Chapter 108: Password

When a Ming officer single-handedly shot and killed one of their generals before the formation, the Tartars felt both fear and rage, and on the city walls they erupted in furious curses.

But the Tartars' blind fury accomplished nothing, nor could it make a single hair fall from a Ming soldier's head — instead it only drew a burst of laughter from the soldiers of the Yongwei Camp and the Shenshu Camp.

Yang Qili returned to the formation and was immediately embraced by some of his Night Scouts rushing up to him; the officers of both major camps also came forward to greet him, and Zhang Shize even gave him a thumbs up.

Cao Huachun was positively beaming as he took his hand and chuckled: "I have truly witnessed something remarkable today — that our great Ming army actually has such a fierce warrior!"

Being held by the hand of an old eunuch, the otherwise thoroughly masculine Yang Qili suddenly felt a chill run through his heart; with an awkward yet polite smile, he slowly withdrew his hand and clasped his fists: "Superintendent Cao flatters me!"

Huang Degong strode forward and slapped Yang Qili's shoulder roughly, saying: "Little Yang, well done! You've got the style of your old man here back in the day!"

Yang Qili grinned sheepishly, not daring to ask on the spot just what that "style back in the day" had been.

Zhu Cilang smiled and said: "Yang Qili shot down a Tartar single-handedly, bolstering our army's might. Note a promotion of one rank; after the battle we shall assess merits and reward further!"

Yang Qili was overjoyed and bowed with clasped fists: "This humble officer thanks Your Highness!"

Sun Yingyuan laughed: "This lad can't even wait to call himself 'this humble officer'!"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone burst into laughter at that, while Yang Qili scratched his head in embarrassment — even with this promotion, he was still one rank short of Mobile Corps Commander; it seemed he would still need to render great service.

Just as everyone was laughing and chatting, a commotion appeared atop the walls of Miyun — large numbers of commoners were herded onto the city wall by the Tartars, weeping and screaming, many of them carrying wooden clubs and stones.

Sun Yingyuan's expression turned grim: "Your Highness, the Tartars are preparing to make the civilians defend the city."

Huang Degong cursed angrily: "Dog Tartars! Despicable and shameless!"

Zhang Shize was filled with indignation, yet also worried inwardly, wondering how the Crown Prince would handle this — after all, it involved civilians, and if mishandled it would greatly harm him as heir apparent.

Zhu Cilang pondered for a moment, then sent a messenger to convey his words: if the Tartars released all the civilians in Miyun, the Ming army would withdraw.

Shortly after, the messenger returned to the formation and reported that the Tartars had replied that the Ming army must withdraw first, and only then would they release the civilians.

Zhu Cilang gave a cold snort at this. Seeing that it was getting late, he ordered the two camps to make camp five li outside Miyun, and at the same time sent word to Wang Wannian, stationed at Huairou, to personally lead half of the Shenji Camp's forces with their heavy cannons and rush to Miyun through the night.

Adun breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Ming army temporarily withdraw; at the same time, a plan formed in his mind — continue using Ming civilians as leverage to pin down this Ming force, while constantly sending messengers to contact Beile Abatai of Raoyu at Pinggu, requesting him to rush reinforcements; then they would strike from both sides — heh heh heh.

That night, Wang Wannian finally arrived at Miyun with over a thousand Shenji Camp artillerymen pulling more than a hundred red barbarian cannons — the forty-plus li of night road had been a grueling march, though fortunately it was flat terrain without any major hills.

Along the way, guided by the Longxiang Night Scouts, Wang Wannian finally located the Yongwei Camp's encampment; when he reached about a hundred meters from the camp stockade, he was stopped by a patrol squad.

"This is a military camp — leave at once!" shouted a Yongwei Camp patrol leader, holding a firearm.

Wang Wannian said: "I am Wang Wannian, Assistant Regional Commander of the Shenji Camp, sent by the Crown Prince's decree to lead Shenji Camp forces in support!"

"Password!"

"What was the password written in the Crown Prince's decree?" Wang Wannian asked a Mobile Corps Commander beside him.

That Mobile Corps Commander shook his head, utterly speechless — the decree was given to you, how the hell would I know?

Wang Wannian shouted: "The password was something about the Heavenly King and Old Man... something? I've forgotten!"

The patrol squad's wariness shot up; they took a step back, fired a shot into the air, then aimed their firearms back at Wang Wannian: "No password — leave at once!"

Wang Wannian grew irritated — I treated you lot with respect because you're the Crown Prince's men, I've wasted half a day talking with you and that's already plenty of face given, and you still want me to go back?

He roared in anger: "Damn it! I came all this way through hardship and you tell me to leave? I really am the Assistant Regional Commander of the Shenji Camp — if you don't get out of my way, I won't be polite!"

The Shenji Camp guards behind Wang Wannian also raised their Lumi muskets at the Yongwei Camp patrol soldiers, and the scene grew extremely tense.

Surrounded by firearms, this squad of Yongwei Camp soldiers showed no panic at all, sneering coldly; the Shenji Camp musketeers didn't dare actually fire either, so the two sides stared each other down, red-faced, locked in a standoff.

A few minutes later, the Yongwei Camp's stockade suddenly blazed with light — squad after squad of soldiers holding firearms aimed their weapons at the Shenji Camp soldiers from within the camp.

Seeing their men surrounded by thousands of Yongwei Camp soldiers with guns, and the icy stares of those soldiers, the Shenji Camp troops began to panic; Wang Wannian's heart tightened even more — what the hell is going on? Does the Crown Prince want to kill me and swallow up the Shenji Camp?

Cold sweat poured down Wang Wannian, feeling as though ten thousand divine beasts were stampeding through his heart; then he saw a general in Ming armor emerge from the camp stockade, and he immediately shouted: "Vice Regional Commander Huang, what's going on! Why have your brothers surrounded us? We've come to support you!"

Huang Degong, roused from sleep, saw that it was Wang Wannian outside the camp and cursed angrily: "So it's you! Why the hell don't you just give the password instead of making this look like a camp raid!"

Even as he said this, Huang Degong still did not order the firearms lowered; the Yongwei Camp's artillerymen even brought out tiger-crouch cannons and Franchi cannons, pushing them to the camp gate and aiming them at the newcomers.

Seeing this, Wang Wannian's panic grew, and he hastily shouted: "Vice Regional Commander Huang, I've forgotten the password! You and I are old friends — we agreed that after returning to the capital we'd go carouse together at the Flower Tower; why make things so tense now?"

Seeing the strange looks the Yongwei Camp soldiers around him were casting his way, Huang Degong angrily roared: "Shut your damn mouth! No password, then you stay outside for the night — come in when you've remembered it!"

"Hey! Brother, why? Your old brother here has never offended you!" Wang Wannian pressed.

Huang Degong said solemnly: "The Crown Prince has decreed that the Yongwei Camp, when encamped and on patrol, follows the Qi Family Army standard — anyone who tries to breach the camp without matching the password is to be killed without exception, even if they are a supervisor or a Vice Regional Commander, all are treated the same!"

A chill ran through Wang Wannian's heart — these military regulations were truly ruthless as hell!

In the end, Wang Wannian lit a torch and rifled through all the messenger officer's documents, finally finding Zhu Cilang's decree, and on it the entry password.

He was overjoyed and shouted at the top of his lungs: "The Heavenly King covers the tiger of the earth; the precious pagoda suppresses the river demon!"

"Let them pass!"

At Huang Degong's command, the Yongwei Camp troops all returned to camp in an orderly fashion, and everything returned to normal.

Wang Wannian wiped the sweat from his forehead, then patted Huang Degong's shoulder: "Brother, you scared me half to death tonight — but your Yongwei Camp's military regulations are truly harsh!"

Huang Degong waved his hand: "This counts as harsh? If a Yongwei Camp soldier so much as takes a single blade of grass from a civilian's home, he gets shot!"

Wang Wannian's eyelids twitched involuntarily; he sighed inwardly — such a strictly disciplined army was truly hard to imagine; no wonder the Yongwei Camp's combat strength was so formidable.

The Yongwei Camp faced Tartar cavalry charges without changing expression — if it had been the Shenji Camp, they'd probably have dropped their cannons and fled long ago. Perhaps this was what His Highness meant by soldier quality.