Chapter 160: Requesting Surrender

Zhang Miaoshou leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Tuo Yangkun, and said, "Chief, I speak bluntly, so don't take offense! I ask you, how do you think you compare to Gao Yingxiang?"

Tuo Yangkun was stunned for a moment before he understood—he was being asked how his strength compared to Gao Yingxiang's. He shook his head and said, "Ah... the Dashing King Gao once had nearly twenty thousand cavalry, and later he joined forces with other rebel armies in Henan. I hear he had several hundred thousand men at his peak. How could I compare to him! Brother Zhang, why do you ask?"

Zhang Miaoshou leaned back against his chair, glanced at Tuo Yangkun, and said, "That Gao Yingxiang was truly formidable—his old camp and cavalry were all elite troops! When he led his men from Shaanxi to attack Henan, he sent someone to invite me, saying that if we captured Kaifeng and Luoyang, there would be as much money, grain, and women as we could want. I didn't agree to it, and the man he sent seemed rather displeased, saying I was disrespecting the Dashing King. Looking at it now, thank goodness I didn't go—if I'd followed him to Henan, this head of mine would no longer be mine!"

Tuo Yangkun sighed and said, "Exactly, exactly! How fierce were the Dashing King Gao's men, and yet didn't he just vanish without a trace? Shaanxi has lost a true hero! It truly breaks one's heart!"

"Since we've come this far, Chief, don't you understand yet? All of us rebels in northern Shaanxi combined aren't as fierce as the Dashing King Gao! You have many men under you, Chief, but not many who can truly fight! My men can fight, but there are too few of us! That general Li Zicheng over in Suide is a capable man, but he's short on money and grain! He even asked me for three hundred dan of grain before, saying he'd gained many new brothers and his own supplies weren't enough—he wanted me to help him out. Where would I get that much surplus grain? But seeing as we're all rebels together, I gave him fifty dan, and he was quite pleased, saying I, Zhang Miaoshou, was righteous and loyal to the heavens and all that!" Zhang Wenyao spoke up.

Tuo Yangkun asked in confusion, "Brother Zhang, how did the Dashing King Gao's several hundred thousand men just disappear? Are the government troops really that formidable? You served with the government troops before, Brother—you have connections. Tell me!"

Zhang Wenyao shook his head and said, "The people I knew in the government troops are all in the north; I don't know anyone in the central plains' forces! Besides, the Dashing King Gao was captured by the newly arrived Shaanxi Governor Sun Chuanting—that old fellow is no less formidable than Hong Chengchou, who we've been fighting for years!"

At the mention of Hong Chengchou's name, Tuo Yangkun felt his heart leap with fear. He leaned forward and looked around—the entire shabby hall held only him and Zhang Wenyao—then lowered his voice and said, "That Hong Chengchou has no shortage of fierce generals under him. I've suffered several defeats at the hands of Zuo Liangyu, and those Liaodong barbarians wear full iron armor—ordinary swords, spears, and arrows can't even wound them! Brother Zhang, do you think that new court-appointed Governor will come to northern Shaanxi and join forces with Hong Chengchou to attack us?"

Zhang Wenyao replied gravely, "It's precisely because I've been thinking that Sun Chuanting will come that I've come to discuss surrender with you, Chief! I don't want to end up like Gao Yingxiang and his brother—captured, taken to the capital, and chopped into hundreds of pieces!"

Tuo Yangkun slowly leaned back in his chair and sighed, "One Hong Chengchou is already giving us a headache! If an even fiercer one shows up, we'll have no way to survive!"

Zhang Wenyao suddenly rose to his feet and said, "We've talked long enough—what are your intentions, Chief? I've thought it through! In all these years of rebellion, we've enjoyed what there was to enjoy. The government troops before were easy to deal with, but the ones coming now are fiercer by the day! I don't care what others think—since His Majesty has issued the decree, I'll take the opportunity and surrender!"

Tuo Yangkun's eyes rolled for a moment, then he smiled and rose to his feet, saying, "It seems Brother Zhang has made up his mind! Fine! I, Tuo Yangkun, also intend to surrender! But I have many brothers under me and many troubles—I need to sort things out properly and consult with the other chiefs! If Brother Zhang truly goes to surrender, and you find the court isn't deceiving us, then come back whole and give me the word, and I'll surrender immediately!"

Zhang Wenyao knew he was afraid of being lured in by the court and killed, so he wanted Zhang to test the waters first. If Zhang could survive and return to see him, then Tuo Yangkun would surrender too.

No matter what Tuo Yangkun, Li Zicheng, and the others thought, he was determined to surrender this time. He didn't want to die bearing the name of a rebel—how could he face his ancestors in the underworld with such a reputation?

The government troops in northern Shaanxi were elite to begin with. Though they hadn't wiped out many rebels at once, over the past half year and more they'd penned them up in this godforsaken land, and their supplies were gradually running out—there was nowhere left to plunder. At this rate, even without fighting, they'd be starved to death. Not to mention that Sun Chuanting would soon arrive with his troops—and those were the elite forces that had annihilated Gao Yingxiang!

He'd considered it: though Gao Yingxiang had been wiped out, there were still many bands of roving bandits of varying strength in Shaanxi. To show the other rebels that the court had no intention of deceiving them, they wouldn't dare kill him or his men.

He would be the first rebel chief to lead his men in surrender, and he was a man of considerable renown among the rebels. Following court convention, he would surely receive more benefits than those who surrendered later; perhaps the court would value his abilities and even grant him an official post—that would be like the difference between heaven and earth compared to being a bandit. If not driven to desperation, who would choose to be a bandit?

Yan'an Prefecture had become a massive military camp over half a year ago. Hong Chengchou led several Regional Commanders, Vice Regional Commanders, Assistant Regional Commanders, more than ten Mobile Corps Commanders, and over twenty thousand government troops, sealing off every strategic pass along several hundred li from Bao'an in the west to Yanchang County in the east, north of Yan'an, completely cutting off the route for the hundred thousand-plus roving bandits in northern Shaanxi to move south.

If the Shaanxi bandits wanted to detour through Shanxi to go south, the border troops along the Xuan-Da line alone would be more than they could handle. Fearful of the Xuan-Da border troops' fearsome reputation, the bandits never dared attempt the route south through Shanxi.

In the prefectural office of Yan'an city, Hong Chengchou, the Governor-General of the Five Provinces, was discussing military matters with Sun Chuanting.

Hong Chengchou sat in the seat of honor, with his advisor Shen Shiyu standing behind him; Sun Chuanting, who had come alone without attendants, sat quietly in the first chair on the right, his bright, piercing eyes fixed directly on Hong Chengchou.

For this Governor-General of the Five Provinces, who enjoyed an excellent reputation at court, Sun Chuanting did not hold him in particularly high regard.

In his eyes, Hong Chengchou commanded over twenty thousand elite troops yet had still failed to wipe out the northern Shaanxi bandits—this showed he lacked the profound strategic wisdom attributed to him by legend. In this regard, he fell far short of his predecessor, Chen Qiyu.

But whether in the examination halls or the officialdom, the man had far more seniority than himself. Though he now held the concurrent title of Vice Minister of War, a full second-rank official, the other was a first-rank imperial commissioner bearing the title of Minister of War.

Hong Chengchou studied Sun Chuanting with a smile on his face. While envying his youth, he also regarded the man who had annihilated the most troublesome Gao Yingxiang's forces with deep curiosity and wariness.

To have captured in one stroke Gao Yingxiang—who had plagued several provinces and whom both he and Lu Xiangsheng had been unable to subdue—was it mostly luck, or was his ability truly extraordinary?

He smiled and spoke in official Mandarin tinged with a Fujian accent: "The bandit chief has been beheaded, shaking all the villains under heaven! Governor Sun—one cry from you and the world takes notice! Haha! I hold Governor Sun in the highest esteem! With Governor Sun here in northern Shaanxi, the day the Shaanxi bandits are wiped out is within sight! Haha!"

Sun Chuanting clasped his hands in salute and replied in a deep voice, "Your Excellency flatters me—I am unworthy of such praise! For the achievement of destroying the bandit chief, the credit belongs to Your Excellency and Governor Lu! Had Your Excellency not driven him to the central plains, had Governor Lu not destroyed his effective strength, there would have been no defeat at Heishui Valley! That battle was truly my good fortune!"

It seems the northern Shaanxi bandits are hard to wipe out, so you're putting a high hat on me right from the start, trying to push me to the front. It's not that I fear these bandits, but I haven't yet gotten a clear picture of the situation—how can I rush into battle rashly?

Sun Chuanting kicked the ball Hong Chengchou had passed to him right back.

Hong Chengchou smiled and continued, "Governor Sun lay dormant for a long time, yet achieved such a great victory upon taking office—this fully proves your outstanding ability! Shortly I will have a map of the bandit forces' distribution in northern Shaanxi sent to your residence. You may consult it at any time, and I hope you can produce a response strategy as soon as possible. Then our great army will advance together, striving to sweep the bandits away in one stroke, to ease His Majesty's mind! This concerns the peace of the Great Ming—Governor Sun must not decline!"

Over the past year, Hong Chengchou had felt utterly exhausted. Day after day he spent his energy mediating disputes among the various commands, while also having to judge the bandits' movements and intentions and lay out corresponding countermeasures—all of this had made him want to wash his hands of the whole affair.

Though he had gathered over twenty thousand elite government troops under him, they were divided among different generals. The Regional Commanders were rife with mutual conflicts, often shirking responsibility and blaming each other in battle. Though they repeatedly defeated the bandits, they could rarely inflict heavy casualties, which was why northern Shaanxi remained unpacified to this day.

Sun Chuanting's arrival gave him a chance to relax—let this newly famous minister, whose reputation had soared for annihilating Gao Yingxiang, display his abilities. He could also observe his skill at commanding an army. If he made mistakes in his responses, Hong Chengchou could fill in the gaps from behind and strive to pacify northern Shaanxi as quickly as possible.

Hong Chengchou had also heard of Sun Chuanting's strict military discipline, and he wanted to use this rising minister's iron hand to rein in those arrogant soldiers and unruly generals.

If things went well, he would be happy to see it succeed; if dangerous signs appeared, he would step forward to clean up the mess, using both carrot and stick to rally the troops' morale back under his control.

Seeing that Hong Chengchou paid no heed to his attempts to decline, Sun Chuanting's ambition was immediately stirred.

Proud and arrogant by nature, he had never regarded the roving bandits as worthy adversaries. Whether it was Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong, or the Scorpion and the Five Camps of Ge and Zuo—in his eyes they were all dry bones in their graves, men with price tags on their heads, nothing more.

Now, with His Majesty's strong support from above and ample military pay, provisions, and equipment from below, as long as he commanded properly and the troops fought with dedication, these worthless rabble would be destroyed in an instant.

He rose, clasped his hands in salute, and declared loudly, "Since Your Excellency thinks so highly of me, I will not shirk my duty! After I have studied the matter, I will certainly produce a corresponding strategy. Where there are shortcomings, I ask Your Excellency to offer corrections!"

Hong Chengchou smiled and nodded, saying, "Governor Sun is bold in taking responsibility—I am most gratified! Governor Sun, return to your lodgings and rest. This evening I shall arrange a banquet to welcome you, and I will also introduce the various commanders to you so that you may become acquainted, which will facilitate command in battle!"

Just then, a personal guard hurried into the inner hall, knelt on one knee in salute, and reported loudly: "Report to the Regional Commander! Vice Regional Commander Ai Wannian of Gushan has sent word! A bandit spy has been captured—the man claims he was sent by the great bandit Zhang Miaoshou to request surrender to the court!"

Hong Chengchou suddenly rose to his feet and demanded in a deep voice, "Where is the man?"

The guard continued, "The man is being escorted here by Ai Wannian's men! He is just outside the office!"

Hong Chengchou ordered loudly, "Bring him in at once!"