Chapter 428: Merit in Battle

"Both Baoding Prefecture and Qingyuan County are still saying they have no surplus grain — not a bit to give."

Lu Xiangsheng stood in the ruined street. Everywhere was blackened by fire; among the broken walls and rubble lay charred corpses. A few common folk moved numbly through the street. Lu Xiangsheng looked at the scene before him, his expression somewhat dazed, as if he had not heard what Xu Deshi said.

This was Qingdu County, under Baoding Prefecture. The once-prosperous county seat was now a wasteland of devastation. The Qing army's two wings had split again at Zhuozhou: Dorgon's Left Wing headed toward Xincheng and Gaoyang, while Yoto's Right Wing Army, divided by banner into four columns, advanced at breakneck speed, attacking prefectures and counties along the way. Where a single assault failed, they immediately pressed southward, leaving the two Ming armies far behind.

After the Qing Right Wing entered Baoding, their offensive gradually intensified. Qingdu fell within a single day — and the Ming army had not yet reached Baoding.

By now, the vanguard of the Qing Right Wing had long since entered Zhending Prefecture and begun wantonly attacking utterly defenseless prefectures and counties. Yang Sichang's vow to "not let the Slaves advance a single step past Baoding" had once again become empty words.

The inland prefectures and counties were completely unprepared; many places fell almost at the first assault. Urgent dispatches from every county and prefecture in southern Zhili came flying in like snowflakes.

The Superintendent and Supervisor's two columns did not reach Baoding until the eleventh day of the eleventh month, completing a meaningless assembly — for the Qing army had already split into two columns at Zhuozhou. So as soon as Lu Xiangsheng and Gao Qiqian assembled, they immediately divided forces again. Gao Qiqian went to relieve Xincheng and Gaoyang, while Lu Xiangsheng headed for Qingdu.

The force that had taken Qingdu was the Qing Bordered Red Banner. After breaking through, they carried out a massacre. Lu Xiangsheng rushed to the rescue, but before leaving, the Qing army put Qingdu to the torch. Almost no building remained standing in the entire county seat.

Xu Deshi followed at his side. "This subordinate said long ago: Yang Sichang's 'defenders defend themselves, fighters fight themselves' is nothing but empty words. When prefectures and counties beg for help, if we send no troops, then once the city falls we stand guilty of watching them be trampled. If we send aid everywhere, the more we divide our forces, the weaker they become — still not enough to defeat the Slave bandits. Refugees today say this band of Tartars went south toward Xingtang the day before yesterday. Seven Zhending prefectures and counties have come begging for urgent aid. Right now, the south is crawling with Tartar Horse Soldiers blocking the way. We don't even know how many columns the Tartars have split into — how can we possibly save them all?"

At that moment, two Relay Horses came rushing in from outside the city and handed a dispatch to Xu Deshi. After reading it, Xu Deshi immediately said to Lu Xiangsheng, "Grand Governor, another plea for help. Relay Horses sent by the Zhenbao Branch Supervisor Chen True Yi to beg for reinforcements. The Tartars reached Zhending Prefectural City on the twelfth. Chen True Yi says Zhending Prefectural City has only the Dao Biao Battalion of Li Jiuhua, the Jingxing Military Defense Circuit — just over a thousand men. The Tartars beneath the walls number as many as forty thousand. The prefectural city cannot possibly hold. He begs Your Excellency to send relief troops at once."

Lu Xiangsheng's face changed. He immediately took the dispatch and read it carefully, his expression anxious. "The Zhending troops have all been transferred to the outskirts of the Capital. Zhang Qiping's Provincial Commander's Standard Troops Battalion is still at Zhuozhou right now. The prefectural city truly has no soldiers."

Xu Deshi added, "Zhending Prefecture just had a mutiny at the end of the tenth month. Over a thousand houses were burned. The mutiny has only just been put down, and the people's hearts in the city are not yet settled. If the Tartars attack the city now, it will truly be difficult to defend."

"Send orders to the Three Garrisons: assemble at Qingdu tomorrow to relieve Zhending. Since the Tartar main force is here, we can gather our main army and fight them hard for a battle or two. Then the Tartars will not dare to split their forces and raid the prefectures and counties..."

Xu Deshi hurriedly urged in a low voice, "Grand Governor, though the situation is critical, you absolutely must not press too hard right now. This year, the Supervisor Battalion alone is owed sixty-nine thousand taels in Commuted Tax. Right now the army is short of grain and food — the daily ration is less than half the usual amount. The officers and men are full of complaints. If you force them into a major battle with the Tartars, I fear even Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei will be unable to move their subordinate officers, let alone Wang Pu — he has refused to obey any orders since reaching Baoding. Today, when he encountered Qing Mounted Armor south of Qingdu, he immediately turned around and went back to Baoding. If you press too hard, it could very well end in mutiny."

Lu Xiangsheng's face was pale. His own Supervisor Battalion had only two Camp Heads left, fewer than three thousand men. Among the Three Garrisons, Wang Pu's force was the largest, and he had the most Household Retainers. Zhending Prefecture reported over forty thousand Tartars beneath its walls. If Wang Pu refused to go, their total strength would be no more than twelve thousand — absolutely no match for the Tartars.

"But Zhending is in dire peril. Is there any better way?"

Xu Deshi said gravely, "Your Excellency sees clearly: the Tartars are moving ahead of us. Whether the prefectures and counties along the way have fallen or not, it will be hard to forage grain from them. This humble one believes we must return to Baoding Prefectural City to secure grain. In this entire region, only the prefectural city has enough grain. Only by obtaining grain and steadying the troops' morale can we then march on Zhending... This humble one will say one thing: given the current state of affairs, if we go to Zhending now, every battalion will simply disintegrate on the march. This is exactly 'haste makes waste.' Think of Zhending — a key stronghold since ancient times, with high walls and thick ramparts. With the Dao Biao Battalion there, holding out a while longer should be safe."

Lu Xiangsheng's expression shifted. The Tartars were rampaging across the southern Capital Environs; pleas for help came from everywhere. Yet the only force that could truly provide relief — the Xuan-Da Army — was hobbled at every step by lack of grain.

What Xu Deshi had just said was the truth. With the officers and men in arrears of pay and short of rations, facing the notoriously ferocious Tartars — if they were truly forced onto the battlefield, the chance of mutiny was extremely high. It had happened many times in past years on the rally to the king march.

Just last month, Zhending Prefecture had suffered a mutiny. At that time, the Tartars had just crossed the border. The Ministry of War transferred the Baoding Pacification Commissioner Zhang Qiping's forces, garrisoned at Zhending, to the outskirts of the Capital, stationed at places like Liangxiang and Zhuozhou. Zhending Prefectural City was left to be defended by Militia Training Local Militia from Guangping and other places. Before the Tartars even arrived, these Local Militia started a mutiny first. They burned nearly two thousand houses, then fled into the mountains. Many probably returned to their homes in Guangping, but no small number likely turned to banditry.

If the grain and fodder problem was not solved, rashly leading this Relief Troops army south would very likely result in chaos before any battle was fought.

Xu Deshi, seeing Lu Xiangsheng hesitate, again urged quietly, "We have been fighting here for days. We also need to tend to the dead and wounded. Qingdu is in ruins — we can only go to the prefectural city... and there is also the matter of verifying merit and reporting victory."

Lu Xiangsheng closed his eyes and repeated a phrase. "I hear Gao Qiqian has reported a Gaoyang Great Victory?"

Xu Deshi said with disdain, "This humble one believes Gaoyang has certainly fallen. Gao Qiqian can only report a great victory first to protect himself. Wang Pu has also reported the Jingyang Courier Station and Qingdu Great Victories — only we have not yet reported to the Ministry of War." (Note 1)

"How many of Wang Pu's heads are True Yi?"

"This humble one made a cursory inspection. None appear to be True Yi. The Tartars maintain strict military order. Whenever they go out, they move in groups; stragglers are rare. Decapitation Merit is inherently difficult to achieve. Our own battalions are on the verge of running out of grain — daily rations have already been halved. When Your Excellency dispatches scouts for rescue, the officers and men merely leave camp and go through the motions, looting the countryside in every direction, plundering the common people's property everywhere, even cutting off commoners' heads and bringing them back to camp. They simply refuse to put in the effort for a fight to the death."

Lu Xiangsheng had led troops for many years and was long accustomed to such behavior in the army. Earlier, because they were too close to the Capital and feared impeachment, the various General Officers had exercised some restraint. Now, several hundred li from the Capital, they were all reverting to their old ways.

He sighed and asked, "Do any of the other units have True Yi heads?"

"The Central Battalion has one True Yi head. Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei each have some True Yi kills, but the merit they reported is far more than that number. This humble one believes: the Superintendent and Supervisor each command a separate force. Since the Grand Supervisor has reported a victory, our column should also report. The Tartars are ravaging Ji'nan, and now they have even breached prefectures and counties. Our Relief Troops need a victory report to give an account of themselves. Yang Sichang needs a victory report to give an account. Perhaps the Emperor needs one too."

Lu Xiangsheng walked straight out of the city gate. After staring blankly for a moment, he said, "Since they need it, report it to Yang Sichang. Also, send a dispatch to Baoding and Qingyuan County. Tell them that if they do not provide grain and fodder, this Governor-General will personally submit an impeachment memorial."

Xu Deshi understood that Lu Xiangsheng had agreed to remain in Baoding for the time being. He immediately accepted the order and left in haste.

Lu Xiangsheng turned his head toward a Personal Soldier following at his side. "Gu Xianyi, do you know who took that one True Yi head in the Central Battalion?"

Gu Xianyi was one of Lu Xiangsheng's personal guards, officially assigned to the Dudao Biao Central Camp. He immediately replied, "Li Chongzhen reported the Decapitation Merit for his adopted son Li Jiubiao — he wants a promotion. The one who actually took the head was Qin Jiuze. I saw him carrying the head through the camp gate."

Lu Xiangsheng thought for a moment and said, "This official recalls that this Qin Jiuze also took a head at the beginning of the year?"

"Grand Governor sees clearly. Qin Jiuze is an old Point Scout in the Central Battalion. He took a head in the fourth month too — also stolen by someone from the Li family for the merit." (Note 2)

Lu Xiangsheng sighed. "Go to the Central Army and draw ten taels of silver to bring to him. Deliver it to him personally. Do not hand it over to those officers to pass along — do not chill the hearts of such men of resolve."

"Qin Jiuze, these ten taels of head silver are a reward from the Supreme Commander."

Gu Xianyi extended his hand. In his palm lay a ten-tael silver ingot.

Before him stood a middle-aged man with a face full of wind and frost. He had a pair of protruding ears, large, rough hands and feet, and a slightly hunched frame. He wore a tattered suit of Cotton Armor; the cotton showing through the tears was black. The wrinkles on his face were like knife-cuts. On his left cheek were two old blade scars, one deep, one shallow. Near the base of his right ear was a fresh arrow wound, wrapped with a piece of gray cloth, the bloodstains on it already dry.

"Thank the Grand Governor for his reward." The middle-aged man reached out and took the reward silver, held it up before his eyes, looked at it, and said, "The head this humble one took was a real Tartar."

"I know it was a real Tartar. It should have been worth more than these ten taels of silver." Gu Xianyi paused, then added, "Your name was not on the Central Battalion's merit report. It was the Grand Governor who saw clearly. The Grand Governor already knows of your Decapitation Merit. He told me to tell you: funds and rations are short on the march, but after returning to the garrison, you will certainly be compensated in full. Keep your mind at ease killing bandits — do not let misgivings grow."

Qin Jiuze weighed the silver in his hand a few times. "Which man surnamed Li was this humble one's head credited to?"

Gu Xianyi shook his head. "The Central Battalion reported it themselves. You originally came to kill bandits to avenge your family, not for military merit. Don't quibble over it. Take the silver and go enjoy yourself."

Qin Jiuze raised his eyes and looked at Gu Xianyi with an indifferent expression. He placed the silver back in front of him. "I don't want silver. Trade it for ten Steamed Cakes."

Gu Xianyi frowned at him. "This is the Grand Governor's favor. How can you be so picky? Keep the silver — it will always be useful."

"Today the camp only issued porridge once. They'll issue it once more this evening — like Relief Porridge thrown to beggars." Qin Jiuze looked at him coldly for a moment. "Kill Tartars and you can't even get a full meal. This silver can't even buy ten Steamed Cakes. What use is keeping it? It's worse than scrap iron."

"Tan Erlin got a hundred taels of cash silver, and then he started buying Banknotes from the Xuzhou people right there in Guanxiang. At first, those people didn't understand — it never crossed their minds that the paper could really be exchanged for silver. When they heard someone was buying, they all scrambled to sell. Tan Erlin squeezed the price hard: for a ten-tael Banknote he only gave one tael of cash silver. Some of those Xuzhou people still sold. Later, when the Canal Gang saw there was profit to be made, they came to buy too, so the Xuzhou people raised the price. Before noon yesterday, two taels of cash silver bought a ten-tael Banknote; after noon it was three taels. Today, these people seem to have caught on a bit. The price of a ten-tael Banknote has risen to five taels of cash silver. Tomorrow it'll probably be six or seven. They say Tan Erlin still bought the most — over four hundred taels' worth of Banknotes for just over eighty taels. When he gets back and exchanges them for cash silver, he'll make a clean profit of over three hundred taels."

Inside an inn outside Xuzhou city, Wu Dacai was speaking rapidly, his tone distinctly displeased, reporting to Pang Yu on what he had learned over the past two days.

Tan Laizi's skill at exploiting loopholes genuinely surprised Pang Yu somewhat. No wonder he also wanted cash silver — so this was his scheme to make something from nothing. The man had brought not a single tael of capital, came all this way on a rally to the king campaign, and would go back over four hundred taels richer.

Wu Dacai cleared his throat and said, "Your Excellency's deeper purpose in using Banknotes to buy grain was to let the Xuzhou people know the tickets can be redeemed, to build the silver house's reputation. Tan Erlin's conduct — cheating the Xuzhou people who don't understand the tickets, taking advantage of them — damages our Anqing Battalion's good name. This subordinate dares say that as soon as this Tan Erlin gets back, he'll immediately exchange the Banknotes for cash silver, which is in fact also taking advantage of the silver house. Conduct so vile — should the Garrison Inspector Dui not..."

Jiang Guoyong cut him off. "The Garrison Inspector Dui enforces military law according to the Military Law. First, this Tan Erlin is not a soldier or officer. Second, his conduct, while unsavory — I ask the Deputy Chief Clerk to instruct us: which article of the Military Law has he violated?"

Wu Dacai was momentarily speechless. Seeing this, Pang Yu smiled and waved his hand. "This is market behavior. Tan Erlin's actions, though a bit sly and opportunistic, have not disrupted the rules of the marketplace. He earned this silver with his wits — he didn't hold a knife to anyone's throat to force a deal. He's not a War Soldiers. It truly is not convenient for the Garrison Inspector Dui to meddle in such idle matters."

Pang Yu again had to suppress a laugh. Tan Laizi's sleazy image was deeply etched this time; he probably wouldn't forget it again.

Wu Dacai immediately fell silent upon hearing this, mentally memorizing Pang Yu's words over and over for future reference in other matters. After observing Pang Yu's expression, he probed, "This humble one merely feels that such conduct, in the end, shows excessive selfishness. Whenever there's the slightest advantage, he must seize it, with no regard at all for Your Excellency's greater plans. It may be tolerable for managing a single Fortified Stronghold, but I fear if he ever holds an important post..."

"Dacai thinks very thoroughly." Pang Yu nodded. After a pause, he said, "This affair of Tan Laizi has dissemination value. Find a scribe to write it down — you can exaggerate a little — and send it to Liu Shensi to publish in the Jiangnan Times. Whether as news or as a story, this way everyone will know that Banknotes can be freely redeemed."

Wu Dacai hurriedly took notes. Before he had finished, Chen Rulie rushed into the Main Hall. "Your Excellency, the mounted scouts report back: the Tartars bypassed the Capital, passed Zhuozhou on the fifth of this month, and entered Baoding Prefecture on the sixth."

Note 1: Wang Pu's Jingyang Courier Station Great Victory, with twenty Head-Hunting Merits, was acknowledged by the court. However, considering Wang Pu's long record of disgraceful conduct before and after, its credibility is not high. The Qingdu Great Victory was reported jointly by the Xuan-Da Army, with 115 Decapitation Merits. The Qing force remaining at Qingdu at the time was a detached column of the Bordered Red Banner, commanded by Baturu Lausa. The Gaoyang Great Victory was reported by Gao Qiqian; he faced the Left Wing Army led by Dorgon. Before the victory was reported, on the eleventh day, Gaoyang had already fallen.

Note 2: Regarding the falsification of military merits in reports, Yang Sichang once summarized after the war that those reported by various units for beheading achievements almost all shared the same surname as that unit's Chief Official or superior civil Document, with very few exceptions — they were either relatives or adopted sons, implying that the merit reports from each unit were utterly devoid of fairness.