Chapter Eight: Butcher Sun’s First Strike

On September 29th, at dawn, Sun Chuanting was already seated atop the high platform of the training ground. Beside him stood a row of personal guards borrowed from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Below, scattered ranks of soldiers stood in the yard; most were without armor, some hung their heads in dejection, standing motionless, while others chased and scuffled, kicking up clouds of dust.

Sun Chuanting’s face betrayed no emotion. In truth, when the gathered generals raised no objections to his proposal for a thorough inspection the previous day, he already knew what today would look like. The yard barely accommodated twenty-six thousand men standing shoulder to shoulder; to fit two hundred and sixty thousand was utterly impossible. Though Lu Qin had vaguely hinted at the severe inflation of troop numbers in the Capital Garrison, Sun had never imagined it was this dire. The scene before him could only be described as shocking.

At this point, the generals had managed to marshal their men into rough formations and approached the dais. Sun glanced down and remarked, “Governor Li, it seems even the officers are not all present.”

Li Xin stammered, “Deputy General Zhang Yougong of the Five Armies Camp, Colonel Zhang Youye, and Deputy Commander Zhang Youde of the Divine Machine Battalion have taken leave for family reasons and could not come.”

“Oh, is that so? Very well, let it be.” The gathered generals breathed a sigh of relief, silently lowering their estimation of the imperial inspector—so this was all, after all, nothing to have kept them anxious the whole night.

“Those absent are dismissed from the Capital Garrison, to be struck from the rolls by the Ministry of War and declared deserters,” Sun Chuanting continued, unhurried.

The generals were startled. Though civil officials were esteemed above the military in the Ming, a general’s income was nothing to scoff at—especially in the Capital Garrison, where, with little concern for actual warfare, the supposed troop count, though less than one in a hundred on paper, still far surpassed the one-in-ten reality elsewhere. These phantom soldiers meant money; most would be taken by the eunuchs above, but the total was so large that even a small share was a handsome sum. Being listed as a deserter, however, meant beheading. This inspector was certainly intimidating—but being a protégé of the Duke of England, who would dare arrest his men?

“Let the inspection begin. The Five Armies Camp shall go first. Governor Li, you nominally command ten thousand men—let us count them.”

Sweat broke out on Li Xin’s brow. He dropped to his knees, knocking his head on the ground in silence. Sun paid him no heed, ordering Wang Tao to indicate Li Xin’s direct command, and dispatched the guards to count. Soon the report came: “Governor Li’s direct command numbers three hundred and three men, including two hundred and twenty-five elderly or infirm, and forty-five able-bodied men in armor.”

“Very good, very good. Get up, Governor Li. Surely you don’t expect me to help you to your feet? The fine troops you lead are indeed… fine,” Sun said dryly. Li Xin rose, shamefaced, head bowed, silent.

“Remove his robes and execute him,” Sun suddenly ordered. The generals recoiled in shock. Li Xin had imagined at worst he would be detained and that his backers would rescue him in time. Never had he thought this brash inspector would call for his immediate execution. As the guards rushed forward, forcing him to his knees and knocking off his hat, Li Xin’s senses sharpened in desperation; he kowtowed and cried out, “Your Excellency, I am wronged! I beg you to investigate thoroughly!”

“You command ten thousand men and have only three hundred and three present. I am curious—where is your injustice?”

“When I took up my post, this was all the men I received. It is not my fault.”

“Upon assuming your post, you found fewer men than the records showed—why did you not report this to the Ministry of War? You received pay each year; why did you not claim only for the actual numbers?”

“My men were used by others for other purposes, and the pay did not all come to me.”

“Oh, your soldiers were used elsewhere and your pay taken by others. Are these not your responsibilities? They are not mine. Execute him.”

The blade flashed and blood spurted forth. A head was seized by the hair and hoisted aloft. Seeing the bloodied head of the governor, the generals understood at once that the inspector was playing for keeps: a first-rank general, and executed without hesitation! This man’s nerve! Even the imperial inspector’s Sword of Authority only permitted execution of third-rank officials and below. This fellow, so scholarly in appearance, was in truth a butcher, killing without so much as a blink. Lacking such formidable backing as the Duke of England, the rest quickly knelt and pleaded their own innocence, each eager to present their grievances to the inspector.

“Very well. I will count the numbers of each division, and then hear your grievances,” Sun Chuanting replied.

For executing Li Xin without imperial sanction, Sun Chuanting knelt and confessed his crime. Zhu Youjiao, though privately shocked by his boldness, did not blame him. In troubled times, harsh measures were needed; given the state of the Capital Garrison, nothing less would expose the truth. It seemed the films were right—this man was indeed a ruthless butcher, but Zhu found himself approving.

Sun Chuanting submitted his findings. Zhu Youjiao perused the report: the Capital Garrison, excluding auxiliary forces, was supposed to have two hundred sixty-six thousand six hundred sixty men. In reality, only nineteen thousand six hundred twenty-three were present, and among those, only two thousand fifty fit for combat after excluding the elderly and infirm. Of twenty-five thousand sets of armor, only four thousand three hundred were serviceable; of twenty thousand five hundred swords and spears, only three thousand eight hundred could be used; of three thousand eight hundred firearms, only five hundred twenty were functional.

A great number of the capital’s soldiers had become servants in the eunuchs’ households, the mansions of dukes and marquises, and the estates of generals, earning barely enough to survive, while their pay was still claimed on their behalf. Even those still in the garrison received less than half their due. Drills had dwindled from daily to once every fortnight or even monthly. Sons of officials mostly collected pay in name, seldom or never appearing, and never participating in drills.

Sun Chuanting especially noted the intelligence and assistance provided by Lu Qin and Zhou Yujie, recommending them for commendation. All other officers had been detained, though arresting palace eunuchs and nobles required the emperor’s decree; three distant relatives of the Duke of England had not yet been apprehended.

It was truly a case of “you don’t know until you see.” Zhu Youjiao, staring at the numbers, finally understood why the Ming army collapsed at the first blow. With the Capital Garrison in such chaos, where could the army’s fighting spirit come from?

“Investigate—keep investigating. No matter who is implicated, pursue it to the end. I want Wei Zhongxian to assist you. I want to see just how deep this rot goes. Wang Cheng’en, summon Wei Zhongxian.”

Before long, Wei Zhongxian arrived in haste. Zhu Youjiao spoke: “Coordinate with Inspector Sun. Isn’t the Eastern Depot so formidable? I want to see its true power. The palace eunuchs are your responsibility. Back when I was Heir Apparent, they were obedient; because of Zhang Qianfang, I have shown them some leniency—just a little, mind you. As for the nobles’ mansions, have your people give them a warning. If there is no response in three days, arrest them directly. As for the Duke of England’s mansion, go there now and arrest those three Zhangs—let them become Zhang Nothings.”