Chapter 220: Encounter on the Road

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of the Chongzhen Eighth Year, a snow had just fallen on Zhengyang Town in Shouzhou. The great earth was a plain of pure white, with only the Official Road cutting through the town bearing trampled, muddled traces.

Zhengyang Town lay at the confluence of the Huai River, Ying River, and Pi River. It was a vital transportation hub for Shouzhou — to the northwest lay Yingzhou, to the northeast the prefectural seat of Shouzhou, to the south the Lu'an Prefecture from which he had come, and to the southeast Luzhou. It had always been a flourishing commercial town.

Early in the year, this place had been ravaged by fire and slaughter. The Official Road stretched through a scene of desolation. Nearly one year later, this small town still had not recovered its vitality. Only about three in ten houses had been crudely repaired. Few pedestrians were seen on the road, but gaunt, emaciated beggars, both men and women, were everywhere. A large crowd of them now waited outside a dilapidated food stall by the roadside.

Five people sat inside the food stall. Yang Xueshi was just grabbing a piece of donkey meat to eat. The meat was a bit tough to chew, which was common — ordinary horses and donkeys were usually only slaughtered for meat when they could no longer work.

Suddenly, a sharp crack rang out behind him. The several men beside him all stood up at once, one of them even pulling his sword halfway out of its scabbard.

Yang Xueshi turned his head to look. The ground was covered in shattered tile fragments. He raised his head to look up — all he saw was the bright color of the sky. He couldn't help but curse inwardly. The shop had definitely been burned early in the year and had barely managed not to collapse. The food stall owner, doing business here, hadn't even thought to repair it. Though he was dissatisfied with this food stall, ever since leaving Huoqiu, this was the only food stall he had encountered that had dry hay to feed the horses. There were no other choices.

"Don't be so jumpy." He waved a hand at his subordinates, and only then did those several men sit back down and continue eating.

Besides the four subordinates inside the food stall, there were three more outside under a thatched shelter watching the horses. All of them had been handpicked by him from the Cavalry Division — former Post Station Runners who were either brawlers or particularly sharp-witted. Three of them had even committed offenses and been hauled into the yamen before.

After this reorganization, the cavalry had grown to just over a hundred men. Pang Yu's demands had changed accordingly. Matters like message delivery were now handled by the Personal Guard Unit's mounted scouts, while the cavalry focused primarily on reconnaissance missions.

When the Garrison Commander's camp recruited, they wanted honest men, but they also demanded a certain foundation in horsemanship. Yang Xueshi felt that cavalry couldn't be selected that way, especially the Scout Cavalry who did reconnaissance. The Roving Bandits were a peculiar kind of enemy. Engagements between the two sides often did not take place on typical battlefields. The several times he had been out scouting, the operations were mainly in urban areas, where dealing with marketplace characters was unavoidable.

Men with a foundation in horsemanship all came from the Post Station Runners or long-distance livestock traders. Most had rolled around in the marketplace and were a far cry from honest. Fortunately, there weren't many who could ride. Using Pang Yu's standard, they couldn't recruit enough men. In the end, after Pang Yu compromised and lowered the standard, these men were allowed into the Cavalry Division.

He had originally brought more men. On the third day after the capture of the Bandit Scouts in Tongcheng, Yang Xueshi had set out with thirty riders, carrying an Official Dispatch issued by the Anqing Prefecture and the Circuit Intendant Yamen.

Because the Roving Bandits were active in Xinyang, Pang Yu's main task for him was to scout Gushi and Huoqiu. But in Shucheng, he ran into a mounted constable from Tongcheng whom Yang Xueshi had known from before. From that man, he learned that the Roving Bandits had changed course and headed toward Kaifeng.

Since the Roving Bandits had moved north, Yang Xueshi could only shift his reconnaissance direction northward as well. He detached ten men to go to Gushi, while the rest dispersed toward Huoqiu, Yingzhou, and other places. After completing their scouting, each was to return to Tongcheng on their own.

Yang Xueshi himself took the Yingzhou route. He planned to send only two men toward Shouzhou. Further east was Fengyang — he would not send anyone there. After being ravaged by bandits early in the year, Fengyang was now thick with Heavy Troops. Moreover, the land around Fengyang was barren and had been extremely impoverished even before the bandit attack. Only the Prefectural City, relying on the Imperial Mausoleum, showed a little prosperity.

Under these circumstances, it was unlikely the Roving Bandits would take the Fengyang route again. After eating in Zhengyang Town, he planned to head for Yingzhou. Early in the year, Shouzhou had at least managed to hold its prefectural seat, but Yingzhou had been completely wiped out and was even more ruined than Shouzhou. So this meal, he had to eat his fill.

The owner of the food stall brought over the dishes. One of the Scout Cavalry sitting nearby cursed at him, "You run a business here, yet you don't know to repair the broken roof tiles. What if they fall and hit us?"

Yang Xueshi didn't intervene. This Scout Cavalry was called Chen Rulie, a former Relay Courier from Qianshan. He was the one who had scouted the ridge alone during the battle at Shucheng Mountain Pass. He had taken several arrows in the back, but after only half a month of recovery, he had returned to camp. He was a reliable man under Yang Xueshi.

The shopkeeper was an old man, his hair bun streaked with white. Hearing this, he apologized, "Masters, please forgive me. This place was never this old man's house to begin with. I just do a bit of business here each day. I truly have no means to repair it."

Yang Xueshi cut in to ask, "Then aren't you afraid of it collapsing on you at night while you're staying here?"

"The master jests. This Zhengyang Town is crawling with wandering ghosts at night. Who would dare stay here? This little old man is from a village out back, several li from here. Early in the year, we were fortunate not to be ravaged by the Roving Bandits. I walk ten li back and forth every day, and can only carry this much food on my back. Once it's sold, I go back. Barely enough to keep myself fed. I heard from a few masters passing through yesterday that those Roving Thieves have gone toward Kaifeng. May the Bodhisattva bless us and keep them from coming again."

Chen Rulie pointed at the beggars outside. "Old man, you're only afraid of the Roving Bandits. Aren't you afraid these people will come in and rob you?"

"They have robbed me before. When they did, this little old man just closed the door. Then they didn't even have leftovers to hope for. The beggar chief came to find me and said they wouldn't rob me anymore. Every day, they go everywhere looking for dry hay. Guests who need to feed their horses are willing to eat here, and the beggars can scrape a little something out of it. This little old man can also make a living." The owner sighed, "Ah, just dragging out this old life. Living in these times has no flavor to it."

At that moment, two Scout Cavalry sidled over and said they wanted to drink wine. Yang Xueshi waved his hand and said, "Just tell the old man to bring it."

The owner, hearing this, bowed with clasped hands, fetched half a jar of wine, and then went back to bustling about by the stove.

The several Scout Cavalry divided the wine, each drinking deeply. By strict military rules, scouts were forbidden to drink, but there was no Garrison Inspector Dui here now, and Yang Xueshi himself felt like having a little.

Yang Xueshi lifted the bowl with his right hand, his left hand braced on the table. He had just raised it halfway when he suddenly stopped.

Chen Rulie, who was also leaning on the table, felt the faint vibration too. He paused for a moment, then immediately dropped down and pressed his ear to the ground.

"A large mounted column."

Yang Xueshi strode out into the street. This was the western end of the town, but there were still many ruins of houses on both sides of the road. No mounted column was yet visible in his field of view.

His several subordinates had already led the horses out and were waiting to the side. A large mounted column coming from the west — the greatest possibility was the Roving Bandits.

One Scout Cavalry said, "Company Commander, let's go."

"What's the panic? We haven't even seen anyone yet." Yang Xueshi swung up onto his horse and roared at the beggars around the food stall, "If you want to live, run for the countryside."

The beggars in the street had long since noticed their unusual behavior. Now, upon hearing these words, the food stall's old man turned and fled. The swarm of beggars rushed in, grabbing the remaining food in the shop, and then scattered in all directions into the wilds.

Yang Xueshi spurred his horse and instead headed west, straight toward the direction of the mounted column. The others had no choice but to immediately follow.

They rode until they reached open ground outside the town. Yang Xueshi stopped on the Official Road, took a telescope from his saddlebag, and pulled it out into three sections.

The others could now make out the blurry mounted column, crawling along the distant Official Road. Everyone's mouth went dry, and they all hoped Yang Xueshi would immediately give the order to retreat.

Yang Xueshi held the telescope with both hands, remaining motionless in place. The mounted column drew closer and closer. The mounts of the several men also sensed the danger; one horse was circling in place.

The men breathed rapidly, praying to every deity in their hearts. Finally, that Company Commander Yang lowered the telescope. Everyone let out a long breath of relief.

"Roughly three hundred men, dressed in red with red headscarves, mounted on sturdy horses. Carrying official-made weapons. No recognition banners, flags, or drums." Yang Xueshi turned his head to look at the men. "Li Simu, Wu Jun, return to Tongcheng immediately and report. There may be more than one column. When you pass Lu'an, do not cross the county seat in daylight."

Those two men responded swiftly, spurred their horses, and galloped off eastward.

Another Scout Cavalry probed, "Company Commander, then aren't we going back to report?"

Yang Xueshi glared at him. "If we go back and Lord Pang asks which camp heads they are, can you answer? Each man in our Cavalry Division draws two taels and five Mace in monthly pay. Forage, stables, saddlery, veterinarians — everything costs more than the infantry. If we go back and can't even name a camp head, won't the infantry bazongs have harsh words to say?"

Chen Rulie licked his lips. "Satisfying. We absolutely must take a few of them alive."

By now, the mounted column was even closer. The rumbling of hooves gradually became distinct.

Yang Xueshi spurred his horse. "Head for Huoqiu. We'll wait for stragglers."

……

On the sixteenth day of the twelfth month, leaden clouds hung low over Tongcheng. Snowflakes drifted through the sky, and the mountain range to the west was a mottled patchwork.

The sound of brass gongs rang out repeatedly through the city. Each ward was successively mustering the Community Soldiers, preparing to announce the news that the Roving Bandits were moving south. Tongcheng formally entered a state of war.

Several mounted constables galloped out from the South Fumigate Gate, heading to nearby prefectures and counties to deliver the message.

Pang Yu stood outside the south gate, watching the several mounted constables depart. Around him, a large number of soldiers and civilian laborers were toiling, digging holes large and small in the ground, or transporting timber salvaged from the ruins into the city, to prevent the Roving Bandits from using it on the spot to build siege equipment.

Pang Ding, before him, said in a low voice, "Young Master, the Old Master and Madam still won't go to Anqing. The Old Master says someone in the city is sick and still needs to buy medicine from him."

"As long as it's been made clear. Everyone has their own choices."

Pang Ding raised his eyes to look at Pang Yu. "Is it more perilous than early this year?"

"Shouzhou and Lu'an have both confirmed that the Roving Bandits have already moved south. There may even be a third or fourth column. Just the portion personally witnessed by the Scout Cavalry in Lu'an Prefecture alone — the Roving Bandits' marching column stretched for over ten li. The total number of Roving Bandits very likely exceeds one hundred thousand. In any case, this New Year is ruined again."

Hearing the words "one hundred thousand," Pang Ding gulped audibly.

"When you go to Anqing, remember to handle matters. Urge the Canal Gang on purchasing grain along the river and dispatching Sitting Spies. In addition to what was arranged last time, Wuhu and Zhenjiang must also be prepared. Furthermore, recruit some trackers in Nanjing, Dangtu, and Chizhou, in case the Roving Bandits turn around and the fleet needs to return upstream from the Jiangnan riverbank." Pang Yu paused for a moment, then said, "The silver involved is considerable. Have the silver bank send someone to Nanjing to manage the disbursements."

Pang Ding observed him for a moment, then probed, "Would Zhou Guniang be suitable?"

"Whoever Liu Ruogu thinks is suitable, send them."

"Understood. I'll return to Tongcheng as soon as I've delivered the message."

Pang Yu shook his head. "You go with the boat to Nanjing and take care of the grain matter properly."

Pang Ding's mouth split open, looking on the verge of tears.

Pang Yu smiled and patted his shoulder. "The Roving Bandits might just Go North from Luzhou, you never know. Don't forget your young master is the Stick God — not someone to trifle with."