Chapter Thirty-Five: The Imperial Troops Are Coming

"Very well!" Li Zicheng nodded and said, "Then let us discuss how this city of Kaifeng should be attacked. Military Counselor Niu, speak your mind first."

"Yes, Your Majesty the King of Chuang." Seeing that Li Zicheng called upon him first, Niu Jinxing's face lit up with delight as he smiled and said, "Your subordinate believes that when it comes to taking Kaifeng, a direct and forceful assault is the lowest strategy. Combining internal and external coordination with espionage is a medium strategy. But surrounding a point to attack reinforcements, starving the imperial troops to death, and grinding down their strength—that is the highest strategy!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng nodded repeatedly and exclaimed, "A wonderful plan by the counselor! Er... ahem, that was precisely what I had in mind. In a matter of days, the wheat around Kaifeng will be entirely depleted. Starving them to death will also spare the lives of our own brothers."

Niu Jinxing smiled and chimed in, ignoring Li Zicheng's clumsiness. The majority of Li Zicheng's generals were men of Shaanxi, accustomed to speaking with their native regional accents. However, as the rebel army grew larger, soldiers and officers from Henan, Huguang, Gansu, and even Anhui joined their ranks. Under such circumstances, continuing to speak solely in the Shaanxi dialect not only hindered smooth communication but also created a sense of alienation among the diverse troops.

In private, Niu Jinxing had remonstrated with Li Zicheng about this on several occasions. At first, Li Zicheng paid no heed to such trivial details, even retorting, "Doesn't Li Yan also speak with his native accent?" Hearing this, Niu Jinxing had felt profoundly helpless. He knew full well that before leading troops, Li Yan had been a refined and elegant scholar. It was purely for the sake of connecting with the soldiers and winning their hearts that Li Yan deliberately adopted a rough exterior.

Yet, as times changed and circumstances shifted, Li Zicheng had suddenly begun speaking in the refined imperial standard tongue.

As it turned out, when Li Zicheng was attacking Kaifeng, he had his left eye shot out by Chen De, the son of the defending general Chen Fengfu. Shortly afterward, he happened to overhear someone under Luo Rucai remarking that Li Zicheng, having lost an eye, lacked the physiognomy of a true Son of Heaven. From that moment onward, Li Zicheng became increasingly sensitive to how his subordinates viewed him as the King of Chuang.

With Niu Jinxing opening the discussion, the other commanders began to voice their opinions one after another.

"King of Chuang, I agree with starving out the imperial troops inside Kaifeng," rumbled Liu Zongmin, a stout and broad-shouldered man with a thick mane of hair. "However, we cannot simply sit around and wait for the food in the city to run out. In my view, we should employ the upper, middle, and lower strategies all at once!" This general of the Chuang army, originally a blacksmith, surprisingly possessed a detailed plan hidden beneath his rough exterior.

Hearing this, the other commanders chimed in with roaring approvals.

The rugged He Jin shouted along, "King of Chuang, I, He Jin, am not afraid of the imperial troops! I can take the vanguard! Drive the civilian captives forward, fill the moats, and dig down the city walls. We will grind them down slowly. While we starve the imperial troops, we won't let them have a moment of ease either!"

With others volunteering for battle, the rest of the commanders were thoroughly inspired.

"King of Chuang, this humble one requests the opening battle!"
"Let me take the vanguard, King of Chuang!"
...

"Very well! The military spirit is eager, and the morale is soaring!" Seeing his generals eagerly volunteering to fight, a bright smile instantly broke across Li Zicheng's face. However, when his gaze swept toward a corner of the tent where Li Yan was quietly beginning to slip away, a fleeting trace of displeasure surfaced on his face. Nevertheless, with Luo Rucai and Yuan Shizhong standing right beside him, Li Zicheng was unwilling to lose his temper over Li Yan and ruin the joyous atmosphere. Pushing the matter of Li Yan aside, Li Zicheng turned his attention to Song Xiance.

"Mr. Song, with the battle upon us, why not cast a divination for us?" Li Zicheng stared intently at Song Xiance, his eyes burning with expectation.

Hearing this, the expressions of those present suddenly grew solemn.

Song Xiance was a native of Yongcheng and one of the rare intellectuals within the army, long maintaining an image of profound learning among the Chuang forces. What earned him the deep respect of the entire army, however, was the fact that he was a practitioner of arcane arts, having once wandered the lands to divine fortunes and misfortunes, curses and blessings. Rumor had it that his predictions were remarkably accurate.

Because of this, Li Zicheng sought his counsel during virtually every military council.

Once, Song Xiance had told Li Zicheng: "Flowing waters enter the Shun River, trapped at the eighteen shoals; if you wish to ascend to the clouds, rise from the Yanmen Pass." The general's uprising began with proclaiming himself king on horseback, establishing the dynastic title of Chuang, which had already verified this prophecy. Now, following the phrase 'rise from the Yanmen Pass,' the general's great uprising truly begins from this moment onward! Overjoyed, Li Zicheng had appointed him as his military counselor.

Once again, Li Zicheng had turned to Song Xiance for divination.

Curiously, despite the somewhat chaotic murmurs that had filled the military council moments before, as soon as Li Zicheng requested the divination, the entire tent fell into an instant, profound silence.

Nearby, both "Cao Cao" Luo Rucai and Yuan Shizhong of the Lesser Yuan Camp held their breath in anticipation, not daring to cause the slightest disturbance.

Only Niu Jinxing inconspicuously revealed a trace of quiet skepticism. Both he and Li Yan were imperial examination scholars who had studied the Confucian classics of Confucius and Mencius from youth, adhering to the principle that the Master did not speak of strange phenomena, feats of strength, rebellions, and spiritual deities. Naturally, Confucian scholars had never looked kindly upon such mystical arts. Moreover, since Niu Jinxing himself had recommended Song Xiance, he knew the truth behind the man's tricks all too well. Yet, seeing that all the generals in the army—and even Li Zicheng himself—were treating the matter with utmost solemnity, Niu Jinxing dared not act rashly or speak out of turn.

Song Xiance, however, seemed entirely accustomed to this, ignoring the converging gazes fixed upon him. He acted as though the people staring at him were not bloodthirsty rebel commanders, but pious and harmless devotees.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Song Xiance's demeanor suddenly shifted. In an instant, he seemed detached from the mortal world, untouched by secular affairs, truly radiating an ethereal air of daoist transcendence.

Following that, the crowd watched as Song Xiance walked over to a bronze brazier. As he passed his hands over the top of the flames, he gave a slight flick of his wrists.

Instantly, a dragon of fire surged upward from the brazier.

"Whoosh..." Although the onlookers were mentally prepared, the sudden spectacle still startled several of them into taking involuntary steps backward.

"Turtle-shell divination... Silence... Silence!" Li Zicheng stared straight ahead, his eyes unblinking.

The gathered men hurriedly planted their feet, not daring to make the slightest sound. All eyes locked onto the scene, only to discover that in Song Xiance's hands, a piece of tortoise shell had somehow materialized out of nowhere.

Swallowed by the leaping flames, the tortoise shell in Song Xiance's hands emitted a faint, strange sound.

Song Xiance slowly stepped back, leaving the tortoise shell suspended in mid-air, seemingly floating entirely unsupported within the dancing firelight.

Then, Song Xiance's wide sleeves fluttered gracefully as he danced slowly before the flames.

*Crack...*

At last, when a crisp, sharp snapping sound echoed through the tent, the flames instantly subsided, and the tortoise shell returned gently into Song Xiance's hands.

When Song Xiance used a piece of brocade to cradle the tortoise shell and placed it upon a jade plate, the tension in the chamber reached an absolute boiling point.

Everyone watched in breathless silence as Song Xiance stared down at the shell.

Finally...

Song Xiance's expression broke into a radiant smile, his face beaming with joy: "The eighteen offspring shall wield the vessels of state!"

Looking at Song Xiance's joyful expression, the gathered commanders felt the heavy stones in their hearts drop, yet they remained bewildered as to how they should respond.

Only Niu Jinxing suddenly leaped forward, dropped to his knees in a deep bow, and shouted: "King of Chuang! This is a heavenly omen! 'The eighteen offspring shall wield the vessels of state'—this means Your Majesty shall rule the world! The sacred vessels rightfully return to the King of Chuang! In this battle, we will undoubtedly crush the imperial troops! Your subordinate offers his congratulations to the King of Chuang!"

Hearing Niu Jinxing's explanation, the others instantly grasped the hidden meaning. Were the "eighteen sons" not the character components forming the surname Li (李 - consisting of 十八子)? Did "the eighteen offspring shall wield the vessels of state" not mean that Li Zicheng was destined to become the emperor?

If Li Zicheng became the emperor, wouldn't they all secure status as founding meritorious officials, earning noble titles and bestowing hereditary privileges upon their wives and descendants?

At this thought, the commanders were overcome with immense joy and chorored their congratulations in unison:
"Shatter Kaifeng and rule the realm! Your subordinate congratulates the King of Chuang!"
"Shatter Kaifeng and rule the realm! Your subordinate congratulates the King of Chuang!"
"Shatter Kaifeng and rule the realm! Your subordinate congratulates the King of Chuang!"
...

Nearby, Luo Rucai and Yuan Shizhong upon hearing this also joined in offering their congratulations: "This younger brother congratulates my elder brother!"

Hearing these words, Li Zicheng threw his head back and burst into hearty laughter.

Just as the atmosphere in the tent reached its most enthusiastic peak, a man suddenly burst in, shouting frantically: "Terrible news, King of Chuang! The imperial troops have attacked!"