Chapter 126: Ten Farewells to That Chongzhen (Seeking Favorites, Seeking Recommendations)

Zhu Cilang had indeed offered a preferential condition that Hong Niangzi simply could not refuse!

She and Li Yan had followed Li Zicheng only because they were disillusioned with Ming rule, and because they saw in Li Zicheng the momentum to sweep the realm and hoped to ride along as founding ministers of a new dynasty.

But if Li Zicheng were defeated by the Manchus and lost the Youyan region, would his performance not be even worse than the Ming's? The consequence of handing Youyan to the Manchus might well be the end of Han rule over the realm!

At that point, Li Yan and Hong Niangzi would of course have to consider serving a new worthy lord. And if Zhu Cilang could shoulder the responsibility of leading the war against the Qing, then he would naturally be a worthy lord worth serving.

"Fine!" Hong Niangzi did not deliberate long before agreeing wholeheartedly. "If that day truly comes, this humble woman will surely bring troops with my husband to join you, and I only hope His Highness the Crown Prince can overlook our past offenses."

"That is only natural!"

If Li Yan was willing to come, the Crown Prince naturally could not have asked for more! It was not that he thought so highly of this legendary "Young Master Li's" abilities. Rather, starting with Li Yan, he could begin to chip away at Li Zicheng's foundation!

"Hong Niangzi," Zhu Cilang said gravely, "bear with it a few more days. When We escort His Majesty eastward, We shall release you. Some of your subordinates have also been captured by Our men; they will be returned to you together at that time.

In addition, the northern and southern cities of Tianjin shall be given to you as well! You can take them and use them to curry favor with Li Zicheng. But We say this in advance: you and Li Yan must not again bring harm to the common people, or else We will not spare you in the future."

"Thousand Years is truly benevolent and righteous; this humble woman is won over." This time Hong Niangzi spoke from the heart.

The sovereigns of this Ming dynasty—whether the Chongzhen Emperor or this Crown Prince before her—both seemed to be good men!

The realm had been ruined by a pack of treacherous ministers. That scoundrel who had tied her up in such a shameful manner, for instance, must surely be one of the treacherous ministers beside the Crown Prince!

Hong Niangzi thought to herself: if in the future she truly followed the Crown Prince, she must urge him to keep far away from such treacherous ministers.

The people of the Tianjin garrison had once possessed enlightened sovereigns and a foundation of the state in men like Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang, who loved the people as their own children—yet they had not known how to cherish them, thinking only of welcoming the Roving King and fantasizing that Li Zicheng would bring them a happy and prosperous new feudal life.

But to their surprise, the Shun army that came to attack Tianjin had savagely ravaged them instead! By contrast, the new army that Zhu Cilang had brought from Beijing through hardship maintained iron discipline and did not disturb the people in the slightest—after arriving in Tianjin, they were either confined to camp or sent up onto the walls and out of the city to fight, with no opportunity for looting. And the Embroidered Uniform Guard patrolling the streets and alleys was in fact a newly established force, closely watched by newly appointed officials like Li Ruolian, Ren Yizhou, and Zhang Tao. They would not even take Shen Tingyang's gold leaf, let alone a single needle or thread from the people of Tianjin.

When these Embroidered Uniform Guard riders patrolled the streets and bought food, they actually paid for it—this truly refreshed the worldview of the people of Tianjin!

After the Battle of the Tianjin garrison, the Embroidered Uniform Guard also confiscated the residences of Juren Fan and Juren Zhang, seizing the property, grain, and land of both families, then distributing them to the common people who had lost their homes in the battle.

This measure truly shamed the crowd of people who had welcomed the Roving King—so the Emperor and the Crown Prince were good after all, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard riders were good people too. It was they themselves who were ungrateful, unruly folk who did not know what was good for them!

And so when the Chongzhen Emperor and Zhu Cilang left the Tianjin garrison and headed for Dagukou, the people of the southern city of the Tianjin garrison were utterly heartbroken!

Such a good emperor, such a good crown prince—how could they not have cherished them? Now they were leaving, and how was everyone to live from now on?

Thus in the early morning of the sixth day of the fourth month of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, when the sky was only just beginning to brighten, the southern city of the Tianjin garrison saw every household emptied into the streets. Countless commoners thronged the road leading from the Tianjin Governor's yamen to the wharf outside the northern gate, weeping as they awaited the appearance of their enlightened sovereign Chongzhen and the foundation of the state, Zhu Cilang.

Most of them had come to bid farewell to Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang. A smaller portion had packed their belongings and waited by the roadside with their families, prepared to follow the good emperor and good crown prince southward—these were mostly artisan households of Tianjin. Since the Wanli-era war in Korea, Tianjin had been a major northern center of military industry, and even now it retained a good number of artisans whose skills were passable. Zhu Cilang had Tang Ruowang and Su Ziwen gather them all up and bring them along to Dagukou. Of course, if the people of Tianjin city wished to follow, Zhu Cilang welcomed them as well.

This scene greatly startled Young Master Li Yan and Third Master Feng, who had slipped into the Tianjin garrison disguised among the refugees, preparing to storm the execution ground and rescue Hong Niangzi.

What was going on? So many people gathered to watch—surely they were not going to execute Hong Niangzi by slow slicing today? What were they to do? They had only just slipped in, had not even had time to scout the ground, and had not made contact with the brothers who had infiltrated separately. There was simply no way to storm the execution ground!

Just as they were growing anxious, the two of them suddenly saw company after company of Embroidered Uniform Guard marching along the street. As they marched, they shouted: "Silence! Silence!"

Besides shouting "Silence," these Embroidered Uniform Guard also set up cordons along both sides of the street—a sentry every five paces, a post every ten—security could not have been tighter!

Li Yan's and Feng San's hearts both sank.

So they were going to kill Hong Niangzi after all? They wondered whether it would be beheading or death by a thousand cuts.

Just as the two were growing frantic, several horses came trotting down the street. The riders were all loud-voiced, shouting all along the way: "His Majesty is passing! Officials and commoners, kneel!"

His Majesty passing?

Li Yan was stunned. So it was not about killing Hong Niangzi, but that fool of an emperor Chongzhen going out. Where was the fool going? Leaving the Tianjin garrison for Dagukou?

Then what about Hong Niangzi? Would she be taken away, or killed?

"Kneel! Kneel quickly!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard on cordon duty along the route shouted loudly. The commoners around Li Yan and Feng San knelt one after another, and the two of them had no choice but to kneel along with them.

At that moment, the weeping and wailing of the commoners rose up, growing louder and louder, until soon the whole scene was one of bitter wind and miserable rain.

"Your Majesty, you cannot leave!"

"Your Majesty, if you leave, what will become of us?"

"Your Majesty, we beg you to stay."

"Yes, once you leave, the roving bandits will come!"

Hearing what the commoners were crying out, Li Yan was utterly dumbfounded. What was going on here in the Tianjin garrison? Everywhere else in the realm people were welcoming the Roving King—how could the people here be so reluctant to part with the Zhu brigand?

What was so good about the Zhu brigand? All he knew was levying harsh taxes and miscellaneous levies, and there was no official who was not corrupt, no clerk who was not vicious. From top to bottom, none of them were good people, and none cared whether the common people lived or died! How could he compare with the incomparably benevolent and righteous Roving King of the Great Shun?

That was what he thought in his heart, but Li Yan did not dare argue with a crowd of ignorant commoners. This place was still the Zhu brigand's territory for the moment.

To better maintain their cover, Li Yan and Feng San had no choice but to open their mouths wide and wail along with the rest, blinking their eyes as they howled and secretly watched the situation on the street. They saw a troop of riders in golden helmets and golden armor advancing in formation, and amid these golden-armored riders there was, strikingly, a flash of bright red!

Li Yan and Feng San stared hard, and instantly froze on the spot.

Was that not Hong Niangzi?

She was not bound, nor was she in a prisoner's cart. She was riding a horse just like the riders, and seemed to be talking with one of the golden-armored riders. Feng San thought to himself: has she abandoned darkness for light and submitted to the court? Is it a feigned surrender? A genuine surrender? Has she used the honey trap? Should he surrender along with her and serve as a court official for a few years himself?

As for Li Yan, he instinctively reached up and touched his own head.

"Hong Niangzi, do you see? The people of the realm all long for our Great Ming!"

The one speaking with Hong Niangzi was Zhu Cilang. Although this was only his second meeting with her, their relationship had progressed quickly—Hong Niangzi had just accepted the token of the Grand Marshal's Office of the Army of Pacification that Zhu Cilang had conferred upon her. Hong Niangzi was now Zhu Cilang's subject, appointed to the rank of Chiliarch of the Marshal's Office!

This "Chiliarch of the Marshal's Office" was an office Zhu Cilang had created only the day before. Besides Chiliarch of the Marshal's Office, there were also Marshal's Office Guard, Marshal's Office Warrior, Marshal's Office Captain, Marshal's Office Squad Leader, Marshal's Office Platoon Leader, Marshal's Office Probationary Centurion, Marshal's Office Centurion, Marshal's Office Vice Chiliarch, Marshal's Office Provost, Marshal's Office Assistant Guard Commander, Marshal's Office Vice Guard Commander, Marshal's Office Guard Commander, Marshal's Office Left and Right Commissioners-in-Chief, and Grand Marshal of the Army of Pacification—fourteen grades in all. Counting Chiliarch of the Marshal's Office, that made fifteen grades, forming a military rank system from low to high.

All officers and soldiers within the Grand Marshal's Office of the Army of Pacification system were to be incorporated into this rank system.

As for the ostensible reason for granting Hong Niangzi the rank of Chiliarch of the Marshal's Office, it was so that she could legitimately take over the three garrisons of Tianjin after Zhu Cilang and Chongzhen departed.

Because in the period to follow, Zhu Cilang would very likely have to temporarily establish himself on the islands near Dagukou, and it would be best for Hong Niangzi and Li Yan to take over Tianjin.

Another recommendation for a new book, "I Am Actually Cao Pi"—a light, humorous, easy read with decent writing. Those who enjoy light-hearted works are welcome to take a look.

(End of Chapter)