Chapter 51: Edict of Self-Blame (Begging for Favorites!!)

On the drill ground of the Datong town garrison, Bai Guangen and Li Fengxiang stood on the reviewing platform, with dozens of Embroidered Uniform Guard officers surrounding them with stern expressions. Before each Guard officer knelt one or several members of the Jiang clan.

These members of the Jiang clan were either ashen-faced or half-crazed, all pinned firmly to the ground, awaiting the final judgment that was beyond any doubt.

Suddenly, some clamorous sounds came over—soldiers were hauling dozens of carts of military pay to the other side of the drill ground.

The news spread faster and faster, soldiers gathered in greater and greater numbers, and once they entered the drill ground they all began excited discussions. Bai Guangen gestured for his household retainers to go down and maintain discipline, and only then did he step back.

Li Fengxiang gave an "Mm," stepped forward onto the reviewing platform, and the burly guardsmen behind him, with their waist-high split robes, lined up neatly.

The soldiers gathered on the drill ground at this moment numbered several thousand at least, and were still growing. With Li Fengxiang shouting alone, there was no way to guarantee everyone could hear, so these dozen-odd burly guardsmen would repeat each sentence after Li Fengxiang said it, ensuring everyone could hear the content of the Emperor's "Edict of Self-Blame."

"... I, Zhu Youjian, Emperor of the Great Ming, must first apologize to all the soldiers and warriors under heaven!"

No sooner had these first words been spoken than discussion broke out below, nearly boiling over. The soldiers had never imagined the Emperor would speak in such a tone—the Emperor, so high above them, actually apologizing to common soldiers like themselves was simply unheard of.

And this was only the first sentence. The words the burly guardsmen shouted next made the soldiers below even more agitated, some even developing the resolve to die for the court.

"I have held the great inheritance for seventeen years, deeply mindful of the awe of Heaven's descent and the weight of the ancestors' charge... The people are the parents of the state, yet I could not shelter them; the soldiers are my own children, yet I could not swaddle them. Sitting by while Shaanxi and Henan are laid waste, while the rivers and Chu are defiled, bringing shame to the ancestral temples and grief to the common folk—if this is not my fault, whose responsibility is it?"

"Thus the people have suffered the blades of war, trodden through water and fire, their numbers reduced to ditches, their bones piled into hills. The armies of the realm have long gone unpaid—even a clever wife cannot cook without rice—these are all my faults. I have made the people supply transport and fodder, provide for departures and reward arrivals; levies have been added without limit, advance exactions have brought the bitterness of borrowing—these too are my faults."

"I have made the people's homes like hanging chimes, their fields turned to weeds and marsh, gazing at smoke and fire with no door to enter, wailing into the wind as their lives are cut short—this is my fault. I have made the people see ill omens in sun and moon, droughts and floods arriving together, and where armies have passed, plague has spread as calamity, angering the harmony of Heaven above and breeding resentment in households below—this too is my fault."

"As for employing great ministers such as Chen Yan who were not incorrupt, using lesser officials such as Luo Yangxing who broke the law, speech officials such as Guang Shiheng who wavered like rats and debated without clarity, and military commanders such as Jiang Xiang who were arrogant and cowardly and achieved no merit—these are all because my governance was flawed, and are by no means your faults..."

Although most of the people had never studied, and some of the words were hard to understand, the general meaning could still be grasped, and a sour, aching sorrow welled up at once. Many had already clenched their fists secretly and quietly wiped away the tears that slipped down their faces.

At this moment, even the voices of the burly guardsmen carried a certain melancholy and wistfulness as they continued to shout:

"I, with my humble person, have borne the great enterprise of my ancestors above and governed the myriad millions below for seventeen years now. Government has not been cultivated, calamity and chaos come daily—is it that the sage is in a low position? Heaven's wrath has accumulated, resentment fills the people's hearts, children have sunk to become bandits, fine fields have turned to wilderness—no calamity of the state is greater than this!"

Suddenly, the burly guardsmen's voices turned fierce:

"Now the bandits besiege Ningwu, have broken Xin and Dai in succession, and press directly upon Datong. The ancestral temples stand in peril, with not a hair's breadth to spare—without a punitive campaign, how can the nation's might be displayed! I have drawn one million from the imperial treasury to reward the three armies and strengthen the prestige of our dynasty!"

"By imperial command, Regional Commander Guangen, who guards Datong, is one I deeply trust. On the very day you assume your post, with pay issued and grain sufficient, you shall join Governor Jingyuan in mustering troops and setting forth, personally leading the six armies on campaign. The grave affairs of the state are all entrusted to you."

Bai Guangen had never imagined the edict would mention him—a man who had previously surrendered to Li Zicheng. All the anxiety in his heart vanished, and with a "plop" he knelt to the ground, his voice choked with tears:

"This humble officer... this humble officer is ashamed before Your Majesty, ashamed before the Great Ming. That Your Majesty would go so far—how dare I not fight!"

The burly guardsmen continued to shout:

"I declare to you, my ministers and people: any who can rouse themselves to loyalty and valor, whether by supplying grain and weapons, mules, horses, boats, or carts, and present themselves before the army for service—how could I be stingy with promotion and reward!"

"One million in military pay—this is only the beginning! I, your Emperor of the Great Ming, promise to my soldiers, ministers, and people: within ten years, I will certainly make up all back pay owed to the realm. I will purge corrupt officials, execute treacherous sycophants, and reform abuses. I will pacify all those bandits and drive those Jianzhou slaves back to their Tungusic homeland—I will not break my word!"

"But if all the soldiers of the realm were like those of Ningwu, what fear would the Dashing bandits hold, what fear would the Jianzhou slaves hold! If we do not slaughter these petty villains to the last, how can we display our nation's might, how can we set the world to rights!"

"Ministers and people of the realm, I stand with you all. When ten thousand hearts are as one, even metal can be cut through!"

The burly guardsmen's shouting stopped abruptly here, and as the echoes around the edges of the drill ground faded, the soldiers' discussions only grew louder.

"I didn't mishear just now, did I—that was the Emperor's words?"

"You fool, you didn't mishear, none of us misheard. The Emperor made up our pay, the Emperor still remembers us. Long live the Great Ming, wuwuwu..."

"When will we actually get the pay in hand? My mother is about to pass—this really came in time!"

"That's right, no more going hungry at last."

The soldiers' reactions varied—some shouted "Long live the Great Ming" to the heavens in excitement, some had reddened eyes and remained silent for a long while, and others laughed loudly and embraced each other. Truly, all manner of expressions.

Datong Governor Wei Jingyuan had been ambushed by Jiang Xiang some time ago and injured his foot. Logically he should not engage in strenuous activity, and had in fact been carried over by several righteous volunteers just moments before.

But now, Wei Jingyuan's excitement was beyond words. "A sage ruler! A sage ruler!"

"The Great Ming can be saved!"

Before long, a squad of palace guards wearing black armor surged into the drill ground.

Prince Dai, Zhu Chuan, had rushed over upon hearing news of the disturbance, but had not expected to be too late after all. Before entering the drill ground, he had been prepared to fight to the death against the old villain Jiang Xiang, but seeing the scene before him, he was stunned and had no idea what had happened.

Zhu Chuan happened to arrive just as Li Fengxiang finished reading the Chongzhen Emperor's edict of self-blame, and the mounted officers, by imperial order, were beheading the captured Jiang clan villains.

The soldiers voluntarily formed several ranks, exceptionally orderly, and began happily collecting their pay.

"Li Laochai, come take it—this is the six years of pay the court owed your family. Don't lose it."

The dark-faced Li Laochai hurried forward to receive it, clutching the silver to his chest like a treasure, grinning happily:

"It's finally come down!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard officer distributing the pay gave an "Mm" and said:

"Don't forget, this is what the Emperor allocated from the inner treasury to make up for you."

Hearing these words, Li Laochai's expression turned solemn, and he bent his waist all the way to the ground, saying:

"Old Chai would die for the Emperor—I'll never forget this as long as I live!"

The soldiers queuing behind all chimed in: "Old Chai is right—we should fight to the death for the Emperor!"

"Fight to the death for the Emperor!"

Seeing this long-missed scene, Wei Jingyuan's eyes could not help but grow moist. He turned his head and saw the palace guards Zhu Chuan had brought heading this way, and the excitement on his face faded somewhat.

Bai Guangen, standing high on the reviewing platform, had clearly noticed this as well, and asked:

"Eunuch Li, it seems Governor Wei and Prince Dai have some grudge?"

Hearing this, Li Fengxiang slapped his forehead, then quickly jumped down from the reviewing platform with two Embroidered Uniform Guard Centurions, and stepped between Prince Dai and Governor Wei Jingyuan.

It was unclear exactly what Li Fengxiang said, but it was plain to see that the annoyance on the faces of both Zhu Chuan and Wei Jingyuan gradually dissipated, and they began chatting and laughing.

Prince Dai Zhu Chuan even bowed to Wei Jingyuan to express his apology.

In fact, Prince Dai Zhu Chuan, enfeoffed at Datong, was one of the rare pro-war princes among the various princes. Historically, he and Governor Wei Jingyuan had firmly advocated war—one supplying the pay, one mobilizing the troops—and the relief of Ningwu should have been put on the agenda long ago.

But Jiang Xiang and Jiang Rang, the two villains, were determined to welcome the bandits, and so had schemed in secret, first sending men to injure Wei Jingyuan's foot so he could not leave his door, then seizing control of Datong's military and civil authority for themselves.

Following that, they had their household retainers spread rumors to sow discord between the Prince Dai's mansion and the Datong Governor's office, reaping the benefits themselves. Li Fengxiang had only learned of this matter a few days before arriving at Datong, from a flying dispatch of the Eastern Depot.

It could be said that had Bai Guangen not acted outside the usual protocols this time, decisively moving to execute Jiang Xiang before the Jiang clan could free up their hands, this affair could very easily have turned out quite differently.