Chapter 518: A Hero and King

These days, Wang Dou had been surveying the actual terrain along the Xiaoling River, and by now he had a firm plan in mind.

Returning to the Jingbian Army main camp, he saw along the road an unending stream of carts and horses transporting supplies, fodder, and especially drinking water to the camp.

Generally, when a great army goes on campaign, besides provisions and fodder, one other point is critically important: the army's drinking water.

According to bodily needs, one man requires at least ten sheng of water per day; mules and horses require even more, thirty sheng. Under extreme conditions this can be halved, but that inevitably affects the army's fighting strength. For an army numbering in the tens of thousands, the daily water requirement is truly an astronomical figure.

Fortunately, the great army now occupied Huangtuling. Not far southeast of the ridge lay the Xiaoling River, and to the south the terrain was flat, with many rivers as well. In the past this had been an area where the garrison farmlands near Songshan were relatively dense, so supplying the army's drinking water was no problem.

It was as if a giant city had risen from the flatland. Looking out across Huangtuling now, Ming army encampments densely covered it all.

Now stationed here were Wang Dou's Jingbian Army, Yang Guozhu's Xuanzhen Army, Wang Pu's Datong Army, plus Fu Yingchong's capital garrison troops, Li Fuming's Shanxi Army, and also Wu Sangui and Zuo Guangxian's forces on Songshan Ridge to the southwest.

Nearly a hundred thousand troops coiled through the ridges and plains of this region. As far as the eye could see, there was an ocean of camp banners, with watchtowers and arrow towers densely clustered like a forest.

And with so many troops and horses, the provisions and fodder required were also a vast quantity, giving the Liaodong Provincial Governor Qiu Minyang, who was responsible for provisions supply, a splitting headache. The Vice Minister of War Shen Tingyang supervised grain transport in Tianjin, advancing by both water and land, straining every last ounce of strength.

Because provisions supply was so tight, the Ming armies on the Liaodong front line, generally each garrison, could only draw provisions once every five to ten days, and each time only a few hundred dan or so.

This was of course insufficient. In an era lacking rich foods, able-bodied young men especially could eat: one sheng per day, which is two jin of rice, was quite normal. If cooked into rice, this made at least four jin, but some men could even eat that in a single meal.

Horses required three sheng of fodder per day. Calculated for an army of ten thousand men, with a three-to-seven ratio of men to horses, at least two hundred dan of provisions and fodder were needed daily.

Because the Jingbian Army had large quantities of meat, each soldier's food intake dropped slightly — half a sheng of rice per man per day was enough — but because the number of horses had increased, the total quantity of provisions and fodder was not small.

On this Liaodong campaign, the horses and mules in Wang Dou's army reached over ten thousand head, requiring over three hundred dan of fodder per day. Counting both men and horses, nearly four hundred dan of provisions and fodder were needed daily.

Centered around provisions and fodder supply, who knows how much squabbling arose among the various armies and officers.

Going on campaign required so much provisions and fodder. Although the army carried some supplies with it, Wang Dou always tried to have the local government offices supply them, and only as a last resort did he draw on the grain, rice, and fodder brought by his own supply battalion.

In awe of the Jingbian Army's reputation and Wang Dou's ferocity, the various directors and assistant prefects of the Liaodong Revenue Ministry who managed provisions did not dare to be excessively negligent.

Moreover, with the attention of Ji-Liao Viceroy Hong Chengchou, Liaodong Provincial Governor Qiu Minyang, Army Supervisor Zhang Ruoqi, Army Supervisor Wang Chengen, and others — all fearful that this powerful army might raise a ruckus and cause irreparable consequences — the Jingbian Army's provisions supply was given priority.

But even so, each time the supply battalion drew provisions, it could not meet the Jingbian Army's required standard. Every five days, the Jingbian Army needed roughly two thousand dan of provisions and fodder. Each time they could only draw fifteen hundred dan, or a thousand dan — only seventy percent of the requirement. Sometimes when provisions were tight, they got only about fifty percent.

Wang Dou knew that frontline provisions were tight, and that being able to draw fifty to seventy percent of requirements each time was already quite difficult. So for the remaining shortfall, he used his old method: buying with silver.

On this Liaodong campaign, he had brought several hundred thousand taels of silver.

In the Eastern Route treasury, gold and silver were plentiful, and moreover had little use anymore.

The Eastern Route now widely used grain certificates. Because their creditworthiness had been established, less and less grain and rice were actually redeemed. Gold and silver simply piled up gathering dust in the storehouses. Being able to spend them, exchanging them for the provisions and fodder the troops needed, Wang Dou was quite willing.

In truth, these Revenue Ministry officials were all arrogant, and they were not under the command of the local military administration either. For instance, the Revenue Ministry grain director had to heed the Viceroy's authority, but he and the Provincial Governor were not under each other's command — they merely addressed each other as colleagues. The assistant prefect and the military defense intendant likewise addressed each other as colleagues. Liaodong Provincial Governor Qiu Minyang, Military Defense Intendant Zhang Dou, and others could not control them.

Of course, arrogant as they were, in the face of gleaming silver, each of them was quite cordial. Every time the supply battalion officers went to buy provisions and fodder from them, they were all greeted with smiling faces. It was obvious that by the time the great battle ended, a very large portion of the silver Wang Dou had brought would have been spent.

But Wang Dou did not mind. Silver was only silver when spent; unspent, it was just worthless rock. Moreover, because of the dried fish, the cost of this campaign could be quickly recouped. Later, as it was promoted and expanded, the dried fish alone would add who knows how many financial resources to the Eastern Route.

……

All along the way, supply carts and horses came and went unceasingly. When they reached the perimeter of the Jingbian Army camp, Wang Dou also saw numerous merchants lingering there, a mix of every accent, bustling and lively, like one marketplace after another. These were the various merchant caravans that had come to trade with the Jingbian Army.

The Jingbian Army's treatment was generous. Their food supply, differentiated by First-Class and Second-Class troops, gave each man fixed daily amounts of rice, meat, vegetables, salt, soy sauce, seasonings, and even set amounts of tea, sugar, and tobacco.

Because the Eastern Route had increased its livestock farms, when the army was stationed and not moving, a certain amount of cow's milk was also supplied.

The treatment of the Jingbian Army soldiers was second to none, not just in the Great Ming, but even within the Eastern Route. So after Wang Dou rose to prominence, although overtly and covertly people kept trying to poach his men, no one was willing to leave the Jingbian Army simply because of this food and treatment.

Because the troops' supplies were so generous, rich, and varied, the supply battalion needed to go out frequently to purchase goods, and each purchase was in large quantities. Seeing the business opportunity, numerous merchant caravans gathered here, selling their various products to the Jingbian Army's supply soldiers.

Of course, unlike other Ming army camps where merchants could come and go freely inside the encampment, within two hundred paces of the Jingbian Army camp, no one was permitted to approach a single step closer; otherwise they would be killed without mercy. Closest to the military camp were the Eastern Route's own merchant caravans. Outside merchants generally gathered one li away, forming one marketplace after another.

Among the market crowds were also many local military households, especially the numerous garrison military households from the various forts southeast of Niangniang Palace.

Because the great army had blocked the Tartars' attacks and infiltration, those military households who had fled to Songshan and Xingshan had now returned to their homes one after another, urgently resuming production.

Seeing the business opportunity, they also took the chance to come sell their various local specialties, and every time everything was bought up completely. If they brought vegetables and the like, those were even more welcome. Various seafood products, like dried kelp, were equally welcomed.

In this place of Liaodong, because warfare was frequent and silver was plentiful while grain was scarce, inflation was severe and prices were very high. But the Jingbian Army supply soldiers who went out to purchase never bought on credit, still less reneged on debts. Every transaction was in cash, extremely bold and generous, and truly won universal praise.

The consequence of this was that more and more merchant caravans from various regions gathered outside the military camp, and more and more local military households came to sell their goods.

In addition, the large-scale opening of dried fish workshops required many hands. Many of the corvée laborers who had transported grain from a thousand li away also decided to stay and earn money working here, causing the area from the south side of Huangtuling all the way to the seacoast to be thick with markets, forming a strange kind of prosperity.

Watching the merchant caravans gathered outside the camp and the bustling, lively scene, Zhong Xian curled his lip and finally said, "If it weren't that we're still at war, I would think I'd come to Yongning City. These merchants, just to earn silver, are recklessly bold, not afraid of death at all."

Wang Dou also watched with considerable emotion. A great battle between Ming and Qing, hundreds of thousands of men locked in life-and-death combat, had turned into a vast business opportunity for the various merchants and caravans. No matter how the times changed, the merchants would never lose.

He said with feeling, "It's quite normal. All under heaven bustles for profit; all under heaven hustles for gain. Merchants especially — the pursuit of profit is their nature. Right now, in many places across the Great Ming, we cannot do without them."

At this time, the power of the Great Ming merchants was formidable. In the various frontier garrisons of the Great Ming, most of the frontier armies' provisions and fodder were supplied and transported by merchants, and their shadows could be seen in every war.

The West at this time was the same. When the Holy Roman Empire sent an army to war, for a force of thirty thousand men, the accompanying personnel could reach one hundred forty thousand, most of whom were merchant caravans, along with large numbers of vagabonds, beggars, thieves, and prostitutes.

Wang Dou finally concluded: "From ancient times to the present, merchants and capital have always been like this. Once there is a suitable profit, they grow bold. With ten percent profit, capital guarantees it will be used everywhere. With twenty percent profit, it becomes active. With fifty percent profit, it will take desperate risks. For one hundred percent profit, it dares to trample all human laws. With three hundred percent profit, it dares to commit any crime, even at the risk of the gallows."

The officers were all shaken. The Great General's words truly depicted the nature of merchants with incisive vividness, worthy of a man possessed by a deity, a star god descended to the mortal world.

Everyone's resolve to follow him grew even firmer. Zhong Xian's eyes sparkled; he murmured under his breath, repeating the words Wang Dou had just spoken.

Advisor Qin Yi, the more he pondered Wang Dou's words, the more he felt the profound meaning contained within them, and he could not help but sigh deeply in admiration: "The Great General's words are truly words of gold and jade, fully expressing the inner essence."

Every time he interacted with Wang Dou, Qin Yi felt more and more that Wang Dou was shrouded in mystery. He had once carefully studied Wang Dou's life. Apart from his ancestor having served in the Qi Family Army, everything else was quite ordinary, and he had received no higher education. Why had he suddenly become so dazzlingly outstanding? The scope of his vision seemed to span a thousand years of the past and ten thousand years of the future — a farsightedness and sagacity he had never seen in anyone else.

Qin Yi came from a background of studying the Confucian classics and believed in the principle that the sage did not speak of strange forces or disorderly spirits. Yet in Wang Dou's case, this was deeply shattered. Other than a star god descending to earth, suddenly awakening, and recovering memories of past lives, Qin Yi could find no other explanation.

He thought secretly to himself: "The sages say that whenever the realm falls into chaos and the people suffer, there always emerges a hero and king. Could the Great General be that man?"

……

Back at the main camp, seeing that it was nearly noon, Wang Dou ordered the meal served. The mess soldiers and guards of the command tent brought out the dishes one by one, and everyone gathered around a single table to eat.

Among the Jingbian Army officers, except for Sun Sanjie who was at Changling Mountain at the time, Central Army Commander Zhong Diaoyang, Senior General Han Chao, Zhong Xian, Li Guangheng, Wen Daxing, Zhao Xuan, the Disciplinary Officer Chi Dacheng, and Chief Medical Officer Wang Tianxue were all at the table. Also present was Advisor Qin Yi, who, because of his outstanding performance, was increasingly winning Wang Dou's esteem and had earned a seat among them.

The meal was still very sumptuous: a whole roast lamb, large cuts of pork and beef, big platters of various fresh fish, kelp and fresh fish soup, some seasonal fresh vegetables, and so on.

Fish and seafood products predominated on the table. Now every day large quantities of fresh fish were transported outside the military camp and purchased by the supply battalion. Money can make the devil turn the millstone; as long as the Jingbian Army spent money, there were plenty of merchants and fishermen willing to serve them.

And silver was the one thing Wang Dou now lacked least of all.

The staple foods included large buckets of rice, as well as noodles, flatbreads, and the like. To be honest, although Wang Dou had been in the Great Ming for many years, he still actually preferred eating rice. Apart from late-night snacks, he did not like eating noodles as a staple.

"Starving, starving."

Zhao Xuan ate noisily and messily. He had no interest in seafood and just attacked the lamb, pork, and beef.

Li Guangheng and Wen Daxing also ate rather crudely, drinking wine cup after cup.

Both were quite fond of drinking, but when out on campaign they could not drink heavily. So the wine the two drank was relatively low in strength, and they did not drink much. Wang Tianxue had once been a drunkard, but after many years with the army, he had restrained himself considerably. Still, he had to drink at every meal — he could skip the food, but the wine he could not do without.

Compared to the crudeness of the two, he was far more unhurried and deliberate, shaking his head and swaying as he drank.

Han Chao sat upright, eating slowly, bearing the strict and cautious manner of a commander. Beside him, Zhong Diaoyang was equally steady and taciturn.

Wang Dou scooped a spoonful of soup, drank it, and nodded. "This fish soup is quite good. Very fresh and delicious."

He said, "Those living by the mountain live off the mountain; those living by the sea live off the sea. The ocean is rich in all kinds of fish. It is only a pity they cannot be preserved for long, otherwise the fishermen would not be so impoverished."

Qin Yi set down his chopsticks and smiled. "Now that the Grand General has bestowed the technique of drying fish, sea fish can be preserved for a long time. If it is widely promoted, the fishermen's days will be much easier from now on."

Everyone nodded. Zhong Xiancai tasted the fish soup and also found it delicious. He said, "Speaking of dried fish, in the past when I was in Weizhou, my hometown also had a kind of dried fish. After salting, it was hung in the kitchen to air-dry. When eating, it was placed in a soup pot and simmered slowly over a low fire. When done, the flavor was extremely fresh and delicious, with a distinctive taste."

Zhong Xiancai looked at Wang Dou. "If the Grand General likes it, someday I will personally go to the kitchen and present a dish for the Grand General."

Wang Dou was somewhat surprised and smiled. "I never imagined Xiancai was also versed in the culinary arts."

Zhao Xuan was eating noisily, juices dripping, and said indistinctly, "A gentleman keeps his distance from the kitchen. Brother Zhong, a fine man — why would he personally go to the kitchen?"

Wang Tianxue also stroked his beard, shaking his head and swaying. "Indeed, General Zhao's words accord deeply with my heart. Though General Zhong's sentiments are wholly sincere, he need only tell the method of preparation and have someone cook it. I must say, General Zhong's words are the words of a woman."

Qin Yi shook his head. He had to admit, although Wang Tianxue and he were both of literati background, Wang Tianxue's foul mouth unwittingly offended people all too easily.

Zhong Xiancai looked at Wang Dou, then at Zhao Xuan and Wang Tianxue. His fair, clean face flushed bright red as he argued, "How are they the words of a woman... how is it that you two look down on women? Hua Mulan, Lady Xian — they were also women."

Zhong Xiancai gave a snort and raised his fist. "Your mothers are also women. Little Xuan'er, by speaking this way, you are being greatly unfilial."

Everyone looked at Zhong Xiancai. He seemed to have gotten worked up. Ordinarily, Zhong Xiancai was shy and gentle by nature, but at times he could be very sharp, especially in front of the Grand General, where he showed a competitive side.

Wang Dou studied Zhong Xiancai carefully, watched the few of them argue, smiled, and said, "How about this: after the meal, the two of you have a sparring match. Whoever wins shall be deemed to have reason on his side."

Zhong Xiancai cracked his knuckles loudly and said smugly, "Little Xuan'er, Medical Officer Wang, care to have a sparring match?"

Zhao Xuan and Wang Tianxue were speechless. Zhong Xiancai had fought his way from a common soldier to general and had once been a top-grade skilled soldier. Zhao Xuan was a technical homebody, and Wang Tianxue could not even truss a chicken — how could they be his match? Both looked away and changed the subject. Zhao Xuan said, "A gentleman uses his mouth, not his fists."

Wang Tianxue also coughed and said, "Indeed, General Zhao's words accord deeply with my heart. I am well-read in the books of sages and worthies — how could I trade blows with another? It would truly be a disgrace to refinement."

Everyone laughed heartily. Zhao Xuan and Wang Tianxue were even more embarrassed. Zhao Xuan changed the subject and suddenly said, "Grand General, let me ask you: if I were to use a large quantity of silk, what would you think?"

Everyone was puzzled. Why would Zhao Xuan suddenly need a large quantity of silk?

Han Chao teased, "What is it? Does Brother Zhao have some happy event to arrange — taking a wife or taking a concubine? I recall you already have a wife."

Everyone snickered. Zhao Xuan waved his hands repeatedly and simply said, "Do you remember the powder bags of the artillery battalion? I discovered by chance that silk ignites more easily than cotton cloth. If we switch to silk powder bags, the gun barrel will not overheat so easily, and the process of reloading cannonballs can be greatly sped up. Perhaps where we used to fire five rounds before cooling, now we can fire at least ten."

Everyone was visibly moved. Wang Dou also felt a stir in his heart. As Zhao Xuan said this, he recalled some information from later eras.

It seemed that the artillery units of that time did use silk powder bags, which indeed kept the barrels from overheating so easily. The gunners of the Jingbian Army had already reached the peak of individual skill; what restricted the firing speed of the cannons was precisely the barrel overheating problem.

Moreover, with what Zhao Xuan said, he also remembered the vent priming tubes. In later eras, were goose quills or chicken quills used? They could prevent the fuse from tangling, and also solve problems like loose powder being blown away by the wind.

As Wang Dou pondered, the various generals were discussing animatedly, arguing without resolution. Regardless of whether these silk powder bags were feasible, the expense would be enormous. The artillery corps was already a money-burning branch of the military — training gunners and casting cannons all required huge investment. Now they would also have large quantities of expensive silk to burn up. One could well imagine how colossal the costs would be then.

Wang Dou pondered for a long time. Although silk powder bags would be costly, they represented the future direction of artillery development. The Jingbian Army walked at the forefront of the era in all things. For victory, and to reduce army casualties, the investment had to be made.

Thinking of this, and meeting Zhao Xuan's hopeful gaze, Wang Dou said, "Let us do this: first find some silk merchants and order a batch of silk. Conduct initial trials and training. If it proves truly effective, then from now on, all powder bags of the artillery battalion shall use silk powder bags."

As Zhao Xuan was overjoyed, Wang Dou added, "Also, for the cannon vent priming powder, find some goose quills or chicken quills and test whether they can serve as vent conduits."

Zhao Xuan slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Brilliant! The Grand General and I have thought of the same thing. I have been pondering vent conduit materials all along — they need to be rigid and straight, yet also flammable — and I never once thought of goose quills or chicken quills. This is truly..."

In his heart he was utterly awed. He was specially responsible for the artillery, thinking about it day and night, yet he could not match a casual remark from the Grand General. He felt ashamed.

Thereafter, Zhao Xuan was restless, his mind solely on the problem of testing the new powder bags. Wen Daxing also seemed somewhat distracted.

Suddenly he set down his bowl and chopsticks and said to Wang Dou with concern, "Grand General, yesterday Brother Xie Yike led a scout cavalry to reconnoiter the slave bandits' Baimiao Fort. At present, the Tartar troops are under strict alert on both banks of the Nüer River. I am somewhat worried whether Brother Xie might encounter danger."

For a moment, silence fell within the tent. Wang Dou's hand paused. He slowly raised his head, stared into space for a long while, and sighed. "War is perilous and battle is dangerous. On the battlefield, who knows when one lives and when one dies? Yet when warriors campaign on the field, wrapping their corpses in horsehide, no one, no matter who, may be cowardly or shrink from duty. Brother Wen, although Yike is my brother-in-law, in the army there are no kin, no fathers and sons. Whatever is to be done, do it according to military law. Whatever scout missions you must assign him, you must still order them. No favoritism."

Seeing that Wen Daxing still wanted to say something, Wang Dou waved his hand. "Yike strongly requested to go to the Elite Scout Battalion. He must have already thought through all the possible consequences. His scouting experience is rich — he will be fine."

"Alright, everyone has eaten and drunk their fill. Now let us discuss matters."

Han Chao and the others were all somewhat worried. The Night Scouts were truly dangerous, especially now that the Tartars were paying ever greater attention to the Jingbian Army.

Xie Yike had a lively disposition, and they all actually quite liked him. Even if he were not Wang Dou's brother-in-law, each of them was on good terms with him. Han Chao in particular had been friends with Xie Yike since the Jingbian Fort days, and Xie Yike's scouting skills had been trained single-handedly by Han Chao. To say he was not worried was impossible.

But since the Grand General would discuss the matter no further, they too would speak of it no more, lest they add to the worry.

The mess soldiers cleared the table, and the generals gathered before the sand table.

Compared to when they had first arrived at Songshan, the sand table terrain map of the Jinzhou area was now far more detailed.

At this moment, many small flags were planted on the sand table, representing the dispositions of both sides. At places like Rufeng Mountain and Mount Shimen, the flags representing the Qing troops had already diminished considerably, while at places like Jinzhou City, the flags representing their own forces had increased greatly.

These small flags had all been placed based on the reconnaissance and survey results of the Elite Scout Battalion.

Looking at the sand table, everyone was deep in thought. What was the intention behind the Tartars withdrawing from places like Rufeng Mountain while reinforcing Jinzhou City?

What operational objective did they have?

Han Chao pondered carefully for a long while and said, "Grand General, in my humble opinion, the reason the slave bandits are withdrawing heavily from places like Rufeng Mountain while intensifying their assault on Jinzhou is to lure our army forward, extend our supply lines, and spy out an exploitable opportunity."

"And among the various mountain positions from which they have withdrawn, Mount Shimen has seen the most withdrawals, while Rufeng Mountain still has quite a few slave bandits. Therefore, the slave bandits' scheme is to lure our main force to the walls of Jinzhou City. If our army is tied down and entangled by them, their tens of thousands of iron cavalry can cross the Nüer River and sever our supply route."

"Scout riders report that the slave troops at Baimiao Fort have increased considerably. Clearly, they have been eyeing places like Xingshan for a long time."

He pointed to the open fields east and northeast of Jinzhou City. "When the time comes, the great battle between the two sides will likely be here. At that point, our grand army will be separated from Songshan Fort by Rufeng Mountain and Mount Shimen, making movement back and forth inconvenient. We would either have to cross the mountains and ridges or make a detour southeast from the Xiaoling River. And Rufeng Mountain, as well as the section of the Nüer River to the northwest, are all controlled by the slaves. Then, even if we wished to relieve Xingshan, it would be extremely difficult."

Han Chao sighed. "With the slave bandits tightening their siege on Jinzhou, they have already achieved part of their objective. Wu Sangui and the others can no longer hold back and are desperate to go to the rescue. Even the Viceroy of Jiliao believes Jinzhou is hard to hold and fears the city will be taken by storm — a consequence they cannot bear."

Wang Dou nodded slowly. Zhong Xiancai said, "Although the slave bandits' scheme is thus, our army can also turn their scheme to our own use. We can attack Mount Shimen, push straight to the banks of the Xiaoling River, then control each section along the river and directly use boats to transport grain, fodder, firewood, and even reinforcements in a steady stream into the city through the south gate. In this way, we can relieve part of the crisis in Jinzhou and soothe the urgent desire of the Liaodong army officers to break the siege of Jinzhou. Today, when we followed the Grand General to survey the sections of the Xiaoling River, the river water was entirely navigable by boat."

Han Chao said gravely, "That may be so, but when the time comes to engage the slave army in battle, it will be right under the walls of Jinzhou City. The terrain, the topography, the transport of cannons, the provisions and baggage — all will be far less convenient than at Songshan Fort. In truth, the best of the best strategies is to maintain a standoff with the slave bandits at Songshan."

"Now, with several hundred thousand troops on each side, both face difficulties in supplying provisions. But our Great Ming has greater national strength, and now we also have dried fish and such goods. We can outlast the slave bandits. If the standoff continues, the slaves will run out of provisions and will certainly collapse without a fight. To advance on Jinzhou is to fall right into the slave bandits' treacherous scheme."