Chapter 667: The Great Army Marches Beyond the Frontier (Part One)

On the twentieth day of the seventh month of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen.

Zhong Susu woke up. Seeing the sky color was still early, beside her Li Yunluo clung to her tightly like an octopus. Both were stark naked. In fact, both were adult women, and when resting at night, some intimacy was unavoidable — the motions of false phoenixes and mock phoenixes.

This was hard to avoid. After all, both were mature women and had this physiological need. But they did not know much, merely skimming the surface.

She moved aside Li Yunluo's snow-white thigh, came before the bronze mirror, and looked at herself in the mirror. Zhong Susu sighed inwardly, took a cloth band, wrapped it around several times, and at once her tall, full bosom flattened down. Then she put on her inner garments. At this moment Li Yunluo woke and also came over to help attend her.

"Sister Susu, the sky is still early. Why not rest a while longer? Every day is like this — be careful not to harm your health."

As Li Yunluo helped comb her hair, she spoke with heartache.

Zhong Susu sighed, "The Grand General entrusted the Eastern Route to my defense. How could I not take it to heart?"

As the two spoke, Li Yunluo hesitated to speak, then finally sighed, "In truth, this concubine feels that Sister Susu's matter of dressing as a man — I fear many officers and soldiers in the army already know... especially the Marquis of Yongning, I fear he is even more fully aware... Sister Susu, not to mention our Jingbian Army, even everywhere in the Great Ming, female generals are not tabooed. Why must you continue like this? It makes many things inconvenient."

Zhong Susu sighed and changed the subject, "Today I must go to the garrison city... yes, beforehand, I must still go to the Grand General's residence to pay respects to the Old Madam and the others."

Zhong Susu defended the Eastern Route, and her life was relatively fixed. Civil affairs were not under her control, and militarily, there was temporarily nothing to do. So her daily itinerary was to stroll around the route city, stroll around the military camps, then every two or three days pay respects to the Old Madam once, and every five to ten days find an excuse to go to the garrison city to report work to Wang Dou.

The place where she handled affairs was still the original Grand General's residence, so paying respects to the Old Madam was still convenient. Seeing her like this, Wang Dou's mother, Lady Zhong, also quite liked her. Only that Ji Junjiao, every time she saw her, would cover her mouth and laugh, laughing until Zhong Susu felt somewhat guilty.

Apart from drilling troops, Zhong Susu's hobby was firing guns. Other things — banquets hosted by local merchants and gentry, the Army Preparation Circuit Intendant Ma Guoxi inquiring after her well-being and making veiled inquiries — she had no interest in any of it, leaving those locals who wanted to curry favor with her unable to find a way in.

Because she often ran to the garrison city, among the various generals of the Jingbian Army, she already had the nickname "Runs Often." Of course, this time her trip to the garrison city was fully justified, because yesterday Wang Dou had already sent official documents: come to the garrison city for a council.

After arranging her clothes and putting on her scarf, what Zhong Susu wore was the winter ceremonial dress of a Jingbian Army officer: a three-peaked hat on her head, brocade robes of the yesa style below, with a sword at her waist, and also a cloak and cape — heroic and spirited.

As a Vice General rank, with the honor grade of Senior Commandant, Zhong Susu's army headquarters possessed one entire guard company. Of course, what they protected was the entire headquarters, not any single individual. In ordinary times, the number of men each officer could deploy was also regulated by authority limits.

At the hour of Si, Zhong Susu led some officers from the army headquarters, along with three squads of guards, riding in comfortable yet sturdy carriages, heading toward the garrison city. By now the road from the garrison city to Yongning City had been repaired and was quite easy to travel.

Watching the stable and prosperous scenery along the way, Zhong Susu felt joy in her heart. Back when she had first arrived at Jingbian Fort, not to mention the entire Eastern Route, even Baoan Department itself had been utterly broken and desolate. Now everything had changed — this was all the Grand General's achievement. Zhong Susu's heart surged with emotion...

Along the way she rested at each post station. Within the Eastern Route, only those who had received official documents like this could eat and stay for free according to regulations. In the past when Zhong Susu rushed to the garrison city, she always paid out of her own pocket, and if she brought guards, the expense was considerable.

Toward this, the various post stations and the many inns and restaurants nearby expressed their welcome.

The next day, she arrived at the garrison city and saw people coming and going, bustling crowds. She felt the garrison city was different every day.

And unlike other cities of the Great Ming, now all the cities of Xuanfu Garrison charged no entry fees of any kind, nor did they conduct inspections. After all, anyone wanting to enter Xuanfu Garrison had already been inspected at the various passes. Any weapon-carriers, if they held sword permits and the like, would also be arrested by the constables. This naturally encouraged the increase of people entering the city.

Arriving at the Regional Commander's residence, looking at the grand and imposing building before her, Zhong Susu thought, "The place where the Grand General lives is growing larger and larger."

She and several officers from the army entered. The guards and others had specialized personnel to attend to them.

Sitting in a side hall, her thoughts wandered chaotically. Finally, she was able to enter the main hall and saw Wang Dou holding a pipe, about to light it. Zhong Susu hurriedly took out a fire striker and stepped forward to light it for Wang Dou.

Wang Dou puffed out a mouthful of smoke and pointed to a chair beside him: "Xiancai, sit."

Looking at the pipe in his hand, he sighed, "A pipe is still not as good as a cigarette. Pity the technical capability is lacking — the technical content of a cigarette is not small."

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Tobacco, in recent years, had also been planted in the Eastern Route. However, it was taxed quite heavily, much like cotton spinning and silk in Jiangnan. The profit from planting tobacco was quite high. Emperor Chongzhen had repeatedly issued multiple execution-threatening edicts yet still could not ban it.

If it were liberalized, the common people would inevitably neglect the farmland, putting the cart before the horse. After all, this thing could not be eaten or drunk, especially in this era of grain shortage. Therefore, currently in Xuan Garrison, only some great merchants obtained tobacco planting permits.

Zhong Susu said, "Tobacco shreds can also be rolled?... If the Grand General likes it, this general will immediately have someone roll them."

Seeing that the short whiskers on Wang Dou's upper lip seemed somewhat longer, she thought, "The Grand General's beard has grown — it should be trimmed."

Wang Dou waved his hand: "Xiancai, you are thoughtful."

He said, "Tell me about the affairs of the Eastern Route."

Wang Dou listened to Zhong Susu speak, nodding from time to time, occasionally making a few comments. He said, "You have done very well. You have worked hard."

He said, "Rest in the residence. This afternoon, all the generals of our Jingbian Army will gather for a council to discuss the matter of marching beyond the frontier to chastise the slaves. Be sure to arrive on time."

Zhong Susu stood up and said, "Yes."

She walked a few steps, bit her lower lip, then abruptly turned back, looked at Wang Dou, and said, "Grand General, this general... this general wishes to ask, I wonder what your view is on the White Tiger?"

Having spoken, she was extremely nervous, awaiting Wang Dou's answer.

Wang Dou was surprised. He looked at Zhong Susu: "White Tiger?... Oh... it is this White Tiger... I did not expect Xiancai to be interested in this as well."

He said with a serious expression, "In fact, this is merely a normal physiological phenomenon in women. The various absurd claims in the world are all baseless talk... Xiancai, in truth, the White Tiger is the finest grade among women."

Zhong Susu said, "Yes, what the Grand General says is true."

She turned around, her face beaming with joy, and strode out. As she went, she pulled a handful of grain tickets from her bosom and stuffed them into the hands of people she passed: "A reward for you."

Everyone watched her departing back, all stunned. What was wrong with Senior Commandant Zhong today?

In the afternoon, at the hour of Wei, all the generals of the Jingbian Army gathered in full assembly within the council hall of the Operations Section of the Staff Department at the Regional Commander's residence. Inside the hall, sand tables were set out, and on the walls hung enormous maps. Coming and going were also numerous staff officers, advisors, and the like.

At this council, not only the chief generals of each army, but also battalion-level officers, disciplinary officers, morale officers, and the like all gathered within. It could be called a gathering of elites, a hall full of stars.

Seeing Zhong Susu, Gao Shiyin laughed loudly: "Yo, Runs... has arrived."

He nearly blurted out the three words "Runs Often." On an ordinary day, Zhong Susu would have been anxious with Gao Shiyin, but today her mood was good, so she simply could not be bothered with him.

Wen Fangliang, Han Chao, Sun Sanjie, and the others smiled and greeted Zhong Susu: "Brother Zhong has arrived?"

Wen Daxing cast a smiling glance at Zhong Susu. Xie Yike, usually lively, after seeing Zhong Susu, was pondering something in silence.

Very soon, Wang Dou arrived. After brief pleasantries, he went straight to the main topic. Everyone listened quietly as the Intelligence Department Ambassador Wen Daxing spoke at length. After losing one arm, Wen Daxing continued to manage the Intelligence Department's affairs, putting great effort into documentary work, and his bearing had become even more profound.

Facing the finely drawn sand table of mountains and rivers before him, he said: "...According to intelligence, the Outer Jasagh Mongols, the Mongols of the Hetao region and other places — the tribal soldiers of various groups gathered inside and outside Guihua City already exceed twenty thousand...

"The Manchu and Mongol troops of the Eastern Slaves, Jirgalang, Dudu, and others, have gathered the surrounding tribes, and their forces likewise exceed twenty thousand. Thus, the strength of the Eastern Slaves and Northern Barbarians will be no less than forty thousand!"

Pointing at a spot on the sand table, Wen Daxing said fiercely: "Jirgalang and the other slave troops are currently still at Mount Hongyazi, holding their forces and not moving, their attack intentions unclear."

"However, this general believes that as soon as our great army marches beyond the frontier, they will move accordingly — either striking our army from the flank, cutting off our rear, or directly attacking Mantaoer, even pressing in from the northern end of Xuan Garrison through the various frontier forts and outposts beyond the frontier, breaking through at Dushikou, Zhangjiakou, and other places!"

Wen Fangliang also said, "According to intelligence probed by the scouts, what Ambassador Wen says is extremely likely."

The Elite Scout Battalion was directly under the Staff Department, and ordinarily intelligence was all gathered within the Staff Department. As the ambassador, it was naturally Wen Fangliang who spoke.

He said, "Therefore, on the eastern and northern sides of Xuan Garrison, at least one army must be left on alert. Then, one or two armies will be stationed at Xinghe Garrison to guard the northern side of Xuan Garrison, or to serve as reinforcements for east and west."

Han Chao said, "The Staff Department's strategy and calculations, purely in terms of raiding and attacking — even if Guihua City has twenty thousand Northern Barbarians, one army of our Jingbian Army is enough to sweep them away. However, in campaigning beyond the frontier, what must be guarded against is not the Tatar slaves fighting us in battle, but their fleeing and scattering, their dense harassment, and their cutting off of our supply routes."

Wang Dou nodded. In successive dynasties, when fighting the Tatar slaves beyond the frontier, what was feared was never a decisive battle between both sides, but their fleeing and scattering. It was just like Ming Chengzu, who respectively in the eighth, twelfth, twentieth, twenty-first, and twenty-second years of Yongle conducted five northern expeditions.

Yet aside from the first three great victories, in the latter two campaigns they did not find a single man. Arughtai always avoided battle and fled far away, and the Ming army withdrew each time because they could not force an engagement. On the eighteenth day of the seventh month in the twenty-second year, the Yongle Emperor fell ill and died at Yumuchuan on the march back to the capital.

In the fourth year of the Yuanshou era, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing each led fifty thousand cavalry on a campaign beyond the frontier. Huo Qubing’s army raced over two thousand li, deep into Mobei, crossed Mount Lihou, and forded the Gonglü River before they finally found the Xiongnu main force. In the end they annihilated over seventy thousand of the enemy and captured more than eighty chieftains, including the Xiongnu King of Tuntou and King Han.

This shows that once the Han army marched beyond the frontier, as long as they found the enemy, they never feared giving battle.

Moreover, if the situation turned unfavorable, men like Guluge would not hesitate to abandon Guihua City and adopt a strategy of harassment and cutting off supplies — that too is a problem. After all, the road from Xuanfu Garrison to Guihua City is far from short, and in many places the mountains are high and the forests dense.

There is no shortage of historical lessons on this point. At the end of the Tang dynasty, the Tanguts simply kept moving without engaging, and tens of thousands of Tang troops, all the way to the walls of Tongwan City, suddenly had their supply lines cut — and then suffered a crushing defeat.

When the Great Song fought the Western Xia, every campaign began with a stream of victory reports, and every time it ended in defeat because their supply lines were severed, they ran short of grain and water, and they succumbed to cold, hunger, and exhaustion combined.

Therefore, this kind of situation must be guarded against. (To be continued)

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