Chapter 453: Joining Forces on the March (Part 2)

These cavalrymen came thundering in with an imposing momentum.

Yang Guozhu spotted Wang Dou from afar and shouted, "Guoqin."

Wang Dou went forward to meet him: "Commander Yang."

Yang Guozhu reined in his horse and laughed heartily: "Just in time — our two armies have joined forces!"

Wang Dou saw his face was covered in sweat, and the officers behind him were all drenched as well — in the sweltering heat, wearing full armor and marching at double time, they'd be strange not to be exhausted.

Guo Yingxian, the trusted personal general behind Yang Guozhu, glanced at the sun and cursed, "Damn it all, it's only midmorning and the sun's already this fierce. I'd rather campaign in winter than come out in this blistering heat."

He looked at his horse snorting heavily, touched its coat and found it soaked with sweat, stroked its head tenderly, and called to Wang Dou, "Little brother, to join up with you, your big brother here has galloped miles without even catching his breath."

He pulled out the coconut gourd at his waist and gulped down half a gourd of water.

Wang Dou exchanged a few pleasantries with this straightforward, simple brother, then said to Yang Guozhu, "Commander Yang, you've worked hard. How many troops have you mobilized for this campaign?"

Yang Guozhu said, "Fifteen thousand men — five thousand cavalry, ten thousand infantry. How many does your Jingbian Army have?"

Wang Dou said, "Fifteen thousand men as well."

Yang Guozhu gave a loud shout: "Good!"

The old general's expression was stirred: "In that case, our Xuanzhen has sent forth thirty thousand men in total. Among all the garrisons coming to the rescue, our force is the largest!"

Guo Yingxian had by now taken off his helmet and was using it as a fan. It revealed a perfectly smooth, shaved head — he had shaved off all his hair for the summer campaign. He was square-built all over, and his head was square too, but from the crown down to his cheeks, it was covered with scars from blades.

He roared like thunder: "You've got fifteen thousand too — that's excellent. Now we'll have an even better time beating those Tartars."

The officers behind Yang Guozhu were equally stirred, talking among themselves, brimming with thick joy and heroic spirit.

At that moment Yang Guozhu noticed Wang Dou's command banner. His eyes lit up, and he praised, "Guoqin, this banner of yours — its presence is overpowering. Excellent."

Wang Dou's command banner was an enormous great banner, its pole two zhang tall, made of fine wood reinforced with steel and iron. The banner itself was one zhang across, of red silk and satin, edged with gold brocade, the tassel head adorned with pearl strands — utterly magnificent. In the four directions — top, bottom, left, and right — were the patterns of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. At the center was a design of golden waves, sun, and moon.

When the wind blew, the banner billowed and surged, giving one the feeling of fiery passion and seething hot blood.

Originally, this type of banner was generally called a camp banner, used only when setting up camp. Qi Jiguang had also said, "This cannot be used on the march or in formation — it is too heavy and large!"

Even the strongest banner-bearer could not carry such a banner, so the Logistics Department had specially built a command-banner cart for the General Who Subdues the Caitiffs, erecting the great banner upon it and pulling it with two sturdy horses.

Not only that, the central command camp also had multiple great-drum carts, the drums three meters in diameter. These enormous war drums were all placed on carts and pulled by horses; when the drummers struck them, their sound shook the four fields.

In the eleventh year of Chongzhen, Wang Dou had deployed commander's chariots and observation-pole carts; this time he deployed them as well.

The commander's chariots now were built even sturdier, capable even of withstanding cannon fire — and naturally even heavier, requiring four strong horses to pull them. The observation-pole carts had poles reaching twenty meters high; soldiers standing in the crow's nest on top could observe movements for over ten li around.

As Wang Dou's status rose higher and higher, his equipment likewise improved more and more.

Gazing at the enormous Jingbian Army command banner before them, and at banner after banner of golden waves, sun, and moon, not only Yang Guozhu but all the officers of the garrison town let their eyes linger on each banner. The passion and vitality displayed in them made even their blood seethe.

The Loyal and Brave Count truly exceeded expectations and constantly brought pleasant surprises.

Guo Yingxian's eyes widened even further, and he muttered something under his breath.

Yang Guozhu reluctantly withdrew his gaze. Wang Dou's new flourishes emerged endlessly — he could never finish marveling at them. Better to focus on the present.

He smiled and said, "Guoqin, let me show you the troops I've trained."

Wang Dou followed his gaze into the distance. The sound of orderly marching footsteps arose — Yang Guozhu's infantry had caught up as well.

On the winding official road, those soldiers, densely packed, were advancing in neat columns, one file of five per row.

From afar one could see that their arquebusiers all wore red cotton armor, and their pikemen all wore red waist-length armor, with the blue side of their mandarin-duck battle jackets exposed on both arms — blue and red alternating, the color impression extremely stirring.

Wang Dou's heart stirred. He took out his spyglass and observed carefully. Through the lens, these soldiers were all young and able-bodied, all wearing cloud-wing helmets. Their military bearing was orderly and solemn, their expressions resolute. In the sweltering heat, no one made a sound; their ranks were very orderly. In terms of military appearance and bearing, they were far better than Yang Guozhu's main garrison battalion.

Seeing Wang Dou's serious attention, Yang Guozhu laughed and said, "Guoqin, what do you think of these troops of mine?"

Wang Dou said with wholehearted sincerity, "They are indeed fine soldiers!"

From Wang Dou's perspective, and based on intelligence analysis he had obtained, Yang Guozhu's new army still had shortcomings.

For instance, because their level of education was not high, the soldiers might be deficient in observing and understanding regulations. And even if the troops were trained, had the quality of the junior officers been raised? Regulations, systems, tactics, battle formations — all required education to sustain.

Why they fought, the raising of their will to fight — these required spiritual understanding. Professional standards, military management, the perfection of a whole series of systems — all required education.

Still, for Yang Guozhu to have drilled the new army to this level was already extremely difficult. By Wang Dou's judgment, they had reached the standard of his own Shunxiang Fortress troops in the ninth year of Chongzhen. These soldiers' training level was decent, their morale high. If they could experience a few bloody battles, those who remained would all be qualified soldiers.

If all of Great Ming's soldiers had this standard, it would actually be enough to fight the Tartar caitiffs.

They could not compare with the Jingbian Army. Wang Dou came from a later age and understood the importance of education. In his army, nearly ninety percent of the officers and men had the literacy level of a Licentiate — not in composing poetry and couplets, but in character recognition. The number of educated men was something outside armies could never match.

Seeing Wang Dou's praise, Yang Guozhu was gratified, and the officers behind him also wore proud expressions.

The Loyal and Brave Count was renowned for governing and training armies. To earn his approval was an acknowledgment of each man's hard work and dedication.

Watching the new troops approaching in good order, Yang Guozhu said with emotion, "Training these new troops was far too difficult. Sufficient provisions, allotting farmland... especially allotting farmland. I spent enormous sums to reclaim wasteland around the garrison town, allotting ten mu of land to each soldier. After five years, upon discharge, they can obtain a full fifty mu of land. That is how I fully won the soldiers' hearts!"

A look of anger suddenly appeared in his eyes: "Hmph, those powerful nobles, merchants, and gentry in the garrison town — they hold their posts and eat their salaries but do no proper work, yet their eyes are fixed on the newly reclaimed farmland..."

The great general's beard and hair bristled: "Unless I die, they shall not seize one inch or one fraction of the soldiers' land!"

At the mention of this matter, every officer under Yang Guozhu's command was furious. Wang Dou did not need Yang Guozhu to explain — he already understood what it was about. It was nothing more than the same old story of powerful nobles and great clans encroaching and seizing.

This matter was far too common. In fact, Great Ming's policies on reclaiming wasteland were extremely favorable: newly opened land was exempt from taxes for three or five years as a matter of course, and in many places it was even stipulated that newly reclaimed land would pay no grain tax for ten years.

But where there were policies from above, there were countermeasures from below. Seeing those wastelands yielding harvests and producing grain, many officials and powerful nobles could not wait to come knocking to collect taxes, and even used all manner of methods to seize the land.

In that case, who would still be willing to reclaim wasteland? That was why the frontier garrisons of Great Ming were full of barren flats, yet no one was willing to go and cultivate them.

Wang Dou's gaze was cold and sharp. He said, "Land is the life of the soldiers. The reason my Jingbian Army dares to fight is also that every officer and man has land, every household has grain. If Commander Yang has any difficulties, you need only say the word, and I, Wang Dou, will be the first to stand forth in support."

Wang Dou's ferocious reputation was known far and wide — he killed military men, killed civil officials, killed merchants, killed eunuchs as easily as slaughtering chickens. Therefore, few dared to entertain designs against him.

Yang Guozhu was different. He was embedded in old circles and old habits, with too many concerns, afraid to act for fear of collateral damage. The environment of the garrison town was also vastly different from that of the Eastern Route.

Hearing Wang Dou say this, Yang Guozhu was gratified. He said, "Rest assured, I can still handle it."

His gaze drifted, entranced, toward his own new army. He said, "I must also thank you, Guoqin, for the fine-crafted arquebuses and powerful gunpowder you gave me. Only with them could the soldiers' combat strength rise another level."

By now those new troops were drawing closer. Wang Dou observed that Yang Guozhu seemed to have temporarily assigned one new battalion as a supply battalion. Coming up behind were dense rows of single-wheel supply carts, all of light-cart design. At the front of each cart, and on the right shaft, there were socket holes, clearly for detachable hardwood shield boards, to be inserted during battle.

At present these single-wheel supply carts were fully loaded with all manner of supplies — tents, fodder, weapons, gunpowder, and so on. Some carts were pulled by horses and mules, but most were pushed and pulled by men.

The roads of the Eastern Route were flat and solid, so pushing these carts was still relatively easy.

Yang Guozhu looked at these supply carts and said with emotion, "When we first built these carts, I never thought we would actually use them. The rebel slaves use large numbers of firearms. With the carts and shield boards, we can effectively block bullets and reduce soldier casualties. It's just that transporting them a thousand li to Liaodong is no easy task."

Wang Dou sighed with the same feeling: “It truly hasn’t been easy.”

For this expedition, the Jingbian Army’s baggage battalion used not only wagons but also a large number of war chariots. Unlike the single-wheeled chariots of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, the Jingbian Army’s current war chariots were much taller and sturdier, requiring horses and mules to pull them rather than manpower.

Yet even with horses and mules, transporting baggage a thousand li to Liaodong was certainly no easy task.

Watching the two armies continuously converge, from the official road between Yulinbao and Huailai to the official road to Yongning, as far as the eye could see, it was a dense mass of armor and banners.

Beneath those iron helmets were all hot-blooded men. Faced with such a scene, who would not feel a surge of heroic pride?

They watched both sides cheer toward their friendly troops. From this day forward, they would be comrades fighting shoulder to shoulder against the enemy.

Wang Dou smiled and said, “Commander Yang, I have a gift for you.”

He waved his hand, and a command flag chariot identical to his own was pulled over — the same height, the same design, the same two-zhang flagpole made of fine wood and steel, the same pair of sturdy horses to pull it.

Looking at this command flag chariot, Yang Guozhu’s eyes revealed a look of excitement, and he said repeatedly, “Good, good. Guogin, you are so thoughtful. You are so thoughtful.”

Very soon, the great banner bearing the character “Yang” was raised, standing alongside the Sun-Moon-Waves banner, flying high together overhead.

Gazing at the two enormous command banners, all the officers and soldiers burst into cheers. Wang Dou and Yang Guozhu mounted the command flag chariot, and the roar of thirty thousand soldiers was like a stormy, raging sea.

Watching the soldiers cheer endlessly without ceasing, Wang Dou and Yang Guozhu looked at each other and smiled.

Wang Dou suddenly swept his hand down. The marching drums sounded, and the tens of thousands of soldiers once more moved their feet and spurred their horses, like an endless torrent of steel, heading toward Badaling and on toward Liaodong.

Watching the advancing grand army, Nanshan Route Assistant Regional Commander Yu Gui, who had long been forgotten by everyone, sighed and said, “Only this can be called a royal army, can be called a military force.”

Just then, the urgent sound of hoofbeats rang out, and from behind came the wailing voice of Datong Regional Commander Wang Pu, as if he were mourning his own parents: “Aiyaya, Loyal and Brave Count, Elder Brother Yang, wait for your little brother!”

“Aiyaya, wait for your little brother…”