lcionline Chapter 470 The Minister and the Duke
Chapter 470 The Minister and the Duke
Neither side was willing to back down, and the situation entered a standoff.
The troops that rushed to the scene upon receiving the order from the Ministry of War were the Chihe Battalion and the rotating garrison troops. The Chihe Battalion was a branch of the Nanjing Jingying (Nanjing Garrison), stationed in the northern part of the city. Its main tasks were to assist in the defense of the river and protect the imperial tombs. Because of its proximity, it was the first to be dispatched. The garrison troops were the Jichuan Garrison, which was rotating to assist in the defense of the city each season. There were 49 garrisons in Nanjing, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, and they rotated into the city each season to assist in the defense.
After the Jingnan Rebellion, the Nanjing garrison and the nearby military garrisons never fought a real battle. Although they were located in the secondary capital, the problems of soldiers receiving salaries without working and deserting their posts were better than in other places, and their weapons and equipment were more complete. However, they could not compare with the Qionghai Army, which had just won a battle.
Although the majority of the Qionghai Army soldiers were new recruits, they had undergone a transformation in spirit and morale after the fierce battle of Qiuyu Mountain. Unlike the tense soldiers of Chihe Camp and Jichuan Guard, the Qionghai Army soldiers stood with their guns raised, showing no tension or unease whatsoever. Their expressions were stern and calm, and the thousands of men remained motionless and silent, like a group of cold machines.
This situation put even greater pressure on the Chihe Battalion and the Jichuan Guard. The soldiers were tense, and the commander of the Chihe Battalion and the commander of the Jichuan Guard had beads of sweat on their foreheads. They were ordered to stop the enemy, but judging from the situation, the enemy could attack at any moment; this was no joke. At such close range, with such a dense formation, if a fight broke out, there would likely be a river of blood outside Hongwu Gate.
Just then, several sedan chairs hurriedly emerged from the opposite street, passing through the ranks of Chihe Camp and Jichuan Guard, and arrived at the front. A red-robed official alighted first, stepped forward, and loudly demanded, "I am Wang Lin, Minister of War. Who is this person ahead, and why are you trespassing into the Forbidden City?"
Upon seeing the Minister of War, one of the three leaders, arrive, Liu Ye took a few steps forward and loudly replied across two rows of soldiers: "I am Liu Ye, the Commander-in-Chief of Pingnan Garrison in Qionghai. I was ordered by the Ministry of War to suppress the bandits in Southern Zhili. A few days ago, I fought against the combined forces of Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong at Qiuyu Mountain in Jiangpu County and won a great victory. I captured the bandit Gao Yingxiang alive, and he has been escorted to the capital. After the battle, many of my men were wounded or killed. I wanted to enter the city to treat the wounded, but the garrison made things difficult for me in every way and even insulted me. In a fit of anger, I stormed into the city."
Several vice ministers behind Wang Lin got out of the sedan chair one after another. They were very dissatisfied with Liu Ye's answer and said to Wang Lin, "This man is nothing but a crude and vulgar military man. Facing a second-rank minister, he still refers to himself as 'this official.' He is extremely arrogant. Moreover, even though the lord is standing in front of him, he keeps referring to the Ministry of War without specifying that it is the Ministry of War in Beijing. He is clearly implying that the Ministry of War in Nanjing is just a figurehead. His intentions are despicable."
Wang Lin gestured to stop their discussion and said calmly, "These are just minor matters. Capable people are always a bit more arrogant than ordinary people. It's alright."
"Sir, you believe his words? The rebels Li Zicheng and Zhang Fei have a combined force of 100,000. How could they be defeated by a mere few thousand men?"
Wang Lin shook his head: "Capturing Gao Yingxiang alive and sending him to the capital is such a colossal lie that no one dares to tell it. It will be exposed in a few days. If Gao Yingxiang is really captured, then the defeat of the Gao-Zhang allied forces is real. Otherwise, how could the rebel leader, who has tens of thousands of troops by his side, have surrendered so easily?"
Upon reflection, everyone realized that this made perfect sense. Without defeating the bandit coalition, they couldn't capture Gao Yingxiang; conversely, if they successfully captured Gao Yingxiang, the bandits would certainly be defeated. In modern mathematical terms, the two conditions were both sufficient and necessary.
Wang Lin continued his analysis: "Although this general brazenly led his troops into the city, he did not allow them to plunder, which shows that although he was arrogant, he still had some fear in his heart and would not let things get out of control. It seems that his words were true. He was a little conceited after the great victory, but he was embarrassed at the city gate and became angry, which is why he did such an impulsive thing. There is still room for redemption."
He shouted to the person opposite him: "General Liu, I will send someone to verify what you said. If it is true, I will give you an explanation. However, in any case, letting troops into the city and crashing into the palace is a serious crime. Considering that you acted impulsively, I will not pursue the matter. As long as you lead your troops out of the city, everything can be discussed."
Since Liu Ye had led his troops into the city, he had no intention of obediently withdrawing. Moreover, the so-called "no investigation" was only a way to fool children and a delaying tactic. It was just that Wang Lin was afraid of taking action outside the palace and damaging the Forbidden City, and he couldn't bear the responsibility.
He replied with a smile, "Minister Wang is very magnanimous and doesn't hold it against me. I am truly grateful. Since that's the case, I can leave the city. I will find a place to settle my wounded soldiers and then find the best doctor in the city to treat them. Once their injuries have healed, I will naturally lead my men out of Nanjing."
Wang Lin's face darkened. Battlefield wounds don't heal so quickly. They say it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. Does a wounded soldier have to stay in Nanjing indefinitely if his wounds don't heal? Isn't that just a blatant lie and a way of changing the subject?
At this moment, another group of soldiers arrived from the street leading to the square on the west side, surrounding a tall white horse. On the horse rode a knight of about forty years old, clad in gleaming silver armor, with a rather heroic air about him. This knight walked straight to Wang Lin, dismounted, and asked, "What is it all about that makes you so tense?"
Wang Lin bowed and said, "This humble official greets the Duke of Wei." Then, briefly, he recounted the whole story.
This man was none other than Xu Hongji, the hereditary Duke of Wei, Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, and Garrison Commander of Nanjing. Upon receiving the report from the Ministry of War, he was greatly alarmed. He immediately donned his armor, mounted his horse, mustered his personal guards, and rushed to the Hongwu Gate without stopping.
Upon hearing the explanation, Xu Hongji frowned and shook his head, saying, "Lord Wang is being far too lenient. This is an opening that cannot be opened. If we do not investigate, then any Tom, Dick, or Harry will be able to lead troops in and wander around. What kind of order will that be?"
Wang Lin said with difficulty, "But what if we fight here and damage the Forbidden City?"
Xu Hongji snorted: "I'm afraid this fellow wouldn't dare to make a move, otherwise he would have already unleashed his troops to plunder. I've already transferred the Zhenwu Battalion here, and they're on their way, together with the Chihe Battalion and the Jichuan Guard, to force him out of the city!" The Zhenwu Battalion is also one of the Nanjing Garrison's units, forming the core of the Garrison together with the Chihe Battalion and the Shenji Battalion.
Before long, the fully armed Zhenwu Army rushed to the scene. Together with the Chihe Battalion and Jichuan Guard, their forces reached seven thousand men.
Upon seeing the Zhenwu Battalion arrive, Xu Hongji confidently ordered, "Form ranks, then issue a warning: if they do not retreat within one incense stick's time, they will bear the consequences!"
The loud-voiced soldier relayed Xu Hongji's words to the other side without missing a single one. Liu Ye chuckled and said, "This guy is so arrogant in front of the Minister of War. He's probably the Duke of Wei, a meritorious official who defends Nanjing. He's probably got us cornered, that's why he's being so tough."
He ordered, "Prepare for battle and teach the defenders in Nanjing a lesson!"