Chapter 309: Strategy

On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month in the ninth year of Chongzhen, pedestrians were sparse on County Front Street in Tongcheng. When acquaintances met, even their New Year greetings were subdued.

The twenty-fourth of the twelfth month is the Minor New Year, the time to offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God. In times of peace, every household would begin preparing New Year goods, but during the Spring Festival of Chongzhen's eighth year, the city was ravaged by bandits. Many families lost relatives and friends, and with the holiday so close to the anniversary of those deaths, the festive atmosphere had greatly diminished. As reports of the Roving Bandits came in wave after wave this year, many in Tongcheng had already fled to Anqing and Zongyangcang, leaving the streets even more desolate. Instead, Corvee Soldiers and government troops in black uniforms could be seen everywhere.

A column of riders passed through County Front Street, not even pausing at the Eight-Character Wall of the county yamen, and headed directly west toward the Branch Intendant Office.

This Branch Office had not been large before, just a small compound with front and rear halls, used exclusively for when the Fenshou Circuit came to inspect. The Anchi Military Defense Circuit Intendant also held the duties of the Fenshou Circuit, so it was prepared for Shi Kefa. His official station was in Anqing, but because Tongcheng was the entire northern gateway to Anqing and faced the greatest threat, Shi Kefa spent most of his time stationed in Tongcheng, and the Branch Office had doubled in size.

A similar establishment was the Branch Inspection Office, mainly used for the Branch Surveillance Circuit when it came down to investigate major cases. After the Roving Bandits rose, investigations basically ceased, and Yang Erming had already taken it for use as the Zhuang Squad's station.

Accompanying Pang Yu in the column was Ruan Jin, the head of Tongcheng's Zhuang and Kuai Squads. Although his face was still covered in fierce flesh, two years of experience had made him appear much more steady, a world apart from the Runner who used to think only of going to the countryside to extort the common people.

"Two days ago, about three hundred Roving Bandits entered East Township, looting nine villages across two li. Over a hundred people were killed or harmed." Ruan Jin reported in a low voice from horseback, his attitude extremely respectful. This was not only because Pang Yu was his old leader, but also because sixty percent of the military stipend silver for Tongcheng's three hundred Zhuang Squad members was now sponsored by Pang Yu. The condition negotiated with Yang Erming was that Pang Yu would have unified command during operations in Tongcheng. Over a hundred of the Zhuang Squad's personnel were organized identically to the Garrison Commander's battalion, roughly the size of a Company.

"Liu Liangzuo and Mou Wenshou's dispatch reports only gave a rough outline. Has Tongcheng itself received any new information?"

"The bandits in Lujiang are a division of the Whole King, who came out from Huoshan into Lu'an Prefecture, then used side roads to enter Lujiang. Those in Chao County are a division of Hun Shiwan. The county seat and the people in the nearby outskirts have all fled into the lake. There are no longer any Government Troops in the Hezhou and Hanshan area."

The situation in Tongcheng was even worse than Pang Yu had estimated. The large force traveling east from Nanyang had now roughly reached the Guanggu area. Hun Shiwan and Ziweixing had been active in Jiangbei all along, and the Left Golden King and Geli Yan might emerge from Huoshan.

Zhu Dadian's defensive deployment was aimed at stability. Lu'an Prefecture, where Liu Liangzuo was stationed, was extremely important; it separated three bands of Roving Bandits, preventing them from assembling into a massive army like last year. Mou Wenshou's troops were stationed in the Quanjiao area, primarily to defend Chuzhou and prevent the bandits from moving north. His own Standard Battalion was kept in Fengyang.

Among the current threats to Tongcheng, the main ones came from the northeast and north. Although Beixia Pass and Kongcheng Town were blocked, the country paths could not be sealed. The burning of the Zongyangcang granary and the killings and looting in East Township were both the work of small bands of Roving Bandits. Though they hadn't affected Tongcheng's defenses, they brought an increasingly heavy sense of pressure upon the common people and the defending troops.

Tongcheng currently had nearly three thousand government soldiers, plus three hundred Zhuang Squad members. This was too many to use against scattered bandits, yet if the Giant Bandits converged, this force was far too small. Moreover, it could not be redeployed toward Susong, leaving them in a very passive position.

This was also one of the reasons Pang Yu insisted on transferring the Second Division back to Qianshan. Recent movements lacked purpose and a clear strategy; troops were reinforced wherever there was news of Roving Thieves. Once an army left its station, its combat effectiveness would decline to a certain degree. The longer they were away, the more it dropped, and frequent redeployment made this even worse.

Pang Yu's face showed displeasure. Of Anqing's six counties, all except Taihu now had Garrison Commander battalions stationed there. Within a single month, they had been redeployed many times. The advisory officer's map updates could not keep pace with the Circuit Intendant Yamen's troop transfer orders. So even though he anticipated Shi Kefa would be unhappy, Pang Yu still intended to propose dividing the defense into sectors.

The county yamen was not far from the Branch Office. Pang Yu did not stop at the mounting stone but jumped straight off his horse and entered the Branch Office with He County Yamen and Ruan Jin. As soon as they reached the rear hall, they saw Shi Kefa, with Yang Erming and Pan Keda also in attendance.

"General Pang has arrived." The dark, thin Shi Kefa's face was even darker. He beckoned to Pang Yu. "News just received: Garrison Commander Zhao died for the country at Jifei Shoal."

Pang Yu was momentarily stunned. He knew of this Garrison Commander Zhao. Zhang Guowei was considered knowledgeable in military matters and preferred son of a good family when selecting reinforcements, favoring most those commanders who had come up through the Military Examination Candidate examinations. This man's full name was Zhao Yin. He had been given the rank of Garrison Commander and sent from Jiangnan to reinforce Anqing. He was also a Military Examination Candidate graduate and had brought about two hundred soldiers. Just days before, he had been defending Longjing Pass, coordinating with the cavalry division Pang Yu had sent to scout Qianshan. They had fought a battle with the Roving Bandits at Jifei Shoal, which was clearly a minor victory.

"This... when did it happen?"

Shi Kefa sighed and handed over a report. It was sent by Yang Zhuoran, the Taihu County Magistrate. Pang Yu hastily took it and began to read. He was now very worried about his own cavalry division; the one leading the team to Jifei Shoal was still Company Commander Chen Rulie.

Yang Erming seemed to know what Pang Yu was thinking and said from the side, "The Roving Thieves reached Qili Slope. Chen Company Commander led the cavalry to relieve Taihu. At that time, Roving Thieves reappeared at Jifei Shoal. Garrison Commander Zhao led his troops in a fierce attack, and the cunning bandits fled in defeat. Garrison Commander Zhao was momentarily careless and was surrounded while pursuing them. The soldiers who escaped said that three hundred bandit cavalry struck his formation from behind, and Garrison Commander Zhao was unable to break out of the encirclement."

Pang Yu felt slightly relieved upon hearing this, but receiving such bad news right upon arrival made the atmosphere in the hall extremely oppressive. Yang Zhuoran's report was relatively brief, but Pang Yu could still guess the general sequence of events. The Roving Bandits' tactics were the same old tricks, but they seemed to be growing more practiced. This time, out of Garrison Commander Zhao's two hundred-plus subordinates, only thirty-some escaped.

The year's campaign had just begun, and both sides were still probing each other. This Defeat was a blow to the Government Troops' morale and also showed that the Roving Thieves had the full strength and confidence to annihilate small units of government soldiers, and were becoming increasingly familiar with the terrain of the Dabie Mountains. After this defeat, the Government Troops would inevitably not dare to divide their forces further; each unit would need at least around five hundred men. Yet Anqing only had six to seven thousand soldiers in total. Even if all were deployed, they could only be split into a dozen or so units. This simply could not block that many mountain passes. If this trend continued, defending along the mountains would become extremely difficult.

After thinking for a moment, Pang Yu said to Shi Kefa, "Lord Circuit Intendant, this kind of entangled fighting with the bandits in the mountains is not a long-term strategy."

Shi Kefa was somewhat at a loss. Because there had been no major battles the previous year, he had spent over a year preparing for the bandits, visiting nearly every pass in Anqing. He had thought it was foolproof. The initial phase had also seen repeated small victories, and his confidence was at its peak; he never expected to suddenly receive such a heavy blow.

"Then what does General Pang say? How should we defend against the bandits?"

"Defending against bandits is not as good as killing bandits. Let them come in." Pang Yu looked up at Shi Kefa's map. He had seen this map many times, but it was indeed drawn too impressionistically. He searched for a good while before finding the location of Jifei Shoal. Pointing there, he said, "The terrain in the northern mountains is complex. The bandit hordes are accustomed to moving through the mountains. When they see a large army, they scatter into the hills. When our government troops enter the mountains, not only is it hard to attack the bandits, it's hard to even find them. A moment's carelessness and we are instead taken advantage of by the bandits. What the Roving Bandits seek first is to seize grain to survive the winter. The grain is all outside the mountains. The Roving Bandits using Jifei Shoal likely intend to exit the mountains via Longjing Pass. Since that is the case, let's let them come out and fight them there."

Shi Kefa looked at Pang Yu hesitantly. "The General means we can defeat these Giant Bandits outside the mountains? But these bandit spawn are all Horse Soldiers. Once they leave the mountains and gallop across the open plains, wouldn't they be even harder to control?"

"In matters of Battle, I dare not claim certain victory. But the Roving Bandits are extremely skilled at hiding and ambushing. If our Anqing troops engage them in entangled fighting in the mountains, we are using our weakness to attack their strength. After leaving the mountains, the Roving Bandits would not be galloping across open plains; the areas along the post roads are all hills, and bandit horses cannot travel just anywhere. If the bandits exit through Longjing Pass, once they reach Qianshan, I can send infantry via side roads to seal off Longjing Pass, then assemble Anqing's troops to attack from both Taihu and Shijingpu in a pincer. As long as we annihilate one band and kill their chieftain, we can strike terror into the bandit hordes. At least this year, they won't dare to enter and leave Anqing at will."

Yang Erming's eyes lit up as he listened. Pang Yu's plan was to leave Qianshan open, allow the Roving Bandits to exit the mountains, and then encircle them from three sides. The goal was to concentrate forces and annihilate one band. Compared to the current strategy of setting up defenses everywhere, this was naturally much more inspiring.

He looked expectantly at Shi Kefa, but saw Shi Kefa shake his head and say, "As an official shepherding and guarding this region, I must protect the lives and property of all subjects within the territory, no matter where they are, ensuring their Safety. Abandoning the common people to kill bandits is to attend to the trifles and neglect the essentials. Furthermore, if we let the Roving Thieves into the hinterland and the interception fails, would we not be failing the people?"

Pang Yu was silent for a moment, then said, "If we won't let them in to fight, then we will fight our way out. The mountains are unfavorable for large-scale battles, but there are already bandits emerging from the mountains in the direction of Lu'an Prefecture. Vice General Liu is guarding Lu'an Prefecture, but there are very few troops stationed along the Shucheng route. As long as we coordinate with Vice General Liu and clearly scout and ascertain the Roving Bandits' location, I am willing to lead the Garrison Battalion out of Beixia Pass and strike the bandits at Shucheng in a north-south pincer. I will definitely take the head of a bandit chieftain."

Shi Kefa's expression flickered. He had been somewhat prepared for Pang Yu's visit today, precisely regarding the issue of military command. He had never expected the Defeat at Jifei Shoal. Now, neither side had brought up the command issue, but the plans Pang Yu proposed all involved taking the offensive, and now he even wanted to fight into the jurisdiction of the Fengyang Governor.

He shook his head again and said, "The imperial court's territorial jurisdictions have their own protocols. If we are to go to Shucheng to suppress bandits, the Military Commander must first discuss and agree upon it with Canal Transport Governor Lord Zhu. Otherwise, if this leads to a defeat, it will inevitably cause great Dissatisfaction with the Viceroy of Water Transport, which would be detrimental to future cooperation."

Pang Yu stared coldly at the map, not responding to Shi Kefa's words. The Roving Bandits were now gathering from all sides, all relying on Liu Liangzuo at Lu'an Prefecture to separate the eastern and western fronts. But Liu Liangzuo's few thousand troops could not hold the entire Lu'an Prefecture. Shucheng, which was critically important to Anqing, had very few troops stationed. Bandits emerging from Huoshan could move completely freely. If they joined forces with the large bands at Lujiang and Chao County, the Tongcheng Troops would have extreme Difficulty handling them. Even if the bandits did not take the offensive, these three to four thousand troops at Tongcheng would be pinned down here, unable to move an inch.

Pang Yu had hoped to first take the offensive against the Roving Bandits at Shucheng. The terrain there was more suitable for the Garrison Battalion's tactics than the mountains. This would both seize the strategic initiative and serve as a warning. He had not expected Shi Kefa to still disagree.

In normal times, Pang Yu knew how to flatter and fawn, but when it came to matters of Battle, where his own head could be at stake at any moment, he no longer wished to go through those empty formalities.

Shi Kefa coughed once and said, "General Pang need not be solely fixated on a major battle. Bandit Suppression must not be rushed. The Guest Troops and Main Troops in Anqing were not easily assembled; they cannot be risked lightly. We must plan thoroughly before we move."

Pang Yu swallowed the anger in his heart, softened his tone, and said to Shi Kefa, "My lord, please see clearly. The Roving Bandits split up at Nanyang. The Eight Bandits' force heading south into Huguang should still be around Xiangyang or Macheng. The western front of Anqing is still quiet. This is the time to concentrate our forces and annihilate the bandits on the northeast and north fronts. We must ensure they dare not harbor any intentions. If we only focus on defense, when the Eight Bandits come via Guangji and Huangmei, Anqing will be surrounded on three sides. How will these few thousand troops cope then?"

Shi Kefa sighed and said, "I also understand General Pang's intention. It is not that I am unwilling to fight a major battle with the bandits, but I fear our forces are already insufficient."

Pang Yu asked in surprise, "Why is that?"

"Brother Pang, I've come to bid you farewell." Outside the screen wall of the Branch Intendant Office, Xu Strengthening wore a relaxed expression, patting Pang Yu on the shoulder as he spoke.

Pang Yu had already heard rumors from the Circuit Intendant Yamen, but he still asked in surprise, "Where is Commander Xu being transferred?"

"There you go being formal again." Xu Strengthening feigned Anger, then immediately softened his expression and said, "The Emperor, understanding that the Jiangnan Army has been excessively depleted, has specially permitted no conscription this year. But with the Roving Bandits running rampant right now, troops are needed everywhere. Lord Zhang made a compromise and is transferring me to Longtan Harbor to guard the Imperial Mausoleum."

As Xu Strengthening spoke, he could not hide the smugness on his face. As a Guest General, he had already traveled far more than a thousand li from his home station and had even nearly been sent on a rally to the king campaign. Now, at a time when battle could break out at any moment, he was finally able to go to the safe haven of Nanjing, so his delight was naturally written all over his face.

"Then I truly must congratulate Brother Xu." Pang Yu's face was full of sincerity. "Although I had hoped to break the Roving Thieves together with Lord Xu, I still rejoice for you, elder brother, leaving this place of trouble."

Pang Yu felt Displeasure in his heart. The transfer order came from Zhang Guowei. Longtan, where Xu Strengthening was going, was on the riverbank at Nanjing. It was said to be guarding the imperial tomb, but in reality, it was just a gesture. If the Roving Bandits did not cross the river, there was no need to station troops to defend the tomb. If the Roving Bandits did cross the river, it meant even the Jiangbei Army could not stop them, and Xu Strengthening's small force would be unable to protect the tomb either.

It was simply that Xu Strengthening had a high rank, showing that Zhang Guowei placed great importance on the defense of the Imperial Mausoleum. But Anqing genuinely needed troops and had just suffered the failure at Jifei Shoal. Withdrawing any force now would deal an immeasurable blow to morale. Moreover, Xu Strengthening had originally been stationed at the Anqing Prefectural City. Pang Yu could have drawn the Third Division and Land Combat Division from the prefectural city for mobile operations at any time. Now with Xu Strengthening leaving like this, Pang Yu would lose at least two Companies' worth of troops.

"Once I go, who knows what year or month it will be before I see you again, worthy brother Pang." Xu Strengthening said in a low voice. "Tonight, I will host a banquet. You and I shall drink until we're drunk."

With that, he laughed heartily, patted Pang Yu on the shoulder, and mounted his horse and left, leaving Pang Yu and his party standing outside the Branch Office gate in the howling cold wind. He County Yamen beside him said nothing. They had failed to get the defense sectors divided and instead received two pieces of bad news. He didn't need to look to know Pang Yu's expression was grim.

After a long while, he finally said in a low voice, "Second Brother, should we go back to the Medicine Shop first? Your mother came by twice earlier to ask, telling you to come back to eat."

"Of course we'll go. You're all coming too." Pang Yu let out a breath. Due to his father's stubbornness, his cheap parents were both still staying in Tongcheng, though it was a bit better than before; his father was at least willing to speak to him now.

"This is no way to fight a war." Pang Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "Regardless of how Circuit Intendant Shi fights, we must at least annihilate that band in the mountains of Qianshan and Taihu. Otherwise, forget about sending aid to Jiangnan; just holding Anqing will be a struggle. I need to pull the First Division out of Tongcheng. What do you think we should do?"

"Circuit Intendant Shi is right here in Tongcheng. We can't just directly transfer them like we did with the Second Division. We can only send a message to Lord Zhang, clearly explaining the reasons. It will only be easy to handle once Lord Zhang nods."

Pang Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "That's what we'll do. We'll go back to the Medicine Shop, eat, and then write it."