Chapter 626: Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage, Don't Run!

Qufu.

Several household retainers of the Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage's mansion flew straight into the great fortress of Qufu. These retainers were all dressed like wandering blades of the jianghu, had not come on horseback but on foot, and were covered from head to toe in dust and grime. The reason they were called household retainers rather than household servants was that every one of them bore the surname Kong!

And it was not a surname they had adopted later, but one passed down from their ancestors! Two of them were of the Xing generation and had to call Kong Yinzhi "uncle." Another was of the same generation as Kong Yinzhi and could call him "elder brother."

None of them, however, were of the main line; they were all collateral branches whose blood ties to Kong Yinzhi were very distant.

Confucius's descendants were numerous, reaching more than three million in later ages! In the late Ming there were not yet so many, but the line flourished, with tens of thousands of able-bodied males alone, more than half of whom belonged to the northern branch, that is, the line descended from the Kong clan of Qufu.

Yet in these times even the noble scions of the Zhu Ming dynasty could not be sure of surviving from one day to the next, let alone the descendants of the Kong clan. Close kin of the Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage might still receive some care, but those distant and collateral lines could no longer be looked after. In times of peace and prosperity, these collateral Kong branches could still enjoy a little reflected glory and live a life of "farming and study handed down through the family" — which meant collecting rent and reading books.

But in the great chaos of the present age, no surname was of any use! Here in Shandong, the collateral and lesser descendants of the old Kong family were worth even less. Not only were they worthless, they had also become targets for the accursed eastern barbarians to wipe out — were the eastern barbarians not coming to overturn Confucius's tomb? If the ancestral graves could not be protected, could these filial sons and worthy grandsons of the Kong clan possibly meet a good end? So those with any spirit naturally gathered at Qufu to defend their ancestors.

And at first, these Kong descendants who came to Qufu to defend their ancestors were quite welcomed by the Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage, Kong Yinzhi — after all, they were his own people, and surely more reliable than the men under that "law-thief" Shi Kefa?

So Kong Yinzhi did his utmost to recruit these Kong sons into the Duke's mansion and the Qufu militia army, hoping through them to gain control of some troops and check the "Great Law-Thief Shi." But after two or three years, Kong Yinzhi was thoroughly disappointed in these relatives. The great majority were good for eating but not for fighting, always coming to Kong Yinzhi for silver, food, and drink, and they were hard to discipline, forever dragging out the ancestors at the slightest provocation.

Over time, these Kong scions gradually vanished from the Qufu trained army. Some Kong descendants who still had a little property packed up their families and went southeast, while those with empty hands were all gathered into the Duke's mansion and became so-called "household retainers."

Among this crowd of Kong household retainers, however, there were a few who could adapt to this age of chaos, and they became the most trusted confidants of the Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage, Kong Yinzhi.

Kong Yinzheng, who had just entered the city with two nephews of his own clan, was one Kong son well able to adapt to the chaos. Although he was of the same generation as Kong Yinzhi, he was far younger, just past twenty this year, and he did not look like a Kong at all — tall, burly, six chi in height, his face pitch-black, with whiskers like steel needles growing in a wild tangle on his jowls. At first glance he looked like a highway robber. Add two axes and he would have been the spitting image of Li Kui.

Not only did he not look like a Kong descendant, he also had little taste for study. He remembered only half of the Analects, but he had strength in abundance. He loved to practice with spear and staff, draw the bow and shoot, and had trained himself in fine martial skills. In a time of peace and prosperity, a fellow like him would not even have deserved the surname Kong. But now Qufu had become a great fortress, beaten by the Tartars every few days. So Kong Yinzhi, who looked down on those relatives who could recite the Four Books and Five Classics backwards and forwards, had promoted Kong Yinzheng to be a drill instructor of spear and staff, and sometimes sent him out of the city on important missions.

This time he had gone out of the city to carry out a mission specially assigned by the Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage — to observe the battle! To observe the great battle between the Ming and Qing armies outside Qufu!

This was a battle on which the very survival of the Qufu Kong family depended, and Kong Yinzhi and several elder worthies of the Kong family all had their loyal hearts in their throats.

In the inner hall of the Duke's mansion, several Kong elders in Daoist robes and Confucian caps, together with the Duke himself, had today at last received the fateful news.

"Brother Sage Duke!" Kong Yinzheng had not even changed his clothes, arriving covered in dust and grime, and upon seeing Kong Yinzhi he prostrated himself. He also affectionately addressed Kong Yinzhi as "Brother Sage Duke" — why did that sound so much like the White Lotus Sect?

Kong Yinzhi did not quibble with this boor, but only pressed him repeatedly: "Well? Who won?"

Kong Yinzheng said: "The eastern barbarians won! His Imperial Majesty was utterly defeated, and many of his cannon were captured. Brother Sage Duke, quickly make arrangements to defend the city!"

"The Em— the Emperor was defeated?" Kong Yinzhi asked nervously. "Was he— was he—"

"Is Brother Sage Duke asking whether His Imperial Majesty was killed by the eastern barbarians?"

Kong Yinzhi's eyes went wide, and he nodded.

"I don't know!" Kong Yinzheng only shook his head. "I was watching the battle from the Daiyang Temple on Beili Mountain north of the Dawen River, more than ten li from the battlefield. Even with a telescope I could not have found His Imperial Majesty."

"Then how do you know His Imperial Majesty was on the battlefield?" asked an old man whose generation was senior even to Kong Yinzhi and Kong Yinzheng.

"There were twelve Son of Heaven banners and the banner of the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor, Returned to the World. I recognize all those banners!"

Had Zhu Cilang not earlier lent out his own banners to let Shi Kefa put on a show of strength? Dorgon had in fact not been fooled — he had not discovered the Model Division, nor seen the Iron Cavalry Regiment; he had only seen a crowd of "cart-hauling" coolie soldiers, so of course he knew Zhu Cilang was not at the front.

But Kong Yinzheng did not know that. He believed Zhu Cilang himself had been defeated by the eastern barbarians.

"It is over, over…" Kong Yinzhi shook his head again and again, tears streaming down his face. "Qufu cannot be held. The burial ground of our ancient ancestor cannot be held…"

"Is— is there truly no way?"

"The eastern barbarians would not really dig up the Kong Forest, would they?"

"Surely not? That would make enemies of all the scholars under heaven…"

Several old Kong men still did not believe Dorgon would come to dig up the Kong Forest — in truth, Kong Yinzhi did not believe it either. The whole affair was nothing but a frame-up!

But he still did not dare remain in Qufu waiting for the Qing Imperial Ama, because was it not he, this very Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage, who had stepped forward to plant the slander?

At the time, Zhu Cilang had caught him with evidence that could cost him his head, and to save his life he had obeyed Zhu Cilang in everything.

Now the Tartar Imperial Ama was about to strike. The Kong Forest would not be dug up, but a pit would be dug to bury Kong Yinzhi, this Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage.

"No, we cannot stay in Qufu. We must leave at once." Kong Yinzhi gritted his teeth. "As long as the green hills remain, there will be no lack of firewood to burn!"

"What?"

"We cannot leave!"

"Qufu is our family's—"

"If we leave, Qufu will surely fall!"

"Brother Sage Duke!"

Kong Yinzheng and several old elders were all stunned by Kong Yinzhi's words.

The great bastion of Qufu was the foundation that the Kong family and Shi Kefa had built up over many years! Its walls were as solid as gold, and no matter what Hongyi cannon, great or small, Dorgon brought, he could not batter down the walls of Qufu.

Moreover, the walls of Qufu were themselves mounted with many Hongyi cannon, so there was no fear of an artillery duel!

Furthermore, although the main force of the Qufu trained army had gone out of the city, there were still many able-bodied men inside, and the artillerymen defending the walls were still there.

If Dorgon truly came to storm Qufu, even if he could take it, casualties of ten or twenty thousand and several months of time would be unavoidable no matter what.

But if the Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage, the pillar of Qufu, fled on his own, the hearts of the people inside the city would surely scatter, and this fine fortress would fall to the eastern barbarians!

The Kong Forest might well be dug up and destroyed!

"Enough, all of you!" Kong Yinzhi roared, and his cold gaze swept around the inner hall. "The bloodline of the Sage must not be cut off in my person. Therefore this noble must leave Qufu. This is to preserve the bloodline for our ancestors — it is the duty of the Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage!"

The several Kong family members in the inner hall were all stunned by Kong Yinzhi's shamelessness!

The one thing Confucius had in greatest abundance was descendants of his bloodline! And you, Kong Yinzhi, have a son! If the bloodline must be preserved, it should be your son Kong Xingxie who goes to preserve it. You are an old man — can you even still do it?

"Gongyong," Kong Yinzhi no longer wasted words on the old men, but gave his dark-skinned brother direct orders. "This noble appoints you Steward of the Kong household! Summon the able-bodied men at once. We leave tonight, and go to Yidu to seek refuge with His Highness the Prince of Lu!"

(End of Chapter)