Chapter 852

Wu Sangui's expression flickered, his face a shifting veil of uncertainty. After a long pause, he sighed: "I bear a deep blood feud with the Hu barbarians. In the old Song-Jin battle, my eldest maternal uncle died at the hands of those slave-thieves — this hatred cannot share the same sky. With such a great vengeance still unavenged, how could I possibly conspire with a tiger for its hide and coexist with those slaves?"

Fang Guangchen said: "When two nations war, casualties are unavoidable. Changbo is a hero of the age — how could your wisdom fall short of grasping this? Observe the patterns of history: former enemies becoming one family is exceedingly common. A true man who would accomplish great deeds must do what is uncommon. Guangchen bares his heart and liver in earnest counsel — this is the moment for a hero to choose merit, fame, and wealth. Changbo must assess the times, weigh the situation, and decide decisively, so as not to forfeit this merit of enfeoffment and territorial division!"

Wu Sangui still hesitated somewhat: "To lead the Hu barbarians through the pass — this matter is no trifle. I only fear it will invite widespread condemnation."

Fang Guangchen said: "Times change, and what was fitting then is not fitting now. In the past, treating with the barbarians was a low stratagem. Now, our sovereign and father has perished, the Nine Temples lie in ashes, and the bandit chief has even arrogated the imperial title — the pinnacle of iniquity, outraging both men and gods. Avenging our sovereign and father must be the foremost great cause! So long as we can exterminate the roving bandits and restore the Divine Capital, what is a mere borrowing of barbarian aid worth mentioning?"

He scrutinized Wu Sangui's expression and exhorted loudly: "Furthermore, we are merely borrowing troops, not surrendering to the barbarians. In the old An-Shi Rebellion, when Tang forces were weak, Suzong borrowed Uighur strength to recover the two capitals; Yizong likewise borrowed Shatuo strength to pacify the rebel bandits — both are handed down as admirable tales. Changbo, having great generals like Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi is not enough — one must also skillfully employ external force."

Fang Guangchen's father was Fang Yizao. Back when Fang Yizao served as Provincial Governor of Liaodong, he had felt the disparity in strength between the two sides was too great and that they should negotiate peace with the Qing, thereby freeing their hands to suppress the roving bandits. He even cited the "Anda Tribute Enfeoffment" model of the Longqing era and proposed negotiations with the Qing.

Only because officials like Huang Daozhou vehemently opposed it was the matter dropped. Fang Yizao, utterly exhausted mentally and physically amid the fierce court factional struggles, passed away not long after.

The experience of following his father left a deep impression on Fang Guangchen. He believed his father's peace negotiation proposal back then had not been wrong. Had those peace talks succeeded then, freeing their hands to suppress the roving bandits, there would not be today's calamity of the bandits seizing the capital.

As for Wu Sangui's worry that leading barbarians through the pass might carry a bad name, he also dismissed it. During his time in the capital recently, he had come to understand the psychological shifts among the scholar-officials.

If previously they had thought of defecting to the new dynasty to seek wealth and rank, after the hundred officials were mostly rejected for service and each official was subjected to the "recovery of illicit gains and forced contributions," the extermination of the roving bandits and the destruction of the Shun regime had become the foremost urgent matter in the hearts of the scholar-officials. Everything else could be placed second.

Just as in history, at the end of the fifth month of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, upon receiving news that Wu Sangui and Qing troops had defeated the Chuang bandits and recovered the capital, the newly established Hongguang court's sovereign and ministers reacted with universal elation, hailing it as a righteous deed of merit to the state altars.

Ma Shiying was also the first to submit a memorial saying: "Wu Sangui should be swiftly rendered support. At sea there is grain that can be transported, there is Jin Shenghuan who can be employed, and moreover, through Wu Sangui we can treat with the barbarians. The former County Magistrate Ma Shaoyu and Chen Xinjia once served as envoys to the slaves. What was a low stratagem in the past is a high stratagem now. They should be dispatched to the Viceroy's headquarters to await deployment."

Shi Kefa also submitted a memorial in the early sixth month: "The necessary edicts should be swiftly drafted, the necessary silver and coin swiftly prepared. The number of accompanying officials and attendants, and the stipends they should receive, should all be arranged and readied. It must be set to depart within the month, so that treating with the barbarians is not without proper name, and the extermination of the bandits rests upon this single move."

Left Chief Censor Liu Zongzhou also submitted a memorial in the early sixth month saying: "Swiftly dispatch a single envoy to advance north by a byway, whether to issue a proclamation to the elders of Yan, or to rouse the barbarian kings beyond the frontier. If we emulate the righteousness of Bao Xu, even the rebel bandits may not be entirely without conscience."

Toward Wu Sangui's "borrowing of troops" — inviting the wolf into the house — the ministers of the Hongguang court all applauded. Nearly all the key decision-makers were immersed in the fantasy of "borrowing barbarians to pacify the bandits." Only a few mid- and low-ranking officials opposed it, but to no effect whatsoever.

The day after Ma Shiying submitted his memorial, the Hongguang court also decided to enfeoff Pingxi Count Wu Sangui as Duke of Ji, and to promote Liaodong Provincial Governor Li Yutian to Minister of War, both granted patent certificates and stipend rice, with Grand Secretary Wang Duo personally drafting the edicts of commendation and reward for Wu Sangui and Li Yutian.

Not only that, but fearing that Wu Sangui and his men might not have enough to eat, they also ordered the shipment of one hundred thousand shi of tribute rice and fifty thousand taels of silver by sea for relief and reward, accompanied by gifts of seated-python robes, silk floss, and other rewards to show special favor.

This also explains why the Hongguang court, in the early days after the roving bandits' defeat, was so singularly paralyzed, entrenched in Jiangnan. It was all because they were fixated on "borrowing barbarians to pacify the bandits" and "allying with barbarians to pacify the bandits," fearing that moving north to recover Shandong, the Ji'nan region, and other areas would "provoke" the Qing army and give them a pretext to march south.

That was why their conduct was so absurd, watching passively step by step as Shandong, Henan, and other regions fell, even regarding them as "barbarian soil" — precisely because they feared that sending troops north would offend the Manchu Qing.

On this point, Shi Kefa and Ma Shiying were no different. Although one was of the Donglin faction and the other of the eunuch faction, both were the staunchest supporters of the "borrowing barbarians to pacify the bandits" and "allying with barbarians to pacify the bandits" policy.

Precisely because he understood the psychological shifts of the scholar-officials, Fang Guangchen boldly judged that so long as the roving bandits could be exterminated, everything else was secondary. Borrowing barbarians to pacify the bandits was a mere trifle, let alone with the supreme cause of avenging sovereign and father overriding all else.

In history, Wu Sangui borrowed troops without hesitation. At this moment, though somewhat stirred, he still hesitated. He mused: "I only fear it is easy to invite a god but hard to send him away."

Hearing Wu Sangui's tone soften, Fang Guangchen was overjoyed. He said: "Changbo need not worry. The barbarians only want wealth, goods, women, and children — the roving bandits are the true inner affliction. Even with the Uighurs' great power, they still withdrew their troops. In former years, when the Khitan Yelü Abaoji invaded Kaifeng, he worried that the people of the Central Plains would be hard to govern, so he only took wealth, goods, women, and children and withdrew to Youzhou. Presumably, the eastern slaves will be the same. Our Great Ming has vast territory and abundant wealth. So long as we can exterminate the roving bandits and restore the Divine Capital, what are mere wealth, goods, women, and children worth mentioning?"

Wu Sangui still paced: "I, a dignified Count of the Great Ming — how could I stoop to humble myself with obsequious words beneath the Hu barbarians?"

Fang Guangchen said: "A true man can bend and stretch. In the past, when the Great Tang was first established, Tang Gaozu declared himself a vassal and paid tribute to Shibi Khan. Even with Tang Taizong's heroic valor, there was still the Alliance at the Wei River. Yet a few years later, Tang Taizong annihilated the Turks, avenging that extraordinary humiliation, his heavenly might overawing all the foreign tribes!"

He raised his voice: "For our Great Ming, what is a trifling humiliation? So long as the Divine Capital is restored, the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the worthy are appointed, and the national power revives, there will yet come a day when this great vengeance is repaid."

He glanced left and right and said in a hushed voice: "The various lords in the capital also share this thought."

Wu Sangui abruptly looked at him: "Oh?"

His voice trembling slightly, he asked: "The various officials in the capital — they all approve the stratagem of borrowing barbarian troops?"

Fang Guangchen said: "Not entirely. Most of the lords hope for the Marquis of Yongning, yet it is not that no one is watching Changbo."

He said: "By my rough estimate, those watching Changbo number about thirty to forty percent. But if you can recover the Divine Capital before Wang Dou, then naturally your voice will be different, and the support among the hundred officials will reach sixty to seventy percent!"

He shouted in a low voice: "At that time, even if Wang Dou holds the Crown Prince, with Changbo having rendered such great merit to the state — merit to the altars — would he dare defy the world's overwhelming condemnation and move against you? If he did, would he not fear the surging tide of public opinion under heaven, the accusing fingers of ten thousand men?"

These words stirred Wu Sangui's heart greatly.

An even colder glint flashed in Fang Guangchen's eyes: "At that time, Changbo could stand against Wang Dou as an equal. Moreover, that man's ambitions are rather large — he is bent on implementing the policies of Xuanfu. But Wang Anshi's reforms ultimately threw the realm into chaos. When the time comes and hearts yearn for the old ways, those following Changbo will be even more numerous!"

He shouted: "If that Wang Dou monopolizes the Crown Prince and intends to commit the treasonous acts of a Cao Cao or Wang Mang, does he think our Great Ming lacks men of loyalty and righteousness?"

He abruptly fixed his gaze on Wu Sangui: "Changbo, the realm needs someone to counterbalance Wang Dou — and that person is you! For our Great Ming, I implore you to step forward!"

He bowed deeply to Wu Sangui, a full bow to the very bottom.

Wu Sangui halted his steps. His expression shifted uncertainly. After a long while, he said in a low voice: "I must discuss this with my clansmen, and also... persuade some people..."

Wu Sangui wrote a letter in his own hand explaining the matter and dispatched trusted aides out of the pass, sending them urgently to Ningyuan, Jinzhou, and other places.

From Shanhai Pass to Ningyuan was two hundred li, to Jinzhou three hundred li — with fast horses and urgent whips, a journey of one or two days each.

After the fall of the capital, the slave chieftain Dorgon had focused entirely on persuading the various generals of the Guan-Liao region to surrender, slightly easing the siege and assault on the various cities, and no longer hunting down and killing their messengers and relay riders. At this time, the roads were largely open, only Yizhou remaining cut off from contact. It was heard that the slave bandits had encircled it tightly, assaulting it fiercely from time to time, but Wu Sangui and the others could barely look after themselves, each guarding his own city, utterly powerless to go to its aid.

On the fourth day, Wu Sangui received replies from Ningyuan and Jinzhou. Whether it was the generals of the Zu clan — Zu Dabi, Zu Dale, Zu Dacheng, and others in Jinzhou — or his own younger brother Wu Sanfu in Ningyuan, along with his personal lieutenant Yang Shen, Mobile Corps Commander Guo Yunlong, and others, all approved the stratagem of borrowing barbarians to pacify the bandits that Fang Guangchen had proposed.

Each of them believed that to preserve the status and interests of the Wu and Zu families, and the interests of the Liaodong group, they must borrow external force and be the first to recover the Divine Capital. Only then would they have the standing to engage in future dialogue with the Marquis of Yongning, Wang Dou, and avoid being like meat on the chopping block and fish on the board — molded and flattened at another's will.

They were particularly interested in Fang Guangchen's notion of counterbalancing Wang Dou. Indeed, once this banner was raised, and with the great merit of recovering the Divine Capital, they would surely receive a steady stream of support, and forces dissatisfied with Wang Dou would gather on their side.

This outcome was far better than Wang Dou dominating alone, with them being butchered and manipulated at will, even having to enter the military academy for training at their advanced age, only to be transferred one east, one west, until the entire Guan-Ning group was broken apart and scattered.

Gaining his clansmen's support, Wu Sangui's spirits lifted. He struck while the iron was hot and invited Dongping Count Liu Zhaoji, the Ji-Liao Viceroy Fan Zhiwan, the Pass Patrol Provincial Governor Li Yutian, and others within Shanhai Pass to a council. He laid out his intention to borrow barbarians to pacify the bandits and recover the Divine Capital, hoping to win their support.

He even invited Tang Tong, the Regional Commander of Miyun who had resubmitted to the Great Ming and was now Dingxi Count, to come and discuss.

Yet the final outcome was something Wu Sangui had never anticipated.

On the fourth day of the fourth lunar month, the weather had gradually turned warm, though the nights still carried a distinct chill, with intermittent drizzling rain from time to time. This day was the eve of Qingming Festival and also the Cold Food Festival, said to commemorate Jie Zhitui, the worthy minister of the Jin state in the Spring and Autumn period. On this day, everyone could not bear to light a fire, preferring to swallow cold food.

Walking atop the pass city walls, Wu Sangui's face remained ashen. Today's council had yielded an outcome he never expected. In the end, only Tang Tong stood on his side. As for the rest...

Liu Zhaoji, Regional Commander of Shanhai Pass and Dongping Count, had even roared and cursed at him. Ji-Liao Viceroy Fan Zhiwan and Pass Patrol Provincial Governor Li Yutian had also frowned with cold indifference.

The voice of Ji-Liao Viceroy Fan Zhiwan still echoed in Wu Sangui's ears: "Changbo, the matter of the roving bandits will naturally be handled by the Marquis of Yongning. We need only guard the pass walls diligently and protect our native villages and elders. Once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, merit will naturally be assessed and rewards bestowed. Do not stir up further trouble."

Li Yutian also said: "Changbo, the Crown Prince and the Marquis of Yongning will dispatch troops any day now. We need only hold the pass walls to earn great merit. Once the Marquis of Yongning has eliminated the roving bandits, we can also combine forces to deal with the Tatar slaves. Our hardship in guarding the pass will surely be seen by the Marquis of Yongning and the Crown Prince; they will not forget us."

Wu Sangui understood their thinking. Setting aside the Crown Prince's ascension and the urgent need for men, even Wang Dou was not comparable to the roving bandits. While the capital officials had surrendered en masse to the bandits, they had diligently guarded the frontier walls, defending the borders for the state — what great merit was this? Even if they were not promoted several ranks, at the very least their current official positions were secure. So none of them wanted to stir up trouble.

Nor were they warlord military men needing some hereditary power base. What did it matter where they were transferred? As long as they had official posts, it was fine. Without the kind of anxiety Wu Sangui had about the survival of their own group, they naturally did not want to take any risks. To them, simply holding the pass city was merit enough.

Yet for Wu Sangui, today's events were an extraordinary humiliation. With the best of intentions, he had invited everyone to jointly pursue a great enterprise, only to be rejected and even cursed at. He, Wu Sangui, had always gotten whatever he wanted in Liaodong, commanding wind and rain, respected and honored wherever he went — when had he ever experienced anything like today?

He could not help but feel both shamed and enraged, his pride deeply wounded.

His fists clenched until his knuckles cracked. He glared out beyond the pass walls. A few li away stretched a vast sea of lamplight — the encampment of the Qing army.