Chapter 512: Jizhou

On the twenty-third day of the second month in the twelfth year of the Chongzhen reign, across the land of Fengrun County, dense encampments spread far and near, countless people and livestock swarming within them.

The Qing army's Left and Right Wings had plundered a combined total of over three hundred thousand people, plus several hundred thousand head of livestock and carriages, forming an enormous encamped zone between Yutian and Fengrun, with the Central Army positioned near Fengrun County town.

Inside the Central Army's great tent, Dorgon paced slowly, while Ashan, the Banner Commander of the Plain White Banner, stood to one side attending him.

With Yoto deceased, Dorgon had become the sole commander after the two wings assembled, and leading these several hundred thousand people out of the border passes in an orderly fashion was a formidable task for him as well.

According to their original plan, they should have been nearing the border wall by the middle of the second month; based on past years' experience, the rivers might not yet have thawed, allowing the army to march across the ice, but now they could only travel the mountain region roads, the troops' movement was slow, and with several hundred thousand people and several hundred thousand head of livestock here, plus a vast number of carriages, it would take even longer.

"Has Turge still not sent back word?"

Ashan replied, "No word yet. They have only been gone two days, and it is over two hundred li to Qingshan Pass; any slight delay would make it more than two days. Does Master wish to send more men to check?"

Dorgon shook his head, then after a moment added, "By agreement we were to exit the border on the twentieth of the second month. The Emperor should by now be tying down the enemy at Song-Jin and elsewhere. Without communication, we will lose our bearings. If there is still no word by tomorrow, you will dispatch two elite guards from each company of the Left Wing as reinforcements. We must seize Qingshan Pass and get out. The Emperor needs to know the situation inside the border as soon as possible, so he can coordinate from outside."

"The Right Wing has suffered so many casualties, especially the Plain Red Banner — who knows how furious the Emperor will be when he gets the news."

Dorgon made no further comment on this. Looking at this border incursion overall, the Right Wing's military merits were greater: they had slain Wu Aheng, the Superintendent of Ji and Liao, right after entering the border, then routed the Xuan-Da relief army at Jiazhuang, killing Lu Xiangsheng, the Commander-in-Chief of Relief, in formation, and after that even breached Jinan, the provincial capital of Shandong.

By comparison, the Left Wing had been far less remarkable, breaching few cities; its single greatest gain was the three hundred thousand taels of grain transport silver at Gaotang Prefecture, and even that had been extorted.

But the Right Wing used up all its luck at Jinan: epidemic disease ran rampant through the army, and the death of commander Yoto alone was enough to cancel out their slaying of two Supreme Commanders. Afterward, it further delayed the army's march, falling out of step with the Left Wing and indirectly causing the great defeat at the Yongding River. The Plain Red Banner not only lost most of its supplies but also a large number of Armored Soldiers and elite guards, striking at its very foundation.

Although the two wings had now assembled, the entire invading army was exhausted, men and horses alike. The Right Wing in particular suffered from low morale, epidemic disease still broke out sporadically in the ranks, and everyone longed only to leave the border soon. Under these circumstances, if Dorgon could lead the great army out of the border smoothly, he would gain immense prestige.

The most urgent matter now was to inform Huang Taiji of the invading army's condition to facilitate coordination inside and out. But the great army was deep in enemy territory, the border wall they had breached earlier had been restored, and both Qingshan and Wall Ridge were once again under Ming army control. For over two hundred li out from Fengrun, Ming troops were active, making it extremely difficult for small numbers of Scout Cavalry to get through. Therefore, two days ago they had drawn elite troops from the Left Wing's true Jurchen and the banner's Mongol contingents, forming a cavalry force of over a thousand men, personally led by Turge, the Banner Commander of the Bordered White Banner. Its primary objective was to probe the border wall's defensive strength, and secondarily to deliver a message to Huang Taiji and prepare for the border exit. (Note 1)

"Master, Dudu sent word a moment ago: in the past two days, the Plain Red Banner alone has discovered pestilence in three places, and as of today over one hundred thirty have died. The Plain Red Banner has lost troops and officers this time; when Du Lei returns, he certainly won't remain Banner Commander. All the banners say it will most likely be Yekeshu who replaces him."

Dorgon again only grunted, seemingly uninterested in Du Lei's career prospects. Ashan frowned and said, "Two of the pestilence outbreaks occurred among the Plain Red Banner's wounded, and one among the new household slaves driving the mules. The worst part is, that outbreak among the new slaves is not far from our Left Wing, right next to the Plain Yellow Banner — sooner or later it will spread to the Left Wing."

By now Dorgon had reached the tent entrance. Outside, a light rain was falling, occasionally mixed with fine snowflakes. This weather had persisted for several days, and combined with the thawing ice and snow, every dirt road was a quagmire. The only roads they could still use were the stone-paved Official Roads, making large-scale troop movement impractical these past two days.

But the army had seized a vast number of people and livestock; every day people and animals died, and with those slaughtered during nearby plundering, the number of corpses in the vicinity was considerable. If they stayed too long, epidemic disease would quickly spread again, especially with large bodies of troops mingled together under extremely poor living conditions — soon they would not even have firewood left.

At that moment, a personal guard hurried to the great tent's door curtain and spoke to Dorgon in a low voice: "Banner Commander Turge reports that Qingshan Pass has been taken. The day before yesterday he led his troops on a single day's rush march, covering over two hundred li, and reached the pass city yesterday morning. Using twenty elite guards as the Vanguard, disguised as Ming State couriers, they seized the gate in one charge. The Ming troops abandoned the city and fled, whereupon he attacked and occupied Qingshan Pass. Outside the pass he encountered a contingent of Aohan who had come to meet them, and has already dispatched Relay Horses to Jinzhou to report to the Emperor."

Dorgon visibly exhaled in relief, turned to Ashan, and said, "Tomorrow the Left Wing will advance first to Qian'an."

Ashan nodded at this. The Left and Right Wings were far too massive; it was better to command them separately. If they exited the border from Qian'an, they would also have multiple road passages to choose from.

"This time the Ming State's various armies are gathering, but we do not fear them. However, to exit the border smoothly, we must pay special attention to that Southern Barbarian force, the Anqing Cavalry Camp." Dorgon continued, "Question all officers great and small of the Plain Red Banner. That unit is strong in infantry and weak in cavalry. Its Iron Armor infantry numbers around seven hundred, their armor comparable to our elite guard. Only about two in ten use bows. They carry a kind of small bronze cannon; they fire these small cannons from a distance, and by the time you close in, you have already lost many men and horses. Their Iron Armor Soldiers' formation is strict and orderly; if they hold advantageous terrain, killing even one of their men is extremely difficult. They have already defeated the Right Wing twice. This border exit will inevitably require traveling narrow Mountain Paths. The Ming State's troops are close by, and they naturally know we are about to exit the border. If this unit blocks the road passage, the entire army will be unable to advance or retreat — that would be perilous in the extreme. We must use Mounted Armor to first intercept and kill the Ming army's Scout Cavalry, preventing them from knowing which pass we are heading for. When the Ming troops do come, we will first annihilate them on open ground."

"This slave understands."

……

Jizhou City, the military stronghold northeast of the Capital. After the Ming Dynasty's border defenses contracted, Jizhou City's military role became even more prominent, forming the core of the Ji Garrison's eastern defenses together with Zunhua to the east and Santun Camp.

As the Qing army gradually approached the Ji Garrison's border wall, this place once again became the front line of the confrontation between the two sides, with Ming army units steadily gathering toward Jizhou City. The Anqing Battalion also reached Jizhou on the twenty-third day of the second month, encamping one li south of the city.

After a day of rest and reorganization, Pang Yu entered Jizhou to participate in the Military Council. Because this city's function leaned more heavily toward military matters, its defenses were extremely formidable; passing through the Barbican, Pang Yu saw arrow towers rarely found in the south.

The city was filled everywhere with soldiers; one could scarcely see a single civilian Pacing about. Upon arriving at the official residence where Sun Chuanting was stationed, he learned that the Military Council had been postponed by one hour — the reason being they were waiting for a newly arrived General Officer from the Liao Garrison.

Pang Yu knew it was Zu Dashou coming. This de facto manager of the Liao Garrison — the Ministry of War's directive had originally stated very clearly that the Liao Garrison was to attack from the east, but the Liao Garrison had ignored it and come directly to Jizhou. Now the Commander-in-Chief of Relief, the Grand Supervisor, the Supreme Commander of Xuan-Da, and the various Liao Garrison units were arriving one after another; nearly all the Ming Dynasty's northern elite troops were now assembled here.

He had not waited long before someone summoned Pang Yu to see the Ministry of War's dispatch officer, saying that Shen Xun, the Director of the Company of Operations, wished to speak with him.

Pang Yu followed to the rear hall, met this influential figure from the Ministry of War, and immediately paid his respects to Shen Xun.

"I have seen Official Shen."

Shen Xun forced a faint smile onto his face, somewhat stiffly.

Pang Yu was not surprised. As soon as he arrived yesterday, he had heard the talk circulating among the other Camp Heads: Sun Chuanting and Shen Xun had erupted in a fierce quarrel. Shen Xun had brought a directive from the Ministry of War, which, according to the Emperor's intent, demanded two major battles to rescue all the common people and the taking of another three thousand Eastern Invader heads. This news was already spreading among the relief armies in Jizhou.

The Ministry of War served as the bridge between the Emperor and the frontline armies. When the Emperor's plans were sent down, Yang Sichang needed to balance them against the frontline situation; communication with the frontline Chief Officials was extremely important, so that he could satisfy the Emperor as much as possible while staying grounded in reality.

When the gap between the Emperor's expectations and reality was too great and the Ministry of War could not bridge it, the conflict between the frontline Supreme Commander and the Ministry of War would become extremely intense — far beyond what a mere Director like Shen Xun could control. From Sun Chuanting's perspective, he had just led his army to the great victory at the Yongding River, and immediately afterward Yang Sichang wanted him to recover all the common people and take another three thousand heads. Unless every General Officer here united in purpose and risked total annihilation to fight the Qing army head-on, it was fundamentally impossible to accomplish. This had already completely departed from reality.

Sun Chuanting's temper was never good to begin with; his previous correspondence with Yang Sichang had also been fiercely contentious, though those were memorials written to Yang Sichang, so the tone could be polished. But Shen Xun, a mere Director, coming to the front line to give orders — even if he represented the Ministry of War, Sun Chuanting would not be polite to him. Their relationship with the Ministry of War had only just become harmonious for a few days, and immediately it was tense again.

Shen Xun's expression was not good. After retracting his forced smile, he spoke in as even a tone as he could manage: "General Pang comes from Nanzhili, originally different from the Border Army, yet has now twice achieved military merits. Regarding the earlier extraordinary feat of slaying Yoto — as it is the foremost merit since the Eastern campaigns began, and involves the court's prestige, I have come specially to verify the details. Additionally, I wish to consult General Pang: if the various relief armies were to assemble and strike with full force at the Jurchen Slaves entrenched in eastern Ji, could we achieve another great victory like that at the Yongding River?"

Pang Yu observed Shen Xun. He had now reestablished contact with the Dark Sentinel Division in the Capital, and with a source of information from the Capital, he was no longer completely in the dark as during the Tongcheng Civil Unrest. He had some understanding of the leanings of several relatively important factions in the Capital. Yang Sichang was the Grand Secretary in charge of the Ministry of War, and Pang Yu also understood his attitude toward operations — especially intelligence gathered from the palace indicating that Yang Sichang had repeatedly mentioned that an opportunity should be sought to annihilate the Western Camp.

According to Zhang Mazi's information, this Shen Xun was Yang Sichang's trusted confidant. Although his rank was not high, he functioned as half a Minister of War. Being able to speak with Shen Xun meant being able to establish a connection with Yang Sichang.

The final assembly point for the various units had been changed to Jizhou, but judging from the current situation, they had not cut off the Qing army's exit routes; it still looked more like the earlier parallel march northward.

"In reply to Official Shen: the Eastern Invaders are entrenched near Fengrun. Based on analysis of earlier Tartar captives' confessions, the Eight Banners' Left and Right Wing combat soldiers number roughly between fifteen and twenty thousand, of which Bright Armor Tartars number one to two thousand. The Eight Banners' Mongols, Han Army, and household slaves total around twenty thousand. There are also the Tianyou Army, Tianzhu Army, Naiman, Aohan, captured Chahar, Khorchin, and other Outer Vassal Mongol contingents. In total, between fifty and sixty thousand. Their usable cavalry is no fewer than thirty thousand, with infantry still at twenty thousand. Official Shen oversees the Ministry of War and must know that the number of Eastern Invaders who entered the border is roughly so."

Shen Xun hesitated a moment, then nodded. Although the Qing army was on an expedition far from home, in terms of actual troop strength it still held the advantage. The Ming court had drawn elite forces from the Nine Borders, yet they did not even match half of this Qing army that had entered the border — even just looking at the numbers, that was the case.

Pang Yu continued slowly, "I do not know the Liao Garrison's numbers, but the relief army units under Sun Doutang's command have campaigned across a thousand li; after deaths, wounds, and losses from disease, scraping together three or four thousand usable troops may not even be possible. Add to that the three battalions of Chen Doutang's Supervisor Battalion from Xuan-Da, and at most that is five thousand usable men. The earlier great victory at the Yongding River struck only one part of their force, because the Tartars were vulnerable to attack while on the march, their formations cut off by the river barrier and unable to support each other. Now they are entrenched at Yutian and Fengrun, long since prepared. If we go head-on to strike them, it will be a direct clash — five thousand against tens of thousands of Eastern Invaders, and we certainly cannot win."

Shen Xun frowned in thought for a moment, then said, "What if the Grand Supervisor and the Liao Garrison were to go together?"

"Then it would be twenty General Officers piecing together a little over ten thousand men to do battle with thirty thousand mounted Jurchen Slaves. Official Shen is from the Ministry of War — a force cobbled together like that, before it even engages in formation battle, will fall into chaos on its own."

"Then how does General Pang think we should engage?"

"Deploy cavalry at Zunhua, Santun Camp, and other points. Once the Eastern Invaders' direction of movement is confirmed, then seek opportunities to raid and harass them, so as to rescue some of the common people. This is merely my humble suggestion. Whatever orders the Ministry of War and Sun Doutang issue, I will certainly obey. However, my unit has fought engagement after engagement; our men, horses, and equipment are severely depleted. Only three or four hundred men remain usable, and both men and horses are exhausted — truly unfit for heavy duty. I beg Official Shen's clear discernment."

Even the Anqing Battalion, with the best battle record, held this attitude. Shen Xun was clearly somewhat disappointed. After pausing briefly, he said, "Checking recent dispatch bulletins, the Anqing Cavalry Camp still has a contingent stationed at Mianyang Port south of Gucheng. It seems General Pang is still keeping an eye on movements in Huguang. May I ask your view on the Western Camp's movements?"

Pang Yu looked up at Shen Xun and said in a tone of certainty, "Within a few months, the Western Camp will surely rebel."