Chapter 477: The Battle That Washed Away Shame

Hearing this, Zhang Cong said excitedly, "As long as we have some, that's enough! Even if it's only equipment for five thousand men, we can still build an elite force of five thousand that can play a major role at a critical moment."

"Five thousand? You wish!" Wang Zaijin shot Zhang Cong a glare and said with a smile, "We'll take whatever we can get."

While the two were talking, news of the victory also arrived at the front, delivered into Xiong Tingbi's hands.

Staring at the victory report in his hands, Xiong Tingbi remained silent for a long time.

To be honest, this outcome exceeded his expectations.

Although this was good news, the shock it gave Xiong Tingbi was simply too great.

They actually won?

Thinking of everything he had done in Liaodong, all the suffering he had endured, all the hardships he had borne, Xiong Tingbi didn't know what to feel in his heart.

He felt a pang of loss. People had expected him to recover Liaodong, but now it seemed that dream was growing ever more distant.

However, Xiong Tingbi quickly pulled himself out of that dejection.

The eastern front had already won; his western front couldn't afford to fall behind. Tieling and Qinghe absolutely had to be taken!

Glancing at Li Guangrong as he walked in, Xiong Tingbi asked directly, "Are our men ready?"

"They're ready." Li Guangrong said with a solemn expression.

"Good!" Xiong Tingbi said directly, "Tell them to prepare for the assault. This battle permits only victory, never defeat! We must take Qinghe as quickly as possible, then strike straight at Tieling! We need to capture Tieling and Qinghe as fast as we can!"

"Yes, Marshal." Li Guangrong nodded in agreement, then asked with some hesitation, "Marshal, I heard the eastern front won?"

Hearing this, Xiong Tingbi glanced at him.

Though he didn't know how Li Guangrong had gotten the news, Xiong Tingbi also knew this news couldn't be hidden, and spreading it would boost morale, so he had no intention of concealing it.

He gave a slight nod and said, "Indeed, we won."

Hearing this, a strange expression likewise appeared on Li Guangrong's face.

Winning should be a cause for joy, but when a place everyone thought would be lost had actually been won, that made things awkward.

"This is the victory report. Take a look." After saying this, Xiong Tingbi handed a copy of the report to Li Guangrong.

After glancing at the report, an expression of disbelief appeared on Li Guangrong's face.

He looked up at Xiong Tingbi and asked, "How is this possible? Our side only lost four hundred men? Yet nearly twenty thousand of the Jianzhou barbarians died? This can't be fake, can it?"

Xiong Tingbi shook his head and said, "Of course not. People from Liaoyang have already gone to verify — they handled the corpses themselves. There's no falsehood in this. Besides, Sun Chuanting wouldn't dare deceive His Majesty — that would be the crime of deceiving the emperor."

"Truly remarkable!" Li Guangrong said with considerable admiration.

Li Guangrong had previously looked down on Sun Chuanting, never expecting the slap in the face to come so quickly. The other man had finished the job at such speed, and now everything depended on their own side — the pressure was on.

"But how did they win?" Li Guangrong looked up at Xiong Tingbi and asked directly.

Li Guangrong and the others knew the strength of the Jianzhou barbarians — the two sides had fought once before.

Yet now, facing Sun Chuanting's forces, the Jianzhou barbarians performed like bandits being mopped up by government troops — and low-grade bandits at that. They were far too useless. Could they be putting on an act?

Xiong Tingbi said, "It's because of their equipment. Those rocket launchers, those hand-cranked machine guns — unfortunately we don't have them. If we had them too, things would be much simpler."

This was also what made Xiong Tingbi uncomfortable — His Majesty hadn't given him these fine toys!

Although His Majesty had given him some new-style equipment as well, compared to the Imperial Guard Corps, the gap was more than a little.

So Xiong Tingbi said, "When we get back, we'll go ask for some too. This battle needs to be fought brilliantly, or else I won't have the face to bring it up."

"Rest assured, Marshal, there's absolutely no problem." Li Guangrong said with a smile.

"Then let's go. We'll take Qinghe first, then go fight for Tieling." With these words, Xiong Tingbi strode out with firm steps and great speed.

Inside Shanhai Pass.

Zhu Youxiao began packing up his things, preparing to return.

This campaign would soon be over; under these circumstances, there was no need for Zhu Youxiao to linger here any longer.

The business was done — this trip could be considered a complete success. At a time like this, he could no longer stay.

Heaven knows what kind of chaos was brewing back in the capital. He'd been away for nearly four months now; if he didn't return soon, there would be trouble.

With the Liaoyang forces taking over the Jianning Three Guards, Sun Chuanting's men could also come back.

As for Xiong Tingbi's side, good news had already arrived — they had taken Qinghe and were now besieging Tieling. It was believed that within a few days, Tieling would also fall.

In fact, it didn't even take a few days. That very night, the Jianzhou barbarians broke out of the siege — they abandoned Tieling and simply fled.

The entire campaign was over. Zhu Youxiao didn't wait for the main army to return; he had to leave first. He couldn't travel together with Sun Chuanting and the others — he would just leave with his personal guards.

As for the Mongol side, that war was also nearing its end.

As for Da Yu'er, Zhu Youxiao had no intention of bringing her back this time — he planned to let her return to Mongolia.

If Da Yu'er wanted to marry Zhu Youxiao, that would have to wait two years or more. Her purpose for now had come to an end.

As for the question of an alliance between the two sides, at this point the alliance could be concluded whether or not Da Yu'er was involved, so she was no longer important. When the time came for her to marry Zhu Youxiao, she would come in a different capacity.

Zhu Youxiao looked at Bumbutai before him and said directly, "Go back. I will have someone escort you to Guangning, and your brother will come to receive you there."

Bumbutai looked at Zhu Youxiao with a somewhat complicated expression and said, "Your Majesty, take care."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "Rest assured, the day will come when we meet again. On that day, you will formally become my consort."

The edict of enfeoffment had already been sent to Khorchin — this matter could not be denied. Unless the two sides turned against each other and the alliance was voided.

But there was nothing to say about such matters — who knew how things would ultimately turn out?

Still, Zhu Youxiao believed that even if the two sides fell out, he and Da Yu'er would still have a chance to meet again. By not bringing her back this time, he would also have far fewer troubles.

"Someone, escort her out." Zhu Youxiao ordered directly.

Da Yu'er was gone. Zhu Youxiao couldn't continue staying at Shanhai Pass for much longer.

As for Xiong Tingbi, there was no need to meet him here either. The next time he saw Xiong Tingbi would be when he returned to the capital for an audience; or if war broke out again in Liaodong.

Though if war broke out in Liaodong again, Zhu Youxiao probably wouldn't come either.

The carriage left Shanhai Pass, and Zhu Youxiao headed straight for the capital, with nothing of note along the way.

He returned to the capital that very day.

The battle report had long since reached the capital, and after the initial shock, disbelief, and finally acceptance and astonishment, the capital had also gone through its own upheaval.

No one had ever imagined that His Majesty would go from Zhangjiakou to Shanhai Pass, command such a war, and actually win it.

This was truly hard to believe! Especially the performance of the Son of Heaven's own troops in this battle—it was simply breathtaking!

In an instant, Zhu Youxiao's prestige shot up, and it could be said that no one could rival his glory.

The slogan of "a wise ruler restoring the dynasty" was shouted out at this very moment.

No one dared to stand up and oppose it, and for a time the momentum was overwhelming.

Naturally, this was something Zhu Youxiao had arranged long ago—he would never forget to build momentum through public opinion.

Moreover, this time they had truly won. This was a battle that washed away shame for the Great Ming, and he deserved such treatment.

At the same time, it let the people of the capital know how powerful the Imperial Guard Corps was, so they should not stir up trouble recklessly.

After returning to the capital, Zhu Youxiao went straight back to the imperial palace.

In the following days, Zhu Youxiao did not hold court, nor did he summon any ministers—he simply stayed with Empress Zhang and his son.

The entire capital was eerily quiet, with a feeling that a storm was brewing.

Everyone knew what His Majesty had done; much news had already spread back.

Winning the war was naturally a good thing, and forming an alliance with the Mongols was nothing too serious. But when they heard that His Majesty intended to take a Mongol woman as a consort, some people could not accept that. They held their breath, ready to offer remonstrance.

Amid the joyful atmosphere of the capital, there was also a hint of oppression.

Deep within the imperial palace.

Zhu Youxiao summoned Wei Zhongxian.

Recently, Wei Zhongxian's pressure could be said to be extremely great.

In the Zhangjiakou affair, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had performed outstandingly and won the Emperor's deep trust. What was the Eastern Depot supposed to do about that?

For the Eastern Depot, this was a difficult situation!

However, Wei Zhongxian was a capable man, and he quickly found an entry point.

For the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, their role was to keep watch for the Emperor—when there were matters, they had to act; when there were no matters, they also had to act.

What to do when there were no matters?

When there were no matters, create matters—how could they get by without stirring things up?

Zhu Youxiao looked at Wei Zhongxian and said, "This is already the third time you have sought an audience with me. What exactly do you wish to say by coming here? Speak."

Wei Zhongxian knew His Majesty might be displeased, but this was a gamble he had to take.

Wei Zhongxian said, "Your Majesty, this slave has discovered something and truly dare not decide on it alone, so I have come specially to report it to Your Majesty."

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Wei Zhongxian and knew this man was going to stir something up. But he was also curious—Wei Zhongxian had tried to see him several times. Was he so confident?

If the matter were not very significant, Wei Zhongxian would have to bear the consequences.

During this period, Zhu Youxiao had kept a low profile precisely because he did not want to show his face. Wei Zhongxian urgently seeking him out—this must be a major matter.

"Your Majesty, this slave has discovered something." Wei Zhongxian looked at Zhu Youxiao and said, "It concerns those foreigners in the Great Ming. This slave has discovered that they harbor treacherous intentions."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao immediately became interested and sat up straight.

For Zhu Youxiao, this was indeed a major matter. He asked, "What are those people planning to do? Are they gathering together to prepare a rebellion?"

"No, not that." Wei Zhongxian said somewhat awkwardly, "They are spreading their heretical doctrines."

"Oh, is that so?" Zhu Youxiao looked at Wei Zhongxian and asked, "What exactly is going on? Tell me."

"Yes, Your Majesty. There is a man named Wang Zheng, a jinshi of the second year of Tianqi, aged fifty-two at the time. Because Wang Zheng had already been baptized and converted to the faith, after he passed the jinshi examination, he immediately wrote to his family, admonishing them not to take a concubine for him, saying: 'Today I have passed the examination—all this is the gift of the Lord of Heaven. How dare I take what the Lord of Heaven has given and thereby offend the Lord of Heaven?' Because he had taken the metropolitan examination ten times before finally earning his degree, and this happened not long after his baptism, Wang Zheng deeply believed that his success in the examinations was due to the Lord of Heaven's silent blessing."

"That he could pass the examination was clearly the grace of the sage Son of Heaven! Instead, he goes and gives thanks to some Catholic Lord of Heaven—this truly shows his treacherous heart. As a subject, having no loyalty to the sovereign or love for the state in his heart, but instead believing in some Lord of Heaven—this is simply a heinous crime!"

"Later he was appointed Judge of Guangping Prefecture in Zhili, and shortly after, his entire family moved there with him. His wife, née Shang, had borne several sons, but all had died of smallpox, leaving only two daughters alive. Under the circumstances of his wife and daughters kneeling in earnest entreaty, his younger brothers and nephews weeping in a circle around him, and his father's stern commands, Wang Zheng's resolve softened, and so, without any public announcement, in the third year of Tianqi he took a fifteen-year-old woman, née Shen, as a concubine, hoping she would bear a son to continue the family line."

"Because taking a concubine was always regarded as a grave sin in Catholicism, Wang Zheng felt his sins were deep and heavy, and he repeatedly requested Father Kim and other priests to absolve his sins, but none would grant it. They told him: 'Unless you remove the source of the sin, the sin cannot be absolved!' Wang Zheng then bitterly repented, spending his days in worry and gloom, with no heart for his official duties."

"These foreigners in the Great Ming are deceiving the people's hearts and disrupting the officialdom—this is truly a heinous crime! This slave begs Your Majesty to permit this slave to conduct a thorough investigation!"

Zhu Youxiao looked at Wei Zhongxian, knowing that this fellow had come prepared. But what Wei Zhongxian had spoken of truly deserved attention—this matter could not be hastily brushed aside.

What Zhu Youxiao cared about was not the matter of taking concubines or not, but the infiltration of Catholicism. These people could make Great Ming officials believe devoutly, and even push them to refuse taking concubines—Zhu Youxiao understood the power within this.

At first they believed it themselves, then they made others believe; the method of making others believe began with persuasion, then turned to coercion, and finally became the persecution of heretics.

In the entire history of religious development, European religion could be said to be bloody. Zhu Youxiao could not allow such a religion to develop in the Great Ming, so he could not let this matter continue to develop.

If the Great Ming had quickly fallen into chaos as in the original history, there would have been no room for such religions to develop.

But now, under Zhu Youxiao's power, if the Great Ming enjoyed prolonged peace and stability, then these people would have room to operate. In the end, it would first be sectarian strife, then conflict with imperial authority, and before long it could even become a color revolution.

How could he let them stir up such things?

Zhu Youxiao said, "Have Wang Zheng brought to the capital. Among the Catholics in the capital, who holds the final say?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, there are two foreigners with great prestige who hold the final say. One is called Matteo Ricci, and the other is called Nicolas Trigault."

Zhu Youxiao pondered briefly and said, "Have them come to the palace. Tell them I wish to see them."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wei Zhongxian quickly agreed, his face full of excitement.

His opportunity had finally come!