stubborn thief

Hou Shilu never read the letter that Liu Chengzong sent into the alley.

Not long after Zuo Maodi left the alley to report back, the veterans began to beat drums and sing in the alley, making merry.

As evening approached, the sounds of clappers and drums came from Guangyoucang. Then, a dozen veterans, clad in heavy armor and armed with sharp weapons, rushed out, but failed to break through the commander's barricades and were all killed in action by powerful bows and muskets.

Just as Zuo Maodi was about to report back to Liu Chengzong, he heard the sound of gunfire and hurriedly rode his horse to the street corner.

Liu Shizi arrived shortly afterward and saw that the people lying haphazardly at the street corner were all veterans over forty years old with gray hair and beards. He immediately had a guess in his mind.

Seeing Zuo Maodi squatting beside a naked corpse, he stepped forward and asked, "Is this Marshal Hou?"

Zuo Maodi nodded, then looked up at Liu Chengzong with a pitiful expression: "This afternoon, Commander Hou recounted his entire life story to me, at that time..."

"The old marshal died a heroic death. We must not let down his expectations. We should erect a monument and write a memorial for him."

Liu Chengzong turned around and ordered his men to collect the old soldier's body and transport it to the foot of the Triumph Pavilion for Hou Shilu.

The Second Brigade was counting its spoils at the Triumph Tower, where several coffins collected earlier by various battalions were parked, enough to give Hou Shilu a dignified burial.

The next morning, the more than 600 Ming soldiers guarding Cangxiang, led by their headman Du Yingfang, placed their weapons at the entrance of the alley, carried Hou Shilu's armor and sword, and lined up to surrender.

Du Yingfang was originally a servant of Du Wenhuan. After Du Wenhuan was imprisoned, his son Du Hongyu became a general in Nanjing, so Du Yingfang worked as a hanger-on for the Du family in Yulin. He was recruited by Hou Shilu to join the army for this battle.

Hou Shilu's burial site was chosen in the south of Yulin City.

Liu Chengzong planned to build a shared cemetery for the Ming generals and soldiers who died in this battle. However, since he had promised Hou Shilu that he would use the ceremonial system for a Left Commander-in-Chief, he had his clerk make a budget and found that it was indeed expensive.

Moreover, there is the issue of favoritism.

Hou Shilu died a heroic death, but which of the other Ming generals who died in this battle was not heroic?
The Wang family, the most powerful clan in Yulin, fought to the death. All eight generals and deputy generals, both in office and retired, as well as younger members of the clan such as Wang Chengxun, perished in the battle. They didn't even give their descendants a chance to leave the city.

Only four men—Wang Pu, Wang Ding, Wang Shiren, and Wang Shichong—who led troops in Beijing, Beizhili, Guilin, and other places before the war, left a trace for the Wang family of Yulin.

Liu Chengzong and his generals had a very clear understanding of the generals from prominent Yulin families who were leading troops outside the region.

They all knew that this battle was a matter of national importance for them and the generals of Yulin; but the next time they met their ethnic group on the battlefield, it would be a blood feud, and no one would hold back.

At the Kaige Tower in the center of Yulin, a row of red-lacquered coffins made of Chinese fir trees are placed under the tower, which has a cross-shaped central structure.

These coffins were easy to find. After the chaos of the city's fall, many military officers had their own coffins dragged outside. After Liu Chengzong entered the city, he ordered the soldiers to put them away and provide special coffins for the veteran generals.

The remaining unprepared items will be prepared by the Marshal's army, and will be made by coffin makers within the city.

In the eyes of the veteran generals of the Marshal Army, Grand Marshal Liu Chengzong's behavior at this time was a bit strange. He circled the coffin, looking at this and touching that, and sometimes muttering a few words that no one could hear.

"Minister Zhang, what is the Marshal doing?"

Zuo Guangxian, a guerrilla commander of the First Brigade, was from Yulin. As early as the start of the siege, when he followed Liu Chengzong on the eastern expedition, he asked Ren Quan'er, who was besieging the city, to find a way to send a message to his family inside the city.

He was going to follow the Grand Marshal to fight the Eastern Barbarians, and he hoped that his relatives would not suffer unnecessary deaths or injuries in this siege.

Their family was neither a military family like the Wang or Du families, which had been passed down for centuries, nor a powerful clan like the You or Guan families, whose members had served in Yulin for two or three generations and whose relationships were deeply intertwined.

Zuo Guangxian's family, like Cao Wenzhao, Cao Wenyao, Cao Bianjiao, and Cao Dingjiao, did not have a strong foundation. However, due to a special historical period, two generations of them stood on the front lines of the battlefield and produced several outstanding individuals.

Their family was the Yulin Guard, and the most famous member was Zuo Fu, a younger relative of Zuo Guangxian.

At the end of the Wanli era, Zuo Fu served as the garrison commander of Hengdaohezi in Tieling, Liaodong, which was then called Sanchaerbao.

He was caught up with at Sarhu and joined the Northern Route Army under Ma Lin, thus escaping with his life. Later, he served in Liaodong. When Sun Chengzong was in charge, he was responsible for the outposts outside the pass. He once captured eight Later Jin scouts alive, a true hero among heroes.

After that, he fought in Liaodong. He first served as a deputy commander-in-chief and then was transferred to the vanguard battalion, which was at the level of deputy commander-in-chief. In the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, he participated in the defense of Ningyuan. In April of the seventh year, he was promoted to commander-in-chief. In May, he made meritorious contributions in Ningjin. In July, he died of illness.

Then there was Zuo Guangxian, who joined the army after passing the military examination.

If before the Lingdong Campaign, Zuo Guangxian felt that he had some stain on his reputation as a traitor, after returning from the battle in Lingdong, he felt extremely proud and could bring honor to his ancestors.

Knowing that the city had fallen, he immediately ran from Red Stone Gorge to the city and go home.

Ren Quan'er went to great lengths for his mission. Before the city fell, he ordered his veteran soldiers from Yulin to swim across the moat at night, climb the city wall, and hide inside the city to deliver the message.

Just then, Zuo Guangxian finished dealing with his family affairs and left a few guards at home. As soon as he arrived at Kaige Tower, he saw Liu Chengzong circling around the coffin.

When Zhang Xianzhong saw Zuo Guangxian arrive, he greeted him and whispered, "Don't make a sound. The commander is trying to persuade Hou Shilu to donate money to repair the cemetery."

"Hou..." Zuo Guangxian looked around and said, "Isn't Hou Shilu dead?"

Zhang Xianzhong gestured towards the coffin with his lip: "Lying down."

But Liu Chengzong still heard it, got up and came over and said, "I'm not trying to persuade them, I'm explaining to them why their house was confiscated. In these days, locusts are flying everywhere, don't become the City God and not do any work."

After saying that, Liu Shizi looked at Zuo Guangxian and asked, "Have you taken care of everything at home?"

"Yes, Commander, it's all taken care of. One of my nephews was hit by an arrow while defending the city, but the others are fine."

Zuo Guangxian said, "An arrow hit my arm; it will heal with rest."

"That's good. What's your nephew's name? How old is he?"

Zuo Guangxian's nephew is named Zuo Zhu, and he is the same age as his son Zuo Xiang, both just twenty years old.

The general's nephew was wounded in the battle. Liu Chengzong felt a sense of compensation and, after inquiring about the situation, said, "Alright, the commander's office is in dire need of manpower right now. Let them both recover and send them to the Tiger Warriors Camp."

"Thank you, Marshal!"

Liu Chengzong smiled, clapped his hands, and said, "Let's go to the General's Office."

His desire for compensation wasn't because Zuo Zhu was injured while defending the castle and he felt he should be compensated, but rather because Zuo Zhu was seen as an unsettling factor against the Marshal's army and needed to be bribed.

In other words, his significance is no less than that of Qiu Lei.

That afternoon.

At the General's Office in Yansui Town, Liu Chengzong summoned his generals and added a new administrative region to the Marshal's Office, Yuling Road, which governed Yulin Prefecture and Ningxia Prefecture.

The prefect of Yulin was Chen Qihuang, who had been transferred there. Liu Chengzong had been preparing him for the position of prefect of Yulin since Chen Qihuang was the magistrate of Jingbian County.

Liu Chengzong's ideal candidate for the position of prefect of Ningxia was Song Xian from Gansu.

When he proposed this candidate, Zhang Xianzhong looked puzzled, wondering who this person was. How could the Marshal's Mansion have someone he, the civil official of the capital, had never heard of?

This prompted him to ask, "Who is this talented individual?"

Gao Yingdeng, the brigade commander of the First Brigade, smiled and said, "Sir, this Song Xian is a famous person from Gansu and the commander of Suzhou Guard."

Zhang Xianzhong was dumbfounded. Was there no one left in the Marshal's Office? How could they appoint a commander as a prefect? ​​Unexpectedly, Gao Yingdeng chimed in to Liu Chengzong, saying, "The Marshal is not bound by convention in his use of people. If Song Xian goes to Ningxia, he will definitely be able to manage the military farms there well."

He then explained to Zhang Xianzhong where Song Xian came from.

Song Xian was a merchant who made his fortune by lending money to the flag soldiers of Suzhou Guard. He knew how to recruit soldiers by burning IOUs.

When Liu Chengzong captured Suzhou, he used him to stabilize the local situation, appointing him as the Assistant Magistrate of Suzhou Guard. He also taught him the Qintian Method and promised to promote it throughout the Hexi Corridor.

Later, Song Xian did a good job in Suzhou. After Cao Yao became the governor of Gansu, he fulfilled Liu Shizi's promise and appointed him as the commander of the Suzhou Guard to promote the land-owning system throughout Gansu.

Now, Liu Chengzong not only wants to offer him an even bigger pie than before, but also wants to push him to the position of prefect of Ningxia.

The purpose is obvious: to have him continue to promote the pro-farm policy in Ningxia.

Zhang Xianzhong couldn't help but say, "General, Ningxia is not like Suzhou. The population of Ningxia Prefecture is probably no less than that of the entire Gansu province. Isn't this too difficult for Prefect Song?"

“It’s not difficult,” Gao Yingdeng said. “The civil officials in the Marshal’s Office just need to cultivate the land well. Song Xian is an expert in managing land.”

Zhang Xianzhong glanced at him sideways, thinking, "What nonsense is this mere warrior spouting?"
The civil officials in the Marshal's Mansion have a lot of responsibilities!
"The matter in Ningxia Prefecture is indeed difficult for him, which is why we need to send people to help him."

Liu Chengzong pondered for a moment and said, "Now that the Yuling Road has been established, the local garrison should also set up a garrison brigade in accordance with the regulations. The new commander-in-chief will be Zuo Guangxian, the first troop commander, and the deputy commander-in-chief will be Ma Xiang from the Tangqi Battalion."

Upon hearing the appointment, Zuo Guangxian and Ma Xiang were both stunned. After a moment, they exchanged a glance, quickly clasped their hands in thanks, and accepted the order.

One of them is from Yulin, and the other is from Ningxia. This can be considered a triumphant return home.

Before Gao Yingdeng could even call out, Liu Chengzong had already told him, "Select a thousand soldiers from the guerrilla battalion to accompany Zuo Guangxian and garrison Yuning."

"Xu Yong fought well. I originally wanted to send you to the Tiger Battalion as a battalion commander for two years, but I'll forget about it now. You'll be transferred to a brigade as a guerrilla general, and the missing troops will be filled from the Changping Battalion."

Compared to Zuo Guangxian's appointment as general, Xu Yong initially thought he had misheard the appointment.

It wasn't until he realized that everyone was looking at him that he understood Liu Chengzong was referring to him. He then quickly thanked Liu Chengzong and accepted the order with mixed feelings.

This official appointment felt like being slapped in the face and then stuffed with a big pancake.

He was a lieutenant general, fought valiantly, but ended up as a guerrilla.

However, seeing the envious expressions on others' faces, he felt that his position as the first tourist officer in the Marshal's Mansion was indeed a coveted job.

He could only console himself. Looking at Zuo Guangxian's resume, he should be a deputy commander-in-chief at the level of a tourism commander. Maybe after two years he could become a commander-in-chief in a local area.

"Liu Fangming, the deputy commander of the Yu Ning Brigade; Hui Dengxiang, the guerrilla general."

Liu Chengzong said, "You all have your own troops, so the number of soldiers in the Yulin-Ningxia Brigade will inevitably exceed the quota. You have one year to settle the excess soldiers."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhou Qing in the hall and said, "You also have Zhou Qing, Ma Xiantu, and Wang Yuncheng's troops. You should also form a large camp of 5,000 men, with Zhou Qing as the adjutant, temporarily under the central army. Any extra soldiers should be accommodated as well."

At this point, the generals began to talk all at once about their difficulties.

It's not that they care about their troops, but these days recruiting soldiers is easy, but disbanding them is not so easy.

Removing soldiers from the ranks is easy, but removing these people means they can't survive, and since they control military force, they could easily cause chaos in the local area.

The Marshal's Office, a political system that governs a region entirely by force, almost always has only one path: armed conflict.

Fortunately, Liu Chengzong knew about this better than anyone else.

He glanced at the crowd and waited for them to quiet down before saying, "No need to rush. Currently, the troops in Yu Ning Road are more than 10,000 ahead of schedule."

"The key to this matter is resettlement, so we can resolve it within a year. It's not a big deal. There are three options for resettlement."

"First, skilled craftsmen, military craftsmen, medical craftsmen, and grooms, if exceeding the military's authorized number, can be recommended by generals to the Bureau of Crafts, the Bureau of Ordnance, the Imperial Medical Academy, and the Imperial Stables."

"Secondly, the prefects of Yulin and Ningxia should cooperate to change their registration to civilian status and allocate land to them. This is the best approach. At present, there are very few people in Yulin and Ningxia, and a lot of land has been cleared out. It would be a good thing to settle them in places that can be irrigated."

"I estimate that these two routes can accommodate seven or eight thousand people. As for the remaining people, if they do not wish to register as civilians... can the Lianbingwei (a military unit) still provide them?"

Liu Chengzong was asking about Zhang Xianzhong.

The Ministry of Rites was in charge of the Ming imperial family, and it was usually the Prince of Han and the Prince of Su who handled this, as they had frequent dealings with the Hexi Military Affairs Office.

However, Zhang Xianzhong didn't need to answer this question at all. Jin Chanzi of the Zongren Camp knew the situation better than anyone else. He clasped his hands and stepped forward, saying, "General, we have already sent a lot of people to Hexi this year."

Jin Chanzi said, "The group from Xi'an Prefecture was selected by me, and they should have already set off, but the group from Ruifan in Hanzhong should not be able to leave this year."

"It doesn't matter."

After hearing what Jin Chanzi said, Liu Chengzong felt more confident.

According to the plan, Renbei should have just sent away a group of people this summer.

Therefore, even including Rui Fan, the Hehuang region can absorb the surplus troops currently overstretched in Yulin.

"Then it's settled. First, select the elite to join the Yuning Brigade. The rest who are willing to register as civilians will be assigned to different places for registration. Finally, if there are one or two thousand people who do not want to register as civilians, they can be sent to the Hehuang region."

“Jifang, write a letter to Duerbo, instructing the Hexi Military Affairs Office to prepare for the arrival of two thousand people from Yulin in the coming year.”

However, resolving this matter also reminded Liu Chengzong that the first batch of Tianshan troops should have returned last year according to plan.

But there was a war going on there last year, so I missed the season to come back.

If they're going to come back this year, the Tianshan Army should be on their way by now.

The return of those veterans presented a new challenge in terms of resettlement.

This led Liu Chengzong to decide to reinforce Zuo Guangxian's Yulin Brigade.

He said to Zuo Guangxian, "Half of the officers in the Yu Ning Brigade will be promoted from your subordinates, and the other half will be 360 ​​officers of each rank drawn from the Tiger and Feathered Forest Battalions."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Guangxian, Ma Xiang, Liu Fangming, and Hui Dengxiang were overjoyed.

The cavalry of the Imperial Guard Camp were nothing to them, but the Tiger Guard Camp was full of the Marshal's most outstanding talents. These people, as officers of their newly formed brigade, could maximize the brigade's combat effectiveness.

Most importantly, Liu Chengzong placed his most valuable assets in this brigade, which meant that this brigade had a much greater chance of being transferred to other garrison brigades to fight.

Liu Chengzong breathed a sigh of relief.

With the Yulin and Huben battalions making room, even if the Tianshan army returns, we won't break our promise. Only when there's a place to settle them can things truly start to turn around.

With that, the problem of the surrendered soldiers that had been troubling him was resolved. (End of Chapter)