Chapter 459: Dong'e

In the early hours of the twentieth, at the north wall of Tongcheng Post.

Tongcheng Post was a critical junction on the north–south post road, larger in scale than some small county seats, and like those county towns it had developed a Guanxiang district outside its walls. The market town stretched five li north to south, roughly two and a half li of that within the walled area, while the east and west walls were one and a half li long, making the total wall length eight li.

The southern part of the town lay along a former course of the Yellow River, which the town's expansion had gradually encroached upon, forming a low-lying area; the town and its walls undulated with the terrain.

Because it sat in low ground, South City frequently suffered flooding, and many sections had collapsed. The rammed earth, scoured by water, had turned into low earthen slopes, some gaps reaching ten zhang wide.

The north wall had collapsed in fewer places than the south, with only three large breaches. During the night each was guarded by an Iron Armor Soldiers squad, and several campfires had been lit inside the north gate, with people tossing firewood onto them from time to time.

Tongcheng Pu was a key post-road town with a large population and thriving commerce. Although many people had fled to the countryside, they could only take their valuables — firewood and the like could not be carried off. Anqing Battalion had spent some silver to purchase ample firewood, and fires for warmth burned in many places along the streets. Any spot with an enclosing wall offered better protection than open country. With the city wall as shelter, there was no fear of night raids or enemy reconnaissance, and since Tongcheng Post had no yamen in charge, Anqing Battalion could move in without obstruction — which was why Clerk Officer Tu had thought of this place first when retreating. Yet the Advisory Room still did not consider it the best defensive position.

At that moment, many civilian laborers were still busy at the north wall breaches, tearing down building materials nearby. A few locals braved the bitter cold to watch from the sidelines, occasionally quarreling with the laborers.

"Your Honor sees clearly — if only the bricks had been taken, repairs would be easy, but the rammed earth at these two breaches has already collapsed. Filling them in overnight will be extremely difficult."

The speaker was the Logistics Mobile Corps Commander. During battle he had little to do, but before and after a fight he was the busiest of all; even repairing the walls at night fell solely to him.

Pang Yu had Zhuang Chaozheng and Clerk Officer Tu with him. The three had made a circuit of the area, and the work was progressing more slowly than Pang Yu had expected. Only a little over a hundred people seemed to be hauling earth and stone at the north wall, and there were not enough loaders either.

Pang Yu asked the Logistics Mobile Corps Commander, "Why are there only this many?"

"Replying to Your Honor: we posted notices in the town during the day, recruiting laborers at five qian of silver per day, and women at three qian. By nightfall we had recruited over seven hundred. Each civil laborer from Anqing took charge of ten workers. We paid half the silver up front, but some took the money and ran. In the dark it's hard to keep track, and our Anqing laborers can't manage them all. They don't know the people or where they live. Late at night, in freezing cold, only about two hundred remain."

Just then a clamor broke out by the wall. Several Personal Soldiers, hands on sword hilts, warily closed in around Pang Yu.

Pang Yu turned to look. A few local commoners were refusing to let materials from a house be torn down. The men doing the demolition had Anqing accents, and neither side would yield.

"A repair job like this should be contracted out to the local gentry, or even to local thugs and ruffians. You just set the construction requirements — use carriages, stone, timber, whatever — as long as the gaps are plugged before dawn, settle his wages. One tael or two taels a day is fine, so long as the wall is fully repaired." Pang Yu thought for a moment. "You're in charge of the Logistics Division, and you already have plenty on your plate. Something like this can be handled by Tan Fort Chief."

"Tan Fort Chief went missing at LinQing Eight-Mile Village while delivering grain. I fear he may already be…"

Pang Yu gave a slightly surprised "Oh." He had only just heard of this, but in wartime people died at any moment; once you grew used to it, there was not much grief to speak of. He waved a hand. "After daybreak, do it the way I just said. The north wall must be repaired by noon."

"Then should the south wall still be repaired?"

"Repair the north wall first. The town wall as a whole is too long. If the Tartars come quickly, we may only be able to hold half the town. From Cross Street northward, there are walls on three sides, so we would only need to defend one. After the north wall is repaired, have the laborers first build street barricades in the north city. The south wall will be repaired last."

The Logistics Mobile Corps Commander nodded repeatedly. "Then your subordinate will certainly move faster."

Pang Yu turned to Clerk Officer Tu. "If we must defend the city, what are the highest-priority supplies we still lack? Tell the Logistics Division everything at once."

"Gunpowder, bamboo tubes, iron nails. There are five firecracker shops in town, and they stock plenty of goods for the New Year season — best to buy them all. At the boat dock they say someone sells gunpowder alone, but the shopkeeper has fled; we still need to find his storehouse. There are six bamboo ware shops, all of which can process bamboo tubes, and seven ironware shops — nails are not in short supply…"

"Make a list for the Logistics Division. Where the shopkeeper is present, pay silver and buy. Where no one is there, requisition first."

Clerk Officer Tu immediately gave instructions to the advisor behind him. Pang Yu drew a breath, suppressing a faintly irritable mood. In the seventh year of Chongzhen, when they first resisted the Roving Bandits, Tongcheng had produced large numbers of bamboo tube fire thunders — essentially large firecrackers packed with iron nails. They were devastating against unarmored bandits. But after the Garrison Battalion was established, Pang Yu had favored offensive operations, and defensive city battles grew rarer; these bamboo tube fire thunders were seldom used. When they set out on this rally to the king campaign, Pang Yu had never anticipated a defensive battle and had not brought a single fire thunder. Now they could only improvise.

"Your Honor, there is one more urgent matter." The Logistics Mobile Corps Commander edged closer. "Ready silver is running low. If we buy all this gunpowder and equipment, I fear we won't have enough to purchase rice and beans later."

Pang Yu nodded. Anqing Battalion's original operations plan only extended to the end of the eleventh month, or at the latest mid-twelfth month — meaning they should already be on the return journey. The ready silver they had brought had been unexpectedly drained in Xuzhou, and grain prices in Shandong were even higher, so the silver had dwindled considerably.

"Here in Tongcheng Post, have that boat dock master do the talking. Promise to make up the silver later, and you can set the price a bit higher. Whether those master agree or not, we must secure the supplies first. Start making fire thunders tomorrow morning, and send the Firearm Team people to the site to teach the making."

"Your Honor, you said we cannot…"

"Indeed we cannot rob them. But we can requisition." Pang Yu said it as if it were obvious. "We are going to pay — how can that be called robbery? If those master refuse to give us gunpowder and the city cannot be held, the Tartars will take it anyway. That is aiding the enemy. Not taking their heads is already being polite."

"Your Honor speaks true reason."

At that moment a few snowflakes drifted down. Pang Yu looked up at the pitch-black night sky; fortunately it was not the kind of heavy snow.

Pang Yu turned to Clerk Officer Tu and Zhuang Chaozheng. "First prepare to hold to the death, and wait for tomorrow's cavalry operation results at Dong'e. Has Chen Rulie submitted his plan yet?"

"It just came in. He says the First Cavalry Division suffered heavy losses yesterday and still has to defend the Training Ground Forward Post. The cavalry can at most deploy three Companies, bring four cannons, and send out all the Mounted Scout cavalry. The Mounted Scout will set out before dawn to set an ambush at Nanjing Shop. After daybreak, Chen Rulie will personally lead the cavalry to attack the Tartars at Dong'e. Once Your Honor signs and issues the battle order token, the Mounted Scout will be ready to move out."

Pang Yu listened, frowning. Tongcheng Post was forty li from Dong'e, with two waypoints in between — Beijing Shop and Nanjing Shop. Setting the Mounted Scout ambush at Nanjing Shop was meant to counter any Qing army scout cavalry and prevent the regular cavalry from being discovered too early. Once the Qing army was alerted, breaking into their camp would not be easy.

Yesterday's reconnaissance of Dong'e had been vague; the Qing camp's location was not confirmed. The last sighting of Qing troops was near the North Gate Training Ground in Dong'e, where they might be encamped.

Anqing Battalion had passed through Dong'e earlier, and the North Gate Training Ground did have an enclosing wall. Yesterday's reconnaissance estimated the Qing force at over two hundred. Whether more Tartars had arrived today was unknown, but even if there were only two hundred Tartars, Pang Yu did not believe the Anqing cavalry could storm their camp — after all, just yesterday an entire Company of cavalry had been badly mauled by forty Tartars.

Pang Yu also dared not send the Personal Guard Division to attack. The enemy situation in the Dong'e direction was unclear; if those two hundred were merely the vanguard, then over a thousand could be following behind. The Iron Armor Soldiers would march forty li there, fail to take the position, and march back — eighty li in a single day. Even if they made it back, it would severely impact the subsequent city defense. And the most likely outcome was being trapped on the road by Qing cavalry, just as Cao Cao had done by the Pure Stream River. After a night of encirclement, those formidable Iron Armor Soldiers would mostly freeze to death on the march.

So the Advisory Room's suggestion was also to send only the cavalry to Dong'e — if they couldn't win, they could still run back. It was merely a probing attempt. Clerk Officer Tu looked at Pang Yu with some expectation. What he wanted most was to withdraw past Dong'e into the mountain region to the south, ideally crossing the Langxi River and setting up defenses around Old County or Wanggu Store. The defensive posture would be far better, and the Qing army would struggle to exploit its numerical advantage in the mountains.

Pang Yu glanced at Clerk Officer Tu. Given the cavalry's current combat effectiveness, the odds of successfully attacking the Qing troops at Dong'e were slim, but it still seemed worth a try. For cavalry, eighty li round trip was not far, and the Qing troops at Dong'e might not have received word from Chiping, so their preparations might not be too thorough — it seemed worth attempting. After pondering a moment, he said, "Bring the order token for me to sign and issue. Tell Chen Rulie: cavalry is an offensive arm — be bolder."

……

"Qin Shu, that silver Lord Pang gave — let me share some with you."

Heading toward the West Gate from Cross Street stood a Bixia Yuanjun Temple, apparently thriving with daily incense offerings. Around the temple was a ring of sizable stables, normally used to feed worshippers' livestock, now also packed with horses — though these all belonged to the Mounted Scout.

Manda'er was right across from the west stable, his outstretched palm holding a cut piece of silver ingot. The cut was still clean, and in the firelight from the street you could see the bright silvery gleam inside — clearly freshly cut.

Qin Jiuze, sitting against the wall nearby, waved a hand. "The silver purity is a full ninety percent. Keep it for yourself."

Manda'er put the silver away again. Qin Jiuze asked calmly, "How much did he give you?"

"Forty taels. Not a head bounty — the Banner Commander calculated it for me." Manda'er paused, then added, "Yang Guangdi and the others didn't get any."

"They'll get theirs too, but only when we return. Lord Pang knows we're outsiders — if he didn't give silver, he'd worry we'd get other ideas."

Manda'er turned around. "You're saying Lord Pang still treats us as outsiders."

Qin Jiuze bit into a flatbread, a puff of white breath escaping his mouth. "Not as outsiders. I'm saying he must have thought it through before paying us this way. This Anqing Battalion takes us seriously, and cares about what you're thinking."

Manda'er gave an "Oh." "This Military Camp is good and all, but there aren't even a few Fire Soldiers — feeding the horses and all that, we have to do it ourselves."

Looking up, he saw someone approaching and quickly nudged Qin Jiuze. "The Banner Commander's here."

The two hurriedly rose. The Banner Commander was following behind an officer. The officer looked fair and clean-cut, unlike the typical military officer.

"I've told you both the military law — you cannot move beyond your designated post area at night, unless led by an officer of Deputy Battalion Commander rank or above." The Banner Commander looked respectfully at the officer, then said, "This is Clerk Officer Zhang of our Second Cavalry Division. He is on his way to the military medic station to visit the wounded and can bring a few soldiers along. You two want to see Yang Shisan — you can go together with Clerk Officer Zhang."

Qin Jiuze and his companion had never heard of any "Clerk Officer" back in Xuan-Da; it sounded a bit like a clerk or scribe. But seeing the Banner Commander's deferential attitude and hearing him addressed as "Lord Zhang," this was certainly no mere scribe.

The two had been fighting nonstop since joining Anqing Battalion and had only been exposed to the Banner Team level. The higher organization was a complete fog. They had only heard Yang Guangdi talk about it in spare moments — they understood terms like Garrison Inspector, Centurion, and Company Commander, but some they couldn't grasp, like the dedicated advisors in each Division and Thousand-Leader Headquarters, some managing logistics, some operations and training, and things like Sergeant Major and Artillery Commander — none of which existed in Xuan-Da.

Already thoroughly confused, now here came a "Clerk Officer." Not daring to ask questions, they could only nod respectfully and offer thanks. The officer carried a lantern himself and led the way toward the Cross Street intersection. The Banner Commander waved a hand and led the two as they followed behind.

His tone was very gentle. "You two are both good men who have slain Tartars. I hear you fought bravely today at Thirty-Li Post and achieved no small military merit."

The two had no idea how to respond. Qin Jiuze instinctively hunched his back. The Clerk Officer continued, "In the future, you must teach our comrades in the battalion more. Our Anqing Battalion — the infantry, artillery, and Water Army are all strong, but the cavalry is somewhat lacking. Anqing lies by the Great River; everyone mostly travels by boat, and few ride horses. Training cavalry yields half the result for twice the effort…"

The Clerk Officer was talkative. They walked for quite a while toward Cross Street, listening to him speak the whole time, the three of them unable to get a word in. Just as it was growing a bit awkward, they heard a shouted challenge ahead.

"Who goes there."

Clerk Officer Zhang said unhurriedly, "I'll go."

"Night password!"

"North Gorge."

The other side replied, "Fierce Tiger."

A sentry emerged from the darkness. Clerk Officer Zhang handed over his identity badge. The sentry raised his lantern and examined it carefully, then looked up at Clerk Officer Zhang and said, "Where to?"

"To the military medic station to inspect the wounded."

The sentry had likely seen plenty of this all night. Without the slightest surprise, he handed the badge back, then stood straight, placed his right arm across his chest in salute, and said, "Sir, please proceed."

After they had walked a few paces, Man Da'er asked in a low voice, full of astonishment, "Can he read?"

"Our Anqing soldier tags are different from other outfits. Each man's unit and rank are marked on them. You only need to memorize them for a day or two." Banner Commander Chen patiently told Man Da'er, "The carpenters from the Second Cavalry Division have all been reassigned to inspect the street barricades. Your two temporary military badges will likely have to wait a few more days."

Man Da'er said carefully, "This humble one is in no hurry, no hurry at all."

Clerk Officer Zhang said warmly, "You two are new here. If there is anything you do not understand, come ask me, Zhang, about it. Major matters or minor ones, all are welcome. Please do not stand on ceremony."

The impression these Southern Troops gave them was that ordinary officers were all very strict, and Centurion-level men had to maintain their dignity, yet Sir Pang was very courteous. This clerk officer even referred to himself as 'Zhang' and his attitude was especially polite. This made the two of them very uncomfortable, and even less able to guess what this officer actually did.

Man Da'er mustered his courage and asked, "Sir Zhang, how much monthly pay can a scout cavalryman in our ying draw?"

"Starting from the day you pass the assessment and receive your scout cavalry badge, the base rate is three taels. A non-commissioned officer adds one tael per rank, so Sergeant Qin gets four taels. Then there is skill pay: five mace for crossbow, one tael for mounted archery, one tael for the Mongol language. The final amount set is six taels and five mace. Man Da'er, you also have these skills, but you are not an NCO, so it should be five taels and five mace. But there is no need to worry. With Man Da'er's ability, becoming an NCO is only a matter of time."

Man Da'er's mouth opened and closed repeatedly. He gesticulated wildly and said, "Sir Zhang, what else can I add?"

"There is also literacy, flag signals, firearms, range estimation… there are many such skills. I, Zhang, cannot recall them all at the moment. You two have just entered the ying and indeed have not had the time to be assessed. Although you are not yet formal scout cavalrymen, Sir Pang ordered that scout cavalrymen be estimated first by combat skill. Your Banner Commander Chen set all three of you as qualified. The sir has specially permitted pay to be issued at the scout cavalry rate. The formal assessment will be conducted after we return to Anqing. Assessment is military law — you must pass the assessment before formal scout cavalry badges can be issued." Clerk Officer Zhang stopped and pointed at a lantern ahead. "We've arrived as we were speaking. The military medic station is set up right here. Come with me to inspect the wounded."

Banner Commander Chen said in a low voice from behind, "Sir Zhang, the scout cavalry depart in an hour. We must reach the Nanjing Shop ambush position before daybreak. After visiting the wounded from our own banner team, we will return to the camp ground first and will not wait for you, sir, to go together."

Clerk Officer Zhang clearly knew of this matter. He raised a hand toward Banner Commander Chen and said, "Banner Commander Chen, the scout cavalry are the elite of the elite in our ying. The losses this time are already not small. Be extremely careful in all actions. Every single man is of the utmost importance, the utmost importance."

"This humble one understands…"

Clerk Officer Zhang waved his hand. "But killing Tartars is also of the utmost importance. I, Zhang, will await good news from you."

Before Banner Commander Chen could reply, Man Da'er stepped forward and said, "Sir Zhang, set your mind at ease. We will certainly kill every last Tartar in Dong'e."

Clerk Officer Zhang nodded at Man Da'er encouragingly. Qin Jiuze kept his head down, staring at the ground, and exhaled a puff of white breath through his nose.