Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 222 The Three Horsemen of Liaodong

After leaving home, Sun Chuanting first went to the military camp of General He Shixian.

Currently, Shenyang has a garrison of nearly 20,000 troops, stationed in various barracks on both sides of the city wall. He Shixian is their commander-in-chief, and his central headquarters is located on the edge of the city wall near the East Gate. The East Gate is the main entrance facing Fushun and Hetuala. If the chieftains attack Shenyang, this place will bear the brunt of the attack.

As soon as Sun Chuanting arrived at the entrance to the military camp, he heard someone loudly greet him. "Master Sun!"

As soon as Sun Chuanting heard the voice, he knew the person greeting him was You Shigong, the deputy general defending Shenyang. "What are you doing here, Lieutenant General You?"

The deputy general, also known as the deputy commander, likely originated from the deputy generals of the early Ming Dynasty. The deputy generals in the nine frontier regions were divided into garrison, auxiliary garrison, and divisional garrison positions. Garrison positions were less common, as defending territory was often the responsibility of the general. The auxiliary garrison deputy general's duties primarily involved assisting the general in training troops and horses, repairing the city walls, supervising watchtowers, defending against invaders, providing relief to soldiers, protecting residents, and, in the event of an emergency, leading troops to fight the enemy. Divisional garrison deputy generals were often stationed in towns and fortresses outside the town, directly commanding their special forces and serving as a supporting force alongside the town.

According to Sun Chuanting's understanding, You Shigong, who was in charge of training the military horses, should be in the military camp outside the city at this moment.

"Whatever you are doing here is what I am doing here." You Shigong smiled.

Sun Chuanting nodded slightly and exchanged greetings with You Shigong. Then, the two of them walked together towards the central military camp.

The guards at the central military camp immediately came forward to greet the two men, shouting, "Greetings to Commander Sun and Deputy Commander You."

Sun Chuanting ignored him and directly opened the curtain to enter the central army tent. As soon as he entered, he immediately saw a red-faced strong man with a full beard who was hurriedly packing something.

"General He, have you been drinking again?" Sun Chuanting didn't give him any face. He directly pulled out He Shixian's wine jar and asked jokingly, "General He, are you still awake or did you just wake up?"

"Just woke up." He Shixian dusted off the slightly yellowed cotton pad, indicating that he was not wearing armor.

"Drinking right after waking up?" Sun Chuanting spread out his palms and waved at He Shixian.

Now that he'd been caught red-handed, He Shixian became shameless once again, and the redness on his face faded a little. "I just took a sip. I was just trying to sober up quickly," he said as he handed the cork he was holding to Sun Chuanting.

"I am not only the head of the Ministry of War, I also hold the title of Censor of the Censorate. Do you know what a Censor does?" Sun Chuanting put the stopper back into the jar and said.

"Tsk, what else could it be?" He Shixian said in a teasing tone. "Minding other people's business?"

"The role of the Fengxian officer is to keep an eye on people like you to prevent you from drinking too much and making mistakes at critical moments." Sun Chuanting put the corked wine jug back to where He Shixian usually kept his wine.

"Look at what you said, I haven't delayed anything." He Shixian is a heavy drinker. Whenever he has free time, he wants to have a drink. This is known to everyone.

"We haven't delayed anything yet." Sun Chuanting's tone was calm, not at all aggressive. "Hurry up and pack your things. Master Yuan and Master Yang will be here today. We need to go to the South Gate to welcome them."

"Maybe Lord Zuotang has already arrived." You Shigong interrupted.

"Don't poke my lungs when you see Master Zuotang." He Shixian said with a shameless face, "Just consider it a favor."

------

Liaoyang was the most important town facing Hetuala to the east. Forts, passes, and major cities, including Liaoyang and Fengji, were all southwest of Shenyang. Therefore, Yuan Yingtai, the Liaodong Governor who remained in Liaoyang to oversee the transportation of supplies and personnel, and Yang Lian, the Liaodong Inspector General who inspected the various passes and forts in Liaodong, would undoubtedly enter the city through the south gate.

When Sun Chuanting, He Shixian, and You Shigong arrived at the city gate tower with a group of mid-level officers, Xiong Tingbi, the Liaodong Governor, was already standing there, wearing his bright red civil official robe with peacock patches. Over the robe, he wore a black velvet cloak to protect him from the cold. Xiong Tingbi didn't have a typical long beard; he had only two wisps of hair, a tuft on top, for a total of three. But he was a burly figure, over seven feet tall, with a prominent, rounded belly, giving him the air of a fierce general.

Seeing Xiong Tingbi, He Shixian instinctively shrank his neck. Ever since the last Battle of Puhe, when he couldn't resist the urge to lead the cavalry out of the city to meet the enemy, Xiong Tingbi had been scolding him. Basically, he scolded him every time they met, and sometimes, when he remembered him, he would go to him specifically to scold him for a while.

"Greetings, Master Zuotang," Sun Chuanting stepped forward quickly, clasping his fists and bowing. He Shixian and You Shigong also stepped forward, but they knelt on one knee, the military officer's formality.

Xiong Tingbi bowed in return and waved his hand, saying, "If you're here, go to the back and wait." Then, Xiong Tingbi waved towards Sun Chuanting, saying, "Sun Boya, come here."

Sun Chuanting shuddered. He always felt that Xiong Tingbi looked at him as if he were his son.

Xiong Tingbi really liked this young man. Before Sun Chuanting arrived in Liaodong, Xiong Tingbi received a notice from the cabinet and knew that he was coming. At first, Xiong Tingbi was very confused and couldn't understand why the cabinet would transfer a newly-minted Jinshi in the 47th year of Wanli from Henan to Liaodong and even send him to Shenyang. He initially thought that Sun Chuanting was a relative of a high-ranking official with the surname Sun and that he would be promoted because of his military merits. But then he thought it was not right. After the Gao Huai Liao Rebellion, Liaodong was no longer a good place to gild itself, and since the defeat at Sarhu, it has become a bad place that people avoid. People like Han Yuanshan and Yan Mingtai would rather lose their official positions than come.

After checking, Xiong Tingbi found that Sun Chuanting was indeed no one. He was just an ordinary Jinshi and an ordinary county magistrate.

But when Xiong Tingbi actually saw this imposing young man, eight feet tall, he immediately took a liking to him and felt that the imperial court had good taste. He wanted to test Sun Chuanting's skill, so he instigated a duel between He Shixian and Sun Chuanting. The result was not surprising: Sun Chuanting lost three matches and won only one.

He Shixian triumphed greatly in cavalry and on foot, narrowly won in bare-chested combat, and narrowly lost in archery. This was already quite impressive. Though nearly fifty years old, He Shixian was, after all, a veteran with a lifetime of experience in battle. If he had lost both cavalry and on foot right out of the gate to a scholar with no battlefield experience, He Shixian would have been finished.

But Sun Chuanting was eager to learn, and he would regularly visit He Shixian's camp to ask for a sparring match. Sun Chuanting learned quickly, and after He Shixian defeated him twice, he had mastered his moves. Gradually, He Shixian began to narrowly defeat him in both cavalry and foot combat. He Shixian, though thick-skinned, was not shameless. When he began to feel that Sun Chuanting was deliberately letting him down, he stopped sparring with Sun Chuanting.

Sun Chuanting stood quietly beside Xiong Tingbi, like a wooden mallet. "Did He Shixian drink his morning wine again?" Xiong Tingbi asked suddenly.

"Ah, sir, what did you say?" Sun Chuanting was staring at the cannon on the city wall in a daze. He didn't expect Xiong Tingbi to suddenly ask such a question.

"He Shixian must have been drinking again. I smelled alcohol when he came over just now." Xiong Tingbi glanced back, but He Shixian was standing in a position where he had to turn his head to see him.

"I drank a little. But not much." Sun Chuanting wouldn't take the initiative to ask. After all, He Shixian hadn't delayed anything, and Xiong Tingbi hadn't issued a ban on alcohol. But since Xiong Tingbi asked, he wouldn't lie.

He Shixian had good hearing and heard the conversation, so he moved back a little.

------

At the turn of the morning and evening, Yang Lian, the Liaodong inspector who was supervising the reinforcement of the city's defenses at Fengji Fort, arrived in Shenyang first. He was accompanied by Zu Dashou, the guerrilla general of the Jingyi Camp, and his five hundred personal guards, who were providing protection.

Zu Dashou had been accompanying his father on military campaigns since his youth, and even accompanied his father, Zu Chengxun, to Korea to fight against Japanese pirates during the Korean War. In the 31st year of the Wanli reign, Zu Chengxun retired due to old age, and his eldest son, Zu Dashou, succeeded him as deputy commander of the Ningyuan Guard. Zu Dashou, now 41, had fought in numerous battles, but for various reasons, he had been unable to advance, and to this day remained a guerrilla.

"Greetings, Lord Zuotang." The two men dismounted and walked up to Xiong Tingbi and bowed.

"No need to be so polite." Xiong Tingbi nodded and waved his hand, motioning Yang Lian to stand beside him. "Come stand next to me and wait. Yuan Dalai should be here in half an hour at most."

Just as Xiong Tingbi said, at the second quarter of the morning, Liaodong Governor Yuan Yingtai arrived at the south gate of Shenyang under the escort of Liaoyang guerrilla Mao Wenlong.

Mao Wenlong, a newly promoted guerrilla, repelled enemy forces at Xingshan Stronghold on October 7, the 48th year of the Wanli reign. He reportedly beheaded three enemy soldiers, one of whom he personally executed, earning approval from the Ministry of War. Xiong Tingbi, inspired by this achievement, petitioned the emperor to promote Mao Wenlong to the rank of Dusi (a military commander). The emperor not only approved the request but also promoted him to a guerrilla.

This unexpected promotion gave Mao Wenlong a feeling of finally getting a good rain after a long drought. Upon receiving the promotion order from the Ministry of War, the 44-year-old Mao Wenlong burst into tears of joy. Remember, he had been the Liaoyang garrison commander since the 36th year of the Wanli reign, and hadn't been promoted since then. It was as if he had been welded to that position.

Xiong Tingbi summoned Yuan Yingtai and Yang Lian. After greeting each other, Xiong Tingbi led everyone back to the Jinglüe headquarters in Shenyang for a meeting.

The Jinglüe Xingyuan was naturally located in the Shenyang Central Guard Command Office, located in the heart of Shenyang. This office was the largest of the various Liaodong garrison offices. This was because it was newly built on the site of the Prince of Shen's Palace.

On April 14, the 24th year of the Hongwu reign, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang appointed his 21st son, Zhu Mo, then only 11 years old, as Prince of Shen. He also designated Shenyang and Fushun as his fiefdoms. That same year, the prince's palace was completed, and Prince Shen was relocated. On September 4, the 6th year of the Yongle reign, Emperor Chengzu moved Prince Shen's fiefdom to Luzhou, Shanxi, but retained his title as Prince of Shen. On November 5, the same year, the prince's palace was completed, and Prince Shen moved to his fiefdom.

Zu Dashou and Mao Wenlong were naturally not qualified to attend the small meeting Xiong Tingbi was going to hold to discuss important matters. Therefore, they sent the four civil officials and two military officials who were attending the meeting to the headquarters of the governor and then returned to their own troops.

After arriving at the hall, the six civil and military officials tacitly took their seats in order of seniority. Xiong Tingbi, Left Vice Minister of War and Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, took the center seat. To his left sat Yuan Yingtai, Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and Governor of Liaodong. To his right sat Yang Lian, Right Censor-in-Chief, and Inspector of Liaodong. The three of them occupied the main desk facing south.

In addition to the three people, Sun Chuanting, the head of the Ministry of War and the Censor of the Censorate, who was inspecting Shenyang, the general He Shixian, and the deputy general You Shigong were seated according to the order of civil officials on the left and military officials on the right, and high and low.

Xiong, Yuan and Yang, who occupied the main seats facing south, had very clear division of labor under the emperor's arrangement. They cooperated with each other to form the three horses that stabilized the Liaodong area.

Needless to say, Xiong Tingbi, with the full support of two generations of emperors, was the absolute chief officer in charge of Liaodong's military and political affairs, even holding the power of life and death. With the exception of civil servants holding the title of Duchayuan, he had the power to execute officials in the entire Liaodong region first and report to the emperor later.

Yuan Yingtai and Yang Lian both served as Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, but their duties overlapped completely. Yuan Yingtai was the Governor of Liaodong, but his responsibilities were almost exclusively focused on civil administration, material distribution, and engineering construction between Liaodong and Shenyang; he had no involvement in military affairs. After Yang Lian arrived, he even abandoned the title of Censor-in-Chief entirely, never again performing duties as a censor, and became a purely administrative official.

After Yang Lian arrived in Liao, he immediately replaced Xiong Tingbi as the new official who consumed the most horse feed. He traveled all over Liaodong once a month on average, which almost drove Zu Dashou, Xiong Tingbi's assigned bodyguard, to the brink of collapse.

The honor of "National Most Honest Official" was no joke. After Yang Lian's probationary period at the Ministry of Rites, he was appointed a county governor. To truly understand the local people, Yang Lian often traveled incognito, dressed in plain clothes and cloth shoes, riding a donkey, to visit the fields and homes. In a short period of time, he gained a thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his neighborhood, earning him the support of the people.

During his inspection tour of Liao, Yang Lian resolutely carried out the emperor's instructions. While on patrol, he neither interfered in military affairs nor in civil matters. He simply kept a notebook, recording the progress of construction projects, the training of soldiers, and verifying the distribution of military rations and salaries. If the progress or situation did not align with Xiong Tingbi's plan, he would submit a report to the military governor's headquarters. If he discovered anyone collecting unpaid wages or embezzling military funds from the Ministry of War, he would directly report to Beijing.

The civil and military officials in Liaodong had never seen such a person before. Whenever they thought that Inspector Yang was coming to their jurisdiction, they felt as uncomfortable as if they were visiting a grave.

However, Yang Lian was no fool. He also reported this to the emperor in a secret memorial, saying that Liaodong was no different from other garrisons, and that the officers' normal income was low. He asked the emperor to give them a little more money when rewarding the troops. The emperor's reply was also simple: just three words: "Tell me the number."

(End of this chapter)