Chapter One: Within Xi’an

In the fifteenth year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty, on the first day of the fifth month, in Xi’an.

At the Governor-General’s Office overseeing the three border regions of Shaanxi Province.

Sun Chuanting quietly gazed upon everything familiar.

Once, it was here that he had built his career, crushing the rebels ravaging Shaanxi to the point they cried for mercy. Had it not been for the Manchu invaders, the uprisings in Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan might well have been quelled long ago.

But now…

The scenery remained, yet the people had changed.

Sun Chuanting ran his fingers through his suddenly grayer hair, paying no mind to his increasingly unkempt beard, his brows furrowed deeply as he studied the terrain map before him. The entire situation in Henan was being manipulated by Li Zicheng, Luo Rucai, and Yuan Shizhong.

Kaifeng was besieged; the Central Plains were in peril.

Naturally, as a key force in suppressing the rebels and restoring order, the Shaanxi Qin army could not evade involvement.

In fact, on the desk beside the map lay an imperial edict urging immediate deployment, which had been there for some time. Yet Sun Chuanting lacked the strength to even glance at it.

Because, ever since leaving the capital, he knew he had made a grave mistake.

He had underestimated the enemy’s strength.

But upon arriving in Shaanxi, he realized his error had gone even deeper.

He had overestimated his own forces.

Li Zicheng was no longer the scattered bandit forced to flee in all directions by the imperial forces. After capturing Luoyang, Li Zicheng, bolstered by the vast wealth of Prince Fu, had not only dramatically expanded his power but begun to establish his own base of governance—appointing officials and collecting silver—posing an even greater threat.

If that were all, Sun Chuanting might not have worried himself gray.

But the situation was far worse than he imagined.

First, the two disastrously unreliable allies in the Central Plains dashed any hope of uniting forces to relieve Kaifeng.

Then, upon thoroughly assessing the current military strength in Shaanxi, his despondency deepened.

Yang Chuan once believed Shaanxi was no longer under Ming control. As the primary battleground for suppressing the rebels, it increasingly showed signs of slipping from the court’s grasp.

First, there was the matter of funds. Not only was the court unable to collect taxes from Shaanxi, but its investment and resources poured into the province had steadily diminished. Aside from executing the Governor-General of the three border regions, the largest military grant from the court was thirty thousand taels of silver to Sun Chuanting—and that was three years ago.

Thus, Shaanxi increasingly ceased to feel like Ming territory.

The clearest sign appeared in the figure of He Renlong.

He Renlong, a famed long-legged general, had returned to Shaanxi from Kaixian during the thirteenth year of Chongzhen while Yang Sichang was suppressing Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai. His return allowed Zhang Xianzhong to break the encirclement and enter Sichuan unimpeded, a disaster from which the Governor-General Zheng Chongjian bore the blame. Zheng lost his post and was imprisoned; later, following Zhang Xianzhong’s death, he was executed by order of the enraged Chongzhen Emperor.

Later, at the battles of Xiangcheng and Xiangcheng again, He Renlong twice abandoned his commander and fled, leading to defeat and the deaths of two commanding officers.

Rumors swirled that He Renlong, Li Zicheng, and Zhang Xianzhong were all from Mizhi, Shaanxi, conspiring secretly. While Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong fled, He Renlong was said to be content to harbor the rebels.

Regardless, when Sun Chuanting left the capital, a secret imperial order had already reached his hands.

Now, Sun Chuanting gripped the sealed decree tightly, unwilling to follow in the footsteps of his three predecessors.

He refused to mock the unreliable allies in the Central Plains, only to realize that even worse traitorous comrades lurked under his own command.

Moreover…

Sun Chuanting needed a decisive action to establish his authority and win the court’s support.

With this in mind, he issued his command.

“Send for him. Summon He Renlong to the office,” Sun Chuanting ordered, exhaling slowly, his gaze steadier than ever before.

Three days later.

A dust-covered young gentleman of troubled times halted his steps upon entering Xi’an city, his eyes narrowing as they fell upon rows of corpses hanging at the vegetable market entrance.

This was Fu Rugui, who had journeyed urgently across mountains and rivers to reach here.

But the moment Fu Rugui stopped, a burly man suddenly charged into him.

Thud—

A muffled sound echoed. The man’s eyes bulged in shock.

“Damn you, what’re you doing?” he growled.

“Two strikes, looking for death?” Fu Rugui said nothing, but beside him, a fierce figure with a bulging temple and gleaming eyes rose—this was Fu Zhen.

Seeing Fu Zhen’s stern approach, the burly man’s hostility faded, and following Fu Rugui’s gaze, his anger diminished further upon seeing the corpses.

“I’m not here to quarrel with you,” he muttered. “Those damned rebel troops will lose their heads at the market sooner or later.”

With that, the man bowed his head and quickly slipped back into the crowded street.

Fu Zhen wanted to give chase, but Fu Rugui’s eyes fixed on a gathering crowd nearby. He stepped slowly toward a tavern, whispering, “Don’t chase after him. It seems the city is on the brink of military chaos. Our uniforms won’t earn us any favor here.”

Fu Zhen halted immediately, glancing at his own attire, then at Fu Rugui’s, and sighed softly.

Both wore military uniforms—Fu Rugui, newly promoted within the elite Embroidered Uniform Guard, donned the flying fish robe of the Guard; Fu Zhen wore armor with tightly fitted sleeves and a narrow military jacket. Their appearance unmistakably marked them as officers.

During their crossing of the Yellow River, they had disguised themselves in various ways for convenience, but upon entering the city, they resumed their official attire to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Yet, after hearing Zhu Cilang’s stirring speech at Linqing, both had felt a spark of military pride.

But entering Xi’an, that spark was quickly extinguished.

Here, no one respected soldiers.

With this thought, Fu Zhen followed behind Fu Rugui in silent gloom.

Fu Rugui’s eyes brightened as he spotted a group of scholars. He slowed his pace, feigning a casual pass, overhearing the murmurs and whispers.

“Commander Sun’s arrival in Xi’an is like a steady anchor amid the raging waves. That He Renlong is truly a curse—besides wreaking havoc in Sichuan and Henan, he’s reduced Xi’an’s market to a shadow of its former self.”

“Apart from that scourge, the city can finally enjoy a bit of peace. These unruly troops deserve a good beating, to restore some order in the camps.”

“Hmph… Easy to say, but it’s just wolves devouring tigers. Without He Renlong, what good are the imperial troops from the capital?”

“Alas, I fear Commander Sun will soon rush out of the passes again. When that happens, the gentry of Guanzhong will be restless over the levy of funds and military pay.”

“Yes, yes… But if the rebels in Henan aren’t crushed, when they advance into Guanzhong, this eight hundred li of Qin lands won’t withstand the turmoil…”

“This world grows ever more chaotic. Truly, no one knows what to do anymore.”