Chapter 135: Battle Achievements

At Wuyin Temple in Tongcheng's South Suburb, Yang Erming arrived in haste with the Tongcheng officials. Mr. Ma and Pi Yingju stood before a mass burial pit. Mr. Ma stood ramrod straight; though worry lined his face, he still carried an air of authority that commanded respect without anger.

He held no official post whatsoever, yet he could influence power. His status was equivalent to that of a provincial governor's secretary. Even a Prefect like Pi Yingju dared not slight him in the least, let alone a County Magistrate.

Yang Erming was drenched in sweat from rushing over. This was his first time meeting Mr. Ma. Judging from where Pi Yingju stood, it had to be the elder beside him.

But Pi Yingju was his formal superior, while Mr. Ma was nominally just a commoner. For a moment, Yang Erming did not know whom to greet first, afraid of giving offense to either side through a breach of etiquette.

Pi Yingju beckoned to Yang Erming. "Jinxian, come and meet Mr. Ma."

Yang Erming let out a breath of relief and hurriedly bowed to Mr. Ma. "This Latecomer Student, Yang Erming of Junlian, pays his respects to Mr. Ma."

Mr. Ma nodded. Yang Erming's form of address had been carefully chosen. Since Yang Erming was an official and Mr. Ma a commoner, there was no reason for Yang Erming to offer the first salute. He had therefore set aside his official status and introduced himself as a junior scholar.

Ordinarily, when a scholar met an elder or an official, he would call himself "Latecomer Student of Meager Learning." Once someone passed the Presented Scholar exam, some would switch to "Attendant Instructor." Yang Erming, as a Tong Presented Scholar graduate, still used "Latecomer Student," which gave Mr. Ma full face.

"Magistrate Yang's reputation has reached even Suzhou, to my ears. In over two hundred years of our dynasty, to this old man's knowledge, there has never been a fourteen-year-old County Magistrate. This shows that a sage Son of Heaven sits the throne, and Heaven has sent a rare talent down to our Ming Dynasty."

Yang Erming repeatedly protested his unworthiness. Mr. Ma looked Yang Erming up and down; he truly seemed to have heard of Yang Erming for a long time and now deliberately took an extra moment to study him.

Mr. Ma swept his gaze around. The circle of officials all bowed their heads. He did not greet the likes of County Vice-Magistrates, Chief Clerks, or Six Offices Clerks. Unlike Yang Erming, who had a Presented Scholar background, these were all miscellaneous officials and petty clerks with no prospect of rising far in officialdom. Though he had dealt with them before, Mr. Ma did not remember their names and did not wish to spend much time on them. A nod served as courtesy, but his expression remained extremely stern.

Pang Yu stood at the very end of the front row. When Mr. Ma's eyes reached Pang Yu, he immediately smiled and beckoned. Pang Yu hurried forward to pay his respects.

Stroking his beard, Mr. Ma said, "I was reading official documents in the Anqing Prefectural Office. This time, the Roving Bandits have ravaged Jiangbei with such slaughter that both gods and men share the outrage. When I read that Little Friend Pang had struck the Roving Bandits hard at Tongcheng, I could not help but slap the table in acclaim. I have come specially to offer my congratulations to the heroes of Tongcheng."

Pang Yu quickly replied, "Mr. Ma, undaunted by the dangers of the road, has managed to reach Tongcheng at such a time. The entire county's people feel both respect and admiration. The common folk along the road all say that Grand Coordinator Zhang is already a figure like an immortal, and to now have the aid of a talent as extraordinary as Mr. Ma must be like adding wings to a tiger."

Mr. Ma laughed heartily and demurred with a few modest words. Everyone around laughed along with him. The flattery was full of holes, but everyone enjoyed hearing it, and the atmosphere eased slightly.

Yet the very fact that Mr. Ma had arrived suddenly, without sending an official document ahead, was in itself a sign of distrust. His purpose was unknown, so tension still gripped everyone's hearts. Although Tongcheng had successfully defended its walls this time, the surrounding countryside had been brutally ravaged, and the losses were devastatingly severe. If the Grand Coordinator Yamen truly wished to investigate, they could find a pile of reasons at will. If they wanted to target any one person here, the Grand Coordinator Yamen need only lift a finger. Thus, every official in Tongcheng still felt his own position was in peril.

Pi Yingju, standing nearby, said, "Entrusted by Grand Coordinator Zhang, Mr. Ma crossed the river to inspect Anqing. He only arrived at Anqing yesterday. Upon hearing of the Tongcheng Great Victory, he set out for Tongcheng immediately without even resting, so urgent that there was no time to send an official document ahead. The Master wears himself out rushing about on the nation's business — he should serve as a model for us officials. I hope Jinxian will not forget this in the future."

Yang Erming at once echoed the sentiment. Hearing this, Pang Yu understood as well. Pi Yingju was hinting to Yang Erming that Mr. Ma had come to verify the battle results. It was not that Pi Yingju had insisted on a surprise inspection; Mr. Ma had demanded it. He was reminding Yang Erming to handle this with care.

Mr. Ma's surprise visit was meant to give Tongcheng no time to prepare. Moreover, he demanded to inspect the Roving Bandit corpses the moment he arrived. Clearly, he did not trust Tongcheng's official report and needed to verify it in person.

A group of farmers had already been summoned and were digging open the mass burial pit. Pang Yu hastily instructed He Xianya to buy some cotton cloth from the nearest cloth shop by the South Gate, cut it, and prepare a damp cotton strip for each person to cover their nose and mouth.

Mr. Ma waved away the damp cloth offered to him. By now, the large pit was open, and the stench of rotting corpses mixed with lime spread everywhere. The farmers digging the pit were closest; even the damp cloths could hardly block it, and one after another they stopped work to look on.

Mr. Ma walked over and said to them, "Keep digging. Be careful not to damage the heads."

Yang Erming hurriedly relayed the order to the farmers, who had no choice but to continue digging. The bodies inside had been covered with lime; much of the flesh was already putrefying, and the foul stench grew thicker with each wave.

Seeing that Mr. Ma was not using a damp cloth, Pi Yingju decided to remove his own. But the moment he took it off, the thick stench assaulted his nostrils. He hesitated, found it utterly unbearable, and covered his nose with the damp cloth again.

Mr. Ma asked Yang Erming, "Dare I ask Magistrate Yang, how can one know that those buried in this pit are true Roving Bandits?"

"This…" Yang Erming froze for a moment. He turned to look at Mr. Sun, who had followed him. Mr. Sun was also speechless. How was he supposed to know how to tell? The locals of Tongcheng had seen the Roving Bandits die with their own eyes. No one had ever imagined they would need to prove they were genuine Roving Bandits.

Yang Erming quickly turned to Pang Yu. Catching his look, Pang Yu immediately stepped forward and said to Mr. Ma, "In answer to Mr. Ma, the Roving Bandits are no different in facial appearance from our people in Nanzhili. The difference lies mainly in their outward dress. They generally wear red coats or red robes. Some headmen wear Arrow Coats of other colors, but the greatest difference is in their hair knots."

Mr. Ma looked at Pang Yu with keen eyes. "What difference is there in the hair knots?"

"Mr. Ma, please look." Pang Yu removed his damp cloth and pointed at over ten exposed corpses in the pit. "The three tall, sturdy men on the left are all adults. Their hair is tied in three-cone topknots. This is the customary style of the Western common folk. Men of Nanzhili do not tie their hair this way. From my observations during interrogations, none of the captives from Huguang or Henan wore this style either."

Mr. Ma looked carefully. Despite some decay, the style of the hair knots was still discernible, and it was exactly as described. He had traveled through the Shanxi-Shaanxi region in his early years; reminded now, he recalled it and immediately nodded.

"Sir, look again at the one lying face down in the middle. That person is thin and slight — a member of the Child Army. His hair is in a short topknot, also commonly used by young men of the West and very rarely seen elsewhere."

Mr. Ma nodded repeatedly. Of the three mass burial pits, he had chosen this one at random to be dug open. The Tongcheng county office could not have cheated, and Pang Yu's explanation just now was perfectly reasonable.

Yang Erming breathed a sigh of relief. Over the past few days, Pang Yu had spent considerable time interrogating captives, while Yang Erming had been busy with the aftermath. He had not really understood the purpose of the interrogations, but he had not interfered either. Now it was clear that Mr. Ma had come to verify the military merits. Zhang Guowei needed solid proof before he would recognize a great victory. If they failed to verify it, Tongcheng would instead be guilty of falsifying a military report. At such a critical moment, only Pang Yu could be relied upon.

"Turn all the corpses out, cut off the heads, and pile separately those with different hair knots."

Yang Erming and Pang Yu answered in unison. On the road earlier, both had grumbled somewhat about digging open the large pit. But now, facing Mr. Ma was like facing the authority of the Grand Coordinator Yamen itself. Neither dared show the slightest hesitation. Instead, they felt a sense of relief in their hearts, because it meant the Grand Coordinator Yamen had acknowledged the battle achievements. The next step would be reporting the merits upward, which was far more reliable than the Tongcheng county office reporting up level by level on its own.

"Have the numbers of heads taken and captives been repeatedly verified?"

Yang Erming shot Pang Yu a look. Pang Yu answered respectfully, "In reply to the Master, they have indeed been repeatedly verified. Tongcheng's killing and wounding of the Roving Bandits occurred mainly at the South Suburb and the City Wall. The night raid on the South Suburb accounted for the most, with over one thousand three hundred bodies left at their Camp Ground. Over three hundred bodies lay beneath the city walls on the east and south sides. After the Roving Bandits retreated, the County Magistrate, concerned about an outbreak of epidemic, ordered this humble one to bury the corpses. I can only blame myself for burying them in haste during the execution, failing to distinguish between Old Bandits and Coerced Followers. Fortunately, Mr. Ma has come to urge us to re-examine them. This humble one has learned rigor from the Master today and will be more diligent and meticulous in the future. The yamen also holds over fifty captives. Over thirty of them were wounded by our officials and people during the City Assault and failed to flee; among them, over ten have Shanxi-Shaanxi accents. The rest mostly got lost in the countryside and were captured by villagers. Villagers from the surrounding areas are still sending in more captures. Yesterday, two more were sent from Guache River, verified to be Coerced Followers from Henan."

"I wish to see the captives."

"Please enter the city to inspect them, Mr. Ma. His Honor the Magistrate deliberately emptied the South Prison specifically to detain the Roving Bandits. They will absolutely not be allowed to escape."

Mr. Ma's expression relaxed considerably. He had come here representing Zhang Guowei. The losses were far more devastating than they had imagined, and he had been constantly worried that Zhang Guowei would be affected. At present, it was especially important to have a shining battle result to cover Anqing's catastrophic losses. As Zhang Guowei's eyes and ears, he had to understand the true situation. If it was a solid victory, the way it would be used would be different. Judging by the current circumstances, Tongcheng's battle achievements were genuine. This meant there was much more room to maneuver later, so his mood eased considerably.

He looked into the pit again. As the farmers dug, more bodies were gradually exposed, lying every which way in tangled layers.

He shook his head and said, "Magistrate Yang's arrangement is most appropriate. Compared to these Roving Thieves, those so-called serious criminals of the South Prison in the past all look like kindly, gentle souls. The Prefectural Office has already verified the situations in Taihu, Qianshan, and Susong. The horrors are too appalling to hear. The brutality of these wretches is unprecedented in history. They must be kept under strict Watch and Control; not a single one may be allowed to escape."

Yang Erming asked instinctively, "What happened to the three counties?"

Mr. Ma did not answer. Pi Yingju looked somewhat troubled; after all, all three counties were under his jurisdiction, and this time all had fallen. He glanced twice at Mr. Ma before saying to Yang Erming, "Jinxian, the Roving Bandits came far too swiftly this time. Qianshan, Taihu, and Susong were caught completely off guard. All suffered devastating blows. Tens of thousands of common folk were killed in each. The Qianshan County Magistrate, Zhao Shiyan, and the Taihu County Magistrate, Jin Yingyuan, both… both died for their country."

Yang Erming stood stunned. The news Ma Kuai had gathered said the counties had been breached, but the specific casualty numbers were unknown. Now, hearing that even the County Magistrates had lost their lives, he was immediately struck by a sense of grief for comrades who had suffered the same fate.

"In Susong, Prefectural Judge Chen was serving as Acting Magistrate. That day, he happened to be acting as the River Defense commander for Anqing and was not in the city. County Vice-Magistrate Zhu Wannian and Instructor Mao held their ground without retreat and also died for their country. Susong suffered the most horrific calamity. The county yamen and all civilian houses in the entire county were burned to ashes. Almost no commoners within the city survived."

All the officials who heard this fell silent. What many thought in their hearts was gratitude to the County Magistrate of years past who had built the City Wall. Without that wall, who knew whose bodies might be buried in this pit right now.

"Enter the city," Mr. Ma said quietly, and led the way toward the city.

The group of officials followed in glum silence. Pang Yu's status put him essentially at the very back. Only after the Clerks had gone did Pang Yu fall in at the tail of the procession. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several people approaching from the Official Road to the south. Looking closely, he made out Jiang Fan's gaunt face.