Chapter 365: Entering Kaifeng

Weave, weave, weave a flower basket, weave a flower basket and climb the southern mountain. The southern mountain is covered in red peonies, every blossom blooming brilliantly. Silver peony, silver peony, that silver peony, na-ha-yi-ya-hai...

The ones singing at this moment were the six women rescued by the Shunxiang Army in Wu'an County, Zhangde Prefecture that day. Dressed in mandarin-duck battle jackets, they bounced and leaped to the accompaniment of music, twisting their bodies with exaggerated flair.

Around them on all sides gathered Shunxiang Army soldiers, all seated on the ground. Wang Dou and his officers also sat in front watching. Waves of laughter rose one after another, and everyone's words brimmed with praise for these women's song and dance.

These women were all in their teens, at the prime of youth. Han women have always been good at singing and dancing, whether from the north or the south. After being rescued into the Shunxiang Army, they were temporarily placed in Xie Youcheng's theater troupe.

Since the ninth year of Chongzhen, Xie Youcheng's Jade Emperor Pavilion troupe had rendered immense service to the Shunxiang Army's propaganda efforts. The various pieces they composed and performed were deeply welcomed by military households throughout the eastern circuit. This time, Xie Youcheng's troupe likewise accompanied the army, bringing spiritual comfort to the Shunxiang soldiers on campaign.

After being rescued, these women followed the army to Kaifeng Prefecture. Wang Dou had actually intended to settle them inside Kaifeng city, but the women threatened suicide and refused to leave the army no matter what.

During these days in the Shunxiang Army, they had seen clearly: in the army they ate their fill and wore warm clothes, often had meat to eat, and officers and soldiers alike treated them kindly. These days felt like heaven. If they left this army, where could they find such a good place? They even feared they could not survive on their own in the future.

They were single-minded about staying in the Shunxiang Army. In the land of Henan, natural and man-made disasters raged, bandits ran rampant, and prefectures and counties were constantly plundered and overrun. Truly no place was safe. Since they had been rescued, they would stay in the army for now, and be brought back to the eastern circuit later for proper arrangements.

Considering their physical strength, entering the logistics company was unsuitable. In the end, Wang Dou placed them in the accompanying theater troupe. Singing songs and dancing on ordinary days to boost the soldiers' morale was not bad. It must be said, they had considerable musical and dance talent. This local Henan folk song and dance was performed brilliantly, drawing waves of cheers from the soldiers.

Wang Dou also smiled and nodded, watching the soldiers sitting in circle after circle. Though everyone cheered and the atmosphere was fervent, they still maintained strict military bearing, their eyes clear. Indeed, the Shunxiang Army's discipline was severe. Moreover, the soldiers all had families, many with a wife and several concubines at home. They were not unacquainted with the taste of men and women, and would not leer lustfully at a woman and breach military discipline.

The strings, pipes, and drums played melodiously. Wang Dou listened with rapt fascination. In his later life he had been fond of traditional ethnic dance and song, and had little interest in the song and dance of foreign nations.

Just as he was enjoying the local folk tunes, Xie Yike suddenly walked to Wang Dou's side and said in a low voice, "General, Henan Vice Regional Commander Chen Yongfu has come with the Kaifeng officers to pay a visit."

Hoofbeats sounded as a troop of armored cavalry slowly advanced toward Kaifeng city. At the front of the army, Wang Dou and Chen Yongfu rode side by side. Chen Yongfu occasionally pointed out the scenery near Kaifeng to Wang Dou. He was clearly somewhat distracted, as if he had not yet recovered from what he had just seen and heard inside the Shunxiang Army camp.

Even at this moment, Chen Yongfu was still inwardly bewildered. Wang Dou said that by order of the Ministry of War, he was leading over three thousand troops to Sichuan to suppress Zhang Xianzhong and other bandits. But Chen Yongfu could not understand how nearly ten thousand elite soldiers had appeared in his army.

Wang Dou said four thousand of them were logistics soldiers accompanying the army. Chen Yongfu dared not believe it no matter what. Those were logistics soldiers? Were logistics soldiers that elite, every man clad in armor? Even his own retainer battalion could not have every man wearing armor. It seemed... in military bearing, his own retainer battalion was far inferior to Wang Dou's logistics soldiers.

Could all these men be Wang Dou's retainers? If all these men were retainers, did Wang Dou actually have seven thousand retainers? He was only an Assistant Regional Commander.

If those men were not retainers, why were these battalion soldiers all as elite as retainers, even surpassing them?

Chen Yongfu's mind could not wrap around it. He had actually heard of Wang Dou's reputation: the battles of Tongzhou, Julu, and Pinggu. The Emperor himself had conferred the title "Bravery Surpassing the Three Armies," and his fame had been illustrious for a time.

Chen Yongfu had originally thought this reputation surely contained exaggeration, because as far as Chen Yongfu knew, in several battles Wang Dou had fought alongside the regional commanders of the Xuan-Da garrisons, and must have been following behind to take advantage. Yet what he now saw and heard greatly exceeded Chen Yongfu's expectations. Just looking at the bearing of Wang Dou's army, this victory...

The elite troops of the Nine Frontiers truly lived up to their name. If a mere Assistant Regional Commander like Wang Dou was so fierce, then to what degree would men like Yang Guozhu of Xuanzhen be strong? And yet the Nine Frontier armies had repeatedly suffered defeat and setbacks before the eastern slaves. The fighting power of those Tartars...

While Chen Yongfu turned over such unusual thoughts, Wang Dou was also secretly observing Chen Yongfu and the retainer guards behind him.

Chen Yongfu was that traditional old Ming army hand. The armor on his body was quite worn and old. The guards behind him wore helmets, and donned waist-length armor or surcoats. These were mostly front-opening cotton armor that reached only the shoulders, exposing the red padded jackets on both arms, like breastplates.

Clearly, the Ming forces in the Central Plains heartland could not be as well-equipped as the Nine Frontier armies. Not to mention iron armor, even full-body cotton armor was rare. Among the soldiers guarding the Kaifeng city walls, more men wore red-tasseled military caps and padded vests, or simply blue battle skirts without even a surcoat.

Moreover, their uniforms, shoes, and socks were tattered, even more wretched than the Nine Frontier troops Wang Dou had seen. The fighting power of the Ming army could be glimpsed from this equipment alone. And Li Zicheng, in the final years of Chongzhen, had repeatedly defeated just such armies. A tough opponent, he had never once encountered.

Harboring such thoughts, under Chen Yongfu's guidance, Wang Dou and his party entered Kaifeng city. In Zhangde Prefecture and Weihui Prefecture, people were eating people everywhere. Although Kaifeng Prefecture was somewhat better, it was still full of refugees, disaster victims gathered in crowds, and the streets and alleys were filled with the starving.

In stark contrast were the luxurious mansions visible everywhere in the city. What left a deep impression on Wang Dou were the many princely estates and memorial archways in the city. On every main street and small alley, memorial archways stood row upon row — those of princely estates, of the gentry, countless throughout the city.

Passing those grand residences, one could occasionally hear the music of strings and pipes and laughter from within, while outside the high walls was the desolate misery of the disaster victims. The life of high officials and the wealthy was heaven; the life of commoners was hell. This stark contrast might well stir the greatest fury in those disaster victims wandering the streets.

Besides these, the numerous government offices in Kaifeng and the flourishing of commerce also rather surprised Wang Dou. According to Chen Yongfu's introduction, the most bustling places in Kaifeng were the large and small mountain goods streets, the bell tower, the drum tower, and the area around Dayushou. Here gathered merchants from all over the Great Ming, with every conceivable commercial good available.

In particular, a great number of wine shops and inns were concentrated here, with all kinds of high-class wine shops emerging endlessly, filled every day with distinguished guests. While everyone sampled the rarest delicacies, they could also summon singing courtesans to attend by their side. Whatever kind of woman one wanted was available.

The Shunxiang Army was encamped in the Xinghuaying area southwest of Kaifeng city. From the outskirts to the western gate, wine shops and inns lined the road door to door. After entering the city, the bustle was even harder to imagine, as dazzling as fireworks in full bloom.

Wang Dou sat silently on his horse. He knew that in the not-too-distant future, a colossal flood would destroy everything in the city. The prosperity before his eyes would all become fleeting clouds.

Before Wang Dou's eyes, those incomparably clamorous crowds — at this moment their expressions were either joyful or sorrowful, each person different, yet most would not exist in this world in the future. But one could not deny the fortitude of the people of Bian. When Li Zicheng three times led his troops to the city walls and fiercely attacked Kaifeng, these people before him — city dwellers, merchants, scholars, even prostitutes — all gave their full strength to defend the city. Integrity lay in the officers, loyalty and courage in the common people. These were not empty words.

Looking at everything before him, a sense of historical sorrow welled up in his heart. Perhaps it was fate: Kaifeng city's several survivals and destructions were all connected to floods. When Qin attacked Wei, they breached the waters to inundate Daliang. At the end of Ming, again a flood destroyed this city. In the War of Resistance period, it was likewise a flood...

Wang Dou could not help becoming somewhat entranced, as if Chen Yongfu's voice beside him was a thousand miles away.

At this time, Wang Dou entered Kaifeng city with Xie Yike leading a squad of saber-and-shield soldiers and Lumi musketeers as escort guards, every man clad in iron armor and mounted on fine steeds. As they advanced through the streets, the surrounding Kaifeng residents also scrutinized this army, each person appraising them with the sharp eye of a provincial capital dweller of the Central Plains. Whispers in the local accent drifted over continuously.

"Impressive! Where are these soldiers from?"

"Who is that great general, with Regional Commander Chen personally accompanying him? Seems like a big figure."

"The gun barrels those soldiers carry on their backs are so long. Have you seen them before?"

"Definitely not three-eyed guns. Should be bird guns, but bird guns don't seem that long either."

"It's General Dingguo, Wang Dou..."

A voice suddenly rang out: "See that banner with the character Wang? That's General Wang of Xuanfu Garrison's identifying flag. What a privilege, to witness General Wang's true visage today. In the past I've only heard the storytellers speak of him."

This voice rang out abruptly, but Wang Dou laughed inwardly. This accent was clearly the eastern circuit accent of Xuanfu Garrison.

Like a stone stirring a thousand waves, voices around rose one after another: "Is that the General Wang of the great battles at Julu and Pinggu? I heard he made the Tartar chieftains flee at the mere sight of him, his loyalty unmatched. The Emperor himself conferred 'Bravery Surpassing the Three Armies.' I never thought I would see him today."

"I hear General Wang has come leading seven thousand troops, all fine men like these before us. If General Wang were to assist in defending Kaifeng and Luoyang, we people of Bian would not fear the roving bandits."

"General Wang, a true hero. The Shunxiang Army, well done."

Dense layers of thumbs-up extended. Wang Dou smiled and cupped his hands in salute from horseback.

Chen Yongfu glanced at Wang Dou: "General Dingguo's might shakes the north and south. Even in Kaifeng, soldiers and civilians alike have heard much of it."

Wang Dou said, "The people of Bianliang are warm and hospitable. I am honored."

As they proceeded into the city, the crowd surging by the roadside to watch the excitement grew larger. From time to time people on the street greeted Chen Yongfu and Wang Dou with bows. Along the street, windows were pushed open one after another, and elegant, charming ladies stole glances at this procession of men and horses.

Even more women leaned out over their window frames, waving scented handkerchiefs and giggling at Wang Dou and his men: "Soldiers, when you come to Bianliang, remember to come patronize us."

Wang Dou smiled: "Kaifeng city — a wondrous place."