Chapter 231: Credibility

It was New Year's Eve — the final day of the Chongzhen Eighth Year.

As the sky darkened to a faint black, a continuous line of grain transport ships appeared on the Dangtu river, pulling in one after another toward the docks.

Pang Yu had just disembarked. Behind him, more grain ships continued to arrive, filling the berths along the riverbank. Dozens of large cauldrons had been set up on shore, soldiers bustling around them, white steam billowing from the pots.

The nearby shops were all shuttered. After the Garrison Battalion landed, the few idle commoners who had been around had also fled without a trace. The logistics tasks could only be handled by the fleet itself. This was the Canal Gang fleet's second assembly point. The Dangtu river section differed from later eras — the Yangtze's channel shifted constantly during the Ming Dynasty. At this time, the main shipping lane ran along the right branch at Jiangxinzhou (Note 1: not the Nanjing Jiangxinzhou). At the same time, for safety considerations, Pang Yu chose to dock at the south-bank wharf rather than the Hezhou wharf.

Continuing downstream from Dangtu would lead directly to Nanjing. Pang Yu needed to confirm the latest intelligence on the Nanjing direction here one final time and decide on a landing site.

A group of Company Commander were already waiting on shore. Yang Xueshi and Jiang Fan were among them. They had gone ahead as scouts with the Water Army's small patrol boats, their journey starting a day earlier than Pang Yu's. Spotting Pang Yu, they immediately came forward to greet him.

"Sir, confirmed that Hezhou has fallen to the Roving Bandits. The bandits sacked the city for two days."

Standing at the dock, Pang Yu gazed toward Jiangbei. His eyes passed through the masts of the grain ships to see Jiangxinzhou in the distance on the river. Hezhou lay on the opposite shore from Jiangxinzhou.

When he had returned from Nanjing early that year, he had crossed the river from Caishi and stopped at Hezhou. Hezhou's city walls were no less formidable than Tongcheng's. He never imagined it would be taken in just two days.

"Did we send scouts ashore?"

"Chen Rulie took Scout Cavalry and Water Camp Marines ashore yesterday afternoon. They captured one Horse Soldier encamped on the bank and confirmed he belongs to Gao Bazi's unit. According to his confession, they are heading to Jiangpu. Only... the capture alerted the bandits. One Marine did not return."

"Captured by the bandits, or dead?"

"Chen Rulie doesn't know if he's dead or alive." Yang Xueshi lowered his voice. "The Marines were recruited not long ago. Though their water skills are good, their combat skills are generally poor. During this landing, they disobeyed orders, running wild and killing indiscriminately once ashore, which delayed the capture and drew the Mounted Bandits."

Pang Yu braced his hands on the table edge, studied Hezhou's position for a moment, then asked him, "After their reconnaissance, was there any unusual movement from the bandits?"

"At noon today, the Scout Boats observed the bandits relocating camp eastward. The Official Road was packed with men, horses, and Carriages."

Pang Yu breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the bandits weren't moving west, he wouldn't have to figure out what to do next.

Yao Dongshan cut in brashly, "Might as well have just picked some men from the Land Battalion who can swim. Then the bandits wouldn't have gotten away."

Pang Yu's face remained expressionless. The Land Battalion's Company Commander were quite resistant to the Water Army Marines. This landing reconnaissance had now caused another mess — a scout lost in enemy territory, which might instead have let the bandits interrogate him and learn the Garrison Battalion's movements.

If Gao Bazi concluded that Anqing was undefended and turned back west, then the Marine Corps would indeed have caused a major disaster. Fortunately, for the bandits, economic imperatives outweighed strategic objectives. The Marine Corps could only be said to have caused a minor mishap.

Still, today had the air of an accusation. The only Water Army man present was Ren Dalang, and he wasn't stepping forward to defend the Marines. It was clear the Marines truly had no standing in the army. But establishing the Marine Corps had been something Pang Yu had insisted on single-handedly. The words of these few men now seemed to reflect the army's pushback against that decision.

He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said, "Zhuang Chaozheng, do you think the Land Battalion is adept at landing reconnaissance?"

Zhuang Chaozheng had remained silent the whole time but seemed to have an answer ready. Hearing the question, he immediately replied, "This subordinate believes that when the Marines were recruited, we specifically chose men who could swim and had worked on boats. For matters on docks like these, perhaps the Land Battalion could pick a few who manage. But if a landing must be made in wild, open terrain, the Marines are definitely better."

Pang Yu gave a slight nod at this. Mr. Hou noted the gesture, glanced at the others, and then said, "This subordinate also believes that this was the Water Camp Marines' first battle. Although one man was lost, they accomplished the critical mission of capturing a prisoner. One can say the flaw does not obscure the jade — merit should be rewarded."

"Mr. Hou's insight is most apt."

Yao Dongshan's eyes shifted. He dared not speak further. The other Company Commander, hearing this, all understood Pang Yu's meaning. The topic of accusing the Marines came to an end.

Pang Yu changed the subject at the right moment. "Has anyone come from the Dangtu County Yamen?"

Jiang Fan said quietly, "The city gates are tightly shut. This subordinate sent a letter in, stating that the Anqing Battalion troops have come to rescue Jiangnan. There has been no response."

"What news from Nanjing?"

"The Eight Bandits are currently attacking Jiangpu County seat. Jiangnan government troops crossed the river to relieve them. As of the twenty-seventh, we have not heard of it falling."

A map was spread out on the table. Pang Yu now knew the bandits had not yet crossed the river. The relief operation would still take place in Jiangbei. The targets were Jiangpu and Lu'an. What needed to be decided was where to land.

"Has any message come from Mr. Ma? Has the Grand Coordinator Yamen issued any clear military order specifying where our battalion is to provide relief, and where to land?"

Jiang Fan shook his head. "After Nanjing went under martial law, Mr. Ma sent one letter via He County Yamen, advising you, sir, to pay attention to Puzikou Town. After that, the city of Nanjing fell into chaos. All city gates were under martial law. The roads to Jurong were choked with carts and horses. He County Yamen could not get through to Jurong."

Wang Zenglu probed cautiously, "Since the Hezhou bandits are moving toward Jiangpu, they intend to join camps with the Eight Bandits. Should our army relieve Jiangpu County seat, or Puzikou?"

On the map, east of Jiangpu County, a red dot was marked with the three characters for Puzikou. This was what he had been unable to decide all along — where to land.

When he had returned from Nanjing early that year, he had made a special trip from Hezhou to Jiangpu County. It was a hurried visit; he had only seen the city walls, had no interaction with the locals, and had even forgotten to look at the ferry crossing. By his understanding, it should be somewhere south of the city, near the river.

After the bandits drew near, Pang Yu gathered intelligence on Jiangpu at the docks and only then learned that Jiangpu had another key point: Puzikou Town. This was the site of Jiangpu's old county seat. Because the Yangtze's channel had shifted north, half the city had been flooded, so the county seat was relocated to Kuangkou — present-day Jiangpu County. The old county seat became Puzikou Town.

In the Ming Dynasty, five Guard Posts were stationed within Jiangpu's borders. Four of them were at Puzikou; only one was at Jiangpu County seat. During the Wanli era, local officials rebuilt Puzikou's South Wall, which had been destroyed by water, creating a city with seven gates and four Guard Posts. Judging purely by its defenses, it could be called the number one town in Jiangnan.

Puzikou had two important ferry crossings: Puzikou Ferry and Xuanhua Ferry. Both were south of Puzikou city. They were the main ferries going directly from Jiangbei to Nanjing. In terms of importance to Jiangnan, they even surpassed Jiangpu County seat.

Pang Yu's relief plan was not well-developed. He had no staff officers to do detailed planning for him, and Pang Yu himself did not know where to begin. The only references he had were the relief operations for Tongcheng and Qianshan, where he simply needed to deliver troops to the relief location. The relief objective had been very clear then.

But this time, setting out from Zongyang, he realized that riverine relief operations were a hundred times more complex than internal relief within Anqing. Intelligence gathered from different places varied. The bandits were vast in number, divided into multiple columns. Their assembly point was very likely at Jiangpu. This made Pang Yu even more worried: if his sixteen hundred men landed directly, would they be besieged by a multitude of bandits?

During the movement toward Jiangpu, there were docks all along the river. Zhang Guowei had issued an order to clear the river of boats. But Jiangbei areas like Hezhou and Chao County were not under Yingtian's jurisdiction — it was unknown if they were clearing the river. If the bandits obtained enough boats in those places, they would likewise pose a threat to Jiangnan, and crossing the river would put them in the Yingtian Grand Coordinator's jurisdiction. Therefore, Pang Yu set assembly points along the route: first, to gather straggling boats; second, to inspect the River Defense and ascertain whether the bandits had any intention of crossing the river.

Just like when the bandits made the Mianchi South Crossing on the Yellow River — once they crossed the Yellow River, the Ming Dynasty's heartland was ruined, and the situation spiraled out of control. Now, in the Dangtu area, there were no Jiangnan government troops deployed. What they relied on was this Yangtze River.

At present, the bandits' main force was confirmed to be at Jiangpu and Hezhou. Although the Hezhou bandits were relocating camp eastward, Gao Bazi had once used a feint in Henan to draw Lu Xiangsheng away. They still had to guard against the Hezhou bandits turning back and crossing the river. Meanwhile, Jiangpu was currently under siege. The Garrison Battalion's troop movements needed to be decided quickly.

Wang Zenglu hesitated for a moment, then said, "If the bandits are to assemble at Jiangpu, their numbers could reach 200,000. This force from Hezhou has only Gao Bazi and the Dashing General. The Scout Cavalry estimated based on the camp size at Chao County — their numbers are about 100,000, half of what's at Jiangpu. Therefore, sir, you need not necessarily land at Jiangpu. You could very well land at Hezhou. The bandits would surely be somewhat intimidated and might just head north. That would also save Jiangpu."

Jiang Fan turned to Wang Zenglu. "What if the Hezhou bandits turn back and engage us? Our battalion would instead be pinned down by the bandits on the riverbank. Once battle is joined, withdrawal would not be easy. If Jiangpu falls to the bandits during that time, how do we explain it to His Excellency Zhang?"

Wang Zenglu did not back down. "According to the bandit practices the sir has compiled, after breaching a city, they invariably remain garrisoned for three to five days to thoroughly plunder the city's Rations and Pay. This time they left hastily after just two days. It must be because capturing that Marine made them aware that government troops are near. This shows they still fear government troops. Our battalion landing would shatter their courage — how would they dare turn back and fight? Besides, even if we land at Jiangpu, our battalion might not avoid being besieged on the riverbank. The bandits at Jiangpu are at least twice the number at Hezhou."

Mr. Hou, who had been silent all along, spoke up. "That would still be the riverbank at Jiangpu, under the Yingtian Grand Coordinator's jurisdiction. The Jiangnan Army can provide supplies. What would it count for here in Hezhou?"

Wang Zenglu turned to Mr. Hou. "The bandits at Jiangpu could be several times those at Hezhou."

Mr. Hou fell silent at that. Yao Dongshan behind him bellowed, "Several times is good — we'll just kill several times more."

Yang Xueshi, Ren Dalang, and Zhuang Chaozheng, who were present, kept their eyes lowered and did not join the discussion.

Pang Yu had been listening all along. It seemed only Wang Zenglu in the room proposed landing at Hezhou. The others still believed they should land at Jiangpu. That aligned with his own thinking, however. After pondering a moment, he spoke. "What Zenglu considered was relieving Jiangpu via Hezhou, threatening the bandits' rear line. That is also a viable option. There are multiple paths to achieve an objective — Zenglu did well on this point. It's just that Jiangpu is already under attack, and the Hezhou bandits show signs of relocating camp. Therefore, our primary objective in deploying troops remains the relief of Jiangpu."

Once Pang Yu finished these words, Wang Zenglu did not persist further and lowered his head slightly. The others understood from Pang Yu's meaning that they were heading straight for Jiangpu. But exactly where to land was still not made clear, and no one asked.

Seeing that no one else spoke, Pang Yu said to the Company Commander, "Each unit is to tally the number of its troops that have arrived at Dangtu. Report to the Central Army before the end of the You hour."

After the Company Commander saluted and departed, only Jiang Fan and Mr. Hou remained. Pang Yu studied the map for a moment, then suddenly spoke. "In your opinion, to His Excellency Zhang, which is more critical — Puzikou, or Jiangpu County?"

Mr. Hou and Jiang Fan exchanged a glance and quickly understood. Pang Yu himself had not yet decided whether to assist in defending Jiangpu or Puzikou.

Jiang Fan waited a moment. Seeing that Mr. Hou showed no intention of speaking, he said quietly, "This subordinate believes that the Jiangpu County Seat is no different from Hezhou, Hanshan, or Quanjiao — it is merely a county town in Jiangbei. Puzikou, however, is the lock and key to Jiangnan. To His Excellency Zhang, Jiangnan is the foundation. As long as the bandits do not cross the river, everything in Jiangbei is a side issue."

Pang Yu looked at Mr. Hou again. Mr. Hou froze for a second, realizing he could not remain silent, and then said hesitantly, "But after Jiangpu went under martial law, if the river was truly cleared, then there are no more boats in Jiangbei. Even if Puzikou is lost, the bandits still cannot cross the river. Puzikou is a town, while Jiangpu is a county seat — a county seat under the Yingtian Grand Coordinator's jurisdiction. Lose a town, and the Emperor might not even take notice. Lose a county seat, and it will always be more conspicuous."

Pang Yu rubbed his forehead. "Puzikou and Jiangpu are twenty li apart. If we land at Puzikou, we would need to march twenty li overland to provide relief, crossing three bridges along the way, passing through the camps of at least a hundred thousand bandits. The difficulty would be considerable. If we relieve Jiangpu directly, our battalion can land at Bazigou Ferry. That place is on the riverbank, eight li from the county seat and ten li from Puzikou. The threat to the bandits besieging the city would be much greater."

Jiang Fan coughed once. "My Sitting Spy sent back word that Bazigou Ferry is a passenger ferry crossing. The dock is not large and may not accommodate so many troop ships. Many of the boat captains sailing for the Water Camp this time have never been to this ferry either. If the landing does not go smoothly and the grain ships behind get jammed at the crossing, or if the Mounted Bandits come upon hearing the news, I fear our troops won't have a firm footing. Puzikou Ferry, on the other hand, has a broad dock, plus the cover of Puzikou's city walls. The boat captains have all been there. We could take our time disembarking and forming ranks."

"Let me think on it." Pang Yu felt a headache coming on. For someone who had never led troops before, operating on interior lines in Anqing had been manageable — especially when Shi Kefa was with him, as various places would offer some degree of support, and the objective was singular. Now, leading troops in the field, every matter required thorough deliberation, and he had no veteran general to give him advice. That was why he had deliberately sent the Company Commander away — so they wouldn't perceive him as lacking decisiveness.

Landing at Baligou Ferry Crossing came with many uncertainties, but its position between Jiangpu and Puzikou meant it could support either city. The downside was the narrow dock here, and with no clear idea how far away the Roving Bandits were, it was somewhat akin to an enemy-front landing.

He turned and glanced down at the dock. Grain Transport Ships were still arriving in a steady stream, their berths a forest of masts, but the small triangular flags at the mastheads were a jumble of colors — the flag color was how each Office was told apart. They had been organized into formations when they set out from the last staging point, but after the river crossing, every formation was in chaos upon arrival; even two double-hours might not be enough to reassemble. In this state, if they had to make an enemy-front landing, they could only pray the enemy was just as disorganized.

His mind a little tangled, Pang Yu shook his head. He still had some time to decide, but before they set out from Dangtu, he had to settle on the landing site.

On the whole, the intelligence this time was far better than at the start of the year. He turned to look at Jiang Fan. For now, Jiang Fan was an off-the-books man, but in practice he was the intelligence chief. This time he had also helped complete part of the logistics preparations — the grain at Dangtu had been bought in advance, and more had been prepared.

Pang Yu said to Jiang Fan, "The Canal Gang has performed admirably this time. That sitting spy you mentioned in Jiangpu — to send back useful information after only a short time there, he is a talent worth using."

Jiang Fan quickly bowed. "I dare not accept your excessive praise, my lord. Not all of it was useful this time. The man in Quanjiao lost contact, and the sitting spy in Hezhou sent no word in advance either. It was the men we left stationed in Dangtu who learned of it from the common folk crossing the river."

"Did the spy in Hezhou escape with his life?"

"It is that Tan Laizi whom you have met, my lord. He was fortunate to escape. Last night a Scout Boat came across him on a sandbar downstream and brought him back to Dangtu."

Pang Yu smiled faintly. "The slaughter in Hezhou this time was utterly brutal. That he escaped with his life is indeed luck."

"Almost no one in the city survived. Over ten thousand were driven into the river, and only a handful managed to swim to Jiangxinzhou. More than half of those later froze to death. Tan Laizi survived because he had prepared a boat, and after entering the river he even rescued two others."

Pang Yu said with keen interest, "Those two are even luckier than Tan Laizi."

Seeing Pang Yu's brow smooth out, Jiang Fan quickly played along. "I have met both of them. The man is the son of a bamboo-and-wood merchant in Hezhou. He holds Government Student status and has also joined the Restoration Society. The woman, on the other hand, is…"

"You say his family are merchants, and he is a Restoration Society scholar?"

Jiang Fan nodded, puzzled. He did not know what was so remarkable about this. Anqing had plenty of Restoration Society disciples, but he had never seen Pang Yu take such an interest before.

"He escaped alone? What of the rest of his family?"

"According to him, they were all killed by the Roving Bandits. He witnessed it himself. The bandits had originally intended to keep him, but for some reason, that day they drove him into the river along with the rest."

Pang Yu gave an acknowledging murmur, a faint smile appearing. "Bring him to see me at once. Any survivors from Hezhou you can find, bring them all along."

……

"Let me tell you, when Lord Pang holds an audience this time, it's me, Tan Ya, he wants to see. You lot must have cultivated good fortune in your past lives to run into me, Tan Ya, and get the chance to lay eyes on someone as extraordinary as a living immortal of our Anqing. Lord Pang, ah, he's bound to give Tan Ye here a reward this time."

Not far from the dock, Tan Laizi spoke as he hitched up his sleeve again. The day he fled to the river sandbar, he had found a way to survive in a spot where fishermen took shelter, and by evening a Small Patrol Boat had brought him back to Dangtu. These clothes he had found inside a broken-down shopfront at the dock; they were a bit too big, but at least they kept him warm.

A crowd of Hezhou commoners followed behind him. The grandson's wife and the young man who had shared his boat were among them.

Tan Laizi was somewhat excited. Beneath his reddened nose tip, snot was dribbling out again. He had meant to sniff it back, but thinking that he was about to meet Lord Pang, Tan Laizi pinched both sides with his fingers and, with a loud honk, blew out a huge string of it.

After wiping it away with his long sleeve, Tan Laizi felt his nasal passages clear. He turned back to take the grandson's wife by the hand. She instinctively stepped backward, then said, "I, I can walk by myself."

Tan Laizi thought nothing of it and chuckled. "We've kept our lives. There's no going back to Hezhou anyway. In a couple of days we'll head back to Anqing. Tan Ye here still has a few dozen taels of silver saved up. Good days ahead for you."

At these words, the crowd behind all cast envious looks. They were all from Hezhou, every last one of them now utterly destitute, so naturally they envied Tan Laizi's family circumstances.

Having spoken, Tan Laizi swaggered off. The young man who had shared the boat looked at the grandson's wife and hesitated, then said, "Miss Sun, you…"

The grandson's wife flushed red and walked on with the crowd. The young man could only hurry to keep up.

They soon reached the dock. Ahead stood rows of red-coated officers and soldiers. Someone then led the way, and the crowd of commoners followed, trembling with fear, until they stood before a young General Officer.

Tan Laizi rushed forward a few steps and dropped to his knees with a thud. "Your humble servant Tan Erlin pays respects to Lord Pang, and to Gang Leader Jiang."

The young General Officer said offhandedly, "Your service as a sitting spy in Hezhou this time shows commendable loyalty. Go and rest now. Where is that Young Master Liu of the Restoration Society?"

As he spoke, he walked toward the back accompanied by Gang Leader Jiang. Tan Laizi stood there blankly for a moment, then hastily followed after them.

General Pang came directly before the young man. The others, overawed by the army's presence, had all knelt. The young man also knelt involuntarily. "I pay respects to you, my lord."

Pang Yu caught him by the arm at once. "Young Master Liu, does your family run a bamboo-and-wood business in Hezhou?"

The moment these words were spoken, everyone behind looked at Young Master Liu in astonishment. Even Young Master Liu himself was utterly surprised — how could a general stationed far away in Anqing know the circumstances of his family?

"My lord, my family does indeed deal in bamboo and wood."

"May I ask your honored father's name?"

"My father is Liu Guangyuan."

"It really is Liu Guangyuan." Pang Yu clapped his hands together sharply, startling everyone. He then grasped Young Master Liu's hand with great emotion. "Yes, the name is Liu Guangyuan. Did your father ever tell you that he deposited a sum of silver at the Great River Silver Bank in Anqing?"

Young Master Liu shook his head, bewildered.

Pang Yu's face was full of fervor. "Your father deposited five hundred taels of silver at the Anqing Great River Silver Bank, intended for purchasing bamboo and wood in Anqing. He was a valued client of the Great River Silver Bank. Who could have imagined such a calamity would befall him before he could use it? Before I set out, the Shopkeeper of the Great River Silver Bank entrusted me with finding Shopkeeper Liu at all costs. Heaven has taken pity."

That Young Master Liu was too stunned to speak. Even through his grief, he knew perfectly well that his father had not set foot in Anqing for five or six years. How could there be a massive deposit of five hundred taels of silver there? And this so-called Great River Silver Bank — he had never even heard of it.

The commoners behind him erupted in an uproar. This Young Master Liu had been weeping for an entire day; everyone had been equally penniless. Who could have imagined such a stroke of luck? In the blink of an eye, Young Master Liu had become a man of means. Another string of snot dripped from Tan Laizi's nose and hung over his lip without him even noticing.

The Personal Soldiers around them were also utterly baffled. Had Lord Pang known Hezhou had been breached even before they set out?

"I will send men at once to escort you to Nanjing. Young Master Liu, worry no more about your livelihood. The Great River Silver Bank is most scrupulous in its integrity and will certainly deliver this deposited silver to you."

Pang Yu beckoned, and two Personal Soldiers came forward and led the thoroughly confused Young Master Liu away.

Pang Yu turned and walked a short distance away, then said in a low voice to Mr. Hou, who was following him, "The story of this Young Master Liu — Mr. Hou, write an article about it. You must make it clear that Young Master Liu himself did not know about the deposit, that it was the Great River Silver Bank that took the initiative to find Young Master Liu, and not only let him claim his family's deposited five hundred taels of silver, but also escorted him all the way to Nanjing, so that his family bloodline was preserved. Write it quickly and send it quickly to Nanjing. Have it published in the Jiangnan Times. Print an extra edition at the fastest speed. The Anqing Garrison Battalion's relief of Nanjing should also be written up in this edition, but Young Master Liu is the headline. Do it as fast as you can. Spending a bit more silver is no problem. Right now, when everyone's hearts are in turmoil, the effect will be best."

Mr. Hou was equally baffled, but Pang Yu was pressing him urgently, so he could only hurry off to carry it out.

Tan Laizi sidled up to Pang Yu's side, only to be blocked by Guo Fengyou.

Stammering, he said, "M-my lord, my family used to deal in bamboo and wood too…"