Chapter 487: One Drumbeat

"Final confirmation: based on yesterday's engagement and last night's mounted patrol reconnaissance along the river with telescopes, from Huanghuadian south to Yangcun, over ten li, there were campfires all along the south bank. The Advisory Room assesses that this Jinan force of Qing troops split off at Jinghai, bypassed Sanjiaodian from both east and west, used multiple roads to march rapidly, assembled within Wuqing territory, then crossed the river at several nearby ferry crossings."

Inside Ci Islet Village, in a main room brightly lit by lamps, Tu Dianli stood beside the table speaking in a clear voice. Except for the duty officers, every military chief officer above Centurion was present, all studying the map with focused attention.

"The Huanghuadian column is the Tartar force that detoured around the west side of Sanjiaodian, or possibly crossed the ice at the narrow waist of Sanjiaodian. Judging from the Eastern Invader banners observed yesterday, this column includes at least the Plain Red Banner, and possibly the Bordered Red Banner. From the nighttime campfires, this Eastern Invader force is spread from southwest to northeast — that is their line of march. Huanghuadian is not on this route. The place we have chosen to strike is Wangzhuang, four li from the riverbank. There is a road here leading to the Yangcun riverbank, with camps dotted all along it. We will sever this road." (Note 1)

Several Heavy Armor Soldier officers murmured among themselves briefly. Four li from the riverbank — the heavy armor troops would need to don their armor and then march there, then immediately launch an attack. It was no easy task; they needed to carefully plan their marching speed.

Tu Dianli ignored them and pointed at the map. "The first wave of attack will be carried out by cavalry. We have Cao Regional Commander's seven hundred Lintao Retainers on our left wing, Regional Commander Li's two hundred and ten Xuan-Da Supervisor Battalion Central Battalion retainers, plus three hundred and twenty Qin Army Governor's Standard retainers under Li Guozheng, on our right wing. Zhou Yuji's three Company Commander cavalry and our battalion's cavalry will serve as the Central Army. The cavalry's objective is Wangzhuang."

Pang Yu looked up at this moment and said to Chen Rulie, "There were Eastern Invaders garrisoned at Wangzhuang last night. The most important thing remains speed. All the way north, the Eastern Invaders have grown accustomed to our scattered cavalry skirmishing half-heartedly. Today, every unit must catch them off guard — directly send out large cavalry forces in a sudden raid, exploit the Eastern Invaders' habits and hit them unprepared. The cavalry will first strike the Eastern Invader camp at Wangzhuang. Taking it directly would be ideal, but based on the Eastern Invaders' usual encampment practice, the village interiors are where the bannermen reside. If they don't break and scatter on their own, cavalry will have difficulty forcing their way in. In that case, each battalion's cavalry will turn and attack the outer perimeter camps, causing the people and livestock to stampede, drawing the Eastern Invaders inside the village out to counterattack."

Chen Rulie nodded. "Understood. If the Eastern Invaders inside the village do not come out, the cavalry will pin down the surrounding Eastern Invader cavalry, prevent them from coming to reinforce, and screen the Personal Soldiers Thousand-Leader Headquarters as they take over the attack on Wangzhuang."

Pang Yu turned to Zhuang Chaozheng. "The infantry will cross the river after the cavalry. No halting along the way — they must reach Wangzhuang as quickly as possible. Once the infantry arrives, commit them to the assault immediately. After fully securing Wangzhuang, transition to defensive positions. Once the infantry takes Wangzhuang, the various cavalry units will temporarily disengage and raid enemy camps far out on both flanks, preventing the Eastern Invaders from concentrating their forces. That is to say, the Anqing infantry will hold Wangzhuang alone, planted on the road like a nail, blocking every subsequent Eastern Invader column on this route."

Pang Yu swept his gaze around. All the Anqing officers were very serious, their faces bearing expressions of both exhaustion and excitement. Pang Yu guessed his own face probably looked similar — perhaps even more exhausted.

He had not slept the entire previous night. He had first rushed over forty li to Wuqing County town, where Sun Chuanting's Central Army was stationed. By then, Sun Chuanting had already been driven to utter exasperation by the Ministry of War and the Emperor. Although the battle reports previously sent to the Capital had been repeatedly polished, Yang Sichang understood military affairs — one look and he knew exactly what was going on even without real combat results.

Yang Sichang bluntly stated that the King-Rallying Army was merely escorting the Eastern Invaders north, and demanded that Sun Chuanting must deal a heavy blow, relying on "one final desperate gambit" to recapture the plundered population, coin, and grain.

And Sun Chuanting, leading a motley assortment of troops — guarding against mutiny below, answering to demands from above, facing the powerful Qing army without, and dealing with Liu Yuliang dragging him down from within — was already utterly exhausted in body and spirit. The resentment pent up in his heart was even greater than Pang Yu's, and he naturally had no kind attitude toward Yang Sichang.

In the original history, Sun Chuanting and Yang Sichang's relationship deteriorated rapidly during this very period. Yang Sichang simply transferred Hu Dawei away to Tongzhou, placing him under Chen Xinjia's command, to openly demonstrate his extreme displeasure with Sun Chuanting. Meanwhile, the Chongzhen Emperor's impression of Sun Chuanting also gradually soured, and his written replies grew increasingly severe.

The dozens of cities breached earlier had mostly nothing to do with Sun Chuanting — including the fall of Jinan, which occurred on the fourth day after he formally took command, something that could not be pinned on him. Sun Chuanting had always been very clear: his responsibility was to prevent the Qing army from exiting the border smoothly, to stop them from returning fully laden.

Now Pang Yu was proactively planning a battle. Although it could only mobilize a small portion of the King-Rallying Army, that small portion currently had the highest morale, and with Pang Yu himself at the very front, it possessed a certain degree of feasibility.

For Sun Chuanting, this plan still carried no small risk, but it was not the kind of catastrophic risk of total annihilation, because the battlefield was divided into several locations, and most of the cavalry were assigned pinning missions. The only force that might be wiped out was the infantry of the Anqing Battalion.

The greatest risk was Pang Yu being killed in action. Not long after the Copper City Relay Station victory had been reported, both the Emperor and the Ministry of War held a very favorable view of Pang Yu, who had rallied to the king at his own expense. If the Anqing Battalion — the most combat-effective unit — were annihilated, Yang Sichang would certainly fly into a rage, and in the end the blame would inevitably fall on Sun Chuanting's head. Furthermore, the remaining King-Rallying Army would surely lose all courage, including that small portion that still had the will to fight. There would be no more fighting after that — most likely another round of "all officials bid farewell."

The last time "all officials bid farewell," Liang Tingdong and Zhang Fengyi took rhubarb and committed suicide — an end only slightly more dignified than Caishikou.

Yet if Sun Chuanting did not accept the immediate risk and continued with the current posture, he would certainly be unable to intercept the Qing army from exiting the border, nor achieve any decent results. Given the Emperor's and Yang Sichang's attitude toward him, his own end might not be any better.

This time, Pang Yu was shouldering the greatest risk. If the plan ultimately went smoothly and a certain amount of population, coin, and grain were recovered, then Sun Chuanting would have something to report to the Ministry of War and could immediately escape his current disadvantageous position. The King-Rallying Army would no longer be a stagnant pool, and he would have room to maneuver.

In particular, during the time he had been delayed at Dacheng, Gao Qiqian had already caught up from Linqing. Leading the Guan-Ning grand army, he had not bitten at the Qing army's tail; instead, he followed Sun Chuanting's tracks toward Dong'an, and even reported a great victory two days prior. This put considerable pressure on Sun Chuanting.

So Sun Chuanting considered for only about a quarter of an hour before approving Pang Yu's plan, and redeployed the other various units toward Yangcun to pin the Qing army's vanguard.

Perhaps on the night of the mutiny, when he had rushed through the night to find Pang Yu and spoken so many words, it was precisely in the hope of achieving such an effect.

Afterward, Sun Chuanting convened a military council of all units, primarily the several camp heads who would be operating alongside Pang Yu. The meeting proceeded with unexpected smoothness. The group collated intelligence at Sun Chuanting's Central Army, formulated the battle plan, and then each returned to their own camp. Pang Yu did not sleep all night. By the time he returned to Ci Islet Village, it was already deep into the night. He immediately summoned his officers for deployment, and even now still felt not the slightest drowsiness.

Tu Dianli finally briefed on the movements of the other King-Rallying Army units. The Xuanfu, Datong, Governor's Standard Right Battalion, Baoding Regular Troops, and Yansui forces would head toward Yangcun to pin the Eastern Invaders on the north bank. After daybreak, this would be the largest operation the King-Rallying Army had ever undertaken.

Afterward, the officers asked questions. Following brief responses from the Advisory Room and Pang Yu, the military council ended hastily. The group of Centurions still had to return to their respective units and communicate the battle plan to all the junior officers.

Pang Yu stepped out of the main room. Outside was the road that cut through the village.

It was now the seventh day of the second month in the twelfth year of the Chongzhen reign. In the predawn hours, firelight flickered within Ci Islet Village. The Fire Soldiers of each unit were cooking. Before daybreak, all soldiers needed to finish their meal, gear up, and be ready to move out.

The firelight could not be concealed, but here inside the village, the house walls blocked reconnaissance. Since tomorrow's battle was expected to be grueling, Pang Yu still ordered the Fire Soldiers to light fires and prepare meals, so the soldiers could replenish their strength. Strangely, throughout the entire night, no Qing scouts had operated anywhere outside Ci Islet Village. This enemy force, which had entered the border nearly half a year ago and already marched thousands of li, seemed to be somewhat weary as well.

Pang Yu reviewed the sequence once more with several senior officers, then took the time to eat a meal. Still, he felt not the slightest drowsiness.

When he looked up, he saw a stretch of bright yellow on the southern horizon, indicating that the Qing army's camp was not far away — they were probably cooking as well. Pang Yu simply strolled slowly out onto the street. Directly ahead there happened to be a gap where he could see the firelight spreading across the wilderness to the south, tinting the sky a dusky yellow.

At that moment, Zhuang Chaozheng and Chen Rulie also came out. Since the Advisory Room had already briefed the Centurions directly, they now had a moment of leisure. Zhuang Chaozheng raised his telescope and observed for a while. "My lord, the Tartars don't care at all that so many King-Rallying troops are nearby — they don't even hide their camps."

Pang Yu was also watching the yellow glow in the southern sky. It was so similar to the scene he had seen on the river at Hezhou that night when they were reinforcing Puzikou.

Chen Rulie at his side snorted. "Maybe they think there's no need. They've marched through two provinces within Ming territory, ranged thousands of li, and are about to head home fully laden. If it were me, I'd also think — why bother guarding against a bunch of clay chickens and pottery dogs?"

Pang Yu shook his head and smiled. After a moment, he said, "Rulie, the wider the cavalry's operating range, the better. The wider the range, the harder it is for the Eastern Invaders' men and horses to concentrate. Also, watch closely how the Border Army cavalry operates — this is a good opportunity to learn. The mounted scouts are not to join battle today. Only these few seeds remain; a head-on engagement is not where they should be. Send them north of Wuqing. Once we sever the road, this large Jinan force will certainly need to communicate frequently with Xianghe. Go intercept and kill their messengers. I want to know their intentions."

Chen Rulie immediately said, "I will go make the arrangements at once."

Pang Yu nodded and turned to Zhuang Chaozheng. "Chaozheng."

Zhuang Chaozheng hurried a step closer. "My lord, your orders."

"If the cavalry does not seize Wangzhuang in the surprise raid, it will fall to the infantry. The assault must be bold and swift. Both flanks are troops from other garrisons — we don't know each other. We will be watching them, and they will be watching us. If Wangzhuang is not taken quickly and the Eastern Invaders close in, this place becomes a death trap. Those people will turn and leave without a second glance."

Zhuang Chaozheng looked up at Pang Yu and said, "Understood. Please rest assured, my lord. I will certainly take Wangzhuang."

"The Eastern Invaders are all cavalry. The Tartars from the other surrounding camps will assemble very quickly, so the time you have to attack Wangzhuang is very short. I am giving you all the artillery. Wangzhuang must fall at the first drumbeat — because if it does not fall at the first drumbeat, the Tartar reinforcements may arrive, and we will have no second drumbeat." Pang Yu's gaze was resolute as he looked toward the southern horizon. "The Tartars have marched thousands of li and are returning fully laden. Right now they are like bandits on a mountain who have gotten their loot — they have no heart for a desperate fight. The Anqing Battalion has also marched a thousand li and already earned military merits, yet we still must cross the river to fight desperately. It is because we are different from them. The Anqing Battalion fights to protect the common people of the realm."

Zhuang Chaozheng nodded silently. A sliver of dawn light appeared in the east, bringing the first ray of brightness to the vast North China plain.

……

Note 1: Yang Sichang's "Memorial on Scouted Enemy Situation," dated the sixth day of the second month: "It is now reported that directly south of Wuqing, at night the great camp's firelight is fully visible — the land is covered with the enemy. It may still be the rear column of the enemy coming from Cangzhou and Qing County, while the enemy east of the river have again crossed the shallows heading southwest, acting to link up with the rear column (referring to the troops of the Left Wing turning back to provide support; in this text, designated as the Plain Blue Banner)."

This was reported by Yang Sichang on the sixth day of the second month in the original history. Based on the scouting time, it would have been two days prior. By the fourth, the Qing army had already reached Wuqing and was not concealing their movements — their direction was very easy to confirm. Yet in Sun Chuanting's memorials, the Qing army's movements were depicted as swift as fleeing hares, even ghostlike, flickering east and west and impossible to determine. On this point alone, Yang Sichang certainly would not accept it.

One only had to look at the Qing army's marching columns to know that there was indeed nothing deceptive about their direction of movement.

Take the Plain Red Banner as an example. The Plain Red Banner Manchu proper had captured eighteen thousand head of livestock; the Plain Red Banner Mongols had captured fourteen thousand three hundred head; the Aohan, Naiman, and captured Chahar divisions under their jurisdiction together captured four thousand eight hundred head. Those are the livestock numbers. Their primary objective was to plunder coin and grain, so they would do their utmost to pair livestock with carriages. They also brought their own carriages when entering the border. Estimating three thousand carriages per banner, with each single-file carriage occupying five meters of road length, a column of three thousand carriages would stretch thirty li long. Even two thousand carriages would be twenty li long.

And the entire Plain Red Banner also had captured a population numbering as high as seventy thousand. Add to that the army personnel and livestock of the invading force itself, and this was an immensely vast, sprawling column with low organization. It would absolutely never move like a fleeing hare, and its maneuverability would absolutely never exceed that of the King-Rallying Army, which consisted solely of troops.

Sun Chuanting had his own difficulties. He was constrained by the various military commanders and could only gloss things over through the subtle brushwork of the Spring and Autumn Annals. But Yang Sichang felt he was being fooled, and Sun Chuanting in turn believed Yang Sichang was deliberately making things difficult. The two never reached a balance of compromise, which ultimately resulted in Sun Chuanting spending several years in prison.