Chapter 18: Liu Xingzuo Raises Troops

The court these past few days seemed calm on the surface, but beneath it surged turbulent undercurrents, treacherous and unfathomable, leaving onlookers utterly baffled.

First, the Chongzhen Emperor would occasionally reveal a strange smile when gazing at his assembled officials, leaving the courtiers below unable to fathom his thoughts;

second, all memorials from the censors impeaching the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot for harassing the people were being held without response.

And within the Capital Camps, there was a flurry of activity — first they cleared out the phantom payrolls, and the troop shortages caused by embezzled rations were quickly filled.

Meanwhile, the Armory Bureau under the Ministry of Works, along with the palace eunuchs' Weapons Bureau and Armory, were frantically inventorying their weapon stockpiles, and rumors kept spreading that certain lords, because their quality failed to meet standards, had gone so far as to ruthlessly break the legs of their own sons and nephews.

For the old foxes long entrenched in the court, even with the news tightly sealed and no relevant information obtainable from the Grand Secretariat or the ministries, the sheer frequency of these movements in the capital made it clear: war was likely coming.

The strange thing was, they hadn't heard beforehand of any fighting breaking out anywhere — could it be that the Emperor wanted to personally lead a campaign into Liaodong?

First there was Zhu Houzhao, then Zhu Qiyu, and now Zhu Youjian — why do the emperors of the old Zhu family all fancy this sort of thing? Not a single one of them gives anyone peace of mind!

Chongzhen did not care what his officials thought; what he wanted were officers who could obey and get things done — as for the rest, he had no need of it for now. What the Great Ming needed was not democracy and harmony, but iron blood and dictatorship.

Once the tedious court session had dispersed, Chongzhen hurried toward the rear palace. Before attending court, he had learned that Qin Liangyu, Ma Xianglin, and his wife Zhang Fengyi were already waiting in the palace to be received.

In the Warm Heart Hall, he met the veteran general Qin Liangyu for the first time. Her hair was streaked with white, yet impeccably groomed; her features were graceful and refined, and her spirit was hale and vigorous.

Then he looked at Ma Xianglin, known as "Little Ma Chao" — clad in silver armor, a full beard covering his face, standing over seven chi tall, with a tiger's back and a wasp's waist, his ape-like arms so long they hung nearly to his knees.

Truly a figure of awe-inspiring might; though he had only one eye, it lent him an extra edge of ferocity that made men dare not meet his gaze. Chongzhen thought to himself, "What a tiger of a general!"

Chongzhen then looked at Ma Xianglin's wife.

She was taller than the average woman, and though not as stout as the sturdy matrons of the army camps, her features were delicate and refined, her brow lacking somewhat the soft frailty of a maiden yet bearing an extra measure of heroic spirit.

Even if she could not compare to legendary beauties who could make fish sink and birds fall, one still felt this woman was truly extraordinary.

He raised up Qin Liangyu and the Ma Xianglin couple from their kneeling salute, then praised Qin Liangyu: "Good! Good! Good! The Great Ming's sons and daughters are full of rare resolve — they love not red finery but the martial attire! With ministers like you, We have no worries!"

Qin Liangyu, hearing this, hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty overpraises me; I am ashamed and dare not accept such words!"

Chongzhen said, "It is the plain truth — what is there to dare or not dare accept? Minister Qin, do not be overly modest. In summoning you by secret edict to bring troops to the capital, We are in fact entrusting the very fate of the Great Ming entirely to you."

Qin Liangyu was greatly alarmed at these words and quickly asked, "Your Majesty, what exactly is the matter?"

Chongzhen then handed Qin Liangyu the earlier secret report transmitted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Once mother and son had read it, he said: "Of all the Great Ming's vassal tribes and domains, the Jianzhou barbarians have received the most generous treatment.

Yet instead of contemplating how to show gratitude and render service, they turn around to bite their master — utterly detestable!

It is only because the guard-battalion system is now rotten and the national strength is strained that the land of Liaodong can only be left to the ravages of the Jianzhou barbarians.

This time, We intend to employ the stratagem of inviting the foe into the jar — luring the Tartars to come attack the capital, and then shutting the gate to beat the dog!

We summoned you, Minister Qin, and the White Rod Army to the capital precisely because the Capital Camps and the Five Chief Military Commissions are hardly fit for great use. We wish to entrust the safety of the capital to you, Minister Qin.

The White Rod Army need only hold the Jianzhou barbarians for a few days; once the Guanning Army and the relief forces from various regions arrive, We shall properly teach the Jianzhou barbarians how to behave! Minister Qin, you must not disappoint Us!"

Qin Liangyu's heart jolted with shock. Such trust, entrusting the nation's fate to a single person, was rarely seen in history — only the entrusting of the orphaned heir at White Emperor City could compare.

Even Emperor Wu of Han's support for Huo Qubing, backing his northern campaign against the Xiongnu with the entire nation's strength, paled in comparison!

Thinking to this point, though she was a woman, a surge of soaring heroism rose in Qin Liangyu's chest. She said to Chongzhen, "Your Majesty, set your mind at ease.

Even in open-field battle against the Tartars, the White Rod Army would not fear them. Now that we are defending a city, the thirty thousand White Rod troops I have brought

are more than a match for a hundred thousand dog Tartars! Never mind a few days — even a few months would hold no fear!

It is only that, from what I have observed near the capital, the common folk have all been moved inside the city walls.

The capital has a huge population; adding the relocated people, the refugees who fled here, the White Rod Army, and in the future the great relief armies from every region — can the grain supply in the city sustain all this?

My only fear is that when the time comes, the Jianzhou barbarians will cut off the canal transport. Your Majesty should make plans early."

Chongzhen said, "Minister Qin, have no worries. We have already made arrangements.

In order to deal the Jianzhou barbarians a crushing blow, We ordered the Depot and the Guard to move all commoners into the city, and had them bring their grain with them.

Add to that the capital's existing grain reserves, and the grain that has been continuously transported into the city in recent days — when the time comes, supplying provisions and fodder will not be a problem.

When the Jianzhou barbarians come raiding this time, We intend to strengthen the walls and clear the fields, stretching out the Jianzhou barbarians' logistics supply lines.

We must, without fail, give the Jianzhou barbarians a harsh lesson right beneath the walls of Beijing — we must hurt them so badly in one blow that they learn to fear it!"

Qin Liangyu said, "No one is more sagely wise than Your Majesty. I shall certainly strike the Jianzhou barbarians fiercely!"

After concluding the audience and leaving the palace, Qin Liangyu, her son, and her daughter-in-law immediately returned to the Capital Camps. Every day they drilled without cease, practicing methods of city defense and street fighting, which rather spurred on the Capital Camps.

Among the Capital Camps, the meddlesome Zhang Zhiji also actively trained his troops without pause, showing a fair bit of competitive spirit toward the White Rod Army.

Thus several more days passed, and the time reached the fourth day of the tenth month. Chongzhen, who was in the court hall enduring the censors' rotating bombardments, finally heard the news he had been waiting for.

It was an eight-hundred-li express memorial submitted by Sun Guozhen, the Governor of Deng and Lai:

"Your guilty minister Sun Guozhen risks death to report:

The traitor Liu Xingzuo, on the third day of this month, assembled over five thousand rebel troops of the Jianzhou barbarians' Southern Four Garrisons at Fuzhou. Under the name of a 'Homecoming Army,' they boarded warships and invaded Deng and Lai.

The Deng and Lai military defense circuits and all guard battalions sent out troops to resist. But the rebel troops are fierce and powerful; your minister cannot withstand them and is steadily losing ground.

I beg Your Majesty to dispatch troops to the rescue. Your minister bears the blame for losing territory and would not begrudge death, but the common people look to Your Majesty as an infant looks to its parents — they cannot be left unsaved.

Your guilty minister Sun Guozhen risks death and bows a hundred times."

The Chongzhen Emperor, who knew perfectly well in his heart what this was all about, was of course not panicked. However, upon seeing the words "Homecoming Army," he inexplicably recalled the phrase "homecoming regiment," and his face could not help but twitch twice.

As it happened, in the eyes of the assembled officials, the Emperor already appeared to be on the verge of a furious outburst.

Chongzhen put on an expression of mingled shock and rage, snapped the memorial shut with force, threw it down, and said to Wang Cheng'en: "Read it aloud for them. Let all the ministers present in this court hear it."

When Wang Cheng'en finished reading, the court hall erupted in a rustling wave as officials knelt in unison, begging for punishment: "Your Majesty, quell your anger — we ministers are guilty!"

Chongzhen raged: "Guilty! Guilty! Every time it is 'guilty'! What We want is a solution! Not endless begging for punishment! If begging for punishment were useful, then what use would We have for all of you?! All of you, stand up! What We want are not groveling worms!"

After the officials rose, Wen Tiren stepped out from the ranks and memorialized: "Your Majesty, in your minister's humble opinion, you could order Grand General Mao Wenlong of Dongjiang to send troops against Fuzhou.

This would both cut off the traitor Liu's retreat and provide relief to Deng and Lai — it is the tactic of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao."

Cui Chengxiu, the Minister of War, also stepped out and memorialized: "Your Majesty, you could order the guard battalions around Deng and Lai to assemble toward Deng and Lai and provide relief."

Then a newly promoted censor, one who did not know the meaning of death, leaped out: "I impeach Sun Guozhen, Governor of Deng and Lai, for losing territory and disgracing the nation — his crime warrants execution!"

The moment these words were spoken, the looks that Wen Tiren and others who knew the inside story of this affair directed at that censor were exceedingly strange. Those who did not know the inside story looked at him as though he were a half-wit.

Deng and Lai were in the middle of a battle — if they followed this censor's advice and killed Sun Guozhen, driving a governor to revolt right before the battle lines, the resulting farce would be colossal!

Chongzhen seized the opportunity to erupt: "We trust Sun Guozhen. This is not his fault. Minister, speak no more of this.

Court dismissed!"