Chapter Ninety-Three: Turning Defense into Offense

Seeing the Persian carpet spread on the ground, Zhang Zian’s mind flashed. He hurriedly lay down on it, rolled to one side, and then wrapped himself up inside the carpet. Through the carpet and the traveling tent, he could clearly hear the neighing of horses and the uproar of men outside, along with the rolling thunder of hoofbeats as they swept away and then came surging back.

No one knew how long had passed before a burst of hurried, chaotic footsteps suddenly sounded outside the tent.

At once someone lifted the flap and came inside. Zhang Zian did not know whether the one entering was Mongol or one of his own men, and just as terror seized him, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ear. “Grand Eunuch Zhang? Grand Eunuch Zhang?”

Was that not the voice of Prince Consort Wang Pu?

At the sound, this old castrated wretch nearly burst into tears. He struggled twice and cried out in a shrill voice, “Prince Consort, this servant is here!”

“My goodness, how did you end up in there?” Wang Pu’s voice came again. “Quick, quickly help the eunuch up.”

Very soon, Zhang Zian felt himself being lifted up together with the carpet. The Persian rug wrapped around him was peeled away layer by layer. When the final coil was finally undone, the world suddenly opened before his eyes. There stood Wang Pu, calm and composed, inside the tent, with several stern-faced Ming military commanders beside him.

“Prince Consort,” Zhang Zian wailed, tears in his voice, “you have finally come. This servant nearly never got to see you again.”

“It’s all right now,” Wang Pu said with feigned concern. “Grand Eunuch Zhang, the Mongols have already fled in defeat. There is nothing to fear now.”

Zhang Zian asked, “Truly nothing to fear?”

Wang Pu answered, “Truly nothing.”

Zhang Zian said, “But the border troops I brought, and the cattle and sheep of the Tumets...”

“Do not worry, Eunuch.” Wang Pu smiled. “You may as well step outside and take a look.”

“All right, then.”

Zhang Zian answered and followed Wang Pu out of the tent. Outside, he saw one column after another of border soldiers marching in loosely formed ranks into the camp. The little eunuch, who had somehow emerged from some hidden corner, stared in astonishment and asked, “Prince Consort, were these border troops not already driven westward by the Mongols? How have they come back?”

Wang Pu smiled. “Take another look outside, Eunuch.”

Zhang Zian looked in the direction Wang Pu pointed. The moment he saw it, joy nearly made him leap out of his skin. “Heavens, so many cattle, sheep, and horses!”

“Hahaha.” Wang Pu laughed. “Eunuch, all these cattle, sheep, livestock, horses, and camels now belong to you. The hundreds of thousands of taels of unpaid wages owed to the Datong border army now have a way forward.”

As he said this, Wang Pu actually felt a little regretful.

The hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep, and camels were one thing. But those tens of thousands of Mongol horses were truly enough to make anyone’s mouth water. Still, Wang Pu knew he could not push things too far. If he drove this old castrated fool into a corner and made him turn on him, then after returning to Datong he might reclaim the three thousand veteran soldiers he had lent him. That would not be amusing at all.

Those three thousand old soldiers had only been under Wang Pu’s command for a short time after all. He did not dare be careless.

While Zhang Zian was still grinning from ear to ear, Wang Pu said again, “Grand Eunuch Zhang, I have also brought you something else.”

Delighted, Zhang Zian asked, “If it is something brought by the Prince Consort, then it must surely be a fine thing.”

Wang Pu turned and called out, “Bring it here.”

A bodyguard soon stepped forward, carrying a wooden chest. On top of the chest lay a curved saber inlaid with gold and jade. One glance was enough to tell it was no ordinary weapon. Zhang Zian narrowed his eyes and asked in a honeyed voice, “Prince Consort, is this a gift for this servant?”

Wang Pu ordered the guard, “Open it. Let the eunuch see for himself.”

“Yes, sir.”

The guard answered, moved the saber aside, and opened the wooden chest. A pungent smell of lime flooded out. One look inside was enough to make Zhang Zian jump in fright. He gasped, “A... a human head?”

“Yes. A human head.” Wang Pu said solemnly. “Grand Eunuch Zhang, this is the head of the Tumet Khan, and this curved saber is the Tumet Khan’s personal blade.”

Zhang Zian said with delight, “The Prince Consort means this is the head of the Tumet Khan?”

Wang Pu smiled faintly and continued, “In the first month of the fifteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, Grand Eunuch Zhang, you received secret intelligence that the Tumet tribe had suffered a natural disaster and could not survive the winter, and might break through the passes and invade Datong during the first month. You therefore resolved to strike first. Leading more than ten thousand elite troops deep into the great desert, you launched a surprise assault on Guihua, cut down several thousand enemies, and personally slew the Tumet Khan. You captured more than a million heads of cattle, sheep, and livestock, and returned in triumph.” Wang Pu’s meaning could not have been clearer. He was plainly intending to hand this heaven-sent merit over to Zhang Zian.

In truth, this had been their agreement from the very beginning. Wang Pu had never intended to claim this achievement for himself. He only wanted those three thousand veteran soldiers from Datong. Besides, such glory might not even be a blessing if it fell to Wang Pu. Emperor Chongzhen was by nature suspicious. If it had not been for Wang Pu’s accidental turmoil in the capital last time, he might already have been under house arrest by now.

“This... this...” Zhang Zian was already flushed dark red with excitement, babbling incoherently. “Prince Consort, what can this servant even say? This truly is... truly is too, too wonderful.”

Just as Zhang Zian was overjoyed and at a loss for words, Zhen Youcai arrived at the camp under the protection of more than a dozen cavalrymen.

He greeted Wang Pu and Zhang Zian with a clasp of the hands and a bow. “This subordinate pays respect to the general. This subordinate pays respect to Grand Eunuch Zhang.”

Wang Pu waved a hand and asked, “How did the investigation go?”

Zhen Youcai said, “This subordinate has already found out. That group of Mongol cavalry really was Khorchin.”

“Really Khorchin?” Wang Pu frowned. “Our surprise attack on Guihua was not known even to the Tumets beforehand, let alone the Khorchins. Grand Eunuch Zhang’s army only reached Yanehai today. Even if the Khorchins learned of it in time, it would still take them at least two days to get here after sending out troops. The timing does not add up no matter how one counts it. How is that possible?”

Zhen Youcai turned to Zhang Zian and said, “We must ask Grand Eunuch Zhang about that.”

Zhang Zian looked embarrassed and said awkwardly, “Prince Consort, this servant only worried about your safety, so I brought the troops to Yanehai two days early to meet you.”

“That is the answer.” Zhen Youcai stamped his foot. “Grand Eunuch Zhang brought the army to Yanehai two days ahead of schedule. That means the Khorchins learned the news a full two days earlier than we had estimated. With those two days, it would be enough for the Khorchin regular horse to reach Yanehai.”

Wang Pu suppressed the anger in his heart and said in a low voice, “It seems the plan must be adjusted.”

Wang Pu’s original complete plan had been this: first launch a surprise attack on Guihua, then drive the Tumets eastward, and finally join Zhang Zian’s army in a pincer assault around Yanehai to annihilate them.

Once the Khorchins learned of it, they would certainly not stand by and do nothing. By the time the Khorchin army reached Yanehai, Wang Pu and Zhang Zian would already have started southward with a great haul of spoils. The Khorchins would of course not let matters rest. They would surely pursue in hot blood. At that point Wang Pu would use the Great Wall near Mituo Mountain as cover and fight the Khorchin cavalry in a decisive, head-on battle.

That battle was the true centerpiece of Wang Pu’s entire plan. Through it, he intended to discipline the three thousand veteran soldiers under him, along with the eight hundred mounted bandits. He would transform them from a pack of old campaign-hardened ruffians used to running away, and a band of freewheeling highwaymen used to lawlessness, into iron-blooded warriors of discipline and courage.

Wang Pu knew that if they could defeat a large force of Khorchin cavalry in a direct clash, the confidence of those old soldiers and bandits would be greatly strengthened. Only once their confidence had grown would they, next spring, avoid falling behind in spirit when facing the Jurchen cavalry.

But now, because Zhang Zian had marched out two days early, Wang Pu’s entire plan had been thrown into disarray.

Zhen Youcai said, “General, since the Khorchin advance cavalry has already appeared, their main force cannot be far behind. In this subordinate’s judgment, their main body should arrive within three days at most. At present, our own army still has more than a dozen hundred-man detachments scattered across the grasslands, and Grand Eunuch Zhang still has several thousand routed soldiers not yet gathered in. Worse still, there are as many as several hundred thousand cattle, sheep, and horses scattered across the steppe and not yet rounded up.”

Wang Pu nodded. “The scattered detachments and routed troops can be gathered quickly enough. But as for the Tumets’ abandoned cattle and sheep, it will be impossible to round them all up without at least two days.”

Zhen Youcai said, “What is worse is that once we take on board nearly a million head of cattle and livestock, our marching speed will inevitably be severely affected. In this subordinate’s opinion, it will take at least three days just to return from Yanehai to the Mituo Mountain pass. That means we would need a full five days to get back south of the Great Wall. Yet the Khorchin main cavalry will catch up to us in three days.”

Zhang Zian’s face went deathly pale. Trembling, he said, “What are we to do?”

Zhen Youcai said grimly, “At present we have only two roads. First, abandon all the cattle, sheep, and horses, gather the men, and immediately withdraw to Datong. In that case we may still return south of the Great Wall before the Khorchin main force catches up. Second, gather and take all the cattle, sheep, and horses with us. But if we do that, the Khorchin main cavalry will also reach Yanehai. Then we can only stay here and wait to die.”

Zhang Zian wanted neither to stay and die nor to abandon the cattle and horses already in hand. In difficulty, he asked, “Master Zhen, is there really no other way?”

Zhen Youcai gave a wry smile. “This subordinate believes there is no other way.”

Wang Pu suddenly said, “There is a third way!”

“Hm?”

“Eh?”

Zhen Youcai and Zhang Zian both turned at once to look at Wang Pu, though their expressions were utterly different. Zhen Youcai was astonished, while Zhang Zian was secretly delighted.

Wang Pu said coldly, “We cannot throw away the cattle and sheep we have secured, and we cannot stay here waiting to die.”

Zhang Zian asked, “Then what should we do?”

“Simple.” A strange heat flickered across Wang Pu’s eyes as he said in a low voice, “Attack Sanbula River!”

“Ah! Attack Sanbula River?”

“This...”

Zhen Youcai and Zhang Zian stared at one another, scarcely able to believe their ears. Sanbula River was the seat of the Khorchin khan’s court, and the Khorchin forces were far stronger than the Tumets’. More importantly, going to attack Sanbula River now would no longer be a surprise raid. It would be a direct assault!

“General,” Zhen Youcai asked cautiously, “you do not truly mean to attack Sanbula River, do you?”

“Why would I not mean it?” Wang Pu shot back, then abruptly turned to Zhang Zian and said, “Grand Eunuch Zhang, there is no other choice now. Only by taking the initiative and attacking Sanbula River can we draw the Khorchin cavalry away. Only then will you have time to gather the Tumets’ cattle and livestock at your leisure, and safely withdraw back to Datong.”

“This...” At last Zhang Zian said something with a conscience. “Prince Consort, there is no need for you to lead the army personally, is there? After all, it is not as though we truly mean to attack Sanbula River. We are only trying to lure the Khorchin cavalry away. This servant thinks it would be enough to send a capable general in your place.”

“No. If someone else goes, I will not feel at ease.” Wang Pu shook his head. “I must lead the troops there myself.”

“This...” Zhang Zian choked at that and said stiffly, “Then this servant wishes the Prince Consort victory in the first battle.”

Wang Pu clasped his hands to Zhang Zian in salute and said with grave sincerity, “Grand Eunuch Zhang, farewell.”

Zhang Zian hurriedly said, “This servant will see the Prince Consort off.”

“No need.” Wang Pu raised a hand and said, “Eunuch, you should quickly arrange for men to gather the cattle and livestock.”

“Then...” Zhang Zian retreated awkwardly and said, “The Prince Consort must be careful on the road.”

Wang Pu returned the salute once more, then turned and strode away without looking back.

Only after Wang Pu had gone some distance away did Zhang Zian’s face fall. He cried out sharply, “Come here.”

The little eunuch serving the army hurried into the tent and asked in a fawning voice, “Godfather, what are your orders?”

Zhang Zian said bitterly, “Call all those useless men over to me.”

The little eunuch asked in surprise, “Godfather, which useless men?”

“Idiot!” Zhang Zian snapped. “Who else could it be but those deputy commanders, brigade commanders, and raiding commanders who do nothing but lead the way when fleeing? Are you trying to anger me to death?”

“Oh, no, no. Your son would never dare think such a thing. I will go fetch Deputy Commander Li and the others at once.”

The little eunuch shook both hands frantically and fled in panic.