Chapter 48: Executing Jiang Xiang

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Li has returned."

As they were discussing, they suddenly heard Li Chun, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial standing guard outside the door, speak. The Chongzhen Emperor frowned upon hearing this and said:

"Why has he returned early? Summon him!"

"This servant pays respects to Your Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

Li Fengxiang, seeing the Chongzhen Emperor whom he had not seen for some time, felt for some unknown reason a sensation close to tears. Compared to when he had left, the Emperor's white hair had increased, and his face still bore deep worry at all times—yet he had also grown more confident.

To avoid making a spectacle of himself in public, he hurriedly forced a smile and said:

"Your Majesty, this servant took Regional Commander Zhou to search and seize the Zhai family estate. Over six million taels of ready silver were carried out. When the soldiers received the silver, they were overjoyed, shouting that they would fight to the death for the Great Ming, for Your Majesty, and against the rebel bandits!"

The Chongzhen Emperor's expression moved with emotion, and he hurriedly asked:

"How goes the situation on the front lines? Has the bandit Li breached Daizhou?"

"Your Majesty, Daizhou and Ninghua fell to the roving bandits on the seventeenth day of the third month..." As Li Fengxiang spoke, seeing the Chongzhen Emperor's face change drastically, he hurriedly knelt on the ground and continued:

"Your Majesty, Regional Commander Zhou and the soldiers of the Ningwu Army held Daizhou for twenty-four days. The roving bandits' corpses lay strewn across the ground, and two bandit chiefs were killed. They did their utmost."

The Chongzhen Emperor nodded upon hearing this and waved his hand to indicate that all was well. Seeing Li Fengxiang's manner, he realized the eunuch had misunderstood—thinking the Emperor intended to punish Zhou Yuji, and was trying his utmost to exonerate him.

This had indeed exceeded the Chongzhen Emperor's expectations. Daizhou was said to be an ordinary prefectural city, and historically Zhou Yuji had only held it for a few days. Could this all truly be the effect of military pay?

Judging by this, might Ningwu—known as one of Shanxi's three great strategic passes—hold out for at least a month or more?

Suddenly, the Chongzhen Emperor thought of something: he was still too optimistic.

Behind Ningwu Pass—that is, behind Zhou Yuji—things were not stable. Datong Regional Commander Jiang Xiang and Xuanzhen Regional Commander Wang Chengyin were neither of them any good; in history, both had surrendered without offering any resistance whatsoever.

The Jiang family was a military clan of the Yulin line. Jiang Xiang held the Seal of the General Who Pacifies the Frontier, garrisoning Datong Town. His eldest brother Jiang Rang was Yulin's Regional Commander, and having recently been defeated in battle against the roving bandits and imprisoned, he had been released for reasons unknown.

Now Jiang Rang had gone to join Jiang Xiang in Datong, holding no official post. Their younger brother Jiang Xuan was Vice Regional Commander of Yanghe in Shanxi.

One could say the Jiang family had received the Great Ming's imperial grace for generations—yet what the Jiang family had done in history could truly be called the acts of thrice-serving turncoats.

Jiang Xuan, despite being the youngest, was a man of iron backbone. Leading several thousand troops, he fought to the death and died for his country—truly loyal unto death. But the Chongzhen Emperor was not omniscient; such minor matters of small men he knew nothing of at all.

This Jiang Xiang, in history, had actually been stabbing Zhou Yuji in the back. His elder brother Jiang Rang was no good bird either. As an elder brother, when his own younger brother was about to become a treasonous rebel who surrendered without fighting, he not only failed to dissuade him but was even more eager than Jiang Xiang himself.

The Battle of Ningwu was of paramount importance. Zhou Yuji was a general of rare brilliance who should not die at Ningwu. The Chongzhen Emperor wished to entrust him with great responsibility in the future, so Zhou Yuji must be protected.

Yet the Ningwu Army was after all an isolated force. With Jiang Xiang and Jiang Rang present, military authority over Datong lay in the hands of these two brothers. Governor Wei Jingyuan had been reduced to a mere figurehead, utterly incapable of dispatching troops to aid them.

To protect Zhou Yuji, Jiang Xiang must be killed. But who should be the next candidate for Datong Regional Commander?

Thinking of this, a candidate suddenly surfaced in the Chongzhen Emperor's mind—Bai Guangen.

Some time ago, the Chongzhen Emperor had received a memorial from Zhou Yuji stating that Bai Guangen had already returned to allegiance with the court. In the memorial, Zhou Yuji had—extremely rarely—spoken in defense of Bai Guangen.

Zhou Yuji had described in detail Bai Guangen's contributions during the breakout from Daizhou, and briefly offered his own opinion that Bai Guangen's surrender to Li Zicheng at Guyuan had been an act of necessity, and that he could be given employment.

The Chongzhen Emperor knew something of Bai Guangen's circumstances in history. This man's several defeats had all been dictated by the tide of events—before he could even properly fight, the government forces had already collapsed entirely. In truth, it had little to do with him.

Aside from those defeats that were inevitable, Bai Guangen's contributions were hardly insubstantial. Among the generals of the frontier garrisons he was renowned for valor, and even Sun Chuanting held him in extremely high regard.

This time in returning to allegiance, Bai Guangen had even captured Li Yan and presented him to the Emperor. His situation was the same as Gao Jie, who had cuckolded Li Zicheng—apart from defecting to the Manchus beyond the passes, the only road left was to follow the court. Why not give him a try?

In truth, the Chongzhen Emperor had few options to choose from. Bai Guangen enjoyed considerable prestige in the army, and according to Zhou Yuji, he still possessed some formidable household retainers. Bringing him to Datong could also rapidly stabilize the situation.

After deliberating for some time, the Chongzhen Emperor spoke:

"Draft an edict: Jiang Xiang secretly plotted to defect to the bandits—ironclad evidence, his intentions deserving of death. The Jiang family served as generals for generations, receiving imperial grace yet knowing not how to repay it. The elder brothers all conspired to surrender to the bandits—utterly detestable, worthy of death by any hand! Order the Northern Brocade Guard Provost's Office to depart the capital immediately, execute the two traitors Jiang Xiang and Jiang Rang on the spot, exterminate their nine familial lineages, and pile their corpses in Datong Town as a public display to intimidate the petty and cowardly."

"Furthermore, I deeply concur with Zhou Yuji's view. Bai Guangen rendered merit in the breakout from Daizhou; his past offenses and merits cancel each other out. He is hereby ordered to receive the Seal of the General Who Pacifies the Frontier, be elevated to Right Commissioner-in-Chief of the Five Military Commissions, and replace the traitor Jiang Xiang as Datong Garrison Regional Commander. It is hereby commanded: Datong Garrison Regional Commander Bai Guangen shall proceed to his post immediately upon receiving this edict, and upon arrival shall immediately muster troops with Governor Wei Jingyuan and march to the relief of Ningwu—no delay permitted."

Having finished speaking, the Chongzhen Emperor looked at Li Fengxiang and said further:

"The Great Ming faces its present peril—this is truly my fault. I wish to issue an edict of self-reproach!"

"Your Majesty, absolutely not!"

Speaking of edicts of self-reproach, the Chongzhen Emperor had already issued several of them, but none had ever hit the mark. Aside from the first one startling people somewhat, in the eyes of the court officials, the rest were entirely the Emperor playing by himself—not the slightest effect to be seen.

In history, the Chongzhen Emperor had always issued edicts of self-reproach to the scholar-officials, landlords, and merchant classes, hoping they would change their hearts. But these monkeys were all cunning as ghosts, having long prepared countless high-sounding excuses to fob him off.

The common people and soldiers at the bottom had no idea what the Emperor's edict of self-reproach even said. It would be a miracle if it did any good.

If an edict of self-reproach was to be issued, it must reach down to the common people and soldiers at the bottom. Then have the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard spread rumors favorable to the court everywhere, building up the Chongzhen Emperor's momentum—then see who would still dare follow Jiang Xiang in rebellion!

He was the Emperor, after all. An edict of self-reproach was slapping one's own face before all under heaven—it hurt just to hear of it. Such a thing naturally could not be issued idly whenever one had nothing to do. If it was to be done once, then it must produce results.

"Li Fengxiang, draw one million taels of silver from the inner treasury and take it to Datong to make up the arrears in soldiers' pay. You must see with your own eyes that every man receives his silver. Set out tomorrow."

"Li Ruolian, select two shrewd and capable Centurions to accompany him. Furthermore, the Embroidered Uniform Guard sent to Datong to deliver the edict must not fear death. The two Centurions are to be equipped with embroidered sabers and wear crimson flying-fish robes. If they lack these, I shall issue them myself!"

"Once Jiang Xiang is dead, you shall all have rendered great merit!"

The Chongzhen Emperor had issued rather many decrees today, but every single one hit the mark. All the trusted men in the warm chamber had new tasks to busy themselves with—no longer that old feeling of watching the Great Ming founder while being unable to do anything but fret. After receiving their edicts, each went off to work overtime on their assignments.

The secret memorial from the Depot and Guard stated that Jiang Xiang was plotting rebellion in Datong. He was a powerful general commanding a frontier garrison—if this were mishandled, the chaos that would ensue would be enormous.

The Chongzhen Emperor had successively placed two matters of utmost urgency in his hands—that was the greatest trust. Saying he would leave the capital the next day was likely because the Emperor saw how weary he was from traveling back and forth and wished to let him rest a little.

Li Fengxiang understood this in his heart. Filled with encouragement and gratitude yet not daring to be negligent, he left the warm chamber and headed straight for the Northern Provost's Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard together with Li Ruolian.