Chapter 594: Second Month

"Those English mercenaries came to the Martial Academy for joint drills, and the Advisory Room also sent people to take part — did we gain anything from it?"

On the main street of Shipai Town, Pang Yu walked through the road surrounded by a crowd; the street surface was very clean, with only an occasional lingering smell of horse dung. Tu Scribe of the Advisory Room followed at his side.

Since returning from rallying to the king, Tu Dianli had been actually presiding over the Advisory Room. After the Shipai military system was restructured, Xie Zhaofa became a General Officer leading troops, and Tu Dianli became the Clerk of the Advisory Office. The most important advisory task this year was preparing to respond to the Eastern Invaders' next incursion.

Tu Scribe bowed and said, "Europe is full of small states, warfare is extremely frequent, and they often need mercenaries to fight. Their combat skills are roughly equal to each other's. A single campaign takes a very long time, and the scale of battlefield engagements is large, yet total annihilation of an entire army is rare. Apart from killing on the battlefield, they often use troop maneuvers to threaten the enemy's supply routes, forcing the opponent to withdraw from the field so that their own side can occupy the region and requisition its rations and pay. In the Ming Dynasty's current wars, the Roving Bandits in the interior have no capacity for formation battle; every bandit leader avoids the troops and flees. When government soldiers pursue too closely, they turn and ambush, and if one battle goes poorly, they scatter and flee swiftly. On the Liaodong front, however, it is the government troops who lack the capacity for formation battle. Every garrison does nothing but avoid the enemy — though there is no need to scatter and flee, they only need to hold inside walled cities and fortresses. In any field battle, they collapse at the first clash, often resulting in the entire army being wiped out. Last year, when rallying to the king, they likewise avoided the enemy and refused to fight, marching only from one city to the next, minimizing exposure in the open field. It is entirely different from warfare in Europe."

Pang Yu nodded. "By our reckoning, the Eastern Invaders should launch another incursion around the end of the year. If our assessment is correct, by early next year they will reach southern Shandong — that is the decisive battle site we have chosen. This will be a major battle. The invading Tartars are battle-hardened veterans; we need to prepare more thoroughly."

"Your orders, sir."

"Based on past precedent, the Eastern Invaders launch a raiding incursion roughly every two years, and in between they mount a medium-scale campaign in Liaodong to wear down the Liao Garrison's strength and draw troops from the Ji Garrison to come to the rescue, leaving the Ji Garrison and Xuan-Da regions empty and vulnerable for their next incursion. Of the Eight Cities Beyond the Pass in Liaodong, last year when they were receiving the incursion Tartars, they besieged Songshan but failed to take it. Yet it is clear the Bandit Slave chieftains are desperate to seize that place. The Advisory Room's last assessment was that this year's medium campaign should again target one of these three: Xingshan, Songshan, or Jinzhou."

"Reporting to you, sir, this subordinate believes Songshan is in the greatest danger. Jinzhou's grain supply route relies solely on the Songshan road. Taking Songshan means taking Jinzhou — gaining two cities for the effort of taking one. But the difficulty of attacking Songshan also lies precisely here: it would face attacks from two sides, Xingshan and Jinzhou. In particular, the Liaodong Cavalry from the Jinzhou direction are numerous and could attack the grain route to Songshan from the north, making a prolonged siege inconvenient. Therefore, perhaps the Bandit Slave chieftains will attack Jinzhou instead. Jinzhou's city walls are high and thick, and the city has as many as seventy thousand troops alone. Its weakness lies in having the longest grain supply route. Jinzhou grows some grain outside the city, but not enough to sustain itself, so it still needs grain shipped from the rear. None of the Eight Cities Beyond the Pass are self-sufficient. Relay Grain is landed at Ningyuan, and the one hundred forty li to Jinzhou must all be transported by cart — roughly five dan per cart. Yet Jinzhou has only this single grain route. The Eight Cities Beyond the Pass are linked in a single line. Before Xingshan, mountains and the sea serve as barriers, but past Xingshan, both the east and west sides have no protection. The east side in particular is directly exposed to the front of an enemy advance coming from the Liao River. If the enemy besieges Jinzhou, the Eastern Invaders could threaten the grain route from both east and west, and Jinzhou's large population would then become a weakness. In the end, they would be forced to send troops into the field to fight."

By now they had arrived in front of a row of shop fronts. This place was very close to the Martial Academy, and there was still a large open area inside, which looked to be filled with forage. Because Pang Yu and his group were passing through, the people on the street had all moved aside; inside the shop fronts, some women were stealing glances.

Pang Yu's mind was not here. He stopped walking and said to Tu Scribe, "So according to your reasoning, the Eastern Invaders' first choice is to attack Songshan, and Jinzhou second. It would still be like Beating the Bell River — besieging one point, cutting off the grain route, and thereby forcing the Border Army to leave their city to break the siege. If we can see this clearly, the General Officers in Liaodong naturally understand it too. Do you think the Jurchen Slaves will get their wish?"

"They probably won't, but… with the court's way of handling things, one can never be sure. In Western Barbarian warfare, a single, unprotected grain route like this is extremely vulnerable to attack. It may not even need to be cut — once the grain route is discovered to be under threat, the army's morale will collapse. The General Officers must withdraw before that happens, or else they must extend the front from Songshan and Xingshan toward both wings to protect the grain route. Neither the court nor the Liao Garrison will abandon Jinzhou, so the only option left is to extend the front. That means the military units will also leave the city, and a field formation battle will occur — which again plays right into the Eastern Invaders' hands. The last intelligence from Liaodong mentioned that Jinzhou's grain reserves are normally between nine thousand and ten thousand dan, enough for about one month of normal use, or two to three months if rationed. If the Tartars swiftly besiege the city around the third or fourth month, then by around the seventh or eighth month, the court will be forced to send troops to break the siege. Once the Tartars annihilate the Liao Garrison's elite troops, their incursion will go much more smoothly. Whether they take Jinzhou or not, the Eastern Invaders will launch their incursion between the tenth and twelfth months, and around the second month of next year, they will reach the designated battlefield in southern Shandong."

Pang Yu thought for a moment and said, "The advice I gave Yang Sichang was precisely to let the Eastern Invaders besiege as they please, preserve our strength, and drag out the time — absolutely do not fight a field battle with the Eastern Invaders in Liaoxi. After the Eastern Invaders launch their incursion, mobilize all the Border Army's elite troops for a combined strike in southern Shandong, and the odds of victory will greatly increase. But right now he has no authority over Liaodong. The newly arrived Minister, Fu Zonglong, had barely warmed his seat before he was thrown into prison. No one in the Ministry of War is minding the shop — we don't even know who to talk to. We can only hope the Liao Garrison makes an effort on its own. Still, that doesn't mean we have nothing to do."

"Your orders, sir."

"Our intelligence sources in Liaodong are still very thin — mostly just relaying the dispatch bulletins and documents circulating within the Liao Garrison. This official wishes to better understand the formation battle conditions between the Liao Garrison and the Tartars. Most importantly, we need to judge when the Tartars will move south to raid and plunder — this is crucial for our battle preparations. Therefore, this official needs a combat advisor to accompany the instructor artillery group to Liaodong. This person must have actual battlefield experience, must have scout experience, must be able to judge the Tartars' movements, and must be able to draw maps and write."

"This subordinate wishes to volunteer."

"You are not permitted to go."

Tu Scribe froze for a moment, then said, "This subordinate obeys. It's just that I heard Ceng Yiyun was going, and I couldn't help but volunteer."

"Ceng Yiyun is also not permitted to go. He can cast cannons and operate them, and he can also command artillery. If the Tartars capture him, our loss would be enormous. I will not permit him to go." Pang Yu continued, "There is one more requirement for this advisor: he must not have participated in planning the operations against the next Eastern Invader incursion. Even if captured, he would not be able to reveal the state of our operational preparations."

Tu Scribe bowed his head and thought for a moment, then said, "This subordinate can recommend an advisor named Lu Pioneer. He comes from the Marine Corps, has participated in many battles, and once led the Scout Squad at the Martial Academy. He can ride a horse. At Wangzhuang, he served as Light Infantry in the coordinated defense of the northern line. He was wounded and lost consciousness while defending the cannons. During his recovery, he has been studying arithmetic and writing. After his wounds improved, he was still unable to fight, so he just recently joined the Advisory Room. At present, he is an advisor in the Huguang Room and has not participated in the northern line planning. He can write and calculate rations and pay, but he cannot yet draw maps."

"He's the one. Teach him map-drawing intensively. This afternoon, the Military Office will issue the Order Token for his transfer. I need him to accompany Cao Bianjiao's army, observe the Tartars' methods of warfare, determine the end time of the Liaodong medium campaign, and promptly send word back to Anqing. He must return to the army before the Tartars move south, to provide more effective advisory support."

……

On the Drill Ground of the Shipai Martial Academy, Wu Dacai stood leaning on a crutch atop the General Command Platform. Behind him, the Anqing Battalion's army flag on the flagpole fluttered in the wind.

On the drill ground before him, shouts of "Form ranks!" rose one after another. More than ten Company-level formations rapidly assembled and began marching drills. Banner Commanders and Company Commander officers paced at both ends of the formations, constantly issuing command slogans. Amidst the formations, an artillery company was also advancing.

"Sir, the Infantry Firearms Battalion heading to Yinghuo Mountain will still march out the day after tomorrow as originally ordered. The First Unit of the First Battalion will assemble with other units at Taihu County; the Second Unit of the Second Battalion will assemble with other units at Qianshan. Both Mountain Troops have already set out ahead to clear the roads."

Wu Dacai nodded, his gaze still fixed on the rows of moving figures on the drill ground.

"The preparatory order for the Second Unit of the First Infantry Firearms Battalion has been issued. That unit must have its personnel and equipment fully ready by the twentieth day of the third month. It is expected to be transferred to Xuzhou along with Zhuang Chaozheng — the Ministry of War's troop register calls it the Xuzhou Camp. Also, Tu Dianli says that Lord Pang intends to deploy a Thousand-Leader Headquarters of the Infantry Firearms Battalion at Gucheng, and wants the Martial Academy to make preparations."

Wu Dacai turned his head to look at Cao Shuban. "Then this drill ground will be empty of people."

Cao Shuban said quietly, "The Third Battalion has already finished recruiting. There will always be people inside the Martial Academy."

Wu Dacai suddenly lowered his head and shouted at the officers below, "Look at that blue-flag formation from the First Unit of the First Battalion! The gap with the next one is so wide — where has the Left Wing ended up? Does he think the outside flank is empty? That's where the artillery and cavalry are supposed to be arrayed! Can't even manage this few men properly — if you meet the Tartars, how will you fight? Tell that Company Commander to report to my Direct Office after drill dismissal!"

The advisor below immediately sprinted toward the drill ground. Wu Dacai watched the drill ground with a stern expression. After a moment, he said to Cao Shuban, "Lord Pang came to Shipai this time to inspect the troops. Yesterday he summoned me for a talk. He was generally satisfied with the Infantry Firearms Battalion's drill, but between his words, he also brought up my future path. Lord Pang asked me — the Martial Academy, Clerk Officer… or Battalion Commander — which I feel I am more suited for."

Cao Shuban looked up at Wu Dacai. "Lord Pang's meaning is that he wants you, sir, to choose one."

Wu Dacai nodded. "These past few months, holding both posts at once has always been a temporary — temporary — what's that word?"

"A temporary expedient."

"That's it — a temporary expedient. That's exactly the phrase Lord Pang used. I also feel that holding both isn't a viable solution. Originally, it was said I'd settle on either the Martial Academy or Clerk Officer. I never expected Lord Pang to also offer a Battalion Commander post."

Cao Shuban's eyes shifted for a good while. "Sir, this subordinate feels that Chief Clerk Officer is still the most suitable. A Battalion Commander only manages the affairs of one battalion — once you leave that camp, your authority ceases. A Clerk Officer has to manage matters everywhere. Wherever there are people in charge, when they see you, they must address you as 'sir.' Moreover, after all, you would be closer to General Pang's side more often."

"What I mean is — does Lord Pang not want me to be this Chief Clerk Officer?"

"This humble one feels that Lord Pang actually does not want you to choose Battalion Commander."

Wu Dacai looked at Cao Shuban doubtfully for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the formations marching to commands on the drill ground. He watched for a long time, then suddenly let out a sigh as if deflated, and said slowly, "Then Clerk Officer it is. As for leading troops or not… I'll stop thinking about it."

……

On the third day of the second month of the thirteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, at Fengxiang Courier Station in Taihu County, human shouts and horse neighs filled the air everywhere. Inside and outside the market town, camp grounds were spread all over.

After suffering bandit calamity in the early part of the eighth year of Chongzhen, this place had been desolate for a time. Roving Bandits came and went continuously around Anqing; those coming from the courier road and from Yingshan all had to pass through here. Amid the turmoil, the surrounding residents had all scattered and fled.

It was only after the great battle at Susong that the Roving Bandits no longer dared to enter Anqing at will. Only small, starving bands of Roving Bandits would briefly emerge from the mountains to seize grain, then immediately retreat back into the mountain region. Only from then on did Fengxiang Courier Station begin to recover and rest.

After the tenth year of Chongzhen, Taihu County organized and trained six hundred Local Militia, two hundred of whom were garrisoned at Fengxiang Courier Station. The old town began to have residents and businesses again.

In the early part of the twelfth year, the Roving Bandits entrenched in the mountains took advantage of Anqing's empty troop strength to emerge from the mountains and attack the Prefectural City. One contingent attacked Fengxiang Courier Station but was repelled; the residents and merchants all scattered and fled once more.

Afterward, a unit of the Anqing Mountain Troops was garrisoned at Fengxiang Courier Station. As the various units of the Anqing Battalion returned, the defense line near Taihu was stabilized once again.

Around the twelfth month, large numbers of personnel, horses, and supplies began assembling at Fengxiang Courier Station and Old County, serving as the logistics base for controlling the Yingshan region. With the arrival of people and supplies, the population in the market town also increased.

By the third day of the second month, all units had completed their assembly at Fengxiang Courier Station and were successively advancing toward Yingshan. The Official Road leading to Yingshan was filled with a surging mass of people, animals, and carriages.

Zhou Chen, a Firearms Soldier of the Infantry Firearms Battalion, sat on a patch of abandoned farmland thirty paces from the Official Road. He glanced toward the mountain region to the north. It was early spring, and the Yingshan mountain range to the north was a lush, verdant green — for Zhou Chen, who came from Shandong, this was not a common sight.

After staring for a long while, Zhou Chen said to Lu Xiaoma beside him, "What do you figure the Roving Bandits eat, hiding in there?"

"What were you doing when the Company Commander was explaining? What's there to eat in the mountains? He said they raid and plunder along the mountains in autumn and winter, and only after they've looted enough do they go into the mountains to hide."

Zhou Chen nodded as if he half-understood, but from Lu Xiaoma's tone, it sounded as if he himself was particularly ignorant. Not daring to ask more, he looked toward the bustling Official Road.

Passing by now were the troops of the Second Personal Guard Battalion. The Second Personal Guard Battalion had been formed by merging the former Mixed Thousand-Leader Headquarters. The majority still used cold weapons, but some Fire Lances were also allocated within it — roughly less than thirty percent. Quite a few carried bows and arrows.

The men of the Personal Soldier Battalion were generally taller and larger than those of the Infantry Firearms Battalion, and their Mental Spirit was also better. Many still wore padded armor, making their physiques look even more imposing. As they marched past on the road, their footsteps rang out in unison.

As they passed by, they also cast sidelong glances at the Infantry Firearms Battalion. The road surface was naturally higher, and with the Personal Soldier Battalion men holding their heads high and chests out, it was as if they were looking down on the Infantry Firearms Battalion.

Zhou Chen's height was originally decent, but sitting among the Infantry Firearms Battalion, with everyone around him keeping their heads down, he unconsciously shrank his body as well. His gaze toward those Personal Soldiers was also timid and cautious.

The entire Infantry Firearms Battalion carried an air of dejection. Only Lu Xiaoma beside him held his head high.

A voice roared from the side: "I'll tell you one more time — every one of you remember this! In battle, the Infantry Firearms Battalion has just three words: 'Form the ranks!' If you don't know how to fight, just stand together with the others. Where others shoot, you shoot. No running around wildly! Those Roving Bandits and Tartars are all on horseback — you can't outrun them. If Firearms Soldiers scatter and run, you're dead for sure…"

Zhou Chen didn't look; he knew just from the voice that it was his own Company Commander, lecturing another Banner Team. He had heard it all countless times before.

He lowered his head to look at the Fire Lance in his hands. His right hand felt along his belt, touching in order the leather ammunition box. Inside, bamboo strips divided it into ten small compartments, holding a total of ten pre-packaged paper cartridges. On top of each paper cartridge was a one-liang lead ball; underneath was five Mace of Granulated Gunpowder.

At this time, firearms in both East and West were in a period of rapid development. Because cannons used large amounts of gunpowder, they commonly used cloth bag cartridges. The methods for pre-packaging Fire Lance charges were more varied. The Qi Family Army used bamboo tubes to pre-package gunpowder; Japan also used small copper containers and bamboo tubes for pre-packaging. In Europe, Gustavus's Swedish army used paper cartridges, which were more convenient for large-scale mass production.

By Qi Jiguang's time, the Ming Army had already adopted granulated gunpowder. This granulated powder burned more completely and had become standard-issue equipment for the troops.

The Anqing Battalion's fire lance used a one-ounce bullet, the same weight as the canister shot pellets used in the bronze cannons, allowing them to be used interchangeably in an emergency. The gunpowder composition, however, differed significantly, so powder was never mixed between firearms and cannons.

Continuing to the right was a chert pouch containing two pieces of chert, both ground to the same shape. To the left of the belt, first came the soldier tag, engraved with Zhou Chen's unit assignment and personal information. Further left was a waist saber; the blade weighed one catty and one ounce.

These items constituted his combat equipment. What remained were personal effects. On his chest was a cloth pack. This pack was originally a backpack, but since soldiers also had to carry bedding while marching, many hung the pack in front.

A coconut ladle was secured to the outside of the pack with cord, already filled with water. Inside the pack were a hemp oilcloth, tinder, spare bolts, a small knife, cotton cloth, leg wraps, and three days' worth of dry rations — two sheng of parched rice, an emergency food to be eaten as-is. Its consumption was forbidden when regular army provisions were available. The team leader was required to inspect it before departure and during the march. There was also a sugar-rich sugar cake, which could only be eaten on the officer's order during a forced march or in battle. Much as Zhou Chen wanted to eat it, he dared not take a bite.

The pack's outer layer held ten spare rounds of ammunition. Those English Barbarians carried fifteen rounds at most; the Anqing Battalion already had five more than that.

Strapped to his back was his bundled bedding, and tied to the bedding was a conical hat. This hat was narrower than the shoulders. The instructor said it was not for keeping off rain, but to ensure the propellant charge was not dampened by a light rain while loading.

The conical hat was crudely made, with some bamboo splinters still sharp enough to cut the hand — clearly rush work. Zhou Chen had never used this kind of conical hat in Shandong, but some local soldiers said it was even worse than what ordinary households used. No one knew who had made it.

Zhou Chen glanced to the west side. There stood a forest of long spears. These long spears reached one zhang and eight chi in length, all made from old bamboo from the Anqing region. The spearheads weighed only two ounces, half the weight of those used by the Qi Family Army.

The entire spear weighed one catty and fourteen ounces, six catties lighter than Zhou Chen's fire lance. This was their company's Long Spear Company, meant to cover the firearm hands. Zhou Chen had watched them drill. Because the spearheads were too light, they could not pierce heavy armor. Instead, the thin, sharp heads often snapped against the wooden posts.

These long spears could only deal with unarmored targets. On the parade ground, they also seemed quite effective against cavalry. As long as the spearheads were polished bright enough, horses, faced with something so long and sharp, would veer away from a distance and never charge straight into them.

The spear soldiers had a set of padded armor, which he heard Wu Dacai had managed to secure from the Huaining Martial Academy. But it could only be worn until the third month; once the weather turned hot, it became unwearable. By summer, these spear soldiers would be essentially as unprotected as the firearm hands.

During the march, the Supply Battalion was not responsible for personal items. Zhou Chen's total load was a little over thirty catties.

The Personal Soldier Battalion on the road reached its tail section. This part wore padded armor, and some also carried chain mail on their backs. A dense clinking of metal rings came from the ranks. At this point, their load would be about thirty to forty catties heavier than Zhou Chen's.

From Fengxiang Courier Station to the Yingshan County Seat was roughly two hundred li. A march of this distance would not excessively drain the soldiers' strength, but for most mobile combat forces — whether Government Troops, Roving Bandits, or the Qing army — large amounts of manpower and livestock were needed to provide logistics in order to sustain the army's combat capability.

Pang Yu's past habit was to muster large numbers of civilian laborers and carriages only for long-distance marches, then have the men carry their armor on their backs when nearing the battlefield. After this Military System Revision, the Anqing Battalion began building a proper Supply Battalion. Its primary cargo was rice and beans, transported using four-horse or six-horse carriages, with packhorses and mules as the draft animals, single-hitch.

This time, the Personal Soldier Battalion carried their own armor on the march, yet those soldiers did not appear fatigued. The looks they cast this way carried a measure of contempt.

Lu Xiaoma's voice sounded from beside him. "What are they so smug about? Come summer, the heat will kill you."

Zhou Chen was about to join in with a few curses when a sudden burst of brief copper horn overtones rang out. The Company Commander flags of each company rose in response. It was the Infantry Firearms Battalion's turn to march.

The Company Commander's howl came through: "Infantry Firearms Battalion, form ranks!"

The soldiers rose one after another to assemble. Zhou Chen stared blankly at the emerald mountain range ahead — a little afraid, perhaps, yet also a little expectant. He could not quite name the feeling.

After another sounding of the horn, the army banners ahead tilted forward in succession. The Infantry Firearms Battalion's file leaders turned onto the Official Road and began advancing into the mountain region.