Chapter 242: 240 — Troops Across Provincial Borders (For Silver Alliance Patron

Last year, Jiangxi was hit by floods and droughts one after another. If the officials and gentry had squeezed the people any further, the history books would have recorded the single word "famine."

The second year, in particular, can be even more brutal than the disaster year of "famine."

But under Zhao Han's rule, in the eleventh year of Chongzhen, Jiangxi — except for a few areas in the north — brought in a bumper summer harvest!

The common folk rejoiced, a scene of universal celebration.

While mobilizing troops and provisions, Zhao Han tossed a piece of intelligence to Zhang Bingwen: "Your wife's younger brother has become Governor of Huguang."

Zhang Bingwen finished reading and laughed. "No matter. He won't have time to bother with southern Huguang."

Huguang now has three governors: Governor of Huguang Fang Kongzhao, who is Zhang Bingwen's brother-in-law; Governor of Yunyang Dai Dongmin, tasked specifically with suppressing the roving bandits; and Governor of Southern Huguang Wang Zhiliang, tasked specifically with dealing with Zhao Han.

Fang Kongzhao has just taken office. The previous governor was called Yu Yinggui, who is now sitting in a Beijing jail.

Yu Yinggui is a Jiangxi man, and his kinsmen have already submitted to Zhao Han. But the court charged him not because his clansmen turned bandit, but because he undermined Xiong Wencan's "grand pacification strategy." Yang Sichang impeached him, and he lost his post and was thrown in prison.

Every one of these frontline governors thought Xiong Wencan was a goddamn idiot!

Governor of Yunyang Dai Dongmin, for instance, resolutely opposed the pacification policy. He held that small bands of bandits could be pacified, but large bands had to be crushed by force — unless they agreed to disband their forces after accepting amnesty. Dai Dongmin directed scores of campaigns; it was he who beat Zhang Xianzhong so badly that Zhang was forced to surrender.

"This Wang Zhiliang — just what kind of sage is he?" Zhao Han asked.

Governor of Southern Huguang Wang Zhiliang was Zhao Han's principal enemy.

Li Banghua thought hard, and a vague recollection surfaced. "When I was Minister of War, this man was a Secretariat Drafter in the Grand Secretariat. The Emperor held discussions in the Hall of Literary Splendor, and I saw this Wang Zhiliang a few times. I heard his poetic talent is superb. Whether he can fight, I do not know."

"A Shaanxi man — he'll know something of military matters," Zhang Bingwen added.

Wang Zhiliang is not well known historically, but his son Wang Hongzhuan is hugely famous, a master of the School of Principle, historiography, the study of the Changes, poetry, epigraphy, painting, and calligraphy. Wang Hongzhuan adamantly refused the Kangxi Emperor's summons and went into seclusion on Mount Hua; Gu Yanwu called him "the leader of the Guanzhong scholarly circle."

They researched and researched but could find no further information on the man. In that case, just attack!

…

The eleventh year of Chongzhen, early in the sixth month.

The Great Unity Army set out in four columns.

The Northern Route:

Gu Jianshan as commander, leading the naval forces to cruise the Yangtze. Li Hui as Assistant Regional Commander, leading naval forces to cruise the Xin River. The main objective: guard against an official invasion from the Southern Metropolitan Region or Zhejiang.

The Western Route (Upper):

Huang Yao as commander, attacking Liling from Pingxiang. Li Zheng as Assistant Regional Commander, attacking Liuyang from Wanzai.

The Western Route (Lower):

Zhang Tieniu as commander, leading two thousand rattan-armored troops across the mountains to take Ling County directly. Liu Zhu as Assistant Regional Commander, attacking Chaling from Yongxin.

The Southern Route:

Fei Ruhe as commander, attacking Longchuan from Changning. Jiang Dashan as Assistant Regional Commander, attacking Heping from Dingnan.

In truth, the best way to invade Guangdong from Jiangxi is to follow the ancient Meiling Pass road south. But the Governor-General of Liangguang, Shen Youlong, had already put down the Guangxi uprisings and garrisoned troops at Nanxiong in defense; forcing a breakthrough was nearly impossible.

…

Because they carried no baggage train and brought no support troops, Zhang Tieniu's line of march was the most difficult — yet he set out early and was the first to reach the battlefield.

In the incessant warfare between the late Ming and early Qing, Ling County, once home to nearly a hundred thousand people, was slaughtered by the Qing army until only a little over five thousand remained. That was why, during the Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns, many Hakka people migrated there.

At this time, although Ling County belonged to Huguang, the majority of its inhabitants were of Jiangxi origin, and the local speech was simply the Jiangxi dialect.

When Zhang Tieniu, traveling by night and hiding by day, rushed to Xiayang Town outside the county seat, his two thousand rattan-armored troops had already gone a full day without food. Unfortunately, the surprise attack on the county seat failed: the bandits in the city spotted the rattan-armored troops from afar and, terrified, hurriedly shut the city gates.

They could only fall back to Xiayang Town. They did not seize food, but split their forces to guard both ends of the town, weapons in hand, observing the surroundings.

The dozen or so army propaganda officers were also all wearing rattan armor.

Seeing the whole town already desolate, every household's door tightly shut, the propaganda officers struck small gongs and shouted along the streets: "Fellow countrymen of Ling County, we are the troops of Heavenly King Zhao, come specially to kill the bandits of Ling County. Do not be afraid. If we meant to rob you, shutting your doors would be useless. We do not want your grain, we do not want your money. Whoever has a ladder, lend it to us. Carpenters in town, please come out too — we will pay carpenters to make siege ladders!"

After a quarter hour of such shouting, the townspeople finally believed them.

Because when other bandits came to Xiayang Town, they smashed down doors with force, stole grain and money, and even carried off beautiful women. But these rattan-armored troops before them were extremely orderly; one look told they were different from bandits.

A shopkeeper opened his door and bowed with clasped hands. "Greetings, generals!"

The propaganda officer returned the salute with clasped hands. "May I ask my fellow countryman's honorable surname and given name?"

"No need for 'honorable.' My surname is Liu, given name Ansheng," the shopkeeper said. "Gentlemen, do you intend to attack the county seat?"

"So it is Shopkeeper Liu," the propaganda officer said. "Yes, we have come to borrow ladders — twenty will suffice. We are all troops of Heavenly King Zhao. We do not rob the common people; we fight only bandits."

Shopkeeper Liu immediately shouted: "Everyone come out! These are the good soldiers of Heavenly King Zhao!"

The townspeople opened their doors one after another, then surrounded the propaganda officers and knelt all over the ground, wailing hoarsely: "Generals, save us! Those bandits are not human — they come to rob us every ten days or half a month. This life is unlivable!"

"My daughter was carried off too — I don't even know if she's dead or alive!"

"The grain at home is gone, the money is gone. If this goes on, we'll all starve to death!"

"…"

The propaganda officer shouted: "Fellow villagers, do not panic. Bring out all the ladders from your homes. If there aren't enough ladders, take down door planks and make them on the spot. Once we have ladders, we will enter the city and kill the bandits at once!"

The townspeople immediately sprang into action, bringing wooden ladders one after another.

The walls of Ling County seat were not tall — only a bit over four meters. Two civilian wooden ladders tied together could be used to storm the walls. But there still weren't enough, so they had to take down door planks and use nails and rope to make simple wooden ladders.

That afternoon, the two thousand rattan-armored troops, carrying over twenty wooden ladders, all rushed toward the county seat on empty stomachs.

The bandits here had come from Yongning County.

The bandit chief, Little Hegemon, had already taken Yongxing County and was enjoying himself in the wealthier Yongxing. Those left in Ling County were the weaklings, only about eighteen hundred men. Their chief was called Heaven-Flipping Monkey.

When Heaven-Flipping Monkey heard that Heavenly King Zhao had sent troops, he was so frightened he wanted to flee at once. But he could not bear to abandon the wealth and beauties, so he simply held the city and refused to come out, while sending trusted aides to Chaling to request reinforcements.

The wretch was sitting atop the city gate tower when suddenly the rattan-armored troops arrived carrying ladders. He hastily shouted: "Over there! Move the rolling logs and boiling oil over there!"

Because they had not had time to prepare in advance, the bandits in the city had very few defensive supplies — nowhere near enough to defend every section of the wall.

The two thousand rattan-armored troops, carrying over twenty siege ladders, leaped in unison into the moat.

Both the rattan armor and the ladders had buoyancy; they quickly and easily crossed the water and climbed ashore, setting the siege ladders against the walls at multiple points.

"It's the rattan-armored troops!"

"Heavenly King Zhao has summoned rattan-armored soldiers with his magic!"

The bandits who had heard The Romance of the Three Kingdoms cried out in terror, and many simply turned and fled.

"Ahh!"

A sudden scream — it was the bandits carrying the boiling oil. In their panic they had stumbled, scalding the feet of several others with the hot oil. They too abandoned the defense, gritting their teeth and slipping away, and wherever they fled they swept the other bandits along in rout.

Zhang Tieniu led from the front, scaling the wooden ladder.

A few bandits here tried to push the ladder away, but more rattan-armored soldiers below were holding its base firmly down.

At a height of just over four meters, Zhang Tieniu climbed up in the blink of an eye.

His weapon now was a steel saber; two small hatchets were tucked at his waist for throwing.

"Kill!"

Zhang Tieniu vaulted onto the wall, raised his shield to cover his vitals, and with a sweep of his hand slashed out with his blade.

At many other points they also stormed up in succession, the rattan-armored soldiers chasing the bandits and cutting them down.

The bandit chief, Heaven-Flipping Monkey, seeing the situation was hopeless, immediately dashed for the wall facing the river, shimmied swiftly down a rope, then swam across to the opposite bank and fled into the hills.

When this battle was over, only two of the rattan-armored soldiers had been wounded; the bandits had not even managed to use their boiling oil or rolling logs.

They searched the entire town and captured over six hundred bandit soldiers.

"What shall we do with these men?" the propaganda officer asked.

Zhang Tieniu's face was savage: "Kill them all!"

They were on a surprise raid — resting one day, eating and drinking their fill, then hurrying on to the next county seat. How could they spare men to guard prisoners?

The propaganda officer understood this reasoning and did not obstruct him.

The six hundred-odd bandit soldiers were bound and had their throats slit one by one. The townspeople were not afraid; instead they cheered and applauded, for they had suffered terribly at these bandits' hands.

Women from the town were hired to cook rice using the rebels' grain, and all the soldiers shed their armor to rest.

The propaganda officers, however, could not rest. They still had to move about and make connections, summoning the surviving prominent households in the town and having each family contribute men to take charge of the town's defense — to prevent the rebels who had successfully fled from striking back once the rattan-armored soldiers departed. In addition, they had to have the prominent households gather small boats and mules to transport the rattan armor and grain; Zhang Tieniu was to follow the riverbank onward to Chaling.

(Author's note: Chaling has been upgraded to a sub-prefecture; I had been writing it incorrectly before. Many thanks to the reader who pointed this out.)

Over in Chaling, although Liu Zhu held the rank of Vice Regional Commander, his forces far outnumbered Zhang Tieniu's.

Under Liu Zhu's command were two thousand regular troops, two thousand peasant soldiers, and over six thousand men in the supply train, plus a propaganda corps, dispatched officials, peasant association cadres, and medical soldiers — more than nine hundred people in all.

Once they entered Chaling territory, the propaganda corps, officials, and peasant association immediately sprang into action, going to every village and town to explain policy. Not only did the peasants respond eagerly, even the gentry and landlords received them warmly. They had been ravaged by the bandits and no longer thought of holding on to their land; preserving their lives was enough.

Several days later, Liu Zhu led his troops to the northern part of Chaling Sub-prefecture, and with the several thousand men of the supply train, the rebels inside the city were scared out of their wits.

Although most of the rebels were locals, the several bandit chieftains had fled here from Jiangxi. They had long since been traumatized by the "heavenly soldiers," and while Liu Zhu's army was still ten li away, they simply gathered up their valuables, abandoned the city, and fled southeast.

Straight toward Ling County!

Two li north of Hukou Town, Zhang Tieniu's two thousand rattan-armored soldiers collided with the more than five thousand fleeing bandits.

There was no need even to form ranks; they barely bothered to put on their rattan armor.

Zhang Tieniu had his soldiers don their rattan helmets, take up their rattan shields and steel sabers, and charge straight at an enemy more than twice their number.

"Run! Heavenly King Zhao knows sorcery — he's summoned heavenly soldiers here too!"

The veteran bandits, seeing the banner of the Great Unity Army, turned tail and fled in terror. They were truly frightened out of their wits. Having fled from the north in the first place, to inexplicably encounter the enemy here in the south only confirmed their belief that Heavenly King Zhao really did command magic.

For Zhang Tieniu and Liu Zhu on this route, since all they faced were weaklings, the opening phase could not have gone more smoothly.

Once they took Anren and You County, the strategic objective of the first stage would be achieved.

(End of chapter)