Chapter 226: Section 41: Two Emperors

The three great Buddhas still maintained their meditative posture of eyes on the nose, nose on the heart. Tianqi could not be bothered with them either. After sitting upright, he addressed Huang Shi with a solemn expression: "Minister Huang, rise and speak. Whatever requests you have, speak freely. We will certainly give them careful consideration."

Huang Shi did not stand on ceremony with Tianqi. In a clear voice within the great hall, he said: "I thank Your Majesty. Your humble servant's first need is sufficient seagoing vessels. My soldiers are still all on Zhangsheng Island, and the existing ships of my naval camp are not enough to transport all of them from Zhangsheng to Ningyuan."

Tianqi nodded lightly, then shifted his gaze to the Great Buddha Gu: "Senior Grand Secretary, how many usable seagoing vessels does the Tianjin Guard have?"

"Your Majesty, forgive my offense, but this old minister truly does not know." The Great Buddha Gu lifted his official robes, about to kneel on the floor, while unhurriedly saying: "This old minister will go check shortly. Your Majesty, forgive my offense."

"Enough, Grand Secretary, please rise. We did not know beforehand either." Tianqi gestured for the Great Buddha Gu to sit back on his own stool, then turned to a young eunuch and said: "Go immediately and check the seagoing vessels of the Tianjin Guard, and report back at once."

After giving his instructions to the young eunuch, Tianqi smiled faintly at Huang Shi: "Minister Huang, please state the second matter."

The second matter concerned Juehua Island. Historically, Nurhaci had carted off the large quantities of supplies abandoned by the Guanning Army, and still not satisfied, had gone on to capture Juehua, annihilating the four battalions and seven thousand combat soldiers stationed on the island, and massacring over ten thousand military households and resident merchants, burning two thousand ships, and seizing over eighty thousand shi of grain, over one hundred thousand bolts of cloth, and five hundred thousand taels of silver...

"Your humble servant presumes to ask Your Majesty to issue an edict to the Ningqian Circuit, ordering them to immediately break open the solid ice at Juehua Island's harbor, so that my troops can land there." Huang Shi planned to land directly at Juehua, then transfer all his men and horses into Ningyuan Fortress, and set a fire to burn all of Juehua's supplies completely. To be absolutely safe, he added: "Your Majesty, it would be best to add an order to the officers of Juehua: if the Jianzhou slaves arrive before your humble servant does, they should burn the stockpiles and then withdraw into Ningyuan Fortress."

Tianqi smiled: "This matter is easy. We shall issue the edict now. Minister Huang, is there anything else you wish to say?"

"The last matter Your Majesty has already granted me," Huang Shi paused briefly, stealing a glance back at the three great Buddhas beside him who were absorbed in their breathing exercises: "Your servant merely wishes to confirm: the silver command arrow Your Majesty bestowed upon me — can it command all officials of the fifth rank and below? And if an official no higher than the second rank clashes with your humble servant over military orders, should your humble servant's military orders take precedence?"

Tianqi listened with some bewilderment. He furrowed his brow and glanced at the Grand Secretaries and eunuchs. Hesitantly, he asked: "Minister Huang, what do you mean by this?"

Huang Shi drew a deep breath, summoned his courage, and said loudly: "In reply to Your Majesty, your humble servant simply wishes to know: if the Military Defense Circuit Intendant of Ningqian, the Vice Commissioner of the Ningqian Circuit, or the Assistant Prefect of the Ningqian Circuit disagrees with your humble servant on military matters, then should your humble servant obey them, or should they obey your humble servant?"

Upon hearing this, Tianqi fell silent at once, while the three great Buddhas simultaneously raised their heads, each with piercing gleams in their eyes. The Great Buddha Gu was the first to come forward and stir the mud: "Your Majesty, according to our dynasty's ancestral system, civil officials control the military. Especially since General Huang is a guest commander, forcing the officials of the Ningqian Circuit to obey General Huang would likely be inappropriate. But conversely, this old minister believes that for General Huang, as a guest commander and a second-rank military officer bearing the imperial tally, to be controlled by the fifth-rank Ningqian Circuit is indeed somewhat improper. Therefore, it would be best if neither is subordinate to the other."

— Neither subordinate to the other means each fights their own battle. That is even worse than me obeying Yuan Chonghuan.

After hearing this foolish suggestion... well, this suggestion already gave Huang Shi considerable face, but he still could not help protesting loudly: "Your Majesty, what Grand Secretary Gu says is perfectly correct, but what if the Ningqian Circuit and your humble servant reach an impasse, for instance over whether to hold firm or to sally forth — whose word should ultimately prevail?"

Seeing Huang Shi so ungrateful, Gu Bingqian snorted. His tone turned unfriendly: "Your Majesty, were it not for General Huang's illustrious battle achievements, this old minister would hold that the ancestral system of civil control over the military must not be violated."

To the side, Ding Shaoshi had long harbored resentment over Huang Shi's soaring reputation. Now, seeing a mere military man like Huang Shi dare to argue further, he was even more furious: "Reporting to Your Majesty, this old minister also seconds Grand Secretary Gu's opinion. Although General Huang is not under the jurisdiction of Liaozhen, since he has arrived at Ningyuan, he should logically fall under the command of the Ningqian Circuit."

Another Grand Secretary, Feng Quan, seeing the atmosphere in the hall growing tense and swords drawn, was unwilling to let everyone come to blows like this. He quickly jumped out to smooth things over: "Your Majesty, for your clear judgment: in my humble opinion, whenever military affairs arise, the Ningqian Circuit and General Huang can be allowed to discuss matters among themselves. General Huang and the Ningqian Circuit are colleagues; this old minister believes they will naturally each yield a step and make peace their priority."

Feng Quan's idea of "each yielding a step and making peace their priority" was inherently in line with Gu Bingqian's intent. Ding Shaoshi also felt that Huang Shi was currently in high imperial favor, and giving him no face at all would not be good. So these two Grand Secretaries also unanimously applauded, heaping praise upon this method of handling the matter.

However, their giving Huang Shi face did not mean Huang Shi gave them face. Huang Shi said coldly: "As a Vice Commissioner-in-Chief, even being commanded by the Ningqian Circuit would be nothing to me. But I venture to ask the three my lords: if the Circuit Intendant, the Vice Commissioner, and the Assistant Prefect also disagree with me, how then should I conduct myself?"

Although it was not in accordance with regulations, giving Huang Shi a bit of authority was not entirely unreasonable. Feng Quan smiled and said: "Naturally, General Huang's word would take precedence."

Huang Shi immediately pressed with a follow-up question: "My lord Feng, for your clear judgment: if subordinate officials, using the pretext of having received orders from the Ningqian Circuit, refuse to obey me, what then?"

The enemy they were about to face was the Later Jin grand army personally led by Nurhaci. Huang Shi feared, first, that the local civil officials would pull his leg from behind, making it impossible to fight or defend; second, ever since visiting Xiong Tingbi, he had become brimming with confidence, feeling that pacifying the Later Jin was a matter of only three or four years. Therefore, Huang Shi was not keen on Yuan Chonghuan taking the stage and adding variables to this process, hoping to strip Yuan Chonghuan of the opportunity to rise at this final moment.

Huang Shi secretly recalled: Yan Mingtai's plan was to use three coordinated forces to defend the entire Ningyuan fortress zone. The imperial court, based on Yan Mingtai's strategy, prohibited any retreat from outer strongholds like Juehua. The Ningqian Circuit, Yuan Chonghuan, could only flexibly command the garrison troops of Ningyuan Fortress itself. In the end, the entire Ningyuan fortress complex was stripped bare by Nurhaci until only the lone city of Ningyuan remained. The Great Victory at Ningyuan indeed yielded over two hundred severed heads. But apart from Yuan Chonghuan's directly commanded troops, the Guanning Army in the Ningyuan area not only had four battalions and seven thousand men completely annihilated at Juehua, but the other coordinated forces also reported a combined total of one thousand combat soldiers killed in action.

Huang Shi thought silently: "Of course, by the standards of the Guanning Iron Cavalry, this can indeed be considered a great victory... Poor Yuan Chonghuan was later screwed over twice by this bunch of trash — the first time he was dismissed from office, the second time he was sliced to death by a thousand cuts. My preventing him from taking the stage is also for his own good."

This time, Huang Shi planned to pull all military forces back into Ningyuan Fortress and burn all surplus supplies completely. Even so, the losses would be smaller than in history, and by concentrating the forces of three coordinated commands plus the Changsheng Army, there might really be a chance to deal a heavy blow to the Later Jin army. The Guanning Army liked to rely on firearms to fight "non-contact warfare" — then let the Changsheng Army go up and fight to the death, while they fired cannons from the rear; that should be doable, right?

But the Grand Secretariat was also resolutely determined not to retreat any further. Senior Grand Secretary Gu was so angry his beard bristled and his eyes glared: "According to General Huang's line of reasoning, even the orders of the Provincial Governor and the Grand Coordinator would not be as forceful as your orders? This is truly outrageous!"

Huang Shi felt he had not violated the principle of "mutual checks between ranks," nor had he demanded major powers like personnel appointments and dismissals, so he stubbornly continued to argue: "Your Majesty, your humble servant merely hopes that the Ningqian Circuit can temporarily cooperate with my military orders. After all, I have been fighting for five years. Once the Jianzhou slaves retreat slightly, I will never again utter a single word of command to the Ningqian Circuit."

Unexpectedly, Gu Bingqian and Ding Shaoshi sneered repeatedly upon hearing this. They laughed scornfully and mocked: "The courage of a common ruffian — even if you fought for a hundred years, what use would it be?"

"Your Majesty..."

"Enough," Tianqi cut off Huang Shi's words. Just then, a eunuch delivered the report on the Tianjin Guard's seagoing vessels. Tianqi flipped through it for a moment, then ordered it passed to Wei Zhongxian behind him, instructing him to arrange the maritime transport. Having dealt with the matter of the ships, Tianqi asked bluntly: "General Huang, tell us what you plan to do once you reach Ningyuan. And, what assurances can you give us?"

In Huang Shi's conception, beyond Ningyuan Fortress and Juehua Island, there were no other valuable fortresses outside the Pass. The other fortresses were nothing but a waste of money. In fact, he even believed that building only the single fortress of Juehua would be sufficient. Huang Shi laid out his plan to Tianqi: abandon all outer fortresses entirely, then concentrate the three coordinated forces of Ningyuan and the two battalions of Zhangsheng Island together. If the Later Jin forces were dispersed, they would take the initiative and attack; if no opportunity presented itself, they could still secure Ningyuan Fortress.

Within this account, Huang Shi also interspersed an explanation of why forces must be concentrated, and mentioned his personal emphasis on field battles. After hearing this discourse, Tianqi nodded: "According to ancestral regulations, the silver command arrow can mobilize local troops and command officials of the fifth rank and below. It does not say there is a distinction between civil and military."

Having said this, Tianqi slapped the armrest of the imperial throne and stood up: "Our will is decided. All of you, withdraw."

As the Grand Secretaries withdrew, Huang Shi hesitated, wondering whether he should also follow them out of the main hall. Just as he was at a loss as to where to go, a eunuch approached and said: "His Majesty wishes to summon General Huang for a private audience. General, please follow me."

This eunuch led Huang Shi all the way to the Orchid Terrace at the back. Beside Tianqi sat a child of fourteen or fifteen. This child's face was full of excitement, eager and ready to act. Huang Shi noticed that he wore a five-dragon robe. Tianqi's gaze was filled with doting affection. He pointed at the child and said to Huang Shi: "General Huang, this is the Prince of Xin. He has always wanted to meet you."

Huang Shi knew this was Zhu Youxiao's half-brother by a different mother, Zhu Youjian, who had been enfeoffed as Prince of Xin in the second year of Tianqi. He hurriedly fell to his knees again and said with the utmost respect: "Your humble servant kowtows before the Great Prince. May the Great Prince live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years."

"Rise."

"I thank the Great Prince."

After granting him a seat, Tianqi said to Huang Shi: "We have already sent men to make arrangements. The seagoing vessels of the Tianjin Guard will set out immediately for Zhangsheng Island upon receiving the order. A detachment of the Imperial Guard will escort General Huang out of the capital straight to the Tianjin Guard. A fast ship will be waiting for General Huang at the port."

"Your Majesty is wise and brilliant."

Tianqi smiled faintly: "Of the hundred officials under Our command, most merely draw their salaries and do no work. Fortunately, We still have ministers like you, Minister Huang, which gives Us great comfort."

"Your Majesty..."

Reaching out a hand to stop Huang Shi's declaration, Tianqi turned toward his younger brother beside him and asked thoughtfully: "Do you still remember the story that Lady Li told us when we were little? Do you still remember who was the first Empress Dowager to live in Yanjing?"

According to the Donglin Party, Li Xuan's greatest ambition was to become Empress Dowager, a grand goal she strove toward at every moment. After this evil scheme was thwarted by the Donglin Party, full of love and justice, she also left behind a reputation as a venomous woman in the Ming histories. Her crimes included murdering the Taichang Emperor, beating Tianqi and Chongzhen's birth mother to death, plotting to usurp the throne, and engaging in licentiousness in the rear palace. During his reign, Tianqi could not be bothered to argue with the Donglin Party and simply provided for her in retirement. After Chongzhen ascended the throne, he vigorously protested the injustice done to her and publicly declared: "My Imperial Father, pitying the Late Emperor and Us for being motherless, ordered Lady Li to raise us. She treated the Late Emperor and Us as her own. We also served her as our mother. As for the beatings and the holding court behind the curtain, these are pure nonsense." Of course, Chongzhen's words were in vain. Only when he saw the civil official bloc continuing to treat the Palace Removal Case as a great achievement did he understand why his brother Tianqi had never bothered to argue on behalf of their foster mother.

Huang Shi was just pondering whether the first Empress Dowager in Yanjing was the wife of the Chengzu Emperor when the youth loudly declared: "Your servant brother remembers. It was Empress Dowager Wei, who was carried off to Yanjing by the Jurchens. The story Lady Li told at that time was about Prince Yue, was it not?"

Tianqi looked at his younger brother dotingly, clapped his hands, and laughed: "Correct. You tell General Huang this story."

The youth's voice was very forceful as he spoke: "Very well."

The Empress Dowager Wei in Zhu Youjian's account was the mother of Emperor Gaozong of Song. After being seized by the Jurchen soldiers and taken to the north, she endured endless humiliation and was forced to bear two sons for the Jurchen soldiers. During this darkest period of her life, Empress Dowager Wei constantly heard the Jurchens mention a great Song general called "the Big-Eye-Small-Eye General." This Big-Eye-Small-Eye General was very formidable; the Jurchens both hated and feared him.

As the Song army grew steadily stronger, the Jurchens' attitude toward the Song captives also continuously changed. The Jurchens were willing to negotiate peace; they hoped for peace. They even picked Gaozong's mother and wife out from among the slaves, built them special quarters, and later sent servants and provided better food. Although Empress Dowager Wei did not know who this Big-Eye-Small-Eye General was, she was filled with reverence and gratitude toward him.

Later, at the request of Emperor Gaozong of Song, the Jurchens released Empress Dowager Wei and sent her back. After returning to Lin'an, Empress Dowager Wei's first words were that she wanted to see the "Big-Eye-Small-Eye" General. But others told her that the Big-Eye-Small-Eye General was no longer there — the Big-Eye-Small-Eye General had been killed by the court.

At this point, Zhu Youjian stopped, his tone filled with sorrow.

Listening to his younger brother retell the story they had heard in childhood, Tianqi's face was also full of regret and lament. He felt his eyes growing moist, just as they had the first time he heard this story, so he quickly turned his head and loudly asked Huang Shi: "General Huang, do you know who the Big-Eye-Small-Eye General was?"

Huang Shi's voice also turned bitter: "In your servant's humble opinion, it was probably Grandfather Yue Wumu, Yue Fei."

"Exactly." Tianqi let out a long sigh. Because Yue Fei had an eye ailment, one eye was large and the other small. Whenever the Jurchen army saw this distinctive feature, they would shout in alarm to warn each other — that fearsome fellow had come to claim lives again.

"When Empress Dowager Wei heard that the Big-Eye-Small-Eye General was gone, she was immediately stricken with grief and fell gravely ill, and afterward her health never recovered." Tianqi sighed for a moment, then said to Huang Shi with a solemn expression: "General Huang, have you heard the saying, 'When a tree stands out in the forest, the wind will surely topple it'?"

Savoring the meaning behind the Emperor's words, cold sweat began to seep from the tip of Huang Shi's nose. He rose and knelt: "Your humble servant presumes to ask Your Majesty for clear instruction."

Tianqi said unhurriedly: "General Huang, the soldiers under your command number less than a full ten thousand, yet there are already those who have submitted memorials saying that you, sir, do not love wealth or goods, do not keep concubines or maidservants, and that your ambitions may not be small."

Although it was already the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, Huang Shi still felt beads of sweat slowly gathering along the bridge of his nose, about to drip down. He bowed his head toward the floor and said: "Your humble servant's foolish loyalty can be mirrored by the sun and moon. I prostrate myself and beg Your Majesty to examine this clearly."

Tianqi rose to his full height and said angrily: "We are not Zhao Gou!"

The surrounding eunuchs were so terrified they instantly fell to their knees in droves. Zhu Youjian also rose to his feet in some alarm and said softly, "Imperial Brother, calm your anger."

"We are not Zhao Gou... not Zhao Gou." Tianqi walked slowly up to Huang Shi, personally helped him to his feet, and sat him back down on the stool. "Minister Huang, go and do your work well. Pay no heed to what others say. Once the eastern brigands are pacified, We shall still rely on you to quell the She-An Rebellion."

As he spoke, Tianqi unclasped the sword from his own waist and, holding it in both hands, presented it before Huang Shi's eyes. "Our Sword of the Son of Heaven — General Huang, take it now. We want you to wear it at all times, so that Our sword may drink its fill of the blood of traitors and rebels."

Huang Shi hastily dropped to his knees, received the imperial sword with both hands, and raised it above his head, declaring in a ringing voice: "Your humble servant obeys the decree, and thanks His Majesty for his magnificent grace."

The attending eunuch at the side hurriedly recorded in the Imperial Diary — in such-and-such year, such-and-such month, such-and-such day, such-and-such hour, the Emperor bestowed the Imperial Sword upon Huang Shi.

"For officials of the fifth rank and below, you may, in urgent moments, execute first and report later by this sword's authority. For officials of the third rank and below, you may also suspend them from office and impeach them by this sword's authority. Your personal memorials shall not be blocked by the Office of Transmission or the Directorate of Ceremonial." Tianqi recited the uses of the Imperial Sword to Huang Shi, then smiled and encouraged him: "In days to come, We shall not be stingy with the rewards of duke and marquis."

Having heard Tianqi's command, Huang Shi carefully fastened the sword to his belt. At this moment, the last misgivings in his heart could be said to have vanished like smoke. Facing Tianqi, Huang Shi loudly vowed: "Your Majesty, set your mind at ease. In Liaodong, your servant shall bend his back to the task and spare no effort until his dying day."

Zhu Youjian, who had been watching from the side, changed color at these words and hastily interjected: "General Huang, with the campaign imminent, it is not fitting to speak the word 'death.'"

After saying this, his face flushed red, and he hurriedly apologized to Tianqi: "Your subject brother has been discourteous; I beg Imperial Brother's forgiveness."

"What crime has Our Imperial Brother committed?" Tianqi laughed heartily, and with roused spirits declared loudly: "Minister Huang, the service you render the nation today shall surely bring blessings to your descendants for a hundred generations. We shall not go back on Our word — absolutely not!"

On the ninth day of the twelfth month of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, Huang Shi received orders to return urgently to Changsheng Island and cross the sea to reinforce Ningyuan.