Chapter 322: Not Overbearing

Pang Yu's gaze followed Erlang Town eastward; marked on the map were Ink Smoke Shop, Chema River, Fenghuangpu, Fengjiadu, and Old County.

"The Water Camp will requisition the full complement of boats today, board before noon tomorrow, and the fleet will anchor five li from Chang'an Wharf at Dragon Lake, landing only after confirming intelligence with the Land Combat Division's Point Scouts. I do not wish to come up empty, nor do I want Chuang Tatian and the Eight Bandits to turn back and encircle me." Pang Yu placed his finger on Chang'an Wharf, south of Susong County Town — the most important dock in the Dragon Lake basin, where goods from Guangji, Erlang, Chema River, and other areas all gathered for distribution; the dock was very broad, an ideal landing site. (Note 1)

Yang Xueshi looked up at Pang Yu. "My lord, the cavalry is still at Shipai Market at present. If cavalry are to be used in this battle, I fear it will be difficult to avoid alerting the Roving Bandits' Scout Cavalry. Might we lose the effect of a surprise landing?"

Pang Yu rubbed his chin. The Cavalry Division now had over four hundred men, most with no experience in boat transport; moving them to Wangjiang for loading and unloading would lengthen the launch time, and there was currently not enough transport capacity — they could only be sent to Susong via the Pedestrian Road. If too early, they might alert the Roving Bandits' marauding scout horses nearby; if too late, they could not coordinate with the infantry. But he was even more certain of one thing: cavalry had to be used. He would not take only infantry to fight the Roving Bandits.

"Cheng Long disobeyed Circuit Intendant Shi's military order, but it was certainly not to flee before battle. They will have to fight at least somewhat. The Roving Bandits are light infantry and light cavalry; once over four thousand government troops set up a camp stockade, the bandits absolutely cannot take it. Since the cavalry cannot be hidden, we can only have Chen Rulie control the march timing carefully — the Vanguard's scout horses will change into civilian clothes, and for the final fifty li they must attack swiftly, giving the bandits' scout horses no time to report. For the sake of secrecy, the plan to attack Erlang Town will be limited to Chen Rulie alone; downward, the Cavalry Division's mission will uniformly be conveyed as defending Shipai Market."

Pang Yu stopped dwelling on it. The Roving Bandits now covered nearly all of Susong; the intelligence their scout horses fed back to the bandit chieftains was bound to be chaotic and jumbled. The likelihood of the chieftains deducing from plainclothes scout horses that the Garrison Battalion intended a surprise attack on Erlang Town was not high. This was a pivotal battle, and Pang Yu would not forgo using cavalry over this small a risk.

"From Leigang to Chang'an Wharf is over two hundred li. Ren Dalang, you and Xie Zhaofa will calculate the transport time carefully. The Cavalry Division may arrive at Chang'an Wharf later than the infantry; avoid alerting the Roving Bandits ahead of time as much as possible — suddenness remains paramount. After reaching Chang'an Wharf, I will make a final confirmation of the situation in the Taihu direction. If Vice General Cheng has withdrawn, we will abandon the attack on Erlang Town, fortify at Chang'an Wharf with our backs to the water and form ranks, tie down the Roving Bandits' flank, and prevent them from penetrating deeper. If Vice General Cheng has indeed blocked the courier road, we will attack Erlang Town according to plan."

Everyone in the room unconsciously drew a little closer to the map. They knew Pang Yu had made up his mind. The originally planned encirclement-and-annihilation battle at Shipai had now suddenly become an encirclement-and-annihilation battle at Susong, and the Roving Bandits they faced had increased several times over.

"Chang'an Wharf to the county town is eight li; the county town to Erlang Town is thirty li. The infantry have forty li of road to cover. Once we land, we lose the element of surprise. At that moment, we will be racing against time with the Eight Bandits. I require the landing to be swift and orderly — speed is everything. We must seize Erlang Town before the bandits' Horse Soldiers return to defend it."

Pang Yu swept his gaze over everyone. "Xie Zhaofa, draft the plan: confirm the sequence for embarkation, sailing, and landing. After seizing Erlang Town, our Garrison Battalion will advance along the courier road, from Erlang Town to Fengxiang Courier Station, with clear daily attack objectives. Convey this down to the Banner Captains before embarkation; only after embarking may the Banner Captains brief the soldiers. All Company Commander return to camp immediately — the plan is to be relayed only to the Centurions. Effective immediately, seal all camp gates; no one leaves camp without the Central Army Token. Issue seven days' worth of dry rations to the soldiers."

"Yes, my lord!" The several Company Commander answered in unison, took one more look at the map, and then filed out of the tent.

Pang Yu turned to He County Yamen, who was still staring blankly. "Report back to Circuit Intendant Shi: our Garrison Battalion, after gathering its troops, will immediately proceed to Taihu to reinforce. Request the Reinforcement Army to hold firm with confidence."

He County Yamen looked at Pang Yu in bewilderment. It had clearly been decided to go to Susong — why now say they were going to Taihu? Then it struck him: Pang Yu meant to steady Cheng Long's forces.

"Then… when the troops do not go, how will we explain it to Circuit Intendant Shi?"

A sly smile appeared on Pang Yu's face. "I am a Court-Appointed Official, not as overbearing as Cheng Long; naturally I must obey military orders. Since Circuit Intendant Shi ordered us to Taihu, I will certainly go to Taihu. But he did not specify which road to take, so it is perfectly proper for me to go via Susong — and on the way, we just happen to run into the Roving Thieves."

He County Yamen's mouth opened, but for a moment no words came out. Pang Yu, utterly unembarrassed, continued on his own. "The engagement site must not be too close to Erlang Town, or the Eight Bandits will flee the moment I land. Chema River has advantages, but it is still a bit too close. Nor too far — Fengxiang Courier Station has no defensible terrain. Hmm… ask Circuit Intendant Shi to restrain his troops. I suggest choosing Old County to set up a defense. This place has interlocking hills and rivers, the best spot to block the Roving Bandits. As long as the government troops establish a defensive line along the Old County River, the Roving Bandits absolutely cannot break through."

Pang Yu slapped his palm onto the map at Old County's location. "Old County is where the Eight Bandits will meet their end. Cheng Long will be the chopping board, and we will be the iron hammer. I am going to smash the Eight Bandits into meat paste."

……

At Old County in Susong (present-day Liangting Town, Susong), the unending stream of Reinforcement and Suppression Troops had just arrived. This place was the site of Susong's ancient county seat, hence the name Old County. Later, as water transport developed, the economic center shifted toward the Dragon Lake basin, and the county town moved accordingly. But Old County did not completely decline; because the post road and the Old County River intersected here, it remained a flourishing market town in Susong.

On Beacon Hill, three li away, faint smoke still lingered. That was the Smoke-and-Fire Mound set up by Shi Kefa. Because it sat atop a hill, the bandits' Horse Soldiers found it inconvenient to go up and down; though they had passed through many times, they had never attacked it. The Smoke-and-Fire Mound was still functioning, and had just reported an incoming raid by bandit Horse Soldiers. Cheng Long led troops to meet them and repelled the bandits once again.

The Roving Bandits' losses this time were not heavy — the Horse Soldiers ran very fast — but their baggage losses were considerable. On the main road of Old County, over ten carriages lay abandoned; beside the toppled carriages, bolts of colored cloth, silk, and grain sacks had spilled. Near the Old County Bridge, quite a bit of silver was scattered about — it was clear the bandits had fled in great haste. At this moment, soldiers from all camps were scrambling to grab the spoils, and Cheng Long could not be bothered to intervene.

"Circuit Intendant Shi has sent another order token, instructing you, my lord, to withdraw the troops to Taihu. Will you read it?"

Cheng Long took it, glanced at it hastily, and impatiently handed it back to the Advisor. He turned his head toward Zhan Peng. "How many more days of provisions does the army have?"

"Still five days." Zhan Peng leaned in. "Taihu also has no provisions. The common folk all around have fled clean away; there is not even anyone to deliver grain. Going to Taihu means waiting for that Garrison Battalion to ship grain over."

Lu Wangyou, standing nearby, looked around and laughed heartily. "Why wait for him? Those bandit spawn are all lowborn wretches. Beat them badly enough, and they'll serve you good food and drink — no need for anyone to ship it in."

Pan Keda added, "The bandit spawn did not expect us to come so quickly. If we just keep pursuing, there will only be more of such rations and pay."

The other Jiangnan Officers all voiced their Approval. Since leaving Taihu, the engagements had gone smoothly all along the way; every unit had made some captures, and Old County was the richest spot yet. This was almost a replay of the last time they followed Zuo Liangyu in chasing down Geli Yan — the Roving Bandits' combat strength was low, and the pattern of government troops pursuing while the bandits fled had nearly become fixed. The only difference was that last time Zuo Liangyu had monopolized all the spoils, whereas this time Cheng Long gave every faction a share, so morale was extremely high.

"Since the bandit spawn are courting death, we shall see them a little further on their way." Once Cheng Long had made up his mind, he looked around at the terrain. He was not familiar with Susong, but he had been to this place before. He said politely to Pan Keda, "But I have always heard the Roving Bandits are cunning. We must still be cautious in our march. General Pan, you are the Main Troops here; even if we intend to pursue and strike, we should still have a proper plan. What does General Pan think is the appropriate course of action?"

Pan Keda said respectfully, "This place is Old County. We can leave some troops behind to escort the provisions. After today's engagement, the bandit spawn already know our great army has come. The Roving Thieves flee very swiftly; we can take our elite troops and pursue and strike first, lest the Roving Bandits escape. The Vanguard can reach the front today and set up camp there. There is another convenience — it will save us no small effort in setting up camp."

"What place lies ahead?"

"It is where Marshal Zuo camped last time — Fengjiadu."

……

Note 1: The place names correspond to present-day Moyan Village, Hualiang Village, Fenghuang Village, Fengdian Village, and Liangting Town. Chang'an Wharf was the dock of Susong County Town; it no longer exists today. The Ming Zhengde-era Anqing Prefecture Gazetteer records: "Susong's Chang'an Wharf lies eight li south of the county," showing that the water level of Dragon Lake was far higher then than now.