Chapter 27: Come On, Let's Hurt Each Other!

Hong Taiji hadn't been able to eat properly for days. It was mainly because Emperor Chongzhen had cursed him out so viciously from the city wall that he was grinding his teeth in fury.

Holding the bowl of coptis water a booi aha had brought, and thinking again of the Chongzhen Emperor inside the city, the enraged Hong Taiji smashed the bowl to the ground and snarled viciously at Fan Wencheng, "You dog slave, didn't you say before that you'd contacted the southern barbarians and someone would cooperate to open the city gate?

Where are they?!"

Fan Wencheng said in a fluster, "Great Khan, calm your anger. Before our Great Jin's heavenly troops arrived, this slave had already made proper contact. It is settled that tonight at the zi hour, someone will cooperate to open the Guangning Gate."

Only then did Hong Taiji's anger subside. He said to Daishan, "If the barbarians' city gate is opened, does our Great Jin have the confidence to enter the city?"

Daishan thought for a moment and said, "If someone truly can open the Guangning Gate, then the barbarians' outer city will fall entirely into our Great Jin's hands.

For some reason, the barbarian soldiers now are not as cowardly and afraid of death as the barbarian soldiers of old. Yet even the best barbarian soldiers, once they face our Great Jin's warriors head-on, are certain to be defeated.

When the barbarian soldiers rout, the morale they've built up over these days will surely collapse in a single morning — not worth worrying about."

Hong Taiji thought it over. The situation was indeed just as Daishan had said.

In past engagements with the Ming army, before the city fell, the Ming troops could often fight to the death; once the city fell, they would disintegrate into a rabble, letting the Great Jin's warriors chase and slaughter them at will.

Thinking of this, Hong Taiji said to Hooge, "Did you hear that? Tonight at the zi hour, you will take a thousand elite troops to the Guangning Gate. Once the gate opens, you need only hold the Guangning Gate without losing it. When the main army enters the city, it will be a great merit!"

Hooge said, "Father Khan, rest assured. Your son will definitely hold the Guangning Gate. Once the city is breached, your son will certainly capture the barbarian emperor alive, drag him to death behind a warhorse, and vent your anger for you, Father Khan!"

Hong Taiji, however, smiled with gratification. "It is good that you have such resolve. Go now, go down and prepare."

But as an old Chinese saying goes, though the body lacks the paired wings of a colorful phoenix, the hearts share a single thread of understanding — or as they also say, there's no story without coincidence.

While Hong Taiji, the arch-traitor Fan Wencheng, and the other Jianzhou barbarians were plotting how to enter the city and how to kill the Chongzhen Emperor, the Chongzhen Emperor was also plotting with his own dragon-leg cronies how to kill Hong Taiji!

On the wall of the Desheng Gate, Chongzhen — who had not returned to the rear palace but instead summoned Qin Liangyu and Ma Xianglin to accompany him on an inspection — entered the gate tower with Qin Liangyu and Ma Xianglin, then ordered Wang Cheng'en to find Man Gui and bring him to an audience.

Once the formalities were complete, Chongzhen first asked, "Minister Man, how goes the battle on the walls now?"

Man Gui replied, "In reply to Your Majesty, the officers and men are now giving their all. It is absolutely impossible for the Jianzhou barbarians to break through the city defenses."

Ma Xianglin could not help but ask, "Your Majesty, when may your subjects go out and give battle?"

Qin Liangyu barked, "My son, withdraw! Do not be discourteous before His Majesty!"

Ma Xianglin sheepishly withdrew, but Chongzhen laughed. "What's this — Our 'Brocade Ma Chao' can't hold back and wants to go fight?"

Ma Xianglin said, "In reply to Your Majesty, your subject only longs to take the field soon and kill the Jianzhou barbarians!"

Chongzhen nodded. "We summoned the White Rod troops to the capital precisely to kill the Jianzhou barbarians. Minister Ma, set your mind at ease — you will certainly not be left out of this."

Having said this, Chongzhen asked Man Gui again, "Minister Man, the Jianzhou barbarians have been assaulting the city for three days now. How is their morale? Has their offensive weakened at all?"

Man Gui replied, "In reply to Your Majesty, the barbarians' momentum has already weakened today. They are no longer as frenzied as they were the first two days.

Moreover, with the various regional relief armies drawing near, in your humble subject's foolish opinion, in another two days the barbarians' morale will collapse.

Furthermore, according to reports from the night scouts your subject has dispatched, the barbarians' supplies are insufficient to sustain them for another ten days.

Your subject estimates that the barbarians originally intended to forage for provisions on the spot, only they never expected that Your Majesty would send men to burn all the surrounding grain, fodder, and timber to ashes. Now the barbarians are even short of siege equipment."

Chongzhen pondered briefly, then said to Man Gui, "In that case, let the Jianzhou barbarians run rampant for two more days. The day after tomorrow, We shall settle accounts with them!"

Man Gui and Qin Liangyu bowed together in acknowledgment. Only Ma Xianglin was impatient by nature,

and he asked, "Your Majesty, why must we wait another two days? The barbarians' morale has already declined. With the various relief armies as well, our forces could strike the barbarians a crushing blow right now!"

Chongzhen gave a bitter smile. "Does Minister Ma think We do not wish to slaughter the barbarians sooner?

It is just that the various regional guard posts have rotted to such a state — they are long since useless. Even using them to hold the walls is a stretch, let alone sending them to fight the barbarians in the field.

Therefore, killing the barbarians still requires the White Rod troops to take the field.

Besides, there is another matter. We shall not conceal it from the three beloved ministers.

That Liu Xingzuo has long since surrendered to Us. This so-called punitive expedition against the Ming that tied down the Dengzhou–Laizhou and Mao Wenlong forces is nothing but a farce staged for the barbarians' eyes.

Otherwise, how would the barbarians have dared to detour through Mongol territory to come to the capital?

As for now, We estimate that Liu Xingzuo and Mao Wenlong's forces have already joined up and are probably not far from Shenyang.

However, this matter concerns the safety of the Dongjiang Garrison. Those in the know are limited to Mao Wenlong, Liu Xingzuo, the Chief Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat, the Minister of the Ministry of War, and only a few others.

You ministers shall pretend to know nothing of this matter. By no means let slip a word of it, lest the barbarians' spies detect it."

The three bowed together to receive the order. Learning of the Emperor's arrangement, they felt all the more that the barbarians outside the city were not far from death.

Man Gui thought for a moment and said to Chongzhen, "Your Majesty, you may order the Embroidered Uniform Guard from the previous operation to go harass the barbarians again. If the barbarians cannot rest well, their combat strength will inevitably decline.

No matter when the barbarians learn the news, with their troops lacking combat strength, the White Rod troops and the relief armies coming up behind can take the chance to kill more barbarians."

Chongzhen nodded. "Approved." He turned to Wang Cheng'en. "Send word to Tian Ergeng — ensure the barbarians get no peace!"

But before Wang Cheng'en could go down to make the arrangements, Tian Ergeng came requesting an audience.

Once Tian Ergeng arrived, Chongzhen laughed. "Tian Ergeng, you really are easy to summon. We were just about to send someone to find you, and here you are."

After the formalities, Tian Ergeng did not respond to the Emperor's teasing. He simply said to Chongzhen, "Your Majesty, your subject has received word from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. There is some trouble at the Guangning Gate.

The Huihui inside the city are conspiring, but it is unclear what they are planning. Our men cannot infiltrate their ranks, nor can they get too close.

Therefore, we are not entirely clear on the Huihui's objective. Moreover, this involves nearly three hundred people.

Your subject dares not act on his own authority and requests Your Majesty's decision."

Hearing Tian Ergeng's words, the Chongzhen Emperor recalled something.

In the original history, in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, when Li Zicheng attacked Beijing, the city had not actually been so easy to breach. Later, some said it was the eunuch Cao Huachun who cooperated with the rebel army to open the city gate.

It was not until later, when someone posted a popular-science explanation online, that Chongzhen learned the one who opened the gate was not Cao Huachun at all. To begin with, how could a eunuch stationed far away have run all the way to Beijing?

And even if he had, how could the gate guards have just stood by and watched a eunuch open the city gate?

As for the historical record claiming Cao Huachun opened the gate — look at who compiled that history book, then go find that poem Cao Huachun wrote, and even look at how the Manchu Qing later treated Cao Huachun and Chongzhen, and the matter becomes very clear.

So the question is: since it wasn't the arch-villain of so many TV dramas, the Director of the Eastern Depot, that damned eunuch Cao Huachun, then who was it that opened the city gate for the rebel army?