Chapter 249: Dongge Post Station

At the Xiaxinhe Ferry Crossing in Nanjing, curses in the Nanjing accent rose and fell in waves — the escorted Roving Bandit captives had set off, with one Squad of Marine Corps troops and a hundred Water Troops handling the escort. Since Nanjing forbade them from entering the city, the column would go north from Stone City Gate, taking the land route to Jurong, making sure as many people as possible saw that hastily made Anqing Garrison propaganda banner.

This escort mission had been specially approved by Zhang Guowei. Normally, captured prisoners were taken in by the local yamen, but this time Zhang Guowei also wanted to put on a display for Nanjing. As Yingtian Grand Coordinator, Nanjing did not actually fall under his jurisdiction — the two County Magistrates inside were both appointed directly by the Southern Ministry of Personnel, and the Guard Posts fell under the Southern Ministry of War. The city was full of various officials, many of higher rank than Zhang Guowei.

When the Roving Bandits besieged Jiangpu and Nanjing was thrown into chaos, quite a few officials in the city had grumbled about the Yingtian Grand Coordinator, and Zhang Guowei hadn't dared do anything about them. Now that the siege was lifted, he needed to make a statement to Nanjing — that the Yingtian Grand Coordinator could fight.

There were large numbers of refugees who had fled from Jiangbei near Nanjing. After Hezhou was massacred, a great many corpses had drifted down the river. The people both feared and hated the Roving Bandits, and now with captives paraded right before their eyes, the crowd's passions instantly flared.

On the west side of the ferry crossing, inside a two-courtyard shop, Wu Dacai was sprawled on his back on a large bed, shoes still on, smearing patches of grime onto the soft white bedcover.

Though the noise outside was clamorous, Wu Dacai had no desire to look. He just stared wide-eyed at the bed frame above him.

The wood of the posts bore grain patterns like ghostly faces — this was the rather expensive Huali Wood. The original owner of this shop must have been a wealthy man.

The Xiaxinhe Ferry Crossing faced Puzikou, where people and goods converged on the Yangtze River. Even in Nanjing, this was a place where land was worth its weight in gold. To have built a two-courtyard residence with a shopfront showed real means.

A rustling sound came from the room. Wu Dacai turned his head to look — a soldier inside was rolling up a woolen rug from the floor, a rug still embroidered with peacock-like patterns.

When the Roving Bandits besieged Jiangpu, the rich folk at Xiaxinhe Dock had all fled. Local order collapsed; the Battalion troops, Guard Post soldiers, nearby commoners, and refugees all did as they pleased. The shops near the ferry crossing had basically all been smashed open, and anything valuable and easy to carry was gone. This kind of woolen rug was rather expensive, but hard to transport and hard to sell off — that was the only reason it was still here.

Wu Dacai cursed, "What are you moving that for? You can't even sell it. There are at least five Garrison Inspector soldiers on the dock — the moment you carry it out, they'll beat you half to death today."

"I've already arranged it with those conscripted boatmen — they'll help me bring it back to Anqing for my own use." The underling lowered his voice. "The Garrison Inspector troops are rummaging through stuff themselves. The Garrison Inspector Team leader took a huge bronze mirror, got the boatmen to move it too. Banner Commander, let me tell you, I've never seen a bronze mirror that big, polished so bright."

"I'm talking about you, and you're going on about the Garrison Inspector Team leader." Wu Dacai sat up and pointed at the underling. "I'm telling you, keep your mouth shut tight."

"How could I go blabbing? I'm only telling you the truth, Banner Commander. When moving it, I'll have those boatmen carry it and only hand it over once we reach Anqing. They're not under the Garrison Inspector troops' command — there's no way it'll get traced back to us."

"Don't let me see it when you move it." Wu Dacai cursed and lay back on the pillow. What he liked most in this room was this bed. Thinking back over the past two months' experiences, Wu Dacai felt quite satisfied with himself.

After reporting that Wai Lian, he'd been transferred to the Second Division. That brawl on the drill ground last time had made mortal enemies of the First Division — from Yao Dongshan down to the soldiers, they all hated him to the bone. But the benefits were obvious too. The Blacksmith Banner Commander and Wang Zenglu both felt he hadn't brought shame to the Second Division, and his relations with the others had grown closer. The earlier matter of him reporting a colleague — no one even remembered it now. Even Wu Dacai hadn't expected to gain such a firm footing in the Second Division so quickly.

Then good fortune seemed to start smiling on him. The Blacksmith Banner Commander was transferred to serve as Centurion of the Marine Corps, and relying on his night-school classmate connection with Wang Zenglu, he got Wang's recommendation to take over the Banner Commander post.

There'd been trouble again at the Central Army — Jiang Guoyong was still making problems, the reason still the old implication in the Jiao Guozha affair. In the end, it was Pang Yu who decided he would serve as Banner Commander. The reason: among all the Team leaders in the entire Second Division, Wu Dacai was the one who knew the most characters — seventy-three of them. Wu Dacai had once again positioned himself on the right side of the wind.

In the battle at Fierce Tiger Bridge, Wu Dacai had been named by Wang Zenglu to serve as Vanguard. At the time, it had looked a bit like a death sentence, and he'd felt some resentment in his heart. But lying on this bed now and thinking back, that was Wang Zenglu's high regard.

The underling finished rolling up the rug, went outside and brought back a Copper Kettle, filled a bowl with water and brought it to the bedside. Fawning over Wu Dacai, he said, "I know how to be sensible. This time, Lord Pang didn't even send his own Banner Team — he picked you, Banner Commander, to go back to Anqing. A cushy assignment like this, it's clearly because he values you, Banner Commander. How could I ever hold you back?"

"Lord Pang designating our Banner Team wasn't because he values me." Wu Dacai swung his foot. "His exact words to Commander Wang were: what's left in our Banner Team are all veterans — losing any more would do nothing for morale, and with our ranks incomplete we're hardly fit for combat. We're most suitable for dealing with petty bandits along the road. Once back, with a little reinforcement and reorganization, we can turn out five or six usable Banner Teams. That's how you grow stronger the more you fight."

Wu Dacai finished and glared at his underling. "Keep a strict eye on those horses on the road — these are all Warhorses. Lord Pang said they're things you can't buy even with money. Lose one and I'll beat you to death. Also, the one leading this mission is Commander Yang. He may be cavalry, but he's still a Company Commander — whatever he orders, you move fast."

The underling fanned the water bowl to cool it down, all the while saying eagerly, "Whatever you say, Banner Commander. Anyway, I've made up my mind — Lord Pang and Commander Wang both think highly of you, Banner Commander. Now our Garrison Battalion's heading to Chuzhou again. If some Centurion or other gets himself killed, you, Banner Commander, have the best shot at promotion."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Wu Dacai sat bolt upright and kicked at the underling. "Get the hell outside. Come find me when those civilian laborers are all assembled."

"Banner Commander, remember the water — it'll cool down soon." The underling rolled once on the floor, scrambled up, and went out the door.

Wu Dacai lay back on the bed. The grain of that Huali Wood looked so pleasing to the eye. He'd never even seen this kind of wood before, but he'd heard a soldier who'd worked as a porter in the army say that this bed alone was worth a year of their pay. For the foreseeable future, he couldn't afford one either.

"Centurion, get a Centurion killed." Wu Dacai gritted his teeth. "But Lord Pang mustn't come to any harm."

……

South of Dongge Post Station in Chuzhou, Pang Yu had just lowered his Telescope.

Beside him, the Anqing Garrison Battalion's column was still advancing. At the very front was a Team of Iron Armor infantry. A li ahead of them, on the hills, appeared the figures of several dozen Mounted Bandits. Pang Yu felt the situation was turning into another Shucheng Mountain Pass.

Because of the all-or-nothing gamble at Fierce Tiger Bridge, Pang Yu had only forty cavalrymen left capable of fighting, and nearly twenty of those were unskilled in close combat and could only be used for scouting roads and water sources. After crossing the mountain region north of Jiangpu and entering Chuzhou, the Garrison Battalion's reconnaissance line had been suppressed by the Roving Bandits to within two or three li.

"Your granny's — if I'd known, I wouldn't have gone for Fierce Tiger Bridge."

Pang Yu spat on the ground. The victory at Fierce Tiger Bridge had brought many benefits. Judging by Pang Yu's objectives at the time, Puzikou was only fifteen li from Jiangpu — even infantry could pose a threat to the Roving Bandits, and in battle they had the southern riverbank as a fallback, which greatly restricted the Bandit Cavalry. Subsequent developments also proved that the great victory at Fierce Tiger Bridge had indeed exerted a powerful deterrent on the Roving Bandits, forcing them to lift the siege and withdraw. Pang Yu had smoothly achieved his military objective for that operation and could also hype it up massively in Nanjing to reap other benefits. The cavalry losses were entirely acceptable.

But now that Zhang Guowei had suddenly changed the operational objective, the Garrison Battalion needed to push deep inland, and the lack of Scout Cavalry made things extremely awkward. Only twenty-odd Scout Cavalry could serve as Forward Scouts. The Roving Bandits had deployed over a hundred Horse Soldiers to the front, completely suppressing the Garrison Battalion's feeble Scout Cavalry. Chuzhou's hilly terrain greatly diminished the usefulness of Pang Yu's Telescope — beyond a range of two or three li, everything else was the fog of war.

This forced the Garrison Battalion to use infantry as the Vanguard, driving off those Scout Cavalry all along the way. The main column stretched out front and rear, the Logistics Team had to march in the middle, and the advance was painfully slow. Only today had they reached Dongge Post Station.

This place was still sixty li from Chuzhou. Zhang Guowei had instructed him to go to Chuzhou and pursue the bandits, but hadn't said to stop at Chuzhou. Pang Yu hadn't asked either. He planned to send a Relay Horse to Jurong for further instructions once they reached Chuzhou — that way he could stall for a few days.

This was Pang Yu's first time leaving the Yingtian Grand Coordinator's jurisdiction. In another region, he was truly a Guest Troop. In the interior of the Ming Dynasty, under normal circumstances when heading to another region, a civil official or Army Supervisor would lead the troops to facilitate dealings with the locals and prevent the soldiers from causing trouble. But Pang Yu hadn't reached the rank requiring an Army Supervisor, Shi Kefa was far away in Anqing, and Zhang Guowei was even less likely to come lead the troops. So he had become an isolated force.

Ever since the Roving Bandits had run rampant across the Central Plains, this kind of situation — a Military Officer leading his own Camp Head around in pursuit and suppression — had become more and more common, especially in Huguang and Henan. The Roving Bandits had split into many small bands, scattering to plunder, and the government troops could only keep splitting their forces to pursue and suppress. There simply weren't enough civil officials to lead all those troops.

There was an imperial protocol for this situation too. Once Pang Yu entered the Fengyang Governor's jurisdiction, by imperial protocol he should fall under the Fengyang Governor's command. But the road to Fengyang was cut off by the Roving Bandits, so there was no practical way to do so. The Garrison Battalion could only march alone. At present, the ones who knew their location best were neither the Fengyang Governor nor Zhang Guowei, but the Roving Bandits not far ahead.

"Bring those two guides over. Ask them how much farther to Dongge Post Station."

Guo Fengyou immediately ordered the Personal Soldiers to fetch them. The two guides had been hired from Puzikou — one was in the livestock trade, the other was a traveling merchant.

The two men were quickly brought before the horse. Before Pang Yu could speak, he heard a warning shot from the left flank.

Pang Yu raised his Telescope. From the hills on the left, a force of several dozen Horse Soldiers burst out, charging straight for the Logistics Team in the middle of the column.

"Sound the gong — halt the advance."

The Central Army's signal drums beat out the clanging of the gong. The Garrison Battalion stopped at once. In the middle, the Second Division deployed to the left flank of the Logistics Team.

The Mounted Bandits closed in swiftly, the thunder of hooves growing more urgent by the moment.

Pang Yu wasn't afraid of them charging the formation. Through interrogating those captives, he understood the Roving Bandits better and better. As long as his own camp formation was solid, whether it was the Old Camp or the Horse Soldiers, they generally wouldn't directly charge a military formation — so this time too, they were heading for the Logistics Team. What worried him more was the Roving Bandits' constant harassment, which kept the Garrison Battalion soldiers tense and exhausted. That would greatly diminish their combat effectiveness, and later the Roving Bandits might launch a mass assault somewhere.

Chaos erupted inside the Logistics Team. The Grooms recruited at Puzikou shouted in panic, startling the horses and Mules.

Several Mules dragging carriages bolted off the Official Road, galloping madly across the open field. The carriages were quickly wrecked, and the Mules were injured in the process, collapsing on the ground into a pile of scrap. A nearby Banner Team dodged in panic, their formation thrown into complete disarray.

"Stupid donkeys." Pang Yu cursed, swearing in his heart never to hire mule carts again. Only now did he realize there was truth in the old insult about people being as stupid as mules. These animals were even more timid than horses and had very low receptivity to human soothing. Once startled, they bolted wildly, posing a greater threat to their own side than the cavalry did.

Some archers, under infantry cover, began to engage. The Horse Soldiers loosed a volley of Light Arrows from a distance, then immediately wheeled their horses west, stopping a hundred paces away before slowly shifting position again toward the Garrison Battalion's rear Team.

Then another group of Horse Soldiers appeared on the east side, approaching from the main road to Liuhe to the east, positioning themselves opposite the Logistics Team. The Garrison Battalion set up defenses on both sides, and the column came to a complete halt. This was already the third time today — these pinning tactics had limited the Garrison Battalion to just ten li of travel today.

"My lord, shall I go and fight a round?"

Pang Yu turned to look at Chen Rulie. Yang Xueshi had suffered a facial wound and had led a group back to Anqing first. The remaining cavalry were now under Chen Rulie's command.

"And after fighting a round, how many cavalry would be left?" Pang Yu shook his head. "There will be plenty of chances to engage, but not now. Observe these Roving Bandits more. They've never studied military tactics, but they use their cavalry very well. In total, no more than a hundred-odd cavalry front and rear, and over a thousand of us are pinned down and can't move."

"I will certainly watch carefully."

"'A hundred riders circling can tie down ten thousand troops' — that's how cavalry should be used." Pang Yu looked at Chen Rulie. "I must expand the cavalry. Observe their Horse Soldiers more — not just to find their weaknesses, but also to learn their tactics. When the enemy has strengths, you should learn them..."

As he was speaking, a Battle Cry erupted from the east. Pang Yu turned to look — several dozen cavalry had appeared on the hill behind the Roving Bandits and were charging straight at the Mounted Bandits on the east side.