Chapter 218: Phantom Soldiers

Two wet melon-seed shells traced an arc through the air and landed on the street at the docks. Two passersby turned their heads for a glance, and upon seeing the man, their faces twisted with disgust as they quickened their pace and left.

"What are you looking at? Think you can mess with me?" Tan Laizi muttered under his breath once the two were far away, then lowered his head to look at his open palm. Only a few shriveled melon seeds remained; from their appearance, most were clearly empty inside. Still clinging to a try-it-and-see attitude, he picked out one that was relatively plump, wedged it between his yellow teeth, and bit down — sure enough, he felt no resistance.

"Dog-spawned mangy bastard selling rotten seeds." Tan Laizi flung away the remaining few. His stomach gurgled, and his mind began plotting tonight's dinner. After all, this was the docks' off-season, and once word spread that the Roving Bandits were closing in, the merchant ships at the docks that hadn't been commandeered all left, while new arrivals dared not make port. As a bottom-feeder in the brokerage, Tan Laizi's finances were facing a crisis — but one that also held opportunity.

The street was full of hurrying pedestrians, many carrying luggage as they fled into the city for refuge. Tan Laizi's eyes darted over them, back and forth, until after a long while he cursed again, "What monk or Daoist? Think I'm a three-year-old? Ten taels of silver isn't that easy to earn."

An argument broke out outside an inn across the way, drawing a few idlers to watch. Tan Laizi quickly sidled over and caught a few sentences; in moments he understood: the inn had only one room left, and two families who had fled here were now fighting over it. These people who wanted to stay at the dockside inns were all hoping to wait nearby for boats coming down from Huguang — when passengers disembarked, the boats might make a brief stop, and perhaps there'd be a chance to board.

He turned it over in his head. Every inn Tan Laizi knew of was full, but there were still a few households that took in lodgers; making an introduction could earn him a middleman's fee, which should just about cover dinner. Of course, if one family only needed to cross the river, Tan Laizi could earn enough for two days' meals.

Normally, introducing boatmen was low-end business, the kind Tan Laizi himself wasn't too keen on doing — one deal wouldn't cover half a bowl of rice. But now was different. The Circuit Intendant Yamen had issued strict orders: aside from the Water Army and commandeered vessels, no boats were permitted to dock at the Jiangbei wharves. Yet many people wanted to cross the river to escape the bandits. The market had lost its balance, and in a single day an underground transport market had taken shape.

Tan Laizi had never been able to land the big jobs at the docks. Only on the odd occasion when he was half a bowl of rice short would he do this low-end business. He knew a few boatmen — their small boats couldn't handle long hauls, but they could cross the Anqing stretch of river, which now gave him ready resources. Of course, for Tan Laizi, the biggest obstacle wasn't resources — it was his repellent appearance.

He wedged himself between the two groups. "Travelers, hear a humble man out. The inns outside the city aren't very safe. Just last night, there were villains robbing people outside the walls."

Both sides turned to look at Tan Laizi. At the sight of his honored countenance, they all instinctively stepped back, clutching the luggage in their arms tighter. The tall, thin innkeeper standing nearby glared at him with fury — he'd been poised to jack up the price, and now some nobody had popped up to brazenly steal his business.

"This humble one here knows a fine place — a decent household inside the city, right near the Huaining County Yamen..."

Before he could finish, the tall, thin innkeeper was already beside himself with rage. He stepped forward and shoved the short-statured Tan Laizi violently. "Esteemed guests, do not listen to him! This scabby wretch is in league with those very villains — he's never had a good intention. Get the hell out of here! No running your swindles in front of my establishment!"

Facing an innkeeper who towered more than a head above him, Tan Laizi fended him off while shouting angrily, "Shopkeeper Mace, I'm warning you — keep your hands to yourself! When I lose my temper, you won't be able to handle it! Ow! You really dare hit me? Have you no regard for the law? Lay hands on me again and I'll use my finishing move — don't blame me if I hit too hard! Aiya... spare me!"

Everyone at the docks knew this loathsome, scrawny little broker. Hitting him carried no fear of consequences whatsoever. Shopkeeper Mace rained blows down on his head, and in a few strikes had Tan Laizi on the ground.

The crowd of onlookers cheered in unison. Shopkeeper Mace was the very picture of majestic authority — only, this bout of vigorous exercise had left him rather winded, and he needed a mid-fight breather.

Two assistants rushed out from behind to help, but how could Shopkeeper Mace let them share in his heroic glory? With a flourish of his hand, he waved them off. "Back, stand back! This old man, today, today, is going to, going to..."

After another mid-fight breather, Shopkeeper Mace finally caught his breath. "... going to let him witness this old man's martial skill."

One assistant, seeing the sweat pouring down Shopkeeper Mace's face, couldn't help but murmur, "But Shopkeeper, those two groups of guests have all left."

"Ah!" Shopkeeper Mace spun around in alarm. The two quarreling parties from moments ago were already heading east. "Then chase after them, quickly! There's still one room empty!"

Once Shopkeeper Mace had run off after them, Tan Laizi clutched his head and got to his feet. All around him, people were pointing at him and laughing.

It wasn't the first time, after all. He cursed under his breath, but didn't dare raise his voice — Shopkeeper Mace hadn't gone far, and if he heard, there'd be trouble.

Head down, he trudged away. Someone still stole a moment to flick his head with a finger from above. Tan Laizi had no fight in him right now; he could only turn and glare at those people.

Amid the jeering laughter, Tan Laizi finally left the scene. For the moment, he wouldn't be getting hit again, but dinner was still unresolved — he'd have to go figure something out.

Just as he was heading for the small dock by the Wan River, Tan Laizi suddenly stopped. In that glance just now, there seemed to have been an image.

He whipped his head around. There was the back of a Daoist priest carrying an Eight Trigrams Banner, walking in the direction of the lower reaches, constantly lifting his head to scrutinize the City Wall as he went.

"Dinner might just be this." Tan Laizi stood frozen for a moment, then gathered his spirits and followed.

"It was a broker from the Sheng-Tang docks who spotted him. This wandering Daoist priest wasn't in any hurry to tell fortunes along the way. He roamed back and forth around Sheng-Tang Gate, the Wanyi Granary, and other places — his eyes never on the pedestrians, but constantly inspecting the City Wall. He only returned to the city after visiting the Water Camp garrison."

By the parapet of the City Tower at Jixian Gate north of the city, Pang Yu had just lowered his telescope, his mood much relaxed. By his reckoning of the timing, the Bandit Scouts should soon be hurrying toward Luzhou — discovering the spies' trail now was very timely.

He looked at Jiang Fan before him and asked, "Was the sitting spy's location also tracked down by that broker?"

"Exactly. He's staying in Drum Copper Alley inside Jixian Gate. There's another person in that household whose movements are suspicious — likely the companion who came with the Daoist priest. The sitting spy is a Huaining local who used to sell fish in the city. Around the year before last, he got into a conflict with other fishmongers and his family's wealth was destroyed. No one knows when he started colluding with the Roving Bandits."

Pang Yu sighed. Social tensions were razor-sharp right now. Every place had many people dissatisfied with their lot, even plenty who were at a complete dead end. As long as the Roving Bandits put in a little thought and money, finding Inner Responders was not hard.

"Keep those two under tight surveillance. People like that broker — those who've long mingled in the marketplace — are better suited for this sort of work than my Garrison Commander camp. If he's committed no major evil, the Canal Gang might as well hire a few such men."

"But this man... this man's appearance is distinctive, unforgettable at a glance. I fear he's not suited for this kind of shadowing work."

Pang Yu smiled. "I'm not saying we must hire him specifically. My meaning is that all kinds of people can be used for their strengths."

"This humble man understands."

Pang Yu looked once more toward Drum Copper Alley, then turned and walked down from the City Tower. Once mounted, he said to Jiang Fan, "I am going now to see Lord Pi. Anqing will impose martial law starting tomorrow. The Canal Gang is to spread word through the city according to plan."

On the ninth day of the twelfth month, Anqing City imposed martial law. Of the five gates, only Sheng-Tang Gate remained open, and everyone entering or leaving the city was subject to questioning. The Prefectural Office and county offices began mobilization based on the contingency plans Pang Yu had provided. Passing boats were forbidden to dock at the wharves. Each ward and neighborhood successively organized Community Soldiers. On the City Wall, many grass sheds and suspended chains were erected, and more people hauled city-defense equipment — everything from stones, Lime Pots, and Rolling Oil to Copper and Iron Small Cannons was made ready. Where the wall had suffered minor landslides during the autumn rains, Artisans were now making repairs.

Affected by the martial law, large numbers of commoners from Guanxiang, supporting the old and carrying the young, streamed into the Prefectural City. They feared that if the Roving Bandits suddenly arrived and all five gates were completely sealed, with no riverboats to board, they would be left outside the city for the Roving Bandits to slaughter at will. With the influx of refugees, the city was packed to bursting, and panic reigned everywhere.

But by the afternoon, a rumor spread through the city: a fleet of troop ships had come from Jiangnan, and over a thousand soldiers and horses had disembarked and marched north. Everyone was shut inside the city and couldn't see what was happening outside, but the Community Soldiers coming down from the wall all swore they had seen it with their own eyes. The people were both anxious and stirred.

A group of government troops appeared on the City Wall and hauled a large cannon up onto the rampart, firing three test shots. The ferocious boom of the cannon was heard throughout Anqing. Another rumor said that nearly a thousand government troops had come from the direction of Wangjiang — reportedly the Huguang Patrol Standard Troops — and had likewise gone north.

On the tenth day of the twelfth month, Pang Yu took command at the Zhengguan Gate City Tower. Heralds arrived in a steady stream to report progress.

Formations of red-coated soldiers were coming from the west, skirting Anqing outside the walls and marching north in column.

The Community Soldiers laboring on the City Wall buzzed with discussion. From a distance, they could only make out that these were government troops; they couldn't even clearly identify the banners. But they could roughly tell there were quite a few, and clearly they were going to fight the Roving Bandits. Everyone was rather excited.

Pang Yu's mood was slightly tense. The troops that had come over these two days were all played by the Garrison Commander camp. The Garrison Inspector Dui controlled every intersection; after the main force marched out of Jixian Pass, it immediately turned west, took small paths back to the Official Road to Shipai, then came to the Prefectural City again to play the role of phantom soldiers.

Because the Garrison Commander camp's equipment and uniforms were different from ordinary Ming Army troops, Pang Yu feared they'd be recognized as the Garrison Commander camp. He had specifically asked Pi Yingju to impose martial law on Anqing to reduce the number of people left outside the city. This way, the Community Soldiers and Civilian Laborers on the wall could see them, the news would naturally spread through the city, and after the Canal Gang exaggerated it, it should achieve the effect Pang Yu hoped for.

Only five days remained until the fifteenth, but those two spies still had not left the city. They had gone out twice yesterday, moving through every part of the city and repeatedly trying to probe for information from the Community Soldiers.

In two days, four thousand phantom troops had been added. The mood in the city grew more and more optimistic, and the rumors about the troop numbers grew even more exaggerated. But with so many commoners in the city, over time it would be hard to prevent information from leaking. Pang Yu hoped they would leave soon, so today he intensified the effort. Rumors spread everywhere in the city that the Ministry of War had mobilized relief troops from several provinces and was preparing to ambush the Roving Bandits at Anqing — hoping to make those two spies anxious enough to hurry out of Anqing.

Waiting was always agonizing. Finally, in the afternoon, word came: the two spies had left their lodgings carrying their luggage, hired a donkey cart at a high price inside the city, and were now heading for Sheng-Tang Gate.

Pang Yu let out a breath of relief and said to Guo Fengyou, who was standing by, "Dispatch fast riders out of Jixian Gate. Have Tongcheng impose martial law, and request County Magistrate Yang to act according to plan."

Guo Fengyou acknowledged the order and immediately went out to make arrangements. Pang Yu beckoned Jiang Fan over. "The Canal Gang has rendered meritorious service this time. I will naturally assess merits and dispense rewards. But with the bandit situation urgent, the Canal Gang's main task now is to assist with Anqing's city defense — there must be no slackening."

"Does Your Excellency think they will come to Anqing?"

Pang Yu shook his head. "The larger the Roving Bandits' scale, the more supplies they need. Anqing has little grain and many troops, so attacking Anqing has the lowest cost-effectiveness. Heading toward Yangzhou is the most likely. However, the Roving Bandits may not respect economic principles so much. We must still go all-out in preparing Anqing for battle. Tomorrow I will lead troops to Tongcheng and strive to intimidate the Roving Bandits into staying beyond our borders."