Chapter 364: Report

"Your subordinate Pang Yu kowtows in greeting to the Military Commander."

"General Pang, please rise." Zhang Guowei dispensed with the interview format this time, directly bidding Pang Yu to stand and take a seat as guest of honor — a treatment worlds apart from when Pang Yu sought an official post two years ago.

This was the branch office of Jiangpu County; Zhang Guowei always stayed here when passing through, and Pang Yu had visited several times before.

After the Susong Great Victory, Zhang Guowei's complexion was quite good, and he unusually exchanged a few words of domestic pleasantries with Pang Yu, asking for the first time about Pang Yu's family situation. Pang Yu had come prepared — if Zhang Guowei brought up the matter of the imperial decree forcing marriage, he would pour out his grievances at length. In the end, Zhang Guowei never mentioned it at all, leaving Pang Yu with a stomach full of words unspoken.

Only after everyone else had withdrawn did Zhang Guowei look at Pang Yu and say warmly, "The Susong Great Victory — the Roving Bandits have been defeated and withdrawn from Anqing. With Anqing secure, the Great River is secure, sparing Nanjing from alarm. The Emperor has issued a decree of ample encouragement; General Pang's contributions are indispensable. I have already submitted a special memorial to the Emperor requesting honors for the General. The Ministry of War should be in agreement. The newly appointed Minister of War, His Excellency Yang, has proposed the Ten-Sided Net strategy. The two Supervisors of Military Affairs and the five prefectures together are to establish a force of 124,000 troops, with designated rations and pay and dedicated funds for dedicated troops. The Anqing Garrison Battalion is included in that number. General Pang's promotion should not be far off."

Pang Yu hurriedly stood. "Your subordinate was raised up from humble obscurity by Your Excellency, and only thus have I had the good fortune to serve the nation. The grace of recognition and promotion is something this insignificant person will never forget, even unto his dying day."

The court's Ten-Sided Net strategy — this was the first he had heard of it. Though he did not know the details, the single item of dedicated troops and dedicated funding told him that Yang Sichang understood the maladies of military affairs. The overall situation of bandit suppression might undergo a major shift, and with it the power structure would change; he needed to understand it thoroughly and then adjust accordingly.

Zhang Guowei smiled and waved Pang Yu back to his seat. He only briefly explained the Ten-Sided Net, then continued, "General Pang is indeed a talent for command; promotion is simply a matter of true merit earning its proper place. Originally, I should have gone to Anqing in person to offer encouragement, but the bandit alarms have not yet receded far…"

Pang Yu noticed his brows furrow slightly. Zhang Guowei paused a moment, then went on: "A few days ago, I received a dispatch report from the Canal Transport Office. The bandit chieftains Zhang Pangzi, Hun Shiwan, and Passing Sky Star have already emerged from Huoshan, splitting into three routes and passing through Lu'an Prefecture heading east. The Purple Tenuity Star is also moving toward Chuzhou. Commander Zhu believes the bandits are coveting the wealthy regions such as Yangzhou, and Puliu lies directly in their path. For this reason, I can only station myself here."

Before setting out, Pang Yu had also received Liu Liangzuo's dispatch report and knew that the bandit horde had emerged from the mountains at Lu'an. At present, the Roving Bandits of the Central Plains were all within the Dabie Mountains. Having suffered a head-on battering at Anqing, they would inevitably seek other routes out, but only three groups had appeared so far; the whereabouts of the other camps remained unknown.

When the bandit horde invaded Anqing, the Fengyang Governor's Jurisdiction, separated by only a single wall, had not sent a single soldier to assist. The forces Pang Yu currently had remaining were not many; his first priority was naturally to secure the Anqing defense. Whether Liu Liangzuo and Mou Wenshou could hold out was their own affair.

Pang Yu had captured a great many bandits at Susong. From the information gathered by interrogating the Old Bandits, the Roving Bandits' logistical situation this year was extremely dire. After this defeat at Anqing, several large camps, including the Eight Bandits, had lost their baggage and supplies. At least over a hundred thousand people could only retreat back into the mountains. Given the barrenness of the Yinghuo Mountain Area at this time, it could not possibly provide the subsistence needed for a population of that scale. Pang Yu estimated that half of them would starve to death.

But the Roving Bandits had rampaged for many years and possessed methods of survival in all manner of harsh environments. The half that starved would absolutely not be the battle-hardened Old Bandits, and they would certainly emerge from the mountains again. Given the Roving Thieves' consistent habit of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, the likelihood of them entering Anqing again after a fresh defeat was very small. Roving Bandits in a state of material deprivation would accept higher casualties; their combat effectiveness might even be higher than before.

Now Zhang Guowei was bringing up the defense of Puliu — that was his current predicament. The Reinforcement and Suppression Troops at Fengjiadu had been nearly annihilated. The nearly one thousand surviving routed soldiers had no morale and were in organizational chaos; they could not possibly be used again in battle immediately. The dignified Yingtian Grand Coordinator was now, in reality, a bare-stick commander. In his words just now, he was hinting that he once again needed to deploy the Anqing Garrison Battalion to reinforce Puliu.

"Wherever Your Excellency dispatches me, this insignificant person will absolutely not decline. It is only that in the mountain regions north of Qianshan and Taihu, bandit groups still gather and howl. Previously, bandits such as Geli Yan even planted crops in the Taihu mountains, showing an intent to entrench themselves. Because of the heavy casualties the Garrison Battalion suffered in this great battle, we are still unable to enter the mountains to clear them out. At present, the Garrison Battalion's remaining strength is only 2,100 men. Due to deploying defenses along the mountains, the training of new recruits is extremely difficult. The Reinforcement and Suppression Troops are unusable, and combat strength is hard to sustain. This insignificant person merely worries that if the Garrison Battalion is drawn off for reinforcement, Anqing might suffer some mishap."

Zhang Guowei nodded. The information he had received from various channels was more or less the same. Mr. Ma, Pi Yingju, and Shi Kefa all reported that the surviving troops of the Reinforcement and Suppression forces were utterly useless, and that the Garrison Battalion's losses were not small either. Now they still had to block the numerous mountain paths along the range. Transferring troops now would indeed be putting Pang Yu in a difficult position — but Zhang Guowei truly had no other battalions left.

Pang Yu observed Zhang Guowei's expression. Now that he had laid out the difficulties, he still needed to resolve Zhang Guowei's predicament. Otherwise, Zhang Guowei might once again entertain the idea of splitting off Anqing. Once Anqing was carved away, the Yingtian Jurisdiction would only need to defend Puliu, greatly reducing the pressure — but Zhang Guowei would also lose Anqing's strong troops and with them the opportunity to earn military merits. Zhang Guowei was weighing the gains and losses on both sides. Pang Yu needed to add some chips to the scale for keeping Anqing.

"So long as I can relieve Your Excellency's worries, this insignificant person would not hesitate to go through fire and water. Though the Garrison Battalion faces hardship, I will certainly muster two companies of troops. In this way, we can separately defend Liuhe and Jiangpu, which should guarantee the two cities remain free from peril."

Zhang Guowei's expression did not change much, but Pang Yu observed that his sitting posture relaxed. Two companies of the Garrison Battalion might not be at full strength, and they would clearly be insufficient to defend the entire territory — which was why Pang Yu had not mentioned the areas outside the cities — but they would be enough to defend the cities themselves. Pang Yu had once again solved a difficulty for his superior. Now should be the best moment to make a request.

"With the elite of the Reinforcement and Suppression forces nearly all lost this time, this insignificant person, amid deep regret, reflects that crack troops cannot be forged in a single morning. If the troop quotas return to their respective camps, training will be even more difficult. Along the river, within the next year or two, troop strength will be insufficient for defense and suppression needs. Though the Roving Bandits are defeated, their strength remains. Should the bandits come sweeping in suddenly, your subordinate fears being unable to reach them in time for rescue. The distance between Puliu and Anqing is several hundred li. And if the bandits split into multiple routes to attack, we will inevitably attend to one and lose the other. I petition Your Excellency to establish a capable battalion between Anqing and Puliu. In this way, in ordinary times it can stabilize the River Defense, and when there is an alarm, it can reinforce east or west. When Your Excellency plans operations, you will then have strength to spare."

As expected, Zhang Guowei did not reject it outright. Instead, he stood and paced a few steps. The key point of Pang Yu's suggestion was to draw off a portion of the troop quotas from the Reinforcement and Suppression forces and place these quotas under a single Camp Head. This way, forming and training a proper army would be faster, better than temporarily drawing from Jiangnan. Stationed between Puliu and Anqing, it could indeed serve the function of flexibly deploying forces. If trouble arose in places like Suzhou or Songjiang, transferring troops from there would not be too far either.

In Pang Yu's own mind, the best location for this battalion was Wuhu. He estimated Zhang Guowei would make the same choice. It was just that when dealing with a superior like Zhang Guowei, one could not propose it directly. At present, Zhang Guowei's greatest difficulty was having no troops. From Pang Yu's perspective, Zhang Guowei was not particularly adept at drilling troops. His previous concept had been the martial son of a good family, but in the end, the results seemed mediocre. Pang Yu gauged Zhang Guowei's thinking: from the angle of rapid training and formation, it should be easier to persuade this superior.

After a moment, Zhang Guowei said, "Increasing or decreasing troops is no small matter. Troop quotas also involve numerous camps. Beyond rations and pay, it still requires the approval of the Cabinet and the Ministry of War. However, establishing a battalion between Anqing and Puliu is indeed necessary. Regarding defense and suppression matters, does General Pang have any other suggestions?"

Pang Yu knew that the Wuhu matter could not be settled in one go. But with the Susong Great Victory on the books, so long as Zhang Guowei applied to the Ministry of War and it did not increase rations and pay expenditures, the Ministry of War had no grounds to object. When the time came, the commander of this battalion would most likely be promoted from within the Anqing Garrison Battalion — a crucial link in Pang Yu's Great River strategy.

"Your subordinate's second proposal is that all prefectures and counties along the river earnestly organize and train Local Militia. The Roving Bandits have approached the river multiple times. If they truly cross, it will take the Battalion soldiers several days to arrive. The Local Militia are needed to steadily hold the cities and await relief. Previously, the Local Militia in various places received an annual stipend of five taels, and even that was often in arrears. Unsurprisingly, at the first alarm, they scatter in a hubbub, showing no real effectiveness. If the counties along the river are willing to train earnestly, the Garrison Battalion can dispatch officers and soldiers to teach city defense methods."

Zhang Guowei nodded slightly. "The primary malady in Local Militia training is still insufficient rations and pay. The Ministry of Revenue presses collections urgently. Even the Local Retention portion must be forwarded; local budgets are strained. Though the Local Militia have a five-tael quota, in most cases it is not actually paid in full. Naturally, it is hard to see real effectiveness."

Pang Yu was naturally aware of the local situation. In reality, wherever there was a threat from the Roving Bandits, the court required the training of Local Militia. The counties in the Yingtian Jurisdiction generally had quotas of six hundred to eight hundred men. But even in an area facing a major threat like Anqing, the counties did not provide the full five taels of silver, let alone the safe Jiangnan counties.

"For the Local Militia's pay, might we refer to the Rice and Bean Levy of Tangjiagou at Zongyang?" Pang Yu kept his tone as calm as possible. "If the court adopts the Ten-Sided Net method of dedicated troops and dedicated funding, then since the counties along the river need to defend against bandits, let the brokers at each river port from Anqing to Zhenjiang assume and pay a levy. This pay would be used solely for the Local Militia. Then, with crack troops from the Garrison Battalion teaching methods of combat and defense, Your Excellency would gain nearly ten thousand usable troops. In ordinary times, they would stabilize the River Defense. When bandits come, they could also be deployed to defend Anqing and Puliu for city defense duties. The Battalion soldiers could then focus solely on extermination. After battle, they could be used to replenish the Battalion troops, without needing to train from scratch and waste time…"

…

In Nanjing, at Huaiqing Bridge, inside the resplendent Great River Silver Bank, Jiang Fan walked into the Shopkeeper's public house on the third floor. Liu Ruogu arranged for someone to serve him tea.

"In Wuhu, three minor Gang Leader have been brought to heel; the other two were killed. The docks are generally stable." Jiang Fan lifted the teacup and took a sip. "There are about a thousand dock laborers. His Excellency Pang's intention is to first lower the Force Pay a bit, with Anqing providing a subsidy, to stabilize the Boat Dock Masters and Brokerages in Wuhu. Mr. Liu can come and open a silver bank now."

"Wuhu, besides the docks, has two other big businesses: cloth dyeing and Su Steel. His Excellency Pang has no interest in cloth dyeing, but Su Steel he is determined to obtain. You must remember this." Liu Ruogu gently tapped the armrest. "All steel used for military weapons is purchased from Wuhu. In recent years, with the times so turbulent, every place is forging weapons. Su Steel becomes more expensive the more you buy, yet you have no choice but to buy it — no other place has this item."

Jiang Fan nodded. "The difficulty with Su Steel lies not with the steel workshops. There are dedicated Boat Dock Masters who handle negotiations there; other Brokerages cannot get a hand in. The Brokerages here raise prices on their own, and even so, supply still cannot meet demand. For now, if we don't offend the Boat Dock Masters, we can't touch the steel workshops for the time being."

"According to the information we've obtained, Su Steel is roughly made by mixing and hammering Cast Iron and Wrought Iron. Both the Cast Iron and Wrought Iron are purchased from outside; it's just that there are some secret techniques involved, which the various workshops do not pass on to outsiders. In the end, it's a craft. For now, don't clash with the Boat Dock Masters. There are fifty or sixty steel workshops in Wuhu making Su Steel, with no fewer than a thousand artisans and apprentices among them. Those who understand this thing are not few in number. As the saying goes, 'Iron reaches Wuhu and becomes steel.' Once we know the secret method, iron reaching Anqing can also become steel."

"Shopkeeper Liu means for us to find artisans in Wuhu and make steel ourselves?"

"His Excellency Pang doesn't just want to be able to make steel himself — he also wants to ensure that no other place can buy steel."

"Wuhu, after all, has that many steel workshops. If others go to buy, they will naturally sell. Even if the Canal Gang refuses to load cargo for them, there are still overland routes to take."

"His Excellency Pang has his own plans for this matter. He will likely arrive in Nanjing within these Two Days and will arrange things with you then." Liu Ruogu stood by the window. Outside the glass pane, the main avenue teemed with bustling crowds. "His Excellency Pang's last Secret Message said that before he reaches Nanjing, he wants the heads of Li Lihua and Guo Zuoshan. Have you found their whereabouts?"

Jiang Fan stood and walked to his side. "These two have been in hiding for some days, but they are still within the city of Nanjing. Li Lihua must use the petty official's household's Nanyang Fragrant Powder every day and has to buy it every so often. The general location of their hiding place has been confirmed."

Liu Ruogu said with a grim face, "His Excellency Pang is coming this time to handle matters with Ruan Dacheng. That bearded Ruan will certainly plead for Li Lihua. When the time comes, it will be difficult to act. Before His Excellency Pang reaches Nanjing, these two must die."