Chapter 788: Tongguan

"Neigh..."

A sturdy relay horse kicked up a trail of dust beside the post road. The messenger, with a command flag strapped to his back, rode straight up to Zhao Rongcheng and Li Zhengjing and called out loudly, "Company Commander Zhao, Company Commander Li, word has come down from Viceroy Sun's side — can the army's marching pace be quickened further?"

"Quicken my ass! Doesn't Viceroy Sun know the marching regulations? A new army marching fifty li a day is the most suitable — going faster or slower both cause problems... The rules were set beforehand, so why keep changing them? Marching is no child's play; the distance is what it is. Pass my words back: today we march exactly this much!"

Old Squad Leader Li waved his hand and sent the messenger off. Zhao Rongcheng beside him chuckled, "Old Li, the regulations do say that, but that tone of yours..."

Li Zhengjing was unimpressed. "I've always talked like this... Besides, is that relay horse stupid? Won't he polish up my words a bit?"

Zhao Rongcheng burst out laughing. Li Zhengjing stared at him, then suddenly slapped his own thigh. "Damn! That relay horse just now — which relay horse unit was he from? What was his name? He's not going to pass my words on to Viceroy Sun exactly as they are, is he?"

Hearing Zhao Rongcheng laugh even louder, Li Zhengjing was overcome with regret. He complained loudly, "I'm telling you, Old Zhao, do you still consider me a brother or not? Couldn't you have reminded me?"

Zhao Rongcheng wasn't having it and shouted back, "How was I supposed to know you were that dumb, talking without any curve at all..."

The two began bickering. Li Zhengjing had once been the old squad leader for Chen Sheng, Ju Yiwu, and others, while Zhao Rongcheng had been the squad leader for Mou Dachang, Han Kaihui, and others. Both now held the rank of Company Commander.

Although one was in his thirties and the other in his twenties, their temperaments and personalities suited each other well. This time they had both become mercenary officers sent to aid Shaanxi. Along the way, they had grown familiar and become friends despite the age gap.

But both were hot-tempered men who bickered constantly. At this moment, the two rode atop a hillock, with a scattering of mounted guards around the mound. Below on the dry official road, a crimson torrent of soldiers was spreading over from the west, and in the distance the Wei River lay like a ribbon.

Not long ago, word had come that the bandit army was drawing near. Sun Chuanting had urgently summoned Shaanxi Provincial Governor Feng Shikong, Xi'an Prefect Jian Renrui, as well as Surveillance Commissioner Huang Jiong, Administration Vice Commissioner Tian Shizhen, several military defense circuit intendants, plus Jingbian Army mercenary officers Wu Zhengchun and Gao Xun, and advisor Wen Shiyan, among others, to discuss matters.

At the same time, Sun Chuanting urgently dispatched orders to all Shaanxi commanders: the newly appointed Shaanxi Regional Commander Gao Jie, Guyuan Regional Commander Zheng Jiadong, Lintao Regional Commander Niu Chenghu, Yulin Regional Commander Wang Ding, Ningxia Regional Commander Guan Fumin, and others to come to Xi'an Prefecture.

The final decision was reached: Shaanxi Provincial Governor Feng Shikong would defend Shangzhou, accompanied by Yulin Regional Commander Wang Ding and Ningxia Regional Commander Guan Fumin. The rest would follow Sun Chuanting to defend Tongguan, while Xi'an Prefect Jian Renrui and others were put in charge of transporting provisions and pay.

News came that the Chuang bandits had appointed Liu Fangliang as commander, with a hundred thousand troops attacking Shangnan. Shangzhou — though not far west from Nanyang, the route was mostly sheer mountains and cliffs, nearly a thousand li of mountain road to Shangzhou, extremely difficult to traverse, let alone attack.

Therefore, the usual route from Henan to Shaanxi mostly followed the Tongguan line, especially for those with carts and baggage.

Still, Sun Chuanting dared not let down his guard. Besides assigning one provincial governor and two garrison regional commanders to defend it, he also requested Wu Zhengchun to dispatch two regiments of mercenary Jia-grade troops, led by Huang Wei, to temporarily serve as Feng Shikong's provincial personal battalion, acting as supervisors and reserves.

Huang Wei's authority was considerable. Although he held the rank of Mobile Corps Commander, the Assistant Regional Commander Hao Shangren, Vice Generals Sun Shoufa, Sun Zhixiu, and others in the provincial personal battalion all had to obey his command.

Feng Shikong had no objection to this. First, he dared not defy the order of the powerful Viceroy Sun Chuanting. Second, he now knew that the men of Sun Chuanting's viceroy personal battalion were originally hired Jingbian Army soldiers.

The Jingbian Army's strength was famed across the realm. With Shaanxi's fate hanging in the balance, Feng Shikong naturally knew which choice to make. Although his nature tended toward the soft, he was in fact a capable official, not one who couldn't tell right from wrong.

Afterward, Sun Chuanting sent the various commanders back to their garrisons to prepare. Apart from giving them strict deadlines for arrival, he first led the viceroy personal battalion and twenty thousand new troops to Tongguan to make early defense preparations. Only Regional Commander Gao Jie, stationed not far from Xi'an, would lead his main battalion to set out one step later.

What impressed Sun Chuanting most about the Jingbian Army was their systematization in all aspects, so he attempted the same with the new army. But in marching and warfare, how could systematization be so simple? With few literate men, understanding of regulations and military discipline remained superficial. With few literate men, some basic experience could only be passed on by word of mouth.

Passed on by word of mouth — after a slightly major defeat, once the veteran seeds were gone, the newly arrived soldiers would be at a loss, and the original experience was very likely lost, even if that experience had originally been bought by the blood and lives of the unit.

That was why the role of a famous general was so great at such times, because he understood certain basic experience and knowledge, and might even treat such knowledge as a secret family art.

The Jingbian Army's approach, however, was to make warfare and troop training into drill manuals, compiling historical lessons and regulations into teaching materials. That way, no matter how many soldiers were expended, they could be continuously produced anew.

Of course, simple to say but difficult in practice. After all, the Jingbian Army's education, the education of the entire Xuanfu Garrison, was unmatched anywhere else in the Great Ming, and the army's accumulated foundation was now very deep. For instance, the advisors that the Jingbian Army now took for granted — Sun Chuanting sorely lacked them.

Civilian scholars did not understand military affairs, and military men did not practice letters. How to read a sand table? How to read a map? How to read account books? How to understand planning and calculation? How to know strategy? Apart from swarming into battle, there was no other way.

And those sand tables and maps — Sun Chuanting suffered from a shortage of even basic surveyors. The advisors he had painstakingly recruited over the years, scattered across Shaanxi, were like drops of ink in a great lake, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye. He deeply felt they were not enough.

So much of the planning for this great battle relied on those hired Jingbian Army personnel.

Likewise, marching, encamping, and provisions supply were mostly planned by the Jingbian Army's advisor clerks. Although Sun Chuanting understood military affairs, compared to the Jingbian Army, he felt that logistics and supply were extremely chaotic — after all, the executing groups could not compare — and he had no choice but to assign Jingbian Army personnel to handle it.

The miscellaneous tasks of marching and encamping for the new army this time were also planned by these hired Jingbian Army officers. In particular, Wu Zhengchun had appointed Zhao Rongcheng and Li Zhengjing to lead two units to supervise and take charge.

The Great Ming at this time had few marching requirements; the greatest requirement was to arrive by the deadline. In the current situation, when officers received troop-transfer tallies, in order not to miss the deadline, or to coordinate the whole army, they would simply take their retainers and gallop ahead.

Send out several thousand troops, march one day, lose a third of the men; march two days, lose two-thirds of the men; march three days — who knew how many men were left.

In the end, they would arrive on time. Apart from two or three hundred mounted retainers, the rest of the force would be scattered and straggling. They might trickle in over ten days or half a month. The most common outcome: a full third of the men would be unaccounted for, with no idea where to look for them.

This kind of marching situation was, of course, intolerable to the Jingbian Army. They too demanded arrival by deadline, but their deadline arrival was essentially full-unit arrival. Even if there were stragglers, sick men, or soldiers unaccustomed to the climate, they would not exceed one percent of the entire army — not the kind where three thousand were dispatched and only three hundred arrived in the end.

So besides daily training, food supply, and medical preparations, the planning of the march route was extremely important. The total distance, how many li to march each day, where to set camp, where water sources were, when to set out — all had specific arrangements and strict execution.

Not "we're in good shape today, so march more; we're in poor shape another day, so march less."

Based on the bandit situation learned from scouts and the road conditions ahead, the advisors had already planned: from Xi'an to Tongguan was three hundred li, and marching fifty li per day was exactly appropriate. So when Sun Chuanting's side demanded the army quicken its pace and wanted the two supervising Jingbian Army units to urge them on, Li Zhengjing refused.

He and Zhao Rongcheng rode atop the earthen mound, their two Company Commander banners fluttering behind them, watching the torrent of soldiers flow ceaselessly from west to east. Those soldiers were all young and able-bodied, wearing red uniforms and armor, uniform red-tasseled felt hats, with puttees on their legs and cloth shoes on their feet.

However, the musketeers wore red cotton armor, and the spearmen wore red waist-length armor. Some spearmen also had arm guards and iron-reinforced cotton armor — these were the elite soldiers within the pike battalions, who stood in the front ranks during battle, specially selected for showing courage and high skill during training. They were considered the army's stalwarts, and their monthly pay was one tael and five mace of silver.

The Start of Summer had already passed, and the weather was turning warm. Sometimes it rained, but overall it was dry. The large force marching on the official road kicked up dust that filled the sky.

Watching the soldiers carry their long spears and matchlock guns as they hurried on their way, many with faces covered in dust and sweat, not even pausing to wipe them, because along the official road, horses dashed back and forth, supervising and directing their march.

"Attention, rear units keep up..."

"Attention, front units yield to the baggage train..."

"Attention, don't let the drumbeat fall off."

The two Company Commanders' subordinates each took charge of a portion, guiding these green recruits on their march. Even the officers of each battalion had to obey the arrangements of these Jingbian Army Yi-grade troops. As beginners in the new-model army, they too were newcomers who needed to learn from scratch.

As the first large-scale sustained march, these twenty thousand new troops had far too many problems. The two Company Commanders could see their respective subordinates — Luo Liangzuo, Lai Dexiang, Chen Sheng, Han Kaihui, and others — each utterly exhausted.

Zhao Rongcheng saw his good friend Luo Liangzuo passing below. Mounted on his horse, his plump body twisting in the saddle, he used his voice, as rich and full as Pavarotti's, to call out loudly, "The soldiers are performing well. Let's have a military song to lift their spirits."

Accompanied by drumbeat military music, a military song with a Shaanxi opera lilt rose up. It was chaotic at first, then gradually became orderly: "Over the great desert, wind and dust darken the sun's light; red banners half-furled, we ride out the gate. The vanguard fought last night north of the Tao River; word has come, they've captured Tuyuhun alive..."

Luo Liangzuo's voice came from afar: "Very good indeed. One more."

"Why not take up the Wu hook, my gallant son, and reclaim the fifty prefectures beyond the mountain passes? Pray ascend for a moment to the Pavilion of Soaring Mist; see which scholar there holds a marquis's fief of ten Battalion Commander."

Amid the thunder of the military song, the vast, mighty army ceaselessly passed before the hillock. The fiery red river seemed to pour on without end. As those Shaanxi new troops passed the mound and saw Zhao Rongcheng and Li Zhengjing, they could not help casting awed glances.

The new army had mostly recruited simple folk from the countryside, who by nature feared officials — in later terms, they feared the government.

Toward these Jingbian Army men in the viceroy personal battalion, they were fearful. Rank aside, during training, these Jingbian Army men who served as drill instructors were extremely strict with them, beating them with the military rod at the slightest provocation. That fear, after several months, was in their bones.

At the same time, the new troops also respected them. Though the training was strict, during rest times they were amiable and kind, often bringing up novel topics that let these farm boys who scratched a living from the soil learn of the vast world outside.

It gave everyone a sense of having their eyes opened wide — so the world was this big, and there were so many interesting things. In the hearts of these men, the instructors left an impression of profound learning, skilled in both civil and martial arts.

The instructors would sometimes even treat them to a meal at an eatery. If there were difficulties at home, they would generously help. So they were quite popular in the new army.

At the same time, the mercenaries' pay and benefits made them deeply envious. Even an ordinary soldier among the Yi-grade troops received five silver dollars a month — and those silver dollars were fine things... And their armor, their firelocks, their long spears — all were of excellent quality.

Those firelocks were even flintlocks, needing no match cord. With a bayonet fixed, they could stab and shoot. Every soldier even had a horse — how could that not make one envious?

To live as a man to that degree — truly beyond words. So this one battalion of hired Jingbian Army troops had inadvertently become the goal and model for many in the Shaanxi new army. A trend even arose of recognizing sworn elder brothers, hoping to find a mercenary to be their big brother.

One after another, honest faces flickered before Zhao Rongcheng and Li Zhengjing, their gazes a mix of respect and fear. They became frozen tableaux, as if preserved for eternity.

Li Zhengjing sighed, a rare thing: "They haven't finished training, yet they must face a great battle... I hope few will die. I... I always feel these men are like our sons. I truly cannot bear..."

Zhao Rongcheng also fell silent, a rare thing. Back when he was a common soldier, all he wanted was to fight the enemy bravely. Once he became a squad leader, he understood the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.

He was no longer just one man; he had to think of the brothers in his squad. The higher his military rank, the heavier the burden on his shoulders. After training the Shaanxi New Army for several months, how could he have no feelings for them? He too sighed: "This battle is only the beginning. These sons of Guanzhong will have many battles to fight in the future... and I fear many will die."

Li Zhengjing said: "Aye, many will die."

Then he slapped his own head, making his helmet ring with a metallic clatter, and cursed: "Why the hell am I saying this? Once you join the army, you're ready for the day your corpse is wrapped in horsehide. How can war have no deaths? Spouting this defeatist talk for nothing."

Zhao Rongcheng also laughed heartily and said with heroic spirit: "Well said! Old Li rarely speaks a solid truth. We are soldiers; fighting battles is our duty! What is death? Our Border-Pacifying Army fights for peace under heaven. Wherever the Grand General's banner points, the rabble will surely scatter like ashes and smoke."

Li Zhengjing cursed: "I'm the one speaking solid truths here, alright? You're the one full of hot air..."

"You're the one..."

The two continued bickering. The guards below the earthen mound heard their exchange, exchanged glances, and all shook their heads.

Perhaps the Shaanxi New Army, or other Ming armies, were still at the stage of soldiering for food, fighting for pay, and following superior officers' orders. But many in the Border-Pacifying Army had already entered a phase of actively seeking battle, possessing their own ideals and goals, a sense of mission and responsibility.

Many already held a notion: to follow the Grand General, to fight for peace under heaven, and for the people of this land to live better.

An endless stream of soldiers marched east, and further east. Their mighty torrent stretched from east to west without end, from west to east without end. Banner after banner bearing the character Sun billowed unceasingly in the wind...

On a plateau at the eastern end, several hundred mounted warriors at this moment gazed solemnly down at the fiery red river passing below. These riders all wore long-body brigandines, the large copper rivets on their armor exuding immense oppressive force, and their eight-panel iron-tipped caps gleamed with metallic luster under the sunlight.

Not far from them, a great banner bearing the character Sun stood tall upon the plateau. Sun Chuanting sat astride a white horse, clad in full armor, bearing bow, arrows, and sword, draped in a cloak, listening intently to the report brought back by the relay horse.

Beside him were staff officers, as well as some local officials serving as military advisors. The two generals Wu Zhengchun and Gao Xun, along with the battalion clerk, advisor officer, provost officer, medical officer, and morale officer, all sat on horseback nearby.

The mercenary battalion sent to aid Shaanxi was larger in scale. Advisors expanded from one squad to one file, medical officers from two files to one platoon, provost troops also had three files, and relay riders had two files. Their chief advisor was Wen Shiyan, who had just returned from Henan and then rushed to Shaanxi.

At this moment he wore a wrapped headscarf, a tight-fitting dark blue robe, a fine sword at his waist, and a short-sleeved outer cloak, his image both refined and heroic. He too listened with a smile to the relay rider's report.

"Speed up my ass! Doesn't Viceroy Sun know the marching regulations? The New Army marching fifty li a day is most suitable. Going faster or slower both cause problems... The rules were set beforehand, so why keep changing them? Marching is no child's play; the distance is what it is. Pass my words on exactly — today we march this much and no more!"

The relay rider relayed Li Zhengjing's words verbatim, without the slightest alteration.

The Border-Pacifying Army's first requirement when selecting relay riders was rigidity. Messages from any side were not to be freely altered. Otherwise, as orders passed down the line, what they ultimately meant was hard to say. On the battlefield, this could lead to disastrous consequences.

For this relay rider, his duty was to pass on words; other matters were not his to consider. The Border-Pacifying Army's requirement was also to first fulfill one's own duty, then consider other matters. So he passed on Li Zhengjing's words without changing a single character.

Hearing his words, everyone present looked at each other. The staff officers beside Sun Chuanting, and those local officials serving as advisors, many showed displeased expressions. Since the mercenary army arrived in Shaanxi, it had deliberately extended its tentacles in all directions, already arousing much dissatisfaction.

Especially — who was Viceroy Sun? He was the Viceroy of the Three Frontiers. How could a mere Company Commander, even one from the Border-Pacifying Army, speak to a superior in such a tone? This Border-Pacifying Army was truly growing more arrogant and domineering by the day.

Gao Xun raised an eyebrow. At this moment he wore an officer's short-body brigandine with a battle skirt below; the gleaming scale armor made him look even more heroically dashing. Yet his expression remained impassive, showing no intent to rebuke Li Zhengjing. Beside him, Wu Zhengchun furrowed his brow.

He was a regular Border-Pacifying Army man. Even if Li Zhengjing's words had merit, such a tone of voice risked disrespecting rank and could affect the relationship between the Border-Pacifying Army and Sun Chuanting. This matter could be trivial or serious. He barked: "How does Li Zhengjing speak? Viceroy Sun, this humble officer will summon Company Commander Li at once to reprimand him."

Sun Chuanting laughed heartily: "No matter. Company Commander Li is a man of true temperament; this Viceroy greatly appreciates that. And it was this Viceroy who was rash. Once military regulations are set, they must be strictly enforced. This matter is this Viceroy's fault; Company Commander Li has done no wrong."

Wen Shiyan stroked his beard and smiled, offering Sun Chuanting a bit of flattery: "Viceroy Sun is open-minded and receptive — a model for us all. This humble official is full of admiration."

These words made Sun Chuanting laugh heartily, his mood greatly pleased, and his grudge against Li Zhengjing vanished like smoke. The staff officers around him also laughed, and the atmosphere returned to harmony.

Watching the troops continuously pass below, Sun Chuanting raised his riding crop and said with excitement: "According to the schedule, in three more days' march, our force will reach Tongguan. And essentially at full strength, save for a few stragglers and sick soldiers. This is all thanks to the planning efforts of General Wu, General Gao, Advisor Wen, and others."

Wu Zhengchun and the others exchanged polite words. Sun Chuanting's magnanimity and boldness surprised them. It had to be said, this madman still possessed great personal charisma. He was wildly arrogant, but it was mostly hidden deep within his bones.

Sun Chuanting watched the marching column below with emotion. In his eyes, the army moved in perfect order, and such marching efficiency... he still had much to learn.

Watching the sun slowly sink westward, the mass of men and horses below like a tide, the heroic passion in his heart filled his chest. He could not help but come to the edge of the plateau. Seeing his men and his great banner, the Shaanxi New Army below could not help but cast their gazes upward. A deep, resonant voice rang out: "Attention! All officers and men, salute Viceroy Sun!"

"Ten thousand victories!"

A unit of pikemen passed below; all the pikemen raised their long spears and cheered toward Sun Chuanting on the plateau.

"Ten thousand victories!"

Another unit of arquebusiers came by, likewise raising their firelocks and cheering.

"Ten thousand victories!"

Another unit of soldiers passed, wave after wave of cheers echoing over the road on the southern bank of the Wei River, each surging tide of sound drowning out the last.

All the Shaanxi New Army soldiers passing below the plateau, upon seeing Sun Chuanting, saluted him, their eyes filled with adoration and gratitude. Viceroy Sun was their provider, giving them land and fields, allowing their families to live well, and also giving them military pay and resettlement silver. They were willing to fight for Viceroy Sun.

Watching the soldiers below densely brandish their weapons, as the tide of men surged past, the earth-shaking cries of "Ten thousand victories!" came one after another. That overflowing passion burned Sun Chuanting's heart again and again. Only the New Army possessed such passion; only the New Army possessed such strength — incomparable to the stagnant, apathetic old armies.

Sun Chuanting involuntarily raised his hand to salute the soldiers below, stirring even more continuous waves of cheers.

The staff officers behind him were also moved to tears. One staff officer murmured: "Even if we must sell the pots and scrap the iron, we must train the New Army."

Wu Zhengchun, Gao Xun, and the others also watched. The battalion provost officer said: "The scene is still a bit small; the momentum somewhat lacking."

The morale officer beside him said: "It is already quite remarkable."

The great army rolled past before the plateau, the endless marching column stretching beyond sight, red banner after red banner fluttering above the road. The sinking sun had turned into the evening glow, its warm light spilling down, gilding the marching column and Sun Chuanting on the plateau with a layer of golden radiance.

This scene would be forever engraved in history.

As evening approached that day, the army encamped by the Wei River. The Shaanxi New Army emulated the Border-Pacifying Army. Twenty thousand men were divided into six battalions, including a special supply battalion. Each unit also had cooking carts. They rushed ahead to the campsite to boil water and prepare meals, so that when the soldiers arrived, they would have hot water to wash their feet and hot meals to eat.

For the Border-Pacifying Army, whenever conditions permitted, providing soldiers with hot water to wash their feet upon halting was an essential military regulation. This way, the blood vessels in both feet were invigorated and unobstructed. The next day they could march farther, or at least maintain their condition, while also reducing illness.

Eating hot meals and dishes when encamping was an even more essential requirement. Of course, for the Shaanxi New Army, and for Sun Chuanting and his staff officers, this was quite novel. Yet after just a few short days, they too felt this practice had many benefits — at the very least, after several days of marching, very few men fell behind or straggled, and even fewer fell ill.

Amid the sounds of men shouting and horses neighing, the rolling stream of men came forward. Under the guidance of the Border-Pacifying Army mercenaries, and directed by the marker flags at each position, they set camp in an orderly fashion: assembling, tethering horses, hitching carts, pitching tents, eating, resting. Everything was well-organized.

"Look, this is what it means to be well-trained. Gentlemen, without the Border-Pacifying Army's guidance, the New Army would be nothing but a rabble..."

Sun Chuanting quietly watched the army encamp. The Border-Pacifying Army officers and officials beside him had already gone about their duties, leaving only a few trusted staff officers at his side.

He gazed somewhat abstractedly at the reddening sky in the distance and said deeply: "Just now you spoke of Company Commander Li's disrespect toward this Viceroy, and of how the Border-Pacifying Army is meddling ever deeper in the New Army and in Shaanxi. But if we don't let them meddle, can we do it well ourselves?"

His expression grew somewhat sorrowful: "We started too late. Our talent is far too scarce. We are gravely deficient in every aspect. If not relying on the Marquis of Yongning's subordinates, then on whom? If we want others not to dictate to us, we must be strong ourselves. Yet..."

A staff officer behind him said with deep feeling: "Rest assured, Lord Sun. Every detail, this student has kept in mind and recorded in the files. There will come a day when we catch up."

Sun Chuanting nodded: "Shaanxi's future, the Great Ming's future, still depends on you gentlemen. However, training troops and fighting battles now, or civil administration and land reclamation, are all different from the past. This Viceroy suffers from a lack of talent. I hear the Marquis of Yongning now permits exchange students..."

He paused. The term "exchange students" — why did it feel so strange?

However, Wang Dou was always coming up with strange and novel things, so after thinking about it, he didn't find it surprising. He said, "I will negotiate with the Marquis of Yongning to secure a batch of slots for people to study at the Xuanfu Garrison Military Academy, the Civil Affairs Academy, and the Normal University."

All the staff officers nodded vigorously. Though they were full of fervor and willing to follow Lord Sun to accomplish great things, when it came down to it, they realized that a mere handful of staff officers could not oversee every aspect. They needed a large number of capable grassroots personnel and outstanding talents in all fields.

And these were precisely the people they lacked. After the Jingbian Army mercenaries arrived, the more direct contact they had and the more they understood, the more they felt the gap between them. So, no matter how unwilling they were, preventing the other side from intervening was just wishful thinking — unless they could raise their own capabilities in every area to the same level as the Xuanfu Garrison.

Seeing his staff officers somewhat dejected, Sun Chuanting laughed heartily again. "Where there is gain, there is loss. It's no big deal. In other words, without this battalion of the Jingbian Army, we wouldn't even have the current situation."

Yang Sichang, Ding Qirui, Hou Xun, and others had all served as Supreme Commanders, yet their orders were often ineffective precisely because they lacked elite troops under their direct command.

The current Regional Commander, Hou Xun, is residing inside Kaifeng Prefecture. It is said that apart from a few dozen personal guards transferred from Chen Yongfu, he has not a single soldier. Now, inside the city, he is like a wooden statue or clay idol. The various officials and officers are superficially polite to him, but in reality, no one takes him seriously.

If he himself had not hired these three thousand elite troops, who knows what would have happened upon returning to Shaanxi?

Would he have the current situation where his word is law and all obey? Would he have the prospect of twenty thousand new troops being recruited and trained, with a bright future ahead? Sun Chuanting believed that given time, the future Shaanxi New Army might not be unable to rival the Jingbian Army.

Gazing at the sunset on the horizon, he said fervently, "Everything will get better."

He led his staff officers on an inspection of the encampment. The soldiers of each battalion had already quickly settled in. Since this was an interior-line march, there was no need to erect a stockade; they only dug some trenches and scattered caltrops at a few critical points. There were also night watch and patrol personnel.

However, at this moment, the logistics battalion was still transporting supplies in an endless stream. From Xi'an to Tongguan, the Jingbian Army staff advisors had established multiple grain storage points, not solely to supply the marching troops.

These logistics units also mostly used wheelbarrows — the light-cart style, made of hardwood, with shafts and slots. When facing the enemy, they could be fitted with mantlets and spear-rests. However, Sun Chuanting had tried every means to add some horse-drawn carts to the camp to increase transport capacity.

The statistics and budgeting of grain and fodder in the camp were also handled by the logistics team from the mercenary army. They were skilled at calculation and could effectively coordinate for the main army. When necessary, even the Prefect of Xi'an and his staff had to follow their directions.

Sun Chuanting had gathered the entire province's Great General cannons and Frankish breech-loaders, and had also established an artillery battalion with fifty Great General cannons, twenty mortars, and one hundred medium and small Frankish cannons. It was being trained by hired Jingbian Army artillery officers and was now being hauled over by oxen and horses.

Sun Chuanting believed he could fight a battle against the Chuang bandits' artillery battalion — assuming they brought their cannons.

From the intelligence the Jingbian Army shared with him, Sun Chuanting was also astonished to learn that the Chuang bandits actually possessed a massive firearms battalion, built around the surrendered former units of the New Army as its backbone. Most of their equipment consisted of captured Eastern Route firearms, which drew Sun Chuanting's serious attention.

He had purchased a great quantity of equipment from Wang Dou — besides firearms, armor, and uniforms, there were also many "Myriad-Man Destroyers," poisons, ash bombs, and the like, all being transported together by the logistics battalion at this time. The rockets stockpiled in Shaanxi — such as flying knives, flying spears, and Hundred-Tiger Salvo launchers — were also all gathered up in one sweep.

Sun Chuanting believed he could definitely hold Tongguan.

……

On the sixteenth day of the fourth month of the sixteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, Sun Chuanting, accompanied by his staff officers and advisors, along with the mercenary army commanders and two brigades of Class-A troops, arrived at Tongguan half a day ahead of the main force. This was the place known as the Foremost Pass of Yongzhou.

They entered the pass city through the West Gate. Tongguan had nine city gates and nine great gate towers. Each gate had a barbican, a gatehouse, and an arrow tower. Because the West Gate connected to the official road to Xi'an, the area in front of the wall was relatively flat, but it still had a gate tower, an arrow tower, and both inner and outer gates.

As they entered the gate, the area in front of the city gate was already bustling. A vast stream of grain transport teams continuously entered the city. Heavy horse-drawn carts and wheelbarrows, fully laden with supplies, grain, and fodder, filed in one after another under the strenuous pulling and hauling of the logistics soldiers.

Before the three armies move, grain and fodder go first. The importance of provisions was beyond question. Sun Chuanting and his party could not possibly drive the grain carts aside to let themselves pass first. They had to wait a long time before they could continue forward.

Yang Hu, who held the rank of Mobile Corps Commander and was a mercenary army officer, along with the local Tongguan garrison commander, greeted Viceroy Sun and his entourage. A unit of troops led by Master Hu — comprising one brigade of Chasseur Cavalry and three brigades of Elite Cavalry — had, under battalion orders, rushed over in advance to take up defensive positions. They were also responsible for reconnaissance.

According to Master Hu's briefing, scattered bandit sentry riders had already appeared on the plateau across the lookout ravine.

However, he estimated that their main force would need at least five to ten more days to reach the vicinity of Tongguan. After all, considering the distance — over a thousand li from Xiangyang to Tongguan — their infantry marched thirty to fifty li a day, so they would need at least twenty to thirty days in total to reach their destination.

However, the roving bandits had numerous cavalry units, and some sentry cavalry detachments had already appeared one after another. Over the past few days, Master Hu, leading his men, had killed at least several dozen of them.

Master Hu came from a Night Scout background. Every man in the Chasseur Cavalry under his command had a cavalry carbine and could fire from horseback, with a range greater than that of horse bows. Each also had a fine horse. They would fire from horseback and then flee. Moreover, with local soldiers acting as guides, they appeared and vanished like ghosts. The bandit sentry riders could do nothing about them.

However, the bandit cavalry were growing more and more numerous. Over the past two days, Master Hu had already begun to exercise restraint. He was not willing to needlessly deplete his own forces.

In terms of valuing intelligence, the roving bandits actually placed more importance on it than the government troops. Moreover, the post stations from Huguang to Henan had been largely abandoned, so by the time the Shaanxi side received word, the main bandit force was already far along the roads of Henan.

But after all, this was their home territory, so their own side still held advantages in defense and other aspects. The bandits' sentry cavalry units also had no siege capability, so there was no need to worry for the moment. However, starting today, intensifying the defenses of Tongguan brooked no delay.

Sun Chuanting listened quietly. When Yang Hu finished, he cordially took Master Hu's hand and praised him, "Thanks entirely to Company Commander Yang, our army can know the roving bandits like the back of our hand."

Master Hu withdrew his hand without any noticeable reaction, clasped his fist, and said, "Viceroy Sun overpraises me. This is merely what this humble officer ought to do."

Afterward, disregarding his own fatigue, Sun Chuanting waved off his staff officers' advice to rest a little and led everyone up onto the West Gate. The topography of Tongguan was long from east to west and narrow from north to south. The entire city looked like a saddle and also like a gold ingot. Sun Chuanting planned to inspect the whole city from west to east, then to the south.

They ascended the West Gate. The local garrison was already on alert, and patrols were everywhere on the city walls.

Following the wall northward, the group soon saw the Wei River. This section of the wall, all the way to the North Gate, was built along the banks of the Wei River. The wall was not far from the riverbank; at its widest point, the distance was less than one li. During floods, the city wall served as a dike.

Then they reached the North Pass. Here was the confluence of the Wei River and the Yellow River, where the waters were even broader. Standing on the high city wall and watching the Yellow River flow eastward in mighty grandeur, the view was extremely expansive. Everyone felt a sense of their hearts and minds opening wide.

One staff officer sighed, "Such splendid rivers and mountains — how can they fall into the hands of roving bandits?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Here, the distance between the city wall and the riverbank was even narrower, generally less than one li, and much of it was muddy river flatland. If the roving bandits attacked, large-scale massing of troops in these cramped areas in front of the gates would be impossible.

The cannons on the city wall could even fire into the river waters, cutting down the attacking enemies at the waist and breaking them into segments.

If the defending troops inside the city then sortied, the enemies attacking these sections of wall and gates would have no escape route except to flee into the Yellow River.

Moreover, the walls in these sections were generally over five zhang high. Before enemy troops could even attempt to scale the walls, they would first be half-dead from exhaustion.

The gates in these areas also all faced inward, like the side faces of a bastion. When attacking cavalry units charged here, their speed would unknowingly slow. And after turning the corner, the defenders on the wall could effectively inflict casualties on the flanks of their formation.

The Small North Gate was a water pass. The Tong River flowed through the city, corresponding with the South Water Pass where the river entered the city. Both water passes had viewing towers and arrow towers built over the culverts, allowing effective defense against enemies attacking the city from the water.

From the Small North Pass, one could already see Shanxi Province on the opposite bank — Fengling Ferry over there, as well as Fengling Mound and Mount Zhongtiao. At this moment, some ferryboats on the Yellow River were crossing back and forth between the two banks, as the defenders of Tongguan communicated and coordinated with the Shanxi defenders at Fengling Ferry.

Wu Zhengchun drew out his telescope and gazed into the distance. Following suit, those who had telescopes, including Sun Chuanting, also drew theirs out one after another and peered toward the opposite bank of the Yellow River. (To be continued...)