Chapter 49: Striking First

"Against anyone else, this little one can't be sure, but if it's really Zhang Mazi we're fighting, this little one absolutely dares to guarantee it — I'll make sure that Zhang Mazi never comes back!"

Shao Jiugong, eager to earn merit, rubbed his hands and asked to fight again. Looking at his burning gaze, anyone who didn't know better would think this man was a renowned anti-Qing hero.

Zhou Shixiang smiled and asked him, "How do you plan to fight?"

"How to fight?" Shao Jiugong answered without thinking, blurting out, "Of course we lure him out and use the old trick on him again."

Pfft!

Boss Hu laughed so hard he nearly choked on his own spit. "Zhang Dade's already fallen for your tricks twice — you think he'll fall for it a third time?"

But Shao Jiugong was full of confidence, saying with a self-assured look, "That Zhang Mazi is just a crude brute — he remembers food but not beatings. With other people he might keep an extra eye out, but if he really runs into me, this little one guarantees he'll still fall for it!"

Boss Hu was surprised. "Why?"

"Well, as they say, the Buddha fights for a stick of incense, a man fights for his pride. That Zhang Mazi has lost to me twice in a row — you think he can accept that? If I use the same trick again, this little one is certain he'll fall for it once more, because he won't believe in such bad luck!"

A fine phrase — "won't believe in such bad luck." Yet the things of this world just happen to be that perverse!

Shao Jiugong was going to dig Zhang Dade's grave for good. They say where you fall is where you pick yourself up — but for Zhang Dade, it was more like where he fell, he just... couldn't get back up...

Zhou Shixiang had already inwardly accepted Shao Jiugong's plan. Though it sounded absurd, on careful thought it was indeed the method best suited to the Taiping Camp's present situation.

The Taiping Camp had just been formed and was far too weak — since they couldn't take it by force, they could only take it by wit.

But there was one thorny problem. Zhou Shixiang asked Shao Jiugong, "We have no intention of storming Deqing city by force. If Zhang Dade holes up inside and refuses to come out, what can you do to lure him out?"

"That's what this little one is for! Just let me take some men and stand in front of Zhang Dade — he'll have to come out whether he wants to or not!"

Shao Jiugong firmly believed Zhang Dade would swallow the bait that was himself. He also said Zhang Dade might not know he had gone over to the Ming, so he could take men disguised as Qing troops and strike Zhang Dade a surprise blow.

But Zhou Shixiang rejected that proposal, telling Shao Jiugong to go back and recover from his wounds first, and that he would be notified whether he would fight after the council of war reached a decision.

After all that talk with no definite answer, Shao Jiugong felt somewhat embarrassed. He was carried back out in a leisurely manner, mulling over on the way whether his performance just now had been a bit too much, or where he hadn't done quite enough — otherwise why wouldn't they use him?

"Brother Hu, do you think this plan is workable?"

Although Boss Hu had appointed him commander of the vanguard camp, giving him authority to decide all matters of engaging the Qing army, Zhou Shixiang still wanted to ask his opinion first.

That way, it not only showed respect, but also avoided any suspicion of sidelining Boss Hu as the Regional Commander. Before the situation opened up, Zhou Shixiang had to ensure internal unity, lest external threats remained unresolved while internal rifts arose instead.

"Brother Zhou thinks it's workable?" Boss Hu neither agreed nor disagreed.

Zhou Shixiang nodded slightly. "I think we can give it a try."

Boss Hu asked him in return, "What if Zhang Dade refuses to come out?"

Zhou Shixiang smiled. "Then that would be even better."

"Oh?" Boss Hu was somewhat puzzled.

Zhou Shixiang explained to him: if the Qing troops in Deqing stayed put, that would undoubtedly be the best situation. The Taiping Camp wouldn't have to worry about the Qing army attacking, and would have enough time to consolidate Luoding's manpower, money, and grain resources.

Conversely, if the Deqing Qing troops mobilized, the Taiping Camp would have to set aside its current work and concentrate all its strength against the Qing army — otherwise morale would waver, and the newly founded Taiping Camp would scatter like smoke.

In the end, Zhou Shixiang said: rather than worry about the Deqing Qing troops striking at any moment, better to seize the initiative and strike first. Let us go attack them.

That would also reassure the Luoding residents who had joined the Taiping Camp, sparing them from worrying about this and that.

"You're the vanguard commander. Since you want to fight, I naturally won't stand in your way. How about this: have Mister Song stay behind with his squad, and all the other squads will go with you into battle."

Boss Hu was resolute and decisive, not the least bit hesitant. He touched the saber at his waist with his one arm. "I'll go with you to meet this Zhang Mazi!"

That evening, Boss Hu summoned all the squad leaders for a council of war on Zhou Shixiang's proposal to strike first. This was also at Zhou Shixiang's request — ostensibly to pool wisdom, but in substance to make these men understand why they had to fight.

Only by knowing why they fought could they give it their all.

Song Xianggong spoke first.

"Striking first isn't out of the question — always worrying about the Deqing Tartars attacking isn't much of a way to live.

But we've only recruited a bit over three hundred new soldiers, none of whom have ever seen a battlefield, while the Deqing Green Standard has five hundred men. This fight won't be easy."

Zhou Shixiang said, "We're not going to fight them head-on — we'll win by wit." He then told everyone the plan Shao Jiugong had described. They all found it amusing, but agreed the plan could very well trick Zhang Mazi one more time.

Zhao Sihai, however, was worried.

"Then how many men do we take?

If we all go fight the Deqing Green Standard, what about the city? Didn't Brother Zhou say those wealthy households can't be trusted?

What if they take advantage of our leaving the city to stir up the commoners who refused to join us and turn them against us?"

Zhou Shixiang said, "Brother Hu's idea is for Mister Song to stay in the city and manage things. Brother Sihai, your squad will also stay behind to keep an eye on those people. If there's any sign of trouble, kill them."

At these words, Zhao Sihai raised an eyebrow. "Then we might as well kill them now and be done with it!"

Zhou Shixiang flatly rejected this. "Not now. The commoners aren't yet of one heart with us. If we act now, the new soldiers won't obey us. Only when these soldiers are truly of one heart with us can we make them willing to do things."

Song Xianggong chimed in as well.

"Brother Zhou is right.

Besides, Qi Yuantai and the others won't act rashly. If they really wanted to rebel against us, they'd have done it long ago — why wait until now?

In my view, they're just watching which way the wind blows. If the Deqing Green Standard beats us, they certainly won't listen to us anymore.

Otherwise, if the Tartars enter the city, do you think they'd fare well?"

"If we want the commoners to be truly of one heart with us, we absolutely must defeat the Deqing Green Standard.

Only then will the people trust us and be willing to follow us, instead of worrying that the moment the Qing army arrives we'll run off and leave them to be ravaged by the Qing troops.

By the same logic, if we win, dealing with those wealthy households and the residents who refused to join us afterward will be much easier. And the new soldiers who fought the Deqing Green Standard with us won't be able to refuse to obey us then, even if they wanted to!"

"Anyone got anything else to say? If not, we march on Deqing first thing tomorrow morning!"

Boss Hu swept his gaze over the squad leaders. They all voiced their assent, so he told them to go back and prepare, and to set out early the next morning.