Chapter 443: Receiving Orders

"Running away, naturally..." Pang Yu extended one finger. "Naturally, it shouldn't be done. We've come all the way from Xuzhou into Shandong — there are countless witnesses. We can't avoid dealing with the common folk, and sooner or later they'll know we're the Anqing Cavalry Camp. With Lu Doutang dead in battle, the Tartars have no more checks on them. Every region will suffer even worse at their hands, and in the end, countless people will be held accountable. Running away now is just walking right into those charges."

"We don't dare go forward, and if we don't run, staying here and running into the Tartar main army means everything's finished." Pang Ding paused thoughtfully, then said, "And I figure, even if we run, there's nothing to fear. The Liao Garrison led the retreat, and all the other camp heads are running too. Why can't our Anqing Battalion run? Besides, young master, you still have military merits."

"What military merits?"

"Young master, think it through carefully. The mounted scouts killed seven Tartars, including one Bright Armor Tartar, and captured two alive — that makes nine in total. That's a great victory!"

Pang Yu tilted his head and looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean? Killing nine men is some great victory?"

"Young master, take a close look at that day's Court Gazette. At Wall Ridge, some Regional Commander chopped six heads and reported it as a great victory — it even made the Court Gazette. That Commander Wang's Jingyang Courier Station Great Victory was only twenty heads. Our mounted scouts alone got nine. Add the one from Chujiaquan, and that's ten — half of Jingyang Courier Station."

Pang Yu was stunned for a moment. He was used to killing Roving Bandits by the thousands; killing a few Tartars this time hadn't really registered. Only now, with Pang Ding's reminder, did he realize it was true. Tartar heads were far more valuable than Roving Bandit heads.

He snapped his fingers sharply. "My troop count isn't even half of Wang Pu's. By that reckoning, this absolutely counts as a great victory too. I wasn't even assigned a mission — I just handed the Ministry of War a great victory for free. That's a huge favor to them."

With a great victory in hand, Pang Yu suddenly felt completely at ease. The dark clouds overhead instantly dispersed, and even the light inside the room seemed brighter. Looking thoroughly pleased, he patted Pang Ding on the shoulder. "You've made progress. You're seeing the whole picture now. As expected of someone I taught."

"This Shandong is frozen solid everywhere — can't even prepare a boat. With nothing else to do, of course I should help the young master think things through." Pang Ding smiled obsequiously. "So, young master, shall we run for it?"

Pang Yu lowered his head and thought for a moment. "Turning around and running will damage army morale. Let's hear the full details first — see whether the risk is great enough to justify that level of loss."

Just then, Yan Guan reported from outside the door that the several General Officers had all arrived.

Pang Ding said quietly, "Young master, during the meeting, do you want me to nudge things along — hint that we should run south?"

"No need. This isn't a deployment meeting. This military affairs council is to discuss the best course of action. Everyone must speak freely. If people are trying to guess what the chief officer wants, it skews the discussion. No hints are necessary."

Having said this, Pang Yu rubbed his face, completing an instant mental reset. When he looked up again, his expression was already calm and composed. Pang Ding also stood beside him with a perfectly straight face.

The curtain was pulled aside, and the several chief officers of the army entered the tent, their faces all somewhat grave. Wu Dacai leaned on his crutch; the moment he entered, he was observing Pang Yu's expression. Behind him came Tu Dianli.

Tu Dianli held the lowest rank, but he was also responsible for the affairs of the Suijun Adviser Fang. By custom, he was the one to report military intelligence first. With the situation so dire this time, he was already anxious at heart, but the man walking ahead of him was Wu the Cripple, who kept the pace unbearably slow. By now, his urgency was written all over his face.

The moment he entered, he stepped around Wu Dacai and came before Pang Yu, his face full of anxiety. "My lord, the Xuan-Da army has been defeated and the Liao Garrison has fled in rout. Both Relief Troops are now useless. The other units are certain to scatter like birds and beasts. The Tartars are at the height of their momentum, and our camp is isolated, stationed at this crossroads — the danger is truly extreme..."

Pang Yu raised a hand to cut him off and said in a gentle tone, "Every moment of crisis is also a moment to train the mind. A commander must first steady his own heart; only then can the army's heart be steady. If the commander himself cannot keep calm, and all these subordinates see it, morale collapses on the spot — defeated before the battle even begins. Tu Dianli, you may one day command troops on your own. Remember this point well."

Tu Dianli paused, and his heart was immediately filled with shame. He repeatedly expressed that he had taken the lesson to heart.

"A soldier! Values resilience above all! Courage comes second." Pang Yu was not yet finished. Standing like a mountain amid deep waters in the Central Army tent, he swept his gaze across the subordinates before him, swung his right hand forcefully, and spoke with a voice of ringing conviction. "When you return to your camps, tell the officers and men the same. Even if every allied army is defeated, the Anqing Battalion will not be defeated. The only thing that can make us fail is if we lose our courage. Remember this, all of you — miracles grow in courage! No matter how powerful the enemy, so long as every one of us holds firm in conviction and fights with valor and fearlessness, victory will surely be ours."

Chen Rulie and Zhuang Chaozheng also cast looks of respect. In such a difficult moment, Lord Pang remained utterly composed and still took the time to instruct his subordinates — it especially highlighted the bearing of a great general and the weight of his character. Jiang Guoyong was even more deeply awed, feeling that Lord Pang was still the same hot-blooded youth who had rebuked the household slave at the Yamen Gate. Even Pang Ding felt his mind go slightly hazy for a moment.

Wu Dacai stepped forward at the opportune moment and said, "My lord's bearing as a great general — your humble officer is filled with boundless admiration. The Clerk Officers of every Company will certainly convey my lord's intent to all the officers and men. The Anqing Battalion shall surely be... this... ever-victorious!"

Pang Yu nodded with great satisfaction and waved for everyone to sit. "Now let us discuss how to run... the subsequent course of action. Tu Dianli, first lay out the situation."

Tu Dianli had an excellent memory and recounted the mounted scouts' intelligence, more detailed than Pang Ding's version. The western-route Tartars had won their victory at Julu on the twelfth, remained at Julu on the thirteenth, and reached Wei County on the fourteenth to form a combined camp.

On the fifteenth, the mounted scouts had captured two prisoners and learned that the western-route Tartars had suffered some losses. Their halt at Wei County was mainly to rest men and horses. The Qing army's left and right wings each had over twenty thousand men, composed respectively of the Manchu Eight Banners, Mongol Banners, Han Army, Outer Vassal Mongols, plus the independently organized units of Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming.

The Qing army had seized an enormous number of people and livestock. The captives did not know the exact count but reported that the camp was vast, with several dozen camp grounds in total.

The Liao Garrison had fled all the way back to Linqing. The various units originally stationed at Linqing — Dengzhou, He Zong, and others — also got word and all crammed into Linqing city. Though Linqing was not small, suddenly stuffing sixty thousand grunts inside made life impossible for the townspeople.

So in the end, only part got in. Those who couldn't enter furiously dug trenches outside the city walls. At this life-or-death juncture, the various garrisons could no longer afford to care about being reduced to manual labor. The Ming Army had completely abandoned field battles. There were no mobile forces available in the entire North China region. Every prefecture and county city could only rely on itself.

The impact of the Xuan-Da army's destruction was still spreading, and the Anqing Battalion increasingly resembled a lone army. He looked up and asked Tu Scribe, "Based on this intelligence, what does the Advisory Room judge to be the Tartars' likely next move?"

"Previously, when the eastern-route Tartars moved west, we believed it was because Lu Doutang was attacking the western-route Tartars, and the two routes needed to combine camps to deal with him, after which they would exit the border via the Shanxi and Xuan-Da direction. Now the intelligence is clear: the western route is likewise moving east. It should be that the two routes rendezvoused at Wei County and then jointly struck the Xuan-Da army — not necessarily that they had chosen Shanxi to exit the border. Now that the Xuan-Da army is destroyed, the situation has changed dramatically. With no more checks on them, even if they previously had a plan to go through Shanxi, they will certainly alter it now. Furthermore, based on the rations and pay motive you mentioned, my lord, the Tartars would gain too little by returning the way they came. That possibility is slim." Tu Dianli stood up and pointed to Wei County's location on the map. "The Advisory Room judges that the Tartars may take the Shandong route that Battalion Commander Chen mentioned earlier: setting out east from Wei County, the two routes jointly striking Linqing, then crossing the Grand Canal, marching generally along the post road, passing through Gaotang, En County, Dezhou, Cangzhou, and Tianjin to return north. If they split into two routes, the eastern route will go via Shanghe, Wuding, and Haifeng."

Pang Yu looked at the map and felt another headache coming on. The North China Plain was utterly flat and open. With no mobile forces left, the Tartars had far too many options — it was impossible to predict. But the scenario Tu Dianli described was indeed the most probable. From the Tartars' perspective, with no threat remaining, they would naturally choose the route with the greatest gain.

Pang Yu tapped Wei County. "Since there are no checks on them, why wouldn't the Tartars continue south from Wei County to Daming Prefecture, then cross from Caozhou through Yanzhou Prefecture to return north?"

Wu Dacai quickly chimed in, "Or even go through Qingzhou Prefecture to Dengzhou. That Kong Youde bunch are Dengzhou rebels — they know the roads best."

Tu Dianli shook his head. "We discussed the time factor earlier. The Tartars have seized a great many people and livestock — no fewer than a hundred thousand — and are also carrying large numbers of horses, mules, and carriages. For a column that enormous, crossing water obstacles is extremely difficult. The Tartars must exit the pass before the frozen rivers thaw, which means by the second month. Today is the sixteenth of the twelfth month. At most, only two months remain. Unlike their journey in, their column is now huge and marching slowly. Turning back north now is the only way to make it in time. Going through Yanzhou would add at least a month; Dengzhou would add at least two more. Therefore, the Advisory Room judges that the Tartars will turn back north in the near future. The most likely route is to enter Shandong from Linqing, march east, then turn north — just as they did when they came — bypassing fortified cities, plundering unprepared prefectures and counties along the way, and ultimately still exiting the border through the Ji Garrison."

Tu Dianli looked at Pang Yu. "Our army is stationed at Weijiawan, sixty li east of Linqing. It is a junction of roads and a gathering point for wealth — extremely likely to lie directly in the path of the Tartar main army's vanguard."

Having been rallied by Pang Yu moments before, Tu Dianli had now steadied his nerves. He spoke with considerable coherence and sounded very credible. None of the other officers raised objections. Pang Yu listened and nodded. "Then in your opinion, how should we best respond?"

Tu Dianli glanced at the others and said, "We cannot remain at Weijiawan. Relocate the camp south, avoid the Tartars' line of march. Once we confirm the Tartars are retreating, we can follow behind and attack."

The tent fell silent for a moment. Pang Yu looked at each person in turn. Chen Rulie nodded and said, "I approve."

The other few also voiced their support. Pang Yu still stared at the map, deep in thought.

At that moment, Yan Guan suddenly entered the tent. He whispered in Pang Yu's ear, "A Constable from the Ministry of War has arrived outside. He's asking if we are the Anqing Garrison Battalion, and says he has a Ministry of War ministry dispatch to deliver."

Pang Yu frowned. "He's asking whether we're the Anqing Garrison Battalion — meaning he's not sure. Then how did he find us?"

"At Nanzhen Shop, they heard a Relay Horse say the Anqing Battalion was here. They left the post road and came to Weijiawan."

"Do we know the contents of the ministry dispatch?"

Yan Guan said quietly, "We don't know. Shall I take some silver and..."

Pang Yu suddenly raised his hand. After a pause, he tilted his head toward Yan Guan and said, "No need. Tell them this is only a Vanguard unit scouting the route — we can't accept a ministry dispatch. The chief officer of the Anqing Cavalry Camp is still in Xuzhou. Tell them to go to Xuzhou. Assign two men to escort them, and give them the silver on the road."