Chapter 216: Urgent Orders

Wu Dacai lay sprawled on the bed. Occasional groans sounded in the room. His backside burned with searing pain, but he knew this pain would fade in two or three days. The Garrison Inspector Dui took pride in their work, constantly refining their punishment methods — from the earliest army cudgels, Whistle Staffs, and bamboo rods to leather whips. The whip's shape had been changed three times now; the injuries grew lighter and lighter, while the pain grew sharper and sharper.

The others in the Squad also lay on their beds, a few murmuring quietly. The lights-out signal hadn't sounded yet. Normally this would be time for training review, but Wu Dacai was in no mood today — as the one who had started the brawl, he'd had another month's Monthly Pay docked. The others had only gotten the whip.

"Hahaha!"

A sudden burst of laughter erupted in the dim Barracks. Everyone turned their heads at the sound — it was the blacksmith Banner Commander at the door.

"What're you all lying around for? It's just a few bamboo rods." The blacksmith Banner Commander limped in, looking around as he walked. "The Pacification Office's been fair — after the thrashing they even posted a notice. First Division had seventy-nine injured; we had seventy-one. Second Division won. Hah."

Everyone buzzed with excitement. The blacksmith Banner Commander said smugly, "Just now I went to Wang Company Commander's place. The Company Commander said as long as we won, it's fine. If we'd lost, he'd have added extra punishment. Our Banner Team all fought well — tell me what sorry state you left your man in."

The Squad members grew animated. "Reporting to Banner Commander, I knocked out one of his teeth."

"Beat one unconscious."

"His nose was bleeding."

"Tore his clothes to shreds."

"I threw his shoes over the camp wall."

Wu Dacai shouted, "Wai Lian's face got even more crooked!"

He felt immensely pleased with himself after yelling that. Wai Lian had been mobbed by him and three others; the side without the missing tooth was swollen up high. Remembering that sight, Wu Dacai felt utterly content.

"I laid out three from First Division." The blacksmith chuckled. "That's nothing, though. When those Garrison Inspector soldiers were beating me, they hurt their own hands from the impact."

The room erupted in laughter. Wu Dacai quickly roared, "Banner Commander, mighty!"

The others chimed in with flattery. The blacksmith waved his big hand again. "The Pacification Office soldiers have no strength — their whips don't even hurt. I'm a blacksmith. What's blacksmithing mean? It means I'm harder than all of them — that's the only way you can do that work. The others who took the plank applied for rest and recovery tomorrow. Our Banner Team will turn out in full for morning drill tomorrow. Even if you have to crawl, you'll finish it. Day after next, it's back to regular training. Let those turtle-grandsons in First Division see — being called First Division doesn't mean you rank first."

A unified shout answered from the room. The atmosphere was fervent. Wu Dacai felt the pain in his wounds ease a little.

The blacksmith turned and headed for the door, cursing as he walked. "Your Squad's not bad. Our Banner Team's not bad either. Thirty-four men, thirty-three showed up. One damn turtle-grandson disgraced us."

Someone asked, "Who?"

The blacksmith slammed the door shut. "Scared to fight — what kind of soldier is that."

……

"Mother of my child, scared or not, I've got to go be a soldier. Otherwise next month we can't even afford to eat." In a shack in the southeast corner of City East, Tang Ershuan sighed. "What a sin."

His wife, heavily pregnant, was tending the fire outside. Some smoke drifted in. She sounded pleased instead. "Should've gone long ago. Look at Qu Mazi — only been there two or three months and already moved to a rented place in the city. He's still in the Reserve Camp, gets one tael a month, and any day now it'll be two taels. Incredible silver."

Seeing his wife unconcerned about the dangers of battle, Tang Ershuan felt a bit deflated. He'd thought she'd be worried sick.

"What's silver alone good for? People die in war."

His wife expertly folded a handful of dry straw and stuffed it into the stove opening. She picked up a palm-leaf fan and fanned inside for a while; thicker smoke billowed out. The flames were about to catch. Only then did she put a piece of wood in.

"What fighting is there for the Water Army? The Roving Bandits just run around on shore. Once you join that Water Army, if the bandits come, us two can just get on the boat and flee." His wife clapped her hands and wiped her nose with her Sleeve. "Next month it'll be three of us, won't it."

Tang Ershuan looked at his wife's belly and chuckled foolishly. "You know what? When I went to see that recruiting officer, there was someone ahead of me. The officer asked him how many dependents he had at home. You know what dependents are? It's how many he has to support besides himself — wife and kids all count. He said he supported three. The recruiting officer sent him away — said anyone with more than two, they don't take. When it got to me, I just said I had two. Anyway, this second one isn't born yet, haha. That got me past the first stage. The next stage — you swim a hundred paces in the river and back, tow a line for one li, lift the stone lock. I didn't know how to raise or furl the sail, but that thing on land where you push back and forth — I did over a hundred in one go. The officer said this one's a good soldier, join the Water Camp Land something Team. Didn't catch it clearly, but it's the Water Camp for sure."

"My man's in the Water Army now. I heard lots of people wanted to go but didn't get picked. Think how nice it is staying on the river with the Water Army — no fear of bandit attacks, no watching people's faces at Wharf. Two taels of silver every month from now on — how will we ever spend it all." His wife's eyes brimmed with longing. At this, she covered her mouth and giggled.

Tang Ershuan laughed along with her. The two of them seemed to see a pile of silver beckoning to them.

His wife rummaged in the shack and brought out the grain sack — still just that tiny handful tossed into the pot. Tang Ershuan pursed his lips, his stomach growling. In the hot season when business was good, his wife would put in more rice; otherwise Tang Ershuan had no strength to work and earn copper coins. Come the off-season at Wharf, Tang Ershuan's standard of living plummeted.

But today marked an epochal turning point for the household. After considering for a moment, his wife grabbed an extra dozen or so grains of rice.

Tang Ershuan ventured, "Tomorrow I'm entering that Water Camp — when will I get to eat home cooking again? You could at least cook a bit more."

"All the more reason not to. Think about it — tomorrow you start eating the camp's food. Eating more today won't help, right? Better to go on an emptier stomach and eat Lord Pang's free food."

"Fair enough."

At that moment, his wife gave a mysterious smile and suddenly pulled something from her Sleeve.

Tang Ershuan's eyes lit up. It was an egg. How long had it been since he'd eaten one? He pointed at himself in delighted surprise. "Bought specially for me?"

His wife said quietly, "That hen from the Wang family laid its egg right on the edge today. It rolled right out. I happened to be passing by. Don't you think our family's Fate is turning? Tomorrow I absolutely must go pay respects to the Queen Mother goddess."

"This... taking someone else's egg isn't right, is it?"

"What do you mean taking? Once the egg rolls out, it's not theirs anymore. This is a gift from the bodhisattva to you." His wife tilted her head. As she spoke, she hid the egg in her Sleeve, glanced around outside the door, and — plop — dropped it into the pot.

Tang Ershuan rubbed his forehead. "Then damn it all, let's eat. I'm a man of the Water Camp now, what's there to fear... That thing I joined is the Water Camp Land something Team — how come I still can't remember it."

……

"Water Camp Land Combat Unit goes ashore first! Stay close! Stay close! Have you all damn well heard me?"

Fifteen days later, at the Wharf of Xiazongyang Town in Tongcheng, Tang Ershuan, wearing the Water Army's white short jacket, clutched a Shield. In his right hand he held a Short-Handled Axe. In a fluster, he followed the others jumping off the small boat, stepping through the riverside grass toward the shore.

On the river behind him, a long string of Grain Transport Ships filed in. The few already docked were unloading Army soldiers. At Wharf, chickens squawked and dogs bolted; shops hurriedly closed their doors. On the prows of other merchant boats, people shouted in alarm, calling for the boatmen to leave the dock.

Tang Ershuan had no attention to spare for anything else. He kept close to the figure ahead of him. After crossing the water grass, he found a path and reached the street above. Garrison Inspector soldiers were already on the road. Silver ingots lay scattered on the ground. Tang Ershuan's eyes kept being drawn to them. Though they were within arm's reach, he absolutely dared not take one. These ingots were scattered by the Garrison Inspector Dui — each one numbered and accounted for; that exact amount had to be collected in the end. In the ten-plus days since joining the camp, there had already been three training exercises with scattered silver. The third time, someone couldn't resist and stole a piece; he was beaten half to death and expelled from the camp. So now the ingots' allure had greatly diminished — nothing like the first time he'd seen them, when they'd so distracted Tang Ershuan.

Several dozen Marine Corps soldiers pushed into the streets and alleys amid their captain's curses. Tang Ershuan was dizzy and disoriented, able only to follow the others. Only after reaching the Water Camp had he learned that he'd joined the Water Camp Land Combat Unit. To this day he still couldn't figure out why a Water Camp would have a Land Combat Unit — and it looked even more dangerous than the Land Battalion. At least many in the Land Battalion's front ranks were fully outfitted with armor.

These Marine Corps soldiers had no Iron Helmets or Iron Armor. Only the captain — one per boat — had Leather Armor. Everyone else's defense was that white jacket. Their weapons were a motley assortment: Javelins, hook spears, Short-Handled Axes, Long Spears, bows and Arrows, and so on. A chaotic mess — no comparison to the orderly Land Battalion over there.

Wang Zenglu stood on the dock watching the landing process. This drill was a coordinated transport exercise between the Land Battalion and the Water Camp. Although bandit alerts were growing more and more frequent and the Garrison Commander camp was supposed to be on alert in Anqing, Pang Yu had insisted on carrying it out.

This time, one Company was drawn from each Division — seventy Marine Corps soldiers, plus one cannon group and thirty cavalry. Nineteen Water Camp Grain Transport Ships were deployed. Pang Yu couldn't go himself, so he designated Wang Zenglu to lead the force, instructing him to monitor the entire process and record any problems that arose.

Wang Zenglu had run boats before and had assumed transporting troops would be simple. But once aboard, problems arose one after another. He conferred from time to time with several men from the Personal Guard Unit beside him, while two clerks set up a table nearby and recorded.

Currently, the Land Battalion's disembarkation was progressing rather slowly, because many boats were docked at Xiazongyang's Wharf, and the fleeing vessels were blocking the channel — the boats behind couldn't reach the shore for the moment.

The Marine Corps soldiers' landing differed from the Land Battalion's. They used Foot Boats newly attached to the Grain Transport Ships for transfer. Like most in the Land Battalion, Wang Zenglu was also baffled by this Land Combat Unit. Since they already had a Land Battalion, why establish a separate unit within the Water Camp? After seeing their performance today, Wang Zenglu concluded they were a rabble. Another difference he noted: Lord Pang seemed to want them to be able to land anywhere along the river, not just at places with docks. That was why this drill also used Foot Boats for transfer — probably their only real use.

"Company Commander, sir, we're now short four boats," said a man from the Personal Guard Unit beside him.

Wang Zenglu looked around and spotted Ren Dalang's boat. His boat flew a square Red Banner five chi across; all the others had triangular Red Banners. This Water Camp Company Commander had indeed reached shore early, but the boat fleet he led was in disarray. Even over the short distance from Huaining to Zongyang, three boats had gone missing along the way. Then, with the boats traveling at different speeds, the departure order was completely scrambled. Upon landing, each Company couldn't assemble its full formation. Within his current field of view, four more boats were already nowhere to be seen.

Only now did Wang Zenglu understand why Pang Yu had insisted on a drill. A boat fleet was indeed vastly different from running a single boat, as he had done before — and transporting troops was not as simple as transporting passengers.

The man from the Personal Guard Unit spoke again. "Wang Company Commander, having one boat per Banner Team is a bit cramped, but they assemble quickly after disembarking. At least a Banner Team is intact and can form ranks as soon as they're ashore."

"That point can be noted down..."

Before he finished speaking, a huge splash sounded below the dock, followed by a chorus of panicked cries. Wang Zenglu turned to look. A horse had fallen off the gangplank into the river, dragging the man leading it down with it. The startled horse thrashed desperately in the water, churning up great sprays of foam. The cavalrymen around scrambled to help.

"Have the clerk record this: cavalry boarding and disembarking is slow. When embarking, cavalry should board last. When landing, cavalry should disembark last. They must wait until the infantry has formed ranks and advanced, and the dock has open space, before letting the cavalry disembark."

Wang Zenglu finished speaking and looked around in every direction. "Where is that cannon?"

Several Personal Soldiers were also looking. Those Grain Transport Ships all looked much the same, their decks crammed with soldiers preparing to disembark, and the view was further blocked by all those masts — it was impossible to tell where the cannon was at all.

A Personal Soldier beside him said, "Does the Company Commander mean the cannon should go ashore first?"

Wang Zenglu frowned. He had hauled towropes before, but this kind of landing operation was also his first time — should the cannon go down first or not? That cannon was newly made, cast from Bao Yu's old Iron mold, and still weighed around a thousand jin. Getting it on and off a boat was no easy task, but given the experience at Shucheng, everyone had developed a kind of trust in cannons. Getting it ashore first seemed like it might steady people's hearts.

Before he could make up his mind, the several Personal Soldiers beside him began pointing into the river and talking among themselves. Wang Zenglu looked and saw it was a Small Patrol Boat, also flying the Water Camp's small Red Banner. Several oarsmen were pulling hard through the water toward Wharf, looking extremely urgent.

Wang Zenglu thought to himself, this bodes ill. His eyesight was very sharp, and he could see that the man standing in the bow was Guo Fengyou, who ordinarily would never leave Pang Yu's side. This Small Patrol Boat had set out at most two hours later than they had. Rushing here so urgently could only mean something had happened at Anqing.

The Small Patrol Boat threaded its way through and soon reached the shore. Facing this trusted confidant of Lord Pang, Wang Zenglu did not dare put on airs and hurried down to the very lowest step to receive him.

Guo Fengyou had no time for pleasantries. He clasped his hands toward Wang Zenglu and said, "Lord Pang's urgent order: Company Commander Wang is to lead the drill troops to Tongcheng immediately to set up defenses, and must be in position by Noon on the sixth day of the twelfth month. The Fourth Company of the Second Division is to deploy to North Gorge Pass, and must be in position by Noon on the seventh day of the twelfth month. The Water Camp and Marine Corps are to remain at Zongyang on standby. Requisition all Grain Transport Ships and similar vessels at Zongyang; the boatmen are to be requisitioned as well. All other vessels are to leave shore by Nightfall on the sixth day of the twelfth month. Inform them they may not dock at any Jiangbei Wharf. After each unit is in position, coordinate with the local yamen and the gentry to screen everyone with an out-of-town accent. Detain any suspects on the spot…"