Chapter Thirteen: Liaodong

  The next day, the news of Emperor Chongzhen's assassination began to spread among the people, and the central topic of the capital city was immediately drawn to this. Regardless of whether they were men or women, everyone had a curious mind, and the citizens, officials, and people from all walks of life in the capital began to share their own news and views with each other.

  There are two relatively mainstream theories, one is that there is a nose and eyes, and the other is very mysterious. One of them says that it was spread from the palace guard's place, saying that on a certain day, a person suddenly appeared in mid-air and fell into the pool in the imperial garden. In the past, he could ascend to heaven and descend to earth, ride clouds and drive fog, but he violated the heavenly rules and had his magical powers taken away by the Heavenly Emperor, demoted to the mortal world to restart his cultivation. Because of the emperor's dragon body, he found the Son of Heaven to borrow the Son of Heaven's energy for cultivation, which was twice as effective, and coincidentally calculated that the emperor would have difficulties, so he came out to rescue him.

  There is another one that has been widely spread among women, which is said to have been passed down by the officials of the Imperial Observatory. During the Tianqi period, a demon was born, and the explosion at the Wang Gong factory in the capital, the drought in the Ming dynasty, and the earthquake were all caused by the demon's disturbance of the human world. The Taizu saw that the Ming dynasty was being made a mess of by the demon and memorialized to Heaven, specially dispatching an immortal to come down to earth to assist Your Majesty in suppressing the demon and reviving the Ming dynasty. On that day, Your Majesty was in the Imperial Garden, and with a sense of foreboding, looked up at the sky, where a five-colored cloud floated down from above, on which stood a god who said to the Emperor: "Your Majesty is in trouble, I have been specially sent by Taizu to come and assist you." Then, with a blink of his eye, he calculated that there was a demon hiding in the palace who wanted to harm Your Majesty. With a pointing hand, the demon took shape, and it turned out to be an old mouse spirit.

  In the end, it was passed on more and more mysteriously, and there was no clue.

  Chongzhen Emperor was reviewing the memorials, having just finished one batch. He raised his head and turned his neck to find Wang Cheng'en approaching with another book in hand, asking: "What is the memorial that the Grand Companion is holding?"

  Wang Chengen replied: "Your Majesty, this is what Zhong Jingwei said and his personal data."

  The Chongzhen Emperor hastily said: "Quickly present it to me for my inspection." Wang Cheng'en walked a few steps to the side of Chongzhen and handed it over to him.

  Chongzhen Emperor immediately put aside other memorials and carefully read the document handed over by Wang Cheng'en. It was written on it:

  Lu Xiangsheng, also known as Jiandou and Jiantai, was a native of Yixing County, Changzhou Prefecture, South Zhili. He passed the imperial examination in the second year of Tianqi (1622) and became a Main Affairs Officer in the Ministry of Revenue. Later he was promoted to an Assistant Department Magistrate and is currently serving as the Prefect of Daming Prefecture. It is said that he loves reading military books and enjoys horseback riding and archery.

  Cao Wenzhao, from Datong, Shanxi, served in the Liaodong army, skilled with the long spear, bravest of the three armies, promoted to Youji through meritorious service. Not being a native of Liaodong, he suffered much jealousy, currently still under Yuan Chonghuan's command.

  Hong Chengchou, also known as Yan Yan, was born in Ying Shan Xia Mei Township, Nan'an County, Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province. In the 44th year of Wanli (1616), he passed the imperial examination and was ranked 14th among the second-class winners, earning him a jinshi degree. He was initially appointed as the main official in charge of the Jiangxi province's judicial department.

  Qin Liangyu, also known as Zhen Su, was a native of Zhongzhou, Sichuan. Her husband Ma Qiancheng died in prison in the 41st year of Wanli (1613). According to local customs, when the husband of a Tusi (a hereditary tribal leader) died, his son would inherit his position; if the son was still young, the wife would take over temporarily. Qin Liangyu thus succeeded Ma Qiancheng as the Shi Bao Xuan Fu Shi (宣抚使). In the first year of Tianqi (1621), in April, she defended Shanhai Pass and repeatedly defeated the enemy. The Chongzhen Emperor awarded her a plaque with the inscription "Zhōng Yì Kě Jiā" ("Loyal and Righteous, Worthy of Praise") and granted her the title of Lady of the Second Rank. Later, during the campaign to pacify the southwestern bandits, she rendered meritorious service many times and was promoted to Du Du Zhi Shi (都督佥事) and concurrently served as a General-in-Chief. After the rebellion in Songpan was put down, she garrisoned Sichuan.

  After reading it, Emperor Chongzhen remained silent for a long time, then said to Wang Chengen: "These few people should be the heroes who save the country from danger. However, since we have already decided not to move Yuan Chonghuan, Lu Xiangsheng and Cao Wenzhao are not moving now. I have long heard that Qin Liangyu is a heroic woman, but hearing her name is not as good as seeing her in person. Pass the edict: Summon Qin Liangyu, Hong Chengchou to come to Beijing to pay homage."

  Wang Chengen received the order, but remembered something and said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, Zhong Xiangru once mentioned that the bandits would take a detour from Zhuozhou to invade the capital. He suggested recruiting Qin Liangyu to lead his White Stick Army into Beijing for defense. Does Qin Liangyu need to bring troops with him when he comes to Beijing this time?"

  The Chongzhen Emperor thought of the empty treasury and sighed, saying: "The matter of sending troops will be delayed." Wang Chengen heard the emperor's sigh and knew it was still about the silver, so he didn't say anything more.

  In the northeastern city of Shenyang, in the Chongzheng Hall, Emperor Taizong and the three senior Beile and four junior Beile were discussing matters. In recent years, not only did the Ming dynasty suffer from natural disasters, but the Later Jin also experienced a series of calamities. It was a difficult time, and several big shots were discussing whether to go next door to take advantage of the situation. One person suggested that since the Ming dynasty was wealthy, it would be right to plunder them; another opposed this idea, saying that the Ming dynasty's Ning-Jin defense line was too strong, and if they went in the past, they might end up with a broken tooth, not to mention that there was also a piece of cowhide candy behind that could take advantage of the situation. Another person suggested directly going to eliminate the cowhide candy. Someone else opposed this idea, saying that the cowhide candy was even poorer than the Great Jin, and going to fight them would be a losing business. Moreover, the cowhide candy never fought head-on with the Great Jin in the past; when people were numerous, the cowhide candy would retreat to an island, leaving the Great Jin unable to use its strength. Why not buy him off? Just pretend to agree verbally, collect the money, and continue to plunder as usual. After much discussion, no satisfactory method was found.

  Just as everyone was about to disperse, the second-class general Tong Yangxing rushed in, and Beile Duduo, who disliked Han people the most, couldn't hold back his temper. Seeing Tong Yangxing, a Han person, although he claimed to be a Manchu, rushing in without permission, his face sank, and he scolded directly: "You dog slave, haven't you seen that the master is discussing matters? Are you tired of living and want to try the sharpness of my waist knife?"

  Tong Yangxing was originally very happy, wanting to report his merits to Huang Taiji, and ran in. After being scolded by Duo Long, he was frightened and quickly kowtowed on the ground, saying: "This slave deserves to die, this slave deserves to die, this slave has a great joyful news to report."

  Emperor Taizong had no intention of blaming Dorgon for a dog, and upon hearing Tong Yangxing's great news, he said: "You are also the commander-in-chief of Da Jin, get up and respond, what good news made you so flustered?"

  Tong Yangxing knocked his head on the ground and got up to say, "The fine work sent by the slave to Pi Island brought back a message saying that tomorrow morning, the Jizhou Lieutenant General Yuan Chonghuan beheaded the Pi Island General Mao Wenlong on June 5th."

  "What?" Dodo's temper flared up at once, and he jumped to his feet, saying "Say that again."

  Tong Yang was extremely afraid of Duo Duo. As soon as he saw Duo Duo speak, he got a fright and then stuttered out what he had to say again.

  Huang Taiji was overjoyed and immediately stood up and walked in front of Tong Yangxing, saying: "Can this matter be verified?"

  Tong Yangxing saw Huang Taiji walk up to him and ask questions, not daring to stand with him, hurriedly knelt down again, and replied: "At first, I didn't dare to believe it, after repeated verification, Mao Wensheng is indeed dead. Dongjiang Town appears to be subdued by Yuan Chonghuan's power, but in secret, people are worried and have become a loose sand."

  Hong Taiji burst out laughing, and several Beiles followed suit. Just a moment ago, they were still worried about the cowhide sugar, but unexpectedly, it had resolved itself. After Hong Taiji finished laughing, he said: "Heaven is helping Da Jin! Ha ha, heaven is helping Da Jin!" The several Beiles all came over to congratulate Hong Taiji.

  The emperor accepted the congratulations of several Beiles with a smile, and then heavily rewarded Tong Yangxing, letting him go. After he left, the emperor declared: With Mao Wenyong gone, the Eastern Garrison of the Ming Dynasty is no longer a threat. Five days later, gather the main force of the Eight Banners and head to Yuan Chonghuan's place to enjoy the autumn breeze. Several Beiles saw that the cowhide sugar was gone, naturally it was meaningless, and they all went back to gather their own main forces, preparing to enjoy the autumn breeze and grab a vote.

  Zai shuo Zu Dashou, ting wen Yuan Chonghuan sha le Mao Wenlong, da jing shi se, ye bu gu wu you ling bu de li zhù dì de gui ju le, pao qu zhao Yuan Chonghuan.

  Translation:

  As for Zu Dashou, upon hearing that Yuan Chonghuan had killed Mao Wenlong, he was shocked and lost his composure. He didn't care about the rules that forbade him from leaving his post and ran to find Yuan Chonghuan.

  Yuan Chonghuan heard that his trusted general Zu Dashou had come to see him privately, so he knew what it was about and arranged to meet with Zu in the back hall.

  Zhu Dashou saw Yuan Chonghuan and directly asked: "Commander, is it the emperor's secret order that made you go kill Mao Wensheng? It's not good to accept a chaotic order. If Mao Wensheng goes, the pressure on Jinzhou will increase. The bandits won't have any worries in the back, so they must attack with full force."

  Yuan Chonghuan saw Zu Dashou's urgent appearance and scolded: "When encountering things, don't panic, it's just its original nature. Look at you like this, what kind of dignity is this!"

  Zu Dashou was scolded like this, and had no choice but to calm down his flustered mood. Then, Yuan Chonghuan spoke again: "The governor has no secret edict from the emperor, but holds the imperial sword to kill him."

  Zu Dashou had just lifted his teacup to take a sip to calm himself, but after hearing what Yuan Chonghuan said, he was startled and his hand shook, causing the teacup to fall to the ground with a loud "clatter" and shattering into several pieces.

  Zu Dashou didn't care that his shoes were splashed with tea water, and stuttered: "Mao Wenlong is the Left Commander-in-Chief, wearing a general's seal and holding a Shangfang treasure sword, a first-class military officer. Without the emperor's consent, he was killed arbitrarily. The court will surely blame us for this, and when the time comes..."

  He hadn't finished speaking when Yuan Chonghuan interrupted him, saying: "Fu Yu, don't be alarmed, I think nothing will happen. As the commander-in-chief, how could Mao Wenyong dare not obey my orders? If we don't kill him, it won't be enough to establish our authority." After a pause, he said to Zu Dashou: "As for Jianzhou, I have also made preparations in advance. I will send more cannons and supplies to Ningyuan and Jinzhou. Either Jianzhou won't come, or if they do, we must crush their teeth."

  Yuan Chonghuan's toughness had been experienced by Zu Dashou before. Although he did not agree with killing Mao Wenzhen, the person was already dead and there was no use in saying anything more. Moreover, Yuan Chonghuan had also sent cannons and grain, so it was all prepared. The only concern now was the attitude of the imperial court, but worrying about it now was useless too. So, he led the cannons and grain back.

  As expected, soon after, Zu Dashou heard the news that the imperial court not only did not blame Yuan Chonghuan but also praised him. He put his heart at ease, thinking that Commander Yuan's backing was indeed strong and nothing could happen to him. Now he worried about Jian Wokou coming to attack, so on one hand, he intensified the construction of city defenses, and on the other hand, he sent out Night Not Far to patrol far away, preventing Jian Wokou from suddenly attacking the city.