Chapter Sixty-Six: The Imperial Army

In another memory, someone once said that what truly binds a group of close friends is nothing but a corpse in the backyard.

That formidable general who had died was just such a corpse.

Liu Guoneng was a licentiate, descended from generations of border garrisons—fathers, brothers, sons all perished beyond the Great Wall, the fallen replaced by the living, until the lineage was extinguished outside those borders.

At home, only his elderly mother remained.

As the village’s sole licentiate, Liu Guoneng naturally became the leader of the people.

When drought struck, he led the villagers in building irrigation works.

When bandits came, he forged weapons to defend against them.

Until the officials arrived.

Liu Guoneng gathered the able-bodied men from four villages, armed them, and laid siege to Wangzhuang Fort, his intentions modest.

All he wanted was to harvest enough grain from the Wang fields to pay the imperial taxes.

Now, with plenty of grain, Liu Guoneng instead found himself at a loss.

The villagers no longer wished to be bandits; they hoped the drought would not return next year.

They believed life could return to normal.

But he knew there was no way back.

Within a Guan Yu temple on Mount Nanjia, Liu Guoneng prepared a banquet for three others.

As cups passed and toasts were exchanged, Liu Guoneng poured out his troubles: “The food we’ve left for the villagers will last perhaps half a month. After that, chaos will return near the prefectural city. I don’t know what to do!”

“It’s not just the areas near the prefectural city, Guoneng. I see you haven’t trained any local militia,” Liu Chengzong advised. “You should. Gather the able-bodied men, use the pretext of defending against bandits. Now, when there’s food and drink, is the best time to train troops.”

“I don’t know how to train soldiers—and Yang, the Company Commander, can’t come every day.” Liu Guoneng spread his hands helplessly. His father had been a veteran, but died early on the northern frontier. Liu himself had grown up on Mount Nanjia.

His family was poor, and studying was difficult. He managed to grasp the essentials of the civil service examinations, and through intelligence, earned his licentiate degree, but military treatises and the like—those he’d never read.

“If you can’t train the troops, I can find someone to help,” Liu Chengzong said. “As you said, the people nearby have no food. Even with grain now, unrest is inevitable. If Shaanxi has no grain, do you think Shanxi or Henan, which have grain, can remain untouched?”

He downed a cup of wine. “A great uprising is inevitable!”

“I’m not so sure...” Liu Guoneng shook his head. “That so-called ‘Tiger General’ who used your name gathered several hundred men, spent two days spreading his name to Yan’an, then another two days to get listed in Li Bei’s register of merits.”

He paused, then added, “Besides, the Emperor is wise. He’ll soon see the true state of northern Shaanxi.”

Again, loyalty and patriotism.

“You don’t know what to do? Let me tell you—in the face of life and death, there is no right or wrong,” Liu Chengzong said. “The drought ruined Shaanxi and Shanxi, the Eastern Tartars threaten the northeast, She Chongming holds down the southwest, and the Ming dynasty survives only by the Grand Canal. The Emperor has no time for Shaanxi.

“The state’s expenses outstrip revenue every year. Lose a province’s taxes and there’s another hole to fill. The holes multiply, taxes become more severe, and the people are exhausted.”

Liu Guoneng frowned. “You intend to rebel?”

Pillaging was not rebellion—it was a desperate measure. So he did not see himself as a rebel, and began to regret inviting Liu Chengzong to his home.

Liu Chengzong did not answer directly but asked in return, “The drought left Shaanxi like this. It’s been two years. Shouldn’t the court have lifted the taxes? Did they? Who forced you to become a bandit? The court did.”

Liu Guoneng had no reply, but the other two men grew excited.

“Exactly!” Li Wanqing agreed. “If not for the court refusing to lift taxes, I wouldn’t have taken in over two hundred tax fugitives in the mountains.”

Yang Yanchang earnestly offered Liu Chengzong advice: “Chengzong, I saw it—the men you have are all border troops. But Li Bei is not easily dealt with. Even if we gather a thousand men, we can’t defeat him.”

“How will you know unless you try!” Li Wanqing, perhaps tipsy, stood up and waved his hand. “Tiger General, if you lead us, I’ll be the vanguard. Let’s kill our fill! When we’re offered amnesty, we’ll be generals—never again to suffer such humiliation!”

Liu Chengzong asked, “What use is becoming a general? If the world stays the same, the rich hoard their grain until it rots, and the poor sell their wives and children to survive. You fight, you kill, just to ride roughshod over the people—and then, when they revolt against you, you slaughter them in turn.”

Li Wanqing fell silent, slowly sitting down. “Then what can we do? Even if we seize Yan’an, we can’t keep it. If we refuse surrender and amnesty, it’s like an egg smashing into a stone—we’ll be crushed.”

“You’re right—it can’t be held!” Liu Chengzong turned to Liu Guoneng. “Which is why you must train your men now. If you wait for open rebellion, there’ll be no chance. When the time comes, running will be more important than fighting. If the government troops surround you and force a final battle, it’s death.”

Liu Guoneng was silent for a long time, abandoning further arguments about loyalty, and asked, “Then tell me your plan—what do you intend to do?”

“Of course I want to build up strength and wait for the right moment.

But the times allow no such luxury—for us or for the court. We are all like candles flickering in the wind, unable to endure the slightest risk.”

Liu Chengzong always measured things against his own family.

His was the sort that would never rebel under normal circumstances.

Rebellion needed a foundation among the people; only if even his family were forced to rebel would the time be right.

“We’ve fought side by side before—call it friendship, if you will. If we ever do rebel, forget any thoughts of seeking amnesty. There’s no good end in that. Either don’t rebel, or, if you do, make the overthrow of the court your only aim.”

It was an impossible thing; so impossible, that Liu Chengzong’s words, spoken at that moment, sounded like a joke to the three others.

No matter how fragile the Ming dynasty might be, they were not the ones who could topple it.

But in this world, nothing is ever decided by whether someone thinks it possible or not.

They were halfway through their wine when someone stumbled into the temple, shouting, “Eldest Liu, there are thirty-some government soldiers surrounding Youcai village. They’re demanding grain—and young women!”

Liu Guoneng froze, then burst out in anger, “Where did these bastards come from? Isn’t demanding grain enough?”

Yang Yanchang asked, “Who leads them?”

The villager shook his head. “Don’t know. They say they’re southern troops, chased Wang Zuogua all the way here.”

“That’s nonsense. Wang headed towards Qingyang—why come to Yan’an?”

Perhaps Liu Chengzong’s earlier words had taken effect, for Liu Guoneng, struggling to control his rage, strode out of the temple, composing himself. “Give them some grain—send them away.”

The others followed him out of the temple. Looking down the mountain, they could see the village, just a couple of miles from Liu Guoneng’s home, blocked at the entrance by a squad of soldiers.

Dozens of villagers huddled together; someone was negotiating with the soldiers.

Whatever was said, the officer returned to his men.

The next moment made Liu Guoneng’s eyes nearly burst with fury.

A row of gunpowder smoke rose—the soldiers, dressed in garrison uniforms, fired a volley with their triple-barreled guns, and villagers fell in droves.

The survivors fled into the village, the soldiers storming in with blades and bows.

Liu Chengzong rushed out to see the village in the valley below engulfed in slaughter, while Liu Guoneng stood rooted, wide-eyed.

He tore off his official robe and shouted to Liu Guoneng, “Why are you still standing there? Gather the men! They’re not government troops!”