Chapter 94: Staying At The Palace Gate
Outside Fengqiu Gate.
Xiao Yi looked out, the great army’s square formation seemed to be clad in black lamellar armor over the vast snowfield.
Banners fluttered, their might shaking the heavens.
It was the hour of wei on the nineteenth day of the eleventh month. It had been only eight days since the oath ceremony and uprising in Ye Du on the eleventh, yet Guo Wei’s banner was already raised on the walls of Kaifeng City.
All officials, awestruck, were at the city gate to welcome him.
Xiao Yi passed through the military formation, finding Guo Chongwei’s large banner among the cavalry formations. He then spotted Chen Guang Sui’s Nian Battalion banner in the rear and went to his designated position, dismounting his horse.
Zhang Mantun, Hua Nong, and other Nian Battalion officers and soldiers had already handed over the city gate and were waiting. Old Pan and the wounded soldiers were also there. Everyone saluted him, their faces full of joy.
Having a position here was considered meritorious service in supporting the emperor.
There were more general banners than before the battle. Hou Yi, Yuan Xi, Li Chongjin, Wu Qianyu, and other Southern Army generals had all surrendered. It seemed Guo Wei had been busy accepting surrenders for the past two days.
Suddenly, tens of thousands of people shouted in unison.
“Marshal!”
Guo Wei stood imposingly on the city wall and raised his hand in a gesture of reassurance. After a while, the roar gradually subsided.
Xiao Yi noticed that Guo Xin and Wei Renpu were standing behind Guo Wei, presumably having reported all matters.
An official, holding a banner with both hands, walked to the edge of the city wall and shouted loudly.
“On the nineteenth day of the twelfth month in the third year of Qianyiu, Guo Gong, Commander of the Ye Du Field Army, Garrison Commander of Ye Du, and Military Governor of the Tianxiong Army, by the Empress Dowager’s secret decree, is to remove the corrupt officials and execute traitors. Now that the rebels have been eliminated, this is hereby proclaimed to all civil and military officials and all generals!”
After that, Guo Wei spoke.
His voice was steady and carried far; Xiao Yi could hear him clearly from below the city wall. Soldiers behind him relayed the message.
“I raised troops from Ye Du not to usurp power, but for the state. His Majesty has been blinded by traitors. Li Ye, Su Fengji, Nie Wenjin, Hou Kuangzan, and others have misled the ruler and disrupted governance, leading to the execution of ministers and generals, and furthermore causing His Majesty to flee to the countryside and be murdered by Guo Yunming… My failure to protect His Majesty’s return to the palace is a great sin!”
“Marshal is innocent!”
“Innocent! Innocent!”
The officers and soldiers had no intention of mourning Liu Chengyou. They clamored, shouting in unison, and struck their shields with their weapons, the sound like thunder, startling the officials into silence and refraining from showing grief publicly.
Thus, this part of the ceremony was quickly passed.
“In the past, Huo Guang assisted the Han dynasty and executed Shangguan Jie, but not his wife and children. Though I am untalented, I wish to emulate him. Now that the wicked leaders have been executed, those who were coerced will be apprehended and await judgment, and the relevant authorities will temporarily detain them. The family members of the rebels who did not participate in the rebellion are exempt; their retainers and disciples who did not participate are also exempt.”
Having said this, Guo Wei waved his hand heavily.
Two men were brought to the battlements. The executioner swung his sword and cut them in half at the waist. Their upper bodies, spitting blood and flesh, fell heavily to the ground below.
Xiao Yi saw clearly that it was Hou Kuangzan and the already deceased Guo Yunming.
The so-called “remove corrupt officials” meant removing the traitors around the Son of Heaven. Therefore, Hou Kuangzan, despite surrendering and performing meritorious service, was still bound to die; Guo Yunming, though dead, was still dismembered. Liu Zhu, whose hands were stained with blood, had his family spared; Nie Wenjin, the principal offender, was given a lavish burial, demonstrating leniency towards those who rose through military merit.
Politics requires various divisions to win over groups favorable to rule.
Xiao Yi learned from this, knowing that Guo Wei had previously tacitly allowed his children to enter Kaifeng and sent Tang Jin to protect them secretly as a form of evasion from political constraints.
“In the past, Emperor Gao of Han entered Xianyang and enacted three simple laws: ‘Those who kill will be put to death, those who injure and steal will be punished, and all others will be pardoned.’ Though I am untalented, I wish to emulate him. Starting today, all officials shall attend to their duties, the common people shall live in peace, and all generals shall guard their camps. Anyone who wrongly kills a person or wrongly confiscates property will be executed!”
Hearing this, Xiao Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
He had finally stopped the proposal for the Northern Army to plunder Kaifeng.
However, the officers and soldiers were silent, clearly very disappointed.
It was like a dark, heavy cloud pressing down on the city, bringing a terrifying sense of oppression.
Fortunately, boxes of gold were soon moved to the city wall. They were opened, shining dazzlingly in the sunlight, dispelling the heavy atmosphere of the dark cloud.
“The officers and soldiers of all armies have served faithfully on the battlefield, and their military merits have been recorded. Those who charged into formations, beheaded enemies, and achieved merit will have their rewards confirmed and awarded within three days, and I will not go back on my word. In addition, all accompanying soldiers will be rewarded with one guan of money, two bolts of silk, one dou of wine, and five jin of meat each. These will be collected and distributed by the generals of each camp, and no deductions will be made.”
The military formation below the city was first silent, then erupted in cheers.
The roar grew, spreading from the infantry formations to the cavalry formations, carried by the wind and snow, and over Fengqiu Gate.
“Long live the Marshal!”
“Ten thousand victories!”
“The reward order has been issued. All officers and soldiers, return to your camps and receive your rewards!”
“We will follow the Marshal to the death!”
“Ten thousand victories…”
The proclamation before the army concluded.
The army was stationed in batches, with defenses arranged in three layers: the Imperial Palace, the outer city, and the surrounding areas. This was to guard against a counterattack by remnant rebels and to prevent the heavy concentration of troops within the city from causing panic.
Xiao Yi noticed that Cao Wei was assigned to Zhuxian Town, a vital strategic point in the southwest. Guo Chongwei was to camp at Mutuo Hill to defend against Liu Chong, the Military Governor of Hedong. Wang Jun and Wang Yin led their troops to be stationed at the posthouse and military camp near the city gate, respectively.
“Brother Xiao,” Chen Guang Sui rode over and said in a low voice, “I have made all the arrangements. I am appointed Commander of the Protectorate Army. This assignment has earned me two promotions within half a month and entry into the Imperial Guard, thanks to you, Brother Xiao.”
Xiao Yi did not mention that he might be assigned to the Inner Palace Guard, and instead asked, “Then, Brother Chen, are you not going to camp with General Guo?”
“Of course. I’ll receive my promotion first. It’s much more pleasant to be stationed in the city. I wanted to leave more of my brothers for you, but they didn’t want to travel far and wished to join the Imperial Guard. Only those twenty or so soldiers recruited from Chan Prefecture were willing to stay in the Nian Battalion… You can take them.”
“Thank you.”
Xiao Yi beckoned over the twenty-odd new recruits.
Adding his own forty-odd men, the Nian Battalion now had exactly seventy cavalry.
Just as he was about to go to Mutuo Hill with Guo Chongwei, Li Chongjin rode over and ordered him to station troops at the Xuanwu Gate of the Imperial Palace.
Xiao Yi couldn’t help but be puzzled.
The city gates of Kaifeng and the four gates of the Imperial Palace were close to the center of power and prosperous areas, and did not require long journeys to camp. The Imperial Palace was the best of the best, housing the palace gate barracks or the Two Corridors Guard Room.
These core strategic locations were naturally reserved for Guo Wei’s guards and trusted generals, or for the reorganized Imperial Guard.
His seniority was low, and he led only dozens of miscellaneous soldiers and recruits, yet he was to be stationed at Xuanwu Gate?
“Is this order correct?”
“Haha, of course it’s correct.”
Li Chongjin stepped forward and said in a low voice, “Right now, my uncle is still without legitimacy and proper standing. You will continue to serve as Commander of the Tianxiong Army and concurrently as Inner Palace Guard, understand? Replace the Imperial Guard with our people.”
“Understood.”
“Heh, I’ve also been appointed Commander of the Inner Palace Guard, You are on the left, I am on the right.”
“That’s great. Please guide me more in the future, Brother Chong Jin.”
“What are you talking about? We’re brothers who’ve faced death together.”
…
Xuanwu Gate was the northern defensive gate of the Imperial Palace. To guard against Khitan raids, the Imperial Guard barracks were quite large.
Xiao Yi rode his horse along the fifteen-zhang high palace wall to the city gate. Under the eaves hung a bronze bell, and the Jinwu guards wore Bright Light Armor, holding halberds.
“We are the newly appointed Left and Right Commanders of the Inner Palace Guard, Xiao Yi and Li Chongjin!”
The Jinwu armored soldiers checked their talismans, stepped aside, and cleared the way.
The city gate was a double-door structure. The outer gate was called the “Yamen” and the inner gate was called the “Zhi Men”. Between the two gates was a vast barbican.
The guard rooms were located within the barbican.
“Wow!”
Exclamations of awe could be heard intermittently.
“Wow!”
“Are we really stationed here?”
“No way?”
“It’s like a dream.”
“Are you guys annoying? You’ve never seen the world before,” Zhang Mantun finally lost patience and shouted, “Don’t embarrass our commander.”
Xiao Yi thought his loud shouting was more embarrassing, but it didn’t matter.
Looking around, the guard rooms were divided into east and west corridors, five paces apart. A bluestone path in the middle led to the inner gate.
Entering the corridor, each corridor had twelve spacious barracks. One barrack could accommodate seventy soldiers. Numbered wooden plaques were hung above the doorframes, such as “North Left Twelve” and “North Right Twelve.”
Pushing open the door to “North Left Twelve” in the east corridor, the scent of mugwort was strong, mixed with a faint body odor.
The room was neatly furnished. Near the door were a small table and a wooden chair, holding a duty roster with the words “Imperial City Guard” written on it. Beside it were a clapper and a copper bell. Against the left wall were twenty elm wood beds, covered with blue cloth and reed down mattresses, and wooden cabinets for storing soldiers’ belongings. On the left side against the wall was a weapon rack for displaying items.
“My goodness, am I really going to live in the Imperial Palace?”
Old Pan touched the brightly polished red lacquered pillars, his eyes gleaming.
Zhang Mantun did not scold him and said casually, “That’s right, you’re part of the Imperial Guard now too.”
Hua Nong immediately sat on the wooden chair and, stroking the duty roster, murmured, “Good paper…”
Xiao Yi walked out of the barrack and around to the back of the corridor, where there were kitchens, stables, charcoal rooms, and latrines.
“Tsk tsk, this place is nice, isn’t it?” Li Chongjin pointed to the three barracks at the very back and said, “Left one to three, Brother Xiao, you pick one. It’ll be convenient for night duty and meetings.”
Xiao Yi chose Left Three.
Inside, the room was furnished with a screen, an official desk, a chair, a bookshelf, a tea table, and a prayer mat. On the official desk were official documents, a bronze fish talisman, and a map of Xuanwu Gate guards. The bookshelf held scrolls, official gazettes, and administrative documents. Behind the screen was a bed, covered with a beast-skin mattress, and a brand-new chamber pot.
“This is for when you’re on duty, don’t dislike it,” Li Chongjin said, “My uncle will surely bestow a large house upon you again.”
Saying this, he grinned and added, “I’ll be in the next room. We’ll guard the palace gate together from now on, hehe.”
Li Chongjin’s men were Guo Wei’s personal guards, who had seen more of the world than the Nian Battalion, but they too marveled like country bumpkins. The soldiers praised for a while, then settled down, feeding their horses, washing up, and eating, a scene of great joy.
Xiao Yi’s personal belongings were unloaded from the horses.
Halberds, nine-section whips, bows and sabers, quivers, daggers, cloaks… Opening the luggage revealed talismans, official documents, letters, and even the “Essence of Zhenguan Politics” gifted by Wang Chengxun.
There wasn’t much money left; he had spent it down to three small silver ingots and over a hundred copper coins.
“Old Pan, did you see an umbrella?”
“No, all the items from the saddlebag are here. Should I look again?”
“No need, it’s not important.”
Li Chongjin, chewing on a Hu Bing, passed by the doorway and shouted, “If Brother Xiao is asking about that umbrella, Wu Niang took it to use it. Was that gifted by your sweetheart? I’ll get it back for you!”
“I wouldn’t want to trouble Brother Chong Jin.”
“It’s no trouble at all. It’s too late today, I’ll go first thing tomorrow morning!”
Having said that, he dashed off energetically.
Xiao Yi called over Lü You and said, “I saw Lü Chou this morning. He’s fine, but he was captured fighting to the death with Nie Wenjin.”
“Ah, that stubborn fool…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring him back in a couple of days, but he’ll have to start as a miscellaneous soldier. Just keep it in mind.”
Lü You knelt down with a thud and said, “Thank you, Commander, for your great kindness. My brother and I owe you our lives!”
“Go.”
Xiao Yi pondered, there were no other urgent matters. Receiving rewards was not today. Li Ye and Su Fengji would be pursued by light cavalry, and Wei Renpu would surely not forget.
He had been exhausted for half a month and rarely had the chance to relax. He drew water, washed himself, and lay down behind the screen in the duty room.
It wasn’t even evening yet. He decided to get an early night’s sleep today.
He slept soundly and comfortably. When he opened his eyes, the sky was already bright. Suddenly, he heard someone speaking inside.
“This fellow doesn’t even have a house in Kaifeng.”
He opened his eyes and saw Guo Xin, who was idly playing with a golden fish talisman.
Guo Xin had also come along and was standing by the screen, not entering, still holding that umbrella…
