Chapter 65: Official Dispatches

"At Frightful Shoals we spoke of our fright; in the Lonely Ocean we sighed at our loneliness.

Since ancient times, who among men has not died? Leave a loyal heart to shine upon the annals of history."

Before his execution, Sun Sitai made one request: that he be allowed to kowtow three times in the direction of Beijing before going to his death.

Beyond that, he recited the poem "Crossing the Lonely Ocean" by Wen Tianxiang, the famed loyalist prime minister of the Southern Song who resisted the Yuan. He recited it with both sorrow and grandeur, as though he were some great hero of national integrity.

At this scene, Zhou Shixiang did not grow angry but instead laughed. He ordered his men to force Sun Sitai's head down toward the direction of Anlong Prefecture in Guizhou, then shouted into his ear: "You are a Han, so why do you take a thief for your father!

In the underworld, what face will you have to meet the ancestors of the Sun family!"

With that, he waved his hand. The blade fell. The head was severed.

"I've seen shameless men, but never one so shameless as this. Wen Tianxiang's 'Crossing the Lonely Ocean' has been utterly defiled by a traitor like you!"

Zhou Shixiang spat on the ground, then kicked the head of Sun Sitai — who even in death had never forgotten the Great Qing — far off into the woods.

"The royal army has come for vengeance. We kill only the wicked who collude with the Tartars; the rest will not be questioned and may return on their own shortly."

Zhou Shixiang ordered that the servants, household guards, and the families of those who had been beheaded be separated, and commanded these people to take their wives and children and leave on their own.

In an instant, more than half the crowd dispersed, men and women alike; only a few dozen remained.

As for the remaining kin of these Tartar-colluding villains, Zhou Shixiang's disposition was to release the women. As for the men — those twelve and older were to be executed; those under twelve were released.

Zhou Shixiang had originally wanted to root out the weeds entirely, but his modern humanitarian sensibilities softened him somewhat. He did not slaughter all the descendants of these Han traitors, but he set the threshold for survival at the age of twelve.

Those twelve and older would mostly have memories. These youths, having witnessed their fathers die miserably at the hands of the Ming army, would surely remember it their whole lives.

One could basically conclude that once these youths grew up, they would be one hundred percent hostile to the Ming army. Therefore, it was best to execute them before they came of age to do evil.

Letting the children under twelve live posed little risk; the passage of years might wash away their blurry memories.

Amid cries of despair and pleas for mercy, another twenty-odd males were put to death. The rest were so terrified they collapsed limp on the ground. The women clutched their infants tightly, covering the little ones' mouths, terrified the children would burst out wailing.

Zhou Shixiang kept his word. He released these women and children and ordered them to go to Zhaoqing Prefecture.

The masked man, however, seemed to have some quiet objections to Zhou Shixiang's handling of the matter, though he dared not voice opposition to his face. He merely watched the women and children with a sinister gaze as they vanished into the night.

On the eastern outskirts of Deqing, at the foot of a hillside, over a hundred carts and horses were packed together. A group of soldiers silently divided the carts into two halves.

"My Taiping Camp does business on good faith. We agreed with Battalion Commander Tang beforehand on half for each side, and half for each side it is. My Taiping Camp will not take a single cart more."

Zhou Shixiang very magnanimously declared his position to Tang Sanshui's representative, Song Qian, while at the same time expressing extreme approval of the man's name: "Song Qian — 'delivering money' — good, very good!"

Hearing this, Song Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had truly feared Zhou Shixiang would go back on his word, for this had been a huge deal.

The plundered carts were piled with the greater part of the wealth of the city's rich families — of immeasurable value, enough to tempt anyone. That the Taiping Camp would not take more naturally delighted him beyond expectation.

Though inwardly gleeful, he still had to say the proper pleasantries. He said with an ingratiating smile, "Your esteemed troops did the greater part of the work; taking a bit more would be no problem."

"Ah, what kind of talk is that?"

Zhou Shixiang waved his hand grandly and said with great displeasure, "We agreed on half for each side, so half for each side it is. Why should I take more?

If not for Battalion Commander Tang's report, could my Taiping Camp have made this fortune? Besides, your Deqing Green Standard also put in great effort in this.

My Taiping Camp has no reason to take more. Enough — the matter is settled.

Half for each side."

Zhou Shixiang spoke with finality, brooking no refusal. With the matter put that way, there was no point in Song Qian being any more polite. He dropped the pretense and said with a smile, "Then this humble officer, on behalf of my battalion commander, thanks you, General!"

"Think nothing of it, think nothing of it."

Zhou Shixiang gave a casual laugh and deliberately turned his gaze toward his own pile of carts. Seeing this, Song Qian said no more.

He rolled up his sleeves and shouted to his men: "Brothers, move fast! Get everything into the city before dawn!

The battalion commander said this fortune is to be shared by every man!"

"Brothers, the commander said everyone gets a share! Put your backs into it — don't keep the battalion commander waiting!"

Over a hundred soldiers wearing Ming army uniforms could not wait to strip off their clothes. Underneath were the uniforms of the Deqing Green Standard. Amid cheers and excitement, they rushed at the carts one after another, then pulled and drove them off toward Deqing city.

On the other side, the Taiping Camp soldiers likewise drove their carts toward the Xihe ferry. Both sides set out at the same time, and before long, the hundred-odd carts had been cleared away completely, leaving only wheel tracks on the ground to prove that many vehicles had once been there.

Zhou Shixiang led his big gray horse over to the masked man still standing there, cupped his hands toward him, and said in thanks, "Brother Wu, many thanks for what you did today!"

"A trifling effort, not worth thanks." As the masked man spoke, he pulled the black cloth from his face. Who else could it be but Wu Changshou, the Assistant Magistrate of Deqing!

Zhou Shixiang nodded, then added, "Then I must trouble Magistrate Lu to take care of the aftermath."

Wu Changshou chuckled.

"It is within my duties; no trouble at all.

Rather, regarding Regional Commander Le, I must ask Brother Zhou to put in a few good words. Deqing is, after all, a small city.

Taking it would hardly yield your esteemed army much gain, and if it drew the two princes to lead troops here, the loss would outweigh the gain. Better to do as we did today — good for you, good for me.

Is that not delightful?"

Zhou Shixiang put on an expression of deep agreement and said cheerfully, "Had it not been for the heavy loss of provisions when we withdrew at the start of the year, would the Regional Commander have come all the way to Deqing?

But this time the haul is considerable, and the Regional Commander will surely be satisfied. Brother Wu, go back and tell Magistrate Lu to set his mind completely at ease — the Regional Commander will absolutely not come to Deqing again!"

Having obtained this assurance, Wu Changshou was thoroughly relieved. He said hurriedly, "Then many thanks to Brother Zhou for speaking on our behalf!"

"With this matter settled, I shall return now to report to the Regional Commander. Brother Wu, Zhou takes his leave!"

"Take care, Brother Zhou!"

After watching Zhou Shixiang leave with his men, Wu Changshou did not depart immediately. Instead, he summoned two trusted aides, whispered instructions into their ears, and only then led his men back to the city.

At the Green Standard garrison, County Magistrate Lu Gongming was pacing restlessly in his room, glancing anxiously toward the door from time to time. The tea in his cup had been refilled again and again, yet his mouth still felt parched. At last, Tang Sanshui's figure appeared in his line of sight.

"Commander Tang, you're finally back!" As soon as the man entered, Lu Gongming grabbed his sleeve and asked urgently, "Is everything settled?"

Tang Sanshui, however, first took a sip of tea. Only then, under the other man's intensely expectant gaze, did he nod heavily and say, "Everything is settled. The Ming army will withdraw tomorrow."

"Good, good. That's good, that's good!"

Lu Gongming could hardly contain his excitement. He rubbed his hands together, all smiles. The Ming army's withdrawal meant his head was safe, and he could finally sleep soundly.

Tang Sanshui then lowered his voice and added, "The Taiping Camp kept their word. The goods were split half and half, and our share has already been hauled into the city."

At this, Lu Gongming started, then lowered his voice as well. "The goods must first be hidden somewhere secure. Once things quiet down, we'll have someone transport them to the provincial capital to sell. Otherwise, keeping them on hand is a death warrant!"

"Rest assured, Magistrate Lu. I've already had men see to it — all trustworthy, guaranteed to be handled properly."

"Mm." Lu Gongming steadied himself, pondered briefly, then curled the corner of his mouth into an inscrutable smile. "The goods must be turned into silver and held in hand before one can feel at ease. A man travels a thousand li to office only for wealth; this official is no exception."

"What you say, sir, is exactly what Tang thinks."

Tang Sanshui and Lu Gongming laughed softly at the same time, but then both felt somewhat awkward and stopped after a few dry chuckles.

Watching Lu Gongming, who was still in the dark, Tang Sanshui laughed inwardly, but said aloud, "The Ming army withdraws tomorrow. You must give careful thought to how to write the official report."

Lu Gongming slapped the table and said with raised brows, "A great victory, of course!"

"That won't do!"

When Lu Gongming proposed reporting a great victory, Tang Sanshui was alarmed and hurriedly stopped him.

"There is credit to be had, but it must not be called a great victory.

Magistrate Lu, it is better to keep a low profile. Drawing too much attention is never a good thing — after all, in this matter..."

Lu Gongming caught on and nodded quickly. "Right, we must not be too ostentatious. Too much ostentation invites envy."

The two then discussed how to write the official reports to the prefecture and the provincial capital. In their conversation, however, the two men shared an unspoken understanding and did not so much as half a sentence about the gentry and wealthy households who had left the city.

Half an incense stick later, Magistrate Lu, his face full of satisfaction, boarded his carriage and swayed leisurely back to the county yamen. There he embraced his old wife and made love to her, provoking her to scold him coquettishly without cease.

Yet the more she scolded, the more spirited the magistrate became, and he kept at it until dawn — truly a case of joy bringing vigor.

The next day, the Ming army indeed withdrew. Magistrate Lu and Battalion Commander Tang led the Green Standard officers and men and the city's able-bodied defenders in setting off firecrackers in celebration. Every face in the city was joyful, and the streets had the air of New Year.

That afternoon, however, some commoners came to the county yamen to report a crime, saying that a large number of corpses had been found outside the city.

Magistrate Lu was shocked at the news and urgently ordered Assistant Magistrate Wu Changshou to lead constables and runners to investigate. Green Standard Battalion Commander Tang Sanshui also dispatched soldiers to inspect.

The next day, the Deqing County Magistrate, jointly with the garrison Green Standard Battalion Commander Tang Sanshui, submitted a report to Zhaoqing Prefecture and the Regional Commander's office: "Whereas Li Dingguo of the Southern Ming dispatched Le Tongwu to lead troops from Gaozhou in an invasion, first seizing Luoding and then attacking Deqing, with the intent of advancing in force upon Zhaoqing Prefecture and again marching on Guangzhou.

Fortunately, Deqing received timely warning. The Green Standard garrison troops in the city fought with desperate valor, and the city's commoners, unwilling to fall to the rebels, spontaneously organized able-bodied volunteers to man the walls.

After two days and two nights of bitter fighting, they repelled several Ming assaults, large and small. The Ming army, seeing no hope of taking the city and constrained by failing provisions, was forced to withdraw.

In this battle, the officers and men fought bravely and faced danger without fear. Garrison Commander Zhang Dade led from the front, serving as a model for the troops, and held the wall for two days before being struck by an arrow and killed.

We hereby report and request the court's commendation and compensation."

Submitted together with the formal victory report was another dispatch notifying Zhaoqing Prefecture, which stated that when the Ming army had advanced on Deqing in force, certain wealthy households and merchants in the city, fearing the Ming army's might, had bribed lowly soldiers guarding the walls and slipped out of the city on their own.

They were intercepted and slaughtered en route by the Ming vanguard, leaving dozens of corpses, and the valuables and belongings they carried were plundered clean by the Ming army.

While the dispatches were still on the road, Zhou Shixiang was leading the "great army of Li Dingguo" described in those very documents on the march toward Luoding.