Chapter 181: Throwing In with the Bandits

Huangmao Pass is located about thirty li northwest of Zhushan County town, an ancient mountain pass at the foot of Zhushan. No one knows which dynasty it was built in, and the low walls of blue stone have mostly collapsed.

The originally quiet and deserted Huangmao Pass suddenly became extremely lively a few months ago. First, several thousand roving bandits arrived under Zhang Xianzhong's leadership and began setting up camp at the broad, open foot of the mountain. Later, as Liu Wenxiu and Ai Nengqi, who had fought at Shouzhou, joined with many deserting soldiers, the desolate Huangmao Pass was filled day and night with shouting men and neighing horses, an endless clamor.

Zhang Xianzhong first sent troops to break into the nearby Lianghe Town, looting the gentry and wealthy households clean before killing them all. Carrying off the plundered wealth and grain, and conscripting the able-bodied young men from the town and nearby villages, they returned to Huangmao Pass, leaving a small squad behind to supervise the remaining old, weak, women, and children in continuing to farm and open new land.

He had his eye on Zhushan's easily defended terrain, as well as the vast farmlands along the banks of the Zhuxi River and the Du River nearby. This place could serve perfectly as a base for rest and recuperation—they could manage it while sending troops out to plunder in all directions. Once their troops were strong and horses fat, they could either strike east toward Xiangyang and De'an Prefecture, or head west into Sichuan to carve out an even larger territory.

What he did not know was that Gao Yingxiang, after his defeat at Shouzhou, had fled west all the way, passing through Yun County more than two hundred li northeast of Zhuxi and heading straight for Shaanxi.

One side was busy plundering and building, the other was solely concerned with fleeing for his life—neither had the slightest idea the other existed, never imagining that their parting at Shouzhou would be their last.

Only when Liu Wenxiu and Ai Nengqi found Zhushan according to their original agreement did Zhang Xianzhong learn the full story of the Battle of Shouzhou, and that Gao Yingxiang had likely headed straight for Shaanxi. Upon hearing that Gao Yingxiang had been caught between several columns of government troops and utterly routed, Zhang Xianzhong burst into loud laughter, the pent-up frustration in his chest swept clean away.

Sun Kewang, Liu Wenxiu, and Ai Nengqi were all overjoyed as well—Gao Yingxiang and his men's arrogance and insolence had long grated on them. After such a crushing defeat, who knew how many years it would take for him to recover his strength.

Of the four adopted sons, only Li Dingguo frowned in silence. After his laughter subsided, Zhang Xianzhong noticed his expression and found it somewhat strange. He asked, "Dingguo, why are you frowning? That Gao the Dashing has given our Camp of Offerings no end of grief in the past—seeing him humiliated like this, this old man's heart couldn't be happier! Why do you make such a face?"

Li Dingguo clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "Adoptive Father, your son was also weary of Gao the Dashing's usual conduct. This time his strength has been greatly diminished, and rising again will be exceedingly difficult. But Adoptive Father, do not forget—in these past years it was precisely because Gao the Dashing was holding the front that our Camp of Offerings did not have to face the government armies' encirclement directly, and only thus had the opportunity to grow strong at leisure! But now that Gao the Dashing has suffered a disastrous defeat, our Camp of Offerings has lost its shelter from wind and rain. The government troops will surely combine their forces and form an encirclement against our camp. This matter must be considered well in advance—I beg Adoptive Father to make an early decision!"

Sun Kewang and the others all fell into deep thought after hearing this.

Li Dingguo's words made good sense. Ever since the first month of the eighth year of Chongzhen, when Zhang Xianzhong and bandit chiefs such as Old Huihui, Cao Cao, and Geli Yan led their followers to attack Fengyang and burn the Imperial Ancestral Tomb, under the Emperor's stern orders, government troops from all directions had launched fierce offensives against these several bands of righteous armies. After several engagements in which they were soundly beaten by the government forces, the chiefs had no choice but to scatter and flee for their lives. Zhang Xianzhong, in desperation, had led his men to place themselves under Gao Yingxiang's command, seeking to preserve his remaining followers.

"Dingguo, my son, you think far ahead—truly a good son of mine!" Zhang Xianzhong praised from the bottom of his heart.

Sun Kewang said with dissatisfaction, "Adoptive Father, I think Dingguo worries too much! That Gao the Dashing's defeat at Shouzhou was not due to the government troops' valor—I see it as a defeat brought on by his own carelessness! Had he made preparations early and broken into Shouzhou to plunder and leave before the government forces could encircle him, one or two columns of government troops could never have beaten him! This Huangmao Pass is in a remote location, and with its treacherous terrain, if government troops came, we would easily spot them through our scouts—there is absolutely no way they could surround us as they did at Shouzhou!"

Liu Wenxiu agreed, saying, "Big Brother is right! Our position here is easy to defend and hard to attack—if the government troops come, they'll gain nothing! But Second Brother's words are also the counsel of maturity. I think we should send out more scouts, so as not to be caught off guard by the government troops through carelessness!"

Ai Nengqi, meanwhile, remained silent at the side. Whether the government troops came or not, he only needed to obey his adoptive father's orders.

Zhang Xianzhong nodded approvingly and said, "All my sons have spoken sensibly. In a moment, pass the word down—send scouts far out along the surrounding official roads, to guard against a government surprise attack!"

Sun Kewang nodded in acknowledgment. Daily patrols and scouting were under his jurisdiction, and the eastern and northern routes were the most likely directions from which government troops would come—he would simply send more men along those two routes shortly.

Zhang Xianzhong continued, "Since our Camp of Offerings intends to stay here for a long time, we must manage it well! First, we must gather more grain; second, we must recruit soldiers and buy horses, then train them diligently; third, we must send men to large prefectures like Xiangyang to purchase salt and iron materials, and while there, inquire about craftsmen such as blacksmiths and carpenters—find an opportunity to seize their entire families and bring them here to forge and repair our weapons and armor. This task shall be handled by Wenxiu! Send many men, and carry plenty of silver! Wenxiu has a quick and clever mind—just right for this sort of work!"

Liu Wenxiu clasped his fists and accepted the order.

Among Zhang Xianzhong's adopted sons, Sun Kewang was brave and fierce, suited to leading troops in charging formations; Li Dingguo was rich in strategy, suited to training and commanding soldiers; Liu Wenxiu was clever, suited to dealing with the outside world; Ai Nengqi was simple and loyal, suited to serving as a personal bodyguard willing to die.

Li Dingguo spoke up, "Adoptive Father, I feel that although Huangmao Pass is strategically important, its territory is somewhat cramped. If our Camp of Offerings wishes to grow large, we must expand outward in all directions!"

Zhang Xianzhong laughed, "My Dingguo will surely be a commander of the highest order in the future—far surpassing this old Zhang! At barely over ten years of age to have such vision—when he grows up, he'll be extraordinary! Dingguo, my son, tell me—what do you think we should do next?"

Sun Kewang shot a jealous glance at Li Dingguo: This second brother just loves to show off. Adoptive Father is no ordinary man—how could he not already have his own plans? Why must you put on such a display!

Li Dingguo calmly clasped his fists and said, "Adoptive Father flatters me. Your son merely offers his own humble thoughts—I hope Adoptive Father will kindly correct them!"

Zhang Xianzhong looked at Li Dingguo with a face full of gratification, his gaze brimming with admiration: Of all his adopted sons, in the future only Li Dingguo would achieve the greatest things. He never panicked in the face of trouble, was composed and magnanimous, and could always quickly find a response—to call him both wise and brave was no exaggeration. He had long understood in his own heart what the few of them had just said, and had come here with plans already in mind. But that a man of several decades could think of such things was one matter—that these boys of barely ten-some years could consider them too was what pleased him most.

Li Dingguo continued, "I feel that we should now divide our forces to the east and west, attacking Zhuxi County and Zhushan County respectively. Breaking these two cities will yield us great quantities of wealth, grain, and population. Afterward, following the pattern of what we did at Lianghe Town, we send men to supervise and urge the old and weak to cultivate military farmland and open new land. Once the vast farmlands between the two counties are entirely ours, and next year's summer harvest brings in great stores of grain, the two counties will be thoroughly secured. Then we send troops to take Fang County, and with that, this entire great tract of land south of Yun will belong to our Camp of Offerings! With three counties' territory, training several tens of thousands of soldiers should pose no problem. Unless the government sends over fifty thousand elite troops to suppress us, nothing can stop the rise of our Camp of Offerings!"

Zhang Xianzhong nodded, "Dingguo's words suit my thinking perfectly! In the past, our righteous armies roamed everywhere attacking and plundering, never having the habit of staying in one place! Those big officials at court all call us the roving bandits! Haha! That name is truly well coined! In my idle moments I've also thought—if we want to accomplish great things, this word 'roving' must go! We must learn from Emperor Zhu's Old Ancestor—we need to find a place to settle and manage it well, and we must have the patience to quietly amass great wealth! This Yunyang Prefecture is a fine territory—this time we'll sink our roots here, and work steadily for a few years before anything else!"

Zhang Xianzhong then gave his orders: Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo would lead one thousand elite veterans of the old camp and three thousand ordinary soldiers west to take Zhuxi County and remain there to manage it; Liu Wenxiu would select several dozen men to carry large amounts of silver to Xiangyang on business; he himself would lead three thousand men to attack Zhushan County town thirty li away; and Ai Nengqi would remain at Huangmao Pass to guard the camp.

Neither Zhuxi nor Zhushan County town had any soldiers defending them. Seeing the roving bandits come to attack, the county offices could only organize able-bodied young men to defend the walls. These young men, untested in battle, mostly wielded clubs and farm tools—how could they withstand the bandits' swords, spears, and arrows? The young men on the walls broke at the first contact. Both cities fell in less than half a shichen, with County Magistrates and Assistant Magistrates either dying in battle or perishing with their entire families. The Camp of Offerings plundered both cities thoroughly, obtaining countless supplies. What made Zhang Xianzhong even happier was that after he led his troops to break into Zhushan County town, two government students from the county actually came in person to surrender.

Both men were government students of the county school—one named Pan Du'ao, the other Xu Yixian. They were similar in age, both past forty. The two associated closely in ordinary times, each priding himself on towering talent and vast learning. In daily life they pontificated on affairs of state and wrote with impassioned flourish—yet for decades neither could even pass the prefectural examination.

The two never sought the cause within themselves, instead unanimously concluding that the court was unjust—that all who passed the examinations and earned degrees had done so through connections and back doors. The two thus harbored extreme dissatisfaction with the court, and their hearts were filled with resentment.

Although Pan Du'ao and Xu Yixian had achieved nothing in the eight-legged essay, they both enjoyed reading miscellaneous books in daily life, particularly taking great interest in works on military strategy and cunning schemes. Over time, they gradually gained some insights into the arts of drilling troops and practicing warfare.

As the Great Ming's situation grew increasingly turbulent and the roving bandits seemed to be on the rise, the two also began to harbor other thoughts. In private conversations they were extremely pessimistic about the Great Ming's prospects, believing its destruction was inevitable. They were in full agreement that Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong were both heroes of their generation, and that the two would surely accomplish great things in the future.

Had history followed its original course, their judgment would have been perfectly accurate—the Great Ming did indeed ultimately perish at the hands of the roving bandits, Zhang Xianzhong did eventually proclaim himself emperor in Shu, and the two men did indeed both rise to high positions in the end.

But because information was extremely scarce, they did not know that a person who should never have appeared had come into this world, and that the originally precarious situation had already undergone enormous changes.

When the roving bandits broke into the city and began their wholesale looting, Pan Du'ao and Xu Yixian, who had long heard of Zhang Xianzhong's fame, got together and discussed the matter. Since they were not well treated on the Great Ming's side anyway, they might as well tend a cold stove and throw in their lot with the roving bandits. With their wisdom and insight, they could help Zhang Xianzhong accomplish great deeds—and who knew, perhaps in the future they might earn titles for their wives and sons, and bring glory to their family names from then on.

Zhang Xianzhong, overjoyed to learn that two educated men had come to pledge their allegiance, immediately received them in the Zhushan County office. On the spot he presented each with five hundred taels of fine silver, appointed Pan Du'ao and Xu Yixian as Left and Right Military Advisors, and grandly promised that if great deeds were accomplished in the future, the two gentlemen would surely serve as Left and Right Grand Chancellors, and so forth.