Chapter 1421: Expected, Yet Within Reason

Before the two sides had even made contact, Zhao's Army had already assembled three cavalry companies, ready to intercept and block them. Yet among these hundred-plus Ming cavalry were men from the Inner Guard, and of considerably high rank at that. After verifying their tokens and message, word was swiftly relayed back to the main camp at Linqing.

Those hundred-plus riders surrendered their weapons and waited in place. A reply soon came from the Linqing main camp, and under the escort of a cavalry company, ten men from the Ming horse troop headed toward Linqing.

Not only was the whole realm awash with speculation, but Zhao's Army itself was curious about the next move. They had all manner of private guesses, only without any urgency or impatience. After all, the realm was a pie already laid out before them with no chance of escape — they could eat it whenever they wished. There was no rush.

Could this hundred-odd riders from the west be a peace delegation from the Great Ming capital, deliberately taking a roundabout route? But judging by their accents, it was neither the official dialect of the capital nor the accent of Northern Zhili. Cavalrymen of Mongol origin picked it out: it was from Datong in Shanxi. What were they doing here?

Questions, guesses — though everyone knew not to meddle, private discussion was unavoidable. It went all the way to the innermost ring of guards, who discovered that one of these ten men would actually meet Zhao Jin, and that Zhao Jin would come out to greet him, accompanied by Ji Xiang and Shi Manqiang.

This level of protocol was shocking. What kind of personage could be worthy of Lord Jin and the others coming out to welcome him? Even if it was merely at the entrance of the command tent, it was already more than enough. Even if the Ming Emperor himself came, Lord Jin sitting and waiting for him would be only proper.

"Lord Zhao... Duke Zhao... General... Jin..." The man had a towering, powerful frame, his every gesture carrying authority — clearly someone born to high station. Yet upon meeting Zhao Jin, he stammered, switching between several forms of address, before finally giving an awkward, self-deprecating smile and saying, "Lord Zhao, it has been a long time!"

Zhao Jin nodded with a smile. Ji Xiang and Shi Manqiang also wore faint smiles. Zhao Jin nodded and said, "Brother Boya, it has been a long time. We met by chance back then, but I never imagined we would reunite at this time and place. Please, come inside."

"Brother Boya" — who could be worthy of Lord Jin addressing him so? The guards around them all had Shanxi accents. Zhao Jin's personal guards had already guessed the visitor's identity: it was none other than Sun Chuanting, Grand Coordinator of Datong concurrently in charge of Shanxi. Anyone within Zhao's Army even slightly well-informed was no stranger to this name.

Though few had seen it with their own eyes, everyone knew there was a powerful army in Datong and Shanxi, trained according to Zhao's Army's methods, equally well-equipped with firearms, and which had recently routed the Chahar tribe, taking several thousand heads — a battle result confirmed by the Inner Guard.

Ming troops couldn't take a punch and had no battle honors to speak of, but this powerful army was different. Company commanders and battalion commanders alike were all itching for a fight, wondering when they might have a crack at them. They never expected the other side to come knocking on their door. And from the look of things, there was no chance of a big fight now.

Sun Chuanting carried himself naturally, falling half a step behind Zhao Jin as they walked toward the tent. As he walked, he said with emotion, "We first met in the capital, then again in Xuzhou. Back then, I had a vague sense that Lord Zhao might reach this day, but I never imagined it would come so quickly. Thinking back on it now, it truly makes one sigh."

No matter how natural he acted, no matter how cordial both sides were, no matter how deep Sun Chuanting's composure ran, there were still barbs in his words.

At such words, Zhao Jin's smile only deepened. He nodded and said, "I never imagined Brother Boya could achieve what you have today either — even going beyond the frontier to slay the enemy. Such deeds are unprecedented!"

At this, Sun Chuanting showed no gratification or ease. Instead, his spirit seemed to deflate. He shook his head somewhat dejectedly and said, "Why must Lord Zhao mock me? These trifling matters, compared to what Lord Zhao has accomplished, are like a firefly's glow beside the sun and moon — utterly incomparable. For Lord Zhao to speak of me so only fills me with shame."

Zhao Jin simply said, "I speak the truth. In the Great Ming, where ten thousand horses stand mute, Brother Sun here provides a glimmer of light. It is only a pity that Brother Sun came too late. Otherwise, this realm of the Great Ming might still have had hope."

Sun Chuanting stopped in his tracks and glanced at Zhao Jin, his face full of emotion. He shook his head and sighed, "The whole realm calls Lord Zhao a crude military man, yet hearing Lord Zhao's speech, you are clearly well-versed in the classics and their meanings. Such mastery of both pen and sword — that is the mark of a man who achieves great things, who does great deeds. The realm often mocks Lord Zhao, not knowing that it is they themselves who deserve mockery."

"Brother Sun has done well. How long did it take me, and how long have you had? To achieve such a situation is no easy thing. To defeat the Chahar tribe and take over two thousand heads — such great merit is truly worthy of praise. Even if Zhao's Army had done it, the result would not have been much better. Brother Sun, it is good." Zhao Jin spoke with utter sincerity.

Hearing Zhao Jin speak of this, Sun Chuanting's face showed no pride or satisfaction. Instead, he let out a long sigh and fell silent, following Zhao Jin further inside.

After both were seated, personal guards served tea. Sun Chuanting lifted the bowl and took a sip, then looked around him. With deep feeling, he said, "Lord Zhao has already reached such a station, with great success near at hand, yet your personal habits remain so frugal. No wonder. No wonder."

This was idle talk. Zhao Jin nodded with a smile. Sun Chuanting set down his tea and spoke with solemnity: "Since the founding of this dynasty by the Great Ancestor, and the Northern Campaigns of the Accomplished Ancestor, we have displayed great might upon the grasslands. Even in the Xuande Emperor's time, some dignity remained. But from the Yingzong Emperor's northern sojourn until this very day, there have been no more victories to speak of against the grasslands. From Esen of the Oirats to Altan of the Tumed, all have been great scourges and calamities. Had Heaven not protected us, the realm itself might have been destroyed."

At this point, Sun Chuanting smiled again. "Not just great tribes like the Oirats and the Tumed — even a small tribe like the Huochi of the Ordos could raid and wreak havoc. The border troops feared them like tigers. In nearly two hundred years, has there been any great victory? At most, a brief peace at the frontier passes."

Ji Xiang and Shi Manqiang exchanged a glance. Ji Xiang was growing impatient. He thought to himself: though we agreed in advance to talk, what status and power does my elder brother hold, and what status and power do you hold? Face has been given to you — you should know when to take the hint. Why keep rambling here? Why not kneel and offer your surrender? Countless people are begging for such an opportunity right now and cannot get it. Shi Manqiang, for his part, betrayed no emotion, sitting there unmoving.

"I have long resided in the land of Jin and am quite familiar with the border affairs of Datong. The elders of my family often spoke of them, and I have seen and heard things myself. For all these years, I felt there was simply no strategy to use against the Mongol tribes. Either we needed an unparalleled general like General Qi to appear, or we had to follow the example of the Accomplished Ancestor's reign and train a crack cavalry force using Mongols themselves. Both methods are exceedingly difficult to execute now, and so I always felt there was simply no solution."

What he said now drew the attention of everyone in the command tent. Sun Chuanting continued, "Gentlemen, do not laugh. I have read quite a few military texts, from the previous dynasty to our own. What those texts describe either cannot produce crack troops or is too vague. The only thing usable today, and proven effective, is the training method from Xuzhou. I copied it as best I could, found some talents of Xuzhou origin, and began training in that manner."

Ever since Wang Ziyang had spotted familiar faces in Shanxi and sent word back to Xuzhou, Sun Chuanting's troop training had been no secret to Zhao's Army. Everyone knew what he was describing.

"... After training these troops for some time, though they had yet to see battle, I felt a measure of confidence. I constantly warned myself and those around me: do not grow arrogant, do not be careless — after all, they are still green troops..."

"... After several campaigns suppressing bandits and putting down rebellions, that confidence grew greater and greater. I began to think of testing them against the Mongols. Ever since Ligdan Khan of the Chahar took Guihua City, he had been itching to march south and make a show of force. The border generals of Datong, long resentful of my seizing troops and authority, also wanted to use this to put me in a difficult spot. And on my side, I likewise wanted to verify our battle strength, to see whether this new army was truly solid gold or just silver-plated..."

"... Watching several thousand Mongol cavalry come howling down upon us, I was so terrified my palms sweated. Some in the new army couldn't help but flee. Fortunately, military law was enforced with a firm hand, and we managed to hold the line..."

As he spoke to this point, a smile surfaced on Sun Chuanting's face, his expression carrying a sense of exhilaration.

"... Feared them for centuries, barely won a thing in centuries — turns out they were this weak. Turns out that if firearms are properly forged and properly used, they possess such power. Turns out that as long as the battle formation holds firm, as long as there is discipline, even a few months of training can make strong soldiers. Turns out that if you issue full rations and full pay, the men under you will fight to the death..."

Zhao Jin's expression remained indifferent. Shi Manqiang was expressionless. Ji Xiang, however, showed a trace of disdain. What kind of reasoning was this? Zhao's Army had followed this path from the very beginning. These were plainly matters of course, yet here he was, preaching them as profound truths.

"... After that battle, the border troops of Datong and Shanxi submitted. Ligdan Khan at Guihua was terrified. And the merchants and gentry of Shanxi saw a road to riches. They were willing to put up money and men, so long as I would lead the army on a northern campaign, take Guihua City, seize the Ordos, and protect the Shanxi heartland. Some even urged me to declare myself king..."

For someone of Sun Chuanting's temperament, he was speaking quite a lot today. Everyone listened very carefully. Some matters they already knew beforehand; others they did not. It was quite interesting to hear. Yet everyone was somewhat puzzled — had he braved the wind and snow and risked the journey all the way from Shanxi to Linqing just to say these things?

"... Having experienced all this, I now understand everything Lord Zhao has done. Having trained troops myself, and knowing the strength of the troops one can train, I now know just how powerful Lord Zhao's forces truly are. Having raised military funds myself and led troops into battle, I now know exactly what kind of foundation Lord Zhao has built..."

"... The whole realm believes I still have a chance to fight, believes that even if I do not serve the Great Ming with utter loyalty, I have the destiny to carve out a kingdom of my own. Yet in my heart, I know most clearly what kind of man Lord Zhao is, and what kind of power he commands. I have no wish to be a madman trying to stop a chariot with a mantis's arm. I only wish for less blood to be spilled, for fewer to die..."

Sun Chuanting's account was deeply absorbing. Even Ji Xiang, who had been impatient earlier, was now listening intently. By this point, a smile had surfaced on every face in the command tent.

These words were the heartfelt reflections of Sun Chuanting, but for Zhao Jin and his brothers, they were the highest praise — an affirmation that came from the heart.