Chapter 235: The Edict of Command

Hmm, Li Zicheng has sworn an oath to march again—this time with a million-strong army.

Why say "again"? Because last year this fellow had apparently already sworn an oath to march, and at the time it got the whole empire so worked up that everyone thought the dynasty was about to change.

But who would have thought it—this Great Shun army couldn't even take the mere Ningwu Pass, let alone the major strongholds and passes ahead like Datong, Yanghe, Xuanhua, and Juyong—those they never even touched.

People say that if you keep pulling the same stunt, folks' interest keeps dropping. Li Zicheng's second time around had dropped considerably—at least no one was running around shouting that the Great Ming was finished anymore.

The common folk were comparatively calmer, but the lords of the court were not so composed. The moment Li Zicheng's vanguard left Tong Pass and word reached the capital, debate over moving the capital south erupted in court.

Looking at those ministers who loved stirring up trouble, the Chongzhen Emperor once again lived up to his reputation for being "stubborn and self-opinionated"—after breaking the legs of a few civil officials on the spot, this matter finally died down.

When the Great Shun army pushed out of Tong Pass at great speed, the most panicked were not actually the court lords—who was panicking? It was Zuo Liangyu and the remnants of court and gentry power still surviving in Huguang and Shanxi.

In truth, if you want to know, these people weren't panicking for the court's sake—they were mainly panicking for themselves.

The court had long since begun pulling back military strength from Shanxi and the Huguang region. Those still remaining locally all flew the court's banner, but at the end of the day, they were all looking after their own interests.

For the gentry, their ancestors had lived on this land for generations—family property simply couldn't be moved away. And as for those warlord-style generals, every soldier under their command was paid out of their own pockets, so naturally they couldn't just casually retreat within the passes and hand everything over to the court.

With Li Zicheng marching east like this, the fortunes they'd accumulated over the years would probably be wiped out again.

Fighting was certainly out of the question—this time the Great Shun army reportedly had over a million men, so resisting would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, just asking to die faster. But where could they run?

Even before Li Zicheng swore his oath and marched east from Xi'an, that crafty old fox Chen Qiyu had already sealed off the Gu Pass region tight as a drum. And Zhou Yuji's Ningwu army under his command had also been moving frequently lately—looked like they planned to just hole up in Ningwu Pass and not budge.

Since they couldn't get inside the passes, the only option was to flee south.

Recently, Zuo Liangyu's territory around Wuchang had been unsettled—not because Li Zicheng had come. Zuo Liangyu figured the Great Shun army couldn't possibly arrive that fast. Besides, Li Zicheng was marching east, and his Wuchang was to the south—what would he come here for?

So who was coming? They were all generals who, hearing that the Zuo Camp had gathered five hundred thousand men, had come seeking protection.

Though these men were outwardly deferential to him, Zuo Liangyu knew very well in his heart—they'd come with the idea of using his Zuo Camp as a shield.

This was where you could see the signs. The court had issued no proclamations or edicts for any official army to assemble, yet surprisingly, what remained of the court's military strength in Huguang and Shanxi had basically all flocked to Wuchang in one go.

Zuo Liangyu was, after all, the court-appointed Count of Nanning, so he naturally had to hold a symbolic grand meeting to discuss ways to resist Li the Dashing.

"Marshal Zuo, the situation is urgent—the bandit Li has already pressed straight toward Taiyuan. Just give the word and settle it—we all follow you!"

"That's right! Right now among the central plains' official armies, your Zuo Camp is the strongest. Stay or go, Marshal Zuo, you need to say the word, so we can all have someone to lean on!"

Zuo Liangyu sat imposingly at the head, his son Zuo Menggeng standing at his side. None of the Zuo Camp generals arrayed below were fools—though they'd gathered to discuss strategy, in truth each harbored his own schemes.

"Ahem, ahem..." Zuo Liangyu waved his hand, cupped his fists, and said with a smile: "Gentlemen give me too much credit. You should know that my Zuo Camp took a heavy beating from the bandit Li in past years—we still haven't recovered our strength."

"Besides, this Wuchang region isn't exactly peaceful either. Isn't there still the chieftain rebellion and the Great West roving bandits to the southwest? If my Zuo Camp were to move, who would suppress them? Surely not you lot of rotten melons and cracked dates?"

Zuo Liangyu's courtesy was overly florid, but his words showed not a trace of politeness. For a moment, the generals and Regional Commanders below all exchanged helpless glances. Just as they were at a loss for words, a burly man with a bushy beard leaped out and bellowed:

"Zuo Liangyu, you hold several hundred thousand troops in hand, yet why do you cower and shrink back? Is that Li the Dashing your own father, that you tremble at the sight of him?" The man laughed heartily as he spoke, then added: "People often say that since your defeat at Zhuxian Town, you, Zuo Liangyu, have contracted 'Li-phobia.' Looking at you now, Marshal, it's clearly true!"

At these words, the Zuo Camp generals rose one after another in furious denunciation. Those court generals who'd come to Wuchang, relying on their greater numbers and not much fearing the Zuo Camp, all fired back as well. In an instant, the military council turned into a vegetable market.

Zuo Liangyu's whole body radiated killing intent. He glanced at the man who'd just spoken—and the killing intent faded somewhat.

"So it's Marshal Ma of Huangzhou. Listen to the way you talk—you have the nerve to call my Zuo Camp cowardly? Would your Huang Command dare to fight Li the Dashing head-on?"

Ma Kuang sneered coldly: "What would I not dare? It's just that my command has only thirty-some thousand men, while Li the Dashing has a million. At a time like this, shouldn't your Zuo Camp lead by example? So that His Majesty's kindness toward you isn't wasted!"

"Heh heh." The Ma family was a hereditary military clan of Huangzhou, and Ma Kuang himself carried considerable prestige in the Huguang region. Zuo Liangyu judged that this wasn't the moment to flare up in anger, so he said:

"Speaking of the court, Marshal, that reminds me—even at this point, no word has come from the court. How do you expect me to move? If I move, that's disobeying orders, acting on my own—I'd have the will but not the way!"

Zuo Liangyu was using a chicken feather as a command arrow, and Ma Kuang knew full well the nature of the men behind him—if it truly came to blows, few would dare oppose the Zuo Camp. So aside from goading him with words, he had no way to deal with him.

"Report!" Just as Zuo Liangyu was about to go with the flow and send them packing, a young soldier suddenly ran in from outside the door and shouted loudly: "Reporting to the Grand Marshal—an edict from Governor-General Chen!"

Before Zuo Liangyu could say anything, Zuo Menggeng's face changed drastically. He strode forward several steps and kicked the young soldier to the ground. "Who told you to come in? Who let you in? Can't you see the General and my father the Marshal are in council? Get out of here now!"

The young soldier, suddenly drenched in a torrent of abuse, naturally understood he'd unintentionally committed a grave error. He scrambled up and was about to hurry away when Ma Kuang stepped forward and pressed him down, sneering coldly:

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave! Though Governor-General Chen's edict is addressed to Marshal Zuo, since we've all come to Wuchang, we naturally should share some of the military burden. Better to read it out—that's the safe course."

"Well said—it should be read out!"

Seeing the generals echo in unison, Zuo Liangyu stared hard at Ma Kuang. After a long moment, he ground his teeth and said: "Read it!"

The young soldier suddenly became the target of everyone's attention. His only thought was to leave this place of trouble as quickly as possible, so he kept his head down and said:

"Governor-General of the Five Provinces Chen Qiyu, by edict: The roving bandits have invaded northward, and Xi'an stands empty. The Count of Ningnan's command, from the day this edict is received, shall swiftly muster its troops and prepare defenses. Count of Ningnan Zuo Liangyu shall lead his command north, and while the bandits are weary and weak, take Taiyuan within the appointed time. Upon reaching Taiyuan, further orders will follow."