The officers behind Wang Dou all wore smiles on their faces. Yang Guozhu was also secretly pleased. He gave a light cough: "Guoqin, do not be disrespectful to Lord He."

He Renlong shouted: "No matter, no matter! Old He here just likes a heroic fellow like General Wang."

Although Wang Dou had thrown him to the ground, he did not take it to heart. Seeing the Shaanxi officers behind him itching to try, especially Mobile Corps Commander Gao Jie, who was even pushing through the crowd to come forward, he shrieked to stop them: "Old He here has already tested General Wang's skill. None of you need step forward."

Seeing these military men with no sense of ministerial decorum, Sun Chuanting furrowed his brow. His gaze swept over He Renlong, his expression deeply displeased. Hong Chengchou, however, chuckled, stroked his beard, and said to Chen Xinjia: "Viceroy Chen has capable men under his command."

Chen Xinjia's expression was reserved, but he could not hide the smugness in his tone: "General Wang's abilities are not limited to single combat alone."

…

Just now, Yang Sichang and Chen Xinjia had been preparing to host the Xuan-Da officers at a banquet in the Viceroy's Personal Battalion camp, but the banquet had been interrupted by the arrival of Hong Chengchou and the others. Now Yang Sichang invited Hong Chengchou and his party into the tent for a feast to welcome them.

Hong Chengchou gladly accepted Yang Sichang's invitation, but Sun Chuanting expressed a desire to first see the Eastern Slave heads taken by the Xuan-Da troops, especially the slain slave chieftain Yoto and the others. Regarding Sun Chuanting's request, Yang Sichang and Chen Xinjia, also eager to show off, expressed agreement. The Qin army officers who had come along were even more impatient to see the Xuan-Da army's trophies. And so the group braved the cold wind and entered the nearby military camp of Yang Guozhu and Wang Dou.

The moment they entered the Xuan-Da camp, He Renlong and the others could not help but click their tongues in envy. It was said that garrison troops were wealthy, and indeed it was true. Not to mention that Yang Guozhu's and Hu Dawei's troops all had armor and every man was fierce and formidable — especially the troops under that Mobile Corps Commander Wang Dou… they were truly strong soldiers and sturdy horses!

He Renlong and the others were astonished to see that many ordinary pikemen in Wang Dou's army wore iron armor, and the armor was exceptionally fine, with iron helmets on their heads. Each man also wore a red cotton fleece-lined woolen cloak of superior material, warm and smart, imposing and majestic.

The ordinary armor of their lesser troops, in the eyes of the Shaanxi officers, was all top-grade goods, comparable to the armor worn by their own officers. Seeing Wang Dou's extravagant and wasteful style, He Renlong and the others were both envious and jealous, grimacing and gaping.

In terms of armor quality and splendor, the Capital Battalion was first, the Liao Garrison second, and the Xuan Garrison third. Yet even the armor of the Xuanfu Garrison officers and men already made He Renlong and the others feel like country bumpkins entering the city, truly feeling a loss of face.

In the past, they could still mock and console themselves with "embroidered pillows and straw-stuffed sacks," but now that the Xuan-Da army had taken eight thousand heads, that mockery was clearly no longer tenable.

Sun Chuanting also grew more astonished the more he saw. All along the way into the camp, the soldiers of the Xuanfu Garrison and Shanxi Garrison main battalions were naturally elite and fierce, but Sun Chuanting faintly felt in his heart that none of them matched Wang Dou's troops. Watching those Shunxiang Army soldiers, he sensed a dignified and imposing aura, a unity of ten thousand men, a sweeping momentum that seemed to crush everything before it.

He was long experienced in military matters, and the strength of such an aura was obvious at a single glance.

The confidence and pride on those soldiers' faces also far exceeded that of the troops under Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei. This pride was not the arrogance of conceit and overestimation, but the natural confidence and pride born of surviving a hundred battles, of having endured bloody fight after bloody fight and emerged victorious.

To think that under a mere Mobile Corps Commander of the Xuan Garrison he could witness such an astonishing scene. Sun Chuanting suddenly felt he had made a mistake — earlier he had underestimated Wang Dou. The inside story of this battle, he must thoroughly dig into it.

Hong Chengchou's expression was also solemn. His gaze shifted between Yang Guozhu's and Hu Dawei's faces, then shifted to Wang Dou's face.

Very quickly, everyone entered the place in the Xuan-Da army tent where the heads were stored. Looking at the mound-like pile of Qing soldier heads, exclamations of wonder sounded from time to time. He Renlong kept picking up a Qing soldier's head to examine it, sniffling incessantly: "Look at the teeth, look at the face — they really are Tartar heads… So many, truly eight thousand of them."

The officers around him all nodded furiously, also holding heads in their hands and scrutinizing them carefully: "The queue is not freshly shaved, and the features are different from us Ming people — they are indeed Tartars…"

They exchanged glances from time to time, their eyes filled with shock. To kill eight thousand Tartars — what an enormous deed of merit! Not roving bandits, but Manchu Tartars.

Although they had recently defeated Li Zicheng and the others, in each man's heart, the weight of killing Tartars was far heavier than killing roving bandits. The ferocity of the Tartars had long been deeply ingrained in the minds of all Great Ming officers and soldiers. Even the military rewards differed by several grades.

Since the time of the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor, for killing one Tartar, an ordinary soldier was promoted one substantive rank; those unwilling to be promoted were rewarded thirty taels of silver, and during the Longqing reign this was even raised to fifty taels. But for killing six roving bandits, one could only be promoted one rank; those unwilling to be promoted were rewarded four taels of silver — the levels were vastly different.

Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting also moved among the piles of Qing army heads as if entering the Grand View Garden.

Watching their dazed expressions, Yang Sichang and Chen Xinjia exchanged a glance, both revealing looks of smug satisfaction. Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei rubbed their hands, also chuckling, their faces beaming with pride. Only Wang Dou remained calm, silently observing everyone's expressions.

After also viewing Yoto's corpse and the captured Luo Luohong and the others, Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting were speechless for a long while.

Sun Chuanting stroked the dense gunshot wounds on Yoto's corpse and murmured: "A wondrous deed, a deed that astounds the world!"

Hong Chengchou once again congratulated Yang Sichang and Chen Xinjia. Yang Sichang laughed heartily: "My lords, please follow me to the tent for the banquet."