Chapter 419: Changes

"Rumors are everywhere, saying the Tartars have broken in and the Anqing Army has gone north."

In the prefectural city of Anqing, Wang Dashan kept watch at the grain shop counter, his eyes tracking the passersby beyond the door as he listened to the people talking behind him.

Xiao Wazi's voice said, "They say they left from Tongcheng, several thousand horse and troops, all with mounts."

Second Locust's voice said coldly, "The Fan Family's second master, the timber merchant at the east end of City Wall Street, said the cavalry at Shipai Town all left camp for Tongcheng some time ago. He said he needs to stock more timber for main beams — those cavalrymen will come back with plenty of silver after battle, and more will want to repair their houses."

"A traveling rice merchant at the docks said he saw infantry camps heading for Susong on the road." Xiao Wazi added, "Several boats from the Water Camp have gone downstream — they say they're taking the Grand Canal north to fight the Tartars."

Yu Zhangjia's voice said, "Close the shop door."

Wang Dashan immediately turned at the words and, together with Xu Zhu beside him, lifted the wooden panels into place. Their grain shop counter faced the street like a row of windows, and soon the counter's wooden panels were all up. Wang Dashan hung the sold-out sign in front of the door and shut it as he turned back.

When he reached the rear courtyard, Yu Zhangjia was already squatting on the ground. Wang Dashan hurriedly squatted down too, and heard Yu Zhangjia say, "Those Water Camp marines at Zongyang have also left — no one knows where. In any case, the troops in the Anqing region are fewer now. We must send word to Liu Zhang Family."

Xiao Wazi kept his head down, staring at the ground. "I hear the Tartars have come through the pass. These Anqing troops must be going to fight them."

"What did the Tartars come through the border for?"

Yu Zhangjia chuckled twice. "Killing people and seizing rations and pay."

Second Locust said with disdain, "Damn them. That should be ours."

Yu Zhangjia pulled out his tobacco pipe. Wang Dashan was about to fetch a light, but Xu Zhu had already darted into the kitchen in a flash and returned moments later with a burning twig. Kneeling on the ground, he respectfully lit it for Yu Zhangjia. Wang Dashan could only squat back down, stealing a glance at Xiao Wazi beside him.

Yu Zhangjia took two puffs with a ba-ba sound, and only after a long while did he exhale a cloud of white smoke. He coughed twice and said, "The place where the Tartars broke through is right at that dog emperor's Capital. The emperor fears death, so he calls troops from everywhere to rescue him — the officials call it rally to the king. The Tartars coming is a good thing. In past years, when the government soldiers were pressing us hard, as soon as the Tartars came, the soldiers all went to rally to the king and no one chased us anymore. We caught our breath in one go."

Xiao Wazi looked up. "The government troops have all left. Will Eight Master rise up or not?"

"Only Eight Master can decide that. Even if he does rise up, we can still stay in Anqing to coordinate." Yu Zhangjia took another drag and turned his head to look at Wang Dashan. "When we came, Liu Zhang Family gave us instructions — find a chance to rescue those women. Before, Anqing had many troops; now the soldiers have left, it should be time to act. I'll go out once to deliver the message. Wang Dashan, you're a local, it's convenient for you to move around Anqing. In the coming days, take them to Zongyang a few more times and get familiar with the area."

Wang Dashan agreed, but Xu Zhu, standing to the side, asked Yu Zhangjia, "When we go, should we find a shopfront there? It would help with coordination later. Zongyang is too far from the prefectural city, and it's downstream too."

Yu Zhangjia pondered for a moment. "That will be necessary."

Xu Zhu continued, "When the time comes and we've snatched those women out, taking the land route would still require going toward Tongcheng. With so many people, it would draw eyes and ears. Zongyang is right by the river — the best way would be to board boats from there. Once on a boat, no one can see them. Once out on the river, he won't be able to find them. Whether crossing the river or going downstream, it's far more convenient than the land route."

"Well said." Yu Zhangjia took a puff of smoke. "Just the General Officers' women alone number three, the Supreme Commander of Baoding Banner High Shine's women number five, and the old Company Leader rank has over a dozen. Add in the children and that's already several dozen. There are also some people from the old camp locked up in another place — that's another few dozen. If we snatch them all at once, that's over a hundred people. Only the method Xu Zhu described will work. I'll report it to Liu Zhang Family when I go back."

Second Locust was squatting to the side. When he heard about snatching the people from the other old camp location, he lowered his head and stared at the ground, his eyes shifting a few times before he asked a question. Wang Dashan, meanwhile, was filled with regret. He had originally had the same idea, but he was always a little afraid whenever facing Yu Zhangjia and rarely dared to voice his thoughts. He had watched helplessly as Xu Zhu earned this great merit. Xu Zhu was extremely attentive toward the various Long Family, and with his strong physique, he had gradually gained Yu Zhangjia's regard after arriving in Anqing.

Yu Zhangjia said to Second Locust, "Where can we buy boats?"

"I hear from the brokerages at the docks that the workshops on the northwest side are building boats — they'll sell as long as you give them silver. But some Boat Dock Masters say the timber hasn't been dried at all, and they'll fall apart before long."

"Wang Dashan, go buy two boats. Buy two shopfronts there in Zongyang — when people arrive, hide them there first."

Wang Dashan hurriedly cut in, "It's just the silver — I don't have any here."

Second Locust stared at the ground, concentrating as he waited for Yu Zhangjia's reply. In the Western Camp, silver and money were not strictly controlled — whoever seized it kept it. But over the past two years, plunder had gradually dwindled, the situation in each camp was worsening, and from time to time people deserted. Eight Master had thus gradually begun to collect the silver. After reaching Gucheng, he no longer allowed Company Leaders to hoard silver privately — precisely to prevent those Company Leaders from fleeing. Searches were frequent, and anyone hiding silver would be beheaded.

Second Locust and Xiao Wazi were both from the old camp, and Second Locust was even a Post Commander — both were considered relatively trusted men in the camp and still had silver in hand. But most of it had been lost in the battle at Nanyang. When they left Gucheng, Second Locust had only a little over ten taels of silver. Yu Zhangjia didn't seem to have brought much either, judging by the weight of his luggage. Even though they were men of the Western Camp, traveling across Huguang with a large sum of silver was not without risk.

After arriving in Anqing, someone had delivered silver once, but Yu Zhangjia kept it locked in his room, and no one knew exactly how much there was.

Yu Zhangjia stood up, went into his room, and came out carrying a small bundle. He tossed it straight to Wang Dashan, and when Wang caught it, he heard a clinking sound from within.

Second Locust narrowed his eyes slightly, looked up, and asked Yu Zhangjia, "Is the count of women in Zongyang reliable? Should we buy a couple more boats, in case we can't fit everyone when the time comes?"

"The number of meals delivered each day is that many — it should be accurate. They can squeeze together on the boats. It's not like they'll be sitting there traveling very far."

"Once the people are rescued, no matter which route we take, we'll need quite a bit of silver. And hiring boatmen will also cost a lot of silver. Yu Zhangjia, perhaps you should prepare more."

Yu Zhangjia frowned. "Those banknotes causing a fuss at the docks — what exactly is the principle behind them?"

Second Locust said nothing. Xiao Wazi, seeing this, replied, "It means that traveling merchants must exchange silver for banknotes to buy goods; only then will the brokerages and the Canal Gang allow them to load the boats."

"So the seller just accepts a piece of paper like that?"

"It can be exchanged back for silver — at any dock along the river. But the profit is a bit less. Anqing has long been accustomed to accepting silver notes, so they accept these banknotes the same way. I can't explain the rest clearly either."

Yu Zhangjia thought for a moment. "Mm. I'll find a way to get the silver myself. You all find out clearly how many troops are left in Anqing."

With that, he opened the door and walked out. Xu Zhu and Wang Dashan went to the kitchen to cook. In the rear courtyard, only Xiao Wazi and Second Locust remained. Xiao Wazi drew closer and asked in a low voice, "Second Chief, will Eight Master really rise up or not?"

"He definitely will." Second Locust lowered his voice. "Snatching those women and children out — they can't be brought back to Gucheng. It must be that Eight Master will only act when he's near the vicinity of Anqing. Only by moving together with the old camp can those women survive."

Xiao Wazi nodded. "Just now Yu Zhangjia said that when the Tartars enter the pass, the government troops all have to leave. It all depends on when Eight Master rises up."

"The Tartars entered the border at Qingshan Pass and Wall Ridge on the twenty-second day of the ninth month. Lord Xiong received the second dispatch from the Ministry of War. They have broken through the border wall all along the way and are now advancing toward Tongzhou — by now they are likely already in Tongzhou. Apart from the Three Garrisons of Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi being called to rally to the king, the Ministry of War on the twenty-fourth ordered the Grand Coordinator of Shaanxi, Sun Military Gate, to rally to the king. He should already be en route to reinforce."

At Mianyang Port in Gucheng, Hubei, Xie Zhaofa spread out a map. Before the table were five others — Wang Zenglu, Ruan Jin, the blacksmith, the Clerk Officer, and the Garrison Inspector Officer — holding a military council for the Gucheng garrison.

"Zuo Liangyu's division has already received orders for rally to the king. Chen Hongfan's division is not on the mobilization list."

Wang Zenglu looked at the map. "Have the Huguang troops been mobilized?"

"The Huguang troops are also not on the mobilization list. Zuo Liangyu is asking Lord Xiong for Mobilization Silver. I reckon he's waiting for the Shaanxi Border Army to go first, then he'll follow and converge with them."

Wang Zenglu shook his head. "With troop deployments this urgent, the various forces set out at different times, and their routes are all different. On the march, they can't communicate with each other. Converging in one place is easier said than done."

Xie Zhaofa agreed. "When the time comes and the Ministry of War presses them, in the end they'll all be fighting on their own. Against the Tartars, they'll always be outnumbered. All the various General Officers knew the Tartars would come this year, yet now that it's upon them, they're still completely unprepared."

The blacksmith leaned on the table and looked at Xie Zhaofa. "Why don't we just stop waiting for that Eight Bandit to rebel, charge straight over and exterminate him, then join forces with Lord Pang to go kill Tartars."

The Clerk Officer stood up, his face tense. "Lord Xiong is stationed here to keep control — how could we go exterminate him? If we fail to wipe out the Eight Bandit and instead Lord Xiong reports to the emperor that, at a time when the Tartars have broken the border and troops are needed everywhere, we here provoked the Eight Bandit into rebellion — we must follow Lord Pang's plan."

Wang Zenglu shot him a glance. "The Clerk Officer makes sense. That Eight Bandit should have received the news by now too. Any signs of movement?"

Ruan Jin immediately replied, "The Western Camp got the news on the fifth day of the tenth month. After that, all Horse Soldiers stopped leaving camp and only foraged for grain around Gucheng. At every bridge and crossing point, the Horse Soldiers are several times more numerous than usual — they're prepared. Indeed, it won't be easy to wipe them out. On the contrary, Lu Ding has been coming to Xiangyang more frequently. Yesterday was already his second trip, each time with horse carts. Besides going to Lord Xiong's place, he also went to Chen Hongfan's camp as usual, and made a trip to Zuo Liangyu's camp too."

"Any changes in the commercial goods purchased from Mianyang?"

"Furniture and household items are almost nonexistent. Purchases of black beans and soybeans have doubled compared to normal, and rice and wheat have increased by thirty percent." Ruan Jin paused, then continued, "Speaking of commercial goods, there's another matter. Someone from the silver house came — twenty thousand taels' worth of banknotes arrived today. Lord Pang's intention is to open a branch at Mianyang Port, collect the Roving Bandits' ready silver, and put up big signs everywhere in the port so that all the Roving Bandits who come can see them. He also said we should protect the silver house's people well and not let the Roving Bandits steal the banknotes."

The other men looked at each other in bewilderment. On one hand, they were thinking of wiping out the Western Camp; on the other, they were thinking of collecting the bandits' ready silver. Who knew if anyone would even come to exchange? They had never heard of any General Officer fighting a war like this.

Only after a long while did Xie Zhaofa come back to his senses. Shaking his head, he said, "Then we can only rely on the Water Camp to protect it. The Eight Bandit is watching the situation, waiting for the government troops to be transferred away. We'll still follow Lord Pang's plan. The Second Chiliarch Headquarters will leave Xiangyang, leaving only the Marine Corps to garrison. Under the pretext of mobilizing for rally to the king, Lord Xiong's side won't dare obstruct it."

Wang Zenglu nodded. "Has Fang Military Gate decided on a hiding place yet?"

"Yesterday someone came with a message, saying Fang Military Gate has designated one person to coordinate — he will decide where to hide."

"What official rank?"

"Huguang Administration Vice Commissioner, Yuan Jixian."

"This official post should be someone who can make decisions. Have Battalion Commander Wang assemble the troops as quickly as possible, and set out as soon as this Excellency Yuan arrives…"

At that moment someone knocked at the door. The group halted the military council. The Deputy Officer from the Adviser Division hurried in, whispered a few words to Xie Zhaofa, then withdrew.

Xie Zhaofa's expression turned grave. He turned to the others and said, "Cao Cao and Hun Shiwan are moving from Nanyang toward Gucheng, roughly twenty to thirty thousand men. Neither Zuo Liangyu nor Chen Hongfan made any attempt to block them. Cao Cao's vanguard has already crossed the Han River."

The blacksmith stood up and clapped his hands. "They're going to combine camps with the Eight Bandits. They must be planning to rebel right now — perfect, we can wipe them all out in one sweep."

Wang Zenglu also rose to his feet. "Cao Cao and Hun Shiwan have not yet accepted pacification. We can strike their two ying first."

Xie Zhaofa shook his head. "Cao Cao and Hun Shiwan have both said they will accept pacification. They've already contacted Xiong."

Wang Zenglu furrowed his brow and looked at Xie Zhaofa. "Accepting pacification… then we can't strike them. Once these two ying arrive, the bandit spawn in Gucheng will triple in an instant. Relying on the Land Combat Division alone likely won't be enough. Do we still transfer the Second Chiliarch Headquarters away, or seize the chance to strike them? Clerk Xie, you are the Chief Official of Gucheng — you must make a decision."

Xie Zhaofa pondered in silence for a long moment. "The Second Chiliarch Headquarters will continue to garrison Gucheng."

The Clerk Officer attending the council immediately leapt up. "The entire strategy was set by Excellency Pang! Fang Military Gate has also been contacted on this — it absolutely cannot be changed!"

Xie Zhaofa fixed his gaze on the Clerk Officer. "If everything were done according to the set strategy, what need would there be for me as Chief Official? Military Law states in plain text: the military council is decided by the Chief Official. The Second Chiliarch Headquarters will remain to defend Gucheng."