Chapter 432: False Report

On the evening of the twenty-seventh day of the eleventh month, the snow fell heavier and heavier. Lanterns along the walls of Zhending Prefectural City were lit one after another, casting a hazy yellow glow through the snowy night.

Outside the prefectural city's south gate, Lu Xiangsheng stood like a statue in the wind and snow, a thick layer of flakes covering his head and shoulders. Beside him stood a middle-aged man who, though not in official robes, still bore the dignified air of a civil official. This man was named Yang Tinglin. He had previously impeached Yang Sichang, and the target of his impeachment had repaid private grudges with public power, appointing him a Ministry of War secretary and casually sending him to Lu Xiangsheng as a military advisor. He had reported for duty in Baoding on the seventeenth and then followed along to Zhending.

Yang Tinglin was a Hanlin Bachelor by background and thoroughly familiar with court affairs, able to help Lu Xiangsheng handle many official documents. But he was utterly ignorant of military matters and could offer no useful counsel, and faced with the icy desolation of Zhending Prefectural City before him, he was even more helpless.

The figure of Personal Guard Unit Captain Gu Xianyi appeared ahead. He ran over against the wind and snow and reported to Lu Xiangsheng in a low voice, "Lord Governor, the officer sent to collect waited an entire day, moving from the East Gate to the South Gate, then from the South Gate to the West Gate. No one responded the whole way. Only at nightfall did someone on the wall finally answer, saying there was no grain tax in kind to collect, only Commuted Tax."

Lu Xiangsheng's body trembled slightly, and a layer of snow slid down from his shoulders.

Yang Tinglin roared in fury, "Zhang Qiping personally promised to allocate one day's worth of provisions first. How can he go back on his word? He still calls himself a dignified Military Commander."

Gu Xianyi glanced back at the military camp. Near the camp gate, many soldiers were huddled together, constantly peering in this direction. All had learned the news and were waiting for today's rations.

"Lord Governor, the army has long been short of grain. Today the Central Battalion could only provide less than twenty percent of rations, the Right Battalion thirty percent. Over half the soldiers who left camp have not returned. Both battalions now dare only send their Household Retainers out."

Lu Xiangsheng turned around. In the short ten days since marching south from Baoding, his face seemed to have aged ten years. Reports from Baoding and Hejian Prefecture were gradually being confirmed — more and more cities had fallen. The ministry dispatch and Imperial Approval from the Capital grew increasingly harsh, while the condition of the Xuan-Da army worsened by the day.

They had reached Zhending Prefectural City on the twenty-first. From the Superintendent Battalion to the three main garrison camps, all were short of grain. This elite force of the Nine Borders, without fighting a single battle, had already lost its ability to wage war. They could only halt at Zhending Prefectural City and wait for local supplies. But ten days had passed, and they had not obtained a single grain of provisions from Zhending Prefecture.

The highest official now inside Zhending Prefectural City was Baoding Pacification Commissioner Zhang Qiping. Though his official title was Baoding Pacification Commissioner, his routine station was Zhending Prefectural City. After the Qing army invaded, he had first been dispatched by the Ministry of War to set up defenses in the Capital's outskirts, leaving Baoding and Zhending's forces depleted, and Zhending even suffered a mutiny.

After the Qing army moved south, he reached Baoding later than Lu Xiangsheng, and in the end they returned to Zhending Prefecture together, barely managing to lift the Siege of Zhending. But once inside the city, he ignored Lu Xiangsheng completely and gave not a single grain.

Lu Xiangsheng had originally expected to obtain more ample supplies in Zhending Prefecture than in Baoding. He never imagined it would be worse. After marching south from the Capital, the most effective relief he had received came, shockingly, from the notoriously disreputable Eunuch Faction member Feng Quan.

After continuing to consume their limited remaining stores at Zhending Prefecture, the Xuan-Da army's grain crisis grew ever more severe. Each camp could barely guarantee fifty percent rations for Household Retainers, and horse fodder could only be supplied to Household Retainers as well. Other ordinary soldiers had at first received ten or twenty percent rations, but by today, not a single grain of rice had entered their mouths.

Lu Xiangsheng was a veteran of military life. He himself could feel the camp's plummeting morale and the breakdown of military orders. Not to mention fighting the Qing army, officers dared not even casually order soldiers around; the slightest carelessness might trigger a mutiny. Even Lu Xiangsheng himself, facing his subordinate commanding officers, could only tread carefully, speak gently, and struggle to hold this army together and prevent its collapse.

After the twenty-fifth, each garrison acted on its own, searching and seizing grain in the countryside around the prefectural city. But over twenty thousand Qing troops had just passed through, stripping the nearby areas bare. Where could any grain be found?

Lu Xiangsheng was forced against his will to trade on the face of a Supreme Commander and beg for grain. Zhang Qiping had finally relented today and agreed to give one day's Marching Ration. In the end, the grain collection officer had circled outside the city for an entire day and only now received a single reply: no grain tax in kind, only Commuted Tax.

When the Superintendent Battalion first arrived, it was already owed sixty-nine thousand taels in back pay for this year, and now another two months had passed. In ordinary times, Lu Xiangsheng would naturally hope to make up the grain tax in kind, but absolutely not now. Outside the desolate Zhending Prefectural City, ravaged by war and chaos, no amount of silver was of any use. What he needed was grain tax in kind grain and fodder.

A flash of disappointment crossed Lu Xiangsheng's face. He said to Yang Tinglin in a deep voice, "Draft another urgent memorial to the Minister of War. Request that the Ministry of War must issue documents to the localities. If grain and fodder are cut off at this moment, how can troops be deployed?"

Yang Tinglin nodded silently. He had previously served as a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, and his memorials discussing military affairs had been logical and clear. But he had never imagined that once he actually reached the front lines, deploying troops was nothing like what he had envisioned. Even now, without having fought a major battle against the Tartars, the army was already utterly exhausted.

The three men looked at each other in silence. After a long while, Yang Tinglin raised his head to look at Lu Xiangsheng. "That Military Defense Circuit of Jingxing, Li Jiuhua, has come again. He is kneeling outside the main tent, waiting for the Lord Governor to return to camp. He says Huolu has been besieged for days, and tens of thousands throughout the city are desperately hoping for relief troops."

Lu Xiangsheng frowned. "Yesterday Datong Garrison was already dispatched to lift the siege of Huolu."

Gu Xianyi said quietly, "Wang Pu crossed the river the day before yesterday and headed for Huolu, but... there are rumors from the Central Battalion's mounted scouts that they saw the Datong Garrison stop ten li after crossing the river and forage for grain in the nearby countryside."

Yang Tinglin shook his head repeatedly. "When Sun Military Gate left, he also said that officers and soldiers alike have already lost their nerve at the mere rumor of the enemy and absolutely cannot be driven into battle. Those who speak of fighting are either fools or deceivers. If truly forced by order, they will collapse into chaos in an instant. That day I did not believe a word of it. Only today do I truly believe it."

Li Jiuhua had originally been at Huolu. After Zhang Qiping was transferred north to the Capital, Li Jiuhua was reassigned to garrison the prefectural city, so his entire family was still in Huolu. One of them had slipped through the Qing encirclement and come to the prefectural city to seek help. Huolu was only a little over fifty li from Zhending Prefectural City. Lu Xiangsheng had repeatedly sent mounted scouts to reconnoiter, and every report came back saying they had encountered small bands of Tartars and skirmished along the way, but none gave a clear report on whether a large force of Tartars was besieging the city.

Lu Xiangsheng looked toward Zhending Prefectural City ahead. Li Jiuhua had a request for the Xuan-Da army, but even so, Li Jiuhua could not extract grain from behind those icy walls. This Xuan-Da army was the sole hope of the common people in the Capital Environs, but the force actually available was far from the thirty-three thousand men Yang Sichang had initially designated. The two Provincial Commander's Standard Troops Battalions had never truly come under Lu Xiangsheng's command, and the Supervisor Battalion had been split off by sixty percent. In Lu Xiangsheng's hands were actually twenty-two thousand troops on paper, a considerable portion of which were customary phantom vacancies.

A nation of a hundred million people, facing foreign invasion, could rely only on this exhausted army on the brink of starvation before his eyes. Lu Xiangsheng needed to use this army to relieve the localities and also follow Yang Sichang's new instructions to maneuver and seek a major battle. But the most difficult problem was that he had lost track of the enemy.

Vague reports came from everywhere, but none were credible, and the Qing army's whereabouts could not be confirmed. This was another reason the Xuan-Da army remained stranded at Zhending. Earlier mounted scout and local reports had been received, a considerable portion of which indicated the Tartars were heading for Dragon Well Pass and Gu Pass to enter Shanxi, then marching through Xuan-Da to exit the border. Lu Xiangsheng had included this intelligence in his Dispatch Reports to the Ministry of War, but he had been unable to make a final determination. Troops could not be committed recklessly. Yet the longer he lingered at Zhending, the greater the pressure Lu Xiangsheng bore — and it did not come solely from the lack of grain.

After a moment, Lu Xiangsheng shook his head. "Earlier reports suggested the Tartars' vanguard seemed headed for Longgu Pass Pass Pass Pass to exit the border, with various forces split roughly between Beizhi and Shanxi, requiring troops everywhere. Huolu is but a single county, and we have not yet ascertained how many Tartar troops are there. Wang Pu was already dispatched earlier; we cannot divide our forces further. Send an Order Token to Wang Pu, ordering him to genuinely relieve Huolu and not to delay and invite blame."

At that moment, the Central Army's Banner Officer hurried over. He whispered a few words into Lu Xiangsheng's ear. Lu Xiangsheng's body suddenly jolted, and all the snow on his shoulders shook off.

He turned his head to look at Yang Tinglin, his expression invigorated. "We've found the Tartars. Point Scouts sent out earlier personally witnessed the Tartars exiting the border through Longgu Pass Pass Pass Pass on the twentieth of this month. They've been leaving for seven or eight days now and will all be out within two or three days. The Tartars at Huolu are likely a rear guard, a feint force."

Yang Tinglin's mood also lifted. They had finally clarified the Tartars' movements. At least they could now deploy troops. If they continued to waste away at Zhending Prefecture like this, the Xuan-Da army would collapse without even fighting.

Lu Xiangsheng took a few steps, then stopped and said to Yang Tinglin, "Send orders to Wang Pu: Datong Garrison is to set out for Daoma Pass tomorrow to intercept the Tartars' vanguard heading north. Commander Yang is to go south to prepare for any remaining Slaves coming from the east. Commander Hu is to relieve Huolu and tie down their rear guard. The Tartars must not be allowed to simply exit the border!"

……

"Yang Guangdi, are you roving cavalry of any use at all? How come after all this time you still don't know where the Tartars are? What if they suddenly show up here?"

On the east bank of the river channel southwest of Linqing, Tan Laizi was huddled against a mud-brick wall. As he spoke, he tugged hard at the dry grass on it, grabbing a handful and tossing it onto the ground a short distance behind him.

"Battalion Commander Tan, rest assured. Any place the Tartars have passed through wouldn't have this dry grass left — the horses would have eaten it all. This place definitely hasn't been hit yet."

"What Battalion Commander? It's Tan Fort Chief now. Fort Chief, you know what that is?"

Tan Laizi tossed down another handful of dry grass and looked Yang Guangdi up and down. He had come with the Scout Squad, responsible for solving the Vanguard's grain supply problem. As soon as he arrived, he ran into an old acquaintance — this Yang Guangdi, a kid who used to be in his own Banner Chief unit. After not seeing him for a while, this little boy, whom the Garrison Commander's camp had rescued from Chuzhou, had grown quite a bit taller. A Waist Saber hung from his belt, and most conspicuously, a long Fire Lance was slung across his back. He cut a heroic figure — no longer a little kid.

Tan Laizi curled his lip and turned back to grab more dry grass. He used to think the winter of that year in Hezhou was the coldest ever. Now that he had reached Shandong, it seemed even colder still. Fortunately, he had experience from Hezhou and silver in his pocket. When setting out from Xuzhou, he had paid a high price to strip the cotton-padded jackets right off two passersby. Wearing them on top, he was no longer cold, though he looked slightly bloated. But his face couldn't take it — it was nearly cracking open from the wind.

Yang Guangdi's face also had several dark, frozen cracks. When he saw Tan Laizi turn around, he grinned, but the motion pulled at his wounds, making his mouth twitch involuntarily. In the end, the smile didn't come out. He went back to pulling dry grass, which would soon be used to make a bed.

This place was called Chujiaquan, located on the river channel southwest of Linqing. Linqing itself was a flourishing spot on the Grand Canal, with a dense population in the surrounding area. Chujiaquan was normally a bustling ferry crossing, with broad roads paved with stone slabs on both sides of the river. After crossing the river, one could connect to the road system on the opposite bank.

Like other ferry crossings at this time, sizable market towns had formed on both banks, many of the buildings made of brick and tile.

The Qing army had already appeared around Linqing. Everyone in Chujiaquan who could flee had fled, leaving empty houses everywhere. But some people unable to travel had stayed behind. Across the street from this thatched hut stood two old men, just standing there staring blankly at Tan Laizi.

Tan Laizi, worried about the Tartars, was already irritable. The two old men were an eyesore. He cursed in that direction, "What are you looking at? Do you even know who Tan Ye is, that you dare look? Go ask around all of Anqing, ask around all of Xuzhou — can you afford to offend Tan Ye…"

The two old men stood woodenly in place, utterly unresponsive. Tan Laizi's cursing grew dull, and he turned back to Yang Guangdi.

"When we came, that Squad Leader Lu of the Scout Squad said the roving cavalry could cross the river to scout Northern Zhili." Tan Laizi licked his lips. "Brother Yang, be honest with your Fort Chief — have the Tartars come or not?"

"They've come. Right across the river, all Tartar troops." Yang Guangdi pointed to the opposite bank. "Yesterday the First Division's roving cavalry scouts spotted a group."

"You saw the queues?" Tan Laizi asked nervously. "Are they really as ferocious as demons, taller and stouter than oxen and horses?"

"Not exactly. One group had several dozen, all moving together. There was no cover around, so the roving cavalry didn't dare engage."

"Engage?" Tan Laizi's face changed color. "Why engage? Don't you know those Tartars are all like evil ghosts... How far away did you say that group is from here?"

"Just five or six li away, on the other side of the river."

"Still separated by the river." Tan Laizi's expression instantly relaxed. "Those Tartars are lucky they didn't run into Tan Ye."

Yang Guangdi added, "The river's frozen over."

Tan Laizi let out a loud yelp. This was the eastern end of the market town; he hadn't been to the riverside yet and hadn't seen the ice conditions.

Before he could ask further, a figure walked in from outside. The moment the man saw Tan Laizi, he shouted, "Military Lord Tan, all the old merchant houses in Chujiaquan and Youfang Ferry have fled. There's nowhere to find grain. There is grain inside Linqing City, but it can't compare to Xuzhou. No matter how much silver you offer now, I'm not going."

Tan Laizi saw it was the Boat Dock Master who had followed them from Xuzhou. This man had connections all along the Grand Canal, and grain supply along the road ahead had gone very smoothly. This was the first time he had refused an order.

The man didn't even give Tan Laizi a chance to speak. He waved his hand directly and said, "Outside the city are all Guest Armies. Can't figure out whose they are. Only when I got north did I learn it's the Dengzhou Troops led by Military Commander Yang. He Zong's troops are to the south. The man I sent crossed the river from Youfang Ferry — heaven be thanked the Tartars didn't catch him. When he got outside Linqing City, guess what happened? His silver was robbed by the Dengzhou soldiers, his clothes stripped clean. He nearly lost his life and didn't even get a glimpse of the city gate."

"Then add some more silver. Negotiate with those Dengzhou troops..."

"Inside and outside the city, it's all sol... military lords. Even if a man could get in, so what? Load a cart with grain, and if they only take half at the city gate, that's great mercy. Get out the gate, and there are more military lords. If they leave you your life, that's also great mercy. Even if you pass both those hurdles, you still have to cross the river. If you run into Tartars on the road, you're dead. Let me tell you, Tan Ye, the Tartars are right on the other bank. This isn't about silver. I'm heading east to find grain. I'd rather travel a longer way. I'm not going to Linqing either way."

Tan Laizi studied the Boat Dock Master's expression — his manner was utterly resolute. Not daring to press further, since he was the only one who could have followed him here, the price immediately shot up: grain at six taels per shi, fodder beans at four taels per shi. But the supply could still come through. If they sourced from the east, it would at most take a little more time. Linqing was closer, but the danger was far too high.

He began haggling anew with the Boat Dock Master. This was their usual routine — the two would set the price based on the local danger and distance at the time. Today, because the danger in Linqing had soared, the Boat Dock Master opened by demanding a three-tael increase. Tan Laizi naturally could not make a concession so easily.

A fierce battle of words ensued. Several roving cavalrymen gathered nearby to watch the spectacle. Both men were thick-skinned enough to be completely unaffected. In the end, after all the arguing and pleading, the price rose by only one tael and five Mace.

The Boat Dock Master hurried off. Tan Laizi turned back, ready to go pull some hay, but Yang Guangdi had already tied up a huge bundle.

He was just about to keep asking about the ice on the river when a voice bellowed from the street, "Your Squad — to the Ferry Crossing for sentry duty."

More shouts followed in succession, calling out Yang Guangdi's name. Yang Guangdi dropped his Straw Bundle and headed out the door.

Nine roving cavalrymen stood in a row in the street. None of them had their horses; they set off on foot toward the Ferry Crossing just like that. Seeing this, Tan Laizi wanted to get a look at the ice, so he too dropped his Straw Bundle and followed behind the Squad.

In just a moment they reached the Ferry Crossing. He narrowed his eyes and looked over. There were some houses on the opposite bank, but not a single person could be seen on the Road Passage.

The afternoon had cleared up, a rare break, and the sun even came out for a while. The sunlight spilled across the ice, dazzling and a little blinding. Only a very small patch at the river's center remained unfrozen.

Not completely frozen meant no one could cross — even less so on horseback. Tan Laizi felt slightly relieved. Just then, someone on the upper floor nearby called out in a low voice, "Everyone stay down behind the wall. Riders are coming on the opposite side."

Tan Laizi hurriedly looked for a spot. Seeing Yang Guangdi crouched behind a shop's wooden platform, he quickly ran over as well.

Moments later, the faint sound of hoofbeats came from the opposite bank.