Chapter 467: Outpost

Yoto's eyes flickered with shifting thoughts. After a moment, he raised his telescope and looked toward the city tower opposite.

"Yesterday they raided Dong'e. The report that Tongcheng Post was surrounded must have come in the afternoon. From Dong'e to Boping is a hundred-li road — they would have had to set out at once, push as hard as possible before nightfall, then keep marching through the dark to be able to attack Boping before dawn today. To march several dozen li at night — this cavalry is hardly weak in fighting strength."

Ye Chen added, "The route from Dong'e to Boping is no main road, and they must have had a local guide. Otherwise they could never have found their way in the pitch dark."

Yoto grunted an acknowledgment, then turned to Du Lei. "These two thousand Southern Barbarians — at Thirty-Li Post they fought five hundred Armored Soldiers. The Plain Red Banner lost two hundred, and at Dong'e over a hundred more. Now they're inside a walled town. You say two Battalion Commander Retainers, a thousand of them Bright Armor, plus several thousand Civilian Braves, and ten cannons. If we storm it, how many will die?"

"In my subordinate's estimation, seven hundred..."

"All of them dead under the Plain Red Banner?"

Du Lei was momentarily stunned. Both major losses had fallen on the Plain Red Banner. The hardest thing he faced now was how to explain this to Daišan and Huang Taiji. If he could wipe out this Southern Troops force, it would naturally lessen his culpability. But if every assault relied on the Plain Red Banner, it would only cause greater losses, which would in turn increase his guilt and make it even harder to account for.

The Two Red Banners were banners of the same origin, and the Banner Lords were father and son — but that did not mean their interests aligned. Daišan was Yoto's father, yet their relationship was extremely poor. It was not that Daišan singled out Yoto; he treated all his sons badly. Yoto, in fact, got on better with Huang Taiji.

Before the Manggūltai affair, Yoto had been highly valued by Huang Taiji. But because he later refused to execute his princess consort, a rift opened between them, and Huang Taiji repeatedly sought opportunities to punish Yoto.

As Huang Taiji's position grew secure, Daišan lacked the strength to keep resisting and merely minded his own Plain Red Banner affairs. Yoto could get little support from him. Though the father-son relationship had improved somewhat, the improvement was limited. Du Lei knew he could likely count on nothing from Yoto.

Yoto coughed once. "That cavalry force at Boping is still out there. If we attack Tongcheng Post, we'll need a body of troops to watch and control Dong'e. From Weijiawan to Chiping, we'll need light cavalry spread out on picket duty. The siege here is an extra commitment. Total troop strength must be no less than seven thousand. For the assault, we'd need to draw White Armor Soldiers from every banner, and we'd still have to wait for the cannons. Not just the Right Wing banners — the Left Wing at Weijiawan would also be stuck waiting on the road. That means waiting these two days. The Bordered Yellow Banner has already come asking twice."

Ye Chen continued, "Inside are a thousand Bright Armor Retainers. They killed two hundred of your men at Thirty-Li Post. Here they are prepared and ready to fight. If we pen them in and force them to fight to the death, a thousand dead likely won't be enough. Another thousand wounded — each banner would have to free up a thousand carriages just to haul the wounded. The household servants of each family can only tend to their Masters; they won't be able to go on collecting rations, copper coins, and people."

Yoto said with finality, "When I was about to depart, the Emperor said: when you encounter a hard city, do not force an assault. If it cannot be taken in two days, do not waste brave warriors in vain. Knowing they are all Bright Armor Foot-Combat Retainers, and having heard how formidable their cannons are — why would we still attack a city he is defending?"

The two men of the Bordered Red Banner sang in chorus, and their opinion was forceful: they were unwilling to storm the city. Du Lei replied cautiously, "My fear is that if we don't wipe them out now, they'll follow behind us, raiding camps everywhere. My banner has already taken over ten thousand people, five thousand mules and horses, seven thousand donkeys, and over three thousand carriages. Add the horses, mules, and carriages the troops themselves brought — each day our camp ground stretches over ten li wide. We can't set up a proper camp or raise walls. Defense is extremely difficult."

Yoto said nothing. Ye Chen waited a moment, then said, "The Two Red Banners' forces are assembled outside this town. For several dozen li from Boping to Chiping, it's all our Two Red Banners' carriages and men. The remaining troops can barely manage the watching and controlling. If we're stuck on this road and can't wipe out that cavalry, every raid will cost us many men and livestock. The banners will soon be in an uproar. Naturally we can't defend everywhere. Sending out cavalry to pursue and pin them is the proper course."

Only then did Yoto speak. "If the nuisance is that cavalry from Dong'e, why insist on storming the Bright Armor Retainers inside this town? It's just like the Xuan-Da Army. Why didn't we attack them beneath the walls of the Capital? We waited for them to leave camp, then trapped them in open ground and surrounded them on all sides."

Du Lei was left with nothing to say. Clearly the Bordered Red Banner had no intention of joining him in a forced assault. The Tongcheng Post before them was not devoid of copper coins, rations, women, and children, but weighed against the likely losses, it was still not worth the Bordered Red Banner selling their strength to take it.

Du Lei raised his eyes and looked at Yoto. Before setting out from Wei County, Yoto had only just finalized the target of attack as Jinan — a line even further east than previous routes. Jinan was the provincial capital of Shandong. Even if the city itself could not be taken, the surrounding departments and counties alone were far wealthier than ordinary regions. Every banner and every division was waiting to plunder one more stroke, so that after returning to Liaodong they could live well for a year.

Compared with the surroundings of Jinan Prefecture, the profit in this Tongcheng Post was practically negligible. If Du Lei's losses had not been so catastrophically severe, he himself would have been unwilling to divert troops and waste time here.

Now that he had failed to persuade Yoto, the other forces of the Right Wing could not be mobilized. The Right Wing's total strength was over thirty thousand, but the majority were unarmored Mongol light cavalry and Han bondservants, of very little use in this kind of assault battle. It had to be the elite Armored Soldiers and elite guard of each banner. The various divisions would indeed have little motivation to alter their direction of advance for such a small town.

Yoto had already set the tone earlier: he would not send the Bordered Red Banner to attack Tongcheng Post. The Right Wing's objective was to destroy this Ming Army cavalry, not the Heavy Armor Infantry holed up in a strong town.

Yoto turned the other way. "Enggetu, I'm asking you a question."

"Your Slave is here."

A mounted General Officer beside him immediately lowered his head. Everyone Yoto had questioned so far was from the Plain Red Banner. Enggetu was the Mongol Banner Commander of the Plain Red Banner, leading the Plain Red Banner's Mongol troops in battle.

Since the beginning of their campaigns, the Later Jin had accepted Mongols coming to submit, and over years of warfare had taken many more captive. Every banner had always contained a large Mongol population. The Mongol Banners were first established in the Heavenly Mandate era, initially only two banners, called the Mongol Left and Right Wings. The population mostly came from the Mongol companies within the Manchu Eight Banners, and day-to-day authority over them belonged to the various Manchu Beile.

The Mongol companies within the Manchu Eight Banners were divided into two types. One was primarily agricultural and did not move around — these were called Internally Administered Mongol Companies. The other maintained their original way of life and needed to range and graze — these were called Camp-Relocating Mongols.

In the ninth year of Tiancong, the Mongol Eight Banners were formally established. Those transferred into the Mongol Banners were mainly the Camp-Relocating Mongol Companies from the Eight Banners, a population of about seven Battalion Commander. These were combined with seven thousand eight hundred registered individual of the Inner Kharchin who had submitted that year, formally establishing the Mongol Eight Banners.

Although there were now separate Mongol Banners, the population administration of the Mongol Eight Banners still belonged under the Manchu Eight Banners. The precise term should be Eight Banners Mongols. In the entire Later Jin there were no free commoners; all people existed under the Manchu Eight Banners system, with personal rights belonging to the Beile of each banner. One state divided into eight families — that was the fundamental structure of the Later Jin.

Huang Taiji hoped to use Mongols and Han to check the other Banner Lords, and continuously worked to fracture the Banner Lords' power. But he still needed the support of the powerful factions in each banner, so he still rarely interfered in population administration, a matter vital to every banner's interests, lest he provoke the majority of the Manchu nobility on this fundamental issue.

Thus, the household registrations of everyone in the Mongol Banners normally belonged to the corresponding Manchu banner. When they went to war they formed a separate army, but they mainly fought alongside their parent Manchu Eight Banner unit, obeying the command and disposition of the Manchu Banner Commander. Only their plunder and military merits could be calculated independently.

The Mongol Eight Banners had no separate ruling Beile, only Banner Commander. Over half of the Mongol Banner Banner Commander were Manchus; only three were Mongols. Enggetu was one of them. Neither his strength nor his status could compare with that of a Manchu Banner Commander.

Before Enggetu answered, he first observed Du Lei. Since this incursion began, the Plain Red Banner's military merits had been outstanding. Especially at the battle of Julu, they had alone withstood the Xuan-Da Army's assault and pinned them down, buying time for the Right Wing to assemble its forces. Their plunder had also been extremely rich. Everything had been going smoothly.

But from somewhere, a never-before-heard-of Southern Troops force had appeared. The ambush at Thirty-Li Post instantly reversed the situation. The Plain Red Banner suffered catastrophic losses, and immediately after, Dong'e was broken. Not only did they lose several hundred of the banner's own True Yi, but they even dragged the Outer Vassals into losing a Prince Consort. Huang Taiji went to great lengths to win over the Mongols. If they returned like this, it was very hard to predict how Huang Taiji would punish Du Lei.

Now Du Lei was the only one in a hurry. That was why last night, despite his troops' exhaustion, he had launched a night raid with no preparation, losing several dozen more men and gaining nothing. The sole takeaway was knowing that this small town held a large number of people and would not be easy to take.

Yoto's voice came again. "Enggetu, if you were leading this Southern Barbarians cavalry, after raiding Boping, where would you go next?"

Enggetu did not hesitate long. He said carefully, "Replying to Master, this cavalry General Officer marched over a hundred li continuously yesterday. His horses' strength is already spent. After a successful strike, he ought to turn back to Dong'e. They seized the camp at Dong'e earlier — they certainly have extra horses there. The cavalry rests and refits for a day, then leaves the city again. Last night they were at Boping; tomorrow they'll move on Weijiawan or Chiping."

Yoto turned back to Du Lei. Du Lei hesitated a moment, then said, "Or perhaps they only send a detachment back to Dong'e, while the main body hides nearby and seeks another chance to strike at night. That saves them the back-and-forth running and also spares the men and horses' strength."

Yoto nodded slightly. "Who is leading the troops blocking the post road south of this town?"

Du Lei answered at once, "Yekshu."

"Go at once. Tell Yekshu to open the road. Once these Southern Barbarians in the town see a way out alive, they'll be easy to deal with as soon as they leave the city. Yekshu is to go outside Dong'e City and ambush the Southern Barbarians cavalry as they turn back. Do not allow them to return to Dong'e. How many men are still in that force at Dongchang?"

"One hundred thirty Jurchen drawn from five companies, forty Mongols under the banner, seventy Chahar."

"Transfer them all to Yekshu's command. This Southern Troops force is strong in infantry and weak in cavalry. When you use Armored Soldiers to assault a strong town, you're playing right into his hands. As long as we wipe out his cavalry, these infantry will be of little use. Once his cavalry is destroyed, if those foot Retainers dare to follow, that will be a good thing." Yoto looked at Du Lei and Ye Chen. "This Tongcheng Post — if the Plain Red Banner wants to attack, you may do so on your own. If you can't take it, the other banners cannot wait for you. That cavalry from Dong'e — the Two Red Banners will wipe them out together. Wipe them out clean within two days, then continue the march."

The nearby General Officers acknowledged the order in unison. Yoto raised his head and looked at the sky. Snowflakes were still drifting down. He frowned, pondered a moment, then asked Ye Chen, "You said earlier that Burinju is pursuing one detachment, and another detachment broke a camp. Have men been sent to hunt them down? It's been snowing since last night — tracks on the road are easily lost. They won't be able to find his destination."

"They hadn't been dispatched when the message came, but it's already been decided who to send. Those Southern Barbarians certainly won't get away."

"You mean..."

Ye Chen said respectfully, "Our Sea Eastern Green."

In the countryside fifty li south of Boping, the wind swept snowflakes across the landscape. The land, originally a patchwork of black and white, was gradually turning a single expanse of white. A force of nearly two hundred cavalry was halted on a country road. They had not even taken the Pedestrian Road.

After receiving the report yesterday afternoon, Chen Rulie had met at once with the County Magistrate. The magistrate agreed to take the wounded into the city. The Anqing Cavalry left a small contingent behind to help defend Dong'e and to watch over the captured horses, carriages, and goods.

By Chen Rulie's estimate, the Tartars would garrison at Beidingdian that day, complete the encirclement of Tongcheng Pu, and the next day would use Mounted Armor to scout the entire area around Dong'e. By then, it would be difficult for the cavalry to move.

The Qing troops at Dongchang would also only receive the report by evening, so the Anqing Cavalry at Dong'e had half a day of freedom to act. After securing his rear, Chen Rulie did not delay a moment. He hired three guides at high prices in Dong'e, all three familiar with the country roads leading north. Without waiting for the carriages to enter the city, the cavalry immediately began advancing toward Boping, covering fifty li before nightfall.

After the night march, over ten men had gone missing. Guided by the guides, the main body reached Boping via small paths. The Anqing Cavalry attacked in two columns and withdrew separately. Chen Rulie's column waited at the assembly point but the other detachment never arrived, which meant they were likely being pursued too closely and could not lead the enemy to the assembly point.

After waiting the agreed-upon time, Chen Rulie left the assembly point first. The final destination had not yet been decided. Chen Rulie crouched on the ground, several officers gathered around him, watching as his sword scabbard drew a sketch on the layer of snow.

The Scout Cavalry Centurion looked at the map and said, "At this rate of snowfall, the tracks will be gone before nightfall. We can shake off the pursuit. Do we fall back to Dong'e, or keep raiding?"

"Yesterday a force of Tartars came to the south side of Tongcheng Post. The Tartars at Boping are Bordered Red Banner. They'll send a dispatch rider to Tongcheng Post on a fast horse — they can change horses twice en route and reach Tongcheng Post by noon. The Tartars will guess we came out of Dong'e. That Tartar force will intercept us outside the town." Chen Rulie hastily sketched a few more lines on the ground. "We won't turn back. We'll keep raiding the Tartars' weak points. The Tartars' Heavy Troops are at Tongcheng Post. Their baggage and captured people are between Boping and Chiping. After last night's raid, they'll be on full alert along that stretch. Where do you all think we should strike next?"

One Centurion ventured, "The Tartars who went to Tongcheng Post yesterday rode hard to get there. The rations they carried with them couldn't have been much — they must be nearly finished. Today they'll have to send rations from Chiping to Tongcheng Post. We go to Thirty-Li Post and hit their ration carriages."

Chen Rulie did not dwell on it. He looked at the others. "Anyone else have another idea?"

They all shook their heads. Chen Rulie stood up and used his foot to sweep away the marks drawn on the ground. "There are bound to be troops in that post. We'll set the ambush between Instruction Ground and He Village."

The three Centurions nodded silently. Chen Rulie looked at the Scout Cavalry Centurion. "Tomorrow we ambush in daylight. At night we need to find a place to camp and rest. There are Tartars all around us — we absolutely must not let them find our camp. Before nightfall, don't let the Tartars' scout horses track us here. As long as it keeps snowing another night, they won't be able to find us tomorrow."

"Your subordinate understands."

"Who brought up the rear today?"

"The Second Division's roving cavalry."