Chapter 391: Pure Heart, True Loyalty

Xiong Wencan received the eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch on the 22nd. The first moment he finished reading the document, Lao Xiong ordered his personal attendants to deliver a message to the commercial inn in the city: request General Cao to come see him at once.

And Zhang Dongdong, upon receiving the telegram, did not delay either. He immediately set out by ship from Taiwan, and on the evening of the 23rd, Cao Zhentai (Deputy) arrived at the Fujian Xunfu Yamen.

The first moment he saw the man arrive, Lao Xiong picked up the official document from the table and handed it over. At the same time, Lao Xiong's tone shifted, revealing impatience beneath the cordiality: "Little Brother, a major incident has occurred in Beijing."

Zhang Dongdong knew perfectly well what major incident Lao Xiong was referring to, but he still pretended to know nothing as he took the document and read it through carefully.

Just as expected: a King Qin Decree.

"My Lord, what is to be done about this?" After reading the document, Zhang Dongdong handed the topic back according to routine.

Xiong Wencan, for once, furrowed his brow, lightly stroking the long beard beneath his chin as he shook his head and analyzed: "Once this decree is issued, the various military garrisons below will certainly head to the capital for the King's Rescue. That being the case, if Fujian shows no movement, I fear it will be difficult to account for."

Xiong Wencan paused here and swept a glance at Zhang Dongdong.

Seeing Lao Xiong hemming and hawing, wanting to speak yet holding back, Zhang Dongdong's mind was crystal clear at this moment.

Historically, after Zheng Zhilong submitted to pacification, Chongzhen had issued multiple decrees attempting to transfer Lao Zheng to the north to contribute — fighting the Tartars or fighting the peasant armies, either was fine. In short, in Chongzhen's view, it was probably just dogs biting dogs.

However, that simple tactic of Chongzhen's — driving the tiger to swallow the wolf — could not fool anyone at all. On matters like the King's Rescue, Zheng Zhilong had never given Xiong Wencan or Chongzhen even the slightest bit of face.

In one sentence: I am a military strongman and proud of it; the tiger does not leave its den, and no one can do anything about it.

And so Lao Xiong today was somewhat hesitant. After all, he was a normal bureaucrat with administrative experience, and he knew very well that for a military strongman, this King's Rescue demand was a bit excessive.

To make a group of pirates run thousands of li to the northern plains to fight the Tartars — this was indeed forcing someone into an impossible position. If handled poorly, it might make Cao Chuan think that he, Lao Xiong, was playing some "lure the tiger out of the mountain" trick, damaging the allied relationship between both sides, and that would be a loss outweighing the gain.

So Lao Xiong today was still very cautious, not daring to brazenly make such a demand outright.

Yet a certain person's reaction caught Lao Xiong completely off guard.

Pirate Cao at this moment wore an expression brimming with utter loyalty and righteous devotion, his heart pure and his courage true. He raised one hand in a chopping gesture, his upper body leaning slightly forward, eyes wide as he stared intently at Xiong Da: "Is it that you wish Chuan to lead troops north for the King's Rescue? Very well, this is but one sentence from you, my lord. This humble general shall return at once to marshal the troops and prepare the ships. Is one thousand soldiers enough? Or shall it be two thousand?"

Xiong Wencan was first struck speechless upon hearing this, and then, once he confirmed that Cao Chuan was not speaking sarcastically, his face filled with emotion. Full of apology, he reached out and lightly patted Loyal Subject Cao's arm a few times: "The state's affairs grow harder by the day. Ah, I have wronged Pokong."

"What words are these, my lord?" Loyal Subject Cao now wore an expression of complete sincerity: "If the imperial capital is besieged and Fujian turns a deaf ear and a blind eye, would that not leave you, my lord, in an impossible position? As matters stand now, whether it be the King's Rescue or the discharge of loyalty, this matter must inevitably fall upon Cao's shoulders."

Xiong Wencan now stroked his beard and nodded, his heart greatly comforted: Cao Chuan's ability to so quickly see the essence of the matter saved him from many words that would have been difficult to utter.

In fact, by all reason, the man surnamed Cao should have long since gone to the capital for an imperial audience: an official as high-ranking as Deputy Regional Commander was required to meet the Emperor in the Golden Throne Hall before his appointment. But Pirate Cao, due to his special circumstances as a bandit who had accepted Recruitment and Amnesty, had had this step waived from the very beginning of his amnesty.

Yet Pirate Cao was different from others: from his initial amnesty until now, he had always maintained a posture of "doing his utmost to integrate into the system." And this King's Service Incident, from another angle, could also be seen as a kind of test: no matter what you usually do, now the court needs you to lead troops to the capital — are you going or not...

Of course, if Cao Chuan truly refused to go, Lao Xiong would have no way to do anything about it either. It was just that from that moment on, everyone would understand each other perfectly well. The man surnamed Cao would no longer need to put on the posture of someone working within the system — if you don't even dare to see the Emperor, aren't you just a military strongman with sinister intentions?

So for Xiong Wencan, a certain person's declaration today was truly the best possible scenario he had envisioned: Warlord Cao had "thoroughly" demonstrated his attitude of working within the system, willing to brave danger a thousand li away, and he, Xiong Wencan, no longer had to be caught in a difficult position between the court and Warlord Cao. It could be said to serve both public and private interests, fulfilling both loyalty and filial piety.

Xiong Wencan's study was warm and touching at this moment. Now that it was confirmed that Cao Chuan truly intended to be a "subject of the Great Ming" serving "as a minister in the same court" as himself, Lao Xiong, as a close ally, naturally could not stand by and watch the pure-hearted and loyal Cao Zhongchen go north to suffer defeat.

So Lao Xiong now also opened up and spoke plainly: "On this King's Rescue campaign, you need not bring a large army, nor need you go into battle to fight... The Jian slaves of Liaodong have already formed their momentum; they are an army of separation and union. Those sailors under your command are unaccustomed to the northern wind and snow — going there would merely be sending them to their deaths."

"The Fujianese cannot endure severe cold. With all the various armies heading for the King's Rescue, one missing from our route will hardly be noticed. Go if you must, but merely put on a bit of a show and that will suffice."

"As for battle merits... you surely do not lack silver. In times of urgency, simply 'find' some heads to report for duty, and that will be that."

Xiong Wencan was, after all, a Feudal Official; in a single night, he had analyzed the King's Service Incident with thorough clarity: with the Nine Border Garrisons present, and with the King's Rescue troops from the various northern provinces present, these southern provinces traveling a thousand li for the King's Rescue were, to put it plainly, going to fulfill a political mission.

Everyone else is going; if you don't go, won't you be remembered by His Majesty?

So while Xiong Wencan spoke of the King's Rescue, in reality, he had no intention of letting Cao Chuan lead a large group of pirates off to die in the snow.

According to Xiong Fujun's intent, Cao Chuan this time was simply to take some men to the capital and put on a full display of momentum. Once the matter was concluded, he could casually "find" some heads to take to the capital for roll call, demonstrate a wave of loyalty before the Emperor, and that would be the end of it.

After listening to Lao Xiong's thorough analysis and instructions, Zhang Dongdong naturally responded with full agreement. As for what he would actually do once he went to the capital, he certainly was not going to tell Lao Xiong now. If he told him, what if it frightened the old man?

Still, Zhang Dongdong did appreciate Lao Xiong's earnest guidance — to speak so candidly, even hinting that Loyal Subject Cao should "find" some heads to hand in, Lao Xiong was truly treating Cao Chuan as his own little brother.

After unifying their views, the two men discussed some further details.

For Xiong Wencan, since this King's Rescue was primarily a political performance, he absolutely had to send personal guards from the Governor's Standard Battalion to make a circuit of the capital on behalf of his venerable self. Otherwise, wouldn't his good image in the Emperor's mind have been maintained for nothing?

Furthermore, since this King's Rescue was a serious official matter, and required Loyal Subject Cao to venture far into danger, Xiong Wencan immediately declared: the official treasury would first disburse two hundred thousand taels of silver as military funds, and if that was insufficient, he could provide additional sums.

Regarding the matter of expenses, Zhang Dongdong naturally would not refuse the two hundred thousand taels of silver. As for those personal troops from the Governor's Standard Battalion Battalion, Zhang Dongdong laid his cards on the table in advance: their numbers must be small, and they must obey his command unconditionally. In any case, Zhang Dongdong would not forget to engage in a round of mutual commercial flattery for Lao Xiong in front of Chongzhen when the time came.

The matter was thus settled: Comrade Cao Pokong, with his righteous courage and daring spirit, would soon lead the Fujian delegation to the capital to participate in the grand battle.

As for Guangdong... due to Vice General Cao's abysmal relationship with the number one big shot of the Guangdong Official Army, Guangdong would have no part in this affair — if Wang Zunde wished to join the King's Rescue, he could dig into his own pockets and discuss it with He Rubin. This man Cao would not keep him company in the slightest.

After this came a series of preparatory tasks. Fortunately, there was not much to prepare on the Fujian side. After Xiong Wencan produced the silver, he additionally allocated fifty personal troops, complete with Grade A horses, to Deputy Regional Commander Cao's command.

And Zhang Dongdong immediately returned those personal troops' horses — Tianjin was not without horses; shipping them a thousand li by sea would be utterly brainless.

As for those fifty personal soldiers, after meeting with their leader, Qian Zong Chen Ce, he accepted them.

Chen Ce was a young officer. Back during the entrapment and killing of Zheng Zhilong, this man had also shot dead one of Zheng Zhilong's subordinates at the city gate. Chen Ce was skilled in marksmanship and horsemanship and well-versed in martial arts; he was the eldest son of a Hereditary Thousand-Household Commander household in Hebei. Chen Ce's father had an old friendship with Xiong Wencan from many years prior, so when Lao Xiong became Governor, the father came to entrust his eldest son to him, seeking a future for the boy.

And Xiong Wencan did not fail his old friend's trust; Chen Ce became a Qian Zong in the Field Army at a young age. However, Chen Ce being dispatched on this King's Rescue was not Lao Xiong's original wish: he had feared that this young officer, who could never sit still in normal times, would go north full of hot blood and stir up trouble, so he had originally assigned someone else to this errand.

The reason Lao Xiong later changed his mind was, first, that Chen Ce came and pleaded bitterly, and second, that Lao Xiong considered Chen Ce's Hebei origins — he was familiar with the local customs and people, and could serve as a guide in a King's Rescue army composed mostly of Southerners. Thus, after sternly admonishing the young officer at length, he ultimately sent him along.

Once the fifty officers and soldiers and the two hundred thousand taels of silver were all aboard the ships, Zhang Dongdong took his leave of Xiong Wencan and returned directly to Taiwan.

And Taiwan, for its part, was frantically preparing for war... no, "preparing goods." No one seemed to care how many Tartars Loyal Subject Cao could kill once he went; instead, industrial products shipped from the Kiln District were being continuously stuffed into the transport ships.

Finally, by the end of the month, the first group of transport ships, laden and heavy, set out ahead for the midway station at Shanghai. These transport ships were all uniformly 600-ton New Lock Ships, and all were motor-sail models fitted with power systems.

On the fifth day after the motor sailboat fleet's departure, December 5, 1629, the massive battle fleet finally surged out from Taijiang as well, going to full speed and heading straight for Shanghai.

This battle fleet included two Youguang-class Gunboats and two Taijiang-class Frigates. And what truly allowed the fleet to be described with the word "massive" was the 1,200-ton iron-ribbed, wood-hulled, motor-sail double-deck gunboat that the Imperial Navy had spent a full ten months completing: the Zhenman.