Chapter 362: Swearing an Oath, Kaifeng Prefecture

With a *swoosh*, a sharp arrow pierced through the head of the man leading with a club. Then that Night Scout fired left and right, and the several men in pursuit were struck by arrows and flung forward.

With a *crack*, another Night Scout aimed at the last man and fired his hand cannon. As the smoke from his hand cannon rose, a large hole burst open in that man's chest. He staggered backward several steps, then fell stiffly to the ground.

This all happened as swiftly as a hare starting and a falcon stooping. The women who had fled to the side seemed frozen with terror, each kneeling on the ground and kowtowing. The woman who had been running turned her head back for a look, then threw herself to the ground in fright, screaming shrilly: "Don't kill me, don't kill me..."

A horse came up before her. The third Night Scout had a full beard. He glanced at this woman and tossed an object in front of her. The woman hesitantly picked it up, then cried out with joy: "It's a flatbread, it's a flatbread..."

She prudently shut her mouth, stuffed the flatbread into her bosom in one motion, and wanted to find a safe place to enjoy it. But her voice had already drawn the attention of the women beside her, and they screamed as they lunged forward to snatch it.

With a *crack*, the sound of a hand cannon rang out again. This Night Scout drew his hand cannon and fired a shot into the air.

The women lunging forward cried out in alarm, hurriedly turned and ran back. After running a few steps, they stopped again, hesitating.

Seizing this chance, that woman hid behind a mound of earth, took the flatbread from her bosom, and desperately stuffed it into her mouth. She ate too hastily and seemed to choke, coughing violently.

A water flask fell from the sky in front of her. Without caring where the flask came from, the woman hastily pulled out the stopper and poured the water inside into her mouth in great gulps.

"It's for you."

The Night Scout who had earlier fired and killed the man had already dismounted. He took several flatbreads from his horse's pack and gestured toward the several women.

This Night Scout was very young, his face bearing a sunny smile. Although his accent was hard for the women to understand, each of them recognized the flatbreads in his hands. The women hesitantly came forward, swiftly snatched the flatbreads from his hands, and each found a safe place to devour them. As they ate, they kept glancing around, always poised to flee.

Watching these women wolf down the food, this Night Scout shook his head with a sigh.

One flatbread seemed not enough to fill their hunger. Seeing that the two officers looked fierce and murderous, and only this young officer had a gentle expression, they all crowded in front of this Night Scout and begged: "Soldier lord, give us one more flatbread, we'll do anything you want."

One woman, even as she begged, grabbed the Night Scout's hand and placed it inside her bosom, looking at him pitifully.

This Night Scout was quite embarrassed and turned his head back to look toward the Shunxiang Army.

Wang Tianxue, who had followed Wang Dou for many years since entering Jingbian Fort in the seventh year of Chongzhen and was now the chief medical officer of the Shunxiang Army, said: "These women have suffered hunger and cold for too long. They must not eat or drink excessively, or there is a risk of sudden death."

Wang Dou nodded and said: "Bring them over."

The women were brought over. Seeing the great army in iron armor, all fierce wolf-and-tiger-like men, they were extremely afraid.

It seemed that because the young Night Scout had just given them flatbreads to eat and had a gentle manner, they subconsciously thought of this Night Scout as a "good person." Each of them timidly crowded behind him, and as they walked, they tugged at his sleeves.

There were six women in this group, all with disheveled hair and dirty faces, their clothes tattered. As they stood, they swayed unsteadily. Their features could not be made out, but one could guess they were young; otherwise, the old and weak could not have survived at all in these famine years.

Hearing that Wang Dou was the leader of these officers and soldiers, and that his expression was also quite gentle, not as if he meant them harm, the several women were slightly reassured. Each knelt and kowtowed, weeping and pleading: "General, take us in. We'll be oxen, be horses, do anything, just give us a mouthful of food."...

Everyone sighed. The Judge, Chi Dacheng, said: "Women cannot be casually kept within the army, lest they disturb military morale."

Wang Dou pondered for a long moment, then summoned Sun Sanjie and temporarily placed these several women in the baggage Company Commander's unit, with further arrangements to be made later.

Seeing that it was approaching noon, not far from this small town was a local river called the Luo River, but the river water was nearly dried up, with cracks everywhere. Wang Dou ordered the Shunxiang Army to rest and cook here, and also dispatched a central army consolation officer to ask the several women for details.

The several women, disregarding their physical weakness, had already asked to work, fearing only that the great army would abandon them. They had already seen clearly that this army was different; here, it seemed they could survive. Soon the consolation officer returned, sighing repeatedly: "Tragic, truly too tragic."

These several women were local residents, all from the vicinity of Wuan County in Zhangde Prefecture. After several successive severe droughts in the area, the price of rice had risen continuously. In particular, merchants and wealthy households closed their markets, and in the end, no grain could be bought at all.

Given the Great Ming's level of productivity, if prices rose two or three times above normal, great famines would break out everywhere, let alone prices rising tenfold or twentyfold. The common people went from eating tree bark, to eating grass roots, to eating caltrop, to eating earth and stones. After finishing all these, they began to eat each other.

Family members, brothers, friends, and neighbors ate one another. The basic ethics and morality no longer existed. In the end, it developed into bands of strong men wielding clubs, going out to select women and children to prey upon, and no one dared to intervene.

It was heard that in the local and nearby cities, apart from inside the cities and the suburban passes, the villages everywhere had either starved to death completely or become bandit lairs — "man-eating squads." The remaining people all lived in constant fear, worried about becoming food in others' mouths. These several women were fortunate; they encountered the Shunxiang Army passing by, otherwise they too would have become food for those men dizzy with hunger.

Sounds of long sighs and lamentations arose. Qin Yi said: "Since the Chongzhen years, the Central Plains have suffered great famine every year. The mountains are full of bandits. When grass roots and tree bark are exhausted, people use human flesh as grain. Parents eat their children, children eat their parents. Young children who have not yet come of age vanish in the blink of an eye. Every night one wanders in dread, hearing cries and calls for help — all are the schemes of evildoers devouring people. This wounds the heart and stings the nose; one can hardly bear to hear it..."

The more Qin Yi spoke, the more sorrowful he became. He was from Nanyang, and every famine there was just like this Zhangde Prefecture. He felt it as if it were his own suffering — how could he not weep at the sight?

Gao Shiyin cursed: "It's still the incompetence of the local officials and generals. Otherwise, why has no one starved to death on our Eastern Route, while other places in the Great Ming are so chaotic and miserable?"

Wen Fangliang said: "Only under the General's leadership can all injustice under heaven be swept away and a bright and clear world be restored to the Great Ming."

Everyone nodded. Wang Dou closed his eyes and remained silent. Rare famine followed one after another, especially severe in Henan. This was also why bandit forces were particularly rampant in the Henan region. Suppressing bandits was a political problem, not a military one.

That evening, the Shunxiang Army arrived outside the city of Wuan County. After setting up camp, Sun Sanjie, as usual, took the Ministry of War's official document and entered the city to demand grain from the County Magistrate.

Not long after, he returned, but empty-handed, having not obtained a single dou of grain. According to him, the local County Magistrate used the excuse of having no grain and was utterly unwilling to issue any.

Wang Dou was furious. The great army had come from Zanhuang and had already distributed nearly a thousand dan of military grain along the way. Although the army carried a large amount of silver on this march, merchants and wealthy households had closed their granaries, making it extremely difficult to buy grain. If they did not replenish their provisions from the official granaries of the various prefectures and counties, the military grain they carried might not even be enough to reach Kaifeng Prefecture.

He shouted at Wen Fangliang: "Company Commander Wen, take a company of soldiers into the city and arrest that County Magistrate. This general wants to see whether he dares refuse to give grain in the face of my great army."

A flash of cold light passed through Wen Fangliang's eyes. He clasped his fists and saluted Wang Dou: "This subordinate officer obeys the order."

A commotion arose outside the military camp, and then the noise of the commotion moved into the city. Very quickly, Dou Weiluo, the County Magistrate of Wuan in Zhangde Prefecture, was dragged in by several Shunxiang Army soldiers...

To Wang Dou's surprise, Dou Weiluo was very young, not yet thirty, with a refined and gentle appearance. Though he was being manhandled by several Shunxiang Army soldiers, he was not panicked. His eyes swept over everyone in the tent, then fixed on Wang Dou, looking at him sideways with disdain.

Wang Dou glanced at him: "My great army is under orders to suppress bandits, traveling a thousand li. The Ministry of War's dispatch is here. Why do you not provide grain?"

Dou Weiluo smiled slightly: "I have long heard that the State-Stabilizing General's might shakes the north and south, that His Majesty personally conferred the title 'Bravery Surpassing the Three Armies,' and that the Shunxiang Army is a righteous force. General, this is hardly the way to treat a guest."

When he spoke, he carried an Anhui accent; he was not a native of the Central Plains prefectures. Indeed, the Great Ming did not allow natives of a province to serve as officials there. Especially when Zhu Yuanzhang was Emperor, the requirements were even stricter, even mandating that "southerners serve in the north, northerners serve in the south." Later, however, the north-south restriction was lifted. But except for educational officials, the iron rule remained that natives of a province could not serve as officials locally.

That Dou Weiluo knew so much about him surprised Wang Dou somewhat. He had Dou Weiluo sit down and again asked the reason for his unwillingness to provide grain.

Dou Weiluo suddenly lost his composure and laughed maniacally: "The people are all dead, so naturally there is no grain."

He laughed wildly, his voice tinged with sobs: "General, perhaps you do not know. This county originally had a registered population of 10,035 households. But at the census earlier this year, 8,028 households had already died out. The original registered adult males numbered 20,325; 18,450 have fled or died. And that was earlier this year. How many remain now, this county does not even know."

"Yet despite this, this county must still bear the three military taxes totaling over 44,000 taels of silver, over 2,300 dan of tribute rice, 12,053 dan of Liaodong rice and beans, 688 dan of Linqing granary rice, and 842 dan of stipend rice. With all these various obligations, how can the remaining 2,000 households and 1,800-odd adult males of this county possibly supply and deliver the grain?"

His expression suddenly became resolute: "The famine grows more desperate by the day. It is clear this county will soon have no households left. This official has already decided to distribute all the grain and rice in the granary to the disaster victims."

Wang Dou said: "Then how will you explain this to the imperial court?"

Dou Weiluo gave a strange smile: "No matter. This humble official has already resolved to abandon his seal and return home."

He swayed his head and chanted: "I built my hut among men, yet hear no noise of horse or cart. You ask how this can be? A heart far away finds itself apart. I pluck chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, and distantly see the southern hill. The mountain air is fair at close of day, and flying birds return home together... Ah, this is the wish this humble official's heart follows."

Wang Dou looked at him for a long time, then sighed: "Magistrate Dou, you may return. I have offended you greatly just now."

Dou Weiluo said: "No hurry. Just now, when this humble official entered the camp, I saw that your army seems to have an abundance of provisions. For the sake of the common people, I ask the General to allocate a portion of your provisions to relieve the living souls of Wuan."

Wang Dou was speechless. Faced with Dou Weiluo's shamelessness, he had nothing to say.

Early the next morning, Wang Dou led his army away from Wuan County. His mood was somewhat poor. Not only had he failed to obtain grain, he had instead given away several hundred dan of his own provisions.

However, since this grain was used to relieve disaster victims, Wang Dou felt somewhat better inside. Dou Weiluo naturally expressed endless gratitude, praising Wang Dou as truly worthy of being a pillar of the state and the Shunxiang Army as truly worthy of being a righteous force. Only Wang Dou had a bitterness he could not express.

“Now the roads are filled with refugees, the wilds strewn with bones. A gloomy wind darkens the green ghost-fires; brigands gather in the emerald thickets. Broken limbs and small bones lie scattered on the roads; whenever one rides through the countryside, hooves tread upon them, crunching and crackling as if walking on hemp stalks…”

As the great army marched along, every city they passed told the same tale — either people devouring one another, or rising up in howling revolt. Such tidings were unbearable to hear, such sights unbearable to behold. When the army reached the Qi River, the entire force stood dumbstruck, staring at the opposite bank, where several hundred people were throwing themselves into the river to die. They scrambled over one another, as if rushing toward some paradise of ultimate bliss.

From behind came the voices of the comfort officers from each division: “You have all seen it with your own eyes. Had you not joined the Eastern Route, your families would be just like them — either becoming food in another’s mouth, or living a fate worse than death. You must all cherish the good days you have now, and strive with all your might to slay the bandits for General Dingguo. Do not slacken.”

Every single soldier nodded with desperate fervor.

Wang Dou rode in silence atop his horse. The Qi River was very broad; despite the great drought, much water still remained. The river wind set his fiery red cloak and great mantle billowing high.

With a ringing clang, he drew his keen sword. The commanders around him all fixed their eyes on Wang Dou.

Wang Dou flicked the blade with his finger, and the sword sang like a dragon. In his heart, he vowed to himself: “I, Wang Dou, swear that I will restore peace to all under Heaven, and turn this land of China into a blissful paradise. Whoever blocks my path — I will remove him.”

……

The twenty-second day of the tenth month, in the twelfth year of the Chongzhen reign. Afternoon.

Wang Dou led the Shunxiang Army to the Yujiadian ferry crossing on the northern bank of the Yellow River. This place already fell under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture; crossing the Yellow River, one would soon reach the city of Kaifeng.

Suddenly beholding the majestic, surging waters of the Yellow River, Wang Dou could not help but stand transfixed. In his later life he had never seen the Yellow River, and in this life, this was also his first time.

People call the Yellow River the mother river of the Chinese people, and say that one is no true man until he has seen it. The golden-hued waters surged and roiled, flowing on as if unchanged for a thousand years — like an old man weathered by countless storms, striding forward with steady steps, simply walking on, calm and unhurried, on and on.

Not only Wang Dou, but the greater part of the Shunxiang Army was awestruck by this boundless, mighty river stretching beyond sight. In the Eastern Route, in Baoding, in Zhending, in Liaodong — where could they have ever seen a river so vast and powerful? Many were overwhelmed by the majesty of nature, standing dumbstruck and speechless.

The Yellow River’s turbid waves churned and its angry billows surged, yet it also hung suspended overhead. Below the high, tiered embankments lay a broad plain, dotted with cities, villages, and towns like stars in the sky. The Yellow River’s waters hung high above the heads of millions upon millions of souls along its banks, making one dread the moment those sky-high muddy waves would burst through the dikes and destroy everything around.

Fortunately, for the time being, that had not yet happened — though Wang Dou knew that during the third battle of Kaifeng, the river dikes at Kaifeng would be breached by men, and the dead would number in the millions.

Drawing near to Kaifeng was what finally allowed Wang Dou to feel some vitality of human life. The disaster conditions here were slightly milder; although refugees still filled the land and the villages and towns lay desolate, at least some semblance of normal life and commercial order remained.

Opposite them was the prefectural city of Kaifeng. With its original inhabitants, plus nearly all the wealthy households and official families of Henan having moved into this city with their dependents, the population of Kaifeng Prefecture already approached a million. With so many mouths to feed, the daily demand was enormous. On the Yellow River alone, cargo vessels plied back and forth without cease, merchants and travelers scrambled for passage, and every regional accent could be heard.

Crossing the river was a problem. Fortunately, along this stretch of the river at Kaifeng, boats were plentiful. Those large flat-bottomed vessels could each carry scores of men and horses. Fair trade — an army willing to spend money was still welcome, and while Wang Dou cared not a whit for silver, the boatmen certainly did.

Moreover, some Eastern Route merchants whom Wang Dou had stationed in Kaifeng also helped with the arrangements. Very quickly, Sun Sanjie’s logistics battalion procured a large number of boats — several hundred in all — including many sheepskin rafts. By the afternoon of the following day, the entire Shunxiang Army had crossed the Yellow River and arrived outside the western gate of Kaifeng.

As was his custom, Wang Dou prepared to squeeze Kaifeng Prefecture for some provisions — to demand grain.

By this point in the march, since they had distributed quite a bit along the way, the army’s grain and fodder reserves were down to a small fraction. Without replenishment, they could not march much farther. In Wang Dou’s plan, it would be best to obtain grain for free; failing that, the Eastern Route merchants he had placed inside Kaifeng had also stockpiled some grain and fodder, which should suffice for the army’s needs for the better part of a month.

Although he had seen the city walls of Xuanfu Garrison City and the capital, when Wang Dou beheld the walls of Kaifeng Prefecture from afar, he was still deeply shaken.

The city’s circumference was estimated at twenty to thirty li, entirely faced with brick, and the walls were immensely thick. Particularly striking was the encircling moat — four moats in all, each roughly fifty zhang wide, with an estimated depth of four to five zhang. At the five city gates where they crossed the moats, gate bridges had been constructed. The suspension bridges were made of elm and locust wood, and looked just like regular bridges.

When raising the suspension bridges, iron chains, iron rings, and iron wheel grooves were used, making them easy to lift. If danger threatened outside the city, the towers could quickly haul them up. Moreover, once raised, the elm and locust wood construction was extremely sturdy and could also serve to protect the gates.

Wang Dou sighed with emotion. With such a solidly fortified city, if the defenders were even moderately capable, breaching it would be an exceedingly difficult task. No wonder, historically, Li Zicheng had to assault Kaifeng three times.

The Ministry of War’s dispatch had already been delivered into the city. Wang Dou waited quietly for word to come back. Without obtaining grain, he certainly was not leaving.

At this time, Wang Dou also summoned the Eastern Route merchants inside Kaifeng Prefecture to inquire about matters. These men were primarily merchants from Baoanzhou.

As for the merchants of the Eastern Route, those from Baoanzhou had the “tightest” relationship with Wang Dou. Acting under the Shogunate’s orders, they coordinated with certain Shunxiang Army agents, conducting trade and operations in Kaifeng Prefecture and other places. They also served a very important function — gathering intelligence on the surrounding areas.

“The bandit Chuang, Li Zicheng, has entered Henan and joined forces with the Yidogu, Wanguanzi, and other bandit gangs, claiming hundreds of thousands. In western Henan, they have successively overrun Lushan, Jiaxian, Yiyang, Yiyang, Yanshi, Lingbao, and various other counties. Government troops have suffered repeated defeats. Several days ago, word came that Yongning City has fallen; Prince Wanan and all the powerful gentry within the city have perished.”

“Rumors among travelers say the bandit Chuang intends to besiege Luoyang.”

As for the war situation in northwestern Henan, although the local authorities in Kaifeng were doing their utmost to suppress the news, many rumors still filtered through. It was heard that Prince Zhou, Provincial Governor Li Vanguard Commander, and Provincial Administration Commissioner Liang Bing were deeply troubled. If Li Zicheng truly besieged Luoyang, what was to be done?

Li Zicheng had suddenly risen with tremendous momentum; it was said his army had already grown to several hundred thousand. Kaifeng Prefecture had fewer than ten thousand troops — even if they wished to send relief, they lacked the strength.

Although, given the depth and strength of Luoyang’s walls, everyone believed Li Zicheng could not possibly take it, they still feared the one-in-a-thousand chance… After all, Yongning City had fallen, Prince Wanan was dead, and Luoyang was no trivial matter — it was the seat of a Prince of the Blood, and moreover, the uncle of the reigning Emperor.

※※※

Old White Ox:

People keep arguing about things like stud harems and the like. Let me be clear: my attitude toward women is to follow my heart’s desire — no forcing, no pretentiousness, everything decided by my own preferences. If I find a woman agreeable, I let the protagonist have her; if I don’t, I won’t. So all these low-IQ arguments about monogamy, harems, studs, and the like are truly unnecessary here.

My principles will not be swayed by others. If you don’t like it, you can leave — I absolutely will not try to keep you. Toward those who are anti-stud, anti-harem, and the like, I personally find them utterly repugnant. I consider them oppositional for opposition’s sake — pretentious, hypocritical, outwardly one thing and inwardly another. In principle, such people are not welcome to read my books.

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