Chapter 442: Fierce General

Yang Guangdi didn't know how to reply, so he just grinned blankly.

"Little lad, you still remember — a lone Heavy Armor Soldier only looks scary. Don't hack at them head-on. The armpits, the side ribs, the crotch — these spots have no armor. The Throat Guard on the neck is just a piece of Cotton Armor. Get in close, flip it open, and it's bare. Same goes under the Skirt Armor. Any of these places, just stab a small knife in, and his whole body goes rigid. You can kill him however you like after that."

"So those Heavy Armor Tartars are useless?"

"They're useful. When they're out scouting like this, a White Armor Soldier usually has a Bondservant bringing a spare horse. As long as a White Armor Tartar is with them, a squad has its backbone. These Tartars don't fear bows or blades, and their own archery is deadly. The other Tartars guard his flanks. Ordinary Government Troops can't do a thing to them when they meet — they can't even get near him. Normally the Tartars don't come out with just this few men either. There'd usually be around a hundred nearby. In the old days, in my Point Scout Squad, it took a huge effort to bag a lone Tartar. These past few days they've gotten cocky — a dozen or so dare to come out."

When Yang Guangdi heard "gotten cocky," he thought of how the Xuan-Da army's collapse was what made the Tartars cocky.

Qin Jiuze fell silent a moment, then added, "But if you run into a formed squad of Bright Armor Tartars on the battlefield, carrying long blades and long spears, that's a different matter. Those are killing gods. No one can stop them. Someone like you, with a horse — you mount up fast and run. If you can't beat them, you run. Otherwise, throwing your life away is a wasted death."

Yang Guangdi nodded repeatedly. Both of them had steadied their breathing. The thick stench of blood filled their nostrils again. The White Armor Soldier's blood had flowed all over the ground, soaking their outer robes.

Yang Guangdi hurriedly propped himself up. He now remembered the two Dark Armor Tartars over on the other side. He turned his head to look. Two riderless horses were wandering aimlessly among the trees. He could see one man on the ground. The other was blocked by the trees and brush; only one foot was visible.

"If only we could've caught one alive."

Qin Jiuze rubbed the clotted blood on his hands and said flatly, "A Bright Armor Tartar — I won't let him live."

Yang Guangdi asked curiously, "Why?"

Qin Jiuze didn't answer him. The deeply wrinkled face twitched faintly. After a moment, he glanced toward the other side. "One of them is still alive. He speaks Mongolian."

A surge of excitement went through Yang Guangdi. He immediately jumped up to undo his Leg Wraps, ready to tie the man up. Qin Jiuze also wore Leg Wraps, but he made no move to undo them.

Yang Guangdi suddenly stopped. "None of us mounted scouts speak Mongolian. How do we interrogate him when we get back?"

Qin Jiuze gave a scornful snort. "Don't even speak Mongolian, and you lot call yourselves serious about killing Tartars."

Yang Guangdi grinned and clapped his hands. "Uncle Qin, you can tell — you must speak Mongolian. Uncle Qin, stay and help interrogate the Tartar."

Qin Jiuze shook his head. "I leave, and all three heads count as your Military Merits."

"I don't take other people's Military Merits. And our Cavalry Camp doesn't count everything purely by heads anyway."

Qin Jiuze sighed. "Little lad, don't believe the General Officers' nonsense. When he says they don't count by heads, that means he plans to swindle your head-claim merits for himself."

Yang Guangdi said urgently, "My Commander Pang would never swindle anyone's Military Merits. He fights the Tartars for real. He's the fiercest warrior under heaven."

Qin Jiuze stood up and walked toward the fallen Dark Armor Tartar over there. "Killing a few Roving Bandits down south — what kind of fierce warrior is that."

"No, he was originally just a yamen runner. That year of the Civil Unrest in Tongcheng, several hundred rioters seized a Monastery up in the mountains. Commander Pang went up the mountain all alone. In one night he took fifty heads and put down the whole unrest."

Qin Jiuze halted his steps and turned his head to look at Yang Guangdi. "How could one man take fifty heads? That's pure bragging. Li Chongzhen also claims he alone killed six White Armor Soldiers."

Yang Guangdi retorted loudly, "Li Chongzhen brags. Commander Pang absolutely does not. He hauled a whole cartload of heads into Tongcheng. The whole city saw it. There isn't a soul in Anqing who doesn't know about this."

Qin Jiuze's mouth hung open for a moment. Seeing this, Yang Guangdi pressed on with his persuasion. "After that, the higher-ups saw how formidable my Commander Pang was and promoted him to a military officer. He's beaten the Roving Bandits many times. At Chuzhou, he fought right alongside Lu Doutang. I was rescued at Chuzhou myself. Last year at the Chema River, when all the other Camp Heads ran, my commander took the Anqing Garrison Battalion's three thousand men and seized Erlang Town right out from the middle of the bandit horde. I wasn't in the army yet then — I was transporting Military Supplies. I saw it with my own eyes. Our one Anqing Camp Head routed seventeen Roving Bandit Camp Heads. All the big-name bandit chiefs were there. Over ten thousand killed in a single battle."

"How much Monthly Pay does this Commander Pang give you, for you to be so eager to sell your life for him?"

"Three taels and five Mace. Never a single deduction."

That Monthly Pay was high even by Nine Borders standards, but the Border Army Household Retainers' pay wasn't low either — generally above two taels. In the past, Household Retainers were never owed back pay, but these past two years the court's finances have been tight. This year, before the rally to the king campaign, the Superintendent Battalion owed nearly seventy thousand taels in back pay, and the Household Retainers' income also dropped sharply. So as for the claim of no deductions, Qin Jiuze didn't really believe it. He looked at Yang Guangdi and said, "Every month you get this much in actual silver, in your hand? What Silver Purity?"

"No need to take actual silver. It's all deposited at the Silver Bank. You take your own Soldier Tag and Pay Book, go to the counter and say your own Secret Phrase, and you can withdraw the silver. I don't know what Silver Purity."

Qin Jiuze looked at Yang Guangdi with pity. Xuan-Da had plenty of silver banks and piaohao — he'd heard of them — but he'd never heard of any Camp Head drawing army pay from one. This little lad in front of him didn't even understand silver purity. He'd definitely been swindled terribly by that General Officer. So terribly that Qin Jiuze couldn't even be bothered to ask about the grain tax in kind.

"Your commander even swindles you Household Retainers…"

"I'm not a Household Retainer. No soldier ever gets deductions. New recruits get two taels right when they arrive. Even the Local Militia don't get deductions. Have you read the Jiangnan Times or not? That Tang Ershuan is an infantryman in the Land Combat Division — Monthly Pay of four taels. Last month he passed the archery exam, Monthly Pay four taels and five Mace."

Qin Jiuze, unable to talk him round, shook his head and kept walking forward, toward the spot where the Dark Armor Tartars lay. One of them had only a little blood beneath him and was still groaning on the ground. Qin Jiuze took the Leg Wraps from Yang Guangdi and began binding the man's hands and feet.

Hearing this, he looked at Yang Guangdi. "An infantryman getting four taels and five Mace — you've been swindled by that Commander Pang of yours again."

"I know Tang Ershuan. Who could swindle me about that? Tang Ershuan is just a Non-Commissioned Officer — anyway, just an infantryman." Seeing that Qin Jiuze was reacting, Yang Guangdi scrambled up, a little excited. "Our cavalry get one tael more than infantry of the same rank, but mounted scouts get even more. I'll be able to get four taels soon too. Do you know what an Artillery Chief is? Don't look down on him for commanding few men — his Monthly Pay is the highest, and no one dares say a word about it…"

Qin Jiuze was half-doubting, half-believing. As he tied, he glanced back at Yang Guangdi. Yang Guangdi talked on and on, not caring whether Qin Jiuze understood or not, just nonstop recounting the affairs of the Anqing Cavalry Camp.

By the time he finished tying the hands, Yang Guangdi had just walked up beside him. "Uncle Qin, you've got three Tartar heads this time. Even if you don't become a mounted scout squad leader, you'll at least be a Non-Commissioned Officer. Archery adds five Mace, Mongolian adds five Mace. If you can read maps and such, you can add even more. You might end up with six or seven taels."

Qin Jiuze looked at Yang Guangdi with puzzlement. This little lad in front of him was very excited, but the words he spoke were completely unreliable. He didn't believe anyone would pay a Monthly Pay of six or seven taels. No military garrison under heaven gave out money like that. The conclusion was that this little lad had been swindled stupid by his General Officer. The gaze he directed at Yang Guangdi was full of pity.

Yang Guangdi walked up beside Qin Jiuze and said, "Uncle Qin, you really shouldn't leave. Our Anqing Battalion has strong infantry, Artillery, and Water Army. The only thing we're worst at is good Night-Not-Returning scouts. A Point Scout like you — you could definitely enter the Martial Academy and become a teacher."

"What nonsense? Me, a teacher!"

Qin Jiuze whipped his head around. This was the first time Yang Guangdi had ever seen such a drastic shift in his demeanor.

Yang Guangdi nodded. "The Martial Academy, the Anqing Martial Academy. They study both civil and military arts there. The most formidable General Officers and soldiers of every kind can all become teachers. That Distant Scout Section inside — they don't have a single good teacher. They even ask to borrow people from us mounted scouts. Battalion Commander Chen said we're going to war and refused to lend anyone, so that Distant Scout Section just learns things haphazardly. Uncle Qin, if you go, you'll definitely be the Martial Academy's best Distant Scout teacher. A real teacher. When class starts, they have to salute and say 'good day, teacher.'"

Qin Jiuze said blankly, "Me, a teacher… There really is a school for learning military arts?"

"There is. My Commander Pang put up the money and the men to build it."

Qin Jiuze stood frozen in place for a moment. "There was originally someone perfect to be this teacher. Pity they're all dead. Someone like me — how could I be a teacher to anyone? Forget teacher. Nothing in this world has much flavor anymore. To tell you the truth, little lad, the reason I'm still alive isn't that I want to live. It's just because I'm afraid of dying."

Yang Guangdi scratched his head. "Uncle Qin, what do you mean? Living is wanting to live, isn't it?"

"Living isn't easy." Qin Jiuze finished tying the man, stood up, and silently studied Yang Guangdi for a moment. "You're all right, little lad. When you faced the White Armor, you didn't just run off on your own. You actually dared to go for it. I'll stay a few more days then, and see just what this Commander Pang of yours really is."

Seeing that he'd persuaded Qin Jiuze, Yang Guangdi said happily and proudly, "My Commander Pang is the fiercest warrior under heaven. He fears no one. When Tartars run into him, they can only eat dirt."

……

"Ch-ch-ch-chatter…"

"Young master, the Xuan-Da army may have lost, but the Tartars are still far away. You don't need to be scared like this. Don't chip your teeth."

Five li southeast of Weijiawan in Qingping County, Shandong, inside the Central Army tent of the Anqing Cavalry Camp, Pang Ding held a cup of water and watched worriedly as the Anqing Strange Troops Battalion Deputy Commander, Commander Pang, whose teeth were chattering.

Earlier, judging that the Qing army would exit the border via Shanxi, the Anqing rally to the king Army, under Commander Pang's leadership, had raced like the wind and lightning, terrified of missing a prime opportunity to chase and kill Tartars. They had plunged straight into Weijiawan, a road junction. Here they learned that the Qing army, after reaching Wei County, had stopped moving. Their movements were somewhat suspicious, so the whole camp had no choice but to halt.

Weijiawan was about a day's journey from Linqing. This place was a key town on the Grand Canal, with highly developed commerce and trade. A branch of the Linqing Customs Branch was located here. The market town was larger than some small county seats, boasting over a dozen temples of various kinds alone. Roads extended in all directions. The Boat Dock Masters made supplying army provisions convenient — every kind of material was available — but it was absolutely not a good place to conceal an army.

In the few days since they'd stopped, nearby yamen had already come asking questions, and some Relay Horses passing through were also making inquiries. The situation was extremely unfavorable. And now they had received this shocking intelligence: the Xuan-Da army, far from routing a Qing banner as he had predicted, had instead been routed by the Qing army.

Over these past two days, they had received multiple intelligence reports. Apart from those from the mounted scouts, other Relay Horses passing through Weijiawan had also brought news of the Xuan-Da army's defeat and destruction. Pieced together, it seemed Xuan-Da had completely collapsed, while the Liao Garrison had fled without a fight. Neither of these two forces would be a usable combat strength in the short term. As for the other scattered Government Troops, they weren't even worth considering — their morale was surely gone. Being able to mount the City Wall and fight a defensive battle would be considered good enough. The war situation had completely crumbled. The only uncertainty was Lu Xiangsheng's fate — alive or dead.

Previously, some resident merchants had still remained in Weijiawan. After the news spread yesterday, today nearly all of them had fled. Even the Boat Dock Masters supplying grain wanted to run. Only the prospect of extremely high profits kept them enduring the terror in their hearts; for now, they remained in the market town.

But Pang Yu's plan had been completely thrown into disarray. In his original plan, it should have been like the Chuzhou Campaign — the Xuan-Da army would carry out the main attack, while Anqing's small force would play a supporting role from the sidelines and pick up some Military Merits. Back home, the Jiangnan Times would give it some artistic embellishment. Then the Capital and Canal Bank would open for business. Along the way, he'd also meet Feng Quan. That would have completed the mission for this trip.

Now the situation had deteriorated. Even Lu Doutang, so valiant in his memory, had been defeated — and he'd been leading the elite Border Army of the Xuan-Da Three Garrisons. It went without saying that the morale of every rally to the king army from every route had collapsed. If the Anqing Cavalry Camp engaged in battle now, they could no longer rely on anyone else. Commander Pang was naturally somewhat trembling with fear.

Pang Yu clamped a hand over his chin. He closed his eyes and steadied his nerves for a moment. Finally, his chin stopped shaking.

Pang Ding said in a low voice beside him, "I heard the dispatch report at Chen Relie's place. The relay horse had been giving an oral account for a long time, and Tu Dianli still hadn't finished questioning him. I came back first to report to you, young master. The rumor from yesterday is true — the scout cavalry has confirmed that the Xuan-Da Army was routed. Some Xuan-Da soldiers saw with their own eyes that Lu Doutang died in battle."

Pang Yu stood stunned for a moment, then sighed softly. He stood up, paced a circle, and said, "The Border Army of three garrisons, plus the Superintendent Battalion, couldn't withstand a single strike from the Tartars — and that was under Lu Doutang's command. Killing 200,000 Roving Bandits would have been nothing for him, yet he was routed in one battle by so few Tartars. Are the Tartars truly that formidable? What were their casualties?"

"I heard from the dispatch report that only two garrisons from Xuan-Da took part in the battle. Lu Doutang's Standard Battalion had only two camp heads — just eight thousand men in total. The Tartars had four banners, and it seems there were some Mongols or something with them. They brought cannons. As for their casualties, I don't know."

Pang Yu froze. "Four banners — that's only half. So the four banners at Wei County are just one column, and the Xuan-Da Border Army couldn't even defeat a single column. If the eight banners combine, how can we possibly fight them? And they've brought cannons. Aren't our two thousand men just walking to our deaths? Tell me, why the hell did I march my troops two thousand li to come here? Wouldn't it have been better to just kill Zhang Xianzhong? He doesn't even have a single suit of armor."

Pang Ding leaned in and said, "Young master, since there are no military orders anyway, let's run."