Chapter 263: Grand Tutor

Lin Yangcheng, a native of Yan'an in Shaanxi, styled "Striving King of the World," was one of the leaders of the Five Camps of Ge and Zuo. His defeat and surrender was undoubtedly a milestone in the current situation.

For him, the speed of the imperial army's march south was simply too fast. The Dashun army was still immersed in the joy of establishing their dynasty and never expected that the Ming court, which only a year ago could barely defend itself, would choose this moment to send its forces south.

Lin Yangcheng and Niu Wancai were both seasoned veterans. During the Five Camps period, they were figures of considerable renown among the various peasant armies. Yet in this battle, Niu Wancai lost his head and Lin Yangcheng was forced to surrender—something no one could have foreseen.

Post-battle tallies showed that the government forces suffered minimal casualties, with only the Doyan tribe, who led the vanguard, taking heavier losses—roughly a hundred-odd riders in total.

Next came Mou Wenshou's Shandong troops. As the first government forces to scale the walls and engage in street fighting, they met fierce resistance from the Dashun army and lost approximately thirteen hundred men.

Gao Jie's forces lost over five hundred men, Qiu Lei's over two hundred, and Bai Guangen's troops, being the last to enter the city, lost fewer than a hundred. The remaining units each suffered only scattered casualties, most caused by soldiers fleeing in battle or accidental falls and friendly-fire mishaps.

The full tally of this battle was not completed until two days later, when the newly arrived Prefect of Taiyuan submitted the report. Government forces suffered around twenty-five hundred casualties, while the seventy to eighty thousand Dashun troops defending the city took devastating losses—over fifteen thousand killed outright.

In addition, some twenty to thirty thousand surrendered, while the rest vanished without a trace—whether hiding among the populace or slipping out of the city amid the chaos remained unknown.

After entering the city, Chen Qiyu issued strict orders forbidding soldiers from harassing the people, which brought a measure of stability to the situation.

After the battle, to placate the Doyan tribesmen and the officers of various units, Chen Qiyu worked through the night preparing two memorials—one concerning compensation for the fallen and wounded, and one petitioning that they be enshrined in the Temple of Loyalty—and dispatched them to the capital for the Chongzhen Emperor's imperial approval.

No matter how strictly Chen Qiyu imposed discipline, these soldiers, accustomed to running wild in their various provinces, soon stirred up considerable disorder after entering the city.

First, government troops came to blows over supplies. Then soldiers under Bai Guangen broke into civilian homes and raped women, causing one death and several injuries. The impact was extremely damaging—the people of Taiyuan city began to live in terror.

But a few days later, Datong Regional Commander Bai Guangen was the first to declare obedience to military orders. He personally dragged the offending Hundred Commander to the parade ground and beheaded him, then executed all his accomplices under military law.

Gao Jie followed by promulgating military regulations, strictly ordering all troops of the Xuanfu garrisons not to violate discipline.

In truth, Chen Qiyu found Bai Guangen an amusing character—bold and unflinching where valor was needed in battle, yet always putting on a slovenly, cowardly air in daily life.

But when the moment came to perform, Bai Guangen always managed to stay one step ahead of Gao Jie.

Among all the units, only Mou Wenshou's and Qiu Lei's men committed no transgressions whatsoever. To uphold military discipline, Chen Qiyu ordered all forces to model themselves on the Shandong troops, and petitioned the court to formally establish Mou Wenshou's Shandong force as a standing army—this became the famous Shandong Army of later generations.

Within a few days, word spread through the city that the two Battalion Commanders who had led the brawling over supplies had both been executed, while the several Hundred Commanders and dozens of soldiers involved received corresponding punishments. Only then did the city gradually settle down.

The day after order was restored, the newly arrived Prefect of Taiyuan, acting on Chen Qiyu's instructions, posted notices throughout the city offering rewards for the capture of Dashun fugitives. For every verified Dashun fugitive a civilian delivered to the prefectural yamen, they would receive one tael and two mace of silver; even unverified fugitives would earn a reward of one mace of silver.

Of course, one mace of silver was no small sum, and the people were more than happy to get their hands on the money.

Though this method quickly purged the city of hidden Dashun remnants, it also produced a consequence: many innocent people were seized. Eager to earn silver, people constantly delivered suspects to the prefectural yamen.

Chen Qiyu had anticipated this. Anyone found to have made false accusations had their property confiscated and was sentenced to exile.

After entering the city, Chen Qiyu, riding on his residual authority, summoned all the notable landowners and wealthy households to a military council. Through relentless intimidation, these men were compelled to hand over large quantities of land deeds and estates.

With deeds and estates in hand, Chen Qiyu immediately had the Taiyuan prefectural office survey and register the local farmland. He then issued a proclamation: any citizen who returned to settle in the city—even a single person who could provide proof that relatives had once lived there—would receive government subsidies.

Those with relatives, but no more than three in number, could receive fifty mu of farmland along with corresponding farming tools. Households exceeding three members would need to register separately and be allotted over one hundred mu per person by headcount. For particularly large families, the government would even issue draft oxen to ensure they could make a living.

By Chen Qiyu's estimation, the court was currently under its national policy of tax exemption, with levies at their lowest in any dynasty. So long as no once-in-a-century great calamity struck, those who settled down this time could look forward to living normal lives in the future.

Through Chen Qiyu's combination of carrot and stick, Taiyuan—just returned to Ming rule—immediately presented a scene of prosperity and stability. Refugees from all directions, hearing the news, flocked home, and even many Dashun remnants who had fled far afield came with their families to settle.

Roughly eight days after the government forces recovered Taiyuan, a eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial arrived in the city bearing an imperial edict.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

Since assuming the post of Governor-General in the seventeenth year of Jia Shen, Chen Qiyu has been diligent and devoted—capturing Baozhen, fighting at Gugu Pass, and recovering Taiyuan, victorious in every engagement. Court and countryside alike speak of this as a sign of dynastic revival. Yet in my view, this was achieved through the unity of army and people, and also through the merits of my ministers and generals.

It is hereby ordered that Governor-General of the Five Provinces Chen Qiyu be promoted to Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion and granted the title of Grand Tutor. I hope you will continue to serve with utmost loyalty and add luster to the dynasty. Should you recover more lost territory, how could I be stingy with rewards! Respect this."

Chen Qiyu's aged eyes streamed with tears. Taking the edict in both hands, he cried out in a trembling voice: "Your servant Chen Qiyu receives the edict and gives thanks! Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

"Grand Tutor, please rise. When I departed, His Majesty specifically instructed me to say that Governor-General Chen has labored with great merit and is a pillar of the state—you must take care of your health." The eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial naturally knew who Chen Qiyu was, and helped him up with a smile.

Chen Qiyu nodded and said, "I have troubled you with this journey, Eunuch."

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all—it is only my duty." The eunuch wore a broad smile. In truth, this trip could hardly be called a hardship; the tokens of gratitude he had received along the way were considerable indeed.

Then he turned around and said with a solemn expression:

"Chieftain of the Doyan tribe, Urmai, Regional Commander of the Wuliangha garrison; Mou Wenshou, Regional Commander of Shandong; Bai Guangen, Regional Commander of Datong; Gao Jie, Regional Commander of Xuanfu—receive the edict!"

The four named men naturally drew the attention of all the assembled officers. Each straightened themselves, and under the envious and astonished gazes of their peers, strode forward in large steps, kneeling in unison as they shouted:

"We, your servants, receive the edict!"