Chapter 315: Gathered Like Clouds

On the Eastern Gate Inner Street of Tongcheng, Pang Yu and his party of over thirty riders had just entered the city. The street was in chaos; nearly every shop front on both sides had its door panels smashed, worthless goods lay discarded all along the street, and the occasional commoner who darted out fled in panic toward the west.

A group of soldiers in motley clothing was in the midst of leaving the city; half of them looked no different from refugees as they surged toward the gate in a disorderly mob. Their formation was a mess, and the officer leading them would lash out with his whip from time to time. The soldiers took the beatings without daring to cry out. As they passed the column, the looks they cast at Pang Yu and the others were numb yet tinged with a hint of ferocity.

Yao Dongshan, who was garrisoned at Tongcheng, leaned in close and said in a low voice, "Sir, those are Zuo Liangyu's troops."

Pang Yu nodded. He had seen part of Zuo Liangyu's encampment outside the city, which numbered at least several thousand. He chuckled and said, "Marshal Zuo's troops look about the same as the servants of the Roving Bandits."

Xu Strengthening beside him snorted and said, "Conduct like that is no different from the Roving Thieves. It truly ruins the reputation of us imperial court troops. What did we invite them here with fine wine and food for? Better to keep that rations and pay for our own Jiangnan army."

Several other Reinforcement and Suppression officers voiced their agreement. Pang Yu chimed in with a few words as well. To be fair, when Xu Strengthening first arrived at Tongcheng, his military discipline was poor too, but his soldiers mainly stole things; outright smashing down doors and looting homes like this was indeed rare.

Yao Dongshan glared at those Left Army soldiers and said, "They're just like the Roving Thieves. In the few days they've been here, Tongcheng has suffered terribly. Looting shops is the least of it. On the very first day, they violated over ten women; three jumped into the river and died. Any household with women has fled to hide near our military camp. If the Circuit Intendant hadn't strictly ordered us not to clash with them, I would have cut them all down long ago."

The group did not pause as they spoke. The Left Army soldiers, seeing Pang Yu and the others surrounded by attendants and all on horseback, guessed they were Government Troops officers. Neither side bothered the other, and they brushed past Pang Yu's group.

They soon reached the vicinity of the county yamen. Conditions here were slightly better than in City East, but there were still scattered Left Army soldiers, laden with all sorts of household goods, including iron pots and the like — clearly all looted.

Pang Yu had been fighting for two years. When leading troops out, he knew the common people feared soldiers. The Northern troops he had seen were mainly observed during the Chuzhou campaign. At that time, Chuzhou's gates were tightly shut, so the various troops had no opportunity to run wild, but their encampments were all near the Court of the Imperial Stud, and they still had to trade and deal with one another. Their lax military discipline was something he had long been aware of.

They dismounted at the Eight-Character Wall, yet no one came out to greet them. Horse dung was scattered on the ground, and no one had cleaned it up. The sound of shouting and quarreling could be heard from within. Just as Pang Yu was wondering at this, a file of men leading horses emerged from the main gate. Pang Yu assumed they were county yamen mounted constables and waited outside the gate on his own for them to pass.

The men leading horses streamed out in an unbroken line, and Pang Yu began to sense something was wrong. None of these men were mounted constables; when they spoke to one another, they had Northern accents. They were probably still part of Zuo Liangyu's command. But those horses and their tack all bore the seals of the Tongcheng county yamen. Pang Yu was momentarily baffled, unsure whether these soldiers were borrowing the horses or stealing them.

A man who looked like a Team leader suddenly stopped in front of Pang Yu. He pointed at Pang Yu and said viciously, "Get down. I want that horse."

Before Pang Yu could speak, there was a whoosh beside him. A horsewhip lashed out like lightning and smacked across the man's face with a crack. The Team leader screamed and rolled on the ground, his skin instantly split and flesh laid bare.

"Are your dog eyes blind?" Xu Strengthening, who had grown stout, nimbly jumped off his horse, kicked the Team leader several times, and then continued the beating right there in the street, brandishing his horsewhip. Xu Strengthening had barely set foot back in Jiangnan before he was ordered back to Anqing. He had been full of pent-up anger and, in his days at Anqing, had found no outlet for it. He lashed the man with his whip until he rolled on the ground.

The Team leader on the ground shrieked, "You dare hit me? I serve under Marshal Zuo..."

Xu Strengthening cursed as he lashed, "I don't care whose command you're under! Do you know who I am? Can you afford to take this?"

The other horse-leading Left Army soldiers began clamoring, shouting curses in succession, yet not one stepped forward to save the man — a complete contrast to their earlier ferocity. Instead, it was Xu Strengthening's Household Retainers who charged up, punching and kicking. The several Jiangnan Reinforcement Army officers naturally did not hold back either. Pang Yu hurriedly called his Personal Guards to help, and a brawl broke out in front of the county yamen.

Those Left Army soldiers had probably assumed everyone near the county yamen was a yamen runner and never expected this group to be Government Troops as well. Faced with the even fiercer Xu Strengthening, their viciousness vanished. Not daring to even draw their swords, they quickly retreated in defeat toward the east, abandoning the horses. Xu Strengthening, now thoroughly worked up, chased after them on foot just like that. With men and horses scattering wildly on the road, Pang Yu feared for his safety and sent Yao Dongshan with a few Personal Guards to follow. He himself stayed behind, holding the reins of several mounts. Only Guo Fengyou remained nearby. In broad daylight, standing outside the Tongcheng county yamen, Pang Yu actually felt a bit tense. He should have known to keep more soldiers at his side.

The area in front of the gate was chaotic. Finally, someone inside the yamen heard the commotion and came out. The first to appear was Ruan Jin. Pang Yu spotted him and waved him over.

Ruan Jin came over and helped hold the horses. He said to Pang Yu indignantly, "These Left Army soldiers have been looting all along the Official Road. In three days at Tongcheng, over twenty people near Guanxiang have been killed by soldiers. Probably thirty percent of the city's shops have been looted. Only when they learned that Lord Zhang was coming tomorrow did they move their troops outside the city. Before leaving, they came to the county yamen shouting about commandeering horses. All seventy-three government horses were stolen by them."

Pang Yu gave an "oh." Horses were now the most critical military supplies; fighting and fleeing both depended on them. Originally, seizing horses was something both soldiers and bandits did. Last year at Chuzhou, the various Government Troops camps had come to blows several times over horses, so Pang Yu was not surprised. When Xu Strengthening first arrived, it was the same, but he had only borrowed horses from the county yamen and never returned them. Openly robbing the yamen like this was something he had never seen, much less hearing of them making off with every last one.

"Why didn't they close the city gates? At Chuzhou and Puzikou, all four gates were tightly shut."

Ruan Jin's face was full of difficulty. He hesitated a moment, then said, "The Circuit Intendant said Marshal Zuo was invited to assist in the suppression, that he was a guest from afar who needed rations and pay. The moment the gate opened, those Left Army soldiers entered the city."

"No civil official led the troops?"

"The Supervising Censor of Henan, Lord Dai Dongwen, led the troops. The military officer accompanying him was Regional Military Commissioner Wang Yunfeng. That Lord Dai is staying right in the Guesthouse. Those Henan troops had no restraint whatsoever. The stables were in an uproar, doors were being broken down everywhere on the streets, and Lord Dai was nowhere to be seen."

Pang Yu was somewhat shocked. His own pursuit of an official post had been so arduous that he thought he understood the status of civil officials well. Even now, though he no longer relied on civil officials for rations and pay, he ordinarily dared not defy them. He had seen the arrogance of the Liao Garrison last year, but Lu Xiangsheng had still barely managed to keep them in check. That day at Zhulong Bridge, each side had restrained its troops, and no further conflict had arisen. Yet now, with the commanding civil official right at the county yamen, the Left Army soldiers dared to steal horses at the gate, violating military discipline almost right in front of his face, and the civil official did nothing to stop it.

They had only exchanged a few sentences when Xu Strengthening returned, already panting like an ox. A subordinate was supporting him at his side, his weight almost entirely borne by that subordinate.

"Who the hell still wants..." Xu Strengthening gasped for breath, his right hand raising the whip. He flicked it toward a Left Army soldier who had been beaten to the ground. The whip had no force at all and didn't even hit the soldier. Xu Strengthening took two more breaths and finished, "... a horse?"

Naturally, no one around dared answer. Xu Strengthening was thoroughly satisfied. He shoved the Household Retainer aside, evened out his breathing slightly, and laughed heartily at Pang Yu. "A bunch of cowards. They dared try to steal my worthy brother Pang's horse. Lucky for them they ran fast."

Pang Yu reached out to support Xu Strengthening. "Commander Xu is mighty indeed. Even the Northern troops dared not face his edge directly. Your brother is in awe."

"There you go being formal again. What's this 'Commander Xu'? Just call me big brother. To dare offend my worthy brother Pang — that insult could not be borne. Your big brother just has this kind of nature, hating evil as if it were a personal enemy. Brother, don't laugh at me."

So saying, Xu Strengthening called his Household Retainers over and pointed at the horses on the street. It seemed he had no intention of returning them to the county yamen either. Ruan Jin stood to the side, not daring to make a sound.

Pang Yu said warmly to Ruan Jin, "Then Constable Ruan, why haven't you thanked Lord Xu yet? If not for the aid of a dignified Commander-in-Chief, you wouldn't have a single horse left. Then Tongcheng would have no horses for communications. If intelligence on the bandits were delayed because of it, wouldn't that ruin Lord Zhang's important affairs?"

Ruan Jin hurriedly knelt before Xu Strengthening. "This humble one thanks Lord Xu on behalf of the people of Tongcheng for his lofty righteousness."

The several Jiangnan Reinforcement Army officers behind him chimed in as well. Xu Strengthening, having been pushed onto the pedestal, hesitated only slightly before laughing heartily. He waved a hand at his Household Retainers. "A mere trifle. To champion the weak and uphold justice is the duty of us martial practitioners. Besides, this Tongcheng is the homeland of my worthy brother Pang. How could I allow these Guest Troops to run rampant?"

Ruan Jin sent the mounted constables to quickly gather the horses, managing to leave a few for the county yamen after all. He then led the group into the county yamen. Because Zhang Guowei was coming, Shi Kefa had yielded the Branch Inspection Office to his superior and was staying in the yamen's Guesthouse himself. Therefore, these officers under Pang Yu, who had arrived first, all had to come to the county yamen to pay their respects.

As he walked, Xu Strengthening said, "Worthy brother Pang, this time the great army is gathering. Lord Zhang is absolutely determined to fight the Roving Thieves. On the battlefield, blood brothers stick together. You and I must still walk the same path. You saw those Northern troops today — how can they be relied upon?"

Pang Yu fobbed him off with vague replies as he followed Ruan Jin to Tuisi Hall. Yang Erming and Shi Kefa were both there. Xu Strengthening held the highest official rank, so Pang Yu slowed his pace and let Xu Strengthening walk ahead.

The moment Shi Kefa saw the few of them, before Xu Strengthening or the others could even speak, he immediately asked in a rush, "Did you just clash with Marshal Zuo's troops?"

Pang Yu and the others were taken aback. Before they could answer, Shi Kefa said, with a hint of anger, "Lord Zhang sent several requests before the Supreme Commander Wang finally dispatched strong troops to assist in the suppression. Marshal Zuo is here to fight the Roving Thieves. All of you are men who lead soldiers. You must not quibble excessively over such trifles. Do not lose sight of the greater picture over minor details."

None of the officers replied. Pang Yu had not expected Shi Kefa to reproach their own side without even asking how it had started, much less mention the commoners and women of Tongcheng who had been killed. The Shi Kefa of old had been dark and thin, looking somewhat malnourished, but today one could actually detect a hint of ruddiness in his complexion, showing he was indeed anxious.

The one who had fought hardest outside was Xu Strengthening, but the incident had started because of Pang Yu. Pang Yu said to Shi Kefa in a low voice, "Your Lordship's lesson is well taken. Just now, your subordinate was also momentarily confused, leading to a misunderstanding with Marshal Zuo's troops. But Marshal Zuo's fame resounds across the land; presumably, he will not let such a minor detail compromise the greater picture."

Shi Kefa waved his hand impatiently, then looked at Pang Yu again and softened his tone. "Garrison Commander Pang, you have come at a good time. Lord Zhang's intent is much the same as Garrison Commander Pang's. This official also approves."

Pang Yu felt his heart settle upon hearing this. Zhang Guowei's purpose in coming to Tongcheng this time was to coordinate the several armies. The main force of the Henan troops responding to Anqing was Zuo Liangyu, along with the Henan Regional Military Commissioner Wang Yunfeng.

Apart from that, Pang Yu was also to take away the First Division, concentrating the Garrison Commander battalion's forces in one place to serve as a mobile force. The Government Troops at Anqing would thus be divided into three groups. Zuo Liangyu had brought roughly six to seven thousand troops, Pang Yu had nearly four thousand, and then there were the Jiangnan Reinforcement and Suppression Troops. Zhang Guowei would not personally lead troops into battle, so Shi Kefa was likely the civil official who would lead the Reinforcement and Suppression Troops. His support for the strategy was also very important.

But after seeing the situation today, Pang Yu had considerable doubts about coordination among the various armies. The Henan troops were arrogant, and the Anqing civil officials had very limited ability to restrain them. Meanwhile, the Jiangnan Army had as many as thirteen Camp Heads, many of whom had been transferred with only two or three hundred men. In the past few days of contact, Pang Yu had found that most of the camps knew little about one another and had never trained together. There was virtually no command system to speak of. With several such Government Troops forces participating together in a major battle, command posed a huge hidden danger.

Shi Kefa paced back and forth once in Tuisi Hall with his hands behind his back. He seemed not at all worried about these problems. He said to the group excitedly, "The day before yesterday, we received reports that the Eight Bandits have gathered several camps of bandit forces and are moving downriver from Huangmei. Geli Yan has again emerged from Jifei Shoal, showing signs of threatening Taihu and Qianshan. It can be called a gathering of Giant Bandits. Marshal Zuo has come at just the right time. Now that our strong troops are gathered like clouds, we shall surely wipe out this rabble of thieves in one sweep and return clear skies to our Anqing commoners."