Chapter 85: The Enemy Is at Tianjin Garrison, Part 2 (Seeking Favorites, Seeking Recommendations)

Yuan Yuzong fought to keep his excitement in check and said to Cao Youyi in a level tone, "Regional Commander Cao, why don't you go and report to His Majesty first, and allow me and the two Vice Regional Commanders to make some arrangements?"

"Fine, then I shall go and report to His Majesty." Cao Youyi was clearly in a good mood and gave it no further thought. Although he knew the Tianjin garrison troops were somewhat unreliable, the Chongzhen Emperor and Crown Prince Zhu Cilang had not come alone.

The force protecting them numbered as many as seven battalions, plus the 3,000 able-bodied men Cao Huachun had brought out from Wangqingtuo, and over a thousand sons of accompanying officials, sons of ennobled families, and picked household retainers from various households. In all, more than ten thousand men were capable of fighting.

That strength, added to Cao Youyi's own 1,500 men, was enough to overawe the rest of the Tianjin garrison.

Moreover, Zhu Cilang had prepared 55,000 taels of silver to distribute as rewards to the Tianjin garrison! Every last man, officer or soldier alike, would receive ten taels each! And Zhu Cilang would also promise that after they reached Jiangnan, each man would receive another ten taels of silver, plus at least fifty mu of paddy land... With so many benefits on offer, was there any fear of failing to steady the Tianjin garrison's morale?

So Cao Youyi cupped his hands toward Yuan Yuzong, Jin Bin, and Lou Guangxian, then wheeled his horse around and rode off to report to the Chongzhen Emperor and Zhu Cilang.

Watching Cao Youyi leave, Yuan Yuzong immediately said in a low voice to Jin Bin and Lou Guangxian, "Heaven is helping us! This is a merit worthy of a noble title! Vice Regional Commander Jin, Vice Regional Commander Lou, each of you lead your own troops out of the city, and once the action starts inside, launch a surprise assault and smash that lot of Han generals in one blow."

"Right! Leave it to me!"

"They're just a bunch of Han generals..."

Jin Bin and Lou Guangxian were not the least bit afraid of a pack of showpieces! Besides, Yuan Yuzong and Yang Weihan would be striking at the Chongzhen Emperor inside the city — capture the ringleader first and the bandits fall! Once Chongzhen was seized, could the Han generals outside still fight?

Furthermore, inside the city there were Hao Yaoqi's three or four hundred Shun heavenly soldiers — all elite veterans of the Shun army's old camp!

Against the small force the Chongzhen Emperor had brought, that strength was more than enough!

...

"Your Majesty, all is calm and as usual within Tianjin city. The roving bandits' cavalry are far away at Zhangjiapu, several dozen li distant, and have not approached the city of Tianjin."

Several hundred paces behind the Han generals drawn up in their intimidating formation, Cao Youyi knelt before the Chongzhen Emperor's carriage and loudly reported the situation in the Tianjin area.

Hearing that the roving bandits' cavalry were still far from Tianjin city, everyone — including the Chongzhen Emperor, Zhu Cilang, and Cao Huachun — let out a long breath of relief.

Matters were proceeding smoothly!

"Regional Commander Cao," Zhu Cilang asked, "how many troops does Tianjin have? When can they come out of the city to receive their rewards?"

"In reply to the Crown Prince," Cao Youyi answered, "the Tianjin garrison plus the inspection battalion number 5,500-odd in actual strength. Of these, the inspection battalion's thousand men, led by Yang Weihan, have gone out of the city to deal with the roving bandits' cavalry. The remaining 4,500 are divided into the central, left, and right columns, commanded respectively by myself, Vice Regional Commander Jin Bin, and Vice Regional Commander Lou Guangxian."

"So there are 3,000 men inside the city?" Zhu Cilang asked.

"Exactly."

"Good," Zhu Cilang nodded. "Have them all form up outside the city gate. We shall personally distribute the rewards to them."

The business of buying hearts with rewards was something Zhu Cilang was getting smoother and smoother at. To him, a latter-day finance dog, hearts and minds were nothing more than a question of distributing benefits. Not paying people — land included — while expecting them to risk their lives was simply acting like a scoundrel!

And when it came to the Great Ming being rotten to the core, to put it plainly, it was because too many people were acting like scoundrels! All those soldiers under the Chongzhen Emperor — when had they ever been paid enough? Not paying them and then complaining that they were rotten to the core — wasn't that scoundrel behavior? As for Chongzhen having no money, that was the landlord-capitalists who paid for the Great Ming's suppression services acting like scoundrels... The matter was actually easy to handle, because that pack of scoundrel landlords and capitalists had very little armed force with which to oppose the court.

As long as he could firmly control a certain amount of troops and then go to Jiangnan, the economic center, there would be no fear of failing to collect money. And the three matters of controlling the army, collecting money, and spending money — Zhu Cilang had to grasp them personally!

"Cilang!" At that moment the Chongzhen Emperor suddenly called Zhu Cilang's name. This was the first time the Chongzhen Emperor had spoken to his son since the palace coup at the Gate of Supreme Pole!

"Imperial Father, you called for me?" Zhu Cilang was also a little stirred, thinking: Could it be that the Chongzhen Emperor has been moved by my filial devotion? That's right... In this chaotic age, a son as filial as myself is a rare thing! He ought to know to cherish it!

"Your father is weary from the journey and wishes to enter the city quickly to rest," the Chongzhen Emperor said flatly.

"Oh." Zhu Cilang thought for a moment. "Then your son will have Commander Wu escort you and Imperial Mother into the city first. The others can rest outside the city for now, and once Imperial Father and Imperial Mother are settled, they can enter in order — we must not have a repeat of what happened at Wangqingtuo."

Quite a few imperial relatives, ennobled nobles, and high officials had arrived together with Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang, and with their servants and personal attendants the numbers were even greater. When that many people entered Wangqingtuo it had been utter chaos, and not a few great officials and lords had failed to find lodgings and ended up sleeping in the streets! Now with the people brought from Wangqingtuo added on, the numbers were even larger; if they were not properly arranged, it would surely boil over into a complete mess.

And it would also damage the dignity of the Ming court — a court in flight was already somewhat dusty and bedraggled, and it could not afford to make itself look like beggars! The majesty of the imperial house still had to be upheld to some degree!

So they could not all swarm in at once; they had to enter the city in an orderly fashion and be properly settled.

"That is very well, but there is no need to trouble Wu Xiang with the escort. Empress Dowager Zhang and the two princesses' carriage train is behind and cannot enter the city for a while yet, so let Wu Xiang protect them." Chongzhen said, "We have Feng Yuanyang and Cao Youyi to protect Us, and that is enough. They are Tianjin's own men, and We trust them."

"Everything is as Imperial Father decides." Zhu Cilang was that rare great filial son, and of course would not defy his father to his face.

Besides, when they left Wangqingtuo, he had already distributed rewards to Cao Youyi's 1,500 soldiers! Fifteen thousand taels of silver scattered in one go! Cao Youyi's men were so grateful they were about to call Zhu Cilang their godfather. As for Cao Huachun, his elder brother Cao Huachun and several nephews and grand-nephews were all with Wu Xiang protecting Empress Zhang and the two princesses.

"Companion Cao," Zhu Cilang turned and called Cao Huachun over, and said to him in front of Chongzhen, "At present the seal-holding posts of the twelve directorates are mostly vacant, and the palace attendants and serving women who followed out of the palace are few, so it is difficult to support the inner court of the traveling palace. You are an old hand of the palace and an old servant from Imperial Father's princely establishment, so you should take up responsibility. Why not temporarily take charge of the five directorates of Palace Servants, Palace Accoutrements, Imperial Equipage, Palace Maintenance, and Palace Rites? The two directorates of Imperial Catering and Imperial Wardrobe can be overseen by Auntie Wei and Auntie Wu... Imperial Father, does this seem acceptable?"

Acceptable, my foot! Chongzhen was fuming inside. The seven directorates of Palace Servants, Palace Accoutrements, Imperial Equipage, Palace Maintenance, Palace Rites, Imperial Catering, and Imperial Wardrobe were all for serving the masters and doing odd jobs — they held no real power. The Directorate of Ceremonial and the Directorate of the Imperial Horses were the most powerful directorates of the inner court! Moreover, the two directorates of Imperial Seals and Seal Tallies were also quite important now — the imperial seals, edict tallies, seals of office, iron charters, patents of nobility, travel permits, and tally verifications were all managed by them.

As for the Directorate of Imperial Temples, it hardly mattered — the Imperial Ancestral Temple in Beijing and the imperial tombs at Changping were all gone...

"Then who is to manage the four directorates of Ceremonial, Imperial Horses, Imperial Seals, and Seal Tallies?" the Chongzhen Emperor asked gently, forcing down his anger.

Watching his father's angry expression, Zhu Cilang wanted to laugh. The Great Ming was already in this state, and you still want to contend for power with this filial son of yours — how can you face the ancestors with that attitude? Does your conscience really not hurt? This filial son was sent by the Exalted Founder Emperor to rescue you and the Great Ming!

"Imperial Father," the magnanimous Zhu Cilang still said to Chongzhen with a smile, "the affairs of the three directorates of Ceremonial, Imperial Seals, and Seal Tallies can be merged, and let Huang Dabao temporarily oversee them. As for the Directorate of the Imperial Horses, let Pan Shuchen, formerly a Battalion Commander of the Pure Army, manage it... Of course, these are all temporary arrangements; there will be time enough to select suitable candidates anew once we reach the auxiliary capital."

"Huang Dabao is your man," the Chongzhen Emperor said. "If he goes to the Directorate of Ceremonial, who will attend to you?"

"Your son will be fine with the palace woman Wu attending him," Zhu Cilang answered with a smile.

"The palace woman Wu?" The Chongzhen Emperor was taken aback. He did not recall there being an old granny surnamed Wu by Zhu Cilang's side.

In fact, the old granny palace women around Zhu Cilang had been dismissed or sent back to Empress Zhou after the palace coup at the Gate of Supreme Pole. Of the eunuchs attending him personally, only one remained — Huang Xiaobao, Huang Dabao's godson, who was just fifteen this year, extremely quick-witted, and meticulous of mind.

"Your Majesty, the Wu in question is Commander Wu's daughter." It was Empress Zhou beside Chongzhen who had the better memory and still remembered Wu Sanmei.

The Chongzhen Emperor frowned deeply. Having only one Wu Sanmei by Zhu Cilang's side was not good...

"Empress, is Lady Ning still here?" Chongzhen asked Empress Zhou. "Are any of the women who entered the palace together with Lady Ning still following us?"

"Lady Ning is with sister-in-law," Empress Zhou answered. "There is also the palace woman Fei, who entered the palace together with Lady Ning; she is with sister-in-law as well."

"Good, let both of them go and attend to Chunge," the Chongzhen Emperor said.

(End of Chapter)