Chapter 443: Please Set Your Excellency's Mind at Ease

Inside Lanzhou City.

The news that Liu Chengzong had captured Zhuanglang Garrison City terrified Prince Su. He rushed through the night, carrying a horn lantern, to knock on the door of Grand Coordinator Lian Guoshi's residence, and dispatched riders to race through the night to seek aid from Yansui Grand Coordinator Chen Qiyu.

At this very moment, Yansui Grand Coordinator Chen Qiyu possessed a prestige in Shaanxi unmatched by anyone from either the righteous or the underworld paths — even Liu Chengzong would have to step aside for him.

Because this man was, among the nearly ten grand coordinators and supreme commanders Shaanxi had seen during the Chongzhen reign, the frontier grand minister most likely to completely quell the rebellion.

From the fifth year of Chongzhen onward, Chen Qiyu assumed the post of Yansui Grand Coordinator, bringing earth-shaking changes to the whole of Shaanxi.

Militarily, since he took office: One-Sitting City, Xue Hongqi, One-Word King, Jie Shanhu, Liu Daozhi, Golden-Winged Roc, Wang Chenggong, One Dragon, Diamond Drill, Hill-Flipping Sparrowhawk, Black Fiend, Tiger Among Men, Fifth Yama King, Horseback Flyer, Wang Denghuai, Ma Honglang, Sky-Filler... a whole string of chieftains were stormed, beheaded, and annihilated.

Economically, he opened coal mines and built irrigation works, attempting to use the slight easing of drought in these two years to restore agriculture in northern Shaanxi, and resettled surrendered bandit soldiers, ensuring they had work and food.

Politically, he achieved the most remarkable feat: in the sixth year of Chongzhen, Chen Qiyu succeeded in doing what every Shaanxi frontier grand minister who died in office had hoped for — getting the court to remit taxes.

The Chongzhen Emperor actually issued an edict, remitting the taxes of Yan'an Prefecture and Qingyang Prefecture.

This matter was not really Chen Qiyu's own merit — every frontier grand minister who died in office before him had submitted such memorials; it was simply that his luck had arrived.

In the final analysis, it was not that Chen Qiyu's words of persuasion were especially moving, but that the Chongzhen Emperor finally faced the reality that northern Shaanxi had produced no tax revenue for years, and made peace with himself with a smile.

What the hell was he doing before?

Regardless, luck is also a form of strength.

On the strength of getting the court to remit taxes alone, the common people between Yansui and Qingyang were profoundly grateful to Chen Qiyu. After all, when past officials submitted memorials, the common people never knew about it, but now that Chen Qiyu's memorial had succeeded, the common people could see it.

The common folk's demands were not high — few among them were willing to spend their days burning, killing, plundering, and committing outrages against heaven and reason.

As long as they could live, just live, that was enough.

Relying on the halo of having the court remit taxes, Chen Qiyu could accomplish whatever he set out to do in northern Shaanxi. Even when his army marched into Yan'an, commoners would secretly leave notes saying: This road is impassable, do not encamp here.

Compared to Hong Chengchou, who would just get beaten up when he came, this treatment was as high as the Ninth Heaven.

At first, Chen Qiyu did not believe it either. What did they mean, this road is impassable? Under heaven, every inch of land belongs to the king — where was the logic in a frontier grand minister leading an army across his own country's territory and being told the road was impassable?

Everyone knew Yan'an Prefecture had landmines, but landmines had a very short active window — fuse ignition required someone standing by. Qi Jiguang's steel-wheel ignition did not need someone nearby, but once buried, it would last three to five days at the least, eight or nine at the most. Not to mention rain, even ground moisture rising would render the mine useless.

Chen Qiyu simply refused to believe it — could it be that, with my prestige, someone still wanted to blow me up?

He did not believe in such evil, and insisted on marching, until the night they set camp, when a patrolling soldier stepped on a landmine, which became a fleeting flash of light beneath the pitch-black sky over the loess ridges and gullies.

After officers examined the debris and found shattered bronze wheels and a destroyed firing mechanism at the blast site, Chen Qiyu believed it... this was not someone trying to blow him up; it was that the technical means of northern Shaanxi's common people were advanced to a degree hard to credit.

The common folk of northern Shaanxi were not bumpkins — they were using Li Tiancheng's Combined-Action Landmine.

Li Tiancheng was originally a Guard Commander of the Capital Garrison, expert in firearms. In the third year of Chongzhen, he was recognized for improving the landmine, and the court established a Landmine Battalion for him, distributing his instructional materials to the Nine Border Garrisons to teach the use of firearm landmines.

The Combined Action was originally a firing mechanism Zhao Shizhen applied to the matchlock arquebus — a mechanical device using gears to automatically open and close the priming pan cover. Specifically, a gear was installed on the firing mechanism, with two movable rack bars above and below, one of which connected to a steel spring, forming an inner-outer, yin-yang dual-mechanism structure.

When the trigger was pulled, the gear turned, the two rack bars moved one forward and one backward: the yin mechanism inside the stock was responsible for pushing open the priming pan cover; the yang mechanism outside the stock, bearing the match tube, was responsible for igniting the priming powder.

The name "Combined-Action Arquebus" comes from this: pulling the trigger, the two mechanisms open together.

This structure could guard against wind and rain, making it the most reliable firing mechanism for the matchlock arquebus.

On the earliest Luzon arquebus, the priming pan had to be opened and closed manually; the Combined-Action Arquebus could open and close it automatically.

A further upgrade was called the Xuanyuan Arquebus, also an invention of Zhao Shizhen.

This component was a detachable long rod, with a bronze rain cover mounted on the upper part and a small weight slightly heavier than the rain cover on the lower part, with a crossbeam in the middle.

In rainy or snowy weather, the rod's crossbeam was inserted into a pre-cut hole on the wooden stock. Due to gravity, the weight naturally hung below and the cover above, with the match cord also wound around the lower half of the rod.

Because the small weight was heavier than the bronze cover, no matter which way the gun was aimed — even when inverted for loading — the bronze cover would always remain parallel to the ground, shielding the touchhole and match cord from rain.

Specifically, these were all actually components of the bird gun. A single gun might be called a bird gun, yet possess the Combined Action, Xuanyuan, and other such components.

Landmine instructor Li Tiancheng transferred the Combined-Action mechanism to the steel-wheel landmine, greatly extending the mine's active window. Even if it encountered occasional rain or snow, a mine buried underground could guarantee a service life of over two months.

The government troops of Shaanxi's Three Borders and Five Garrisons learned this skill, but had almost no battlefield to use it on... first, manufacturing these things was relatively costly; second, Ligdan Khan was nearly rotting in the ground — who was there to blow up?

The government troops were loath to mass-produce these, but instead, the simple and honest people of Yan'an brought it to full glory, because the people of Yan'an were not an army — they needed a peaceful living environment to survive properly.

For them, landmines were the lowest-cost means of defense.

No need for large quantities — bury a few in the ground, and whether government troops or bandits, stepping on just one would scare them into retreating the way they came, allowing people to safeguard their own lives.

For the people of Yan'an, the Combined-Action Landmine had many advantages, and only one drawback: in the geographical environment of northern Shaanxi, its active window was a little too long.

So much so that the young men in each village responsible for burying the mines would often ask others a single question: "Where did I bury the landmine?"

No idea — probably on the official road.

No one really cared much either. What decent person walked the official road?

Later, the small paths became impassable too. If one absolutely had to go out, clothes could be left off — there was no one on the road anyway — but a mine-prodding goat absolutely had to be driven ahead.

Regardless, for the people of Yan'an Prefecture, resisting taxes was a victory, and the court remitting taxes was also a victory. And Chen Qiyu, who had been able to make the Emperor remit taxes, was without question the one official the common people did not wish to send to heaven.

After so many chaotic years of fighting, people's hearts had long yearned for stability. It can be said that all of Chen Qiyu's victories were political victories.

What was most commendable was that, despite holding high office, Chen Qiyu could still recognize the psychological state of ordinary commoners and soldiers. He was very clear about the deteriorating morale among Shaanxi's soldiers and bandits, and could even turn this disadvantage to his own use.

Just last year, to exterminate Mountain-Splitting Axe and Sky-Drilling Sentinel, who were entrenched at Yongning Pass in Yanchuan, he took advantage of Hong Chengchou leading his troops westward to spread false news within the army.

He falsely claimed that their army was to be transferred to Gansu by Hong Chengchou, and ordered He Renlong to lead the troops on a march westward, with Chen Qiyu bringing up the rear.

Upon reaching Yanchuan, Chen Qiyu suddenly spurred his horse eastward and transmitted an order to the entire army: "Look to where my horse's head points!" The entire army immediately reversed its formation and swiftly raided Yongning Pass.

The army arrived so suddenly that Mountain-Splitting Axe and Sky-Drilling Sentinel, lulled into complacency by the false news, were caught completely off guard, and just like that, in a daze, they were entered into the merit rolls.

Right up until the first month of the seventh year of Chongzhen, Chen Qiyu could be said to be at the zenith of his power in Shaanxi.

Now, with Hong Chengchou immobilized in Gansu, even though Liu Chengzong had not yet advanced his troops toward Lanzhou, Chen Qiyu had already become the single life-saving straw in the eyes of Prince Su's household.

If there was anyone under heaven who could stop Liu Chengzong at Lanzhou, it was none other than Chen Qiyu.

In fact, not only Prince Su's household — everyone thought so, except Chen Qiyu. Chen Qiyu dared not think so.

Before the twelfth month of last year, Chen Qiyu had actually been somewhat eager to give it a try, but after the twelfth month of the sixth year of Chongzhen, Chen Qiyu dared not think so anymore, because the rebel army's marching speed was terrifyingly fast — they were practically flying.

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month of the sixth year of Chongzhen, the rebel army spread yellow earth, straw, and door planks over the river surface and flew across the Yellow River, storming Mianchi and defeating its defending commander Yuan Daxu, announcing their entry into Henan.

A mere five days later, on the twenty-ninth day of the eleventh month, before the news of the rebels entering Henan had even spread across the Central Plains, rebel forces under eight chieftains — Rampaging Wolf, Floor-Sweeping King, Sky-Filling Stars, and others — had bypassed the heavily defended Tong Pass and, in a mighty host of one hundred thousand troops, stormed Wu Pass.

To coordinate with Hong Chengchou's movements, Chen Qiyu first drove off the Dashing King, who was besieging Xi'an Prefecture, and then led his troops westward, entering and garrisoning Lintao Prefecture.

Now, hearing the alarm and hurrying back east, they rode without pause through Gongchang Prefecture into Fengxiang, barely managing a hot meal at Baoji before word came that in a single day, the three cities of Shangyang, Zhen'an, and Shangnan in Shangzhou under Xi'an Prefecture had fallen — the rebel vanguard was only a hundred li from Xi'an Prefecture's seat, beacon smoke visible to the naked eye everywhere.

Troops from every direction whipped their horses on; from the Henan side, Zuo Liangyu and Deng Qi rushed all the way to Shanzhou without stopping to eat or drink, while Chen Qiyu led the Shaanxi army at full gallop toward Xi'an, more than half his troops falling behind on the march.

Yet what awaited them was an utterly tranquil and peaceful Xi'an Prefecture.

The rebel army had already crossed the border. Their northwestward advance had been nothing but a feint; turning around, they marched south under the Dashing General's command, and Yunxi and Shangjin in Xunyang Prefecture were reported lost.

The Jing-Xiang region where Xunyang lay was a special district of the Great Ming.

This was the junction of Shaanxi, Huguang, Henan, and Sichuan — stretching from the eastern end of the Zhongnan Mountains in the west, southeast to the Tongbai and Dabie Mountains, northeast to the Funiu Mountains, and south to the Jing Mountains.

It enjoyed the advantages of waterways and a climate midway between north and south, with rolling hills, winding rivers, and deep forests. Southerners could come and plant paddy fields; northerners could come and plant dry fields too.

As early as the Yuan dynasty, its convenient waterways and suitable climate had made it an ideal gathering place for refugees from both north and south. Whenever the political and economic climate soured, bankrupt peasants from all directions would flood into Jing-Xiang like the tide.

Since the founding of the Ming dynasty, the first massive uprising had begun right here, because the court could do nothing about the mountain refugees who refused to submit to royal authority and merely ordered the mountain regions sealed off — which only intensified the conflict between the refugees and the court.

During the Zhengtong era, Liu Tong, wanted for robbery, fled into the mountains. In the first year of Chenghua, he raised the banner of rebellion, proclaimed himself King of Han, and attacked Xiangyang, Dengzhou, and Hanzhong. He was suppressed by the end of the following year, and the court rescinded the mountain ban.

After Liu Tong's death, his subordinate commander Li Yuan raised a separate banner, rallied the old troops, and built up strength. In the sixth year of Zhengtong, he again declared himself king — the King of Great Peace — drawing a following of a full million refugees. The court dispatched two hundred fifty thousand heavy troops to divide and annihilate them.

From that time on, to resolve the problem of armed refugees in Jing-Xiang, the court established the post of Xunyang Grand Coordinator, whose jurisdiction covered the adjoining regions of Hubei, Henan, Sichuan, and Shaanxi — five circuits, eight prefectures, nine subprefectures, and sixty-five counties, including Xi'an Prefecture.

By the Wanli era, however, the problem of armed refugees in Jing-Xiang was no longer a problem, so the Xunyang Grand Coordinator's command received a mere six thousand taels of silver annually and had only five hundred guardsmen.

These five hundred guardsmen constituted the entirety of Xunyang Prefecture's field forces — and as it happened, these five hundred men had been dispatched to Nanyang by the Ministry of War last year, following Grand Coordinator Jiang Yunyi, when Zhang Xianzhong entered Huguang.

It was not that Li Zicheng met no resistance — he had, quite literally, entered a land of no one.

At this critical juncture, Chen Qiyu received a plea for aid from the Prince of Su and nearly toppled off his horse — were they trying to ride him to death?

He dared not leave Xi'an Prefecture. Even if he wanted to go to Lanzhou, the Prince of Qin would not let him.

The Dashing King had been driven by him into the Qinling Mountains, and the Dashing General had led a pack of rebel kings into Xunyang. The rebel forces around Xi'an Prefecture were at an unprecedented strength — the moment he left for Lanzhou, Xi'an Prefecture might fall right behind him.

After much pondering, a thought suddenly flashed through Chen Qiyu's mind like a bolt of lightning — he remembered a man who could surely deal with Liu Chengzong.

Yan'an Mobile Corps Commander Yang Yanchang!

Chen Qiyu held the concurrent post of Vice Minister of War. He dispatched a Ministry of War transfer order by fast courier to Yan'an Prefecture, commanding Mobile Corps Commander Yang Yanchang to assemble his troops and march immediately to the Lanzhou front.

Along with the transfer order, a private letter from Chen Qiyu also reached Yan'an Prefecture. In it, he heaped the highest praise on Yang Yanchang, with exceptional sincerity.

He wrote that the court was well aware the Yan'an Battalion and Yan'an Guard had suffered greatly in the earlier war against the Dashing King, but Lanzhou was now in dire peril, and he earnestly hoped Commander Yang would loyally serve the state and lead his troops to the relief of Lanzhou. Liu Chengzong was his old adversary — only General Yang could handle him.

Within a mere two days, Yang Yanchang's reply arrived at Xi'an Prefecture. He wrote: "I am deeply grateful for Your Excellency the Grand Coordinator's great favor. This humble officer will spare no effort in serving the nation to his last breath."

Reading the reply, Chen Qiyu in the Xi'an Prefecture yamen let out a satisfied sigh of relief.

Chen Qiyu was well acquainted with the situation in northern Shaanxi, where soldiers and bandits were one family. He knew in his heart that Yang Yanchang was absolutely no simple character on the surface.

The mighty God of War of Yan'an, holed up in his fort every day doing nothing but fishing and siring brats? This fellow already had twenty children.

And if he wasn't sent out to war, it looked like his rate of siring brats was only increasing — he was barreling along at a pace of five children every two years.

This was Yan'an Prefecture, where landmines were buried everywhere. A man serving as Yan'an Mobile Corps Commander, surviving like that?

Chen Qiyu strongly suspected Yang Yanchang of colluding with the bandits.

Yet even with such suspicions, after weighing the matter from every angle, he still believed that transferring Yang Yanchang to Lanzhou was the best choice at this moment.

Because his goal was not to destroy Liu Chengzong, but to have Yang Yanchang go and hold Lanzhou. If he wasn't in league with the bandits, defending Lanzhou to the death would be no problem. If he was in league with them, holding Lanzhou would be even less of a problem.

But how to ensure Yang Yanchang did not defect to the bandits?

Chen Qiyu put his clever little brain to work and came up with a brilliant move — he planted his own eyes and ears beside Yang Yanchang.

This planted agent was Ren Quan'er, the Commander of the Yan'an Guard.

He also had a letter delivered to Ren Quan'er, telling Commander Ren: you will follow Commander Yang into battle, and you must also dispatch trusted men to keep watch over Yang Yanchang's thirty-odd family members.

By the time this letter reached Yan'an Prefecture, the army had already marched. The loess ridges and slopes were packed with civilians seeing them off, waist drums pounding heaven-shakingly loud. Old men and old women draped red ribbons and silk over their sons and sent them into the ranks — such a scene had not been seen in Shaanxi for a very long time.

On an earthen slope, General Ren, reining in his horse, wore a black-lacquered gilt helmet and a suit of bright silver-scale armor, his bearing heroic and dashing. With a wave of his hand, he dashed off a brief note and handed it to the messenger.

Amid the military music, Ren Quan'er gazed toward the official road beside him, where carts rumbled and horses neighed. His eyes swept past the well-equipped soldiers marching west with heads held high, toward the direction of Yang Yanchang in the vast dust cloud ahead of the formation. Then he lowered his head to look at the messenger and said, "Tell His Excellency the Grand Coordinator — the honored superior may rest assured. This humble officer is watching!"

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Good afternoon!