Chapter 317: A Heavy Responsibility (Part 1) (II)

On the nineteenth day of the eleventh month.

Yuan Chonghuan finished building a temporary encampment outside Guangqumen, while another five thousand Guanning Iron Cavalry arrived at Guangqumen, bringing Yuan Chonghuan's troop strength to fourteen thousand. Chongzhen demanded that Yuan Chonghuan defend the city gate there. Yuan Chonghuan was very dissatisfied with this and again requested to enter the capital, but was once more tactfully refused by Chongzhen.

On the morning of the nineteenth, after the Later Jin main force crossed the river from Tongzhou, their vanguard was still thirty li from the capital. Man Gui pursued from behind the Later Jin army, attempting to follow them across the river and strike. The Xuan-Da Army and the Later Jin army then fought fiercely around the various crossing points near Tongzhou. Today the Later Jin army still failed to reach the outskirts of the capital.

The twentieth day of the eleventh month, second year of the Chongzhen reign. Laolongtou.

A sentry yawned lazily, gripping his spear and maintaining his guard-post stance.

At the distant boundary where water and sky met, a mast tip slowly emerged, followed by a second, then a third.

Each of these three masts bore a fluttering banner. On the central tall mast was a fiery red Great Ming Funing Garrison military banner. In the blank space at the banner's edge were written the six large characters "Funing Garrison Regional Commander." The slightly shorter mast in front also bore a military banner, painted with a viper coiling and darting among cloud patterns. The military banner on the last mast bore a dolphin springing up with arched body.

This warship cleaved the waves, tracing two white streaks of wake across the mirror-like Bohai Sea. Behind it followed one sea vessel after another, stretching all the way to the horizon.

"Grand Commander. Laolongtou!"

"Mm, I see it." Huang Shi held a telescope, squinting at the landmass gradually emerging above the sea's surface. The beginning of the Ten-Thousand-Li Long Wall was appearing directly ahead of his ship's bow.

Yang Zhiyuan stood beside Huang Shi. He verified one last time: "Grand Commander, when the time comes we'll just say we got lost, right?"

"Right. We'll say we originally intended to go to Tianjin Guard but failed to determine our direction at sea, and ended up running to Shanhai Pass." Huang Shi put away the telescope. It looked like they could land at Shanhai Pass before nightfall today. The troops would need at most two days of rest to recover their combat effectiveness. Then they could begin executing the battle plan.

The imperial relief order Huang Shi received merely summoned surrounding armies to reinforce the capital region; it did not specify that the relief army must proceed directly to the capital. In theory, the order only demanded that the relief army engage the invading forces as quickly as possible, but such engagements were generally aimed at defending the capital and the Son of Heaven — for instance, the operations of the Zhending Army and the Xuan-Da Army both conformed to this spirit.

The battle plan Jin Qiude initially drafted was to land at Dagukou, then rush at top speed to the capital to guard it and drive back the Later Jin army.

But Huang Shi ultimately ordered the army to head straight for Shanhai Pass instead of Dagukou. He planned to take the Fuping–Yongning–Qian'an route and first seal off Xifengkou. Huang Shi believed that the moment his serpent banner was spotted, Hong Taiji's strategic objective would instantly shift to how to bring his troops safely back beyond the passes. In that case, given the terrain around Jimen and the opponent's command ability, Huang Shi believed Hong Taiji could still bring most of his army and plunder out.

Therefore Huang Shi was unwilling to take the Dagukou route. He hoped to at least trap half of Hong Taiji's main force. As long as Xifengkou was sealed, Hong Taiji would have no choice but to turn back and fight, or shift toward another direction to break through. Shifting toward another direction to break through would of course be very difficult — much like the German army at Stalingrad attempting to break through toward Siberia to reach Japan. Of course, given the Ming army's fighting spirit, Huang Shi admitted there was still a considerable chance Hong Taiji could successfully break through and exit the passes.

But that success would absolutely depend on the Funing Army not pursuing closely from behind. This time Hong Taiji had plundered extensively in the capital region. Marching with so much baggage through hostile territory, Huang Shi believed the Later Jin main force's daily marching speed would not exceed twenty li. Moreover, the arrival of the Funing Army would also inject a stimulant into the other relief armies; they would certainly begin enthusiastic encirclement and pursuit. So Huang Shi felt that without several months, Hong Taiji would find it very difficult to break out through the border, and during those months, they would have long since been caught up to by the Funing Army countless times.

Watching the mainland draw nearer, Huang Shi sighed with full confidence: "Good. As long as we can seal Xifengkou, the Jianzhou slaves will be in our bag."

"The slave chieftain might abandon the Mongols and the baggage and flee at full speed, smashing through the border wall from the Xuan-Da Garrison to rush out," Jin Qiude added from behind Huang Shi. As chief of staff, he had not been idle these days and had made various analyses of the battle situation.

Huang Shi smiled and said: "Perhaps. But in that case the Jianzhou slaves would be finished anyway. This time they coaxed and dragged a whole crowd of Mongols in with them precisely to prove that our Great Ming cannot withstand a single blow. They are nothing but a bandit alliance. Never mind the slave chieftain abandoning the Mongols to flee — even if they fail to seize anything to bring back, this bandit group will have to disband."

"My lord speaks truly."

"I do not plan to go to the capital also because I worry we would instead end up helping that dog official Yuan." Huang Shi knew well that Chongzhen's trust in Yuan Chonghuan was irrational. Historically, after Yuan Chonghuan did all these things, virtually no one in the Great Ming court spoke well of him afterward. Sun Chengzong did not conclude that Yuan Chonghuan had deliberately plotted treason, but he did consider Yuan a super military imbecile.

Yet Chongzhen still trusted Yuan Chonghuan, several times defending him before the court officials, and even publicly declared that "pacifying Liao requires that Yuan barbarian." Had the crimes not been so incontrovertible, Chongzhen might well have withstood the pressure and reversed Yuan Chonghuan's verdict. Although Huang Shi did not know exactly what nonsense Yuan Chonghuan had fed that child Chongzhen, he knew that even with much incontrovertible evidence of guilt, Chongzhen still reduced the punishment by one degree and ultimately pardoned Yuan Chonghuan's family.

"If I drive off the Jianzhou slaves beneath the capital's walls, I am absolutely certain His Majesty will continue to employ that dog official Yuan. Don't lecture me about reason — His Majesty simply likes him, simply trusts him, and simply wants to find every possible way to exonerate him." Regarding the concerns Jin Qiude and the staff department had about the proposed plan, Huang Shi did not take them to heart at all. Although Chongzhen was no wise sovereign, Huang Shi was very clear about his stubborn temper.

What Huang Shi needed to worry about more was that the marching route she had chosen clearly showed little regard for the Emperor's personal safety, appearing almost as if using the court and the Emperor as bait. Jin Qiude and others therefore had some criticism of Huang Shi's choice; they believed Huang Shi's plan was not a military error, but was a political error.

"Grand Commander, out of my duty as a subordinate general, I must say this one last time." The Funing Army's rule was that anyone could speak freely, but orders must be carried out to the letter. So for Jin Qiude, formulating military plans according to Huang Shi's concept and offering remonstrance upward were not contradictory: "Grand Commander, in the future your political enemies will certainly attack you fiercely on this issue. No matter what, even if His Majesty does not speak of it, there will be a knot in his heart."

"I know. I am very clear on this point. But the capital region ending up in this state is not my fault. My conscience is clear." Huang Shi knew that many commoners would be taken captive beyond the passes this time, husbands and wives separated from their flesh and blood, enslaved by others from then on: "But if I know I could save at least tens of thousands of lives, yet fail to do so because of personal honor, disgrace, gain, or loss, then I will certainly have nightmares every night from now on."

Besides this reason, Huang Shi also had military considerations: "If we let the Jianzhou slaves withdraw safely beyond the passes and also bring back rich plunder, then the western barbarians will likely become very envious too." Huang Shi did not intend to give Hong Taiji the chance to establish a solid military alliance. If Hong Taiji succeeded in buying off the Mongols, then the Later Jin would no longer be a minor rebellion that could be extinguished overnight.

Moreover, once Huang Shi returned north to direct operations, the army's pay and provisions would again have to rely on court supply, and the court would absolutely not let Huang Shi dominate alone — they would certainly arrange some allied troops... most likely the Guanning Army to work alongside him.

"Mm, let the Donglin Party handle the logistics for a prolonged campaign that might last several years, and then fight shoulder to shoulder with the Liaoxi Army, waging a long-term war deep in the great desert against someone like Hong Taiji." There was an even greater worry that Huang Shi found awkward to voice — namely, the Yao-and-Shun-like sovereign sitting on the imperial throne, Chongzhen, whose eagerness for quick success and short-sightedness also posed a colossal threat that Huang Shi would have to face.

Thinking of the terrible hand of cards he held, even with twenty or thirty thousand elite core troops, it was not a very secure job. He gave a bitter laugh: "This truly is a comprehensive test. A horse may stumble, a man may slip. If I'm careless and let Hong Taiji breach the passes and plunder on a grand scale again, I'll have no path left to live."

Jin Qiude saw that Huang Shi's resolve was set and did not try to persuade him further.

On the twentieth, another two thousand Guanning Iron Cavalry arrived at Guangqumen. Yuan Chonghuan's troop strength outside Guangqumen reached sixteen thousand. That afternoon, the Later Jin army and the Xuan-Da Army, locked in combat, arrived together at the near outskirts of the Great Ming capital. After continuous field battles from the sixteenth to the twentieth, Man Gui and the Xuan-Da Army had successfully slowed the Later Jin army's advance, allowing them to move only sixty li in five days.

Afterward, Man Gui directed the Xuan-Da Army to disengage from the Later Jin army and ran to set camp outside Deshengmen to prepare to rest. Chongzhen immediately ordered the gates opened to let the Xuan-Da Army into the barbican to rest. As the sky was already dark, they need not trouble themselves building their own encampment tonight. The Emperor also ordered that Man Gui be bestowed a python robe and jade belt as a reward.

Upon hearing that several thousand Xuan-Da troops had entered the city, Yuan Chonghuan again entered the city to have an audience with the Chongzhen Emperor, firmly demanding to be treated the same as Man Gui — at the very least, to let the Guanning Army rest inside the barbican as well. Chongzhen bestowed silver taels, wine, and food upon Yuan Chonghuan, and again comforted him with kind words. However, he still did not agree to the request to let the Guanning Army enter the city.

After sending Yuan Chonghuan away, Chongzhen resumed discussing operational matters with Sun Chengzong. Just as the two were deliberating, a eunuch reported that Zhang Heming sought an audience.

After Zhang Heming entered, Chongzhen smiled amiably and asked: "Is Elder Zhang's leg much better now?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern." Zhang Heming had originally still been at home recuperating today, but the moment he heard that the Later Jin army's vanguard had already reached the capital's walls, old Zhang hurried over to see His Majesty. He stood up and cried out in alarm: "Your Majesty, quickly summon Huang Shi to the capital for imperial relief! Quickly summon Huang Shi to the capital!"

On the twenty-first, the Later Jin main force approached the walls of the Great Ming capital. Man Gui led the remaining five thousand troops out of the city and set camp outside Deshengmen...

After Huang Shi arrived at Shanhai Pass, he immediately had the garrison vacate space for the Funing Army. Fortunately, Huang Shi encountered an old acquaintance at Shanhai Pass — Regional Commander Yao Yuxian.

This time Regional Commander Yao Yuxian had not followed the main Guanning Army force into the capital but had been assigned to temporarily take charge of Shanhai Pass's defense. Vice General Jin Guan was also working at Shanhai Pass now. Since becoming Vice General, Jin Guan had also appeared increasingly youthful. With these two men's help, Huang Shi quickly settled the troops in.

"Commander Huang, the Jianzhou slaves have already passed Qian'an and are closing in on Yongping, one hundred fifty li away. They intend to sever our Liaozhen's rear route." Yao Yuxian's face was full of anxiety. Fifty li further south from Yongping was Weizhou, which was also the official supply road leading from inside the passes to Shanhai Pass.

However, Huang Shi was not very worried about this. Because he felt that with maritime transport available, the Later Jin army could not cut off Liaozhen's supplies, and judging from the current situation, the Later Jin army also did not yet have such a large appetite or capability.

Yongping Prefecture lay at the confluence of the Qinglong River and the Luan River. Both waterways led beyond the passes, and the Luan River's exit beyond the passes was precisely Xifengkou. In Huang Shi's personal opinion, the Later Jin army's desire to take Yongping was mainly for transport considerations. A few months ago, after Mao Wenlong died, Hong Taiji had ordered the various Mongol tribes to hurry and build boats, clearly having long planned to utilize the hydraulic power of these two rivers. Probably Hong Taiji hoped that when spring came and the flowers bloomed, he could still use Yongping's rivers to transport goods.

But it sounded like Yao Yuxian and Jin Guan's anxiety could be exploited. Huang Shi generously thumped his chest and assured them: "By rights I should hurry to the capital. But my troops have not all assembled yet, so it won't matter if I delay a few days. How about this: after a brief rest, I will lead this one battalion to relieve the siege of Yongping, then seize the opportunity to smash Qian'an and cut off the Jianzhou slaves' thoughts of advancing east. During this time, my follow-up units should be about done resting, and I will then travel by double-time to the capital."

Huang Shi's chivalrous gesture greatly surprised both Yao Yuxian and Jin Guan. Only after a moment did they hesitantly ask: "Won't handling it this way cause any major trouble for Commander Huang?"

"Originally I was supposed to go to Tianjin's Dagukou. Now that I've arrived at Shanhai Pass and run into you two, it can only be called Heaven's will. Besides, when a general is in the field, there are orders from the sovereign he may not accept. Since I have encountered the Jianzhou slaves here, I can only smash them first." Huang Shi then raised some requests for provisions and fodder, hoping Yao Yuxian and Jin Guan could assist to the best of their ability. These two naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

At the same time, Huang Shi also had them keep his arrival as secret as possible. Yao Yuxian agreed fully and strictly ordered the Shanhai Guard to tighten security, forbidding idle persons from coming and going. Although news leaking out was only a matter of time, Huang Shi still hoped Hong Taiji would learn of it as late as possible. Yesterday after arriving at Shanhai Pass, he had not even immediately dispatched a messenger to Beijing, but used the excuse that it was already late in the day and delayed until today to send one.

The twenty-second day, second year of the Chongzhen reign.

Today Hong Taiji personally commanded ten thousand Later Jin main force troops to attack the five thousand Xuan-Da troops outside Deshengmen, while having Manggūltai lead two thousand troops to attack the sixteen thousand Guanning Iron Cavalry and two thousand capital garrison troops outside Guangqumen.

The Chongzhen Emperor paced back and forth in the inner hall. From time to time eunuchs ran in to report the battle situation outside the city. The more Chongzhen listened, the tighter his brow furrowed. Sun Chengzong, Qian Longxi, Li Biao, and the others beside him also wore grave expressions, not daring to let out even a heavy breath.

The Minister of War, Wang Qia, had long since been imprisoned by the Emperor because the Ji Garrison had been breached. So now, whenever there were military issues, Chongzhen would directly consult Sun Chengzong and the Grand Secretaries for their opinions. According to reports from the civil official army supervisors on Deshengmen, Hong Taiji and Man Gui fought with extreme ferocity. The two armies at one point devolved into a chaotic melee of cold steel, such that the cannons deployed on the Deshengmen gate tower even caused friendly-fire casualties, several times firing into the Xuan-Da Army.

By the afternoon, Man Gui's Xuan-Da Army was ultimately still defeated and slowly withdrew toward Guangqumen, hoping to receive support from the Guanning Iron Cavalry.

Sun Chengzong said hesitantly: "Commander Man did his utmost."

"We know that!" Chongzhen let out an angry bellow. He stopped in his tracks and asked sharply: "Then what is going on with the Guanning Army? What do you all make of it?"

According to reports from the army supervisors outside Guangqumen, two days earlier, when the Later Jin army was looting the commoners outside Beijing, the Guanning Army had also joined in the looting, showing no intention whatsoever of protecting the capital region's people. And today, when Manggūltai led two thousand cavalry in a charge, the Guanning Iron Cavalry scattered and fled in all directions. Many Guanning Army soldiers ran all the way to Beijing's moat, jumped into the water, and swam toward the city wall. The Beijing commoners on the wall were so furious they pelted them with bricks and stones.

According to the report from the Army Supervisor stationed outside Guangqu Gate, two days ago when the Later Jin army was looting the common people in the outskirts of Beijing, the Guanning Army also joined in the looting, showing no intention whatsoever of protecting the civilians of the capital region. And today, when Mang Gurtai led two thousand cavalry in a charge, the Guanning Iron Cavalry scattered and fled in all directions. Many Guanning soldiers ran all the way to the Beijing moat, jumped into the water, and swam toward the city wall. The Beijing commoners on the wall were so enraged that they hurled bricks and stones down at them.

The forces of the capital garrison stationed outside Guangqumen likewise reported that the Guanning Iron Cavalry outside Guangqumen broke at the first contact, seemingly fleeing without ever engaging the Later Jin army at all; but the capital garrison claimed they had taken the initiative to attack, withstood the Later Jin army's offensive, and repelled them.

The supervising civil officials stationed between Deshengmen and Guangqumen reported that when the Later Jin army engaged the Xuan–Da forces, the Guanning Iron Cavalry stood to one side and watched.

……

Reports continued to arrive one after another, and the Chongzhen Emperor's expression grew darker and darker. When Yuan Chonghuan had his audience at the Orchid Terrace, he had told the Emperor that he feared there would be "petty men" behind his back scheming against him. And so for a long time, whether it was the unauthorized killing of Mao Wenlong, selling military grain to the Later Jin, the breach at Ji Garrison, or allowing the enemy to pass through the natural barrier of Jimen, the Chongzhen Emperor had always forgiven Yuan Chonghuan time and again.

Even after Yuan Chonghuan rushed to the outskirts of Beijing, apart from not allowing the Guanning Army to enter the city, the Chongzhen Son of Heaven still did his utmost to placate him, bestowing upon Yuan Chonghuan gold coins and sumptuous robes. But now Chongzhen was truly finding it hard to keep his seat. He muttered to himself, "Surely not every civil and military official, every palace eunuch in the entire capital, is conspiring to frame the Viceroy of Ji–Liao?"

Yet although Chongzhen harbored suspicions, in the end he restrained himself and did not erupt: "I shall emulate the ancient sages — do not suspect those you employ, and do not employ those you suspect."

Just after Chongzhen had suppressed his fury, Yuan Chonghuan's own memorial was delivered into the capital. In this memorial, Yuan Chonghuan, for the first time ever, made no mention of victory or defeat, merely requesting permission to shift his encampment to a position further to the rear.

"Your Majesty, the Guanning Army's main camp outside Guangqumen has been burned by the Jianzhou slaves."

When the low murmur of the young eunuch beside him reached his ears, the hand with which Chongzhen held the memorial could not help but begin to tremble. His face turned alternately pale and dark. The great hall fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

Both Cheng Zhiben and Zhou Wenyu later wrote books to plead Yuan Chonghuan's innocence.

Cheng Zhiben wrote at great length about the battles of Ningyuan and Ning–Jin, which the people of Beijing had never witnessed with their own eyes. But as for what happened outside Guangqumen, he dismissed it in a single stroke, as though it were not worth mentioning at all.

Zhou Wenyu, for his part, admitted that the Guanning Iron Cavalry had all fled the moment battle began, but Zhou Wenyu firmly maintained that neither Yuan Chonghuan nor he himself had fled — that they had fought fiercely with a force of one hundred horsemen, and that the two thousand-odd Later Jin soldiers had ultimately withdrawn only because they were beaten back by them.

Zhou Wenyu also gave a vivid description, recounting how Yuan Chonghuan led the charge, his entire body riddled with arrows like a hedgehog — though fortunately the armor Yuan Chonghuan wore was so thick that not even the outermost layer of his skin was grazed. Zhou Wenyu further claimed that the steel blades of the Later Jin soldiers had nearly slashed Yuan Chonghuan's neck, only to be barely deflected by his bodyguards risking their lives. At such a moment of mortal peril, Viceroy Yuan, still mounted on his horse, bellowed and fought on with abandon — oh, and at the very moment when Viceroy Yuan himself was shot full of arrows like a hedgehog, the mount beneath him was still lively and spirited, carrying Yuan Chonghuan as he bellowed and fought on with abandon, routing the Later Jin army in a great defeat.

Unfortunately, Zhou Wenyu's book had not yet been written at this moment. The suspicious Chongzhen Emperor finally began to harbor doubts about Yuan Chonghuan. He paced back and forth a few more steps, feeling that he could hardly hold to the principle of not suspecting those he employed any longer: "Hmm, it seems best to summon the Viceroy of Ji–Liao into the city, so that I may question him clearly in person."

The Chongzhen Emperor had just made up his mind when a eunuch's announcement sounded from outside: "Regional Commander Man Gui seeks an audience with Your Majesty."

In no time, Man Gui burst in, his entire body drenched in blood, still clutching five feathered arrows in his hand. Without so much as a glance at the Grand Secretaries on either side or at Sun Chengzong, he threw himself straight at Chongzhen's feet: "Your Majesty, Viceroy Yuan means to shoot me dead!"

……

Man Gui had commanded the Xuan–Da forces in a bitter day-long battle against the Later Jin army but could not withstand them, and so had retreated toward the Guanning Army's position. Unexpectedly, what met them was a sky-covering volley of arrows, which killed multitudes of Xuan–Da soldiers. Man Gui himself had been struck by five arrows. Man Gui's armor was clearly not as fine as the armor on Yuan Chonghuan's body, so although he was far from being shot into a giant hedgehog, great bleeding gashes had already opened across his body.

After Man Gui removed his armor and showed his wounds to the Emperor and the Grand Secretaries, Chongzhen was utterly dumbfounded. Somewhat at a loss, he asked the Grand Secretaries: "My ministers, do you have any counsel?"

At these words, Man Gui began shouting again from below: "Your Majesty, Viceroy Yuan meant to shoot me dead! He has already done away with Marshal Mao and Marshal Zhao — now it is my turn."

Sun Chengzong and the several Grand Secretaries were by now equally dumbfounded. Since the founding of the Great Ming, Yuan Chonghuan had already committed far too many shocking and outrageous acts. Last time it was the unauthorized killing of an imperial commissioner and a first-rank regional commander; this time, a Regional Commander was accusing him before the throne of attempted murder — something truly unheard of: "Your Majesty, your subject believes it would be best to have the Viceroy of Ji–Liao come and confront Marshal Man face to face."

On the twenty-third day of the eleventh month, Chongzhen summoned Yuan Chonghuan to confront Man Gui before the Grand Secretaries. Yuan Chonghuan could not answer. The suspicious Chongzhen Emperor finally erupted, ordering the Embroidered Uniform Guard on either side to cast Yuan Chonghuan into the imperial prison. "I entrusted the eastern affairs to Yuan Chonghuan, yet the barbarian horsemen have run rampant. Chonghuan, holding the office of Viceroy, failed to conduct advance reconnaissance and defense, allowing the enemy to penetrate deep into the interior. Although he hastened to bring reinforcements, he also restrained his officers and men, standing by as they ravaged and plundered. His merits and crimes are difficult to obscure. He is temporarily relieved of duty pending investigation!"

The Chongzhen Emperor felt rather satisfied with this pronouncement. In it, he had praised Yuan Chonghuan's achievements, had not charged him with any fabricated crime, and had finally made clear that this dismissal was temporary — that once the matter was clarified, he would be reinstated. Yet Chongzhen's self-satisfaction lasted less than two hours before a palace eunuch came rushing in to report:

"Your Majesty, the moment Zu Dashou returned to camp, he incited the soldiers to mutiny. The Banner-and-Commission Officer Zhou Wenyu has seized the Viceroy's sword and seals and fled in secret. Now the Guanning Army has turned traitor and departed from the capital!"