Chapter 180: Dispute

While the people in the capital were immersed in the festive atmosphere of the New Year, Lu Xiangsheng, far away in Huguang, was leading his army trudging through towering mountains and ridges.

After defeating the remnants of Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong's forces at Shouzhou, following a few days of brief rest, Lu Xiangsheng led his troops westward in pursuit of Gao Yingxiang.

Along the way, when passing through Runing Prefecture and Nanyang Prefecture in Henan, Lu Xiangsheng detached troops to sweep up small bands of remnant bandits who had fled from the defeat at Shouzhou to western Henan and then gathered to rob homes and plunder households, which consumed considerable time.

When Gao Yingxiang fled westward, he did not concern himself with the large body of infantry and ordinary bandit followers, and quite a number of roving bandits had drifted into the prefectures of western Henan. Although these remnant bandits lacked the strength to attack prefectural or county seats, they still plundered villages and wealthy households, seriously affecting local law and order.

Lu Xiangsheng continually received reports from the chief officials of the prefectures and counties he passed through, saying that the roving bandits had revived like dead embers rekindled, gathering in bands of several hundred or over a thousand, congregating in the mountains and forests to wreak havoc in the region, and begging the Commander-General to send troops to pacify the area and restore a clear and bright world for the common people.

After repeatedly examining maps and assessing Gao Yingxiang's purpose and movements in fleeing west, Lu Xiangsheng judged that the roving bandits would either enter Huguang and rest and recuperate near Yunyang, where the mountains were tall and the forests dense, gathering followers before seeking an opportunity to stage a comeback, or take the Xichuan route to the Shangluo mountains, preparing to wait for a chance to return to Shaanxi.

If it were the former, there was no need for him to rush his troops. Since the roving bandits wanted to find a place to settle, he could calmly follow with his army. When he found where the bandits had entrenched themselves, whether he struck by surprise or attacked in force, he believed the remnants of the Dashing King's bandits, like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, would have little will to fight.

If it were the latter, there was even less cause for concern.

From the military dispatches issued by the court, Lu Xiangsheng knew that both Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou were in Shaanxi, and he also knew that Sun Chuanting's military farmland and troop training had shown considerable results. Moreover, Hong Chengchou was leading twenty thousand elite government troops in continuous battle against the bandits in Shaanxi. If Gao Yingxiang, unaware of the situation, dashed into Shaanxi, he would precisely run into the combined assault of Sun and Hong's forces.

Given that the situation was not urgent, Lu Xiangsheng consequently stationed his troops in Runing Prefecture and Nanyang Prefecture for a month each. During this period, he divided Zu Kuan and Li Chongjin's forces into units of three hundred cavalry each, supplemented by five hundred infantry rotated out from the other three armies for sorties, while the main body of the government troops took the opportunity to rest and recuperate.

Guided by brave and capable men selected by the local authorities, the small units of government troops, relying on being few but elite, struck out swiftly to exterminate the various bands of roving bandits who had made themselves kings of the mountains.

Two months later, when Lu Xiangsheng led his forces away, the remnant bandits within Queshan, Zhenyang, and Biyang in Runing Prefecture, and Dengzhou, Neixiang, Xinye, and Zhenping in Nanyang Prefecture had been thoroughly eliminated. Moreover, through interrogating prisoners and observing the traces left by the passing of the main army, they concluded that Gao Yingxiang's forces had not taken the Xichuan route into Shaanxi, but had instead gone west into Yunyang Prefecture.

With the arrival of the deep autumn season, the weather gradually turned cooler, but the light rains that fell every few days also slowly diminished, and the roads along the way became dry and firm, even more favorable for long-distance marching.

When Lu Xiangsheng's forces entered the Yun County area of Yunyang Prefecture in Huguang from Nanyang Prefecture, they received a report from the local county government: in the days prior, roving bandits had indeed passed through, but they had not attacked the county seat. Instead, after plundering several villages, they had crossed north of the county seat and continued westward.

Lu Xiangsheng immediately dispatched several squadrons of scouts to track westward, and sent men to inform Song Zushun, the Governor of Yunyang, asking him to come to Yun County to discuss important matters.

By the time the dispatched scouts returned several days later one after another with their reports, Song Zushun, the Governor of Yunyang, had only just arrived, belatedly.

According to the scouts' reports, they had relayed in several squadrons, advancing several hundred li, and near Xiyang Pass they had detected traces of a large force having passed through, confirming that the roving bandits had crossed the Bai River and entered Shaanxi territory.

Just as Lu Xiangsheng was bending over the map on the table examining it, Song Zushun sauntered leisurely into Lu Xiangsheng's tent.

Song Zushun, nearing sixty years of age, was a jinshi of the fortieth year of Wanli. In terms of seniority in both the examination halls and officialdom, he far surpassed Lu Xiangsheng, who was not yet forty. Thus, presuming on his age and experience, he did not take Lu Xiangsheng seriously at all. When privately discussing Lu Xiangsheng with his staff from time to time, Song Zushun contemptuously dismissed him as "a minister who advanced through favoritism."

After receiving Lu Xiangsheng's notice, Song Zushun had initially intended to plead illness and not come, but only after his staff reminded him did he suppress his anger and hurry over from Yunyang.

Yunyang Prefecture was a mere forty-some li from Yun County, yet Song Zushun took fully three days to arrive.

He felt that Lu Xiangsheng should have come to Yunyang Prefecture to pay respects to him as a senior, rather than having him come here to await an audience.

Although Lu Xiangsheng was honored as the Commander-General of Five Provinces, Song Zushun considered it merely a temporary appointment, and that one day, should he fail to suppress the bandits, he might be stripped of his post by a single imperial edict.

Hearing the loud announcement from the personal guards, Lu Xiangsheng raised his head. Seeing before him this Governor with a plump, well-nourished face and a streaked white beard, he could not help thinking to himself: Yunyang sits at the junction of three provinces and has always been a poor and remote land—how is it that this old gentleman looks like a wealthy householder?

With a smile on his face, he clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Is this Senior Song before me? This junior offers his respects!"

Song Zushun gave a smile that did not reach his eyes and slightly clasped his hands in return, saying, "I dare not accept such courtesy from Your Excellency! This old man is Song Zushun. Hearing that Your Excellency had summoned me, I set aside all official business and hurried over to receive your orders! May I ask what important matter Your Excellency has to instruct?"

Lu Xiangsheng felt slight displeasure in his heart and thought: I respect you as a senior of the examination halls, which is why I offered you the first salute. Do you think this first-rank official of mine is of lower rank than you?

He slowly lowered his hands, rested them on his jade belt, and switched to official tone, saying flatly, "This official, by imperial command, has overall charge of military affairs in five provinces. Previously, after a great victory over the Dashing bandits at Shouzhou, I pursued them to Yunyang, and thus sent men to summon Governor Song. First, to ask whether Yunyang is clear on the movements of the roving bandits; second, Your Excellency the Governor is to bring troops to join forces with this official and pursue the defeated Dashing bandits westward; third, I must trouble Governor Song to prepare one thousand shi of grain needed by the army, lest the soldiers lack provisions and be unable to pursue the bandits. These matters bear directly on the great task of suppressing the bandits, and I request that Your Excellency the Governor handle them properly as soon as possible. Otherwise, should the suppression of the bandits be delayed, and His Majesty and the court lay blame, neither you nor I could bear the consequences!"

In truth, Lu Xiangsheng was not short of grain. During those two months in Henan, not only had he appropriated the grain the bandits had plundered but not yet used, but the officials, gentry, and local worthies of Runing Prefecture, Nanyang Prefecture, and their subordinate counties had also contributed no small amount of military pay and provisions in hopes of driving off or exterminating the roving bandits sooner.

But after seeing Song Zushun's arrogant demeanor and bearing, he instantly decided to give this old fellow a squeeze.

So you won't treat a Commander-General as a proper official!

Although the Commander-General of Five Provinces held only military authority, this power could be magnified without limit in lands ravaged by the roving bandits—anything could be done under the banner of matters concerning bandit suppression. If local officials failed to cooperate actively, one personal memorial from Lu Xiangsheng would see the uncooperative official stripped of his post by the court, or even arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and brought to the capital.

It was only that Lu Xiangsheng was by nature generous and kind-hearted, and had basically never used this power to oppress others. Had it been Hong Chengchou, Chen Qiyu, or the like, this Song Zushun would have lost his post and been dismissed in an instant. Those two were no easy customers, nor were they as easy to deal with as Lu Xiangsheng.

Song Zushun was also an old hand at officialdom—how could he fail to hear the meaning behind Lu Xiangsheng's words?

His heart was both alarmed and furious, his face alternating between pale and green, his plump old visage full of embarrassment.

But Lu Xiangsheng's words were not excessive. That government troops suppressing bandits needed grain, and that local authorities were responsible for assisting in its preparation, had long been explicitly decreed by the court.

Song Zushun, swallowing his anger, could only clasp his hands and reply, "Since it concerns the great matter of bandit suppression, this subordinate naturally will do his utmost! It is only that Yunyang's poverty is known throughout the empire. Moreover, several months ago, the Xi'an bandits and several other bands of roving bandits slipped into the Zhushan and Zhuxi area in the southwest, attacking county seats and rural gentry everywhere, gathering up displaced farming households, and amassing tens of thousands to congregate in southern Yunyang. This subordinate had no choice but to order each county to recruit able-bodied young men to guard the city walls, while personally leading several thousand guard station troops to defend the prefectural seat of Yunyang. I truly have no remaining strength to levy grain or dispatch troops. I beg Your Excellency to understand the hardships of all in Yunyang!"

Lu Xiangsheng, suddenly hearing that Zhang Xianzhong was leading his forces in the southern part of Yunyang, was also startled inwardly: No wonder the main force of the Xi'an bandits was not seen at the Battle of Shouzhou, and no wonder no banners of the Xi'an bandits appeared while I was sweeping along the way—so they had long since hidden themselves here! This bandit is indeed cunning and hard to contain; his slipping into Yunyang must have been a long-premeditated move! Yunyang has many impoverished farming households, which is even more favorable for him to recruit soldiers and buy horses and delude the common people. It seems the Dashing bandits will have to wait for now—the Xi'an bandits must be exterminated first!

Thinking this, he set aside pursuing Song Zushun's shirking of grain levies and troop dispatch, and instead asked, "Has Governor Song seen the banners displayed by the Xi'an bandits? Apart from the Xi'an bandits, which other bands of bandits are entrenched in Yunyang?"

Song Zushun shook his head and said, "The Xi'an bandits are the strongest, so everyone knows of them. The other bands are somewhat weaker in strength. There are rumors of those nicknamed Old Huihui, Cao Cao, and Liu Guoneng—these bandits are all in the Fang County and Baokang area, somewhat farther from Yunyang!"

Seeing that upon hearing of the roving bandits he had indeed forgotten about the grain matter, Song Zushun secretly rejoiced: "No matter that you are a first-rank official, in the ways of officialdom you are still a bit green!"

He did not consider that Lu Xiangsheng's action was wholeheartedly for the state and disdainful of internal officialdom strife, but merely measured Lu Xiangsheng with his own dark heart.

Lu Xiangsheng returned to the table, bent over to examine the map, and after a moment straightened up and turned to Song Zushun, saying, "Governor Song, return to Yunyang and hold it tight. This official will personally lead the army to the place where the Xi'an bandits are and suppress them!"

Song Zushun returned to Yunyang Prefecture in high spirits. Lu Xiangsheng's arrival was a weight off his shoulders—this time he no longer had to fear bearing responsibility for lost territory. Whether it was the Xi'an bandits or the Cao bandits, let you, the Commander-General of Five Provinces, handle them. This official will drink his little wine and compose his little poems as usual. As long as the court does not issue a directive, this old man will never submit a memorial requesting retirement.

After Song Zushun left, Lu Xiangsheng immediately summoned Zu Kuan and the others to gather in his tent to discuss the latest bandit intelligence and the strategy for suppression.

The generals engaged in a heated dispute over whether to suppress the Dashing bandits or the Xi'an bandits.

Zu Kuan, Li Chongjin, Qin Yiming, and other generals held that the Dashing bandits had already suffered heavy losses, their main cavalry force nearly wiped out, and on the road fleeing to Shaanxi, due to lack of supplies, outbreaks of disease, difficult roads, and other factors, their remaining mounted force would lose nine out of ten. This bandit was a major threat to the court's heart, and moreover it was we who defeated him—we should finish the job in one stroke, pursue and utterly exterminate him. That would be a rare and great achievement, with ennobling one's wife and children depending on the Dashing bandit's head. If someone else were to pluck the peach, it would be hard to accept.

Meanwhile, Huang Degong, Yang Maogong, and others held that whether the Dashing bandits or the Xi'an bandits, both were great bandits that must be exterminated. To leave the Xi'an bandits who were right before their eyes ravaging the region unattended, merely to pursue the Dashing bandits out of selfish desire for merit and reward, was not conduct befitting imperial government troops. Moreover, our army had lingered too long in Runing and Nanyang, and by now pursuit was no longer possible. Better to first exterminate the Xi'an bandits; if we could capture or kill the Xi'an bandit, the merit would be no less than exterminating the Dashing bandits.

Lu Xiangsheng understood how Zu Kuan and the others felt.

Under his leadership, Zu Kuan and the others had clashed with Gao Yingxiang several times over the course of about a year, and their subordinates had suffered no small casualties. Now, with victory in sight, to turn around and head back was indeed hard to swallow.

But his position dictated that suppressing bandits and pacifying the people must take precedence, not winning merit and rewards.

Yet if he forcibly ordered a turn to suppress the bandits in Huguang, Zu Kuan and the others would obey reluctantly, but resentment would inevitably fester in their hearts, and in the ensuing battles against the bandits it would be hard for them to exert their full strength.

Zu Kuan and Li Chongjin had served under his command for a long time, from their initial unruliness to their present wholehearted obedience, which had already brought Lu Xiangsheng great comfort. If discord arose over this matter, it would bode ill for both sides and for the subsequent bandit suppression efforts.

Thinking of this, Lu Xiangsheng spoke up to console them: "What all the generals have said has its merits. The Dashing bandits were indeed heavily wounded by our forces, and if pursued in time we should be able to complete the achievement; but our army has consumed too much time along the way, and by now the Dashing bandits' trail is hard to find. The Xi'an bandits are now right before our eyes. Since our army enjoys the court's pay and provisions, we should naturally relieve the court's peril. Therefore, this official has decided to first suppress the bandits before us! This official hereby assures all the generals: if the Dashing bandits are captured in Shaanxi, this official will personally submit a memorial to the court, fully stating that it was precisely the generals' fierce fighting at the Battle of Shouzhou that so weakened the Dashing bandits' strength that they were subsequently captured. With our emperor's wisdom, he will certainly not let the merits of those who served be utterly wasted!"

Although Zu Kuan and the others were still somewhat reluctant in their hearts, having spent a long time with Lu Xiangsheng, fighting side by side against the enemy on several occasions over more than a year, a fairly deep friendship had formed between both sides. For a first-rank grand official of proper jinshi background to personally don armor and take up arms and charge into battle won the deep admiration of Zu Kuan and the others, so they did not continue the dispute.

Next, Lu Xiangsheng began assigning operational tasks to each unit, with the priority this time being the suppression of Zhang Xianzhong's forces.

Li Chongjin's, Huang Degong's, and Qin Yiming's three units would launch an attack toward Zhushan in the southwest. They were to send out many scouts ahead, and after locating the bandits' camp, first use the cavalry to charge their formation, then Huang Degong's unit would move in to surround and kill. After the enemy scattered, the Sichuan troops, accustomed to mountain warfare, would enter the mountains to search and exterminate.

He would lead the Tianxiong Army and Zu Kuan's unit to outflank the roving bandits at Zhuxi from the Baitu Pass in the west, and after defeating them, drive them toward Zhushan, whereupon the five units of government troops would join forces to surround and annihilate the Xi'an bandits.