MLMD -Chapter 366 The Army Sets Out for Shanhai Pass

The Liaodong Army had entrenched itself in Liaodong for decades, and over time a web of deeply intertwined interests had formed. The father and son Wu Xiang and Wu Sangui controlled Shanhai Pass, commanding nearly thirty thousand troops, seven or eight thousand of whom were the elite Guanning Iron Cavalry. Meanwhile, the Zu Dashou family occupied the Jinzhou region and also commanded tens of thousands of elite soldiers. It could be said that these two families had already become the de facto local warlords of Liaodong.

Would such ambitious regional powers really submit meekly just because of a single imperial edict? Probably not—even the most naïve person wouldn’t believe that. To take over the Liaodong defensive line, Shanhai Pass was the first obstacle that could not be bypassed. And Yue Yang was certain that once he led his army close to Shanhai Pass, the Wu father and son who guarded it would never surrender obediently. At that point, a major battle would be unavoidable.

“Which bastard without an asshole came up with this rotten idea?!” In his agitation, Yue Yang couldn’t help but curse aloud. Wang Chengen, standing beside him, looked utterly embarrassed and couldn’t say a word. After all, the court really had acted dishonorably this time—Yue Yang had practically become a professional scapegoat.

At last, Wang Chengen said hesitantly, “Marquis Yue, you really can’t blame His Majesty for this. The Emperor was forced into it—otherwise he wouldn’t have entrusted both Xuan-Da and Liaodong to you. This is an extraordinary favor.”

“Heh… so I should kneel and thank His Majesty for his boundless grace, then?” Yue Yang replied with a face full of mockery.

Hearing the sarcasm in Yue Yang’s tone, Wang Chengen was left speechless. If anyone else had dared say something like that, Wang Chengen would have spat in their face. But this man was different. This was someone who now commanded over a hundred thousand troops, someone who had even killed ruthless figures like Hong Taiji and Yueto. The fact that he was still willing to heed Chongzhen’s orders at all was already giving the Emperor face. If the court kept nagging, there was a real chance he would simply turn around and go home, refusing to play along anymore.

Wang Chengen fell silent, but the dozen or so Jinyiwei who had accompanied him to deliver the edict grew curious when they heard him being reprimanded inside. They peeked in, and when they saw Yue Yang mocking Wang Chengen so openly, they felt uncomfortable. One Jinyiwei officer, eager to curry favor, strode into the room and shouted at Yue Yang, “Marquis Yue, please conduct yourself properly! Eunuch Wang is here on behalf of His Majesty. Though you are a marquis, you should not be so disrespectful. Hurry up and apologize to Eunuch Wang!”

“Hm…”

At those words, Yue Yang’s first reaction wasn’t anger, but surprise. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since anyone dared to scold him like that. Had this petty Jinyiwei eaten leopard gall? In the end, Yue Yang even looked at Wang Chengen and laughed, as if to say: Where did you find such a brainless idiot?

Wang Chengen’s face flushed crimson. These Jinyiwei were used to throwing their weight around in the capital, where nobles were everywhere. As the saying went, the ignorant fear nothing. In this Jinyiwei’s eyes, the Emperor was supreme, and since Wang Chengen represented the Emperor, Yue Yang—no matter how powerful—was still just a marquis. This was the perfect moment to show loyalty, so he rushed forward to flatter his superior.

“Shut up!” Wang Chengen, mortified under Yue Yang’s half-smiling gaze, lashed out in embarrassment and slapped the officer hard across the face, cursing, “Didn’t you hear what Marquis Yue and I were just discussing? Who let you in here? Get the hell out!”

Having kicked the horse’s leg instead of kissing it, the officer dared not say another word. He covered his face and hurried out. After this episode, however, much of Yue Yang’s anger had dissipated. Seeing the faintly pleading look in Wang Chengen’s eyes, he pondered for a moment before saying, “Eunuch Wang, this matter is of great importance. I must carefully weigh the pros and cons before deciding. How about this—you return first. Once I’ve thought it through, I’ll give you my answer.”

“Th-this…” Wang Chengen panicked. “Marquis Yue, His Majesty and several ministers are waiting for me to bring back good news. How about this—we’ll stay here for a few days. Whenever you’ve made up your mind, I’ll return then.”

“Heh… now you’re playing deadlock with me?” Seeing Wang Chengen’s stubborn I won’t leave unless you agree attitude, Yue Yang couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Still, he could understand Chongzhen’s anxiety. There was a Western proverb from later generations: once betrayal becomes a habit, you’ll keep betraying. If Wu Sangui and Zu Dashou could open the passes and let the Qing army in this time, next time they would dare to surrender outright. Historically, neither of them had been good people anyway—one surrendered directly to the Qing and became their lackey, while the other raised his hands and surrendered after being captured. Though some so-called “experts” later tried to whitewash them, claiming their surrender was forced and understandable, Yue Yang had always sneered at such excuses. Even surrender had to be dressed up as a tragic necessity—how fake could that be?

After settling Wang Chengen and his entourage, Yue Yang quickly convened a military council. At the meeting, he read Chongzhen’s edict aloud to the assembled generals, and the tent erupted in an uproar.

Hu Dawei blurted out, “Marquis, how is this possible? How could the Wu father and son and Zu Dashou dare to open the passes and let the Qing barbarians in? That’s treason!”

Many others echoed his doubts. To them, this was simply unbelievable. They were all frontier commanders themselves and knew very well what their peers were like. Eating ghost pay, bleeding the troops dry, even secretly selling military supplies to the Qing—those things happened. But opening the border outright and letting the enemy in went beyond their moral bottom line. That was practically the same as surrendering the country.

Yang Guozhu also voiced his skepticism. “Marquis, isn’t the court being too rash this time? The Wu family and Zu Dashou have long enjoyed imperial favor. Though they may have some minor faults, would they really open the passes and invite the Qing army in?”

“You’re all overestimating their integrity,” Yue Yang sighed and shook his head. Had he not come from the future, he wouldn’t have believed how rotten the Liaodong defense line had become either. Wu Sangui needed no explanation—a notorious traitor in later history, a vanguard of anti-Ming forces, and the kind who wanted a moral plaque even while selling himself. As for Zu Dashou, he was no better. Wu Sangui surrendered once; Zu Dashou surrendered several times, until even the Manchus despised his character. Wu Sangui at least became Prince Pingxi; Zu Dashou ended up with nothing more than a banner title and died under house arrest in Beijing. Later generations summed him up succinctly: A famous general—holding the passes without, collecting within; loyal in appearance. A twice-serving minister—betraying both old and new masters; loyal to none.

Seeing the doubts continue, Yue Yang raised his hand. “Enough. Stop making excuses for the Wu and Zu families. This time the Qing mobilized a hundred thousand troops and broke through at Dushikou and Xifengkou. The garrisons sent no warning whatsoever, and only on the third day after the Qing entered did the Juyong Pass garrison discover it and report to the court. The Qing rampaged through Ming territory unopposed. Does that seem normal to you?”

At this, Yang Guozhu and the others fell silent. The incident truly reeked of something fishy—no warnings at all along the entire Liaodong line, and the alarm only raised from the interior three days later. To say there was no foul play would be an insult to their intelligence.

“But why would they do this?” Hu Dawei protested weakly. “What benefit does it bring them?”

“Benefit?” Yue Yang snorted. “As the saying goes, raise bandits to increase your own importance. Without a strong external enemy, why would the court value the Liaodong Army? After we beat the Qing badly last time, pressure on the Ming lessened. I’ve heard that the court diverted most of the grain tax we paid to Hong Chengchou and Zu Dashou’s suppression campaigns, leaving Liaodong with very little. For troops used to taking the lion’s share, how could they tolerate that? So pulling a stunt like this isn’t strange at all.”

Originally, Yue Yang hadn’t thought too deeply about the reasons behind this Qing incursion. It felt odd, but he hadn’t imagined the Liaodong Army would go so far as to invite the enemy in. After Wang Chengen’s explanation, however, the more he thought about it, the more the pieces fell into place. He had to admire the court’s bigwigs—governing the country they were clumsy at, but when it came to dirty tricks, they were experts. The Liaodong Army barely stuck its butt out, and they already knew who’d taken a dump.

The generals weren’t fools either, and many clues now became clear to them.

Chu Di spoke up, “Actually, this is easy to test. We march the army to Shanhai Pass and summon the Wu father and son and the garrison commanders to come out and receive the imperial edict. If they dare not come out, it proves they have a guilty conscience. Then we don’t waste words—just attack the city.”

At this point, Shun Bao, who had been silent, said worriedly, “Marquis, the court has ordered us to take over the Liaodong defense line and escort both the Zu family and the Wu father and son back to the capital. That’s no easy task. They’re not pushovers. Marching over so openly, anyone can guess our intent—it’ll mean another major battle. Especially Shanhai Pass and Jinzhou—high walls, deep moats. If we attack head-on, it’ll be brutal.”

Yang Guozhu smiled bitterly. “Yes… fighting fellow Ming elites to the death—wouldn’t that make the Qing laugh themselves silly?”

The tent fell silent. Many of the former Xuan-Da generals felt deeply conflicted. Just days ago they’d all been comrades, and now they were to fight each other to the death. It was hard to swallow.

Yue Yang coldly observed their expressions and said calmly, “You feel uncomfortable, don’t you? Once brothers-in-arms, some of you even fought the Qing together. Now you’re supposed to turn your blades on each other—hard to accept, isn’t it?”

Under Yue Yang’s sharp gaze, many lowered their heads, unable to meet his eyes.

“But have you thought about this?” Yue Yang suddenly raised his voice. “What difference is there between what they’ve done and the actions of beasts? Do you know how many civilians and soldiers have died because of their selfishness? How much property was looted? How many women were violated? Soldiers who should have guarded the frontier became murderers who let wolves into the house. Such people no longer deserve to be Ming soldiers—they are our enemies!”

Bang!

Yue Yang slammed his fist onto the table with a loud crash.

“What the Marquis says is absolutely right! Such villains deserve death by all!” Shun Bao shouted. “They are no longer my comrades!”

Yue Yang’s eyes burned as he looked around and declared, “My decision is made. The army will halt for a few more days. Once supplies and baggage arrive, we march immediately to Shanhai Pass. I want to see whether this so-called ‘Number One Pass Under Heaven’ truly lives up to its name.”

Three days later, once the rear supplies caught up, Yue Yang wrote a personal letter for Wang Chengen to deliver to Chongzhen, stating that he would obey the edict and immediately proceed to the Liaodong front to take over the defense line.

Standing on the official road, Wang Chengen watched endless columns of troops marching northeast. His feelings were mixed. As Chongzhen’s closest attendant, he understood court affairs all too well. Yue Yang might be more reliable than Wu Sangui or Zu Dashou, but he was also far more dangerous. If the Liaodong generals were white-eyed wolves driven by profit, then Yue Yang was a lurking tiger—far more destructive. Letting him take over Liaodong was like drinking poison to quench thirst, yet the court had no choice but to swallow it.

On the sixteenth day of the eleventh month of Chongzhen’s tenth year, Yue Yang led seventy thousand troops toward Shanhai Pass. After seven days of marching, the army finally arrived outside the walls.

The Wu father and son weren’t fools. With tens of thousands of troops approaching, they’d have to be blind not to notice. When the scouts reported it, Wu Xiang and his sons panicked. Yue Yang’s reputation as a killing god was known to all—he’d even killed Hong Taiji. And from the looks of it, no idiot would think Yue Yang had come to congratulate Wu Xiang on taking his eighth concubine.

In the Wu residence, Wu Xiang raged at his sons. “Tell me—why has that killing god Yue Yang come to Shanhai Pass? Our Wu family has never offended him!”

Wu Sangui’s elder brother, Wu Sanfeng, blunt and hot-tempered, snarled, “Father, why worry? Shanhai Pass is impregnable. If we keep the gates shut, what can Yue Yang do?”

“Shut up! You idiot!” Wu Xiang cursed, glaring at him. “You know nothing! Maybe he can’t storm the pass, but we don’t have much grain stored. If he besieges us for a few months, are we supposed to eat the northwest wind?”

Wu Sanfeng fell silent. “Then… what should we do?”

Wu Xiang turned to Wu Sangui. “Changbo, you’re the most cunning. What do you think?”

Wu Sangui had already turned the matter over in his mind countless times. He said firmly, “Father, in my humble view, Yue Yang must have learned of our letting the Qing through. Otherwise, even with ten times his courage, he wouldn’t dare bring an army here. He’s come under imperial orders to settle accounts with us.”

“What?!” Wu Xiang panicked. “What do we do now?! I told you we shouldn’t let the Qing in—but you and your uncle were bold enough to commit such treason. Now it’s been exposed, and retribution has come!”

“Father!” Wu Sangui frowned and snapped. “What’s done is done—regret is useless. The key now is to repel Yue Yang. Once he’s gone, the rest of the Ming forces are no match for us.”

“But what if he besieges us long-term?”

“Yue Yang isn’t that foolish,” Wu Sangui shook his head. “He’s led seventy thousand troops all the way here, and in half a month it’ll snow. I don’t believe he can fight us in ice and snow.”

“Ah… that’s right!” Wu Xiang’s eyes lit up. Once winter set in, if Yue Yang didn’t seek a quick victory, the brutal weather would devour his army outside the walls.