Chapter 241: Only with Wang Dou at His Side Could He Feel at Ease

Li Youde said, “Da Niu. This Tartar is yours to interrogate.”

That night scout with a face full of cross-grained flesh said excitedly, “Rest easy, Chief Li. Old Da Niu will certainly give him proper hospitality. I guarantee this Tartar will spill even how many men his mother has bedded.”

A flash of cruelty crossed his face. He drew a rusty little knife, grabbed the Qing soldier’s queue by the money-pig-tail and yanked it aside. Soon, from that direction came piercing, drawn-out wails, interspersed with Da Niu’s bursts of furious cursing.

Chen Ying glanced that way. Good heavens, when it came to tormenting Tartars, these brothers from Baoanzhou were far more ruthless than the brothers in his own Viceroy’s Personal Battalion. Only then did Li Youde have the chance to ask Chen Ying, “Brother Chen, are you unharmed? Any injuries?”

Chen Ying shook his head, then cursed angrily, “Son of a turtle, we slipped up. Five brothers — three lost.”

He let out a long sigh. “Two died on the spot in battle, and another brother was captured. I fear he…”

He punched the large tree in front of him with hatred, the web of his hand splitting open without him even noticing.

He was a sturdy middle-aged man, not tall but very solidly built. On his head a leather cap, on his body a thick padded gown — dressed just like a resident of the Liaodong region. His accent also differed somewhat from the Baoanzhou accent. Fortunately, when out on campaign, everyone mostly spoke the official tongue, so communication was basically no problem.

His face was full of wind, frost, and hardship, cracked open in line after line. In his eyes there seemed always to leap a blazing fury. On his back he carried a huge foot-bow and quiver; on the horse beside him, the saddle still bore a horse-bow and an enormous horse-chopping saber.

Not far from his side also stood a Viceroy’s Personal Battalion retainer who had accompanied the scout, Yu Mao’er — a man of utterly ordinary appearance, the kind you definitely could not pick out if thrown into a crowd. He too wore a padded gown, on his head an old, worn, balding leather cap, hands clasped as he stood to one side, just like a timid old peasant.

He looked to be over forty, but by his own account he was not yet thirty. He also had a Liaodong accent. On the right side of his face was a large scar, as if grazed by a sharp arrow. Usually he was taciturn and gloomy, rarely speaking a few words, but in his little mouse-like eyes there always flickered a sly, cruel gleam.

At this moment Yu Mao’er stood beside Da Niu watching him interrogate that Tartar, watching Da Niu use a rusty little knife to slice the Tartar’s flesh off piece by piece. Listening to the man’s wailing cries, wishing for death but denied it, Yu Mao’er’s breath came a little fast, as if he were so excited he could not control himself.

Hearing Chen Ying’s words, Li Youde also fell silent. He said, “From the day we took up this profession, we foresaw such an outcome. A warrior dying on the battlefield, wrapped in horsehide for burial, is always better than dying of illness on a bed…”

He spoke a few lines, then, thinking of his own lost brothers, his eyes too brimmed with tears.

Li Youde did not wish to dwell on the matter, and said to Chen Ying, “Fortunately, after several days of scouting, we have also clearly grasped the situation of the Tartar troops ahead. In the Dingzhou direction is a contingent of the Tartar Bordered White Banner army, commanded by the bandit chiefs Duoduo and Abatai. Advancing toward Gaoyang, the bandit chief Dorgon leads the Plain White Banner Tartar troops, with main attacks on Gaoyang, Raoyang, Wuqiang, and other places. There is also the bandit chief Yoto, leading the Plain Red Banner Tartar troops, with main attacks on Wuyi, Zaoqiang, Hengshui, and other places. We must pass this intelligence to Viceroy Lu and the others as quickly as possible.”

By now the captured Qing soldier had been tortured to death by Da Niu. Li Youde ordered his head cut off, his armor stripped away, leaving a bare, headless corpse in the woods. As they mounted their horses to depart, Chen Ying extended his right hand and said to Li Youde, “Brother Li, it has been a great honor to scout and fight alongside the brothers of Baoanzhou.”

Li Youde’s large hand clasped Chen Ying’s. The several men embraced one another, slapping each other’s shoulders and laughing. Their hearty laughter spread far and wide, as if even the howling cold wind could not drown out their laughter.

…

At this moment within Qingdu territory, a column of men and horses marched in vast, sweeping formation. Most were cavalry, over ten thousand strong, and they advanced in a marching array. That sea of red armor and banners seemed to stretch endlessly beyond sight.

Vanguard, main army, center, rear guard — the Great Ming’s traditional marching column. Within the column, Yang Guozhu and his central-army personal general Guo Yingxian marched at the very front as the vanguard, also bearing a great banner reading “Arbiter of the Vanguard Army’s Fate.”

Following came Lu Xiangsheng’s Viceroy’s Personal Battalion, the two thousand troops of Xuanfu Assistant Regional Commander Zhang Yan, and Wang Dou’s Baoan Battalion combined as the central army. Further back was the main-force camp of Datong Regional Commander Wang Pu as the center, and finally Shanxi Regional Commander Hu Dawei as the rear guard.

Each section was separated by less than a li, all advancing steadily in files of several horses abreast, banner after banner following in perfect order.

Yesterday the grand army had set out from beneath the walls of Baoding, and today it reached Qingdu territory. Each day’s march was no more than sixty li. Cavalry covering a hundred li a day was normal. Strictly speaking, the army’s marching speed had been dragged down by Wang Dou’s and Zhang Yan’s troops — after all, the majority of their forces were infantry.

However, Wang Dou believed it was still beneficial for the Xuan-Da army to maintain a marching speed of sixty li per day. The Xuan-Da government troops had long suffered from hunger and exhaustion. Although the officers and men had rested for a few days, the soldiers and horses were still extremely weary. If the grand army now raced two or three hundred li every day, with only a few hundred out of several thousand reaching a given place, there could be no talk of a disciplined march or of preserving the army’s integrity and solemnity.

Behind each section of the grand army came their dense mass of mules, horses, and baggage. Generally, each Regional Commander’s camp carried large quantities of tents, chevaux-de-frise, gunpowder, crouching-tiger cannons, and the like. After Wang Dou transported grain and fodder, each camp’s rear was also followed by a great number of grain, fodder, carts, and horses.

This baggage also inevitably dragged down the grand army’s marching pace. The officers and men of the various Xuan-Da garrisons had suffered bitterly from hunger. Although the grain and fodder now in their own camps was less than half a month’s provisions, no matter what, these supplies had to be carried at their side before they could feel at ease — if the marching speed was dragged down, so be it.

Lu Xiangsheng, full of energy, rode atop his Wumingji steed. He turned his head and cast an approving glance at Wang Dou’s troops. Those soldiers — every single one could be called a fine soldier. They followed behind Wang Dou’s central-army banner, ten men per rank, advancing neatly company by company. From the moment they marched out from beneath Baoding’s walls, their formation had remained this disciplined from start to finish — even the baggage soldiers were no exception.

These men were mostly infantry, and every man wore heavy armor. After several days of marching, not a single man had fallen behind, and their marching formation remained so impeccably disciplined the whole time! Ten men per rank meant ten men per rank; every rank, when viewed, formed a straight line and remained a straight line.

On a long-distance march, even the cavalry of the three garrisons could not achieve this. Their files of several horses abreast were already somewhat crooked and askew. Behind Wang Dou, Xuanfu Assistant Regional Commander Zhang Yan’s cavalry were still passable, but half his force was infantry. By now their marching formation was already sparse and straggling; many soldiers were listlessly dragging their exhausted bodies, struggling to keep up.

Judging by marching appearance alone, the strength of the troops under Wang Dou’s command could already be said to stand firmly in first place among the three garrisons of Xuan-Da.

Lu Xiangsheng could not stop marveling. The more he looked at Wang Dou, the fonder he grew. It was a pity that Wang Dou’s status and military rank were insufficient; otherwise he could be transferred into the garrison city to drill the troops of the various garrisons and train for the Great Ming one strong army after another like the Shunxiang Army.

In fact, Wang Dou had also noticed this problem. In the main-force camps of the various garrisons, when it came to individual valor and one-on-one combat, most of those camp soldiers were stronger than his own Shunxiang Army. Regrettably, in military discipline, in prompt obedience to orders and prohibitions, and in battle-formation coordination, they were far inferior to his Shunxiang Army.

And in battle, upright, proper battle-formation coordination was the most important thing; individual martial prowess ranked last. That was why late-Ming armies fought relying only on a small number of retainers — when they won, they swarmed forward in a rush; when they lost, they fled and scattered for a thousand li.

Wang Dou reckoned that the causes of this situation were, first, the withholding of military pay in the various garrisons, and second, the usual neglect or difficulty of training. In each camp there were too many arrogant soldiers, unruly officers, and army malingerers, making reorganization extremely difficult. Throughout the Great Ming’s armies, one only ever saw deserters; a man willing to stay and serve as a soldier was rare and treated like a treasure. Who would be willing to deal harshly with such men?

Fortunately, the troops he drilled were all new recruits, avoiding the phenomenon of army malingerers. His soldiers also did not need pay — they were cheap and easy to use, mass-produced. If Wang Dou were put in command of a garrison city’s camp soldiers, he would not know what to do.

By now they had long since crossed the Puyang River and were not far from Qingdu county town. From the south came rolling clouds of dust; on the horizon, what seemed like several dozen riders were racing madly toward them.

At once the three armies stirred with agitation. Ever since entering Qingdu, they had intermittently encountered some Qing scouting parties along the road, and each time these ten-thousand-plus men had been arrayed in strict readiness. There was no helping it — the psychological pressure the Qing troops exerted on the Xuan-Da officers and men was simply too great.

Lu Xiangsheng shouted orders for the entire army not to move, on pain of beheading, and immediately dispatched scouts from his own Viceroy’s Personal Battalion to go patrol and investigate. Very soon, night scouts from the various camps and scouts from the Viceroy’s Personal Battalion sent back word: these several dozen riders were the Shunxiang Army night scouts and Viceroy’s Personal Battalion brothers returning from an outward scouting and raiding mission, and they had brought back important intelligence.

Lu Xiangsheng was overjoyed. Very soon, escorted by the night scouts of the various camps, Li Youde, Chen Ying, and the others came rolling back to Lu Xiangsheng’s central-army headquarters and reported the results of this scouting mission to Lu Xiangsheng, Wang Dou, and the others. In fact, they numbered only eight men, but Wang Dou’s army night scouts were each provided with three horses, making them appear a mighty force — the dust they kicked up seemed like several dozen riders bearing down.

After Lu Xiangsheng read the intelligence, delight colored his face. He issued orders for the three armies to converge and set up camp, and also notified the Regional Commanders and officers of the various garrisons to come to his great tent to discuss military affairs. At once the troops of each camp halted, dug trenches on the spot, and built field fortifications — everywhere the shouting of men and neighing of horses.

…

Inside Lu Xiangsheng’s central-army great tent, the three garrison Regional Commanders in full helmets and armor and their personal generals sat around the tent watching Lu Xiangsheng joyfully wave a piece of intelligence in his hand.

“According to the scouts’ findings, within Qingdu territory there is a band of slave-bandits, numbering in the thousands, commanded by a colonel of the Slave Plain White Banner. Within Dingzhou territory, there are several thousand slave-bandits of the Bordered White Banner, commanded by the slave chiefs Duoduo and Abatai. Within Gaoyang territory, there are several thousand slave-bandits, commanded by the slave chief Dorgon…”

All the officers listened to Lu Xiangsheng with rapt attention. In particular, Datong Regional Commander Wang Pu cast an envious glance at Yang Guozhu.

When the night scouts of the various camps went out scouting, they all huddled together in fear, not daring to spread out at all. Such vital intelligence had been obtained by the night scouts of Xuanfu Garrison subordinate officer Wang Dou and the retainers of the Viceroy’s Personal Battalion. Their Xuanfu Garrison had earned another merit, and as Regional Commander, Yang Guozhu would naturally share in the credit.

“The enemy situation is now clear. At present, Qingdu, Dingzhou, and Gaoyang have all sent people to plead for aid. This Viceroy wishes to hear the opinions of all you generals: which band of slave troops should we Xuan-Da officers and men engage, and which city should we relieve?”

Historically, the Qing army moved as if entering uninhabited land precisely because every place fought in isolation, with no reinforcements. No matter how strong a city’s walls, there would come a day when it was breached. Now the Qing army was advancing south in several columns; everywhere there were people begging for aid. Although no one truly expected whether this army under Lu Xiangsheng would go relieve their city, they treated a dead horse as a live one. Upon hearing that this Xuan-Da force was approaching, the officers and soldiers of nearby cities still sent wave after wave of messengers pleading for help, each wave’s tearful accounts more harrowing than the last.

Lu Xiangsheng wished to save every place; he only hated that he could not divide himself, and that the troops under his command were too few, while the officers’ and men’s resolve to dare to fight was also somewhat faint. Although Wang Dou’s great victory stood as an example before them, the remaining officers and men of the three garrisons still needed a victory to boost their morale.

Lu Xiangsheng’s words made the generals ponder for a good while. According to their thinking, it was of course best to relieve only Qingdu. The Qing troops here numbered no more than a thousand; their own grand army of thirteen thousand could still swallow them, especially with Wang Dou’s unit — whose valor crowned the three armies — present. As for Dingzhou and Gaoyang, the Tartar troops there were still somewhat too numerous…

Wang Dou had no particular attachment to Dingzhou or Qingdu. If they were to send relief, they must relieve the most critical place — and that was Gaoyang. No matter what, that was where Sun Chengzong was. He could not stand by and watch the old gentleman die in battle.

Thereupon he rose and said, “Viceroy, Military Governor Yang, your subordinate is willing to lead the troops under his command to Gaoyang, to break the siege around Grand Secretary Sun.”

Everyone was startled. Before Lu Xiangsheng and Yang Guozhu could speak, Datong Regional Commander Wang Pu already said, “Absolutely not. The slave-bandits’ momentum is immense. For General Wang to meet a great foe with a mere few thousand troops — it can only be described as fraught with peril. How could this Military Governor bear to watch General Wang go to his death?”

He said to Lu Xiangsheng with earnest sincerity, “Viceroy, divided, the army is weakened. The matter of sending relief is best considered at length.”

A joke — if a strong army like the Shunxiang Army were not kept at his side, how could Wang Pu feel at ease? Wang Dou wanting to take his troops and leave — that was absolutely out of the question.

Yang Guozhu was also unwilling for Wang Dou to leave his side. He said gently to Wang Dou, “General Wang, please sit down.”

He said to Lu Xiangsheng, “Viceroy, your subordinate also believes that General Wang’s loyalty and courage are admirable, but the slave-bandits’ momentum is immense. We absolutely must not entertain the notion of dividing our forces for relief.”

Hu Dawei pondered for a long while, then said, “Our Xuan-Da troops can first break the siege of Qingdu. Qingdu is not far from Dingzhou. After breaking the siege of Dingzhou, we can then move the entire army to Gaoyang to relieve Grand Secretary Sun’s predicament.”

Wang Pu slapped the table in admiration. “What Military Governor Hu has said is truly the counsel of a seasoned statesman.”

Lu Xiangsheng also made his resolve. Given the current state of the Xuan-Da officers and men, fear still predominated; dividing the army for relief was indeed unworkable. They would first annihilate the enemy forces at Qingdu, reverse the officers’ and men’s fear of the enemy and timidity in battle, and then make further plans. He could only hope that the defenders of Dingzhou and Gaoyang could hold out until the arrival of his relief force.

Just at that moment, the sound of alarms outside the tent rose without cease. A personal guard rushed hurriedly into the great tent and reported to Lu Xiangsheng, “Reporting to the Viceroy, a band of slave-bandits has been discovered several li to the south, about a thousand strong, and is now advancing directly toward our Xuan-Da encampment.”

Everyone in the tent was startled. Wang Pu, Regional Commander of Datong Garrison, jumped up and shouted, "How many slave-bandits are there?"

After receiving confirmation that it was a thousand men, he gave a cold snort and, with an air of great authority, clasped his fists toward Lu Xiangsheng in salute and said, "Viceroy, I am willing to lead troops into battle and wipe out this band of slave-bandits without leaving a single piece of armor!"