Chapter 144: Heads Are Rolling

"The Grand Secretary misunderstands — this humble official has not come to collect a debt." Luo Xiushen wore a bitter smile. He truly should not have stayed in Beijing. A perfectly good high official of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and now he had sunk to being a villain collecting debts for the King of Hell.

"Not collecting a debt?" Chen Yan looked at Luo Xiushen pitifully, his heart still crawling with unease.

He really had no money left. He had sold everything that could be sold and begged everyone who could be begged. He and his son were nearly out of money even for food. These past few days food in Beijing had been expensive, forcing father and son to eat only one meal a day — and even so they could not hold out many more days! Once the money ran out, they would starve to death in Beijing!

Yet he would rather starve than go back to the Northern Provost's office for another round of the ankle-press! That hurt far too much.

"It is His Majesty who summons you," Luo Xiushen said.

"What does His Majesty summon me for?" Chen Yan asked, voice trembling. He was stirred! To be able to see Li Zicheng meant he still had hope — hope of staying alive and of holding office!

Otherwise, what would Li Zicheng want with him? It could not be to collect a debt, surely? An emperor personally collecting debts would be too absurd.

"His Majesty is setting out today to chastise the remnants of the Zhu traitor," Luo Xiushen said in a low voice. "All the officials are to see him off outside the Gate of Heavenly Succession. The edict summons the Grand Secretary to attend as well."

To go see the Emperor? It must be to grant him an office! Vast imperial grace!

Chen Yan was so stirred that tears nearly streamed down his face. Had both his shins not been broken and still unhealed, he would have knelt toward the Forbidden City.

"My son," Chen Yan hastily called for his son Chen Shiwen, "quickly, fetch your father's official robe."

"Wait," Luo Xiushen said hurriedly. "Grand Secretary, where would you get an official robe? Surely it is not a Ming python robe?"

"Of course not." Chen Yan shook his head. "This old man has a blue silk scholar's robe that will serve as an official robe."

"Oh." Luo Xiushen looked Chen Yan over. He was dressed all in plain cloth, tattered and patched, a truly wretched sight. Who would have thought he had kept a silk scholar's robe for himself.

The garment was quickly fetched, and it turned out to be brand new, finely made — it must have been commissioned back when Chen Yan was a high Ming official. Being blue, it could have been sold for a bit of money now, enough to feed father and son for several days.

But Chen Yan could not bear to part with it, because it looked so much like a Shun official robe!

Who would have thought it would actually come in handy!

With the help of Chen Shiwen and the men Luo Xiushen had brought, the broken-limbed Chen Yan was soon dressed in his "official robe." He could not walk himself, and Chen Shiwen, underfed for days, could not carry him either, so Luo Xiushen found a strong subordinate to hoist Chen Yan onto his back and set off. Chen Yan's son Chen Shiwen came along too, the young man's face wearing the same barely contained excitement.

However fierce the Shun emperor might be, so long as he let Chen Yan hold office — even a sesame-seed post — he would be the sovereign father of the Chen family, father and son!

Could a subject be anything but delighted to see his sovereign father?

Luo Xiushen and the Chen father and son soon arrived outside the Gate of Heavenly Succession, where many officials had already gathered, arrayed by civil and military rank and grade. The civil officials were led by the Chancellor Niu Jinxing, and the military by Li Guo — historically Li Guo had followed Li Zicheng to the front at Shanhai Pass, but now Li Guo's forces had suffered heavy losses at Tianjin, so he had been left to hold Beijing. Li Zicheng had instead assigned Liu Fangliang to lead troops on the campaign.

Besides these Shun civil and military officials, there were also some former Ming officials who had had their limbs broken — seven or eight of them — set apart in a group, all kneeling behind the smaller Shun military contingent. And behind them stood several burly Shun old-camp soldiers as guards, every man with a hand on his saber hilt, quite intimidating.

Luo Xiushen brought Chen Yan over there as well and said with a smile, "Grand Secretary Chen, this is the place."

"Grand Secretary, you have come too?"

"Quick, quick, make room for the Grand Secretary."

The kneeling men all greeted Chen Yan warmly. They were like him, their hands and feet ruined by the ankle-press, so they could not bow or salute properly; everyone could only nod in greeting.

Chen Yan's son also wanted to stay and face the Emperor with his father. He spoke to Luo Xiushen, who could not decide on his own, so he asked a man who appeared to be a Shun officer. The man nodded: "Since he wants to stay, let him join them."

With permission granted, Chen Shiwen knelt beside his father to await Li Zicheng. Luo Xiushen went over to the Shun military ranks and stood beside his elder brother Luo Yangxing. Before long, they saw Li Zicheng ride out through the Gate of Heavenly Succession on a tall horse, escorted by a troop of imperial bodyguards.

All the civil and military officials waiting outside the Gate of Heavenly Succession dropped to their knees, roaring "Long live His Majesty!" Li Zicheng rode at the head of the column and came to a stop beside Li Guo.

"One-Tiger, you have fought a hundred battles and you are Our nephew, so We leave you to hold Beijing. Be extremely careful — not the slightest mistake. Also keep watch on Tianjin. The Red Lady has few men there, only two or three thousand, not enough for a decisive battle. If the Zhu traitor counterattacks from Dagu, do not sally out to fight recklessly; just hold the city tightly."

"As commanded!" Li Guo answered loudly.

Li Zicheng nodded. "Rise."

Li Guo rose at these words and stood before Li Zicheng's horse.

Li Zicheng asked with a smile, "Have the traitors for the banner sacrifice been brought?"

"They have arrived," Li Guo answered.

"Good!" Li Zicheng nodded. "Behead them all!"

"As commanded!" Li Guo raised his arm and swept it toward the distance. Then three signal cannons boomed, and the Shun soldiers standing behind Chen Yan, Chen Shiwen, and the others all moved into action. Some stepped forward to pin down the Ming officials and ennobled lords; others drew their gleaming sabers.

Chen Yan too was seized by the arm and forced to the ground. By now he sensed something was very wrong, and he shouted, "What are you doing? What are you doing?"

A voice with a Shaanxi accent answered from behind: "Beheading! Hold still, hold still — one stroke settles it, nice and quick, eh?"

Ah… beheading!

Chen Yan was so shocked his mouth hung open. How could he be so unlucky, seized for no reason and brought here to be beheaded? What kind of world was this? Was there no justice at all?

Just then, a "crack" sounded by his ear, and he saw something roll down beneath his knees. He stared hard — it was his own son Chen Shiwen's head!

"My son…" He had barely begun to wail when a steel blade swept down toward his neck!

Chen Yan's head fell to the ground!

The heads of Chen Yan and the other Ming officials were nothing more than tools for Li Zicheng to overawe the people. In recent days, in order to raise military funds, he had thoroughly driven the Ming officials who had surrendered to him into opposition. Moreover, the merchants and even the common people of Beijing had all suffered harm to varying degrees.

The merchants were forced to contribute military funds, while the common people fell into poverty from supply shortages, unemployment, and other causes. Some were even harassed by ill-disciplined Shun officers and soldiers. Their hopes for the Shun had all turned to disappointment, and some were beginning to long for the Great Ming.

Just the night before last, in some places in the outer city of Beijing, notices had been posted reading "Drive out the Roving Bandit, restore the Divine Capital, welcome back the Great Ming Emperor"! This infuriated Li Zicheng, which was why today's banner sacrifice had been staged.

"Set forth!"

After that great shout, Li Zicheng formally set out on his campaign. Behind him rode the Ming Prince of Yong, Zhu Cizhao; the Fifth Prince, Zhu Cihuan; the eunuch Wang Cheng'en; and Gao Yushun. Zhu Cihuan was too young to ride alone, so Wang Cheng'en shared a horse with him.

Li Zicheng's reason for bringing the two Chongzhen princes along was to prevent anyone from raising rebellion in Beijing under their names while he was away on campaign.

And the target of Li Zicheng's expedition this time was, as in history, Shanhai Pass — the fast route commanding the approach from the northeast to Beijing!

After several days of repeated speculation, Li Zicheng and his men had become quite certain that Wu Sangui had already left Shanhai Pass and gone south — from a group of twice-serving Ming officials, they had learned what the relationship between Zhu Cilang and Wu Sangui was. If Wu Sangui had taken his elite troops south, then he was a ruthless hero holding the Son of Heaven to command the lords! How could that be worse than staying at Shanhai Pass?

Moreover, the spies Old Li had sent to Shanhai Pass had also obtained definite news: no large Tartar army had appeared outside Shanhai Pass!

So Li Zicheng's final decision was to seize the moment and take Shanhai Pass first, then use Shanhai Pass and Beijing as his bases, relying on the mobility of the old-camp troops to hold out against the Tartars who had entered the passes!

(End of Chapter)