Chapter 872: All Assembled

On the seventeenth day of the fourth month, Li Zicheng led his army on a personal campaign. Before his departure, the Shun army conducted a thorough search of the entire city. Exceptions were made for Grand Secretary of the Eastern Hall Qiu Yu and Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Hall Fang Yuegong, who were permitted to hang themselves. Also, during the funeral of the late Emperor earlier that month, the Count of Xiangcheng, Li Guozhen, had hanged himself before the imperial tomb.

All the remaining nobles and high officials, the chief ministers of the Inner Cabinet and the Six Ministries, the senior eunuchs, the high officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the commandery princes brought into the capital, and all the capital officials great and small were bound together with iron chains and driven by cavalry soldiers to the residence of Liu Zongmin.

Sensing that a great calamity was upon them, every official wailed and wept bitterly, their bodies trembling like sifted chaff. Many collapsed and lay motionless. The cavalry soldiers showed no mercy and let their horses trample over them, crushing several dozen to death on the spot.

A dense mass of officials and nobles was driven forward. Among them were Duke of Dingguo Xu Yunzhen, Marquis of Wuding Guo Peimin, Marquis of Taining Chen Yanzuo, Marquis of Zhenyuan Gu Zhaoji, Marquis of Xining Song Yude, Marquis of Yangwu Xue Lian, Marquis of Yongkang Xu Xideng, Count of Xing'an Xu Zhian, Count of Xinning Tan Hongye, Count of Yingcheng Sun Tingxun...

Over a hundred noble houses, along with their sons, nephews, and household members.

Grand Secretary Chen Yan, a member of the Inner Cabinet, had been released not long before but was now seized again.

The senior eunuch Wang Xiangyao was among them as well. That day he had opened the Xuanwu Gate to surrender, never imagining it would be the beginning of one nightmare after another.

The Minister of War, Zhang Jinyan, was also there, his face ashen as death. He deeply regretted that he should never have opened the gates and surrendered.

There were also capital officials great and small. After the bandits entered the capital, only a little over a hundred had been given posts. The remaining nearly two thousand had no hope of wealth or rank. Had they known it would come to this, why would they have surrendered? Now not only were their family fortunes utterly lost, but it seemed their very lives could hardly be preserved. They all wept aloud, terrified beyond measure.

By the time Chen Yan, Zhang Jinyan, and the others were escorted into Liu Zongmin's residence, the sound of weeping inside already shook the heavens, and the howls were shrill and ghastly. The armored soldiers in Liu Zongmin's compound had already begun hacking and slaughtering the commandery princes and nobles who had been brought in earlier.

Their great blades and long spears hacked, stabbed, and thrust ceaselessly into the crowd of people. Fresh blood covered the ground, and heads rolled everywhere, as if they had entered a slaughterhouse. Those armored soldiers were butchering them like pigs and sheep.

These commandery princes and nobles were all men of immense influence; a mere stamp of their feet could shake the capital and the provinces. They had surrendered full of hope, never expecting this outcome. How arduous it had been for their ancestors to win those noble titles, yet now they were being cut down in heaps like chickens and pigs.

"Don't kill me..."

Zhang Guangcan, the Count of Anxiang, wailed and begged, crawling wildly across the ground. Two armored soldiers chased after him with savage laughter, their great blades hacking and stabbing wildly. Zhang Guangcan screamed shrilly and gradually lay motionless on the ground, a great pool of fresh blood welling out over the bluestone slabs beneath him.

Chen Changheng, the Count of Sui'an, and Zhang Guangzu, the Count of Pengcheng, cried out at the tops of their lungs. Seven or eight long spears stabbed and thrust at the two men, who rolled and crawled, their bodies and the ground covered in blood. At last their howls slowly faded and finally fell silent, only their bodies twitching from time to time.

Zhang Jinyan's body trembled like sifted chaff. He saw the heaps of corpses in the great courtyard: Duke of Dingguo Xu Yunzhen, Marquis of Wuding Guo Peimin, Marquis of Taining Chen Yanzuo, Marquis of Zhenyuan Gu Zhaoji, and others lay piled together, every one of them with eyes wide open, their gazes filled with boundless terror and remorse.

The bodies of the senior eunuchs — Wang Xiangyao, Li Fengxiang, Gao Shiming, Chu Xianzhang, Fang Zhenghua, Zhang Guoyuan, and others — formed a great heap. Their eyes were likewise wide open, and many had voided their bowels and bladders. Mingled with the fresh blood on the ground, the scene was unspeakably horrifying.

Then came another piercing shriek of misery. It was Zhang Guoji, the Marquis of Taikang, crying out in tears: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, your humble servant is guilty! Your humble servant should have given away his entire family fortune and not allowed the bandits to enter the capital!"

Zhang Guoji was the father of Empress Yi'an. He had been enfeoffed as a count during the Tianqi reign. On the twenty-second day of the second month, he had contributed ten thousand taels of silver and been promoted to marquis. Now he bitterly regretted that he had contributed too little silver, with the result that the bandits had entered the capital.

Liu Zongmin had been standing on the steps laughing wildly all this while. Now he roared with laughter: "You donkey-brained fools, at last there's one who understands! Too late! All of you, follow your Emperor!"

With a wave of his hand, another hundred or more armored soldiers surged forth and fell upon Zhang Guoji and the others with great hacking and slaughter, cutting them down one by one on the ground. Then, gripping their blood-dripping great blades, they came grinning savagely toward Zhang Jinyan and the rest.

Chen Yan screamed at the top of his lungs and turned to flee, but he was forced to the ground. Then two Shun soldiers stabbed him again and again. This Grand Secretary howled wretchedly, his limbs writhing with all his might. His cries were unbearably piercing, like a pig being slaughtered. At last this Inner Cabinet minister's entire body was soaked through with fresh blood. His eyes were wide open, his expression utterly ghastly.

Zhang Jinyan cried out hoarsely. No longer able to suppress the terror and remorse in his heart, he wept aloud: "I regret it! Oh, how I regret it! This official should never have surrendered! This official should have fought the bandits to the death!"

Liu Zongmin laughed wildly: "Too late! All too late! You stupid donkeys, all of you, die! Hahahaha..."

Five or six Shun soldiers surrounded Zhang Jinyan and hacked at him. This Minister of War screamed shrilly, the beads of blood on his body scattering continuously with each swing of the great blades.

Liu Zongmin slaughtered all the commandery princes and nobles, the Inner Cabinet ministers, the high officials of the Six Ministries, as well as the senior eunuchs and the key officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Then it was the turn of the capital officials. Because they were too numerous, they were simply detained in front of the residence, chained with iron links along both sides of the road.

Liu Zongmin used signal drums to give the orders. At each drumbeat, capital officials were seized and killed at will. Only after three drumbeats were they released. In one breath, another five or six hundred officials were killed. Some officials pleaded, saying they were willing to pay out silver to save their lives; they were killed all the same. Nothing could be heard but the sound of weeping everywhere. Heads rolled along both sides of the road, and the stench of blood made men retch.

Li Zicheng remained silent. Niu Jinxing watched with a pallid face, feeling waves of nausea. Li Yan heaved a sigh, and then they followed Li Zicheng and the others as they mounted and rode north.

When they arrived outside the Desheng Gate, they saw the hard, dry road crowded with carts and horses, an endless stream of people, and especially an unbroken line of water-transport carts.

Niu Jinxing, Tian Jianxiu, and others were in charge of logistics. Because there was no water within thirty li north of the Desheng Gate, they transported water from the Western Sea and the Rear Sea within the inner city, then set up water supply points at the Shibei Pu five li outside the Desheng Gate and at the Shuangxian Pu fifteen li further on.

Another ten li further brought them to Qinghe Dian, where there was a Qing River. There were also some wells in the Southern and Northern Garrisons.

However, after the main army reached that area, the greater part of it would still have to shift its encampment to the shores of Kunming Lake and Wengshan Lake.

They stood on the outer fortifications of the Desheng Gate and saw a chaotic mass of men and horses heading north. Everywhere, equipment and horse tack were incomplete, and many soldiers still carried bundles and packages of all sizes on their bodies. Then there were the pushing of supply carts, the carrying of fodder and provisions, the hauling of cannons — banners and signals in confusion, battalions in disarray, and the sound of cursing and swearing everywhere.

Although they merged into a vast, mighty tide flowing northward, Li Zicheng's mind remained somewhat unsettled. He whispered to Niu Jinxing beside him: "A sudden doubt and fear has seized this king's heart. The great army has wallowed in pleasure too long. The western army is powerful, and the hearts of the people in the city are not yet settled. If by chance we cannot withstand them, what is to be done?"

Niu Jinxing watched the men and horses heading north before him. What he saw was indeed far removed from that disciplined, crack army that had existed before they entered the capital. He too had an uneasy feeling in his heart.

Hearing Li Zicheng speak thus, he forced a smile and said: "Our forces are immense, our firearms and cannons are sharp. Why does Your Majesty utter such disheartening words?"

Yet after glancing left and right, he still gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "Should the worst come to pass, we shall withdraw to Henan and Huguang. With a distance of several thousand li, I expect Wang Dou would be unable to pursue us. However, the gold and silver within the imperial palace have already been thoroughly plundered. The imperial residence is so magnificent — how could we bear to abandon it to others? At that time, we shall consign it to a single torch, reenacting the story of Xianyang. Then even when later generations discuss us, we shall still rank as heroes no less than the Hegemon-King of Chu!"

Li Zicheng nodded. Escorted by Niu Jinxing and other officials, he urged his horse northward. Yet after riding a few dozen paces, he could not help but turn his head to look back. The arrow tower of the Desheng Gate in the near distance was so very magnificent.

Like him, many others could not help turning their heads back. After leaving the capital, what awaited them?

On the fifteenth day of the fourth month, Dorgon led his great army to Sanhe.

On the eleventh, Yang Guozhu, who had withdrawn to defend Qian'an, refused to surrender. Dorgon ordered an attack. A fierce battle raged from the hour of Si all the way to the hour of Wu. Dorgon deployed the Qing army's returning Hongyi cannons, especially the four-wheeled millstone heavy cannons.

Although the surrendered Ming army cannoneers operated the cannons poorly, the Ming army had suddenly withdrawn to defend the city and held Qian'an firmly without coming out. From the testimony of captured Ming soldiers, Dorgon surmised that Yang Guozhu might have been wounded, and not lightly. With the Ming army leaderless, they had no choice but to fall back to the city.

Dorgon thus set his mind at ease. Although the Jizhen army would not surrender, they were also powerless to leave the city and thus could pose no threat to his great Qing army.

He was anxious about the developments between the bandits and Wang Dou. Therefore, once the Jizhen army ceased to sally forth, he left a portion of his forces to keep watch on them and ordered the main army to continue its forced march, pressing on toward the capital.

Nor was he worried about whether the Jizhen army in Qian'an might threaten his rear. Since the Chongzhen reign, the Qing army had breached the passes several times, each time penetrating thousands of li deep, reaching as far as Shandong. How many strong cities and heavy garrisons had there been behind them along the way?

So as long as the Jingbian Army was not behind him, Dorgon would not be concerned. The same applied to the Jizhen army.

From Qian'an to the capital was a journey of four hundred li, passing through cities such as Fengrun, Yutian, Jizhou, Sanhe, and Tongzhou. Dorgon ordered a full-speed march. At the same time, scout cavalry fanned out in all directions, paying particular attention to any movement from the capital and the Xuanfu Garrison.

Along the way, he also flew the banner of "avenging your sovereign and father." Moreover, with the example of Wu Sangui and others before them, and knowing well the sharpness of the Tatars, when the great army passed through Fengrun, the former Ming officers who had surrendered to the Great Shun surrendered to the Qing without any psychological burden whatsoever.

Dorgon had them shave their heads, left a few hundred bannermen in the city, and then continued the march.

However, when they passed through Yutian and Jizhou, the former Ming garrison troops who had surrendered to the Great Shun were unwilling to surrender again. Dorgon was not inclined to bother with them either. He left some troops to keep watch and continued the march.

In any case, although these troops would not surrender, they were also powerless to leave their cities and posed no threat to his great army.

He did, however, take great care to have the scout cavalry spread across the countryside intercept any possible messengers or intelligence, ensuring that no word could be sent to the capital. He did not want the bandits in the capital to learn of his great army and turn their attention toward him.

Thus, up to this point, although Dorgon's great army had come all the way from Shanhai Pass, because of the strict battlefield screening and messenger interception, Li Zicheng and the others in the capital remained utterly ignorant, unaware that a powerful army was pressing toward the capital.

On the afternoon of the fifteenth day of the fourth month, Dorgon's great army reached Sanhe. The defending commander was still a former Ming officer. As in the case of Fengrun, they surrendered to the Qing without any psychological burden, not firing a single arrow, and shaved their heads into queues.

At this point, they were about a hundred li from the capital. They had covered the three hundred li from Qian'an to Sanhe in four days, and this was with the overall marching speed, including the various large and small cannons they brought along. This counted as an excellent performance, though it did not reach the very highest standard.

The peak marching condition of classical Chinese armies occurred in the early Song dynasty. During the Battle of Gaoliang River, Zhao Guangyi led the Song army, setting out from Zhenzhou on the thirteenth day of the sixth month and arriving south of Youzhou on the twenty-third day of the sixth month. They marched for ten days, covering roughly a hundred li each day, and then immediately threw themselves into an assault on the city that lasted thirteen days.

One must remember that they marched in full armor, and Song army armor was notoriously heavy.

The Jingbian Army, however, also had its own records: in a forced march state, they could reach two hundred li per day, and cavalry could cover three hundred li.

Dorgon, having reached Sanhe, dispatched more scout riders, paying especially close attention to probing for news of Wang Dou over at Xuanfu Garrison.

On the sixteenth, he received good news: the Jingbian Army had marched, with You Shiwei and others as the vanguard seizing Changping, and the follow-up main-force troops were still streaming out continuously from Juyong Pass.

The capital region he was watching stirred as well — part of the bandit troops garrisoning Deshengmen had already moved north, entering areas like Qinghedian, and the roving bandits inside the city were also growing restless, very likely to pour out northward in full force and fight a major battle with the Jingbian Army somewhere in the zone between Anji Bridge and Qinghe.

At this moment, two choices lay before Dorgon: one was to head for Tongzhou, and while the roving bandits might pour out northward leaving the city defenses empty, seize the perfect moment to take the capital.

This was also what Wu Sangui and the others hoped to see.

But would Dorgon do that?

Compared to the roving bandits, Wang Dou was his most important enemy. If he dispatched troops to seize the capital, the roving bandits would certainly turn their army back, and both sides would fight a great battle — would that not be to Wang Dou’s advantage? At that point, who would truly be the snipe and the clam fighting while the fisherman reaps the profit?

Therefore, his other choice was inevitably…

Dorgon’s gaze fell upon Shunyi on the map, then swept over Wu Sangui beside him, whose face was full of expectant eagerness, and a trace of cold sneer floated at the corner of his mouth.

On the seventeenth day of the fourth month, Dorgon confirmed that the roving bandits had poured out northward in full force, and he ordered the entire army to hasten toward Shunyi.

When the night scouts delivered the intelligence before his desk, Wang Dou said with excitement, “Good, everyone’s here now.”