Chapter 424: The Imperial Envoy

The Chongzhen Emperor said, "Hong Chengchou is seasoned and devoted to the state; he is right. With a great enemy before us, war is perilous and fraught with danger... Jinzhou must be relieved, but we must not speak lightly of rash advances."

Chen Xinjia said, "As Your Majesty says, Jinzhou must be relieved, but we cannot advance rashly. The Ministry of War has resolved to order the Regional Commanders Wang Pu, Yang Guozhu, Ma Ke, Tang Tong, Bai Guangen, Wu Sangui, and the others to lead their armies to the rescue, to relieve the crisis at Jinzhou."

He suddenly knelt and kowtowed: "I beg that the Loyal and Brave Count lead the army to the rescue. Since the eleventh year of Chongzhen, General Wang has repeatedly defeated the various bandits, and the eastern slaves tremble at the news of him. If Wang Dou leads the army to the rescue, Jinzhou will surely be as solid as a moat of molten metal, and the three cities will be secure!"

The Chongzhen Emperor hesitated somewhat. Chen Xinjia earnestly pleaded in a loud voice: "In the time of Han Emperor Cheng, Chen Tang said: 'Five of them are worth but one Han soldier.' Today, the Jingbian Army is just like that. If the Loyal and Brave Count is here, why fear the perilous situation in Liaodong? This matter concerns the fate of the nation. I beg Your Majesty to think thrice."

Having spoken, he repeatedly kowtowed.

The Chongzhen Emperor said in a low voice, "Over at Grand Coordinator Yang's side..."

Chen Xinjia said, "Your Majesty need not worry. Now Li Zicheng is routed, Zhang Xianzhong is dead, and of the great bandits only Luo Rucai and the Ge and Zuo divisions remain — all are panic-stricken curs. With Grand Coordinator Yang stationed at Xiangyang, and with the Bandit-Suppressing General, the Capital Training Division Regional Commanders Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong, and the others present, the remaining bandits are not worth fretting over."

Having spoken, he added another line: "Besides, General Wang has achieved this extraordinary merit. If he remains in Huguang, he may fall into discord with the other generals. Now is precisely the right time for him to withdraw his army. His troops and horses returning to the Eastern Route still need rest and reorganization; otherwise, the men and horses will be hungry and exhausted, which would be counterproductive."

The Chongzhen Emperor felt a stir in his heart. Indeed, this time, by a stroke of fortune, Wang Dou's merit was far too great. Zuo Liangyu, Meng Ruhu, and the others had pursued the bandits a thousand li, losing troops and officers, yet the greatest prize had been seized by Wang Dou. Who knew what the Huguang officers and soldiers were thinking now, especially what Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong were thinking.

If Wang Dou remained in Huguang and went on to exterminate Luo Rucai and the other bandits... When you eat the meat, you must at least let others drink the broth.

Yet though he thought this, his mind was still not made up. He merely waved his hand: "Let me consider it further."

Chen Xinjia tactfully took his leave, secretly pleased. Judging by His Majesty's manner, the likelihood of summoning Wang Dou back was extremely high. If Wang Dou, under his own command, then won a great victory in Liaodong, the day when he would replace Yang Sichang in His Majesty's esteem was not far off.

The Chongzhen Emperor was in excellent spirits. He arrived at the Kunning Palace, where the Empress happened to be. Seeing the Emperor's face full of smiles, Empress Zhou was also very delighted. She had already learned of the great victory at Xiangyang and the news that the bandit Xian had been killed. For days she had been going to the Fengxian Hall to comfort the heroic spirits of the ancestors.

Now, seeing the Emperor, she once more prostrated herself to offer congratulations. The Chongzhen Emperor took her hand and said with emotion, "The bandit Xian is dead, the various bandits are all routed, the fortunes of the state are turning — I, too, can breathe a sigh of relief."

Empress Zhou said joyfully, "This is all the merit of that State-Stabilizing General Wang Dou. He must be well rewarded."

The Chongzhen Emperor smiled faintly: "The Empress speaks rightly, but he is no longer State-Stabilizing General — he is now the Loyal and Brave Count."

Empress Zhou let out a surprised "Ah!" and said, "With such generous favor from Your Majesty, the Loyal and Brave Count will surely be overwhelmed with gratitude and serve Your Majesty with even greater devotion."

The Chongzhen Emperor nodded and said, "I precisely wish to tell all the common people under Heaven that I will never treat stingily anyone who diligently devotes his heart to serving the state."

The Emperor and Empress walked and talked, heading toward the Imperial Garden. Seeing His Majesty in a rare leisurely mood, Empress Zhou was even more delighted and chattered on as they talked along the way.

The Chongzhen Emperor suddenly asked about his daughter: "How is Kun Yi? Has she been reading her books?"

Empress Zhou said, "That girl — I don't know what's gotten into her lately. Ever since she heard of Wang Dou's great victories at Luoyang and Xiangyang, she's been giggling foolishly all day long and won't read her books."

The Chongzhen Emperor did not take it to heart and laughed: "When girls grow up, they always have their strange little ways."

The two chatted idly, and without realizing it, the Chongzhen Emperor's mind turned once more to the military affairs at Jinzhou.

The seventh day of the third month, in the fourteenth year of Chongzhen (1641).

The various armies had been gathered at Xiangyang for some time. At that time, Luo Rucai had fled into Henan, entering the Ying and Huo mountains, and joined forces with the five camps of the Ge and Zuo. To attack the bandits Cao and Ge, the combined forces of Huguang, Henan, and Nanzhili — several provinces — would certainly be needed to strike in a pincer and encircle them. Such a joint operation across several provinces could not be done without a Grand Coordinator of Military Affairs.

At that time, the Grand Coordinator Yang Sichang was gravely ill and unable to manage affairs. The Huguang Provincial Governor Song Yihe and the Army Supervisor Wan Yuanji could not command the obedience of all. The various parties quarreled, and no military strategy could be agreed upon.

By now, Yang Sichang felt his death was near. With the bandit Xian dead, his sole remaining wish was to await the imperial edict. Also, the roving bandits had not yet been completely purged, and someone must succeed him in the post of Grand Coordinator. The figures of Ding Qirui and Fu Zonglong flashed through his mind, but in the end, he decided to recommend to the court the Viceroy of the Three Frontiers of Shaanxi, Ding Qirui.

During these days, whenever he could move in his brocade sickbed, he would write and sketch out the subsequent strategy for exterminating the bandits. Then he would lay down his brush and sigh, knowing he would never see the day when "the bandit miasma is swept clean and peace reigns from then on." Every time it came to this, he would be overcome with dejection, feeling he had failed His Majesty's expectations.

On the morning of the seventh day, as he was deep in thought before his bed, he suddenly saw his son Yang Shansong hurry in, his face betraying unconcealable joy. He walked to the bedside and said in a low voice, "Father, the outriders report that the imperial envoy has arrived."

Yang Sichang's eyes instantly blazed with brilliance: "Has the imperial edict come?"

The great army inside and outside Xiangyang City received the Grand Coordinator's order to assemble at the eastern suburb parade ground, for the imperial envoy was to read His Majesty's decree before the entire army.

Hearing that the imperial edict had arrived, and with the Grand Coordinator's order besides, Wang Dou, Zuo Liangyu, He Renlong, Meng Ruhu, Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong, and the others all selected their most elite troops to form ranks on the parade ground. For a time, the eastern suburb was thick with massed armies.

When word spread, the people of Xiangyang City all came out to watch. Around the parade ground, it could be called a sea of people.

The eunuchs Liu and Lu Jiude, the Huguang Provincial Governor Song Yihe, the Army Supervisor Wan Yuanji, and the Xiangyang Vice Military Defense Circuit Zhang Kejian all arrived. The civil officials stood in front, the military officers behind, each man arrayed beneath the martial review platform. Yang Sichang was so gravely ill he could no longer walk; he was carried on a brocade litter, lying on the bed with his eyes closed in rest, while the aides and personal attendants at his side constantly watched over and tended to him.

At the hour of noon, the imperial envoy arrived — a middle-aged eunuch, travel-worn and dusty, with a deep and solemn expression. Behind him clustered a large retinue of junior eunuchs, Embroidered Uniform Guard guardsmen, Capital Training Division soldiers, and the like. At his side, bowing and scraping, was the Xiangyang Prefect Wang Chengceng, who had led the various Xiangyang officials in escorting him all the way.

He ascended the high martial review platform. Seeing the incense table laid out below, the various officials standing in attendance, and the entire army standing in solemn silence, the imperial envoy nodded with satisfaction.

His gaze swept over the crowd below, and when he saw Yang Sichang on the brocade litter, no longer in human shape, he could not help but be greatly startled. He hurried down from the platform and said with concern, "Old Sir, how have you become so gravely ill?"

Yang Sichang said, "Eunuch Wang, I... I..."

He struggled to rise from the litter to perform the rites. The imperial envoy's face showed worry, and he sighed: "His Majesty, hearing of your grave illness, has been constantly concerned. If he were to see the Grand Coordinator like this..."

He said, "Old Sir, you may receive the edict lying on your litter."

Yang Sichang said, "No... I must not. Quickly, help me down..."

He struggled to rise. The aides and personal attendants at his side had no choice but to help him down from the litter.

The imperial envoy sighed and ascended the high martial review platform. From a eunuch beside him, he took a brocade box wrapped in yellow silk. Inside was a casket, and from the casket he drew out an imperial edict on yellow damask. He shouted in a loud voice: "Grand Coordinator Yang Sichang, receive the edict!"

Yang Sichang knelt, trembling: "Your servant... Yang Sichang receives the edict."

The imperial envoy chanted aloud: "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: ... The sage is the paragon of the cardinal virtues and constant norms, and must manifest the righteousness of punishing rebellion and eliminating the vicious. Only by reverently honoring the Way of Heaven at all times can one accord with the sentiments of the people. Now the Heavenly principle has not been extinguished; the Zhang clan's accumulated evil has filled its measure. The Heavenly principle and the human heart are manifest and cannot be obscured. The chief villain has been punished and eliminated. Now there shall be great promotion in rank. The Grand Coordinator Yang Sichang, whose merits and achievements are outstanding, is hereby granted the title of Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent, and bestowed with official cap and robes, belt, and brocade ribbons and silk. Also, thirty thousand taels of silver from the inner treasury, and five hundred bolts each of red silk and inner and outer lining silk, to be used for the purpose of rewarding merit. Let it be so!"

Yang Sichang shuffled forward on his knees and said, choking with emotion: "Your servant Yang Sichang gives thanks for the imperial grace."

He was sobbing too hard to speak. The Army Supervisor Wan Yuanji, his son Yang Shansong, and the many aides were likewise overwhelmed with emotion. Only Zuo Liangyu and the others secretly burned with envy and hatred.

The imperial envoy placed the edict into Yang Sichang's hands and said, "Quickly, help the Old Sir up."

There were also various reward items, which Yang Sichang's son Yang Shansong accepted on his father's behalf.

Afterward, the imperial envoy shouted: "Wang Dou, Assistant Regional Commander of the Eastern Route, Xuanfu Garrison, receive the edict!"

Wang Dou stepped forward from the crowd and said in a steady voice, "Your servant, Wang Dou, receives the edict!"

The imperial envoy seemed to pay particular attention to Wang Dou. He looked at Wang Dou again and again, then unfurled another imperial edict and read it aloud.

Wang Dou knelt on the ground, listening. The more he listened, the more his heart was shaken. The generosity of the Emperor's rewards exceeded anything he had expected. The bestowal of an army designation, a battalion designation, and the seal of "General Who Subdues the Caitiffs" went without saying, but the conferral of a count's noble title was truly extraordinary.

It is said that since the Zhou dynasty, China had the five ranks of nobility: Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, and Baron. The later Western system of nobility was merely translated from the ancient Chinese ranks. Only because the Westerners grew powerful did the world come to understand the Western noble ranks better.

The five ranks of nobility remained unchanged for a thousand years. By the Ming dynasty, only the three ranks of Duke, Marquis, and Count were retained, while the two ranks of Viscount and Baron were abolished. No noble title could be conferred except for merit to the altars of state and military achievement, and no title designation could be granted except by special decree. Not to mention the bestowal of an iron certificate — this was a hereditary noble title, not a non-hereditary one, a rare honor indeed.

In contrast, his promotion to Regional Commander of the Xuanfu Garrison Militia Training Division was nothing much. At this time, the various garrisons of the Great Ming had numerous Regional Commanders. The Liaodong Garrison alone, for example, had the Ningyuan Militia Training Regional Commander, the Liaodong Regional Commander, the Liaodong Vanguard Regional Commander, the Jinzhou Regional Commander, and so on.

Not to mention that Wang Dou himself was in a daze — everyone present on the field was also stunned. Meng Ruhu, Zhang Yingyuan, Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong, Zhou Yuji, and the others, though envious, were still happy for Wang Dou.

He Renlong's expression was extremely complicated. Liu and Zuo Liangyu and the others were even more livid, their hearts filled with both terror and bitter envy. It was unfair! According to the imperial edict, they would at most be rewarded with a little silver and cloth, while this lucky commoner had been made a count. Heaven and earth bore witness — it was truly unjust.

Song Yihe, Wan Yuanji, Zhang Kejian, and the other civil officials also looked at Wang Dou, their faces filled with the utmost envy. The officers and soldiers of the Shunxiang Army below the platform were even more wild with joy.

"Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long, long live!"

Wang Dou received the imperial edict and handed it to Xie Yike and the others who had come over. There were also the patent of nobility and the iron certificate; the patent was also called the Cinnabar Writ, and this was the origin of the Cinnabar Writ Iron Certificate.

He was also bestowed a python robe and jade belt. The python robe bore five-clawed dragon patterns, extremely similar to the dragon-embroidered robes worn by the Emperor. To receive a python robe was an immense honor and favor. Yang Tongchang, Xue Guoguan, and others had previously received such python robe rewards. The Emperor's gesture showed that Wang Dou's standing in his heart was now on par with figures like Yang Sichang.

There were also the Grand Commandant's official uniform and waist token. The waist token was made of fine ivory and jade, of the highest "Ren" rank, decorated with a single coiling dragon amid clouds, and was traditionally worn by Dukes, Marquises, Counts, and Grand Commandants.

Back when he was a Battalion Commander, Wang Dou had once wondered when he might get his hands on a "Ren"-rank waist token; he never imagined such a day would truly come.