Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 296: Thousands of Miles to the Battlefield

"Is it a reward from His Majesty? I thought it would be sent to Ningyuan." As Yang Lian's personal bodyguard, he knew about the reward before many others. He also knew that the reward was sent directly to his home.

Xiong Tingbi put down the cup, looked up and asked, "Do you know everything?"

"The Zhongcheng told me everything." Although there was an extra step to go through, Zu Dashou was still very happy.

"Hmph." Xiong Tingbi chuckled. "Sending you to Ningyuan? Should I just turn it into silver liquid and pour it into your stomach?"

"You can't just drink it casually." Zu Dashou immediately realized that he had said something wrong, and nodded his head with a wry smile.

Xiong Tingbi knew this guy was just like that, and he didn't want to argue with him. "Pick up the things and put them on the table, and you can leave."

"Yes." Zu Dashou immediately obeyed and bowed in farewell. "I'll take my leave."

"Go ahead." Xiong Tingbi nodded.

Zu Dashou turned around in response. But before he had taken a few steps, Xiong Tingbi stopped him. "Wait."

"What instructions does Zuo Tang have?" Zu Dashou turned around suddenly and flashed back to Xiong Tingbi.

"When will you return to Shenyang?" Xiong Tingbi asked.

"I'll rest until tomorrow and then leave." Zu Dashou replied.

"Okay." Xiong Tingbi said, "Then please give Yang Wenru a message for me."

"Please speak, Mr. Zuo Tang." Zu Dashou said.

"Please thank Yang Wenru for me." Xiong Tingbi let out a long sigh silently.

"What are you thanking me for?" Zu Dashou was puzzled.

"Don't ask so many questions. Just say thank you." Xiong Tingbi waved his hand.

Zu Dashou was stunned for a moment. He couldn't understand what was going on and just replied blankly, "Yes. I will definitely pass on the message."

Xiong Tingbi nodded silently.

After Zu Dashou disappeared around the corner, Xiong Tingbi reached out and took the package placed on the top envelope. When he opened it, the first thing he saw was Yang Lian's memorial to the emperor.

Xiong Tingbi did not open it immediately, but put it aside and first looked through the prisoner's confession and the circumstantial evidence collected by Sun Chuanting. The circumstantial evidence was detailed and the chain of evidence was complete, which reassured Xiong Tingbi.

The only thing that puzzled him was the confession of the prisoner, Father Mendoza. This confession was so detailed, so detailed that it was eerie, as if someone had cut out their own heart and placed it in front of you.

The confession, written in not-quite-beautiful italic script, not only clearly outlined Father Mendoza's motives and beliefs, but also recorded the puzzling "anti-poems" he had composed. Worse still, the signature was bilingual. Father Mendoza hadn't chosen a simple Chinese name; the Chinese signature, Alfaro González de Mendoza, was simply a transliteration of the Latin.

However, just as Xiong Tingbi was completely unable to understand this missionary, Father Mendoza did not understand the Ming Dynasty, Liaodong, and even less so Xiong Tingbi.

He had thought he would face a grand trial, where he would sit in the dock as a martyr, using the deep voice of a preacher to engage in a wonderful debate with the lambs contaminated by Lucifer. And in the debate, he would give these lambs a thorough spiritual baptism.

But what he hadn't anticipated was that the Liaodong provincial governors were no match for the officials the Jesuits had encountered in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Jiangnan. Xiong Tingbi didn't even give him the chance to misinterpret his actions. He executed him without further ado, leaving him no room for maneuver and turning him into a deadly head.

It was not until he was taken to the execution platform at the city entrance and saw the two heads of the thieves hanging high in the air that Father Mendoza realized that there was no trial, no debate, no baptism here, only the execution of traitors by the court.

Just like that, two people who didn't understand each other came together in a way that neither of them had imagined beforehand.

Xiong Tingbi silently read the confession and circumstantial evidence, then picked up Yang Lian's memorial and began to read it. He only glanced at it briefly before forcing his own name in front of Yang Lian's signature and affixing the seal of the governor that Emperor Shenzong had ordered him to use.

"Someone come here." After doing all this, Xiong Tingbi called out loudly.

"Master Zuotang." A burly soldier in full armor came to Xiong Tingbi and waited for orders.

"Send a special person to rush these things to Beijing," Xiong Tingbi ordered. "Send the memorial to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the letter and confession to the Censorate."

"Yes."

--------

At dusk that day, when the city gates were about to close, the transport team from Haizhou finally arrived in Liaoyang after several days of trekking.

Along with this transport team came the selected witnesses who had come to witness the execution. They arrived in Liaoyang with the transport team because Zhang Quan, the military officer, figured that one trip was enough to transport the supplies, and two trips would be enough, and since the supplies waiting to be sent had been packed, he arranged for a detachment of cavalry to deliver the newly received donkeys, mules, and grain, along with 8,000 kilograms of newly manufactured gunpowder from the interior, to Liaoyang.

Ding Baiying had infiltrated this transport convoy. The imperial court's controls never relaxed, and even in the end, the poor female escort still couldn't get a horse, forcing her to move quietly on foot with the transport convoy. However, she didn't mind this much; her primary reason for buying a horse was safety, not speed. Since the soldiers could also provide her with free security, she was happy to save the money she would have spent on a horse.

After arriving in Liaoyang, Ding Baiying didn't immediately seek out the female general she'd become obsessed with. Instead, she found a random inn near the city gate to stay. She decided to wash off the dust and grease first, rest for a night, and then dress herself up to look impressive before heading out to find the southern troops' camp.

Tuk Tuk!

Ding Baiying knocked on the counter and said, "Excuse me. Stay at the hotel."

"Document." The elderly shopkeeper was obviously tired. He yawned while flipping through the registration book.

"Please." It was still the same things. "Southerner?" The shopkeeper blinked his cloudy old eyes, only then noticing the strangeness of Ding Baiying's accent.

"Yes." Ding Baiying nodded.

"You've left Nanjing to suffer in Liaodong." The shopkeeper gestured to the large tag hanging behind him. He then picked up his brush and drained the remaining ink on the edge of his inkstone. He added, "The prices are listed above. No bargaining. Which one do you want?"

"Just a single room where people don't live together would be fine." Ding Baiying said.

"The upper and middle rooms are both single rooms." This inn is much larger than the inn Ding Baiying stayed in Haizhou. The rooms alone are divided into four categories: upper, middle, lower rooms and dormitory rooms.

"Let's take the middle room." Ding Baiying looked at the sign, took out a penny and two cents, and placed it on the table. "One night's stay, plus a tray of steamed buns, half a roast chicken, and half a pound of offal. Half the offal can be used for soup, and the other half can be stir-fried. Plenty of salt."

"You eat alone?" The old shopkeeper was shocked by her appetite.

"Yes. I've been eating dry food for a few days and haven't eaten anything oily or watery. I just want to eat some meat." Ding Baiying nodded.

"All right." The shopkeeper recorded the relevant information in the booklet according to the document and weighed the silver. After confirming that it was correct, he took out a sign, handed it to Ding Baiying, and said, "Just find a servant and he will take you there."

"I also want a big bucket of hot water, the kind that can wash me clean. How much is it?" Ding Baiying took the room card, raised her head towards the big sign with the price, and said, "It's not written there."

"It's included in the room rate. Just ask and I'll bring it to you. Any amount is fine." Upper and middle rooms come with hot water and a simple meal. Those staying in lower rooms and dormitories usually don't pay for hot water. Even if they need to wash, they usually just draw a bucket of free cold water from the well. Therefore, the inn never lists a price for hot water.

"Thank you very much." Ding Baiying put away the badge and the letter, and said, "I want to ask you something."

"That's what you said." The shopkeeper put away the silver and blew dry the ink.

"I want to know where the barracks of Chieftain General Qin Liangyu are?" Ding Baiying asked straight to the point.

"Why are you asking this?" The shopkeeper's eyes immediately flashed with obvious vigilance.

"To join the army." Ding Baiying said.

"You should ask somewhere else. I don't know," the shopkeeper suggested. "If you really want to join the army, you can ask at the Military Preparation Office. That's where all the recruitment for Liaoyang is handled."

"Okay, thank you." Ding Baiying bowed and turned around, then grabbed a servant nearby and asked him to lead him to the room.

The service at this restaurant was very attentive, and meals were delivered directly to the rooms. While eating, Ding Baiying asked for hot water, and soon someone brought her a half-person-high wooden bathtub. While she ate, she silently watched the servants coming and going to fill it with water.

The servants were very diligent, and before she had finished her meal, the bathtub was already filled. After dinner, she first asked someone to take away the tableware, and then took out clean clothes wrapped in coarse cloth from her backpack, as well as some tools for washing herself.

After preparing everything, she bolted the wooden door and pulled the screen over to form a semicircle, leaving only a small opening that didn't face the door or windows. Ding Baiying had never served anyone before, nor had she been served by anyone before, so she was familiar with these matters. Even during her stay at Tianshi Zhang's mansion, she didn't consider herself a distinguished guest and resolutely refused the personal service Miss Zhang had arranged for her.

She shed all her clothing, piece by piece, from her cape to her midriff, then her waistband and bra, revealing a well-proportioned, healthy body that wasn't delicate, and certainly not fair or tender. Her skin was dotted with scars, some straight and some curved. There was a horrifying arrow wound on her right shoulder, near her neck. A few inches off, and it would have hit an artery, guaranteeing her death.

As the hot water washed over her body, a slightly oily film of dust immediately rose from the surface. Speaking of which, Ding Baiying's last full-body bath was the night before she left Beijing. Even when she stopped along the way, she only washed her hands and feet. She took the linen cloth that came with the warm water and scrubbed every inch of her skin, from toes to neck. This tedious yet deeply enjoyable self-cleansing lasted for a long time, until the daylight faded and the warm water turned cold. Only then did she emerge from the tub and dry herself with another, larger, clean linen cloth provided by the inn.

Finally, Ding Baiying changed into the clothes she'd carried all the way. She stretched gracefully, her limbs crackling and relaxing. The curfew gong rang, and the female escort, exhausted from nearly a month's journey, could finally lie down in bed and get a good night's sleep.

--------

The next day, at dawn, the streets became noisy. Ding Baiying rose from her bed, feeling like she had been reborn. She dressed and gathered her belongings. After making sure nothing was left behind, she pulled open the door, knife and gun in hand.

She took a deep breath facing the rising sun, and the scent of earth and spring sunshine immediately rushed into her nostrils, stimulating her lungs and resonating with her heartbeat.

After enjoying it for a while, Ding Baiying calmed down and went to the counter to return the wooden sign.

"The breakfast included in your room rate is steamed buns, porridge, and pickles. If you need anything, please come and get it yourself. There is nothing else you want to eat. The stove will not be lit this morning." It was the same old shopkeeper.

Even though Ding Baiying had no other needs, she still asked, "Why don't you light the stove?"

"Your Majesty is wise and wants Gao Huai to be killed today," the old shopkeeper said. "If it weren't for my old legs, I would have rushed over to join in the fun."

"Oh!" Ding Baiying suddenly remembered. She had heard about this in Haizhou, but she had never taken it to heart.

"If you want to see that bastard die, go now, don't dawdle." The old shopkeeper continued, "You're already late. Many people are waiting before curfew. But if you run faster, you might be able to squeeze in a front row. If you're any later, you really won't be able to catch it."

"Forget it. I don't want to join in the fun." Although Ding Baiying was a warrior and had killed people with her own hands, she was not bloodthirsty and had no interest in cruel punishments like lingchi. Moreover, as a young southerner, she found it difficult to understand the Liao people's hatred for Gao Huai.

"Where are the steamed buns, porridge, and pickles?" Ding Baiying was more concerned about breakfast than watching the execution.

"Here," the old shopkeeper shrugged, held out his hand, and guided him, "It's right there on the table. Just take it yourself."

"Thank you."

After breakfast, Ding Baiying left the inn, ready to search for the southern soldiers' camp. She thought it would take a while, but to her surprise, as soon as she left the house, she saw the neatly-formed Shiqu soldiers, armed with white spears, entering Liaoyang City through the small south gate.

This coincidence occurred because the Zhongwei Granary, Liaoyang City's most important granary, was located next to the Xiaonan Gate. The transport convoy from Haizhou, with the exception of those carrying gunpowder at the end who would detour through the West Gate to deliver the gunpowder directly to the rebuilt Shenji Hangar, all other personnel and livestock entered the city through the Xiaonan Gate. Ding Baiying, accompanying the main force, naturally entered through the Xiaonan Gate. Xiong Tingbi had stationed over 10,000 southern troops, including those from Zhejiang and Tu, between the Xiaonan Gate and the Xiaonan Gate.

(End of this chapter)