Chapter 275: An Bangyan Has Rebelled

When a man is poor, his ambition is short; when a horse is thin, its hair grows long. Even for the Emperor, days without money are hard to get by.

So this time, Zhu Youxiao planned to pull off something big — to make a good haul during the winter before the new year.

Xu Guangqi looked at Zhu Youxiao's resolute attitude and felt truly helpless. He could only say, "Then we shall do as Your Majesty commands. Your servant will return and arrange the itinerary, and will send it to the palace when it is ready."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said with a smile, "Then go make the arrangements."

Xu Guangqi and Li Biao took their leave.

They had arrived full of vigor and high spirits, and though they did not leave with their heads hanging, neither did they walk out with the same proud bearing they had shown upon arriving.

To this, Zhu Youxiao simply turned a blind eye.

After Xu Guangqi and the others had gone, Zhu Youxiao also rose to his feet. He was going to tell the Empress the good news:

I am going to take you out of the palace.

The Emperor in the capital was planning how to make money. Out in the southwest, people were nervously preparing for battle.

Just as dawn was breaking, Sun Chuanting rose.

This time he was not wearing the robes of a civil official, but had donned armor instead.

This suit of black armor was something Sun Chuanting had wheedled out of Qi Yuangong through persistent pestering. With marching and fighting ahead on the road, wearing armor would be more convenient.

After a simple wash-up and breakfast, the army set out from Zunyi.

The man accompanying Sun Chuanting and the others this time was called Zhao Wuji, a subordinate of Zhang Yanfang.

Zhao Wuji was the Vice Regional Commander of Guizhou, commanding five thousand troops. To be honest, he had no confidence in his heart, and truly did not want to go. But there was no helping it — orders came from above, and disobeying was not an option.

Sun Chuanting looked at Zhao Wuji as he walked up before him, sizing him up from head to toe.

In his forties, with a face full of thick beard and a large bulbous red nose that looked rather comical. He was not very tall, but appeared fairly stout and sturdy.

At this moment, Qi Yuangong also walked over and came before Sun Chuanting, saying, "Lord Sun, how should we proceed? Fight our way through all the way, or—?"

For Qi Yuangong, he was not worried in the least. Even if they had to fight their way through, he was not afraid.

There were no major cities along this route; before reaching Chongqing, Zunyi counted as a major city. Pushing straight through on their side held no suspense.

Even if the enemy had gathered tens of thousands of men, Qi Yuangong was confident of winning in a single battle.

The rebels might seem formidable, but whether in troop training or equipment, they were far inferior to the Tiger Roar Battalion.

The rebels' bows and arrows were crude — they could not even pierce their own side's heavy-armored infantry; their killing power against the musket square formation was also much reduced.

With the heavy-armored infantry guarding them, the attacking power of the musket square formation was greatly unleashed. Although the armor of the musket square was not as thick as that of the heavy-armored infantry, nor its defensive power as high, it was still quite formidable.

In fact, the musket infantry could have gone without armor entirely, which would have made them more agile. Because of this matter, Qi Yuangong had once asked Qi Jin why they should wear iron armor rather than the lighter leather armor.

Qi Jin's explanation was: it was not actually a question of defense or agility, but a question of psychology. The most important thing for the musket square was maintaining an orderly formation without falling into chaos.

If the enemy wanted to charge forward for close combat, whether against the heavy-armored infantry or the musket square's firepower, they would need to invest a massive amount of manpower to reach the front — without losing a great many men, they simply could not break through.

To inflict casualties on the musket infantry, the best method was arrows.

If the musket infantry wore only crude leather armor, the enemy's arrows could inflict heavy losses on the musket square. Under such circumstances, it would place tremendous psychological pressure on the musket infantry themselves.

Once casualties reached a certain level, the musket formation would fall into disorder. At the same time, the enemy's arrows flying over would also make the musket infantry lose their nerve — they would be afraid. Even with rigorous training, it was hard to face a rain of arrows without changing expression.

But wearing iron armor was different — the protection was much higher. Even if struck by an arrow, it would not cause too much harm. This put the musket infantry's minds at ease considerably, because they knew the iron armor would protect them. In this way, psychological pressure could be better alleviated, allowing them to focus their minds on loading and firing.

Qi Yuangong remembered what his old father had said — that this was what His Majesty had said, and that His Majesty had once declared, "People are important. In war, you cannot fill casualties with human lives. Equipment is lifeless — it is merely a matter of spending some money."

"Only by placing such importance on the soldiers can you earn their loyalty. If you simply use them as cannon fodder, once a large-scale war breaks out and soldier casualties reach a certain level, the morale of the entire army will plummet. So wearing iron armor is the better choice."

Qi Yuangong had not felt it before, but after this battle he could sense it.

The rebels' arrows were crude — if the musket infantry wore leather armor, they could indeed pierce through; but once wearing iron armor, with helmets on their heads, they were basically hard to pierce, since at long range the arrows could only be loosed in arcs.

With no fear of being shot dead by arrows, the musket infantry could bring out even greater combat power.

At the same time, Qi Yuangong had also thoroughly probed the enemy's capabilities, which was why he proposed pushing straight through. With heavy-armored infantry and musketeers, sweeping everything flat presented no great difficulty.

Sun Chuanting glanced at Qi Yuangong, agreeing with his reasoning. But there was one point Sun Chuanting had also considered: after the rebels had ravaged the area for so long, the occupied territories were probably already in chaos. If he pushed straight through, unless someone followed behind to hold the ground...

After he took a place, someone had to garrison it and pacify the people; otherwise it would only become more chaotic. In that case, taking it would be taking it for nothing.

Since his mission was to launch a surprise attack on Chongqing, he needed to achieve the effect of a surprise attack. As for these towns, he could simply leave them to His Excellency the Governor-General.

Along the way here, Sun Chuanting had learned a great deal from Yuan Keli. Sun Chuanting also understood why His Majesty had sent him here.

First, to familiarize himself with the situation; second, to experience war firsthand so he could grow quickly; and third, to learn from Yuan Keli.

Indeed, Yuan Keli had taught Sun Chuanting quite a lot.

Sun Chuanting knew well Yuan Keli's abilities. Under such circumstances, he had great confidence in His Excellency the Governor-General.

An Bangyan was nothing more than that — he could not possibly be a match for Yuan Keli. He would be swiftly destroyed by His Excellency the Governor-General. By that time, His Excellency the Governor-General would lead the army straight toward Sichuan.

By the time he had eliminated She Chongming, His Excellency the Governor-General would probably have caught up, and recovering these towns would be a matter of moments.

Sun Chuanting said to Qi Yuangong, "We go around them."

"Any town we can bypass, we bypass directly; if we cannot bypass one, we attack and take it, but we do not linger — we leave immediately. What we must do is reach Chongqing, lift the siege of Chongqing, and at the same time destroy She Chongming."

"Yes, my lord. Your subordinate will go make the arrangements at once." Qi Yuangong promptly acknowledged.

In the city of Zunyi.

Watching the army depart, Yuan Keli kept his eyes on them until they vanished at the horizon before slowly turning back around.

Yuan Keli was still uneasy at heart, afraid something might go wrong. But he also knew that at this point there was no other way.

Glancing at Li Biao and Zhang Yanfang beside him, Yuan Keli said directly, "The army has already set out. We must move quickly as well. Has the letter to An Bangyan been sent?"

"Reporting to His Excellency the Governor-General, it has already been sent." Li Biao promptly replied.

Yuan Keli nodded and said, "Then gather the troops — we set out as well."

Zhang Yanfang on the side was startled and asked, "My lord, where are we going? Are we not waiting here for An Bangyan?"

"Wait for him?" Yuan Keli glanced at Zhang Yanfang and said with a smile, "We are not waiting for him here. We are going to receive him. For me to personally go receive him, his face certainly counts for quite a lot."

With that, Yuan Keli smiled and walked down from the city wall, clearly in a very good mood.

Li Biao glanced at Zhang Yanfang, and seeing that he still wore a puzzled expression, said with some helplessness, "If An Bangyan rebels, he may not necessarily come to Zunyi — he might raise his troops directly. If we wait here and he rebels outright, what then?"

"If An Bangyan chooses to come to Zunyi, we'll catch him like a turtle in a jar; if he doesn't come to Zunyi, by the time we rush over there, it may already be too late. So it's better that we go to him first."

"If he brings his men marching toward Zunyi, we can intercept and kill him halfway; if he rebels outright, we can also suppress the rebellion on the spot. This is a move that serves two purposes, which is why His Excellency the Governor said we shouldn't wait—we need to go find An Bangyan, or rather, go receive him."

After hearing Li Biao's words, Zhang Yanfang finally understood, then nodded and said: "So that's how it is."

"Enough, if you can't figure it out, don't bother mulling over these matters. Just obediently follow orders." Li Biao looked at Zhang Yanfang and said: "If you perform well this time, His Excellency the Governor may well put you in an important position."

"Although I am the Governor of Guizhou, I have no connections at court. I hear there have been great changes in the capital, and I can't speak up for you there either."

"But His Excellency the Governor is different—he is said to enjoy the deep trust of His Majesty, and he is on very close terms with Grand Secretary Sun Chengzong of the Grand Secretariat."

"Grand Secretary Sun Chengzong of the Grand Secretariat is His Majesty's teacher. If you can earn His Excellency the Governor's regard, you should be able to leave this place as well."

After saying this, Li Biao patted Zhang Yanfang on the shoulder, then also walked down toward the foot of the city wall.

Watching Li Biao's retreating figure, Zhang Yanfang hastily bowed and said: "This humble officer thanks Your Excellency."

After leaving some troops in Zunyi city, Yuan Keli led his men out to meet An Bangyan.

Along the way, drawing troops from other places, Yuan Keli gathered thirty thousand men.

Even with thirty thousand troops, Li Biao was still uneasy.

Walking together at the front of the column, Li Biao said worriedly: "Your Excellency, isn't thirty thousand men a bit few? An Bangyan has no shortage of men under his command—we're somewhat outnumbered!"

Yuan Keli looked at Li Biao and said with some helplessness: "How many years has it been since you last fought a battle?"

Li Biao felt somewhat embarrassed—what did he mean, how many years since he'd fought?

Ever since he became an official, he had never led troops into battle. This was his first time, so he had no confidence in his heart at all.

"Enough, no need to worry. An Bangyan is nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs." Yuan Keli said with a smile.

After saying this, Yuan Keli said nothing more, because he knew that no matter what he said, Li Biao's heart would still lack confidence—it simply lacked confidence. Persuasion was useless; only fighting a battle would have any effect.

If Qi Yuangong were kept by his side right now, Li Biao would probably have confidence.

Confidence in victory is forged through battle, not spoken into existence. So after fighting a couple of engagements, Li Biao would naturally be fine.

Yuan Keli also believed there would soon be fighting to be had.

Yuan Keli had great faith in Sun Chuanting's judgment.

While the main army was rushing toward An Bangyan's territory, An Bangyan had in fact already made his move.

An Bangyan led his twenty thousand men to the outskirts of Bijie city.

Looking at the Bijie city before him, An Bangyan's eyes were filled entirely with excitement.

As long as he took Bijie, he could order the surrounding chieftains to rise up with him and march out to seize the other counties and prefectures of Guizhou.

Then he would strike straight at Guiyang, while cutting off the connection between Guizhou and Sichuan—he would be the true King of Guizhou.

He had even already thought of a name for himself: the Great King of Luodian.

He had heard that She Chongming had already proclaimed himself the Great King of Liang. As the Great King of Luodian himself, he naturally could not be inferior to She Chongming.

Once he had occupied all of Guizhou, he could break through Chenzhou and Changde, descend on Jingzhou, and reach the Central Plains directly.

At that time, he could go see Nanjing of the Great Ming—it was said to be extremely prosperous there.

As for the Great Ming's armies, An Bangyan simply didn't put them in his eyes. The troops here in Guizhou—he had seen them before, and they were nothing special.

So An Bangyan was very confident that this battle would surely be won.

An Bangyan glanced at the men behind him, then looked at his subordinates beside him, and said directly: "Take Bijie, proclaim kingship over Guizhou!"

Hearing these eight words, the men behind him also had excited expressions on their faces.

Ever since She Chongming had rebelled, their hearts had grown restless. If She Chongming could do it, then naturally so could they.

Now that the time to act had finally come, they were naturally stirred up. Everyone looked at An Bangyan with burning gazes, waiting for him to give the order.

An Bangyan did not hesitate either, and said directly: "Attack the city!"

At his words, his subordinates carried scaling ladders, brandished their swords and blades, and charged shouting toward Bijie city.

Meanwhile, inside Bijie city.

Bijie Guard Commander Zhang Cheng pressed his hand on the saber at his waist, his face gloomy as he watched the scene below the walls.

An Bangyan had rebelled!

Though Zhang Cheng could hardly believe it in his heart, he also knew that this battle could not be avoided.

Bijie Guard was originally the Qixing Pass Defense Station. The Bijie Rectification Circuit Intendant was established here, with the Vice Commissioner of the Guizhou Provincial Surveillance Commission stationed at Bijie. It administered four guards: Wusa, Bijie, Chishui, and Yongning. Though its establishment was not low, it had very few men.

The four guards of Bijie had only a little over eight thousand men in total. The entire Bijie Guard itself had only a little over three thousand. So Zhang Cheng's heart had no confidence at all.

Beside Zhang Cheng, Zhang Zhongmou, the Vice Commissioner of the Guizhou Provincial Surveillance Commission, wore an equally grim expression. He glanced at Zhang Cheng beside him and asked: "Can we hold it?"

In Zhang Zhongmou's view, a counterattack was out of the question, and victory was impossible either.