Chapter 823: Consolation

(I suddenly noticed there's a new Alliance Master — many thanks to the book friend Jianran Qingyi Yan. And thanks also to all the book friends who have tipped and cast monthly votes. This book probably has about ten chapters left, give or take a few — it won't stray too far from that.)

The entire Great Ming was watching Sun Chuanting's campaign to break out and relieve the siege. Sun Chuanting did not disappoint expectations. After breaking out, he very easily seized large swaths of territory in Henan Prefecture, including the prefectural seat of Luoyang and other places. In early October, his vanguard even appeared atop Hulao Pass, their spearheads pointing straight at Kaifeng Prefecture.

Facing Sun Chuanting's surging, menacing army, the bandit forces under Li Chuang seemed utterly demoralized and terrified. On the eighth day of the tenth month, the hundreds of thousands of bandits besieging Kaifeng Prefecture actually abandoned the siege on their own initiative. In utter disarray, they retreated toward Nanyang Prefecture. After being besieged for months, with danger looming at every moment, Kaifeng Prefecture was thus easily relieved.

When Sun Chuanting, leading his own Viceroy's Personal Battalion and several thousand Shaanxi cavalry, reached Kaifeng Prefecture by forced march, he faced the cheering, welcoming commoners of Kaifeng city and could scarcely believe his own eyes. Victory, just like that? Had he truly won?

As if in a dream, boundless joy then surged into Sun Chuanting's heart. This time, he had truly gambled right!

He immediately reported the victory to the imperial court, writing in his victory dispatch: "The bandits, hearing my name, all collapsed! I vow to sweep Henan clean, and shall not leave a single bandit to trouble my sovereign and father!"

When the relay riders delivered his victory dispatch to the capital, the entire capital likewise boiled with excitement. The Chongzhen Emperor, upon receiving the report, was overjoyed. Elated, he passed Sun Chuanting's victory dispatch around for the various court officials to read. He cried out in delight: "The bandits' destruction is but a matter of days! We must ready the troops and prepare the ranks, pursue while victory is fresh, and with one surge strike down and annihilate all the bandits!"

Impatiently, he sent an edict to Sun Chuanting at Kaifeng Prefecture, ordering him to lead his troops south and wipe out the roving bandits in one sweep. At the same time, he gave face-to-face instructions to the Ministries of Personnel, War, and Works, ordering them to urge the Viceroys and Provincial Governors of every garrison to proceed to their posts with starry speed, to organize their brigades and cross the river, and for every prefecture north of the river to swiftly transport provisions and fodder to supply the Grand Coordinator.

He also sternly declared that anyone who dared cause any delay or error in transport, or who evaded and refused to advance, would all be impeached by flying memorial and severely punished.

However, on the question of whether to send Sun Chuanting south, a dispute now arose among the court officials. One faction believed the roving bandits could not withstand a single blow, and that the Shaanxi troops were sharp. Sun Chuanting's force easily lifting the siege of Kaifeng was clear proof of this. They argued the Shaanxi troops should be sent south at top speed to annihilate the bulk of the roving bandits in one stroke, giving them no chance to catch their breath, lest they later make a comeback.

The other faction was the cautious faction, led by Minister of War Chen Xinjia and others. They pointed out that this might be a ploy by the roving bandits to feign weakness and lure the enemy, with the aim of stretching the government troops' supply lines. "The bandits deliberately appear feeble to lure our army — this is precisely what military doctrine warns against. I cannot be without worry."

Chen Xinjia also produced intelligence that could be very clearly analyzed: after Sun Chuanting entered Henan, what he faced were only cities held by small numbers of bandit garrison troops, or even completely empty cities devoid of a single man.

The Chuang bandits had not been without operations in Henan. This situation only indicated they were employing a strategy of luring the enemy deep, precisely to draw the government troops into pursuit and stretch their own supply lines.

The roving bandits had even fortified their walls and cleared the countryside, transferring away most of the population and supplies. This way, even if the government troops seized the bandits' cities, they themselves would gain no spoils.

At present, Henan was a thousand li of barren land. Kaifeng had no grain, and the various parts of Henan had even less grain. As this great army passed through, how was the problem of provisions and fodder to be solved? They could only haul grain from a thousand li away, from Shaanxi, Shanxi, and other places. Such an exhausting deployment of troops and labor — just think of the endless length of those supply lines. It truly makes one shudder with dread!

Now that the siege of Kaifeng had been lifted, there was no urgent crisis of a prefectural seat and a Prince of the Blood falling. It would be better to advance step by step and consolidate each gain.

The words of Chen Xinjia and the others greatly dampened the Chongzhen Emperor's spirits. He wanted to restore the Great Ming, and so he was desperately eager to annihilate the roving bandits. Now that the opportunity was right before his eyes, how could he give it up? In the end, he could not be bothered to listen to anything Chen Xinjia said, and even refused to see him. He simply sent one imperial edict after another to Henan to press the matter.

By this time, Sun Chuanting had also calmed down. Reflecting on the various battle situations after breaking out of the pass, the roving bandits indeed seemed to be luring the enemy deep. After the bandits had grown powerful, he had not been without engagements against them — for instance, the recent battle at Tongguan. They had not been this pathetically weak then.

From the various signs before his eyes, they indeed were deliberately feigning weakness, with sinister ulterior motives.

Moreover, after the Shaanxi government troops retook Luoyang, the advisors around him had in fact proposed a suggestion: use Luoyang as a base, repair the city battlements, recruit refugees, and reopen military farm colonies. This way, they could advance to attack and withdraw to defend. When the time was ripe, they could then advance east or south to exterminate the roving bandits.

He also recalled the warnings of Wen Shiyan and others. Now that Kaifeng was moreover relieved, they truly should advance steadily and consolidate each step. It was just that...

Sun Chuanting somewhat regretted the big words he had already sent out in his victory dispatch. Now the Emperor was extremely impatient. The imperial edicts he sent came one after another, each more fervent than the last, each more severe than the last. Sun Chuanting, ultimately fearing the imperial command, dared not linger. Harboring a gambler's mentality and a sliver of hope, in late October, he still led his troops and set out toward Nanyang.

In the eleventh month, the lands north of the frontier were bitterly, unbearably cold. Goose-feather-like heavy snow came down, blanketing heaven and earth. Walking in the snow, in a short while one's body would be covered in a thick layer, like cotton.

Zhong Susu hurriedly entered the main council hall of the Grand Protector's mansion. Immediately, a wave of warmth greeted her. The heated walls with fires burning within them in the hall lifted her spirits, and the dense heat dispelled the chill from her body.

She untied her cloak and handed it to a guard nearby. She saw several close guards standing in the hall, each standing ramrod straight with stern expressions, though a few traces of fear and unease could be glimpsed in their demeanor. Zhong Diaoyang also stood there, his face icy cold.

Zhong Susu stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Brother Zhong, how is it?"

Zhong Diaoyang sighed. "The Grand General's mood is extremely foul. He did not even eat at noon."

Zhong Susu let out a soft cry. She said urgently, "This officer will go in and see."

Zhong Diaoyang pondered for a long moment, then nodded.

Zhong Susu carefully walked into the flower hall and saw Wang Dou sitting blankly before the window. He held a wine cup in his hand, gazing outside, motionless.

"Grand General..."

Seeing Wang Dou in this state, a sudden pang of heartache struck Zhong Susu. She called out in a trembling voice.

Wang Dou still sat woodenly, dazed. After a long while, he let out a sigh, long and drawn out, like a groan: "The government troops have been defeated again. Sun Chuanting's entire army was wiped out. He himself also died in battle on the field."

He sighed mournfully: "The inertia of history is so powerful. Has everything I've done been in vain?"

Zhong Susu said sorrowfully, "Grand General, how can you blame yourself for this? All the officers see everything you have done. Man proposes, Heaven disposes..."

Her heart was bitter and aching. She did not know what to say, and was somewhat flustered.

Wang Dou only shook his head. He looked at the swirling snowflakes outside, dejected and heartbroken: "Brother Zhong, I am somewhat afraid. To think that I, Wang Dou, have narrowly escaped death time and again, struggling bitterly, only then to have everything before my eyes. I am afraid... that everything before my eyes might also turn to nothing."

"No..."

Seeing Wang Dou in such pain, as if that man who was once as mighty as a deity was about to collapse, Zhong Susu felt as if a knife were slicing her heart. She suddenly threw herself at Wang Dou's feet, hugged his legs, and wept: "Grand General, please don't be like this. This officer's heart aches to see it."

She wept, tears streaming down her face. She then said loudly, "Yes, it's all that Sun Chuanting's fault! Time and again he was told: advance step by step, consolidate each step. Did he not know? To actually fall for such a crude bandit ploy of luring the enemy!"

Wang Dou sighed. "You cannot blame him either. He had no control over his own actions. Perhaps... this was simply his fate."

Seeing Zhong Susu in this state, he instead smiled slightly. "Alright, don't cry anymore. You are a general yourself — how can you cry like a child?"

He rallied his spirits and said, "Let's not speak of these things anymore. Brother Zhong, you've come at a good time. Keep me company and have a few cups of wine."

Zhong Susu smiled through her tears. She said repeatedly, "Good, good, good. This officer will drink with the Grand General."

She looked around and said, "How can there be wine but no dishes? Ah, Grand General, drinking on an empty stomach is bad... In this officer's opinion, since matters at the Protectorate have been settled, the Grand General should also send for Sister Xie and the others to come up. With only rough, clumsy men around you, no one knows how to attend to you properly."

As she spoke, she looked around, frowning. She added, "How about this: the Grand General also knows that my wife at home makes excellent dishes. Why not come to my residence, and I'll have Sister Yunluo prepare a few good dishes to go with the wine."

Wang Dou said, "Very well. A change of setting, a change of mood."

The two of them came out. Seeing that Wang Dou's mood had improved and that he was even going to Zhong Susu's home to drink, Zhong Diaoyang and the close guards all breathed a sigh of relief. Many of the guards even broke into happy smiles.

Zhong Diaoyang hurriedly said, "The snow outside is heavy. Quickly, bring the Grand General's cloak, and his casual robe... right, and the hand warmer."

The close guards had already prepared a carriage. The group went outside, watching the snowflakes swirling thick and fast, the air full of the taste of ice and snow.

Wang Dou remarked, "What heavy snow."

He then ducked into the carriage, with Zhong Susu following right after.

Watching the carriage, heavily guarded by layers of armored soldiers, drive off under tight protection, many concerned people breathed a sigh of relief. When the news of Sun Chuanting's defeat arrived, and it was learned that the Grand Protector, the General Who Subdues the Caitiffs, and Marquis of Yongning, Wang Dou, had flown into a thunderous rage and then sunk into dejected sorrow, countless people in Guihua City had felt uneasy at heart. Now, all was well — the storm had passed and the sky was clear again.

Unknowingly, Wang Dou's every move, every sorrow and every joy, tugged at the heartstrings of countless people.

The carriage and horses arrived at Zhong Susu's residence. A woman, gentle as water, was waiting at the gate. Her figure was tall and gracefully curvaceous, her face delicate and soft. Her glossy black, smooth hair was casually pinned up in a bun. This was Zhong Susu's wife, Li Yunluo, who had rushed over upon hearing the news to welcome them.

She had also only arrived in Guihua City the previous month, though the several adopted sons and daughters she had taken in had all remained in Xuanfu Garrison to study.

As Wang Dou alighted from the carriage, she was just about to perform a formal greeting when Zhong Susu had already followed down. She said in a rapid stream, "Sister Yunluo, quickly, quickly, make a few of your best dishes. I want to have a good drink with the Grand General."

Li Yunluo was somewhat surprised; her clear eyes swept across Wang Dou’s face. Wang Dou waved his hand to spare her the formalities, so Li Yunluo begged his pardon and went into the residence to make arrangements.

Wine was warming on a bronze stand, the charcoal fire on the table burned bright, and a spread of delicate fine dishes was laid out. Wang Dou and Zhong Susu drank and enjoyed the snow in the flower hall, chatting about amusing anecdotes, especially past events in Shunxiangbao, Baoan Prefecture, and other places. Listening to Zhong Susu chatter away, Wang Dou felt his gloomy mood lift considerably.

The two laughed often. Whenever Wang Dou reached an amusing part, Zhong Susu’s eyes would sparkle, though sometimes they carried a trace of shyness.

They drank through the afternoon, and both felt they had not had their fill, so they continued drinking into the evening — this time in Zhong Susu’s study. It was furnished like a boudoir, with a large bed, a Nanjing canopy bed no less; it seemed Zhong Susu was someone who appreciated the finer things in life.

Zhong Diaoyang and the personal guards had long been shooed far away by Zhong Susu, lest they disturb her drinking with the Grand General.

No one knew how late they drank; both were quite drunk, and Wang Dou was thoroughly tipsy. Zhong Susu helped Wang Dou to the bed to rest. Their steps staggered, both unsteady. As Wang Dou fell onto the bed, Zhong Susu accidentally tumbled down as well and ended up in Wang Dou’s arms.

Zhong Susu let out a soft cry. She was both delighted and bashful, her face veiled in a flush of red. She sprang up in alarm and fled.

Wang Dou, in a daze, chuckled to himself and thought, “This Zhong Susu.”

After an unknown length of time, in his drowsiness Wang Dou saw Zhong Susu standing before him again. Her cloud-like hair cascaded down, and she wore a deep crimson robe, her bosom full and high — she had resumed her feminine attire. Under the palace lantern, her long lashes fluttered ceaselessly, bearing a certain allure.

Their eyes met, and he saw her face flush as red as blood as she lowered her head in overwhelming shyness.

Then she bravely raised her head to look at Wang Dou again, and he heard her trembling voice say, “Grand General, please forgive this subordinate’s impertinence.”

She gently pulled loose her sash, and the deep crimson robe slipped down along her fragrant shoulders.