Mirage

21. A friend’s letter leads a hero to submit | A year’s leave allows a censor to marry

After his defeat at Chaozhou, Governor-general Hu had given orders that the walls and moats of all the towns in the area should be rigorously guarded. He had also told several thousand soldiers of the Gaozhou garrison to advance and capture Mola that autumn. But Mola was crafty and an able tactician, and his four Defenders of the Faith were all exceptionally fearless warriors. Although Commander-in-Chief Ren had some extraordinary triumphs, to some extent throwing the enemy into confusion, in the end his achievements could not obscure the earlier failures . In the ninth month the governor-general received a stern reprimand from the emperor, and in the tenth month an imperial order demoted him to the position of intendant for Huizhou and Chaozhou. Withdrawing to the boundary of Chaozhou, he awaited the transfer of authority. Early in the twelfth month the new governor-general, Qing Xi, arrived, and Hu Cheng had to return to Guangzhou to hand over his seal of office. Qing Xi faced in the direction of the imperial palace and kowtowed as he received the seal, to the applause of the numerous officials gathered there. Qing Xi told Hu Cheng to remain in the capital for the time being and accompany the army when it advanced in the spring. Soon the old year was over. When Shen left the court, the emperor had told him as a matter of urgency to cooperate with Qing Xi in rooting out the bandits in order to spare the people of Guangdong. Shen therefore invited Governor-general Qing, Commander-in-Chief Ren, Counselor Li, and Intendant Hu to a conference. By noon everyone had arrived. Officials 21 a fRiend’s letteR leads a heRo to submit a yeaR’s leave alloWs a CensoR to maRRy Mirage-FA02_13Jan2014.indd 317 15/1/14 11:30 AM 318 | Mirage served tea, after which Shen raised his hand and began, “I have received personal instructions from the emperor to cooperate with Governorgeneral Qing in capturing the Huizhou and Chaozhou bandits. I am embarrassed to say that I have only a modest knowledge of civil affairs and a limited capacity for military matters, and I am asking you gentlemen to enlighten me.” “Commander-in-Chief Ren has tried several times to stamp out the rebellion,” said Governor-general Qing, “and he has been fighting continuously for a year now. I expect he has a thorough knowledge of the facts about the two bandits. I hope, Commander-in-Chief, that you will put forward plans for our consideration, after which Governor Shen and Counselor Li will decide the issue.” “I bear a heavy burden, having several times brought shame to the imperial army,” said Ren. “By the emperor’s grace I was not executed but allowed to continue serving humbly in the army. I would never dare do anything but present my ideas clearly to you in the hope of repaying his mercy. In general, the two bandits’ crimes in rebelling are equal, but Mola’s wickedness exceeds that of Huowu. Huowu is entrenched in an impregnable redoubt, and although he continues to defy the court, he has not taken human life lightly. The fact that he deliberately rebelled may well be due to some particular issue. Last year he released sub-prefect Hu and rebuffed Mola’s emissary; when Cao Zhiren unintentionally encroached on Jiaying, he withdrew his troops; and when Lü Youkui got drunk and assaulted a common citizen, he had him flogged—all of which stands to his credit. As for Mola, his crimes of greed, cruelty, arrogance, and license are truly heinous, and the common people suffer greatly, so we should naturally destroy him first before turning our attention to Lufeng. However, Mola is a ferocious opponent, infinitely cunning, and we will be heavily dependent on the formidable qualities of you two gentlemen as well as on the counselor’s brilliant planning.” “Counselor Li volunteered in court to attack the enemy by joining the army on the Guangdong coast,” said Governor-general Qing. “He must surely have some extraordinary plan that will benefit the region. May I call on you to enlighten us, Counselor?” “I have just one trivial point to make,” said Li. “I’d prefer to leave the decision to you gentlemen. Throughout history there have been only two methods of suppressing bandits: negotiation and liquidation. I wonder if Intendant Hu has ever called upon these bandits to surrender?” Mirage-FA02_13Jan2014.indd 318 15/1/14 11...