Chapter 158: First Update Is Here — Begging for Monthly Tickets!

"Thousand Years, the prefectural city of Dengzhou is now firmly under the control of this subject's Left Division troops. It is truly a strong city, easy to defend and hard to attack! Its circumference is nine li, its walls are three zhang five chi high and two zhang thick, built of rammed earth faced with grey brick — extremely sturdy! Dengzhou has seven city gates: four land gates and four water gates. Outside the prefectural city there is also a water city, which is even stronger than the prefectural city. Inside it there is a harbor that can moor several dozen vessels, as well as a shipyard, an ironworks, and barracks. Beside the water city are Danya Mountain and Penglai Pavilion. Danya Mountain faces the sea on three sides and presses close against the water city on the fourth. The mountain is not high, but it is extremely steep; with a little modification, it would be a pass that ten thousand men could not force open.

Thousand Years, Governor Su and this subject both feel that Dagukou is not secure enough. Thousand Years should escort His Majesty south to Dengzhou as soon as possible."

Li Ruolian pointed at a topographical map of Dengzhou and explained to Zhu Cilang, and at the end he put forward the suggestion that Zhu Cilang and Chongzhen should go south to Dengzhou as quickly as possible.

Going south to Dengzhou was the established policy and had been in execution all along. However, there was a good deal of materiel and personnel piled up at Dagukou, so they had to proceed in batches.

The earliest batch had boarded ship and departed in the first ten days of April — the group that included Li Ruolian and Su Guansheng. More than seven thousand people had crossed the sea to Dengzhou aboard Shen Tingyang's sand ships. Afterward the sand ships returned to Dagukou, bringing back a batch of red cloth and various daily necessities, and also bringing the former Governor of Denglai, Zeng Hualong.

On the fifteenth day of the fourth month, Shen Tingyang led the sand-ship fleet out of Dagukou for the second time. This trip took Empress Zhang, the two princesses, a group of palace women and eunuchs, and some officials and ennobled families at the temporary court in Dagukou who had no duties, and it also carried off two hundred thousand shi of grain.

On the twenty-second day of the fourth month, the sand-ship fleet left Dagukou for the third time. This trip took another batch of officials and ennobled families, along with many accompanying "righteous people." The Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Zhu Chunjie and Zhu Cilang's teacher, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Lin Zengzhi, also went along, and they took half of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, 1.2 million taels of silver, and one hundred thousand shi of grain.

Tomorrow, the third day of the fifth month, the sand-ship fleet will leave Dagukou for the fourth time. Empress Zhou, Selected Lady Ning, Selected Lady Fei, the family members of the officials and ennobled families still stranded at Dagukou, the greater part of the Right Division of the Hard-Working New Army, more than one million taels of silver, and one hundred thousand shi of grain will all be transported to Dengzhou as well.

However, Zhu Cilang and the Chongzhen Emperor, two brigades of the Center and Right Divisions of the Hard-Working New Army, the Grand Marshal's Office, and a fairly streamlined court will continue to remain at Dagukou.

Of course, by then, the people remaining at Dagukou will no longer stay in Dagukou city; they will all move to Haisha Island.

Zhu Cilang intended to meet the Manchu elite troops on Haisha Island and shatter the myth of the Eight Banners' invincible army and heaven-sent soldiers.

After the achievement of breaking the Eight Banners' elite troops, Zhu Cilang would escort the Chongzhen Emperor away in grand, swaggering style. But he would not abandon the strongpoint of Haisha Island!

This was a fine place for slapping Dorgon right across his big, bearded, basin-like face — how could he give it up? Moreover, Haisha Island was the landmark site proving that Zhu Cilang was the mainstay of the anti-Qing struggle.

As long as the banner of the Great Ming flew one day over the bastion fort on Haisha Island, no one under heaven would dare say that Zhu Cilang did not resist the Qing. Besides, with such a face-slapping place in Ming hands, Dorgon could not throw his full strength southward without first pulling it out.

If he could not cross the Yangtze in the south, and in the north the enemy sortied from Haisha Island and struck all the way to Beijing, then it would no longer be a mere question of losing face! Dorgon the Prince Regent was no good man — he held the emperor hostage, slept with the empress dowager, was arrogant and domineering, and stopped at no evil. Even among the Tartars themselves, quite a few opposed him. If his prestige truly collapsed, someone might well do away with him!

"There is no hurry about going south. Once We have broken the Eight Banners' invincibility, We will go south." Zhu Cilang smiled. "But Haisha Island cannot be lost, Commander Li. This place will be given to you to manage. Are you confident?"

"Defend Haisha Island?" Li Ruolian frowned. "Spring, summer, and autumn are easy enough. As long as the Wei River does not freeze over, defending the island is always easy. But in winter..."

"Holding it through summer and autumn is enough. Haisha Fort is a Western-style fortress. With enough firelocks and cannon, two or three thousand men can hold off several times their number." Zhu Cilang smiled. "We must let the common people of the north all see that the Eight Banners' heaven-sent soldiers are nothing much — they cannot even take a little seaside fort!"

Li Ruolian shook his head. "Thousand Years, this is a fortress hanging alone at the enemy's very doorstep. It is not only a question of whether it can be held, but of whether anyone dares hold it."

Zhu Cilang nodded with a smile. "We know, We know. There is no need for your Left Division troops to hold it. We will arrange for brave men who do not fear the Tartars to garrison the city."

Just as they were discussing this, there came a knock at the door outside, and then Chen Yidao — Zhu Cilang's chief bodyguard and also the Mobile Corps Commander of the Left Brigade of the Center Division of the Hard-Working New Army — poked his head in, his face wreathed in smiles.

"Thousand Years, the auspicious hour has arrived."

Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded. "Understood." He turned to Li Ruolian and said, "Today We are the bridegroom!"

Li Ruolian rose to his feet and saluted Zhu Cilang with clasped hands. "This subject congratulates Thousand Years."

Zhu Cilang laughed heartily. "Enough. Go and drink."

With that, he rose and followed Chen Yidao out of the hall and toward the rear residence where he lived, the smile on his face impossible to conceal.

Marriage — he had been through it in his previous life. But he had never taken concubines, let alone three at once, and all of them tender, fresh young girls, surely still virgins.

Being the Crown Prince was getting more and more enjoyable!

Supported by older palace women, the three young girls changed into bright red wedding clothes and, heads lowered, shyly shuffled step by step up to Zhu Cilang. In fact, these three girls had long known Zhu Cilang. Wu Sanmei and Fei Lan'er were quite familiar with the Crown Prince. But Zhu Cilang had observed all the proprieties required of him and had not touched their bodies.

Oh, Zhu Cilang had observed propriety only toward Wu Sanmei — he could not now give Wu Sanmei the title of consort, but he still intended to treat her as his proper wife, not as a concubine, so he could not take her without the proper rites. As for Fei Zhen'e, he could not take her either — what if she became pregnant? Then there would be another succession struggle? Why invite trouble?

Of course, Zhu Cilang's arrangement was not purely to win over Wu Xiang and Wu Sanfu. He genuinely liked Wu Sanmei. Although Wu Sanmei's looks could not compare with Fei Zhen'e or Ning Xiangyu — she was somewhat big-boned — Zhu Cilang simply liked her. He could talk with her and play with her; perhaps this was fate.

By now Zhu Cilang's gaze had been drawn to Wu Sanmei's tall figure. Whether or not love makes a beauty of the beloved, Zhu Cilang now simply felt this tall girl was lovely — the girl was fair-skinned and tall; her features and face were on the large side, but under the careful makeup of several old palace women skilled in cosmetics, her flaws were completely concealed. What was presented to Zhu Cilang was plainly a flower-like great beauty.

Moreover, this great beauty's temperament was cheerful enough. In this age, brides were expected to weep and wail as if at a funeral! Look at Selected Lady Ning — her eyes were red from crying (she had gone from a proper consort to a mere selected lady; no wonder she wept). Selected Lady Fei was just right: a layer of tears welled in her eyes as she gazed mistily at Zhu Cilang, truly pitiable — she had probably practiced in front of a bronze mirror who knew how many times.

But Wu Sanmei just grinned, not shy in the least! What a silly, sweet, innocent big girl!

All three girls knelt before Zhu Cilang and kowtowed according to ritual. Then Wu Sanmei spoke: "Crown Prince Thousand Years, the hour is late. Please disrobe and rest. Which sister does Your Highness wish to attend you tonight? We sisters are of humble willow-and-rush beauty, and only hope for Thousand Years' tender regard and affection..."

What she said was all stock palace phrasing, likely memorized beforehand. Before she could finish, Zhu Cilang burst out laughing. "Sanmei, you stay. Selected Lady Ning, Selected Lady Fei, go and rest first."

Just then, a rolling rumble of muffled thunder came from outside the window. Zhu Cilang turned and glanced out. The dusk sky was very dark and heavy, as if it would rain again. Zhu Cilang thought: this rain should hinder the Tartars' movements somewhat, shouldn't it?

He withdrew his gaze, then stood and strode toward Wu Sanmei, took her jade-like hand, and walked toward his bedchamber.

There are three more updates after this, coming up soon!

(End of chapter)