Chapter 85

In the county yamen's Tuisi Hall, Yang Erming paced back and forth alone, his young face bearing worries that did not belong to his age.

Pang Yu and Mr. Sun entered the hall; the moment Yang Erming saw Pang Yu, he revealed an expression of relief.

He immediately picked up an official document from the tea table and handed it to Pang Yu. "This is an official dispatch sent from Qianshan County."

Pang Yu skimmed it briefly. It stated that some roving bandits had appeared from the direction of Yingshan, and mountain folk had come out of the hills saying the Sweeping King had already occupied Yingshan. Most of it was hearsay; Qianshan County had not captured any roving bandits, but yamen runners had indeed gone to the mountain-adjacent areas to inspect the regions that had been looted. A small number of commoners had been killed. The information was still extremely vague.

This type of official dispatch was used for documents between agencies of equal rank. Qianshan County had certainly sent an alert to Anqing Prefecture while simultaneously issuing early warnings to the surrounding prefectures and counties — already quite generous of them. Because Qianshan's dispatch also mentioned roving bandit activity in the direction of Taihu and Susong, yet Taihu and Susong had not issued any early warning to Tongcheng.

What gave Pang Yu the biggest headache was that the Tongcheng County yamen had no maps whatsoever. He did not even know where Yingshan was. Qianshan's location was in the middle of Anqing's several counties, its northern part bordering the Dabie Mountains region. From Qianshan, following the official road northeast led straight to Tongcheng. Pang Yu could only infer from Qianshan's dispatch that Yingshan lay within the Dabie Mountains.

This differed somewhat from Pang Yu's current impression. He had always believed the roving bandits were all highly mobile light cavalry, who should be more accustomed to sweeping across open plains rather than threading through the vast, rugged ranges of the Dabie Mountains.

If the situation described in the dispatch was true, it meant the roving bandits had indeed entered the mountains, intending to cross the Dabie Mountains from Henan into Anqing Prefecture. The spring warning signs had also pointed in this direction.

After Wang Gongbi crossed the river last time, Zhang Guowei had been constantly worried about Anqing and thus ordered Pan Keda to remain stationed at the Anqing Prefectural City. But that only meant the prefectural city was prepared; the other places — Susong, Qianshan, Taihu, Tongcheng — had no troops garrisoned at all, and the nearby counties had no militia training either.

The roving bandits and Anqing were now within striking distance. With Pang Yu's pitiful historical knowledge, he naturally had no way of knowing when these roving bandits would enter the Jiangbei region. His previous impression of these people was that they all seemed strictly disciplined and specifically targeted landlords. But from the rumors he had heard over this long period and the reactions of the people around him, he feared that was not the case.

Mr. Sun closed his eyes and said, "Two or three years ago, the roving bandits were still only a minor skin ailment. After the sixth year of Chongzhen, war-flames are everywhere, no place untouched by soldiers — the roving bandit chaos has grown vast. The Central Plains is a region open on all sides. If the roving bandits return to Shanxi or Shaanxi, we naturally need not concern ourselves. Northern Zhili is thick with heavy troops, so the roving bandits dare not go there. But Henan, Lianghuai, and Huguang are all cause for worry. Our Anqing territory sits at the thoroughfare between Huguang and Lianghuai. Whether the roving bandits go from Huguang to Lianghuai, or from Lianghuai to Huguang, they must pass through Tongcheng."

Yang Erming furrowed his brow, assuming an air of premature maturity. "In governing a locality, the foremost priority is local peace. Troops, weapons, and equipment absolutely cannot be readied overnight. The roving bandits are already within striking distance; we must immediately make preparations. Among those in the county yamen who understand military matters, Pang Squad Leader is foremost. That is why I first sought you out to discuss this. Is the Zhuang Squad now fit for use?"

Pang Yu's heart trembled. Last time he had quelled the unrest by drugging people, and without cause had gained a reputation for understanding military matters. But Pang Yu still had some self-awareness — there was still a difference between gang brawls and fighting a war. Right now the Zhuang Squad might be sufficient to deal with people like Huang Wending, but to deal with roving bandits, he feared they were still far from ready.

"The Zhuang Squad is newly formed; its manpower and equipment are incomplete, not even uniforms have been issued, and morale can hardly be called high. However, as long as Your Excellency wishes to deploy us, the Zhuang Squad will exert its utmost."

Yang Erming and Mr. Sun exchanged a glance. Pang Yu's words sounded pleasant, but the actual meaning was quite clear: the Zhuang Squad was not fit for use. Yang Erming also felt he was asking too much. The Zhuang Squad had only been handed to Pang Yu for ten days; not even an immortal could forge strong troops in that time.

Mr. Sun, seeing the conversation stall, spoke up. "For city defense, the most advantageous thing is gunpowder. Right now we must first buy some gunpowder to keep in reserve."

"Mr. Sun's insight is profound; gunpowder is an indispensable item. This humble one also has a thought: for such a major matter, one must first plan, then act. Defense comes down to nothing more than manpower and equipment, but strategy must come before that." Pang Yu was unwilling to discuss details. He stole a glance at Yang Erming's expression, then asked him in a low voice, "Should the defense prioritize the county seat or the county boundary? Only then can we prepare manpower and equipment according to the strategy."

Yang Erming and the other man were silent for a moment. As the head of a county, he naturally ought to defend the borders and pacify the people. But Tongcheng's territory was vast. Although it had the Yangtze River to the south and the Dabie Mountains to the west, the southwest and northeast had no defensible terrain. North Gorge Pass to the north, though a strategic location, could not completely cut off the roads; the roving bandits could still bypass and pass through. No one would believe that the archers of the North Gorge Pass Patrol Office could hold the pass. To block the roving bandits and prevent them from entering Tongcheng's county boundary required powerful field-battle strength.

After clearing his throat, Mr. Sun said, "This Sun believes we should defend the county seat. When the imperial court assigns blame, losing a city and losing territory rank highest. The roving bandits come when they come, and leave just as quickly; they absolutely do not want the land. But if the city walls are breached, commoner casualties will certainly be heavy. Even if the roving bandits leave afterward, the local Mushou will still face the death penalty. The court can be extremely severe toward local officials."

For Mr. Sun to say this in front of Pang Yu meant he already regarded Pang Yu as one of their own. Had anyone else been present, he would never have spoken so bluntly. Mr. Sun's meaning was that the imperial court only valued the county seat. As long as the county seat remained, even if the countryside was utterly ravaged, it would not count as losing a city or losing territory, because the roving bandits would not occupy the countryside and stay.

"Even putting aside the court's severity in assigning guilt, the county seat is originally where a county's wealth, goods, and commoners gather." Yang Erming, with his air of premature maturity, clasped his hands behind his back and paced back and forth in the room, pondering as he spoke. "If we defend the county borders, we cannot avoid clashing in battle with the roving thieves. Consider the strength of a single county — we are powerless to wage a wild field battle against the roving thieves. It is not that we are unwilling, but that we are unable. Furthermore, the roving thieves come and go quickly, relying entirely on horses and mules. Tongcheng's rural areas, with their mountains and marshes, are unsuitable for them to rampage freely. The countryside should presumably suffer no major harm. Therefore, we should prioritize the county seat, with the countryside as secondary."

"With the countryside as secondary," put another way, meant the market towns and villages would all be abandoned. In Pang Yu's view, this was also the most realistic approach, but it also best served the local officials' own interests. It indeed abandoned the responsibility of protecting the commoners in the countryside. Of course, Yang Erming had also found some reasons for himself to reinforce the rationality of his decision.

Pang Yu felt somewhat relieved hearing this. Fighting a defensive battle relying on city walls greatly lowered the requirement for combat skill. Pulling the Zhuang Squad out for a few days of intensive training would barely make them usable.

Pang Yu had some preparations for this after all and immediately said, "Then it is to prioritize defending the county seat, with defending the countryside as secondary. This humble subordinate already has some ideas here that can first be presented for Your Excellency's consideration."

"Pang Squad Leader, speak and let us hear them."

"First is to clarify the Borough Head. Whether in city or countryside, the Borough Head must be strict and clear, rigorously inspecting people coming and going. Second is to organize and train local militia. In addition to this humble subordinate organizing and training the Zhuang Squad, each ward in the city must organize community soldiers, and each village must have local militia. Third is to stockpile military supplies, grain, and fodder — gunpowder, weapons, and armor. Fourth is reconnaissance far and near. Even receiving information one shichen earlier makes a world of difference. Fifth is communication. The mounted Runners in the yamen rarely drill; their horses are all thin and weak. The Runners mostly handle thief-catching and arrest duties. This humble subordinate will rigorously drill them. Once we learn the roving bandits are coming, we will immediately use the mounted Runners to notify every township and village, especially that villages and households near the official road should evacuate at once. Best if we can rehearse this in advance. Sixth is to prepare contingency plans. Everything succeeds with forethought. Once the roving bandits approach, we act according to the contingency plan and won't be caught in a panic. The seventh is the most critical point, and requires Your Excellency to take the lead."

Yang Erming asked seriously, "What matter?"

"To resist external enemies, we must fully mobilize all forces. The most critical things are manpower and wealth. Those in the city and countryside who can assist the county yamen are the gentry, Village Elders, and clans. I ask Your Excellency to frequently convene them to report on the bandit situation. Only when they take the bandit threat seriously can the countryside be fully mobilized."

Yang Erming nodded repeatedly. He and Mr. Sun had also discussed this, and parts of it matched what Pang Yu said. After listening, he said to Pang Yu, "Regarding what you just said, immediately draft a Tiaochen for this official."

Pang Yu immediately agreed. Yang Erming and Mr. Sun were both very satisfied with him. The other squad leaders could neither propose such a Tiaochen nor possibly handle such clerical work.

"Then there is no time to lose. This official will convene the city gentry for discussion this afternoon and jointly inspect the city walls."

On the city wall at Tongcheng's south gate, a group of people walked along the wall, looking around as they went, occasionally stopping to point at things outside the city.

Pang Yu walked at the back with over a dozen of his subordinates. In the crowd ahead, he spotted Pan Yinglou, Liu Xiucai, Jiang Zhihuai, Zhang Bingcheng, Jiang Chen, and others. They were all gentry representatives. Some others were city clan elders and Village Chiefs. But Ruan Dacheng was not among them. It seemed Yang Erming was continuing his predecessor's attitude of minimizing dealings with Ruan Dacheng as much as possible.

Among them, Pan Yinglou had originally also planned to go to Nanjing and had arranged to travel with Ruan Dacheng. In the original timeline, Ruan Dacheng had also moved to Nanjing immediately after the civil unrest, avoiding the later turbulent years in Lianghuai.

Now, because they had taken on a new opera, "The Female Prince Consort," both Ruan Dacheng and Pan Yinglou had stayed in Tongcheng, never expecting to face a direct threat from the roving bandits. So Pan Yinglou's expression was somewhat gloomy. Jiang Chen still wore that calm demeanor, but Jiang Zhihuai seemed somewhat excited.

Because Qianshan lay south of Tongcheng, Yang Erming had instinctively chosen to start from the south gate, then proceed to inspect Xiangyang Gate. Today they were to inspect the entire city wall. While they pointed out the landscape ahead, Pang Yu led his own subordinates at the back, studying their own professional concerns.

"Squad Leader, this section of the city wall is about one zhang and seven chi wide on top."

Pang Yu turned to look at Jiang Fan, who had spoken. "If we use long spears to defend the south city wall, they can't be too long — at most eight chi to one zhang. The wall width is insufficient; the space is rather cramped. Weapons must be nimble and practical, suited to the combat environment and the target."

After speaking, Pang Yu looked down below the wall. Rooftops layered one upon another outside the wall; many households were already very close to the wall. If the roving bandits climbed onto the rooftops, the wall's advantage would be greatly diminished.

Tongcheng's city wall was six li long, with one thousand six hundred and seventy-three battlements, six city gates, and two water gates. If one person were assigned to guard each arrow crenel, that would require over a thousand people. Relying solely on Pang Yu's Zhuang Squad was absolutely insufficient, which was why they had to invite those gentry and elders to inspect together.

"What are the roving bandits' protective gear and ranged attack capabilities like? Do they have many bows and arrows? Do they have cannons?"

His group of subordinates looked at each other again. Pang Yu knew he had asked in vain again. He turned to Jiang Fan and instructed, "Send mounted Runners to Qianshan first thing tomorrow morning. When they go to scout, remember to add these questions."

Jiang Fan said in a low voice, "This subordinate will arrange it for them tonight. But this subordinate has been thinking: since the roving bandits must evade government troops, they rely on running fast. From this, it seems they care more about speed and probably won't have heavy armor."

Pang Yu nodded. "That reasoning is sound. But when assessing the enemy, one must err on the side of caution. We must consider that perhaps a small number of elite troops are equipped with armor. It's always more reassuring to have something that can deal with heavy armor. I wonder how strong that armor can be? What weapons can deal with armor?"

Again, no response. Everyone here was yamen runners. Armor was a military item strictly controlled by the imperial court; they had probably only seen it on the opera stage, so naturally they could not answer Pang Yu's question.

"If you don't know about armor, fine. Then tell me, what other military equipment is there for defending a city?"

Pang Yu swept his gaze over them. "Speak boldly. I'm the one who makes the decisions; I won't blame you for saying something wrong."

His gaze shifted to the several Zhuang Squad representatives at the back — all men who had performed well recently. But faced with this situation, they were all somewhat timid.

Only Yao Dongshan showed no stage fright. He bowed to Pang Yu and said, "If the thieves want to get up on the city wall, they'll surely set up ladders and climb. Just give me a mountain-splitting hammer. The moment a thief shows his head, I'll smash it down on him. Armor or no armor, he'll have to fall."

Pang Yu encouraged him. "Well said."

Encouraged, Yao Dongshan continued with some excitement, "Or else we lift a tree trunk as thick as a bowl and ram it, knocking over the ladder and those sons of bitches all together."

"That's also a good idea. Everyone should be like Yao Dongshan — boldly speak up. Wang Zenglu, you say something too."

Wang Zenglu hesitated for a moment before saying, "For city defense, the top priority is gunpowder and firearms. This subordinate heard in Nanjing that the government troops in Liaodong relied on cannons to beat back the Tartars."

"Cannons we certainly don't have. Gunpowder, though..." Pang Yu rubbed his chin. He recalled Mr. Sun had also mentioned it and couldn't help nodding. "Just don't know how much stock the county still has. You all keep discussing; I'll go ask Clerk Shen of the Military Office."

With that, Pang Yu hurried forward. Clerk Shen was walking at the very back of the crowd ahead, and Pang Yu smoothly found the old man.

"Not a shred of gunpowder." Clerk Shen was quite blunt. "But His Excellency Yang has already arranged for the Military Office to buy some. If we can buy it, it will certainly be given to the Zhuang Squad first."

Pang Yu cursed inwardly. If not to the Zhuang Squad, then give it to the Runner Squad? Using gunpowder was for defending the city and risking lives, yet Clerk Shen's tone made it sound as if he was doing Pang Yu a personal favor.

But Pang Yu dared not show it. He thanked Clerk Shen and was about to return to his own group when he suddenly heard some commotion ahead, with Yang Erming's voice mixed in.

Pang Yu hurriedly squeezed to the front and craned his neck to look. He saw Jiang Zhihuai and Liu Xiucai grappling and brawling, with Yang Erming and the others trying to mediate.

"Jiang Zhihuai, when you ran your mouth during the last civil unrest, I, Liu, haven't settled accounts with you yet — and today you want to seize my wealth? This is simply outrageous!"

Liu Xiucai grabbed Jiang Zhihuai by the collar, looking utterly aggressive.

Jiang Zhihuai gripped Liu Xiucai's hand. Not as tall and strong as Liu Xiucai, he was at a disadvantage at the moment, but his mouth yielded not a single step. "Not one copper coin of your wealth has entered my pocket, nor would I, Jiang, care for it. I, Jiang, speak for the lives and safety of every household in this city — this is speaking out for justice."

"Jiang, stop putting on airs. You speak for the people of the city — as if I, Liu, do not."

"Then for the people, tear that tower down!"

Pang Yu followed the direction of Jiang Zhihuai's fingers. On the west side of Zilai Street, about sixty or seventy feet beyond the city wall, stood a tall wooden pavilion. Its fourth floor already rose above the city wall, commanding a view down onto it.

Pang Yu now more or less understood the quarrel. This wooden tower was Liu Xiucai's property, but it was too tall and too close to the city wall. If the Roving Bandits shot arrows from the fourth floor, they could completely control this section of the wall. Jiang Zhihuai, always outspoken, had surely demanded Liu Xiucai tear it down — and Liu Xiucai, naturally, refused.

"I bought this with genuine gold and silver. You, Jiang Zhihuai, with a casual word, want it torn down — by whose law do you presume? I refuse to believe it. Let me see who dares tear it down!"