Chapter 108: Lu River

Chapter 108: Luchuan

Zhu Qizhen gazed at the military report arriving from Yunnan, took a deep breath, and suppressed the rising fury within his heart. It was not merely that one must possess a composed spirit when facing great events; it was also that Zhu Qizhen had gained a deep understanding of the internal and external affairs of the Ming Dynasty. He knew that if he were to fly into a rage every time a crisis emerged, he would likely be driven to an early grave long before his grand ambitions could be realized.

After carefully reviewing the battle report, he sighed softly and remarked, "The Prince of Qianning—truly, a tiger father with a dog for a son."

The Prince of Qianning was Mu Ying. The current Duke of Qian, Mu Sheng, was Mu Ying’s second son and, by all accounts, a seasoned general. Yet, for Zhu Qizhen to label him as a "dog for a tiger father" was a judgment born of sheer necessity. The greatest military achievement of Mu Sheng’s life had been serving under Zhang Fu during the campaign against Annam. However, he had served under Zhang Fu’s command, and his contribution, while noteworthy, represented the ceiling of his capabilities. He was a competent subordinate or even a deputy commander, but whenever he was tasked with holding a sector independently, he consistently invited disappointment.

During the Xuande era, the decision to abandon Annam was prompted by the death of the commander-in-chief, Liu Sheng. Upon learning of Liu Sheng’s demise, Mu Sheng had withdrawn his troops without awaiting orders from the Imperial Court. That retreat had made it exceedingly difficult for the Ming forces to mount a counter-offensive thereafter.

But those were old grievances. Let us focus on the present.

The primary responsibility for the death of Fang Zheng lay with Mu Sheng. During the expedition against Luchuan, Mu Sheng had kept his massive force in a standoff across the Nu River, delaying any engagement. Zhu Qizhen had no particular objection to this strategy, as the court generally preferred to avoid large-scale conflict in Yunnan, and the indulgence shown toward Luchuan had not begun just today. Thus, the court had exerted no pressure on Mu Sheng to hasten the battle. If he wished to drag it out, he could.

However, he had failed to control Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng was a veteran general who, seeing Jiang Gui win honors and a hereditary title in the north, felt a natural restlessness. He had repeatedly requested permission to engage, only to be rebuffed by Mu Sheng. Consequently, Fang Zheng decided to bypass the Duke and strike out on his own.

Fang Zheng’s decision was not entirely wrong; he won consecutive victories, breaking through the Lu River and seizing the upper reaches, repeatedly defeating the Si clan’s armies of Luchuan. Yet, the upper reaches were where Si Renfa was entrenched, and Fang Zheng could not overcome him. He requested reinforcements from Mu Sheng, but the troops sent by the Duke halted at Jiaxiang Pass.

Immediately afterward, Luchuan’s elephant cavalry attacked Fang Zheng’s exhausted forces at Kongni. Unable to sustain the fight, Fang Zheng sent his son, Fang Ying, to plead for reinforcements while he personally led his men into the elephant formation, where he died in battle.

If the tragedy had ended there, Mu Sheng would not have needed to commit suicide out of fear of punishment. Though he had failed to restrain Fang Zheng and had provided inadequate support, he was, after all, a Duke. Regardless of the Mu family’s influence in Yunnan, even out of respect for the late Mu Ying, the court would not have severely punished him—certainly not to the extent of taking his life.

But what followed remained entirely incomprehensible to Zhu Qizhen. Fang Zheng’s force was merely a flank; even if completely annihilated, it numbered only a few thousand, or at most ten thousand. Mu Sheng commanded tens of thousands of troops. Losing one contingent was no reason to abandon the offensive; he could have simply shifted to a defensive posture.

Instead, what did Mu Sheng do? He burned all the grain and supplies on the west bank of the Nu River and retreated to Yongchang. Although he only pulled back a few dozen miles, he had handed over the natural barrier of the Nu River. The local chieftains across southern Yunnan would now surely turn fickle, and the entire strategic situation would shift against the Ming.

And that was not to mention the supplies. Yunnan was inherently barren, and military campaigns there required grain to be transported from the south. Ming rule in Guizhou was tenuous, and grain had to be shipped from Hunan, traveling over a thousand miles along mountain post roads to reach Yunnan. The cost was staggering; for every stone of grain lost at the front, several more had to be shipped from the rear to compensate. This was the blood and sweat of the Ming people.

Even so, such a defeat did not necessarily warrant death. The Ming treated its nobility with great favor. Yet, Mu Sheng took his own life. What could have driven him to such despair?

Zhu Qizhen recalled the previous times Mu Sheng had petitioned the court for reinforcements, and a chill settled in his heart. Over these past few years, under the guidance of the Empress Dowager, he had read every memorial submitted to the throne and had learned to distinguish between the superficial and the substantial.

Luchuan’s rise had not begun today; it was a consequence of the strategic shift that followed the ascension of the Renzong Emperor. Even so, Zhu Qizhen had discounted the constant complaints and pleas for troops from Mu Sheng, as such reports were far too common. Local officials often exaggerated a seven-point problem into a twelve-point crisis to create room for their own failures. The grand secretaries of the Cabinet had shared this view, believing Luchuan was boisterous but not as formidable as claimed. They had sent Fang Zheng, a veteran of the Shanxi border, to Yunnan, bringing with him a significant portion of the northern border troops—the very core of Fang Zheng’s force.

Now, it appeared the situation in Yunnan was far more dire than Zhu Qizhen had imagined. It seemed Mu Sheng did not believe the strength of Yunnan alone could pacify Luchuan, or perhaps even hold the province. That was why he had chosen to end his life. Even now, despite the participation of some border troops, the primary force fighting in Yunnan remained the local provincial army.

"Wang Zhen," Zhu Qizhen commanded, "go immediately to the Cabinet. Settle the funeral arrangements for the Duke of Qian. Remember: report that the Duke of Qian fell ill while leading the campaign, serving the throne with diligence, and died of illness in the camp. A Duke of this dynasty may die at the hands of the Tatars, but he must never, ever be recorded as having lost his army to a mere petty state. Absolutely not."

"Yes," Wang Zhen replied, "this servant understands."

Zhu Qizhen then asked, "What does the Empress Dowager say?"

Wang Zhen replied, "The Empress Dowager requests your Majesty to return to the capital with haste. She has already dispatched Mu Ang to Yunnan, traveling day and night. Changing horses but not riders, he will arrive in Yunnan within days to take command of military affairs."

Zhang Fu, who had been listening, added, "Your Majesty, please be at ease. Mu Ang’s abilities far surpass those of his brother. With Mu Ang in Yunnan, relying on the lingering prestige of the Prince of Qianning, he may not be able to launch an immediate offensive, but he will certainly have more than enough strength to hold the line."

Zhu Qizhen inhaled deeply and said, "In that case, tell the Empress Dowager that this is a minor matter, not worth worrying about. We shall proceed according to the original itinerary and return to the capital the day after tomorrow."

Wang Ying said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Though this defeat threatened to cause a collapse in Yunnan, the more precarious the situation, the less Zhu Qizhen could afford to show disorder. He knew well that as the center of the empire, Beijing could keep few secrets. Within two days, the entire capital would know of this event.

Since Mu Ang was already racing toward Yunnan, Luchuan would not dare to invade Dali for the time being. As long as the prefectures and counties in northern and eastern Yunnan remained under imperial control, the situation could not be considered a total collapse.

Zhu Qizhen and the two Dukes returned to the wooden platform to watch the archery competition below. Yet, while the Emperor’s expression remained solemn, his thoughts had drifted far away. His mind was consumed by Luchuan.

Luchuan had begun its expansion in the first year of the Zhengtong era, swallowing up various local chieftains. This was not the first time the Duke of Qian had clashed with them, but the conflict had been confined within the borders of Yunnan. It was not that the court did not take it seriously, but there were simply too many chieftains in the region. Conflicts among them were constant, ranging from small skirmishes to major uprisings.

The national policy determined by the Empress Dowager was to suspend all non-urgent matters. Consequently, any notion of a large-scale expedition against Luchuan was naturally denied. The court’s policy toward the Si clan of Luchuan had been one of appeasement since the first year of Zhengtong. If they remained obedient, the court was willing to offer them benefits.

But Si Renfa of Luchuan was single-mindedly intent on expanding his territory and restoring the glory of the Luchuan heyday. In fact, over the past few years, he had succeeded. However, the rise of Luchuan was something the Yunnan authorities could never permit. Even if they had wanted to appease, it could not be done in such a manner. Thus, from the first to the fourth year of Zhengtong, the court’s policy toward Yunnan had shifted from initial appeasement to a mix of suppression and pacification, and finally, to demonstrating military might before attempting to settle the matter.

But this defeat had left the court with no choice. A great general had fallen in battle, and a Duke had committed suicide. If they did not reclaim their standing, who among the southern territories would still respect the Imperial Court? This was the bitter fruit of the strategic shift that had begun since the Renzong Emperor—the direct consequence of abandoning Annam. Annam could be abandoned, but could they afford to abandon Yunnan as well? If Yunnan were lost, Guizhou would lose its value, and the frontier would be pushed back to Hunan. That was an outcome that simply could not be accepted.