Chapter 1336: Where Did This Child Vice Magistrate Come From?

The river flowed gently, slowly making its way toward the Yangtze. After the onset of autumn, rain had grown scarce, and the Sanjiang Stream, which ran swift and turbulent in spring and summer, had now become calm and mild.

Ma Wanchun, who had just returned to his hometown in the name of the County Magistrate of Shizhu, was dressed in a neat narrow-sleeved official robe, leading a group of Ma family soldiers on patrol along the south bank of the Sanjiang Stream.

Perhaps Heaven could not bear to see the people of Sichuan, already ground down by years of Ming-Shun warfare, suffer further calamities, for since the start of summer this year the weather in Sichuan had been fairly favorable. There had been no torrential downpours in summer, nor many consecutive days of drought in autumn. Although the effects of the Little Ice Age had not yet passed and annual rainfall was still on the low side, the impact on agricultural production was not too great. In particular, after sweet potatoes and potatoes from the New World were introduced here, the terraced fields on the slopes along both banks of the Sanjiang Stream had come to feed tens of thousands of Shizhu peasants — the rice grown in the paddy fields below the mountains all had to be handed over to the garrison-farm soldiers and the Shun court, and the peasants of Shizhu had not tasted rice for several years! Their daily fare, apart from sweet potatoes and potatoes, was the native Chinese taro.

Although Shizhu had only recently been swept by the flames of war and was still not entirely stable, with remnants of Shun garrison-farm soldiers entrenched in the nearby mountains — because Shizhu had fallen so quickly, the local garrison-farm households had had no time to retreat and had no choice but to take to the hills in the surrounding mountains and turn bandit.

In fact, taking to the hills when the enemy seized Shizhu by surprise had always been one of the emergency plans of the Shizhu Zhechong Garrison.

Because Shizhu lay right on the front line, wedged between Zunyi Prefecture and Shizhou Guard, and because Ma Wannian, the Ming Military Commissioner of Western Sichuan based in Zunyi Prefecture, came from a family that had been the native chieftains of Shizhu for centuries, he could find his way through the mountains and waters around Shizhu with his eyes closed.

So the Shun's Shizhu Zhechong Garrison had also had to plan for the worst — that Shizhu city might be raided and seized by the Ma family's troops. In that event, the local garrison-farm households of Shizhu were to withdraw immediately to Dafeng Fort in the nearby mountains, hold the mountain passes, resist the remnant Ming, and await the return of the Shun's heavenly troops.

But beyond the expectations of the garrison-farm households here in Shizhu, the present situation was even worse than the worst they had imagined!

They had indeed withdrawn in time to Dafeng Fort in the Qiyao Mountains when the Ming army attacked, taking with them large quantities of grain and supplies, and Dafeng Fort also held grain and supplies accumulated over the years, enough to sustain them for half a year or more.

But the Shun's heavenly troops would not be coming back. All of Sichuan was changing hands!

Yet these garrison-farm households up in Dafeng Fort gave Ma Wanchun a huge headache. Dafeng Fort lay deep in the Qiyao Mountains, with high peaks and treacherous paths, surrounded by unbroken forested hills. In the old days when the Ma family ruled Shizhu, bandits had infested that area. The Ma family had expended untold effort and still never completely wiped them out. Later they had been pacified and recruited by the Shun court, and it seemed they had all been sent off to the border region between western Sichuan and Ü-Tsang to serve as garrison-farm soldiers, and the vacated Dafeng Fort had fallen into the hands of the Shizhu Zhechong Garrison, which had then expanded it year after year, continuously building stockades for stationing troops and storing grain, as well as passes guarding the mountain roads.

Even Ma Wanchun, a county magistrate who knew the terrain around Shizhu like the back of his hand, did not know for the moment how to wipe them out.

So all he could do now was lead a group of household retainers — actually soldiers of the Western Sichuan Army — on constant patrols around Shizhu city to calm the people.

But the Shun garrison-farm soldiers up in Dafeng Fort gave this parent-official of Shizhu no face at all, sending down small bands from time to time to burn, kill, and plunder, sowing panic, yet never engaging Ma Wanchun's men in battle — they would strike and then slip away.

Driven to his wits' end by the garrison-farm bandits in Dafeng Fort, Ma Wanchun had no choice but to send urgent appeals for help to the Western Sichuan Military Commission and the newly formed Eastern Sichuan Military Commission.

But the urgent dispatches had gone out days ago, and there was still no sign of any relief troops.

He stopped on a high slope, clasped his hands behind his back, and gazed at the busy scene of peasants harvesting rice, sweet potatoes, taro, and potatoes up and down the mountains, lost in thought.

A middle-aged officer of the Western Sichuan Army came panting up the hill, drew close to him, and said in a low voice: "Magistrate, a youth calling himself Zhu Yun, the Vice Magistrate of Shizhu County, has arrived from the direction of Fengdu with several hundred cavalry, and is almost at the county seat!"

"What?" Ma Wanchun was taken aback. "A Vice Magistrate of Shizhu? Our Shizhu is such a tiny patch of land with hardly any people at all — what need is there for a Vice Magistrate?" He thought for a moment, then asked, "Is this real or fake? Could it be roving bandits from Dafeng Fort in disguise?"

The middle-aged officer shook his head: "It doesn't look like it. The several hundred black-clad soldiers following that Vice Magistrate are all riding fold-eared horses and carrying flintlock muskets on their backs. They can't possibly be roving bandits from Dafeng Fort."

"All riding fold-eared horses and carrying flintlock muskets?" Ma Wanchun was stunned. "The roving bandits up in Dafeng Fort couldn't have horses and guns that good, but roving bandits elsewhere do have flintlocks and fold-eared horses. Didn't Shang Kexi and his son fall to roving bandits riding fold-eared horses?"

"Now that you mention it, Magistrate, I remember too," the middle-aged officer said, growing tense as well. "Magistrate, you should return to the city with me at once and prepare for battle!"

Ma Wanchun nodded, then waved his arm and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Brothers, fall in! Back to Shizhu city!"

The one arriving at Shizhu bearing the appointment papers for the Vice Magistrate of Shizhu County, Zhu Yun, was of course none other than the lucky Crown Prince Zhu Hexing. He could not take up the post under the title of Crown Prince — first, for his own safety; second, to avoid frightening the local officials of Shizhu.

The title of Crown Prince was too grand — what if it scared people out of their wits?

Of course, the Emperor was still quite concerned for the safety of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, and while forbidding them to reveal their identities, he had also detached a battalion of the Imperial Guard to escort him and Ding Yuying to their post.

They had left Yiling Prefecture in mid-August and headed west, traveling overland through the Three Gorges, then boarded a boat at Yunyang, journeyed west to Fengdu, and then followed the Sanjiang Stream eastward to Shizhu.

Accompanying them was Xia Wanchun, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Eastern Sichuan Military Commission — he of course knew the Crown Prince, and found the Emperor's arrangement somewhat laughable and awkward, but he was a soldier and had to obey orders.

He also knew Ma Wanchun, because he had once served as an instructor in the Western Sichuan Army, responsible for training its new troops, and so knew the Ma brothers. This was why Wang Zhou, the Military Commissioner of Eastern Sichuan, had assigned him to escort the Crown Prince to his post.

But to avoid drawing attention, Xia Wanchun had not identified himself to the Western Sichuan Army sentry post stationed at Shizhu, and so he, together with Zhu Hexing and Ding Yuying, was turned away at the gates of Shizhu city!

Seeing the gates of Shizhu city tightly shut, Xia Wanchun had no choice but to ride forward, and when he reached the base of the wall he bellowed at the top of his voice: "Ma Wanchun, County Magistrate Ma! I am Xia Wanchun, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Eastern Sichuan Military Commission — open the gate for me at once!"

What? Xia Wanchun, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Eastern Sichuan Military Commission!

Ma Wanchun, who was observing the "enemy situation" from the top of Shizhu's wall with a group of fully armed men, had thought the red-robed Xia Wanchun looked familiar. Now, hearing him shout, he hastily raised a telescope for a closer look — and sure enough, it was Xia Wanchun!

Ma Wanchun still had some doubts. "Adjutant Xia, what brings you here? Are those black-clad soldiers also under your command? Which unit are they from?"

Xia Wanchun replied: "I have come by order of Commander Wang to inspect the enemy situation. Did you not report that there are roving bandits up in Dafeng Fort? Those black-clad soldiers are all Imperial Guards, and they came with Vice Magistrate Zhu!"

Several hundred Imperial Guards? They must be here to suppress the bandits! This time the roving bandits up in Dafeng Fort are finally in for it!

Ma Wanchun no longer had any doubts. He immediately ordered the city gates opened, then led his men out of the city. Zhu Hexing and Ding Yuying also arrived at the city gate with several hundred mounted Imperial Guards. Both were on horseback, riding side by side, and came up beside Xia Wanchun.

Seeing the two of them, Ma Wanchun was dumbfounded again. Who were these two children? Were they Xia Wanchun's son and daughter? Where was Vice Magistrate Zhu?

At that moment Xia Wanchun pointed at Zhu Hexing and said: "This is your Shizhu County's Vice Magistrate Zhu!"

Ma Wanchun stared at the absurdly young Zhu Hexing, stunned again and again. What was going on here? This child was the Vice Magistrate of Shizhu County? What kind of joke was this! What could a little brat possibly understand? How could he serve as Vice Magistrate?

(End of Chapter)