Chapter 124: Wolf Smoke

In the chou hour before dawn on the twenty-seventh day of the tenth month, atop the water-gate tower at Longjing Pass on the Ji Town stretch of the Great Wall, a few dim lanterns swayed in the howling north wind. From the darkness beyond the water gate, a distant wolf howl rose, and after a while, several more sounded nearby (Note 1). The handful of old and weak Ming soldiers on the water gate could not even be bothered to lift their heads; they huddled behind the battlements and continued dozing.

Longjing Pass was one of the key passes on the Ji Town Great Wall. The Che River cut through the Yan Mountains, entering the Great Wall via Longjing Pass's water gate, then flowing past Han'er Village before merging into the Luan River. It had always been one of the major frontier strongholds of Ji Town. When Qi Jiguang oversaw Ji Town, he established a comprehensive early-warning system along the border wall, with watchtowers, beacon towers, and fortifications lining the Great Wall. Powerful mobile forces were stationed at places like Zunhua and Santunying, and for twenty years no one dared take a single step inside the Great Wall. By now, many of the watchtowers had fallen into disrepair and no longer possessed their former might.

Take Tan followed behind Uncle Ilantai, who was built like a bear, lurking in the darkness a hundred paces from the water gate.

They had set out from Shenyang on the second day of the tenth month, taking the route through the Liao River Bend and advancing toward the Khorchin region. Along the way they joined up with Mongol tribes — the Naiman, Aohan, Jarud, and Barin. On the fifteenth, they rendezvoused with their largest allied force, the Khorchin. The Khorchin tribe sent a total of twenty-three taijis, led by Tüsiyetü Khan, with over two thousand armored soldiers in all. After that, the main army drove straight into Kharachin Mongol territory, where the Tümed and other tribes also joined them. Using the Subudi tribe as guides, they finally reached the area outside Ji Town's passes on the twenty-sixth.

Take Tan's Plain Blue, Bordered Yellow, and two Plain White Banners were known as the Left Wing Four Banners of the Eight Banners. This time, the Bordered Yellow Banner was operating alongside Hong Taiji, so their Left Wing was left with three banners, led by the Third Beile Manggūltai, attacking Longjing Pass. During the march, Take Tan displayed formidable stamina and adaptability, ranking among the dozen or so in the best condition out of the fifty-plus men in his niru. He was selected by the niru ejen to carry out the night raid. The one commanding their night raid was Ajige, the Banner Lord of the Plain White Banner.

The northern winter night was bitterly cold. Most of the night raiders wore two layers of cotton armor, with mail or iron armor over the top, making their bodies extremely bulky. Their faces were also wrapped in thick cotton cloth, leaving only their two eyes exposed.

A Mongol served as their guide. The niru ejen made a few low chirping calls. Take Tan suppressed the nervousness in his heart and began moving forward. Uncle Ilantai's blurry figure seemed utterly resolute, giving Take Tan no small measure of confidence.

Over a hundred Later Jin soldiers crept to the base of the wall and quietly raised several long ladders. The tops of the ladders were wrapped in thick cloth, making almost no sound as they leaned against the wall. Their footsteps were also masked by the howling wind.

Uncle Ilantai was their lamtsun, and also a bayara, so he naturally took the vanguard. He removed the cloth covering his face, gripped his ladder sword between his teeth, and climbed lightly and carefully toward the top of the wall. Take Tan followed a few steps behind him. Amid the faint creaking of the ladder, they quickly scaled the wall.

Uncle Ilantai peered left and right from the battlements. There was firelight inside the gate tower, and the faint sound of voices drifted out. Outside, several Ming soldiers were sleeping against the battlements. He quietly took his ladder sword and crept up beside those Ming soldiers. Once the other bayara who had come up another ladder reached the opposite side, Ilantai swept his left hand down, and they struck simultaneously, seizing the Ming soldiers by the throat and plunging their ladder swords viciously into their hearts. Only then did those Ming soldiers startle awake. Most were killed in their sleep by these battle-hardened bayara. Only one Ming soldier was stabbed off-target and did not die immediately. He tried to struggle, but the bayara's iron-vise hand clamped his throat so he could not cry out. His eyes bulged wide, staring at these ghost-like enemies with a look of utter terror. His throat could only produce gurgling sounds. That bayara pressed his iron-armored upper body over the man's mouth and quickly finished him with another stab. The several Ming soldiers died without a sound.

By this time, Take Tan and a dozen others had already taken positions on either side of the gate tower door. They all held light and handy shun knives or ladder knives. Others had already crept quietly down the wall stairs toward the base of the wall, preparing to open the water gate and let the main army enter along the riverbed.

Take Tan's niru ejen waved his hand. One bayara violently smashed open the main door, and the dozen-plus men swarmed in. The dozen or so Ming soldiers inside were caught completely off guard. They had been gambling around a square table and had not yet reacted when Ilantai's bear-like frame barreled straight into them, his ladder knife plunging deep into one Ming soldier's abdomen. That soldier let out an unbearable shriek of agony. Ilantai drove him against the table, pushing the table along with him and crashing it backward. The Ming soldiers around the table were all knocked to the ground. Using the table, Ilantai instantly split the Ming soldiers in the room into several groups and cleared an entry space. The Later Jin soldiers rushed in. Before the Ming soldiers even knew who the enemy was, the fierce Jurchen hunters were already swinging their blades down on their heads. The finely crafted shun knives sent up sprays of blood, and screams rang out one after another inside the gate tower.

Take Tan saw one Ming soldier with the fastest reactions leap up and flip backward onto the kang bed. Using the long kang to briefly obstruct one charging bayara, he then kicked a small table from the kang straight at that bayara, blocking him again. The Ming soldier jumped back once more, reaching for a blade on the wall.

Without time to think, Take Tan nimbly jumped onto the long kang, took a few steps to reach the Ming soldier, and brought his knife down in a chop toward his head. The Ming soldier had just drawn his blade and parried desperately. Take Tan's full-force blow was actually blocked, and a notch was chipped out of his shun knife. Take Tan then fiercely kicked out below, striking the Ming soldier in the lower abdomen and sending him crashing into the wall behind. His shun knife followed with a horizontal slash at the man's neck. Even in his pain, the Ming soldier laboriously blocked it with his blade held vertically. Both of Take Tan's killing strikes had been blocked. His brute ferocity surged. He lunged forward, closing in on the Ming soldier, threw aside his shun knife, and hurled the Ming soldier down onto the kang. His right fist smashed into the Ming soldier's face, the savage force knocking out a mouthful of teeth. Pinned close, the Ming soldier's waist knife was useless, so he too threw aside his blade and used his hands to shield against the heavy blows that followed. Take Tan pressed him down on the kang, holding the positional advantage. Using his body weight, he rained heavy blows repeatedly onto the man's face. The Ming soldier could not block them all; his nose bridge was shattered. After a few more blows, his arms went limp. Take Tan let out a low roar and drove his right fist with all his might into the man's temple. The Ming soldier's hands finally fell slack, and low groans escaped his mouth. Without pausing, Take Tan struck more than ten more punches, beating the Ming soldier's face into a bloody pulp of flesh. His nasal bones caved in, his eyeballs burst out, and he had barely any breath left.

The others had already slaughtered all the Ming soldiers. The walls were covered in splattered bloodstains. None of them paid any attention to Take Tan. They busied themselves searching the bodies of those Ming soldiers. When they found silver coins or the like, they pocketed them. The niru ejen went around finishing off the Ming soldiers with his knife. Seeing Take Tan still punching, he pulled Take Tan aside and beheaded that Ming soldier, whose face was already a mangled mess.

Only then did he turn to Take Tan and say, "Take Tan, when killing, you must conserve your strength. Be like your Uncle Ilantai. On the battlefield, new enemies can appear at any moment. That way you keep the strength to deal with them."

Take Tan was breathing heavily. He nodded at these words, turned back to pick up his shun knife, and looked heartbroken at the notch on it. Uncle Ilantai picked up the blade the Ming soldier had thrown aside and casually tossed it to Take Tan. "This knife is a Qi knife, well-made. It's even a bit better than that shun knife of yours. Keep it."

Take Tan caught it. The knife was indeed fine. Its blade was slightly curved, reflecting the lamplight in the room with a cold, piercing gleam.

The niru ejen then praised him, "Well done, Take Tan. That Ming soldier you killed was most likely a retainer or something of the sort, maybe even a squad commander or company commander. Otherwise he wouldn't have had such a good blade, nor such skill. Everything on him is yours. Go search him."

Take Tan finally smiled. It was his first time having spoils. He searched the Ming soldier's body and indeed found several taels of silver, along with some tobacco shreds — also a good thing. His Ama loved smoking it, especially in winter. He carefully stowed it away in his bosom.

Just then, the city gate below the tower creaked and clattered noisily. Dense footsteps followed from below the tower, and shouts in Manchu gradually rose. The niru ejen shouted, "We're in the city! Stop searching! These Ming soldiers are all dirt poor. Hurry into the city to loot those merchant households. Plenty of women and silver there. If you're late, there'll be nothing left."

The group all answered in unison. They went down the wall stairs and merged into the Left Wing army pouring in through the water gate, surging into the city.

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In the Orchid Garment Shop outside Zunhua city, Qin Lüfang, who had only one hand, sat inside listlessly. After receiving Chen Xin's orders, he had set up outposts across Beizhili. Members of the logistics unit had arrived in batches, stockpiling grain in various places. As soon as the tenth month began, he came to Zunhua to keep an eye on the frontier situation. Outside Zunhua city, there were some spontaneously formed streets where merchants and residents gathered, and the daily flow of passersby was not small.

This garment shop was a shop in name only. They bought some cloth to resell, but there was hardly any business. They spent five qian in rent each month. Two horses were also tethered in the rear courtyard. The total investment here was roughly over seventy taels. The shop assistant inside was from a cavalry battalion. The two had been here for over twenty days. That cavalryman had come from Dongjiang Town, and Qin Lüfang happened to be from Fenghuang City in Liaodong as well, so they had become well acquainted during their time together. The two were smoking idly out of sheer boredom.

"Sir Qin, what exactly are we doing staying here? I haven't practiced riding in ages. If this goes on for a few months, how am I supposed to pass Commander Zhu's assessment when we get back?"

Qin Lüfang now held the internal rank of Naval Squad Commander, so being addressed as "Sir" was fitting. He exhaled a puff of smoke and said, somewhat helplessly, "I can tell you now. Sir Chen believes the Jianzhou bandits will invade Ji Town this year. He has me waiting here. If there's any news, it must be sent back to Tianjin immediately. A boat is waiting specifically in Tianjin to carry word to Dengzhou."

It was the first time that cavalryman had heard the Jianzhou bandits were coming. His eyes lit up as he sat up straight. "Are the Jianzhou bandits really coming?" He then frowned and said, "There have been rumors in Ji Town these past days too, saying Subudi has formally gone over to the Jianzhou bandits and joined them in attacking Jinzhou. And the latest talk says the Jianzhou bandits have already reached Kharachin. Judging by the frontier troops we've seen, the way they look like a puff of wind could knock them over, I'm afraid they wouldn't withstand a single blow."

Qin Lüfang shook his head. "All sorts of things are being said. Wasn't there also talk that Marshal Mao was about to surrender and negotiate with the Later Jin? Can't believe everything."

That Dongjiang soldier's eyes reddened slightly. To these Dongjiang soldiers, Mao Wenlong was undoubtedly like a second father. But since even the Emperor had rendered a final verdict on the matter, there was nothing he could do.

The Dongjiang soldier took a dazed drag of his smoke, tilted his head back and blew it into the air, squinting as he watched the dissipating wisps. He said, "Anyway, I listen to Sir Chen now. Whatever he tells us to do, I do. Aside from Marshal Mao, he's the only one I respect. He never skims our pay. The instructors and training officers all say our pay and provisions come directly from Sir Chen himself, that the imperial court has never issued a single tael of silver. This rotten court — how bitter it was when Marshal Mao was at Dongjiang. The pay and provisions were never sufficient, and yet some people accused him of private trading. Surrounded on all sides by Jianzhou bandits, apart from sable pelts and ginseng, what was there to trade? And how much silver could that earn in a year? I can't be bothered with this damn court. But if those dog-spawned Jianzhou bandits dare come, I'll still fight them."

Qin Lüfang agreed, "Who cares about that court. I've followed Sir Chen for a long time. There are some things I can't tell you, but Sir Chen is absolutely a good official. Even before he was an official, he was an honorable man who valued loyalty. Now he treats his subordinates well too. And that Mister Liu is also a good man. In this whole world, only Weihai is still worth staying in."

"Brother Qin, I hear Jiangnan is also quite good. Have you ever been?"

"No. That place is too far. Once we've wiped out the Tatars, the two of us can go see it together."

The Dongjiang soldier was about to agree when a burst of panicked cries suddenly came from outside, followed by the sound of frantic, fleeing footsteps. Hurried figures kept passing by the doorway. Qin Lüfang noticed too and rushed to the door. Shops all along the street were closing up. But the porters, peddlers, and farmers were also hastily packing up their loads. Some fruits and vegetables that had fallen to the ground were left unattended. The entire street was filled with frantic pedestrians. From the Zunhua city wall not far away, the urgent clanging of bronze gongs and wooden clappers began to sound.

He looked around in bewilderment and saw some people nearby tilting their heads to gaze at the northern sky. He raised his eyes slightly, his gaze passing over the Zunhua city wall. Against the northern horizon hung several columns of black wolf smoke. A surge of hot blood rushed straight to Qin Lüfang's head. "Damn it, the Jianzhou bandits actually dared to come. Brother, we've got our chance to kill Tatars."

The Dongjiang soldier also ran to his side and stared blankly for a moment. Then he asked hesitantly, "Liaodong, though — a thousand li away. Could they have marched all the way here without anyone knowing? Could it be the Western Barbarians, like Ligdan Khan or something?"

Qin Lüfang watched the black smoke columns drawing nearer and could now make out that each was a cluster of five, signaling an invading force of over ten thousand. He hurriedly told the Dongjiang soldier, "Go quickly to that squad commander you bribed and get information. Hurry."

The Dongjiang soldier rushed out and disappeared into the flow of people on the street. Qin Lüfang waited anxiously inside the shop, pacing back and forth. His mood was both hopeful and fearful. Hopeful that the Jianzhou bandits had come, giving him a chance for revenge; fearful because he had absolutely no confidence in the Ji Town frontier troops.

After waiting for roughly two ke, the Dongjiang soldier came running back, panting with excitement. "It really is the Jianzhou bandits! Those dog-spawned bastards came all this way just to get themselves killed."

"How many are there? Which pass did they break through?"

"They breached Longjing Pass this morning. Just now, they were reading the smoke columns. From Da'ankou to Hongshankou to Longjing Pass, the border wall for several dozen li raised the alarm simultaneously. Some people escaped from Longjing Pass. It's definitely the Jianzhou bandits. The relay horses to report to Jingshi have already been dispatched."

Qin Lüfang's face flushed red. He shook his fist and said to the Dongjiang soldier, "I need to leave for Tianjin immediately to make arrangements. You stay a few more days and get clear information on the Jianzhou bandits' numbers. But don't take risks. If the Jianzhou bandits get close, leave early. Before you go, remember to set a fire, and throw the arsenic I bought into the well at the east end of the street."

The Dongjiang soldier scratched his head. "One packet can only poison a few Jianzhou bandits, though."

"I bought five jin. Poisoning even one is worth it."

Qin Lüfang did not delay further. He went inside, grabbed a bundle he had prepared long ago, went to the rear courtyard to fetch his horse, and rode out. He took the official road toward Jizhou. The first wave of refugees had already appeared on the road — all of them looked like traveling merchants from other regions. Qin Lüfang spurred his horse to a gallop. Behind him, more and more black columns of smoke shot straight into the sky.

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Note 1: "The generals of the Eight Armies, when encamped at night, use only the calls of birds and beasts to communicate with one another." From the *Jianzhou Jianwen Lu* (Record of Things Seen and Heard in Jianzhou). This is not some special forces skill.