Chapter Forty-Four: Defeating the Extravagant Army

Qin Yiming had been waiting for this very moment. Several times he had almost rushed forward to assist, but each time, the commander of the cavalry regiment had restrained him. Now, with a single wave of his hand, the cavalry surged ahead like a torrent. The infantry contracted their formation, opening a path for the cavalry to charge through, then resumed formation, loaded their weapons, and followed at a measured pace.

She Chongming found himself utterly unable to control his troops and could do nothing but flee with them. Soon, all the She soldiers near the north gate joined the rout, and Qin Liangyu ordered the White Spear soldiers to begin the pursuit. Meanwhile, Lu Qin advanced steadily with the Imperial Guard, always maintaining perfect formation.

The White Spear soldiers were swift, but the looting troops were even faster. As soon as She Chongming’s army began to collapse, Yang Shucheng, the deputy envoy from Denglai, and Liu Fenqian, the deputy envoy from Anjin, immediately committed their soldiers to the chase, eager to strike at the defeated.

For the She soldiers, it was disaster upon disaster. Armies they wouldn’t have dared approach in normal times were now emboldened to chase after them. But the situation was stronger than any individual; these disorganized, fleeing native troops now possessed virtually no combat strength—if not less than zero. Any ragtag force could bully them. Thus, this one-sided battle was won with remarkable ease, and Yang Shucheng and Liu Fenqian both captured abundant spoils.

After pursuing for more than ten miles, Qin Yiming called a halt, dispatching only a few scouts to shadow the fleeing enemy from afar while the main force began its return. On the way back, they encountered White Spear soldiers collecting enemy heads, and together they returned at a leisurely pace.

After regrouping with the Imperial Guard, everyone proceeded to the north gate, which stood wide open. There, the Governor of Sichuan, Zhu Xieyuan, waited outside the city in welcome. Qin Liangyu dismounted and knelt in salute, while Lu Qin stepped forward to render the Imperial Guard salute to the governor. Zhu Xieyuan frowned, but said nothing; however, the Censorate Inspector Xue Puzheng, standing nearby, could not contain himself and said with a sour expression, “Deputy Commander Lu, why do you not kneel before the Governor?” He put extra emphasis on the word “Deputy,” implying that if even the Commander knelt, how could a mere Deputy dare not to?

Expressionless, Lu Qin replied, “His Majesty has decreed that the Imperial Guard does not kneel to any official.”

Xue Puzheng grew red with anger. “Where is such a rule? Where is such a rule!”

Lu Qin responded, “Since the Inspector insists on rules, let me discuss them with you. Inspector, what is your official rank?”

Xue Puzheng said proudly, “I am a seventh-rank official, having passed the Imperial Examinations in the forty-first year of Wanli.”

Lu Qin laughed. “I am of the second rank, and you are the seventh. Why, then, do you not kneel to me?”

Xue Puzheng stared at Lu Qin, eyes wide, as if looking at a fool, his voice nearly hysterical. “I am a civil official—a civil official, do you understand?”

“Oh, so civil officials may disregard rank before military officers, but military officers must kneel to civil officials regardless of rank?” Lu Qin retorted.

Xue Puzheng said nothing, only glared at him in silence. Did such a foolish question even require answering?

Lu Qin continued, “I’m sorry, but the Imperial Guard does not observe such rules. Our soldiers do not even kneel before the Emperor. If you object, why not submit a memorial of impeachment against me?” He had considered producing the Imperial Sword of Authority, but out of regard for the Governor’s face, he refrained and left it at that.

Governor Zhu Xieyuan was well aware that Lu Qin possessed the Imperial Sword, though he would never reveal this to Inspector Xue. Laughing the matter off, he ushered everyone into the city and directly to the governor’s yamen.

After everyone was seated and pleasantries exchanged, Zhu Xieyuan began arranging the next steps. He required Qin Liangyu, Yang Shucheng, and Liu Fenqian to pursue She Chongming’s forces and endeavor to annihilate them completely.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Guizhou, Li Biao, had dispatched General Zhang Yanfang and Commanders Xu Chengming and Huang Yunqing to reinforce Sichuan. Having entered the province, they had already recovered Zunyi, Suiyang, and Meitan, and were now attacking Tongzi Post, soon to enter Luzhou and threaten Yongning. Once Yongning fell, She Chongming would have no choice but to surrender.

Qin Liangyu asked, “Governor, what of the rebel troops in Chongqing? I have already ordered my Shizhu soldiers to occupy Nanping Pass and cut off the rebels’ retreat. If we all march to Yongning, what if they attack CD from Chongqing?”

Zhu Xieyuan smiled, “No matter—Deputy Commander Du Wenhuan from Yansui has already been dispatched to CD, and I will send him to Chongqing to eliminate the rebel forces there.”

Qin Liangyu replied, “In my view, we should first reclaim Chongqing. Only then can our armies unite and move forward with overwhelming force to crush all opposition in a single stroke.”

Xue Puzheng sneered, “General Qin, the Governor’s strategy is flawless. Since the plan has been set, there is no need for you to say more.”

In the Ming military, it had always been the role of civil officials to decide the objectives, while military officers were expected merely to fight. Xue Puzheng was deeply displeased by Qin Liangyu’s suggestion—when had military men ever been allowed to formulate strategy?

Lu Qin, enraged, said, “If you expect us to fight, why can’t we offer suggestions? Even the Emperor listens to our opinions before making decisions. Does Inspector Xue believe he is wiser than His Majesty?”

Zhu Xieyuan quickly intervened, “Let us not quarrel. General Qin believes we should first retake Chongqing, and I agree. I simply thought that with General Du there, Chongqing could be secured, which is why I assigned General Qin to attack Yongning.”

Zhu Xieyuan was not an inflexible scholar; indeed, he was one of the rare Ming civil officials who recognized the shortcomings of civilian dominance over the military. He understood he could not possibly know more about warfare than his generals. Since Qin Liangyu’s suggestion was reasonable and well-founded, he was happy to accept it.

“Let us proceed as General Qin advises: first destroy the rebel forces in Chongqing, then assemble our armies and deliver a thunderous blow against Yongning, eradicating all trouble in the southwest once and for all.”

Lu Qin found the Governor’s reasonableness somewhat surprising. In fact, in the original history, Zhu Xieyuan was among the few civil officials who did not discriminate against military officers. It was not until the third year of Tianqi that he realized dividing his forces would not completely eliminate the bandit threat. Thereafter, he changed tactics, concentrating his troops to encircle the enemy and swiftly suppressed She Chongming’s rebellion.

With the plan settled, Zhu Xieyuan ordered Qin Liangyu, along with Lu Qin, Yang Shucheng, and Liu Fenqian, commanding a total of twelve thousand troops, to attack Chongqing. He also composed a memorial to the court reporting the situation in the southwest and the achievements of each commander. Lu Qin, too, wrote his own memorial, dispatching it by swift courier to the capital.

In his memorial, Lu Qin gave a detailed account of the Imperial Guard’s actions in the southwest, praising their excellent performance and high morale, and suggested that once She Chongming was pacified, they could return to the capital. He lavished special praise on Zhu Xieyuan as an exemplary official who did not discriminate against military officers and was open to sound advice. He was even more generous in his commendation of the White Spear soldiers’ fighting prowess.

Upon receiving their memorials, Zhu Youjiao was delighted—driving She Chongming from CD in so short a time was a great achievement. Prolonged rebellion was always dangerous, for the cost was far too high. Only recently had Xu Guangqi complained that the expenses of the Liaodong campaign were suffocating the Ministry of Revenue.