Chapter 134: Fleeing the Scene

The Mightiest Chongzhen in History

Too many things had happened recently. Dang Chongya hadn't reacted at first — in fact, even half a month after arriving in Linqing, he still hadn't fully processed it.

On the very first night of his posting, Liu Zeqing gave him a thoroughly threatening show of force.

Dang Chongya's mind was a mess at first, and he carelessly let slip that the local gentry member who had provided intelligence in Linqing bore the surname Zhou. Who would have thought Liu Zeqing would be like a starving wolf catching a scent — that very night he went and smashed the Zhou household.

Even the Zhou family patriarch, Zhou Ding, had his head publicly chopped off by Liu Zeqing. Naturally, any woman in the Zhou household with even a trace of beauty was also taken into this villain's harem. Word had it he didn't come out for a full half month, enjoying every night more blissfully than the Chongzhen Emperor dwelling in the Forbidden City.

Fabricating a pretext was simple enough — just claim the Zhou family had colluded with the roving bandits, or that remnants of the Incense-Worshipping Sect were hiding within the city walls.

After all, the man was already dead. The court had never moved against Liu Zeqing before, and this time would surely be no different. Whatever was said came down to a single word from Liu Zeqing's mouth — and who in Shandong would dare utter a single word of dissent?

This show of force truly frightened Dang Chongya badly. All day he sat in his compound as if on a bed of needles. When he tried to go out for a walk, he always found shady figures trailing behind him.

Dang Chongya found no flavor in his food by day and could not sleep soundly by night. After half a month, he had visibly wasted away.

Seemingly having learned from their commander, those ruffian soldiers of Liu's forces were likewise extraordinarily arrogant and bold, paying no heed whatsoever to this so-called Investigating Censor. So calling it "trailing" wasn't quite accurate — in truth, it was simply a few of Liu's soldiers pressing close just a few meters behind him.

Liu Zeqing seemed to have caught wind of something as well. Breaking from his usual pattern, he arranged for his soldiers to keep the newly arrived Investigating Censor Dang Chongya and the Shandong Governor's yamen tightly under control, confident that nothing could go wrong.

Now even Governor Wang Gongbi had to ask permission from Liu's men before going out to handle business — a clear sign of just how tyrannical these local soldiers had become.

While Yanzhou Regional Commander Mou Wenshou and his clansman Mou Wenju were in secret talks with Embroidered Uniform Guard Chiliarch Li Xi, a Surname-Wang Embroidered Uniform Guard Centurion also arrived at the camp of Assistant Regional Commander Qiu Lei, stationed in Wuding Prefecture.

What this man said was largely the same as Li Xi's message — namely, that the court was about to rectify Shandong, and would subdue Liu Zeqing at the same time as distributing military pay.

Wuding Prefecture was frequently harassed by bandits and robbers, and in previous years the Jianzhou barbarians had even crossed through the area several times. Qiu Lei had never once failed in his garrison duty there, and had repeatedly earned merits great and small.

The Wuding troops numbered only a little over three thousand, but all were fierce veterans of many battles — more capable than ordinary local government forces, even worthy of being called skilled in war. Qiu Lei was also one of the few men in the Shandong region whom Liu Zeqing found genuinely wary and troublesome.

The more wary Liu Zeqing was of Qiu Lei, the harder he suppressed him.

When it came to the merits of Wuding Prefecture, Liu Zeqing would seize whatever he could and block whatever he couldn't. Thus Qiu Lei had remained obscure at court for years, never receiving a single promotion or reward.

This Qiu Lei was the crudest of the crude. Like most other local military commanders, he both feared and hated Liu Zeqing.

Upon hearing that the court was going to rectify Shandong, Qiu Lei agreed even more readily than Mou Wenshou and Mou Wenju.

At first this Embroidered Uniform Guard Centurion had his doubts, but later, based on descriptions from common folk and other Wuding soldiers, and judging by his usual conduct, this Qiu Lei simply did not seem like the type to put on an act — so he set his mind at ease.

Many other Shandong military commanders received the news this time as well. Every local commander with any real strength who bore old or new grudges against Liu Zeqing had someone from the Embroidered Uniform Guard's chiliarchy sent to inform them.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard in Shandong mobilized in full force, spreading the news far and wide within half a month.

Many court military commanders grew restless with the court's promises, while quite a few others planned to sit on the fence, attach themselves to whichever side had greater numbers, and fish in troubled waters — enjoying the spectacle without caring how big it got.

Under the mobilization of Regional Commanders Mou Wenshou, Qiu Lei, Yang Yufan and others, by late August of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, troops had massed across the Shandong region, and armed clashes between government forces broke out frequently.

The first to act was Yanzhou Regional Commander Mou Wenshou. Together with his clansman Mou Wenju, he secretly prepared for six or seven days, mobilizing eight hundred armored clansmen and leading a total of two thousand eight hundred men northward. In a single night, they slaughtered the camp Liu's forces had stationed more than ten li north of Yanzhou city — not a single man left alive.

Qiu Lei was not willing to fall behind. After Centurion Wang departed, he handed city defense over to his subordinate Mobile Corps Commander officers and the militia of the prefectural yamen, then personally led three thousand troops straight for Linqing, routing Liu's forces along the way into utter defeat.

What moved the Shandong military commanders most was Yang Yufan's allegiance. This man was the son of Yang Zhaoji, former Regional Commander of the Three Garrisons — a scion of a famed general family, held in considerable esteem throughout the Shandong region.

The name Yang Yufan was already thunderous in many ears. When his father Yang Zhaoji was mentioned, even men like Liu Zeqing and Huang Degong trembled with fear.

Yang Zhaoji had fought successively in Datong, Liaodong, and across the Central Plains — over thirty years on the battlefield, with a fearsome reputation.

People of the time said, "Bandits and barbarians lose their courage at the very name of Commander Yang." In terms of martial honors, Yang Zhaoji was also the first military officer since Wanli-era Liaodong Regional Commander Li Chengliang to be granted the Five-Flower Imperial Patent by the court, and posthumously honored with the title "Wu Xiang" (Martial and Illustrious).

Following Mou Wenshou and Qiu Lei, Yang Zhaoji led the five thousand elite Yang-family troops garrisoned around Laizhou westward, swearing an oath to fight a decisive battle against Liu's forces.

Yang Zhaoji's decision led many military commanders in the Shandong region who had been planning to wait and watch to decide to follow him to Linqing. In an instant, the evil-doing Liu forces became the target of universal condemnation.

With such a major disturbance erupting in his own territory, Liu Zeqing naturally couldn't be completely unaware. At first he thought it was merely local commanders refusing to obey discipline, and paid it no mind.

But in early September, a Mobile Corps Commander formerly under Fengyang Regional Commander Liu Liangzuo came from Linhuai to Linqing and told Liu Zeqing that the court had decided to rectify Shandong — only then did he begin to take it seriously.

"These are nothing but rumors — why take them to heart?" Liu Zeqing said dismissively, holding the top courtesan of the local brothel in his arms, planting kisses between words.

Hearing this, the household retainer Platoon Officer beside him grew frightened instead. "G-Great Commander, this is no longer a rumor. More than a dozen of our camps stationed around Yanzhou, Wuding, and Laizhou have had no word for seven or eight days now."

"What did you say?!" Liu Zeqing was startled. After repeated questioning confirmed the man wasn't joking with him, he roared with spittle flying: "Why the hell didn't you say so sooner?"

"Great Commander, calm your anger, calm your anger. Your servant didn't think much of it at first — who would have imagined..." The retainer Platoon Officer spoke pitifully, but in truth he had spent these seven or eight days at the home of a wealthy local household doing unspeakable things, with no attention to spare for news from elsewhere.

Liu Zeqing no longer had any thought for lingering with the prostitute beside him. He tossed her aside, then followed up with a kick that sent the kneeling, begging retainer Platoon Officer tumbling over, and drew his blade as he shouted:

"Everyone pack up quickly — follow me to Fengyang!"

The retainers around him who had been amusing themselves didn't even hear Liu Zeqing's words at first. Only after Liu Zeqing furiously overturned a table and slapped one of the retainers across the face did the others look at him in bewilderment.

Watching the retainers scramble to pack and relay orders, Liu Zeqing sheathed his blade, looked at the Mobile Corps Commander, and said as he walked:

"Seems Shandong can't hold me anymore. Hua Ma Liu has considerable power in Fengyang — I'll go lie low there for a while!"