Chapter 137: Each Taking What They Need

Beneath the north gate of Gu'an, a piercing wail rose up. Over two hundred Han commoners, strung together by ropes, were driven to the outer side of the city moat. A group of Later Jin armored soldiers crouched behind them, forcing another hundred or so commoners to clear the naked, headless corpses of the Jianzhou bandits from the ground. Up on the wall, Lu Chuanzong was cursing furiously at the Jianzhou bandits below.

Two hundred paces away, Dorgon stood before several hundred impeccably arrayed Bayara guards, his expression utterly composed as he gazed at the blurred figure of the Ming commander atop the north gate tower.

He was the Mergen Daiqing that Huang Taiji spoke of — meaning "wise." This title was also the origin of the character "Rui" in his later princely title, Prince Rui. Dorgon was only seventeen this year, the fourteenth son of Nurhaci. Just last year, he had replaced Ajige as the Banner Lord of the Plain White Banner (Note 1). His full brother Ajige, who was in the same banner, still independently commanded fifteen of its niru. Having lost his position as Banner Lord, Ajige did not resent Huang Taiji for it; instead, he focused all his anger on this younger brother of his, and by extension, he also had issues with their youngest brother, Dodo, of the Bordered White Banner.

It was the custom of the Later Jin to favor the youngest son. Moreover, Nurhaci doted on Abahai, and by extension, he was also very fond of Abahai's three sons. Originally, Nurhaci's two Yellow Banners comprised sixty niru. He gave fifteen each to Ajige, Dorgon, and Dodo, keeping fifteen for himself. When he fell gravely ill, he gave the remaining fifteen to Dodo, bringing Dodo's total to thirty niru — most of which were over-strength, powerful niru. In terms of the power they directly controlled, the three of them were even stronger than Huang Taiji.

Nurhaci's original intention was that these three sons, being powerful, could protect Abahai. Who could have known that this would instead make the other six ruling beile wary? As soon as Nurhaci died, they forced Abahai to be buried alive with him, severing the bond between the three. At that time, Dorgon was only fifteen, Dodo thirteen, and Ajige was a man of no cunning. They could only watch as the others forced their own birth mother to her death. Afterwards, many rifts grew between the three brothers, and only then did the other beile feel at ease.

Having witnessed his own mother's sacrificial burial, Dorgon matured rapidly in mind. Although Ajige was the eldest brother, he had a violent temper, loved only warfare, and understood nothing of statecraft, never showing any proper decorum in councils or affairs. Dorgon thus placed no hope in this brother Ajige. He simply acted with extreme caution in daily life, obeyed Huang Taiji in every word, and deliberately stirred up conflict with Ajige, making the various Banner Lords completely at ease with him. At the Deliberative Council in the second year of Tiancong, he replaced Ajige as Banner Lord of the Plain White Banner. Although he knew this was Huang Taiji's way of further driving a wedge between the three brothers, he still accepted it. But Ajige did not understand, and from then on harbored considerable resentment toward him. Affairs within the banner were basically each going their own way.

He drew a breath and returned to the reality before him. This time, he fully understood Huang Taiji's intent: it was simply to salvage face. They would use their cavalry advantage to intimidate this Ming force into not daring to leave the city. Four men had been drawn from each niru. When they returned, these four would tell the others that this Ming force also dared not face the Later Jin army head-on, and that the previous defeat was merely Unage's command error. So this time, he was determined that no matter what, he would not attack the city, focusing solely on a show of force.

A Mongol left-wing jalan ejen acting as his guide pointed to a section of the wall and said to him, "Fourteenth Beile, the section of wall that was broken last time has already been repaired by them, and they've poured water over it to strengthen it. In just a few days, the number of civilian braves on the wall has also increased. This Ming force is truly cunning."

Dorgon looked closely. The wall was densely packed with figures — iron-clad soldiers, arquebusiers, and some civilian braves holding swords and spears. At intervals there were straw bundles, ramming poles, and night-fork swatters, but he could see they were also rushed; the night-fork swatters barely had any iron spikes on them, basically just round logs.

It seemed that in these few days, they had mobilized quite a few civilian braves. Combined with that strange Ming force, it would indeed be difficult to attack. Taking this city would cost at least several thousand dead, and the various banners would not agree to it either.

He looked at the jalan ejen beside him and said, "They killed several hundred of your men, and you don't even know where these Ming soldiers came from?"...

The jalan ejen nodded carefully. Indeed, they had never figured out where they came from, even to the very end. That central army had only a six-chi red banner with the character "Chen." Dorgon said disdainfully, "Can't read Chinese characters? That red banner on the gate tower clearly says 'Wendeng Battalion Picket Officer.'"

The jalan ejen mumbled a couple of replies. He truly could not read, but last time, that Han scribe licentiate had clearly said only the character "Chen" was written.

Dorgon paid him no more attention. The corpses below the wall had all been moved two hundred paces away, where a great deal of firewood had already been piled, ready for cremation. The Jianzhou custom was cremation — even if they died in Liaodong, they were handled the same way. (Note 2)

He gave an order to a White Armor soldier behind him: "Drag those Nikans below the wall. Strip them all of their clothes and behead them one by one."

The White Armor asked, "Master, should those who moved the corpses be executed as well?"

"All of them."

The White Armor soldier left to carry out the order. The Later Jin armored soldiers drove the corpse-bearers to just over a hundred paces from the city wall. Several fierce-looking armored soldiers dragged out a Han man, a gentle-looking licentiate type. He probably guessed what was about to happen and began to wail loudly. One armored soldier, in broken Chinese, ordered him to strip off his clothes. He cried as he undressed, his eyes darting fearfully among the armored soldiers. Behind them, other armored soldiers were ordering all the other Ming people to strip completely. A woman was a moment too slow and had her arm chopped off with a single blade stroke, screaming in a pool of blood.

Those commoners were already terrified out of their wits. Weeping shook the heavens from the crowd. The armored soldiers hacked down several more people. The rest, disregarding all shame, hurriedly stripped off their clothes, shivering uncontrollably in the freezing wind. The Later Jin soldiers roared with laughter, some groping the women at will.

The licentiate at the front was ordered to kneel. His face was covered in tears and snot. Another White Armor drew his great blade and laid it on the back of the licentiate's neck. The icy blade touched his skin. Knowing his end had come, the licentiate knelt on the ground, weeping loudly in despair.

That White Armor soldier found the licentiate's appearance quite amusing. He deliberately lifted the blade, then after a moment placed it back on his neck. After several repetitions, the licentiate was hoarse and exhausted, his voice already gone.

Up on the gate tower, Lu Chuanzong bellowed curses: "To hell with your sniveling cowardice! What are you crying for? If you're going to die, stand up and die like a man! Damn it, even biting one of them would be better than this pathetic display!"

The other civilian braves on the wall also joined in the shouting and cursing, but their curses were directed at the Jianzhou bandits. With the Wendeng Battalion as their backbone, their courage had grown considerably. At the very least, these Later Jin soldiers did not dare attack the city now.

That White Armor soldier toyed with him a few times, then, presumably growing bored, suddenly brought the blade down with a chop. The licentiate's head fell to the ground. His body paused for a moment before toppling sideways. A shriek of terror rose from the commoners below the wall.

Lu Chuanzong could bear to watch no longer. He came running over with heavy steps and said, "My lord, let us go out and fight! It's only a thousand Tatars."

Zhu Guobin disagreed: "Company Commander Lu, it is not advisable to leave the city now. Look, they are all mounted and have no siege equipment. They should be the vanguard. If the Jianzhou bandits have come for revenge, there must be a large army behind them. The moment we leave the city, they will retreat far away. Do we pursue or not? Moreover, the infantry units are now deployed to all four gates. By the time we assemble them, the commoners will all have been slaughtered. What would be the point of leaving the city then?"

Lu Chuanzong said angrily, "So we just stand here and watch them provoke us?"

Chen Xin's face was calm. This Jianzhou force below the city was very likely the vanguard of a larger army, here to inspect the city's defenses. Fortunately, a few days ago, he had dragged that county magistrate to see the scene at Beizhuang. The magistrate had been scared out of his wits. Upon returning, he had opened the granaries, summoned civilian braves, and called upon the gentry to provide grain. Some townsfolk who had gone to see the scene returned and spread the word widely. Coupled with the training corps fanning the flames, the people of the city were filled with righteous indignation. With the Wendeng Battalion to rely on, grain to be had, and their homes to defend, they had signed up in droves to become civilian braves, adding several thousand to the city's defensive strength. Many households tore down their courtyard walls to provide stones. These civilian braves were useless in field battles, but throwing stones from the top of the wall could still kill White Armor soldiers. So he had no intention of going out to fight. Now that the heads were in hand, simply holding the city securely was enough. The stronger the city's defenses, the less the Jianzhou bandits would dare attack. If the Wendeng Battalion, as the core force, rashly sallied out and suffered losses, the city's defenses would be greatly weakened, and the civilian braves' confidence would also diminish....

Beside him, the magistrate of Gu'an was trembling as he said, "Better not to leave the city, better not to leave the city. The Jianzhou bandits are so savage, this, this..."

Chen Xin smiled and comforted him for a moment, then looked at that arrogant Bayara and asked Shi Pingli beside him, "How far?"

"One hundred and twenty paces. I'm afraid the Later Jin soldiers from last time went back and told them about the power of our firearms. They're deliberately keeping this distance. But the banjiu gun can still kill a man at one hundred and twenty paces — something they'd never expect. However, it will kill many commoners as well."

Lu Chuanzong said urgently, "That's still better than having their heads chopped off like this."

Chen Xin nodded. Shi Pingli immediately turned to make arrangements. The banjiu gun still had lethality at one hundred and twenty paces, but it had little effect against heavily armored targets. As for the combined-action guns, they could only try their luck.

Shi Pingli called over several arquebusier squad leaders, including the Squad Commander of the banjiu gun detachment, and gave them instructions. After the squad leaders returned and made their arrangements, the arquebusiers formed two ranks and all moved behind the battlements. Shi Pingli called the bugler to stand by, then he stuck his head out. That White Armor had just dragged out an old man and was raising his blade high with both hands.

"Sound the bugle!"

The swan call rang out. Over two hundred arquebusiers suddenly raised their firearms and fired in quick succession. Before those armored soldiers could take cover, each was struck by several lead balls. Although the eight-mace balls of the combined-action guns could not penetrate armor, they still carried considerable energy. One armored soldier had his ribs broken by the impact. That arrogant White Armor was struck directly in the face by a heavy banjiu gun ball. He fell stiffly to the ground, his nose turned into a bloody hole, a red-and-white fluid flowing out. The commoners beside them also collapsed in a swath, their piercing screams unending. The armored soldiers behind were all startled; they had not expected to be hit from so far away and all scrambled backward to hide. A few quick-witted commoners shouted and bolted toward the city wall. Spurred by them, some of the others who were not bound also seized the chaos to flee. The people on the wall all shouted together, urging them to run faster.

The Later Jin armored soldiers reacted quickly. Knowing that firearms all needed reloading time, they rushed out in pursuit, loosing arrows in volleys at the fleeing commoners' backs. One heavy arrow after another plunged unhindered into the naked backs of the commoners. Over twenty commoners fell one after another. Soon, only the last three remained.

The last three commoners had already run within seventy paces, with five armored soldiers chasing behind them. The arquebusiers were still frantically reloading. Lu Chuanzong clenched his fists, his heart about to leap out of his chest. If they could just get within fifty paces, one volley of covering fire from the arquebuses, and these few commoners could survive.

The man fleeing at the very front had his eyes wide open, his mouth gaping wide, his expression a mixture of hope and terror. He stretched a hand high toward the top of the wall, as if those people could already pull him up. Five bowstrings thrummed. He jerked violently, his chest thrust forward, and stumbled on for a few more steps. That raised hand traced an arc through the air as his body pitched forward onto the ground, revealing the shafts of two heavy arrows embedded in his back. The three commoners fell fifty paces from the city wall. The five armored soldiers who had shot the arrows, taking advantage of the arquebuses not yet firing, turned and sprinted away.

Outside the city, Dorgon wore a cold sneer as he watched the gunpowder smoke spreading across the gate tower. A jalan ejen beside him flattered, "So this Ming force's firearms can reach over one hundred and twenty paces. But the armor of those few soldiers wasn't even penetrated. All thanks to the Fourteenth Beile's brilliant plan, using a few supernumeraries in disguise to test the Ming firearms' range. What should be the next step? Please give your instructions, Beile."

Dorgon said flatly, "Kill all those people. We return to camp. Tomorrow we circle the city once, and the day after, we return to Liangxiang."

On the city wall, there was a chorus of extremely frustrated, regretful voices. Lu Chuanzong was so angry he slapped the wall. The magistrate of Gu'an, having seen the plight of those few commoners, was so terrified that even his chin was trembling.

Chen Xin looked at the commoners' corpses strewn across the ground and suddenly asked Zhu Guobin beside him, "They first appeared from the northwest, correct?"

Zhu Guobin immediately answered, "Indeed. They came via the official road from the direction of Liangxiang. What you mean, my lord, is that the main Jianzhou army has already moved to the Lugou Bridge area southwest of the capital. Then the due south and southeast directions might be passable now."...

Chen Xin said to Zhu Guobin, "Select five night scouts. Have them accompany Hai Gouzi to the capital. I have a very important letter to send."

Zhu Guobin, as always, asked no extraneous questions. He immediately went into the gate tower and wrote down the names of five night scouts, then sent a personal guard to the crossroads to notify the five men to report to the north gate and await orders. Moments later, the sound of hoofbeats rang out. The five night scouts had already arrived, each man with two horses. Over a hundred warhorses had been captured last time, so each night scout had been given an extra horse, allowing them to expand their scouting range.

Chen Xin led the men into the gate tower and said to them, "In a moment, once this group of Jianzhou bandits has withdrawn, you will leave through the east gate. Travel through the night. Head east first — better to take a detour. You must deliver Navy Soldier safely to the capital."

The night scouts, all with fierce, tough looks, gave crisp acknowledgments. After they withdrew, Chen Xin said to Hai Gouzi, "Gouzi, three items: one routine report, one victory report, and one secret letter. When you enter the city, you are only to hand over the routine report — that's the yellow one. If anyone asks, don't mention the great victory. Just say that Gu'an is under attack and you've come to deliver a message. You know nothing else. The routine report goes to the Ministry of War. The other two both go to Mr. Song, at that small courtyard by Chongwen Gate you've been to before. Do you remember?"

Hai Gouzi grinned foolishly: "Got it."

Two days later, Hai Gouzi and his group arrived at Zuo'an Gate in the capital. They had made a detour to the east and encountered no Later Jin troops along the way. When they entered the outskirts of the capital, places that had once been densely populated were now deserted for dozens of li. Everywhere were broken walls and ruins. The roadside was littered with commoners who had frozen or starved to death.

Arriving beneath Zuo'an Gate, they handed over the routine report and their waist plaques. After a lengthy inspection, they were finally admitted into the barbican. Once inside the city, a squad commander from the Five Armies Camp led them toward the Ministry of War. Hai Gouzi entrusted the task to one of the night scouts and quietly slipped away himself, taking the alleyways to the small courtyard outside Chongwen Gate.

When Zhang Da opened the door, he actually froze for a moment before recognizing Hai Gouzi. Overjoyed, he lifted Hai Gouzi up in a hug. These two, who had once begged together as little street urchins, were no longer the same as they had been back then.

Song Wenxian emerged upon hearing the commotion. Seeing it was Hai Gouzi, he hastily inquired about the situation and could not help but be overjoyed. He read the victory report first, and after finishing it, he laughed loudly three times. Then he returned to his room, shut the door, and anxiously tore open the letter. The several pages of the secret missive were filled entirely with densely packed numbers. Some numbers were separated by a tadpole-like mark. Seeing that one number was a five, Song Wenxian immediately selected a copy of Jin Ping Mei from the bookshelf. The book's cover was marked with five horizontal lines. He placed it on the table, turned to the page indicated by the second number, used the third number to determine the column, and the fourth number to pinpoint the character. Having selected it, he wrote down the character "Wen" on a piece of paper with his brush.

This was a spycraft technique Chen Xin had taught him. Both of them possessed the same five books from the same publisher and the same edition. Using numbers to locate characters was simple yet effective. No one involved in the transmission knew what the books were. Even if the secret letter fell into someone else's hands, it would be completely useless.

Repeating this process, he spent a quarter of an hour translating the secret letter. After writing it out, he read it to himself: "The credit for strategic planning must not go to the Ministry of War. It must be given to Wen Tiren. The exchange condition is that the military merits from this operation must not be shared with any other battalions. Report directly to His Majesty. Additionally, do not allow the Ministry of War to arrange any offensive operations......"

After reading it, Song Wenxian tilted his head back and laughed with satisfaction. Liangxiang had fallen, and the capital was already in chaos. As expected, there was still a good opportunity. Chen Xin had not disappointed him. He had finally gotten what he urgently needed.

The letter contained several matters. Chen Xin had only stated his requirements; how to accomplish them required his own brainwork. His mind raced, and he murmured to himself, "He's just a Minister of Rites. How can he possibly obtain this credit for strategic planning..."

He suddenly slapped his leg. "Perfect — push it onto Wang Qia. No one believes anything he says now anyway. As for the rest, Minister Wen can figure it out himself. With this credit for strategic planning, he might just be able to enter the Grand Secretariat."

Note 1: An earlier passage was written incorrectly — at this time the Plain White Banner lord is already Dorgon, replaced in the first year of Chongzhen. Note 2: When they die, the next day they are taken out into the wilds and burned. *Record of Observations in Jianzhou*