Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 83 Li Zicheng: With a beautiful wife at home, what good are my achievements?!

Shanxi is connected to Beizhili. Datong Town was once the head of the Nine Garrisons, with a peak military strength of 130,000, used to protect the capital.

After the Battle of Sarhu, the Ming court transferred elite troops from all over the country to the Liaodong battlefield. This transfer nearly destroyed the defense system of the Nine Garrisons, including Datong. While things were peaceful in peacetime, the true nature of the situation was revealed once war broke out.

Today, the Datong Garrison actually has only a little over 20,000 troops stationed there, overseeing 72 castles and hundreds of miles of border wall. The forces are scattered and unable to withstand an attack by Ligdan Khan's large army. Furthermore, the various forces cannot be mobilized in time to provide support. This is also due to the collapse of the Ming Dynasty's horse administration, which resulted in a significant decrease in the army's mobility.

After besieging Datong, Ligdan Khan did not launch a full-scale attack. Instead, he demanded money from the Ming court and sent troops to plunder the area, with Datong as the center.

In fact, before the border wall was breached, Ligdan Khan had already sent troops to harass Shanxi on several occasions. In order to realize his dream of unifying the grasslands and restoring the glory of his ancestors, he led his army westward in October of last year and annexed the right wing tribes such as the Kharachin and Tumed.

Then, he naturally assumed that he would receive the annual reward and trading rights that originally belonged to these tribes, but the Ming Dynasty refused to pay, so Ligdan Khan broke his guard.

Ligdan Khan led his army to attack from Shahu Pass. At that time, smoke signals rose from Shahu Pass. The nearby Pingji Fort, Weiyuan Fort, Youyu City, and Datong Town instinctively sent troops to support them, but unfortunately they still failed to hold the pass. The defending army was slaughtered, and the reinforcements were also defeated and scattered.

Besides Datong and Taiyuan, Shanxi also had nine military garrisons under its jurisdiction, one of which was Zhenwu Garrison. Nowadays, the military garrisons of the Ming Dynasty have long lost their former glory of pursuing the fleeing enemy and can only be used to maintain local security.

However, with Datong besieged, these surrounding garrisons became the last force to resist the Mongol cavalry. Each garrison was supposed to have 5,600 men, but in reality, only one or two thousand, or even a few hundred, remained. Without unified command, their effectiveness was very limited; they could barely defend themselves, let alone relieve the siege of Datong.

The current situation in Shanxi can be described in one word: chaos, a complete mess!

On February 18th of the first year of the Chongzhen reign, the seventh day of the siege of Datong, a military order delivered by express courier reached Yulin City, Yansui Town, Shaanxi Province.

At this moment, Governor Sun Chuanting and General Du Wenhuan, having received the news, rode back from outside. Both men were wearing armor, and the blood splattered on their faces was wiped away casually and spread out on their faces, still bright red in color.

This time, there was no eunuch to deliver the imperial decree, only a courier who had run his warhorse to death and was still weeping.

Footsteps sounded, and a tall shadow fell over the courier. He looked up suddenly and heard someone say that this was the governor he was looking for. So he carefully took out the wax-sealed bamboo tube from his bosom and presented it to him.

Sun Chuanting took the bamboo tube with the wax seal, opened it, and pulled out a scroll of military orders:
Imperial Edict to Sun Chuanting, Governor of Yansui

Recently, Datong has been besieged by the northern barbarians, and the situation is extremely critical. I hereby order you to immediately select elite cavalry from Yansui Garrison and rush to their rescue.

The urgent tasks are to gather the defeated soldiers, annihilate the northern barbarians, and rescue the captured civilians.

The enemy is powerful, so you must assess the situation and prioritize your own safety. When facing the enemy, act according to the circumstances; fight if possible, otherwise temporarily avoid their advance. Do not be greedy for merit and act rashly, lest you make a mistake.

Admire this!

"Boya, what orders does the court have?!" Du Wenhuan couldn't help but ask when he saw Sun Chuanting's furrowed brows.

General Sun Chuanting handed out the order, and Du Wenhuan was astonished after reading it, saying, "So the northern barbarians here in Yansui are just a detachment under the command of Hudun Tuhan?!"

He felt a lingering fear. If it weren't for the emperor's care, allocating him funds and provisions, and ordering him to "raise his own military expenses" to support his soldiers, their situation in Yansui wouldn't have been much better than in Datong. Datong was a large city, far superior to their Yulin Fort in Yansui.

“Since His Majesty has given the order, then let my son Hongyu lead three thousand elite cavalry to accompany you immediately,” Du Wenhuan said. “If I take all the cavalry with me, what will you do?” Sun Chuanting asked with some concern.

"It's alright. The northern barbarians in Yansui have long been terrified by our two killings, and now they're avoiding us like the plague! It's just that His Majesty really favors you, sending you, the governor, to lead troops to provide reinforcements, while leaving me, the general, out of his mind," Du Wenhuan said somewhat sourly.

"His Majesty's request for you to remain in Yansui is clearly a sign of his high regard for you!" Sun Chuanting said with a hint of helplessness.

Before taking office in Yansui, Sun Chuanting was worried that he would be looked down upon and unable to win people's respect because of his status as a relative of the emperor. However, he never expected that after the people of Yansui Town learned of his identity, they not only did not ridicule him, but were also exceptionally polite to him.

He later learned that the emperor had already made extensive efforts to win over the officers and soldiers of Yansui Town before he took office, and the people of Yansui Town were only showing favor because of the emperor's influence. However, favors are one thing, and politeness is another; in the army, only military merit can truly win people's respect. Giving face and being sincerely convinced are two different things.

In the last few days, Sun Chuanting proved with his actions that he was not a weak scholar, but capable of leading troops into battle and taking the lead in charges.

Just as Sun Chuanting was about to turn and leave, he noticed out of the corner of his eye the courier standing stiffly in front of him, and the courier horse lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth, and lifeless.

He reached out and placed his hand on the courier's shoulder, saying, "This area is not peaceful. It is truly not easy for you to deliver the general's order successfully. You have worked hard!"

In this great battle, our Yansui garrison captured many warhorses; you may choose one. If you are not in a hurry to return, you may rest in Yulin City for a few days.

"I see you're strong and sturdy, a real soldier's prospect. What future is there in being a courier? Why not stay and become my personal guard? You'll have a better chance to achieve great things, secure a good future for your family!"

The courier was flattered and quickly bowed, saying, "This humble servant..."

His Adam's apple bobbed, his face contorted with anxiety, and a glint of fire flashed in his eyes, which he ultimately suppressed. He said in a low voice, "I thank you for your kindness, Governor! But I have elderly parents to care for and a wife and children to raise, and I am truly unable to leave my post. Therefore, I cannot accompany you."

“It’s alright. Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been difficult to balance. It’s only natural for you to want to fulfill your filial duty.” Sun Chuanting patted his shoulder and turned to leave.

The courier stood there, stunned and filled with disappointment.

“Hey, don’t just stand there, come with me. I’ll arrange food and lodging for you. By the way, what’s your name?” a clerk stepped forward and asked.

"My name is Li Hongji, greetings, sir!"

"Oh, what a sir! I'm not very literate, you flatter me, you flatter me!" The clerk's face was crooked with a grin, and then he said, "Wait a moment, and I'll draft a document for you stating that your post horse has died suddenly. Once you have this document, you won't need to pay the post station for the horse, and the warhorse you received from us will be yours to keep. Brother, isn't this arrangement considerate of you?"

Li Zicheng looked surprised, then realized what was happening and hurriedly took out his money bag and stuffed it into the clerk's hand, saying, "Then thank you, brother. I'll treat you to some tea."

"Oh dear, how can this be..." The clerk weighed the money bag in his hand; it was mostly copper coins with only a small amount of silver. He knew this immediately, but he wasn't angry. Even the smallest amount was still money! The clerks in this military fortress were not like those in ordinary government offices; they rarely saw outsiders, and a lowly clerk like him wasn't qualified to touch the army's money and provisions.

"You, do you realize how much fortune you've missed? Those are the governor's personal guards, not ordinary soldiers! Let me tell you a secret, our governor's status is no small matter; he's the emperor's father-in-law! You're only twenty, how can you keep talking about your wife, children, and elderly mother? You should be striving forward and making a name for yourself!" the clerk said with exasperation.

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng felt a pang of regret. However, when he thought of his wife's plump and alluring figure, he realized that keeping her was the right thing to do. Without her, life would be meaningless, and even the most beautiful scenery would taste bland.

(End of this chapter)