Chapter 454: Heatstroke

Wang Dou and Yang Guozhu turned to look back and saw Datong Regional Commander Wang Pu shouting as he rushed over, in a frantic hurry, with only a few dozen personal guards around him.

Wang Dou and Yang Guozhu halted to wait. Wang Pu spurred his horse and galloped straight up to the two men before letting out a breath and laughing, "Rushing and hurrying, I've finally caught up with you two elder brothers."

He was panting, travel-worn, even his ornate iron helmet was askew — clearly he had ridden at a breakneck pace. Everyone around him was also gasping for breath and drenched in sweat.

In truth, Wang Dou would not turn thirty until the eleventh month of this year, and Wang Pu was at least three or four years older than him, yet he called Wang Dou "elder brother" without the slightest embarrassment, his expression natural and earnest. Coming from a military family and a merchant background, he certainly had a deft hand at social dealings.

Wang Dou smiled faintly. "General Wang, you've worked hard. Where are your troops now?"

Hearing the warmth in Wang Dou's tone, Wang Pu felt deeply gratified and hurriedly said, "No trouble, no trouble at all. My troops have already passed Huailai, less than ten li from here. They will arrive very soon."

It turned out that when Wang Pu led his army to Huailai and heard that Wang Dou's main force had already reached Yulinbao, he immediately abandoned the bulk of his baggage train, took only a few dozen personal guards, and chased after them all the way — and indeed he caught up with Wang Dou and the others.

In a fawning tone, he said, "Ever since my main army entered the Eastern Route, the officers and men have been full of praise for the prosperity and stability within the territory. Of course, I have also strictly issued military orders that soldiers must not disturb the people or break the law. Otherwise, military law will show no mercy and punishment will be severe and unforgiving."

Wang Pu's army had rather poor military discipline, but even if Wang Pu had the gall of heaven, he would not dare cause trouble within the Eastern Route territory.

He issued strict orders restraining his troops: anyone who dared disturb the people in the Eastern Route would be executed on the spot.

As Wang Pu chattered on incessantly, he carefully adjusted his armor and tunic and flicked the few stray strands of hair back behind him.

If one were to rank the various Regional Commanders by their attention to appearance, Wang Pu would certainly be number one.

Yang Guozhu looked at Wang Pu and asked, "General Wang, how many troops have you brought for this imperial defense campaign?"

Wang Pu's face lit up with delight. "Three thousand cavalry from my main battalion, plus three thousand infantry. Within Datong Garrison, many officers have marched out to war — in total, thirteen thousand men."

Yang Guozhu raised his voice. "Thirteen thousand men! Over on Shanxi Regional Commander Li's side, there are also nearly ten thousand troops. That means our Xuan-Da Army has marched out a total of fifty thousand men."

Wang Pu, brimming with high spirits, laughed heartily. "This time, our Xuan-Da Army will have the loudest voice of all."

The Shanxi Regional Commander Li Fuming was a man of Liaodong, originally a subordinate of Zu Kuan. In the twelfth year of Chongzhen, he was promoted to Shanxi Regional Commander and later followed Hong Chengchou out beyond the passes; by now he was already in Liaodong.

As for Wang Pu, because his father Wang Wei was Left Chief Commissioner, had worn the general's seal nine times, and served as a garrison commander for fifty years, he rose through the ranks under his father's patronage all the way to Regional Commander. In the eleventh year of Chongzhen, he was promoted to Vice Commissioner-in-Chief — yet he had few military merits of his own. The various Regional Commanders were polite to his face, but inwardly they looked down on him.

How could Wang Pu not know this? So he was most adept at picking sides and leaning on the powerful. Now that he had latched onto Wang Dou's thigh and saw the Xuan-Da Army's troops strong and horses sturdy, how could he not be elated?

Thereafter, the great army converged and marched. Wang Dou's division served as the vanguard, Yang Guozhu's division as the center, and Wang Pu's division as the rear guard. Over forty thousand men surged forward in a mighty procession, heading toward Badaling. However, both Yang Guozhu and Wang Pu rode alongside Wang Dou in his central command division.

It was only then that Wang Pu noticed Wang Dou and Yang Guozhu's command flag wagons, and he could not help but exclaim with great envy, "What magnificent flag wagons! How come I never thought of building a wagon like this?"

The army advanced, passing Chadaocheng and then the Badaling pass fortress. Ahead lay towering, precipitous mountains. Compared to the flat official roads of the Eastern Route, the mountain roads here were far more difficult to traverse.

The cavalry and infantry of each division managed well enough, but the baggage wagons and artillery carts struggled. By high noon, the sun blazed fiercely. The mountainous terrain between Badaling and Juyong Pass, unlike later ages, had very few trees; everywhere was bare and barren. The mountain rocks and earth reflected the sunlight, making it stiflingly hot.

The soldiers all marched in full helmets and armor, and often before they had gone far, they were drenched in sweat.

Wang Dou was also somewhat worried — marching in such weather and sunlight, would the soldiers suffer heatstroke...?

At the hour of Wei, the army rested in a shaded spot, drinking water and eating dry rations. Wang Pu returned from inspecting his troops and cried out repeatedly, "This won't do, this won't do! Among my Datong soldiers, some have already fainted from the march, and horses have died of heatstroke — dead, beyond saving."

His face was mournful. Horses have relatively strong endurance and it is hard to detect when they are sick, but once they collapse, they often cannot be saved, because cooling a horse down requires ice — and where could one find ice out here? To Wang Pu, horses and mules were precious; losing them like this naturally pained him deeply.

Wang Dou frowned. Today was especially hot. In such sweltering weather, animals like horses and mules were prone to illness. Fortunately, the Jingbian Army had many veterinarians who could detect early warning signs. Still, Wang Pu's troubles sounded a warning bell for him as well.

Yang Guozhu likewise frowned. The situation in his own army was still acceptable, but marching in such intense heat made both men and horses susceptible to disease. Non-combat attrition was something he was loath to see.

Wang Pu exclaimed, "Two elder brothers, in my humble opinion, we should lie low by day and march by night. That way, traveling will be cooler, and the soldiers will have no worries about heatstroke or illness."

Yang Guozhu shot him a grim look. "Lie low by day and march by night? How far could we travel in a day? When would we ever reach Liaodong?"

Wang Dou spoke in a low voice to his chief guard commander and central army officer, Zhong Diaoyang, who was beside him. "Cousin, go summon Medical Officer Wang."

In three more years, Zhong Diaoyang would turn forty. Since assuming the post of central army officer in the command battalion, his bearing had grown steady and measured. He cupped his fist. "Yes, Grand General."

He gave a few orders to a messenger, and soon a middle-aged scholar with a head as large as a dou hurried over. It was none other than the army's chief medical officer, Wang Tianxue. Accompanying him was his former superior, Wang Biao, formerly the Medical Secretary of the prefectural Medical Office, who now also served in the Jingbian Army as a physician under Wang Tianxue.

Compared to his former dejection, Wang Tianxue was now full of vigor and energy. The clothes on his body were crisp and straight, no longer wrinkled and crumpled as before.

He still enjoyed his drink, but he no longer drank to excess — he knew when to stop.

Wang Tianxue came over and, with a bobbing, swaying motion, saluted Wang Dou. "I pay my respects to the Loyal and Brave Count."

Wang Dou waved his hand and said, "Medical Officer Wang, what is the current situation in the army? Have any soldiers, horses, or mules suffered heatstroke?"

Wang Tianxue said smugly, "The Loyal and Brave Count need not worry. I foresaw this matter before the expedition, so the medical research division developed large quantities of heat-prevention pills and heat-relief pills, sufficient for the soldiers' use."

Wang Dou was very pleased. "Good."

He then said to Zhong Diaoyang, "Cousin, dispatch some men to deliver a batch of heat-prevention pills and heat-relief pills to General Wang's and Commander Yang's tents."

Zhong Diaoyang acknowledged the order. Wang Pu, who had been listening closely nearby, was overjoyed and said repeatedly, "Many thanks to the Loyal and Brave Count, many thanks to the Loyal and Brave Count! Elder brother's noble generosity — I am truly grateful beyond words."

Yang Guozhu also thanked him solemnly. They had physicians in their own armies, but if large numbers of soldiers fell ill, they would not be able to treat them all.

After dismissing Wang Tianxue, Wang Dou sighed, "Marching in summer, with the heat and pestilence, illness is bound to be common. General Wang is right — we cannot march long distances under the blazing sun... Let it be so: from now on, from high noon until the hour of Shen, the army will rest. In the morning and in the evening before the hour of Zi, the army may march."

Wang Pu immediately agreed, voicing his approval repeatedly.

Yang Guozhu pondered. "That way, the soldiers' rest time will be reduced. I fear they will grow listless and lack the energy to march."

Wang Pu hurriedly said, "Can't they make it up at the noon hour? By my reckoning, that's a full five two-hour periods."

Yang Guozhu thought it over at length. There was no other way.

Wang Pu added, "Since there's no fighting now, let the soldiers remove their armor and tunics — that way it'll be cooler."

Yang Guozhu and Wang Dou were still deliberating when the Garrison Provost Chi Dacheng spoke up. "That is impermissible, Grand General. According to our Jingbian Army military regulations, troops on the march must be in full armor. How can they strip off their armor and tunics? Would that not make them mere militia and village braves? What kind of regular army would that be?"

At that time, military regulations — whether in the various Ming armies or in the Jingbian Army — required marching in full combat gear.

It was somewhat better now, as the armor and tunics had been improved and were much lighter. In the early and mid-Ming periods, the carried weight was far heavier, and marching to war was exceedingly arduous...

In the Ming dynasty, Shen Zhou once wrote in "Recording the Hardships of Frontier Troops": "Never serve as a soldier beyond the passes; you bear eighty jin of battle gear. The helmet and headpiece weigh heavily down; the neck-guard and cheek-pieces count as five. The armor alone weighs forty-five; waist saber and mace are two, four, and six. The bow of two and five, arrows and their case; the clothes upon your body make up the full eight..."

Just the armor alone was eighty-eight jin, plus dry rations, water canteens, clothing, and so on. The toil and hardship of the frontier soldiers in those days was truly beyond words.

Yang Guozhu looked at Chi Dacheng, a flash of admiration in his eyes, and said, "This Provost speaks reason. When a great army marches out to war, it is not an outing or idle diversion. How can we indulge in seeking comfort and coolness? What kind of army would that become? If today we strip off armor for coolness, will we tomorrow cast aside our weapons for convenience? It is impermissible."

Wang Dou also nodded. Seeing that neither the Loyal and Brave Count nor Yang Guozhu approved of his idea, Wang Pu had no choice but to drop it in resignation.

Seizing their momentum, the army soon resumed the march. They could not travel by night today either; the area from Badaling to Juyong Pass was all towering, precipitous mountains. Traveling mountain roads at night was quite dangerous, especially for wagons and artillery, which could easily tumble down the mountainsides.

And so the army advanced with infantry and cavalry intermingled, striding forward in great strides. The soldiers of the baggage battalion and artillery battalion pushed and pulled their wagons, struggling to keep up from behind.

At that time, there were no tunnels. The pitted and rutted official road wound up and down the mountains; climbing and descending were both far from easy.

Although the entire Jingbian Army had achieved full mule-and-horse mobility — artillery and baggage all pulled by horses and mules — whenever the artillery carts went uphill, all the soldiers had to follow behind and push the carts and cannons; when going downhill, they had to be careful that the carts and artillery did not move too fast, lest they overturn off the road.

In the armies of Yang Guozhu and Wang Pu, they did not have as many horses and mules as the Jingbian Army, and much had to be pushed and pulled by manpower, which was arduous.

"Everyone, put your backs into it!"

In Sun Sanjie's baggage battalion, Company Commander Chen Xu, with his refined features, was shouting to the brothers in his company in his thick Shandong accent, while taking the lead in straining to push a Jingbian Army war cart.

This war cart had two wheels, made of hardwood, with shafts on the left and right front, each with holes where movable protective shields could be inserted during battle. The cart's body was covered with iron nails and looked sturdy and solid. Compared to the single-wheel war carts previously used by the Shunxiang Army, it had one more wheel and weighed over three hundred jin, classifying it as a light cart model.

Considering that the Qing troops now used many firearms, unlike before when they used bows and arrows, the Jingbian Army's protective shields nowadays were different from the plain shields of the past. The shields were wrapped with iron plates and leather to enhance their defensive strength, and painted with patterns of flying dragons, tiger heads, lion heads, and the like, to frighten enemy horses — similar to the war carts used by the Capital Training Divisions.

Originally, even with the protective shields mounted, such a light cart could be pulled very easily by a single mule. However, since it was loaded full of grain and fodder, and going uphill, the mule had a harder time pulling it and needed the soldiers to help push and pull.

Wang Dou had left ten thousand shi of grain and fodder at Laishui, roughly a month's provisions for an army of ten thousand. But on this expedition, the baggage battalion still had to carry a portion.

Many war carts and wagons were loaded full of grain and fodder, quite heavy. (To be continued)

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