Chapter 339: Using an Ox-Cleaver to Kill a Bug

The great army wound its way westward, and before noon they were already nearing the walls of Yanqing Prefecture.

The Yanqing area was one of the earliest places in Xuanfu Garrison where civilians were recruited to hold the land; there were many civilian colonies, and the villages were mostly named as camps — Zhangshan Camp, Dongmen Camp, Hujia Camp, Zhuojia Camp, Wanghua Camp, and so on and so forth, numbering seventy-two camps in all.

The weather grew hotter and hotter. The army followed the banks of the Qingshui River, pressing on westward. The land of Yanqing was a place in Xuanfu Garrison where the natural environment was relatively fine, and the vegetation was still fairly well preserved — relatively speaking, that is; bare, bald highlands, withered yellow grasses and plants, and dried-up rivers were still everywhere to be seen.

The unrelenting drought that plagued the Great Ming could not possibly have left the land of Yanqing unaffected.

The official road was broken and ruined, covered in dry yellow dust. When the great body of troops marched over it, a cloud of dust rose up; luckily there was no wind, or it would truly have been deadly.

Unlike the deathly stillness of the past, everywhere great construction works were underway — land was being reclaimed, roads were being built. The large-scale construction projects of the General Who Pacifies the State had already begun. From time to time one could see crowds gathered in heaps by the roadside or the riverbanks, military households and civilian households among them.

These laborers were still dressed in rags, sallow and emaciated, but unlike before, their faces now carried hope, and they cast looks of reverence at the marching troops. Gao Shiyin and the others were very pleased to see this, and felt that their bandit-suppression and peace-keeping efforts had been worthwhile.

The great army marched straight past the walls of Yanqing Prefecture without stopping. Zhao Rongsheng, a pikeman of the Ren Unit's Ding Company, strode along within his own formation. The road conditions were poor, so Gao Shiyin's army deployed in a single-file long-snake marching column.

Zhao Rongsheng's equipment was the typical gear of a Shunxiang Army pikeman: a suit of iron armor weighing about thirty jin, plus a saber and a long pike. In addition there were supplies and baggage such as a water flask, a woolen blanket, a small tent, and dry rations. In the past, Shunxiang Army soldiers had to carry all these things on their backs when marching; now that they had horses, the armor and other items were loaded onto the horses for transport, which made the march feel far easier for everyone.

In former days, because the Shunxiang Army lacked sufficient armor, the soldiers often swapped armor back and forth; sometimes they would wear it for only a few months before it was stripped away again. Just like before the battle last year, in order to scrape together enough armor for the troops going out to fight, the armor of the soldiers staying behind to guard was completely stripped away, leaving them in nothing but their mandarin-duck battle jackets.

Fortunately, in that battle in the eleventh year of Chongzhen, Wang Dou seized a great quantity of bandit armor, so after the reorganization, the soldiers' armor became a regular issue. Barring unforeseen circumstances, until the day they retired from service, the armor and weapons issued to them would remain their own property, and the same applied to the horses.

The Shunxiang Army had already established the relevant regulations: equipment must be properly cared for. If anything was lost, both the soldier and his superior officer would receive corresponding punishment. If anything was damaged, one simply sent it to the bureau, registered one's company, squad, and name, and within a few days it could be exchanged for a new item.

But if they died in battle or retired due to injury, these suits of armor and horses could become the property of their families and be passed down to later generations. This greatly encouraged the soldiers and officers of the Shunxiang Army, high and low.

To be able to own their own horses — Zhao Rongsheng and the other common soldiers were all extremely excited. They vied with one another to ask the veteran cavalrymen of the Company Commander's unit how to care for the horses. Gao Shiyin's Company Commander headquarters also dispatched relevant veterinary horse-grooms from the battalion headquarters to teach the soldiers how to look after the horses.

But although they now had horses, learning to ride them was not something that could be done in a short while; moreover, to conserve the horses' strength, this marching column mostly proceeded on foot.

Zhao Rongsheng led his horse along, just as cautiously, terrified that it might suffer some injury. His long pike was thrust into the saddle sheath, just as later-age cavalrymen would stow a carbine. At his waist hung his saber.

Summer had arrived, so he wore the newly issued summer uniform, likewise a mandarin-duck battle jacket: narrow sleeves, front-opening, made of red cotton cloth, brilliantly colored and very eye-catching. Looking out across the soldiers in the column, all were dressed the same — a sea of vivid red.

Now that the Shunxiang Army was being regularized, military supply had also been properly arranged: each soldier was issued one winter and one summer uniform, complete with undergarments, shoes, and socks, and could apply for replacements when they wore out.

Because they were going into battle, the red-brimmed military cap that Zhao Rongsheng usually wore on his head was swapped for an eight-panel iron-tipped helmet. His cotton shoes were also swapped for iron-mesh boots. From his iron helmet fluttered a red tassel, but on the helmet of the old Squad Commander marching ahead of him fluttered a black tassel. Further ahead, on the helmet of the platoon officer, fluttered a blue tassel. The red, black, blue, green, and purple tassels on the helmets, along with the waist tags, uniforms, and the varying insignia on the cloaks, signified that the Shunxiang Army was entering formal regularization. Although this might allow the enemy to see the structure of one's own army at a glance, Wang Dou believed that the advantages of the relevant adjustments outweighed the disadvantages.

Having defeated the superior veteran soldiers under Zhong Xiancai's command the day before, Zhao Rongsheng had already been promoted to Superior-Skill Soldier. On the newly issued waist tag, two red borders had been added, representing Zhao Rongsheng's honor and status. Last night, Zhao Rongsheng had been so excited he could not sleep well the whole night; now that surge of heat had slightly receded.

He again looked with some envy at the waist tag hanging at the Squad Commander's waist ahead of him. That waist tag bore a black border and two red borders, representing his rank as Squad Commander and his status likewise as a Superior-Skill Soldier. He wondered to himself when he might be able to possess such a waist tag.

Zhao Rongsheng even stole a glance at the waist tag faintly visible on the platoon officer ahead of him...

The human heart — a snake trying to swallow an elephant, having gained Long, one looks toward Shu. One cannot blame Zhao Rongsheng for his insatiable greed.

Within the Shunxiang Army system, even the person least desirous of fame and profit, under the constant influence of what one saw and heard, would become wildly ambitious. Military merit, seniority, and everyday soldiering skills were all considerations for promotion. Once promoted to a higher position, one held absolute authority over one's subordinates, and the corresponding treatment and privileges were utterly different.

Being in this system, not striving was not an option. Wang Dou believed that the strict hierarchy within the army could maximally stimulate the army's enterprising spirit. After all, trampling others underfoot is a base instinct of all humanity, and also the driving force behind the advance of human civilization.

Dividing ranks is a good thing; the most important thing is to keep the channels of promotion unobstructed. In this way, the inferior descend, the capable ascend, and the army maintains its vitality at all times.

The great army marched along the official road. In the old days, the Shunxiang Army, clad in armor, could cover several tens of li a day, let alone now with horses to carry the armor and baggage. Thus on this day, Gao Shiyin's army advanced over a hundred li, and before sunset entered the territory of Baoan Garrison, reaching a place called Beisanying.

This was a local garrison village. Not far away was the Mayukou Fort of Baoan Garrison. Following the highlands to the northeast, one would reach the Chang'an Battalion of the Northern Circuit of the Xuanfu Garrison's Regional Inspection Route. The bandits "Tyrant Tian" and his lot were entrenched in the highlands of this area.

Wisps of cooking smoke curled upward, and the fragrance of meat broth filled the air. The soldiers gathered in clusters, talking and laughing loudly, washing down their own parched rice and parched flour with the meat broth.

The Shunxiang Army now did not assign a dedicated cook soldier to each platoon; only the Squad Commander's headquarters had a few cook soldiers, responsible for supplying hot water and hot broth for the entire squad, in the spirit of streamlining troops and simplifying administration. On this kind of temporary expedition, the soldiers could carry a few days' worth of dry rations and parched flour, and there was no need to transport large quantities of grain and heavy supplies, thus enhancing the army's mobility.

"Tomorrow's bandit suppression will be a matter of finishing them in one drumbeat."

Zhao Rongsheng was likewise chatting idly with the brothers in his squad, sitting in a circle. His Squad Commander was a veteran who had experienced a series of battles at Tongzhou, Julu, and Pinggu; formerly he had been just an ordinary pikeman. After the battles he was promoted to Squad Commander, and was in charge of a squad of raw recruits like Zhao Rongsheng.

Although they had been formed into an army for over a year, having never been on a battlefield, in the eyes of the veterans they would forever be raw recruits.

"Fighting bandits is meaningless. If you want a real fight, you've got to fight the Tatars — blade against blade, blood everywhere, now that's satisfying!"

The veteran's tone was lazy, but the words he spoke always made one's blood boil. What Zhao Rongsheng and the others loved most in their daily lives was pestering the Squad Commander to talk about the circumstances of the Battle of Julu. Imagining the brutality of that battlefield, Zhao Rongsheng always felt a surge of hot blood in his heart as if it were about to burst forth, and he only hated that he had not been there at the time.

"That battle back then — truly brutal!"

The veteran was once again reminiscing about the past: "Viceroy Lu died in battle, General Mingwei died in battle, General Wude died in battle, and the brothers in my squad all died too, leaving only me..."

The veteran's tone was very calm, but the desolation in his words could not be concealed no matter what. He had a deep saber scar on his face, which made his face look somewhat strange. But with him in the squad, the few raw recruits all felt very secure. Having a veteran who had been on the battlefield and had rich combat experience by one's side always put one at ease.

Zhao Rongsheng clenched his fists and pounded furiously at the ground, beating the earth until a large pit appeared. He always acted like this when he got agitated.

He shouted, "How I hate it! Last year I couldn't go out to fight — otherwise Old Zhao here would have long since lopped off a few Tatar heads."

Although the tales of last year's battle made one's blood boil, when the few raw recruits in the squad returned to reality, they were still somewhat worried: "Squad Commander Sun, in this bandit suppression, could we be in any danger?"

Although they had drilled for a long time, having never been on a battlefield, it was only natural to feel some nervousness.

As soon as the words left their mouths, Zhao Rongsheng was already furious: "Lai Dexiang, Luo Liangzuo, you lot — afraid even when facing some bandits? How will you fight the Tatars in the future? The words you speak truly disgrace our Shunxiang Army."

The few men could not keep face, and spoke up all at once: "Old Zhao, you can't put it that way. Blades and spears have no eyes; it's good to ask Squad Commander Sun for more advice. You wouldn't want to see your brothers get killed or wounded either, would you?"

Although Zhao Rongsheng was only in his early twenties, he usually referred to himself grandly as "Old Zhao," and the brothers in the squad also called him that.

Watching the few men argue, Squad Commander Sun smiled warmly. His gaze as he looked at the men under his command was like a father looking at his sons arguing until their faces were red and their necks thick. In truth, he was only in his thirties, but having experienced battle after battle and seen so much life and death, he seemed to have seen through the red dust of the mortal world.

He could understand the feelings of the brothers in his squad. Who wasn't afraid before stepping onto a battlefield? Wasn't he the same back then?

He said, "Tomorrow's operation will not pose any danger. Those local bandits don't even have a few bows and arrows or matchlocks. Our army's fire lances are deadly; we can rout them from a great distance. Perhaps before the pikemen brothers even need to fight, the battle will already be over."

"Using an ox-cleaver to kill a bug!"

At this moment, this was also the view of Company Commander Gao Shiyin and the others. The night scouts of the Intelligence Service who had been reconnoitering near "Tyrant Tian's" mountain stronghold had already linked up with Gao Shiyin's main army. According to their intelligence, the Shunxiang Army had come so swiftly that the bandits had no reaction whatsoever and were still inside the stronghold reveling in wine and pleasure, never imagining that catastrophe was about to befall them.

When Gao Shiyin's army reached Beisanying, they immediately set up a defensive perimeter, cutting off any potential spies at a great distance. Even if some locals tried to send word to the bandits, not only would these people be shot dead by the Shunxiang Army night scouts gathered around the mountain stronghold, but even if they succeeded in delivering the message, without understanding the troop strength and battle readiness of Gao Shiyin's unit, any defensive preparations they made would be of no avail.

Even if their defenses were tight, Gao Shiyin did not care. He was a man who placed blind faith in military force. In his view, his army's combat strength was outstanding; breaching the mountain stronghold and killing "Tyrant Tian" and his lot would be as simple as crushing an ant.

You are reading Chapter 326: Using an Ox-Cleaver to Kill a Bug. If there are any errors, please contact us promptly to correct them!

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