Chapter 479

In the southwest corner inside the Great West Gate of Dezhou, in the main hall of a government office, Pang Yu stood obediently in the ranks, his eyes from time to time sizing up the various people in the hall.

That Vice Regional Commander of the Capital Battalion, Zhou Yuji, was on his right. Originally, the Capital Battalion outranked local camps and should have stood in front, but Zhou Yuji knew Pang Yu had just won great merit and dared not put on airs with him, insisting that Pang Yu stand in the place of honor.

This government office, situated south inside Dezhou's Great West Gate, was the company of the Wude Military Defense Circuit. The formal official name of the Wude Military Defense Circuit was the Wuding Military Defense Circuit, the same rank as Shi Kefa's Anchi Military Defense Circuit. The Wude Circuit was established in the seventh year of the Zhengde reign and was one of Shandong's seven military defense circuits, overseeing the three prefectures of Wuding, Bin, and De, as well as Yangxin, Shanghe, and other counties.

Dezhou, within its jurisdiction, was also extremely important, so the circuit's winter and spring station was in Wuding, while in summer and autumn, to protect the grain transport, its station was in Dezhou. At that time, a Branch Office was set up inside Dezhou city. By the fifth year of the Chongzhen reign, as the military situation grew increasingly severe and Dezhou's importance surpassed that of earlier times, the Wude Circuit formally shifted its station to Dezhou, to this very government office.

When the Qing army invaded the frontier this time, the Ministry of War had Dezhou in mind from the start. A large amount of grain-transport rations and pay was stored here, along with a sum of four hundred thousand taels in salt tax. Its strategic position was also critical, making it a key defensive point for Yang Sichang.

The Ministry of War first transferred the Grand Coordinator of Shandong, Yan Ancestral Sacrifice, to Bazhou, then promptly moved him to Dezhou, ordering him to ensure Dezhou would not fall. Yan Ancestral Sacrifice took the Provincial Commander's Standard Troops from Jinan, and upon reaching Dezhou, set his station at the military defense company.

At this moment, Yan Ancestral Sacrifice was also seated in the hall, though his expression was poor, naturally because Jinan had been lost. The Qing army's Left Wing had passed through Dezhou earlier, but finding the city prepared, did not attack it, bypassing the city and heading for Linqing. Yan Ancestral Sacrifice had indeed held Dezhou, but he never imagined that the far more fortified Jinan would be lost.

He was the Grand Coordinator of Shandong, and Jinan was his permanent station. The fall of the provincial seat was not merely a matter of responsibility; his family and property must have suffered devastating losses as well, and there was still a prince in the city.

Besides Yan Ancestral Sacrifice, Pang Yu's heart was also rather uneasy. Although he had sent the dispatch officer away, the Ministry of War had, after all, once issued an order for him and Ni Chong to go reinforce Jinan. Pang Yu and the Advisory Room had considered the scenario of Jinan Prefecture being attacked, judging that the Qing army would spread its front eastward to expand the raiding range, but they only thought the Qing army would strike the jurisdiction of Jinan Prefecture, never truly believing they would attack the city itself.

Since entering the pass, the Qing army had only attacked cities at the county level, passing through multiple prefectural cities like Zhending, Baoding, Hejian, and Dongchang without actually assaulting them. Earlier, Zhending Prefecture's defenses were empty, with only a little over a thousand soldiers in the city. The Qing army probed once, found the city prepared, and immediately abandoned the attempt. The Qing army's conduct at Tongcheng Post confirmed the same pattern: they had ventured deep with an expeditionary force, their main goal being to seize supplies and people, and their tolerance for their own casualties was not high. Jinan was a provincial capital and one of the empire's impregnable cities; with just a little preparation, the Qing army would not rashly attack it.

But now Jinan had indeed been taken. In all the Qing army's previous invasions, never had a city of provincial-seat rank been breached. The court would certainly investigate and assign blame. Even with military merits in hand, Pang Yu still felt some worry.

The people in the main hall bore varied expressions, all looking weighed down with concerns. Most here were General Officers. Aside from Zhou Yuji, Pang Yu recognized no one, but the dozen or so General Officers standing opposite, all looking weather-beaten and fairly familiar with each other, were, Pang Yu guessed, men from the Xuan-Da Army.

Before coming, Liu Yuliang had roughly briefed him on the situation. The Dezhou Circuit Standard, Provincial Commander's Standard Troops, and River Defense Troops were Shandong's local forces; the rest were mainly the Relief Troops brought by Sun Chuanting.

Zhou Yuji, having arrived two days earlier, had already met these men during the assembly. He leaned in and quietly introduced them to Pang Yu. "The one at the very head of the opposite side is the Regional Commander of Xuanfu, Yang Guozhu. Below him is the Regional Commander of Shanxi, Hu Dawei. Both of their Right Troops battalions fought the Tartars at Jiazhuang and broke out of the encirclement. Further down is the Regional Commander of Datong, Wang Pu. He didn't fight at Jiazhuang — I heard he ran the wrong way — and was just transferred back from Shanxi."

Pang Yu looked over them one by one as Zhou Yuji introduced them. Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei were both around fifty. Though they looked weary, they still carried the authority of veteran generals. Wang Pu was the youngest, and his eyes were lively; when he saw Pang Yu, his gaze was friendly.

"Below him is Assistant Regional Commander Liu of the Governor's Standard Right Battalion. He's the one who found Lord Lu Doutang's body and sent it to Zhending. Next down is Assistant Regional Commander Li, of the Dudao Biao Central Camp..."

When speaking of Liu Qin, Zhou Yuji's tone was very respectful, but when he went on to Assistant Regional Commander Li, it was already laced with unmistakable contempt.

Pang Yu carefully studied Assistant Regional Commander Li, estimating his age at around forty. His eyes were somewhat vacant, his expression utterly exhausted. From Zhou Yuji's attitude, one could infer that even the army's officers and soldiers looked down on him. Assistant Regional Commander Li's situation was not good. The Dudao Biao Central Camp was the Supreme Commander's personal army. Lu Xiangsheng died for his country, while his personal troops fled to save their own lives — this could not be justified no matter what. If he had no presentable battle record, imprisonment was unavoidable. Looking overall, the Xuan-Da General Officers all carried an air of dejection — the consequence of the defeat at Jiazhuang.

In the left column, ahead of Pang Yu in precedence, Zhou Yuji whispered, "The first one is the Regional Commander of Baoding, Liu Guangzuo. He brought three hundred and fifty men out to fight."

Pang Yu was not surprised. He figured Liu Guangzuo had only brought his Household Retainers. The armies of Nanzhili were about the same standard; in the past, Xu Strengthening's group hadn't even had three Company Commander Retainers.

The rest were the Regional Commander of the Shandong Provincial Commander's Standard Troops, and to Zhou Yuji's right were officers from the Wuding Circuit Standard, the River Defense, and some small attached camp heads like reinforcements and Skirmishers. There were over twenty military officers in the hall. Pang Yu, utterly unfamiliar with military units, found it very hard to estimate the total combat strength of these camps. If he had to take the field alongside these men, he would have no confidence at all.

At the head, Liu Yuliang presided in the center, with the Grand Coordinator of Shaanxi, Sun Chuanting, on the left and Yan Ancestral Sacrifice on the right. Further down was the Wuding Military Defense Circuit. The local civil officials of Dezhou did not attend the meeting.

Sun Chuanting was now the Supreme Commander of the Relief Troops, bearing a responsibility as heavy as Lu Xiangsheng's. The camps he led were basically the same ones Lu Xiangsheng had led. He had originally also had a unit under Wu Xiang from the Liao Garrison — fresh troops the Ministry of War had assigned to Sun Chuanting — but at Linqing, Supervisor-in-Chief Gao had forcibly snatched them away. Sun Chuanting was utterly helpless, could only send a report back to the Ministry of War, and swallow this silent loss.

The Shandong Provincial Commander's Standard Troops, the Circuit Standard, and the River Defense were tasked with holding Dezhou. The combat capability of these interior troops was dubious, and Sun Chuanting might not necessarily be able to take them with him. Compared to Lu Xiangsheng at Jiazhuang, Sun Chuanting's camps only had the Datong Main Battalion, the Baoding Retainers, and the Shaanxi Provincial Commander's Standard Troops in addition.

But among them, the Xuan-Da Army, due to the rout at Jiazhuang, must have suffered massive losses in personnel and supplies, and more importantly, had utterly no morale.

That is to say, the overall combat strength of these Relief Troops gathered in Dezhou might not even match Lu Xiangsheng's. Pang Yu raised his eyes to observe Sun Chuanting. This Grand Coordinator of Shaanxi was tall and imposing, yet carried the refined air of a civil official. Sitting beside Liu Yuliang, he remained quite composed.

However, Pang Yu knew that Sun Chuanting's composure was a pretense, because he had previously believed the Qing army had already withdrawn north to Dezhou, completely failing to anticipate that another Qing force had gone east to Jinan. He had made an error in judging the Qing army's movements, which was why he had moved directly north from Linqing instead of crossing the river to pin down the eastern Qing force. If the Ministry of War truly wanted to make him the scapegoat, it would not be without reason.

Everyone in the main hall was preoccupied with their own worries. Only Liu Yuliang, the Chief Military Supervisor, was the most at ease. He bore no responsibility and had just reported a great Victory to the throne — he was entirely in his element. The only thing he had to worry about was having to face the Qing army again later.

A round of watchman's clappers sounded in the hall, and everyone stopped talking.

The various government offices of the Ming Dynasty were broadly similar. From the Tongcheng county office to Dezhou, the presiding official had gone from County Magistrate to Chief Grand Secretary, yet the atmosphere of deliberation was much the same. Unlike the county office, everyone in the discussion was seated in the hall, and there were no bailiffs standing below.

Pang Yu followed the other military officers in kneeling and paying respects to the presiding official. Liu Yuliang did not put on airs, gesturing for everyone to rise.

"The Eastern Invaders have run rampant for several months now. Since leaving the capital as Imperial Inspector, what I have seen along the way — white bones exposed in the wilds, villages without a cock's crow, the people's torment too wretched for words — has been shocking beyond belief. The news that the provincial seat of Jinan has been breached truly stuns me. With a heart burning with anxiety, I have summoned you generals to discuss how we might strive to recover and rescue the gentry and people of Jinan from fire and water."

The General Officers below said nothing. Liu Yuliang seemed to have anticipated this. Without waiting, he continued, "Troops do not move before provisions. The various armies have been rallying to the king and standing guard for months now. This old man has brought with him a portion of military stipend silver allocated by the Ministry of Revenue. First, each camp will be issued half a month's pay supplement. The Dezhou prefectural office will then issue ten days' rations to each camp. We must ensure the Relief Troops' men and horses are well fed and spirited. Jinan, a weighty ground of the imperial bloodline, must not long remain in enemy hands. It must be recovered as quickly as possible. I request Lord Sun Doutang to assign the tasks."

When Pang Yu heard "ten days' rations," he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. With Liu Yuliang here, at least provisions were more secure than before. It was just that this pay supplement was still too little — better than nothing, but barely.

Once Liu Yuliang finished speaking about distributing rations and pay, he handed the meeting over to Sun Chuanting, not meddling at all in command matters, performing only his duty as Imperial Inspector. By now, even Pang Yu somewhat envied this Imperial Inspector role.

Sun Chuanting was relatively direct. He briefly reported the news of Jinan's fall, stating that the Qing army had reached the outskirts of Jinan on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month. After plundering the outskirts, they breached the city on the fourth day of the first month. The news of the breach was relayed by the County Magistrate of Changqing. At the same time, a plea for help had been received from Yanzhou Prefecture, which was under siege.

Then Sun Chuanting asked each General Officer to speak first. The Xuan-Da generals opposite all looked toward Yang Guozhu at the very head — presumably the one with the most seniority.

Yang Guozhu turned his head to glance at Hu Dawei. The two exchanged a look, and only then did Yang Guozhu step forward one pace and say, "I am a defeated general and should not be babbling recklessly. But as this concerns vital military matters, I venture to report to Lord Liu Zhongtang, Lord Sun Doutang, and Lord Yan, Military Commander: the troops of the various garrisons have almost never won a victory against the Eastern Invaders. This time, we were again defeated at Jiazhuang; even Lord Lu Doutang died in battle on the field. Never mind the lost men, horses, and equipment — even of the Xuan-Da Army that remains before us, I dare say this: once soldiers have routed, when you gather them back, they are no longer the soldiers they were. Their courage is utterly shattered."

The General Officers in the hall murmured among themselves. Above, Sun Chuanting did not call for order, merely gazing steadily at the desk with a calm expression that revealed no emotion.

Yang Guozhu raised his head to look at the several civil officials, drew a breath, and continued, "And this faint-hearted army, just this, was already owed seven months' pay from last year — a cumulative sixty-nine thousand five hundred taels before rallying to the king. Now it's been another three or four months. Lord Liu Zhongtang has taken pains to bring funds from the capital, but it can only cover half a month..."

Liu Yuliang raised a hand gently to interrupt. "Just before coming, I received reliable word that another sum of stipend silver should arrive the day after tomorrow, which should cover another one or two months."

Yang Guozhu bowed. "Rations and pay can be made up. Morale cannot. I have led troops for many years. Given the current state of the men and horses, if we drive them into battle, they will instantly scatter and flee — or worse, a mutiny is not out of the question."

Most of the Xuan-Da General Officers nodded in approval. Yan Ancestral Sacrifice frowned and stared at Yang Guozhu. "Does General Yang mean that we simply do not fight him, and let him run rampant as he pleases?"

"In reply to Lord Yan, Military Commander, the Eastern Invaders are still in Shandong, so naturally we cannot simply ignore them."

Liu Yuliang turned his head to look at Sun Chuanting. Only then did Sun Chuanting speak. "Then in General Yang's opinion, how should we fight the Jurchen Slaves?"

"In my humble opinion, Jinan has already been breached for several days. The troops available in Beidi are only those before us now. We must not rashly mass our forces for a major battle. The Eastern Invaders have seized all this money, grain, and people and are bound to withdraw beyond the frontier. Their troops will all be guarding these spoils and will thus be dispersed. Let our forces first engage them in small battles, building morale through small victories. Only when Supervisor-in-Chief Gao and the other Relief Troops have assembled can we again engage the Eastern Invaders."

Hu Dawei, below him, also spoke in agreement, followed by Wang Pu. Among them, Wang Pu's strength was the greatest, because he had not taken part in the Battle of Jiazhuang. Once these three had stated their position, the Xuan-Da stance was clear: they believed they currently lacked the strength to engage the Qing army and hoped Sun Chuanting would not force them, but they could fight some small engagements under the pretext of restoring morale, so that Sun Chuanting could give the court an account.

Sun Chuanting turned to the left column. The first was the Regional Commander of Baoding. Liu Guangzuo, after saluting the civil officials, said cautiously, "I led my troops here late and have not yet entered the city. At present, the Tartars' vanguard is already in the vicinity of Dezhou. Those Tartars are the swiftest of all. I beg you, my lords, to first allow my men and horses into the city, lest a sudden encounter damage the troops' morale..."

The moment these words were spoken, the two military officers below Zhou Yuji also began clamoring — it turned out they, too, had not entered the city.

Pang Yu stole a glance toward the seats of honor. Yan Ancestral Sacrifice's face was ashen, and Sun Chuanting's brow had furrowed into a knot.