Chapter 461: North Gate

The county seat of Dong'e shifted locations many times over the course of history. In the eighth year of the Hongwu era, early in the Ming dynasty, it was moved to its present site to escape flooding from the Yellow River.

At first there was only a rammed-earth wall; after successive expansions and repairs, the city reached considerable scale. The wall circuit measured four li and one hundred thirty paces, the wall itself stood two zhang five chi higher than the parapet and was two zhang thick, with one thousand two hundred fifty-three arrow crenels. The moat was one zhang five chi wide and one zhang deep.

On the post road two li north of Dong'e, a mounted column was advancing slowly southward along the road. At the front rode ten cavalrymen; behind them came over fifty civilians on foot, their clothing a motley of every color and style, only a few wearing hats. Bringing up the rear were several more cavalrymen. Half of these riders wore leather jackets, giving the appearance of a small Qing squad that had rounded up captives.

Among the marching column, Yang Guangdi walked beside a handcart. Pushing it was the roving cavalryman who had thrown the javelin. A red quilt was spread over the cart bed; underneath it lay the weapons of several men nearby, including Yang Guangdi's waist saber and Lumi gun. He now carried only a small knife. Several bolts of Songjiang cloth were laid atop the quilt, making it look like fresh plunder. The cloth weighed down the quilt so it would not slip and reveal the weapons.

The Banner Commander walked on the other side of the cart, which gave Yang Guangdi some measure of reassurance. Yang Guangdi raised his head and glanced at the cavalrymen ahead. Through the gaps he caught sight of Mandar's back. Mandar was first in the column. Over his cotton armor he had thrown a leather jacket stripped from the Tartar they had captured. His queue swayed left and right with his horse's gait. Qin Jiuze followed behind him, a six-petal helmet on his head, so his hairstyle was hidden from view.

On the way over from the Nanjing shop, they had encountered two scattered Tartars. Mandar had lulled them into confusion and then killed them. They had also eliminated the Ambush Army at the five-li mark. According to their intelligence, only the Ambush Army two li from the Parade Ground remained.

They were now close to Dong'e County. Unlike during the morning ambush, Yang Guangdi felt a flutter of panic in his chest. These seventy men were essentially all the roving cavalry. Following Chen Rulie's plan, the seventy were disguised as Qing troops and would approach the Parade Ground encampment. To avoid alerting the Qing forces, the three Companies of regular cavalry were three li back. The cavalry had left the post road and were leading their horses across open country so that Tartars listening to the ground would not detect them. Only when they heard the cannon would they mount the post road and race forward.

Until the cavalry arrived, these seventy men had to hold the camp gate. Inside the encampment were three hundred seventy Tartars in total. Among them were over eighty True Yi from three Plain Red Banner companies. The rest were Naiman Mongols, Aohan Mongols, and Han Army troops. That morning, five squads — roughly a hundred men — had left camp, but the number remaining still far exceeded seventy.

A creaking sound came from the rear of the marching column. Yang Guangdi looked back at the three carts. The middle one was the bronze cannon disguised as a cart. It was heaped with several pieces of shabby clothing and bedding, completely hiding the barrel. In fact, a round of canister shot was already loaded inside; only the priming powder had yet to be filled.

The cannon's report would be the signal to Battalion Commander Chen. It was, one could say, the lifeline of this strike force. If the cannon failed to fire, they might all lose their lives inside the Tartar camp. The four artillerymen walked beside the cannon cart. Yang Guangdi recognized that Zeng Baci; his gun crew was the very same one that had been below the stage that day. They were cavalry artillery directly subordinate to the Thousand-Leader Headquarters. What set them apart from ordinary artillery was that every cannoneer rode a horse, making them far faster on the move than common artillery.

Only one cannon was deployed this time. Chen Rulie had assigned a different gun crew, but this Zeng Baci insisted on coming himself. With Xu Squad Leader absent, the artillery were practically Yang Guangdi's greatest pillar of support. The roving cavalry were elite troops too, but Yang Guangdi knew them too well and always felt they were not as reliable as the artillery.

"Little roving rider, if your fire rope goes out, lend me yours."

Yang Guangdi turned his head. It was Zeng Baci speaking to him. He hurriedly acknowledged. Zeng Baci lowered his head and blew on the fire rope in his right hand. Yang Guangdi lowered his own head and blew as well. The tip of the fire rope glowed bright for an instant, then dimmed again.

Yang Guangdi loosened one coil of the fire rope wound around his right forearm and drew a deep breath. Ahead, a sudden splat. Yang Guangdi reflexively stopped inhaling and hastily sidestepped to the right. Horse dung plopped onto the flagstones. Yang Guangdi was usually mounted; it was normally the infantry who enjoyed this treatment. Behind him, Zeng Baci and the others were dodging as well.

This did nothing to ease Yang Guangdi's state of mind. When he lifted his head from the outer edge of the column, the Dong'e Parade Ground was already clearly visible. Yang Guangdi looked toward the outside. As his gaze swept forward, he saw smoke rising from the chimney of a thatched hut by the roadside.

At that moment, Mandar made a hand signal. The Banner Commander said in a low voice, "Ambush Army. Keep your heads down and walk."

Yang Guangdi quickly lowered his head and instinctively edged closer into the column, shrinking his exposed silhouette as if that could keep him from being spotted. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two figures emerge from the thatched hut ahead. One leaned on a line spear; the other had an arrow quiver hanging at his waist. They did not appear to be on alert.

Yang Guangdi was astonished by such an Ambush Army. According to Anqing Battalion's ambush requirements, staying inside a building was forbidden, because it restricted both vision and hearing, made it impossible to quickly loose a whistling arrow, and left one easily trapped indoors by the enemy. Anqing Battalion also had detailed requirements for ambush camouflage, to say nothing of lighting a fire. Yet these two Qing soldiers were behaving nothing like an Ambush Army — more like Open Sentries posted far away.

The column soon drew near the thatched hut. Yang Guangdi's heart pounded harder. He heard Mandar shout loudly; someone outside the hut shouted back. Yang Guangdi could not understand a word. He simply kept his eyes on the red quilt on the cart, ready to snatch the weapons hidden underneath at any moment.

Mandar and Qin Jiuze left the post road and walked up to the hut to continue talking. The column kept moving forward. Yang Guangdi passed the doorway. From the corner of his eye he saw Mandar and Qin Jiuze both dismount and converse with the two Qing soldiers.

The remaining cavalrymen ahead also turned off the post road, blocking the view forward. One Qing soldier raised his voice to question Mandar, gesturing ahead with his hand. The other Qing soldier stared at the marching column. The moment a puzzled expression crossed his face, Mandar and Qin Jiuze drew their short blades almost simultaneously and lunged at the two Ambush Army men. Behind them came a low shout. Several brawny roving cavalrymen threw off their shabby outer robes and, short blades in hand, charged into the hut.

Yang Guangdi swiftly threw aside the quilt, retrieved his Lumi gun, blew the fire rope bright, and clamped it in the dragon's head. The roving cavalryman pushing the cart also seized his javelin.

Low, muffled cries of agony sounded inside and outside the thatched hut. The Banner Commander's voice said, "Watch the surroundings — see if there are any more."

The roving cavalrymen in the marching column held their breath. Even the artillerymen were fully focused. The intelligence from the captive had been slightly off: this spot was just a little over one li from the Parade Ground.

Yang Guangdi held his gun ready and scanned everything around him. South of the thatched hut, beside the post road, lay several corpses. The patchwork of black and white fields was utterly deserted; only flocks of crows and sparrows flew past.

His gaze swung back to the front of the hut. The two Qing soldiers lay on the ground, bodies drenched in blood. The hat of the man Qin Jiuze had killed had fallen off, revealing a head full of queues. Qin Jiuze and Mandar each delivered a few finishing stabs, dragged the bodies into the hut, then mounted their horses again. The brawny roving cavalrymen inside the hut also emerged, wiping blood from their faces as they walked.

This was the last Ambush Sentry. Ahead lay the Parade Ground. So far the plan had gone smoothly. Only one task remained: seize the Parade Ground's north gate and fire the cannon to alert the regular cavalry behind them.

The Banner Commander raised his telescope and looked north. Chen Rulie's regular cavalry were too far away; even through the telescope, he could not make them out clearly.

He then turned the telescope toward Dong'e. The Parade Ground, just over one li away, was sharply visible. The north gate stood wide open. A few Qing soldiers were pacing by the entrance.

The artilleryman behind him spoke up: "Pass the word forward — keep advancing."

…

Outside Clear Stream Gate, north of Dong'e City, lay a spacious Parade Ground. It had been built in the eleventh year of the Hongzhi era. Since no troops were garrisoned here, it had fallen into disuse for many years. During the Wanli era it was renovated once and was still serviceable. (Note 1)

The Parade Ground had a south gate and a north gate. Because it lay outside the city and covered a vast area, it was highly suitable as a temporary army encampment. When Anqing Battalion marched north from Xuzhou, they had bivouacked at Dong'e for a day, right here at the Parade Ground. Anqing Battalion was no stranger to this place.

At this moment, the area outside the Parade Ground was packed with carts, heaped with all manner of plundered goods. Among the carts were many common folk. Some were feeding livestock, some lay sprawled on the ground, and others were quarreling. Hearing the commotion on the post road, these people turned their heads one after another and watched the passing column with dull, vacant eyes. Scattered among the jumble of carts were a few Qing soldiers; none paid any attention to this returning party.

The column advanced along the post road, threading between the carts and crowds on either side, heading for the north gate.

Yang Guangdi's face flushed crimson. Every gaze cast from either side felt exceptionally piercing, as if each one had seen through his disguise. Mandar's mounted figure was still at the very front, swaggering down the post road, his queue still swaying with his mount's motion. Through the gaps between the cavalrymen, the Parade Ground's north gate flickered in and out of view.

Beside him, the handcart's wheels scraped along the ruts with a creaking sound. The roving cavalryman pushing it was breathing somewhat heavily. The column continued past the carts lining the road. Only twenty or thirty paces remained to the north gate.

Yang Guangdi turned his head to glance outside. A Qing soldier suddenly appeared in his field of vision, walking from among the carts toward the post road, his eyes fixed on Yang Guangdi's direction the whole time.

Yang Guangdi's heart lurched into a frantic rhythm. Out of the corner of his eye, he tracked the Qing soldier's figure. The man still seemed to be drawing closer, but his position was a bit farther back, and the carts between them blocked the way. He would not catch up to Yang Guangdi before they reached the camp gate.

His eyes stayed on that red quilt. Suddenly he remembered the fire rope. Shielding it with his sleeve, he raised it to his lips and blew gently. A pinpoint of light appeared in his vision, meaning the fire rope had not gone out. Yang Guangdi lowered it again.

Just then, the column ahead came to an abrupt halt. Yang Guangdi hastily stopped too, not knowing what had happened up front. His heart hammered violently. He dared not let his eyes dart around.

The Banner Commander's voice said, low, "The camp gate is blocked. Wait."

Yang Guangdi lifted his eyes for a look. Mandar still sat steady and tall in the saddle, betraying not the slightest panic. Qin Jiuze kept his head down, both hands resting in front of the saddle.

Yang Guangdi tilted his head slightly and said in a low voice, "A Tartar is coming over."

The Banner Commander's voice said, "Don't look at him. Keep your head down."

The roving cavalrymen around him all lowered their heads. The one pushing the handcart set it down, its frame resting on the ground. Yang Guangdi's hand trembled a little. Peering through the gaps between the cavalrymen ahead, he saw that several horse carts had stopped at the Parade Ground's north gate at some unknown moment. They were coming out from inside the Parade Ground. A few Mongols in leather jackets stood blocking the carts, quarreling loudly. Yang Guangdi could not understand a single word, nor could he tell what the dispute was about.

They still could not launch the attack, because the camp gate was blocked by the carts, and the roving cavalry could not rush through quickly.

The moment the column halted, the people along the roadside all craned their necks to look. Suddenly, several commoners were shoved aside, revealing the Qing soldier behind them. He was heading straight toward Yang Guangdi.

The roving cavalryman pushing the cart took a step toward the side of the cart bed. His right hand rested near the end of the quilt, right where the shaft of the javelin was.

Yang Guangdi kept his head down and tucked his hands into his coat. Out of the corner of his eye, he could already see the Qing soldier. The Tartar wore no helmet; a rabbit-fur hat sat on his head, with ear flaps on both sides. It looked very warm, but it made it utterly impossible to tell his hairstyle — no way to know if he was a True Yi or a Mongol.

The man approached from the outer side of the post road, step by step, and finally strode up onto the road surface, stopping right beside Yang Guangdi. He first turned his head to study the Banner Commander, then shifted his gaze to the head-bowed Yang Guangdi.

Up ahead at the camp gate, more Qing soldiers were emerging from inside. Some of them kept looking toward the column. The Mongols were still quarreling, their clamor carrying through the ranks and into Yang Guangdi's ears.

The breathing of the Qing soldier before him was clearly audible; the white puffs of his breath hung right in front of Yang Guangdi's face. Face burning red, Yang Guangdi stared at the ground and tightened his grip on the knife handle hidden in his coat. His palm was slick with sweat.

The Qing soldier suddenly shoved Yang Guangdi. Yang Guangdi's whole body tensed; he nearly drew his blade and stabbed that very instant. But the Qing soldier walked past through the gap he had just opened. Yang Guangdi hurriedly checked himself. The Qing soldier reached the middle cart and stretched his hand toward the red quilt concealing the weapons.

…

Note 1: Daoguang Dong'e County Gazetteer, Volume Five: "The Parade Ground lies outside the northern outer wall. In the eleventh year of the Ming Hongzhi era, County Magistrate Qin * built it. In the third year of the Wanli era, County Magistrate Bai Dong renovated it."