THE REBELS BEATEN.--ARTFULNESS OF THE TARTAR KING.--CHAGRIN AND
DISAPPOINTMENT OF NICHOLAS.
At daybreak the battle was resumed; and with such terrible bravery did
the troops of Woo-san-Kwei and his ally the Tartar king fight, that
before noon the rebels fled in all directions; the main body, under Li
himself, retreating into the province of Pe-tche-Lee, where for many
weeks they were followed by the Tartars; and although the latter beat Li
in every engagement, and slew vast numbers of his troops, he managed so
cleverly that he reached Pekin; which city being well fortified and
manned by his adherents, he held out till the Tartars were reinforced by
many thousands of their brethren, who, now that the ancient barrier of
Leao-tong had been broken, flooded the empire like a mighty torrent.
Then Li, brave and able as he really was, saw the necessity of
retreating from the capital. To do this with profit to himself, the
artful rogue placed the whole of his troops upon and before the northern
walls; by this means he kept the soldiers employed and the enemy at bay
at least eight days and nights, during which time his more immediate
friends and faithful followers were engaged in carrying from the
imperial palace the vast treasures of jewels, gold, and silver,
collected by the Ming Emperors during the preceding two hundred and
eighty years, with which they escaped to Si-gnan, in the province of
Chen-si. Then, when the Tartar army entered the capital, although
terribly chagrined at the loss of so much treasure, they did but follow
Li-Kong a short distance, when they gave up the pursuit and returned to
Pekin, greatly to the vexation of Woo-san-Kwei, who, as you will see,
soon found that his new friends were as bad as his old enemies.
No sooner was Li-Kong expelled, than Woo-san-Kwei proclaimed the Prince
Yong-Li Emperor, and offered to pay the Tartar king an immense sum for
the use of his army, at the same time respectfully begging he would
withdraw his troops from the empire, as it was contrary to the sacred
books that so many foreigners should remain in the sacred capital; to
which polite request the Tartar made an equally polite reply: "We do
not," said he, "think it fit to leave yet, for there are many unsubdued
thieves who may cause as much trouble as this Li-Kong; moreover, this
arch-rebel is himself established in his province, and would doubtless
return if he found that we, whom alone he fears, had quitted China;
therefore, O noble Woo-san-Kwei, we are resolved to follow up our
victory, and exterminate every rogue in the land, so that you may
deliver the empire to Yong-Li in full peace and prosperity; as for the
payment for our services, we are not poor, and can wait till the kingdom
be settled. In the mean time, however, that which we chiefly desire is,
that the great Woo-san-Kwei shall recruit his army from our own, and
proceed to Chen-si to destroy the dog Li, while we, with our brave
Tartars, will endeavor to sweep from the southern provinces the rogues
and thieves who are now settled therein."
Deeply chagrined that he had replaced dogs with tigers, Woo-san-Kwei
could do nothing but obey--for in reality it was a command; and so he
proceeded into Chen-si, accompanied by Nicholas, where, after a campaign
of many months, he succeeded in destroying the power and army of
Li-Kong; as for the rogue himself, as his body was not found, it was
supposed that he had been killed, while endeavoring to escape in the
disguise of a private soldier.
Throughout the campaign in Chen-si, Nicholas had fought with terrible
energy, for he had hoped that when they took possession of Li-Kong's
palace, he should obtain at least some clue to the fate of the princess
and Chow, both of whom, if alive, he believed to be in the power of the
rebels. As, however, notwithstanding the highest rewards and the most
vigorous search, he failed in gaining the slightest clue, he felt
greatly pleased when they returned to Pekin, where he was not without
hope that the princess might be concealed, and if so, she was safe; for
doubtlessly, by the time they reached the city, their Tartar allies
would, according to their promise, have proclaimed her brother, the
Prince Yong-Li, Emperor.
So great and popular had been the successes of Woo-san-Kwei in Chen-si,
that as he rode toward Pekin the people came out, and falling upon their
knees, almost worshiped him as the restorer of peace and order. About
midway between Chen-si and Pekin, they were met by the great officers of
the Tartar king, who brought with them a vast body of troops, in order
to augment the state of the general's triumphal entrance into the
capital. Now this was very gratifying to Nicholas, for seeing the
Tartars pay so much respect to the great Ming general, he doubted less
than ever that, like faithful friends, if they had not already done so,
they would speedily restore Yong-Li to his throne--a gratification which
was considerably heightened, when, at the gates of the city, they were
met by a procession of great officers, both Tartars and Chinese, who, in
the name of the Emperor, greeted Woo-san-Kwei with the title of King of
Chen-si; so with difficulty the procession passed through the masses of
people, whose hoarse voices clamored, "Long life, ten thousand years, to
the Emperor."
"This, then," thought Nicholas, "is indeed a fortunate day; for not only
have these brave Tartars restored the Prince Yong-Li to his right, but
the amiable prince commences his reign by an act of gratitude; for,
forgetting his quarrel with Woo-san-Kwei, he rewards his great services
with the kingdom of Chen-si." Thus they rode onward till they came to
the palace, where the Emperor was waiting to do honor to the great
general.
Then, as Nicholas passed through the courts of the palace, he stared
with surprise, not unmixed with indignation, at the disproportion of the
numbers of Chinese to those of the Tartars. Yet again, surely it was but
gratitude on the part of the young Emperor to reward those who had
restored him to the throne of his ancestors; still a strange fear crept
over him, and he said, almost in a whisper, "Truly, O illustrious
prince, these barbarians have taken possession of the empire."
"It is as wise, O youth, to make a virtue of necessity, as it is
childish to resist the decrees of fate," said the general; and then a
pang of disappointment shot through the youth's heart; his illusion
vanished; moreover, he would have given his life to have avoided the
scene before him. They had entered the great hall of audience; there,
upon the golden dragon throne, surrounded by the warrior princes and
chiefs of Mantchouria, sat the Emperor. The Emperor, indeed! not
Yong-Li, but a Tartar child of six years of age. Heartsick, enraged, he
would have spoken. The general perceiving his misery, clutched his arm.
Nicholas checked his impatience, but nevertheless muttered, "Surely the
heavens will fall, for the great Woo-san-Kwei has proved a traitor."