Chapter 447: The Lintao Brigade

Prince Su had barely fled when Lanzhou City fell completely right on his heels.

Commander Huang Ming led several dozen banner troops in urgent pursuit, racing from night into day, from day into the deepening dusk, until they finally caught up with Prince Su at Chankou north of Anding County.

Before catching up with Prince Su, Huang Ming's purpose had been crystal clear — he wanted to invite the Prince back to Lanzhou to take charge of the situation. As long as Prince Su remained in Lanzhou, Lanzhou would not fall in an instant.

But now that he had actually caught up, he found himself utterly bewildered. Between dusk and dawn, Lanzhou City had been completely occupied. Going back now would probably mean it was their turn to besiege the city. He had no choice but to enter Yanshou Post Station with Prince Su to rest.

Prince Su was still in a daze at this point. When he heard from Huang Ming that it was Shi Xiang who had let the Marshal's headquarters army into Lanzhou, he was shocked to realize he had been deceived. He turned to question the Lanzhou Battalion soldier escorting him, only to discover that the man had long since used the excuse of walking the horses to flee without a trace the moment Huang Ming arrived.

Left with no alternative, he needed someone to help him make decisions and could only consult Huang Ming on where to go from here. Unfortunately, the two of them could hardly find common ground.

Huang Ming was a general who had risen through the ranks, the kind of man who dared lead fire-cart troops out of the city to race against Zhang Tianlin's besieging forces around Lanzhou. No matter the situation, he had to take action.

Prince Su, by contrast, was of noble birth, but his status dictated that the greatest service he could render to the realm and to himself was to live and do nothing at all.

Huang Ming believed Prince Su should remain in Anding to help him rally the local gentry, recruit village stalwarts, and consolidate landlord militias to raise an army. Even if not to retake Lanzhou, they should at least hold Anding and prevent the rebels from seizing Gongchang Prefecture.

Logically, this was sound. Relying on the rural troops and banner armies of Longxi, Qinzhou, and Jingning Prefecture — second- and even third-line forces — to hold the strategic passes and the ancient forts and stockades that had stood across this land for a thousand years, they could hold out for a time no matter the opponent.

With that time, the iron-smelting center in the southeastern part of Gongchang Prefecture would not be lost.

More crucially, this place could not be lost. Though Gongchang Prefecture was not rich in agriculture, its people were fierce and its handicrafts well-developed. Salt and iron were abundant, and artisans were numerous. The most common place names here were Upper Stockade, Lower Stockade, Tile Kiln Fort, and Iron Furnace Fort.

And Chankou was the northern gate of Anding County, guarding the widest ancient road from Lanzhou to Anding and even Longxi.

Huang Ming believed this place was perfectly suited for a defensive stand, and there was even a ready-made fortress. Between Chankou and Anding, on the west bank of the Guanchuan River, stood an ancient fort garrisoned by eleven patrol archers and eleven post soldiers — called both the Guanchuan Patrol Office and the Anding Thirty-Li Post.

This was a fortress built in the Song Dynasty, then called Anxi City, meaning "to pacify the Western Xia." It had barbicans on both the north and south, projecting bastions on all four walls, sixteen corner towers, and an outer ring of sheep-and-horse walls.

Huang Ming said, "With this fortress here, even if the rebel Liu could shoulder mountains and cross seas, as long as Your Highness is here to steady the troops' morale, we can certainly hold out until reinforcements arrive to turn the tide."

In this, Huang Ming was not boasting. Yang Yanchang was in Pingliang Prefecture, Lian Guoshi in Qinzhou — the nearest no more than three hundred li, the farthest no more than five hundred. Holding out in a fortress for seven or eight days would not be a problem; after all, just building siege equipment would take longer than that.

Prince Su also thought Huang Ming's reasoning was sound, but his first move was to summon all the princely mansion guards accompanying him in flight to his side, surround Huang Ming completely, and then ask with the utmost seriousness, "General Huang, has this Prince ever wronged you in the past?"

Huang Ming, utterly baffled, shook his head. "Your Highness has not only never wronged me, but has often aided the Lanzhou garrison. What does Your Highness mean by this?"

"Oh, never wronged you."

Prince Su Zhu Shihong felt relieved. He asked, "Since I have never wronged you, General, why do you wish to harm me?"

Never mind holding the Thirty-Li Post here — even if he could rally troops and retake Lanzhou, so what? From the moment he left Lanzhou City, Prince Su Zhu Shihong knew perfectly well in his heart that he was already a man bearing guilt.

For now, the matter was not yet beyond redemption. As long as he obediently admitted his fault to the Emperor, it would probably just be a matter of forfeiting his stipend rice.

But if he dared to recruit troops and hold out, whether the court could retake Lanzhou was uncertain. Whether they retook it or not, the high walls of Fengyang would likely be his only final destination.

Prince Su Zhu Shihong could not accept Huang Ming's suggestion and ultimately chose to part ways with him. Under the escort of his princely mansion guards, he continued his journey onward toward Pingliang.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Liu Chengzong, hearing that the outer city of Lanzhou had been taken with ease and that Li Zude, holding the inner city, was inclined to surrender, immediately decided to set out for Lanzhou in person.

Li Zude's surrender terms were no big deal to Liu the Lion. The Marshal's headquarters had long-established precedents for resettling surrendered officers: those who surrendered before fighting were promoted one rank; those who surrendered without fighting retained their original rank; those who surrendered after defeat were demoted one rank.

This rule had nothing to do with Liu the Lion's personal preferences; it was purely because it made resettlement easier.

The fundamental difference between surrendering before fighting and surrendering after defeat lay in the fact that the former's troops were better preserved. The Marshal's headquarters taking surrender was essentially a direct expansion, and increasing the establishment had minimal impact on the interests of the inner-circle officers.

The latter, having gone through battle, had fewer troops relative to their rank. Restoring their original rank or promoting them and granting a substantive post would affect the promotions of the inner-circle officers. For this reason, Liu Chengzong often appeared very stingy when dealing with surrendered officers.

Lanzhou City's bloodless surrender not only preserved the Marshal's headquarters army's strength but also largely kept the original Lanzhou garrison intact. Therefore, Liu Chengzong was uncharacteristically generous in granting ranks to the surrendered officers.

On the third day after Lanzhou City fell, Liu Chengzong held a banquet beneath its walls and accepted the surrender of Shi Xiang, Zhang Yunqi, Li Zude, and the other former officers of the Lanzhou Battalion. Immediately afterward, he entered the palace city of Prince Su in Lanzhou and announced that court would be held for three days atop the western gate tower, accepting accusations from the elders of Lanzhou against villainous gentry and powerful magnates, Ming imperial clansmen, garrison officers, and corrupt officials.

At the same time, the rural officer corps from Hehuang also entered Lanzhou City and began the work of surveying farmland outside the city and cataloging household property within.

During these three days, Liu Chengzong issued only three laws, proclaiming to all soldiers and civilians in the city: all debased registries were abolished; murderers would be beheaded; thieves and robbers would have their hands cut off — so that the common people could each settle peacefully in their homes.

Liu Chengzong's original idea was to temporarily stabilize the great households and powerful families in the city, and wait until the front lines had moved far from Lanzhou before carrying out land equalization and property confiscation. But what he truly had not expected was that the Prince Su's estate was extremely poor.

The Prince Su's estate was certainly not poor — its treasury held countless priceless national treasures. But national treasures could not serve as military pay, nor could they be eaten as grain. And it was precisely in the two hard currencies of money and grain that the Prince Su's estate was far too poor.

If there were a ranking of the world's experts in plundering, then the two generals under Liu Chengzong's command, Luo Rucai and Yang Chengzu, would surely tie for first place.

They were no longer the roving bandits of earlier years who looted and smashed as they went. The two men and their inner-circle officers were widely experienced, possessing the richest plundering experience under heaven. A great feat like emptying the Prince of Han's mansion — to this day, no one had broken their record.

Yet these two generals led troops to turn the Prince Su's city upside down. They even fished up the one hundred and forty-four inscribed stones that Prince Su had ordered hidden in a deep well before fleeing — but found hardly any money or grain.

So much so that Luo Rucai, shamefaced and crestfallen, came to Liu Chengzong to report their haul: "Commander, we did our utmost. Counting gold and silver jewelry, the entire Prince Su estate held only eight hundred eighty-four taels of gold, twenty-three thousand three hundred taels of silver, and one million six hundred thousand tongbao coins."

Liu Chengzong raised an eyebrow. All told, it amounted to thirty thousand taels of silver — far below his expectations. He asked, "What about grain?"

"Even less grain, just over twenty thousand shi."

Liu Chengzong shook his head. Standing atop Fuyun Tower and gazing out at the surging Yellow River, he said slowly, "Then there's no helping it."

He needed the silver and grain in this city to reward the army. Thirty thousand taels of silver was nowhere near enough.

After three days, once the people's hearts in the city had somewhat settled, Liu Chengzong tore off his amiable mask and issued the Conscription-for-Assets Decree.

The content of the Conscription-for-Assets Decree was this: any household in Lanzhou whose total assets exceeded one hundred taels of silver, one hundred shi of stored grain, ten rooms, two horses, two oxen, two donkeys or mules, or two carts — all surplus property would be conscripted as military funds.

At the same time, troops were dispatched with proclamations to inform the soldiers and civilians throughout Lintao Prefecture that the Marshal's headquarters would register households and equalize land there, granting farmland to everyone before the spring plowing, and to convey the preferential policies for military households from Hehuang, telling the banner troops of the Lintao and Hezhou garrisons to surrender soon.

This kind of work was also very familiar to Li Wanqing. They had done the exact same thing back when they captured Zhenyuan; it was just that the scope of work in Lanzhou was larger.

Because the Marshal's headquarters had earlier plundered over a hundred powerful families in Lintao Prefecture, the wealthy households of Lanzhou were unprecedentedly concentrated. Although the standards Liu Chengzong set were not low, there were still only just over a hundred households in this city that did not meet the conditions.

This is not to say that Lanzhou City was entirely made up of rich households. The more wealthy families a place had, the more poor people were needed to serve them. But Lanzhou was somewhat special. For one, it bordered the Hehuang Valley, where all industries lay in ruins, so any poor person who could flee west had already gone west.

Secondly, among the poor who remained in Lanzhou, many had become peddlers and porters, earning a tidy fortune by selling goods to Hehuang. On top of that, the previous year's bumper harvest in the Hexi Corridor meant that every household had surplus wealth.

So much so that after the Conscription-for-Assets Decree was issued, Lanzhou City became, almost in the blink of an eye, the only city under the Marshal's headquarters' rule to lose the people's hearts.

Losing the people's hearts could not be helped. At least Liu Chengzong now had money and grain. Through the Conscription-for-Assets Decree, the Marshal's headquarters broke up households and amassed wealth, easily obtaining over two hundred seventy thousand shi of grain and three hundred fifty thousand taels of silver, and then proceeded to the next stage of deployment.

First, Brigade Commander Wang Wenxiu was promoted to Upper General Who Guards the State, Second Class, and appointed Assistant Commissioner-in-Chief of the Marshal's headquarters, ordered to garrison Lanzhou and oversee all matters of military household farming, troop training, and officer selection in Lintao Prefecture.

Li Wanqing, Yang Chengzu, Luo Rucai, and Shi Xiang were all promoted to Upper General of Manifest Might, Third Class, and appointed Assistant Commander-in-Chief. Zhang Yunqi and Li Zude were promoted to Upper Commandant of Distant Pacification, First Class, and appointed as Staff Officers.

Li Wanqing, Yang Chengzu, and Luo Rucai were to temporarily station in Lanzhou.

Shi Xiang received the assignment of Lintao Brigade Commander, commanding a central army and two flank battalions, with Zhang Yunqi and Li Zude serving as the Staff Officers of the left and right battalions respectively.

Liu Chengzong attached great importance to the three surrendered officers — Shi Xiang, Zhang Yunqi, and Li Zude. He summoned them to the princely mansion and said, "I am giving you the establishment of three standard battalions. Your most urgent task is to recruit troops — recruit from the Lanzhou Garrison."

Wild joy shone in the eyes of all three. They already knew the organizational scale of the Marshal's headquarters army. Three standard battalions meant ten thousand eight hundred men. This meant Liu Chengzong had no intention of giving them empty posts to hang their hats on.

But immediately, Liu Chengzong continued with what he had to say next: "You rendered great merit in the headquarters' capture of Lanzhou, so I am granting you the ranks of Vice General and Staff Officer — first as a reward, and second, to employ you according to your talents. How to employ you according to your talents?"

The three exchanged a glance, their faces all stern.

How does a general gauge ability? It is forged in battle, no doubt about it. These formations are not given for nothing — they are about to go to war.

Shi Xiang cupped his fist and said, "Commander, please give the order. Where would you have this humble officer attack?"

"Didao County, Hezhou, Jin County, Weiyuan County — I want you to at least seize the entire territory of Lintao Prefecture. If you still have strength to spare, then continue advancing toward Gongchang Prefecture."

Liu Chengzong said it with utter ease: "The banner troops of the three guards at Lintao, Hezhou, and Lanzhou should be enough for you to fill out your formations. Any difficulties?"

This mission posed no problem whatsoever for Shi Xiang. He understood Liu Chengzong's intent very clearly — this was a pledge of allegiance.

By attacking the cities of Lintao Prefecture as former government army officers who had surrendered, they would eliminate any possibility of a feigned surrender. From now on, they could only follow the Marshal's Manor down this road to the very end.

Shi Xiang naturally had no difficulties. He and Zhang Yunqi held over two thousand men from the former Lanzhou Battalion, and they could also use the Marshal's Manor's authority to suppress Li Zude. In his view, taking two guard posts might require a bitter fight, but weighing the strength of both sides, no single guard post was a match for them.

It was Regional Commander Zhang Yunqi who showed a troubled expression. What was on his mind was that the imperial court owed the Lanzhou Battalion several months of back pay.

Of course, this did not mean the government troops had no money. The Prince of Su had indeed given them supplementary pay, but supplementary pay was one thing, and back pay was another. He wanted to bring up the matter of the Lanzhou Battalion's treatment with Liu Chengzong.

After all, he knew in his heart that although Liu Chengzong's Marshal's Manor army was all rebel forces, even among rebels there were ranks. Before the manor distributed pay, they had no idea which tier of unit they belonged to.

But he dared not openly ask Liu Chengzong for money, so he could only say with difficulty, "Commander, taking the cities poses no difficulty. It is just that the court owes the Lanzhou Battalion several months of back pay. The soldiers' morale is already low, and now they must assault cities. Could the manor send another general to lead troops and steady our formation?"

Liu Chengzong had destroyed families and amassed wealth in Lanzhou precisely for this. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Go back and tell the soldiers in the battalion: the court owing them pay and provisions is none of my concern. But since they have surrendered to me, Liu Chengzong, before we march, every man in the Lintao Brigade shall be rewarded according to the first-class Skilled Soldier standard — three months' pay in silver per man, plus two months' field rations."

"Wherever you fight, you shall win; wherever you attack, you shall take. And I, Liu, shall reward every deed. Until the Lintao Brigade reaches its full troop strength, you may tell the banner troops of the Hezhou and Lintao guards: any who voluntarily surrender to the Marshal's Manor before battle shall all be rewarded according to the first-class Skilled Soldier standard — three months' pay in silver, plus two months' field rations as a resettlement allowance."

This reward pay and field rations were not much, because the Marshal's Manor's military honors were divided into three ranks and nine grades. The lowest grade was Skilled Soldier, and the second and third classes within Skilled Soldier were recruits who received not a single coin of military pay.

Even a first-class Skilled Soldier only received a monthly pay of three mace of silver and six dou of grain per month.

Still, this was enough to make Shi Xiang and the others overjoyed. The banner troops did not even receive treatment this good. With this promise in hand, their campaign to seize the Lintao Guard and Hezhou Guard would go far more smoothly.

"However, I will say the ugly words up front. When the court fails to provide soldiers with full rations and pay, the breakdown of military discipline is unavoidable. The manor's military law, aside from allowing soldiers to eat fallen donkeys, mules, and horses, is otherwise identical to the court's military law. With full rations and full pay, I, Liu, never fall into arrears."

"So if anyone violates military law, that is disregarding my, Liu Chengzong's, face. Rectifying military discipline has never been about military law demanding death."

Liu Chengzong looked at the three of them and said, "It is about people insisting on barreling down a dead-end road."

The three were all struck with awe in their hearts by these words and hurriedly took their leave to return to camp and tighten military discipline. They were all well aware of the disciplinary problems among the soldiers in their own camps.

For government troops of this period, it was already good enough if the army could be kept in camp without causing trouble. Once let out to kill, it was inevitable they would commit some reckless acts. Without sufficient rations and pay, a commander's words carried little weight, and military law could not properly restrain the troops.

Not long after they left, word came from East Gate that Xie Erhu was requesting reinforcements. The court had dispatched a force from the Gansu direction into the Zhuanglang River Valley. Upon learning of Lanzhou's fall, they had immediately quickened their advance and surrounded the Zhuanglang Guard city.

Liu Chengzong looked at the letter requesting aid and could not help but laugh: Hong Chengchou had taken notice of Lanzhou.

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Good evening!