Chapter 646: A Fool

In the eighth month of the eighth year of Chongzhen, Guanzhong was exceptionally quiet.

The main reason was that Liu Chengzong was very calm, so Guanzhong and even the whole of Shaanxi were very calm.

Since last month, Liu Chengzong had personally led his combat troops in a swift attack on Weinan, breaching the Hanhe Camp at noon, then luring the Ming generals Liu Jinjue, Zhang Jizai, and Sun Shoufa into field battle that afternoon, routing four battalions of government troops in three shichen.

Then an urgent letter from Lanzhou made Liu the Lion hit the pause button for the Marshal's army.

The letter was sent by trusted aides of Liu Chengyun, who was holding Lanzhou, mainly reporting on the defense of Lanzhou, smallpox inoculation, and the summer grain harvest in Hehuang.

The contents of the letter were all very optimistic; Chengyun had not only managed Lanzhou's affairs in perfect order, but was even in the process of persuading the diehard "rebel army" in Fuqiang County to surrender.

Liu the Lion knew perfectly well that the group entrenched in Fuqiang County were not rebels.

Inside that small town were Ming court officials and officers led by Qiao Qian'gao, the nominal Prefect of Gongchang, and Tu Shixian, the Assistant Regional Commander of Ningxia; they had been kept suppressed by Feng Rang's chariot battalion and Dalai Taiji's training guards and could not amount to much.

As for provisions, the Marshal's headquarters' several tens of thousands of troops marching out from Hehuang had greatly lightened Hehuang's burden this year, so military grain was exceptionally abundant — they had never been this well-off.

Just from the written words of the letter, Liu the Lion could see Chengyun's high spirits.

But a minor detail that Chengyun merely mentioned in passing in the letter set off alarm bells in Liu Chengzong's mind: locust eradication.

The locust eradication campaign in the Lanzhou and Hehuang area had been going on for a full year, and even so, Chengyun had not dared to let down his guard.

From New City to Lanzhou, the forts along the Huangshui River basin had all stockpiled mountainous piles of locust-catching tools and chemicals, just waiting for the locust swarms from outside the region to fly in this year to provide extra feed for the farmed chicks, pigs, and sheep.

It was even a little bit of a happy prospect.

But this matter made Liu the Lion extremely anxious.

Hehuang had eradicated the locusts, but the problem was that the Marshal's headquarters had now grown larger.

The locust swarms from outside the region that Chengyun mentioned in the letter were, in reality, the eggs in the soil of the territory now ruled by the Marshal's headquarters.

The plague east of the Yellow River and Tong Pass line alone was already enough to make Liu Chengzong anxious, and now the memory of the locust plague surged back into his mind.

A tremendous sense of helplessness instantly struck from the crown of his head down to the soles of his feet.

Very soon, every inch of land in the northwest received the Grand Marshal's headquarters' proclamation on locust prevention.

To many people, this proclamation was utterly absurd.

Such as Chen Qiyu in the city of Xi'an Prefecture, Hong Chengchou in Ningxia, He Renlong in Zhenning County, Qiao Qian'gao in Fuqiang County, Ju Sirang in Qingyang Prefecture, and Zuo Maodi in Hancheng.

Of course, it also included the fleeing defeated generals like Cao Wenzhao and Bai Guang'en, as well as Gao Yingxiang in Hanzhong, and Regional Commander Hou Liangzhu and Assistant Regional Commander Zu Dale of Baoning Prefecture in northern Sichuan.

Even Gao Jie, who was roaming the mountainous areas of southern Shaanxi as a bandit, received Liu Chengzong's proclamation without exception.

Strangely enough, under normal circumstances, none of these people except Gao Yingxiang would obey Liu Chengzong's orders.

But in the summer of this year, Liu Chengzong's successive great battles on the tablelands of Guanzhong had made him the most fearsome figure in the realm in one stroke; his every move inspired awe.

Take, for example, the Grand Commander of Sichuan, Hou Liangzhu, who was stationed with twenty thousand Sichuan troops at the border between Sichuan and Shaanxi.

This old fellow held a massive army, yet he had accomplished absolutely nothing of substance in this campaign.

He had no choice; when he led his army into Shaanxi, the situation he faced was that no matter whom he intended to support, as soon as his troops set out, he would immediately receive word that that person had been routed by Liu Chengzong.

After advancing and retreating at the Sichuan-Shaanxi border several times like this, the entire army's morale was shattered by fear; they were utterly incapable of fighting, and could only help the two landmasses of Sichuan and Shaanxi copulate a few times on the strategic map.

So much so that when Liu Chengzong's messenger cavalry galloped to Chaotian Pass and shot the proclamation toward the pass with a bow, a single feathered arrow flying over caused the six hundred defenders of Chaotian Pass to instantly collapse and retreat fifteen li; only two days later, when they discovered the pass had not been seized, did they dare enter the pass to pick up the letter.

Hou Liangzhu came running over, originally thinking Liu the Lion was trying to persuade him to surrender, his heart wavering between stubborn resistance and taking the easy way out, only to find out he was being told to guard against a locust plague.

What could Hou Liangzhu say? Guard against it, then — guarding against locusts was fine!

It did, however, thoroughly infuriate Ke Tianhu, a subordinate general of Gao Yingxiang who arrived right on his heels.

This Ke Tianhu was not the same person as the Ke Tianhu under Zhang Yichuan; this one was a Shanxi man, Gao Yingxiang's right-hand man. He had originally been besieging the city of Hanzhong Prefecture, but when he heard from the Marshal's headquarters' messenger cavalry that the defenders of Chaotian Pass had collapsed, he rushed his troops toward the southern mountains in a frenzy.

But when he led his troops over, Hou Liangzhu had already executed the defense commander who had collapsed without authorization, redeployed his forces for defense, and mounted cannons at the pass, blasting him with a barrage.

This did a fine job of boosting the Sichuan army's morale.

As for Qiao Qian'gao in Fuqiang County and Tu Shixian outside the city, they completely treated the Grand Marshal's proclamation as an opportunity.

They took Liu Chengzong's proclamation and used it to negotiate with Feng Rang and Dalai Taiji, saying that the Grand Marshal's orders had arrived, and if they did not withdraw from the territory of Fuqiang County, we would not dare guard against the locust plague or inspect the land to eradicate locusts.

So either you go pick up insect eggs in the fields, or you withdraw from Fuqiang County; agree to a mutual non-aggression pact, and we will come out of the city to work.

As for Regional Commander Yu Chongxiao of Yansui Garrison, when he saw the proclamation, he felt as if he had swallowed a fly.

The situation in Yansui Garrison was already far from optimistic — not because the military farmlands of Yansui were too parched by drought; after all, those military farmlands suffered drought every year, and everyone was used to it.

The real problem was that this year, geographically, Yansui Garrison had gone directly from being a frontier region to an isolated enclave cut off overseas.

To the north of Yansui Garrison was the Mu Us Sea; Ejei and Sachen Taiji of the Ordos tribe led over ten thousand Mongol cavalry stationed north of the border wall.

To the south were Yan'an Prefecture and the Hengshan mountain area, where Bee-tail Sting Zhang Zhen, Mixed Heaven Star Hui Dengxiang, and All-over Heaven Star Zhou Qing were likewise stationed with over ten thousand troops south of the border wall.

And the mobile forces Yu Chongxiao could actually maneuver with numbered only three thousand.

Originally it had been five thousand, but two thousand had run off.

There was no other reason: these twenty thousand damned wretches were exchanging goods inside and outside the border wall — cattle, sheep, horses, and mules from who knows where in the north, and cloth and general goods from who knows where in the south — trading back and forth all along the Great Wall.

The whole lot of them ate well and slept soundly, and from time to time they even invited the Ming troops guarding the forts over for meals.

A few little lambs could cause a fortress to fall.

It was not that he had not tried to send troops into battle, but although the frontier troops of Yansui Garrison were numerous, they simply would not obey his orders.

Even when he reluctantly dispatched troops, Zhang Zhen and Ejei would not fight him at all; the enemy knew their marching times and routes better than he did.

So much so that the old soldiers and veteran generals in Yulin were completely trapped, sitting idle in their besieged city.

Now, upon receiving the Marshal's headquarters' proclamation about locust prevention, Yu Chongxiao could only hold his nose and forward it to the entire garrison.

After all, even if he did not inform the various forts under his command, they would learn of it from Zhang Zhen anyway; if he issued it first, at least it still counted as his order.

And what was the result? When it came to sending troops into battle, everyone made excuses and shirked, yet they carried out Liu Chengzong's orders with great enthusiasm, the entire garrison responding.

At the turn of summer and autumn in the eighth year of Chongzhen, there was no one in the entire northwest who dared to cross hands with Liu Chengzong.

And Liu Chengzong, under the threat of plague and locust plague, truly did not want to fight anymore either.

There was no future in it.

No matter how capable his army was in battle, the plague to the east had drawn a boundary line for him; and leading the army into Huguang would mean that Shaanxi, lacking sufficient manpower, would be unable to cope with this year's locust plague, rendering the entire eastern campaign a wasted effort.

So his way of dealing with those cities in Shaanxi that still belonged to the Great Ming, and those few officials still loyal to the Ming court, was to give them a chance to negotiate peace with him, allowing them self-rule this year.

Places like Qingyang Prefecture, Zhenning County, Fuqiang County, and Hancheng all very sensibly seized the opportunity, privately accepting peace negotiations and carrying out self-rule.

There were also some places, such as the Xi'an Prefecture seat where Chen Qiyu was, that had no capacity for peace negotiations at all.

The moat outside Xi'an Prefecture city had been dug layer after layer; not even a single horse could get out. They had no control over the countryside to begin with, and no land to govern even if they wanted self-rule — they could only squat inside the city playing with themselves.

The situation in Weinan County was a bit more complicated.

The city was full of gentry, and they were very dissatisfied with the Marshal's Office's land policies. Even after their forces outside the city were routed, they still thought about putting up a desperate last-ditch resistance.

But because there was a Nan Juyi in the city, Liu Chengzong had not made up his mind and did not immediately order an attack.

He had a certain favorable impression of Nan Juyi; after all, the proposal to issue pay in Yansui Garrison in the first year of Chongzhen had been Nan Juyi's. And this old Minister's experience was useful to the Marshal's Office — he worried that attacking the city would scare the old man to death.

But letting these people who had organized rebel forces off so lightly, even offering them terms of surrender — that did not sit well with Liu the Lion.

So he simply left Zuo Guangxian's unit of the Tiger Guard Battalion outside the city, leaving the city full of gentry hanging, and turned around and headed for Huazhou.

Since Zhang Tianlin had been stationed at Tong Pass for some time now, Huazhou was currently safe. He wanted to go over and take a closer look at the situation in Wei Qianer's encampment.

Liu Chengzong arrived at Huazhou that day, and that very night, a letter from Zhang Tianlin was delivered into Liu the Lion's hands by three courier soldiers relaying in turns.

Besides a report, the letter's content was a plea for punishment.

The good news was that with Zhang Tianlin stationed at Tong Pass, the treatment and prevention methods explored by both the Tong Pass Garrison and Wei Qianer's encampment, along with Liu Chengzong's instructions, had greatly enlightened and helped him in controlling the plague's spread and curing the sick soldiers.

The plague at Tong Pass had been basically brought under control and would not spread westward.

The bad news was that the order Liu Chengzong had given him — to lead Wei Qianer's encampment out — was something Zhang Tianlin could not do.

Zhang Tianlin could not do it.

Liu Chengzong wanted to give Wei Qianer two punches, but that was very difficult now; waiting for him to recover his health would take until at least next year.

And Wei Qianer's encampment had only one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five men left.

This number included over two hundred former Tong Pass Garrison officers and banner troops who had been captured and recruited.

Zhang Tianlin sent a thick stack of documents clearly recording all kinds of situations inside and outside Tong Pass, with the final conclusion that this encampment would be very difficult to rebuild.

This conclusion made Liu the Lion utterly distraught.

He had been mentally prepared. What was most frightening about a plague was its spread, and Tong Pass Garrison was very small. As a sealed space with a walled city as its unit, the plague was bound to spread in a terrifying manner.

The moment he knew Wei Qianer had entered Tong Pass, he knew this encampment was most likely gone.

But what truly devastated him was that one of his well-equipped, well-trained encampments had been routed and annihilated, and the opponent was not the plague, much less the Tong Pass Garrison banner troops.

They had fought invincibly across the land, defeating every visible enemy.

Yet in their despair, they dug pits and buried themselves alive, set houses on fire and threw themselves into the flames, gorged themselves until their bellies burst, and killed their diseased comrades-in-arms before committing suicide.

Liu Chengzong leafed through Zhang Tianlin's documents, looking at names that were somewhat familiar. The past events of destroying the post stations were vivid in his mind; he still remembered the wretched appearance of those unlucky fellows when he first met them.

Bitter-fated fools who had rushed about half their lives, for the words "died a violent death," they had trod the parched earth, fought fiercely and fearlessly against every opponent the Northwest could offer, toppling revered fierce generals from their pedestals one by one, and hammering awe-inspiring famous armies into the ground one after another.

They were the mightiest, most stalwart men on this land, using their two fists and two hands to conquer half the realm.

Yet at this place called Tong Pass, they took off their headscarves and removed their armor, dying in one bizarre way after another... Liu Chengzong even felt that his brothers-in-arms had been seeking release.

These fools truly found their release.

"Record."

Liu Chengzong lowered his head and flipped through the documents. A Plumed Forest Guard stepped forward with a brush, and he said: "Appoint Zhang Tianlin as Tong Pass Regional Commander, tasked with registering the fallen soldiers of the encampment. Have his current unit temporarily stationed at Tong Pass to measure land, defend against bandits, prevent plague, and prepare for locusts."

"Relieve Wei Qianer of his post as Encampment Commander, confer upon him the title of Count of Jinming, hereditary Tong Pass Garrison Commander. As for the officers and soldiers under his encampment — those still willing to fight are to be merged into Zhang Tianlin's command; those wishing to settle down are to move their families into the Tong Pass Garrison register. Have him draw up a charter himself for garrison officers and military households to receive land grants, and build the tombs for the fallen brothers."

At this point, Liu Chengzong paused, pressing his clenched fist to his lips.

In Liu Chengzong's view, even if the surviving soldiers of Wei Qianer's encampment had no physical problems, their mental state made it very difficult for them to continue serving in the army.

Their ability was sufficient for the task, but after this ordeal, the psychological pressure they bore was too great. Even if they were used as the backbone to replenish the encampment, a camp riot would be very likely in the future.

Therefore, it was better to simply settle them at Tong Pass. If there were battles to fight in the future, they would still be the best soldiers; if there were no battles, even better — they could live peaceful and stable lives.

Of course, he still found it very hard to accept the result of an entire encampment being gone just like that.

After calming himself for a good while, Liu the Lion continued: "Zhang Tianlin's forces are enough to defend Tong Pass. Have Zhao Zhirui take a Chiliarchy unit to Wu Pass; the defense of the Shangluo Circuit will also be merged into Tong Pass."

"Also, write a letter to Zuo Mao at Hancheng. If Shanxi's locust plague is severe this year and locusts cross the border requiring manpower, the nearest reinforcements are Mi Layin's unit at Yaozhou. Tell him to remember to request aid. Also send him a copy of the Disaster Relief and Plague Control Manual."

Liu Chengzong had just finished arranging matters along the Yellow River and Tong Pass line when a message came from Zuo Guangxian, who was stationed outside Weinan County.

Unfolding the letter, it finally brought a smile to the face of Liu the Lion, who had been looking grim and resentful.

He had not yet decided what to do about Weinan County, but he had not expected that the gentry of Weinan County, led by Nan Juyi, would be the first to grow restless.

Nan Juyi had written a letter to Zuo Guangxian, expressing his hope to surrender the entire city, though there were conditions.

It was precisely this condition that amused Liu the Lion. Nan Juyi hoped the Marshal's Office would rescind its order and not force the Weinan gentry to redeem their own farmland at the price of one tael of silver per mu.

Liu Chengzong thought to himself, when did I ever give such an order?

Nonsense. I only wanted to levy your three surtaxes.

However, Liu Chengzong had no intention of telling Nan Juyi his own thoughts. He simply ordered a Plumed Forest Guard to reply to Zuo Guangxian: "Tell Nan Juyi that not attacking the city is a sign of respect from a junior like me for the old Minister. But one thing is one thing. If you do not surrender, when the city falls, you won't even have the qualification to redeem your farmland."

They had no basis whatsoever for negotiating terms.

That basis was that they were besieged inside the city, while their farmland was outside the city.

In all of Shaanxi, only the Marshal's Army could move freely in the countryside outside the cities.

This was the basis for Liu Chengzong not rushing to attack the cities. He had destroyed all of the Ming court's mobile forces in Shaanxi. With the army controlling the countryside with absolute superiority, it controlled everything on this land; the cities were not that important.

If the old man was sensible and surrendered, wanting to preserve his clan, Liu Chengzong naturally would not let them starve to death.

But if he was not sensible, then all of the Nan clan's land and property would be confiscated.

Ultimately, taking Shaanxi changed everything. As long as Shaanxi was stable, Liu the Lion hardly needed to worry about the Shaanxi-born surrendered officers under his command turning against him.

Fast horses galloped across the Guanzhong Plain. Everywhere, people were making final preparations for the impending locust plague.

At last, the flying locusts, taking wing from the cracks in the parched earth, arrived on schedule, bringing all conflicts to a halt.

At the same time, news from Tong Pass Garrison finally broke through the plague blockade in Henan Prefecture.

The news that Liu Chengzong had unleashed his troops to slaughter Tong Pass spread across the realm.