Chapter 493: Afternoon at Wangzhuang

In the afternoon at Wangzhuang, countless black columns of smoke rose from the south and east. The nearby camps were a scene of utter devastation. Smoke and mist wreathed the open fields, livestock dotted the landscape like scattered stars, and among them many figures still fled in panic. Most of these common folk skirted around Wang Village; only a very few ran directly to the village entrance, where they knelt on the ground awaiting orders.

The Anqing civil laborers bustled around Wangzhuang, reinforcing the earthen walls at the edges, digging as many pits and holes as they could, while others gathered up the livestock in the vicinity.

Pang Yu stood on a carriage frame at the village entrance. Through the telescope, cavalry were in pursuit everywhere. Several Ming Army camp heads launched assaults along separate routes, each camp head further splitting into multiple raiding parties depending on the situation. The Qing forces responded with corresponding multi-pronged interceptions. Chaos reigned everywhere. Many of the Ming Army Household Retainers wore cotton armor without the red padded jacket over it; from a distance, they looked much like Qing soldiers, making it very hard to tell who was chasing whom.

The Ming Army's sudden raid threw the Qing forces into disarray. The surrounding company were preoccupied with defending their own camps and could not muster sufficient troops, forced to hold their ground and wait for reinforcements from farther away. The Ming Army's raiding range extended as far as seven li.

From what Pang Yu could observe nearby, the Ming Army Household Retainers were not at a disadvantage in small-scale engagements. In many cases, they could even drive the Qing troops far back. The disparity in combat strength between the two sides was not obvious.

Today, because the Qing forces had to protect their rations and pay, the closer the fighting got to their camps, the more resolute their will to fight became. As long as the numerical disparity was not too great, most would not retreat on their own initiative. Most of these Qing Mounted Armor soldiers had armor. Once they converged, their advantage grew steadily, leaving the Ming Army less room for skirmishing, and they were gradually driven away from the camp perimeter.

After noon, more and more Qing troops arrived from the surrounding area. The Qing forces south of Wangzhuang also steadied their footing, organized a force of considerable scale, and began driving off the nearby Ming troops. The operational space for the Ming cavalry was steadily squeezed.

Tu Dianli's voice came: "Sir, the cavalry reports that about five hundred Datong Garrison cavalry have been spotted on the North Bank."

"What is the Datong Garrison doing here?"

"On the North Bank, they are cutting down the fleeing common folk and taking their heads."

Pang Yu's expression remained steady. Tu Dianli still cautiously asked, "Should we report this to Sun Doutang?"

Pang Yu shook his head. Sun Chuanting was quite conciliatory toward the Datong Garrison and would not even speak harshly to Wang Pu. He would absolutely never intervene in a matter like this. Reporting it would only make him a villain for nothing.

"Have the Logistics Team find some civilian laborers from Shandong. Send them a little way out to shout and tell those common folk to flee west."

The civilian laborer team quickly dispatched men. As expected, the fleeing common folk trusted the Shandong accent more and fled westward in droves.

Pang Yu raised his telescope. The view was somewhat blurred, but he could see a large group of cavalry on the North Bank. Wang Pu's appearance here meant he had already abandoned the harassment of Yangcun. The main force pinning down the Qing troops on the North Bank was the Datong Garrison. Yang Guozhu, Liu Qin, Liu Guangzuo, and the other camp heads all had limited strength. Since Wang Pu had left, those camp heads would certainly have slipped away as well, freeing up Qing forces on the North Bank.

Sure enough, in less than a quarter of an hour, a Qing cavalry force of about five hundred appeared to the northeast. The situation on the South Bank took a sharp turn for the worse.

After this large group of Mounted Armor arrived, the cavalry from the various Ming camps retreated one after another. Zhou Yuji, attacked from two sides by Qing forces, chose to withdraw rapidly westward. Li Guozheng to the south was doggedly pursued by a Qing force and had to flee to the outskirts of Wangzhuang, relying on the Anqing Battalion's cannon for cover to shake off his pursuers before retreating across the river at Huanghuadian. Li Zhongzhen was nowhere to be seen. Pang Yu scanned repeatedly with his telescope but could not spot him; he had likely withdrawn early on during the chaos.

In about a quarter of an hour, the Ming cavalry were essentially driven off the South Bank. Cao Bianjiao's troops were the last to withdraw. After crossing the Ci Islet Ferry in three columns, the three columns provided mutual cover. Cao Bianjiao organized a counterattack at the riverbank and successfully broke contact with the Qing forces.

The Datong cavalry did not participate in the battle. Once they saw the Qing forces gaining the upper hand, they immediately withdrew westward. It was now approaching the hour of Wei. The Datong Garrison's camp was at the West Gate of Wuding County Town, a full fifty li from Ci Islet. With this withdrawal, they were certainly heading straight back to camp.

The chaotic battle on the southern bank of the Yongding River came to an end for the moment. Pang Yu had watched the excitement for half the day. This kind of cavalry skirmishing looked chaotic and intense, but casualties were not heavy on either side. As long as they judged themselves to be at a disadvantage, these cavalrymen would disengage on their own initiative. Head-on clashes between the two sides were rare, and catching up to the opponent was quite difficult. It looked lively but yielded meager results.

Today could still be considered a day when every camp put in real effort. Pang Yu could imagine what it was like when both sides merely went through the motions — no wonder the reported headcounts were always in the single digits. All the fighting they had done over such a long time probably caused fewer casualties than Pang Yu's attack on Wangzhuang in that single half-hour.

But the cavalry harassment had delayed the Qing forces for the greater part of the day. The Qing troops southwest of Yangcun had been almost entirely unable to move, an even better result than the half-day delay Pang Yu had anticipated.

By the time the Qing forces gathered their scattered cavalry from all directions, it was already the third quarter of the hour of Wei. Before nightfall, the Qing forces could organize at most one assault. As long as they withstood that round, Pang Yu could gain an entire night to reinforce the defenses. The Qing forces would also use the night to prepare their attack.

A Cavalry Division from Anqing entered through Dongcunkou. The cavalry streamed past Pang Yu in an unbroken line. Because the terrain inside Wangzhuang was narrow and could not accommodate too many horses, only one Cavalry Division was left behind. Chen Rulie had no choice but to alter the plan and withdraw with the other two divisions back across the Ci Islet Ferry.

Only one division remained. Compared to the Qing forces, this cavalry unit was extremely weak, but it could still serve as a check on them.

The lookout on the left shouted loudly, "To the northeast, around seven hundred Eastern Invaders bearing yellow banners, moving east to west along the riverbank."

Pang Yu turned to the east. Another large group of Qing cavalry had appeared there, heading straight for the Ci Islet Ferry. After crossing the river, they galloped swiftly toward Wuding County Town. This large force would certainly pursue the various Ming camps for a stretch to strike at Ming Army morale and ensure they would not turn back to cause trouble.

Pang Yu raised his telescope and scanned. To the northeast, a large cavalry force of about six hundred had assembled. The several hundred cavalry split into over a dozen squads, patrolling around Wangzhuang. From the banners, they were a mix of Plain Red Banner and Bordered Red Banner, with a small number of others, and they controlled the area between Wangzhuang and the riverbank. To the south were over three hundred Plain Red Banner Mongol combat soldiers.

At the entrance of Wangzhuang, the Deputy General's red banner, one zhang and six chi in length, fluttered — standing solitary and proud on the southern bank of the Yongding River, now teeming with Qing troops.

Small groups of Qing troops from the surrounding area closed in on Wangzhuang, probing and venturing ever closer. One group approached within fifty paces of the village entrance.

At the third quarter of the hour of Wei, Du Lei's Banner Commander red banner arrived one li from Wangzhuang.

The Mongol Banner Commander's banner also moved over. Enggetu had a gash across his forehead, impossible to tell if from an arrow or a waist saber. He paid it no mind whatsoever. His face dark, he said to Du Lei, "Banner Commander, this is Buyan's camp. All the other groups of Southern Barbarian Household Retainers have been driven off. Only this one group is holding out inside this village."

Du Lei narrowed his eyes and stared at the village. The fields around the hamlet were littered with burned carriage frames. The shacks had nearly all been torched. The ground was strewn with all manner of debris. On the road at the village entrance, figures could still be seen digging pits, which already looked to be calf-deep.

At the village entrance, wrecked carriage frames and earth-filled sacks had been piled into a transverse wall barricade, like a spirit screen built outside a gate. Cavalry could not charge directly into the village entrance; they would first have to go around this wall barricade. Small cannons were placed in the gaps of the barricade. Their barrels, reflecting the metallic gleam of the afternoon sun, and the Ming soldiers in full armor occasionally pacing around them.

Forty paces from the village entrance, nearly twenty men and horses lay fallen. The positions where they fell were highly concentrated. Some of the horses were still twitching; it looked as though they had just been hit by cannon fire not long before.

A familiar feeling welled up in Du Lei's heart. Beside him, Holben said in a deep voice, "The captured Ming soldiers from various units have confessed. Inside this village is that group of Southern Barbarians from Tongcheng Post. I did not let the Armored Soldiers attack."

Du Lei's expression flickered. After a moment, he said fiercely, "Bring Buyan here for questioning."

The personal guard at his side immediately went and brought over company Zhangjing Buyan. Du Lei fixed his eyes on him and said, "What kind of troops seized your village?"

Buyan stammered in reply, "Three thousand cavalry, with two thousand Foot-Armour in bright armor mixed in — no fewer than five thousand Southern Barbarians."

"Foot-Armour in bright armor. What else?"

"Also... cannons."

Before his words had even faded, Du Lei suddenly lashed out violently with his whip. Buyan let out a miserable cry and hastily covered his head with his hands.

Du Lei swung the horsewhip ferociously, beating Buyan until he howled in agony. It was a good while before Du Lei stopped.

"Clearly, it's the Southern Barbarian troops from Thirty-Li Post." Du Lei's face was flushed crimson. He lashed out with the whip again. "Why did you not report the bright-armored Southern Barbarians before noon? Why did you not report those small cannons? Do you realize how much you have ruined!"

Buyan cowered to the side, clutching his head and not daring to speak.

Holge had been to Tongcheng Post. He was the one who had led the night raid that day. On South Street in Tongcheng Post, he had experienced the enemy's cannon fire firsthand. He had also questioned the Armored Soldiers who were ambushed about the circumstances of the ambush at Thirty-Li Post. He knew that Southern troop's tactics.

Paying no attention to Buyan, he carefully studied Wangzhuang, then said to Du Lei, "On this side of the village alone, there are over a hundred bright-armored Southern Barbarians, plus four cannons. It won't be easy to take."

"The road passes through the village. It must be taken. If we cannot retake this village, the carriage frames behind cannot get through." Enggetu's cheek twitched. "South of that village, there are still five Jurchen company, all the Mongol company, the Aohan tribe, and the captured Chahar — all cut off behind it."

Du Lei stared at the village before him, his eyes a mixture of ferocity, hesitation, and regret. This village before him was utterly unremarkable, but this group of Ming soldiers cutting it off made him unbearably miserable. If he did not attack this village, all the carriage frames behind could not pass, and the supplies and plundered goods would have to be abandoned — something no company could accept, and something he could not answer for upon his return. But if he did attack, taking the village would inevitably cost extremely high casualties, which the Plain Red Banner alone could hardly bear.

"Back at Tongcheng Post, I said we should combine forces and annihilate this group of Southern troops. No one listened to me. The Grand General even said..." Du Lei stopped mid-sentence. Yoto was already dead. Speaking ill of him now would stir up unimaginable trouble if word got out.

Holben changed the subject. "I circled the village and looked. No fewer than five hundred bright-armored Southern Barbarians. With the troops we have here now, we cannot take it."

Enggetu added, "Two hundred Southern Barbarian horse soldiers also went inside. We have to keep Mounted Armor on both ends to guard against them charging out."

Du Lei closed his eyes, calculating how many troops would be needed. At that moment, the head of his personal guards came over and reported, "Reporting to Master, Beizi Fiyanggū has reached the riverbank to the north."

Du Lei opened his eyes, pulled his horse's head around in a circle. "I will go see Beizi Fiyanggū first. We can only ask him to transfer Armored Soldiers from the various banners for a joint assault. If they are transferred, it will certainly be tomorrow. Holge, you take forty elite guards and three hundred Mounted Armor. Go west immediately. There are Liao Garrison men to the west. If you see any leaving their camp, strike them down and drive them back, lest they come and cause trouble tomorrow. Enggetu, you take the remaining troops and surround this village. Guard both ends of the village strictly. Set up many Ambush Army posts tonight. Have each company send over the bondservants who make shield carts. A hundred must be built tonight."

The two men acknowledged their orders. Du Lei said resentfully, "At Tongcheng Post, we should never have let them live. This time, we must ensure not a single one of these Southern Barbarians is left alive!"

The horns of the Qing cavalry to the north sounded repeatedly, and they quickly assembled into formation. Pang Yu observed carefully. The Qing cavalry were clearly well-trained, their command system simple yet highly efficient. The Qing troops, massed in groups, looked immensely formidable.

At that moment, over a dozen Anqing civil laborers ran out from Wangzhuang. Carrying blades, they dashed over to the dead and wounded Qing soldiers, crouched down, and began hacking off heads. The Anqing soldiers behind the wall barricade cheered them on loudly, and the atmosphere instantly grew heated.

When the Qing troops noticed, they sent out some scattered riders, making a show of closing in. Seven or eight of the civil laborers turned and bolted back into the village. The remaining few were undeterred. Two of them even raised the severed heads high, taunting the Qing soldiers, provoking even more fervent cheers from behind the wall barricade.

The Qing cavalry, wary of the cannons, did not dare to press their advance any closer.

Pang Yu also felt his spirits surge at the sight. They were an isolated force, surrounded — they needed this kind of boost the most. He had been wondering how to raise morale, never expecting a few civilian laborers would do it.

Once those laborers returned, Pang Yu jumped down from the carriage after them. Below, Wu Dacai reached out a hand in a token gesture of support. Once Pang Yu was steady on his feet, Wu Dacai immediately said, "Reporting for the lord's awareness: those laborers who took heads are all stout fellows. This subordinate wishes to first record their names, to give them priority recruitment when we next enlist troops."

Pang Yu said approvingly, "Chief Clerk Wu considers matters thoroughly. At the Carriage River, civilian laborers also joined the battle, but at the time no clear record was kept. Later, when recruiting, every man claimed he had cut down Roving Bandits, and in the end it all became a muddled mess of accounts."

Pang Yu did not mention Mr. Hou by name, but on the day he had led the laborers in a counter-charge, Mr. Hou had been standing right there beside him with the clerk officers. Only a handful of those clerk officers had joined the charge. Not joining was one thing, but they had not even considered these aspects either.

Wu Dacai hurriedly demurred with a few modest words. Pang Yu turned to Tu Dianli beside him. "Once Nightfall comes, dispatch a Relay Horse back to Wuding. Report the situation here to Sun Doutang. The Tartars likely have no time to attack today, but early tomorrow morning they will move their main army to besiege us. Anqing Battalion will hold Wangzhuang to the death. Request Sun Doutang to deploy all units at dawn tomorrow to continue raiding and disrupting the Tartar Camp Grounds on both banks. He must commit full strength to pinning the Tartars down. Whether we can shatter the Eastern Invaders in one stroke hinges on this move."

……

Deep in the night, at the Wuding County Yamen, Sun Chuanting strode into the yamen's Main Hall.

Not every presiding official of the Ming Dynasty's prefectures and counties was a hothead like Chen Hongxu. The Wuding County Magistrate had not only allowed the Capital Battalion and Shaanxi Provincial Commander's Standard Troops to enter the city, but had also yielded the county yamen for the Chief Grand Secretary's use. Liu Yuliang was staying in the yamen's Guesthouse.

Because they had to report battle conditions to the Ministry of War daily, the staff officers of the King-Rallying Army were working overtime every evening. The County Magistrate had hung the Main Hall full of lanterns, bright everywhere, which brightened Liu Zhongtang's mood considerably as well.

Sun Chuanting's face was covered with the dust of travel, but his expression was one of considerable excitement. He went directly to Tuisi Hall and found Liu Yuliang seated before his desk.

Before he had even taken his seat, he exclaimed, "Liu Zhongtang, today we won a great victory on the southern bank of the Yongding River! All Camps overran seven Eastern Invader Camp Grounds, liberated no fewer than ten thousand common folk, and cut down several hundred Eastern Invaders in battle."

Liu Yuliang raised his head to look at Sun Chuanting, utterly unmoved. "Boya, where exactly are those ten thousand common folk? And where are the several hundred Eastern Invader heads?"

Sun Chuanting paused briefly, but without taking offense, he replied, "Most of the common folk fled on their own, but over five hundred were taken in by the Provincial Commander's Standard Troops after River Crossing. From that, one can deduce no fewer than ten thousand. Tomorrow, the lord Zhongtang may personally release them to return home. As for the severed heads, every battalion has some. A rough estimate puts the count at several hundred."

"I fear they did not flee on their own, but rather had their heads borrowed by the various battalions. The heads brought back today do indeed number in the hundreds, but the inspecting officer sent by the Ministry of War verified that Eastern Invaders and Western Invaders combined total no more than thirty-odd. This is what the Emperor will review personally — not the slightest carelessness can be permitted. This old man's memorial reporting today's battle situation will also follow this figure."

After speaking, Liu Yuliang shook his head slightly. The various battalions had indeed collected quite a few heads today; Li Zhongzhen alone had sent over two or three hundred. The accompanying Ministry of War inspector had only certified nine — three Western Invaders and six True Yi. On an ordinary day, that would still count as a major victory. However, since Pang Yu had previously reported over a hundred Decapitation Merits, today's report of just over thirty heads naturally failed to impress Liu Yuliang.

Sun Chuanting said patiently, "The Anqing Cavalry Camp has cut off the Eastern Invaders' main road north. In the coming days, there should be even more Decapitation Merits."

"As for this Road Passage, it exists everywhere. You cut off this one, he simply takes another. We began cutting them off from Cangzhou and Qing County, cutting all the way to the Tianjin Garrison, yet we never saw any Tartars cut off. Now you report that you have cut them off. Who is to say that in two days the Tartars won't pass through somewhere else, or even turn around and trap Anqing Battalion instead? How will you report to the Emperor then? This old man believes such unsettled matters are better left unsaid."

Sun Chuanting sat dumbly for a moment, then abandoned any intention of debating with Liu Yuliang. Matters of Battle were not something he could explain clearly to this man.

At that moment, Liu Yuliang handed over a memorial. "Aside from the battle and defense situation, this old man has one more memorial here. It is to be sent to the Cabinet today. I ask Boya to review it first."

Sun Chuanting hastily received it with both hands. Each day, they both had to send memorials back to the Capital under their own names. The memorials they each wrote often required consultation, especially the figures and events within, which had to be cross-verified repeatedly to avoid contradictions that would invite rebuke from the Cabinet and the Emperor. They often worked deep into the night over these memorials.

Thus Sun Chuanting thought nothing of it, assuming this was the usual verification of content and data, no different from the daily memorials. He held it in his hands and read carefully for a moment. Gradually, his expression grew grave. His body slowly straightened, and his brow furrowed ever more tightly.

Reaching the end, Sun Chuanting abruptly slammed the memorial down. After a few rapid, heaving breaths, he turned his head to stare at Liu Yuliang. "What is the meaning of this, Liu Zhongtang! Why impeach the Military Officers of every battalion at a time like this?"

Liu Yuliang replied as if it were only natural. "Among the various battalions and their commanders, some feign compliance while sitting back and nurturing the enemy, some heed orders but refuse deployment, some act with reckless arrogance, and some presume upon their merits with insolent pride. The Tartars are so ferocious — if we do not apply the whip to the General Officers, how can we possibly fight the Eastern Invaders? How can we rescue the thousands upon thousands of common folk taken captive?"

"Why must Liu Zhongtang choose this moment, of all times, to impeach six General Officers in a single memorial — most of them men who won merit in today's surprise assault on the Eastern Invaders? Liu Guangzuo, Cao Bianjiao, Liu Qin, Li Zhongzhen, Li Guozheng…" Sun Chuanting, growing agitated, could not help but rise to his feet with a cry and slap the memorial onto the table. "Even Anqing Garrison Vice General Pang Yu, who fought a bloody battle to block the enemy, is among the impeached! What is the reasoning behind this!" (Note 1)

……

Note 1: Historically, Liu Yuliang's sudden impeachment of numerous King-Rallying Army officers occurred on the evening of the fifth day of the second lunar month. This incident brought the conflict between Sun Chuanting and Liu Yuliang into the open. Liu Yuliang, trying to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, ended up pleasing no one and alienating everyone. The affair ultimately devolved into an utter mess, severely damaging the already scant morale of the King-Rallying Army and further costing the court its face.