Chapter 763: Internal Strife Among the Roving Bandits

In early eleventh month, the various roving bandit contingents that had gone south returned one after another. By then they had already captured the prefectural seat of Runing, seizing immense spoils, and even the resident Prince of the Blood, Prince Chong Zhu Youkui, his younger brother Prince Heyang Zhu Youcai, and the heir Zhu Cihui were all taken prisoner.

Li Zicheng initially enfeoffed Zhu Youkui as Count of Xiangyang, but soon changed his mind and issued a military order to execute Zhu Youkui and the others at Biyang in Henan.

Apart from small detachments that remained in places like Runing Prefecture and Nanyang Prefecture to assault cities and seize territory, the bulk of every contingent and every camp — especially men from the Chuang Camp such as Li Guo and Yuan Zongdi — all returned to Henan Prefecture.

By this time, however, the conflicts between the Chuang Camp and the Ge and Zuo camps had grown increasingly severe. Luo Rucai and his lot were addicted to wine and women, which Li Zicheng found utterly intolerable. He would often sneer at them, saying, "Mere slaves to wine and lust."

Luo Rucai, He Yilong, and the others were likewise deeply dissatisfied with Li Zicheng's parsimony and miserliness, and they cursed him just as roundly: "A post-station runner, a rat of the lowest sort — to stand near him defiles our robes."

In private they reviled him without end, convinced that Li Zicheng's manner of conduct truly besmirched the name of the righteous army and the sacred word "rebellion." Coarse grain and husks — what the hell kind of rebellion was that? If their rebellion was meant to lead to such a life, they would have taken amnesty long ago.

Their private abuse was vicious. To translate it into the language of later ages: you, Li Zicheng, are nothing but a bumpkin; even with money you remain a clodhopper; a poor, short, wretched loser, even with a golden touch you could never become a tall, rich, handsome success. That miserly, self-mortifying style of yours — ten generations of it would still never produce an aristocrat.

What's more, they cursed Li Zicheng for being a hypocrite, for wanting to play the whore while still erecting a chastity arch.

Didn't you, Li the Invader, proclaim equality for noble and base, leveling the rich and the poor? It seems what you talked about most was still "follow me and you may attain wealth and rank." And "fight to the death for it"? It seems your ultimate goal is still great wealth and high rank. Your present coarse grain and husks are nothing but a sham.

And beat us to death and we still wouldn't believe that you truly won't indulge yourself. This is just a case of the deeper the repression, the wilder the eventual eruption. I, your old man here, refuse to believe that a dog can ever stop eating shit.

Li the Invader — a hypocrite through and through!

How utterly unlike us — we are true men. One is one, two is two; we display our true natures honestly and openly.

Not only that, but on the grand strategy of whether to attack Shaanxi or to attack Huguang, they argued endlessly with the Chuang Camp as well.

According to the thinking of Luo Rucai, He Yilong, and the rest, the obvious course was to fight their way into Shaanxi and return home in silken robes.

That place Huguang — full of mountains and rivers — their cavalry units simply could not deploy there. Who knew when they might be careless and get trapped somewhere by government troops? They were deeply dissatisfied with the Chuang Camp's intention to move south.

One day, Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai had a severe dispute over the question of whether they should "claim exclusive territory."

On that very day, Li Zicheng laid out wine and, probing him, said: "You and I rose from the marshes. Without overestimating ourselves, we have come this far. Now we ought to plan for Huguang and the Guanzhong region, carving out territory to divide and rule as kings."

Luo Rucai replied: "We rampage across the realm for the sheer joy of it. What use is exclusive territory?"

Li Zicheng's expression turned deeply hostile; he was extremely displeased with Luo Rucai's answer.

The conflicts among the various roving bandit contingents were, of course, clearly visible to all sides. On the government side, for instance, the Grand Coordinator Hou Xun, who had moved south and reached Kaifeng, declared with excitement: "Among the allied camps of the bandits, the contingent of that 'Cao Cao' detects Li Zicheng's intent to swallow them up and secretly harbors suspicion and disloyalty."

He believed they could watch for cracks, sow discord, and rupture their innermost cohesion. He even sent secret orders to the Henan Regional Commander Chen Yongfu and the Provincial Governor Gao Mingheng: "Use several thousand taels of silver to carry out a stratagem of estrangement, so that Zicheng will kill Rucai."

At this time, a forged "reply letter" to Luo Rucai, concocted by the Henan Provincial Governor Gao Mingheng, also fell into Li Zicheng's hands. That Chen-surnamed scholar who had taken leave of Governor Gao, volunteered to enter the bandit camp, and carried out the estrangement stratagem, was also moving freely among the various roving bandit contingents.

Li Zicheng and the others were, of course, very welcoming toward any literati who came to join them, and so they gave this Chen-surnamed scholar free rein. He shuttled between Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai, lobbying and sowing discord, attempting with his glib tongue to make the two bandits turn on each other.

He first said to Li Zicheng: "Rucai will certainly revolt."

Li Zicheng did not respond.

The Chen-surnamed scholar then went to Luo Rucai's side and said: "General, you suffer from men swapping bad horses for good ones. Why not brand them with characters, so they can be distinguished and grouped on their own?"

Luo Rucai said: "Good. Sir, carry it out for me."

The student Chen deliberately divided the horses into groups branded with "front," "rear," "left," and "right," but first branded a group with "left" and reported to Zicheng: "Luo's camp is secretly communicating with Liangyu; their horses use the character 'left' as their mark."

Zicheng investigated and believed it, grinding his teeth in fury.

An internal strife was brewing among the various roving bandit contingents. Its root cause was still Li Zicheng's ambition for hegemony. With his powerful troops and numerous adherents, he could no longer tolerate the mutual independence of the camps. But for Luo Rucai and the others, following the lead of the Chuang Camp and submitting to unified command was something they could not endure.

Yet in a showdown with Li Zicheng, their own side was clearly outmatched. Even if the Ge, Zuo, Cao, and Xian camps combined forces, they still could not defeat the Chuang Camp.

So at that time, the various leaders gathered together, and He Yilong asked Luo Rucai to devise a plan. Luo Rucai's stratagem was: of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, running away is the best.

As soon as the troops that had gone south returned, they would strike camp and leave. Henceforth, the sea is wide and the sky is high — where in the Great Ming could they not go? Why suffer to mingle with Li the Invader?

Regarding the storm-signs of this internal strife, Sun Kewang, like Li Dingguo, watched intently. The deterioration of relations between the Chuang Camp and the Ge and Zuo camps was not without the surreptitious instigation of the two brothers. Sun Kewang in particular fanned the flames and stirred the waves, rousing He Yilong and the others to the height of their discontent with Li Zicheng.

On this point, Li Dingguo privately asked his elder brother why he did this. Sun Kewang laughed heartily and said one line: "If you want an official post, kill and burn, then accept amnesty!"

He said to Li Dingguo: "Second Brother, your elder brother has thought it through. Being a roving bandit, drifting everywhere, has no future. Therefore, our only path is amnesty. But to first seek amnesty, we must first have troops..."

He analyzed for Li Dingguo: among the current allied forces, the Chuang Camp went without saying — tens of thousands of cavalry, nearly two hundred thousand infantry. The Ge and Zuo side also had over ten thousand cavalry and tens of thousands of infantry. As for their own Xian Camp and Luo Rucai's Cao Camp, they currently had only a few thousand cavalry and tens of thousands of infantry.

Their Xian Camp alone had even fewer cavalry and infantry. Therefore, they had to manufacture internal strife!

They would seize this fine opportunity to fish in troubled waters, drawing in and gathering the remnant troops of the Ge, Zuo, and Cao camps. With that capital, they would have the bargaining chips for amnesty.

With a radiant expression, he told Li Dingguo: "Your elder brother sees clearly: Li the Invader intends to go south to Huguang. In due course he will also plot for Shaanxi. So we shall avoid these two places and go to Southern Zhili. To Fengyang Prefecture, to Luzhou Prefecture. With the troops we have in hand by then, after amnesty, securing a post as Regional Commander or Vice Regional Commander will be effortless."

He continued: "Southern Zhili is rich and prosperous. We can settle our hearts and build up our strength, emulating that Wang Dou — raise high walls, store ample grain... Why has Wang Dou been able to act so arrogantly and yet remain secure? Precisely because he wears the skin of the government. He won't be constantly encircled and suppressed like us, unable to settle down and accumulate..."

He said: "And without settling and accumulating, where does a strong army come from? Do you truly believe that by coercing some famine refugees you can achieve great things? Don't look at how gleefully Li the Invader is jumping around now — in the days to come..."

He sneered a few times. A look of contempt appeared in his eyes.

Li Dingguo sighed: "Yes, being a roving bandit has no future. Troops come quickly and scatter even faster. Sometimes, thinking back on the past, it all seems like a dream."

He sighed as he looked at the Xuanfu Times spread before him. Each issue had been collected at great expense through various channels. One among them discussed the large-scale development of the lands beyond the frontier: "Wang Dou's power has grown even greater. If we continue to rove, the gap between us and him will only widen... It is time to accept amnesty..."

Only, he felt some reluctance: "They are all brothers of the righteous army. Master Cao, moreover, has treated us with no small kindness..."

Sun Kewang thought nothing of it: "Those who achieve great things do not fret over trifles. Even a count may take up the lance. They shall be the vanguard before the king — they are these very vanguard. To be the vanguard for us is also their honor."

The two discussed and talked. At that time, their camp was also situated on the outer fringe of the various camps. Around the campsite, there were multiple escape routes. This was naturally a deliberate arrangement by Sun Kewang and his men, so that if trouble arose, they could flee without a trace.

Their main camp was also situated atop a ridge, with a broad field of vision — any stirrings of trouble could be seen at a glance. The two brothers were further quartered in a dilapidated temple. At that moment, heavy snow swirled across the sky, and all they could see was an endless expanse of white.

Through the misty, swirling snow, the towering city of Luoyang loomed faintly in view. Looking westward, they saw a continuous chain of encampments stretching to the horizon, a dense mass of roving bandits gathered in Henan Prefecture. Every spot where the various families and camps could pitch camp had been filled by them.

The cold wind howled, and snow fell like hemp fibers. Both brothers were wrapped in fur coats, wearing fur hats, with thick scarves wound around their faces and necks. They stood before the temple, listening to the bitter, shrieking wind ceaselessly battering the broken door of the dilapidated temple behind them. Whirlwinds forced their way through the gaps in the door planks, and inside the temple, all manner of rustling sounds filled the air.

Gazing toward that encampment, Sun Kewang murmured: "Just yesterday, the troops of all the camps finished gathering and returning..."

He paused, and Li Dingguo continued: "So it will be soon. A matter of these next two days."

Just at that moment, the faint neighing of horses arose, and the sound of urgent hoofbeats came around from the other side of the mountain. The two brothers exchanged a glance. Li Dingguo said softly: "It's here."

Sun Kewang said: "Pack the valuables, prepare to run..."

The conflicts among the various roving bandit contingents finally erupted in full. Li Zicheng resolved to settle the matter by force.

Early on the third day of the eleventh month, Li Zicheng, under the pretext of holding a banquet to discuss strategies for attacking south and seizing the west, invited Luo Rucai, He Yilong, Ma Shouying, He Jin, Liu Xiyao, Lin Yangcheng, Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, and others to a feast at the Chuang Camp's main encampment.

Although He Yilong and the others had already decided to leave, harboring the thought of parting on good terms, they still resolved to attend the banquet. Ma Shouying, however, along with Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo, said nothing and struck camp that very day. Luo Rucai, his heart filled with suspicion and fear, made an excuse and declined.

During the banquet, Li Zicheng ordered soldiers lying in ambush on both sides to execute He Yilong, He Jin, and Lin Yangcheng. Liu Xiyao knelt and begged for mercy, pledging loyalty to the Chuang camp, and was spared from death.

That same day, Li Zicheng personally led a hundred elite cavalry to the Cao camp, claiming he had important matters to discuss with Luo Rucai. After entering the tent, he killed Luo Rucai and announced to the Cao camp soldiers Luo Rucai's crimes of colluding with the enemy — namely, that letter from Henan Provincial Governor Gao Mingheng — explaining that his own actions had been forced by necessity.

However, the killings of Luo Rucai, He Yilong, and others still caused immense shock throughout the various camps. Many of their subordinates refused to submit, and it took Li Zicheng half a month of every possible effort to win them over before things settled down.

Many of the various camps and armies scattered, each seeking their own path. Among them, the largest number went to the Touxian camp, such as Luo Rucai's nephew Wang Long, his personal general Yang Shengzu, his subordinate commander Li Rugui, and others, as well as the Old Hui Ma Shouying, and a considerable number of men from the Ge and Zuo camps, all successively defecting to them.

Afterwards, when Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo broke out of Henan Prefecture, the cavalry under their command had already reached ten thousand, with an additional fifty thousand infantry.

They remembered their objective and rushed all the way straight toward Nanzhili.

After Li Zicheng killed Luo Rucai, He Yilong, and the others, although it took a relatively long time to pacify and stabilize the situation, the gains were also considerable. The majority of the Cao camp and the Ge and Zuo forces still fell under his control. At this point, his troops were strong and his horses sturdy, and none of the various rebel leaders dared disobey his orders.

He also carried out the strategy that Gu Junen had presented at the time. In the intercalary eleventh month of the fifteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, he proclaimed a million-strong army and advanced mightily and imposingly from Nanyang straight into Huguang, marching toward Xiangyang.

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