Chapter 64: The Frontier Army

Zhang Zhenyuan, Assistant Regional Commander of the Western Route of Xuanfu Town, was past forty and in the prime of his years. He had the typical appearance of a military man—straight nose, broad mouth, tall and imposing—though years of frontier wind and frost had left his temples faintly streaked with grey.

His residence was in Xuanfu Town, but he handled daily business at the military camp, which lay between Zhangjiakou Fort and Wanquan Right Guard. Though only an Assistant Regional Commander, his authority was considerable and his jurisdiction vast—covering Wanquan Left and Right Guards, Huai'an Guard, Tiancheng Guard, and below them Zhangjiakou Fort, Chaigou Fort, Desheng Fort, Huailai Fort, Laiyuan Fort, and others. Nominally he commanded over forty thousand fighting men, three-tenths of the entire Xuanfu Town, making his the strongest of the four routes—but in reality he had only some ten thousand soldiers, and the pay for thirty thousand had gone into the pockets of Zhang Zhenyuan and others.

In Zhang Zhenyuan's main tent, Mobile Corps Commanders Chen Heng, Lu Shan, Jiao Zhigang, Geng Qing, and numerous Chiliarchs gathered in full. The day before, the Governor's yamen had sent word that today Sun Chengzong, Governor-General of Xuan-Da, would come to the camp on inspection, and all officers of Battalion Commander rank and above were required to be present.

Zhang Zhenyuan sat in an armchair behind a large desk, eyes closed in repose, while the officers in the tent murmured among themselves. The recent string of changes in the Xuan-Da military towns had left them feeling unsettled and ill at ease.

Since taking office in Xuan-Da, Sun Chengzong had wasted no time in touring the entire region. Xuanfu Town was the primary target of inspection, with Zhu Zhifeng, Governor of Xuanfu, Yao Yunxi, Regional Inspector, and Yang Guozhu, Regional Commander of Xuanfu, accompanying him on the tour, along with a large retinue of clerks and attendants from the Governor's yamen.

Wherever Sun Chengzong and his party went, they ordered the local defending officers to assemble all their troops and check them one by one against the Ministry of War's registers. Because even Yang Guozhu had received no advance warning, the officers of every route in Xuanfu were caught completely off guard.

In the past, the Ministry of War had also sent officials down to verify troop numbers, but the generals always got word well in advance. When the Ministry officials went from place to place investigating, the Xuan-Da generals coordinated among themselves—if the western route was being checked, the other routes would send their soldiers over to make up the numbers; the same trick was used for the eastern route. On top of that, the generals were willing to spend silver freely. With this two-pronged approach, and the Ministry officials being no paragons of diligence, the months of investigation ended with everyone satisfied: the court received word of complete, tiger-like armies, and the Xuan-Da generals pocketed large sums of military pay and provisions.

Who could have expected that Sun Chengzong, barely in office, would catch the Xuan-Da generals flat-footed before they had even sounded out the Governor's personal preferences? Those being inspected had no defense prepared; those inspecting had not a shred of hesitation. A great earthquake in the Xuan-Da military towns had begun.

Under the thorough audit, even Sun Chengzong—a veteran who had once commanded in Liaodong and knew military affairs intimately—was shocked. According to the Ministry of War registers, the full authorized strength of Xuanfu Town was over one hundred thirty-four thousand men, and the court allocated military pay and supplies accordingly. After the investigation, the actual number turned out to be just over eighty thousand—and that figure included every last old man and weakling.

Sun Chengzong, Zhu Zhifeng, and Yao Yunxi were both shocked and furious. Though the court did not always disburse pay in full and on time, the accumulation over so many years meant nearly every one of these generals had been eating until their mouths dripped with grease.

In their fury, Zhu Zhifeng and Yao Yunxi strongly demanded that Sun Chengzong use the royal banner and tablets of authority to execute these officers who drew pay for nonexistent soldiers and embezzled court funds. The two declared that if Sun Chengzong would not apply harsh law, they would submit a joint memorial impeaching him for shielding malefactors. Sun Chengzong, past seventy, deeply understood their indignation and smiled off their excessive words and deeds. Though he was a civil official and Imperial Tutor, he had spent long years in the ranks and knew well that the consequences of rash action were beyond imagining. This matter implicated nearly every major general. Yang Guozhu, Regional Commander of Xuanfu, had slightly cleaner hands, but he was by no means innocent—you cannot get white cloth out of a dye vat. If the measures were too severe and provoked a mutiny, the already turbulent situation would only worsen.

Sun Chengzong invited Zhu and Yao for a private discussion and, after much persuasion, managed to calm their fury and win their agreement to his method of handling the matter with prudence. He then summoned Yang Guozhu alone and, through a combination of carrot and stick, secured Yang's pledge to cooperate with Sun Chengzong's subsequent actions—on the condition that he keep his post as Regional Commander.

After completing the audit of Xuanfu's troop numbers, Sun Chengzong returned to the Governor's yamen and convened a meeting of all Xuanfu officers of Mobile Corps Commander rank and above. At the meeting, Sun Chengzong furiously denounced the ugliness of their graft and the slack morale of their troops, and stated that he would report the matter to the Emperor and the court—what awaited them was the thunderous wrath of the Son of Heaven.

Sun Chengzong's credentials were formidable: a proper jinshi degree holder, he had once been the teacher of the Tianqi Emperor, had served as Supreme Commander in Liaodong, and was known for his uprightness and fortitude, with an excellent reputation both in court and among the people. Famous generals such as Man Gui, Zhao Shuaijiao, and Zu Dashou had all been promoted under his hand, and he commanded great respect in the official armies. The old man was naturally loud-voiced, and when he cursed, his words shook the very rafters with overwhelming force. The proud and unruly generals below, cowed by his reputation, dared not even breathe loudly, only lowering their heads to stare at their own feet. When they heard the Governor would memorialize the court, their faces changed drastically—some felt anxious, some resentful, some felt anger rising. The atmosphere grew delicate indeed.

Regional Commander Yang Guozhu stepped forward in time to smooth things over. Through his earnest entreaties and reasoned arguments, Sun Chengzong grudgingly agreed not to submit the memorial—which meant no further pursuit of past offenses. The generals felt a great weight lifted, including those who had already begun harboring different thoughts, for unless absolutely forced, no one wanted to take that final step.

But Sun Chengzong ordered the generals to return to their camps, organize their old and weak soldiers into logistics battalions, and drill the remaining troops daily. As for the troop numbers reported to the Ministry of War, he agreed to leave each general a certain margin—a tacit acknowledgment, as it were, of their years of frontier service. Little did they know this was merely a play staged by Sun Chengzong and Yang Guozhu. The chief purpose was to knock the generals down a peg without going too far; once things stabilized, he would proceed gradually.

Under the supervision of the Governor-General's yamen, the Governor's yamen, and the Regional Inspector, the generals could only comply. Throughout the process, all manner of petty tricks emerged, but so long as they did not affect the larger picture, the Governor's yamen turned a blind eye. In the end, both sides grudgingly accepted the outcome.

Now hearing that Sun Chengzong was coming to inspect their routes again today, the generals were both angry and afraid, all wondering what new mischief this jinx would cook up.

Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Zhang Zhenyuan's personal guard reported that the Governor-General's party was not far from the camp. Zhang Zhenyuan sprang to his feet and waved his hand grandly: "Let's go! Out to welcome Lord Sun!"

The western route officers stood at attention by the camp gate. Before long, dust flew in the distance as Sun Chengzong arrived at the camp under the escort of his personal banner battalion's cavalry. Zhu Zhifeng and Yao Yunxi had not come along—only Yang Guozhu accompanied him, his expression grave.

Though past seventy, Sun Chengzong remained hale and agile. He dismounted nimbly and walked toward the camp gate, where Zhang Zhenyuan led the officers in kneeling on one knee, raising clasped hands above their heads, and loudly paying their respects. Sun Chengzong gestured for them to rise, then led the way toward Zhang Zhenyuan's main tent.

Inside the tent, Sun Chengzong took the seat of honor. Two personal guards stood at either side, hands resting on their sword hilts. The officers formed two rows, with Yang Guozhu and Zhang Zhenyuan at their head.

Sun Chengzong's expression was stern as his gaze swept over the assembled officers. He spoke: "I have come today to announce a grave matter. It is of the utmost importance and implicates certain officers in this tent. Even I, upon first hearing of it, felt my heart leap with alarm!"

Sun Chengzong's loud, dignified voice echoed through the tent, and every man below felt his heart tighten. Reading between the lines, today's matter was likely even more serious than the audit of phantom troops. Last time Sun Chengzong had brought only a few personal guards; this time he had brought his entire banner battalion—a clear sign of how grave the affair was.

The tent fell deathly silent. Every officer lowered his head, thoughts racing, the very air seeming to congeal.

Sun Chengzong continued: "I have spent long years in the ranks and am no stranger to the practice of drawing pay for phantom soldiers and bleeding the troops dry. I also appreciate the hardship you all endure guarding the frontiers for the Great Ming, which is why I grudgingly agreed to let the matter pass last time. But! Some have cast aside the court's laws for their own private gain, and have actually been in communication with the slave rebels! This is tantamount to treason! You probably don't know yet—several wealthy merchants of Zhangjiakou Fort have already been arrested and tried! Their crime: shipping contraband goods to the slave rebels! And among you, some accepted their bribes and privately let contraband pass through the passes! Some have even taken shares in their ventures, cooperating to aid the enemy!" At this point, Sun Chengzong, beside himself with rage, slammed the table and rose to his feet.

Every man below was sweating as if drenched. Yang Guozhu and Zhang Zhenyuan still managed to keep their composure, but several Mobile Corps Commanders and Chiliarchs were dripping with sweat—whether from the heat or from fear, none could say.

Sun Chengzong slowly sat back down and continued: "I will tell you plainly—the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the capital has long since investigated this matter thoroughly. Those who are guilty had best confess and submit to the law. If anyone harbors delusions of escaping, or worse, entertains other thoughts—hmph—the consequence will be disaster for his entire family! Guards!"

The tent flap was thrown open, and several Embroidered Uniform Guard officers in blue armored surcoats, embroidered spring sabers at their waists, entered upon hearing the summons. Sun Chengzong said: "Those whose names I call, step forward!"