Section Two

The spoils of war are without question the richest of all. After the Han Army’s defeat of the Manchu Eight Banners this time, it not only seized vast stretches of territory, but also captured countless trophies of victory; the sheer amount of wealth stored in the Qing government’s treasuries was enough to leave Lin Feng utterly astonished.

As the founding cradle of the Manchu empire, Shenyang, Liaoyang, Fushun, Qinghe, Anshan, Haichengzi, and other great regions beyond the passes had for decades been the stronghold of the Eight Banners. Shenyang itself had even been renamed Shengjing; before the Qing forces entered China proper, it was their capital, and even afterward it remained politically designated as a secondary capital. Beyond serving as a military stronghold that kept northern China in check, it was also acknowledged as the sacred seat of ancestral rites, the spiritual pillar upon which the Qing court had built its state. Its fall, then, was an unmistakable blow to the remaining forces of the dynasty.

Since Lin Feng had taken Beijing the previous year, the vast lands west of Shanhai Pass had been held by the Han Army. For nearly two years, trade between the lands beyond the passes and the Central Plains had been completely severed. Add to this the all-encompassing, high-intensity mobilization for war and the uprising after uprising in Liaodong, and the economy of the Eight Banner regime in the Liaoshen region had long since collapsed. Yet no one had foreseen the scale of this economic disaster; in truth, even Lin Feng had not thought to exploit it for a crushing blow at the time.

From the gathered reports, the chief cause of the collapse was the shortage of grain and cloth. In fact, the Liaodong region had fertile soil and easy irrigation, and its crops had long been known for rough cultivation and high yields. It was not incapable of self-sufficiency. Unfortunately, after the great Liaodong uprising, most of the developed grain-producing lands were concentrated in the Han settlements west of Guangning and Ningjing, and after that they were mostly taken by the Han Army. Thus, after the autumn harvest that year, Shengjing’s Eight Banners immediately fell into a grain crisis. In addition, other necessities beyond the passes, such as cotton cloth, salt, and porcelain, had always depended on the Central Plains. Once the trade routes were cut, these goods could no longer be brought in. As a result, life grew ever more difficult for the people in Qing-held territory, banners and civilians alike. Panic spread everywhere. Merchants and wealthy households began hoarding supplies, making matters even worse. By the time Lin Feng had occupied all of Liaoshen, this vast region had already regressed into a primitive barter economy.

In addition, a large number of horse farms established by the Qing court beyond the passes were also seized by Lin Feng. The acquisition of this war materiel was, in truth, somewhat dramatic. Originally, because of the defeat, most of the Qing officials responsible for guarding the horse farms fled, and a few of the more obstinate even tried to poison the warhorses. But with the surrender of the Shengjing Governor-General, Dake Ma, the Qing court’s entire administrative apparatus was preserved intact. After occupying Shenyang, Lin Feng swiftly used these surviving administrative resources to issue stern military orders to the various horse-farm offices, and he sent the surrendered Qing general Lang Ning to lead a large force of cavalry rushing from place to place to supervise the transfer of warhorses. Even so, there were still several cases of looting supplies and secretly selling official horses. Of course, in a lawless age, one must use harsh measures. The Han Army would naturally not waste words on such foolish and money-crazed scoundrels. Their entire families were put to the sword.

It cannot be denied that the non-Han peoples truly had a knack for horse breeding. The warhorses raised and stockpiled beyond the passes in Liaodong were indeed of outstanding quality. Among the more than eighty-six thousand official horses held in those dozens of stud farms, the cavalry selection teams managed to choose more than fifteen thousand mounts, an astonishing ratio of six to one. It was nothing short of miraculous. Even the horses rejected in the culling were for the most part large-bodied and healthy, with young teeth and good condition. Whether for transport in the baggage train or for sale to civilians as draft animals, there was absolutely no problem.

The roads were frozen hard with ice; the army’s advance was arduous. Only after several dozen days did Lin Feng’s central command finally cross Shanhai Pass. Looking back, inside and outside the pass seemed like two different worlds. The land of Liaodong lay buried under a foot of snow, while within the pass there was only a few inches. Even the icicles beneath the eaves of village houses seemed much shorter. By then, the Han Army’s ministers and officers left in the capital had long since received word. Under the leadership of Li Guangdi and Zhou Peigong, the civil and military officials came out with the imperial procession hundreds of li beyond the capital to welcome the Han King’s triumphant return.

The snow had eased. The bright vermilion uniforms of the Guards cast a peach-red glow across the white ground. In this campaign, whether advancing or retreating, whether fighting or marching, Lin Feng had always insisted on refusing the warm palanquin carriage and instead rode on horseback like every other officer and soldier. After several months, aside from calluses thick on his hips and thighs, his once fair face had turned bronze, and with armor clanking and hoofbeats ringing, he bore the unmistakable air of a true field commander.

Hooves struck hard, scattering the snow in sprays. A flock of birds perched in the treetops burst upward all at once. A rider came flying down the imperial road. At the sight of the Han King’s great banner, he pulled up from afar and stood at attention beside the road. The rider wore the uniform of a Guards lieutenant colonel and reported loudly from horseback, “Your servant reports: Chancellor Li, General Zhou, and the other lords await Your Highness’s carriage in Yongping City, twenty li ahead!”

This was already the tenth mounted messenger to bring news. In fact, as soon as Lin Feng’s army entered Shanhai Pass, the couriers sent by Zhou Peigong reported the march one wave after another, and the rank of the messengers rose steadily from enlisted men to officers.

Lin Feng nodded and smiled at the lieutenant colonel. “You’ve had a hard ride. You look unfamiliar to me. Were you previously serving in the Guards? I don’t seem to recall seeing you.”

The lieutenant colonel was startled, apparently not expecting the Han King to remember him well enough to address him directly. He quickly dismounted, dropped to one knee, and saluted with clasped hands. “Ma Jinliang pays respects to Your Highness. In reply, I was originally attached to Commander Sun. Last month, when the Corchin bandits stirred up trouble, the General Staff ordered officers to be drawn from each army back to the capital for defense. General Sun Sike said that I had studied as a boy and could still manage myself in battle, so he let this humble one seek a future at Your Highness’s side!”

Lin Feng felt displeased. The Guards were practically his own personal protective force, yet Zhou Peigong had dared to extend his hand into it. It seemed he had indeed neglected personnel matters somewhat before. Seeing that Ma Jinliang spoke sincerely, with a face full of eagerness, he could only laugh and say, “Your rank is not low. What position did you hold on the Qing side before?”

Ma Jinliang hurriedly lowered his head, a little embarrassed. “This general deserves death. Before, I served under Tu Hai as a cavalry guerrilla commander... cough... cough...” Seeing Lin Feng frown, he hurriedly pleaded, “Before Your Highness entered the capital, men like me did not understand loyalty, filial duty, or the distinction between Chinese and barbarians. We served the Tatars in a muddled fashion. It was truly a crime worthy of ten thousand deaths...”

“Heh. Jinliang, don’t misunderstand. I only wanted to ask what troops you used to command; I’m not putting you on trial.” He looked around and laughed. “If merely having served the former Qing makes one guilty, then all of us, myself included, are guilty. Heh heh—there is a sequence in learning, after all. As long as one knows one’s mistakes and can change, that is enough.”

“Your Highness is benevolent and broad-minded. This humble officer is endlessly grateful!”

“Rise, rise.” Lin Feng raised a hand and gestured for him to mount and follow by his side as they continued the march, chatting as they went. “Jinliang, from what you say, it seems you’re quite capable of leading cavalry.”

“I dare not deceive Your Highness. My ancestral home is in Liangzhou, Gansu. I have been a soldier since I was fourteen, and I have spent nearly twenty years on horseback...” Seeing Lin Feng ask in such a gentle tone, Ma Jinliang knew his chance had come and spoke at length. “Though I would not dare claim to have fought a hundred battles, I have seen dozens of fights large and small. I have faced bandits, mountain thieves, and Mongol cavalry alike. Aside from the defeats I suffered under Your Highness, there has never been anyone who managed to gain the better of me...”

“Hmm... is Gansu so impressive?” Before Lin Feng could reply, an officer riding behind them suddenly sneered, “Damn it, this isn’t some yamen post where flattery and boasting can count for anything. We only respect real blades and real guns in this life.”

Ma Jinliang’s brow twitched, and a flash of anger passed and vanished. Turning to look, he saw that the officer wore the brass insignia of a Guards colonel. The man’s dark face was slashed with three or four narrow knife scars, crisscrossing and puckering the flesh into a truly fierce and hideous look. Sitting behind the commander with his sleeves tucked in, he let his horse go without reins, all in an air of complete indifference and lazy insolence. Ma Jinliang restrained his temper and said politely, “This subordinate pays respects to Your Excellency. May I ask what, in Your Excellency’s view, counts as ‘real blades and real guns’?”

“Heh. Then that’ll have to ask this one...” The colonel reached down and patted the saber at his waist. “I hear the Hui people of Liangzhou only know how to chew flatbread and boast. Who would have thought they even knew how to fight?” He glanced around, and the officers following behind him all laughed together.

Only then did Ma Jinliang notice that, beyond the man’s ghastly face, his left hand had been cut off cleanly at the wrist, leaving only a bare stump of flesh. No wonder the fellow did not hold the reins.

“Yingkui, Zhongxiao, your grandmother’s bones, watch your heads or I’ll chop them off!” Lin Feng rebuked them softly. Then he looked back at Ma Jinliang and smiled. “These bastards have been spoiled by me. Don’t take offense, Jinliang.”

Ma Jinliang rubbed his nose helplessly, resentful in his heart, but he did not dare flare up.

“Jinliang, I’ve been away on campaign for many days, and I don’t know what the situation is like in Beijing,” Lin Feng changed the subject with a smile. “What position do you now hold in the Guards?”

“Reporting to Your Highness, the Guards left in the capital are already at full strength. After I reported to the General Staff, no post was assigned to me, and I only occasionally handle a few idle errands.” Ma Jinliang smiled bitterly. Back when Corchin’s great army pressed upon them, Han forces everywhere were short of troops, and Zhou Peigong had ordered officers to be drawn out precisely to prepare for the expansion of a new army to meet a larger war. But after Galdan advanced east, the situation changed abruptly, and Lin Feng swiftly reached a political compromise with Burya Gemada. Thus the expansion plan died unborn before it could even be reported to Lin Feng. To this day, the officers who had been summoned have only wandered about Beijing with nothing to do, living a truly miserable and frustrating life.

Lin Feng understood immediately and smiled. “Oh, there’s no need for that, Jinliang. This king is planning to expand the Guards this time.” He pointed at Zhao Yingkui, Wang Zhongxiao, and the other officers behind him. “At present, our Second Guards Cavalry Army is nothing but an empty shell. Do you see it? This time I brought more than ten thousand horses and saddles back with me, precisely so I can raise the banner of the Second Army again. You all will have your chance...” He tapped the saddle with his riding whip and laughed aloud. “Once the new recruits from Liaodong arrive, whoever trains his men best will be my Guards Junior Commander!”

Ma Jinliang suddenly understood. No wonder these officers had shown such hostility toward him; there was indeed a hidden agenda here. At once he shot Zhao Yingkui and the others a fierce glare, then clasped his hands toward Lin Feng and said, “Reporting to Your Highness, if we are to form a cavalry force, the new recruits must be carefully selected...” He glanced toward the unarmed recruits at the tail of the column and hesitated. “Cough... cough... forgive this subordinate for being blunt. As for these new recruits, if they were to be used as infantry musketeers, that would naturally be excellent. But if they are to serve as cavalry... cough... cough...”

Lin Feng paused slightly, then nodded at Ma Jinliang in approval. “Jinliang, indeed you have long served in the ranks. You are truly seasoned.” He added, “To tell you the truth, these new troops were originally meant to reinforce the musketeer battalions everywhere. Some days ago, I already issued orders to the Ningjin Governor-General’s Office and the Nurgan Governor-General’s Office, commanding the local offices to select Liaodong men skilled in riding and archery for enlistment. In a few days, the recruits will be sent over.”

Ma Jinliang hurriedly bowed with deference and loudly offered praise. Then, turning his head, he shot Zhao Yingkui and the others a triumphant look and followed closely behind Lin Feng’s horse. Zhao Yingkui, Wang Zhongxiao, and the rest were all incensed and were just about to provoke him when, ahead, firecrackers suddenly cracked in volleys and the welcome cannons thundered deafeningly. Dozens of musical troupes played together, and hundreds of Han civil and military officials came out from far away according to rank, forcing them to swallow their anger and let him go for the moment.

“Your servant, Chancellor of the Han King, Li Guangdi...”

“Your servant, Chief of Staff of the Great Han, Zhou Chang...”

Li Guangdi and Zhou Peigong stood at the head of the civil and military officials and knelt first, reciting in unison: “...to respectfully welcome the Han King’s triumphant host—our lord is mighty and invincible, all rebels have fallen... May the Han King live ten thousand, ten thousand, ten thousand years...”

Lin Feng hurriedly swung down from the saddle and helped the two men up, laughing heartily. “Jingqing, Peigong, there’s no need for such ceremony. All of you, rise, rise...” Holding Zhou Peigong with one hand and Li Guangdi with the other, he strode among the Han officials, looking left and right as he smiled at his subordinates. “We’re all family. Why be so polite?”

Amid thunderous firecrackers and music, with hundreds of people all singing his praises and flattering him, Lin Feng entered Yongping Prefecture City with a smile upon his face.

Once inside the prefectural yamen, before Lin Feng had even settled himself in his seat, Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi exchanged a glance and suddenly dropped to their knees together. Zhou Peigong prostrated himself and said, “Zhou Chang deserves ten thousand deaths. Please, Your Highness, impose punishment!”

Lin Feng was greatly startled. A mouthful of hot tea nearly sprayed out. He stared blankly at the two men for a long while before coming back to himself, waving away the officials around him. Only after the hall was left with his most trusted ministers did he say with a wry smile, “I say, gentlemen, you aren’t joking, are you?”

“Reporting to Your Highness...” Zhou Peigong raised his head, smiling bitterly. “Zhou Chang has overstepped his station and unlawfully detained Your Highness’s envoy. Such a crime is tantamount to treason, so we come before Your Highness to ask for death.”

“Envoy?!” Lin Feng was astonished and turned to look at Wang Shirong beside him. Wang Shirong merely smiled faintly and stroked his short beard beneath his chin, as if he had long anticipated this. Lin Feng grew even more puzzled. “What envoy? Which one is Peigong talking about?”

Li Guangdi kowtowed and said, “Reporting to Your Highness, it is the envoy who proclaimed the remains of the rebel chiefs Nurhaci, Hong Taiji, and the others, and sent a punitive proclamation across the realm...”

Lin Feng froze. Then he flew into a rage, slamming the table so hard that the teacup on it toppled and shattered at once. The ministers and generals standing on both sides all changed color and knelt down in a mass.

Ignoring the tea dripping from his sleeve, Lin Feng pointed at Zhou Peigong below the dais, his face full of fury. “How dare you!”

Annotations:

1. In the previous volume and in this volume, Zhao Yingkui, Wang Zhongxiao, Ma Jinliang, and others are famed generals of the Kangxi era, and the ages of twenty-four people have been slightly adjusted in this book. Readers familiar with the matter please excuse this.

For details, please refer to the Biographies 49 through 54 in the History of the Qing Dynasty.

2. For the convenience of readers, the place names and administrative divisions of seventeenth-century China have been suitably adjusted in this book. For example, the “Beining” mentioned in the previous volume was called “Guangning” at the time, whereas the name Beining was adopted only after the founding of the nation in 1949, when the relevant state authorities changed it because the “Guangning” of the northeast duplicated the “Guangning” in Guangxi. In addition, the prefectures, subprefectures, offices, leagues, and banner divisions, as well as place names, in the first three volumes have also been “modernized.”

This is explained here. For details, please refer to the Geography sections 1 through 5 in Chapters 29 to 34 of the History of the Qing Dynasty.