Chapter 37: Building the Jingguan

After dealing with the Eight Locust Merchants, Chongzhen paid no further attention to the executions behind him. He hastily summoned Lu Xiangsheng and Qin Liangyu to an audience to discuss how to pursue and strike the Jianzhou barbarians.

Lu Xiangsheng said, "Your Majesty, thanks to the secret palace drug provided by Eunuch Wu earlier, Dorgon and those Jianzhou dog barbarians lost all fighting strength in their camp.

But now that Hong Taiji has joined forces with Dorgon, I fear it will not be easy to keep that dog barbarian here."

Chongzhen, however, said, "No matter. We need only drive them back beyond the passes. After that, strictly blockade all supplies the Jianzhou barbarians require, and I wager they won't be able to stir up any trouble."

Lu Xiangsheng replied, "Your Majesty is wise. Yet this course of action will only benefit Ligdan Khan. That man will certainly exploit the situation to his own advantage."

Chongzhen gave a cold laugh. "No matter. These Tartars of the steppe — they need a master found for them to be properly disciplined.

In the Former Han, the Xiongnu who submitted to Han became even more Han than the Han themselves. Jin Midi was acclaimed as the Han house's foremost loyal hound.

Once you've beaten them into submission, beaten them into terror, they will become the finest dogs."

Hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng and Qin Liangyu prostrated themselves together and said, "Your Majesty's sagacity is supreme."

Chongzhen thought for a moment, then said, "In that case, my two beloved ministers, go assemble the commanders and muster the troops. This time, drive the Jianzhou barbarians back beyond the passes, and leave the rest for Ligdan Khan to handle."

After further discussion, Lu Xiangsheng and Qin Liangyu departed separately to muster troops and assemble commanders. Chongzhen ordered men to skirt past the Jianzhou barbarians and deliver a message by fast horse to Ligdan Khan. He then once again led the army out on campaign.

While Chongzhen was actively preparing to smash Hong Taiji, Hong Taiji's mood was exceedingly foul.

When Hong Taiji led his troops to Dorgon's main camp, what met his eyes was utter devastation. The burned grain and fodder still smoldered, and the "gold" the Jianzhou soldiers had deposited everywhere made it impossible to find a place to step.

The entire camp was permeated with a suffocating stench.

His face ashen, Hong Taiji reached Dorgon's central command tent, only to find Dorgon lying on a couch, clutching his stomach and groaning.

Seeing Hong Taiji enter, Dorgon hurriedly tried to roll over and rise to perform the rites. Hong Taiji said, "Forget it. Stay lying down. This Khan asks you, what exactly happened here?"

Dorgon said, "Great Khan, your slave followed what that dog barbarian Fan Wencheng said and made contact with the Shanxi merchants here. I never imagined that the wine and meat they delivered were tampered with.

Your slave had taken precautions, ordering the soldiers to eat in staggered shifts half a two-hour period apart. I never expected this drug to be so bizarre — the soldiers who ate first only showed symptoms after an entire two-hour period had passed.

Later, the dog barbarians from Xuanfu came to raid the camp. But because our Great Jin warriors had been poisoned by this drug, they had no strength to resist and could only let themselves be slaughtered.

Your slave is incompetent and has disgraced the Great Jin nation. I beg the Great Khan to punish me!"

Hearing this, although Hong Taiji wished he could put Dorgon to death on the spot, he also understood the blame did not rest entirely on him. Moreover, this was still a time when men were needed, so he said, "Enough. This matter will be discussed after we return to Shengjing.

Now that dog barbarian Liu Aita has already rebelled and led the barbarian Mao Wenlong to attack Shengjing, we must swiftly return our forces to Shengjing."

But the moment he turned, Hong Taiji raged at Fan Wencheng: "You dog slave! What is going on with these Shanxi merchants? Go investigate and get to the bottom of this at once!"

He then said to Daishan, "Elder Brother, send word to Amin. Order Amin to become the vanguard and return the army to Shenyang."

After issuing this series of orders, Hong Taiji felt that Chongzhen would not give up the pursuit so easily, and with Shengjing reporting an emergency, he continued, "No, we must withdraw with all speed, lest the barbarians seize the advantage.

Pass the order: pack up immediately. We leave at once. Leave behind what has already been burned and the corpses in the camp — throw them to the dog barbarians."

The assembled Jianzhou barbarians immediately began packing up their baggage, grain, and fodder, preparing to withdraw.

But just as the Jianzhou barbarians finished packing and withdrew, the vanguard of the Tianxiong Army dispatched by Chongzhen arrived at the site.

Seeing the Jianzhou camp already empty, with only a heap of trash and corpses strewn across the ground left behind, they had no choice but to return and report.

Chongzhen, upon receiving the report, was far from pleased and said indignantly, "These dog Jianzhou barbarians — they run fast enough!"

But since his own cavalry was inferior to the Jianzhou barbarians', further pursuit would be futile. He ordered men to go clean up the Jianzhou camp and collect the corpses, while he himself sullenly led the army back to Xuanfu.

Back in Xuanfu, the Chongzhen Emperor set about another major undertaking. It was because, with the Jianzhou barbarians having withdrawn, Chongzhen had a bellyful of pent-up rage with nowhere to vent it.

He simply ordered the men of the Inner Depot to mobilize civilian laborers and construct a Jingguan — a victory mound — outside the north gate of Xuanfu!

Lu Xiangsheng and Qin Liangyu tried to dissuade him, but to no avail, and could only carry out the order.

Once the Jingguan was completed, Chongzhen wielded his brush and wrote: "We proclaim to the Eight Desolations and the Six Directions, to the ends of the sky and the limits of the earth: who is not a subject of Han?

Should any refuse submission and slight Han, We shall search the Eight Desolations and the Six Directions to exterminate their very seed! Great Ming, Tianqi seventh year, tenth month."

He immediately ordered a stone stele erected before the Jingguan, with the inscription carved upon it.

To the civil officials, especially the Donglin Faction crowd who had to concern themselves with every matter — family affairs, state affairs, all under heaven — the murderously fierce inscription proclaimed that Chongzhen was a tyrant through and through, as cruel and fond of killing as Qin Shi Huang!

To the martial officials and ennobled houses who still harbored a shred of ambition, this meant that in the future, their families' military merits could advance even further.

Only the common people, especially the common people of Xuanfu, saw Chongzhen as a wise ruler — a greatly wise ruler! Even the greatest emperor of all ages could be no more than this!

First, he dealt ruthlessly with those Han traitors, then he issued an edict abolishing all additional levies and collected taxes from the merchants to subsidize the commoners.

And now he had erected a Jingguan of enemy captives to overawe the disloyal. If such an emperor were not a wise ruler, then who could be called a wise ruler?

The common people of Xuanfu stood before the Jingguan that proclaimed martial glory, their hearts filled with pride.

Look — the dog Jurchen barbarians had breached the passes and invaded, and though there were Han traitors who sold out the country, had they not been made into a Jingguan by the Emperor?

In the crowd, a scholar said, "The Son of Heaven has gone too far in this act! How can building a Jingguan be the conduct of a benevolent sovereign?

It is said that by cultivating virtuous governance within, the barbarians of the four quarters will willingly submit. To so nakedly proclaim martial prowess — how can one win men's hearts by virtue?"

Several of his fellow students beside him nodded in fervent agreement.

Unexpectedly, these words enraged a man standing nearby. The man, whose features were strange and striking, immediately slapped the scholar across the face.

The scholar clutched his face and said angrily, "You have nerve! Do you know that I hold an official degree? If I haul you before the magistrate, you'll spend the rest of your life eating prison food!"

The man, however, laughed heartily and said, "A joke! Just now I heard you say the Son of Heaven should win men's hearts by virtue. Now, how about you win my heart by virtue? As for hauling me before the magistrate — do you wish to test whether my blade is sharp?"

Only then did the scholar notice the man wore a blade at his waist. He immediately retreated two steps, putting distance between himself and the man, and said, "Unworthy son! A disgrace to refinement indeed!"

The man spat and said, "Ball-less coward! His Majesty did this for the people, yet there are always the likes of you squawking annoyingly!

When the Jianzhou barbarians came, your whole family ought to have been delivered to them — see then how the Jianzhou barbarians would treat your parents, wife, and children!"

The scholar raged, "You are utterly insolent! Unworthy son!"

The man, however, grinned and said, "That scholar — do you know who I am?"

The scholar thought: why not ask his name, then report him to the authorities to have him arrested and dealt with slowly? So he said, "State your name then, and let us all be enlightened!"

But the man only laughed uproariously and said, "Fool! Since you don't know, would your grandfather leave his name for you so you can report him to the authorities and have him arrested?"

With that, he strode off. The surrounding commoners, seeing this, felt it was immensely satisfying and burst into cheers. Only the few scholars, their faces alternating between blue and white as if they had opened a dye shop, slunk out of the crowd and fled.

PS: Recommending an entertainment novel, "The Entertainment Circle Monopolizes the Starlight." Those interested in the entertainment circle can go take a look.

The author is a little newbie like Us, but that fellow writes fast and already has several hundred thousand characters stockpiled. The story is written very realistically and is worth a read.

Bonus chapter to celebrate getting a recommendation for the first time. Even though it's just a mosquito-leg of a recommendation......

(End of Chapter)