White Horse, Silver Spear, Grand Commandant Gao

"Gao Xingzhou is going too far! I've kept to myself, yet you dare to provoke the master."

"Brother Bai, you've been cursing for days now. How do you plan to respond to the governor's office? Dragging this out isn't a solution."

"Ignore him! Let's see what he can do to me. If he angers the master, he'll rebel!"

Although Bai Wenshen spoke harshly, he knew in his heart that with less than four hundred soldiers from Bao'an Town, it was utterly futile to fight against thousands of troops from an entire prefecture. This was essentially the same principle as a prefecture rebelling and being unable to withstand an imperial army several times larger.

Moreover, he knew his reputation among the people. Fortunately, the people were too scattered to resist. If they found out that he had a military governor backing him up, these commoners would surely turn the world upside down.

"Gao Xingzhou's issuance of the transfer order was within his authority and responsibility. If he is held accountable for disobeying orders, what should be done?"

Bai Wenshen felt that ever since the transfer order was issued, his subordinates' eyes and thoughts had changed. They were no longer as obedient as before, and even dared to ask him what to do.

Shouldn't you be the ones to come up with a solution, while I just nod and shake my head?

"It's alright, I've already sent a letter to my elder brother, Gao Xingzhou will definitely give him face."

However, Bai Wenshen knew that it was unlikely that the position of the Prefect of Daizhou would be enough to persuade Gao Xingzhou to cancel the transfer order.

Just as he was feeling troubled, the clerk rushed in and delivered a shocking piece of news: "Rumor has it that Prince Lu has rebelled in Fengxiang Prefecture, and the imperial court has dispatched a large army to quell the rebellion!"

Bai Wenshen was immediately struck by a flash of inspiration and burst into laughter: "Heaven is helping me!"

……

The 27th day of the second month of the first year of Ying Shun (1647), Dingyou day.

The imperial court officially announced the lineup for the campaign against Li Congke.

Wang Sitong was appointed as Tongpingzhangshi, prefect of Fengxiang, and commander-in-chief of the western expeditionary force.

Yao Yanchou, the former military governor of Binzhou, was appointed as the deputy commander.

An Yanwei, the military governor of Hezhong, was appointed as the military commander.

Chang Congjian, the former governor of Jiangzhou, was appointed as the commander of the cavalry and infantry.

At the level of the mobilized combat troops, there were Wang Sitong's Xijing Garrison, An Yanwei's Hezhong Prefecture National Protection Army, plus Zhang Qianzhao of Shannan West Circuit, Sun Hanshao of Yangzhou Wuding Army, Zhang Congbin of Jingzhou Zhangyi Army, and Kang Fu of Binzhou Jingnan Army, totaling six garrisons.

In addition, the Imperial Guards dispatched a portion of the Left Wing of the Imperial Guard Infantry and a portion of the Right Feathered Forest Army that had been stationed with Zhang Qianzhao in Xingyuan Prefecture, respectively under the command of Commanders Yin Hui and Yang Siquan, as their subordinates.

In terms of troop numbers alone, it has already surpassed last year's campaign against Xia Prefecture. However, having Wang Sitong as the main commander is a result of settling for second best.

This position should have belonged to Kang Yicheng, who was the Grand Commandant, concurrently serving as the Attendant-in-Ordinary, in charge of the affairs of the Six Armies and the Imperial Guards, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Cavalry and Infantry.

According to the Tang system, the emperor had six armies and various guards under his command.

The six armies—the Left and Right Feathered Forest Guards, the Left and Right Divine Martial Guards, and the Left and Right Dragon Martial Guards—were formerly the Northern Imperial Guards, and their commanders were called Commanders. During the suppression of the rebellion in Dingzhou, Gao Xingzhou and Fu Yanqing each led one Dragon Martial Army in the battle.

The Sixteen Guards of the Tang Dynasty consisted of the Left and Right Guards, the Left and Right Martial Guards, the Left and Right Majestic Guards, the Left and Right Valiant Guards, the Left and Right Golden Guards, the Left and Right Gate Guards, the Left and Right Leading Army Guards, and the Left and Right Thousand Ox Guards.

The various guards were stationed in the center to defend against external threats, with the Guard Commander's Office remotely overseeing six hundred military districts. Because the Guard Commander's Office was located south of the Imperial City, it was also known as the Southern Garrison.

The northern and southern armies were stationed in alternating guard posts, thus restraining each other. Furthermore, a high-ranking official or member of the imperial family was appointed to oversee the affairs of the six armies and all guards. In this way, a powerful ruler could control the military power of the entire country. This was the old system of the court generals and the emperor's army.

However, with the collapse of the military system and the rise of regional military governors, the military governorships no longer commanded troops outside the capital, but only retained the functions of ceremonial processions and guarding the capital.

The Imperial Guards were outside the Six Armies and other guards.

Each regional military force had one commander; when all the armies of a prefecture were combined, a commander-in-chief of cavalry and infantry was appointed.

The Liang dynasty established its rule with the Xuanwu Army, and following the old system, it established the Commander-in-Chief of the Cavalry and Infantry in the capital. The late emperor later changed it to the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard Cavalry and Infantry, and judging from the title, it can be known that it was the emperor's private army.

When the late emperor was alive, he himself was a general, and the commander-in-chief was merely acting as the commander of troops; the new emperor is young, so the position is more important and has become a powerful military post.

Kang Yicheng succeeded Shi Jingtang as the second commander of the Imperial Guards, thus gaining control of the military in the capital.

Although he was unaware of the profound impact this position would have on the next twenty years, he knew at least that the new emperor had placed Zhu Hongshi, Huangfu Yu, and others there with the intention of undermining his authority, and that if he were to relinquish his military power lightly, it would likely fall into the hands of others immediately.

Therefore, Wang Sitong was instead appointed as commander-in-chief, and Hou Yi, the commander of the Imperial Guards, was appointed as the commander of the cavalry and infantry of the expeditionary force.

Hou Yi was the commander of the 50th Imperial Guard and held the title of Prefect of Feizhou, controlling several thousand Imperial Guards. In his early years, he served under Li Keyong as a brave warrior. He was the first to charge into battle during the conquest of Youzhou and was deeply trusted by Li Cunxu, who personally treated his wounds.

When the armies supported the late emperor, Hou Yi refused to betray Li Cunxu and returned to Luoyang. He was by no means a cowardly, timid, or disloyal person.

Last year, when we were campaigning against Li Yichao in Xia Prefecture, we used Hou Yi's troops as reinforcements. However, due to the late emperor's serious illness, we had to turn back halfway. Otherwise, with this fresh force, the outcome would have been uncertain.

This time, however, he feigned illness and declined the appointment, which angered the ruling authorities, who stripped him of his military power and sent him to serve as the prefect of Shangzhou. (Note 1)

Hou Renju, the second son, followed his father as a military officer in Shangzhou. He couldn't understand why his father would rather be demoted and sent to a remote post than participate in the campaign against Li Congke.

"My son, you are unaware of this. Although Wang Sitong is loyal and righteous, he is incapable of commanding an army; the Prince of Lu is an expert in battle, and all the soldiers who have been lucky enough to become rich and powerful are loyal to him."

Hou Yi taught his son the art of assessing the situation: "This war is definitely not that simple; it's best not to get involved."

……

Military power is of paramount importance; if core interests are threatened, the government will not hesitate to resort to arms. This applies to everything from a large country to a small town.

Bai Wenshen came up with a plan that would leave the military governor's office speechless, and everyone hurriedly asked what his brilliant idea was.

"When the rebel troops cross the border, the local area becomes uneasy, and murders occur. Naturally, I, your subordinate, must be held responsible for pursuing and apprehending them. Why can't I simply remain in my post?"

The soldiers looked at each other, puzzled. Their superior had come up with such an idea; it seemed to make sense, yet something about it didn't quite seem right.

Some of the less bright ones asked, "How could it be such a coincidence that the mutinous soldiers from Fengxiang Prefecture ended up in Bao'an Town?"

Bai Wenshen sneered, "If the master says they're coming, they'll definitely come!"

Even a fool would understand now.

Pretending to be a mutinous soldier to commit a crime carries the risk of execution. Someone cautiously asked, "Brother Bai, how big of a crime are you planning to pull off?"

"Petty theft cases don't count; it has to be major cases! Important cases!"

Bai Wenshen's ferocity surged: "Let's pick a rich and powerful family to target. I'll keep my position, and the brothers can get rich too."

A slightly more thoughtful person asked, "What if we get recognized?"

Bai Wenshen's eyes flashed with a murderous glint: "Kill whoever recognizes you!"

The clerk was startled upon hearing this. At least when someone tries to exploit legal loopholes by arresting, imprisoning, and extorting money, they have a pretext. But when it comes to the affair of taking another man's wife, as long as Bai Wenshen denies it, there's no way to pursue the matter.

The situation is quite different if one were to arbitrarily kill people from the prefecture.

He rose through the ranks in criminal law and was well-versed in the laws of the dynasty. Even prisoners sentenced to death had to be reviewed three times before they could be executed.

This method originated from Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tuoba Tao, and Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian, also decreed that "those sentenced to death should be sentenced after three hearings."

However, Yang Jian disregarded the law, frequently beating his officials to death in court in a fit of rage, rendering the rules ineffective. It wasn't until all his sons had died and he himself had become a prisoner, imprisoned for eight years, that he began to reflect on his actions.

When Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan, ascended the throne, he continued the tradition of submitting three reports to the emperor. However, when Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, came to power, he executed the Dali Temple official, whose crime did not warrant death, and later deeply regretted it.

Furthermore, because the governor of Jiaozhou disobeyed the imperial decree and refused to take up his post in the desolate land, Li Shimin, in a fit of rage, ordered him to be executed in the imperial court. After much painful reflection, Li Shimin finally established the system of three reports to the emperor.

This is a major event in the Chinese legal system.

Moreover, Li Shimin also discovered loopholes in the implementation of the system: the officials had already reviewed the case three times in a short time, and there was simply no time to re-examine the case.

Therefore, it was decreed that when executing prisoners, each prefecture should submit a report three times, and the capital should submit a report five times within two days; the five reports were submitted one or two days before the execution, and then three more reports were submitted on the day of the execution, except for those who committed heinous crimes, who only submitted a report once.

By meticulously regulating the time intervals for reporting crimes, and by being lenient with punishments and cautious in killing, many lives were saved.

Regarding the punishment for violating the reporting rules, the Yonghui Code stipulated: All prisoners sentenced to death shall be executed without waiting for a report, and shall be exiled two thousand li. If a report is submitted confirming the execution, three days must pass before execution. If execution is carried out before the deadline, the sentence shall be one year of penal servitude; if the deadline is exceeded, the sentence shall be one hundred strokes of the cane for each day of violation, and one degree of punishment for each additional day.

The laws for executing prisoners are so strict. How can Bai Wen, who can only judge a mere garrison commander, kill people at will? Does he really think the inspectors of the military governor's office are blind and deaf?

Bai Wenshen was violent and tyrannical, so the clerk dared not speak frankly to advise him. He could only point out the difficult situation in a roundabout way, hoping that Bai would back down: "The wealthy family has more than ten members. If something happens to them, the family members will definitely go to the prefectural government to appeal for justice. When the higher-ups come to investigate, it will be difficult to handle."

"Then kill his whole family!"

Once the harsh words were spoken, there was no going back. Bai Wenshen swiftly drew a pair of short knives from his waist and slammed them upside down on the table with a thud: "If Gao Xingzhou dares to come, these two knives of mine aren't just for show!"

Those were a pair of unusual weapons, less than two feet long, with hilts featuring handguards and ring pommels. The blades, about two fingers narrow, forked in the middle, with double-edged tips, resembling the horns of a mythical unicorn. (Note 2)

"Rumor has it that Gao Xingzhou is a master of spear fighting. My pair of unicorn horn knives are specifically designed to counter long spears. Let's see whose skill is superior."

A bunch of rogue soldiers naturally praised Bai Wenshen's martial arts skills, saying that Gao Xingzhou was just famous early on and was no match for the town magistrate.

The clerk shook his head inwardly, not expecting that his advice would backfire and provoke the town magistrate into a violent outburst, causing the situation to spiral out of control.

In a few words, the gang of desperados agreed to impersonate the rebel army of Fengxiang and massacre civilians at night. This would not only make them a fortune but also make the military governor's office wary.

"The imperial court used troops in Qishan, blaming everything on the rebels. What's there to be afraid of?"

"A good plan."

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant."

"Brother Bai, I'll work for you. Just tell me which company you've got your eye on."

The greedy, ruthless, and lawless cronies patted their chests and took the lead in pledging their loyalty, with the rest of the group echoing their sentiments.

"The Zhao family is the wealthiest in town, and his wife is also very beautiful."

Bai Wenshen quickly set his sights on one of them, a cruel smile playing on his lips: "We're all good brothers, and I, Bai, will certainly not treat you unfairly. I won't take a single penny from you this time. We'll also share Zhao's wife equally; let's all experience the taste of a woman from Yinzhou!"

The crowd's blood boiled, and they roared in excitement.

The town general, who was supposed to protect the people under his jurisdiction, instead became a scourge of death.

Gao Xingzhou issued a transfer order, and Bai Wenshen, in a desperate act, finally caused a bloody incident that reached the ears of the emperor and alarmed the imperial court.