Chapter 511: Face-to-Face Discussion

In the afternoon outside Wenyuan Pavilion, Yang Sichang stood by the Inner Golden Water River gazing at Wenhua Hall across the water, with Shen Xun at his side.

After watching for a moment, Yang Sichang withdrew his gaze and slowly spoke. "What message did Xiong Wencan send?"

"He claims the Eight Bandits show no definite signs of revolt, but Hong Chengchou is about to leave the pass for his post in Liaodong, taking Shaanxi troops with him. When that happens, Shaanxi, Huguang, and Henan will all be stripped of soldiers. At present, the pacified roving bandits in Suizhou, Gucheng, Fang County, and elsewhere number seven or eight large camp heads, totaling no fewer than a hundred thousand men, among them nearly ten thousand hardened veterans of the old camps. Without capable court troops to watch over them, he fears disloyalty may arise. Xiong Wencan requests that Zuo Liangyu's forces be transferred back, or that Pang Yu's Anqing unit be swiftly redeployed to Xiangyang."

Yang Sichang gave a cold snort. "Court troops! So he knows the Eight Bandits and their ilk are not court troops, and that without court troops watching them, these pacified old bandits will grow disloyal. That is the fruit of his feigned surrender policy."

Shen Xun was silent for a moment, then said, "When the Eastern Invaders breached the border this time, the Western Camp and other bandit chieftains were all watching the situation. A month or two would have been one thing, but no one expected it to last half a year. The Eastern Invaders are about to leave the border, but the armies that rallied to the king still need time to return. Huguang, Henan, and Shaanxi are drained of troops, and the next three or four months will be the most perilous time. I imagine Xiong Wencan can see this clearly too."

"Of course he can see it clearly. But who was it who said, when the feigned surrenders were arranged, that the realm would henceforth enjoy peace? Hong Chengchou led his troops campaigning everywhere and was demoted but kept in his post. Xiong Wencan sat in Xiangyang city and pacified all the bandits beyond the passes with a single feigned surrender policy — effortless and deeply winning the Emperor's favor. He even ordered the troops assigned to him not to attack the Western Camp. Now today, knowing full well the troops are all rallying to the king, he comes to the Ministry of War asking for soldiers. This official can state with certainty: the Western Camp is by no means entirely quiet. Xiong Wencan must have seen signs of rebellion but dares not alarm the Emperor at this moment, so he first asks the Ministry of War for troops, hoping that once they arrive he can overawe the Western Camp. If the troops fail to be transferred in time, he can shift all the blame onto the Ministry of War."

Yang Sichang finished speaking in one breath, his chest heaving. Shen Xun dared not offer any counsel for the moment. Ever since the Eastern Invaders entered the border, Yang Sichang had been under immense pressure — pressure not only from the Qing army, but also from the pacified roving bandit camps lying dormant in the heartland.

Early last year, the Qing army had explicitly declared outside the Xuan-Da border that they would return after autumn. Yang Sichang had been trying to open border markets before that time, to delay the Qing invasion and buy time to exterminate the roving bandits. Who could have known that Xiong Wencan would turn it all into blanket feigned surrender? The various Qin Land bands flocked to the Central Plains, the surrendered forces a mix of good and bad, and they could not be attacked and wiped out.

At court, criticism of opening the markets never ceased, and the market negotiations could not even begin. The Qing army arrived on schedule. The longer the fighting dragged on, the greater the chance that the roving bandits in the Central Plains would rebel again. Yang Sichang kept one eye on the Qing army while repeatedly sending ministry dispatch directives to Xiong Wencan, ordering him to closely monitor the pacified camps, especially the movements of the Eight Bandits.

Now the Qing army was nearing the border and the campaign was about to end, yet nearly all the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty's north were concentrated near the Capital. Henan, Huguang, and Shaanxi were drained of soldiers. The roving bandits were surely also closely watching the course of this war against the Qing. If they had plans to rebel again, they would certainly strike before the government elite troops returned — within the next two months.

"This humble official agrees with Your Excellency. Xiong Wencan must have detected something, or he would not have sent such a secret memorial. But there is one point in it that I find somewhat reasonable. Shaanxi is the place where the roving bandits arose; it requires a capable man to hold it. Hong Chengchou is being transferred to Liaodong. Although Zheng Reconstruction has some frontier ability, he still falls far short of Hong Chengchou. With such an arrangement, can we still..."

Yang Sichang waved his hand. Huguang and Henan were now completely empty. The Ministry of War had only transferred Sun Chuanting, deliberately keeping Hong Chengchou in Shaanxi to hold the ground. But after the news of Lu Xiangsheng's death arrived, the Emperor issued consecutive decrees: Sun Chuanting was appointed Supreme Commander of Zhending and Baoding, and Hong Chengchou was appointed Supreme Commander of Ji-Liao military affairs. Both nemeses of the roving bandits were transferred away from Shaanxi.

By his reckoning, Hong Chengchou should be leaving the pass about now. He would certainly take his trusted troops like Zuo Guangxian's unit with him, leaving Shaanxi even more empty. No wonder Xiong Wencan was beginning to worry.

"I have twice advised the Emperor that in Shaanxi, the embers of bandit unrest still smolder. Of Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting, only one may be transferred, not both. The Emperor kept my memorials and did not issue them, insisting that Hong Chengchou go to Liaodong. The matter is settled; there is no need to raise it again." Yang Sichang sighed. "Better to think: where else are there troops that can be moved?"

Shen Xun thought briefly and replied, "Zuo Liangyu's forces are suppressing unrest in Henan. Fang Kongzhao in Huguang has newly recruited several thousand men, but they are still needed to watch over the pacified forces in Suizhou and elsewhere. Everywhere else, there are no troops to transfer... At Mianyang Port south of Gucheng, there is still a unit of the Anqing Battalion, mostly Water Camp troops. But according to Xiong Wencan, they are quite capable in battle, only lacking cavalry. If the Western Camp revolts, this force can defend itself but is insufficient to destroy the enemy. Moreover, Xiong Wencan says the officer left in command of this camp, one Xie Zhaofa, is domineering and refuses to obey orders."

"How many military men are not domineering?"

Yang Sichang said this, then frowned in thought. He had known of this Anqing Battalion before; they had accompanied Xiong Wencan to suppress the bandits. The unit Pang Yu brought to rally to the king was nominally the Cavalry Camp, but in reality it was cobbled together from various Anqing battalions. Looking at the merit reports, Zhuang Chaozheng of the Tongcheng Standard Troops Battalion was among them.

Since the Susong Campaign the year before last, this Anqing Battalion had often drawn Yang Sichang's attention. When it came to fighting roving bandits, every garrison of the government troops could produce dazzling battle records. A few hundred cavalry of the Border Army could chase down tens of thousands of roving bandits. The Susong Campaign, though a great victory, was not yet enough to make one sit up and take notice.

But this time, facing the Eastern Invaders, in the battles of Tongcheng Post and the Yongding River, the Anqing Battalion's achievements stood head and shoulders above the rest, resolving the predicament for the hard-pressed Yang Sichang and giving him room to maneuver.

Now the situation in the heartland of Huguang was highly likely to undergo a drastic change, and perhaps he would have to rely on this Anqing Garrison Vice General once again. Yang Sichang had still never met Pang Yu. He only knew he was very young, in his early twenties.

"The king-rallying army has reached eastern Ji, not far from the Capital after all. As for how well they are actually fighting — you will go with the Imperial Privy Purse funds. The Emperor wants another three to five thousand heads taken. Go to the army and inspect the situation clearly. Be sure to strictly urge them on, and also meet this Pang Yu."

"Should this humble official confirm the Strike General Meritorious Service?"

Yang Sichang nodded slightly. The Anqing Battalion was gradually revealing powerful combat strength. In two critical battlefields, he had to rely on Pang Yu. Moreover, this time they had voluntarily rallied to the king — their attitude was more than one grade better than the average military man. As the de facto Minister of War, Yang Sichang needed to establish good relations with this new force.

"Interrogate the captives personally. It does not matter how Yoto died, but you must confirm beyond doubt that he is truly dead. Only then can we have confidence."

East of Shunyi County, rain and snow mixed in the sky. Pang Yu wore no rain cape. He walked slowly along the river course with a few subordinates.

In the water near the riverbank floated many human and animal corpses, bloated from soaking in the river. The tattered clothes on them were stretched taut, making them look like half-spheres on the water's surface.

Near the wooden bridge not far ahead, the Anqing artillery was setting up cannons. Seeing this, the Qing cavalry on the opposite bank withdrew one after another.

Due to the heavy casualties suffered at the Yongding River, the Qing army's right wing had to carry many wounded. Men kept dying of their wounds along the way, and their speed of movement had fallen far behind the original history.

The Qing army had burned the wooden bridge at Hexiwu. The Ming army spent half a day repairing the bridge surface, then pursued to Shunyi County. The wooden bridge here had also been burned. The Qing rear guard numbered over three hundred cavalry, mainly men of the Plain Yellow Banner. They did their utmost to obstruct the Ming army's bridge-building. Once the Anqing Battalion's artillery arrived, these Qing troops immediately withdrew far from the riverbank.

"Sir, an order token from Sun Doutang. Seven men of the Yansui Garrison contracted a plague at Yangcun. Sun Doutang orders that no camp may enter streets or alleys containing corpses. Affected soldiers are to be housed alone, and no one may visit them."

Pang Yu took the order token, looked at it, and asked, "Did it say what kind of plague?"

"The relay horse said privately it's called Big Head Plague. The afflicted have swollen heads and necks and flushed red faces. Of the seven infected in the Yansui Garrison, six died within two days. Only one remains alive."

Pang Yu looked up at Tu Dianli in surprise. Of plagues, he had only heard of smallpox, bubonic plague, and the like. He had never heard of anything called Big Head Plague, but its ferocity truly shocked him.

Tu Dianli bowed and said, "This subordinate has also reviewed the compiled confessions of the Tartar captives. It was not only Yoto who contracted the plague. Ever since they stopped at Jinan, plague began spreading through their camp. In some companies, everyone in a tent died in a single day. They dared not collect the bodies, so they piled firewood on them and burned them together with the tent, then came back to collect the bone ash."

"This plague is so fierce?"

Zhuang Chaozheng, standing nearby, said, "This humble one thinks it is because the Tartars are too brutal, thus incurring heaven's wrath, and the retribution has fallen upon their own people."

"The Tartars' evil deeds will naturally bring retribution, but I fear this plague does not discriminate. We must prepare for it." Pang Yu thought for a moment, then asked, "How did the Tartars deal with it?"

"They forbid visiting anyone who fell ill. After they marched north from Jinan, they made no stops along the way, and the number of those falling ill immediately dropped." Tu Dianli paused, then continued, "The Tartars also used the plague against us. Forward scouts report that after the Tartars crossed the river, in every town and market they passed through, they threw corpses into the ponds, lakes, and wells. A detailed inspection here at Hexiwu found that about thirty percent of the wells contained the corpses of rats, cats, dogs, and the entrails of some unknown livestock. Countless corpses float along the river. Neither well water nor river water can be drunk; it cannot even be used to water horses."

Pang Yu frowned. The Tartars had clearly begun to take the king-rallying army far more seriously. When they had marched north from Linqing before, the king-rallying army had advanced parallel to the Qing army, and the Qing's advantage in retreat could not be exerted. Now, following behind them, the Qing army was massively destroying water sources, bridges, houses, and other infrastructure along the way. The population had been slaughtered or carried off to the last person. The king-rallying army could obtain no logistical support whatsoever en route. The Qing army was exploiting its retreat advantage to the fullest, making logistics for the king-rallying army extremely difficult — especially since all carriages and baggage had been lost outside Wuqing.

They had captured quite a lot on the south bank, but because the Yongding River had risen sharply, the pontoon bridge was unstable. The carriages had to be emptied and pushed across the bridge by hand, then reloaded with supplies and hitched to mules and horses.

After the fierce battle on the south bank, the weather had been clear for a few days, then turned to a mix of rain and snow. The king-rallying army's pursuit march was extremely arduous, sustained entirely by the morale from the Yongding River Victory. But human physical strength and spirit have their own laws; morale alone cannot sustain them for too long.

"We don't have many men who came north, just three companies in total. For now, follow Sun Doutang's orders: do not enter towns or markets to camp. Find water sources at a distance. All drinking water must be boiled. Reduce activity within the camp area. Officers at every level in the camp must personally inspect their subordinates' condition. Anyone found with a swollen head and neck and a flushed red face is to be sealed in their tent immediately, with no entry or exit. Anyone with other abnormalities is also to be housed alone first."

Tu Dianli acknowledged the order. Pang Yu asked him further, "What are Sun Doutang's subsequent deployment plans?"

"The Ministry of War first ordered Xuan-Da Supreme Commander Chen to defend Tongzhou. The Commander-in-Chief of Relief and the Grand Supervisor are to cross Hexiwu and pursue the Eastern Invaders, with the Liao Garrison applying pressure from the east. But Supervisor-in-Chief Gao believes that dividing the forces weakens them, and secondly, plague runs rampant wherever the Tartars pass, with water sources and foodstuffs all lacking. We should find another route to cut ahead rather than tail the Eastern Invaders. He proposes going to Jizhou to combine camps and fight again."

Pang Yu had already studied the maps, but they were very crude. The plains needed no elaboration, but the Border Wall lay entirely within the mountain region of Ji Garrison, and he had little concept of the terrain there. Tu Dianli likewise could offer no useful opinion. All they knew was that Jizhou was a major city nearby, normally heavily garrisoned, and should be able to provide better logistical support.

The few of them discussed it briefly without reaching any conclusion. Pang Yu sent the two of them off to carry out the deployments.

Pang Dingcai, who had been waiting nearby, now came over. He was now responsible for liaison with the Dark Sentinel Division. "Zhang Mazi has sent word back. Yoto's Strike General Merit was blocked by Xue Guoguan. Liu Zhongtang has referred the matter to the censorial officials for deliberation. The Emperor has ordered the Ministry of War to urge every garrison and every camp to fight another great battle against the Tartars, requiring at least three thousand heads."

"Why would Xue Guoguan do this?"

"The Dark Sentinel Division infers it is because he wants to move against Liu Yuliang, to prevent Liu Yuliang from sharing in the great merit."

Pang Yu nodded. "What other news is there?"

"Wu Changshi says that no matter what, we must fight for Yoto's Strike General Merit. Old Mr. Feng is of the same opinion. Wu Changshi will come together with the Ministry of War's dispatch officer; he wants to discuss it with you face to face."

Pang Yu grunted. "This matter requires him to maneuver in the capital. What use is it for him to come here?"

"He says that besides the Strike General Merit, there is another important matter that must be discussed in person."