Chapter 321: Risk

On the nineteenth day of the fourth month of the tenth year of the Chongzhen reign, outside the southern entrance of Fengxiang Courier Station, a Canjiang Red Flag twelve feet tall snapped in the wind, a huge character "Cheng" upon it. Corpses lay scattered around, along with over a dozen riderless horses. Some soldiers were taking heads, while others were trying to catch the horses.

"The bandit spawn killed by Mobile Corps Commander Chen — these heads and horses are not to be divided up privately. When Mobile Corps Commander Chen returns, hand them all over to his subordinates."

Once Cheng Long finished speaking, the surrounding Reinforcement and Suppression officers raised no objection. Most of the troops here were infantry; those capable of cavalry battle against the Roving Bandits relied chiefly on the Household Retainers of Chen Yuwang and Jiang Ruolai.

All of Anqing's forces fit for mobile warfare were gathered here. The troop quota should have been 5,700 men, with actual strength around 4,500. Due to the severe military situation, Zhang Guowei and Shi Kefa inspected troop strength very strictly. No matter how they scraped them together, at least they had well over half the quota in real numbers — this was also nearly all the mobile forces in the Jiangnan region.

Several dozen government cavalry in red coats had just returned. The lead rider came before the banner. Chen Yuwang's scale armor bore two sword scars. Sitting on his horse, he shouted to Cheng Long, "My losses and kills were roughly equal. The bandit spawn's will to fight is very firm — greatly changed from Chuzhou. In my humble opinion, prudence is best."

"The bandits simply have nowhere else to go. If their will to fight were truly firm, they wouldn't be called Roving Thieves."

When everyone looked over, it was Chief Training Officer Lu Wangyou. This man was a Military Examination Candidate with a great full beard, built like a tiger's back and a bear's waist. Wearing cotton armor underneath and chain mail on the outside, he looked even more massive sitting on his horse. He stared at Chen Yuwang and chuckled coldly. "I'm only afraid they'll run. The firmer their will to fight, the better — killing them will be all the more satisfying then. Once we slaughter them thoroughly, naturally their will won't be so firm anymore."

Zhan Peng, the Lower Company Commander of the Yongsheng Zhou Camp, asked Chen Yuwang, "If we follow General Chen's words, does 'prudence' mean fight, defend, or withdraw?"

Chen Yuwang ignored him and still looked at Cheng Long. "The several Horse Bandits we captured confessed that the Eight Great Kings and Chuang Tatian have combined their camps. Failing to take Qishui, they are coming east. We have brought only a few days' provisions — it is inadvisable to engage them. This minor victory is precisely the time to withdraw and defend, avoiding their sharp edge."

Cheng Long did not declare his stance but instead looked toward Pan Keda. After all, Pan was the Main Troops here. With Shi Kefa absent, he had to seek Pan's opinion.

Pan Keda answered without hesitation. "By General Chen's reasoning, if we do not fight here at Fengxiang Courier Station, then naturally it is also unfit to defend. Taihu has no walls, Qianshan has no walls — neither is fit for battle or defense. Only by retreating all the way to Tongcheng in one breath would it be 'prudent.' Since the bandits have nowhere to go, they will mass at Susong, Taihu, and Qianshan. This one act of 'prudence' would lose over half of Anqing. To my eyes, that is the greatest imprudence of all."

Cheng Long frowned and turned his head to look at the Advisor behind him. "Where does Circuit Intendant Shi want us to withdraw to?"

The Advisor glanced again at the order token. "Taihu County Town. Once the Garrison Commander battalions assemble, we will drive off the enemy in one push."

Pan Keda turned to Cheng Long. "Your Excellency Cheng, see clearly: the Garrison Commander battalions are all infantry. By the time they reach Taihu, these Horse Bandits will either have long since fled, or else they will already be at Taihu engaging us. When that moment comes, should we fight or should we withdraw?"

Chen Yuwang's lips twitched twice. All these men opposed his opinion. He had been about to lose his temper but forcibly restrained himself and said, "At Taihu we can replenish some provisions, and there are two main roads. The Garrison Commander battalions are coming from Shipai — that road can keep the supply line secure."

"So if the Garrison Commander battalions haven't arrived, we don't fight?!" Pan Keda, hearing the words "Garrison Commander battalions" repeated over and over, felt his years of accumulated resentment toward Pang Yu inexplicably erupt. He also outranked Chen Yuwang by one grade. He shouted at Chen Yuwang, "Just now I asked you: the Garrison Commander battalions are mostly foot soldiers. If they come late and the Roving Thieves reach Taihu first, do we withdraw again? Taihu has no walls, Qianshan has no walls — nowhere is secure. This year there are already several bands of bandit spawn in the Yinghuo Mountain area. A few days ago there were reports of bandits setting up military farms and camps at Yingshan, planning a long-term stay. When the Giant Bandits occupy Qianshan and Taihu, and a single order token comes from the Military Commander demanding we retake the lost territory, will we then march out from Tongcheng to attack again? It will still be these same troops, while the Roving Thieves will be rested and waiting. How is that better than fighting with all our strength right now?"

Chen Yuwang said coldly, "Is General Pan afraid that once we Guest Troops leave, you will have to fight alone? General, you may set your mind at ease. Military Commander Zhang has already issued orders: so long as the Giant Bandits do not retreat, we will not leave Anqing."

Pan Keda said angrily, "The year before last, when tens of thousands of Giant Bandits were at Susong, I led a thousand troops and still went to fight them. Now a great army is massed, and across from us are merely two camps of bandit spawn — what has General Chen to fear? Following your way, one retreat and we're at Tongcheng. Who decided the Roving Thieves would only stay at Qianshan and Taihu? What if they take Shijingpu? Once Shijingpu falls, Tongcheng and Anqing are cut off. Then that Garrison Commander Pang's Shipai will be isolated and exposed and certainly cannot hold. Then Wangjiang too will be cut off. The bandits pick one spot and besiege it in force, and everywhere becomes indefensible. Losing a city — that will be the gift of your 'prudence' today."

Chen Yuwang's expression changed. He drew his horsewhip, about to strike. Cheng Long hurriedly leaned over and grabbed hold, and had the familiar Jiang Ruolai separate Chen Yuwang to keep the conflict from escalating.

Zhan Peng was the Lower Company Commander of the Yongsheng Zhou Camp. Taking advantage of the chaos, he spurred his horse close to Cheng Long's side and said in a low voice, "When the Military Commander departed, he gave strict orders: whenever bandits enter Anqing, we are to send troops to vigorously exterminate them. That Mr. Ma is still waiting at Taihu. If we retreat like this, how will we explain? What Pan Keda just said also makes sense. These bandit spawn have nowhere to go. If by chance they settle at Susong, or settle at Qianshan and Taihu, we won't need the Military Commander to order a reconquest — that Mr. Ma will force Circuit Intendant Shi to come back. The bandits will indeed be rested and waiting. How is that more advantageous than refusing battle now? Also, we are all foot soldiers. Four thousand men turning around to retreat, over a hundred li from Tongcheng. If the Roving Bandits' Horse Soldiers pursue in force and things go badly, these grunts will collapse in one rout."

"But the Eight Great Kings and Chuang Tatian have combined camps — that's already two large Camp Heads. And that Geli Yan also fled toward Guangji. If they all turn back together, can we handle it?"

Zhan Peng hesitated a moment, then said, "This time we only captured men from Chuang Tatian's camp. Our Government Troops are massed in one place. I've never heard of Roving Thieves fighting hard against that. That Zuo Liangyu only led a few Company Commander Retainers. Those Roving Thieves claim to number in the tens of thousands, yet they still crumble at the first touch. What 'firm will to fight' is this?"

Cheng Long's eyes flickered for a moment. Zhan Peng said carefully, "That Mr. Ma made it clear: Your Excellency, if you want to be promoted to Regional Commander, you must have some Military Merits worth presenting. Only then will the Military Commander have something to speak on your behalf…"

Cheng Long looked around. Seeing that Chen Yuwang's mood had somewhat calmed, he paused another moment, then said, "The Military Commander dispatched us a thousand li to reinforce — precisely to come fight and kill Roving Bandits. In the past we could not find them. Now that we have, we ought to slaughter them thoroughly. Thanks to General Chen's valiant fight, we have won the first victory and seized the Roving Bandits' momentum. As they say, morale can be raised but not dampened. My decision is made: the entire army will advance to meet and strike the Roving Bandits!"

……

On the twentieth day of the fourth month, at Leigang in Wangjiang County, the soldiers inside the Garrison Commander camp all gazed eastward. In the distance, outside Wangjiang County Town, smoke and dust billowed, pillars of smoke shooting straight into the sky.

"My lord, the scout riders report back: the bandit situation at Susong is urgent. The Wangjiang County Magistrate has ordered all buildings near the city walls burned."

"Relay the situation to all divisions. Officers, keep firm control of the troops — no unrest allowed." Pang Yu frowned, watched for a moment, then turned and went back into the Central Army tent. The officers behind him followed in succession. The Company Commander of every Infantry Division and the Water Camp were all present.

After taking his stand before the square table in the tent, Pang Yu looked at the map and said, "Xie Zhaofa, continue reading the dispatch report forwarded by Circuit Intendant Shi."

"Dispatch report received from Vice General Cheng on the nineteenth of this month states: Government troops encountered bandits at Fengxiang Courier Station. Officers and men vied to fight fiercely. Gained thirteen Horse Soldier heads, captured seventeen horses. The remainder all fled toward Old County. Captured three live bandits, belonging to the third scout Horse Soldiers under Chuang Tatian's camp. The bandit Tangshan Wang confessed that he heard that camp's High Shine say they were combining camps with the Eight Great Kings to come to Anqing, and that they must go to the Prefectural City, et cetera, et cetera…"

After listening, Pang Yu said, "Brief us on the Roving Bandits' situation."

"As of before noon yesterday, Roving Bandits have set up camps all along the Erlang River line in Susong. The Roving Bandit force that reached Erlang Town three days ago has already advanced east along the courier road toward Taihu. Currently only a small number of Eight Great Kings' Military Camp remain, but their main camp has never been located. It is unknown whether their entire camp has come. Around Susong County Town, Roving Bandits are very few. Only a small band has advanced east along Dragon Lake. At roughly the second ke of the chen hour today, a few Horse Bandits were spotted in Fengyi Shangxiang. They were merely looting nearby and showed no Scout behavior."

Pang Yu murmured in disappointment, "That means the Roving Bandits do not intend to go to Shipai."

On the map, the marker for the Reinforcement and Suppression Troops was still at Fengxiang Courier Station, having assembled there from Qianshan, Shijingpu, and other places. The Reinforcement Army was positioned on the courier road. Given the Roving Bandits' cavalry superiority and intelligence capability, they surely knew the Government Troops' strength and location, yet they were still advancing toward Taihu — indicating they had the resolve to engage, not their usual tactic of avoiding strength to strike weakness.

According to earlier estimates, if the Reinforcement and Suppression Troops garrisoned the courier road, then following the Roving Bandits' customary practice of avoiding strength to strike weakness, they might repeat their old trick: infiltrate via the Susong Pedestrian Road to raid Shipai, then strike directly at Anqing Prefectural City. Therefore, the Garrison Commander battalion had left the Cavalry Division at Shipai Market, while Pang Yu personally led the infantry concealed at Leigang. Wangjiang was surrounded on all sides by rivers and lakes. The Roving Bandits rarely scouted in this direction. The single overland route was also easily blocked. Boats were forbidden from traveling upstream on the Lei River, making it easy for the Garrison Commander battalion to remain hidden.

They would wait for the Roving Bandits to move from Susong County Town toward Shipai or Wangjiang, then the Garrison Commander battalion would land at Susong by water, envelop this bandit force on the Pedestrian Road, and annihilate them in a pincer from both ends. But now it seemed the Roving Bandits had not entered the trap and still intended to take the courier road. Thus, the plan had once again come to nothing.

"Circuit Intendant Shi has sent another order token, commanding my Garrison Commander battalion to leave one division to garrison Shipai, and to transfer all remaining units to Taihu." Pang Yu looked up at the several officers. "Circuit Intendant Shi has also ordered Cheng Long to return to Taihu. Cheng Long and Pan Keda refused. What do you all think — how should my Garrison Commander battalion conduct this operation?"

At these words, the great tent fell silent for a moment. Everyone knew the plan had failed. If they followed the order token's movement, they might once again repeat the previous useless marches. Even if they won, it could only be a minor victory. But now even Cheng Long and Pan Keda were unwilling to follow orders anymore, let alone Pang Yu. The only question was whether the Garrison Commander battalion could find a more suitable battle plan.

For a moment, no one spoke. Xie Zhaofa glanced left and right, then suddenly said, "This humble one has a proposal."

Pang Yu nodded. "Anyone with an idea, speak."

"My lord's intent is to mass and annihilate the Roving Thieves. The Roving Thieves are not heading for Shipai, so we merely cannot mass and annihilate them on this section of the Pedestrian Road — but that does not mean there is no opportunity at all." Xie Zhaofa placed his finger on the Susong section of the courier road. "The Reinforcement and Suppression troops are at Fengxiang Courier Station. The Roving Thieves' main force is between Tongling Fort and Fengxiang Courier Station. Clearly, this forms an even better encirclement posture."

Pang Yu stared at the map for a moment, his gaze slowly sharpening.

"Since the Roving Thieves intend to engage the Reinforcement Army at Fengxiang Courier Station, their elite troops must be in front and their Family Dependents in the rear. Their rear path is empty. My lord, strike Susong directly by water. The Roving Thieves cannot scout this in advance. Only when our Garrison Commander battalion lands ashore will they know our great army has come. Their front-line elite cannot be recalled in time. Our Garrison Commander battalion need only…" Xie Zhaofa's finger traced all the way west along Fengxiang Courier Station, finally landing on the position of Erlang Town. "My lord, lead the troops to land at Susong and strike straight for Erlang Town. Once Erlang Town is taken, these several camps of Roving Bandits will all be trapped and cut off on these sixty li of courier road."

Xie Zhaofa's voice was very calm, but the breathing of Yang Xueshi, He County Yamen, and the others beside him grew heavy. As Xie Zhaofa's finger moved, they all understood the implications of this plan.

Whether the Roving Bandits came from Huangmei or Guangji, they had to pass through Erlang Town. All the roads with the best conditions were controlled by this key point — meaning any withdrawal also had to pass through here. Now the Roving Bandits' Vanguard had reached Fengxiang Courier Station, while the tail of their column was far behind at Erlang Town. Xie Zhaofa's analysis fit common sense perfectly: the Roving Bandits' elite troops would certainly be at the Vanguard, not at the tail, because they had no idea that the main force of the Garrison Commander battalion was hidden on the other side of Dragon Lake.

If Pang Yu suddenly landed at Susong now, he would be only thirty li from Erlang Town. In just half a day, he could seize this critical node on the courier road. The Roving Bandits, however, were as far as sixty li from Erlang Town. The road would be clogged with Servants and Carriages. They would also need time to send orders back and forth and maneuver — they could not possibly reinforce Erlang Town in time.

The Susong section of the courier road ran east–west. To the north were the Dabie Mountains. Between Erlang Town and Fengxiang Courier Station, there were no major passages into the mountains. Even Geli Yan could only emerge from the mountains via Qianshan and Taihu. To the south was complex hilly terrain, and further south still was the Great River. This was the great Victory opportunity Pang Yu had been waiting for — the encirclement and annihilation of tens of thousands of Roving Bandits.

But the scale seemed to exceed Pang Yu's expectations. If the scale was too large, they might not necessarily be able to swallow it. Yet if they succeeded, it would be a Great Victory surpassing Chuzhou. Everyone in the tent leaned in around the map and began murmuring in low discussion.

Pang Yu looked at the position of Erlang Town. "Which Camp Heads are currently present?"

"The live captives taken by the Land Combat Division's Point Scouts on the lower reaches of the Erlang River come from two Camp Heads: Chuang Tatian and the Eight Great Kings. There are also seven minor Camp Heads that habitually follow them. According to their confessions, You Lihua also seems to have newly combined camps with them."

"You Lihua?" Pang Yu turned his head toward Yang Xueshi. "Does this minor Camp Head habitually roam with the forces under Cao Cao?"

"In reply to my lord, that is indeed so, though not always together." Yang Xueshi thought for a moment, then went to flip through his own notebook.

Xie Zhaofa's memory seemed better. He directly addressed Pang Yu, "This humble one recalls that the last time we received word of this camp's movements, it was heading east from Nanyang, traveling together with Cao Cao at the time."

"That means Cao Cao may have come as well."

The several General Officers exchanged glances. At Chuzhou, they had been battered black and blue by Cao Cao's Horse Soldiers and forced to risk crossing the Pure Stream River — a near-death experience. According to intelligence on the Roving Bandits gathered afterward, Cao Cao's camp contained a large number of Border Army Deserters. Both infantry and cavalry combat strength ranked among the top of all camps. It had been previously confirmed that part of the Eight Great Kings and all of Chuang Tatian's camp were here, plus seven or eight minor camps. With the Garrison Commander battalion's current strength of four thousand, they could barely attack. But if Cao Cao was also present, the risk would spike dramatically.

The intelligence was extremely vague. Cao Cao could be nearby, or he could be as far away as Huoshan. It all depended on whether Pang Yu was willing to gamble.

Pang Yu felt his hands trembling involuntarily and immediately placed them on the table edge. "All of you are the pillars of my battalion. Do you think we should fight or not?"

Yao Dongshan was the first to raise his hand. "This subordinate says fight."

"State your reasons as well."

"We have searched for half a year, waiting for just such a perfect opportunity. Naturally we must fight. This subordinate has nothing else to say."

Pang Yu smiled and looked to the next man. Not counting He County Yamen and the others, there were still six officers here: four Infantry Division Banner Captains, the Water Camp Banner Captain, and the Land Combat Division Deputy Battalion Commander. The Land Combat troops' blacksmith Centurion had personally gone to lead the point scouts and had not yet returned. Next to Yao Dongshan was Zhuang Chaozheng.

"This humble officer believes we should wait until the scouting is clear." Zhuang Chaozheng had grown much more confident since becoming the Personal Guard Division Banner Captain; his gaze no longer flickered away as it used to. He looked at Pang Yu and said, "This subordinate does not fear those Eight Bandits or Chuang Tatian. What this subordinate worries about is the Roving Bandits swarming in Guangji and Huangmei. Once our battalion seizes Erlang Town, should a new battalion arrive from Huangmei or Guangji — Cao Cao, for instance — our four thousand troops will have walked right into a nest of bandit spawn. One misstep and we'll be surrounded by bandit spawn instead."

Pang Yu nodded and looked at Wang Zenglu. Wang Zenglu said respectfully, "This humble one will continue where Banner Captain Zhuang left off. If our battalion captures Erlang Town, the Roving Bandits, to stay alive, will surely assault Vice General Cheng with full force. This is a fight for their survival; the Roving Bandits have no room left to cling to life. Those old bandits' combat strength is not low. Most of the Jiangnan reinforcement and suppression troops have never seen battle. This subordinate believes they cannot hold. If Vice General Cheng is defeated, the Roving Bandits will have a passage east, and our battalion will be unable to encircle and annihilate this bandit force. Therefore, this subordinate believes that after our battalion seizes Erlang Town, we must exploit the chaos among the Roving Bandits and immediately attack their rear along the courier road, giving the enemy no room to maneuver. Once the attacking Military Camp departs, the garrison troops left at Erlang Town will be few. If a large force of new Roving Bandit battalions reaches Erlang Town at that moment, should our battalion still continue encircling and annihilating the Roving Bandits east of Erlang Town? If we do not attack, and once Vice General Cheng is defeated and destroyed, the Eight Bandits and Chuang Tatian will turn back around and, together with the new battalions from Guangji and Huangmei, will instead surround our battalion."

Pang Yu looked next at the Third Battalion Banner Captain, Zhou the Second, the former javelin thrower. He was still dark and lean, though his manner had grown a touch more refined.

"This subordinate approves of this plan, but what Banner Captain Wang said is reasonable. After we occupy Erlang Town, should we not scout Huangmei and Guangji on both sides until the picture is clear, and only advance on Fengxiang Courier Station if no enemy trace is found? Furthermore, on the march from Susong to Erlang Town, we must cross the Chema River. Should the Roving Thieves burn the bridge, I request Xie Section Clerk to prepare a fording route in advance."

Ren Dalang of the Water Army was not responsible for land combat. He merely explained that the previous plan had only called for transporting three companies. If the new plan required transporting the entire infantry, there would still be a shortage of boats, and they would need to immediately go onto the lake and commandeer some civilian vessels.

That left the Land Combat Division. Pang Yu looked at that Deputy Battalion Commander. This time, because they were separated by Dragon Lake, the Scout Cavalry had also been withdrawn to Shipai. The scouting responsibility fell to the more suitable Land Combat Division. The blacksmith Centurion had personally selected soldiers to form a Point Scout Squad, which was now stationed at the Erlang River Estuary into the lake at Susong, responsible for reconnaissance operations.

This Deputy Battalion Commander was dark, lean, and capable, but ordinarily a man of very few words. Pang Yu did not expect him to say much.

The Deputy Battalion Commander straightened his chest and, in regulation military manner, said to Pang Yu, "This subordinate has no superfluous words. If Your Excellency decides to seize Erlang Town, please give Erlang Town to the Land Combat Division. The Land Combat Division will hold it firmly until Your Excellency has exterminated Bandit Chuang."

Pang Yu was somewhat surprised, then smiled and said, "But why do you believe you can hold it?"

The Deputy Battalion Commander raised his head slightly. "Because the Marine Corps are the most elite soldiers. They heed Lord Pang's military orders, strictly observe military law, train bitterly and diligently, and face any enemy with valor in battle, never retreating."

"That pride is exactly what's needed." Pang Yu clapped the Deputy Battalion Commander on the shoulder and offered a few words of encouragement. The Land Combat Division was the light infantry within his infantry forces, equipped only with leather armor, half of them lacking auxiliary armguards and leg guards. But from the few drills he had observed, they often gave him a fiercer, more ferocious impression. Still, used for defense, they might not match the Heavy Infantry.

Every officer had voiced an opinion. The final decision still had to be his. This plan would yield the greatest gain, but also carried the greatest risk. It might mean the total annihilation of Chuang Tatian and the Eight Bandits — or it might mean the total annihilation of the Garrison Battalion amidst hundreds of thousands of Roving Bandits.

Pang Yu turned his head and looked at the tabletop. The three small characters for Erlang Town had never seemed so conspicuous.