Chapter 42: Courtesy Before Force

"Is this what you called 'courtesy before force'?"

Zhu Wenzheng pointed at a large group of magnificently dressed Mongolian princes and nobles from the grasslands, who were being herded along by the Anmin Army with horsewhips and bows. Heavens, there were at least a thousand of them.

They were pushing battering rams against the city gates, and the most absurd part was that this bunch of people was even chanting work songs in unison.

The Yuan soldiers atop the city wall looked at their sole remaining commander, Lord Liang Aluwen, and hesitated with their bows and arrows, not daring to move forward.

Bada Siwen, a Yuan chiliarch, said with a bitter expression, "Respected Taiji, the ones pushing the gates down there are the Noyan nobles. If my subordinates dare to loose their arrows, even if we win the battle, all of my family members, young and old, will be hung from the city walls to dry in the wind."

Aluwen flew into a rage and shouted, "Shoot! If you dare not shoot, I, the Taiji, will execute you myself."

An old man with braided hair, covered from head to toe in gemstone ornaments, sat in a hanging basket lowered from the top of the wall. As soon as he reached the top, he launched into a furious tirade: "Aluwen, who are you trying to shoot to death? Even prairie jackals do not harm their own families. If you, a brute, dare to loose your arrows, the Eternal Sky will surely send down heavenly fire to turn your flesh and blood to dust."

Aluwen asked in disbelief, "Second Uncle, why are you here?"

The old man let out a cold snort and said, "You have your granddaughter's husband to thank for that. Everyone outside the city walls is your uncle, aunt, nephew, or grandniece. Listen to your Second Uncle's advice and open the gates to surrender. Henan falling into your granddaughter-in-law's hands is better than falling into the Ming army's hands."

Aluwen shook his head. "Our Great Yuan has not yet perished. Your grandnephew Koke Temur and great-grandnephew Kokochu are about to encircle and annihilate the northward-advancing Ming army. Our Great Yuan can make a comeback and retake the south."

The old man coughed twice and said, "Aluwen, hatred and ambition have blinded your eyes. Look at the thousand cannons lined up beneath the city walls. Can those old, weak, women, and children down there hold out until your Great Yuan makes a comeback? The Great Yuan belongs to the Borjigin clan; our Timur family are outsiders. Open the gates and surrender; falling into the hands of our own kin is better than falling into the hands of outsiders."

While Aluwen hesitated, Zhu Shuang ordered the artillery formation to be set up.

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Yu shouted in a loud voice, "The two hundred cannons on the front left, turn forty-five degrees to the right, and deliver a salvo directly at the northwest corner of the city wall!"

Two hundred cannons roared in unison, cannonballs raining down like a storm and striking a section of the city wall near the main gate.

Aluwen on the city wall instantly felt the earth shake and the heavens spin, unable to steady his feet.

It took quite a while of swaying before he recovered, and his subordinate courier shouted at the top of his lungs, "Taiji, a catastrophe! The West City, the West City has collapsed!"

Another courier brought more grim news.

"Taiji, the western wall of the city has collapsed, and right behind the wall is our main camp, killing and crushing at least two thousand brothers."

Aluwen screamed at the top of his lungs, "Open the gates and surrender!"

Seeing the Yuan soldiers push open the city gates, Zhu Shuang breathed a sigh of relief. He had known that the defending commander was Minmin's grandfather, which was why he had dragged all those aunts and uncles onto the battlefield. Even though they were distant relatives, if there were too many casualties, he wouldn't know how to explain it to his wife.

"Zhang Yu, pick out the Princess Consort's relatives and let them go."

Zhu Wenzheng asked doubtfully, "If we still have to face Koke Temur's army later, wouldn't it be a pity to release these hostages?"

Zhu Shuang shook his head. "Tactic like this only works on nostalgic old folks like Aluwen. Do you think my two fathers-in-law, who fought back and forth on the battlefield, would care about such petty tricks from you?"

Aluwen's subordinates marched out of the city carrying a white flag, and Zhu Shuang immediately went forward to meet them, dismounting and bowing. "With the Eternal Sky above, this grandson-in-law pays his respects to Grandfather."

Aluwen helped him up, a bitter smile at the corner of his mouth. "When this old man first saw you, I felt you were extraordinary, but I never expected that one day I would be reduced to your prisoner."

Zhu Shuang shook his head to comfort him. "Grandfather worries too much. Minmin is about to give birth, with not a single family member by her side. This grandson-in-law simply wished to escort Grandfather to Kaifeng to rekindle family ties with Minmin."

Aluwen sighed. "So be it, so be it. I only hope that after you enter the city, you will not slaughter a single soul and will treat our prairie people kindly."

Zhu Shuang cupped his fists in response. "One-third of the soldiers in my army are Mongols. Grandfather may rest easy. Aside from those guilty of heinous crimes who must face trial, I have already abolished the Yuan dynasty's four-class system. As long as Mongols have committed no crimes, they shall be registered as commoners and treated with absolute equality."

Aluwen stroked his beard with gratification. "To possess such vision, this old man's defeat is truly not unjustified. Ah, if only Koke and Koke Temur could look as far ahead as you do."

Seeing the Anmin Army maintain strict military discipline as they entered the city without disturbing the populace, distributing relief grain to disaster victims, and posting pacification notices everywhere, Aluwen settled his mind and made a decision that went against his ancestors.

One month later, inside the Forbidden City in Nanjing, Zhu Yuanzhu was reviewing memorials in the Palace of Heavenly Purity when he received a report from Jiang Huan, Commander of the Brocade Guard. He said in utter disbelief, "What? You captured the entirety of Henan in half a month?"

Jiang Huan kowtowed and said, "This humble subordinate personally sent men across the river to investigate and confirmed that all ten prefectures and counties of Henan are now flying the banners of our Great Ming."

Furthermore, it wasn't just the Great Ming banners—the banner of the Prince of Qin's estate bearing the character "Qin" and the banners of the Anmin Army had also been raised. For over a year, Commander Jiang had long mastered the eunuchs' secret art: reporting only good news and omitting the bad, saying whatever pleased the Emperor.

The heavy stone suspended in Zhu Yuanzhou's chest finally dropped. He let out a long sigh of relief and asked, "Where is the Prince of Qin's army? Can they enter Shandong to launch a pincer attack against Koke Temur's army and Wang Baobao's forces?"

At the mention of Wang Baobao, Zhu Yuanzhou felt a strange sensation. Not yet thirty years old and fresh onto the battlefield, this man had soundly defeated his battle-tested nephew, Li Baor. Such a young talent was actually not a man of Zhu Yuanzhou's. This feeling of intense covetousness was something he had only experienced the first time he encountered Chang Yuchun, that peerless general who swept across the world.

If Zhu Shuang were here, he would surely burst into laughter and say: That's right, Wang Baobao is your old Zhu's dream man from your past life.

Jiang Huan did not know what Zhu Yuanzhou was thinking as he gripped his brush tightly for so long without writing, so he could only speak with cautious care: "The Prince of Qin's army passed through Huaiqing and Lu'an, successively conquering the three prefectures of Daming, Guangping, and Shun-de all the way, and entered Hejian via waterways. The Yuan court mobilized Yuan troops from Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and elsewhere, drafting military households of various Jurchen, Goryeo, and Mobei Mongol tribes from Liaodong, appointing the Yuan Chancellor Nahachu as commander-in-chief and Wang Baobao as deputy commander, amassing a total army of six hundred thousand to campaign against the Prince of Qin's forces. The Prince of Qin has ordered his camp to be set up in the city of Zhending, intending to fight a decisive battle to the death with the Yuan army."

The brush on the imperial desk tumbled down with a clatter. Zhu Yuanzhou clenched his fists, his mouth hanging open as silent tears slipped from the corners of his eyes.

Jiang Huan pressed his head to the floor like a statue, not daring to move a muscle. After a long while, Zhu Yuanzhou sighed deeply and cursed, "That rebellious brute! He is copying my high-stakes gamble at Lake Poyang. Who does he think he is? He is marching to his death."

Zhu Yuanzhou smashed a nearby jade Ruyi scepter into pieces and angrily demanded, "Xu Da! Where are Xu Da and Chang Yuchun's armies?!"

Jiang Huan replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Great General Chang's illness has worsened, and he is on the verge of death. General Xu's army of two hundred thousand has been locked in combat outside the city of Jinan against Koke Temur's force of two hundred and ninety thousand for three days and three nights. They have slain over sixty thousand enemies, while suffering over forty thousand casualties."

Zhu Yuanzhou wearily massaged his brow. As a veteran who started out as a common foot soldier, he naturally knew Koke Temur's objective: even if it meant exhausting nearly three hundred thousand men, he was determined to pin Xu Da's Northern Expeditionary Army in Shandong. Yet this kind of attrition warfare, fought like sticky rice paste, was the most impossible to counter.

Xu Da's army was immobilized; the moment they retreated northward, Koke Temur's forces would bite down relentlessly, and once the army's formation fell into chaos, not even immortals could save them.

"Prepare the imperial carriage for the Hall of Great Convergence; summon all civil and military officials to discuss countermeasures."

As Zhu Yuanzhou supported his unsteady body and barely crossed the threshold of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Huang Gou'er, the attendant beside him, cried out in panic, "Quick, quick, quick! Summon the imperial physicians! Go quickly to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility to report to the Empress—His Majesty has collapsed!"

Inside the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, brightly lit, Empress Ma kept vigil by the imperial couch. Watching Zhu Yuanzhou grow thinner and darker, she felt a piercing heartache. Turning to Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who stood guard nearby, she said, "Go to the Hall of Great Convergence and summon the ministers to discuss countermeasures. Your imperial father has exhausted his heart and soul for the sake of the state and the dynasty. I hope you will mature quickly and cease angering him."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao wore an innocent expression. This was the mess his second younger brother had made, yet he couldn't pass the blame.

"This son obeys mother's decree."

"State affairs are urgent; go."

After Zhu Biao left, Empress Ma turned to the physician taking the pulse and said, "I am mentally prepared, Dai Yuanli, speak."

Dai Sigong, the chief physician of the Imperial Hospital, kowtowed and said, "His Majesty has fainted due to excessive fatigue and exhaustion accumulated from state affairs recently, coupled with a surge of pent-up rage. His Majesty's constitution is robust and there is no major ailment."

Empress Ma asked doubtfully, "Then why, a day and a night later, has His Majesty still not awakened?"

What she found strange was that in the past, Zhu Yuanzhou had never skipped the morning audience even while running a high fever.

Dai Sigong explained, "This is a melancholic illness born of long-pent-up frustration in His Majesty's heart. A malady of the heart requires heart medicine. I beg the Empress to forgive this subject for only being able to prescribe some calming decoctions to offer a meager effort."

Empress Ma sighed. "As long as there is no grave danger, you may withdraw."

Dai Sigong took his leave. As a couple since their youth, Empress Ma naturally knew why Zhu Yuanzhou's heart was gripped by melancholy. No matter how much Zhu Shuang displeased him, he was still his own flesh and blood. Three years without a word, and the moment news finally arrived, it was news of impending life-and-death separation—and dying for the country at that. To say nothing of a mere woman, even someone as hard-hearted as Zhu Yuanzhou would be shaken to the core.

"Zhongba," Empress Ma murmured, "our Second Lang hasn't even been enfeoffed yet, hasn't enjoyed a single day of the blessings of being a Prince. Who could have expected that when matters came to a head, the one to see through it would be me, his mother."

"When he was still little, I had a physiognomist read his face, and he said his fortune was shallow and destined for an early death, that even if he became a prince, he would end up dying and having his state abolished. So all these years, no matter how rebellious he was, I spoiled him. I had imagined he would be executed by you for his lawless behavior, and I had imagined he would accumulate such monstrous wickedness that someone would poison him. But I never once imagined that one day he would die making the ultimate sacrifice for the country. If the heavens permitted it, how I, as his mother, would wish to trade my life for his."

"I only pity our unborn grandson, who will lose his father before he even enters the world. Zhongba, my health is failing day by day; I do not know how much longer I can accompany you. You must hold on. A child who has lost his mother will be bullied by others, but a child who has lost his father has the very sky collapse upon him. When my time comes to leave, bring him into the Forbidden City and raise him yourself. Teach him to be a wise and virtuous man, watch him settle down and establish his career, watch him father great-grandchildren—only then will you have fulfilled your duty as a grandfather. I will wait for you forever at the Naihe Bridge."

Empress Ma's tears had already soaked the front of her robe. Feeling the chill upon his face, Zhu Yuanzhou slowly opened his eyes, used his sleeve to wipe the tears from her face, and said in a low voice, "I haven't died yet. The sky hasn't fallen. What are you crying for?"

Empress Ma grasped his hand, sobbing uncontrollably. Zhu Yuanzhou struggled to prop himself up, pulled her into his embrace, and said, "From the day I was locked in Guo Zixing's dungeon, I made a vow: I will never let you shed another tear. I am Zhu Yuanzhou, the greatest king beneath the heavens, the supreme sovereign of the Nine Fives. My words are the decree of Heaven's mandate. Xiuying, even if the heavens themselves make you cry, I will never allow it."

Empress Ma choked out, "My heart simply hurts."

Zhu Yuanzhou held her tightly and said warmly, "It's nothing insurmountable. The south is already pacified; within ten years we can raise another twenty-hundred-thousand-strong army, and the Great Yuan is just an autumn grasshopper. Our son is blessed with great fortune; even if he has the misfortune of being captured a second time, Toghon Temur wouldn't dare lay a finger on him. If so much as a sliver of flesh is missing from our son, I will slaughter every last member of Yuan Emperor Toghon Temur's clan."

"Things haven't deteriorated beyond rescue. Perhaps Xu Da can be granted divine assistance to break through the encirclement; perhaps a rock will fall from the sky and smash right into Yuan Emperor Toghon Temur's head."

"You know, just now I had a dream. That little bastard stood in the Hall of Great Convergence holding a sword, looking at me, and said I was old and should retire."

Empress Ma broke through her tears into a smile. "Zhu Zhongba, you're talking nonsense again."

Zhu Yuanzhou held her tighter and said warmly, "Right, smile more. I always loved the way you smiled back when we were young."

At that moment, Zhu Yuanzhou suddenly felt that ten thousand years of imperial dominion were not nearly so important. With her here, he was once again that carefree young novice monk of his youth. With her here, he was once again Zhu Zhongba, the honest, shy common foot soldier inside Haozhou city. If one day she were no longer here, his home would truly be gone.

Seeing him gaze at her as directly as when they were first acquainted in their youth, Empress Ma blushed and scolded, "Why keep staring at your concubine like that? We're old married couples now, aren't you ashamed?"

Zhu Yuanzhou refused to let go of her, shaking his head. "Such spring beauty—I could look at it for a lifetime and never grow tired."

Thousands of miles away, Zhu Shuang had no idea his parents were publicly displaying their affection as he stood by the Yongding River in Baoding Prefecture.

Surrounding him were the tents of an army sixty thousand strong. Among them were over forty thousand veterans and more than twenty thousand newly trained recruits, while over thirty thousand were newly surrendered Mongol troops. Zhu Shuang had just received a report from his subordinates that the sixty thousand-strong army assembled by the Yuan court had already arrived outside the walls of Dadu, less than five hundred li from their encampment.

Looking out over this future Shishiazhuang, filled with pastures, cattle, and sheep, Zhu Shuang smiled.

He stood up and announced to the men who were busy cooking meals in their pots, "Starting today, the ban on alcohol is lifted. Tell Fatty Liu to unseal every jar of wine. I want to toast every single company a cup of wine today. Tonight, we drink until we drop without a single sober soul."

Zhu Wenzheng said with concern, "Young Brother, the army has always partied only after a victory. There is never a precedent for getting dead drunk right before a major battle."

Zhu Shuang chuckled and said, "Elder Brother, I've always been curious: when you faced Chen Youliang's sixty thousand-strong army bearing down on the city walls, what was going through your mind?"

Zhu Wenzheng pondered it carefully for a long time before replying, "Back then, our troops were few and our generals were scarce. Every day we ate, drank, shat, and slept right on the ramparts—who had time to think about all that? At the time, I didn't dare think about tomorrow at all, just hoping to muddle through one day at a time."

Zhu Shuang pointed at the assembled men and laughed loudly, "We are the very same. Perhaps in three days' time, during the battle, many of us will die, or all of us will die. We will be reduced to cold, hard figures, covered by the wind and snow, and forgotten by the world. But I want to remember them, so that after they die, there will be descendants to make offerings, so that someone remembers the achievements they once accomplished. I want to remember every single one of them—even if it's just a small cup of wine, even if it's just a few brief words. Because I am their commander, and this is what I ought to do."

Zhu Wenzheng smiled bitterly. "Before the battle has even been joined, why must you be so pessimistic?"

Zhu Shuang shook his head. "This isn't pessimism. They have joys and sorrows; they are human beings, flesh-and-blood human beings. Even for a moment—just for a single moment—I, your younger brother, want them to know that they are not mere entries in a general's merit ledger, not mere consumables of war. If one day the scholar-bureaucrats forget them, there is still me. There is still me to remember the blood they once shed on this land."

The cooks had spent half the day slaughtering cattle and sheep, and now they carried great cauldrons of stewed meat to the sides of the campfires.