RPAGF Chapter 46 Glacier Land Route Part 2
Chapter 46 Glacier Land Route Part 2
Zheng Sen remained silent. He knew Zhou Kui—the greedy and despicable relative of the emperor who had been interrogated by Li Ruolian in the imperial prison and whose house had been fined and confined by imperial decree. But before him, the fifty carts and three hundred laborers were real.
Tongguan urgently needs this batch of grain; the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers are more important than any personal likes or dislikes.
He paused for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please convey my gratitude to Duke Zhou. This grain is crucial to the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers at Tongguan. Regardless of the past, I will remember this act of righteousness."
Zhou Xian breathed a sigh of relief and gestured to the side: "The carriages, horses, and laborers are all ready, the fodder is plentiful, and the laborers are all familiar with the roads in the north and are willing to follow your orders, young master."
March 18th, on the banks of the Majia River in Dongchang Prefecture.
The convoy encountered its first real challenge – the spring flood season on the Majia River.
The river was swollen, and the ruins of the stone bridge were barely visible in the rushing water. The detour would add three days to the journey.
"Build a pontoon bridge," Zheng Sen decided. "Dismantle the vehicles."
Ten large trucks were dismantled, their planks were tied together to form rafts, and door panels were laid on top. The pontoon bridge swayed in the rapids.
When the twentieth cart was crossing the river, one of the lead horses was startled and overturned into the river, instantly swallowing sixteen bushels of grain by the muddy current. The crowd rushed to the rescue, but only managed to pull the cart driver out of the water.
Zheng Sen stood soaking wet by the riverbank, staring at the vanished grain sacks, and uttered only two words: "Continue."
Final losses: ten carts and sixteen bushels of grain. But it saved three days of travel time.
In the following days, the rain continued, making the roads increasingly muddy. Two more carts overturned due to road collapses, losing eight bushels of grain. Zheng Sen's expression was grave, but he never ordered a halt to the work.
March 20th, Kaifeng Prefecture.
A scout urgently reports: Three hundred defeated soldiers are blocking the road at the pass ahead.
Zheng Sen ordered the caravan to form a defensive formation and personally led fifty unarmored Imperial Guards to negotiate.
Wang Laowu, the leader of the routed soldiers, was originally a junior officer in the Xuanfu border army. Dismissed due to unpaid wages, he had fallen to this state. Holding a chipped broadsword, he sneered, "Leave the grain, and get out!"
Zheng Sen untied his money pouch and tossed it over: "Fifty taels, for the brothers to buy wine. The grain is Tongguan military rations, don't touch it."
"Fifty taels to buy three hundred lives?" Old Wang sneered.
"What I'm buying is the future of three hundred heroes." Zheng Sen took out the "Sea Explorer Captain" order. "If you make way today, I'll recommend you all to re-enlist, receive government pay, and earn real wages. Those who are unwilling will each receive two taels of silver for travel expenses to return home."
Wang Laowu stared at the token, then suddenly asked, "You're saying the canal workers' monthly salary is three taels, and there's no deduction?"
"The wages are paid directly, without going through the foreman." Zheng Sen looked directly at him. "His Majesty is making changes, starting with the canal transport and the border pay. You hate the court, but the court has wronged you in some way."
But now some people are changing things—Li Ruolian erected a monument in Huai'an, and Sun Chuanting distributed land in Henan.
This grain is part of the reform. If Tongguan is held, the reform can continue; if Tongguan falls, everything is over.
The wind swept through the pass, and the three hundred defeated soldiers fell silent.
Wang Laowu suddenly threw down his knife and knelt on one knee: "Young Master Zheng, I, Wang Laowu, was originally a junior officer in the Xuanfu border army. I am willing to lead my brothers to escort the grain convoy and atone for my sins!"
Zheng Sen helped him up, but did not immediately agree. He ordered Zhao Qianhu to break up the 280 defeated soldiers and reorganize them into various teams, with each team supervised by an old member of the Imperial Guard. Wang Laowu himself was to remain in the central army for the time being, to observe his performance.
That night, Wang Laowu found Zheng Sen and presented him with a tattered booklet: "This is a copy I stole from the Thousand-Household Commander's study; the original has been destroyed. It contains details of the garrisons in Xuanfu, Datong, and Jizhou. It's a bit old, but mostly accurate."
Zheng Sen accepted it solemnly. The edges of the booklet were worn, and the handwriting, though crooked, was still clear. This trust was more precious than a thousand pieces of gold.
March 22nd, near Xingyang.
A scout galloped in to report: "Large military banners have appeared twenty li away—it's Commander Sun's cavalry!"
The entire army was greatly encouraged.
Zheng Sen lined up to greet them. Half an hour later, three thousand iron cavalry arrived, raising dust. The leader, with a lean face and piercing eyes, was none other than Sun Chuanting, the Governor-General of the Three Border Regions.
Zheng Sen dismounted and saluted: "This humble general, Zheng Sen, has been ordered to transport grain. I pay my respects to the Commander-in-Chief!"
Sun Chuanting strode forward, his voice trembling, "Where...where is the grain?"
Zheng Sen pointed to the convoy behind him: "The sea voyage cost 800 shi, but due to rain, overturning, and losses while crossing the river on land, the total loss is now 700 shi."
Sun Chuanting gazed at the endless array of wagons, his eyes suddenly reddening. He abruptly turned and roared at his three thousand cavalrymen, "Brothers—the grain has arrived!"
Three thousand iron cavalrymen dismounted in unison, faced the grain carts, and knelt on one knee. Not a sound was uttered; only suppressed sobs spread in the wind.
Sun Chuanting also kowtowed three times towards Nanjing, his face streaked with tears as he looked up: "Your Majesty... Tongguan... is saved!"
The grain convoy was handed over to Sun Chuanting's troops, and the entire army, lightly equipped, sped westward with the cavalry.
March 25th, Tongguan.
When Zheng Sen first saw this magnificent pass, he was stunned.
The fortress stands majestically, yet it is scarred and battered. The walls are charred black, the arrow emplacements are broken, and the "Ming" flag flutters in the wind above the gate tower, its surface riddled with holes.
Before the gate closed, a general stood alone. He was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a full beard, his armor was torn and bound with hemp rope, his left arm was hanging, but his body was as straight as a spear.
Sun Chuanting said in a low voice, "General Gao Jie. He was originally a general under Li Zicheng. He surrendered in the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign and rose to the rank of deputy general through his merits. Before his death, General Zhou Yuji entrusted him with the defense of the city because many of the generals in the city were injured."
Zheng Sen stepped forward and saluted: "This humble general, Zheng Sen, greets General Gao."
Gao Jie stared at him for a long time, then asked only three words: "How much grain?"
"Seven hundred shi (a unit of dry measure)."
Gao Jie turned around and roared with all his might towards the interior: "Open the granaries—distribute the grain!"
The door slowly opened.
The scenery inside the pass was unforgettable for Zheng Sen.
Along the streets, soldiers sat or lay down, their faces gaunt, their eyes sunken, and many of them had swollen hands and feet. Upon hearing the words "distribute grain," they struggled to their feet, silently forming a line to follow the grain carts, a faint light finally igniting in their eyes.
The grain was stored in the empty granary, then mixed with wild vegetables and put into the pot. As the smoke rose, the deathly silent fortress came to life for the first time.
Upstairs, Gao Jie pointed to the red cross on the defense map: "General Zhou set up three lines of defense here. Li Zicheng attacked seventeen times but failed to break through."
He paused, looking at the half-bowl of dark, cold soup on the table. "This was the last thing he drank, boiled leather belt mixed with grass from the base of the wall."
Zheng Sen choked up.
"Seven hundred bushels of grain, if eaten sparingly, each person is allotted four ounces per day, mixed with wild vegetables, which can last for more than ten days."
Gao Jie's voice was hoarse, "But that's enough. In just over ten days, Governor Sun can transfer grain from Henan, and His Majesty can transport grain from Jiangnan. Tongguan... won't fall."
He turned to Zheng Sen and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "General Zheng, the 30,000 soldiers of Tongguan will forever remember this kindness of providing grain."
Zheng Sen returned the salute, his gaze passing over the parapet to the enemy camps stretching beyond the pass, then back to the wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys inside the pass.
The tattered "Ming" flag still fluttered in the cold March wind.
April 1st, Wenhua Hall, Nanjing.
After reading Sun Chuanting's urgent message, Li Ce's gaze lingered for a long time on the part about "the Zhou family providing transportation and support."
He raised his head and said calmly to Ni Yuanlu, "Remember this: Zhou Kui's assistance this time can offset part of his fine. However, the crime of corruption cannot be completely absolved."
"Your Majesty is wise." Ni Yuanlu took notes, understanding in his heart—this was the art of imperial judgment, rewarding merit and not pardoning crime.
Li Ce got up, walked to the map, and affixed a small grain cart sign to the "Tongguan" mark, with three characters written beside it:
"Zheng Senyun".
He gazed at the mountains and rivers in the view, and murmured to himself:
"The sea route is passable, and the land route is passable as well. In this Great Ming Dynasty... there are roads everywhere, it just depends on whether anyone is willing to take them."
Spring rain patters outside the window, and swallows flit through the eaves.