Chapter 284: His Momentum Is Already Formed — Who Under Heaven Can Restrain Him Now?

Watching Wang Dou speak with such ease, Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei both felt deeply unsettled. Though each held the rank of Regional Commander, their actual strength fell short of Wang Dou, a mere Mobile Corps Commander. In this campaign, Wang Dou would take the lead, while the two of them were reduced to mere followers.

Hu Dawei gazed at Wang Dou, silently pondering. Upon arriving at Liujing Fort today, he had been astonished by Wang Dou's arrangements. Wang Dou was the Mobile Corps Commander of Baoan Department in Xuanfu Garrison, yet here in Baoding Prefecture he had established such a formidable fortified camp, filled with so many soldiers and stocked with vast stores of provisions.

Hu Dawei had seen it with his own eyes, and with what Yang Guozhu had told him, he knew that Wang Dou already had nearly seven thousand troops at Liujing Fort alone. Xu Yue'e, who had come as reinforcement, also leaned toward Wang Dou. By his count, Wang Dou now commanded over eight thousand men. Adding the forces Wang Dou had left to guard Baoan Department, who knew how far his power had swelled...

So many troops, and reaching across jurisdictional boundaries — in the Great Ming of old, this would have been deeply taboo. But times had changed. The more soldiers Wang Dou commanded, the more the imperial court would seek to win him over. If he rendered great merit again in this battle, who could say what the future held.

Considering this, even men of Regional Commander rank like Hu Dawei and Yang Guozhu had no choice but to humble themselves and seek his friendship.

Hu Dawei glanced at Xu Yue'e, sitting upright beside him, and thought to himself that Old Yang's decision to take Xu Yue'e as a sworn daughter was likely a move to draw closer to Wang Dou.

After hearing Wang Dou lay out his strategic plan, Yang Guozhu looked toward Hu Dawei. "Tiger, what do you think?"

The Regional Commander of Shanxi Garrison was silent for a long moment, then said, "General Wang, with our more than ten thousand Xuan-Da troops, the slaves at Zhuozhou are not worth worrying about. It is indeed possible to slay Yoto and his two sons in battle and render great merit to the court. We need only consider the slaves at Tongzhou coming to their aid."

Wang Dou replied, "Lord Hu speaks truly. Tongzhou is just over two hundred li from Zhuozhou. If the slave cavalry spare no horseflesh, their relief force could arrive in a single day; moving slower, two days at most. But that is no matter. Our Xuan-Da army has ample strength. Even if the Tongzhou slaves come in full force, their armored and unarmored slave soldiers will not exceed two thousand. Against six thousand slave soldiers, our army holds a decisive advantage. Moreover, if the Tongzhou slaves come to the rescue, their camp at Tongzhou will be left extremely vulnerable. We can dispatch cavalry to raid it — either burn their camp to the ground or seize it for ourselves, turning all their plunder to nothing."

Yang Guozhu nodded slowly. By any measure, this great battle seemed overwhelmingly winnable. He had only one concern. "I only fear that Yoto will fortify his camp and hold fast, then send word to the main Eastern Slave force in Shandong for aid."

Wang Dou said, "Their relief will not arrive in time. Whether from Zhuozhou or Tongzhou, it is a thousand li to Jinan and the other places in Shandong. Even if they send fast riders to beg for help, it will take at least four or five days for the slave chieftains like Dorgon to receive the news. For them to come by fast horse will take at least another five or six days. In the ten-plus days of this round trip, our army will have long since annihilated the slave chieftain's Plain Red Banner force. Not to mention that their relief troops, advancing light and fast, will be utterly exhausted — not worth worrying about."

At this point, Wang Dou's expression darkened. According to history, Jinan Prefecture would surely be breached by the Qing troops. Right now, the main Qing force was rampaging across Shandong. Countless more commoners would see their homes destroyed and their families torn apart.

"As for Yoto fortifying his camp and holding fast..."

Wang Dou gave a cold laugh. "If they dare not face us in open battle, the slave Plain Red Banner is even less worth worrying about. Our great army can breach their camp in a single day and let them taste the bitterness we suffered at Julu."

The worry on Yang Guozhu's and Hu Dawei's faces vanished entirely, replaced by delight. As Wang Dou had said, this was truly a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. If they could slay a Qing banner commander in battle, it would be a merit beyond measure. Who knew how excited the court would be when the victory report arrived, or how they would be honored. And after seizing all the wealth and livestock the Qing troops had plundered, the two of them could also reap a handsome profit.

The two men were visibly invigorated. Yang Guodong, the Company Commander of the Viceroy's Personal Battalion, was equally stirred. He cared little for whatever gains he might obtain; avenging Viceroy Lu was all that mattered.

Xu Yue'e sat quietly, her thoughts unreadable.

Next, the group discussed the specific tactical arrangements.

Wang Dou said, "When we march tomorrow, apart from leaving one company commander to guard Liujing Fort, I will commit all remaining forces — a total of six thousand men."

Wang Dou decided to leave Vice Battalion Commander Gao Gui of Ding Division behind to hold the fort, while committing everyone else to battle, maximizing the tempering of his new troops.

Hearing Wang Dou say this, Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei exchanged glances. A mere Mobile Corps Commander openly fielding eight company commanders and commanding nearly ten thousand troops — it was utterly shocking. But after encountering Wang Dou, they had been astonished so many times they could no longer bother with incredulity. Given the current situation, the more troops Wang Dou had, the greater their chances of victory.

Yang Guozhu said, "Though Liujing Fort is close to Zhuozhou — less than sixty li — for prudence's sake, our great army must still carry sufficient provisions to guard against contingencies."

He asked Wang Dou, "General Wang, are the provisions in the fort sufficient?"

Wang Dou calculated for a moment. The various storage points at Liujing Fort held about five thousand dan of grain. Hu Dawei had transported over three thousand dan from Mancheng. By his reckoning, that was enough to feed the Xuan-Da army's twelve thousand troops for over a month.

He said, "My lords need not worry. The fort's provisions are enough to sustain the entire army for more than a month. Zhuozhou is quite close. When our great army sets out tomorrow, we need only carry ten days' rations with the baggage train. I expect we will not need ten days to breach the slave army's camp at Zhuozhou. Ten days' rations is already ample."

In truth, twelve thousand Xuan-Da troops required a considerable amount of provisions, plus fodder for the many horses. Even ten days' rations meant transporting over two thousand dan of grain with the army. At six dan per cart, that required over three hundred carts. Adding the need to carry gunpowder, heavy equipment, tents, and other supplies, the total vehicles needed reached five to six hundred.

Fortunately, Wang Dou's army originally had three hundred and eighty carts and wheelbarrows of various types. When Wang Dou captured Gaoli Village at Tongzhou, he had also seized nearly four hundred carts and wagons, originally pulled by four hundred captured Qing warhorses. That was, of course, a criminal waste. After joining forces with Lu Xiangsheng, Lu had generously allocated four hundred mules from the various battalions to Wang Dou. The warhorses that had been used for hauling were consolidated into Wang Dou's cavalry corps for Li Guangheng to manage.

Thus, Wang Dou's army alone had nearly eight hundred carts and wagons, plus a number of vehicles in Yang Guozhu's and Hu Dawei's forces. Although some of these had been lost in the Battle of Julu, the majority remained, sufficient for the entire army's use.

Yang Guozhu nodded. With ample troops and no worry over provisions, this battle was as good as won.

He looked at the map and said, "In this deep winter, the rivers are frozen everywhere. Once our army crosses Laishui, fording the Juma River will be easy. But the Lugou and Liuli Rivers are likewise frozen and passable. We must guard against the Tongzhou slaves crossing the Lugou River and coming via the Liuli River to strike our flank or rear."

Wang Dou and Hu Dawei both pondered this. The Juma, Lugou, and Liuli Rivers were mostly not wide, and years of drought had left them even more depleted. Now in deep winter, every river was frozen, passable without needing to consider any ferry crossing. They indeed had to prevent the Tongzhou Qing troops from crossing the frozen rivers and launching attacks from unexpected directions.

But Wang Dou also read between the lines of Yang Guozhu's words: he was reluctant to face the Qing troops in a direct, hard-fought, bloody decisive battle — a signal that he wished to preserve his strength.

Wang Dou smiled and said, "My two lords, when our great army closes in on Zhuozhou, the slaves there will surely be roused. They may send out cavalry to harass us. The safety of our army's advance will then depend on you two lords. Whether it is open-field battle or assaulting their camp, I will not shirk my duty. And when the slaves are routed, pursuing the remnants will likewise depend on you two lords."

At this, Wang Dou sighed inwardly. His own cavalry was still too few. To expand the fruits of victory, he could only rely on his allies.

And so it was decided. For this campaign, the Xuan-Da battalions were arranged thus: Wang Dou's Shunxiang Army would bear the brunt of battle; the cavalry of the Viceroy's Personal Battalion, Yang Guozhu, and Hu Dawei would provide escort and pursuit. As for Xu Yue'e's horse-bandit troops, they would naturally be used for harassment and pursuit as well.

That night, they also confirmed that if the Qing troops from Tongzhou came to the rescue, the cavalry of the Viceroy's Personal Battalion, Hu Dawei, and Xu Yue'e would seize the opportunity to raid the main Qing camp at Tongzhou.

After finalizing the strategy with Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei, Wang Dou immediately convened his subordinate company commanders for a council that night. After assigning military duties, the officers departed. Wang Dou noticed that Han Chao's eyes were bloodshot; beneath his calm exterior, he could barely conceal his grief. Wang Dou already knew that today, when Hu Dawei arrived and brought the coffin of Han Chao's younger brother Han Zhong, Han Chao had remained composed before others but had sought out a secluded place to weep bitterly, inconsolable in his sorrow.

Watching his grieving figure depart, Wang Dou let out a long sigh.

The tenth day of the first month, the twelfth year of Chongzhen. Morning. Liujing Fortress.

Liujing Fortress was originally a civilian stronghold, about five li from Liujing Fort, situated on a stretch of flat open land. A river lay to its north; to its south was open ground that could easily hold tens of thousands. Ravaged by war many times over, the once-prosperous Liujing Fortress had long since been ruined and abandoned, now used by Liujing Fort merely as a forward outpost.

The expedition was set for today. Before departing, Wang Dou held a Shunxiang Army parade in front of Liujing Fortress — first, to inspect the results of the reorganization; second, to boost morale for the campaign and strengthen the confidence of their allies. On the fortress wall, Yang Guozhu, along with his trusted general Guo Yingxian and several company commanders from his camp, Hu Dawei and the officers of his camp, Company Commander Yang Guodong of the Viceroy's Personal Battalion, Xu Yue'e of the Slave-Killing Army, and others accompanied the review.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the neat square formations standing silently and solemnly outside the fortress in the cold wind. Of the eight company commanders in Wang Dou's army, apart from Wen Daxing, Li Guangheng, Zhao Xuan, and a few others, the remaining five company commanders and over six thousand men all took part in the review.

The square formations they formed seemed to blanket the earth. In this bitter cold, the ranks remained perfectly aligned, not a single man stirring. At the sight of such a formidable army, Guo Yingxian and the others beside Yang Guozhu had long been clicking their tongues in admiration, whispering among themselves.

Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei wore complicated expressions, occasionally murmuring comments to each other. Beside them, Company Commander Yang Guodong of the Viceroy's Personal Battalion was beaming with delight. The military strength Wang Dou had displayed awed everyone and proved that the brothers of the Viceroy's Personal Battalion had not misplaced their trust. The thought that he would soon join such a formidable army stirred an excitement Yang Guodong could barely contain.

Wang Dou also glanced at Xu Yue'e. She simply gazed quietly beyond the fortress, watching Wang Dou's great army, her thoughts unreadable.

Wen Daxing, Zhao Xuan, and the others beside Wang Dou were all beaming with joy. Only the Provost Marshal Chi Dacheng, Li Guangheng, and a few others maintained a more solemn bearing.

Wang Dou said to Yang Hu, "Begin."

Yang Hu clasped his fist in salute, accepted the order, and shouted, "The parade begins!"

A standard-bearer beside him waved a great banner, and as if brought to life, the silent square formations outside the fortress began to move. From atop the fortress, the formations advanced in orderly succession — a dense mass of firelocks and long spears, brimming with the beauty of power.

Those on the fortress wall gasped and sighed. As the cry of "Ten Thousand Victories" surged like a tidal wave, Wang Dou stood silently. After a long while, he said to Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei beside him, "My two lords, let us descend."

They rode out through the fortress gate. Outside, a dark sea of humanity stretched in every direction, lined on both sides by Shunxiang Army soldiers. One wall of men after another in square formation seemed to stretch beyond sight. Wang Dou and his companions rode through the corridor of human walls, followed by a host of officers from the various battalions.

The soldiers on both sides cast reverent gazes upon them, watching Wang Dou pass in silence. At some unknown moment, a voice suddenly erupted from the crowd: "Long live...!"

The cry instantly merged into a single roar.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

"Long live! Long live! Long live!"

Hearing this sound like the roar of mountains and seas, Yang Guozhu's face changed color. "His momentum is already formed. Who under Heaven can restrain him now?"

Wang Dou's heart surged with emotion... This was his own army.

He spurred his horse forward, and when he reached the end of the human wall, he suddenly reined in his mount and looked back — the morning sun was rising high, the rivers and mountains magnificent.