Chapter 240: Father and Son

Hong Chengchou naturally understood the Emperor's meaning. In the prime of his life, he was certainly unwilling to spend his entire career languishing in regional posts—standing in the court ranks was his ultimate goal.

The Emperor had already made it clear to him: not only could the Wu family be rewarded with high titles and honors, but as long as he handled the Liaodong matter well, there would certainly be a place for him in the Grand Secretariat.

"Minister Hong, if the Ning-Jin matter is settled this time, I intend to raise a great army to attack Jianzhou after the spring of next year. At that time, you shall be the Regional Commander. What do you think?"

After Hong Chengchou performed the ritual and accepted the decree, Zhu Youjian continued asking.

"Attack Jianzhou? Is this Your Majesty's intention or the Minister of War's recommendation? Which troops does Your Majesty intend to employ? How many men? What is the objective of this campaign?"

Hong Chengchou asked, somewhat surprised.

Zhu Youjian repeated what he had said to Lu Xiangsheng, and at the end said: "Since last year, when Minister Hong and others pacified the roving bandits, the various government armies have been resting for some time. If we integrate and train them within this year, with strong soldiers and sturdy horses, we should be sufficient to resist the Jianzhou slave-bandits. Once Jianzhou is destroyed, most of the Great Ming's internal troubles and external threats will be eliminated. In the following years, the court will focus on giving the people respite and improving their livelihoods. As long as you and I work together with one heart and strive forward, within ten years you will see a brand-new Great Ming—prosperous and strong!"

Hong Chengchou was not moved by the Emperor's impassioned speech. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke: "Since Your Majesty's will is already decided, I shall naturally obey. However, I have heard that the Jianzhou barbarians have formidable armor and weapons, and moreover have tens of thousands of Tatar iron cavalry to assist them—their strength should not be underestimated. Next year's campaign must have a thoroughly comprehensive plan, otherwise a single misstep may damage the court's prestige! These are not the words of a man afraid of the enemy—they are truly my heartfelt sentiments!"

According to Hong Chengchou's original intention, after he assumed the post of Governor-General of Ji-Liao, whether against the Ning-Jin group or the Jianzhou Jurchen, he should adopt Sun Chengzong's strategy as the main framework: advance step by step, consolidate steadily, implement different methods in stages, and gradually divide and erode these two separatist regimes. Using the court's increasingly ample finances as an advantage, he would strive to thoroughly weaken the strength of both armed groups within five to ten years, then gather heavy forces for a thunderous strike to completely eliminate these two threats that had plagued the Great Ming for years.

But Zhu Youjian suddenly proposing to resolve the Liaodong border threat next year caught Hong Chengchou somewhat off guard.

"His Majesty is still too hasty. I, Lu Jiandou, Sun Baigu, and others commanded tens of thousands of government troops and spent nearly ten years before finally exterminating the roving bandits. This was only because most of the bandits were untrained farmers whose weapons and armor were far inferior to those of the government troops. If we face the sharp-armored Jianzhou barbarians and Tatars, the outcome would be difficult to predict!"

Zhu Youjian understood what Hong Chengchou was thinking—that he harbored doubts about the government troops' combat effectiveness and feared that leading the army beyond the passes would end in a great defeat, destroying his lifelong reputation.

But Zhu Youjian was even more clear about the Jianzhou barbarians' actual combat strength. Through the Guanning army's deliberate or unintentional embellishment, the Jianzhou barbarians' fighting ability had been greatly exaggerated. In truth, the Jianzhou barbarians were not as brave and skilled in battle as later generations imagined. The saying that "Jurchen under ten thousand are nothing, but ten thousand and more are invincible" was pure self-aggrandizement.

The Battle of the Hun River in the first year of Tianqi was clear proof.

The bloody battle at the Hun River involved not only 3,000 Zhejiang soldiers, but also 10,000 White Pole troops—both armies had come to relieve Shenyang.

But before the Zhejiang soldiers and White Pole troops reached Shenyang, they fell into conflict with each other. The two armies first fought with weapons; after tempers flared, the Zhejiang soldiers even used cannons to bombard the White Pole troops, destroying many civilian houses near the White Pole troops' camp. While they were fighting among themselves, Shenyang had already been breached by the Later Jin army. Learning that the object of their rescue was gone, both armies began to retreat, and on the road of retreat they were caught up by the Eight Banner forces.

The Eight Banner army first attacked the White Pole troops, while the Zhejiang soldiers watched without helping. The 10,000 poorly equipped Sichuan infantry inflicted heavy casualties on the Eight Banner forces. First, the Red Bordered Armored Banner company was badly defeated by the White Pole troops, and Nurhaci's rear reinforcements were also repelled several times by the Sichuan army. The Eight Banner company commanders Xifoxian, battalion commanders Xiertai and Gelang, along with 3,000 Eight Banner soldiers, were killed.

The Sichuan troops had already been exhausted from marching a thousand li, with no logistical support and no reinforcements. Only when facing the Eight Banners' continuous attacks did they finally collapse. Had the White Pole troops been equal in number to the Eight Banners and supported by cavalry, the Later Jin army could never have won.

After the White Pole troops were destroyed, the Eight Banner army concentrated its strength to attack the 3,000 Zhejiang soldiers. Since Qi Jiguang had been dead for many years, the Zhejiang soldiers of the first year of Tianqi were far inferior in both numbers and combat effectiveness. Even so, during the bloody battle at the Hun River, the Qi family army still displayed its final glory.

When the Later Jin army had already taken Shenyang, the 3,000 Zhejiang soldiers fought bravely on open ground against the attacks of tens of thousands of Eight Banner troops. At first, the Eight Banner army simply could not break through the Zhejiang soldiers' defenses; it was only after the Zhejiang soldiers' gunpowder was exhausted that the Eight Banners defeated them in hand-to-hand combat. Although the Zhejiang soldiers suffered a disastrous defeat, with almost no survivors afterward, for 3,000 infantry to fight on open ground against an enemy more than ten times their number and hold out to such a degree was already quite impressive.

Had the White Pole troops and Zhejiang soldiers not fought among themselves and instead rushed to Shenyang as quickly as possible, with the city of Shenyang as their backing and no worries about supplies, the Eight Banners could never have won.

"I am well aware of Minister Hong's concerns. The premise for sending troops next year is that the Ning-Jin matter is effectively resolved. The several million taels of the Liaodong levy each year are like a bottomless black hole, sucking in all the taxes paid by the Great Ming's people, leaving the Taicang treasury unable to produce more money and grain to relieve the people struggling at the edge of life and death. Every time I think of this, I cannot bear it! This matter is only my preliminary intention and has not yet become a final decision. Minister Hong should first privately plan next year's campaign, and we will decide according to the actual situation then. This matter must not be made known to others! Regarding the attack on Liaodong, only the Minister of War, the two Vice Ministers, Minister Lu of Xuan-Da, Minister Sun of Shaanxi, and Minister Chen of the Grain Transport have been informed. I have not even told the members of the Grand Secretariat. Minister Hong, remember this well!"

After keeping Hong Chengchou for the midday meal, Zhu Youjian personally escorted this famous minister out of the great hall.

Jizhou Garrison was located two hundred li northeast of the capital, making it the garrison closest to the capital. Therefore, Jizhou Garrison had to both bear the duty of resisting foreign invasion and protecting the capital, and also serve to intimidate rebels and uphold the court's authority. This dual role made Jizhou Garrison more important than other major border garrisons, and consequently its troop strength exceeded that of ordinary major garrisons.

The famous general Qi Jiguang had once been stationed here for sixteen years during the Wanli era. During that time, he rectified border defenses and spent vast sums of money and grain to repair the Great Wall, keeping Jizhou Garrison peaceful for decades.

The Ji Garrison Regional Commander's residence was located at the center of Santunying town, west of Qianxi County. It was built by Qi Jiguang at the same time he constructed Santunying town.

The front gate of the commander's residence opened onto a main thoroughfare, with secondary gates on both sides and a tall screen wall before the gate.

On the east and west sides before the residence stood ornamental pillars, with a square between them that could accommodate a thousand horses. Inside the secondary gates were waiting rooms for carriages and pavilions for gongs and drums. Passing through the ceremonial gate, a paved path led straight to the main hall. The hall had five bays, with a high platform and wide steps; beneath the platform could hold several thousand people. Behind the main hall stood a multi-story building, and behind that were the residential quarters.

To the left of the main hall were quarters for ordinary officials; to the right of the residential quarters was the library, with a study and pond in front, and to the right of the study was the archery practice area. The entire garrison headquarters was majestic and imposing, ornately decorated.

In the residential quarters behind the commander's residence, Wu Xiang, the over-forty Regional Commander of the Ji Garrison, was chatting idly with his second son, Wu Sangui.

"Father, judging by the current situation, our Wu family will find it very difficult to return to the lands beyond the pass. From the last relocation of our garrison, one can see that the court's dissatisfaction and wariness toward our Zu and Wu families grows daily. Who knows what measures they will take against us next? I plan to return to Jinzhou in a few days to bring Mother and the other family members within the pass, so that our parents and family need not remain separated for long. What does Father think of this?"

Wu Sangui, dressed in a white casual robe, had just turned twenty-five. He was handsome in appearance, with a tall and imposing bearing. After being transferred with his troops to fight within the pass in the eighth year of Chongzhen, he had spent nearly two years in combat before returning to Jizhou Garrison in the third month of the tenth year of Chongzhen.

Wu Xiang, wearing a purple round-collar long-sleeved silk robe, had fair skin and delicate features. He did not look at all like a great general commanding over ten thousand troops—he looked more like a refined scholar.

"My son, after two years of campaigning within the pass, your horizons have broadened considerably. Tell me—from what do you perceive that His Majesty and the court intend to deal with our Zu and Wu families?"

Wu Xiang smiled warmly at his beloved son, his eyes filled with unconcealed admiration.