Chapter 457: Brothers

"Qin Jiuze, Man Da'er — both of you brave men are in armor, dispense with the formalities."

A mild voice came from the seat of honor, but Man Da'er seemed not to hear it at all and dropped back to his knees with a thud. Qin Jiuze kept his head lowered, stole a sidelong glance at Man Da'er, and prepared to kneel slowly as well, but seeing that Yang Guangdi had not knelt, he hesitated for a moment.

"In our Anqing Battalion we do not customarily practice kneeling salutes — you two will come to know this in time. Just now, this official was making rounds to inspect the wounded and encountered your Scout Cavalry Banner Unit's Centurion Yuan. He told this official that during this campaign, the three Point Scouts who came from Xuanfu performed outstandingly and rendered meritorious service in the hard strike against the Qing army at Lepingpu. It happened that the Advisory Room was reporting back, so this official said that such brave warriors must be seen in person."

Lord Pang's tone was very mild. A refined-looking Personal Soldier came over and gestured for the two to rise. Qin Jiuze stood up but still dared not raise his head, nor did he know what to say.

This was the main hall of the City God Temple. The images of the City God varied from place to place, but the temples were extremely widespread, found not only in cities but also in larger market towns. The City God Temple stood at the southern end of Thirty-Li Post, which had been the boundary during the ambush just now. The fighting there had been extremely fierce, and wounded men were laid out even inside the main hall to shelter them somewhat from the wind and cold. Pang Yu himself was in the God of Wealth Hall on the west side of the main hall.

In Qin Jiuze's field of vision, he saw feet wearing Iron Mesh Boots approaching from ahead. Then he heard Yang Guangdi's agitated voice: "This humble man is Yang Guangdi, a soldier of the Second Cavalry Division's Scout Cavalry Banner Unit. I have seen Lord Pang."

"Yang Guangdi…" Lord Pang walked closer. Skirt Armor appeared in his field of vision — it seemed Lord Pang was also prepared to take the field. A measure of admiration rose involuntarily in Qin Jiuze's heart.

Lord Pang's hand picked up the Soldier Tag at Yang Guangdi's waist and flipped it over. "This Soldier Tag can only be obtained by passing the examination and evaluation in every subject. Even ordinary cavalry find it very hard to get. To have earned a Scout Cavalry Soldier Tag at such a young age — you are certain to become a formidable warrior of our Anqing Battalion in days to come. Remember one thing: the common people can only count on us. You must train your skills diligently, kill the bandits and quell the chaos for the people and the nation."

Yang Guangdi assented repeatedly. Qin Jiuze did not fully understand — this Lord Pang spoke entirely differently from military commanders like Li Zhongzhen, and rather resembled Lord Lu.

"Our southern cavalry has always been weak, but our Anqing Battalion is not necessarily weak. The Scout Cavalry performed excellently this time, and this official is satisfied." Lord Pang patted Yang Guangdi on the shoulder. "The Scout Cavalry will continue to grow stronger in the future. Qin Jiuze and Man Da'er are both Point Scouts from Xuanfu, battle-hardened elites who followed Lord Lu Doutang. From now on they are also colleagues within the battalion. The Scout Cavalry must learn more skills from them."

Qin Jiuze hurriedly bent his body a little lower. Footsteps came before him. Qin Jiuze raised his head slightly to look and saw a young man in his early twenties, wearing only an ordinary red Cotton Armor, looking at him with a mild expression.

Before coming, he had imagined General Pang's appearance — basically tall, burly, and rough like Li Zhongzhen or Hu Dawei. Now it seemed he was even more refined than a scholar like Lord Lu Doutang. It was hard to imagine how he had trained so many Household Retainers.

"Back in that battle at Physics Bridge in Chuzhou, the Anqing Battalion broke the formation from the Roving Bandits' right wing and, joining forces with the Doutang's troops, routed two hundred thousand Roving Bandits. Thinking of it now, it feels like yesterday." General Pang shook his head gently. "Lord Lu Doutang was accomplished in both civil and martial affairs. His defeat at the hands of the Tartars was not a failure of his generalship. Whenever this official reflects on this, he wrings his hands in bitter regret."

Qin Jiuze and Man Da'er kept their heads lowered. Though they still had not exchanged words, with Lord Lu Doutang as a bridge, they felt closer to General Pang.

Pang Yu looked the two men up and down. He reached out and flipped open the tear on the left arm of Qin Jiuze's Cotton Armor, then turned to the man beside him and said, "Pang Ding, make a note: this evening, after we reach the camp ground, go to the Logistics Division and collect two suits of Chain Mail. Deliver them to the Second Cavalry Division's Scout Cavalry Banner Unit for these two brave men to use first."

The man over there acknowledged. Qin Jiuze hesitated a moment, then said carefully, "In reply to Your Lordship, this humble man has always been accustomed to wearing Cotton Armor. Because I serve as a Point Scout, Chain Mail makes noise when I move about, and the horse cannot run fast either. It is not as light, convenient, and warm as Cotton Armor."

Pang Yu gave an "Oh," and immediately said to that Personal Soldier, "Then exchange it for Cotton Armor and deliver that instead. You two brave men are newly arrived in the army. If you lack anything, just bring it up with your officers, or you may also come directly to the Central Army to find this official."

The two men stood stunned for a moment, never expecting that the general who, according to legend, had chopped off fifty heads in one night would be so amiable. Man Da'er dropped to his knees with a thud again to give thanks.

Lord Pang waved his hand. "In the Anqing Battalion, we frequently summon people for questioning. There is no need for so much ceremony. I have heard that you two were formerly Point Scouts in Xuan-Da. I wonder how that differs from ordinary Night-Not-Returning — is it that you must scout farther out?"

Seeing Pang Yu ask a question, Qin Jiuze hurriedly buried his head and said, "Night-Not-Returning ordinarily scout around the Military Camp. Point Scouts indeed have to go farther out, not limited to the vicinity of the Military Camp. Whenever there were rumors at the border passes, our superior officers would dispatch us Point Scouts beyond the border. There are many Mongol tribes at the border passes, and they all do business with the various Fortified Strongholds at the passes. Going beyond the border, we mostly moved among these Mongols. We spoke only Mongolian, and our food, clothing, and appearance were the same as the Mongols. We would go to the place the intelligence indicated, investigate clearly, and then return to report. If there were no Mongols familiar with that place, the Point Scouts would go beyond the border on their own, bringing extra horses and moving cautiously, still having to reach the place, investigate the intelligence, and return to report. As for ordinary duties like going beyond the border to burn the grasslands or setting ambushes along the roads — those were much the same as what the Night-Not-Returning did."

Pang Yu nodded. It sounded like Point Scouts were a troop type developed specifically for the border defense of the Nine Borders. Most of the time they operated alone, serving simultaneously as spies, special forces, Scout Cavalry, and other roles. Ordinarily, they dealt more with the Mongols outside the border, so they also had to speak Mongolian. By comparison, they seemed more akin to the role of the Anqing Battalion's Distant Scouts, somewhat different from the Scout Cavalry's battlefield reconnaissance.

"I have heard that the Tartars twice invaded Xuan-Da, and in the third month of this year they again massed troops beyond the border, confronting the Xuan-Da Garrisons. You two are Point Scouts of the Governor's Standard Personal Army and have fought the Qing army many times. If you two were to assess it, how should our Anqing Battalion conduct itself to be most appropriate?"

Qin Jiuze and Man Da'er exchanged a glance. Neither spoke. Pang Yu smiled and said, "Speak freely — there is no harm. In our Anqing Battalion, one may speak one's mind without restraint."

The Side Hall fell quiet for a moment. Finally, Qin Jiuze opened his mouth: "The Tartars came out from Wei County, so they must have split their forces into several routes. The bandit chieftain needs a clear location to issue orders. As long as we relocate the camp as quickly as possible and prevent the Tartars from scouting out the camp's location clearly, he will have no way to transmit orders for a siege."

Pang Yu turned to Man Da'er. Man Da'er's face flushed red. Only after a long while did he say, "This humble man first thanks the General. I have never killed Tartars with such satisfaction. This humble man helped avenge his brother Point Scouts and comrades. But the Tartars come fast. At Julu, over ten thousand came in a single night — that was how Lord Lu Doutang was surrounded. If we are to relocate camp, we must do it in the first half of the night. The Ambush Army must be far out, at least twenty li away."

Pang Yu nodded with a slight smile. After a moment of strategic patience, he turned to Pang Ding and said, "Both of you have very good insight. First take the two of them to interrogate the captives. Get the military intelligence clear as quickly as possible."

Pang Ding immediately acknowledged. He called over the Personal Soldiers at the door of the Side Hall and had them lead the two Xuan-Da Point Scouts to interrogate the captives. As Man Da'er went out the door, he knelt again and kowtowed.

By the time Pang Ding turned back, Pang Yu had already walked over to the map. His fingers were pointing at the map. Pang Ding came over, looked for a moment, then stood to one side awaiting orders.

Pang Yu looked for a moment, then said, "Lord Lu Doutang has fallen in battle. Xuan-Da has collapsed. What do you think the Ministry of War lacks most at a time like this?"

Pang Ding said without hesitation, "It lacks victory reports. But these military merits still need verification at both the prefectural and county levels. I think we still cannot just sit around waiting in this place. After all, there are Tartars everywhere — there's no telling when they might surround us."

"If we relieve the Ministry of War's siege, the Ministry of War will naturally relieve ours. There is no need to rush the verification of military merits. By jurisdiction, Thirty-Li Post should be verified by the Chiping County yamen, but Chiping is already besieged. We can only go to Dong'e. First, send an Official Document to the Dong'e County Magistrate, ordering him to count and inspect the heads, and to report up to Dongchang Prefecture."

Pang Ding hesitated. "Thirty-Li Post is under Chiping's jurisdiction. The Dong'e County yamen will certainly be unwilling to come — they'll want to avoid the extra trouble. And with soldiers running wild and the world in chaos right now, Dongchang Prefecture will certainly not come out of the city to verify heads either."

"That will be Dongchang Prefecture's problem. Verification can wait until whenever. We will first send a Dispatch Report to the Ministry of War. Do not mention the matter of the ministry dispatch. Just say that two thousand infantry and cavalry of the Anqing Battalion voluntarily undertook rally to the king, and on the nineteenth day, while marching to Thirty-Li Post in Chiping, they encountered the Tartars. What are the battle results?"

"Chen Rulie just sent word. He said a rough estimate puts the Tartars killed at over two hundred, with at least two company Zhangjing among them. Captives number around twenty." Pang Ding's voice was a little agitated. "The Ningyuan Great Victory only yielded a little over two hundred heads. With military merits like this in hand, Young Master, you need not fear the court coming after you afterward."

Pang Yu waved his hand and took two steps before the God of Wealth statue. "Xuan-Da has collapsed. The northern border defenses are unstable. The Emperor's heart is surely uneasy. If at this moment someone reports a great victory with several hundred heads taken, how do you think the Ministry of War and the Cabinet will respond?"

"The same as with Lord Lu Doutang — they will transfer this force to garrison Xuan-Da, so that the Emperor may sleep soundly."

Pang Yu nodded. "That is very likely. So these military merits must be kept at an appropriate measure — enough to relieve the Ministry of War's urgency, but not so much that they send this young master off to Xuan-Da. Have the clerk write it like this: in the first engagement, over seventy Tartars were beheaded; the Military Camp itself lost over two hundred; we are now seeking an opportunity to fight again. I recall the last intelligence the Dark Sentinel Division sent said that Yang Sichang likes to race ahead and dislikes tailing in pursuit. So say that the Anqing Battalion is preparing to race ahead to Gaotang Prefecture."

"Young Master, just now those two Point Scouts from Xuan-Da both said we should first evade the Tartars…"

"What they said is what they said. Send the Dispatch Report as I said." Pang Yu paused in strategic patience. "What we do is what we do. Send orders to Chen Rulie: pursue the Tartars as far as Er Shilipu, then stop. After nightfall, pull back to Instruction Ground and set up Forward Scouts. The Central Army will withdraw to Tongcheng Post according to the original plan."

…

"Go tell Shen Dafu: the Central Army has issued an Order Token. We must set up camp at Tongcheng Post before nightfall. Ask her to take the wounded and withdraw early. Any later and it will be too late."

In the courtyard of the Earth Temple at the north end of He Village, the inside and outside were crammed full of Carriages. Agonized howls came from everywhere. Medical Officers in white gowns ran out of the courtyard from time to time, carrying basins full of blood-soaked bandages.

Wu Dacai walked with a cane through the jammed Carriages and issued orders to the steward of the military medical station.

The steward followed beside Wu Dacai and said, "Shen Dafu says she needs at least another quarter-hour…"

"Lord Pang's military order — how can she be allowed to haggle! What does she think a military order is? What Lord Pang must consider goes far beyond a few wounded men. Tell her the military medical station is to prepare to withdraw immediately!"

The steward wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Shen Dafu says there are still five severely wounded men she can save. If they are put on the road and jolted about now, they likely will not live to see nightfall, or else they will be left crippled. She says to ask the Deputy Chief Clerk to explain clearly to Lord Pang: just one more quarter-hour, to save five more brothers and comrades."

Wu Dacai suddenly flung his hand out, his face flushing red as he was about to shout a curse. Just then, a Signal Cannon report came from the north. He closed his eyes and paused for a moment. "Lord Pang says comrades are like brothers. For the sake of saving these few brothers, I'll cast aside this face of mine and go beg Lord Pang. Tell her to hurry."

He leaned on his cane and walked toward his mount. As he walked out beyond He Village, he unexpectedly spotted a figure burning something outside the military medical station. He immediately turned his head to look at the steward. "Who is lighting a fire there? This may not be the camp ground, but it is still a temporary station. If a random fire catches and burns the Camp Stockade, who will bear the responsibility!"

"It's the Boat Dock Master who followed us from Xuzhou. He brought twenty Carriages and all of them went to Thirty-Li Post to transport the wounded. He has nothing to do, so he's holding a memorial for that Tan Fort Chief."

Wu Dacai looked at the steward in surprise. "Tan Erlin is dead?"

"The men from the Scout Squad said that Fort Chief Tan was delivering grain to Balizhuang. When they retreated, they couldn't find him. They left one Distant Scout to search for him, and neither of them came back. They must have fallen into enemy hands in there. Those Tartars have killed countless people. Falling into their hands, there's surely no way he's alive."

Wu Dacai was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Tan Erlin was, after all, once a comrade of this official. Though his character was contemptible, he still had some redeeming points. Dead, he is reluctantly a bit of a pity. Go find some spirit money later and burn it for him on this official's behalf."

With that, he mounted his horse and hurried off toward Thirty-Li Post. The steward waited until Wu Dacai was far away, then spat on the ground. "Even burning spirit money he needs me to do it for him. Putting on that fake show of treating comrades like that — he really thinks he's some kind of official."

Wu Dacai did not hear this. He simply spurred his horse forward. Turning his head back, he saw that the Boat Dock Master was still burning spirit money. He shook his head and sighed. "You wouldn't have guessed it — this Boat Dock Master is actually a man who values loyalty and friendship. Even as he's dying, Tan Laizi has made himself a brother."

…

"My brother Tan Laizi! You took my money, and there are still five hundred dan you haven't delivered, and you fucking got yourself killed by the Tartars! Given your character, being hacked to ten thousand pieces wouldn't even be enough! You died so horribly!"

The Boat Dock Master let out a wail and threw a stack of spirit money into the fire, sending up a shower of burning sparks. Grief rose from his heart unbidden. "For those five hundred dan, that Company Commander from the Logistics Division is going to renegotiate the price now. Every dan will be two taels and six mace less. I gave you that Banknote for nothing, you bastard! I even had two women prepared for you at Weijiawan — they really weren't bad-looking, and the price was really damn expensive too. The silver's all been paid, and when the Tartars came they all ran off and disappeared. The silver was all fucking given away for nothing… You died so horribly."

"What the hell kind of business are you Anqing soldiers running! I just earn a bit of silver from you, and now I'm trapped by the Tartars in this godforsaken place — my life is forfeit! It's all your fault, Tan Laizi! Tell me, if you had really pressed down the price, and I couldn't have earned that much silver, I wouldn't have followed along, right? It's you who ruined me! Is this how you act as a brother!"

Amid the white smoke of the burning spirit money, the Boat Dock Master wiped his eyes and threw in another stack. "Dog-fucking Tan Laizi, I'm a businessman, I'm magnanimous. When you were alive you owed me this much, and I won't hold it against you. Now that you're dead, you're still costing me spirit money. Let me make this clear to you first: you're just holding this spirit money for now. Whether I live or die, I'm meant to be a rich man. Between us brothers, let's not mince words. If by any chance I get killed by the Tartars, the first thing when I come down there is you have to return this spirit money to me first. If you dare not return it, I'll slap the scabs all over your head to a bloody pulp with one palm!"