Chapter 414: Preparations

"Ceng Yiyun, a native of Chao County, once studied as a licentiate candidate. Before the eighth year of Chongzhen, his family ran a copper workshop in Chao County, so he excelled at crafting all kinds of bronze ware. The largest bronze piece he ever made was a nine-foot-tall Buddha statue, the smallest less than five inches. When the Roving Bandits broke through Chao County, he was the only one in his family to survive, fleeing to the lake to hide. The copper workshop was burned down, leaving him no way to make a living. After burying his family in Chao County, he crossed the river to Nanjing to seek a livelihood. In the ninth year of Chongzhen, he saw a recruitment notice in the Jiangnan Times and went to Anqing to apply as a coppersmith. After entering the workshop, he followed Bao Yu, specializing in bronze cannon manufacturing. For his contributions to making iron molds, he was promoted to Deputy Director of the Cannon Company, in charge of cannon barrel shaping and testing."

At the Vice Regional Commander's office, Pang Yu sat at the head seat in the Direct Office. Across the desk were Yang Xueshi and He County Yamen. He County Yamen had just set down the roster in his hands. Ceng Yiyun was that cannon-making assistant of Bao Yu's, slated to transfer from the workshop into the army. Originally, Yang Xueshi should have presented the matter, but Yang Xueshi still could not recognize that many characters, so He County Yamen, the Archive Clerk of the Document Receiving Office, had to do it in his stead.

"It seems Ceng Yiyun is a talent in cannon-making. No wonder Bao Yu is reluctant to let him go." Pang Yu looked up at the two men before him. "Talent is scarce everywhere; it all depends on how to best use each person. Do you think such a man is better placed in the army or in the workshop?"

He County Yamen did not answer, but instead turned his head toward Yang Xueshi, signaling for this Military Office Clerk to answer first.

Yang Xueshi did not hesitate. "This humble one thinks it is better to place him in the army. Cannons, once made, must ultimately be used by the army. Moreover, three-tenths of the people in that workshop are literate. If this Ceng Yiyun leaves his post, someone in the workshop will naturally fill it."

Pang Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "You make a valid point, but there is another. The workshop has many craftsmen, and quite a few are literate, but none have ever served in the military. They do not truly understand what kind of armaments the army needs. This includes Bao Yu — they all simply do whatever I instruct them to do. Ceng Yiyun has overseen cannon barrel shaping and testing. Let him go into the army and use the things he himself made. When he returns to the workshop later, I won't need to teach him; he will naturally know how to do it best."

Only then did He County Yamen chime in. "Your Excellency's perspective is indeed far-sighted. I also approve of transferring Ceng Yiyun into the army. This is because, previously, the common people viewed military men as coarse and vulgar. Serving as a soldier carried a poor reputation. Civilian society valued the literary over the martial; military men belittled themselves, while the literati were frail and weak. Anyone who had studied was unwilling to join the army, and craftsmen also looked down on grunts. Even those literati rescued from the Roving Bandits felt that being a soldier was shameful and could only reluctantly take posts as Clerk Officers. This Ceng Yiyun was once a licentiate candidate, and now he is willing to give up a Director of the Workshop post to join the military. He can serve as a model for the literati. If we later publicize this widely in the Jiangnan Times, and given that Lord Pang himself is an Imperial Academy Student who cast aside the brush for the sword, it should attract more literati to follow suit."

Pang Yu nodded approvingly. He County Yamen coughed once and continued, "However, what post he takes requires careful consideration. I feel it should not be too high, lest it breed discontent in the army, nor too low, or it will be insufficient to inspire others to exchange the literary for the martial."

"Third Brother... Clerk He's words are very reasonable. This is what a competent Archive Clerk of the Document Receiving Office looks like." Pang Yu looked at Yang Xueshi. "Yang Sili oversees the Military Office. What post would be appropriate for Ceng Yiyun?"

Hearing Pang Yu set the tone, Yang Xueshi quickly searched his memory for vacancies and said, "This Director Ceng previously oversaw cannon-making, so in the army, he will certainly be an artilleryman. The artillery officer rank within a division is Centurion, which seems a bit too low. This subordinate requests Your Excellency appoint him as Artillery Commander at the Thousand-Leader Headquarters. Currently, the Artillery Commander post in the Personal Guard Division is already filled; it is the Cavalry Chief-of-a-Thousand Department that has not yet been decided."

"Then make it Artillery Commander of the Cavalry Chief-of-a-Thousand Department. Equip the newly made bronze cannons to the horse artillery first." Pang Yu patted the desktop. "That settles Ceng Yiyun's matter for now. Yang Xueshi, continue with the other test teams."

He County Yamen immediately ground some ink, preparing to take notes. Yang Xueshi bowed slightly and said, "Next is the Firearm test team. Since this year, three types of Self-Igniting Arquebuses have been purchased from Guangdong and Fujian. The workshop has been tasked with trial-producing ten of each, and they have now been handed to the Martial Academy's Firearm Section test team. The men from the Water Army like them the most, but say they fire fast yet are inaccurate. After the Martial Academy's testing, they reported that all self-igniting guns rely on striking chert, and no matter the type of Self-Igniting Arquebus, they all vibrate. They are not as accurate as a fine Matchlock. Therefore, in addition to the Self-Igniting Arquebus, they have also selected one type of Matchlock, the Lumi Gun."

Pang Yu nodded as he listened. He knew nothing about firearms or gunpowder, but he was certain that the Flintlock was the direction of development. The principles of these things were not complicated. After studying at the workshop a few times, Pang Yu fully understood their internal structure and working principles. Small-scale manufacturing at the workshop was easy; the difficulty lay in achieving stable performance and scaled production. Currently, the Flintlock was imperfect. If they rashly equipped troops on a large scale, its combat effectiveness might be inferior to cold weapons. Using their current troop equipment to fight the Roving Bandits posed no pressure. Were it not for the Tartars looming like dark clouds, Pang Yu would not feel the Flintlock was so urgent.

But firearms were definitely needed. In the interim, they could use Matchlocks as a transition, because Matchlocks had been in use for a long time and their performance might be more stable. So he did not object to the Martial Academy proposing the Lumi Gun.

Yang Xueshi added, "Previously, Zhang Shuangwei sent word back from Macau saying that the Lumi Gun comes from a Western country called Ottoman. Its emperor's personal guard exclusively uses the Lumi Gun. Elite users can pierce a willow leaf at a hundred paces. During a Siege, they specifically target the city walls; a few dozen marksmen can keep the defending troops on the wall from daring to show their heads. The Lumi Guns obtained in Nanjing last time were mostly unusable, so the workshop trial-produced twenty. They use bullets of four Mace three fen and four Mace five fen, both far more accurate than the Self-Igniting Arquebus. The Martial Academy proposes that the test Firearm Team exclusively use the Lumi Gun."

"No." Pang Yu said without a moment's hesitation. "What you just described about the Ottoman imperial guard's use was during a Siege, where both sides are stationary. In that situation, the Lumi Gun might be accurate, and the complexity and inconvenience of using a Fire Rope are acceptable. But in formation battles, rate of fire is more critical, and the Self-Igniting Arquebus is definitely better. The purpose of testing the Firearm Team is to find the most robust and durable Self-Igniting Arquebus. What the army will equip on a large scale in the future can only be the Self-Igniting Arquebus."

"This subordinate understands." Rebuffed thoroughly, Yang Xueshi momentarily forgot what he was supposed to say next.

Seeing this, He County Yamen picked up the thread. "Your Excellency means that since the Lumi Gun is accurate, it could perhaps be equipped in small numbers for suitable purposes like sieges, but it must not overshadow the main focus."

Pang Yu nodded. "That is exactly what I mean. Yang Sili, convey this meaning to the test team."

A bit of sweat beaded on Yang Xueshi's forehead. He hurriedly wrote a few characters in his booklet and drew a few symbols. He knew Pang Yu liked his subordinates to take notes, so even if he could not write everything down completely, he still had to put on the full display. But he dared not write for too long, lest the delay invite criticism from Pang Yu, saying that even he, the Academy Director, was barely literate.

After hastily scribbling a few strokes, Yang Xueshi looked up and said, "The Martial Academy's Cavalry Section and Infantry Section have trialed a new type of Iron Armor called Full Iron Armor. It was forged by a recruited craftsman surnamed Cheng from Xin'an. It has not been seen in any Arsenal before. The chest and back are each a single solid plate, which saves most of the forging and weaving of scale armor pieces. Its stab protection is superior to Chain Mail and Cotton Armor, and also superior to scale armor."

Because of the Personal Guard Division's decisive role at Susong, Pang Yu paid considerable attention to iron armor. They had currently tried practically every type of armor available in the southern part of the Ming Dynasty. The Marine Corps basically used Leather Armor, Heavy Infantry used scale armor, and Light Infantry used Cotton Armor or Chain Mail. Chain Mail was entirely made of interlinked iron rings, a complex manufacturing process that was inconvenient to maintain. The slightly heavier ones exceeded thirty jin. If this Full Iron Armor also weighed thirty jin, with performance better than Chain Mail, and could even reduce weight to enhance Heavy Infantry combat power, then naturally this more cost-effective option would be chosen.

"What is the cost of this type of armor?"

"That craftsman surnamed Cheng used one hundred jin of Min Iron. The iron material cost only two taels of silver, plus several dan of Coal and over ten dan of Charcoal, along with various amounts of cloth facing and velvet lacquer. But Bao Xiansheng says this armor should be forged with Su Steel. Using that steel material would make it expensive."

Pang Yu waved his hand. "Then use Su Steel for the trial production. It may not be expensive in the future. There are a few craftsmen from Wuhu in the workshop. Although they are all apprentices, we already know that Su Steel is merely Cast Iron and Wrought Iron mixed and hammered together. There are just a few key tricks we haven't figured out yet. If we put in some effort, we can certainly make it."

"This subordinate has noted it down. Additionally, there is the Infantry Section's Mountain Troops test team, equipped with various items like the Jue Zhang Crossbow and Ground Crossbow..."

As Yang Xueshi spoke, he flipped through his own booklet. The text and symbols inside were all jumbled together; probably only he himself could understand it. Sometimes he seemed to have forgotten things himself, pausing now and then.

Pang Yu did not rush him. He listened patiently while taking notes, only setting down his pen after Yang Xueshi had finished. "Among these test teams, the Martial Academy's Mountain Infantry test team has finished training. Form them into a Thousand-Leader Headquarters, transferring in soldiers from the reserve troops, with the troop count registered under the Anqing Guard. As soon as the order to serve the king arrives, this unit will garrison along the mountains. Once training is complete, they will advance twenty li into the mountains at Taihu and Qianshan to conduct suppression operations, establishing military stations for garrison defense."

"I will take the Personal Guard Division, a portion of the Bronze Standard Battalion, and a portion of the cavalry to fight the Tartars. My judgment is that once the Tartars invade, the court will prioritize mobilizing northern forces. Even if they do not transfer the troops from Xiangyang, the space for rampaging across the entire north will greatly increase. The Eight Bandits are most likely to rebel again at this time. When the Eight Bandits rebel, the various Roving Bandit groups around them will all start marauding again. Anqing is not worry-free. After the King-Serving campaign, troop allocation will be managed by Yang Xueshi. The garrisoned troops will be the New Courage Battalion, along with the Local Militia of the four counties of Susong, Taihu, Qianshan, and Tongcheng. The reserve force will be the Second Reserve Regiment."

"Then the one division of troops each from the First and Second Units..."

"These two divisions will be reorganized into the First Chiliarch Headquarters, with Yao Dongshan still as the Battalion Commander. I have already transferred him back; he will return to Anqing in the next few days. The Infantry First Chiliarch Headquarters, the Second Marine Division, and three cavalry Companies will garrison Susong. The two divisions in Gucheng will be reorganized into the Second Chiliarch Headquarters, with Wang Zenglu as the Battalion Commander, plus the First Division of Land Warfare. All troops in Huguang will be deployed by Xie Zhaofa, coordinating with Fang Kongzhao to deal with the Eight Bandits. Once the King-Serving order arrives, Yao Dongshan's unit will enter Huguang from Susong. The First Unit will withdraw from Gucheng; the concealed staging area will be determined by Fang Kongzhao."

Yang Xueshi drew a long breath. Pang Yu had held many meetings before, deploying Anqing's defenses. But after last year's Susong battle, there were practically no Roving Bandits in the surrounding area, making preemptive strikes impossible. Looking at Pang Yu's arrangement, he predicted that a Tartar invasion would cause turmoil across the entire northern situation, drastically changing the bandit-suppression landscape. The Roving Bandits might become as active as they were last year. When that happened, Anqing's troops would be depleted, and the pressure on him as the Chief Official would be considerable.

According to this plan, the Anqing Battalion would have to fight simultaneously on three fronts: Huguang, the Yinghuo Mountain Area, and the north. Currently, things appeared relaxed outwardly but were tense internally. All units had been undergoing intensified training for months. Everything was in preparation for the Tartar invasion, but that was merely a prediction based on nothing. Yang Xueshi felt it was still uncertain whether the Tartars would actually come.

After thinking for a moment, he probed, "Your Excellency, it is already September, and there is still no news of the Tartars. Chief Manager Xiong has already sent someone to inquire once. If they still haven't come by October..."

Pang Yu felt a bit uneasy in his heart as well, but he still firmly believed the Tartars would definitely come. The pattern of their invasions was not arbitrarily determined. This two-year interval must be related to the speed at which they absorbed population and consumed supplies. But Pang Yu had no way of knowing if their internal situation had changed, thereby altering the timing of the invasion. His judgment back in July had been a bit rash; it was now two months late. If it was delayed another two months, dealing with Xiong Wencan would be difficult. If he returned to Gucheng then, the Tartars might just show up.

"From Tongcheng to the Capital is two thousand three hundred ninety-seven li, several hundred li closer than from Xiangyang, but that is not the most important thing. Serving the King from Gucheng requires crossing Henan. Henan is a barren wasteland for a thousand li. We have no prior contact with the local civil officials there. All the northern King-Serving troops take this route, and securing provisions for the march will be fraught with difficulties. Departing from Tongcheng, the march to Xuzhou is entirely within the Fengyang Governor's Jurisdiction. We have already prepared provisions, and Military Gate Zhu will also provide support there. Further north is along the Grand Canal line. With no other troops serving the king traveling from south to north, securing our provisions will be much easier."

He County Yamen said in a low voice, "Serving the King from Gucheng would place us under the command of the various northern Military Commanders. Our Anqing Battalion has no prior ties with those Military Commanders. All the tough, bloody battles would be thrown at us. Going via Tongcheng, the commander leading the troops would be either Military Gate Zhu or Military Commander Zhang."

Pang Yu rubbed his forehead, pushing those distracting thoughts from his mind. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Therefore, I must depart from Tongcheng. If the Tartars don't come, I won't return to Gucheng. Clerk He, send a petition back to the Chief Manager's Office. Say that there is Roving Bandit activity in Yingshan, and I request permission to stay an extra two months... The Tartars will definitely come this year. They should already be on the road."