Chapter Forty-Eight: A Woman’s Tenderness

Unclear origins? Hearing these words, Eunuch Guo was quite displeased, yet he did not wish to stir up trouble. He feigned ignorance, thinking to himself that this was just a petty banner officer—Niu Qing could handle him. If Niu Qing couldn't even manage his own subordinate, what face did he have to ask Guo for any favors?

There are no free gifts from heaven; if you want to gain something from me, you must do your job well. If you mess up, how can you expect any benefits from me?

Eunuch Guo said nothing—not out of indifference, but because a grand eunuch like himself would not stoop to argue with a mere underling. Niu Qing, however, could not simply pretend not to hear. Ge Ming had brazenly confronted him in front of so many people and threatened to report him to the Commandant. If he remained unmoved, he would be seen as less than a block of wood. If Eunuch Guo were to conclude that he was incapable of controlling his men, his prospects would be utterly ruined.

Niu Qing was straightforward—without wasting words, he waved his hand and ordered the soldiers of Gentleman’s Fort, "Seize him at once!"

But unexpectedly, not a single Ming soldier moved. Instead, each one glared at him with the same anger as Ge Ming.

This scene froze Wang Dade, who had already stepped forward to seize the man. The clerk Li Wenhe sensed the trouble and instinctively took a step back, putting a safe distance between himself and Niu Qing.

"What are you all doing? Are you rebelling?" Niu Qing’s heart pounded with unease under the soldiers’ hostile gazes. He realized the situation was turning bad. Sure enough, a disgruntled soldier shouted from the crowd, “Sir, the Tartars are about to attack, and instead of leading us in defense, you want to abandon the fort and march south. May I ask, sir, if you go, what will become of the hundreds of us in Gentleman’s Fort?”

Once the soldier spoke, the soldiers of Gentleman’s Fort erupted in uproar, accusing Niu Qing of cowardice and attempting to flee. The household members of the military families, unaware of the true situation, also grew furious. They cared nothing for Niu Qing’s rank or long-standing presence—they hurled curses at him, some of the women’s words particularly harsh and cutting.

Faced with the wrath of the masses, Wang Dade dared not utter a sound, and Li Wenhe hesitated, uncertain whether he should try to persuade Niu Qing against following Eunuch Guo south. The so-called Imperial Guards post was not guaranteed, and if this divided their hearts, Gentleman’s Fort would be doomed.

The defeated soldiers cared nothing for Niu Qing or the fort itself. Seeing the commotion, they joined in the chaos, demanding that the fort bring out provisions so they could eat and be on their way.

The Tartars were but thirty li away—God knows when they would arrive. Any further delay and not only would they lose the chance to become Imperial Guards, but their very lives would be forfeit!

With several hundred defeated soldiers clamoring, joined by the fort’s own hundreds, the crowd swelled to over a thousand. The commotion was so great that even Eunuch Guo was unsettled.

To prevent an outbreak, Lu Qing quickly led Song Bangde, Lin, and the other banner officers to quiet the defeated soldiers. Under the stern rebuke of their leaders, the soldiers fell silent.

Niu Qing realized he could not allow the soldiers and their families to continue their uproar, or the situation would spiral out of control. He quickly assured his men, “I plan to take you all south with me, not abandon you.”

No sooner had he spoken than Ge Ming pointed at the families encircling them and shouted, “That’s easy for you to say, Commander. If we follow you south, what becomes of them? Are you planning to leave them to the Tartars?”

“I will not leave my wife behind to go with you, sir!”

“Any man who throws his wife and children to the Tartars is no man at all! I’m not leaving!”

“We’re not leaving! None of us are leaving!”

The soldiers of Gentleman’s Fort were incensed, refusing to go. They were not fools; with so few fighting men, if Niu Qing took more to escort the eunuch south, there would be no one left to defend the fort. If the Tartars attacked, the old and young inside would be doomed.

The anger soon turned toward Eunuch Guo, and some soldiers began to curse him. If not for the many defeated soldiers surrounding him, they might have rushed over to give him a beating.

Seeing that Niu Qing could not control his men, and that things were turning against him, Eunuch Guo cursed Niu Qing for his incompetence, but he dared not step forward himself. He shot a glance at Lu Qing, hoping he could find a way to calm the soldiers, lest the situation get out of hand and none of them could leave.

If nothing could be done, then Niu Qing should stay behind—after all, promises made in words are not binding, and there was no need to risk disaster over this.

Being called to the fore, Lu Qing was greatly troubled. He had not wanted to involve himself, but under the circumstances, unless he could persuade the people of Gentleman’s Fort, none of them would be able to leave. Were they really to break out in civil strife within the fort, shedding blood before the Tartars even arrived?

All this was the eunuch’s fault. If only he had ignored Niu Qing, things would not have come to this. Now, Lu Qing had to clean up his mess. If not for the need to safely travel south to meet the rightful emperor, he would never have indulged the eunuch’s machinations.

Wearing a helpless expression, Lu Qing approached Niu Qing, cupped his fist to Ge Ming, and said, “Banner Officer Ge, the Tartars have already taken Dushi. Your Gentleman’s Fort is far too small to withstand them. It would be better to follow Eunuch Guo south. If the Tartars arrive, all the hundreds of people here face calamity.”

Ge Ming's resolve was unwavering. He cut Lu Qing off, raising his hand and declaring, "Without the command of the Commandant, I, Ge Ming, will never abandon this fort. If you wish to leave, go ahead!"

Ge Ming’s determination left Lu Qing at a loss. As a border soldier, it was his duty to defend his post—how could Lu Qing, in good conscience, urge him to abandon it? Yet, no matter how unseemly, Lu Qing had to find a way to persuade them to leave. Otherwise, would they simply wait here for the Oirat to massacre them?

“Banner Officer Ge, you are right. But your fort has little more than a hundred men fit for battle. If the Tartars attack from Ma Lian Mountain, I would not urge you to abandon your post—I would join you in the fight. But they are attacking from Dushi, and without the natural defenses of Ma Lian Mountain, you cannot hope to resist them with so few men.”

As Lu Qing spoke, his gaze rested on the families of the military households. He continued to Ge Ming, “A soldier’s life is always at risk, and if you must die, so be it. But if you die, what will become of the women and children? Would you stand by and watch them be taken as slaves by the Tartars?”

His words prompted the soldiers to glance unconsciously at their families. Even Ge Ming hesitated. He was not blind to the situation; with so few defenders, the fort could not possibly hold. If it fell, the men would surely die, and the women and children would not be spared—at best, they would suffer fates worse than death.

Yet, as a border soldier, as the banner officer of Gentleman’s Fort, Ge Ming possessed the honor and conviction of his station. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “It is our duty to defend the border. If we abandon the fort before the enemy arrives, how can we answer to the court? There is nothing more to say—I, Ge Ming, will live and die with this fort. If it means death, so be it! If you cowards wish to flee, go ahead, but I will not allow a single soul of Gentleman’s Fort to desert. Should anyone dare lead others away, do not blame me for what happens!” This last was directed at Niu Qing, whose face darkened with barely suppressed rage.

“You may die and be done with it, but what of them—must they die as well? To face death unflinchingly is admirable, but I believe that when the enemy is strong and we are weak, we must adapt. If the land is lost but the people remain, the land can be regained; if the people are lost, all is lost. Surely you understand that as well as I. Besides, we are not fleeing south—we are following Eunuch Guo to meet His Majesty. In the future, we will fight the Tartars at the emperor’s side. How is it that in your mouth, we become a pack of cowards seeking only to save our own skins?”

Lu Qing knew that reasoning with Ge Ming would not work. The man had resolved to die for the Ming and the fort. In times past, Lu Qing would have praised him as a hero and walked away. But considering the hundreds of women and children in the fort, he could not simply turn his back.

Put bluntly, with so few men, even with the addition of the seven hundred defeated soldiers, they could not withstand a single Oirat assault. The fort’s defenses faced north toward Ma Lian Mountain, not east toward Dushi. If Dushi still stood, not even the Oirat could breach the mountain pass, but with its fall, the fort’s back door was wide open—no natural defenses, nothing but death.

Since it was a place of certain death, defending it was not a matter of loyalty or courage, but a stark, bloody question of survival.

If the fort was filled only with soldiers, then dying for the Ming would be unremarkable. But it housed not just soldiers, but generations of military households—old men, women, and children. These “garrison households” had, through the dynasties, borne the duty of defending the border from birth, men and women alike.

Knowing the fort could not be held, could Lu Qing truly watch as these families died alongside Ge Ming?

He could not help it—his heart was too soft. He knew he should not concern himself with their fate; he faced far more urgent and severe problems.

It was already the twenty-fourth. Time was running out. The sooner he traveled south, the better. But taking along a crowd of old men, women, and children would only slow him down and tie his hands.

If a few days’ delay cost him the chance to alter the disaster of Tumu Fort, Lu Qing would be guilty of the error of a “bleeding heart”: saving a few hundred at the expense of tens of thousands—a mistake that could not be forgiven.

Yet Lu Qing chose to make this mistake. To force Ge Ming to abandon his resolve—or at least to stop causing trouble—Lu Qing pushed all the defeated soldiers toward him.

“Where were you when we fought the Tartars these past days?”

“I killed three Tartars before I fled—yet to hear you, I’m a coward? Outrageous!”

“Don’t listen to this Ge fellow. If he won’t give us food, we’ll just take it!”

As expected, the defeated soldiers erupted, shouting and cursing. Hot-tempered ones gripped their weapons, ready to cut down the stubborn banner officer if Lu Qing gave the word, sparing everyone further delay.

“If you won’t think of yourself, at least think of these men. Their parents and children are all inside the fort—do you truly wish to drag them all to the grave with you?”

“How about this—Gentleman’s Fort cannot be held. Why not lead everyone south with Commander Niu? Once we reach the nearest commandery, you can stay behind and we’ll continue on. If you wish to follow Eunuch Guo, I’ll plead with him on your behalf—there will surely be a place for you as a chief banner officer. What do you say?”

“If you refuse, you’ll make Eunuch Guo lose face, Commander Niu will be humiliated, and these brothers who escaped death’s door will be aggrieved. If things get out of hand, I can’t stop them. Banner Officer Ge, think carefully!”

Lu Qing’s words were half persuasion, half threat.

Niu Qing, understanding Lu Qing’s intention, quickly joined Wang Dade in working on the soldiers’ morale. Their pitch was simple—the fort could not be held; better to go south, where Eunuch Guo’s favor awaited.

Song Bangde and company took the opportunity to direct others to echo their words. Gradually, the soldiers of Gentleman’s Fort fell silent.

With no one supporting him, Ge Ming knew he could not oppose it. He did not want to see blood shed in the fort, so he reluctantly agreed.

With Ge Ming’s opposition gone, Niu Qing quickly issued orders in the name of the fort’s commander: everyone was to pack up and assemble to march south in half an hour.

Lu Qing had Song Bangde organize the collection of all weapons and armor—take as much as possible, so they would not be defenseless if the Tartars struck on the road.

Wang Dade’s group hastily prepared rations. The defeated soldiers gulped them down and began to file out. Seeing the crowd still in chaos, Lu Qing asked Eunuch Guo for permission to reorganize the people under his name for efficiency.

Eunuch Guo, impatient with such details, told Lu Qing to work it out with Song Bangde and Niu Qing.

He did not refrain from complaining—he had only wanted Lu Qing to deal with Ge Ming, by arresting or even killing him if necessary, so long as there was no further trouble. He had not expected Lu Qing to take the entire fort south, women and children included. With so many in tow, how would they ever reach the emperor in time?

Lu Qing found it hard to explain. To reassure Eunuch Guo, he said the people would stay at the nearest commandery and would not slow them down. If the Tartars pursued, they might have to abandon them. Hearing this, Eunuch Guo found it reasonable. More guards were useful, but more burdens were a great inconvenience. Still, if these burdens could be put to use, he would hardly let pity get in the way.