Chapter 539: All Parties

In the Western Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace in Jingshi, Chongzhen sat on the dragon throne, his face pale. The palace maids and junior eunuchs had all been dismissed to a distance. Wang Chengen's sharp voice echoed softly.

"... Now there is Chen Xin, Regional Commander of Dengzhou Garrison. Having personally witnessed the rampant demonic aura on the frontier, how can he let the Dragon Spring sword at his elbow lie still? Though not of noble lineage, his whole body holds the loyal heart of Huaxia; having received the sovereign's grace, his ribs bear the loyal liver of Qilu. He has gathered righteous troops in successive camps, the three armies all death-defying tiger guards; heroic banners blaze fiercely, for ten thousand li an iron tide crushes the foe. With both parents behind, he has already prepared a coffin for his sacrifice; his sons dare advance, swearing to serve the loyal souls who guard the nation. Three meals of meat shall feast on the sinews and blood of the Jianzhou Bandits; his surging fury shall surely smash the old lair of the Tatar slaves.

Sails arrayed blot out the sea, driving fish-dragons to strike at the heavens; linked banners obscure the sun, cutting through snowy lands to sweep over White Mountain. The barbarians harass Huaxia — even the Five Punishments cannot atone for their crimes; bearing the sovereign's words to punish their crimes, he rallies the Four Peaks to shake the Northern Darkness. Heaven renews its mandate, unleashing this mighty host to brandish purple lightning; fate does not bend for personal gain — let the leaping vermin be slain by the azure blade..."

Chongzhen's voice rose softly. "Stop reading."

Wang Chengen stopped at once and put away the Dengzhou military gazette in his hands. This edition of the gazette differed from all previous release times. Before, it came out once at the end of each quarter. The last gazette had already appeared at the end of the sixth month, but a few days later another edition suddenly came out. Its main content was that Dengzhou Garrison was about to launch a punitive expedition against the Jianzhou Bandits and recover Liaodong.

Chongzhen closed his eyes wearily. The Eastern Depot had submitted a secret memorial several days earlier, saying that Dengzhou troops were moving toward Liaonan, but their numbers had not been clearly ascertained. After the original troops moved, new troops appeared at their stations. The Eastern Depot's report called them reserve soldiers. Every fortified village in Dengzhou Garrison had them, and their numbers might exceed those of the regular army.

Cao Huachun had selected a batch of new men from the supernumeraries of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, led directly by his trusted eunuchs. Recently they had been active in Shandong and Denglai. Although some had died under unclear circumstances, they had still gathered considerable information. The hidden strength of Dengzhou Garrison was gradually revealing itself. Though its territory was not large, it was extremely lean and fierce, while the imperial court seemed like a fat man of enormous bulk but little strength.

"Chengen, look at the latter part. Does it mention the imperial court or His Majesty's grace?"

Wang Chengen had in fact already read it. After hearing this, he carefully examined it once more and cautiously said, "It does not. Chen Xin printed this call to arms and such in the gazette to garner fame for himself. This slave feels that in Liaodong, it is merely a matter of tigers and leopards driving away jackals."

Chongzhen opened his eyes and looked at Wang Chengen, a trace of displeasure in his gaze, but when he finally spoke, his tone was not harsh. "Chengen, remember this: I and the Jianzhou Bandits cannot share the same sky. This is a national vendetta. Though Chen Xin is arrogant, unruly, and harbors disloyal intentions, for now he shows no signs of rebellion. I hold the hearts of all under heaven, I hold the orthodox succession of all under heaven. He, Chen Xin, is a subject of my Great Ming. If he rebels, he will lose all popular support. He has always been at irreconcilable odds with the gentry and scholars. In my view, in the end he will be no more than another Li Chengliang. Think of Li Chengliang back then in Liaodong — how similar to this Chen Xin. He seized land, conducted border trade, opened banks. And what came of it in the end? After Li Rusong died, there was no worthy successor. The Li family now does not even have a direct-line descendant holding office."

Wang Chengen's face lit up with a smile. "So that is how it is. This slave has been constantly anxious about Dengzhou Garrison, fearing that Chen Xin would turn out like Zu Dashou."

What Chongzhen had just said was in fact also meant to comfort himself. What exactly Chen Xin intended to do, Chongzhen could not clearly say in his own heart. Now incidents of generals openly defying orders were growing more and more frequent. Apart from the two great powers of Liao Garrison and Dengzhou Garrison, mutinies often broke out among the Nine Border Garrisons. The various forces pursuing the roving bandits also frequently disobeyed orders. The Emperor had no strength to use against them.

On the surface, what Chen Xin and Zu Dashou were doing seemed similar, except that Dengzhou Garrison was more capable in battle. Yet Chongzhen always felt they were quite different. What gave him the greatest unease were those two Dengzhou forces in Linxian and Wuchang. Although Zu Dashou entrenched himself in Jinzhou, he had no desire to expand at all. Dengzhou Garrison, however, had used the opportunity of suppressing the roving bandits to occupy two strategic points.

Linxian lay at the junction of Beizhili, Shanxi, and Henan. Though it seemed inconspicuous, once expanded from there, one could control the roads from the Central Plains to Jingshi and also, together with the Dengzhou troops in Qingzhou, launch a pincer attack on the Grand Canal. Wuchang was even more important. That Zhu Daichun had gone there and settled in, ignoring orders from both Chen Qiyu and Hong Chengchou. He had also clashed several times with local government troops in Huguang, emerging completely victorious every time.

It seemed that in just a few years, the realm was everywhere filled with enemies of the Great Ming: roving bandits, Jianzhou Bandits, Chahar, Dengzhou Garrison, Liao Garrison, Dongjiang, military strongmen in every region — each one too powerful to easily control. Chongzhen had no means at hand to deal with any of them effectively. Instead, these powers were checking each other. The most typical example was the several forces around Liaodong, existing in a temporary balance. By issuing this call to arms now, was Chen Xin seeking to break this stalemate?

Dengzhou's troops were on the move, but how many remained in Denglai was unclear. Moreover, Denglai still had countless reserve soldiers. According to what the Eastern Depot had reported, Dengzhou soldiers were all recruited from among these reserve soldiers. Once recruited, a short training was enough for them to fight, and they seemed even more formidable than the Nine Border Garrisons.

Chongzhen calculated in his mind the troops around Beizhili. Liao Garrison had sent some troops to suppress the roving bandits and would not send more. Shanhai Pass had to guard against Liao Garrison and the Kalaqin and could not be moved. Zhending, Baoding, Changping, Tongzhou, Jizhen — all had drawn troops to suppress the roving bandits. The largest remaining force was a newly established mobile corps camp in Zhending Prefecture, meant to guard against that Dengzhou force in Linxian. Chongzhen also understood the combat strength of these camps. Probably three camps together could not defeat one Dengzhou camp. Moreover, recently Jingshi and the Grand Canal were suffering a grain shortage. Military officers everywhere were embezzling grain in kind and selling it privately. Desertions and small-scale mutinies were incessant in every camp. There was simply no capacity for a long-distance expedition against Denglai.

The room fell silent for a moment. At that moment, a junior eunuch appeared at the doorway. Wang Chengen went over and took a sealed envelope. He saw it was sealed with wax and stamped with the seal of the Imperially Bestowed Eastern Investigation Depot.

Wang Chengen carried the envelope back and, in front of Chongzhen, opened it and directly presented it to Chongzhen.

Chongzhen took it, read it through, and his expression turned grim. It was a long while before he raised his eyes and said to Wang Chengen, "The Dengzhou troops in Linxian, without any directive from the Ministry of War, have set out on their own toward Linqing. The Regional Commander of Zhending has not reported a single word. It was the Eastern Depot's people in Linqing who discovered it."

Wang Chengen said in a low voice, "Perhaps these troops are returning to Dengzhou. Could Chen Xin be... could he merely want to be the King of Liaodong?"

Chongzhen shook his head. There was a Dengzhou cavalry unit in Linxian that did not even have a camp designation with the Ministry of War. Naturally, the Ministry of War could not issue a directive for its movement. Now going to Linqing, they should be returning to Dengzhou and then heading to fight in Liaodong. But that did not necessarily mean Chen Xin was giving up that place, Linxian.

"Linxian..." Chongzhen's eyes flickered. After a long while, he said in a low voice, "What exactly does Chen Xin mean? It can easily be tested."

Wang Chengen slightly lowered his body, waiting for the Emperor to continue.

Chongzhen, however, did not continue on the matter of Linxian. He let out a long sigh and said to Wang Chengen, "Continue and finish reading that call to arms."

"... Now this call to arms is transmitted throughout the realm. Every mountain pass, every place — the wild grasses shall all be the wilderness graves of the enemy bandits; the war drums rouse the Nine Border Garrisons. The rivers and seas surge — every foot of wave is also the Great Wall of the Middle Kingdom. From the eastern sea in the east to Yuguan in the west, all you soldiers, civilians, officers, scholars, farmers, merchants, and traders — upon seeing this call to arms, heed it as my military order: kill Tatar officials, burn Tatar granaries, spy on Tatar intelligence, sever Tatar relations. The towering warships of the royal army will soon point eastward. Be you the raging tide, soldiers and civilians as one, sweeping away the eastern slaves. My one hundred thousand tiger guards shall be your vanguard and rearguard. Let your fears be stilled; unite your hearts and strength.

Heed and obey my command, that you may achieve merit. Should any persist in their own course, secretly harboring defiance and disobedience, I shall surely inflict public execution, thereby manifesting the shared enmity of the Great Han. Let you be cautious and not transgress..." In the headquarters of the Liaodong Vanguard Regional Commander in Jinzhou, a staff officer was reading the military gazette with rhythmic cadence.

"Stop, stop," Zu Dashou gestured with his hand.

The staff officer immediately fell silent. Zu Dashou laughed. "Chen Xin has such grand airs. He truly treats himself like the imperial court, issuing a call to arms and expecting the soldiers, civilians, merchants, and traders of Yuguan to help him kill Tatars."

Zu Dale beside him leaned in and asked, "Great Commander, what use is there in Chen Xin tossing out a call to arms at this moment?"

Zu Dashou snorted twice. "He wants to claim the credit for recovering Liaodong entirely for himself. First, he issues a call to arms to build momentum. The entire text does not mention the imperial court or the Emperor even once. It's all about what he, Dengzhou Garrison, is going to do. These tricks cannot fool this official. But they are indeed effective on the common people. I hear this military gazette is distributed all the way to various places in Jiangnan. Wherever there are Dengzhou merchant ships, there is this thing. And it's free. Look at the back..."

Zu Dashou flipped the newspaper over. "There are even stories of gods and spirits, and quite a bit of wilderness debauchery and such. The storytellers everywhere love this stuff most. It circulates extremely widely."

Zu Dale, his face covered in a curly beard, asked blankly, "And what use is that?"

Zu Dashou glanced at him and shook his head. "This is where we fall short of that Chen Xin. I've only just figured it out recently myself. This thing is more effective than the mouths of scholars. What a tremendous achievement recovering Liaodong is — and his Dengzhou Garrison takes it all for itself. Once this reputation spreads, if Chen Xin truly wants to commit treason in the future, it will seemingly be much easier. Another point: if even the Jianzhou Bandits are no match for his Dengzhou Garrison, then in the future, what army under heaven would dare to stand against Dengzhou?"

The standing staff officer said respectfully, "General Zu's insight is profound. This is attacking the enemy's strategy before battle. Chen Xin is a master at building momentum. Look at every campaign he fights — he always reaps considerable benefits beyond the battlefield. This time, in wanting to recover Liaodong, he naturally would not do it quietly. Once everyone believes Dengzhou Garrison is invincible under heaven, then in the future, pacifying territories merely by sending out a call to arms is not impossible."

Zu Dale suddenly stood up. "Great Commander, then what do we do?"

Zu Dashou said slowly, "Wu Xiang is still in Dengzhou negotiating. This official's original thought was to wait and see. Now it seems this Chen Xin truly intends to test his mettle against the Jianzhou Bandits. I feel we cannot just stand by and watch. Otherwise, we'll end up gaining favor from neither side."

"Then..."

"You select some troops and, in a few days, make a trip to the Sanchahe area. Help Chen Xin by beating the drums on the sidelines. Even if you don't win, you must not be defeated. That way, Wu Xiang will have a better position when negotiating in Dengzhou later."

"Good!" Zu Dale immediately headed for the main door.

Zu Dashou called out, "No rush today. Let's finish listening to this damned thing of Chen Xin's."

"... Eastern slave poor people, scholars, and commoners, those below the rank of Niru Company Captain: those who fear our might and cherish virtue may lay down their arms and be spared death. Those who bring the heads of slave officers of Niru Company Captain rank and above and surrender shall have their persons, families, and property protected, and shall additionally be granted land and official posts. Should any not recognize the Mandate of Heaven and persist in their futile resistance, my one hundred thousand sharp blades are prepared precisely for your kind. You may stretch out your necks and test them if you wish.

The divine land's glorious martial spirit endures through a hundred generations. Heroes follow one after another, thus is history written. The heroes of today are the myriad soldiers of Dengzhou Garrison..."

"Ridiculous!" Huang Taiji roared in fury and hurled that military gazette toward the main hall.

Haoge and Sahaliyan stood below, heads bowed in solemn silence. The flimsy gazette rustled softly, spun twice in the air, and slowly drifted to the ground.

Since the end of the sixth month, the Later Jin army had been receiving vague reports one after another, saying that Dengzhou Garrison was mobilizing a large army, that ships were gathering like clouds on the Liao Sea, and that there might be a major offensive, or that Dengzhou Garrison would continue attacking in Liaonan.

Haoge said in a low voice, "Imperial Father, that Chen Xin is raving like a fool. Imperial Father need not bother with this man."

Sahaliyan stepped forward and said cautiously, "Great Khan, quell your anger. Since Chen Xin has boasted so grandly, our Great Jin will answer him on the battlefield. Ever since Dengzhou Garrison came to Liaonan, our Great Jin has not had a single day of peace. But for many years, Chen Xin has only harassed us, each operation involving only a few thousand men at most, never engaging our main army in a pitched battle. Our Great Jin army excels most at large-scale battle. This time, we will certainly make that Chen Xin leave and never return."

Huang Taiji looked at Sahaliyan. "Since he has issued a challenge, I could not ask for more. In this battle, we must exert every ounce of our strength. Every bit of Great Jin's power must be used here. Whether in population or grain, as long as we defeat Dengzhou Garrison, I will repay each banner doubly in the future. Sahaliyan!"

"Your slave is here!"

"Dengzhou Garrison is a formidable army under heaven, not easily defeated. We cannot conjure more troops, but provisions must not be lacking. This year, grain prices in the Ming country are again soaring. There is still grain for sale at the various border passes, but it is too late to buy grain now. We can only levy extra from each banner. You are the Minister of Revenue. Produce a plan. No matter what, we must gather enough provisions to ensure our great army can fight the decisive battle with Dengzhou."

"Your slave obeys the decree!"

Huang Taiji rose from his seat, his gaze resolute as he looked at the two men. "The Old Khan rose with thirteen suits of armor, toiling heart and soul to achieve the Great Jin of today. We have overcome countless hardships and perils — it is Heaven's favor. This time will surely be the same. Let me and that Chen Xin decide the victor!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m. to read.)

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