Chapter 188: Strategy

On the twenty-first day of the seventh month of the eighth year of Chongzhen, outside Jieting Pavilion ten li south of Tongcheng, the county yamen's full array of ceremonial regalia was on display, with two columns of roughly one hundred soldiers each standing at attention on the east side. Cicadas in the surrounding willows buzzed in waves; after the heavy rain, Tongcheng felt even more stifling, and everyone was drenched in sweat.

Yang Erming paced inside the pavilion with some agitation, while Pang Yu sat calmly on a bench, leisurely fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. From the moment they received word of the roving bandits and immediately dispatched two Hundred-Company Commanders to garrison Tongcheng, then on the thirteenth day of the seventh month received orders from the Anchi Military Defense Circuit to redeploy his entire battalion to reinforce Tongcheng, they had been stationed in the county seat, awaiting the arrival of that Circuit Intendant Shi.

Unlike the previous year, the surviving prefectures and counties of Nanzhili were paying close attention to the situation in Henan, because of doubts about the efficiency of the Ministry of War and the Grand Coordinator Yamen, many prefectures and counties had sent their own scouts deep into Henan, such as Shouzhou, Taihe County, Luzhou, Tongcheng, Wuwei Prefecture, and others, even Anqing Prefecture was included.

So intelligence work was far more effective than the year before; in the sixth month the roving bandits began emerging from Tong Pass in succession, and Tongcheng received word in the seventh month, after which a steady stream of reports followed, and places like Shouzhou, Taihe, and Luzhou had already begun war preparations in advance.

Tongcheng, following the previous year's contingency plan, stockpiled grain and equipment within the city; wealthy households went to Zongyang, some even living aboard their boats.

With the arrival of the Anqing Garrison Battalion, the people of Tongcheng settled down; just seeing Pang Squad Leader, everyone believed the roving bandits could not take Tongcheng. Even Pang Yu himself was not too worried — after all, Tongcheng's city walls had already been tested. And with the newly appointed Shi Kefa personally coming to the front lines, everyone was even more at ease.

Seeing Yang Erming's demeanor, Pang Yu could not help but speak: "My lord need not worry. I have heard that Circuit Intendant Shi is refined and courteous; he should be a superior easy to get along with."

Yang Erming stopped walking when he heard this. He was only sixteen years old this year — in Pang Yu's eyes still a high school student — but tempered by these past few months, his bearing seemed far more composed than his peers.

"How could I be worried about meeting Circuit Intendant Shi?" Yang Erming came and sat beside Pang Yu, his brow furrowed into the character Chuan. "News from Henan comes every day. I hear more and more roving bandits are coming out of Tong Pass, stretching on for a hundred li in an unbroken line for days. If they come toward Anqing, the city might hold, but outside the walls will surely be lost. General Pang, tell me, the houses they burned last year have not even been rebuilt yet — how can they be coming again?"

"Not all the roving bandits will come toward Anqing. Magistrate Yang, if you march troops just once, you will know that a single road cannot supply that many soldiers. The roving bandits coming out of Shaanxi will not be carrying much in the way of supplies; they can only rely on what they plunder along the way. Those in front have already looted, and those behind will go hungry. The moment they enter Henan, they will scatter in all directions, plundering and sustaining themselves along multiple routes."

Yang Erming let out a relieved breath. Pang Yu held an inexplicable authority in his mind, and what he said seemed quite credible.

"Then General Pang means the roving bandits will not come toward Tongcheng?"

"I dare not say they will not come, only that even if they do, it will not be an army of thousands upon thousands." Pang Yu reassured him. "As long as Lord Shi brings troops across the river, holding Tongcheng should be without worry."

"And what General Pang speaks of — is it holding the county seat, or holding the county territory?"

Pang Yu looked up at Yang Erming. Last year, it was he who had asked Yang Erming this question; now the roles were reversed.

"That depends on exactly how many roving bandits there are, and also on what Circuit Intendant Shi has in mind."

Yang Erming's anxiety was not entirely dispelled. He was about to continue speaking when a gong sounded from the south, and a red procession appeared on the distant official road.

An official sedan chair stopped outside Jieting Pavilion. The Tongcheng officials and gentry all knelt prostrate on the ground.

Beside him, Zhou County Deputy was panting heavily. Pang Yu stole a glance and saw a long string of saliva dripping from Zhou County Deputy's mouth; he looked strained, not from nervousness, but from a relapse of his old ailment.

Since the roving bandit invasion at the start of the year, this Lord Zhou's health had been deteriorating steadily. Pang Yu had not forgotten the kindness of his early patronage, and as soon as he returned to Tongcheng he had gone in person to pay his respects.

The curtain of the official sedan chair in front was lifted. Pang Yu, still kneeling on the ground, raised his eyes to look and saw a pair of official boots land on the ground.

"Your subordinate, Tongcheng County Magistrate Yang Erming, leading the officials and gentry of the yamen, kneels in greeting to the Circuit Intendant!"

A gentle voice from ahead said: "Jinxian, please rise. Everyone, please rise."

Hearing this, Pang Yu quickly followed: "Your subordinate, under the Circuit Intendant's military orders to assist in defending Tongcheng, Anqing Garrison Commander Pang Yu, respectfully greets the Circuit Intendant."

"Garrison Commander Pang, please rise."

Only then did Pang Yu stand, respectfully hanging his hands and standing at attention. This famous minister of the Southern Ming had finally appeared before his eyes.

Shi Kefa was half a head shorter than Pang Yu, with a lean face and dry, brittle beard, appearing to be in his early thirties. For his current rank, he was a young and promising official. Compared to Zhang Guowei, his gaze was gentler, and he possessed a composure beyond his years.

Though it was the height of summer and Shi Kefa was drenched in sweat, he was still fully and properly attired. Pang Yu noted that the rank badge on his official robe was a peacock, which should indicate a civil official of the third rank or junior third rank. When he had last met Zhang Guowei, Pang Yu had been too nervous to look closely and did not know exactly what rank he held.

The Military Defense Circuit Intendant, like the Grand Coordinator, was an ad hoc appointment rather than a regular post. Shi Kefa's regular post was Assistant Administration Commissioner of the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commission, a junior third-rank official. Zhang Guowei's regular post was Chief Investigating Censor of the Censorate, a senior fourth-rank official. By that reckoning, Shi Kefa was half a rank higher, but the Grand Coordinator was also required to oversee the Military Defense Circuit, which would cause confusion in protocol.

To make the ranks conform to the superior-subordinate relationship, the court would often give the Grand Coordinator an honorary concurrent title of Vice Minister of War, making him a senior third-rank official, thus ranking above the Military Defense Circuit again.

Some of the reasoning behind this he had learned from those Advisors. Without those men, Pang Yu would have been utterly baffled, unable to understand why the Ming dynasty made a simple system of official ranks so complicated, and he also gained a new appreciation for the status of the Remonstrance Officials at court.

Shi Kefa looked the two of them up and down. "Before my departure, Lord Zhang gave me his personal assessment: in Tongcheng, a young county magistrate and a young general, both rare talents, and that to firmly hold Anqing, the two of you were indispensable. Meeting you today, you are indeed both young heroes. One cannot help but say, Tongcheng truly is a place of outstanding people and natural treasures."

With one sentence he praised everyone present. Yang Erming and Pang Yu both hurriedly demurred. Having received Shi Kefa's praise, the atmosphere around them relaxed a little. Pang Yu stole a glance at Shi Kefa — indeed, for someone to rise to Military Defense Circuit Intendant so young, his skill in speaking was far above that of the county yamen crowd.

Shi Kefa looked over the other officials and gentry present once more and spoke in a gentle tone: "In the early months of this year, you all fought fiercely and defeated the bandits, safeguarding the peace of Tongcheng's tens of thousands of people. This is the unsurpassed merit of officials and gentry. On behalf of Lord Zhang, I also thank you all for your service in protecting the people. Now that the roving bandits have again entered Henan, I have come specially leading troops. I hope that everyone will, as in the early months of this year, stand together with me through thick and thin, jointly ensuring Tongcheng's safety, and not failing the weighty trust of our Emperor."

Everyone present offered modest demurrals in turn. Yang Erming led Shi Kefa, introducing him one by one to the people in attendance. Shi Kefa was extremely amiable, exchanging a few words with each person.

Pang Yu had a free moment and glanced back toward the official road. The first person he saw was unexpectedly Pan Keda. Pan Keda was staring at him coldly. Pang Yu did not take offense and nodded with a slight smile.

Diagonally ahead of Pan Keda was a general officer he had never seen before, around forty years old, his build looking a bit stout, not the image of a battle-hardened warrior. Behind him were some others in proper attire, likely lower-ranking officers.

His gaze swept further back. The official road was filled with troops, stretching far into the distance, but the formations were quite disordered.

Those at the front were probably the Household Retainers of the two men, but their total number was only around two hundred, mostly in red padded jackets. Further back was a motley assortment; many were barely clothed and were likely just Guards rounded up to make up the numbers.

The greeting ceremony over there had concluded. Shi Kefa had originally been about to step into his sedan chair when he casually glanced at the Garrison Battalion by the roadside. He paused, then suddenly turned and walked toward the formation.

Yang Erming and Pang Yu could only attend him. Shi Kefa walked laterally along the formation. Before him, the Garrison Battalion's ranks were orderly, every soldier standing ramrod straight. From the intense summer training, these soldiers looked dark and lean, and the front-row soldiers were partially outfitted in chain mail. Compared to those government troops on the official road, they possessed a natural air of martial authority.

Shi Kefa walked to the end of the formation and turned to ask Pang Yu: "Are these all General Pang's Household Retainers?"

Pang Yu hurriedly replied: "Reporting to my lord, in my camp there is no distinction of Household Retainers. These soldiers were all selected one by one by your subordinate; each is a stout and able man. Once they enter my camp, they are warriors sworn to kill bandits and serve the nation. They are all troops of the imperial court; not a single one is your subordinate's own Household Retainer."

A look of surprise flickered in Shi Kefa's eyes. Household Retainers were the convention among general officers at the time, and also the guarantee of a general officer's status; he had not expected Pang Yu to say such a thing.

Pang Yu, meanwhile, had been observing Shi Kefa's expression all along. In the intelligence sent by Mr. Ma, he had been specifically warned that Shi Kefa was of the Donglin Party. From his dealings with Ruan Dacheng, Zhang Guowei, and the members of the Restoration Society, Pang Yu had already gained some understanding of the Donglin Party's style.

Sure enough, Shi Kefa then revealed an appreciative look and nodded to Pang Yu: "General Pang, so young and yet with such insight. No wonder Lord Zhang said that General Pang is different from ordinary military men."

Shi Kefa turned to Yang Erming: "With such valiant troops, my confidence in firmly holding Anqing is redoubled. I had originally planned to discuss matters in detail with you two once we reached the Branch Intendant Office, but now I find I must speak my mind."

The two men hurriedly stood at attention to listen respectfully. Shi Kefa glanced at the formation again. Pang Yu thought he was going to continue praising them; if Shi Kefa was satisfied with the Anqing Garrison Battalion and could provide more resources in the future, the financial pressure would be greatly reduced.

"Since assuming the post of Anchi Military Defense Circuit, I have been planning day and night. The roving bandits' movements are unpredictable; they gather by the millions and thousands, sweeping in and howling away. Anqing Prefecture is a thoroughfare, bordering Huguang, Henan, and Jiangbei. To defend such a vast boundary, where would one find so many troops to use?"

A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Pang Yu's heart. He stole a glance at Shi Kefa; from the sound of it, he did not seem to be talking about increasing troop numbers.

Shi Kefa's expression turned solemn. "Observing the roving bandits' incursion at the start of the year, places with city walls were mostly able to defend themselves. Susong, Taihu, and Qianshan had no walls and suffered the worst devastation. I have been entrusted with this frontier territory, to defend both the land and the people. Throughout Anqing, all civilians on the plains and near the official roads should gather into settlements, build stockades, and establish strongholds. When the roving bandits enter the territory, they can enter the stockades for mutual protection, and the roving bandits will naturally recognize the difficulty and withdraw."

Yang Erming hesitated a moment, then said: "My lord speaks reason, but in the rural areas, when building stockades and establishing strongholds, the rations and pay and expenses..."

"For any large gathering into stockades, if rations and pay and expenses are insufficient, I can help raise funds. This is the key to defending the land and protecting the people, an imperative that must be carried out. In this way, the common people will all have shelter, and resources, wealth, and provisions will not be scattered. With a hundred strongholds and a thousand stockades across a single prefecture, protecting tens of thousands of commoners, the roving bandits will come and go with nothing to gain, and naturally will not invade again."

Having finished, Shi Kefa's expression was radiant, full of confidence in his own strategy. Pang Yu, along with Yang Erming, acknowledged the order, but as he lowered his head, he could not help furrowing his brow slightly.