Chapter 870: All Out

Seeing everyone support him, Hu Tiande grew even more stirred. He declared loudly, "Besides having elite troops, many generals, and a vast host, our Great Shun also possesses a formidable cannon battalion!"

He continued, "I recall that when we struck Tong Pass, our righteous army had nearly a hundred Grand General cannons and a hundred and fifty medium and small cannons. How many do we have now? … After arriving at the capital, we seized even more red-barbarian cannons. I remember at Yongdingmen alone we captured thirty red-barbarian cannons and over a hundred various Frankish engines. Especially those red-barbarian cannons on four wheels, called… what are they called again?"

Gao Yigong said, "Four-wheeled millstone heavy cannons."

He stated, "At present, our Great Shun cannon battalion already possesses five hundred cannons. Among them are one hundred and fifty ordinary red-barbarian cannons, fifty four-wheeled millstone heavy cannons, and the remainder are Grand General Frankish engines. As for the ordinary medium and small cannons, they are no longer in the cannon battalion but have been specially organized into various mobile battalions."

After Gao Yigong was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yue, besides managing his own command, he also currently oversaw the cannons in the camp.

Recently, there had been a trend in the capital of comparing each person's strength, and Gao Yigong seized the opportunity to greatly boast of the forces under his control.

As the core of the Great Ming, the capital naturally had all resources poured into it first. It was the earliest to be equipped with red-barbarian cannons, and over many years of accumulation, the red-barbarian cannons there had reached one hundred and fifty.

After the Battle of Jinzhou, they captured one hundred Spirit-Might Grand General cannons and ten Heaven-Blessed Might Grand General cannons from the Qing state, along with several dozen medium and small red-barbarian cannons. In the post-battle distribution, fifty Spirit-Might Grand General cannons were transported to the capital, all of the four-wheeled millstone type.

The remainder were stationed in Liaodong, Shanhai Pass, and various places in Ji Garrison. The several dozen medium and small red-barbarian cannons were divided up among Wang Dou and others.

The Great Ming also widely used Frankish engine cannons, having manufactured over ten thousand in total, with naturally even more stationed in the capital. But now that the Chuang camp had seized the capital, the one hundred and fifty red-barbarian heavy cannons at every city wall and gate, the fifty four-wheeled millstone heavy cannons, and over a thousand Frankish engines of various sizes all belonged to them.

Listening to Gao Yigong's account, everyone in the hall drew a sharp breath, then erupted into waves of irrepressible, excited chatter.

They had always been vague about their own strength, and upon entering the capital had been busy plundering and indulging in pleasure. Now they suddenly realized how immense their power was — five hundred cannons alone, all heavy pieces like red-barbarians and Grand Generals.

A sharp glint flashed in Hu Tiande's eyes. He said, "Right, the four-wheeled millstone heavy cannon. This cannon is extraordinary. A single piece weighs four or five thousand catties. One shot can reach three or four li. And it fires cannonballs all weighing over ten catties."

He continued, "And the various red-barbarian cannons — many can also fire over one li, nearly two. Even the Grand General cannons, for the most part, can reach one li."

He went on, "Now, battle formations are mostly arrayed at one or two li, farther ones at two or three li, at most three or four li. But our Great Shun's four-wheeled millstone heavy cannons — fifty of them, every single one can strike three or four li, blanketing their entire battle formation. If that Jingbian Army forms up and approaches, all they can do is take hits without being able to strike back! Earlier, I said we could annihilate the Jingbian Army in two days. Now it seems, half a day at most."

Another wave of excited discussion filled the hall. Liu Zongmin slapped his thigh and cackled loudly, "Not bad, not bad. When the time comes, we'll array the cannons and blast those donkey-spawned bastards to death."

Liu Fangliang recalled his experience fighting Wang Dou. Back then, he had arrayed his formation at one li, never expecting Wang Dou's army's cannons could reach two li. In the end, he could only stand there wide-eyed and take the hits, and his army quickly collapsed. The terror of cannon fire was indeed something flesh and blood could not withstand.

When they sallied forth to battle, under the covering fire of their own overwhelming firepower, no matter how fierce the Jingbian Army was, they could not possibly hold out for long.

Still, he reminded Hu Tiande, "Brother Hu, Wang Dou's army also has cannons, some of which fire very far. This point must be factored in."

Hu Tiande replied, "The Marquis of Ci speaks rightly. Wang Dou's army certainly has cannons, even red-barbarian cannons, as the Marquis of Ci and the Marquis of Qi have both mentioned before. But I expect they surely don't have as many as the capital. Even if we grant him a hundred, each cannon firing one or two li, they still cannot remotely compare with our Great Shun's cannon battalion!"

He stated, "Our Great Shun has four-wheeled millstone heavy cannons, every one capable of firing three or four li. As soon as their cannons are deployed, we'll rain blows down on them and destroy their red-barbarian cannons. Then our red-barbarian cannons will deal with their Grand General cannons. Our Grand General cannons will handle their medium and small cannons. This is called Tian Ji's horse racing."

Kong San shook his head. Hu Tiande said with keen interest, "Every class of our cannons outranges theirs. No matter how strong Wang Dou's army is, they can only stand and take the hits. Can flesh and blood withstand cannonballs?"

He continued, "Our cannons will ceaselessly pound their battle formations, pound their cannon emplacements. Then the mobile battalions will press forward — all Frankish engine medium and small cannons, capable of firing one or two hundred paces, more than enough to deal with their firelocks. Under such bombardment, how could Wang Dou's soldiers have any chance of survival?"

Li Yan also had nothing to say. According to the Earl of Taiping's disposition, the army was indeed assured of victory. He felt gratified in his heart — there were still men of talent in the Great Shun camp.

Li Zicheng nodded repeatedly, his appreciation for the Earl of Taiping, Hu Tiande, growing even more.

Many in the hall also looked at Hu Tiande with astonishment. This Earth-Stomping Dragon was truly formidable.

A flash of pride crossed Li Guo's eyes. Such a figure was under his own command and control.

Hu Tiande said, "Our division also has a formidable musket battalion. All five thousand soldiers are crack troops, each equipped with a fine bird musket. Since its formation, it has never known defeat…"

A restrained smile appeared on Yang Shaofan's face as he nodded toward Hu Tiande.

Hu Tiande declared, "Therefore, when the time comes, our division's muskets and cannons will be concentrated and deployed in a single line. The musket battalion will be behind the mobile battalions, under the cover of the cannons. Without wasting words on them, we'll drive straight for Wang Dou's central army. This is called fighting in open, honorable formation — one battle that will make Wang Dou and his men submit wholeheartedly!"

No one had any objections. Yang Shaofan also nodded inwardly. He had participated in the Battle of Jinzhou and knew the deadliness of long-range artillery. Even with the Jingbian Army's toughness, they had suffered heavy casualties before the Qing state's four-wheeled millstone heavy cannons. If their own cannons were inferior, they could only stand and take the hits.

Hu Tiande said, "This is also why I insist on a field battle in the open. If we cower inside the capital, not only do we lose face for Great Shun and demoralize our troops, but how can we exploit our army's advantages? Cannons cannot be concentrated for use — ten here at this city gate, ten there at that city gate — how can their power be brought to bear? Therefore, we must fight in the field!"

He turned to Li Yan and said, "Marquis of Yi, Hu is merely discussing the matter on its merits, not targeting you."

Li Yan hurriedly replied, "The Earl of Taiping is too courteous. It is all for our Great Shun. Li understands."

In his heart, his goodwill toward Hu Tiande grew even stronger. He thought to himself that this man was not only brave and strategic but also magnanimous and forthright — truly a rare find.

A buzz of discussion filled the hall. Everyone felt that if they were to sally forth, the optimal strategy was indeed the Earl of Taiping's. Concentrate the cannons, concentrate firepower to bombard the Jingbian Army's battle formations and cannon emplacements. Then the mobile battalions and musket battalions would form up and press forward, striking directly at Wang Dou's central army, sweeping them away in one stroke.

Jin Youniu, the Earl of Wuyang, exclaimed in admiration, "Only today do I realize Lord Hu is both brave and strategic. Hmm, cannons must certainly be concentrated for use — not placed one here in the east, one there in the west, and especially not placed on city walls."

Hu Tiande declared with soaring spirit, "This, then, is the reason our army is certain to win!"

A look of concern appeared on his face. He said, "Another very important reason I do not favor holding the city is that grain supplies within the city are running low. I once heard the Marquis of Ze say that the capital's stockpiles can feed us for a month at most, perhaps even less. If our forces hole up in the city, what will the several hundred thousand troops do when the grain runs out?"

A stir ran through the hall. All this time, they had been indulging in the capital, lost in pleasure, thinking only of drinking and whoring, paying no attention to the grain problem. Hu Tiande's words reminded them — the capital had already been eaten empty by them. It was time to find the next place.

Tian Jianxiu nodded and said, "Indeed, what the Earl of Taiping says is fact. Moreover, the grain stored in the capital and nearby areas will last less than a month — at most another half month or so."

The men in the hall were even more shaken. Had things already reached this point?

Recently, news of people starving to death had kept coming from the capital, but they had paid it no mind. They had food and drink anyway — what did commoners starving to death have to do with them?

But now, if they didn't think of something soon, they themselves would be going hungry.

Jin Youniu, the Earl of Wuyang, also said worriedly, "According to the reports I've received, the capital is indeed nearly out of grain. It is now the fourth month. The summer harvest won't come until the fifth or sixth month — the stored grain likely won't last until then. In the past, there was tribute grain, millions of piculs shipped in via the Grand Canal. But now the canal transport is cut off. We can no longer count on that."

Hu Tiande said, "Therefore, our great army must not only sally forth from the city for a field battle, but must turn out in full force. Not to mention that even a fierce tiger uses all its strength to pounce on a rabbit — Wang Dou is also a renowned fierce general of the Ming state, and the forty to fifty thousand combat troops under his command cannot be underestimated. So our five to six hundred thousand troops will all surge forward together, muskets and cannons firing in unison. First, we throw everything into defeating Wang Dou. Then we ride the momentum west, storm into Xuanfu Garrison, into Shanxi and Shaanxi — which will also neatly solve our great army's problem of provisions and supplies."

He concluded, "The great army goes on campaign, hundreds of thousands marching out together. Who but the Heavenly King can lead them? Great King, there is no more time to delay. Please make a decisive call and swiftly lead the army in person!"

Li Zicheng abruptly stood up. He had long wanted to dispatch troops to shift the internal tensions. Hu Tiande's various arguments struck exactly what he wished. He had originally thought to send a great general on the campaign, but the commanders had been steeped in pleasure for too long and utterly lacked fighting spirit. Only by leading the campaign himself could it be done.

Recently, matters in the capital had left him somewhat dejected. But he was a man of resolute character by nature. Now that crisis pressed near, his fighting spirit blazed anew.

Wang Dou had come at a good time. He brought crisis, but nothing that would make men afraid.

In recent years, every strong army the Chuang camp had encountered, they had crushed; every firm city they had faced, they had taken. In particular, taking the capital in just two days had given them immense self-confidence. Although Wang Dou was no ordinary opponent and Li Zicheng accorded him great attention, he would not feel fear because of it.

The Earl of Taiping had spoken well. Great Shun had vast numbers and overwhelming momentum, sweeping all before it, and also possessed a formidable cannon battalion, musket battalion, and mobile battalions. Even if Wang Dou had fifty or sixty thousand combat troops, so what? Never mind their own mighty four-wheeled millstone heavy cannons — just the several hundred thousand troops attacking in endless waves would be like ants swarming to bite an elephant to death.

Moreover, if they eliminated Wang Dou, the remnant Ming would have no one left capable of resisting. His own prestige would soar, and he could smoothly and justifiably return to proclaim himself emperor. Then he would lead the troops west, plundering and sweeping through Xuanfu, Shanxi, and other places, bringing ample grain, wealth, and goods to his own several hundred thousand men.

He descended the vermilion steps and ordered Wang Dehua to fetch a map of the capital's environs, having several young eunuchs spread it open. The commanders gathered around. All manner of analysis showed that dispatching troops was indeed necessary. But that was fine — the capital had been stripped bare. After defeating Wang Dou, they could go to Xuanfu and Shanxi for a grand plunder.

The map before them was still somewhat crude, but the general proportions were correct, and it had detailed place names of the surrounding areas, mountains, rivers, lakes, and so forth. After all, it was the Great Ming's highest-grade military map, infinitely better than any map Li Zicheng and the others had seen before, drawing their repeated clicks of admiration.

Everyone studied the map carefully, also incorporating Liu Zeqing's account. Wang Dou's vanguard had already occupied Changping and would likely have sent men to seize the Chaozong Bridge and Anji Bridge on the route from beyond the pass to the capital. Next was Tangjialing, which Wang Dou's vanguard forces might also send men to occupy and garrison.

As they looked at the map, before the commanders had even sorted out their thoughts, Hu Tiande had already declared decisively, "Great King, our army's first step must be to swiftly occupy Kunming Lake and Wengshan Pond, to provide drinking water for our several hundred thousand troops."

He explained, "Unlike inside the city, where there are wells everywhere, for thirty li north from Deshengmen there are no rivers — only a shallow, narrow water source called the Qing River at Qinghedian. But even that has little water. I once went to look: it is only thirty paces wide, far too little water, nowhere near enough for our five to six hundred thousand troops to drink."

He said, "Therefore, these two lakes must be taken. Our army must also move fast. Otherwise, if Wang Dou's army seizes them, where will our five to six hundred thousand troops, sallying forth for a field battle, go to fetch water to drink and cook with?"

Everyone was alarmed. Indeed, these two lakes were critically important. If the Jingbian Army occupied them, the field army's water would all have to be laboriously carried from the capital dozens of li away. How bitter and toilsome would that be? Even if the nearby villages might have some wells and ponds, they would be utterly insufficient to meet the needs of five to six hundred thousand troops.

Li Zicheng cast another appreciative glance at Hu Tiande. At that moment, Li Guo mused, “So when our grand army moves out, we must seize Kunming Lake and Wengshan Pond. Along this line, Dongsheng Ridge and Qinghe Station must also be taken… Another ten li forward is Tangjia Ridge; it clearly holds strategic advantage and should be occupied as well.”

Hu Tiande felt a jolt in his heart. Just then, a grating voice like fingernails scraping iron sounded — it was Wu Yangbo, Jin Youniu.

He said, “The Marquis of Bo is indeed brilliant, spotting the terrain of Tangjia Ridge at a glance. But I, Da Niu, worry: if the best water sources are seized by our grand army, and the Jingbian Army has no terrain advantage, will they simply refuse to advance, or even retreat back to Changping?”

His face was full of worry: “If that truly happens, should our grand army follow them?”

On his fleshy, scarred face, an expression of concern surfaced, looking rather grotesque.

Li Guo was taken aback, his gaze toward the man somewhat displeased. Liu Fangliang said, “Let us not be too greedy. Our army already has Kunming Lake and Wengshan Pond. Along this line, Dongsheng Ridge, though lower than Tangjia Ridge, is near water — fetching water is convenient. Qinghe Station also has Guangji Bridge, and the official road leads straight to the capital. I, the general, believe we should deploy and encamp there, let the Jingbian Army occupy Tangjia Ridge, then the two armies converge and do battle in the ten-li stretch between these two ridges.”

He was naturally supporting his own senior general, Jin Youniu, and his strategic disposition also won Li Zicheng’s nod. Wu Yangbo Jin Youniu’s worry was his worry as well. If it truly came to that, and the Jingbian Army retreated to the Shahe River, or even back to Changping, would his grand army have to follow?

If they did follow, his grain and fodder supply lines, his water supply lines, would all be stretched far.

As Liu Fangliang said, doing battle in the ten-li stretch between these two ridges was best.

Everyone in the hall also expressed their own views, basically agreeing with Liu Fangliang’s strategy, especially several heavyweight figures such as Liu Zongmin, Yuan Zongdi, Liu Xiyao, and others. They believed Liu Fangliang’s strategy was very sound — one cannot have both fish and bear’s paw; wanting both water and a high mountain was impractical.

Li Yan listened quietly as each general spoke, hearing their excited talk of going to Xuanfu Town to plunder heavily after defeating Wang Dou. He could not help sighing inwardly. They had already occupied the capital, yet still roamed about seizing grain like roving bandits — how could this be the spirit of a new dynasty?

During this, he proposed waiting quietly for a few days, first ascertaining the true strength of the Jingbian Army, or sending more troops to garrison the capital, especially leaving half of the veteran camp troops behind. But he met with opposition from many, such as Hu Tiande saying “divided forces grow weak,” and Jin Youniu saying the Jingbian Army must not be underestimated — when a fierce tiger pounces on a rabbit, it still uses full strength.

And many counts and viscounts of the various battalions said this was a battle for the national destiny of the Great Shun — how could they not pour out the entire nest and exert full strength?

Li Zicheng was also somewhat displeased with Li Yan. In this campaign, he intended to dispel the indolent, comfort-seeking hearts of the various generals, especially those of the veteran camp. Leaving half the veteran camp troops behind would not only weaken the front-line combat power, but the various zhi-generals would probably scramble to stay behind — something he did not wish to see.

There were also the opinions and strategies of the civil officials. Among them, men like Song Qijiao and Zhang Linran naturally had no standing to speak. After Gu Junen offered his plan to strike Shaanxi, he had long since ********. The strategists Li Zicheng relied on most heavily were Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance.

Yet these two were either a spirit medium or a down-and-out, frustrated scholar — adept at cynicism and railing against the world, but when it came to any real insight, they had none, and they lacked the vision to grasp the overall situation. Otherwise, given the importance Li Zicheng placed on them, his historical strategy would not have been so shortsighted.

So Song Xiance rattled off a heap of esoteric divination jargon and let it pass. Niu Jinxing did offer a plan, suggesting they send an envoy to use a glib three-inch tongue to persuade Wang Dou to surrender.

Although Li Zicheng thought the prospect was slim — Wang Dou had rejected his overtures long ago, and now, with the Crown Prince in hand, he had probably been made a duke. What rank could he offer him? Could he make him a prince? He, Li Zicheng, was himself only the Prince of Shun.

If Wang Dou had wanted to surrender, he would have done so long ago. Still, it was worth a try.

At last, the strategy was settled. Li Zicheng looked toward the Marquis of Ci, Liu Fangliang, and said with a solemn expression, “Brother Liu, Wang Dou’s troops have already taken Changping and will soon march south. As just discussed, you are to immediately select elite cavalry from the Left Camp and rush to Qinghe Station, Dongsheng Ridge, and other places thirty li away to set up defenses. In particular, you must first seize Kunming Lake and Wengshan Pond — you absolutely must not let the Jingbian Army take those two lakes. Above all, you must not let them advance south. You are to hold the Qinghe Station line to the death.”

Liu Fangliang accepted the order: “Yes, Heavenly King.”

Inwardly, he was somewhat reluctant to go to battle — how pleasant it was to stay in the capital? But the various analyses just now showed they needed to send troops, and his forces were encamped around Deshengmen and Xizhimen. If they were to march, his troops were indeed the quickest to deploy.

Li Zicheng then said to Liu Xiyao, “Marquis of Huai, you are also to muster your troops at once and be ready at any moment to reinforce the Marquis of Ci.”

He issued his dispositions with composure, as if he had regained his former commanding presence. Liu Xiyao, seeing his stern expression, felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly accepted the order.

Li Zicheng then said to Tian Jianxiu, “Marquis of Ze, you will lead three thousand of your own troops, plus some of the former capital garrison officers and men, and twenty thousand from the outer camp forces, to guard the capital together with Prime Minister Niu and the others. You are responsible for rear logistics, fodder, and supplying the grand army’s provisions.”

Tian Jianxiu hastily accepted the order.

Li Zicheng looked at everyone and said, “All camp officers and generals must also return and muster their troops, and follow me, the Prince, to Qinghe Station tomorrow. You are also to send orders to the outer camp generals under your command — the forces in Tongzhou, in Liangxiang, in Fangshan, in Xianghe, and elsewhere. The grand army is to march out in full, all within a three-day limit. Within three days, all must lead their troops to Qinghe Station. Any officer or general who fails to arrive — all shall be executed!”

The generals felt a chill in their hearts. At this, even Liu Zongmin bowed and acknowledged the order.

Finally, Li Zicheng said coldly, “To prevent a repeat of the Changping tragedy, tomorrow, when we march out, execute all the feudal princes, meritorious nobles and ministers, Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, various imperial in-laws and officials, everyone from Guard Commander and above, and all Embroidered Uniform Guard senior officers in the capital! The wives and daughters of the imperial in-laws shall be distributed to the soldiers.”

“Also, of all officials great and small in the capital, select one in three — and execute them!”

The hall fell deathly silent, a chill sweeping through everyone present.