Chapter 177: 175 Plunder

The Regional Commander's headquarters.

Zhao Han, Pang Chunlai, and Li Banghua held a three-man conference.

Zhao Han handed the secret letter sent by Fei Yinghuan to Li Banghua and said, "The righteous army at Ruijin is gone — only a few hundred men remain, fled into the great mountains on the Fujian-Jiangxi border. The Fujian Governor, Shen Youlong, has led over sixteen thousand troops and already shifted his garrison to Ganzhou."

Pang Chunlai's eyesight was poor, so Li Banghua simply read the secret letter aloud.

As he read, Li Banghua grew more and more alarmed, for the letter was written in extraordinary detail. It listed not only the government troops' firearms numbers, but also how certain officers nursed grudges — they themselves or their trusted men had been punished by the Governor.

The letter further stated that Zou Weilian was currently laying in provisions and fodder, and that once spring arrived the following year, he would certainly attack Wan'an, Longquan, and Taihe counties. After seizing those three counties, he would then move to confront Zhao Han and coordinate with the Jiangxi Governor to strike from both north and south.

The letter also said that Guangdong and Guangxi were ablaze with uprisings on all sides, and the Governor-General of Liangguang was temporarily unable to enter Jiangxi. They should seize this chance to defeat one of the government armies first. Otherwise, once the troops of three provinces combined, their strength would reach fifty thousand men.

Li Banghua said in astonishment, "Regional Commander, who wrote this?"

Zhao Han smiled mysteriously. "Among the enemy forces, a certain high official is my inside agent. This must not be spread abroad for now, lest word of the agent leak."

"Naturally." Li Banghua asked no further.

Pang Chunlai spoke up. "We must decide — do we wait until next year to march, or do we march now? Do we strike north first, or south first? Whichever we choose, our army must seize the initiative, or we risk being caught between north and south."

Zhao Han said, "It's not just a pincer from north and south. The Guangxin Prefect, Zhang Yinggao, has already trained five thousand local militia. As long as Li Maofang isn't a fool, he'll order the Guangxin troops to cross prefectural borders and suppress the Fuzhou rebels — wipe out the Mi Mi sect bandits in Nanfeng County there. That timing should also be next spring. Once the Fuzhou sect bandits are exterminated, Zhang Yinggao can advance from Fuzhou and drive straight into Jishui county town from the east."

"Ah, by then it will be a three-sided pincer — south, north, and east — with the government armies totaling around forty thousand men," Li Banghua sighed.

Pang Chunlai proposed, "In my view, we should advance by both water and land and strike first at the Fujian outside troops in Ganzhou."

Li Banghua agreed. "Yes, strike the Fujian outside troops first. This secret letter from the inside agent says the Fujian army's officers and men have no will to fight. We can first spread rumors that Zou Weilian, to protect the people of Jiangxi and fearing unstable morale, plans to dismiss and replace all Fujian-born military officers. Also…" A somewhat dark expression crossed Li Banghua's face. "We 'invite' Zou Weilian's elderly mother and clansmen to Ji'an, forge letters and send them to Ganzhou, and claim the entire Zou clan has rebelled. The Fujian Regional Commander, Chen Tingdui, will inevitably become estranged from Zou Weilian, commander and subordinate at odds!"

The Fujian Regional Commander, Chen Tingdui, had risen from military Zhuangyuan. The Chongzhen Emperor had substantively appointed him Guangdong Vice Regional Commander, then promoted him to Fujian Regional Commander.

This man was utterly loyal to Chongzhen. If he heard that the Zou clansmen had joined the rebels, and on top of that Zou Weilian was suppressing Fujian military officers, he might well do something outrageous.

"Good. First, invite Zou Weilian's clansmen here!" Zhao Han expressed satisfaction with this stratagem.

The eighth year of Chongzhen, eleventh month.

Jiang Liang led five hundred soldiers, swaggering out from Xinyu County. In three days they reached Shanggao County.

The Shanggao County Magistrate was terrified. He had long since recruited over a thousand troops, but now he dared not sally forth to fight the enemy — he only dared hold the city with his soldiers and send word to Nanchang for help.

Jiang Liang, however, seized boats at the county wharf, crossed the river by boat, and headed straight for Xinchang County (Yifeng).

The Shanggao County Magistrate was left utterly baffled. Suspecting the rebels had only pretended to leave, intending to double back and strike, he simply had every city gate sealed shut.

After crossing the river, Jiang Liang abandoned the boats. All along the way he "borrowed grain" from landlords, then swaggered right up to Xinchang county town.

Xinchang County had only a few hundred local militia garrisoned. Its magistrate was likewise scared out of his wits, assuming neighboring Shanggao County had already fallen to the rebels. But then he saw Jiang Liang lead his troops into the great mountains — a move even more baffling, and the Xinchang magistrate was left utterly bewildered.

Ah, that Fujian Governor, Zou Weilian — he truly came from bitter poverty. His old home was actually deep in the great mountains.

Though there was a relatively level road out of the mountains, it was a full forty li from the county seat. In Zou Weilian's childhood, a widowed mother and orphaned son had lived by cutting firewood. A single trip into town to sell a load of firewood meant an eighty-li round journey.

His late father must have left them a mule or the like; otherwise, hauling firewood by human strength alone, mother and son would have starved to death long ago.

Arriving at Longgang Village, they asked for Zou Weilian's residence, and Jiang Liang immediately led his troops to seize it.

The target was, in truth, easy to find. The Zou family had a towering jinshi memorial archway, and their residence was built on a relatively grand scale. The once-penniless widow and orphan had now built a large mansion. Old Madam Zou was attended by maidservants, with several grandchildren delighting her at her knee.

"Old Madam, you'll be coming with us for a journey," Jiang Liang said with a smile.

Old Madam Zou faced danger without fear. "Are you rebels?" she asked.

"Yes," Jiang Liang threatened with perfect courtesy. "I act on orders, to escort the Old Madam and her entire household to Ji'an Prefecture. If the Old Madam takes her own life, then we will have no choice but to exterminate the Zou clan. When you leave, you may bring some silver, but not too many belongings — after all, we have a long march ahead."

Old Madam Zou sighed. "Ah, allow me to make arrangements."

Old Madam Zou brought out the title deeds and bondservant contracts. She gave the farmland to her tenant farmers and household slaves, and also gifted some to neighbors and clan relatives. The whole process took three days. Jiang Liang waited with full patience, then took Zou Weilian's entire household away.

This included Zou Weilian's two sons and one daughter — the eldest was only sixteen.

On the return journey, Old Madam Zou observed that the rebels did not loot indiscriminately. Even when they "borrowed grain" from landlords, each man took only a few jin. She could not help saying to Jiang Liang, "This general — this old woman sees you are also a man of good conscience, not of the same breed as common wicked bandits. Why not submit to the authorities and serve your sovereign and the court?"

Jiang Liang laughed. "It seems the Old Madam has lived too long in comfort and no longer knows the bitter hardships of the poor. The Emperor is fatuous, the officials are unjust — we poor folk cannot survive, and that is why we rose in revolt to seek a living."

Old Madam Zou still tried to persuade him toward virtue. She said, "Over thirty years ago, my husband passed away, leaving only a widow and an orphan. Our dozen-odd mu of meager fields were seized by clan relatives. All that remained were two mules — no, one mule. I took my unworthy son into the mountains to cut firewood. When we grew weary, I taught him to read, taught him to practice writing characters with twigs. One mule-load of firewood, hauled from the mountains to the county town and back, took a day and a night. On the road I had him recite his lessons. No matter the hardship or toil, as long as one is willing to work, one can always rise above."

Jiang Liang could not suppress a cold sneer. "And what if your son had not passed the juren or jinshi examinations back then? How many men under heaven ever get to become officials?"

Old Madam Zou said, "Even without becoming an official, one can pursue other livelihoods. So long as one treats others with kindness, conducts oneself uprightly, and works steadfastly and diligently, there will always be a day when one rises above."

Jiang Liang could hold back no longer. He halted and roared, "My father toiled at farming — and starved to death! My mother fell ill, we had no money for medicine, and she lay in bed waiting to die! If I hadn't rebelled, sooner or later I'd have met the same end as my parents!"

"Ah, we are all people of bitter fate," Old Madam Zou could only sigh.

……

While Zhao Han sent men to seize Zou Weilian's family, the Jiangxi Regional Commander, Yang Jiamo, also began to make his move.

That fellow brought several hundred household retainers, plus a few hundred garrison troops left behind by Li Ruolian, and traveled by boat all the way to the borders of Qingjiang County.

He had not brought the warhorses — those things were nothing but a burden.

By the riverbank, a six-year-old buffalo herd boy suddenly turned and fled, ox in tow. Midway he encountered villagers and shouted, "Government troops are coming! Government troops are coming!"

Before long, the village-stationed officer responsible for training peasant soldiers was beating an iron pot and running, shouting, "Muster the troops! Muster the troops!"

The village chief and peasant association cadres also frantically organized the villagers to evacuate. "Don't delay — take a few jin of grain and go! Don't let the government troops take your lives!"

How could the peasants bear to leave things behind?

Never mind carrying grain away — they wanted to take even their pots, pans, bowls, and ladles, greatly slowing the evacuation.

Before long, Yang Jiamo led his troops into the village, bellowing, "These are all rebel followers — leave neither fowl nor dog alive!"

Several peasants fleeing with all their household belongings were overtaken by the soldiers and cut down on the spot. Their heads were taken — they all counted as rebel heads, to be reported for reward and merit.

Immediately after, Yang Jiamo did not pursue the other villagers. Instead, he headed straight for the nearby landlord's great mansion.

"Boom!"

The compound's main gate was smashed open. An elderly gentry came forward to greet them obsequiously, hands clasped. "Honored officers, you have come at last. My family are truly law-abiding subjects — we never joined the rebels, yet that rebel Zhao seized and divided our fields. Several thousand mu of good land, all divided up clean. With only a few mu left, how is one to survive… Ah!"

Yang Jiamo cut the gentry down with one stroke of his blade and gave the order: "This county has been stolen and occupied by the rebel Zhao — every person here is a rebel. Kill the men, kill the old. Take the young women and the girls back with us!"

What was the point of robbing common folk? Robbing the wealthy houses brought real gain!

What was more, this was rebel-held territory. Even if they slaughtered and plundered every wealthy household, they could pin the atrocities on the rebels.

That bastard Governor and Provincial Administration Commissioner fobbed Yang Jiamo off like a beggar. The Jiangxi Regional Military Commission was just as worthless — whatever he asked for, they had nothing. To keep his troops fed, Yang Jiamo had no choice but to plunder the common people.

Not only could they seize grain and money, they could even murder innocents and pass them off as battle trophies!

Yang Jiamo's household retainers did the killing, while those few hundred guard-station soldiers were responsible for hauling the loot back to the boats. In half a day, they took over a hundred heads and plundered incalculable coin and grain.

"Run, the rebels are coming!" The guard-station soldiers who were moving the goods dropped everything in terror and fled.

The man directing the guard-station troops was a local Battalion Commander. He ran up to Yang Jiamo: "Commander Yang, these bandits are fierce. It would be best to return to Nanchang as soon as possible."

Yang Jiamo pointed into the distance and laughed scornfully. "You call those soldiers? Just a bunch of peasants. Call your men back — every last bit of loot gets loaded onto the boats. Now watch how I smash these rebels!"

Yang Jiamo's several hundred household retainers were all battle-hardened elites who had been fighting roving bandits for years.

Though they had not brought their warhorses, every man wore iron armor.

Chain mail underneath, with a cotton brigandine studded with iron wire and plates on top — proof against blades and swords, and even able to stop arrows.

Yet what they faced now were peasant soldiers from the nearby villages and towns.

This was territory Zhao Han had only recently seized. The peasant soldiers had trained for just two months, many still lacking proper weapons, fighting with kitchen cleavers and bamboo spears.

From all the surrounding villages, the peasant soldiers had gathered.

Hu Dinggui, only fifteen years old, was now a peasant soldier squad leader. In his hands he held a standard-issue government long spear picked up from the battlefield.

"Halt!"

The temporary commander of these peasant soldiers was a regular squad leader who had been assigned to the village to train troops. He passed the word: "Don't advance rashly — pin the enemy down. Battalion Commander Gu and Company Commander Li will be here by boat any moment!"

(End of Chapter)