026 Outside Anqing City

After lying in the grass and dirt of the forest for an entire night, Wang Lanping rose at daybreak, bracing himself against a tree. His neck was stiff, and his joints ached from the prolonged, unnatural posture.

The sun had risen, but the Great Shun army had yet to appear. It was likely they would not come, which was for the best; another battle would have exhausted his remaining resources entirely.

"Ha-oh!" Wang Lanping let out a long yawn. A soldier handed him a water bag, and he splashed some water on his face to wash away the dust and wake himself up.

Zheng Sen simply lay on the ground, stretching his arms out. "General, it looks like they aren't coming."

Wang Lanping nodded, glancing toward the valley entrance. Two fast horses were approaching. "Indeed," he said. "The scouts are back."

Zheng Sen rolled over and stood up.

The two scouts arrived, panting. "Report, Deputy Commander! Huaining City has been occupied by the Shun army. Their main force remains in their encampment and has not entered the city. The city is quiet, and there were no signs of pursuit until dawn."

Wang Lanping chuckled. "Good, the lad is obedient. Pass the order: withdraw the ambush, pursue Battalion Commander Song, and immediately dispatch scouts toward Anqing to monitor movements there."

"Yes, sir!"

Anqing City lay over two hundred miles to the south. As the seat of Anqing Prefecture, it boasted high, formidable walls far superior to the small city of Huaining. It had originally been garrisoned by thirty thousand men under Regional Commander Liu Zeqing and Prefect Zhou Shining. The latter was the very man who, only days ago, had traveled a great distance to Huaining to welcome the top scholar Wang back home, only to flee in a panic, disguised, upon hearing that the Shun army had besieged the city. Anqing Prefecture was under the jurisdiction of Fengyang Governor Ma Shiying. The original Governor's office had been in the central capital of Fengyang, but after Zhang Xianzhong’s forces sacked the city years ago, the administrative offices were severely damaged, and the Governor’s office had since relocated south to Luzhou City (modern-day Hefei, Anhui).

Ma Shiying, a Jinshi from the Wanli era, had served as the prefect of Yanzhou and Datong. During his tenure, he had curried favor with powerful officials by offering bribes worth over a thousand taels to imperial relatives. This was exposed by the guarding eunuch, resulting in Ma losing his substantive position and being demoted to a minor, idle post in Nanjing as a Director in the Ministry of Revenue. During the Chongzhen era, after Wei Zhongxian fell from power, Ma resurfaced, was appointed Governor of Fengyang, and was later promoted to Governor-General of Fengyang. He became a true regional authority with immense power, commanding four regional commanders and an army of two hundred thousand. Unfortunately, the era of civil officials controlling military generals had passed; since the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Ma could no longer command these regional commanders.

Human life has its gains and losses. Just as his power was slipping away, a windfall fell from the sky: the Chongzhen Emperor died for his country. With the Ming Empire leaderless, Governor Ma, a veteran of the political games for half his life, displayed shrewd insight. He united three of the regional commanders, crushed the Donglin faction, and helped Prince Fu, Zhu Yousong, ascend to the position of Regent, and shortly thereafter, the throne. They established the capital in Jinling. While these regional commanders usually ignored Governor Ma’s orders, they were in complete agreement when it came to personal gain. This was the merit of establishing a new emperor—a future of immeasurable potential.

Among the four regional commanders, only Liu Zeqing of Anqing did not participate. This was simply because he had no idea, and no one had bothered to inform him. Everyone knew he was a man of no ambition whose only love was silver; he would sell anything, including his own troops. He was a man who valued money over his life. Thus, Ma Shiying and the other three commanders left him out, knowing he would only be a liability.

Ma Shiying, now credited with the "merit of the deciding policy," transformed himself into the Senior Grand Secretary of the Hongguang court. Shi Kefa, originally the Minister of War in Nanjing and the head of the civil service, was promoted to Senior Grand Secretary to appease various factions. However, Shi Kefa lacked the battle-hardened generals with powerful armies that Ma Shiying possessed. Though he held the title of Senior Grand Secretary, the actual governance of the Hongguang court fell into the hands of the Junior Grand Secretary, Ma Shiying. Minister Shi was sidelined and constantly risked being replaced by "Grand Secretary Ma," simply because Ma had aligned himself with the regional commanders who held the real military power.

Returning to Anqing Prefecture: Wang Lanping and his men retreated from Huaining, helping the elderly and the young, leading a column that stretched for over ten miles. The two-hundred-mile journey took seven days and seven nights. Fortunately, the Shun army did not pursue, or they would have surely perished. Seven days later, they finally arrived outside Anqing. Along the way, Wang Lanping had gathered stragglers and defeated soldiers, expanding his force to nearly a thousand men. After all, Wang Lanping had grain—he had managed to seize nearly half the food supplies of Huaining City.

Four days earlier, Wang Lanping’s scouts had informed him that Anqing was an empty city; not a single Ming defender remained. Upon returning to the city, Regional Commander Liu Zeqing had been terrified to hear that a hundred-thousand-strong Shun army was marching south. He immediately requested reinforcements from Governor Ma in Luzhou, only to discover that the Governor had already left for Nanjing to seek his fortune. Upon further inquiry, he was so angry he nearly vomited blood: the entire Jiangbei defense line was abandoned, with everyone else having retreated to the Southern Metropolitan region to secure promotions and comfortable positions.

While cursing these men for their lack of loyalty, Liu Zeqing immediately began preparing to head east; he, too, wanted a share of the spoils in Nanjing.

However, considering the state of his original forces—depleted by years of selling off his own men—he had less than half of his thirty thousand soldiers left. He couldn't face the court in Nanjing with such a sorry state, so he forcibly conscripted garrison troops from around Anqing. Regardless of their quality, he gathered them all. Within days, he barely scraped together enough numbers. He requisitioned all civilian and merchant vessels along the Anqing section of the Yangtze River. His personal collection of gold and silver alone filled ten large ships, and he couldn't even fit all his wives and concubines on board. Just as he was preparing to cross the river, he received a battle report from Huaining: the Deputy Commander of Anqing, Wang Lanping, had led his "Wind Battalion" to block the Shun army’s advance. This delighted him. "I have my bargaining chip now!" he thought. "Wang Lanping is my subordinate; his success is my success. His victory proves my brilliant command. Let’s see those people in Nanjing dare not make me a Marquis."

***

Thinking of this, Regional Commander Liu immediately reported a great victory to Nanjing, praising himself to the heavens. He did not stop his advance, however, but sailed boldly down the river toward Nanjing.

Standing beneath the walls of Anqing, Wang Lanping looked at the empty battlements and sighed, shaking his head. "Such a strong fortress, just handed over like this. Liu Zeqing deserves to go to hell."

Zheng Sen asked from the side, "What should we do then? Shall we enter the city?"

Entering the city now was useless. With so few men and weak defenses, even the strongest fortress would fall. Retreating to Nanjing was the only viable option.

Wang Lanping said, "We won't enter. There's no point in disturbing the common folk. We are only a few miles from the Yangtze. Order the whole army to camp by the riverbank. Send men to collect boats along the river; we cross tomorrow."

Just then, the gates of Anqing swung open. A crowd of commoners emerged, led by none other than the Prefect of Anqing, Zhou Shining, who had fled Huaining ten days prior.

In truth, Prefect Zhou had wanted to follow in Liu Zeqing’s footsteps, but his luck was poor. He had run all the way back to Anqing from Huaining, only to find that the Regional Commander hadn't waited for him and had already left. He was furious. When he checked the local storehouses, his eyes turned green—Regional Commander Liu had stripped Anqing bare. The granaries and silver vaults were empty; Liu had even gone so far as to kill dozens of loyal guards who tried to defend the storehouses.

Now, Prefect Zhou had no way to escape. He couldn't face the court in Nanjing empty-handed. He decided to give up, leave his official seal in the main hall, and return to his hometown to live as a commoner. But just as he was about to leave, he heard that Wang Lanping had actually blocked the Shun army at Huaining and was heading toward Anqing. The Prefect was overjoyed. Heaven had not closed all doors! He quickly retrieved his seal and organized the people to welcome the Ming army into the city.

As the gate opened, the Prefect ran toward them, grinning from ear to ear, waving his hands and shouting, "General Wang! In the battle of Huaining, you crushed the Shun rebels, and your fame has spread across the river! I admire you greatly. Quickly, enter the city! The people of the entire city have come out to catch a glimpse of your heroic presence. Please, General, enter the city!"

The city gate was filled with cheers, and banners fluttered in the sky, inscribed with phrases like "Hero of the Age" and "Pillar of Jiangbei."

Wang Lanping looked at Zheng Sen, raised an eyebrow, and smiled. "Battalion Commander Zheng, how about that? The effect of the Huaining battle is quite good, isn't it?"

Zheng Sen also smiled. "It is all thanks to your brilliant command, General. Your name is enough to shake the world. Before long, heroes from all sides will hear the news and flock to us. The strength of the Wind Battalion will grow significantly. My initial attempt to stop you from abandoning the city was truly shortsighted. I am ashamed."

Zheng Sen finally realized a truth: it is easy to die for one's country, but to achieve great deeds and turn the tide of history as a legendary general requires more than the courage of a common man. Wang Lanping possessed the strategic depth and foresight of a great commander, unlike any other Ming general. With him, the restoration of the Ming was possible, and following him was a life well spent.

Wang Lanping was in a dilemma. With the public sentiment so fervent, how could he refuse to enter? But if he did, what then? When the main force of the Shun army arrived, he would have to leave anyway. If he stayed and then retreated, he would be seen as a general who lost battle after battle. All the prestige he had just built would be ruined.

While he was lost in thought, the Prefect reached his horse.

Prefect Zhou bowed deeply. "General, the whole city celebrates your arrival. The people have spontaneously offered their own food and wine, set out along the streets for your army to enjoy. With you here, Anqing is safe."

Wang Lanping looked at the scene of drums and gongs in the distance. *No,* he thought, *we cannot enter. The higher the people's hopes, the greater their disappointment will be.*

"Prefect Zhou, I do not intend to enter the city. Thank the people on my behalf, and I shall apologize later." Wang Lanping waved his hand, ordering Zheng Sen to lead the men toward the riverbank to camp and secure boats.

***

Seeing the troops leaving, the Prefect panicked. He grabbed the reins of Wang Lanping’s horse and cried, "General, you cannot abandon the people! Regional Commander Liu has already run away. There isn't a single soldier left to protect the city. This is still the territory of the Great Ming. I beg you to reconsider!"

Wang Lanping said, "Don't think I don't know that three days ago you hung your seal in the main hall and planned to run away. Now you come to me talking about the safety of the people? Where were you then? Ten days ago, you fled Huaining, too. Where were you when County Magistrate Kong died in battle? Now, Anqing has no troops, no money, no grain, and no weapons. Look at my men—less than a thousand, and most are wounded. How do you expect me to defend such a massive city?"

Huaining was only five miles in circumference and easy to defend, but Anqing had been a city for centuries, with high walls and deep moats spanning nearly eighteen miles. With such a long defensive line, a thousand men couldn't even guard one gate, let alone the six gates of Anqing. Without ten thousand men, it was impossible to hold. Furthermore, when Liu Zeqing fled, he had cleared out all the official and civilian grain. Once the Shun army besieged the city, they wouldn't even need to fight; after a month of encirclement, everyone would starve to death.

The Prefect knew nothing of military affairs, and he didn't really care about protecting the Ming—he just wanted to know his own fate.

Zhou Shining no longer cared about his dignity. With a thud, he knelt before Wang Lanping’s horse, sobbing with a look of feigned righteousness. "General, the thirty thousand souls of Anqing look to you! If you do not enter the city, how can I face the people? How can you face the Imperial Court?"

Wang Lanping ignored him. Just then, a scout arrived from the direction of Huaining and whispered to him.

Wang Lanping nodded. He immediately changed his expression, feigning shock, and exclaimed, "Alas! The Shun rebels' hundred-thousand-strong army is marching toward Anqing!"

The Prefect’s mind went blank. Terrified, he collapsed to the ground, his face pale. "A... a hundred thousand? Run... run! Quickly, run!" He scrambled to his feet and stumbled toward the city, eager to pack his valuables and save his own life. The idea of convincing General Wang to enter the city was long forgotten.

Watching the Prefect’s pathetic state, Wang Lanping gave a contemptuous smile. "With that much courage, you still try to lecture me on morality? Go and run for your life. With a 'surrenderist' like you, it’s better if you just go home and be a civilian."

In truth, the scout had not reported that the Shun army was coming; Wang Lanping just couldn't stand the old man’s hypocritical posturing. It was no shame to retreat when one could not win, but there was no need for such pretense.

The Prefect ran back into the city, with officials and commoners watching him, confused. They then turned their eyes back to the General slowly approaching the gate.

Wang Lanping arrived before them, dismounted, and bowed. "Elders and fellow countrymen of Anqing, I am Wang Lanping, Deputy Commander of Anqing. With the rebels throwing the country into chaos, as a general, I should live and die with the city. However, Anqing has been peaceful for a century, prosperous and stable. How could I bear to drag this city into the flames of war? Regional Commander Liu has already emptied the city of its troops and supplies. With my meager forces, whether I defend or not, Anqing will inevitably fall to the rebels. I am willing to bear the condemnation of the world to leave Anqing undefended, so as to preserve the prosperity of the markets and the lives of the people. As long as the city survives, even if the world curses me, I am content. My fellow citizens, I apologize to you all."

His heartfelt words, followed by a deep bow, left the people speechless. He wasn't unwilling to defend; he simply didn't want to bring war to a city that had known peace for a hundred years, and he was even willing to take the blame for it. Was there another general like him in the entire Ming Empire?

As the crowd stood in a daze, marveling at the General’s benevolence, Wang Lanping jumped back onto his horse. Before they could react, he whipped his mount and left. Behind him came waves of cheering: "What a benevolent General! May General Wang live a hundred years! The top scholar is a true hero of the age..."

Wang Lanping hadn't expected this—to be sent off with such cheers even while retreating was truly unprecedented. The people of Anqing were too kind. When his army returned to recover this land in the future, he would be sure to repay them.

The message the scout had brought was actually that the Shun army in Huaining had moved, but they were heading back, not toward Anqing.