057 Subduing the Veteran General

Imprisoned like a criminal and kept under house arrest, Xu Dingguo felt like he was sitting on pins and needles inside the city of Yangzhou. Yangzhou was sealed off entirely around the clock, completely cut off from any news outside the walls. He could not obtain the slightest shred of information regarding Gao Jie. On several occasions, he secretly dispatched men trying to slip out of the city under the cover of night to gather intelligence, but not a single scout returned. He had no idea that these agents were captured by Wang Lanping's men the moment they stepped out of his residence.

On the other hand, Shi Kefa and Wang Lanping showered him with rewards every two or three days, presenting him with wealth, beauties, and a plethora of official titles. This made it virtually impossible for him to find a pretext to flip the table and resort to violence. Xu Dingguo was no fool; unprovoked displays of courtesy invariably signaled ulterior motives. He was certain that Shi and Wang harbored malicious intentions, yet he was frustrated by his inability to take any action. He also knew that the slightest sign of discontent or rebellious movement from his five thousand men would immediately invite catastrophic annihilation. Without external reinforcement from Gao Jie, Xu Dingguo had no choice but to swallow his resentment and swallow his pride. Living in such passive anticipation of a blow made every day feel like a year, and with nothing to do, he could only climb up to the ramparts of Yangzhou, hoping to catch a glimpse of any movement from Gao Jie's army.

Accompanied by Song Xian, Xu Dingguo arrived at Wang Lanping's quarters. A man in his fifties who should have possessed an imposing and martial aura, he had been worn down to a near-decadent state over these past few days. His body had grown increasingly gaunt, his cheekbones protruding prominently, and his vigor and spirit were a far cry from before.

Wang Lanping had already prepared wine and food inside the hall, waiting in casual attire all by himself. Seeing Xu Dingguo enter, he hurriedly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "General Xu, it has been a few days. I trust you have been well?"

Xu Dingguo was still clad in heavy armor, clanking loudly as he walked. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, let out a hearty laugh, and spread his arms. "Yangzhou is a land of gentle and luxurious living, but I am a rough man with no blessing to enjoy it. Look here, my waist has shrunk by a whole circle!"

Wang Lanping gestured for him to sit down and smiled, "My deepest apologies for that. Come, please take a seat. On behalf of Viceroy Shi, I offer you this cup of wine. Please forgive the neglect shown to the veteran general these past few days. Sit, sit. Today, it is just the two of us, so let us drink until we are thoroughly intoxicated."

Suspicion gnawed at Xu Dingguo's heart. Could something have happened today? He took the guest seat, a trace of sorrow flashing across his face as he sighed, "Ah, drink until thoroughly intoxicated—it seems I can only drink myself into a stupor day after day." With that, he picked up the wine cup before him and drained it in a single gulp.

Wang Lanping understood his bitterness all too well, yet he feigned ignorance and asked, "What is this? The veteran general appears heavily burdened with worries. Might I have the privilege of hearing them?"

Xu Dingguo cast a sidelong glance at Wang Lanping, thinking to himself: *Do you really not know what is weighing on my mind? You ask when you know full well.*

Wang Lanping refilled his wine cup.

Xu Dingguo said, "Why must the Regional Commander pretend not to know? I have been in the city for more than half a month. Ever since General Gao suddenly vanished from outside the city ten days ago, there has been complete silence. As his subordinate, sitting here in Yangzhou and unable to help in the slightest, my conscience is truly ill at ease. Brother Wang, can you give me a straight answer? Exactly what happened at General Gao's encampment ten days ago, and why won't you let me out of the city to search for him?"

Wang Lanping picked up his chopsticks, placed some food on Xu Dingguo's plate, and replied with a troubled expression, "This—this puts me in a difficult position. Such matters are military secrets, and both of us are merely guests staying in Yangzhou. Without Viceroy Shi's command, how could I speak of them lightly?" While keeping them in suspense, Wang Lanping neatly shifted all responsibility onto Shi Kefa. Whatever happened in the future would have nothing to do with him, Wang Lanping; if Xu Dingguo wanted someone to answer to him, he could go find Shi Kefa.

Xu Dingguo thought to himself: *Who doesn't know that you and Shi Kefa share a pair of trousers? Your ambition to seize military power from General Gao is glaringly obvious.*

Xu Dingguo said, "Yes, yes, what you say is correct, Brother. However, Viceroy Shi is not present today. Whatever you say enters your mouth and passes into my ears; absolutely a third person will not know. I have no other motives, but after all, Gao Jie is my commanding general."

Wang Lanping immediately interrupted him, "That cannot be right. Logically speaking, Viceroy Shi is the viceroy of the Four Prefectures of the Huai-Jiang region; he is your direct superior."

Xu Dingguo let out a booming laugh. "Correct, correct, correct. This older brother misspoke, a slip of the tongue. I deserve punishment." With that, he smilingly drained another cup of wine.

Wang Lanping smiled, "No harm done, no harm done. I was merely speaking off the cuff. Since the veteran general asks about this, and it so happens that Viceroy Shi is not here, I might as well speak of it to relieve the veteran general's anxieties."

Joy surfaced on Xu Dingguo's face, and he urged, "Please speak!"

Wang Lanping refilled his cup again, pouring as he spoke. "Recently, military reports have arrived from Huguang stating that Li Zicheng has raised an army of half a million, divided into three prongs to advance into Jiangnan. I wonder if the veteran general has heard of this?"

Xu Dingguo's lower body tightened instinctively. "I have not. However, for that rebel to march south and wreak havoc is merely a matter of time. What does this have to do with General Gao?"

Wang Lanping nodded. "Whether it is related cannot be easily determined at present, but right when this news reached Yangzhou, on that very night, chaos broke out in Gao Jie's army camp outside the city—as both of you know. Afterward, this force of over twenty thousand men simply vanished. Viceroy Shi repeatedly sent men to investigate, and finally, two days ago, he found out where they are."

Xu Dingguo's eyes widened. "Where?"

Wang Lanping replied, "Jigong Mountain, sixty li outside the city. Gao Jie has been holled up in Jigong Mountain all this time."

Xu Dingguo turned his gaze away, lost in thought, and muttered to himself, "What is General Gao doing there?"

Wang Lanping drank a cup of wine and said, "Viceroy Shi attempted to send men to contact General Gao, but once up on Jigong Mountain, Gao Jie felled trees to build stockades and constructed a major fortress at the foot of the mountain, forbidding anyone from coming close. General, do you know that road beneath Jigong Mountain?"

Xu Dingguo nodded. "I do. It is the vital thoroughfare connecting Yangzhou city to Chuzhou, linking Nanjing to the south and Huai'an prefecture to the north."

Wang Lanping said, "Correct, exactly. This is the strategic land route junction of Yangzhou. Gao Jie has stationed his troops here—Veteran General, as his subordinate, can you guess what on earth Gao Jie intends to do?" Wang Lanping was leading him step by step into a psychological trap.

Xu Dingguo shook his head. *This was not what we agreed upon beforehand! Wasn't there supposed to be a coordinated inside-and-outside attack? What the hell kind of coordination is running off to a place like that? If you run that far off, what am I supposed to do trapped inside the city? You didn't even send a single person inside to deliver a message!*

Wang Lanping prompted, "With Li Zicheng deploying troops on such a massive scale, his intent is glaringly obvious. He is determined to get his hands on the blessed land of Jiangnan. The defense of Jiangnan lies in the Yangtze River, and the elite forces of the Ming army are entirely concentrated in the Four Prefectures of the North of the Huai. Therefore, only by defeating the Four Northern Prefectures can Li Zicheng leisurely march into Jiangnan. General, would you say I am right?"

Xu Dingguo nodded.

Wang Lanping continued, "With Li Zicheng's army of half a million pressing upon our borders, hearts are filled with panic on both banks of the Yangtze. Among them, there are surely no lack of turncoats seeking glory by betraying their masters. I hear that Gao Jie was formerly a subordinate of Li Zicheng. For him to suddenly march his troops into Jigong Mountain at a time like this and occupy the strategic route—whether there might be some unspeakable agenda behind this is hard to say."

Upon hearing this, Xu Dingguo sprang to his feet. It was clear that Wang Lanping's subtext was implying that Gao Jie intended to switch sides and strike a blow against them just as Li Zicheng's massive army bore down, returning once again to the rebel fold. Xu Dingguo demanded, "Regional Commander Wang, is there solid evidence for this?"

Wang Lanping pressed his hands down, signaling him to sit. "Veteran General, sit, sit. Do not get so excited; it is merely a conjecture. If there were hard evidence, Viceroy Shi would have already memorialized the throne to dispatch troops and exterminate him. However, his seizing of the strategic route and his refusal to communicate with Yangzhou naturally arouse suspicion."

Xu Dingguo retorted, "Regional Commander Wang must be overthinking this. Anyone under heaven might surrender to Li Zicheng, but Gao Jie never would! Surely you have heard the tale of why Gao Jie betrayed Li Zicheng back then."

That romantic legend was common knowledge to everyone. When Gao Jie was young, he had studied books for a few days and could still toss out a few classical phrases when unengaged. He was also fair-complexioned and clean-looking. Back in Li Zicheng's army, he had actually seduced one of Li Zicheng's favorite concubines. When the affair came to light, Gao Jie had no choice but to take his troops and surrender to the imperial forces. Since ancient times, the hatred of having one's wife stolen was an unpardonable humiliation; Li Zicheng hated Gao Jie with a burning passion. How could Gao Jie possibly return to his side?

Wang Lanping nodded and said, "Who does not know of Gao Jie's romantic escapades? However, circumstances change with the times. There is another matter you may not know: a massive Manchu army of one hundred and thirty thousand has departed Taiyuan and is marching toward Xi'an. For Li Zicheng to come to Jiangnan is, in reality, an act of flight; he urgently needs to find a foothold in Jiangnan to re-establish himself. In the face of such momentous issues, might Li Zicheng temporarily set aside his prejudices against Gao Jie, and might the two scoundrels collude and fornicate together once again? Who can say for certain?"

Xu Dingguo was somewhat dazed, yet still refused to believe it. He said, "However, General Gao is a prominent heavy general of the Ming army, holding great power and high position. To conclude that he harbors illicit ambitions merely because he stationed his army at a strategic route is going far too far-fetched. Could it be that the Regional Commander wishes to sow discord between General Gao and me?" Although Gao Jie's reputation stank somewhat, he was still Xu Dingguo's direct superior. If it were claimed that Gao Jie harbored rebellious intent, then Xu Dingguo's entry into Yangzhou would find it difficult to shake off the suspicion of conspiring in an inside-and-outside coordinated attack. In other words, Xu Dingguo would also be listed among those surrendering to Li Zicheng.

Wang Lanping smiled, waved his hand, and said, "No, no, I have no such intention whatsoever. I know you do not believe it, and I am unwilling to believe it either. However, someone will make you believe it."

Xu Dingguo asked, "Who?"

Wang Lanping answered, "This morning, a squad of my patrolling cavalry discovered a detachment of Ming soldiers escorting a group of commoners toward Gao Jie's military stockade. Along the way, those soldiers were beating and kicking them. My men stepped forward to inquire and discovered they were Gao Jie's troops—a small force of a dozen or so men. Words failed between the two sides, weapons were drawn, and you can guess what happened."

Xu Dingguo shook his head.

Wang Lanping said, "Gao Jie's men were no match; they abandoned the accompanying commoners and fled. When these few commoners were brought back to the city and questioned, it gave me a tremendous shock. By sheer coincidence, these people happen to have deep ties to you, General Xu!"

Xu Dingguo stood up once again. "Who are they? Where are they?"

Wang Lanping stood up as well, clapping his hands. "You will know once you see them."

Moments later, Song Xian led a group of battered men and women into the hall.

Upon seeing these people, Xu Dingguo froze in place. Those who had arrived were none other than his wedded wife and his two sons. The moment they met, the woman flung herself at Xu Dingguo's feet and burst into heart-wrenching sobs. "Master, I have failed you. I did not take good care of your parents; I have failed the ancestors of the Xu family!"

Wang Lanping withdrew from the hall, leaving them to their family reunion.

When Wang Lanping devised this scheme of alienation, he had already anticipated that the moment Gao Jie grew suspicious of Xu Dingguo, Xu's family—far away in Suizhou—would inevitably become the target of Gao Jie's control. Once Gao Jie had a grip on Xu's family members, he would no longer fear Xu Dingguo betraying him. Therefore, Wang Lanping had long ago secretly deployed men to keep a close watch on the Xu household. The moment Gao Jie made his move, Wang Lanping would preempt him, snatch the Xu family away, and then shift the blame squarely onto Gao Jie's head. How could those two fail to turn on each other then?

As for the patrolling soldiers, that was entirely a fabrication by Wang Lanping. They had simply been under surveillance the entire time. Right as they neared Gao Jie's garrison, they suddenly struck, seizing the entire Xu clan. However, due to the mistreatment by Gao Jie's soldiers along the way, Xu Dingguo's elderly parents, both over eighty years of age, had been unable to withstand the ordeal and died halfway there, failing to be brought back alive.

Amidst a scene of grief-stricken family reunion, Xu Dingguo shed tears of blood. His parents, both over eighty, had suffered a tragic and violent death, and the Xu family estate had been ruined overnight. He felt a deep, consuming hatred. All these years, following Gao Jie, if he had not achieved great merit, he had at least endured hardships. Why show such callous ruthlessness? How could I, Xu Dingguo, have ever betrayed you? How could your heart bear to deal such a poisonous blow? Even if you suspected me, what crime had my family committed? The blood feud of murdered parents was irreconcilable.

When the news of his aged parents dying at the hands of Gao Jie was spoken by his own family members, Xu Dingguo lost all rational judgment regarding Gao Jie from the depths of his soul. He suddenly believed it entirely: Gao Jie must have intended to take advantage of Li Zicheng's march south to betray the Ming and submit to the rebels once more.

Just as weeping and wailing echoed within the room, a scout hurried into the courtyard and loudly reported to Wang Lanping, who was waiting outside, "Reporting, Regional Commander Wang! Urgent military intelligence! Viceroy Shi requests your immediate presence at the yamen for a council."

Wang Lanping feigned a reply, "Understood."

Turning around, he called into the room to Xu Dingguo, "Veteran General, rest for a moment; I shall return shortly." Before leaving, he instructed servants to send funeral supplies to Xu Dingguo's quarters.

As the sun sank in the west, Wang Lanping returned to his residence and appeared before Xu Dingguo with a deeply furrowed brow. Xu Dingguo was already clad in mourning hemp. Having finished comforting his family members, he sought out Wang Lanping, respectfully cupped his fists, and dropped to his knees. "Many thanks to Regional Commander Wang for protecting my family. This great kindness and deep benevolence, I shall never forget in this lifetime."

Wang Lanping hurriedly helped him up, wearing an expression of genuine apology. "Veteran General, please rise. I pray that you will restrain your grief and accommodate the misfortune."

Xu Dingguo said through gritted teeth, "I never imagined Gao Jie was such a heartless and ungrateful wretch. I, Xu Dingguo, never wronged him in any way. I am going to Nanjing, to see the Emperor; I am going to impeach him!"

Wang Lanping shook his head and slowly said, "It is too late, General. You cannot impeach him now."

Xu Dingguo asked, "Why?"

Wang Lanping replied, "Just now, Viceroy Shi summoned me for a council. The matter discussed concerned Gao Jie. According to intelligence brought back by scouts who infiltrated his camp, Gao Jie has assembled all his troops and declared his intention to attack Yangzhou city. It is very likely that within a day or two, he will make his move. Once Yangzhou city falls, neither of you nor I will survive. At this moment, my mind is in absolute chaos."

Xu Dingguo raged, "He wouldn't dare!" At this moment, Xu Dingguo was entirely consumed by hatred.

Wang Lanping sighed, "He not only dares, he is already doing it. The defending forces of Yangzhou are too few in number to hold out for long, and the strategic route of Jigong Mountain has already been seized by him in advance. Even if reinforcements were to come, they could not save us."

Xu Dingguo slammed his hand onto the table. "Rest assured! I share an irreconcilable enmity with that scoundrel. Before he can commit treason and rebellion, I have a way to send him to his death!"

This was precisely the sentence Wang Lanping had been waiting for. Relying solely on his own three thousand cavalry made it difficult to defeat Gao Jie; alienating Xu Dingguo had been done precisely to utilize him to deal with Gao Jie.

Xu Dingguo said, "Having followed Gao Jie for so many years, I know the ins and outs of his troop deployments and encampment methods like the back of my hand. This man acts with extreme caution; he always makes his commander's tent exceptionally conspicuous within the camp, yet he never actually goes there. That place is heavily guarded while he usually chooses another hidden spot outside the camp to rest. Not only that, but the arrangement of his headquarters is very clear to me. I only need five hundred elite soldiers to capture and execute this scoundrel!"

Wang Lanping said, "If you can do that, it would be wonderful. Once the deed is done, I will certainly petition Viceroy Shi to memorialize the throne and report your great merit. Lady Xu and your young sons have endured a grueling journey; why not stay the night here?"

That very moment, Xu Dingguo returned to his camp, personally selected five hundred elite and robust men, and—without stopping to rest, led by a guide—set off urgently toward Gao Jie's military encampment.