Chapter 458: Mutual Responsibility System

"Paper shop! estate steward, this is the paper shop!"

In Weijiawan, Tan Laizi clutched the hat on his head, dashed swiftly across the street, and threw himself into a shop opposite.

Inside was a complete mess, already ransacked once, but a few scattered sheets of paper still lay on the floor.

Tan Laizi threw himself to the ground to gather the paper, but Wei estate steward suddenly appeared behind him, lashing out with the horsewhip in his hand. "What are you raiding a paper shop for? Take me to the bean shop, or your life pays for the delay!"

Wei estate steward beat and cursed him as he went. Tan Laizi clutched his head and rolled twice, unable to bear the pain of the whipping. He had no time to pick up the paper on the floor and scrambled up to run back out.

In the evening, Weijiawan still held some light. The streets and alleys were packed with dense crowds, each group breaking into shop after shop under their estate steward's lead. The streets were littered with all kinds of goods; inconvenient-to-carry porcelain was smashed to pieces, and various wooden items lay untouched.

"That'll teach you to run wild!" After finishing with Tan Laizi, Wei estate steward then lashed at a woman nearby. The woman jumped on the spot with her eyes squeezed shut, letting out sharp shrieks.

A lash caught Tan Laizi across the forehead, now burning with searing pain. He quickly huddled with a few others at the side of the street, watching the woman take the beating.

After being captured at Balizhuang, this Qing army unit's marching speed had slowed. The next day, a large force of cavalry exerted deterrence around Linqing, while Wei estate steward led them east. Along the way, they heard several cannon shots, though no one knew who was firing.

They passed Chujiaquan that day and made camp not long after. A large number of carts and carriages caught up from behind, many not belonging to their own banner. Tan Laizi saw many red banners; those people were marching further east.

The road was yielded to these Red Banner troops and horses to advance first. The column behind was a mass of bondservants, men and women alike, most hauling handcarts loaded with all kinds of supplies from cloth to grain, while others carried loads on shoulder poles or their backs. Those who dropped dead from exhaustion lined the road endlessly.

From Balizhuang to Weijiawan, they had traveled for two days, only arriving at Weijiawan today. Wei estate steward said they would stop here for two days to let the other banner go ahead first, so they could thoroughly search and loot Weijiawan.

Weijiawan had already been ransacked once, but since the vanguard had advanced very quickly without bringing large numbers of bondservants, a great deal of supplies still remained in the market town. Master Menggetu had two horses when he entered the border. Near Dezhou, he seized a horse and a mule, along with two oxen, and his bondservants swelled to eleven. Now he had one mule-drawn cart and five handcarts, all piled high with cloth and grain. At the same time, consumption was heavy; the livestock especially needed large amounts of fodder beans to replenish their strength, a need even more urgent than rice or flour.

Tan Laizi knew the area well. Not only had he found grain at Balizhuang, but he also helped locate a rice and bean storehouse at Chujiaquan. Gertu was one of the four squad leaders in the company, and above him was an official called a Daizi. The Daizi had more horses under him and an extremely urgent need for bean fodder. The beans Tan Laizi found at Chujiaquan solved the Daizi's pressing need and earned the superior's appreciation. Menggetu thus regarded Tan Laizi as a qualified guide. At present, Tan Laizi basically did no heavy manual labor, mainly responsible for light tasks like lighting fires and cooking.

"Bean shop!"

At Wei estate steward's bellow, Tan Laizi's whole body shuddered. He quickly led the way toward the bean fodder shop he remembered. There were several rice and bean shops along the riverbank, all containing bean fodder. The one at the Boat Dock was just one of them; what it stored had been purchased by the Anqing Battalion. Much of the grain Tan Laizi had shipped to Wei County was dispatched from here.

Amid the jostling crowds of Weijiawan, Tan Laizi ran like the wind, leading Wei estate steward and the other bondservants to the rice and bean shop, only to find the road along the river also packed with people. Many were going in and out of those rice and bean shops. The door planks of the last rice and bean shop had just been smashed open, and a group of bondservants was rushing in, carrying out sack after sack of rice and beans.

Wei estate steward ran to the doorway but was shouted at and cursed by a man who looked like a elite guard. Not daring to provoke a true Yi elite guard, he turned back and started whipping Tan Laizi, blaming him for the delay at the paper shop that let others get there first.

Tan Laizi shielded his head and dodged. In his panic, he remembered a separate courtyard at the Boat Dock that also held some private grain stores. He hastily led them there. The place was in a small alley and had not been looted after all. Though the quantity was small, it at least got them through the day's crisis.

The group shouldered the grain sacks and returned to the west end of Weijiawan, where they were stationed. The entire company was nearby. Tan Laizi was staying in a large residence; the inner courtyard was where the Daizi lived, Master Menggetu occupied the outer courtyard, and the bondservants could only huddle under the eaves.

Tan Laizi had carried a sack of rice, and his legs were trembling with exhaustion. The moment he entered the courtyard gate, he collapsed to sit on the ground. Before he could even catch his breath, Wei estate steward again used his whip to drive all eleven bondservants into the inner courtyard.

Tan Laizi was short, his view blocked by the two people in front. He only heard wailing coming from the inner courtyard. Once inside, he craned his neck to look and saw four men hanging upside down under the covered corridor. Their clothes had fallen downward, exposing their bare waists. The sounds they made were very weak, something between weeping and pleading.

Wei estate steward waited for everyone to stand still before roaring at them, "This morning, a slave ran away from Master Daizi's place here. These four are the mutual responsibility group. Lift your heads and look!"

Tan Laizi kept his head lowered, his eyes cautiously rolling upward. Those hanging upside down were still panting out white mist; their hair hung downward, already crusted with ice.

A man wrapped in several layers of padded clothes carried a water bucket to the corridor, stopping in front of the four. He took a wooden ladle from the bucket, scooped up water, and poured it over each person's exposed waist.

Whenever someone was doused, they would thrash violently a few times, their wails growing louder. The man only poured a little water, clearly not wanting them to die immediately.

"This is the fate of runaways. Once the Master captures you, you are no longer human. For your whole life, you are the bondservant slaves of our Bordered Yellow Banner Master. Whoever runs is a fugitive. When the Master catches them back, he will make sure they wish they were dead. Open your eyes wide and understand clearly." Wei estate steward glared fiercely at everyone. "You eleven are divided into two squads of five. Each squad watches and controls each other. If even one runs away, even if another family's Master catches him, the rest of you will also be executed under the Mutual Responsibility System."

The wails of those few men gradually subsided again. The eleven bondservants each shrank into a ball, trembling all over, not daring to lift their heads to look at Wei estate steward. Standing in this inner courtyard, Tan Laizi felt an unbearable torment. He did not know how long it would take for those men to die. Judging by the look of the man pouring water, he would not grant them a quick end.

Wei estate steward suddenly bellowed, "Kneel!"

Ten bondservants dropped to their knees in unison. The woman was a bit slow and only knelt after Wei estate steward had lashed her a few times.

"You think the one who ran away will meet a good end? He shaved his head. If the Ming State soldiers catch him, one slash of the sword and he's taken as a military merit — still won't live." Wei estate steward paced before the crowd. "Now, you will all have your heads shaved."

A barber carrying a shoulder pole came over. Wei estate steward gave him an ingratiating smile. The barber said little and directly began shaving the first person's head. Low, suppressed sobs rose from the line.

Tan Laizi was third in line. He could even hear the faint, rasping sound of the blade cutting hair. The bondservant beside him was shaking all over. Tan Laizi thought about his own hair being shaved and wondered if this was how he would turn into a Tartar.

The barber was very skilled; in a short while, he finished the first head and moved his pole to stand before the second person. The barber's feet were right in Tan Laizi's line of sight, and then strands of hair drifted lightly to the ground.

Tan Laizi was shaking so much he could barely stay kneeling, almost collapsing to the ground, a whimpering cry escaping his mouth.

The pole soon arrived in front of him. He only felt a hand groping over his head. Tan Laizi could barely breathe; for a moment, tears and snot streamed down his face, but he dared not cry out loud.

"This scabby head is troublesome. Master Gertu still has dozens more to shave over there. I'll deal with it when I'm free."

He only heard Wei estate steward respond. Tan Laizi's whole body went limp. By the time he came back to his senses, the pole had already left.

In a daze, he did not know when the others' heads had been shaved. Wei estate steward then led them back to the outer courtyard. Tan Laizi was, as usual, responsible for lighting the fire. Wei estate steward leaned in close to smell the fragrance of the burning Banknotes.

This time, Tan Laizi did not hesitate in the slightest. When Wei estate steward said to add one more, he added one more.

All the bondservants fed the livestock and cooked their meals. Those who finished hid under the eaves. No one dared say a word, nor did they dare exchange any glances with one another.

The evening meal was thin congee and coarse grain. Tan Laizi's stomach was hungry, but he surprisingly had no appetite at all. He forced down a little and felt full.

After nightfall, they dismantled the doors and windows of the outer courtyard, leaving only Master Menggetu's room intact. In the evening, Master Menggetu first came to check on the horses, then counted the bondservants. He exchanged a few low words with Wei estate steward, instructing everyone to sleep by the fire so they would not freeze to death.

The moans from the inner courtyard still drifted over faintly. Tan Laizi remained in a trance-like state the entire night, only the bone-chilling cold of the winter night feeling so real.

Wei estate steward wrapped himself in a thick cotton quilt. Before lying down, he swept his gaze over the crowd. "If you want to stay alive, keep a good watch on your own squad. No one is allowed to be alone anywhere. That's what keeps your own life safe."

With that, he lay down and slept. Not a single one of the other bondservants slept. Occasionally, they glanced toward others, their eyes flickering unpredictably in the firelight.

Tan Laizi curled up into a ball, habitually tucking his hands into his chest. He touched that stack of Banknotes, now grown thin. For a moment, he did not even register what it was, as if it belonged to a past life.

After an unknown length of time, the agonized moans from the inner courtyard seemed to fade away as well. Tan Laizi was drifting hazily toward sleep when suddenly someone moved about in the courtyard.

Tan Laizi's eyes snapped open. Breathing rapidly, he lay prone on the ground, his head swiveling to look at the others. They were all awake too. Only after everyone confirmed to one another that no one had escaped did they each let out a sigh of relief.

The person pacing in the courtyard had come from the inner courtyard, seemingly the Daizi. His estate steward carried a lantern. The two of them sought out Master Menggetu to talk, speaking in low voices for quite a while.

Then the Daizi returned to the inner courtyard. Menggetu gave Wei estate steward a few instructions. Wei estate steward helped him don his armor, and Menggetu, carrying the lantern, went out the gate.

It was still deep night, the sky utterly devoid of light. Tan Laizi had no idea why Menggetu needed to go out at this hour.

When Wei estate steward turned back around, Tan Laizi hesitated for a moment, then stood up. The instant he moved, several pairs of eyes nearby simultaneously swiveled toward him. Tan Laizi hurriedly slowed his movements and walked gradually to Wei estate steward's side.

"estate steward, what business is the Master off to? Is there anything this lowly one can do for you, estate steward?"

Because he could find grain, Wei estate steward had been fairly polite to Tan Laizi these past two days. He waved his hand dismissively. "The Plain Red Banner lost a skirmish in a battle up ahead; quite a few men died. Word only came in the evening. Master Bayintu has ordered all the elite guard to assemble in one place. These are just minor setbacks. Our Masters have never lost a battle. Master Menggetu has gone to inspect the Ambush Army and told us to be on our guard, that's all."

Tan Laizi said indignantly, "Where did such detestable grunts come from!"

Wei estate steward replied indifferently, "Only said they came from the south."

"These grunts truly don't know what's good for them. If they had any sense, they'd flee for their lives at once and not come provoke our Master's anger."

Wei estate steward waved him back. Tan Laizi sat back down by the fire. Suddenly, he felt an immense lightness in his heart, and waves of drowsiness washed over him.

He lay down just as he was, in his clothes, angling his back toward the fire. Suddenly, another agonized moan rang out from the inner courtyard. Tan Laizi clenched his fist tightly, his heart surging with excitement again. His body trembled involuntarily, and an unconscious smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

After a long while, Tan Laizi's mood settled. Feeling the cold on his chest again, he shifted his lying position, then lifted his head — and suddenly realized the woman across from him was staring wide-eyed, looking at him blankly.

Tan Laizi watched her for a moment, then flipped back over, turning his back to the woman.

His hand touched the Banknote in his bosom again. Perhaps from being warmed by the fire moments ago, the stack of papers now felt warm against him. Tan Laizi murmured, "General Pang, kill these heaven-cursed Tartars."

……

Tongcheng Post in Dong'e County — a market town along the post road, yet larger in scale than the county seats of Boping and Chiping, and it even had a City Wall eight li long.

The only official institution within the market town was the post station. This City Wall had served no practical purpose for many years and lacked public funds for maintenance; large sections had collapsed, and in many places the bricks and stones had been carted off by people to build houses. The Rammed Earth inside, eroded by rain, had turned into earthen slopes. So when the Anqing Cavalry arrived, the people inside the town had no way to keep them out even if they wanted to.

Because this place was far from Linqing, although word had come that the Tartars had invaded, few believed the Tartars would actually come here. A large number of people therefore remained in the market town. Only after the two Anqing Cavalry Divisions arrived first did the locals learn that the Tartars were already in the Boping area.

On the daytime of the nineteenth, the entire market town was in chaos. Many people fled to the countryside. The postmaster had long since vanished without a trace. In the entire postmaster's compound, only a Cook, a sweeper, and a gatekeeper remained — all too old to run.

At this moment, the Main Hall of the postmaster's compound had been taken over by the Central Army of the Anqing Cavalry Camp. Tu Dianli, holding his register, addressed Pang Yu at the head seat: "After interrogating the captives, we have learned that the Tartars ambushed at Thirty-Li Post today were the Vanguard of the Plain Red Banner. Their commander was Mele Janggin Shuozhan of the Plain Red Banner. From each company, two Imperial Guard elite guard, five Mounted Armor, and five Foot-Armour were drawn, along with over a hundred Red Banner Mongol, about seventy Red Banner Han Army, and thirty Mongol troops under Badar of the Naiman Tribe. The total exceeded five hundred. Except for the Naiman Tribe contingent, all came from under the Plain Red Banner."

"What was their objective?"

"The captives only knew they were headed for Changqing. It was after discovering our camp's movements yesterday that they were redirected south."

The officers attending the meeting all listened with intense focus. Wu Dacai was even taking notes with a brush. Tu Dianli continued: "Outside Thirty-Li Post, the Cavalry First Division took a total of seventeen heads. Inside Thirty-Li Post, they took one hundred and ninety-three Tartar heads. Over ten heads could not be identified. A total of twenty-one were captured, including one elite guard, four Mounted Armor, seven Foot-Armour, three Red Banner Mongol, and six Red Banner Han Army. The captives identified among the heads one Company Commander, Haksaha, and captured twenty-seven elite guard Banner Back-Flags, three Vanguard Banner Back-Flags, two company Banners, thirty-three sets of scale armor, twenty-six sets of Chain Mail, fifty-five sets of iron-reinforced cotton armor, and ninety-four sets of cotton armor. Some individuals wore double armor. The armor-wearing rate of this Tartar Vanguard unit was roughly seventy percent. We captured two hundred and three horses with saddles and tack. Weapons and gold and silver have yet to be inventoried."

Pang Yu raised his head and addressed everyone: "Today, the officers and soldiers of the entire camp fought a desperate battle, sweeping away the Tartars' rampant arrogance and greatly boosting the people's morale and the army's spirit. This officer first thanks each of you for your valiant struggle."

The officers immediately stood. Pang Yu waved for them to sit and signaled Tu Dianli to continue.

"The Personal Guard Division had nine killed in action. The Mounted Scout Cavalry had thirteen killed. The Distant Scouts had five killed. The Artillery had one killed. The Civilian Laborers had three killed. Total wounded within the town is ninety-three, of whom fifteen are severely wounded. Outside the market town, the Cavalry First Division had twenty-six killed and forty-seven wounded. The First Division's Warhorses suffered a total of twenty-two dead and injured. The Mounted Scout Cavalry's Warhorses are missing two, and two died of illness…"

Pang Yu first turned to Chen Rulie. "Can the Mounted Scout Cavalry still fight?"

Chen Rulie's mood was somewhat low — not only because of the Mounted Scout Cavalry's heavy losses, but also because of the Cavalry First Division. Most of these cavalrymen had been recruited after the Battle of Chemah. They had only basic riding skills but no cavalry experience whatsoever. After a year of training, they were still utterly outmatched against the Tartar cavalry. Over the three days of pursuit, they had suffered grievous losses. Today, just carrying out the feint and counterattack missions had cost them over twenty men. They had only succeeded in driving the enemy back in the end by relying on numbers. In truth, Chen Rulie felt that the Tartars had been thrown into disarray by the ambush; otherwise, the Cavalry First Division might not have been able to force back the remaining several hundred Tartars.

He intuitively sensed that everyone in the tent now also lacked confidence in the regular cavalry. The moment Pang Yu spoke, he had asked about the Mounted Scout Cavalry. These men were rich in combat experience, the elite of the Anqing Battalion, tasked with the most critical reconnaissance and screening missions. Today they had also doubled as Light Infantry. With an establishment of one Company and two Banner Teams, their total strength was two hundred men. Now, just over eighty remained combat-capable. The remnants of each Team could no longer support combat operations. Tonight, they could only consolidate several Squads to full strength. The Anqing Battalion's battlefield reconnaissance capability was rapidly declining. Pang Yu first needed to determine what types of missions the Mounted Scout Cavalry could still carry out.

"The Mounted Scout Cavalry had thirteen killed and twenty-one wounded. Among the wounded, only a small portion can still ride and fight. The exact number is still awaiting confirmation from the military medical station. Deducting those killed, wounded, or fallen ill these past few days, only just over eighty men remain combat-capable at this moment." Chen Rulie paused for a moment, then replied, "The Mounted Scout Cavalry can only carry out scout missions in one direction. They cannot fulfill screening missions."

Pang Yu nodded and turned to Tu Dianli. "What does the Advisory Room think we should do tomorrow? Fortify at Tongcheng Post, or continue withdrawing south to break away from the Tartars' reconnaissance?"

"The Tartars suffered a defeat today. After noon, they retreated in defeat to Chiping. By Nightfall, their Vanguard General Officers will have clarified the situation. If word is relayed through the night, the Tartars in the Gaotang and Dongchang directions will receive the news by early tomorrow morning. The greatest threat is from the Dongchang direction. We cannot scout that far. According to the captives' accounts, as far as they know, heading east, besides the Plain Red Banner, there are also the Bordered Red Banner, Tumed's Gumutaiji, Wang Lama, the various Mongol tribes of Chahar, Aohan, and Naiman, and the Han Army under Shi Tingzhu. The captives do not know which Road Passage these forces actually took. If there is a large Tartar army at Dongchang, then once they receive word that there are Government Troops at Thirty-Li Post, they will certainly cut off our retreat from Dong'e. Boping and Gaotang will reinforce Chiping, bottling us up on the post road." Tu Dianli silently calculated for a moment, then said, "The Advisory Room still recommends withdrawing past Dong'e as the priority, to break contact with the Tartars. But we only have one day tomorrow. We must crush that Tartar force at Dong'e before Noon tomorrow; otherwise, we risk being trapped on the road by the Tartars. The secondary recommendation is to fortify in place at Tongcheng Post — pile timber and stones at the breaches in the City Wall, construct fortifications, deploy the Cannons, and fight the Tartars to the death right here at Tongcheng Post."

……

Note 1: Regarding the advance routes of the Qing army's various banners. The Qing army's battle reports are chaotically recorded, with many contradictions and an extremely confused timeline. There are also many errors from Manchu-to-Chinese translation, making the advance routes unclear. Analyzing from the fallen cities first: the Qing army had two main axes of advance eastward. The first was Chujiaquan — Weijiawan — Boping — Chiping — Changqing — Jinan. The second was Youfang Ferry — Xiajin — Gaotang — Yucheng — Jinan. Of these two axes, according to the Shengjing Qing army's Manchu battle reports, the Plain Red Banner appeared at Yucheng. But in another battle report, one Qing force accepted the surrender of Pingyin County. Qing battle reports are generally submitted by banner or by Left Wing/Right Wing, and a single report usually contains the same unit. The first section of that report states the Plain Red Banner accepted the surrender of Gaoyi, so the second section, accepting the surrender of Pingyin County, should also be the Plain Red Banner. This force was on the fringe of the Qing army's main offensive front and served a screening role.

Neither Dong'e nor Pingyin fell, and the goods extorted were very few. The records show Pingyin offered ten horses as tribute — an extremely limited haul. It can be inferred that this Qing force was weak; otherwise, they would have directly assaulted the city. This small detachment of the Plain Red Banner was primarily securing the flank and looting a bit along the way. Given that a Plain Red Banner detachment appeared at Pingyin, there must have been Right Wing Army movement on the Chiping road.

In a Tieba thread recommended by a fellow reader, another reader provided materials proving that the Bordered Yellow Banner participated in the attacks on Boping and Chiping. The records are very clear. Thank you to that reader for the materials.

After the first split of forces at Baoding, there were also instances of mixed-banner city assaults by troops from both wings. This time, the initial eastward march had a relatively narrow front with few usable roads. The two wings may not have strictly separated by Left and Right Wing routes, but instead used the two main eastward roads in an interleaved fashion based on marching order.

Therefore, the setting ultimately adopted is: the first to appear at Boping and Chiping was the Right Wing Army, advancing from there toward Jinan. Their Vanguard was the Plain Red Banner. At the same time, a weaker detachment of the Plain Red Banner screened the flank in the Dong'e direction. Afterward, the Left Wing entered this road to carry out subsequent looting and city assaults.

A brief mention of the Jining and Yanzhou direction: it was completely outside the Qing army's axis of advance. This is primarily deduced from the timeline. Huang Taiji attacked Songshan again on the twenty-second day of the second month to coordinate with the border-incursion army. Because the two sides could not communicate after the border incursion, it can be determined that the agreed time to exit the border was around the twentieth day of the second month. The final delay may have been an accident caused by Yoto's death from illness.

This border-exit time was likely set personally by Huang Taiji and was a very important deadline. With this time constraint, neither wing commander would have sent major forces south in late December to waste time. Their agreement to rendezvous at Jinghai on the twentieth day of the first month also corroborates this timing. The claim of an eleven-day Siege of Yanzhou, apart from Yanzhou's own letter requesting aid sent to Yan Ancestral Sacrifice, has no credible logic or basis.