Chapter 106: Who Are They? (Please Bookmark, Please Recommend)

About thirty li north of the Tianjin garrison, on top of a low earthen mound, a stalwart man in a straw rain cape and a conical bamboo hat sat astride a tall horse, gazing far to the south. The gray-black walls of Tianjin, half-hidden in the curtain of rain, seemed to flicker in and out of view.

The roar of cannon and the sounds of slaughter also reached the mound through the gradually thinning rain, faint but still just barely discernible.

Behind this stalwart man were a dozen or so riders dressed exactly as he was, all mounted, and besides their rain capes and bamboo hats, one could see that every man carried a slender cavalry lance on his back, the lance heads carefully wrapped in oilcloth.

No one knew where these riders had come from, yet they had slipped right up to the edge of the Tianjin battlefield, and every one of them wore an air of perfect calm and composure.

The stalwart man on the mound had stood there for who knew how long before he finally let out a breath and muttered to himself, "Three days now... they've held out well. Worthy of the old Regional Commander! But the weather will most likely clear tomorrow, and I fear there will be a bitter fight ahead!"

With that, the stalwart man wheeled his horse and descended the mound. One of the riders then came up beside him. "General, shall we come again tomorrow?"

The stalwart man shook his head. "This wind and rain has lost its strength. It will surely clear tomorrow... Let's go, back to camp. Have a hot meal and a good night's rest!"

"Aye!"

......

West of Tianjin, on the southward-flowing Wei River, dozens upon dozens — even a hundred or more — of grain-transport boats had at some point packed themselves together in dense rows. Among them was one especially magnificent official vessel, and at its prow stood a scholar in flowing white robes, hands clasped behind his back, head raised, also gazing into the distance at the walled city of Tianjin. Behind him, a bewitching woman of twenty-five or twenty-six in red held an oil-paper umbrella over him.

These two were none other than Li Yan and Hong Niangzi.

Li Yan suddenly let out a soft sigh. Behind him, Hong Niangzi asked gently, "Husband, are you fretting over the state and the people again?"

"How can I not fret? The Shun is now master of all under heaven, yet taking a single Tianjin garrison is still much the same as it was back in Henan."

"And what of it?" Hong Niangzi smiled. "As long as it can be taken, isn't that enough?"

"It is not the same!" Li Yan said. "Can officials and bandits be the same? Is this what the people hoped for — these Shun 'heavenly soldiers' who press men into labor and seize grain?

And word has come from the capital that the Marquis of Ru has begun arresting people... In one sweep he has thrown over a thousand into the Northern Provost's office to be tortured! Officials who were not arrested, and the merchants of the capital, have also been forced to contribute military funds."

Hong Niangzi's fine brows had already knitted together. "Husband, it is fine to say such things to me, but whatever you do, do not speak of them in front of others."

"What? Now even words are forbidden?" Li Yan raised an eyebrow. "Even under the Zhu traitor, people were allowed to speak. How could our lord's benevolence be something the Zhu traitor could ever match?"

"Husband..." Hong Niangzi only shook her head. "You are a scholar, and what you know are grand principles. I come from the jianghu, from the red-rope acrobats, and I know all too well how treacherous men's hearts in the jianghu can be. Our lord may be a true Son of Heaven, but after all, he rose from the jianghu. To stand out among countless bold heroes, benevolence alone was never enough. Think back — of the heroes who once did great deeds alongside our lord, how many remain today? Where are Luo Rucai, He Yilong, Ma Shouying? Husband, do not forget that we are both men of the Central Plains, and we were not of the Old Eighth Company either..."

Li Yan and Hong Niangzi, husband and wife, also had a small faction of their own within the Shun army — a group of righteous troops from south-central Henan who had gone over to Li Zicheng. Their numbers were not large, and they did not belong to Li Zicheng's core main force, but rather to the forces garrisoning the regions. This time, a portion of them had been drawn off to follow Li Zicheng on his eastern campaign.

There were quite a few similar groups under Li Zicheng's banner, yet the couple Li Yan and Hong Niangzi were especially favored. This was chiefly because Li Yan was one of the rare juren in the Roving King's army, and because, while campaigning in Henan with the Roving King, Li Yan had also recruited many Henan scholars into the fold, forming a small group that held both the sword and the brush.

That Li Yan could now rise to the rank of General of the Guard and assist Tian Jianxiu in managing the army was also because he had under him many Henan scholars skilled in both letters and arms.

And such a group, skilled in both letters and arms, was convenient to use while conquering the realm — but once the fighting was done, it would begin to seem an eyesore.

Li Yan turned his head to look at his wife and shook his head. "My dear, do you truly believe the Shun is certain to hold the realm securely?"

"Husband, what problem could there possibly be?" Hong Niangzi asked with a smile. "Since ancient times, he who gains the Central Plains gains the world. Our lord already holds the Central Plains — is the realm not already in his bag?"

Li Yan still shook his head. "Wait until Zhu Cilang is caught before saying that!"

"Zhu Cilang? The Zhu family's Crown Prince?" Hong Niangzi was puzzled. "Isn't he just a boy of sixteen? What ability could he possibly have?"

Li Yan sighed. "If he is already this formidable at sixteen, then when he grows to twenty-six, how could he fail to sweep across the world? It is only a pity he was born too late. If he and Chongzhen could have traded places, how would the Shun have this day?"

Hong Niangzi's expression turned grave as well. This was the first time she had ever seen Li Yan raise anyone to a height surpassing even the Roving King. If that were truly so, then this man could not be allowed to live!

She lightly bit her red lips and said in a low voice, "This time, we must rid ourselves of this scourge!"

......

"Ah-choo..."

As a bright moon appeared at the edge of the sky, Zhu Cilang sneezed again!

It was not because some fierce older sister was talking about him behind his back, but because he had been infected by a cold virus.

Although his body was in quite good condition, even so it could not withstand going nonstop without sleep, and braving wind and rain on the city wall to oversee the battle.

Before his soul transmigrated into Zhu Cilang, he had always thought of himself as a finance dog worked to the bone, but compared with his current pace of life as a national leader, the days of a finance dog could only be called comfortable! At least he could sleep a little every day... But now he was so busy his feet never touched the ground. From midnight on the fifteenth to now, in half a month he did not know whether he had slept even twelve double-hours. And from the twenty-eighth, when he mounted the north wall of Tianjin, until now — never mind sleeping, he had not even had time to doze for a moment. Even a body of iron could not hold up, let alone Zhu Cilang, who was not made of iron.

"Thousand Years, you should rest a while..."

Zhu Cilang was still forcing himself to hold on. He was now the very model of trading his body for his career! And the one at his side urging him to rest was Wu Sanmei.

Because there had been too much to do, Sanmei had still not been bedded by Zhu Cilang, nor did she have any formal status, nor had she even properly courted him. Yet in her heart she already regarded herself as the Crown Prince's woman, and watching him labor day and night for the state and the people, she felt more miserable than she could say. So miserable that she was even a little resentful of her second brother, Wu Sangui... Why haven't you come to the rescue yet? If you would just come, wouldn't the Crown Prince be able to rest a bit?

"Ahem... it's nothing, just a touch of wind-chill, no fever, nothing serious." Zhu Cilang's whole body felt heavy and muddled, though he did not know whether it was from exhaustion or the cold virus at work. Still, he truly had no fever — only a cough, a stuffy nose, and a slightly sore throat. On top of that, his whole body was wet and stinking, which was unbearable.

The last time he had bathed was back at Wangqingtuo, and in the past three days he had not even washed his face or feet, nor taken off his official boots, and he had been pacing a blood-soaked, wind-lashed city wall for more than thirty double-hours. He was covered in rain, blood, and sweat, and he had no idea whether he might be growing lice. Being a national leader really was damnably hard!

"Sanmei," Zhu Cilang scratched his head, "go and prepare bathwater for me..."

Wu Sanmei felt a small flutter of excitement in her heart and gazed at Zhu Cilang with eager eyes. "Thousand Years, will you be resting a bit tonight?"

"No rest..." Zhu Cilang sighed. "The wind and rain have stopped, and the moon has come out... Tomorrow there will surely be a bloody battle! Tonight, I must make thorough preparations!"

(End of Chapter)