Chapter 84: The Enemy Is at Tianjin Guard, Part One (Seeking Favorites, Seeking Recommendations)

In the seventeenth year of Chongzhen of the Great Ming, on the twenty-fourth day of the third month, at the hour of the Snake.

Outside the west gate of the southern city of Tianjin Guard, Yuan Yuzong stood tall and straight upon the drawbridge over the moat, his loose official robes snapping loudly in the southeast wind blowing up from the Wei River.

Several hundred armored soldiers, fully arrayed, stood in formation behind Yuan Yuzong, every one of them chest out and belly in, brimming with spirit.

These armored soldiers were all picked men, carefully selected by the two Vice Regional Commanders of the Tianjin garrison from their own units; each man had been paid an ounce of silver, and a heaven-shaking merit awaited them besides. Yet between the brows of these spirited fellows there was, more or less, a trace of unease.

Yuan Yuzong and the two generals, Jin Bin and Lou Guangxian, had already told the soldiers below them of the great deed to be done today. So every man knew that today they were to deal with the Ming Emperor or the Crown Prince, now fallen to the status of "the Zhu traitor" — perhaps both of them. In short, what they were to do today was the great crime of rebellion against their lord!

Of course, rebellion against their lord was not what made these old soldiers uneasy. Beijing had already fallen to the Shun dynasty, and the Shun army was sweeping across the lands north of the Yellow River like a gale scattering clouds — the conquest of the realm was only a matter of time.

So seizing the Chongzhen Emperor and his son to present to the new master was no longer any great treason.

But the large force of troops escorting the imperial person now approaching seemed rather more formidable than they had imagined!

From the distance came the sound of hoofbeats, growing ever denser, until at last they merged into one continuous roar — so astonishing was the thunder of hooves that the very earth seemed to tremble beneath it!

Yuan Yuzong, standing there with solemn countenance, changed color. How could the Chongzhen Emperor and his son, fleeing from Beijing, possibly have so many cavalry? And the night scouts who had come back earlier to report had said nothing of a large cavalry escort. Where had these horsemen sprung from?

He turned and glanced back at the waiting ranks. The officers of the Tianjin garrison wore the same look of fear. Jin Bin, the Vice Regional Commander standing shoulder to shoulder with him, had already gripped the hilt of his saber, as though he wished to order his troops to withdraw into Tianjin at once, shut the gates, and resist — yet he could not bring himself to decide.

For the fleeing army of the Zhu traitor did not necessarily have to enter the city of Tianjin Guard; it could also skirt the walls and move down along the Wei River. Shen Tingyang and Su Guansheng's fleet of more than a hundred and several dozen seagoing vessels was even now coming up the river. Once the main force of the Zhu traitor joined with them, they could safely reach the seaport of Dagu.

At Dagu there was also a harbor town, under the jurisdiction of the naval Regional Commander of Tianjin Guard. It was likewise the storage site for seaborne grain tribute, holding great quantities of grain shipped by sea — ever since the third battle of Kaifeng in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, the situation in the Central Plains had deteriorated sharply, and the transport of tribute grain to Beijing had grown daily more difficult, so that more and more had to be sent by sea, entering the ocean at Huai'an and shipping north to Dagu at Tianjin.

The greatest difference between sea transport and the grain transport was that the former required waiting for favorable winds. In autumn and winter the north winds prevailed, making the northward voyage from Huai'an extremely difficult. So they could only wait until the following spring, when the south winds rose, before putting to sea for the northward shipment.

Thus a portion of the tribute grain of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen had only reached Dagu in the second or third month of the seventeenth year. Later, the fighting had delayed its transshipment, and it still lay piled at Dagu.

In other words, once the Zhu traitor's troops reached Dagu, they could hold out there, relying on the town's walls and grain.

Moreover, the Tianjin naval force and the stout guards protecting the grain were also quite elite and not easy to deal with. If the troops escorting the Zhu traitor joined forces with the navy and the grain guards, and then withdrew into the town of Dagu — even if the Roving King's whole army came, it would not be easy to take. And if it truly came to that, the unprecedented merit awaiting Yuan Yuzong and the others would go up in smoke!

It was Yuan Yuzong, quick of eye and hand, who at once pressed down on Jin Bin's arm: "Do not be hasty — let us look a while longer!"

Jin Bin drew a breath and saluted Yuan Yuzong with clasped hands: "This subordinate obeys!"

After another while, rank upon rank of armored cavalry came bounding into view. What approached was not merely cavalry, but uniformly iron-armored cavalry — no fewer than two thousand riders!

Together with the two thousand iron-armored horsemen there also appeared a set of royal command banners and tallies, and a great standard.

The so-called royal command banners and tallies were the combined term for command flags and command tallies — a symbol of authority, by which the holder possessed a certain discretionary power within the limits set by the imperial rescript. They were ordinarily granted to officials with military command authority, such as Regional Commanders, Governors-General, and Governors.

The great standard, meanwhile, was a general's banner, upon which was usually written the general's official title.

The simultaneous appearance of the royal command banners and tallies and the great standard meant that an official of Regional Commander or Governor rank had arrived with troops. And the fact that the banner of the Commander of the Three Armies did not appear at the same time indicated that this arrival was not the Regional Commander of the approaching army.

If neither a Regional Commander nor a Governor was the Regional Commander, that could only mean one thing: the Chongzhen Emperor or the Crown Prince Zhu Cilang was with the army!

Yuan Yuzong had already grown tense. He drew out his single-tube telescope, narrowed one eye, and began to examine that great standard closely.

"Regional Commander of Liaodong, Earl Who Pacifies the West... how is this possible?!" Yuan Yuzong drew a sharp breath. The man who had come was none other than Wu Sangui!

"Intendant, it is Wu Sangui... what do we do?" Jin Bin, too, was cowed.

If there was any general left on the side of the Great Ming who still commanded some dread, it was Wu Sangui!

"Keep your nerve!" Yuan Yuzong drew a breath and said, "We shall act as circumstances dictate!"

It had been no small effort for him to swallow the words about entering the city and shutting the gates.

For Wu Sangui was Regional Commander of Liaodong, with forty thousand troops under his command, of whom more than ten thousand were cavalry. If he had personally led troops to Tianjin, then the force accompanying him numbered at least ten thousand and more, and certainly included three thousand of the Wu household retainers!

Even if Yuan Yuzong shut the gates and defended to the death, he could not withstand the fierce assault of more than ten thousand Guanning Army troops! Besides, Su Guansheng's Tianjin naval warjunks carried no small number of Folangji cannon, which could be used to suppress the defenders' fire.

If the two forces attacked together, the city of Tianjin Guard would fall in no time!

Now there was nothing for it but to keep their nerve and see whether they could lure the Chongzhen Emperor or Wu Sangui into the city... To catch the bandits, first catch their chief! If they could only kill Chongzhen and Wu Sangui, the great merit would be secured. Even if they could not hold Tianjin, fleeing with the heads of Chongzhen and Wu Sangui would still earn them the prospect of an earldom before Li Zicheng!

But what happened next nearly frightened the souls out of Yuan Yuzong, Jin Bin, and Lou Guangxian.

Those two thousand Guanning iron cavalry advancing in formation were highly vigilant — they did not approach the walls, but halted a hundred paces beyond the moat, then shifted formation into a square.

The two thousand riders formed into two ranks, front and rear. The rear rank could not be seen clearly, but the front rank was so orderly, and the armored riders on horseback so massive... the very sight of them was enough to frighten a man to death!

"Yi... Yi Ding raiders!" Jin Bin's voice was nearly a sob.

Wu Sangui's Yi Ding raiders were elite troops who could stand toe to toe with the Manchus! A thousand of them would be enough to shatter the four thousand men here at Tianjin!

Just as Yuan Yuzong, Jin Bin, and Lou Guangxian were so tense they were about to faint, a dozen or so riders suddenly came galloping from behind the two ranks of Guanning iron cavalry. The foremost rider was none other than Cao Youyi, the garrison Regional Commander of Tianjin.

Cao Youyi galloped all the way to the edge of the drawbridge before reining in his warhorse. The fine steed loosed a long neigh, its forehooves rising high, then crashing heavily down.

"Intendant Yuan, Assistant Regional Commander Jin, Assistant Regional Commander Lou — is all well in Tianjin? Any word from Governor Yang's scouts?"

At Cao Youyi's question, Yuan Yuzong, Jin Bin, and Lou Guangxian all let out a long breath.

Yuan Yuzong answered: "All is peaceful as usual. Governor Yang's scouts sent word that the roving bandits' cavalry is encamped around Zhangjiabao, seemingly awaiting the rear column."

"Good, then!" Cao Youyi said with a smile. "Let the brothers of the left and right columns come out of the city to receive their reward... Besides, His Majesty is weary from the journey and wishes to enter the city first to rest."

At these words, Yuan Yuzong, Jin Bin, and Lou Guangxian all started, their expressions shifting between cloud and sunlight.

"His Majesty has come?" Yuan Yuzong probed.

"He has!" Cao Youyi answered. "The Governor is attending His Majesty."

Jin Bin asked: "Has the Earl Who Pacifies the West also come?"

"No." Cao Youyi shook his head and smiled. "Those iron cavalry are the Great Han Generals, led by Wu Sanfu, the Earl's brother — all show and no substance."

So that was it... no wonder they all looked so enormous — they were Great Han Generals put on display for appearances!

Yuan Yuzong, Jin Bin, and Lou Guangxian all inwardly exclaimed, "What a close call!" They had very nearly fallen into the trap. Had they shut the gates and defended the city, would they not have let the Chongzhen Emperor slip away?

(End of Chapter)