Chapter 18: Selecting the Liaodong Refugees for Military Service

Hearing the sound of hooves behind them, the group fell into a panic, on the verge of scattering. Pi Mazi shouted, "What are you panicking about? Stay calm, don't lose your formation!" Only then did the men settle down slightly, reasoning that there was nothing to fear—they were, after all, local militiamen.

Pi Mazi pulled up and turned around. Upon seeing only three cavalrymen, he was overjoyed. With over a dozen men on his side, he figured that as long as the enemy was caught off guard, dealing with three horsemen should be easy—and that would be a meritorious deed.

When the banner officer reached a distance of fifty paces, he stopped and said, "You are heading in the wrong direction; that way leads to the Jiannu."

"Is that so?" Pi Mazi replied. "I thought it was the way back inside the pass. Let's turn back then." With that, he winked at Pi San and led the group toward the banner officer. The officer turned his horse around and headed back the way they had come. Anxious, Pi Mazi called out, "General, we are exhausted and starving. Could you spare us some food?"

Recalling the instructions of Lu Xiangsheng, the officer did not slow his horse and replied, "Our supplies are located five miles ahead. Bear with it for a moment; you’ll have food soon."

Failing that, Pi Mazi devised another scheme. "General, a companion of mine has twisted his ankle. Could you give him a ride?"

The officer had already seen clearly that these men were walking perfectly normally and suspected something was amiss. He replied, "Our main force is two miles ahead. There will be extra horses there. Can you help him walk until then?"

Hearing this, Pi Mazi stopped and whispered, "Do it." His men with bows and arrows immediately drew their strings. Several arrows flew toward the three cavalrymen. The trio, already on guard, dodged the arrows aimed at their faces. The banner officer laughed, "Just as I thought, there is a problem."

At this moment, Lu Xiangsheng had also observed the situation. He led his men in a charge, surrounding Pi Mazi and his cohorts. Terrified, Pi Mazi immediately fell to his knees and cried, "General, spare my life! We shouldn't have tried to take your horses!"

Lu Xiangsheng laughed, "A fine excuse indeed." He raised his bow and shot an arrow at him. Although Pi Mazi had been watching him, the arrow came too fast; before he could even think to dodge, it struck his head, knocking off his turban and revealing the ugly "money-rat tail" hairstyle of the Jurchens.

"My lord, I am wronged!" Pi Mazi wailed. "Please, listen to my explanation!" Suddenly, he felt a chill in his throat, and his head flew into the air—Lu Xiangsheng had struck.

After executing Pi Mazi, Lu Xiangsheng commanded, "Take off your turbans and hats. Quickly! Do it or die."

Pi San and the others were naturally reluctant, but once they removed their headgear, their shaven heads and small braids were exposed. The result was predictable. Pi San shrieked, "Kill him!" A few fools raised their weapons to charge at Lu Xiangsheng, while the majority fell to their knees, pleading, "Officer, we were coerced! Please, investigate the truth!"

Lu Xiangsheng rode forward, his broadsword flashing as he cut Pi San in two. Then he ordered, "Kill them all with your blades." The cavalrymen dismounted, leveled their muskets, and used their bayonets to strike them down one by one.

Soon, even Master Li and all seventeen men lay on the ground. The cavalrymen used their sabers to decapitate them. Lu Xiangsheng declared, "The Emperor has said this is a matter of fundamental right and wrong; there is no room for sentiment. Those who surrender to the Jiannu must die." He then quickly turned his horse and led his troops toward the west.

Continuing to gather people along the way, they arrived at Qiantun three days later. Lu Zhijia had originally been tasked with settling the Liaodong people there. He asked Lu Xiangsheng if all the people from the Thirteen Mountains were to be settled there. Lu Xiangsheng replied, "They are to enter the pass. Those already settled are to move into the pass as well."

Yuan Chonghuan asked anxiously, "Are we not to defend a single city outside the pass?"

Lu Xiangsheng replied, "The Emperor has issued a decree: there is a vast amount of uncultivated land east of the capital region that can be used to settle the Liaodong people. No Liaodong civilians are permitted to farm outside Shanhai Pass."

Yuan Chonghuan, having previously forged an imperial decree to deceive Lu Zhijia, naturally did not believe Lu Xiangsheng. He said, "Your humble subordinate dares to request that the Scholar show us the imperial decree."

Lu Xiangsheng was taken aback. "This decree from the Emperor was naturally not issued to me personally. I do not know why Bureau Director Yuan would ask me to show it. If you do not believe me, why not accompany me to Shanhai Pass to see for yourself?"

Yuan Chonghuan realized his mistake and apologized, "Your subordinate was momentarily confused; please forgive me, Scholar."

Lu Xiangsheng laughed, "There is no need for that, Director Yuan. Let us be on our way."

Zhu Youjiao was now wealthy. Beyond constructing the Great Ming Imperial University City, he naturally began to expand his military, and his first choice for recruitment was the Liaodong people. The slogan "Using Liaodong people to defend Liaodong soil" had originally been proposed by Wang Huazhen. Though the old man was having a hard time now, it did not diminish the correctness of his strategy. Zhu Youjiao intended to shrink the defensive line, abandon western Liaodong, and concentrate his efforts on training troops; once the army was ready, he could begin the counter-offensive into Liaodong.

Zhu Youjiao prepared for massive expansion. Shortly after Yuan Chonghuan set out, Lu Xiangsheng and the others returned from suppressing the rebellion in Shandong. Consequently, Zhu Youjiao dispatched generals of the Imperial Guard to Shanhai Pass to recruit the Liaodong civilians into the Imperial Guard.

Lu Xiangsheng was in the first group to arrive at Shanhai Pass, responsible for counter-espionage. He brought a battalion of cavalry. The second group was led by Cao Wenzhao, who was responsible for screening the physical fitness of the Liaodong soldiers.

Lu Xiangsheng, accompanied by Xu Xianchun and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had just arrived at Shanhai Pass when Wang Zaijin received a plea for help from the retainers of Zhao Lüjiao. Lu Xiangsheng had never seen the Later Jin soldiers before, and hearing they were Liaodong refugees from the Thirteen Mountains, he volunteered to take on the rescue mission.

Before his departure, Zhu Youjiao had discussed the future strategy against the Jiannu with him. The two reached an agreement on not stationing troops outside Shanhai Pass—Zhu Youjiao’s reasoning was economic, while Lu Xiangsheng believed that, strategically, a maritime assault would be more effective. Thus, when he left, Zhu Youjiao had already ordered Wang Zaijin not to allow any troops to leave Shanhai Pass to farm.

At the same time, Zhu Youjiao sent Yang Guanggao and Man Gui to Dongjiang to see Mao Wenlong, demanding that Dongjiang retain only combat troops, while all women, children, and the elderly were to cross the sea to Dengzhou and Laizhou. Dongjiang would become a base for attacking the Jiannu from the rear.

When Lu Xiangsheng and his party entered Shanhai Pass, Cao Wenzhao had already arrived with a battalion of infantry. Wang Zaijin cleared out a large military camp for the Liaodong refugees; after all, they were only there to be screened, and once selected, they would return to the capital for training.

After the young men of the Thirteen Mountains had eaten their fill, they lined up outside the camp. Lu Xiangsheng invited Yang San, Liu Boze, and others to assist in the identification of the recruits.

Everyone removed their hats or turbans and, after inspection by the Imperial Guard, reached the camp gate. The first step was to form lines. Yang San led his trusted brothers and organized the men into groups by their native regions. Each group had a person holding a sign with names like "Shenyang," "Liaoyang," "Jinzhou," or "Guangning." The men around them began shouting, "Those from Shenyang come here!" "Those from Guangning come here!" Once a group reached a certain size, another person holding an identical sign would lead them inside, while the recruitment continued outside.