Section Three
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The Military Advisor and the General have no intention whatsoever of usurping power or overstepping their station. The decision to detain the envoy was made by common accord among us. If Your Majesty must assign blame, then please punish this servant and General Zhou together!”
The voice was utterly unfamiliar. Lin Feng looked over in surprise and saw, to the left side of the hall and beneath Li Guangdi’s seat, an elderly civil official kneeling forward several paces until he reached the center of the chamber. Under the gaze of all present, he remained calm and unhurried. With one hand he lifted off his official cap, bowed prostrate to the floor, and pleaded in a loud voice, “We all believe this order is improper and fear it may damage the grand enterprise of our lord’s imperial cause. Therefore, with bold presumption, we beg Your Majesty to reconsider!”
After staring for a long while, Lin Feng finally recognized him as Zhang Ying, an official of the Ministry of Rites under the King of Han. He had once served as Kangxi’s Vice Minister of War, and after being captured by the Han army had only surrendered months later. In truth, Lin Feng had quite a number of officials like him in his employ, and the only reason he remembered Zhang Ying was the rather dramatic manner of his submission.
An old Confucian scholar deeply steeped in the classics, Zhang Ying was fiercely steadfast in his loyalty to the sovereign. When Beijing fell, he had been taken prisoner as Kangxi’s Vice Minister of Rites, and he had been determined to die rather than yield, repeatedly rejecting the inducements of several senior Han officers, including Li Guangdi. The turning point came because his son, Zhang Tingyu, secretly took part in the Han army’s imperial examination. And if that were all, it would not have been so remarkable; but Zhang Tingyu proved to be a prodigy, sitting the great examination at the tender age of fourteen and astonishingly taking the highest honors. He then entered Ma Zhuang Military Academy for training, and to this day served as a junior staff officer in the Shaanxi Department of the Han Army’s General Staff, becoming the youngest official in the Han court. Because of the singularly legendary flavor of the affair, once it became known it caused a sensation in the capital and spread wildly across the province. Wherever Zhang Ying appeared, people would heap praises upon him. Seeing that his reputation could no longer be preserved and that clinging to his principles had become meaningless, he had no choice but to surrender to the Han army. Li Guangdi appointed him a clerk in the Ministry of Rites, and later, after his exceptional performance in the negotiations with the Russian envoy Ikhonovsky, in which he secured a vast sum for military expenses, he was promoted to head the Han court’s Ministry of Rites.
As an important official entrusted with the heavy responsibilities of diplomacy, sending envoys and issuing proclamations was precisely within his duties, so he had no choice but to step forward and respond.
“Lord Zhang’s words are not quite right,” Lin Feng said, shaking his head. “The reason I am angered is that you people handled this in such an underhanded manner. Detaining my envoy is no great matter; refusing my proclamation to the realm is no great matter either. I, Lin Feng, am no stubborn fool who cannot bear honest remonstrance!” He cast a cold glance over the hall, then suddenly slammed the table and shouted sternly, “But to seize my envoy without even sending word first — is that the conduct of a loyal subject?!”
Hearing him say again and again that the envoy had been “seized,” Zhang, Zhou, and the others could not suppress the sweat pouring down their backs. In truth, the envoy had arrived only two days earlier than Lin Feng’s message. At the time, the ministers in Beijing were all startled by the proclamation, and after much persuasion they had barely managed to keep those “imperial envoys” in residence, feeding them well with fine wine and meat. Yet to be called “detained” sounded far too frightening. The Han army’s foundation had been established entirely by Lin Feng himself, and since taking up arms he had won every battle and taken every city; his prestige was already deeply rooted. Even if they borrowed a hundred times the courage, they could never twist this into a charge of rebellion.
“Reporting to Your Majesty,” Zhou Peigong interjected, “does Your Majesty know that our Han forces are now under extreme strain? Last month, when the Khorchin suddenly entered the war, our army was drawn into fighting not only in Your Majesty’s northern expeditionary force, but also at the two strategic strongholds of Xuanhua and Zhaomengguo, and Ningcheng and Wangpingliao. Although we won many victories, the losses were not small. We have now extended our territory by a thousand li and established another great army to guard the Nurkan and Maboru route. Yet our troops are weary and our formations depleted, with no reinforcements to fill the gaps. If Your Majesty’s proclamation is issued and the lords of the realm rise up together against us, how will our army cope?!”
Lin Feng only smiled and said nothing. Turning, he signaled to Wang Shirong. Understanding at once, Wang Shirong stepped forward, bowed to Zhou Peigong, Li Guangdi, and the others, cleared his throat, and said in a clear voice, “Do not be anxious, Minister Zhou. Our lord has long been prepared. On this expedition, after the army returned south from Liaodong, we already conscripted more than ten thousand new soldiers. And in this campaign, judging from the battle reports I have reviewed, Xuanhua-Zhaomengguo and Ningcheng-Wangpingliao both held firm behind their city walls, and their military losses were negligible, at most only a little over a thousand in total. Therefore, once the new recruits have been trained, not only can we replenish all the garrisons, but we can also establish a Seventh Infantry Army!”
Zhou Peigong was not at all surprised. In fact, when he first received word that Lin Feng was recruiting soldiers on the spot, he already knew that Lin Feng intended to expand the army. He gave a bitter smile and said, “Although musketeer training is somewhat easier than training archers, it is absolutely impossible to form a proper army in less than five or six months!”
Hearing this, Lin Feng laughed and said, “Beyond that, I have also transferred a large number of officers from Ma Ying, and together with the officers gathered by Minister Zhou, I intend to requisition twelve thousand strong men skilled in riding and archery from Suiyuan, Ningjin, and Nurkan at once, so as to restore the Second Army of the Imperial Guard Cavalry. In this way, together with the existing infantry, artillery, and cavalry units of the Imperial Guard, our total strength will exceed thirty thousand!” He turned away, walked slowly to the head seat, and sat down in the great chair. Then he said leisurely, “Thus, I will be able to deal with all the wars that may arise.”
Seeing the ministers glance at one another in uncertainty, Wang Shirong hurriedly echoed him. “There is absolutely no problem with this. Previously, our army confiscated more than ten million taels of silver from the Eight Banners in Liaodong, so military funds are abundant. And since we have captured horses from the Mongols and the Eight Banners, warhorses are not a concern. At present, the only matter worth worrying over is firearms and artillery...”
All at once, everyone turned to Dai Zi, the chief superintendent of Han ordnance production. After a slight pause, Dai Zi bowed and said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, we still have more than twenty thousand ignition rifles in storage. There is some shortage of cannon, however, but I believe that now that Liaoyang and Anshan are in our hands, and with iron and raw materials flowing unobstructed, within three months my armaments works can cast enough large and small cannon!”
“What about gunpowder and bullets?” Lin Feng asked with a smile, nodding casually.
“After two years of frantic production, our reserves are fairly ample...” Dai Zi frowned slightly and clasped his hands. “Only the saltpeter, graphite, and charcoal are rather costly, and transport from Shanxi is difficult. I hope Your Majesty will make plans early!”
“Rest assured, Yun-kai, Shanxi won’t run away,” Lin Feng said, looking left and right. “Honored ministers, have you heard? Now there is no problem at all with expanding our new armies. Do you still fear those so-called lords of the realm?”
Before his words had even faded, Zhang Ying stepped forward at once to object. “Your Majesty is mistaken. Never mind that expanding the new armies still requires months; even if the new forces are completed, this proclamation can absolutely not be issued!”
Looking at Zhang Ying’s snow-white hair and beard, Lin Feng truly did not know whether to laugh or cry. He forced himself to remain patient and asked, “Oh? And what exactly does Lord Zhang mean?”
“I once studied Your Majesty’s proclamation. It states: all provincial governors and governors-general of the false Qing must grow out their hair, cut off their queues, and wear the clothing of the Han. Those who refuse shall, when the heavenly troops arrive in the future, have their entire families slaughtered, their ancestral shrines destroyed, their forefathers’ graves dug up, and their clan’s bloodline extinguished. Yet in the world today, the provinces still obeying the false Qing’s commands include large regions such as Shanxi, Shaanxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi. Their territory spans thousands of li, and their troops number nearly a million. Though their power is waning, their momentum remains. If Your Majesty presses them hard, if these people are driven to desperation, they may turn and attack us all at once. Would that not be a grave concern?!”
“Do not worry, Lord Zhang! — I shall explain the general trend of the realm for all of you,” Wang Shirong said with a faint smile. He stepped forward slowly, surveying the hall, and all the ministers fixed their eyes upon him. “The military strength of the false Qing now consists, aside from the irregular troops raised locally by the governors and governors-general, of four forces of note. First are the units under Zhang Yong and Wang Jinbao of the Green Standard forces in Gansu and Shaanxi. These troops are stationed far away in Sichuan and Shaanxi, locked in stalemate with the forces of Ma Yaotou and Wang Pingfan, and are scarcely able to protect themselves. How could they spare any attention for the north?”
“Second, third, and fourth are the three remaining Manchu princes. The false Prince Jian in Jiangsu, Labu, commands about fifty or sixty thousand men; Prince An in Jiangxi, Yueluo, has roughly one hundred seventy or eighty thousand; and Prince Kang in Zhejiang, Jieshu, about one hundred ten or twenty thousand. Altogether, they amount to only three or four hundred thousand troops, with the Green Standard and Han armies forming the main force. But now the Qing court is a house on the verge of collapse: officials, soldiers, and commoners alike have lost all faith, morale in the army is exhausted, and only the supervision and coercion of the Eight Banners keep it from falling apart. With such frightened troops ruling over hesitant and doubtful soldiers, how could they possibly fight a decisive battle?”
“Exactly, exactly — Ji Yun understands me!” Lin Feng laughed.
“Third, the Chukye has been in rebellion against the Qing for many years, and the land of war and conquest stretches across the Jiangnan region. Military spirit is slack, the soldiers are weary of battle, and the people all hate them. Their core territory lies in places such as Yunnan and Guizhou, miasmic lands where their newly acquired populations, lacking decades of moral cultivation, are difficult to govern. Thus their foundations are unstable. But our Great Han follows the mandate of heaven above and the will of the people below. We have abolished the evil of the Eight Banners’ enclosed estates and introduced new crops such as golden sweet potatoes and foreign potatoes from the north. The people who benefit from this number not in the millions but far more. By encouraging agriculture and sericulture, opening roads for trade and travel, and abolishing heavy taxes on merchants and laborers, we inspire gratitude in every heart. If war should break out, our army will be united with the people, while how could a mere corner of the South overmatch us? — This is the third victory.”
“Fourth, although the Chukye has been in operation for a long time, the civil and military officials under him are far from united. The Wu family itself is a great clan from beyond the Pass, and its sons and grandsons are arrogant, decadent idlers who spread everywhere throughout court and realm. They do not respect the meritorious generals and often harbor designs to seize power. As for officials and commanders of other surnames, they are met with suspicion and distrust, and each man is fearful, unwilling to risk his life. Though the court boasts ten great generals, the ones he can truly rely on are no more than two or three, such as Mabo and Wang Pingfan. Moreover, his in-law Xia Guoxiang monopolizes authority. These men envy the worthy and resent the able, ignoring the larger picture, yet are trusted by Chukye. If I am not mistaken, once Chukye dies, there will surely be factional strife in the South Zhou court and realm. As Minister Zhou just said, even if the three princes of the false Qing were to surrender, they would still be viewed with suspicion and fear by court and country alike. Even if tens of thousands more troops were added, would the Southern Zhou dare to use them? Therefore I believe that if the three princes surrender, the Southern Zhou court will become even more corrupted, its internal consumption more severe, and its strength not increased but reduced. Looking across all our Han ministers, however, every one of them was selected and appointed by our lord. Though they may differ in political views, it is mostly for the public good. Our lord is loyal, benevolent, broad of mind, and treats his ministers as kin. He rewards merit and punishes fault with fairness and severity. Thus they feel gratitude and men of talent are willing to die for him. Compared in this way, the high and low are immediately clear. Though this servant is unworthy, even I know the saying of Mencius: ‘Victory is won in the court.’ — This is the fourth victory.”
“Fifth, although Southern Zhou possesses the rich lands of the south of the Yangtze, it maintains an army of nearly a million and has fought for years until its granaries are so empty that even mice would starve there. By now, Jiangnan is exhausted; the common people cannot bear the burden, many have fled or abandoned their fields, and those who govern neither reflect on their own conduct nor cultivate virtue, but instead keep demanding ever harsher exactions. How could this endure? In contrast, our Great Han puts the people first in every matter. When our lord first founded this enterprise and our footing was still unsteady, he already ordered tax relief and leniency toward the people. And by now, though our territory spans thousands of li and our population exceeds ten million, the troops we support number fewer than one hundred thousand. Thus, though the nation’s funds have been strained by war, they remain plentiful; though we have fought long campaigns, our grain stores remain full; the people are stable, production continues without pause. If Zhou and Han should clash, the enemy would surely be stretched to the breaking point, while we would have broad and endless supply lines! — This is the fifth victory.”
“Sixth, Southern Zhou’s military power is inferior to ours. Though the enemy has great numbers, most are weak soldiers, many accustomed to river and boat warfare and ignorant of mounted archery. Their equipment consists only of bows and arrows, matchlock guns, hand cannon, and small artillery, and their cavalry is especially lacking. Our army, however, has since the founding of our lord’s cause pursued reform with relentless vigor. Its weapons are all sharp and formidable: guns are ignition rifles, cannons are heavy artillery, and the soldiers are well-trained and disciplined. Beyond that, we have tens of thousands of armored cavalry who can confront the Mongols and the Eight Banners head-on and still triumph. How much less can Southern Zhou’s infantry compare? With such strong troops, how could Southern Zhou possibly defeat us? — This is the sixth victory.”
“Seventh, Southern Zhou’s geography is inferior to ours. Since ancient times, the north has enjoyed the full advantage of horsemanship and archery; its people are fierce, and its soldiers are skilled in battle. There have been many northern campaigns that triumphed over the south. The south, by contrast, has usually relied on local defense and the natural barrier of the Yangtze. Though Chukye seized his position through a hundred battles and had capable generals under his command, he is now an aging hero — where is his former ambition? This servant is unworthy, yet in former years I served him, and from what I have found, his sort are short-sighted creatures with no grand vision. I am not speaking idly. Even if our army were to deploy in full array and respectfully welcome the Zhou army to battle, would they have the courage to march into the Central Plains? Our lord is brave and fierce, willing to disregard his own precious life for the unification of the realm. He sleeps on snow, tastes ice, and leads distant campaigns into barren lands to exterminate the remaining rebels of Liaodong. His breadth of mind and lofty resolve — who among all the heroes under heaven can stand beside him? Chukye is petty and content with a narrow peace, while our lord’s aspirations encompass the grand design of empire. How could victory not be ours? — This is the seventh victory!”
His words, ardent and impassioned, stirred every minister in the hall. Wang Shirong slowly turned his head and looked around at the assembly with proud assurance. “With these seven victories against seven defeats, the false Qing need not be feared, and Southern Zhou need not be dreaded. Now that the Central Plains are without a master, how can our Great Han sit idly by and merely watch?”
Lin Feng clapped again and again, laughing heartily. “Ji Yun truly knows my heart!” Seeing that the people below the hall still wore hesitant expressions, he slammed the table once more and shouted, “What ‘lords of the realm’? Mere chickens and dogs! There is no need for further talk. My mind is made up: expand the army, prepare for war, and proclaim it to the world!”