Chapter 72: Certificates of Loyalty and Righteousness (Seeking Favorites, Seeking Recommendations)

"What? The Zhu emperor and the Crown Prince have both left the city? Then who is on Zhengyang Gate?"

On the tower of Yongding Gate, Li Zicheng, who had been waiting to watch Chen Yongfu assault the city, now saw the mounted courier sent by Li Guo and his thick brows knitted together.

How had two Chongzhen Emperors suddenly appeared?

The one who fled the city and the one holding fast atop Zhengyang Gate — which was the real one?

"Grand Strategist!" Li Zicheng turned to Song Xiance beside him. "Do some reckoning for me — where exactly is the Son of Heaven of the Zhu family?"

When Song Xiance heard Li Zicheng's question, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. How could such a thing be calculated? Did the man really think he was an immortal?

But he did not dare tell Li Zicheng he could not calculate it. How would he explain all those times before when he had counted on his fingers? That he had been fooling the Roving King? Did he want to keep his head or not?

So he had no choice but to pinch his fingers and count them off, one-two-three-four-five, and after that reckoning he actually found something to say: "Your Majesty, the Son of Heaven of the Zhu family seems still to have a little allotted fortune left; I fear he may not die within the city of Beijing... But so long as Your Majesty can get past the hurdle of the Manchu Tartars, then whether he lives or dies, the realm will belong to the Shun. The key right now is still the Manchu Tartars!"

He had said everything and nothing!

Li Zicheng was used to Song Xiance speaking in clouds and mist, and in any case he did his own pondering. After thinking it over carefully, he nodded and said: "True enough. Never mind whether he is at Zhengyang Gate or heading for Yongping — seize them all!

Send an order to Huang Hu: have him move out at once and seal off every road leading to Yongping, and coordinate with my nephew Laiheng to catch the Zhu bandits fleeing northeast in one net!

As for that Zhu bandit atop Zhengyang Gate — heh! Have Chen Yongfu, Bai Guang'en, and Wang Cheng'er attack the three gates of Xuanwu, Zhengyang, and Chongwen at once... The first to break through the city shall be made a marquis!"

Once the decree that the first to break the city would be made a marquis was passed down, the assault on the inner city of Beijing officially began.

After occupying Datong, Li Zicheng's great army had force-marched the whole way, the troops essentially traveling light. To say nothing of red-coated great cannon, they had not even brought Folangji cannon. They had only brought along some crouching-tiger cannon for frightening people, and these were now set up in many of the small lanes along the south bank of the moat outside the southern wall of the inner city.

After receiving the order to open fire, they let loose a crackling, popping barrage at the top of the wall. In truth it could not knock down the tower of Zhengyang Gate at all; apart from making noise, the iron shot spraying from the muzzles struck the crenellations, knocking loose bits of stone that flew in all directions. A few of the "one tael of silver for a day" temporary soldiers were struck, and the pain made them shriek at once; the defending ranks looked about to break apart.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard under Luo Yangxing were paid three taels of silver a day and were more willing to risk their lives. They bellowed harshly and beat men with their sheathed Embroidered Spring sabers, struggling to keep order.

But this scene of chaos still fell into the eyes of the three watching the battle from the window of the arrow tower: Luo Yangxing, Gao Yushun, and the fake Chongzhen.

All three sighed at the same moment. These men were nothing but a mob — how could they hold?

Moreover, Zhengyang Gate had been assigned "elite troops and strong commanders," with Luo Yangxing's most trusted Embroidered Uniform Guard and the trusted eunuchs Gao Yushun had pulled from the palace holding the line. They could at least withstand a few blows. Elsewhere the defense was hollow. The moment the roving bandits set up their scaling ladders, the ranks would likely scatter.

As for the people of the inner city, their hearts were even less with the dynasty. The news that the Emperor and the Crown Prince had fled through Dongzhi Gate and Chaoyang Gate was already known to many of the inner city's commoners and mid- and low-ranking officials. No doubt quite a few were again making plans to open the gates and welcome the conquerors...

At the thought of surrender, Luo Yangxing and Guang Shiheng could not help glancing at that stubborn eunuch Gao Yushun. Right now he was the most die-hard of them all!

Just as Luo Yangxing and Guang Shiheng were about to open their mouths and urge Gao Yushun to surrender early, hurried footsteps sounded and someone came running into the arrow tower. Luo Yangxing turned his head and saw it was his own younger brother, Luo Xiushen.

"Second Brother, why have you come?" Luo Yangxing was startled. "Did you not leave with His Highness the Thousand Years?"

"Elder Brother," Luo Xiushen stepped forward quickly and drew three princely decrees from his bosom. "I am not leaving. His Highness the Thousand Years has entrusted me with a heavy task."

"What heavy task?" Luo Yangxing stamped his foot. "The roving bandits are about to break in..."

"No fear! We have this!" Luo Xiushen grinned and handed over the decrees.

"Ha! At a time like this!" Guang Shiheng, still wearing the dragon robe, did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Are these decrees meant for Li Zicheng?"

Luo Xiushen actually nodded. "Yes! These three decrees are for Li Zicheng."

"What?" Guang Shiheng was angered into laughter. "Li Zicheng will obey his Crown Prince?"

"Indeed, what use are these decrees?" Luo Yangxing also did not know whether to laugh or cry. He was the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard — surely he counted as a crafty old fox? How could he have such a foolish younger brother?

"They are useful!" Luo Xiushen said with a smile. "I have read them all... otherwise I would not have stayed. These three decrees are to prove that Elder Brother, Eunuch Gao, and Mister Guang are rare loyal and righteous men. The Crown Prince calls them certificates of loyalty and righteousness!"

"What? What do you mean?" Luo Yangxing was baffled again and again.

"They prove that you are all loyal and righteous men, and that it was by His Highness the Thousand Years' order that you became turncoat officials to preserve your lives... The three of you originally all refused, but His Highness the Thousand Years truly could not bear to let loyal and righteous men die in vain, and so he issued the decree ordering you to surrender."

The three looked at one another, and in their hearts they actually felt a measure of gratitude toward Zhu Cilang.

Although Zhu Cilang had long since told them to surrender after delaying for a while, how Li Zicheng would treat the three of them as turncoats was truly hard to say... He might well behead them to consecrate the banners.

But now Zhu Cilang had personally issued certification for the three of them, proving they were rare loyal and righteous men! Could Li Zicheng still kill them?

Once Li Zicheng entered Beijing he would have to pose as the legitimate ruler, and of course he would have to uphold loyal and righteous men. How could he kill three at once — and all of them loyal and righteous men certified by the Great Ming state? Would loyal and righteous men dare come over to him in the future?

Such state-certified loyal and righteous men had been few in all of history. Even if he did not put them to important use, he would have to enshrine them as models, to tell the world that this emperor was a great and benevolent sovereign! Could he behead them all at once? Would that not be hanging a sign reading "tyrant" around his own neck? Who would come over to him after that?

And one had to admit, though this Crown Prince Zhu Cilang was sinister, crafty, and ruthless, he was still very reasonable... He truly would not send his subordinates to their deaths. Even when he placed them in mortal danger, he still issued them certificates of loyalty, and even "ordered" them to surrender, preserve their lives, and become turncoat officials — twice or thrice over.

And he openly and grandly declared that he could not let rare loyal and righteous men of the world throw their lives away for nothing!

A sovereign who could so consider his subordinates was truly rare since ancient times!

Luo Yangxing sighed deeply: "I never expected His Highness the Crown Prince to be so benevolent and righteous..."

Guang Shiheng added: "If His Majesty had possessed the Crown Prince's benevolence, how could the state have come to this?"

Gao Yushun heard their words and smiled bitterly: "What is this? He has sold us, and we are endlessly grateful... Even the Great Ancestor, the Lofty Emperor, reborn would be no more than this!"

Luo Xiushen had only followed Zhu Cilang for a few days, but he too greatly admired Zhu Cilang's great benevolence and righteousness, and now he nodded and said: "With such a benevolent sovereign, the Great Ming will surely one day return to Beijing! We need only wait patiently."

Just then, the sound of war cries and killing rose from below the tower of Zhengyang Gate!

The first assault on the city by the Roving King's great army had begun!

Luo Yangxing put away the "certificates of loyalty and righteousness," then said to Gao Yushun and Guang Shiheng: "His Highness the Thousand Years has treated us so; we cannot be too spineless... We must hold out for at least a few rounds, no matter what. Come, let us go out and oversee the battle!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard and "temporary soldiers" atop the arrow tower of Zhengyang Gate did not know that the Chongzhen Emperor inside the tower was a fake, so when they saw Luo Yangxing and Gao Yushun escorting the Chongzhen Emperor out to oversee the battle, their morale steadied at once. And then chest after chest of silver was carried out!

The emperor was fake, but the silver was real. And the barbican of Zhengyang Gate was a true strong fortress: on the wall were rolling logs, hurled stones, "ten-thousand-man destroyers" (a kind of incendiary bomb for defending cities), Folangji cannon, and red-coated great cannon — everything one could want. There were also plenty of wooden screens, cloth screens, leather curtains, and wooden shields for blocking arrows. Where the barbican joined the main wall, the gaps were sealed with gate-blocking blade carts and wooden parapets and wooden walls. It was, in every respect, a fortress hard to take!

So long as the defenders themselves did not surrender, given the Roving King's army's siege capabilities, for a while they truly would have no way to take it.

Li Zicheng could now have a taste of what the loyal and righteous men under Zhu Cilang were made of!

(End of Chapter)