Chapter 326: Either Wu Dies, or Shun Falls (Bonus Chapter for 5,800 Votes)

"Higher, higher! Damn it, it's crooked — I'll do it myself."

Liu Sheng stood with his hands tucked in his sleeves on the steps of the Prince of Pingxi's mansion in Luoyang, watching a few personal guards and servants hang lanterns, set up screens, and wrap the trees with strips of colored cloth. The bleak winter grounds of the former Prince of Fu's mansion were thus decked out in a show of wealth and splendor.

There was some splendor, to be sure, but every one of the personal guards and servants in the courtyard wore a long face — you could tell at a glance they were in no mood for the New Year festivities. Small wonder, though: at festival times, one misses one's kin all the more! Traitors to the Ming though they were, they still longed for their families back in Liaoxi.

They had been away from home on campaign for several months now, and the time of their return was nowhere in sight. As the year drew to a close, word had even spread through the army that the entire Guanning Army was to be transferred to Shaanxi!

Transfer to Shaanxi meant the officers and men of the Guanning Army would never be able to return to their homes in Liaoxi. Had it been a transfer to Jiangnan, that would have been one thing — Jiangnan was rich, the lands beyond the frontier poor; at worst they could bring their parents, wives, and children along to enjoy the good life.

But transfer to Shaanxi — what good was there in Shaanxi? Word was it was poor and bitter, plagued by drought year after year, and the common folk were so destitute they had no food to eat and had no choice but to turn roving bandit! Better to stay put in their old homes in Liaoxi than be transferred to Shaanxi!

Look how fine things were in Liaoxi and Liaodong now — the Tartars had come through the Pass, and countless acres of rich black soil lay abandoned; plant anything at all and you'd get a bumper harvest!

The cold didn't bother them in the least — it was only one season of wheat, after all; as long as there was plenty of good land, life could always be made comfortable.

So no one had the slightest interest in leaving their homes to seek their fortunes in Shaanxi — and besides, Shaanxi still had roving bandits! Who knew whether they'd even survive the trip?

Before Li Zicheng's strength had been fully broken, that battle at Shanhai Pass — the roving bandits had fought so hard against so many Tartar troops that the whole Guanning Army, high and low, had been thoroughly shocked.

The later victory in Shanxi had also been somewhat lucky. Had the Prince not shown his uncanny cunning and struck at the roving bandits' rear, the outcome would have been very hard to call!

But such clever strokes of fortune could certainly not be counted on. That was the roving bandits' home ground, after all — to defend their homes, wouldn't they fight to the death?

Very likely, once this New Year had passed, they would all have to take a stroll past the gates of Hell.

Having used a long bamboo pole to hang several large red lanterns up high, Liu Sheng too had lost any taste for the festivities. He glanced around, thought it would do, and was about to leave the mansion to visit a brothel and, along the way, meet with an agent the Northern Provost Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had stationed in Luoyang. He had just reached the mansion's main gate when he heard the clatter of hooves, and then a gate officer came in from outside. Seeing Liu Sheng, the officer cupped his hands and said, "Assistant Regional Commander Liu, Second Master Zu has come from Beijing. He's already entered the city and is on his way to the mansion — please report it at once."

Second Master Zu was Zu Zepu, who had turned traitor after the Battle of Dagu. At first, because of Zu Dashou, he had been quite well received by the Manchu Qing, inducted into the Han Bordered Yellow Banner and given the rank of First-Class Imperial Bodyguard. For a time he had even been posted to Wu Sangui's army to earn merit — every sign that he was marked for important employment.

But those good days came to an abrupt end when Zu Kefa came back from the dead and became one of the "Four Ministers"!

The whole affair had been made far too ugly. What had been a proper "twice-serving minister" had doubled in the blink of an eye — and what was more, the man had previously been given a grand funeral, complete with a posthumous title, and many Eight Banners nobles had even contributed mourning gifts. Then he came back to life and became the Ming's marriage envoy, making the sons of both the Zu and Wu families lose all face.

In the eyes of the Eight Banners masters, every last servant of the Zu and Wu families was a candidate "thrice-serving minister," a candidate "four-times-serving minister"!

Those sons who made their living in Wu Sangui's army were of course unaffected, but those serving as traitors elsewhere all resigned their posts and went home to live off the family rice.

This Zu Zepu, Second Master Zu, was no exception. Too ashamed to remain a bodyguard, he had resigned his post in the twelfth month and gone home to sponge off his family. But Dorgon did not let him idle for long: just before the year's end, he gave him a plum assignment he could never have dreamed of — to go to Luoyang and deliver an edict to Wu Sangui's army. After delivering the edict, he was not to return to Beijing, but to take up office under Wu Sangui as Prefect of Henan (the Luoyang area belonged to Henan Prefecture) and rake in money to his heart's content!

But the Prince Regent was not giving Zu Zepu a money-raking post for nothing — there were conditions! And the condition was that he had to coax Wu Sangui, that candidate thrice-serving minister, into attacking Li Zicheng.

Not only coax him — he had to make Wu Sangui believe that Dorgon, the Prince Regent, that most ruthless man in the Qing who held the Son of Heaven hostage and slept with the Empress Dowager, trusted Wu Sangui, and that the Guanning Army's westward campaign through Tong Pass was certain to be victorious!

"Changbo, the Prince Regent truly trusts our Guanning Army!"

"I know, I know," Wu Sangui nodded repeatedly, his face earnest. "Our Guanning Army is likewise loyal to the Prince Regent!"

Inside the mansion's study, only Wu Sangui, Zu Zepu, and Liu Sheng now remained. Wu and Zu sat facing each other, while Liu Sheng spread open a map covering the terrain of Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi across the desk before the two men. After laying out the map, he did not withdraw, but stood behind Wu Sangui.

"Changbo." Zu Zepu looked at Wu Sangui and went on, "The Prince Regent has no other intention than to have you, the Prince of Pingxi, go and pacify the west. The Prince Regent has also made clear that the western campaign is certain to be victorious! Nor will the Guanning Army be allowed to suffer heavy casualties."

"Is that so?" Wu Sangui responded flatly.

Seeing Wu Sangui's lukewarm manner, Zu Zepu added, "The Prince Regent has said that Hooge, Oboi, and the rest are forbidden to advance into Shandong or Henan, and Luoluohun's Bordered Red Banner army is not to move either!

That is the main strength of five banners. Together with the troops each banner has left garrisoning Beijing, there are a full forty thousand true Manchus ready to move at any moment. Changbo, our slender arms cannot twist the Prince Regent's thick thigh."

Wu Sangui shook his head. "But... Li Zicheng is no weakling either!"

"Li Zicheng is easy to deal with!" said Zu Zepu. "The Prince Regent already has a plan for handling Li Zicheng. As long as you can mass troops beyond Tong Pass and draw Li Zicheng's main force, the Eight Banners army can catch him completely off guard!"

Wu Sangui frowned deeply and said thoughtfully, "Li Zicheng is no weakling! Shaanxi is his home base — he will never give it up easily."

Zu Zepu shook his head. "Changbo, Li Zicheng may not be weak, but the Eight Banners troops are fiercer still! Li Zicheng will not easily abandon Shaanxi, and the Prince Regent will not let us remain in Henan for long. Marching west is the only way out for our Guanning Army!"

"This..." Wu Sangui thought for a moment. "What about marching south to Xiangyang?"

Zu Zepu said, "Changbo, do you want to take Xiangyang so you can return to the Ming? Do you think the Prince Regent would give you that chance? Marching west is already our best way out! And you may rest assured, the Prince Regent will not let us die on the westward march — because if we die, Li Zicheng lives!"

Wu Sangui was taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"

(End of Chapter)