Chapter 244

On the second day of the first month of the ninth year of the Chongzhen reign, the official road east of Jiangpu was thick with horse soldiers all around, and the area surrounding the city walls seethed like a boiling cauldron as thousands upon thousands of servants packed up the camp.

Xiao Wazi sat on the mule cart, his wounds still aching, mainly the arrow wound on his back, so his bedding and clothes had been spread over the mule cart; there were two embroidered satin-faced quilts that felt very comfortable to the touch, and lying on them Xiao Wazi did not feel the jolting at all, a far better treatment than when he was wounded the year before.

The old man was still driving the cart, sitting crookedly on the carriage frame with a whip in his hand, just waiting for the old camp to begin moving out.

Behind him followed his servants, now numbering seven people, five men and two women; two of them pushed a wheelbarrow piled absurdly high with all kinds of luggage, mostly looted along the way, and one of the servants led a horse.

Yesterday when Xiao Wazi fled across the river, there were no government soldiers guarding the bridge head on the opposite side, nor did he see a single Roving Bandit accomplice, yet outside the market streets there were seven or eight riderless mounts with absolutely no one watching over them — horses were their most valued asset, surpassing gold and silver — so although Xiao Wazi was still in shock, he still took the time to grab one.

Liu Wenxiu had vanished without a trace; Xiao Wazi returned to Silver Ingot Bridge not knowing which Camp Head he should follow, and soon after the bombardment began, and in the chaos Xiao Wazi followed the main force and fled back to Jiangpu.

Only after returning to camp did he carefully examine that precious horse; on the saddle were carved characters, and although Xiao Wazi could not read them, he knew for certain it was a government soldier's horse.

By nightfall, whispered rumors were circulating through the camp, saying that those government soldiers had come from Anqing and were called the Anqing Garrison Battalion.

Xiao Wazi figured that horse must have belonged to this Anqing Garrison Battalion, most likely used by those soldiers who had dismounted to block the bridge, and had fled on its own to the far riverbank after being startled.

When he looked back at the saddle again, sure enough there was the character "Qing"; Xiao Wazi also memorized the "An" character in front of it, so that he could recognize it in the future.

"That Tongcheng is under Anqing," Xiao Wazi muttered to himself on the cart. "A pity we aren't fighting again."

The old man in front sighed softly but offered no persuasion.

The sound of hoofbeats gradually emerged ahead; Xiao Wazi raised his head — the horse soldiers of the old camp had finished assembling and were now setting out northward along the official road.

For this march on Chuzhou, the Western Camp would serve as the Vanguard, with the various family camp heads following behind; the front was actually more dangerous, so Eight Master had the old camp take the forward position to guard against any government troops blocking the way.

After the old camp horse soldiers departed, the various divisions began mounting the official road in succession, also in a set order: the old camp family dependents went first, then sorted by the generational seniority of the Camp Heads, with the qualified commanders going first, followed by their assigned Precious Banner, High Shine, Post Commander, and Team Leaders, and then the next commander.

Liu Wenxiu's figure appeared up ahead, heading straight this way.

Xiao Wazi hurriedly propped himself up and jumped off the cart, waiting for this new Camp Head's orders. When he returned last night, Liu Wenxiu was still nowhere to be seen; he had thought this new Camp Head had already died east of the river, but to his surprise Liu Wenxiu returned to the camp not long after, and only then did Xiao Wazi hear from others that this new Camp Head was one of the rare northerners who was highly skilled in swimming, and that small river posed no difficulty for him at all.

Liu Wenxiu arrived before Xiao Wazi on horseback with several men; he looked Xiao Wazi over and said, "If you're wounded, no need to rise. Follow my banner."

Xiao Wazi hastily agreed. He had stayed right by Liu Wenxiu's side all day yesterday, fighting fiercely to intercept that forward infantry unit, and had likely caught Liu Wenxiu's eye. This new Camp Head had lost quite a few Team Leaders yesterday; a new talent like Xiao Wazi had a great chance of being given important responsibilities.

Liu Wenxiu glanced at Xiao Wazi's servants and possessions and said, "Once we break Chuzhou, you can take on more servants."

"My thanks to the Old Camp Chief." Xiao Wazi asked cautiously, "When it comes to battle, which Camp Head should this humble one follow?"

Liu Wenxiu looked left and right; he had lost many Post Commander yesterday, several of whom had been quite useful. After a moment, he pointed to a horse soldier on his left. "You'll follow Second Locust for now."

Xiao Wazi looked up and saw Second Locust grinning right at him.

…

"Are the Roving Bandits about to attack?"

Two li west of the Silver Ingot Bridge's western bridge head, a mounted squad of over ten riders stood on the official road. Pang Yu raised his telescope to observe; his field of vision was filled entirely with horse soldiers. Unlike yesterday, besides the roving scouts blanketing the wilderness, the horse soldiers of each division were clearly demarcated, with distinct battle lines.

Behind the cavalry there were faint traces of foot soldiers; they were farther away, and with those cavalrymen blocking the view ahead, Pang Yu could not see clearly whether they were servants or actual infantry.

"How do we fight this?" Pang Yu muttered quietly to himself.

Most of his experience so far had relied on fighting within city walls and market streets; forming ranks and fighting on open wilderness like this — he had no experience whatsoever. The main horse soldier force was two li away, and roving scouts ranged back and forth beyond one li, severely disrupting visibility, making Pang Yu feel as if cavalry were everywhere, yet making it very difficult to judge their exact numbers.

"Sir, the Second Division reports that there are still two or three hundred horse soldiers at Fierce Tiger Bridge." Guo Fengyou's voice sounded from behind.

"Understood." Pang Yu calmly lowered his telescope, his gaze deep and penetrating as he looked toward the direction of Jiangpu.

Guo Fengyou looked at Pang Yu's back with admiration, and Jiang Guoyong and the other personal soldiers felt the same. Under Pang Yu's command, the Garrison Battalion had seized two critical bridges on the very first day of landing at Puzikou, annihilated three hundred and ten horse soldiers, and captured seventy-three, among them one Precious Banner and one High Shine, while the Post Commander and Team Leaders had yet to be fully counted; in the cannon sneak attack they had killed a bandit leader named Yao Tiandong, and the Roving Bandits who had trampled each other to death on the official road numbered in the hundreds.

Now the entire army's reverence for Lord Pang was like a mighty, surging river; they firmly believed that Lord Pang could lead them from one victory to another.

At that moment, a portion of the roving scouts was approaching this way. Pang Yu pulled his horse around, did not speak with anyone else, wore an expression of complete confidence, and then rode toward the bridge head fort two li away. Those roving scouts followed after, but not at full pursuit speed.

One li from the bridge head fort there was a company of infantry; they had formed ranks on both sides of the official road, and after Pang Yu passed they too began a slow withdrawal.

Those Bandit Cavalry slowed their pace and gradually came to a halt two hundred paces away, clearly still haunted by the memory of that infantry.

Pang Yu soon returned to the bridge head fort at Silver Ingot Bridge, where all the commanders were waiting.

"The horse soldiers number over a thousand, and there are two or three hundred at Fierce Tiger Bridge, so the total should be around fifteen hundred." After dismounting, Pang Yu spoke directly to the few men. "The foot soldiers behind cannot be observed; there should be several thousand. What do you gentlemen think we should do?"

Yao Dongshan, not wearing his helmet, rubbed the topknot on his head and said loudly, "Yesterday those horse soldiers also numbered a thousand, and we slaughtered those several hundred east of the river in one go. Today if we charge them again, we can surely lift the siege of Jiangpu."

Wang Zenglu waited a moment after hearing this, and seeing that no one else spoke, he bowed to Pang Yu and said, "This subordinate believes we should hold our ground today."

"State your reasons."

"The few boats used to lure the enemy yesterday stopped on the New River until daybreak. This morning they arrived at Puzikou and reported that in the direction of Hezhou there was a vast expanse of lantern light — it must be that Gao Bazi has arrived. Sir, you have said that this bandit is a chieftain among bandits, and the horse bandits he leads likely number in the thousands. These thousand-odd horse soldiers in front of us are meant to lure our battalion away from Silver Ingot Bridge. We would need to leave troops to guard both bridge heads, so we could send at most a thousand men toward Jiangpu. If we go too far, the hidden horse soldiers would all emerge, and we would be trapped there. Even if we could hold, the Bandit horse soldiers move fast — they could strike either bridge head at will, and we would be unable to reinforce in time."

Pang Yu nodded and looked toward Chen Rulie. "Chen Rulie, you lead the cavalry. Do you think we should go out to battle?"

Chen Rulie's face and waist were both wrapped in cotton cloth, and today he had not even put on his cotton armor. His injuries were not considered severe among the Cavalry Ying, and he could still move about today. Yang Xueshi had been struck in the cheek by an arrow in the final moments of the battle and had already been sent to Wanfeng Gate to recuperate.

He tilted his head to glance at Yao Dongshan before saying, "Right now we have many horses but few men; only twenty-some cavalrymen are still fit for use. There is no way to stop the Roving Thieves. Once we go out to battle, we would be split into three separate places. This subordinate believes we should hold our ground."

Pang Yu did not ask anyone else. Having two men oppose going out to battle actually gladdened his heart. With those horse soldiers present, the road from here to Jiangpu was indeed difficult to travel, and he dared not charge directly into tens of thousands of Roving Bandits.

"Each of you has spoken with considerable insight, but today's battlefield is not the same as yesterday's. This terrain suits the Roving Bandit horse soldiers — a hundred riders circling can envelop ten thousand men. If our infantry advances, they will certainly be surrounded by the Roving Bandits. Moreover, we suffered considerable losses yesterday, while the Roving Bandits have been reinforced by Gao Bazi's fresh arrival. Today it is not advisable for us to rush into battle."

After saying this, Pang Yu addressed the men again. "Today each division will consolidate its defenses. The Personal Guard Division will hold Wanfeng Gate. The Third Division's Seventh Company will be redeployed to Fierce Tiger Bridge, and the remaining two companies will go to Silver Ingot Bridge. The cavalry will take good care of the captured horses — this battle has shown that cavalry is absolutely indispensable, and we will need these horses in the future. The wounded from every division are to be sent to the dock and transported by boat to the Xiaxinhe Dock in Jiangnan. Those too seriously wounded to travel by boat will first be settled at Wanfeng Gate. Mr. Hou, discuss with Puzikou whether they can be allowed into the city to stay — spending some silver is not a concern. Also, regarding the captured goods, we cannot carry so much baggage into battle."

Guo Fengyou looked around and said, "Every division needs to defend — then who will transport the wounded and the valuables?"

"Let the Marine Corps do it." Pang Yu raised his head as he spoke and looked toward a Centurion behind him. "The Marine Corps performed exceptionally well this time, like you, the ironworker."

That Centurion hurriedly stepped forward and knelt. "This humble one used to work iron. From now on, the Marine Corps will also work iron for you, sir. Whichever stubborn fool is the hardest, the Marine Corps will strike them for you, sir."

Pang Yu reached out and helped him up. This Centurion came from the Second Division and had originally been a Banner Commander. Pang Yu had seen him throw a millstone from the city wall and was deeply impressed by this man. When forming the Marine Corps, he had promoted him to Centurion. Judging by the current state of the Marine Corps, it indeed had something of this blacksmith's style.

Having received clear orders, the officers all returned to their respective Military Camp. Such was the Anqing Garrison Battalion's military council — a few brief discussions and they went off to execute.

As the crowd dispersed, Pang Yu suddenly noticed He County Yamen standing outside with Pang Ding.

It had been some days since he had seen this third brother; Pang Yu let out a delighted laugh and went over to greet him.

"Congratulations, sir, on your victorious start." He County Yamen was also very pleased. "When the messenger Small Patrol Boat arrived, this humble one followed it across the river."

Pang Yu exchanged a few modest words, then pulled He County Yamen into a nearby two-story building. Because of its good vantage point, Pang Yu was using this building as the command post for Silver Ingot Bridge.

"Third Brother, why have you crossed the river? Has the special edition of the Jiangnan Times been completed?"

"The first batch has been printed. The front page covers the Hezhou affair, the deeds of that Young Master Liu, and also the Garrison Battalion. It will be distributed in the city this afternoon."

Pang Yu let out a long breath and said, "Release this edition first. Mr. Hou has already written the victory dispatch from Puzikou. Cross back over the river this afternoon and continue distributing the special editions."

He County Yamen lowered his voice. "I came to tell you, Second Brother, about this Jiangnan Times — it concerns the Restoration Society."

"Has something happened to the Restoration Society?"

"Nothing immediate, but the wind is shifting. In the ninth month, a man named Zhou Zhikui wrote a piece called 'Restoration Society or Questions,' fiercely attacking the Restoration Society. I heard it reached the Emperor's hands through a certain Official Xue in the Capital."

Pang Yu said, surprised, "Why did I hear nothing of this in the ninth month?"

"After His Majesty read it, he sent it down for handling, and by the time it reached Jiangnan it was already the tenth month. I only heard it from Fang Yizhi. Right now, both Zhang Pu and Zhang Cai have shut their doors and are refusing visitors. Some of the Restoration Society scholars in Nanjing have also returned to their hometowns."

"Did Fang Yizhi say to whom the Emperor assigned this matter?"

"Chief Grand Secretary Wen." He County Yamen hesitated a moment. "The earlier issues have circulated widely among the Shi Lin in Nanjing. According to Fang Yizhi, someone in the Southern Ministry of Rites has declared they will submit a joint memorial against this newspaper and the Restoration Society."

"We won't publish any more submissions from the Restoration Society. And from now on, you are to suspend contact with them for the time being — whether Fang Yizhi or Wu Yingji. We cannot let the Restoration Society drag us down." Pang Yu brooded. Because the Jiangnan Times had wanted to leverage the Restoration Society's distribution channels, it had printed far too many of their political commentaries. If the court moved against the Restoration Society later, they would easily suffer the calamity of the fish in the moat.

The matter could be big or small. Having the newspaper shut down would not be a great loss. What he feared was someone tracing the connections behind it. Pang Yu had lived through the treacherous and shifting Detailed Report proceedings after the Tongcheng Uprising, and had learned one thing from Fang Kongzhao: the Emperor disliked people Forming Cliques. If it were discovered that he, a Military Officer, was also Forming Cliques with the Restoration Society, then this official post would most likely become unstable.

After frowning in thought for a moment, Pang Yu looked up and asked, "Have we made contact with the people at the Grand Coordinator Yamen?"

"Someone has already been sent. Inside and outside Nanjing, things are somewhat calmer than ten days ago. The road to Jurong is not so congested anymore."

"We must pay double attention to the Restoration Society matter, but right now there's no rushing it. There are other urgent matters at hand. After Noon, you will return to Nanjing. Find a large shopfront, in the very best location — places like Three Mountains Street or Chang'an Street. In these days, there are certainly people wanting to sell their properties and return home. With this official standing guard here, the Roving Bandits will certainly not cross the river and will soon leave Jiangbei. When that happens, property prices will rise. Buy in the best location, and it must be large. Hang up the signboard of the Great River Silver Bank. The signboard must also be large — make it the biggest shop sign in Nanjing."