Chapter 140: The Choice

"Old Gao, you'd best choose your words carefully before the Marquis of Dingxi." Before Gao Di could say anything, Wu Sangui casually dropped a remark from the side.

After speaking, Wu Sangui saw Tang Tong and the others looking over, yet he actually clasped his hands behind his back, turned away, and walked off a few steps, refusing to meet his gaze.

To Tang Tong's eyes, Wu Sangui's words were nothing short of showing off right in front of him, emboldened by the fighting strength of the Guanning army under his command.

Though he showed nothing on the surface, the disgust in Tang Tong's heart could not be wiped away no matter what.

Gao Di was clearly deeply afraid of Wu Sangui. Hearing this, he opened his mouth, but the words of lament that had already reached his lips were forcibly swallowed back down. After a moment's hesitation, he still clasped his fists with a blank expression and said:

"This humble general pays respects to the Marquis of Dingxi."

"The wind outside is cold—why not have the Marquis of Dingxi come into the garrison headquarters for a talk?" Wu Sangui seemed very pleased with Gao Di's performance, smiling as he stepped forward, and without waiting for consent, made to drag Tang Tong away.

Wu Sangui appeared not to use much force, but Tang Tong thought he was about to make a move and braced himself with four-tenths of his strength. Years of military life had left his nerves wound tight—he might even draw his blade at any moment.

The two wrestled stubbornly before everyone for a few moments before finally parting without incident. Tang Tong gripped his aching wrist and looked at Wu Sangui with even more wariness than before, forcing a smile as he said:

"The Earl of Pingxi's hospitality is now clear to this marquis. Were this an ordinary idle visit, this marquis would surely drink three cups with the Earl of Pingxi until we were both thoroughly drunk! But now is not the time." Saying this, Tang Tong wore a face full of regret, and continued:

"This is this marquis's second time at Shanhai Pass. Last time I already failed His Majesty's trust; this time I have come to distribute pay, and I must see the proper business done well."

"That said, in days to come this marquis will be meeting the Earl of Pingxi day and night. When that time comes, the two of us can raise our cups and talk merrily—would that not be a delight?"

"The Marquis of Dingxi says he will meet with me day and night—what does that mean?" Wu Sangui sensed hidden meaning in Tang Tong's words, and the smile on his face instantly froze. He had clearly known nothing of this before.

"Oh? The Earl of Pingxi doesn't know?" Tang Tong was overjoyed inside. He clasped his hands toward the capital and said with a beaming smile: "It's understandable that the Earl of Pingxi doesn't know—after all, not just anyone can be His Majesty's trusted confidant."

"His Majesty, mindful of the weight of this foremost pass of Shanhai, has ordered me to remain within the pass after distributing pay, to assist Regional Commander Gao in defending Shanhai Pass. Oh, right—His Majesty also said that once the Jianzhou barbarians retreat, the Ningyuan city defenses are to be rebuilt, as the base for our dynasty's recovery of Liaodong. At that time, the Earl of Pingxi can lead the Guanning army back to his old home. Allow me to offer my congratulations in advance."

Staring at the smiling tiger before him, Wu Sangui suddenly clenched his right fist, yet at the last moment forcibly suppressed the impulse in his heart, grinding his teeth as he said:

"In that case, you'd best distribute the pay. There are important matters within the pass—this general cannot stay long!"

One night some days after the pay distribution, at the garrison headquarters.

Tang Tong watched Gao Di walk heavily to his side and plop himself down, and frowned: "What the devil did you do? This is your own turf—how did you let that Wu Sangui take it over?"

Hearing this, Gao Di did not rush to answer. He made a gesture with his eyes toward the window. Tang Tong caught on with sudden understanding and gave a subtle glance—sure enough, he saw two dark shadows, and said no more.

Gao Di deliberately raised his voice, sighing as he said: "The Marquis of Dingxi has just arrived and knows only one side of the matter, not the other!"

"Tell me the full story."

Tang Tong and Gao Di exchanged a few words, and at last he gained a rough understanding of what had happened at Shanhai Pass recently. That Wu Sangui had clearly harbored ill intentions from the very start!

When the order to come to the emperor's aid arrived, at first he moved like lightning, leading the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians within Ningyuan city to reach Shanhai Pass within five days. Gao Di personally welcomed him into the pass, planning to entertain him well for a few days and then send him off—who could have expected that this fellow would come in and never leave.

At the time, the Chongzhen Emperor's decree deciding not to have Wu Sangui come to the emperor's aid had not yet reached Shanhai Pass, and Wu Sangui had already stopped at the pass on the pretext of settling the Ningyuan populace, dragging things out for over half a month without advancing an inch.

By the time the Chongzhen Emperor's decree arrived and the court was busy dealing with the roving bandits, Wu Sangui staged a minor dispute between the Wu and Gao soldiers himself, and used it to lead his Wu troops in forcibly seizing control of the various defenses within the pass.

What's more, to establish his authority, Wu Sangui personally cut down Gao Di's trusted subordinate—the Vice Regional Commander the court had stationed at Shanhai Pass.

Faced with such an act of treason, though Gao Di was both shocked and enraged, he was powerless against superior force. His own family and those of his trusted subordinates were all under the Wu army's control, leaving him no choice but to surrender.

From then on, the pass city of Shanhai, the East and West Luo cities, the North and South Wing cities, and the defenses of the various camps were all gradually taken over at will by the Wu army.

In the end, Wu Sangui had seized Shanhai Pass by force from its defenders. The reason he had not killed Gao Di was, on one hand, that he did not want to make too great a fuss and completely break with the court; on the other, Wu Sangui harbored the ambition of absorbing Gao Di's old troops to expand his own power.

While Tang Tong and Gao Di conferred in the garrison headquarters, Wu Sangui was likewise fuming with rage in the Wu residence.

"His Majesty sends Tang Tong with tens of thousands of troops to assist in defense—plainly put, he doesn't trust me, Wu Sangui, and sent him to keep watch!" In his extreme impatience, Wu Sangui didn't even let his trusted subordinate finish reporting what he had come to say before continuously waving him out. After the man left, he rose to his feet and sneered:

"Thinking back to the start of the year, His Majesty summoned this general at Wuying Hall, saying the safety of the Great Ming's rivers and mountains all rested on me. Looking at it now, it was all a pile of nonsense!"

"Calm your anger, my lord. This time the court has not only sent three million eight hundred thousand taels of pay silver, but also delivered us tens of thousands of troops." In contrast, Xia Guoxiang appeared unhurried. As he spoke, he poured a cup of hot tea for the furious Wu Sangui and said:

"If Tang Tong had come and gone, we could have let him prance before our eyes for a few days and then sent him back safe and sound. But things are different now—Tang Tong has come to spy under the banner of assisting defense. One mountain cannot hold two tigers, and how can one tolerate another snoring beside one's own bed?"

"Tang's tens of thousands of troops are no pushovers! Tang Tong uses the pretext of distributing pay to spy on you for the court, my lord—but you can use this same opportunity, under the name of a welcome banquet, to invite Tang Tong to the residence for a feast and find a chance to eliminate him!"

"This plan... wouldn't it be a bit too hasty?" Wu Sangui glanced at the letter pressed on the desk, looking somewhat uneasy.

"If my lord is resolved to submit to the Qing, Tang Tong's arrival is the perfect opportunity to show goodwill to Dorgon." Xia Guoxiang knitted his brows tightly and mused: "If my lord does not intend to submit to the Qing, then this letter must be burned completely, cutting off all such thoughts from now on. My lord, you must decide quickly!"

Wu Sangui nodded heavily, staring at the letter from beyond the pass on the desk, unable for the moment to determine his course.

Originally, Wu Sangui had seized Shanhai Pass because he saw the court was on its last legs and wanted to hold the great pass and the Guanning soldiers and civilians as his bargaining chips, to haggle with Dorgon and Li Zicheng when the time came.

But something no one could have anticipated happened—the court actually won two great victories this year, and the Chongzhen Emperor restored the Three Depots, One Guard, and the old regimental camp system in the capital, widely issuing edicts of self-blame to the armies, earning much support from the people and the troops.

The various armies coming to the emperor's aid had also been gathering in the capital region one after another recently. Huang Degong had even begun rebuilding the Ji Garrison, and the situation had thus become uncertain and shifting.

Without realizing it, hot sweat had broken out on Wu Sangui's hands. His choice concerned his future fame and fortune as well as the lives and property of all the Guanning soldiers and civilians—he could not afford to be anything less than careful.