Chapter 595: Mobilization

On the eleventh day of the second month of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, inside the Juyue Gate on the west side of Yingshan County, rows of soldiers from the Infantry Firearms Battalion were entering the city.

After Zhou Chen and his men reached Yingshan, they were stationed directly in the county seat, because no one was here — there were remaining houses that could be converted into barracks, and the earthen city wall could serve as a camp wall, making it a perfect base for controlling the Yingshan region. Zhou Chen's Company was quartered in the Confucian School, right next to the county yamen; the buildings were generally larger than civilian dwellings and conditions were relatively good, but many had been burned down, so they could only rig up temporary rain cloths overhead.

They had just returned from patrolling the near outskirts, to prevent any Roving Bandits from lying in ambush nearby. According to the Anqing Drill Manual, when encamping in a threatened area, such patrols must be conducted every day. Before the army reaches its station, the Scout Cavalry will already have identified the surrounding risk zones, especially those places easy to hide in. Once the camp is established, any unit of Thousand-Leader Headquarters scale must dispatch company-level forces to patrol these areas. If the enemy wants to launch a night raid, they can only lurk at a greater distance, which lengthens their night march and greatly increases the difficulty.

Fortunately, they encountered no Roving Bandits today; the city surroundings were still fairly quiet.

Yingshan County seat was a relatively ideal army garrison, but as a town it was actually extremely dilapidated. Yingshan's fate was tied to the Anqing region. During the great incursion in the eighth year of Chongzhen, the Roving Bandits entered from the northwest of Nanzhili, swept through the north, and then turned toward Anqing.

After Qianshan, Taihu, and Susong in Anqing were taken, the Roving Bandits entered the mountain region from Taihu. Yingshan County seat was the transportation hub of the mountain region, so it naturally became their target.

Yingshan County had an earthen wall, only slightly better than the three county seats of Anqing, but it was not enough to withstand the massive Roving Bandit army. After it was taken, it was likewise burned and slaughtered until nothing remained.

The mountain region had poor soil and impoverished people; recovery after suffering bandit calamity was even slower. There was no civilian labor or financial resources to build a city wall, and the imperial court had no troops to deploy in this remote area.

After the new Magistrate Gao arrived, he requested that the county seat be relocated to a place easier to defend.

He was luckier than Zhu Jiaxiang: the court approved the relocation. Yingshan County seat was moved to the Zhang Family Fortress north of the old site, and the county yamen followed, making it somewhat safer than Taihu and Qianshan.

This Zhang Family Fortress was built on a mountain, with steep slopes on all four sides and a flat summit. Officials and civilians together built a fortress wall three li in circumference, and relying on the terrain, they resisted the Roving Bandit attacks.

Thus the entire old county seat was left empty. When Roving Bandits and Government Troops passed through, they both liked to station themselves here.

The main Roving Bandits active in the Yingshan region long-term were the camp heads Geli Yan, the Left Golden King, Ma Shouying, and others, along with some smaller camp heads attached to them. Their overall scale could not compare with the Western Camp and Cao Cao, but they could sustain themselves by plundering the surrounding areas.

What differed from history was that a powerful Government Troop force had emerged in Anqing. After the Susong Campaign, the entire southern part of Yingshan became untenable. It was very difficult to leave the mountains and plunder Anqing, and the Roving Bandits lost an important plundering zone for rations and pay.

The Anqing Battalion even kept entering the mountains to suppress them. Each entry was a direct attack on the county seat, disrupting the Roving Bandits' communications and logistics. Some stockades in the southern mountain region had just been built when the Anqing Battalion came to attack; the Roving Bandits could only abandon them and retreat. The Roving Bandits could no longer form strongholds in areas close to Anqing, so any subsequent plundering outside the mountains would require long-distance treks, greatly reducing the intensity and frequency. This was precisely Pang Yu's purpose in repeatedly sending troops into the mountains to clear them out.

It was just that Yingshan itself could not supply rations and pay. Once the garrison grew slightly larger, logistics became extremely difficult to sustain. Generally, they would not station for more than a month before having to withdraw to Anqing.

But even so, it severely struck the Roving Bandits' strength in the Yingshan region. The scale of the Roving Bandits in the Yinghuo Mountain Area was far smaller than in the original history. After the Western Camp rebelled again, some of the smaller camp heads had already defected to them and left the mountain region.

With no imperial troops supporting the county seat, the county yamen could only remain at the Zhang Family Fortress eight li north of the city. Every time the Anqing Battalion came, the common people in the mountain fortress could take the opportunity to obtain some supplies. As soon as the Anqing Battalion left, the Roving Bandits immediately returned to the county seat. The county yamen was thus blockaded inside the mountain region; not only was obtaining supplies difficult, but even transmitting messages to the outside world was extremely hard.

But this time was different. Three Thousand-Leader Headquarters of Anqing bore down with a large force, swiftly driving out all Roving Bandits from Anqing to the county seat. The Logistics Team and a large number of Civilian Laborers arrived soon after, and began constructing a stronghold at Yingshan County seat.

The old site of Yingshan County seat had an earthen city wall, one zhang and two chi high and five chi wide, with the city three li in circumference — actually somewhat longer, because the southeast corner used the Western River as a barrier and had no wall built.

Since the city was completely devoid of residents, the entire county seat became a military camp, and the five city gates became camp gates.

The Infantry Firearms Battalion entered the city through the West Gate and stopped in front of the Confucian School. The Centurion shouted an order, and the entire company's soldiers sat down on the ground to rest.

Zhou Chen set down his gun. When he looked up, he happened to see a group of people coming out of the county yamen next door. At the front was Wang Zenglu, and a man in civil official robes followed behind him, looking very cautious.

Wang Zenglu's formal post was Battalion Commander, but he was also the Defense Zone Commander of the Anqing Defense Zone, a rank higher than an ordinary Battalion Commander. Within the Anqing Battalion he was called the Central Assistant Deputy Commander, and he was the General Officer leading the troops this time.

Wang Zenglu walked out of the county yamen and came a stretch toward the Confucian School. The civil official had been talking to him the whole time. Wang Zenglu happened to stop in front of the Infantry Firearms Battalion. He turned to the man in official robes and said, "What Magistrate Gao says, I understand. Since the Roving Bandits entered Henan, Yingshan County has not seen a day of peace. Last year the bandit camps rebelled again, and troops are short everywhere. Yingshan provides neither pay nor grain here; no Government Troop battalion head was willing to come. Truly it has been more difficult than elsewhere. The reputation of our Anqing Battalion, Magistrate Gao, you know as well. Every place hopes we will come. Lord Pang did not promise it before. In the several previous entries into the mountains, Magistrate Gao tried every means and made many arrangements to provide support, and Lord Pang appreciated that. Moreover, mindful of the neighborly bond between Yingshan and Anqing, he was able to dispatch a large army into Yingshan this time."

That Magistrate Gao's manner was respectful. He bowed his head toward Wang Zenglu. "I thank Lord Pang for his high righteousness. General Wang is a veteran commander seasoned in battle. You have long since thoroughly surveyed the situation here, but this humble official cannot help saying a few more words. Yingshan has long suffered from the bandits. Since the calamity in the eighth year of Chongzhen, everything inside and outside the county seat has been burned to nothing. The surviving common people dare not return home and can only dwell in remote mountain stockades. Once the bandits occupy the county seat, the roads are immediately cut off and livelihoods are lost. Farming inside the stockade is insufficient for the entire stockade's needs; they can only farm at the foot of the mountain. But hatefully, every time the crops below the mountain ripen, the bandit spawn come first to harvest them. Inside the stockade, rice, beans, salt, and vegetables — not one is not lacking. Every year those who starve to death number no less than a hundred. On behalf of the common people, I earnestly beseech Lord Pang and General Wang, kneeling, I beg the great army to station permanently in Yingshan, to sweep clean all the bandits in the mountains. Only then will our common people have hope of living in peace."

Wang Zenglu hesitated a moment, then said, "The Order Token Lord Pang gave us was indeed to drive out the Roving Bandits. He did not say we must station permanently, but he also gave me the authority for Expedient Action. Lord Pang said that if the local support is effective, we may also station here, both to protect the territory and people of Yingshan and to guard Anqing. The miserable conditions in Yingshan that Magistrate Gao just described, Lord Pang is also aware of. Since the common people plead for it, I will report to Lord Pang and try to stay as long as possible."

That Magistrate Gao bowed repeatedly. Wang Zenglu did not return the courtesy, and directly said to him, "The great army entering and stationing here requires an enormous amount of rations and pay. Magistrate Gao should know that currently, where Guest Armies are stationed, the tax in kind is all provided by the locality. Lord Pang, out of consideration for Yingshan's barren land and the people's inability to support it, has waived the tax in kind. He will also give the Yingshan common people another benefit: constructing the camp here at the county seat requires a great deal of labor. All the common people from the stockades may come to work. Lord Pang will provide meals and also pay wages. Those who do well, the Mountain Battalion can also recruit into the battalion as soldiers."

Magistrate Gao's expression was stirred; he nearly knelt down. Zhou Chen and the others were not far away, sitting on the ground staring blankly at the few men. The men of the Infantry Firearms Battalion all came from the lowest common people. In the past, when they encountered yamen runners coming down to press for payments, they would tremble all over in fear. The County Magistrate was even harder to see ordinarily; if they really did see him, it was when they were hauled before the county yamen for the Tax Grain Comparison — the thing the common people feared most.

Yet this County Magistrate before them looked utterly dusty and disheveled. He appeared dark and thin. Although his official robes were still washed fairly clean, they looked a size too large. The five-colored porcelain mandarin duck pattern on the rank badge of his black gauze hat had been snagged off somewhere and mended with black thread — probably there wasn't even colored thread in that mountain stockade — making the official robes themselves look like a knockoff.

Wang Zenglu, on the other hand, spoke as if giving orders to a subordinate. Magistrate Gao's body was bent; his manner facing Wang Zenglu was utterly deferential. He was not even embarrassed by the crowd around him; his entire attention was focused on Wang Zenglu.

"Additionally, there are many military units inside the county seat. If common people dwell among them, it will inevitably fragment the camp ground and make troop movements inconvenient. Before the mountain region Roving Bandits are swept clean, apart from the county yamen returning to the city to conduct business, the common people may not return to the city. I hope Magistrate Gao will explain this clearly to the common people of each stockade, so they do not delay the army's combat defense — that would be delaying their own."

"This humble official understands. The common people of Yingshan are most reasonable; they will not let anyone disturb you, my lord."

Wang Zenglu nodded and walked while talking with that Magistrate Gao. Only then did the magistrate have the leisure to look at the soldiers around him, but he did not even glance at the Infantry Firearms Battalion sitting on the ground. He only looked at the men of the Second Personal Soldier Battalion, especially those wearing chain mail — the rings were polished gleaming one by one, looking very imposing.

Probably in Magistrate Gao's eyes, this heap of Infantry Firearms Battalion on the ground was even more dusty and disheveled than he was, and truly not much to look at.

The Infantry Firearms Battalion men on the ground by the street all secretly watched those officials. Zhou Chen followed the magistrate with his eyes as he left, and suddenly felt that the County Magistrate was no longer an official — not frightening at all.

He was just about to speak to Lu Xiaoma beside him when the Centurion at the front strode before the formation and shouted, "Infantry Firearms Battalion First Battalion First Thousand-Leader, by order of the General: tomorrow the Personal Soldier Battalion begins clearing the county seat's surroundings. We and the Mountain Battalion will go suppress the various Roving Bandit mountain strongholds to the west, and drive them into Huguang. Tomorrow we first suppress the first stronghold, twenty li from the county seat. Our company attacks the west wall…"

…

At the Cavalry Battalion camp ground in Shipai Town, dense ranks of cavalry were assembled on the drill ground. The cavalrymen had all dismounted and stood beside their mounts. The banners of each military unit fluttered above the formation, and beside them were parked over a hundred horse-drawn carts.

The Cavalry Battalion had completed combined training for a total of three companies; the fourth company was still in training. They were organized into two Thousand-Leader Headquarters. This time, the greater part was mobilized to aid in the suppression in Huguang, paired with one Logistics Battalion Commander Headquarters to provide support.

Since the last time they went to aid in the suppression at Xiangyang, the Anqing Battalion's troops had frequently traveled this road to Huguang. Because they sold at fair prices and paid in silver cash, they had built a reputation everywhere.

When marching in the interior, forage and fuel were mainly supplied through commerce. Supply points were set up along the route. The Logistics Battalion's supplies ordinarily did not need to be used; they were mainly for emergencies and for resupply during rapid offensives, to increase the explosive power and sustainability of cavalry attacks.

Xiao Wazi wore a straw hat, standing in the formation of grooms nearby. The old man was an official Veterinarian, under the jurisdiction of the Logistics Staff Officer of the Thousand-Leader Headquarters.

This Logistics Staff Officer not only had jurisdiction over rations and pay, but also over veterinarians, medical officers, tailors, carpenters, blacksmiths, fire soldiers, grooms, civilian laborers, and other logistics personnel — a critical post within the cavalry battalion.

Xiao Wazi worked year-round in the cavalry battalion, but did not belong to the internal military unit structure. He was more like external personnel providing logistics services to the camp, and also drew labor and meal silver from the cavalry battalion.

This time the cavalry battalion was going far and needed a large number of logistics personnel. The grooms participating, besides their labor and meal silver, received an extra one tael of combat subsidy per month. The old man brought Xiao Wazi along with him; the two shared one mule cart. Loaded on it were the dozens of tools the two of them would need: nine needles, a small pointed knife, branding iron, hoof shovel, hoof knife, hoof trimmer, splints, medicine pouring pot, medicine pestle, restraining rope, fodder chopper, feed bag, rag, salt, hair brush, water bucket, scissors, horseshoes, fly whisk, herbal medicines, and more — plus their personal daily necessities. The cart was piled full.

These tools were only what the veterinarian and groom used. The other carpenters and blacksmiths also had many tools for servicing the horses. The cavalry's logistics complexity was far higher than the infantry's.

The cavalry battalion was assembled on the drill ground. The chief officials of each company were not present; they were currently in the Central Army Military Council.

Just then a fit of coughing came from beside him. Xiao Wazi hurriedly turned around and patted Old Man Zeng's back a few times. "Grandpa, sit on the cart and rest a while."

Old Man Zeng caught his breath twice, then waved his hand. "They have rules. Sitting on the cart is not allowed. The officers will all come soon; it won't look good if they see."

Xiao Wazi gently patted the old man's back and asked as he did, "Grandpa, which camp head are we going to fight in Huguang?"

"Any camp head, we'll fight them all." The old man rubbed his wrinkled forehead. "Our Anqing Battalion has so many troops and horses, all deployed out. Those Roving Bandits probably won't escape this time."

Xiao Wazi said nothing, but he did not disagree. The troops and horses here at Shipai had been transferred away by more than half; all the battalions were preparing to march. The people in town were fewer by more than half. He had heard from the cavalry battalion men that other garrisons were also mobilizing.

Xiao Wazi did not know exactly how many men the Anqing Battalion had, but the number of battalions was not small. Being in the cavalry battalion, Xiao Wazi heard a fair amount of news and roughly knew that many military units had entered the mountain region, and that the Tongcheng direction was also mobilizing, while the cavalry battalion was heading toward Huguang.

Having followed the Western Camp for many years, there had always been only one near-term plunder target. But this time Xiao Wazi could sense that the Anqing Battalion seemed to have a unified plan; the army was deploying around the mountain region.

The cavalry battalion should be part of this unified mobilization. Xiao Wazi himself had entered Yingshan several times and knew the camp heads inside. The big camp heads included famous ones like Geli Yan and Ma Shouying, but none could compare to the Western Camp. Xiao Wazi did not think they could beat the Anqing Battalion either; most likely they would be driven out of the mountains.

Xiao Wazi suddenly said, "We're going to Huguang to block the camp heads coming out of the mountains."

The old man was stunned for a moment and tilted his head to look at Xiao Wazi. "Child, how do you know?"

"It must be so. Those infantry battalions go into the mountains to drive Geli Yan and the others out of the mountains. Our route here has both infantry and cavalry. As long as we block them in Huguang, with this many men in the cavalry battalion, Geli Yan and the others won't survive."

"These matters of war, Lord Pang and the others will worry about. We just take good care of the horses and follow along."

Xiao Wazi grunted an acknowledgment. Just then, a clatter of hooves sounded along the street — a group of officers rode over from the Central Army, dispersing to their respective military units.

The horse belonging to Centurion Chen of the First Unit's Mobile Cavalry Division halted. His gaze swept across the ranks before him, and Xiao Wazi instinctively ducked his head. He heard the officer bellow loudly.

"Mobile Cavalry, it's time for battle again!"

The men in this section of the ranks cheered in unison. Xiao Wazi lifted his head slightly to look. Having worked as a groom in the cavalry camp for a long time, he knew these men were Mobile Cavalry. Their composition was mixed — there were southern Postal Runners, Relay Couriers, Grooms, and Head of Livestock merchants; Night-Not-Returning who had defected from the interior's Government Troops; and also Border Army men from the North Side — from Xuan-Da, the Shaanxi Three Borders, and the Liao Garrison, all represented. There were even over a dozen Mongols.

Xiao Wazi was no longer surprised. He had seen Mongols before when fighting the Border Army in the past. Besides, at Shipai, he had even grown accustomed to seeing Red Barbarians, who were also assisting in drilling the cavalry. The Anqing Battalion seemed to still have recruitment points in the north; over this One Year, Night-Not-Returning from the north had continued to arrive in a steady trickle. The number of Mobile Cavalry across the two Thousand-Leader Headquarters stood at around four hundred.

In the old days, this would have been seen as four Company Commander Retainers of the Nine Borders — a powerful mobile striking force. Under normal circumstances, the Western Camp would not dare to meet them in a direct Battle, and could only ambush them when the right Opportunity presented itself.

And now, these four hundred men were even more battle-hungry than Household Retainers. Just by looking at their equipment, Xiao Wazi could tell their combat strength far surpassed that of the Nine Borders, yet they were still only a part of the Anqing Cavalry Camp. Compared to the Anqing Battalion he had first seen, the current Anqing Battalion was vastly different. In Shipai alone, there were over ten thousand troops. After the Infantry Firearms Battalion was mobilized, the camp was empty for a few days, but recruitment for a New Battalion began immediately, and the formation's structure had changed beyond recognition.

As far as Xiao Wazi's Awareness went, whether Government Troops or Roving Bandits, their biggest worry was always Rations and Pay. He had never heard of the Monthly Pay in All Camps being in arrears, nor had supply issues ever arisen. This place was originally a Rice and Beans producing region. In the past, the surrounding rice would be shipped out from here along the river to Jiangnan, but now it was consumed locally. Moreover, an endless stream of Boats brought in Forage, equipment, and goods from Every Direction.

The cavalry camp had never run short of Rice and Beans. Only recently had the Forage been cut off twice; he heard there had been trouble at the place where the fodder was dried. Xiao Wazi and the others had to lead the horses far away to eat green Grass. Green Grass took much longer to digest than dry Forage, and in the end, it delayed two half-days of training.

The cavalry before him on the Drill Ground were the main force of the Anqing Cavalry Camp. The Cavalry Battalion at Shipai had reached two thousand men by September, and another large-scale recruitment was carried out in October. The numbers for the two Thousand-Leader Headquarters were now full, but one Si had not yet completed its drilling, and the scale was continuing to expand.

Xiao Wazi's job was to provide logistical support, so he had gone out with the cavalry on several long-distance training exercises. From his initial assessment, the riding skills of those newly recruited cavalrymen were all poor; at best, they could ride a horse, which was a far cry from mounted combat.

But the training intensity of the Anqing Battalion was very high. Even during the horses' rest periods, the cavalrymen had to practice mounting and dismounting on Wooden Saddles. Some riding horses were also used to practice equestrian skills. With logistics fully guaranteed, the training speed far exceeded Xiao Wazi's imagination. After three months, the newly recruited cavalrymen already looked the part. It seemed training cavalry was not so difficult after all.

The officer waved his hand and shouted again, "This time we go to Huguang, and we'll slaughter every last one of those murdering, arsonist Bandit Spawn!"

The Mobile Cavalry roared their response in unison. The surrounding cavalrymen were all being mobilized, and wave after wave of battle cries rose and fell across the Drill Ground.

The Centurion let out a thunderous shout: "Mobile Cavalry!"

The Mobile Cavalry in the front ranks shouted back in unison, "Scout ahead!"

Following a few short blasts of a Copper Horn, amid the cheers and wild yells of the men, the Centurion led the ranks out toward the camp gate first.

Xiao Wazi could not help but raise his head, looking at those Mobile Cavalry from under the brim of his straw hat. As Yang Guangdi passed by, he even waved toward the old man.

Team after Team of cavalry filed out of the camp. After the First Unit had passed, the logistics Team began to march out. Pacification Commissioner soldiers directed traffic at the camp gate, and a long string of horse-drawn Carts loaded with countless tools, Rice, and Beans filed out in order.

Finally, it was the old man's turn. Xiao Wazi flashed the Whip once; there was no need to strike the Mule — it already understood the meaning and started walking on its own, and the cart followed suit.

At the camp gate, an adjutant was already stationed there. The guards had no need to check the Shield; the cart drove straight out. The Road Passage outside the camp gate was packed with crowds on both sides.

People waved, laughed, and shouted toward their own relatives and friends in the column; some were crying and yelling at the same time. The crowd was a sea of noise. Xiao Wazi did not look at the crowd, because no one would shout for him. The old man sitting on the cart was his only family.

They traveled along the streets of Shipai Town, the entire street submerged in shouts.

The column moved slowly. When they reached Pozidun, Xiao Wazi's heart suddenly skipped a few beats. He turned his head to glance into the alley. The house belonging to him and the old man had its beams up, the entire frame completed. A few workers had started laying the brick walls, though there were not many bricks on the ground yet.

Ordinary families bought their own bricks to prevent the foreman from inflating the count. The old man and Xiao Wazi both had to work and had no such spare time, so they had to contract it out to the master craftsman. Bricks were a hard currency, particularly scarce in Shipai. The master craftsman usually only brought the day's quota to prevent them from being stolen at night.

The courtyard wall facing the street was already half-built. Though the yard was small, it was a yard nonetheless.

The old man's voice came from beside him, "Next time we come back, we can spend the New Year at home."

Xiao Wazi grunted an acknowledgment, his head turned to watch that nearly finished home. In a moment, they had passed the street corner, and the brick-laid courtyard wall disappeared behind the turn.