Chapter 16: Putting Down the Mutiny

Cao Bianjiao led his men to a village ten li outside Lushi County town. The fields beyond the village were empty, and the whole village was eerily silent.

After sending men to scout ahead, Cao Bianjiao dismounted, found a shaded spot, and sat on a rock to rest.

He was twenty-one this year, with a swarthy face, a wide mouth, a straight nose, and piercing bright eyes. He wore mail armor and an eight-lobed iron helmet with a red tassel streaming from its peak.

He was the nephew of Cao Wenzhao, Regional Commander of Lintao. His father, Cao Wenyao, had been struck by an arrow and killed in the third year of Chongzhen while following his elder brother Wenzhao on campaign in Xinzhou. That year Cao Bianjiao was sixteen and had already been campaigning with the army. After his father fell in battle, his uncle Cao Wenzhao treated Bianjiao as his own son, doting on him greatly. He specially assigned brave household retainers to teach him martial arts, while he himself instructed him in battlefield strategy.

Under the careful tutelage of his many elders, Cao Bianjiao grew quickly, and his martial skill became truly astonishing. His archery was unerring, he wielded the cavalry lance with great proficiency, and he had the valor of one who could stand against ten thousand. Moreover, he bore a blood grudge against the bandits for his father's death, and every time he took the field he charged at the very front, unstoppably brave. Over the past two years his fame had soared; the bandits fled at the mere sight of him, calling him and his uncle Cao Wenzhao the "Greater and Lesser Generals Cao," and fearing them terribly.

Before long, a Night Scout wheeled his horse back to Cao Bianjiao, dismounted, stepped forward, and knelt on one knee to report: "Reporting to the General, the village is empty of people—we only found several dozen corpses of common folk!"

Cao Bianjiao stood up at this, his face dark. He bade the man rise, then ordered Battalion Commander Wan Yongming to send Night Scouts ahead to reconnoiter the road, and led his men into the village.

Once inside the village, what everyone saw was a miserable scene. Bodies lay everywhere in the small settlement—old and weak, women and children, and able-bodied men alike. It was a sight too horrible to behold. Only a few houses had been destroyed.

Wan Yongming dismounted, examined several corpses, then came before Cao Bianjiao and said: "These are all wounds from government weapons—this must be the work of the mutinous troops!"

Cao Bianjiao said with a grim face: "Send men to bury the bodies. Everyone find a place to rest, check whether the well water is clean, and eat and water the horses quickly! Post extra sentries within five li in every direction. Once the scouts return, we move on!"

The war had raged for so long that everyone had grown numb to such things, so they each went about their tasks, waiting for the Night Scouts sent ahead to return.

A personal guard found a courtyard that was still fairly clean. Cao Bianjiao went in and sat down on a campaign stool. A guard handed him a coconut-shell cup; he took it, tilted his head back, and gulped down the water noisily, then let out a long, satisfied breath. Wiping the moisture from the corner of his mouth, he looked up at the sky—it was around the hour of wei, still far from dark.

A guard brought dried flatbread and pickled vegetables, and Cao Bianjiao ate ravenously. Just as he finished, Wan Yongming hurried into the courtyard with a Night Scout who had been sent to reconnoiter.

The Night Scout knelt on one knee and reported: "Reporting to the General, the mutineer Xu Laichao's force is attacking the county town! From afar, your subordinate could see that the defenders on the walls are all militia levies—they cannot possibly hold against the mutineers. I estimate the town will fall within another half hour!"

Cao Bianjiao rose to his feet and asked: "Where is Xu Laichao's main force?"

"Reporting to the General, the mutineers' formation is scattered, and they are swarming the walls like ants. The main-force banner is at the rear of the formation, with weak defense to the rear—they probably never imagined the Governor-General would decide so swiftly, nor that our army would arrive this fast!"

"Hmph, a pack of rabble! That Xu Laichao usually follows General Yu around fighting easy battles—on his own he couldn't even beat the bandits, and yet he dares to mutiny! Today I'll send him to meet King Yama!"

"Wan Yongming, I'll personally lead four hundred riders to strike their main force! The remaining six hundred will split into two groups and sweep around both flanks! Once I've killed Xu Laichao, you men shout for surrender—make sure not a single one escapes! Chen Yongfu should be arriving soon as well; his men are all infantry, so have him pitch camp on the spot and guard the prisoners!"

Wan Yongming knew this lord loved nothing more than charging into battle, and he had boundless admiration for Cao Bianjiao's courage and skill. Without another word, he accepted the order and left.

Below the walls of Lushi County town, Xu Laichao sat in a folding chair outside his camp tent, watching his men attack the city.

Though they lacked siege equipment, the county town's walls were not tall to begin with, and there was no moat. The mutineers had felled trees and built a dozen or so crude scaling ladders. Holding up shields, they pressed the assault, while archers beside them loosed arrows at the wall-top without pause. From the battlements, the defending able-bodied men cried out in agony from time to time as arrows struck them.

Xia Zuxun, the County Magistrate of Lushi, wore his official robes and held a sword in hand as he stood atop the wall, loudly directing the militia to hurl thunder-stones down. On one scaling ladder, a burly man in heavy armor—shield in one hand, blade in the other—knocked aside a thunder-stone with his shield and poked his head over the parapet, about to set foot on the wall. Several able-bodied men rushed at him. Some swung blades, others thrust spears. The man swept his left-hand shield in a sudden arc, knocking all the blades and spears aside, then drove with his waist and legs—he was already leaping onto the wall. In the next instant his right hand swung the saber in a horizontal slash, and the keen edge cut through the throat of a spear-wielding militiaman. The man's long spear dropped from his hands; he clutched at the wound with both hands, making gurgling sounds as blood-flecked foam spilled from his mouth. His body slowly went limp—clearly beyond saving.

The nearby militiamen were frozen in terror. Another mutineer's figure appeared atop the scaling ladder. If they kept coming up here one after another, the city could not be held.

Just then came the twang of a bowstring. A three-edged iron arrow flew at the man who had climbed the wall, striking him square in the eye socket. He let out a great cry and toppled backward, crashing into another mutineer who was about to mount the wall, and the two of them tumbled down the wall together.

The defending militiamen snapped back to their senses. Several of them seized a thick timber and slammed it down hard onto the scaling ladder. A chorus of screams followed as the mutineers on that ladder were smashed off.

The man who had loosed that arrow was Wang Zhirui, the Patrol Inspector of Lushi County. As the county's Patrol Inspector, he commanded fifty patrol guards. He himself was fond of martial arts in peacetime and drilled his men regularly. He had joined the County Vice-Magistrate in wiping out several small bands of bandits, and his men were reasonably effective in a fight.

When the mutineers attacked the city this time, he had brought every one of his men to defend it. Had it not been for these patrol guards, with only raw militia on the walls, the city would have fallen long ago.

But even with the patrol guards having some fighting ability, they still could not compare with regular soldiers. In less than half an hour, more than half of the fifty patrol guards were dead or wounded, and the militia losses were even heavier. He judged that the city could not be held. Yet as a court-appointed official, he would hold out as long as he could—and if worst came to worst, he would die defending the city.

Wang Zhirui roared: "Throw the lime pots! Throw them now!"

The patrol guards and militiamen snatched up the lime pots from the wall and hurled them down. The pottery jars packed with quicklime shattered on impact, and the lime burst outward in all directions. The mutineers below were either blinded by the lime or choked into violent coughing fits, and they fled to the rear in a swarm.

The pressure on the defenders suddenly eased, and the patrol guards and militiamen cheered in unison.

Wang Zhirui went before County Magistrate Xia Zuxun, and both wore grim expressions. They knew the mutineers were only temporarily checked—the next assault would surely be unstoppable.

Wang Zhirui clasped his hands in salute and said: "Your Honor, take your family and go. I'll hold them off with my men for a while. Once the rebels break into the city they won't bother chasing down those who fled—they'll loot first before turning to anything else!"

Xia Zuxun had earned his jinshi degree in the same year as others in the third year of Chongzhen, and Lushi County was his second posting.

He said sternly: "The court has entrusted me as parent-official of this county. To defend this soil is my duty. If I flee alone and leave the people under my charge to be slaughtered by the rebels, do you think life would hold any savor for me? Vice-Magistrate Fang and Registrar Liu have both already died in battle—I will not cling to a shameful life!"

Xu Laichao watched grimly as his men fell back like a receding tide, then ordered: "Send the military police to supervise the line! Anyone who dares flee the field is to be executed on the spot! A pack of useless trash—can't even take a tiny county town defended by raw levies! Rally the men and attack again!"

His Assistant Regional Commander received the order and left. Xu Laichao's original plan had been to stage a mutiny, force the court to pay out more back wages, then take Lushi County town, loot it thoroughly, and make a fortune. Afterward he would claim the roving bandits had breached the city, and that he, Xu Laichao, had commanded his men in a bloody fight to retake it.

Finally, he would kill some civilians, cut off their heads, and report them as bandits—many military commanders had done exactly this, passing off slaughtered innocents as merit. As for the truth coming out, that was easy enough to handle: kill every official and gentry member in the county, and the common folk, who lived their whole lives within a radius of a few dozen li, would never have the knowledge or means to appeal to higher authorities.

The roving bandits were rampant now, and beyond the passes the Jianzhou slaves were ravaging the land—the court needed men like him, military commanders, at this very moment. When the time came, he would offer up a few scapegoats and claim they had coerced him into the mutiny, that he had been bound and held the whole time with no chance to escape. Even if someone saw through it, the court would likely have no choice but to swallow its pride and accept his story.

The Assistant Regional Commander led the military police forward. Xu Laichao took up his coconut-shell cup and took a big gulp—it held wine. The wine settled his stomach a little, and he paused before taking another drink. Suddenly the ground began to tremble faintly. A rumbling sound rolled in, growing from distant to near. He flung down his cup and sprang to his feet. He was a veteran of many campaigns after all—this sound was all too familiar. Cavalry! It was the thunder of a large body of cavalry charging! He shouted in terror: "Form up! Face the rear! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

That old bastard Hong Chengchou—hadn't he led his troops to Shaanxi? How could he have learned of the mutiny so fast, and sent cavalry to strike so quickly? It's over! Thinking of cavalry, he thought of Cao Bianjiao—it had to be that reckless hothead leading them! That madman who risked his life the moment he set foot on a battlefield! He had been far too careless, placing his main force in the rear without even posting scouts. It was over—completely over! The only thing left was to run. He couldn't worry about his men now—saving his own skin came first! If worst came to worst, he could always throw in with the bandits. With his abilities, who knew—he might yet rise again someday.

His thoughts spun in an instant—barely a blink—and then he roared: "Bring me my horse!"

It was already too late. Before his guards could lead his warhorse over, Cao Bianjiao in black armor came charging at the very front, cavalry lance in hand, with four hundred riders already at full gallop behind him.

Cao Bianjiao paid no heed to the panicked mutineers scattering in every direction before him. Anything living in his horse's path was sent flying by the impact. His eyes darted about, searching for Xu Laichao's figure. Suddenly his eyes lit up—he spotted Xu Laichao, surrounded by a knot of personal guards, frantically trying to mount his horse.

The corner of his mouth curled. He gave a cold snort, shook the reins, and drove his waist and legs into the horse's flanks. The warhorse surged forward, charging straight at Xu Laichao. Xu Laichao turned his head, saw Cao Bianjiao bearing down on him, and was stricken with terror. He shouted: "Stop him! Stop him!"

The guards around him drew their blades and rushed at Cao Bianjiao, while Xu Laichao swung onto his horse, spurred it, and made quickly for a place where there were fewer men.

Cao Bianjiao tucked the lance under his right armpit, gripping the shaft with his hand. The keen lance-head easily punched through a guard's cotton armor, and with a light flick of his arm, the guard was flung aside—a great hole torn through his chest, blood gushing out. The man let out a terrible scream and collapsed to the ground.

Cao Bianjiao then swept the lance horizontally, cutting through another guard's throat and killing him on the spot. In the space of a few heartbeats, whether by thrust or by sweep, every guard who came at him was slain.

By now Xu Laichao had already run nearly a hundred paces away.

Cao Bianjiao reined in his horse, hung the lance on its hook, and took up his bow, nocking an arrow. The bowstring sang, and the arrow struck true in the center of Xu Laichao's back. Xu Laichao tumbled from his horse at the impact.

Cao Bianjiao spurred his horse over. Xu Laichao was still struggling to crawl up when Cao Bianjiao pressed the lance-tip against his throat, staring down at him coldly.

Xu Laichao opened his mouth to beg for mercy, but Cao Bianjiao's lance had already pierced his throat. Cao Bianjiao's personal guards gathered around. One guard leapt from his horse and severed Xu Laichao's head with a ring-pommel saber. Cao Bianjiao lifted the head on his lance-tip and roared: "Xu Laichao is dead! Surrender and you will not be killed!"

On the wall, Xia Zuxun and Wang Zhirui had already steeled themselves for death and were arranging their defenses. Seeing the mutineers surging forward again, they were about to order the levies to fight to the death when suddenly a great commotion erupted in the mutineers' rear. In the next moment, a large body of Ming cavalry in red armor came charging into view, and one rider bore aloft a general's banner bearing a large character: "Cao."

The mutineers attacking the city heard the cries of battle behind them and turned to look—and were frozen with terror. One sharp-eyed soldier spotted the banner and shrieked in fright: "It's the Lesser General Cao! The Lesser General Cao!"

Cao Bianjiao's valor was unmatched in the army. Not only did the roving bandits fear him, but even the Ming government soldiers both admired and dreaded him. Hearing the many cries of "Lesser General Cao," the mutineers about to assault the walls scattered in utter pandemonium.

Wan Yongming's six hundred riders swept around both flanks of the fleeing mutineers, shouting in unison: "Surrender and you will not be killed!"

At that very moment, news of Xu Laichao's death spread through the entire battlefield. More than two thousand mutineers threw down their weapons and knelt in surrender.

On the wall, Xia Zuxun, Wang Zhirui, and the defending levies were beside themselves with joy—jumping, shouting, laughing and hollering madly. Xia Zuxun and Wang Zhirui hurried down from the wall, ordered the city gates thrown wide open, and went out to greet the rescuers.

Cao Bianjiao ordered Wan Yongming to post men to guard the prisoners and to clear the battlefield. In truth, Xu Laichao's men had surrendered before the cavalry even struck, so casualties on both sides were minimal.

A personal guard reported that the county's Magistrate and Patrol Inspector had come. Though Cao Bianjiao disliked dealing with civil officials, he still dismounted to greet them.

When the two sides met, the two officials of Lushi County were shocked by Cao Bianjiao's youth. Only after he gave his name did they realize—so this was Young General Cao, no wonder he was so extraordinarily fierce! Then came a torrent of praise, which Cao Bianjiao was ill-equipped to handle.

Just as he was feeling awkward, a personal guard reported that Chen Yongfu, the Regional Military Commissioner of Henan, had arrived with his troops. Cao Bianjiao was overjoyed and hastily clasped his fists to Xia Zuxun and Wang Zhirui, saying he needed to go convey the Governor-General's orders to Chen Yongfu's unit. He then took his leave of the two men, mounted his horse, and rode off.

Xia and Wang had been fretting over whether to invite the large army into the city. Not to invite them—well, these men had saved the entire city's populace and their own lives; but to invite them in—they feared the soldiers' poor discipline would harass the civilians, for the reputation of Ming officers and men was hardly good. Hearing that he was taking his leave, the two felt greatly relieved and clasped their fists in farewell.

Chen Yongfu, upon receiving Hong Chengchou's orders, hastily led his troops toward Lushi County. Of his more than eighteen hundred men, nearly all were infantry, with only fifty horses, used for relaying orders and scouting.

Yongning was only thirty li from Lushi County, so he sent a dozen or so riders ahead to scout the road while the main force advanced slowly behind.

When they were still ten li from Lushi County, the scouts returned to report that the rebels were assaulting the city walls. Chen Yongfu urgently pressed the troops to quicken their march. Though his own numbers were somewhat fewer than the enemy's, once he drew near the county seat, the rebels would still have to commit most of their forces to block him—and that would temporarily lift the siege. Then he could set up camp, hold fast without sallying out, and wait for the Governor-General's reinforcements to arrive. With a pincer attack from both sides, they would surely rout the rebels.

Just as they were about to reach the county seat, a scout hurried up to report that the rebels had already been defeated by General Cao and the county seat had not fallen. Chen Yongfu's heart relaxed. Had the city been breached, being the closest to the rebels, he would have borne the crime of failing to rescue it in time and sitting by while it was lost! Thank goodness—the Governor-General was wise, and Young General Cao was valiant, haha!

After Cao Bianjiao met with Chen Yongfu, he produced the Governor-General's command arrow and issued the military order for him to keep watch over the surrendered soldiers, garrison in place, and not disturb the local populace. He then led his troops back to Xinyang. As for how Chen Yongfu handled the aftermath, that was no longer his concern.