Chapter 97: Two Big Fish

Watching Wanyan Hong put on such a confident air, as if this gift were certain to win Chongzhen's favor, Cui Chengxiu asked with curiosity, "Oh? What sort of gift might it be?"

Inwardly, though, he was thinking: could it be the lost Imperial Seal of the former Yuan? Legend had it that the Yuan dynasty's Imperial Seal had been lost somewhere on the steppe and its whereabouts remained unknown to this day.

Could it have ended up here?

Wanyan Hong, however, clapped his hands and summoned two trusted guards. He ordered them, "Muster some men, and bring me the two fellows who came from the Jianzhou barbarians' side, bound. As for the rest of their retinue, kill them all. Leave none alive."

After the guards acknowledged and left, Wanyan Hong said to Cui Chengxiu, "Minister Cui, you may not be aware, but before you arrived, envoys from the Jianzhou barbarians had already come here.

I had originally planned to kill them and then move further north to escape the Jianzhou barbarians' retaliation. Unexpectedly, word came that you, Minister Cui, were on your way.

And so these two Jianzhou envoys and their people were kept under close watch."

Cui Chengxiu cursed inwardly — what an old fox. The man had an honest, simple-looking face, but there was surely no shortage of scheming in his heart.

If the terms he had brought on this trip failed to satisfy this Imperial Father-in-law Wanyan, then the ones being bound up right now would likely be himself.

Though inwardly on his guard, he put on a smiling face and said, "Two mere Jianzhou barbarians, that's all. If it were Hong Taiji or someone like Dorgon, then His Sacred Majesty the Son of Heaven would naturally be delighted.

But if they are ordinary Jianzhou barbarians, I fear that would hardly be enough to move the Sacred Son of Heaven, would it?"

Wanyan Hong laughed.

"If they were ordinary Jianzhou barbarians, I would certainly not trouble Minister Cui to present them to the Son of Heaven — would that not be slapping my own face?

Of these two Jianzhou barbarians, one is Yue Tuo, son of Daishan, the eldest of the four Great Beile of the Jianzhou barbarians. If it were this man alone, that would be one thing.

But as for the other one..."

Seeing Wanyan Hong deliberately holding back the reveal, Cui Chengxiu played along like the straight man in a crosstalk routine and asked, "Oh? This other man — could he be of even greater consequence?"

Wanyan Hong smiled at this. "This man's background, well, one cannot say it is all that great. Even his status is far inferior to Yue Tuo's."

At this, Cui Chengxiu grew somewhat puzzled. A status inferior to Yue Tuo's, yet Wanyan Hong had singled him out separately, clearly marking him as even more important than Yue Tuo — that made it hard to guess.

Given the current Son of Heaven's disposition of hating Han traitors even more than the Jianzhou barbarians, a faint guess formed in his mind, but he dared not be certain. He probed, "Could this man be Ning Wanwo?"

Wanyan Hong said, "Not Ning Wanwo, but close enough. This man was formerly Vice Regional Commander of the 'New Courage Battalion' at Shenyang, with the concurrent rank of Assistant Commissioner-in-Chief.

Later, in the seventh year of the Tianming era of the Jianzhou barbarians' false khan Nurhaci, he surrendered to the Jianzhou barbarians after a defeat, and over on their side he is still a Vice Regional Commander."

"Bao Chengxian!"

The name burst from Cui Chengxiu's lips. As Minister of the Ministry of War, how could he possibly not know of such a creature?

In the second year of the late emperor's Tianqi reign, this dog of a man had surrendered to the Jianzhou barbarians. At the time, Cui Chengxiu himself had been only a Censor, and had submitted a memorial impeaching him for it.

Wanyan Hong laughed.

"Correct — it is precisely this man.

A spy I sent among the Jianzhou barbarians reported back that the current Son of Heaven once had Fan Wencheng seized and brought back, then cast in molten iron into a kneeling statue.

From that I guessed that the current Son of Heaven likely hates Han traitors even more than the Jianzhou barbarians. Now that I have obtained this Bao Chengxian, I imagine His Sacred Majesty will be rather pleased as well, no?"

Cui Chengxiu said, "Indeed. If you return with this man, I fear His Sacred Majesty will be very pleased indeed. In that case, you, Imperial Father-in-law Wanyan, will truly have found a place in the Emperor's heart."

As the two were still exchanging pleasantries, the guard Wanyan Hong had sent out earlier returned to report.

The guard had some bloodstains on him and looked thoroughly murderous. He dropped to one knee and said, "Reporting to the chieftain: the two men you wanted have been brought and are outside now. The retinue numbered twenty-two in all, and all have been killed."

Wanyan Hong laughed. "Good. Well done. Bring those two men in."

The guard went out again and, together with several Xibe soldiers, shoved the tightly bound Yue Tuo and Bao Chengxian inside. When they reached Wanyan Hong and Cui Chengxiu, he kicked the backs of the two men's knees and barked, "Kneel!"

The two men had already spotted Cui Chengxiu in his Han attire the moment they entered the tent. Though Yue Tuo knew things looked bad, he did not recognize Cui Chengxiu.

But how could Bao Chengxian fail to recognize his own superior? Yet with the sharp pain in the backs of their knees, the two could only kneel.

Bao Chengxian was the first to speak, pleading, "Minister Cui, Minister Cui, save me! Your humble subordinate surrendered to the Jianzhou barbarians only because he had no choice. I beg you, Minister, to put in a few good words for me before His Majesty. I beg you, Minister, save me!"

Cui Chengxiu sneered. "No choice? Are you going to tell me your troops were exhausted and your provisions gone, and that you surrendered only as a last resort?"

How could Bao Chengxian not hear the coldness in Cui Chengxiu's words? He could only keep pleading, "Minister Cui, your humble subordinate was indeed out of troops and provisions, alone, and hid for a long time before the Jianzhou barbarians found me.

Your humble subordinate only wished to preserve this useful body to serve the nation, and dared not throw his life away lightly.

Now that I have the good fortune to see you, Minister Cui, your humble subordinate is willing to return to the Great Ming together and serve the Great Ming once more! I beg you, Minister Cui, to show mercy!"

Cui Chengxiu ignored him and sneered.

"Since ancient times, many have been captured.

Even Prime Minister Wen of the former Song was captured — but look at him, and then look at yourself. As for the current Son of Heaven's temperament, one need only look at Fan Wencheng's fate to get a clear picture.

Now that you have fallen into my hands, I have no choice but to hand you over to His Sacred Majesty for judgment. You — pray for yourself."

Hearing this, Bao Chengxian knew in his heart that falling into the hands of the Chongzhen Emperor would surely end badly. And when he thought again of Fan Wencheng, cast in molten iron into a kneeling statue, a chill ran through him.

He threw himself with all his strength toward the corner of the nearby table, seeking only a quick death, so as to avoid ending up like Fan Wencheng — reviled by all for a thousand years to come.

Wanyan Hong, a lifelong hunter, was quick of eye and hand. He grabbed Bao Chengxian in one motion and laughed. "Not so fast, not so fast. If you die, where am I, this lord, to find such a fine gift to present to the Son of Heaven?"

With that, fearing Bao Chengxian might bite off his own tongue, he seized Bao Chengxian's jaw and, with a sharp twist, dislocated it. Then he casually grabbed a rag from the table and stuffed it into Bao Chengxian's mouth.

This was the bitterly cold land beyond the passes, where cloth was scarce indeed. This rag had no doubt been some worn-out garment, patched so many times it could no longer be mended, and so had been put to use wiping the table.

After years of use, it had acquired a sour stench that could never be washed out, and it made Bao Chengxian's eyes roll back as he gagged.

Yue Tuo beside him had not spoken at first. Now, seeing Bao Chengxian's state, he burst out laughing and cursed, "You dog of a slave!

Even in such straits you still think of begging for your life — truly shameless! Do you not remember how you looked when you surrendered to my Great Jin?

Were you not groveling before the Great Khan like a dog, begging for mercy? It is only that your former master no longer wishes you to live.

You are doomed!"

Cui Chengxiu, however, slapped Yue Tuo across the face and snarled, "Whatever fate befalls Bao Chengxian, that is a matter for the people of my Great Ming. Think about yourself first, you Jianzhou dog.

Your younger brother Hooge has already been carved into a thousand pieces by His Majesty. I fear you will not escape this calamity either!"

Yue Tuo showed not the slightest fear and laughed. "So what? All men die. This grandpa is not afraid! When my Great Jin fights its way through the passes, my Ama and the Great Khan will avenge me. You dog of a southern barbarian — this grandpa will be waiting for you in the underworld!"

(End of Chapter)