Chapter Forty-One: Uncle

The next day unfolded much as before.

Even though the government troops of Yan’an Guard had marched to Laomiao Village to suppress the bandits, the local militia of Heilong Mountain dared not relax their vigilance.

Liu Chengzong stood steadfast at his post, fully armed with his warhorse and armor. Accompanied by Shi and Guo, he had dug trenches and spent the night there.

After breakfast, with nothing else to do, Liu Chengzong resumed his training, benefitting from the far better provisions at home compared to Yuhe Fort.

His training encompassed both himself and his steed. As the saying goes, a soldier grows wise with time, and Liu Chengzong, after years in the ranks, could devise his own training regimen.

His plan for his warhorse, Red Banner, was even more refined than his own. Each day he set different exercises: slow walking on the first day, fast running on the second, sprinting on the third, pursuit drills on the fourth, and charge practice on the fifth, cycling endlessly through these routines.

He also subjected his mount to daily standard exercises: covering a mile, starting with a trot, then a gentle canter, breaking into a full gallop, easing back to a jog, and finally sprinting at full speed.

Such persistence endowed the horse not only with excellent stamina and speed, but also the discipline to conserve energy during a charge, and familiarity with the sequence of battle maneuvers—approach, mounted archery, pursuit, skirmishing, and the final assault.

Red Banner remembered all these drills, and when stationed at Yuhe Fort, it was often brought over to listen to the sound of firearms during training. Unafraid of musket and cannon fire, aside from the loss of strength caused by two years of underfeeding, it was truly a horse of exceptional quality.

With proper feed and care for half a year, Red Banner could carry Liu Chengzong, fully armored, for sixty miles in a day and still fight ten rounds.

That was nearly the limit for cavalry charges; any further would require extra horses.

By the time Red Banner’s training ended, the sun was high. Liu Chengzong looked northward for any sign of activity but saw none. Turning his horse back toward the mountain path, he spotted figures to the south.

On the official road of Panlong River, two men approached from the south, bearing a striking resemblance to each other.

The elder wore a red-tasseled wool felt hat of Fanyang style, a short violet jacket, carried a pack, and covered his face and neck with a white cotton scarf against the dust. He strode boldly, clutching a club-bladed knife.

The younger wore a blue headscarf, blue cotton robe, a plain wide belt, short cotton shoes, and carried a long knife, following closely, his gaze alert to their surroundings.

Both appeared strong and robust, with the elder clearly leading, heading straight for Heilong King Mountain.

Such figures on the main road caught Liu Chengzong’s attention. He called out to Shi Wanzhong, mounted Red Banner, and rode down the mountain. From thirty paces away, he loosed an arrow at their feet and shouted, “Where are you from, who are you? Each carries weapons and moves stealthily—what business brings you to my mountain?”

“Hey, you’re quite rude! We—” The younger man in blue was startled by the arrow, angrily dropped his pack and raised his long knife to approach, but the elder stopped him, pulled down his face scarf, and laughed, “Lion, you have some nerve, shooting arrows at your own uncle!”

With the scarf removed, Liu Chengzong recognized him, dismounted, and rushed forward to bow, “Uncle!”

The man was his uncle, Cai Zhongpan, a resident of Sanyuan County in Weibei, Yaoxian. In his youth, he had been a recruiter of soldiers, and later delivered goods for merchants between Sanyuan and Jingyang, often passing through Yan’an Prefecture and bringing treats and toys for the two brothers.

Seeing his uncle, Liu Chengzong greeted him, then turned to Shi Wanzhong, “Brother Shi, please run home for me and tell my mother Uncle has arrived.”

Shi Wanzhong agreed and started back, but Cai Zhongpan, with an awkward look, stopped him, “Lion, don’t rush to announce it. Listen to me first.”

Liu Chengzong nodded, but Cai Zhongpan held his words until Shi Wanzhong tactfully withdrew. Then, in a low voice, he explained everything.

The young man with Cai Zhongpan was his brother-in-law, Chen Ruji.

Since last year, a band of thieves had appeared in Sanyuan County, Yaoxian, where Cai Zhongpan lived. Large numbers of civilians flooded into the county seat, causing a severe grain shortage. With bandits surrounding the city, once besieged, it would fall without resistance.

In Weibei, Shaanxi, Sanyuan and Jingyang formed the commercial heart of the northwest, fostering a multitude of local and traveling merchants.

Prosperity brought not only economic growth but also educational flourishing—the Shaanxi Superintendent’s Office resided in Sanyuan, and families of distinction abounded, producing many renowned officials and a stable gentry class.

With such resources facing external threats, the gentry of Sanyuan, at the urging of the bereaved official Wang Zheng, organized a landlord militia called the Loyal Union.

Wang Zheng, a successful candidate in the second year of Tianqi, served as a magistrate in Guangping and later in Yangzhou, renowned for his expertise in mechanics and outstanding military and administrative skills.

On the first day of the second month this year, Wang Zheng and others, with the county magistrate’s permission, distributed flyers across Sanyuan, forming the North City Defense Alliance. They summoned the city’s scholars and wealthy families to the City God Temple, where they pledged allegiance and established the Loyal Union Army to defend their homeland.

The gentry and wealthy families assumed various roles—some led the militia, others funded weapon production, while recruited townsfolk trained every third, sixth, and ninth day each month, guarded the city walls, and received three coins of monthly silver, food, and arms from their sponsors.

They agreed that upon the defeat of the bandits, the Loyal Union would disband, and all arms would be returned to their sponsors.

Cai Zhongpan, famed in the county for escorting merchant caravans between Sanyuan and Jingyang, was thus specially invited into the Loyal Union Army.

On the twelfth day of the second month, he led a troop of local militia in the Loyal Union’s first battle, attacking and routing bandits entrenched at Yangshe in Sanyuan County, driving them toward Fuping.

At that time, the Loyal Union guarded the north city, while the county soldiers defended the south. Thanks to Wang Zheng’s guidance in firearms and the wealth of numerous merchants, the Loyal Union’s equipment surpassed that of the southern city troops. Conflicts arose between its leaders and the county magistrate.

In field battles, the Loyal Union faced the enemy head-on, while government troops hesitated; when bandits raided the Loyal Union’s camp, they fought eleven consecutive skirmishes, yet the neighboring government units never fired an arrow at the foes.

Some officers, bribed by peasant rebels, refused to send reinforcements. When the fighting ended, they demanded the Loyal Union’s trophies to claim rewards.

Cai Zhongpan’s friend, who took two heads in the March battle, was surrounded by over ten government soldiers in a narrow alley. When he refused to hand over the heads, they chopped off three of his fingers. Still refusing, he was finally killed by them, and the heads were seized.

Because of this, Cai Zhongpan and his brother-in-law went to demand justice. In the ensuing chaos, they fired guns and wielded knives, injuring and killing several government soldiers. They packed their belongings and fled Sanyuan, arriving at Yan’an Prefecture.

“I fear resting at your home might bring disaster. Please do not make a fuss or let it spread. I only wish to borrow a few taels of silver, some food for a few days, and a drink of water before I leave.”

Liu Chengzong shook his head, “Uncle, where else could you go? The journey here was fraught with peril. Since you are seasoned in fighting bandits, you should stay here in Xingpingli. There are bandits to the north, and government troops as well—it is not safe to leave.”

“I’ll bring you to meet my parents; I’m sure they’ll say the same.”

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Note:

1. Wang Zheng, courtesy name Liangfu, style Kuixin, was a Ming dynasty scientist and mechanical engineer, the earliest Catholic from Shaanxi. Before entering official service, he developed water, wind, and load-bearing machines, wrote “Illustrated Treatise on New Devices,” and co-translated “Illustrated Treatise on Far Western Marvels” with Swiss missionary Johann Schreck. Published in the seventh year of Tianqi (1627), it described ancient Western and Renaissance statics, including geocentrism, gravity, methods for calculating water and floating body volume, specific gravity, and simple machines and their combinations. He and Xu Guangqi were dubbed “South Xu, North Wang.” When Li Zicheng seized Xi’an and sought his service, Wang Zheng refused, and upon hearing of the capital’s fall, he starved himself to death.

2. The Loyal Union gentry militia, established in the second month of Chongzhen’s second year, referenced from “Loyal Union Daily Records.”