Chapter 93

Book Three: Shunxiang Fort Garrison Commander, Chapter 93: The Story Behind Shaking the Realm

Under the assembly order, several thousand people from both the new and old forts of Shunxiang Fort gathered outside the fort. They stood in a dark, dense mass. Not only that, even the four picket officers and soldiers of Shunxiang Fort were concentrated together, arrayed neatly in the center.

The military households all discussed among themselves, wondering what had happened.

Very quickly, Garrison Commander Wang Dou of Shunxiang Fort strode over accompanied by a group of military officers. Beside him, Lin Daofu and the Fort Supervisor Chi Dacheng both wore stern expressions, and the Clerk Feng Dachang had also, uncharacteristically, set his face into a rigid mask.

Only Han Zhong, behind Wang Dou, hung his head in dejection. His elder brother Han Chao merely glared at him with a look of pity for his misfortune and anger at his failure to strive. Only Wen Fangliang could barely suppress his amusement; he glanced at Han Zhong, then at Han Chao, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

Wang Dou came before the military households and, without speaking, merely waved his hand. The crowd, a dark mass, followed behind him.

Wang Dou led the crowd to the saltpeter collection area of Shunxiang Fort. A thick stench of urine assaulted them, and many people involuntarily wrinkled their noses, but Wang Dou's expression did not change.

He gazed over there for a moment, then turned around, his face already filled with a pained expression. "Today, several soldiers, seeking convenience, violated the fort's regulations and did not relieve themselves at the designated latrines. What pains me even more is that among them was a senior military officer."

Many pairs of eyes looked toward Han Zhong. Han Zhong's head drooped even lower, and low laughter came from the military households below.

Wang Dou raised his voice: "I have also heard that not only soldiers, but many men and women of the military households likewise relieve themselves wherever convenient, treating the fort's regulations as nothing."

Immediately, the laughter below ceased.

Wang Dou said loudly: "The reason I stipulated no defecating or urinating anywhere, and to use designated latrines, is firstly to maintain cleanliness and hygiene inside and outside the fort, and to keep military appearance strict and orderly. Most importantly, this saltpeter collection area can yield saltpeter, which can be made into gunpowder for use on the battlefield to kill the enemy!"

Wang Dou's voice was impassioned: "In wartime, if we can produce just a few more catties of gunpowder, how many lives of brothers and sisters can be saved?"

He said loudly: "I emphasize once more: the prohibition against defecating or urinating anywhere is a matter of life and death for our Shunxiang Fort!"

He turned to Han Zhong and said: "Picket Officer Han, do you have anything to say?"

Han Zhong stepped forward dejectedly: "I have nothing to say. I submit to whatever punishment my lord decrees."

Wang Dou sighed: "It is also my lax discipline in daily life that allowed you to commit this grave error. Very well, I will not punish you today. I only want you to understand the reasoning behind what I have said today."

He said: "I am the master of this fort, and I have the responsibility to lead you well. Today I will personally demonstrate, so that you know how precious a mere puddle of urine is!"

So saying, he walked into that stench-ridden area of dung heaps, undid his belt, and urinated toward a dung heap in front of him.

Han Zhong and the others all cried out: "My lord!"

Han Zhong, tears welling in his eyes, also stepped forward, stood beside Wang Dou, and likewise urinated toward that dung heap.

One by one, the military officers came up: Lin Daofu, Chi Dacheng, Han Chao, Wen Fangliang, Sun Sanjie, and others.

One by one, the soldiers also came up. Below, all the womenfolk turned away in shame, wanting to look but not daring to. Only the men, their faces bearing expressions of solemn resolve, stepped forward one after another.

From this time onward, no matter how many armies Shunxiang Fort produced, on the day of their formation, the entire army would collectively urinate facing the dung field, and this became a ritual of the Shunxiang Army. Using the saltpeter gunpowder produced from this saltpeter field, they fought countless fierce battles, and the name of the Shunxiang Army shook the realm!

…

On the eighteenth day of the fifth month of the ninth year of the Chongzhen reign, atop the old fort wall of Shunxiang Fort.

This old Shunxiang Fort was located at the foot of Mount Fu. The city wall was tall and thick, faced with grey bricks, and the fortifications were considered very solid. Outside the fort gate was built a barbican, and inside the fort gate was built a horse path fifty meters long and six meters wide. In the event of battle, army vehicles and horses could go directly from the horse path up onto the wall.

Wang Dou inspected the defensive equipment on the fort wall, with a group of officers, high and low, following behind him. According to the defensive equipment of Shunxiang Fort, besides a large quantity of rolling logs and stone missiles on the wall, atop the wall of Shunxiang Fort there were also several large and small bronze cannons, and several sets of bronze and iron Frankish breech-loading swivel guns.

Those several large and small bronze cannons were not very powerful, with a range estimated at only a little over a hundred paces. Those several sets of bronze and iron Frankish guns should be able to shoot as far as a hundred zhang.

However, although there were cannons, Shunxiang Fort currently lacked gunners. Among the old and weak soldiers Wang Dou had dismissed when he originally formed the new army, there were a few gunners. Also, some craftsmen inside the fort could fire cannons. Wang Dou had already formed a city defense artillery unit, all young and able-bodied soldiers, and appointed a unit commander, having the original old and weak gunners teach them to fire. However, opportunities for live-fire practice were few, and the quality of these cannons was also worrying; he did not know how they would perform when battle came.

Wang Dou stood atop the gate tower of the south gate, gazing far into the distance at Mount Fu not far away. Mount Fu was rumored to be the place where the Yellow Emperor, after driving the Xunyu northward, held a covenant ceremony with representatives of various tribes, and it was very famous in history. Looking at Mount Fu, Wang Dou's heart surged with emotion. He wondered, when the time came for him to fight a bloody battle against the alien tribes, would the heroic spirits of the ancestors protect and bless these descendants of the Yellow Emperor?

Lin Daofu's voice came: "After the new Shunxiang Fort is built, given its layout, attacking from outside will not be easy. I judge that if the Eastern slaves or roving bandits come to attack the city, they will certainly focus their main assault on this south gate area of Shunxiang Fort!"

Everyone nodded. In ancient times, the gate area was always the main target of an enemy army's attack. Outside the west gate of the new Shunxiang Fort that was about to be built, the ground was covered with pitted and uneven earth pits, making movement very difficult. Presumably, the Qing soldiers would not have the patience to fill in the pits and attack the city there.

Wang Dou also nodded. He said, "Correct. This south gate area will certainly be the main point of the rebel army's assault. From now on, we must strengthen the city defenses."

He looked at everyone: "From today onward, of the four pickets of officers and soldiers of Shunxiang Fort, aside from the two newly organized pickets, the remaining two pickets will take turns guarding the city!"

Everyone received the order. Han Chao and Han Zhong clasped their fists together and said, "We request my lord to bestow the strategy!"

Wang Dou pondered for a long moment, then said: "The method of defense lies solely in fighting and guarding. I have observed that whenever bandits arrive, the various forts either panic and lose their wits, or defend without method, exhausting men's energy day and night, often leading to weariness and failure!"

"In all matters, preparedness leads to success, lack of preparedness leads to ruin. We should first seize the initiative in deployment to establish the method for defending the city."

He said to Han Chao and Han Zhong: "You two first calculate clearly the critical crenellations of this city, and the quantity of various equipment at each location. Then assign by squads: approximately how many men are needed per crenellation, how many Frankish guns, how many fire lances, and how many spearmen are needed at each critical point. Compile a register and present it to me for review. If feasible, implement it accordingly. Hereafter, drill for several days each month. If there is any unclear assignment or panic in the face of the enemy, military law will certainly be applied!"

The two men solemnly received the order.

Very quickly, detailed city defense military laws and orders were established within Shunxiang Fort and issued to the entire army.

In addition, starting from the fifth month, Wang Dou also began to reorganize the various fire beacon towers within his jurisdiction, dismissing the old and weak beacon soldiers, selecting the young and able-bodied, and fully equipping the beacon towers with supplies.

He also ordered the Fort Supervisor Chi Dacheng to inspect the various areas.

Everything was in preparation for war.

…

From the fifth month onward, the operas performed in front of the stage at the Jade Emperor Pavilion at the east street entrance of Shunxiang Fort increased in frequency. Almost every few days there was a major performance, bringing great delight to the military households and soldiers of the fort. Watching an opera in the intervals between heavy labor and training, everyone cried out in great satisfaction. Especially since during the performances, the stage would also give away some snacks like fruits and pastries, every time the opera began, the area before the stage was a sea of people.

On the stage, soldiers of Shunxiang Fort also appeared. They would often select some loud-voiced soldiers to display their singing voices on stage.

What they sang were all military songs of the Shunxiang Army: "Song of Exhorting the Troops," "Song of Shooting and Military Discipline," "Marching Song," and so on. Among them, the Shunxiang Army's military song "Man Jiang Hong" was the most popular. Whenever it was sung, a majestic chorus of song rose from both on and off the stage.

Both the military households and the soldiers welcomed watching operas and listening to songs. However, what the military households inside the fort found strange was this: the opera troupe that seemed to have become a permanent fixture in Shunxiang Fort, besides the traditional grand operas about Grandfather Yue, the Yang Family Generals, and the dynasty's founding emperor expelling the Mongol Yuan, increasingly performed self-written and self-produced opera programs, mostly reflecting the tragic scenes from various places when the Mongol Tatars and Later Jin Tatars invaded. Every time they watched, a chorus of furious curses and gnashing teeth rose from below the stage, and even the actors playing the Tatars received many hostile stares.

The grand opera performed on stage today was also like this. On stage, several actors playing Later Jin soldiers, after breaching a civilian fort, carried out an inhuman massacre. They plundered all the villagers' wealth, grain, chickens, ducks, iron pots, and other goods, and abducted all the women.

The female lead was a girl called Suniang. Her parents and siblings were all killed by the Tatars. She escaped while being taken captive, and afterward hid deep in the mountains, living a life neither human nor ghost. Due to lack of food and clothing, her hair turned completely white. It was not until many years later, when Lord Wang, in the process of entering the mountains to exterminate bandits, inadvertently discovered Suniang and rescued her, that Suniang was able to turn from a ghost back into a human.

The final grand conclusion was very moving. The actors' skills were profound, and the audience below the stage watched with tears brimming in their eyes. In these years, the Mongol Tatars and Later Jin Tatars on the frontier invaded from time to time, and many people had lost their families and homes. In Suniang, they seemed to see their own past sufferings.

Finally, the grand opera concluded with the majestic Shunxiang Army military song "Man Jiang Hong," but the people before the stage were still reluctant to leave for a long time. Suddenly, a loud shout rang out: "We will never let Suniang's tragedy happen in Shunxiang Fort!"

Immediately, a chorus of howls erupted from below the stage, and countless arms were raised.

"Kill all the Tatars!"

A unified voice shouted: "Kill all the Tatars!"

"Protect our homes and defend our country!"

The sound carried from afar. In a tall building beside the stage, Wang Dou nodded with satisfaction and said to a person beside him: "The results are remarkable. After several days of performances, the morale of the military households and the soldiers of each picket inside the fort has been stirred up. Proprietor Xie, your opera house's writing and staging of these plays has rendered indispensable service!"

Beside Wang Dou, apart from several tall bodyguards, there also stood a middle-aged man. This middle-aged man was nearly forty. His left arm had been severed, and a deep knife scar ran across his face. At this moment, his face was covered with tears, and he was overwhelmed with emotion. The opera just performed had also touched his own painful memories.

This man was called Xie Youcheng, a native of Tongzhou, and currently the proprietor of the Jade Emperor Pavilion stage in Shunxiang Fort. In the second year of the Chongzhen reign, when the Later Jin army invaded, Xie Youcheng's entire family of several dozen perished. His wife and daughter were violated and tortured to death. Xie Youcheng's left arm was also severed by a Later Jin soldier, and he was slashed across the face. At that time, he lost consciousness. When he awoke, all around him were the corpses of his family and pools of blood.

He could never forget the scene of his family's tragic death, never ever forget it. His heart was filled with hatred for the Later Jin, a bone-deep hatred.