Chapter 761: The Execution of He Renlong

Feng Shikong was merely worried, afraid that matters would ultimately spiral out of control, and urged Sun Chuanting to think thrice before acting.

Sun Chuanting sneered: "Out of control? This Viceroy has come leading three thousand tiger guards precisely to deal with this lot. Not only that, henceforth I shall also vigorously train a new army in Shaanxi, instruct the officers and men in loyalty and righteousness, make them know they fight for the Great Ming, and ultimately replace these warlords!"

In the end Feng Shikong had no choice but to obey Sun Chuanting's arrangements, and the two secretly plotted how to summon He Renlong for a council.

At this time among He Renlong's subordinates, Zhou Guoqing, Wei Daheng, He Guoxian, Gao Jinku and others were his trusted confidants, while Gao Jie, Gao Ruli, He Yong, Dong Xueli and some ten-odd other officers were more distant; if only He Renlong and his trusted inner circle were executed and the remaining officers pacified, then the entire army could be settled.

In particular, at this time He Renlong's subordinate Gao Jie, serving as Vice Regional Commander, fought with fierce courage and also had irreconcilable enmity with the roving bandits; in Sun Chuanting's mind, he was a man who could be entrusted with heavy responsibility.

After all, as the ancients said, the enmity of a father's murder, the hatred of a stolen wife — that Gao Jie had once been under Li Zicheng's command; back then Li Zicheng's wife Lady Xing managed the army supplies, and during the daily distribution of rations and weapons and the matching of tallies, she saw that Gao Jie was of imposing stature and so committed adultery with him; Gao Jie, fearing Li Zicheng would discover it, then stole Lady Xing away and surrendered; naturally the affair could not be kept secret thereafter.

Li Zicheng had been cuckolded by Gao Jie with such an enormous green hat — how could he ever let it rest? Other officers could all surrender to the Chuang bandits, but he alone could not; this was also why every time Gao Jie encountered the roving bandits he fought with desperate ferocity — he could be used!

Immediately, Sun Chuanting sent out warrants summoning all Shaanxi commanders to Xi'an for a council, explicitly stating that they must all arrive at the Viceroy's residence by the hour of Wei in the afternoon four days hence to discuss state affairs and receive his face-to-face instructions; any who disobeyed or arrived late would all be executed without exception!

From this one could see Sun Chuanting's thunderous decisiveness, for the time given was extremely short; only by spurring their horses at full gallop without a moment's pause after receiving the dispatch could they make it in time, especially the local officials and commanders from more distant places.

Fortunately at this time the postal relay stations in the Shaanxi region were still fairly complete, especially the local relay horses used for delivering urgent dispatches; flying horses could be seen racing out in all directions, each rider with a small banner strapped to his back, galloping urgently toward the various frontier garrisons across Shaanxi; for a time, no one knew how many horses were run to death or died of exhaustion.

After receiving the warrant summons, none of the commanders dared be negligent, for the awe of Sun the Military Governor's authority from former days still remained; even He Renlong, because Sun Chuanting had once submitted a memorial pleading on his behalf when Wang Qiaonian was defeated and died, likewise let down his guard, bringing only two hundred personal guard retainers and the various officers beside him, and hurried toward Xi'an.

By now it was already the beginning of the eleventh month; only yesterday there had been a slight warming, yet today again flurries of snow drifted down in waves, and as the wind and snow blew, the cold was bone-piercing beyond compare.

As the arriving commanders entered Xi'an city, they were all astonished to discover that many more elite soldiers had appeared on the city walls, every one of them with fine armor and a stern, imposing bearing; even from a distance, what each man held in his hand was a self-igniting firelock, which made many secretly alarmed.

The further they walked toward the Viceroy's residence, the more elite soldiers lined both sides of the road; leaving aside the excellence of the firearms in these men's hands, it was especially that kind of iron discipline and the bearing of men who had survived a hundred battles that made many watch with pounding hearts and leaping flesh — was this the Viceroy's Personal Battalion? Where had Viceroy Sun gotten them from?

He Renlong was also one of those puzzled; after leading his retainers and subordinate officers into Xi'an city, he had taken note of these soldiers, watching them all in helmets and armor, utterly motionless in the freezing wind; that kind of elite quality, that kind of strict discipline — the crack troops in his own camp simply could not compare with them.

Moreover these men were all stout and robust of body, as if possessed of inexhaustible strength; their clothing and armor were also extremely fine, clearly supplied at great expense over time; he could not imagine where these troops had come from, or which subordinate commander would be willing to allocate such fine soldiers to Viceroy Sun's command.

Could they be from the Capital Training Corps?

A thought flashed through He Renlong's mind, but then he shook his head; those troops looked good on the outside, but in truth they were embroidered pillow soldiers, all show and no substance.

The soldiers before his eyes, however, at a single glance looked like men who had seen blood and fought in veteran campaigns; they absolutely could not be Capital Training Corps soldiers.

Vaguely, these troops also gave He Renlong a sense of familiarity, only he could not recall for the moment where he had seen this kind of soldier before.

Arriving before the Viceroy's main gate, they saw two great flagpoles rising sheer from the ground to left and right, like a pair of sharp swords thrusting straight into the blue sky, upon which billowed two apricot-yellow great banners; on one of the banners could faintly be made out the characters "Commander of the Three Armies."

Here it was a guard post every three paces and a sentry every five; several hundred red-armored, iron-helmeted fierce warriors stood in orderly silence on the square on either side of the main gate.

They held their weapons in utter stillness; even in the bitter cold, not a single man stirred the slightest; observing their posture as a mighty army, though they numbered only a few hundred, their presence was like that of a host of thousands upon thousands; the arriving commanders on the square were all shaken to behold it.

When He Renlong arrived with Zhou Guoqing, Wei Daheng, Gao Jie and the others, the Regional Commanders from the various garrisons of the Three Frontiers had also arrived.

Guyuan Regional Commander Zheng Jiadong, Lintao Regional Commander Niu Chenghu, Yulin Regional Commander Wang Ding, Ningxia Regional Commander Guan Fumin, along with their respective subordinates, such as Lintao Garrison Vice Regional Commander Lu Guangzu, Yulin Garrison Vice Regional Commander Hui Xian, Assistant Regional Commander Liu Tingjie and so on — Mobile Corps Commanders and above from every garrison had successively arrived.

Before the main gate it was thronged with helmeted and armored officers; from time to time someone would come galloping urgently up and leap down from his horse.

The Qin army endured bitter cold, and their pay and provisions were frequently in arrears; even though these men were officers and commanders, every one of them was in tattered armor and clothing, covered in dust and grime; yet their bearing was rough and bold, and each spoke and laughed with considerable abandon; cries of "donkey's balls" and "this old fellow" rang out unceasingly, and before the gate it was all a hubbub of mutual greetings and noisy clamor.

When He Renlong arrived leading a group of officers, a crowd of people immediately hailed him: "Commander He."

"Commander He."

"Old He's here?"

"Ha ha ha, Madman He has come?"

He Renlong exchanged pleasantries with them, especially Guyuan Regional Commander Zheng Jiadong and Lintao Regional Commander Niu Chenghu, both of whom, like He Renlong, were veteran senior generals.

Both men swaggered over to greet him, their faces all swarthy and coarse, bearing the look of wind and frost, rain and snow; each was nearing fifty, the iron armor on their bodies also scarred and stained, the capes hanging from them even torn with several holes — the very image of old campaigners.

"Old Zheng, Old Niu…"

He Renlong cupped his hands casually, then looked toward those soldiers on the square and said in a low voice: "What's the background of these fellows? Where did Sun Chuanting pull them from?"

The two shook their heads, their expressions also envious: "Fine troops indeed. Even the retainers in our camps can't compare with them. Could they be from the Capital Training Corps?"

He Renlong gave a contemptuous snort of cold laughter: "If the Capital Training Corps had troops like these, the Emperor wouldn't need to rely on us military bosses!"

Zheng Jiadong said: "True enough."

Niu Chenghu then said: "Old He, I've been feeling somewhat uneasy in my heart. Tell me, for Sun the Tiger to put on such a grand display…"

He glanced around and said in a lowered voice: "Could it be that he means to hold us accountable for the crime of fleeing the field back then?"

He Renlong in truth harbored the same unease, but he simply could not believe that Sun Chuanting would truly dare to actually punish them; as for the idea of beheading them — such a thought did not even flicker through his mind.

With troops one is a grass-roots king; all these years relying on the soldiers under his command, he, He Renlong, had lorded it over the heroes and treated all civil officials with contempt. He had snubbed Yang Sichang, snubbed Fu Zonglong, snubbed Wang Qiaonian — what could they do about it? What could the imperial court do about it?

Even when trouble arose, at most it was a case of atoning for one's crimes by meritorious service. Not a single actual punishment dared be imposed.

Such "bearing of crimes" — he himself could no longer remember clearly how many times it had happened. The Emperor killed high civil officials as easily as slaughtering chickens, but toward military bosses like them who had troops in their hands, he could only appease! Otherwise, was he not afraid they would stir up mutiny, or even defect to the roving bandits?

Hmph, Sun Chuanting was the same; lend him ten thousand guts and he still wouldn't dare do anything for real.

He had heard even more clearly that although Zuo Liangyu was the chief culprit in the great defeat at Zhuxianzhen, the subsequent handling was exactly as he had imagined: the Emperor only dared vent his anger on civil officials, and execute some Regional Commanders and officers who no longer had troops; Zuo Liangyu again got the outcome of atoning for his crimes by meritorious service.

What was even more laughable was that the court had originally intended to reward this chief culprit; only after the Xuanzhen Times reported on it was it changed to a reprimand, yet still not a single actual disciplinary measure was taken. Why? Because Zuo Liangyu had many troops in his hands, and the court was afraid.

This also made He Renlong all the more resolute in his mindset of preserving his own strength: if the battle situation turned unfavorable, preserving the troops in his hands must be the first priority. In this world, with troops, one had power and position; with troops, one also had glory, splendor, and wealth!

Thinking thus in his heart, He Renlong gave a hearty laugh and said disdainfully: "A new official's three blazing fires upon taking office — if he doesn't put on a grand display, how can he make people submit in awe? If he doesn't put on a grand display, how can he make people afraid? I, Madman He, admit these troops are very fine, but with just this handful of men, what use are they? In the end, doesn't he still have to rely on us Regional Commanders from every garrison, on the sons and brothers of Guanzhong? … Of course, he's an old superior, so we must give him some face. When His Excellency Sun puts on a blustering show to frighten us, or lets loose a torrent of abuse or the like, we'll play along a bit, put on a play together so that all sides can step down gracefully. After it's over, Old He here will treat you all to a meal at the biggest restaurant in Chang'an."

Niu Chenghu and Zheng Jiadong set their minds at ease, both burst into loud laughter, and said: "The older the ginger, the spicier it is; Commander He's analysis here can truly be called penetrating and incisive."

As they all exchanged pleasantries and saw that men from every garrison had more or less all arrived, suddenly three thunderous booms of cannon fire rang out; the main gate swung wide open, gaping dark and deep; everyone was startled, and He Renlong also gave a cough; collecting himself, he raised his hand and said: "Let's go, let's go, the hour has come, enter the gate — don't keep the old superior waiting!"

Leaving his personal guard retainers on the square, he took the lead and swaggered in through the main gate; the various commanders also filed in one after another, though seeing the dense ranks of guardsmen lining the path, firelocks in hand, each man was still secretly alarmed.

The Viceroy's residence was quite large; from the main gate to the great hall there were two deep successive courtyards; Gao Jie followed behind the crowd of officers, watching the martial soldiers standing solemnly on both sides, and for some reason, he had a feeling that was intensely familiar.

Then beside the steps at the second gate, he saw an officer standing with hands behind his back, coolly watching them; everyone's eyes lit up, for a handsome and ruggedly striking man like Gao Xun was a rare sight; the suit of fine armor he wore only made his heroic bearing all the more extraordinary.

But that was not what Gao Jie was thinking; looking at Gao Xun, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind — he now knew what troops Viceroy Sun had brought back with him.

The Jingbian Army!

It was the Jingbian Army!

As if plunged into an ice pit, Gao Jie's heart turned cold from head to toe; a great catastrophe was about to happen — in that instant, this was the only thought flashing through his mind.

Seeing Gao Xun's indifferent gaze sweep toward him, Gao Jie inwardly started in fright; he hurriedly put on an ingratiating smile, and then, almost with his heels going soft, passed beneath the second gate.

……

The men filed through the outer gate; three cannon blasts sounded, and they pressed in even more tightly into the great White Tiger Hall. The hall was vast. Directly ahead stood a screen, and before it was placed a heavy iron desk of nanmu wood, draped with red satin brocade banners, with gold tablets, command arrows, and the like arrayed across its top.

Then the officers, according to their official rank and military post, formed two rows and stood at attention. He Renlong, needless to say, took the uppermost place on the left side. They stood in solemn silence, awaiting the arrival of Viceroy Sun Chuanting.

Not long after, another cannon blast sounded. Military music struck up from behind the screen, and then Sun Chuanting appeared, striding out imposingly from behind the screen. He wore a great scarlet official robe, a black gauze cap on his head, and a jade belt at his waist, accompanied by Provincial Governor Feng Shikong, Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Huang Jiong, and others.

Behind them followed a large retinue of private secretaries. One man bore the Viceroy’s great seal; another, a cold and arrogant fellow, carried the Imperial Sword. What drew everyone’s notice was that among the crowd were also a dark, lean, resolute military officer and a dignified, rather refined-looking scholar — both unfamiliar faces whom He Renlong and the others had never seen before.

Sun Chuanting walked up before his iron desk. The private secretaries and the various officials parted to stand solemnly on either side.

“Pay respects to Viceroy Sun!”

Amid a rustle of armor plates, the officers roared their salute. All were in full armor, bows, arrows, and swords at the ready. They dropped to one knee, clasped their fists in both hands, and made obeisance to Sun Chuanting.

Sun Chuanting said in a deep voice, “Officers, rise!”

“We thank the Viceroy!”

A roar rose from the assembly, again accompanied by the clang and clash of armor plates. The aura of armored steeds and clashing blades spread through the hall.

Sun Chuanting seated himself behind the iron desk. His sharp eyes swept over everyone in the hall, lingering in particular on He Renlong.

He spoke slowly: “This Viceroy, having received the Emperor’s profound favor and been entrusted with heavy responsibility, has sworn to destroy the bandits with this very body and not betray His Sacred Majesty’s generous virtue. Yet while we rely on His Majesty’s awe-inspiring might, we also require officers and soldiers to obey orders and all colleagues to unite in purpose. If military discipline is not tightened, if orders are flouted, if battle is half-hearted — how then can the bandits be destroyed?”

His voice turned stern: “Therefore, the key to suppressing the bandits lies first in rectifying military discipline. Merit must be rewarded; crimes must be punished! You officers have for generations received the state’s favor — dare any of you not unite heart and strength?”

The men in the hall looked at one another in dismay. None had expected that Sun Chuanting, the moment he took office, would show so little quarter, openly berating them all. Listening to his words, they understood: this was cursing the mulberry while pointing at the locust tree.

The assembly fell deathly silent. Some kept their mouths shut; others stole glances at his expression; still others cast sidelong looks toward He Renlong.

He Renlong stood expressionless. Inwardly he was displeased. You’ve gone too far, Sun Chuanting. A casual scolding would be one thing, but if you push it too far and leave everyone with no way to step down, no one’s face will look good.

If you act like this, even if we all wanted to play along with your little drama, we couldn’t.

Seeing many gazes turn his way, he cursed under his breath. A pack of cunning foxes — they all know to make me, the old man, stick my neck out.

He gave a hearty laugh, his expression shifting, and said loudly: “Viceroy Sun’s words are pure gold and fine jade — everyone must take them to heart! … I, too, will certainly remember the Viceroy’s teachings, strive fiercely to slay the bandits, serve the state loyally, and rescue our common people from fire and water. Only thus shall we not betray the Imperial favor.”

Sun Chuanting looked at him, his expression hovering between a smile and a smirk. “Oh? So even Madman He remembers this Viceroy’s teachings?”

He Renlong grinned wide, his mouth splitting open. “Of course I remember. The Viceroy’s teachings — this humble officer dares not forget them for a single moment.”

Sun Chuanting said flatly, “And those several times you fled — were those also this Viceroy’s teachings?”

A flash of green anger crossed He Renlong’s face and was gone. He forced a smile. “That… that… heh heh… the bandits were simply too strong… ahem… this humble officer knows he was wrong. This humble officer will surely redeem past faults with future merit and repay His Majesty…”

Sun Chuanting stared at him and said coldly, “So, you admit your crimes?”

He Renlong said, “I admit them, I admit them. This humble officer admits his crimes and will certainly reform. I beg the Viceroy to grant this humble officer a chance to atone for his offenses through service…”

Sun Chuanting said flatly, “It is good that you admit your crimes. But this Viceroy has no need for you to reform — because you are fundamentally incapable of reforming!”

He shot He Renlong a deep, penetrating look, as though searing the man’s image indelibly into his mind. Then he abruptly stood and shouted fiercely: “Come! Drag out the criminal officer He Renlong and execute him!”

He Renlong said, “Fine…”

Several brawny soldiers at the front of the hall lunged forward, pinned He Renlong to the ground, knocked off his helmet, stripped away his bow, arrows, and sword, then wound thick ropes around him in several tight circles, trussing him up like a zongzi in an instant. They dragged him, hauling him toward the outside of the hall.

It all happened with the suddenness of a startled hare taking flight and a falcon swooping — the situation changed so fast it was scarcely believable. Only when he was being yanked outside did He Renlong fully grasp what was happening: Sun Chuanting was not putting on a show with him — he was in deadly earnest.

He desperately did not want to believe what his eyes were seeing, but the facts were this brutal. An unprecedented terror and horror surged up in his heart. He let out a few croaking cries, which finally coalesced into a single piercing shriek: “Injustice!”

“Injustice!”

He Renlong’s wretched voice echoed through the hall. The officers inside likewise turned pale, an indescribable dread rising in every man’s heart.

In particular, Guyuan Regional Commander Zheng Jiadong and Lintao Regional Commander Niu Chenghu trembled all over. They gritted their teeth and were about to kneel and plead for mercy, but Sun Chuanting’s furious voice already resounded through the hall, drowning out He Renlong’s piercing cries: “Injustice?”

He said savagely: “At Kaixian, you fled in chaos; the valiant commander, fighting alone, was lost, and the two bandits Xian and Cao slipped their cage — the poison of that lingers to this day! When you met the enemy, you abandoned your commander and fled first, causing the successive deaths of two Viceroys at Xin’an and Yongning. He Renlong, where is your injustice? Even death would not wipe out your crimes!”

He roared: “No more words! Drag him out and execute him!”

As the officers quaked in terror, He Renlong, his face twisted in a hideous grimace, was dragged out by the soldiers like a dead dog.

He was thick-set and powerfully built. At first he struggled frantically, his legs kicking wildly, all the while spewing a torrent of curses. But the farther out he was dragged, the more his contorted face filled with utter terror, until at last he let out a loud wail: “No… don’t kill me!”

“No…”

The piercing shrieks He Renlong let out seemed loud enough for the entire city of Xi’an to hear. From his throat came desperate, hoarse screams: “Spare me, spare me… Viceroy, spare this humble officer’s life…”

At last, He Renlong was dragged to the entrance of the Viceroy’s headquarters and forced to kneel on the ground. His mind was dazed and muddled. He seemed to hear a clamor rising from the square: “It’s the Grand Commander, the Grand Commander…”

“Sun Chuanting wants to kill the Grand Commander! Brothers, let’s fight that traitor Sun to the death…”

“Save Commander He.”

Then he seemed to hear voices close by: “Ready. Raise muskets.”

Volley after volley of musket fire rang out, mingled with bursts of wailing and shrieking. The sounds seemed at once near and far — He Renlong heard them, and yet did not. Footsteps sounded behind him. Master Hu, bearing the Imperial Sword, approached unhurriedly. He flicked the blade and remarked, “The Imperial Sword is not as handy as my long saber.”

With a ringing dragon’s cry, he drew the Imperial Sword. He Renlong knelt there, his hair disheveled. In that instant, it seemed the events of his life flashed one by one through his mind: becoming a Military Metropolitan Graduate in the Wanli years, rising step by step through accumulated merit to Assistant Regional Commander, Vice Regional Commander, Regional Commander. He had followed many men — Chen Qiyu, Zheng Chongjian, Sun Chuanting, Yang Sichang…

Because he fought with fierce courage, men called him “Madman He.” It seemed that in his early years, his only thought had been to slay bandits. But when had he changed? Once his troops were many and his officers plentiful, he grew more attached to power and position. His sole concern became preserving his own army, his own strength. For that, he repeatedly fled before battle, causing the deaths of countless civil officials and military officers without a twinge of guilt.

And he had believed that so long as he held a strong army in his hands, he would forever remain safe and sound. Heh heh…

His final thought was: “In the end, tens of thousands of troops still could not save my life…”

Master Hu swept a cold glance over He Renlong’s neck. The Imperial Sword slashed down fiercely. A head tumbled to the ground; petals of blood scattered, soon swallowed up by the wind and snow. (To be continued…)