Chapter 408: Dog Traitor, Drag Down, Sink

Meanwhile, another secret meeting was taking place in the Regional Commander's residence.

Sun Yuanhua sat at the head of the table, with Zhang Keda, the Regional Commander of Denglai, seated below him. Also at the table were the middle-army clerk and several Battalion Commanders — all of them Sun Yuanhua's trusted confidants.

Sun Yuanhua took out the letter from his mentor Xu Guangqi, placed it on the table, and passed it around for the assembled officers to read.

The letter briefly recounted the teacher-student bond between the two men, then touched on Xu Guangqi's recent circumstances.

The bulk of the writing focused on explaining the full story of the Temple Weeping Incident, while also guaranteeing that Sun Yuanhua and the Denglai naval forces would not face retribution after surrendering.

However, Xu Guangqi had not phrased his words as an absolute promise.

It was true that Great Xia did not permit generals to maintain private troops, would not tolerate encroachment on military farms or civilian fields, and would not abide the embezzlement of soldiers' pay.

It was also true that Great Xia's navy was teeming with talent, and that after the Denglai naval forces surrendered, they would basically have no chance of being given important posts.

Xu Guangqi was famed throughout Jiangnan and held no office, so he would not lie and deceive people merely to induce the Denglai naval forces to surrender.

The letter therefore appealed mostly to righteousness, hoping that Sun Yuanhua would lead the Denglai naval forces to jointly resist the Jianzhou barbarians.

After the assembled officers read it, they fell into silent contemplation. A moment later, Sun Yuanhua said: "Gentlemen, the Central Plains are in turmoil and the imperial scepter has changed hands — that is already a settled matter.

We sit guarding the vital coastal defense post of Denglai, and in the end we must choose a worthy master between Great Xia and the Jianzhou barbarians.

If we throw in our lot with Great Xia, even if our private interests suffer, our greater righteousness remains intact. What do you all think?"

The group was silent for a while. Then Chen Jisheng, the middle-army clerk, spoke: "Why not surrender to the Dashing King? I have heard the Dashing King commands five hundred thousand men. After breaking the Qin army, the hearts of the people in the northwestern provinces have turned to him. He is advancing eastward with unstoppable momentum, and should reach Denglai before long.

The Dashing King rose to power through land warfare — surrendering to him would still earn us important posts, and we would not lose our righteousness."

In the past, Li Zicheng had merely been a roving bandit, but after capturing Xi'an and establishing his state, Li Zicheng had also proclaimed himself king, standing on equal footing in title with the King of Xia to the south.

Moreover, Li Zicheng commanded five hundred thousand troops and held the advantage in strength as well. Many civil and military officials of the Ming court had already surrendered to Li Zicheng.

The moment the middle-army clerk said this, he immediately won silent approval from the others.

As the saying goes, water flows to higher ground — if one is changing allegiance anyway, naturally one should choose the path with a more secure future and greater authority.

But Sun Yuanhua dashed cold water on the idea: "After surrendering to the Dashing King, can we defeat the Great Xia navy?"

Regional Commander Zhang Keda said: "In Your Excellency the Governor's view, is throwing in with Great Xia our only road to survival?"

Sun Yuanhua stroked his beard and said: "The four northwestern provinces have suffered successive years of drought and locust plagues. Though the Dashing King's forces are numerous, his foundation is far less solid than the King of Xia's.

I dare to assert that given time, it will surely be the King of Xia who unifies the realm. Our only path to survival is to submit to Xia."

The assembled men fell into hesitation.

After a moment, Zhang Keda gritted his teeth, dropped to one knee, and clasped his hands in salute: "Your subordinate is willing to follow Your Excellency the Governor!"

The remaining officers and civil officials also knelt one after another, expressing their willingness to rise up together with Sun Yuanhua.

Sun Yuanhua bade them rise, then said to Zhang Keda: "In that case, immediately mobilize troops in secret. Seize Zhang Tao, Wang Wuwei, Yu Guoxiang, Zhang Pengyi, and the others — strip them of their military authority and hold them pending disposition!"

A flicker of reluctance passed through Zhang Keda's eyes. These men were all his comrades-in-arms and colleagues, and not a few of them were brothers who had faced death with him.

But since he was undertaking a great enterprise, there was no room for womanish compassion. He steeled his heart, clasped his fists, and said: "Yes!" Then he pushed open the door and left.

Sun Yuanhua then said to Chen Jisheng, the middle-army clerk: "Draft a proclamation at once, stating that Zhang Tao and his men gathered a mob to create chaos and have been apprehended — that the crime stops with the principals alone, that it does not implicate their household retainers or private troops, and that the Battalion Commanders and Company Commanders under them will not be affected either."

Sun Yuanhua then ordered the chief official of the Denglai Circuit Intendant's office: "Immediately send men to seal the armory, and station guards at the government offices, storehouses, and all key points in the city. Unauthorized persons are not to leave without orders."

"As ordered."

Sun Yuanhua then gave various other instructions to the remaining men.

Just as he was issuing orders in sequence, a clamor of battle cries erupted from outside the Regional Commander's residence.

"What's going on?"

"Is it the Xia army or the Qing army?"

Sun Yuanhua barked: "Don't panic!" He then pointed to a personal guard. "Go out and see."

The guard pushed through the door and left, but did not return for a long time. The battle cries only grew closer, as if the entire Regional Commander's residence were surrounded by them.

In but a moment, the battle cries and screams around them abruptly ceased.

Sun Yuanhua's heart jolted: "Disaster!"

He said to the guard beside him: "Ride at once to the three surrounding counties and muster the guard station troops——"

"Too late!" A voice came from far beyond the door.

The next moment, the main hall door of the Regional Commander's residence was kicked open with a single blow.

Zhang Tao, his body half-soaked in blood, strode slowly into the hall. He wore a cloth-faced iron armor, held a wild-goose saber in one hand — blood still dripping from the blade — and carried a human head in the other.

Zhang Tao raised his hand and tossed it. The head slammed onto the hall floor with a thud, blood splattering everywhere, and rolled forward several paces before coming to a stop.

The assembled men in the hall looked closely — it was Zhang Keda, who had left only moments before.

The head's eyes were wide open, the face full of shock and fury, as if the roar of his final moments were still frozen in his throat.

Someone in the hall shouted in stern rebuke: "Zhang Tao! You dare to murder your commanding officer without authorization and openly commit treason?"

Zhang Tao sneered contemptuously: "The Great Ming is about to fall — what commanding officer is there anymore, what treason? It's merely each man seeking his own path — kill or be killed.

Had I acted even a moment later, the head rolling on this floor today would have been my Zhang Tao's."

While he was speaking, the assembled men looked toward the door and saw a layer of soldiers' corpses spread across the ground — almost all of them the Governor's standard troops.

Standard troops only wore armor during battle, guard duty, and active service; at ordinary times they wore uniform jackets.

To avoid alarming the enemy, Sun Yuanhua had not had the soldiers don their armor in advance.

Zhang Tao's men, armored and armed, had caught the unprepared off guard and struck the second hand before the first — naturally it was a one-sided slaughter.

Sun Yuanhua let out a long sigh. He had not expected that after all his long scheming and step-by-step calculations, he would fall short by only a moment. Heaven truly toyed with men.

He steadied himself and said solemnly to Zhang Tao: "If I am to die by your hand today, this old man has nothing to say. But consider that we two served the same court as officials — I ask only one thing of you: the Denglai naval forces must never be handed over to the Jianzhou barbarians!"

Zhang Tao merely bared his teeth in a cold grin. Already a dozen or more soldiers in full armor had charged into the hall.

Sun Yuanhua was first bewildered, then enraged: "Traitorous villain! You intend to defect to the Jianzhou barbarians and aid the tiger as its jackal? What a dog of a traitor!"

Zhang Tao waved his hand, and his men, fierce as wolves and tigers, pounced at once.

The main hall of the Regional Commander's residence was instantly drenched in blood and swept by gales of slaughter.

Those civil officials were cut down one after another, their screams unceasing, blood quickly pooling into puddles that soaked through Zhang Tao's boots.

He stepped forward through the blood, inch by inch thrusting his wild goose saber into Sun Yuanhua's abdomen.

Sun Yuanhua's eyes bulged wide with rage, both hands clenching the blade, blood spilling from his mouth as he still shouted hoarsely without pause: "Treacherous dog! Treacherous dog! Treacherous dog!"

After three cries, Sun Yuanhua's breath ceased, his eyes still staring wide.

Zhang Tao tried to withdraw the blade but found he could not pull it free—the edge had become deeply embedded in Sun Yuanhua's fingers, nearly down to the bone.

Zhang Tao yanked hard, and three of Sun Yuanhua's fingers were sliced off together, dripping blood staining his official robe red.

Zhang Tao ordered his men to sever Sun Yuanhua's head, and carried it together with Zhang Keda's head out to the drill ground before the headquarters.

All the soldiers of the naval stockade had heard the sounds of fighting, but unable to distinguish friend from foe, they stayed in their tents and dared not act.

Zhang Tao ascended the muster platform, ordered his men to beat the gong to gather the troops, and had soldiers dragged from their tents to form ranks on the drill ground.

Once enough people had gathered, Zhang Tao announced in a loud voice: "Sun Yuanhua and Zhang Keda secretly plotted rebellion. Acting on Your Majesty's secret edict, I have executed both traitors!"

"What?" Fear filled the faces of the assembled soldiers; many stirred restlessly, glancing toward the Regional Commander's headquarters, the armory, and the docks.

But Zhang Tao's men kept a close watch on everyone, and for the moment there was little they could do.

They heard Zhang Tao continue from the platform: "Today's affair is the fault of those two traitors alone, and has nothing to do with the officers and men of this army!

From this day forward, the entire army shall each perform their duties, everything as before.

Those who carry out their duties peaceably shall have all past offenses forgiven. Any who dare secretly communicate with the rebel faction, spread sedition among the troops, or gather in riot shall be killed without mercy!"

At these words, the agitated crowd calmed considerably.

Zhang Tao then ordered the soldiers back to their tents, had the storehouses opened to distribute wine to the troops, and kept all the Battalion Commanders and Company Commanders on the drill ground.

Those who were neutral or loyal to Zhang Tao were all promoted; those who were upright or dissatisfied with Zhang Tao's kill-first-ask-later approach were stripped of military authority and assigned other posts.

In any case, he had already killed a batch of Denglai naval stockade officials, and there were now many vacancies—he could appoint anyone to anything he wished.

A Battalion Commander who had been stripped of command angrily demanded: "How exactly did the Governor secretly plot rebellion and collude with foreign enemies? You say you act on Your Majesty's secret edict—where is this edict? We cannot simply take your word alone. Where is the evidence?"

Zhang Tao smiled as he walked forward, thrusting his saber into that Battalion Commander's belly, sneering: "We nearly missed one rebel traitor—how fortunate we caught him!"

With a swift pull of the blade, the Battalion Commander's corpse toppled over.

After this, the remaining officers of the Denglai naval stockade dared not make any further trouble, and Zhang Tao firmly grasped military authority in his hands.

He then placed all the Hundred Commanders and Battalion Commanders who had lost their authority under guard, and said to his loyalists remaining on the field: "When you return to your camps, immediately muster your troops. We set sail in three days, heading north to join up with General Zu!"

This voyage will be long—make sure you bring your families and all your valuables."

The corpse of that Battalion Commander who had been stabbed was still twitching on the ground. With that precedent before them, the other officers dared not ask further questions, merely cupping their fists in acknowledgment.

The night passed quickly. At dawn the next day, the bodies of Sun Yuanhua, Zhang Keda, and the other officers and men killed in the mutiny had already been disposed of.

Those who voiced discontent over the mutiny had also all been cut down by Zhang Tao's planted loyalists.

Zhang Tao stood in the Regional Commander's storehouse, personally watching as the ledgers of money and grain and the warship blueprints were packed into chests and carried to the ships.

He knew that in terms of charging formations and command alone, he was only third-rate among Ming troops, and in naval warfare, riding the waves, he was even farther inferior to the Great Xia navy.

Thus, after defecting to the Great Qing, these ledgers and blueprints would be his capital for survival.

He could not defeat Great Xia at sea, but staying on land to build ships was always possible.

And deep in his heart, he hoped to build up the Great Qing naval forces, so that he could avenge the blood-deep hatred of his entire clan being slaughtered by Great Xia!

At this moment, Garrison Commander Wang Wuwei of the naval camp entered, cupping his fists: "Regional Commander, the officers and men of all camps have been settled, no one is causing trouble."

"Mm. Inspect the naval warships and make preparations for departure."

Wang Wuwei hesitated slightly: "Regional Commander, is it so urgent? I think this place Denglai is quite fine, why not—"

Zhang Tao said: "Denglai is stable on land but perilous at sea. We killed the Great Xia envoy—they will never let this rest. We must leave as soon as possible. The Governor died from looking ahead and behind, from indecisiveness. We must not follow in his footsteps."

"Yes." Wang Wuwei was just about to leave.

Suddenly, from the edge of the sky came a rumble of cannon fire like muffled thunder, rolling in with a boom-boom-boom that pressed down on everyone with an oppressive weight.

In an instant, everyone was as if frozen in place—even the soldiers packing the ledgers and blueprints halted with their arms suspended in midair, not daring to move.

After a moment, the cannon fire gradually subsided. Wang Wuwei turned back woodenly, his expression tense: "Regional Commander?"

Before Zhang Tao could reply, another round of cannon fire sounded from the sea to the north.

This kind of dense, continuous cannon fire could only come from a broadside volley of warships. Zhang Tao had heard it many times when the Denglai naval forces drilled under the guidance of Dutch instructors.

But this time the cannon fire at sea was denser and more sustained—far beyond anything the naval drills could compare to.

As another round of bombardment ended, a soldier came crawling and tumbling inside, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Regional Commander, the Xia fleet has come to attack!"

"What?" Wang Wuwei's mouth hung wide open, his face utterly dumbstruck.

The composure on Zhang Tao's face finally could not hold, all of it turning into sheer terror. He had guessed Great Xia would avenge its envoy, but he had not expected them to come this fast.

The man was killed yesterday afternoon; the fleet arrived this morning.

Did the Great Xia fleet fly here or what?

He forced himself to calm down, shoved aside the messenger soldier, and strode quickly out of the headquarters.

By now the camp had fallen into chaos—soldiers scattering in all directions, cooks overturning porridge vats, the banners of each camp crooked and tangled together, even most of the sentry posts abandoned.

Zhang Tao had no time to restore order. He ran up to the stockade wall and gazed out at the sea.

At the outer anchorage, there had originally been thirty ships of the Denglai naval fleet—all large vessels of four hundred liao or more, each equipped with cannons sold by the Dutch, at least five and at most over twenty per ship, and the crews all trained in the Dutch Western style of warfare. They could be called the finest elite of the Ming navy.

Before the Ming court had collapsed, Wei Zhongxian, Chongzhen, and even Sun Yuanhua himself had placed great hopes in this fleet, believing it to be the only force capable of contending with Great Xia.

But at this moment, all Zhang Tao could see was more than thirty warships in complete disarray, all turning about and fleeing, racing back toward the stockade.

Two four-hundred-liao Guangdong ships remained in place—one with its rudder shot off, the other with its mainmast broken.

The sailors aboard did not even try to fight; they leaped into the sea to escape one after another.

A stretch of broken planks already floated across the sea surface—the sailors who jumped overboard need not worry about drowning at all.

Further north of the Denglai naval anchorage, three hundred paces away, more than ten Great Xia warships lay bow to stern in a single line, stretching nearly two hundred zhang across. With each rolling volley, the muzzle flashes flickered back and forth along the two-hundred-zhang broadside like golden serpents dancing wildly, while the wall of smoke after each barrage blotted out the sky, cutting off all view of the sea beyond.

Even from such a distant glance, one could see that the Great Xia warships far surpassed the Denglai naval vessels in size—the largest ship of the Denglai fleet would not even rank among the lowest of the Great Xia warships.

Zhang Tao stood frozen on the spot, his face filled only with shock. During the Battle of Changsheng Island, the main warships of Daxia had still been Sea Wolf ships, and a great cannon ship like the Tianyuan had numbered only one.

And now, Zhang Tao silently counted in his heart: "Fully four ships!"

There was even one giant vessel larger than the Tianyuan—even within Daxia's own giant ship formation, it stood out like a crane among chickens.

He had originally thought that even if the Denglai naval forces were no match for the Daxia navy, they could at least trade blows and fight for a few rounds.

He never expected it to be a one-sided rout.

If this was the case, what did ten years of court investment amount to? What did Sun Yuanhua's painstaking efforts and the soldiers' grueling training count for?

Just as Zhang Tao was stunned, another string of orange-red flashes ran along the Daxia battle line—smoke rose, and deafening cannon thunder echoed between heaven and earth.

Over two hundred and thirty cannonballs screamed down, smashing around the retreating warships. Columns of water rose densely, and when the sea wind blew, seawater fell like fine rain—even Zhang Tao was drenched in the face.

Several more Guangdong ships were struck; planks several inches thick split and burst apart, and splintered wood mixed with broken bones flew in every direction.

A cannonball struck the deckhouse of one Guangdong ship, and the ship's captain was turned into a pulp of flesh on the spot.

The remaining warships dared not engage further and crowded toward the base of the stockade wall.

Zhang Tao's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. These warships and sailors were supposed to be his bargaining chips for promotion and rank after he surrendered—and now, before he had even set out, nearly half had been lost.

He seemed to see his bright future dim considerably.

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Tao gave orders to those around him: "Open the stockade gate. Let the warships in."

Just at that moment, the lookout on the wall shouted: "Enemy ships approaching!"

"What?" Zhang Tao was greatly startled. He turned to look and saw Daxia warships hoisting their sails, lined up in a single column, sailing south with the northwest wind. The distance between the two sides kept shrinking, soon reaching around five hundred paces.

Across the wide stretch of sea, the black cannon ports along Daxia's sides were already visible.

Wang Wuwei shouted: "There are coastal defense cannons on the stockade wall—have they gone mad?"

Before his words faded, a row of blinding flashes suddenly erupted across the sea surface. The battle line, arrayed at four hundred paces, poured fire into the stockade wall.

Half a breath later, the thunderous roar came rolling in on the sea wind.

This volley struck even closer, and everyone felt the stockade wall beneath their feet trembling slightly.

In an instant, over two hundred solid iron shot flew before their eyes, and the sky filled with the piercing shriek of cannonballs tearing through the air.

The cannonballs fell—hundreds of booming crashes rang out, water columns shot into the air, wood splinters flew in all directions, and blue bricks shattered.

Dozens of iron shots slammed heavily into the stone stockade wall, smashing the bricks and stones to pieces, leaving hollow after hollow across the wall's face.

Over a hundred more cannonballs landed before the stockade wall, smashing into the warships that had nowhere to flee. Several more ships were struck, planks flying apart, hulls listing, sailors leaping into the sea to save themselves.

Aboard the two-hundred-liao Fujian junk Feilang, Dong Yongbao, Battalion Commander of the Denglai naval camp, bellowed at his men to hold steady.

Around him, blue bricks kept falling from the stockade wall, water columns kept erupting, waves churned violently—the sound of snapping planks, cannonballs gouging the wall, and soldiers' screams all mixed together as if heaven and earth were splitting apart.

"Don't panic! Tie the mooring lines tight, lower the main sail——"

Halfway through his words, he was cut off by a tremendous boom. Three twenty-four-pound cannonballs from the Zhulong struck the stockade wall dead center. Stone fragments shot out like a swarm of locusts—some stabbed deep into the water, others smashed onto the deck, pitting the wooden planks with craters of varying sizes.

"Shandazi, is the stockade gate open or not?" Dong Yongbao shouted. He was soaked through, with a gash across his cheek from flying stone, looking utterly bedraggled.

Shandazi raised half a plank as a shield to block the flying stones and peered toward the stockade gate—but all around, water, smoke,

dust, and blood mingled into a thick haze, making it impossible to see clearly.

He simply tossed the plank aside, nimbly climbed up the mast, and after looking out, opened his mouth to say: "Not——"

The coastal defense cannons on the stockade wall suddenly opened fire, and the thunderous roar momentarily drowned out every other sound.

Shandazi was just about to slide down the mast when, at that very moment, an eighteen-pound shot struck the stockade wall, and the blue bricks burst apart in every direction.

Shandazi saw only a gray-black object hurtling toward him at terrifying speed. He instinctively shut his eyes, then a bone-piercing agony struck his right eye. He let out a miserable scream, his limbs went limp, and he fell straight off the mast, snapping his calf on impact. "My eye! Ah! My leg!"

Shandazi thrashed and writhed across the deck, letting out inhuman howls.

Dong Yongbao looked over and saw that the right half of Shandazi's face was a bloody mess—a stone fragment the size of a thumb was lodged in his eye socket.

His entire eyelid, along with the flesh of the eye, had been crushed into pulp, flowing down as a thick, viscous red slurry.

Such a ghastly sight was enough to make anyone who looked at it want to vomit.

Dong Yongbao had no time to tend to him. He turned his head and scanned around—of the thirty-plus Denglai naval vessels, fewer than half were still afloat.

The stockade wall was shedding bricks and stones without cease, like a crumbling pastry.

Many naval officers and soldiers had already leaped into the sea to flee—clearly, all was lost.

Dong Yongbao let out a long sigh and walked to the ship's rail. Just as he was about to jump, he felt his trouser leg being grabbed.

Shandazi clutched at him, wailing: "Commander, save me!"

When he had fallen from the mast, he had broken his left calf—the pale white bone end still protruding from the flesh. One eye was destroyed, and his face was covered in crisscrossing bloody gashes. As he wailed, it was as if he wept tears of blood—utterly horrifying.

Dong Yongbao said: "Let go, let go!"

"Commander, my leg is broken——I can't swim far. Commander, find me a plank, I'll grab it and go into the water, then I can live. I beg you, Commander." Shandazi wailed.

With the situation so dire and everyone looking out for themselves, Dong Yongbao had no mind for another's life. He only kept saying: "Let go!"

When a man faces death, his will to survive is extremely tenacious. Even gravely wounded, Shandazi's single grip on Dong Yongbao's ankle was impossible to break free from.

Seeing this, the other wounded soldiers on the ship also struggled and crawled toward Dong Yongbao—the scene was like a hundred ghosts demanding a life.

Dong Yongbao took one look and felt his heart pound with terror and his scalp crawl. He drew his blade and, hardening his heart, chopped at Shandazi's hand.

The blade fell, blood splattered everywhere, and Shandazi's right hand was severed clean at the wrist.

Shandazi let out a piercing scream of agony.

Dong Yongbao said: "I'm sorry, brother."

He was about to leap into the sea to meet his fate when, at that very moment, a piercing shriek came from far to near.

Dong Yongbao turned his head—a black dot hung motionless in the air, then suddenly swelled before his eyes.

The next moment, a twenty-four-pound cannonball struck him square in the chest. Seven or eight of Dong Yongbao's ribs snapped at once, his chest caved inward, and broken bone fragments pierced through his heart and lungs. The cannonball then buried itself in his chest, violently pulverizing everything in its path into meat paste.

With a dull thud, Dong Yongbao was blasted apart, his chest cavity gone without a trace, his head and arms spinning high into the sky.

Only his two thighs remained, toppling onto the deck. A moment later, a rain of flesh and blood splattered down.

Fine bone splinters and fragments of internal organs mixed into the bloody mud, plastering Shandanzai's face.

After a brief moment of stunned disbelief, Shandanzai's mind completely collapsed. He was scared witless, letting out meaningless screams from his throat as he dragged himself to the ship's edge with his remaining one arm and one leg, then tumbled into the sea with a splash.

The seawater stung his wounds with searing pain, and combined with excessive blood loss, he was on the verge of fainting. A wooden plank floated barely a dozen steps ahead of him, but his injuries were too severe for any large movements, making swimming extremely difficult, and his single eye couldn't judge the distance to the plank.

Swimming stiffly for five or six steps like this, he lost more and more blood, his vision darkening in waves, his body growing heavier and heavier.

By now Shandanzai was utterly terrified and mentally unhinged, flailing and slapping at the sea surface without pause, the sounds from his throat almost like a beast's anguished howls.

"——Let go of me, get off! Get your hands off! Glub glub glub——Stop pulling! I'm sinking, stop pulling——"

Struggling like this for a long while, Shandanzai finally exhausted his strength and slowly sank beneath the sea. Beneath his corpse, there was no one pulling at him at all.

Rather, the water was packed thick with the drowned bodies of Ming soldiers everywhere.

Yahei

Pink Round

Pen