Chapter 785: Clouds of War

"Advisor Gu, why don't you also tell us — in the Chancellor's grand strategy, where does the true urgency lie?"

Yang Yongyu's stunned silence made Niu Jinxing inwardly wary; Gu Junen was a formidable rival within the Changyi government. He said coolly, "Does the Advisor believe that with our righteous army's ferocity, we cannot take Northern Zhili and Shandong, and then strike straight at the capital?"

The strategy Niu Jinxing proposed was hardly baseless — it emulated the Ming founder's plan to destroy the Yuan: "First take Shandong, stripping away their screen; then wheel the army into Henan, severing their wings; seize Tongguan and hold it, occupying their very threshold. The realm's strategic shape will fall into our grasp. Then advance on the Yuan capital, and they will be isolated, with no aid, and can be taken without battle. Once their capital falls, march west with drums beating, and Yunzhong, Jiuyuan, and the Guanzhong-Longxi region can all be swept up in a single roll."

The string of victories had deeply intoxicated the Chuang army's scholar-advisors. Niu Jinxing now believed the Chuang army held even greater advantages than the Ming forces of old — Jiangnan and Huguang no longer posed any threat, most of Henan was in the righteous army's hands, and an attack on Shandong could be said to have the perfect alignment of timing, terrain, and popular support.

Even better, Shandong was rich, the roving camps had never raided it, and it possessed a strong "popular base." Its troops were few and weak — a mere Liu Zeqing was hardly worth mentioning. And once Shandong fell, the grain canal would be severed, paralyzing the capital and the entire court.

Such a golden opportunity — if not seized now, then when? To refuse what Heaven bestows is to invite calamity!

Gu Junen smiled faintly. "Has the Chancellor forgotten Sun Chuanting in Shaanxi, and Cai Maode in Shanxi? If we attack Shandong, what happens when they strike at our rear and flanks?"

Li Zicheng and the others stiffened. This was indeed a problem.

But then Niu Jinxing's voice rang out: "Precisely because they would strike at our rear and flanks — we can annihilate them in one blow on the open plains!"

He sneered. "Shanxi's paltry forces? Their only strength lies in a few battalions like Zhou Yuji's, and Sun Chuanting... I have heard he is training new armies in Shaanxi. I wonder how these untested, bloodless new troops compare to Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen? Or to Chen Yongfu and Hu Dawei?"

Laughter erupted in the hall, especially Liu Zongmin's thunderous guffaws. In the early days, the Chuang camp had been deeply afraid of the new armies, but victory after victory, with the dreaded new armies continually destroyed, had inflated their confidence to unprecedented heights.

At first, there had even been calls within the Chuang camp to train new armies of their own. Now, from Li Zicheng down to Liu Zongmin, Yuan Zongdi, Li Guo, and the rest, all believed that natural-selection training was best — saving time and effort. The government forces kept churning out new armies. Perfect. Defeat them. Bury them with sheer manpower.

Then these government new armies would become their own troops. There was no need to bother with such time-consuming and costly troop types.

Only Liu Fangliang and Li Yan had some objections, but theirs were not the mainstream voice.

Hearing the generals' laughter, Niu Jinxing grew even more emboldened. He fixed his gaze on Gu Junen. "Shanxi — a land girded by mountains and rivers. Shaanxi — the natural barrier of Tongguan. So tell me: is it easier to attack Shanxi and Shaanxi directly, or to lure them onto the open plains and annihilate them there?"

"If they hole up in Shanxi and Shaanxi, fine. But if they dare come to the plains, they will meet the same fate as Cao, Wang, and the other new armies!"

Gu Junen was momentarily speechless. After a long, thoughtful pause, he said, "After all, the capital is thick with troops. Setting aside the capital battalions, there are new armies like Yang Guozhu's in the surrounding region, and over in the Xuanfu garrison, there is Wang Dou's force."

Niu Jinxing paused. Indeed, that was also a problem. Then he sneered. "The capital battalions? You call those soldiers? Wang Dou? Isn't he under court suspicion, and hasn't he run off to Monan? How far is it from Monan to Shandong and Northern Zhili? Never mind whether the court would even let him march — even if, against all odds, he did march, rushing a thousand li to the rescue, wouldn't he just be another Cao or Wang? What does our righteous army have to fear! The same goes for Yang Guozhu — lure him to Shandong to fight, over a thousand li away, and see how he solves his logistics and fodder!"

The Chuang camp's knowledge of Wang Dou's situation was vague. They only knew he had gone to Monan. What kind of place was Monan? They had no concrete concept, only that it was an extremely distant place, originally inhabited by the Tartars, a hundred thousand eight thousand li from the Central Plains.

Vague reports said Wang Dou was vigorously farming and stockpiling grain there, but other details were very unclear — his specific troop strength, organization, equipment, and so on. After all, Wang Dou's intelligence control was tight, his strict baojia system watertight, unless he himself chose to reveal what he wanted known.

Word had it that Wang Dou seemed to have tens of thousands of fierce troops. Niu Jinxing, Li Zicheng, and the others all refused to believe it — how could a mere Regional Commander support so many men? It must be just his propaganda. Perhaps his core force was ten or twenty thousand, padded with conscripted laborers.

Just like Zuo Liangyu, who casually claimed two hundred thousand, five hundred thousand troops — and what was the result? Those who could actually fight numbered only ten or twenty thousand, or even just a few thousand.

Li Zicheng and the others could not help but disbelieve. When they first made contact with Wang Dou in the winter of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, he had only a few thousand troops. How long had it been since then? How could he have tens of thousands of elite soldiers? Had he looted all of Shanxi and the capital region, or press-ganged every able-bodied man in the vicinity?

Could his elite troop numbers possibly grow faster than their own expansion? They, after all, were naturally selected from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, inherently possessing the advantage — not like the court's petty approach, painstakingly scraping by on rations and pay.

Especially since Wang Dou had only a single route and garrison's worth of territory at first — how could he feed that many troops? They would not believe it even if you beat them to death.

Li Zicheng and the others could not understand concepts like farming for development, base-number expansion, or quantitative change leading to qualitative change. They simply, instinctively, did not believe it.

After all, they had seen the court's new armies. Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen, Chen Yongfu, Hu Dawei — were these men lacking in ability? When they made their names, Wang Dou was a mere nobody. Yet each of them could only train a single new army battalion. Even the most respected Yang Guozhu had only ten thousand new troops.

Even if Wang Dou's new army numbers were somewhat larger than theirs, the difference was surely limited. But they themselves were no longer the same men as before — a million-strong army, no empty claim, could be reached at will. They could bury him with sheer manpower!

Wang Dou's core force was strong, yes, but too few. Times had changed. He was no longer a threat worth fearing.

Three days without a beating, and one climbs the roof to tear off tiles — human nature is inherently forgetful. After victory upon victory, the pain Wang Dou had inflicted on them had long been forgotten! In the early days, when the Chuang army encountered new armies, they felt terror, even repeatedly entertaining thoughts of retreat. But after crushing Cao and Wang, they felt it was nothing special after all.

And after the great victory at Zhuxianzhen, the new armies' capabilities now seemed merely so-so.

They had their own advantage, too: logistics. They could feed off the enemy, freely raiding the nearby towns and villages, with grain and fodder everywhere to be taken. If the government troops dared to do the same, they would only drive the populace to their side, hastening their own defeat.

Where had Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen failed? Was it not in the inability to sustain their supply lines? In contrast, their own supply problems were far easier to solve.

Whether Yang Guozhu or Wang Dou came to fight, the thousand-li journey meant they had already lost the logistics battle. No matter how strong the troops, without grain and fodder, how could they fight?

Niu Jinxing's words struck a chord with every general in the hall. Now, no one in the Chuang camp considered Yang Guozhu, or even Wang Dou, particularly fearsome. Their own mountain-like, tide-like human sea was enough to drown everything — just as it had drowned every new army before.

They also had tens of thousands of cavalry. With horse and foot coordinated, who could be their match?

Li Zicheng nodded. Attacking Shandong and Northern Zhili would likely be no harder than attacking Huguang. He had once thought the southern campaign against Huguang would be terribly difficult, but it had taken no effort at all. Shandong would surely be the same.

Yang Shaofan said nothing. Li Yan instinctively felt something was wrong, but could not pinpoint what. His intellect and strategic mind were outstanding within the Chuang camp, but the information asymmetry was too great. Observing Wang Dou was like watching flowers through mist — he lacked sufficient intelligence to make an analytical judgment.

From Niu Jinxing's words, the plan was to continue press-ganging the people of Shandong, forming a tide of starving soldiers, and ultimately sweeping away everything. But Li Yan believed that to establish a new dynasty, the sacrifice of some common people was worthwhile. The Great Ming's mandate was exhausted; a change of dynasty was only natural.

After the new dynasty was established, the common people would have good days. This hardship was worth enduring.

As for Wang Dou, Gu Junen knew even less. Even the situation around the capital was pieced together from inquiries in all directions. The Chuang army's spies could not possibly grasp more detailed information.

Many things, even if they saw them, they would not understand. For instance, when news came that Wang Dou was recruiting civil officials and had issued the Wang-style arithmetic problems, the Chuang camp unanimously dismissed it as worthless, and the intelligence was shelved and forgotten.

Watching Niu Jinxing, radiant and eloquent, Gu Junen still emphasized: "The Chancellor's reasoning is sound, but I still believe it is too hasty. In all matters, preparedness leads to success, unpreparedness to failure. War is perilous. We must not only plan for victory but first plan for defeat. If by chance we do not prevail, where do we retreat? What then? After all, Sun Chuanting and the others are watching like tigers — we cannot afford not to guard against them!"

In truth, for Niu Jinxing, as long as they could seize Shandong, losing Huguang did not matter much. It was one step closer to the capital, one step closer to his dream of becoming Chancellor of a new dynasty. The savor of being a dragon-following meritorious minister was something a mere Huguang could not compare to.

Of course, he could not say this aloud. He declared with swaggering confidence, "Precisely because Sun Chuanting and the others are watching like tigers, we must attack Shandong and Northern Zhili!"

He asked the assembly in return: "Given the current situation, will Sun Chuanting come out of the pass? Will the Shanxi forces move?"

The men in the hall pondered. Many shook their heads. Even Gu Junen had to admit that, barring special circumstances, Sun Chuanting would likely stay holed up in Shaanxi, accumulating strength, waiting until the moment he deemed ripe. As for the forces in Shanxi, needless to say, they would certainly guard their provincial borders tightly and not easily take a single step outside.

Niu Jinxing gave a cold laugh. "Therefore, we must draw their troops out!"

He pointed to a national map in the hall — one captured from government offices. The proportions were wildly exaggerated, but people of this era were accustomed to it.

"After our great army marches north, though we will leave troops to hold the line, we can expect all sides... the former Huguang government forces, the Southern Zhili forces, all will come to attack and occupy territory. The most worrisome is Sun Chuanting in Shaanxi. However..."

Niu Jinxing pointed to Luoyang and Ruzhou on the map and said grimly, "For Sun Chuanting to come out of the pass, he must take this route. For the Shanxi forces to leave their province, they too must pass through Ruzhou and Nanyang. These places have flat terrain, a smooth plain stretching for miles. Though our great army attacks Shandong, how easy would it be for our cavalry to wheel around and strike? Right there on the open plains, we annihilate them!"

He laughed. "But given the court's reflexes, if our forces attack Shandong and Northern Zhili, they will certainly be frantic to summon aid from all sides, perhaps even abandoning Huguang. After all, once the grain canal is cut, what will they eat? What will they drink? ...Shipping grain over a thousand li from Shaanxi... If Sun Chuanting comes out of the pass, he will be defeated! If the Shanxi forces come to aid, they will be defeated!"

Niu Jinxing said with full confidence, "Thus, our righteous army will have eliminated Sun Chuanting's Shaanxi forces, seized the opportunity to take Tongguan, and occupied their very threshold. The realm's strategic shape will fall into our grasp!"

Seeing everyone in the hall listening intently, Niu Jinxing continued with satisfaction: "Perhaps, when our forces attack Shandong, the troops from Jiangnan will also come to aid. The most likely is the Fengyang Viceroy Ma Shiying, with his Regional Commanders Huang Degong, Liu Liangzuo, Sun Kewang, and the rest. We will likewise lure them onto the open plains and annihilate them. The ideal location is Guide Prefecture... Our forces can also seize the chance to take Suzhou, Xuzhou, and other Huaibei territories, perhaps even capturing Fengyang..."

Liu Fangliang said thoughtfully, "The Chancellor's meaning is to first use the attack on Shandong as bait, maneuvering the court's forces, just like at Zhuxianzhen, drawing in the various government troops to destroy them, resolving our great army's worries about its rear?"

Niu Jinxing stroked his beard and smiled, the very picture of a man holding all the cards. "Precisely!"

He said, "Back then, government troops massed at Kaifeng. Had it not been for the stratagem of luring the tiger from the mountain, we could never have destroyed Cao and Wang. The same applies now! ...Government troops can hold cities, but field battle is now their weakness!"

The men nodded. At the same time, a dark glint flashed in Li Zicheng's eyes. Niu Jinxing's words also reminded him of Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo. That victory had owed something to Li Dingguo's contribution. Now those two curs had betrayed the righteous army — sooner or later, he would make them pay.

Yuan Zongdi also pondered. "Whether we attack Shandong or Shaanxi, Kaifeng and Guide must fall. These two nails in Henan must be pulled out!"

Li Guo added, "At the same time, use these two places as bait — besiege them to strike the reinforcements, drawing the government relief forces to the city walls to destroy them!"

They could draw inferences from one instance and propose a whole series of military strategies. After years of campaigning, these battle-hardened Chuang generals possessed an instinctive nose for war, and tactically, every one of them was outstanding — even the young Li Guo was no exception.

Pointing at the map, Niu Jinxing said, "Strike Shandong, and at the same time resolve our army's worries about the rear. Then our great army will sweep straight into the whole of Shandong. This minister surmises that the troops in Shanxi may not move at first, but by that point, they will have no choice but to move."

A vicious look appeared on his face. "Not to mention that Shandong is a battlefield exposed on four sides, and Northern Zhili is even more a flat open plain. When they come east from Shanxi into open country, our tens of thousands of cavalry will encircle them, sever their supply routes, and then our human 'tide' will besiege them. However many come, that many will die… The same goes for Yang Guozhu. His main-battalion cavalry may be somewhat stronger than our horse troops, but that strength has limits. Our army's horse brigades outnumber theirs ten to one. First destroy his cavalry — once his cavalry is gone, how can he protect his supply route? Once his cavalry is gone, how can he protect his infantry?"

He jabbed viciously at the Shandong map. "Just like Cao and Wang: their supply route cut, and with our cavalry present, no matter how strong their new-army infantry, they will have no choice but to form defensive squares, hold fast, and wait for relief. With a million-strong human sea besieging them, even if there were several Yang Guozhus, they would all have to die!"

"Wang Dou will be the same. No one can block our righteous army's march toward the capital!"

"Good!"

Liu Zongmin was the first to shout, and everyone in the hall was filled with admiration. Truly worthy of the Prime Minister — this scheme and strategy contained plans within plans, rings within rings, snares within snares, each one vicious to the extreme. No one could help but marvel.

Everyone pondered deeply. Of the three strategic proposals, the Prime Minister's and Advisor Gu's strategies seemed the most reliable at the moment — but which one to choose?

Niu Jinxing glanced at Gu Junen with some disdain, brimming with confidence. The Prince and the generals would surely choose his strategy.

Gu Junen still wore a faint smile. Prime Minister Niu's plan was not bad, but he had overlooked one thing: the psychology of the Chuang Prince and the generals. What did they truly want?

Sure enough, after the generals cheered, they looked at one another. It was still Liu Zongmin who muttered first, "The Prime Minister's strategy still assumes the most favorable scenario. It's not that it's bad… Damn it all, I just feel there are hidden dangers. Will attacking Shandong really go that smoothly?"

Liu Xiyao, who had joined the Chuang camp and become a General of the Guard, said, "Master Liu is right. I also feel it's a bit rushed. Is the time truly ripe now to attack Shandong and the capital?"

Li Guo said, "Better to take it slow for now, lest in the unlikely event we fail, we lose both Huguang and Henan, and our righteous army has nowhere to retreat to."

Tian Jianxiu, Gao Yigong, and others also felt that Prime Minister Niu's strategy was very good, but it seemed a bit hasty at present. Better to attack Shaanxi first.

Liu Fangliang and Li Yan actually thought the Prime Minister's plan was not bad, but as Master Liu had said, it considered only the most favorable scenario. Would reality really be that smooth? There was indeed a suspicion of rash advance. Moreover, like the other generals, what was Liu Fangliang truly thinking deep down?

Their greatest desire at the moment was, in truth, still to fight their way back to Shaanxi!

As the saying goes, to return home in wealth and honor — if one wears brocade but walks by night, once merit is achieved and fame established, what is the greatest desire? It is to show off and flaunt before one's fellow villagers!

Most of the Chuang camp generals were Shaanxi natives. When they first rebelled, they were hunted like stray dogs. In the blink of an eye, many years had passed, and they could be considered to have made something of themselves. If they did not go back now and let the villagers see, let the gentry, officials, and generals who once despised them see — when better?

They had waited too long for this day and were simply impatient beyond measure.

Not just the generals — even Li Zicheng felt the same. Historically, as soon as he captured Xi'an, he rode with ten thousand warhorses and banners stretching for dozens of li to pay respects at the ancestral tombs in Mizhi. How glorious that would have been? But as ill luck would have it, the defending general of Fengxiang lured and destroyed part of his troops. The ancestral rites and tomb-sweeping were interrupted, and in fury, Li Zicheng stormed Fengxiang and massacred the city.

Thus, Niu Jinxing did not understand the psychology of Li Zicheng and the others, and was doomed to tragedy.

Apart from the desire to return home in brocade, the men of the Chuang camp also harbored a sentiment they could not speak of openly: victory had come too quickly, leaving them somewhat at a loss.

It seemed only two years ago they were still being chased and cornered everywhere by government troops in utter disarray. In the blink of an eye, the current situation had emerged. It instead made them a little fearful.

After all, they were of lowly birth, without deep foundations, and lacked the far-sighted vision and grand strategic talent of men like Zhu Yuanzhang. Newly rich and suddenly ennobled, they felt rather at a loss, like a poor lad in later ages who suddenly wins tens of millions or hundreds of millions in the lottery — having money but not knowing how to spend it.

In essence, they were still unaccustomed to power and responsibility. What they were best at was plundering — grabbing everything and running off, then living under the encirclement of government troops.

Governing a single Huguang had already left them utterly exhausted. To suddenly march into Shandong, into the capital, and face the burden of the entire realm? They subconsciously shied away from such a prospect.

Because they had absorbed literati, the Chuang army had begun to regularize, but now they were also held hostage by these literati, forced to put on the appearance of a political regime. In truth, given their natures, they still found the carefree days of old far more enjoyable.

But they were being forced onto the sedan chair — there was no helping it. Ever since literati like Li Yan helped Li Zicheng tighten military discipline, composed a series of ballads, and put forward slogans like "Equalize Land and Exempt Grain Taxes," they had no choice but to heed these literati's opinions more and more, or else the fine situation before them would be destroyed in a single day.

But "too fast" was definitely unacceptable. Therefore, with Gu Junen's relatively "steady" strategy at hand, Niu Jinxing's "rash" strategy was inevitably cast aside.

Sure enough, after listening to the generals' opinions, Li Zicheng said, "Sun Chuanting is vigorously training a new army in Shaanxi. This cannot be ignored; he must be exterminated first, lest we rear a tiger to court calamity… Of course, the Prime Minister's plan is a good plan, only slightly too hasty. Advisor Gu put it well: do not anticipate victory before anticipating defeat. The capital region is where the court's heavy troops are massed — how could it be a place easily attacked and seized? If our great army masses in Hebei, we risk gaining in one place and losing in another. Should Huguang and Henan be taken in the meantime, and our army fail to win, where could we retreat to?"

Liu Zongmin shouted, "The Chuang Prince is wise! This is the strategy of a seasoned statesman. As Advisor Gu said, Shaanxi is our native land, where we know the people and the terrain. Guanzhong is a rich and fertile region where we can establish a state and build our enterprise… Build high walls, store ample grain…"

Then the generals all voiced their agreement, all saying it was better to strike Shaanxi first.

The situation had reversed abruptly. Niu Jinxing could not understand why his fine strategy had been cast aside. The generals had clearly cheered just moments ago — how had they suddenly changed? Seeing Gu Junen's smiling face, so detestable, as if mocking him, Niu Jinxing's face turned ashen.

Unwilling to accept defeat, he tried one more effort and said, "Our army excels in field battles, but siege warfare is not our forte, especially with the mountain defiles of Tongguan, which are difficult to surmount. Shanxi… it is not yet the dry season, is it? Even when the dry season comes, the water is still deep and the mud plentiful. Must our great army wade across the river? The boats on both banks will surely have been collected or burned by the Shanxi government troops. How can our army cross the river to attack?"

Gu Junen smiled faintly. "Tongguan is indeed hard to surmount, but we can forge iron hooks to climb it… As for Shanxi, there is no need to rush. Either plan for it after taking Shaanxi, or wait until winter when the Yellow River freezes. Then every river hazard becomes a smooth highway. The weak brigades of Shanxi can be wiped out in a single stroke!"

He said, "The intelligence is very clear. The troops of the Shanxi garrison, apart from local militias and guard-battalion soldiers, have as their elite only Regional Commander Zhou Yuji, Vice General Li Yunshu, and the Provincial Governor's Personal Battalion commanders Chen Shangzhi and Niu Yongren. Each battalion has only two or three thousand men, with even fewer cavalry. The combat-effective men in each battalion number only a few hundred retainers — not worth worrying about!"

"What about Wang Dou?"

Niu Jinxing said sharply. At first he had dismissed Wang Dou with contempt, but now, just like Gu Junen, he brought Wang Dou up to make his case. "Though he is in Monan, intelligence reports that he has left part of his troops in Xuanfu Garrison! Xuanfu is a stone's throw from the Shanxi Garrison. How can we know he will not come to their aid?"

Gu Junen looked calmly at Niu Jinxing. "Our army will temporarily raid and plunder the Pingyang Prefecture and Lu'an Prefecture areas of Shanxi. Even attacking Taiyuan Prefecture would depend on the situation. But if we attack Shanxi, the fighting will certainly be mostly in Pingyang Prefecture. From Xuanfu Garrison to Pingyang Prefecture is a full two thousand li! You call that a stone's throw?"

Li Guo interjected, "Indeed, Pingyang Prefecture is far from Xuanfu Garrison. Not to mention Taiyuan Prefecture — I hear that in between lies Datong Garrison, and only further north past that is Xuanfu."

Back when the Thirty-Six Camps operated in Shanxi, the Chuang camp was only one part of them. Their area of activity had mostly been in the Shanxi Garrison and its surrounding areas. Everyone had some understanding of Shanxi's geography. As far as they knew, in this long, narrow north-south strip of Shanxi, Xuanfu Garrison was at the very northern tip — indeed far away.

They also knew Shaanxi very well, but they had no impression of the lands beyond the frontier. How many li from Guihua City to the Shanxi Garrison, to Datong Garrison, to Yansui Garrison, to Ningxia Garrison — they had absolutely no concept.

Niu Jinxing, like Gu Junen and the other literati, was utterly clueless about the lands beyond the frontier. Even Li Yan had only read the "Brief Account of the Black Tatars" and the "Compendium on the Mongol Tatars." In his impression, beyond the frontier was a very, very distant place, an entirely different world.

Every time the Central Plains campaigned beyond the frontier, it required the strength of the entire nation and a march of several thousand li — just like Huo Qubing, who galloped several thousand li before finding the Xiongnu lair.

In everyone's perception, once Wang Dou had gone beyond the frontier, he had vanished from memory. Only the troops left in Xuanfu Garrison drew a modicum of their attention.

Gu Junen finally said, "Just as the Prime Minister himself said earlier, even if the Xuanfu Garrison troops come, how will they solve the problem of provisions and pay over several thousand li? Throughout history, how many guest armies of the Great Ming have met good ends? And after the Xuanfu Garrison troops come to the rescue, how could they possibly withstand our ocean-vast army?"

Gu Junen had used the opponent's own methods against him, making Niu Jinxing's face flicker between dark and pale. Just as he was about to argue further, Li Zicheng waved his hand. "Enough."

He said, "This marshal's decision is made. We shall use Advisor Gu's strategy!"

The hall erupted in cheers. Amid the generals' chorus of "Fight back to Shaanxi!" Niu Jinxing could only helplessly cup his hands and say, "This humble minister obeys the order!"

But in his heart, he was full of resentment. A pack of worthless curs! He had labored with painstaking care, yet they rejected his strategy — especially that petty scoundrel Gu Junen, who knew only how to fawn and flatter. Sooner or later, he would make him pay.

At the same time, he sneered inwardly. Shaanxi and Shanxi — so easy to take? When the great army failed, he could not wait to see the look on that petty, smug face of Gu Junen, and to let the Chuang Prince and the others see that his own strategy had been the wisest all along.

…

Li Zicheng ultimately adopted Gu Junen's plan. Afterward, the Chuang camp sprang into intense, urgent action — mobilizing troops, gathering provisions and fodder, and especially searching everywhere for craftsmen to forge iron hooks and spikes day and night, in preparation for entering Tongguan and other mountain defiles.

From late March into nearly April, Li Zicheng's great army broke camp from various points in Xiangyang. Apart from leaving the Vanguard General of the Guard Yuan Zongdi with ten thousand cavalry, fifty thousand infantry, and the garrison troops of the various counties and prefectures under their rule to defend the Chuang territory, the remaining field army — fifty thousand cavalry and two hundred fifty thousand infantry — marched north in a vast, surging tide.

Li Zicheng's great army still claimed to be a million strong. As soon as they left the borders of Huguang, they again began coercing famine refugees to serve as siege-fodder. Then, at Nanyang, they split into two routes. One route, led by Liu Fangliang with ten thousand cavalry and one hundred thousand infantry, attacked Shangnan and Shangzhou.

The other route he led personally, commanding the main force together with Liu Zongmin and others, taking the path through Ruzhou and Luoyang straight toward Tongguan. The two armies agreed to rendezvous at Xi'an.

At the same time, Li Zicheng also detached part of his cavalry to keep watch on Kaifeng. The dark clouds of war once again began to loom over the Great Ming.

…

The court paid very close attention to Li Chuang's movements. At first, when the Chuang army marched north, the court was unclear about their intentions and feared Li Zicheng intended to cross the Yellow River to attack Shandong and Northern Zhili. The Chongzhen Emperor issued repeated edicts to the Ministry of War: "Instruct the Ministry of War to order the four governors of Shanxi, Henan, Baoding, and Shandong each to ready their troops, personally station themselves along the riverbanks, and coordinate to block and defend, permitting not a single bandit to spy a crossing."

Then, once Li Zicheng's intention to attack Shaanxi became clear, another stern decree was sent to the Viceroy of Shaanxi, Sun Chuanting, ordering him to hold Tongguan at all costs. If he allowed the bandits to enter Qin, he would be severely punished.

At the same time, issue further instructions to the Ministry of War, ordering Yuan-Fu Li Gande, Jiangxi Provincial Governor Guo Duxian, Fengyang Viceroy Ma Shiying, and the Anqing Provincial Governor and others to watch for opportunities to recover the various prefectures in Huguang that have fallen.

……

Old White Ox: The understanding shown by my readers moves me deeply. Over these years of writing, my greatest gain has been a group of sincere readers — this is the most precious treasure of my spirit. (To be continued...)

〖∷ Fast Updates ∷ ∷ Plain Text ∷ 〗