Volume One: In a Chaotic World, Is There Any Path for Humanity? 26. Breaching the City II

To truly occupy a city, there is much work to be done.

Fortunately, Deng She had no intention of remaining long in Yongping. The city sat at the heart of the country, bordering Liaoyang, and from here, one could reach the capital in a matter of days. The court would not simply abandon it; he estimated the Yuan army would arrive in half a month at most. Thus, he had, at best, ten days to accomplish his objectives.

The first objective was to procure provisions and armaments, which was accomplished that very night. Zhao Guo successfully seized the granaries, arsenals, and storehouses. Deng She sent several trusted veterans to take over the garrisons. From among the officials under Yellow Mule, he found those responsible for managing these places and spent half the night taking inventory.

With the spoils, there were enough weapons for ten thousand men—besides swords, spears, shields, and crossbows, there were three hundred muskets, two cannons, as well as poison arrows, fire arrows, caltrops, mantraps, poisoned smoke balls, thunderfire orbs, and countless defensive apparatuses. Additionally, they acquired eight hundred warhorses.

The granaries held a hundred thousand measures of grain, and the storehouses contained untold sums of gold and silver.

Beyond this, Monk Li led a team to search the wealthy households. The grain and riches extorted from these families surpassed even those taken from the official granaries and vaults.

Deng She worked through the night, and at dawn personally led a team to the mountains to escort Lady Wang back. They occupied the grandest estate in the city and invited her to reside there. The troops, resplendent and imposing, escorted her in triumph into the city. Lady Wang was deeply satisfied, though she noted with regret that few commoners were on the streets. On the day after the city’s fall, only the homeless beggars and opportunistic ruffians dared to wander outside.

Upon seeing the troops, these people knelt in the streets, heads bowed, loudly proclaiming, “Mighty General! Mighty General!” Lady Wang wished to correct them, to say she was not a general but a lady. Glancing ruefully at her soiled men’s attire, she resolved that her first order of business would be to bathe and change into a skirt.

After settling Lady Wang, Deng She hurried back to the government office.

His personal guards reported that the generals had been waiting a long while. Though everyone had worked through the night without rest, their spirits were high. The three thousand prisoners had been executed, their bodies cast into ditches beyond the city, covered with lime to prevent pestilence. Now, they must discuss the next great matter—recruitment.

With Yongping taken, Lulong had surrendered without a fight. The other subordinate counties had not yet heard the news. Deng She dispatched Guan Shirong to lead a team and persuade their surrender. Those who would not yield, he would ignore; these counties were small and sparsely populated, and the spoils from Yongping were already ample.

A recruitment banner was raised atop the city wall, beside the corpse of Chief Liu. Other than the Koreans stirred up by He Guangxiu and a few bold rogues, no one came to enlist. Yellow Mule suggested reviving the Red Turbans’ old tactic: conscripting able-bodied men by force.

Deng She disagreed. “If their hearts are not with us, what use a hundred thousand pressed into service? Have you forgotten the peril Chen recounted last night—the danger of rebellion from within?” But the lack of recruits was indeed a problem. He glanced at He Guangxiu, still kneeling, and considered—perhaps it was time to set an example, to buy bones with gold, so to speak, and show the people his intent.

With a gentle tone, he bade He Guangxiu rise. “You performed admirably last night. Since the fall of the city, you have been tireless, and I have yet to reward you.” He called for Zhao Guo. “Bring fifty strings of cash as a reward.”

He Guangxiu was overwhelmed—he had never before received praise or reward. Tears welled in his eyes. “To serve you is my fortune. I dare not accept such generosity.”

Deng She smiled, motioned for Zhao Guo to help him accept it, and after a few polite refusals, He Guangxiu took the money. Deng She then asked, “Last night, I neglected to ask—how many Koreans joined you to assist me?”

“About four hundred, though a hundred or so died.”

“Each survivor shall receive fifty strings of cash as a reward. Those killed will be buried with honor, and if they have families, their kin shall receive a hundred strings,” Deng She ordered. “Would these men be willing to join our army?”

“If you are willing to accept us, we would lay down our lives for you!”

Where else could these Koreans go? If they had aided the Red Turbans, and the rebels withdrew, they would be put to death for their collusion. Deng She had been waiting for He Guangxiu to say this himself. He then announced the appointments agreed upon with Chen Hu and the others: “Since you are all willing to serve, you will form a thousand-man unit. You shall be the commander, select five captains of a hundred yourself, and I will assign you five more; each will oversee thirty men.”

He Guangxiu was stunned, unable to believe his ears. He was being appointed commander of a thousand! And he could choose five captains himself! From a despised outcast, he was now elevated to the rank of general. Tears streamed down his face as he knelt, overcome with joy and gratitude, and blessed his fortune for making the right choice.

He kowtowed with heartfelt sincerity, choking out, “Your boundless grace—I am now your dog, to bite whomever you command. Through fire and water, at your merest gesture, I will leap!”

Deng She was inwardly repulsed by such servility but, for the sake of setting an example, forced a smile, offered a few words of encouragement, and sent him away.

It was decided that they would wait another day to see if such examples would bear fruit before considering other measures.

The third matter was to issue a call for talent. This was Deng She’s suggestion: the Red Turbans were largely illiterate, and those who had read a book were as rare as phoenix feathers. Whether for military logistics or counsel, a call for talent was essential.

He asked Luo Guoqi to draft the proclamation, ending with the words of Cao Cao: “Only talent will be elevated; if I find it, I will use it.” From the example of Chief Liu, it was clear that scholars who prided themselves on their integrity would not heed a mere bandit captain. Therefore, Deng She decided to follow Cao Cao’s example—seeking only talent, not virtue, and even accepting the talented without virtue.

He did not expect anyone to answer immediately—that was unrealistic. But he needed to make this gesture, to let the people of Yongping see that he was not merely a butcher, thus reassuring them, and to shape public opinion among those who read the proclamation, presenting himself as someone who respected letters and scholars.

The fourth matter was to reward the soldiers.

In this campaign, more than thirty men were wounded or killed. The wounded were treated by physicians, the dead buried with full honors. The survivors each received fifty taels of silver, to be distributed into their very hands by Zhao Guo himself, so that every soldier would know who had rewarded them. Yongping was a prosperous city, with no shortage of brothels. Deng She commandeered them all at once, offering them to the soldiers for their amusement, so that the men, once sated, would not disturb the populace.

Those with discernment brought the wives and concubines of the Darughachi, Chief Liu, and other officials for Deng She’s pleasure. At the moment, he had no interest in such matters. He spared them only a brief glance—a flock of delicate, trembling beauties, as helpless as sheep at the slaughter—feeling a pang of pity, but recognizing this as custom. It was a critical moment for consolidating loyalty, and he would not dampen his officers’ spirits over such things.

Sighing inwardly, he realized his heart had grown ever harder. But who could be blamed? Such was the world: everyone was but a chess piece in the hands of fate.

He chose one at random, to show he shared in the officers’ pleasures. He selected two handsome Han servants for Lady Wang’s use. The rest were distributed among the officers. Not one, including Chen Hu and Zhao Guo, refused. Wen Huaguo, with his peculiar tastes, declined the concubines but claimed a legitimate wife instead. It should be noted that the Darughachi and Chief Liu were already in their fifties or sixties.

The others were bemused, but he justified himself, “What do you know? A legitimate wife is like the commander-in-chief, concubines and maids are mere officers and footmen. In the grand bedchamber, as on the battlefield, who would abandon the general for the privates?” At this, all present burst into laughter.

With these four matters settled, they assigned duties for garrisoning, patrols, and distant scouting parties, sorted through the baggage and spoils, and prepared for a timely retreat. At this moment, a guard reported that someone had come to answer the call for talent.