Chapter 79: Summoning the Generals on the Platform

Five hundred thousand taels of pay, spread across more than twenty thousand soldiers, meant each man could receive at least twenty taels of silver — relatively speaking, this was already no small amount.

When word of this got out afterward, there would naturally be those with ulterior motives saying the court was clearly playing favorites — Xuanzhen and Datong had each received a million taels, so why was Tang Tong's force the only one getting just five hundred thousand?

Moreover, the court had recently made a great show of confiscating property and exterminating families, netting well over ten million taels in silver — this time it was simply too stingy.

But for Tang Tong as he was now, these five hundred thousand taels of pay were truly a lifeline in a snowstorm. Though it still couldn't clear the years of back pay owed, twenty taels of silver in a man's hands was hardly a small sum.

With this silver, Tang Tong could steady his army's morale and persuade his officers and men to fight to the death for the court. Thinking of this, he looked at the sword and python robe the eunuch had brought up, his heart filled with excitement.

"Your Majesty has shown this humble general such grace — I will fight to the death for the Great Ming and defend the capital!"

Places he could once only gaze at from afar, glories he once dared not even dream of — now all of it was realized upon his person. Summoned on the Son of Heaven's platform, granted a python robe that only trusted confidants could wear, and even a gleaming sword — what extraordinary honor was this?

Tang Tong could not help but think: his Tang family had been generals for generations, but truly only in his generation had the Emperor granted a private audience, and only he could obtain such glorious distinction.

What they called bringing glory to one's ancestors and leaving one's name in the annals of history — all depended on this very day!

Watching Tang Tong, whose excitement was written all over his face, the Chongzhen Emperor smiled with satisfaction as well.

"My minister, please rise quickly. The Great Ming of today cannot do without loyal and brave men like you. Once you reach Huangcun, do not disobey orders and pull another Luoshan incident."

"These are difficult times — I and all my ministers must work together to preserve our Great Ming's three hundred years of rule. I stand with you, my ministers!"

The Chongzhen Emperor's face was wreathed in smiles, but the warning in his words was still unmistakable. Tang Tong immediately shuddered and knelt once more, saying:

"Rest assured, Your Majesty — how would this humble general dare to overstep!"

"Even if a million bandits come, this humble general will not retreat a single step!"

To be honest, the Tang Tong of history had a thoroughly rotten reputation, with many stains across his life, but now that the Chongzhen Emperor actually saw the man in person, he simply could not muster any hostility toward him.

The armor Tang Tong wore was quite old, covered with countless scratches from blades and spears, and the man was utterly respectful toward him — even cowering timidly on the platform. He was a completely different breed from a warlord like Zuo Liangyu.

As things stood now, Tang Tong was clearly a general who had rushed to answer the summons to defend the throne, leading his troops posthaste — and he was the first provincial garrison commander to reach the capital, which carried great significance.

The Chongzhen Emperor granted Tang Tong the courtesies normally reserved for governors and grand coordinators leaving the capital, and bestowed generations of honor upon the Tang family — all in the hope that Tang Tong would make a different choice from the one in history and fight to the death for the Great Ming.

Bai Guangen had already joined Zhou Yuji in defending Ningwu Pass — it wasn't impossible for Tang Tong to change his mind as well.

The Chongzhen Emperor cleared his throat and suddenly asked:

"Since you've come all this way, let Earl Dingxi tell me — how can the capital region withstand Liu Fangliang's great army?"

Tang Tong pondered for a long moment upon hearing this, but did not answer directly. Instead, he asked in return:

"Your Majesty, forgive this humble general's impertinence — how goes the fighting at Ningwu Pass at present?"

"This is no great secret — there's no harm in telling Earl Dingxi!" The Chongzhen Emperor smiled, as if it mattered little, and said:

"This is a military dispatch that just arrived a few days ago. Earl Dingxi, take it and look it over carefully."

The Chongzhen Emperor casually said to look it over 'carefully,' but Tang Tong would not actually examine it closely. He understood the simple truth that serving a monarch was like lying beside a tiger, so he merely glanced over it briefly before offering the dispatch back with both hands, saying:

"This humble general has finished reading it."

The Chongzhen Emperor, unaware of Tang Tong's thoughts, immediately asked:

"Do you have a strategy to break the enemy?"

Tang Tong said: "According to the dispatch, the bandit troops have besieged for nearly a month and only managed to breach the barbican — this is all due to the Ningwu army's desperate resistance. It seems the bandits' fighting strength is not particularly formidable. This humble general estimates that Ningwu Pass can hold for at least another half month, so the roving bandits Liu Fangliang has brought are an isolated army!"

Having said this, Tang Tong laughed, and said with a sly grin:

"Your Majesty, since ancient times, an isolated army advancing deep has rarely come to any good end. Moreover, Liu Fangliang is not Li Zicheng — he doesn't have the ability to keep all the roving bandits in line. With just a small setback, the bandits could collapse entirely."

"And at that point, it will be the Great Ming's moment to press the advantage in pursuit and display the nation's might!"

In history, Liu Fangliang's isolated army had coordinated with Li Zicheng to besiege the capital, but he never expected the Chongzhen Emperor to do things differently and throw the course of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen into chaos.

Li Zicheng had first fought a bitter month-long battle at Daizhou, barely taking it after great difficulty, only to suffer heavy losses at Ningwu Pass and find himself unable to break through no matter what.

Liu Fangliang on the southern route, however, had smooth sailing all the way, advancing straight to the capital region according to the original plan.

This produced one result: the Dashun northern expedition that should have been mighty and overwhelming — by the fourth month of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the only force that actually reached Beijing city was Liu Fangliang's isolated army of over a hundred thousand roving bandits.

As for the Tartars beyond the passes, there was no need to even mention them — they should still be sharpening their weapons and feeding their horses, preparing to assault Shanhai Pass.

In history, Dorgon had only been eager to enter the passes because he heard Beijing had fallen. Now that the capital had not fallen and the Great Ming's dark-bird banner still flew over Shanhai Pass, who could say what choice he might make.

Liu Fangliang had over a hundred thousand roving bandits, but the government troops on the capital side were hardly few either.

The Shenwu Army had more than five thousand elite soldiers, the Capital Camps had over ten thousand new recruits, and setting aside the Youth Camp among the regiment camps, counting the criminals continuously added to the Jiayi Camp of late, the Chongzhen Emperor had more than twenty thousand men in his new forces.

The newly enfeoffed Earl Wang Xiantong had withdrawn all eighteen thousand troops of Tongzhou's three guards to the Huangcun area, and with the forces of Earl Dingxi Tang Tong who had come to defend the throne, a conservative estimate put the total at nearly seventy thousand troops.

Aside from the Shenwu Army, the rest of the government troops were basically a motley rabble — the Chongzhen Emperor knew this well in his heart. But what of the roving bandits? Surely their situation couldn't be much better than his own.

The Chongzhen Emperor chatted with Tang Tong a few more sentences as if they were old acquaintances, and only then did Tang Tong leave Huangji Hall, kneeling at every third step.

After Tang Tong left the hall, the smile on the Chongzhen Emperor's face froze instantly. He asked those beside him:

"Cheng'en, tell me — this Tang Tong, what sort of man is he?"

Wang Cheng'en could be counted as the worm in the Chongzhen Emperor's belly. Hearing this question, he naturally understood what the Emperor meant, and immediately replied with utmost respect:

"To answer Your Majesty, since this old servant took charge of the Eastern Depot, I have heard many strange tales that ordinary folk never get to hear."

"In the fourteenth year of this reign, Tang Tong was the only one among the eight Regional Commanders who rode out with Cao Bianjiao to give battle; in the fifteenth year, Tang Tong received the summons to rescue Liaodong and fought desperately to hold Ningyuan. This old servant must say something that could cost him his head — this Tang Tong, compared to the likes of Zuo Liangyu or He Renlong, can actually be put to use."

The Chongzhen Emperor turned his head to glance at Wang Cheng'en, who hurriedly bowed his head low.

After a long moment, the Chongzhen Emperor gave an 'mm' and said:

"Cheng'en speaks truly — I recall now. In all these years, Tang Tong seems never to have disobeyed any of my edicts or decrees. Let us trust him once and put him to use."

Wang Cheng'en was overjoyed and kowtowed, saying:

"His Majesty is sagacious — long may the Great Ming prosper!"