Chapter Twenty: The Encircled City and the Call for Reinforcements

Seeing this, Li Zicheng's face showed neither anger nor joy; he merely watched in silence.

He was contemplating the siege.

The walls of Kaifeng were tall and thick, the garrison numerous. To breach such a city would be a formidable challenge. Even leaving aside other difficulties, the first obstacle for the peasant army would be the moat encircling the city.

A year ago, confronted with such an impregnable fortress, unless there was a collaborator within or the imperial forces were severely depleted, Li Zicheng would not even have entertained the idea. The mere task of filling the moat would have cost countless brothers their lives.

But now, what Li Zicheng lacked least was manpower. The great drought of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen had driven nearly all of Henan's common folk to the brink of despair, providing an almost unending source of recruits for his army.

The claim that Li Zicheng commanded seven hundred thousand troops was certainly an exaggeration, but to say he had tens of thousands of battle-ready soldiers at his disposal was no lie.

Suddenly, a cheer erupted among He Jin’s troops.

Even Luo Rucai, who was watching the situation from the raised platform at Hengdi, noticed the commotion. Soon, a mounted messenger arrived to explain to Luo Rucai, “It’s the moat bridges constructed by the King of Chuang’s men!”

Moat bridges were specialized siege engines designed to fill moats and ditches. Their length matched the width of the moat, with two large wheels at the front and two smaller ones at the rear. They were pushed forward into the moat; when the wheels sank, the bridge would lay flat, allowing troops to cross. If the moat was especially wide, folding bridges were used—two bridges joined together at a pivot, functioning in the same way.

With these bridges, the army could ignore the obstacle of the moat and charge forward.

Meanwhile, atop the city walls, Chen Yongfu had rushed to the scene with his men, staring intently at the enemy below.

“They’re at it again. What’s that? What a massive contraption—damn it, they’ve actually built such a powerful siege tower?” exclaimed Chen De, son of Chen Yongfu, startled by the sight.

Li Zicheng’s men had constructed a Linchong Lü Gong Chariot—a siege tower with eight wheels and five levels. The lowest level housed the soldiers who pushed the tower, while the other four carried combatants for the assault. Historical records note that the Lü Gong Chariot stood about twelve meters high, six meters wide, and eight meters long.

The peasant army’s version was clearly not as tall but still matched the city’s wall, reaching nearly eight meters—almost two and a half zhang in height!

Such a battering vehicle, with its formidable height, could be used to launch assaults directly from within, or approach the battlements to tear down parapets and attack the defenders atop the walls. Inside, it could be equipped with various polearms, powerful crossbows, stone-throwers, and other heavy weapons.

Sure enough, the imperial defenders’ counterattack grew fiercer. In just three hours, six falconets were wheeled into position. The entire afternoon passed as the slow-moving Linchong Lü Gong Chariot inched closer, and only when it collapsed some fifty paces from the wall did the defenders on Kaifeng’s ramparts erupt in cheers.

At this, the peasant army sounded the gong to withdraw.

The three thousand or so peasants, ant-like as they carried scaling ladders to assault the walls, also breathed a collective sigh of relief and retreated like the ebbing tide.

For a moment, a strange calm settled over the battlefield.

The first assault had brought no gains.

Yet when Luo Rucai later visited Yanli Village to see Li Zicheng, he found the latter in high spirits, smiling quietly. Upon seeing him, Li Zicheng greeted him warmly, “Brother Luo, you’ve come!”

Luo Rucai, full of admiration, said, “Elder brother, seeing you construct that monster just now was truly inspiring. It’s a mighty piece of work. I wonder if you’d be willing to lend a hand to this poor relative and spare me a few as well?”

“Heh, building such things is all thanks to the dedication of my lads. Since you’ve asked, what harm is there in sharing? I’ll send word at once—just go and take four battering chariots for yourself. However, we both know breaking through Kaifeng isn’t something that can be accomplished by these alone.” Li Zicheng gazed at the city walls, chuckling.

Luo Rucai considered this briefly and understood at once. “You’re right, elder brother. The moment we make a move, those corrupt officials will be thrown into a panic; word will reach the capital, and the emperor will surely lose his composure!”

“Within this turtle shell that is Kaifeng, there’s little we can do. But out here, on this open plain… heh, let’s see if those officials dare not bring their troops out!”

...

The Capital.

Forbidden City, Palace of Heavenly Purity.

The council had begun.

On the emperor’s desk, reports from Henan were stacked like a small mountain, the topmost memorials puffed and worn from frequent perusal.

In attendance were Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru, Vice Grand Secretary He Fengsheng, and Academician Zhang Sizhi of the Hall of Literary Glory. Senior officials such as Academician Chen Yan of the East Pavilion stood silently in place.

Also present, with a worried expression, was Minister of War Chen Xinjia, standing behind the others.

Thus, none of the other Six Ministries were represented. As for Huang Daozhou of the Censorate, no one wished for that intransigent old man to speak out of turn on matters outside his expertise.

For this was a council convened to discuss the war reports from Henan.

Perhaps because both the national and imperial treasuries were currently well-stocked, the Chongzhen Emperor, though his brow was tightly furrowed, appeared far calmer than in recent days. With money in hand, the heart is less anxious.

The situation in Liaodong had deteriorated to the point that he was nearly resigned to it. Fortunately, it was not yet the season when horses grew fat on the autumn grass; the Manchu raiders wreaked havoc beyond Shanhaiguan, but seemed to lack the strength for greater mischief.

Now, his full attention was fixed on quelling the internal rebellion.

In recent days, memorials from Henan, deliberations of the Ministry of War, and countless words and voices swirled in his mind, forming vivid images that replayed endlessly, leaving him so preoccupied that he had no time even to contemplate vacancies within the cabinet.

Wei Zhaocheng, having aroused the emperor’s suspicions over matters in the Ministry of Revenue, fell from favor. Soon after, prompted by Zhou Yanru, the Censor-in-Chief Bu Heng impeached Wei Zhaocheng for incompetence and unfitness for high office.

Wei Zhaocheng, as was customary, submitted a defense, only to find the emperor had published Bu Heng’s impeachment for all ministers to see. Before long, news reached him that Wang Cheng’en had flogged a eunuch named Chen Xian to death within the palace. Realizing his end had come, Wei Zhaocheng promptly requested retirement, hoping for a dignified departure.

But fate had other plans. After the emperor published Bu Heng’s memorial, censors and officials alike poured forth their accusations, with some even producing evidence of Wei Zhaocheng’s complicity in corruption at the Imperial College.

In a fit of rage, the emperor ordered Wei Zhaocheng imprisoned, instructing the Three Judicial Offices to investigate and determine his punishment.

Thus, the position of Academician of the Hall of Martial Valor was left vacant. Normally, the Academician of the Hall of Literary Profundity would move up, but at the last council in early April, Xie Sheng, the Academician of the Hall of Martial Valor, made the grave mistake of speculating—while discussing the situation with Vice Minister of War Jin Zhijun and Vice Chamberlain of the Imperial Stud Hu Shian—that the emperor intended to negotiate peace with the Manchus.

Had Zhu Cilang not traveled back in time and remained unaltered by history, the Chongzhen Emperor might indeed have entertained such thoughts. Otherwise, Yang Sichang would not have so strongly advocated for peace two years prior.

But now, with the Crown Prince’s intervention in the Ministry of Revenue, the treasury boasted over a million taels of silver, and the emperor’s desire for peace was gone. Hearing Xie Sheng’s reckless conjecture—incorrect at that—provoked his fury. Whether to prove he had no such intention or to punish Xie Sheng’s breach of propriety, the emperor resolved to punish him. Before long, Xie Sheng was stripped of his office and dismissed back to his native place.