Chapter 778: A Horrifying Death

Even within the Left Camp’s various units, Zuo Menggeng was a difficult person to get along with. This man was thoroughly corrupt in every way, relying on his father’s influence to commit every evil. He was also pathologically lecherous; any woman who caught his eye, he would stop at nothing to abduct, ruining countless families and tearing wives from husbands.

This man was also extravagantly debauched. His personal quarters and great tent were always decorated with extreme luxury, every corner filled with plundered treasures. He did not even use a bed, instead spreading thick woolen blankets in one corner of the tent or room, layered with brocade quilts, and often slept together with dozens of his concubines.

In another corner, all kinds of fresh delicacies were piled up, in what he called a pond of wine and a forest of meat.

After returning to camp, he was rather weary. He forced a few women he had recently abducted to amuse him for a while, then kicked them into a corner, ignoring their weeping and tears. He ate a tomato by himself and then fell into a deep sleep.

After an unknown length of time, he was awakened by waves of convulsive agony. What terrified him even more was that he kept having diarrhea, and finally he could faintly see traces of blood in the chamber pot.

Zuo Menggeng cared nothing for the lives of others, but he cherished his own little life dearly. In his terror, he immediately called for the personal guards stationed outside his door to summon the camp physician.

When the physician arrived and made a cursory examination, his heart turned cold. The Young Marshal had, for some unknown reason, ingested a large amount of arsenic. The poison had now penetrated deep, and even an immortal could not save him. He stole a glance at Zuo Menggeng, who wore only a pair of underpants and looked frantic with anxiety. Knowing this man’s vicious nature, he realized that if he told the truth, his own life would be forfeit.

Just as he hesitated, Zuo Menggeng leaped up and slapped him heavily across the face: “You dog slave, what is going on? Have you gone mute?”

The physician was slapped so hard he saw stars and was scared out of his wits. He hastily said: “It’s nothing, nothing. The Young Marshal merely has an upset stomach. This humble one will prescribe a simple remedy, and you will recover immediately!”

Zuo Menggeng jumped up again and kicked him, roaring: “Then hurry up and get the medicine!”

The physician scrambled away on all fours, saying: “This humble one will prepare the medicine at once, at once…”

Just as he reached the door, Zuo Menggeng flew over and kicked him again: “Dawdling fool!”

He kicked the physician in the backside, sending him sprawling out the door. The physician scrambled to his feet, not daring to look back, and rushed to his own quarters. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he gathered his valuables and fled without a trace.

Meanwhile, Zuo Menggeng waited and waited, but the physician did not return. Just as he was about to lose his temper, a sudden, indescribable sharp pain wracked his abdomen, and he immediately rolled on the ground, screaming in agony.

His concubines and the personal guards outside rushed in, all crying out in alarm and crowding around. Zuo Menggeng howled, and a flash of insight struck him. He shrieked: “I understand now. Someone poisoned me! Someone poisoned me… It must have been that man surnamed Tian…”

He roared with all his remaining strength: “Seize that man Tian immediately and carve him into a thousand pieces… Burn that tavern to the ground…”

Some of the personal guards outside left in terror, while the rest stood around at a loss. Some went to urge the physician again, while others hurried to inform the Grand Marshal.

Inside the room, everyone was thrown into utter chaos. Seeing Zuo Menggeng’s ghastly expression as he struggled and shrieked incessantly, his concubines were also terrified. They all shrank into the corners, not knowing what to do, though a few women’s eyes began to flicker with a strange light.

“Ah, the pain is killing me!”

Suddenly, Zuo Menggeng began to vomit violently. First, he threw up everything he had eaten and drunk today until his stomach was completely empty. Then he vomited a mixture of blood, mucus, and bile. Finally, what came out was purely blood-like matter.

“Ah, I’m dying…”

Looking at this vomit, Zuo Menggeng was terrified beyond measure. He howled, flailed his limbs, and staggered around the room, crashing into things. Everywhere he went, the objects in the room were knocked into a complete mess.

Especially when he saw the concubines huddled in the corner, some with schadenfreude flickering in their eyes, rage surged from his heart and malice flared in his gut.

“I’ll kill you wretched sluts!”

Zuo Menggeng struggled to the wall, drew a sharp sword, and was about to slaughter all these women.

Amid the women’s screams, his body suddenly convulsed violently. He rolled onto the ground and shook fiercely. An indescribable agony overwhelmed him, making it hard to breathe. His eyes bulged out to an extreme degree, his appearance terrifying in the extreme.

Gradually, Zuo Menggeng began to bleed from all seven orifices. At the same time, he lost control of his bowels and bladder, expelling large amounts of bloody feces. A monstrous stench filled the air.

The personal guards around him scurried about like headless flies. None of them knew what to do. With the Young Marshal in trouble, they could imagine the Grand Marshal’s fury, and they would all be buried with him. It was just strange… why had no word come from the Grand Marshal after all this time?

“It’s over, it’s over, it’s over…”

Just then, a personal soldier who had gone to inform Zuo Liangyu came back in a daze, muttering: “The Grand Marshal is in trouble, and Vice General Wang, Vice General Wu, Vice General Lu, Assistant Regional Commander Ma… they’re all in trouble. The whole camp is about to descend into chaos…”

“What?”

Like a bolt from the blue, the personal guards and officers around Zuo Menggeng were all stunned.

They looked at each other, and all they could see in each other’s eyes was boundless fear.

The Grand Marshal was in trouble, the Young Marshal was in trouble, and a whole host of key generals from the personal camp were all in trouble. With no one capable of keeping control, a bloody internecine fight among the various battalions was imminent. Moreover, those fellows in the outer camps had long been jealous of the inner camp’s privileges. When that happened…

Watching Zuo Menggeng, who was still howling, one personal officer said grimly: “We can’t worry about the Young Marshal and the others anymore. We must find a way out for ourselves, and quickly. We can’t wait until dawn…”

Another officer added: “Yes, in our old camp area, there’s still plenty of wealth and valuables…”

They exchanged glances, and all showed expressions of temptation. Not to mention anything else, just the wealth in Zuo Menggeng’s room alone was enough for them to live on for a lifetime, not to mention these beautiful women…

At that moment, the few women whose eyes had flickered earlier approached gracefully. One dignified woman curtsied and asked: “May I ask the generals, what has happened outside?”

At this point, there was no need to hide it. The personal guards told them. A joyful light flashed in the woman’s eyes, and she said softly: “Please, generals, take us with you. We are but of humble beauty, but we are willing to serve you for the rest of our lives.”

The other concubines nearby also heard clearly. In their terror, they too said one after another: “We are willing to go with the generals.”

Rioting soldiers were terrifying. When the battalions turned on each other, their fate could be extremely tragic. It was better to go with these personal guards. After all, they saw each other constantly, and some even shared some past affection or intimate favors. If they fell into the hands of other rioting soldiers…

Although Zuo Menggeng’s concubines were not all peerless beauties, they were all as pretty as flowers. After all, why would Zuo Menggeng abduct ugly women? Hearing the women’s soft pleas, these personal guards were even more tempted. If they had vast wealth in hand and peerless beauties to serve them…

And these were their former master’s women. In the past, they could only watch dryly and swallow their saliva. But now…

They immediately made their decision. Ignoring Zuo Menggeng, who was still howling, they sprang into action and began looting valuables on a large scale. Anything of value was packed up and prepared for carrying away. However, time was tight; they would divide up their former master’s women after leaving the camp.

Watching these personal guards scrambling to loot, Zuo Menggeng’s concubines either stared blankly or began packing their own things.

Then, slowly, led by that dignified woman, over a dozen women gathered around Zuo Menggeng. Looking at the wretch who was still struggling and screaming in pain, their eyes revealed a bone-deep hatred…

Zuo Menggeng’s mournful howls were deafening. His cries of agony echoed over the military camp. Led by the dignified woman, the women used small daggers. They cut the flesh from his body piece by piece, gouged out his eyeballs, cut off his tongue, carved out his heart and liver, tormenting him with every method imaginable.

Yet no one paid him any attention anymore. Just as the personal guards had said, upon learning that Zuo Liangyu, Zuo Menggeng, Wang Yuncheng, and others were in trouble, even the personal camp began to descend into chaos. Everyone was only concerned with gathering valuables. Who had the time to care about the life or death of their former master?

When this gang finally swarmed out, inside the room, all that remained of Zuo Menggeng was a horrifying skeleton with some scraps of flesh still clinging to it.

…

The agony that Zuo Menggeng, Wu Xueli, and the others experienced was also replayed on Zuo Liangyu. His limbs spasmed and twitched incessantly, and his consciousness began to blur. Initially, upon learning that Zuo Menggeng, Wang Yuncheng, and others were in trouble, he immediately realized the perilous situation in the camp.

Enduring the pain with great effort, he continuously dispatched his household retainers, intending to stabilize the various battalions. But gradually, even his household retainers stopped obeying orders. Lying in his room, Zuo Liangyu could hear the people around him constantly ransacking chests and cabinets, the sounds of them scrambling for valuables, along with the chaotic noise from all over the camp.

At first, two of his most favored concubines attended him, but at some point, they vanished without a trace. After that, no one else came to his side. It seemed the life or death of the Grand Marshal was of no consequence to them.

What made Zuo Liangyu’s eyes nearly burst from rage was hearing a seductive voice from the side room, the voice of his most beloved concubine, Lady Li: “Are the things packed? Let’s go quickly, the camp is about to descend into chaos…”

Then the voice that followed was that of his most trusted household retainer and personal officer: “Wait, ha, found it… this golden Buddha must be worth a lot.”

Then he saw a man and a woman emerge carrying large bundles on their backs. Who else could it be but Lady Li and that man?

“Adulterous whore and traitorous scoundrel!”

Zuo Liangyu stared at the two, his eyes about to burst. In his boundless fury, he actually forgot the piercing pain. He struggled to jump up from the bed, pointed a trembling finger at them, and said: “You… you… I… I will kill you!”

He struggled to draw the sword by his bed, but the personal officer nimbly stepped forward and pushed him lightly, sending Zuo Liangyu back onto the bed. He said flatly: “Grand Marshal, do not blame your humble subordinate. Who is to blame that you all met with disaster? The outer camps are watching like tigers, and no one in the inner camp can stabilize the situation… The Pingze Garrison is finished, the Pingze Army is even more finished. Your humble subordinate must find another way out!”

Expressionlessly, he pulled Lady Li into his arms: “This humble one has served the Grand Marshal for many years. If not for merit, then at least for toil. Now, I am even taking care of the Grand Marshal’s wife, saving her from falling into the hands of rioting soldiers and preserving her chastity. The Grand Marshal should be grateful to this humble subordinate.”

He grinned lecherously at Lady Li and said, “My beauty, give your humble subordinate a kiss, and thank the Grand Commander on my behalf for all his care over the years.”

Lady Li swatted him lightly. “You wretch — let’s talk about this after we leave camp.”

Zuo Liangyu howled wretchedly on the bed, struggling in agony. He did not even know when that adulterous pair had slipped away. His suffering was extreme, yet death stubbornly refused to come.

Late at night, fires blazed up everywhere in the camp. Wave after wave of men burst into his great tent, then wave after wave left — each merely glancing at him, the Grand Commander. In his daze, visions whirled before his eyes, all vengeful spirits shrieking for his life: “Zuo Liangyu, you deserve to die!”

“Zuo Liangyu, give me back my family’s lives!”

“Ha ha ha, Zuo Liangyu, so this day has come for you too — this is retribution!”

Zuo Liangyu groaned in agony, vomiting and passing blood incessantly. His chamber grew so foul that in the end even the looters refused to enter. He struggled on until the sun rose, and then heard the sounds of slaughter outside as factions turned on one another, every kind of scream unceasing.

“Indeed… the Pacify-the-Bandits Garrison is finished.”

In his stupor, Zuo Liangyu pondered only one thing: who had arranged the poisoning? Who wanted to kill him? Who wanted to destroy the Pacify-the-Bandits Garrison?

But his enemies were too many; he had committed too many evils over the years. He racked his brain but could not figure it out.

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him, and his eyes flew wide open: “It was Wang Dou!”

Before his eyes seemed to float the scornful look Wang Dou had once given him: “General Who Pacifies Bandits? I have heard that General Zuo’s troops are most fond of forcing their way into commoners’ homes to extort. Whenever they meet a plump person, they sandwich him between boards and roast him over a low fire. May I ask — what you lead, Zuo Liangyu, are they soldiers or bandits, men or beasts? You, General Who Pacifies Bandits — why not drop a word and simply call yourself General of Bandits!”

“…That day when I executed the mutineers, I said: if you, Zuo Liangyu, dare to indulge mutinous troops or shelter them — I will surely put you to death!”

“Ha ha ha ha…”

Summoning every last shred of strength, Zuo Liangyu laughed a ghastly laugh. His eyes stayed wide open, and just like that, he died.

His corpse was a horrifying sight — the skin all over his body, his lips, and his nail beds were everywhere a livid purple, chilling to behold.

…

In the second month of the sixteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, shocking news spread: the Bandit-Pacifying General Zuo Liangyu, his son Zuo Menggeng, and his trusted officers Wang Yuncheng, Wu Xueli, Lu Guangzu, Ma Jinzhong, and others had all died of poisoning at nearly the same time. Wherever the news reached, firecrackers rang out, and the common people beat gongs and drums, celebrating the death of the General of Bandits.

Soldiers and civilians alike in those parts clapped and cheered, all saying that Heaven’s justice was manifest and retribution never missed its mark — the General of Bandits’ death was karmic payback, dealt by the hand of Heaven itself.

Moreover, after Zuo Liangyu and his coterie of trusted followers died, the Zuo camp fell into utter chaos. Every faction fought every other; the inner camp battled the outer camp. Casualties within the camp were devastating, and no one had the strength to unify the various elements of the Pacify-the-Bandits Garrison. In the aftermath, each group sought its own way out.

Some scattered troops turned to banditry. The Yuan Governor Li Gande, the Jiangxi Provincial Governor Guo Duxian, and the Anqing Provincial Governor, together with Regional Commander Kong Xigui and others, dispatched forces to suppress them. In particular, the common people of Jiujiang and the surrounding prefectures were united in purpose, and the gentry came forward with exceptional zeal, contributing money and grain to aid the government troops.

Leaderless and long since stripped of fighting spirit, the various remnants of the Pacify-the-Bandits Army were dealt a final blow by Regional Commander Huang Degong. They either died, surrendered, or sank into banditry. Their main strength ceased to exist.

When the matter was reported, the Chongzhen Emperor abolished the Pacify-the-Bandits Garrison’s establishment. That warlord force — which had left a stormy page in the histories of the late Ming and the Southern Ming, and which under Zuo Menggeng’s command would eventually surrender to the Qing — was thus utterly annihilated.

And the cause of all this was nothing more than a few Western fruits, which naturally aroused considerable curiosity. Of course, because a Regional Commander of an entire garrison had been poisoned to death by this thing, from then on the tomato was kept solely as an ornamental plant, and no one dared eat it again.

A contemporary notebook records: “The Triple-Joy Announcement Fruit, also called the foreign persimmon, was introduced from the Western barbarians. This item contains arsenic within and must not be eaten. It is heard that the Bandit General Zuo Liangyu ate this very thing and wailed for a day and a night before dying…”

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