Tens of thousands

“Your Majesty, my dear brother-in-law, have mercy, spare me, your sister’s husband. You know well that I can barely lift a finger in a fight, let alone march onto the battlefield. On account of your sister, surely you wouldn’t want her to be widowed so young!” Huang Yi was nearly in tears. Set him to walking dogs or fighting cocks and he was a master, but sending him into battle—he’d be as useful as a pig among soldiers. Huang Yi had become a military officer partly because he married into the Li family, and partly by clinging to the coattails of the Li family’s veteran generals, basking in their achievements.

“Who said you were going into battle?” Li Miao replied irritably. He knew all too well Huang Yi’s capabilities. Sending him out would only hinder the effort, and Li Miao would have to dispatch ten men just to keep him safe.

“As long as I don’t have to fight, as long as I don’t have to fight!” Huang Yi grinned shamelessly.

“Take fifty men from your command. I have an important task for you,” Li Miao said to his brother-in-law, his tone serious. “Not a word of this to anyone!” He looked at Huang Yi with stern eyes.

“Miao, don’t worry. Your brother-in-law’s lips are sealed. When have you ever been caught by your father while sneaking off to the brothels, teasing girls, or getting into fights?” Huang Yi pounded his chest in assurance, while Li Miao could only shake his head in exasperation. This man never knew when to keep quiet.

“Take a few men to the granary, find some carts, load the grain, and head straight to the north gate. Wait for me there!” Li Miao feared death; he wasn’t one for playing games of mutual destruction or dying for the nation. He was preparing his own escape route. With over ten thousand enemies outside the city, only a miracle could hold this broken county. The only reason Li Miao hadn’t fled already was because he lacked provisions—without food, he’d starve even if he managed to escape. So he played the role of the tragic hero, vowing to defend Jiangting to the death, merely to buy time for Huang Yi to gather the grain and wait at the north gate. When the city inevitably fell, they would retreat with the provisions and at least have a chance to survive.

“Heh heh!” Huang Yi winked at Li Miao, grinning. “That’s the Miao I know!”

“Get lost!” Li Miao, infuriated, kicked at Huang Yi.

“Soldiers, we vow to live and die with Jiangting!” Li Miao rallied his troops. “Remember, your wives and children, your parents and elders are here in this city. If we leave, who will protect them? If we leave and they fall into the hands of these bandits, their fate will be worse than death.”

“Old Li, right?” Li Miao approached one of the soldiers. “I hear you have a little child at home.”

“Yes, yes, Your Majesty. His name is Sanwa!” Old Li replied nervously. Sanwa—third child—implied the first two had died young.

“Sanwa, that’s a good name! Old Li, if we run today, if we abandon the city, your Sanwa will be stabbed in the chest by these bandits, his heart cut out. These bandits, when hungry, will even eat their own children. Do you think your Sanwa stands a chance?”

“None!” Old Li’s lips were bitter. In chaotic times, human life was worthless, and cannibalism was no joke.

“So do you still want to run?” Li Miao pressed.

“I said, either my whole family survives, or we all die in Jiangting!” Old Li’s face was resolute.

“No, there is a way out. If we win this battle, if we drive these bandits away, we all survive. Brothers, think of your wives and daughters, think of your parents. Could you bear to see your parents slaughtered, your wives and daughters violated by these bandits?” Li Miao shouted.

“No, never!” The soldiers with families in the city grew fierce. When a man is serious, he’s terrifying. If you won’t let me live, I’ll make sure you die first.

Li Miao looked at their morale and felt a pang of guilt. With over ten thousand bandits outside the walls, it was impossible for everyone to escape; some would have to be left behind to cover the retreat. Those with families in the city were the ones Li Miao would abandon. He stirred their rage, urging them to fight to the death, while he planned to retreat with those who could afford to leave.

“Soldiers, follow me and defend the city!” Zhang Xun took charge of the high-spirited troops from Li Miao.

“Brother-in-law, hurry up!” Li Miao glanced toward the granary. He had to hold out until Huang Yi moved the provisions; only then could he retreat.

“Your Majesty, the people have come on their own!” Yang Hong had completed his task, mobilizing the city’s populace. In truth, he hardly needed to say anything; they feared the bandits most, dreading their entry and Li Miao abandoning them. Now, hearing that Li Miao wanted them atop the city walls to help defend, they felt some reassurance—the emperor hadn’t deserted them.

“Good! Display all the military flags, let the people carry them and stand atop the walls, fill every space!” Li Miao instructed Yang Hong. He wanted to bluff, to show strength. As for actual defense, he could not rely on them—mostly the old, the weak, the sick, and the frail. What use could they be?

Look at that elderly woman—she needed help just to get up the wall. If fighting broke out, she’d need care herself. What could be done?

So Li Miao only needed them to add to the numbers, a crowd to show the enemy below they weren’t lacking for men, that they had plenty of soldiers and a fortified wall. It was merely a show, to frighten the enemy.

Indeed, Li Miao’s plan succeeded. The crowded heads and fluttering flags atop the walls stirred unrest among the bandits below.

Soon, the bandits began to soften their demands. No longer did they insist on surrender or opening the gates and laying down arms. Now, they asked only for one thing—hand over the grain, and they’d spare the city.

“Just hand over the grain?” Li Miao felt as if salvation was at hand. As long as they didn’t attack or fight, all was well. As for grain, he could part with some.

“Our lord says, hand over a thousand bushels of grain, and we’ll leave you in peace, no more attacks!” A representative among the bandits outside called up to Li Miao.

“Fight! Don’t fight and you’re my pet!” Li Miao shouted angrily. Such audacity—asking for a thousand bushels at once! If he gave it, he’d be left with nothing.

“Our lord says, eight hundred bushels!”

What? They’re bargaining? Li Miao was stunned. “Eight hundred bushels—if I give it, that’s only enough for four days.” Though it was humiliating, at least they could survive for a while. Li Miao was tempted. Between dying nobly and living wretchedly, he chose the latter.

Just as Li Miao was about to agree, another voice called out from below, “Six hundred bushels, six hundred will do. If not, five hundred is fine!”

“Five hundred?” Li Miao’s eyes gleamed. He could keep half. He was about to agree when his uncle Li Yin stopped him.

“Head of the family, don’t you find this strange?” Li Yin asked.

“Strange?” Li Miao was puzzled.

“Your Majesty, they are bandits. When have they ever cared for honor?” Li Yin explained.

“That’s true!” Li Miao nodded. He’d seen merchants and old women haggle, but never bandits. Rob you for a million, and if you refuse, settle for fifty thousand? Such timid bandits?

“Your Majesty, if we can solve this with grain, let’s do it. No need to drag this out with the bandits. Delay invites trouble!” Yang Hong cautioned. These bandits were desperate. If money could settle the issue, it wasn’t really a problem. Better to give them what they wanted than corner them into a frenzy.

Li Miao nodded. He was cautious; better not to stumble at the last moment. After much deliberation, he decided: give them five hundred bushels, keep five hundred. It wasn’t total ruin; better to avoid trouble.

“Head of the family, we only have a thousand bushels in total—if you give half, just five hundred remain!” Li Yin explained. He knew Li Miao couldn’t get more grain soon, even if his brother Li Shu had left a reserve—it wasn’t accessible quickly. The more grain, the more stability, the more soldiers they could recruit.

With a thousand bushels, they could hold out for ten days or more. If half was given away, only five hundred remained. Li Miao had already ordered the granaries opened to calm the people, letting them eat their fill, which would reduce reserves even further. In the end, only starvation awaited.

Li Miao was torn. He could follow Yang Hong’s advice—give the grain, delay death, hope the bandits left. But without grain, they’d starve eventually. Or he could heed Li Yin—if the bandits were bluffing, there was still hope. If not, and there were truly tens of thousands unwilling to storm the city, then disaster loomed.

As Li Miao wavered, suddenly news arrived that stunned him.

“Your Majesty, the bandits outside the city wish to surrender!”

“Surrender?” Li Miao was dumbfounded. He’d been indecisive, not wanting to lose that grain or risk danger, hoping to avoid trouble. Now, the bandits surrendered?

Li Miao could hardly believe it. Li Yin and Yang Hong shook their heads; they too were baffled.

A general entered, his face bright with joy. Seeing Li Miao, he knelt. “Qin Huai, at your service, Your Majesty!”

“Qin Huai, have the bandits outside truly surrendered?” Li Miao asked.

Qin Huai nodded and gestured behind him. “Bring them in!” At his command, several soldiers dragged forward the supposed leader of the ten-thousand-strong bandit horde.

Li Miao turned to Qin Huai, uncertain. “Are you sure you haven’t caught the wrong person?”

Before him stood not the legendary fierce, burly bandit chief, but a delicate youth—a child, barely reaching his shoulder.

Qin Huai shook his head.

“Kill me if you must, torture me if you wish, but spare me the chatter!” the youth—still just a boy—said defiantly to Li Miao.

“A child like this—how could the bandits follow him?” Li Miao asked Qin Huai, puzzled. In troubled times, strength ruled; to become a bandit chief required brute force, yet this boy, with his slight limbs, commanded their loyalty?

“Your Majesty, they aren’t bandits at all!” Qin Huai shook his head and explained.

Qin Huai’s account left everyone bewildered. Outside the city were indeed tens of thousands, but they were not bandits. They were refugees—old, weak, sick, and frail—no different from those inside the city. Some had fled famine from elsewhere, others were local people whose homes were destroyed, fields abandoned, and who, with nothing to eat, had no choice but to flee.

The able-bodied had become bandits or joined the army. The old, weak, and sick remained. To survive, they gathered together—first hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands, led by the youth before them.

“Tens of thousands of common folk?” Li Miao wondered. If they were merely refugees, why had their scouts failed to discover the truth?

“Our scouts were trapped by his men!” Qin Huai pointed to the boy. The thousands of old, weak, and sick, though disregarded by most, could still overwhelm with numbers. The scouts sent by Li Miao were caught in traps set by the youth and his followers, so no news returned.

Small though he was, he was resourceful. Leading his followers, he had raided several cities. They would approach under cover of darkness, torches blazing, formations set, thousands shouting together—the noise was immense. At night, with darkness and thousands of torches, any commander would be cautious.

If scouts were sent out, this boy’s traps would ensnare them, leaving the defenders blind and unaware of the situation outside.

He’d send people to spread rumors; the timid or those with weak defenses would panic, flee, and open the gates, allowing the youth to enter and loot, then depart with food and money.

Those who stood firm, he’d negotiate with—surrender your arms and you won’t be killed. No, surrender your grain and you won’t be killed. For cautious types like Li Miao, who believed money could solve any problem, they’d willingly hand over the grain, pay to avoid disaster. Thus, this youth led tens of thousands through the Jianghuai region, surviving without starvation.