Chapter 422: Setting the Plan

On the night of the twenty-ninth day of the tenth month of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, the encampment outside Shunyi stretched like a sea, like waves surging and falling beneath the night.

The door curtain of the central army tent flapped in the north wind with a muffled thumping; inside, lamps blazed bright, charcoal burned in braziers on either side, a world apart from the bitter cold beyond the tent.

More than twenty shaven heads sat in a circle; as the heads turned, they reflected the firelight within the tent. At the back of each, a patch of hair the size of a copper coin was grown and plaited into a small queue pulled over the left side of the body. Every man was powerfully built, faces mostly scarred. Though none had yet moved, the tent was thick with an aura of slaughter.

Two men sat side by side at the head. The one on the right was about forty, his body running somewhat to fat; at that moment his eyelids drooped as he stared at the ground. The one on the left was much younger.

The young man on the left swept his gaze around the tent, his eyes pausing briefly on the middle-aged man to his right before moving on. He reached up to adjust the fur-lined coat over his shoulders, then spoke in a deep voice: "The assault on Wall Ridge Pass fort was fraught with difficulties and delayed us six or seven days. We have already fallen behind schedule. Now that the combined camp is assembled, although Beile Yoto and I command the Left and Right Wings separately, the Great Khan instructed us before departure to consult the assembly on all matters. Today we must decide our next course of action…"

Having said this, he turned to the middle-aged man on his right. "I invite Beile Yoto to speak first."

The man on the right was precisely Yoto, commander of the Qing army's Right Wing on this campaign. The Qing army's Left and Right Wings were a fixed division: the Right Wing comprised the Plain Yellow, Plain Red, Bordered Red, and Bordered Blue Banners; the Left Wing comprised the Bordered Yellow, Plain White, Bordered White, and Plain Blue Banners. Marching and battle formations all followed this division, but there was no permanent commander. Nor had this Qing incursion into the border region designated a clear overall commander. Dorgon held the post of General-in-Chief of Obedience, leading the Left Wing Army; Yoto was Yangwu Grand General, leading the Right Wing Army. But Dorgon was Prince Rui of the First Rank, the highest title in the great tent, so he spoke first.

"That is Doroi Beile Yoto." Yoto coughed twice, his drooping eyelids lifting slightly. When he turned to Dorgon, his manner was respectful. "Wall Ridge did delay us six days. That pass fort is built into the mountains. Without taking the fort, the horses, carriages, and cannons could not enter the border region. That fort is not so easily taken. By heaven's fortune we found a guide and split off troops to cross the mountains by a small path, cutting off the Ming State's reinforcement route. It was while crossing the mountains that Wu Aheng seized the chance to bring several thousand troops into the pass fort — that is why we were delayed these several days. But it was not entirely without use. The Right Wing Army attacked Wall Ridge first, and the troops from nearby passes all came to relieve Wall Ridge. Only thus could Prince Rui cross Qingshan Pass without losing a single soldier or horse. That, too, is the use of those six days spent assaulting forts and seizing strongholds."

Yoto delivered a thorough rebuttal to Dorgon's opening remarks, yet Dorgon showed no anger. Yoto had originally been Prince Cheng of the First Rank and was greatly valued by Huang Taiji. As Huang Taiji gradually replaced banner authority with administrative authority, he appointed Yoto as Minister of War when the Six Ministries were first established. But afterwards, Yoto was implicated in the Manggūltai affair. Mangguji's two daughters were the princess consort of Hooge and Yoto respectively. Hooge took the initiative to kill his own princess consort, but Yoto did not kill his primary princess consort.

Huang Taiji found it inconvenient to act at the time, but later he had someone accuse Yoto of shielding Manggūltai and convened the Deliberative Council to sentence him to death. Then Huang Taiji personally intervened to pardon him. After being punished twice in succession, Yoto was reduced to Gushan Beizi. A portion of his Manchu registered individual was distributed to Šoto, and he lost his post as Minister of War. Full of pent-up resentment, he could only thank Huang Taiji for the grace of sparing his life, endlessly writing self-criticisms and reflections to Huang Taiji. Only this year had he been raised back to Doroi Beile.

Yoto's title was not high, and his position precarious, yet he was still the Banner Lord of the Bordered Red Banner. Even though Huang Taiji was attempting to use Mongols and Han to check the Manchu nobility, the Manchu Eight Banners remained the bedrock of the Manchu Qing. Of the twenty-odd men in the great tent, the Banner Commander of all eight banners were present, but there were only three Banner Lords. In terms of real strength, Yoto still stood at the very top of the Manchu Qing hierarchy.

Dorgon smiled faintly and said, "The Right Wing Army captured Wall Ridge Fort, slaying a Ming State Supreme Commander in the very first battle. To so overawe the Ming State's troops immediately upon entering the border is naturally of use. Precisely because of this, our subsequent movements are of grave importance. I must ask the Yangwu Grand General to state his views first."

The other shaven heads in the tent were all high-ranking officers of the Eight Banners. They showed no reaction to the verbal sparring between the two. The deputy commanders in the front row, Ajige and Dudu, were both staring blankly. Hooge, for his part, was absently poking at a charcoal brazier beside him.

Yoto's eyelids still drooped, but since Dorgon had now addressed him as Yangwu Grand General, granting him equal standing, his tone when he spoke again was somewhat milder than before. "Since Prince Rui bids me speak, I shall. According to the Great Khan's strategy, after entering the border we should rest and reorganize the troops north of the Capital, wait for the Ming State's forces to gather, and then destroy them in one blow. After that, everything will be convenient. The Ming State's elite troops are all in the Nine Borders. This time there are two columns of reinforcements. North of the Capital is the Xuan-Da Army led by Governor-General Lu. At Tongzhou is a force of Liaodong Garrison Army led by Eunuch Gao. Eunuch Gao's bunch are all scraped together from the Liao Garrison — no elite troops. The Great Khan is set to depart on the thirteenth of the ninth month to pin down the Ming forces of the Ji-Liao Garrison. News of his approach to the border should have reached the Ming State's Capital by now. The Ji Garrison and Liao Garrison must guard against further incursions and are spread out along the border wall. No more reinforcements will come. Our opponent this time is Governor-General Lu's Xuan-Da Army."

"Is the Yangwu Grand General saying we should first concentrate and annihilate the Xuan-Da Army before marching south?"

Yoto shook his head. "The various Ming relief forces are all arrayed against the cities, making it inconvenient to concentrate and annihilate them. The cities north of the Capital are well prepared — this, too, is within the Great Khan's calculations. Moreover, the troops from Zhending, Baoding, Tianjin, and Shandong are all moving north. We struck the passes on the twenty-second of the ninth month; it has now been forty days. All those forces should have arrived. The Ming State's available troops have already gathered at the Capital. We should avoid the solid and strike the hollow, heading straight south of the Capital to attack unprepared prefectures and counties."

Dorgon turned to Hooge below, who was poking at the charcoal. "The Yangwu Grand General's meaning is to head straight south of the Capital. What does the Doroi Beile think?"

Hooge set down the twig. He was the third Banner Lord in the tent. Although he was Huang Taiji's own son and the Banner Lord of the Plain Blue Banner, his fortunes were little better than Yoto's. He had been punished all the way down from Prince Su to Doroi Beile. On this campaign, his treatment was even worse than Yoto's — he and Abatai were serving together as deputy commanders of the Left Wing Army.

"The Ming State's elite troops are all gathered at the Capital, especially the Xuan-Da Army, which is the most numerous. This force is closest to the Capital. It was this same force that blocked our army along the Xuan-Da border this spring. It would be best to draw them away from the cities and concentrate to annihilate them. The Yangwu Grand General speaks reason. As long as we attack unprepared prefectures and counties to the south, the Ming State's emperor will naturally send the Xuan-Da Army away from the cities to relieve them." Hooge looked up at Dorgon. "But to strike south, we must divide our forces to break those prefectures and counties. The Liao Garrison column is a motley force of scraped-together troops, but the Xuan-Da column is an elite force. If the banners split up to assault cities and the Xuan-Da Army comes in pursuit, can a single banner defeat it?"

Hooge's question contained the greatest risk of this border incursion: if, while dispersed for plunder, they unexpectedly encountered the Ming main force, that detached force could suffer heavy losses, and the commanding officer would ultimately be held responsible.

Therefore, Dorgon did not provide an answer. Instead, he addressed the crowd of shaven heads below. "The Banner Commander of every banner are present. Can your single banner defeat the Xuan-Da Army?"

A figure was the first to stand. "My banner can defeat them."

The assembly looked up. It was not the Banner Commander of Dorgon's Plain White Banner, but Du Lei, the Banner Commander of the Plain Red Banner.

Ashan of the Plain White Banner also rose and said, "My banner can also defeat them."

Yoto and Hooge watched the scene expressionlessly. The Banner Commander of six banners rose one after another to declare their stance. The Banner Commander of the Bordered Red Banner and the Plain Blue Banner were the last to rise.

"Every house believes it can defeat the Xuan-Da. Just now, both the Yangwu Grand General and the Doroi Beile approved of advancing south of the Capital. This is also the Great Khan's set strategy. I, too, find it feasible. Does anyone have anything further to say?" Dorgon finished and waited a moment. Below, the sea of shaven heads did not stir; most merely turned their heads to look at the head of the tent, showing no intention of speaking.

Seeing this, Dorgon rose. "The Ming State's elite troops are all gathered at the Capital, falling entirely within the Great Khan's calculations. Tomorrow the great army will march, skirting north of the Capital to Zhuozhou, then continue southward still divided into the Left and Right Wings. The cities near the Capital will certainly be garrisoned. Any prepared city must not be forcibly assaulted. Continue to bypass them and head south, seeking unprepared cities to attack. If a city does not fall within two days, move on to the next prefecture or county. Do not cause excessive casualties. The rendezvous point for the Left and Right Wings is set at Neiqiu County in Zhending Prefecture. Will the Yangwu Grand General please assign the Right Wing's dispositions."

Yoto also rose to his feet. "The Right Wing: from each company, detach two Gabsihiyan Cooha, to be led by Ye Chen as the vanguard. From Zhuozhou, advance by separate banner routes. Do not become entangled with the Ming troops gathered at the Capital. The vanguard shall march over one hundred li per day, smashing any Ming forces encountered on the road, but shall not pursue routed enemies. The entire Right Wing Army shall cover four hundred li within five days, then begin assaulting cities. Two banners shall not be separated by more than a day's march. Whenever encamping at a prefecture or county, the Mounted Armor shall immediately scout the surrounding unprepared areas, sever the roads, intercept and kill Ming army relay horses transmitting messages, and cut off all communications. The Ming State's elite troops are all at the Capital. After reaching south of the Capital, the Gabsihiyan Cooha must be especially employed to scout the northern approaches. Should the Xuan-Da Army come in pursuit, or other elite troops be transferred, the banners shall immediately concentrate and annihilate them. The southern troops are weak, with almost no serviceable relief forces. Each banner may use fewer Mounted Armor for security…"

…

On the first day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, outside Xuzhou City in Nanzhili, Pang Yu looked up at the city wall before him. A tiny snowflake settled on his lip, carrying a faint sensation of cold.

Behind him was a company of cavalry, all now dismounted and waiting in silence.

Pang Yu's march had not gone according to plan. Conditions in the marching region were even worse than he had anticipated. Setting out north from Anqing, they passed through areas ravaged by the Roving Bandits. Soldiers and bandits had come and gone; along the way, there were almost no intact villages. Corpses lay unburied by the roadside — the scene was just like Susong the year before. The closer they drew to the Huai River, the worse conditions became.

During the Song dynasty, the Huai River basin had still been an economically vital region. After the Grand Canal was opened in the Ming dynasty, it became a crucial north-south thoroughfare and the key to securing supplies for the Capital. To ensure the canal's smooth passage, the court adopted a strategy of restraining the Yellow River, seizing the Huai, and protecting the Canal in local governance. Financial resources were all devoted to protecting the Canal. In the mid-Ming period, the Yellow River repeatedly burst its banks, seizing the Huai River's middle course to flow out to sea. The living environment in the middle and lower Huai River was repeatedly devastated, and the population steadily drained away.

During the Wanli period, flood control was still addressed. Afterwards, as warfare grew frequent for the court, financial resources could no longer be guaranteed, and governance of the Huai River was essentially abandoned. Everything was done solely to protect the Canal. Living conditions grew even harsher, and the common people struggled to survive. The Roving Bandits' invasion in the eighth year of Chongzhen further exacerbated this situation.

In the Fengyang region, aside from a few cities, signs of human habitation were rarely seen along the way. The Imperial Mausoleum had been burned in the eighth year of Chongzhen. As a symbol of imperial authority, Fengyang could not be allowed to fall to bandits again. Zhu Dadian's station was originally at Huai'an, but to protect the Imperial Mausoleum, he frequently based himself at Fengyang and stationed heavy troops there. Even at the most critical moments in Jiangbei, these troops were not redeployed.

Fortunately, Zhu Dadian was still at Fengyang. The cavalry smoothly replenished their supplies there. Then, the Scout Cavalry discovered traces of Purple Micro Star north of Fengyang — they had just captured a county seat. Having discovered Purple Micro Star operating nearby, Pang Yu could only halt first. Only after confirming that Purple Micro Star had moved west did he continue pressing on toward Xuzhou.

Five days behind schedule, the Cavalry Chief-of-a-Thousand Department finally reached Xuzhou, this relay point. Pang Yu had prearranged supplies at Xuzhou and planned to briefly reprovision the cavalry before continuing north.

A relay horse came galloping back from ahead and stopped before him, reporting, "My lord, they still will not open the city gates. No one on the wall even came to parley."

Pang Yu frowned. "The Magistrate won't open the gates. Then where has the grain stored outside the city gone?"

"It was seized by a Shandong force."

"What Shandong force?"

"Shandong Regional Commander Ni Chong." (Note 1)

Chen Rulie beside him said angrily, "A Shandong Regional Commander — what is he doing in Xuzhou stealing grain?"

"They say he has been stationed at Xuzhou for over a year. Those Shandong officers and soldiers said they were going to serve the King, so they went everywhere looting money and grain. When they first came, they hadn't brought enough carriages, so half of what they looted was left behind. Fearing they would return, the Canal Gang moved it into the city. Who knew the city gates would then stay shut."

"Where are the Shandong troops stationed?"

"They have already struck camp and moved north."

Now there was not even a chance to seize it back. Pang Yu felt a surge of frustration. "Did you deliver Military Commander Zhu's letter to the Magistrate?"

"They neither opened the gates nor accepted the letter. Anyone in military uniform who approaches gets pelted with tiles and stones."

Rage burned in Pang Yu's heart. Since leaving North Gorge Pass, nearby prefectures and counties like Lu'an Prefecture had been fine — sharing a border, they routinely cooperated against the Roving Bandits, had fairly frequent contact, and supported each other. They recognized the Anqing Army and even proactively provided grain and hospitality. But any farther away, there was no goodwill at all.

Last time in Huguang, with Xiong Wencan accompanying them, the locals had been fairly respectful. Now Pang Yu was leading troops on his own, without even a single civil official. Every prefecture and county along the way kept its gates firmly shut. Only at Fengyang had they received their first resupply — and that was only because Fengyang had no city wall and because of Zhu Dadian's personal attention; the garrison troops had not obstructed them from transporting grain.

Seeing this, Pang Ding, behind him, stepped closer and said, "Young Master, this Magistrate won't even heed Military Commander Zhu's word. If we are to keep moving forward, Shandong will likely be even harder to deal with. If the city gates won't open, I fear we have no choice but to seize it."

"We cannot seize it. Do we not care about our reputation anymore?" Pang Yu turned to look at the cavalry drawn up in orderly ranks behind him. "When we defended Tongcheng, we captured a Roving Bandit. He said that when you go to seize money and grain, if you don't kill anyone, no one will give it to you. Those words were not wrong. The common folk have only that bit of grain. If you take their grain and leave, they will starve to death. Naturally, they won't hand it over willingly. To seize grain, you can only kill. Once that precedent is set, this army will no longer be the army it was before."

"Then how do we get grain?" Pang Ding studied Pang Yu's expression for a moment, then said, "Young Master, you still shouldn't go in person. The city won't even listen — how would they know what sort of general officer you are? If you go, you'll just get a face full of tiles and lose face in front of your men."

Pang Yu let out a long breath. "You speak reason. How many days of marching rations remain?"

"Twelve days. And that's only because Military Commander Zhu resupplied us for a few days at Fengyang. Otherwise, we'd have only seven or eight days left."

"Send men to the docks to wait for that company of the Water Army. They can provide some resupply. Dispatch a relay horse to Fengyang to request Military Commander Zhu to issue another order to this Magistrate." Pang Yu turned to Chen Rulie. "The cavalry will encamp on the spot. How far have the roving riders reached?"

"The roving riders are already at the Shandong border."

Pang Yu sighed. "The Scout Cavalry will continue scouting north along the official road to see where the Tartars have reached. If grain is delayed, I fear we won't get to fight the Tartars on this trip."

Chen Rulie also looked anxious. Just as he was about to reply, two riders came galloping from ahead. At a glance at their banner bearers, he knew they were roving riders.

The two roving riders swiftly reached them. The foremost one leaped from his horse, drew from his bosom a wax-sealed envelope, and came before Pang Yu, saying, "At Pei County and the Shandong border, we received a messenger from the Dark Sentinel Division coming from the Capital."

……

Note 1: Shandong Regional Commander Ni Chong had been garrisoned at Xuzhou for over a year prior to this, primarily to protect the Fate and guard against Roving Bandits entering Shandong. Without having received any military orders from the Ministry of War, he set out on his own for Linqing to rally to the king.