Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 221 Liaodong Old Stories Continued with Sun Chuanting

Yan Mingtai was also a useless figure. He did head toward Shenyang, but upon reaching Hupi Post, he saw soldiers fleeing south, so he "turned back halfway in tears." Upon returning to Liaoyang, Yan Mingtai argued that Shenyang was undefendable and that Liaoyang should be defended exclusively. However, Xiong Tingbi did not dismiss him from his post, as he resigned shortly thereafter, citing illness.

At this time, He Shixian, the commander of Hupiyi and the commander-in-chief after Li Rubai with the title of deputy governor, also made similar suggestions to Xiong Tingbi.

After careful consideration, Xiong Tingbi decided to adopt the strategy of "combining Shen and protecting Liao".

The so-called "annex Shenyang and defend Liaoyang" actually meant abandoning Shenyang and concentrating troops to annex Liaoyang. On September 11th, Xiong Tingbi submitted a memorial to the already terminally ill and bedridden Emperor Wanli. He stated: "Since the capture of the Northern Pass by the enemy, morale has collapsed. Shenyang, left empty and unable to defend itself, is untenable." According to officials like Han Yuanshan and Yan Mingtai, as well as officials and civilians in the city, they all want to annex Liaoyang and withdraw troops for self-defense. Judging from human sentiment and circumstances, this is a necessary evil. Retreating and defending oneself is shameful and indignant. If we can invoke the Emperor's spirit and defend Liaoyang, we can wait until the second or third month of next spring, when a large army has been assembled, and then attempt to recover."

Xiong Tingbi chose this strategy not only because of the advice of provincial governors and garrison commanders, but also based on the realities he witnessed firsthand. He submitted a memorial to the Ministry of War, outlining the current situation in Liaodong. He wrote: "Since the rebels surrendered to Fushun, conquered Qinghe, and defeated three armies, they have become incredibly arrogant and aggressive. At the same time, fearing a massive reinforcement from Guanxi, they dared not venture forth lightly." With Kaiyuan and Tieling surrendering without a fight, and Yipu and Liaoshen fleeing without a fight, the plan to seize Liaoshen was sealed.

Although General Li Ruzhen and his men were assigned to defend Shenyang, aided by Li Guangrong's troops from Hexi, totaling tens of thousands, only a few thousand were capable of fighting. General He Shixian, assigned to defend Hupiyi, supported the Liaoshen troops, though numbering several thousand, only 2400 to 2500 were capable of fighting. General Chai Guozhu, assigned to defend Liaoyang, although he had 20,000 to 30,000 Sichuan troops and remnants, all without armor, horses, or weapons. They were incapable of fighting, and lacked firearms to defend the city. The generals, lieutenants, captains, and other officers were all slaughtered by the bandits, leaving the troops without a leader. To this day, Liao is practically without an army.

However, Xiong Tingbi's "combining Shenyang and protecting Liaoyang" didn't mean withdrawing all the garrisons from Shenyang and handing it over to the chieftains. Rather, he decided not to defend Shenyang to the bitter end when the chieftains besieged it. Specifically, he stationed a small force in Shenyang and assigned He Shixian, Li Huaixin, and Chai Guozhu to the Hupiyi area, blocking the enemy's path, guarding Shenyang to the north and protecting Liaoyang to the south. If he could hold Shenyang, he would defend it; if he couldn't, he would concentrate his forces on Liaoyang.

Whether it was the advice of the provincial governors or his own experience, Xiong Tingbi's courage and ability to adopt the strategy of "annexing Shen and protecting Liao" was due to the emperor's full support. As long as the emperor's support remained, and Liaoyang, the last hurdle in Liaodong's overall situation, remained, there was still hope for the Liao cause.

Although the Wanli Emperor was foolish, lazy, stingy, and hedonistic, he had one good point: if he wanted to use someone, he would give them complete trust. The Wanli Emperor agreed in principle to the strategy of abandoning Shenyang and defending Liaoyang, allowing Xiong Tingbi to make his own decision. In September, the Emperor replied: Shenyang was difficult to defend, so returning troops to jointly defend Liaoyang was a good strategy. Xiong Tingbi also considered the urgency of the enemy's situation and took a long-term approach, striving to preserve the isolated city and prevent them from advancing further.

The emperor ignored all of Xiong Tingbi's impeachments and accusations, even personally issuing an edict to appease him when he became upset and considered resigning after being scolded by the censors. In July of the 48th year of the Wanli reign, before his death, the emperor sent Xiong Tingbi a final reply, stating: "I have read your report and learned that you have been working tirelessly at the border, suffering from various illnesses due to the exhaustion and hardship. I feel deeply sorry for you. However, the enemy forces are now gathering at the border, with sinister plots. This is not the time for you to resign. You should be carefully redeployed within the army until you have fully recovered, to reassure the people and fulfill the trust placed in you by the court. You are not allowed to resign."

Such treatment would have envied the temple priest Li Tingji. Li Tingji, a top minister who ranked second in the imperial examination alongside Fang Congzhe, submitted over 120 letters of resignation to the emperor during his four-year tenure, but received no response. Finally, in a fit of anger, he fled.
Xiong Tingbi was ready to abandon Shenyang, but Nurhaci did not launch an attack on the Ming Dynasty during the window period of overall turmoil in Liaodong in the 47th year of Wanli. Instead, he led his troops eastward and pointed his sword at Yehe, the northern gate of the Ming Dynasty.

The fall of Yehe tribe dealt a blow to the morale of the Ming army, but it also gave Xiong Tingbi time to reinforce Shenyang.

In the first month of the 48th year of the Wanli reign, Xiong Tingbi redeployed the defenses of Shenyang during the winter truce. To this end, Xiong Tingbi personally relocated to Shenyang to rebuild the city's defenses and build the new Fengji Fort. He even personally visited the ancient city of Fushun, destroyed by Nurhaci, to survey the terrain. Exhausted by months of hard work, Xiong Tingbi vomited blood on May 21st. However, on June 1st, Xiong Tingbi resumed his duties and, on the fourth day, inspected the newly built Fengji Fort. He then traveled to Qinghe, Kuandian, and Zhenjiang. Under his leadership, the Shenyang-Fengshun defensive line was completed, and Liaodong was finally stabilized.

The Shenfeng Defense Line proved its effectiveness in actual combat.

On June 12, the 48th year of the Wanli reign, the chieftains mobilized tens of thousands of troops, pressing directly against the Shenyang-Fengji defensive line. Records describe the soldiers' "yellow canopies shone in the sun, and banners illuminated the sky." A vanguard of 20,000 men marched directly toward Shenyang, followed by a reinforcement force of 40,000. Another 10,000 troops emerged from Dongzhou Fort and charged directly against the nearby Fengji Fort.

He Shixian, the general defending Shenyang, personally led the Ming army to meet the enemy twenty miles east of the city. After a fierce field battle, the Eight Banners retreated fifteen miles and camped. Fengji, located in a corner of Shenyang, also responded calmly. General Chai Guozhu led his troops to engage the Later Jin at Xiaojiashan and Yutiaozhai, thirty miles east of the fort. Because the reorganized Ming army "strictly adhered to the law and obeyed orders," various Ming troops launched offensives to intercept the enemy, fighting from both north and south. When the Eight Banners' offensive proved fruitless, they abandoned countless siege ladders and hooks and retreated in frustration.

Then, the world changed drastically. On July 21, the 48th year of the Wanli reign, Emperor Wanli passed away. On August 1, Emperor Taichang ascended the throne.

On August 20th, a major event occurred in Beijing. Imperial Censor Wu Liangsi submitted a memorial impeaching Left Governor Zheng Yangxing for twelve major crimes, including corruption, bribery, excessive salary withdrawal, disregard for human life, illegal occupation of private homes, and the abduction of women. The Zheng Yangxing case, sparked by Wu Liangsi's impeachment, led to a series of far-reaching and significant events, so much so that a minor incident that occurred that same day is often forgotten.

The Imperial Household Department sent a message to the Cabinet, ordering it to draft an imperial decree to be issued: Yao Zongwen, the Imperial Censor, was demoted to a commoner. Xiong Tingbi, the Liaodong Governor, was promoted to the rank of Left Vice Minister of War and concurrently Left Censor-in-Chief for his meritorious service in defending the border, and was awarded 100 taels of silver.

The next day, August 21, the 48th year of the Wanli reign, the imperial edict sent to Liaodong left Beijing. That same day, a large number of chieftains entered the country through Fushun Pass, splitting into two groups, one heading west and the other north, heading straight for Puhe and Yilu. This marked the beginning of the Battle of Puhe.

The Battle of Shenfeng on June 12 and the Battle of Puhe on August 21 seemed large in scale, but lasted for a very short time. Both sides engaged in combat, fought for a while, suffered casualties, and then retreated.

Despite the limited gains, the two battles were still of great significance. Xiong Tingbi's strategy proved effective and its execution was flawless. The Ming army finally stopped collapsing at the first blow, as it had done after the devastating defeat at Sarhu, and was forced to retreat after climbing the city walls.

Moreover, for the emperor, the Battle of Shenfeng and the Battle of Puhe had another meaning. Through the battle reports from the front line, the emperor confirmed the false accusations against Xiong Tingbi by Yang Yuan, Feng Sanyuan, Gu Xu and others, and used this to strike at Donglin and temporarily end the party disputes.

------

Sun Chuanting has been in Liaodong for some time.

It was almost mid-winter when he arrived in Beijing. He still remembered the weather playing tricks on him the day he arrived: thick, dark clouds hung from the sky, but no snow fell. He didn't know whether to call Sun Chuanting's luck good or bad. The day before he arrived to reply to the letter, the Imperial Guards accused the Donglin Clan of conspiracy, infuriating the emperor, who ordered a city-wide search. The Imperial Guards had clearly come prepared; they arrested dozens of people, leaving every government office in a gloomy mood and the Ministry of Internal Affairs overcrowded. Sun Chuanting replied with difficulty, then followed the instructions, spinning around the Daming Gate like a spinning top.

While going to the Ministry of Revenue to verify and claim travel expenses, he stumbled upon the heads of the two departments of Rites and Households gathered for a meeting. This had nothing to do with him, but Sun Chuanting was eager to meet Xu Guangqi. He had heard that Xu Guangqi had been summoned to Beijing to be appointed Minister of Rites because of his "knowledge of military affairs." Furthermore, the Tongzhou soldiers Xu Guangqi had trained were eventually incorporated into the Imperial Guard. This was truly bizarre.

Sun Chuanting wasn't one for gossip, and he wasn't in the mood to understand the hidden truth behind this strange incident. He simply wanted to discuss the situation in Liaodong with Xu Libu and hear his opinion on the situation. After all, the Tongzhou troops assigned to the Western Factory were destined to be sent north to aid Liaodong.

However, Sun Chuanting did not meet Xu Guangqi, because he left after receiving the travel expenses.

The reason was simple. At that time, it would be unreasonable not to treat someone to a meal if he stopped to chat. But he had already eaten, and he didn't have the spare money to treat a second-rank official to a meal. After being promoted, he still had to pay for the official uniform.

That afternoon, Sun Chuanting went to the Censorate to report on his arrival as censor. He encountered the censors spitting at each other in a furious rage. Left Censor-in-Chief Zhang Wenda was so worried he sighed eight times with every word. Fortunately, Zhang Wenda didn't let the Donglin Party case derail his work and immediately signed and stamped the document.

The next day, the cabinet sent an order to Sun Chuanting, ordering him to leave for Liaodong immediately. Sun Chuanting didn't know why the cabinet was so anxious, specifically issuing an order to him, a lowly sixth-rank official, as if they were afraid he would stay in Beijing for too long.

The journey from the capital to Shenyang was a turbulent one. Sun Chuanting encountered refugees fleeing north and south, and heard reports of bandits robbing and killing refugees and merchants almost daily. Fortunately, the imperial court's constitution remained in place, so bandits dared not rob officials. Otherwise, he would have had to resort to murderous tactics to reach Liaodong.

------

On the day of the Yamen photocopying, Sun Chuanting woke up bright and early. To be more precise, Sun Chuanting had to get up early every day. Officials in Beijing could take their annual leave, even visiting the Lantern Festival. But those on the front lines had to find ways to take some time off.

Following Xiong Jinglüe's example, Shenyang's civil and military officials didn't even celebrate Lunar New Year's Day. After offering their New Year's greetings to the emperor in Beijing, they immediately returned to their work of building fortifications and training soldiers. Officials complained a bit, but not much. They all knew that working overtime now was better than being killed by the chieftains in the city when the war resumed. The soldiers had even less to complain about. The court had, for the first time, supplemented their salaries, not to mention that they were even provided with imperial rations during their training. This was the wisdom of the emperor and the wisdom of the lord.

"My lord." Seeing her husband put down his bowl and chopsticks and stand up, Zhang immediately picked up a thick cotton robe from the stool beside her, shook it open, and put it on Sun Chuanting.

Sun Chuanting's wife, Zhang, had recently arrived in Liaodong. On the day he left Beijing, Sun Chuanting wrote a letter and sent money to Yongcheng, asking his wife to move to Shenyang. Zhang was his second wife; his first wife, Feng, had passed away in the 39th year of the Wanli reign. Feng was only seventeen when she died, and Sun Chuanting himself was only eighteen at the time. After Feng's death, Sun Chuanting married the concubine daughter of Zhang Zhijie, the Nanjing Tongzhengshi, as his second wife.

The reason why Sun Chuanting only allowed his wife to live with him was, firstly, because Sun Chuanting's income was not enough to support the expenses of a wife, a concubine and a son, and secondly, because his mother, Wu, had some illness and needed someone to take care of her.

Sun Chuanting currently has a son, Sun Shirui. This son was not born to his first wife, Feng, nor to his second wife, Zhang. Instead, he was born to his first concubine, Shi. Shi was taken in by his mother, Wu, after Sun Chuanting finished mourning for his father, Sun Yuanzhen, in the 46th year of the Wanli reign. Fortunately, Shi became pregnant the same year she was brought into the Sun household and gave birth to his current son.

"As usual, don't prepare dinner for me tonight." Sun Chuanting tightened his cotton robe, covering the egret patch on his chest that marked his position as a sixth-rank civil servant.

Although the Sun family had produced several successful candidates in the imperial examinations, they hadn't achieved a single jinshi degree. They weren't particularly wealthy, after all. Therefore, after his promotion, he didn't have his official robes remade. A custom-made official robe would cost at least five taels of silver, while buying a patch and sewing it himself would only cost one tael. Civil officials of the fifth to seventh ranks all wore blue robes anyway, so simply replacing the seventh-rank official's 鸂鶒 patch with the sixth-rank official's egret patch would have been enough. As for sewing, what woman these days couldn't sew?

"Still eating in the military camp?" Zhang was more than a head shorter than Sun Chuanting, so even if Sun Chuanting lowered his head slightly, Zhang still had to stand on tiptoe to put his hat on him.

"Not necessarily. It could be at Xiong Zuotang's headquarters." Currently, Sun Chuanting's home only had a bronze mirror that Zhang had brought from Yongcheng. But rather than using a woman's mirror to straighten his clothes, Sun Chuanting preferred to have a woman do it for him.

"Is something big happening?" Zhang asked worriedly.

The city had been in turmoil lately. Since the start of spring, the number of patrolling soldiers had doubled, and General Xiong had been lingering in Shenyang. Even a woman like Zhang, who only went out to buy food, knew something big was about to happen.

"Yeah. There's something going on." Sun Chuanting nodded, but didn't elaborate. "Just stay home and don't run around. I'll be going."

"Okay." Zhang accompanied Sun Chuanting all the way to the courtyard gate and said, "Sir, take care."

(End of this chapter)