Chapter 139: The Wu Army

"What is the meaning of this? Open the gates at once!"

Tang Tong wore the gold-patterned armor bestowed by the Chongzhen Emperor himself, a treasured sword hanging at his waist. Whenever he thought of the time he and Gao Jie had been celebrated in the capital, his speech carried a bold and heroic air, and his entire bearing seemed changed from before.

But the Wu army Company Commander atop the wall was not impressed. He snorted and said, "Sorry, Grand Marshal Tang, but without my lord marquis's orders, even if you've come to distribute pay, you cannot enter this gate!"

Tang Tong looked up at the three large characters reading "Ying'en Gate" above his head and let out a cold chuckle.

Turning to glance back at the dozens of carts of military pay behind him, Tang Tong knew there was nothing he could do. Helpless, he was about to urge them to report up the chain quickly, but on second thought, he smiled and said:

"Young brother, you misunderstand. This marshal has come to see the court's Regional Commander at Shanhai Pass — not Wu Sangui."

At this, the officers behind Tang Tong all nodded, saying they should have Gao Di open the gates to receive them. The Wu army Company Commander on the wall couldn't grasp the implication behind Tang Tong's words and replied with an unmoved expression:

"Regional Commander this, Regional Commander that? At Shanhai Pass, my lord marquis has the final say. Without the marquis's orders, even if the Jade Emperor himself came, the gates stay shut!"

Hearing this, Assistant Regional Commander Yuan Zhiqi beside Tang Tong was shocked inwardly and sneered, "If the current Emperor himself came, would Wu Sangui dare keep the gates shut too!?"

The Company Commander was about to speak when he suddenly realized this was not the sort of remark he could casually pick up and answer. He pressed his lips tightly together and deliberately said nothing, then turned his neck away as if he hadn't heard.

Yuan Zhiqi had no recourse either and cast a questioning look at the man before him.

Tang Tong gestured to reassure him, then smiled a sinister smile, though he said nothing more — after all, those words just now had already proven quite enough.

After roughly the time it takes two incense sticks to burn, when Tang Tong and the rest of the court's troops outside the walls had waited until men and horses alike were weary, a laugh tinged with apology finally came from atop the wall.

Tang Tong, Yuan Zhiqi, and the others looked up to see a broad-faced, powerfully built general in thick black iron armor standing on the wall, slapping the battlements and bellowing in reprimand:

"How are you handling this? The court distributing pay is something our Guanning army could only hope for! Open the gates at once, open the gates at once!"

Those present were hardly fools — they all knew Wu Sangui was putting on a show for them. Every face wore a look of disbelief, and inwardly they cursed him as shameless.

Wu Sangui led Xia Guoxiang and a host of tall, imposing Wu army officers out of the city to receive them. Though Tang Tong and the other court officers had come to distribute pay, when they saw the heavily guarded Wu soldiers all around, each of them harbored his own private thoughts.

Compared to civil officials, military officers generally dispensed with formalities wherever they could — none wished to waste effort on such conventions. After exchanging hearty laughs and pleasantries, they all filed through the moat beneath "Ying'en Gate" and entered the city.

Tang Tong glanced a few times at the Wu soldiers constantly patrolling around the barbican and said with a half-smile:

"The Earl of Pacifying the West must have made a very difficult decision to withdraw his troops from Ningyuan to defend Shanhai Pass, wouldn't you say?"

"Not at all, not at all. When His Majesty commands, how could a subject not obey?" Wu Sangui laughed and brushed it off, but inwardly he understood that Tang Tong was reminding him that the Wu army was a guest at Shanhai Pass, not the master.

Seeing Wu Sangui playing dumb, Tang Tong was disinclined to say more. After a few idle remarks, the party walked through the Wu army camp and arrived before the grand Bell and Drum Tower.

At that moment, Tang Tong seemed to recall something and turned his head to say:

"Why haven't I seen Regional Commander Gao? Before this marquis left the capital, His Majesty exhorted me again and again, insisting that this three million taels of military pay be delivered into the hands of every soldier on the pass. If I cannot see Regional Commander Gao, then this silver cannot be distributed."

Hearing this, Wu Sangui's mind raced for a moment. Along the way, he had been carefully observing the formation of the capital troops under Tang Tong's command.

Though they were much improved compared to what he had seen around Songshan and Jinzhou, before the battle-hardened Wu army they still appeared weak and frail. It seemed these troops' combat effectiveness was only slightly better than Gao Di's original garrison on the pass.

With these thoughts in mind, Wu Sangui immediately began to doubt Tang Tong's great victory over Abatai in open field combat outside military pay and provisions. His former wariness vanished, leaving only questions he could not puzzle out.

After all, even his own eight thousand Guanning iron cavalry found it extremely difficult to defeat Qing cavalry in a head-on engagement. How could troops like Tang Tong's possibly accomplish such a feat?

Moreover, Tang Tong had been one of the eight Regional Commanders in the Song-Jin campaign. Back then, every army had witnessed the fighting capacity of Tang's troops. How could they have reached a level capable of routing Qing cavalry in open battle in such a short time?

Likewise, under the weight of these doubts, Wu Sangui could not help but feel contempt for this court "army of victory." Hearing Tang Tong's words, he smiled and replied:

"Oh! This is this subordinate's fault — I haven't yet notified Regional Commander Gao. Guilty, guilty."

Hearing this, Tang Tong understood at once: either Gao Di had already thrown in with Wu Sangui, or he had long been sidelined and stripped of any real power.

Along the way here, Tang Tong had already seen quite a lot.

Wu Sangui moved through Shanhai Pass with unchecked arrogance, looking down on everyone. Wu soldiers were everywhere, yet hardly any court soldiers could be seen standing guard at their original posts.

The East and West Rookeries and the North and South Wing Cities that should have been garrisoned by court troops — even the various barracks and the Bell and Drum Tower before them — showed not a trace of court soldiers anywhere. Without exception, all were Wu army men.

What was more, Wu Sangui and the officers and men under his command were not even wearing the court's regulation armor. Thinking of this, Tang Tong could not help but find Wu Sangui somewhat frightening.

For years, Wu Sangui had always professed loyalty to the sovereign and devotion to the state. What exactly the Zu and Wu clans — hereditary Liaodong military families for generations — had done with their power and influence, Tang Tong still did not know clearly, but one thing had already been confirmed.

In earlier years, rumors had circulated around the capital that the Zu and Wu clans had grown enormously wealthy in Liaodong, operating their own independent system, forging their own armor and weapons.

Because those who reported it belonged to the eunuch faction, no one paid it any mind. Even the Chongzhen Emperor of that time did not believe it — everyone thought it was merely a scheme by the eunuch faction to wield power.

At that time, Wu Sangui had repeatedly rendered great service and was frequently appreciated by the Chongzhen Emperor, even earning the title "Bravest of the Three Armies." Many people simply could not believe that such a "loyal and righteous" man would abuse his power in the provinces.

But as it now appeared, not only was this matter true — in Tang Tong's current view, Wu Sangui was arrogant and overbearing, and his rebellious intent was already plain for all to see.

This sort of thing was like the case of Kai Ji, the Minister of Justice in the Hongwu era who was known as "incorruptible" yet was later found to be a colossal embezzler — utterly ironic and nauseating.

Before long, Gao Di, the Regional Commander of Shanhai Pass, finally arrived before the Bell and Drum Tower, escorted front and back and on both sides by four Wu soldiers.

Seeing Tang Tong, Gao Di — himself once a fellow Regional Commander — keenly felt the vast gulf between their two meetings.

At their last meeting, both Gao Di and Tang Tong had been Regional Commanders. But now, Tang Tong had won great merit by routing Abatai in open battle, been enfeoffed as Marquis Dingxi, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Marquis Jingnan Huang Degong, his troops likewise a prestigious army of victory.

Turning to look at himself, he had defended Shanhai Pass for many years yet remained a mere Regional Commander, without the slightest advancement.

Though he still commanded more than fifty thousand troops who obeyed his orders, his current situation was worse than in years past. He had been placed under house arrest by Wu Sangui in the garrison headquarters, his trusted confidants were all under surveillance, and even on his own turf his words carried no weight.