Chapter 189: What the Ear Hears Is Empty, What the Eye Sees Is Real (Seeking Subscriptions)

How could such a thing possibly be true? It was clearly nonsense! Shi Kefa thought to himself: this is the sort of question only Gao Jie could ask — a man of roving-bandit origins, after all, with no book learning.

At that moment Shi Kecheng, who had placed tenth in the second class of the Chongzhen sixteenth-year imperial examinations, replied: "This matter is very likely true!"

"Chibao, what are you saying?" Shi Kefa turned his head and looked at this cousin of his, his face darkening.

"Elder Brother, I do not know the details of this matter very well."

Shi Kefa said in a deep voice: "Then do not speak recklessly!"

"But I can be certain of one thing: all thirty thousand officers and men of the Hard-Working New Army believe that Thousand Years is the reincarnation of the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor!" Shi Kecheng paused, then added with emphasis, "Because by following Thousand Years, they truly gain benefits — good food, full pay, no skimming. And Thousand Years has also promised the men below that they may obtain land in Jiangnan."

"Most important of all, by following Thousand Years they truly win battles!"

Shi Kecheng said slowly: "Thousand Years defeated the roving bandits' main camp at Tianjin Guard, and at Dagukou he wiped out three thousand Manchu Tartars — both great victories! Especially that great battle at Dagukou: the heads taken alone numbered more than two thousand!"

At this the hall exploded.

"Is that true or false?"

"How could anyone defeat three thousand Manchu Tartars?"

"Could it be false credit claimed?"

"It must be killing innocents and passing them off as enemy dead."

Shi Kecheng shook his head: "It is true! By the time of the Battle of Dagukou, I had already reached Dagukou City. Though I did not go up onto the walls to watch the fighting, I was within the walls listening to the sounds outside. The gunfire was like thunder, the shouting like surging waves! Countless men were crying 'The Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor, lives again' — their morale was like a rainbow."

"After the battle ended, I went out of the city to look. Dead men and dead horses lay in swathes, and most of the dead were Tartars! Many were also taken alive — mostly men of the Tartars' Plain Yellow Banner Han troops, their heads shaved clean, only a little queue left at the back of the skull, kneeling in a great mass, weeping and crying and begging for their lives. But in the end they were still beheaded! I also went to watch the executions — truly gruesome."

Shi Dewei, standing nearby, also said: "I heard the same things in Dengzhou, and I also went to observe the Hard-Working New Army's training. Before each of the two daily drills they shout 'The Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor, lives again' — indeed the sound moves like thunder, and the spirit is extraordinary."

"Moreover, every officer and soldier of the Hard-Working New Army I came into contact with seemed to believe that Thousand Years is the reincarnation of the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor."

Everyone in the great hall fell silent. Had one's ears been sharp enough, one might even have heard the sound of indrawn breaths.

To wipe out two or three thousand Tartars in a single battle — was that not too ferocious?

After a while, it was Huang Degong who broke the silence. "Truly two drills a day? You say the Hard-Working New Army drills twice a day?"

"At least twice," Shi Dewei nodded. "Once in the morning, once in the afternoon, each drill lasting two double-hours, and sometimes night drills are added as well."

"How is that possible?"

"Who trains troops like that?"

"Would the men below agree to it?"

The crowd of civil and military officials in the hall had all commanded troops, and none had ever seen a unit that drilled two or three times a day. One session of two double-hours, two drills made four double-hours, three drills made six double-hours! Was that not madness?

Shi Kecheng interjected: "The men below all agree to it. They all believe Thousand Years is the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor, come again!"

Shi Dewei also said: "Though I did not stay many days in Dengzhou, I personally witnessed the Hard-Working New Army's training. It is indeed two or three drills a day, and the training is harsh — at the slightest offense there are military rods and confinement."

Shi Kecheng said: "With training like that, yet no mutiny, not even a single deserter — is that not precisely because everyone believes the Crown Prince is the reincarnation of the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor?"

That did seem to make some sense!

The high officials in the hall all furrowed their brows and no longer voiced objections.

In the vast hall, a suffocating silence fell once more. No one knew how long it lasted before Gao Jie cleared his throat: "As the saying goes, what the ear hears is empty, what the eye sees is real! We have now heard with our ears; only seeing with our eyes remains. Better to send a few men to see Thousand Years and the Hard-Working New Army with their own eyes. If he truly is the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor, come again, that would be a good thing!"

Shi Kefa's gaze burned bright as he suddenly fixed it on Gao Jie: "Does Commander Gao wish to make a trip to Dengzhou?"

"I will not go," Gao Jie shook his head. "There is still much military business here in Yanzhou. Jinan now has no master, and this commander wishes to go and recover it."

"This commander is the Regional Commander of Shandong," Liu Zeqing, the Shandong Regional Commander, hastily interjected. "If we are to march north on Jinan, then count this commander in. Commander Gao, let us send out troops together!"

"Grand Marshal, what do you think?" Gao Jie asked Shi Kefa with a smile.

Only then did Shi Kefa withdraw his gaze and nod: "Since you two wish to send troops to recover Jinan, this office will permit it. But you must be careful — by no means come into conflict with the Tartars." He paused. "In the battle to recover Jinan, Commander Gao shall be in chief command, with Commander Liu as his second."

"Your subordinate receives the order!"

"Your subordinate receives the order!"

The two Regional Commanders at once rose, clasped hands in salute, accepted the order, and left with smiles — if the Crown Prince was a soft persimmon, they would not mind sticking a hand in to skim some profit, but now that the Crown Prince very likely was the reincarnation of the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor, better not to wade into those muddy waters.

Shi Kefa frowned and spoke again: "Since we are to use troops against Jinan, this office must remain in Yanzhou to hold the line, and cannot get away. Which of you gentlemen is willing to make a trip to Dengzhou?"

"I will make the trip!" said Lu Zhenfei, Governor-General of the Grain Transport and concurrently Governor of Huai'an. "I superintend the grain transport, and it happens that I must escort a shipment of provisions and pay to the temporary court."

"Grand Marshal, I also wish to make a trip to Dengzhou." Ma Shiying, Governor-General of Fengyang, stroked his beard and said, "Some days ago I received an order from the Crown Prince's military-governor command instructing me to escort the deposed Prince of Tang from within the high walls on a trip to Deng — I may as well take the opportunity to go to Dengzhou and broaden my horizons."

Lu Jiude, the garrison eunuch of Fengyang, also said: "Let this servant accompany Governor Ma on a trip to Dengzhou as well! And pay his respects to His Majesty along the way!"

Zhu Chunjie, Guard Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, strode hurriedly into the Grand Marshal's Office of the Military Governor. When he reached the study where Zhu Cilang ordinarily worked, the Crown Prince was in the midst of selecting questions for the civil examination of the upcoming "Deng-Lai Special Examination." His brows were tightly knit, his entire attention fixed on several examination questions written in a notebook.

Zhu Chunjie did not dare disturb him, and at the same time felt a little curious: why did the Crown Prince attach such importance to the special examination about to begin?

The civil portion of this special examination was at best at the level of the provincial examinations. Even if a few usable talents could be selected, how much effect could that have on the overall situation of the realm?

Zhu Cilang suddenly shook his head and muttered: "What sort of questions have they set?"

Then with a wave of his hand he swept the several sheets of paper with the questions onto the floor. Only then did he notice Zhu Chunjie had arrived, and he smiled: "Chunjie, you've come?"

Zhu Chunjie was one of Zhu Cilang's most trusted confidants, and could enter his study directly without being announced.

"Your subject Zhu Chunjie respectfully wishes Thousand Years golden peace." Zhu Chunjie hastened to kneel before Zhu Cilang, but before he could kowtow, Zhu Cilang waved a hand to stop him.

"Chunjie, is there something?" Zhu Cilang asked.

"Thousand Years," Zhu Chunjie drew two envelopes from his sleeve and handed them to Zhu Cilang with both hands, "letters have come from Yanzhou and Nanjing!"

Zhu Cilang quickly took the envelopes, glanced at the names written on them, then selected the one marked with the character "Gong," opened it, took out the letter inside, and read it carefully. When he finished, his face was already brimming with smiles.

Then he tore open the envelope marked with the character "Ke," likewise took out a sheet of letter paper, and read it just as carefully. After reading for a while, the smile on his face gradually faded, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Chunjie," Zhu Cilang handed the letter in his hand to Zhu Chunjie, "take a look."

Zhu Chunjie took the letter and read it through, then frowned: "Thousand Years, Ma Shiying, Lu Zhenfei, and Lu Jiude are coming incognito — I fear it will be very hard to spot them. These past few days Dengzhou has seen many juren, xiucai, stout fellows, and guard-station officers arrive; it is all rather a jumble."

"Spot them?" Zhu Cilang laughed. "Why should we spot them? Will they not come on their own to pay their respects at the Grand Marshal's Office of the Military Governor? There is nothing in Dengzhou that cannot be shown to them, is there?"

At this point he suddenly smiled, then took a sheet of blank paper, picked up a brush, and wrote upon it: "The Tartar bandits are about to reach Deng-Lai, and their force is great — how should you meet them?" Then he burst out laughing: "This is the question!"

(End of Chapter)