Chapter 126: Stealthy Advance

On the twelfth day of the tenth month, the Chongzhen Emperor, his face dark with gloom, stared at the impeachment memorial in his hand. This year should have been a very good one: the case against the eunuch faction had been settled, the Jianzhou Bandits in Liaodong had stirred up no major trouble, the She-An Rebellion in the southwest was largely pacified, and in the southeast Zheng Zhilong was fighting back and forth with his old subordinates — on the whole, things were more stable than last year. Shaanxi had some minor civil unrest, but it was small-scale skirmishing. Just when it seemed they could enjoy a peaceful year, the Jianzhou Bandits had come striking directly at the passes.

On the fifth day, Zunhua fell and Wang Yuanya took his own life. Then the garrison at Santunying collapsed on its own. That Regional Commander Zhu Guoyan, who had refused to let Zhao Lujiao enter the city, at least showed some backbone: he wrote the names of the fleeing officials on a big-character poster, pasted it up on the street, and then hanged himself. He may have had backbone, but it was of no use to Chongzhen. In Chongzhen's eyes, he was instead a criminal. Had he let Zhao Lujiao enter the city, with those several thousand mobile troops, plus Zhao Lujiao, that specialist in city defense, it would surely have become a stubborn nail-household, forcing the Jianzhou Bandits to halt at Zunhua for the time being, and Chongzhen would have had more time to summon relief troops. Now that Santunying was lost, the Jianzhou Bandits had no more restraints — they were only one step away from the plains of the capital region.

The good news was that the relief troops from Xuanfu and Datong had already arrived. The Datong Regional Commander Man Gui had brought five thousand elite troops from Datong Garrison and was stationed at Shunyi; Hou Shilu of Xuanfu was stationed at Sanhe; the troops from Changping and Miyun had also successively reached Jizhou and Sanhe. Once this news spread, the hearts of the people in Jingshi were somewhat calmed.

He looked at the memorial from Yuan Chonghuan in his hand: "... At this moment, the capital must be the priority. I will directly lead the elite cavalry, first taking a route south to double our pace and advance. The infantry will be successively distributed among the various prefectures and counties to link our lifeblood. We will encamp at Jizhou to screen and protect the capital. Once the capital is secure, we will then turn eastward — this is the plan for absolute safety... In six days we raced five hundred li, entering Jizhou City to rest the troops and horses, carefully reconnoiter the situation, strictly prepare outposts and patrols, and strive with all our might to intercept them. We absolutely will not allow them to advance one step west of Ji..."

The Viceroy of Jiliao, Yuan Chonghuan, leading the cavalry of the Guanning Army, had arrived at Jizhou on the tenth day. Behind them, large numbers of Guanning Army infantry were successively deploying to prefectures and counties such as Qian'an, Yongping, Fengrun, and Yutian. The situation east of the capital region looked much more stable. After receiving the report, Chongzhen's mood relaxed slightly, but the words "pacify Liao in five years" still rang in his ears, and now barbarian horses were already pressing upon the capital region. Coupled with the matter of the unauthorized killing of Mao Wenlong, he no longer dared to trust this man completely.

Chongzhen finished reading, raised his head, looked at Sun Chengzong opposite him, and said respectfully, "Master Sun, why must we defend Sanhe and Shunyi?"

Sun Chengzong, already sixty-six years old, had hair and beard all white. His wise face bore a calm expression. Years of ups and downs in officialdom, combined with his military career in Liaodong, had long made him unflappable in the face of crisis. This time, with the frontier passes sounding the alarm, Chongzhen had thought of this old minister of Liaodong affairs and invited him to the capital to assist, putting him in charge of defense affairs inside and outside the capital. Sun Chengzong respectfully said, "Your Majesty, defending Sanhe can block them from rushing west and check them from driving south. Now the relief forces from Changping, Miyun, Guanning, Xuanfu, and Datong are all gathered around Tongzhou and Jizhou. The Viceroy of Jiliao guards the Ji Gate; Man Gui is stationed at Shunyi; Hou Shilu defends Sanhe. The Guanning and Xuanda armies are the elite of the Nine Border Garrisons, and Man Gui in particular is daring in battle. The Ji Gate has high walls and thick ramparts; with the Viceroy's ability, its defense is without worry. Shunyi and Sanhe form a mutual horn-support, paired with the elite of Xuanda, combining both offensive and defensive strength. The Jianzhou Bandits have come from afar; their momentum cannot last. If they bypass the cities without attacking, these several points will watch over each other, pursuing and pinching from front and rear, surrounding and striking from all sides. The Jianzhou Bandits will be exhausted in their responses, their army's morale will inevitably waver, and the Jianzhou Chieftain will not dare to advance directly upon Jingshi."

"What if the Jianzhou Bandits drive south?"

"Your Majesty, since the Jianzhou Bandits have already breached the border walls, they can go anywhere — to the prefectures of Qian'an and Yongping in the east, to Yutian in the south, to Jizhou in the west. Yet to set up defenses everywhere is beyond our strength. The present plan is already the best strategy." Sun Chengzong was somewhat perfunctory. In his heart, he had a different view of this deployment. In any case, the Jianzhou Bandits had already stormed a key town like Zunhua; even if they took Xianghe or Yongping, it would just be another Zunhua. But if the Jianzhou Bandits reached Jingshi directly, the political significance would be entirely different. Therefore, the defense arrangements all prioritized blocking a westward rush. But such thoughts could not be spoken aloud. If the Jianzhou Bandits did indeed drive south to kill and burn, it would easily be used as a handle to attack him later. He believed that Chongzhen and Yuan Chonghuan actually understood this as well...

Sure enough, Chongzhen did not pursue the matter further. He instead asked how the Jianzhou Bandits had managed to enter through Ji Garrison.

Sun Chengzong said calmly, "Your Majesty sees clearly. Ji Garrison shields and protects the divine capital, which is why those who understand military affairs know that to defend Liao, one must defend Ji. Ji Garrison originally relied on the Duoyan Mongols for screening and protection. Since the Chahar have already fled west and the various Kalaqin tribes have submitted to the Jianzhou Bandits, repairs should have been made long ago. Yet it was never imagined that it would still be so broken and ruined."

Chongzhen pulled out a memorial from the ninth month, stared at it blankly for a moment, and murmured, "Four garrisons, one hundred fifty-three thousand troops, eighty-one thousand horses, four million eight hundred thousand in annual supplies and commutation funds — and yet they could not withstand a single strike from the Jianzhou Bandits' expeditionary force of a thousand li. How many men do the Jianzhou Bandits actually have, that they still have strength to spare to strike at the passes?" Chongzhen's voice was somewhat low. Sun Chengzong kept his eyes lowered and pretended not to hear. Chongzhen had no choice but to say to Sun Chengzong, "Now the Viceroy of Jiliao is encamped at Jizhou, commanding the relief troops. Master Sun is seasoned in Liaodong affairs — is there any further advice? I will have the Ministry of War send it along to the Viceroy."

"In that case, I beg Your Majesty to convey two phrases to the Viceroy of Jiliao. The first: 'Only by being able to fight can one defend.' The second: 'Send scouts far afield, and prepare your coordination in advance.'"

He had just finished speaking when a eunuch delivered a memorial. Chongzhen hastily opened it and read it; his expression changed, and he quickly passed it to Sun Chengzong. Sun Chengzong looked at it for a moment, then raised his head with a face full of astonishment: "With the Jianzhou Bandits' spearhead already in sight, why is he sending back the troops from Miyun and Changping? What is the reasoning behind this?"

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On the thirteenth day of the tenth month, in a small village at the foot of Mount Jiulong in Jixian, the villagers packed up their household goods, taking whatever they could carry, and helped each other climb up the mountain. A herbal medicine gatherer, leading two children, walked at the front.

After the news of the Jianzhou Bandits striking the passes arrived, they were all very alarmed, but at least Zunhua still lay ahead. The villagers were all local natives and knew the geography. Some villagers who had been to Zunhua also told the others that Zunhua's walls were high and thick, and the Jianzhou Bandits certainly could not fight their way through.

As it turned out, people who had gone out yesterday came back saying that Zunhua had been taken many days ago, and even Shimen Post Station had surrendered. Now everyone panicked, hurriedly packed their things, and prepared to go hide in the mountains for some days.

Led by a few hunters and herbal medicine gatherers, they chose a mountain peak and climbed to a relatively level spot halfway up the mountainside. There was only one path leading up here, which a few of the village's able-bodied young men could defend. The surrounding trees were lush, and there was spring water in a cave for drinking — it was an ideal refuge.

The children, unaware of what worry meant, found camping in the mountains immensely fun and chased each other around in play. The adults all wore worried expressions, felling trees to build shacks while fretting over the possessions they had left down below.

The herbal medicine gatherer stowed his own luggage and climbed toward the summit. Halfway there, he ran into a village youth, who shouted, "Uncle, quick, go to the top and look at the official road! The Tatars are coming! They're coming!"

The herbal medicine gatherer's heart tightened. He quickened his pace and reached the summit, where some villagers had already gathered. They hid behind a large boulder with a wide field of view, poking their heads out and pointing at the official road below. The herbal medicine gatherer squeezed closer and looked. On the official road, some small black dots were slowly moving. Some had small triangular flags on their backs. They traveled singly or in groups of three or five, moving along the vicinity of the official road. Some of the black dots had already followed the paths through the fields toward the Lihe River.

"Eight Company Commander," the herbal medicine gatherer said softly. His daughter-in-law was from that Eight Company Commander village over there. He hoped his in-laws had already gone up the mountain. The Mount Jiulong where he stood was on the north side of the Lihe River valley. The mountainous area on the south side of the valley had many passes through which one could travel south to reach the plains. Once out of those passes, it was flat, open country. At the foot of the mountains to the south were scattered many villages, their names ranging from One Company Commander to Ten Company Commander. Ten Company Commander was already not far from Jizhou.

"Uncle, so many Tatars!" the youth beside him cried out in alarm.

The herbal medicine gatherer looked toward Mashenqiao. A dense mass of black dots was coming along the official road. Their formation was strict and orderly. They crossed past the foot of the mountain and headed toward Jizhou.

The youth's gaze followed those cavalrymen, and he sucked in a breath of cold air. "Mother, at least several hundred of them."

The herbal medicine gatherer's heart pounded wildly. He rubbed his hands and said, "I heard that Viceroy Yuan reached Jizhou on the ninth day. A few hundred men — no need to fear him." He had barely finished speaking when his expression changed. His eyes stared fixedly in the direction of Mashenqiao. The marching column on the official road stretched endlessly out of sight, like a long, thin black river surging forth continuously, flowing past the foot of the mountain and streaming toward Jizhou.

In the black river below the mountain, Take Tan and Zhang Zhongqi walked one after the other. The walls of Jizhou were already in sight in the distance. Take Tan led his own horse. Zhang Zhongqi pushed a small cart he had looted, piled high with cloth, clothes, and grain. He wore a brand-new padded jacket that Take Tan had looted in Zunhua City. This master treated Zhang Zhongqi rather well, giving him one of the jackets. Warmed by the two padded jackets, Zhang Zhongqi's runny nose had finally stopped dripping. He had followed Take Tan all the way, crossing the freezing Kalaqin grasslands, displaying the tenacious vitality of a cockroach, and had actually arrived safely at the border wall. After that, he followed his master in looting.

Although Huang Taiji had issued a weak-willed decree ordering everyone not to burn, kill, or loot, and to hand over all spoils for unified distribution, none of the banners paid him any heed. They handed over a small amount of goods as a perfunctory gesture and kept the rest for themselves. People like Take Tan, who had come along on their own, were counting entirely on these spoils, so naturally it was even less likely they would hand anything over.

As he walked, Zhang Zhongqi smiled obsequiously at Take Tan and said, "Young Master, our Great Khan is truly brilliant. If it weren't for his firm advocacy, we would have turned back in Kalaqin."

Take Tan's face was full of confident expression. He nodded and said, "I heard that the Second Beile and the Third Beile were worried at the time that if we entered the Great Wall, we'd be surrounded. Who knew it would be even weaker than Liaoxi? Made me worry for nothing too." Take Tan recalled the twists and turns back in Kalaqin. Daishan and Manggultai had suddenly felt that entering the border was unreliable and went to Huang Taiji to demand a withdrawal. At the time, rumors were swirling in the camp. Thankfully, the Great Khan had held firm; otherwise, he could not imagine how they would have survived the winter if they had turned back and gone home. The subsequent course of events proved that the Great Khan was right. Take Tan had seen with his own eyes one city after another surrender, the surrendering officials and Han people shaving their heads and kneeling by the roadside to welcome the great army. He now held the Ming State in utter contempt.

After all, Take Tan was just a common soldier and could not understand the thoughts of the two Great Beile. Daishan and Manggultai had been in their positions for many years and had some experience in power struggles. If they had truly opposed it, they would not have waited until they reached Kalaqin to voice their opposition. Clearly, by that point, it was impossible to return empty-handed. They simply wanted to prepare so that if the campaign failed, they could shift all the blame onto Huang Taiji's head — and also onto the heads of the several junior beile who had sided with Huang Taiji this time.

Zhang Zhongqi's face was full of longing. "Master, I heard we're still going to Jingshi. If we loot too many things, I won't be able to carry them all by myself. If there are even better things, we can just leave these cloths behind."

Take Tan glanced at the sack on his horse's back. Inside were already over a hundred taels of silver, all of which he had looted in Zunhua. When their Plain Blue Banner attacked the city, they had been assigned to the section of wall slightly east of south. That strong, large city had been taken in a single assault. The Plain White Banner had been the first to scale the walls. Take Tan, following Yilantai, had been among the first men of the Plain Blue Banner to ascend the wall. They had entered the city early and chosen fine residences to plunder. Even someone like Take Tan had gotten over a hundred taels.

Take Tan said, "Don't be in a hurry to throw things away. The Niru Ezhen said I did well this time and is going to promote me to Armored Soldier. If we capture people, he'll also assign some to me. Then we'll have them push the carts. From now on, you'll be in charge of the new bondservants."

"Thank you, Master!" Had Zhang Zhongqi not been pushing the cart, he would have kowtowed in gratitude.

The household retainers of the Jianzhou Bandits were slightly better off than outright slaves. If the master was decent, household retainers could own a small amount of property and could marry, but their children also belonged to the master, and matters of sale, purchase, and marriage were all decided by the master. There were also hierarchies among the household retainers. Zhang Zhongqi had always envied those estate managers, who could at least exploit the other bondservants and be waited on by new bondservants in daily life. If Master Take Tan earned more battle merits and became a White Armor Soldier or a Corporal, owning an estate was even possible.

If he became an estate manager, his life would improve greatly again. Zhang Zhongqi felt another surge of hope for the future. Inside his own bosom, he still had a silver ingot he had picked up near a large residence when he followed the troops into Zunhua. It was probably over ten taels. The young master was easy to talk to. Once they returned to Liaodong, he would give the silver to the young master and perhaps could entrust him to buy back the mute girl.

They walked another stretch. Ahead, the banner of their Niru turned left, leaving the official road and entering a small path, heading toward the mountain pass at Ten Company Commander to the south.

Before he turned, Zhang Zhongqi glanced back at Jizhou. At the other end of the official road, over two hundred Later Jin cavalrymen stood imposingly beneath the walls of Jizhou City, facing off against over ten thousand Guanning troops.

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In the rear courtyard of the three-entrance compound facing the sea at Weihaiwei, Lady Zhao was interrogating Zhao Xiang. "Xiang'er, has your belly shown any movement yet?"

Zhao Xiang shook her head helplessly. Lady Zhao's expression took on a touch of worry. "It's also because this son-in-law comes back too seldom. You've been married over a year now and still have no heir. If a junior wife enters the household and bears the eldest son first, your days ahead will be filled with enough strife to keep you busy."

Zhao Xiang was only nineteen this year, but in this era, she could no longer be considered a girl. She pursed her lips upon hearing this and said, "Then what can I do? A few days ago, I told him to take Juxiang as a concubine sooner, and he agreed. But then he went off to fight that Wenxiang Sect, and who knows when he'll be back."

Lady Zhao sighed and said, "Juxiang was a last resort. It's still more reliable to have your own eldest son. If it really won't work, you should go live at the Wendeng Camp and stop staying here keeping your mother company. Anyway, the household now has plenty of old women and maidservants; you needn't worry."

Zhao Xiang had no other solution and could only nod. At that moment, the gate to the third courtyard burst open with a bang. Juxiang came stumbling and staggering in, so out of breath she could barely speak clearly.

"La... dy."

Lady Zhao shot her a glare and scolded her with displeasure, "You're about to become the concubine of an official household, and you still go running around like a madwoman?"

Juxiang's face was flushed red. She gasped, "No, it's terrible... it's... the Master... going, going—"

Lady Zhao stood up in alarm, grabbed Juxiang's hand, her face full of anxiety: "Has the young master secretly gone out to sea to Japan?"

Juxiang waved her other hand vigorously, indicating denial.

Lady Zhao let out a huge sigh of relief and cursed, "You damned girl, trying to scare people to death? As long as he hasn't gone to sea, what else could be so urgent?"

Juxiang finally caught her breath and shouted, "The Master has gone to Jingshi to kill the Jianzhou Bandits!"

Lady Zhao asked doubtfully, "Jianzhou Bandits? Didn't the young master say he'd be back after fighting those demonic folk? Who did you hear spouting such nonsense?"

Zhao Xiang also said, "Don't listen to people's nonsense. Those Jianzhou Bandits are far away from Jingshi. When the Master left, he said very clearly he was going to fight the Wenxiang Sect. What's there to fear from those demonic folk?"

Juxiang explained anxiously, "The relay horse that brought the message just came back and said so. The Jianzhou Bandits have invaded Jingshi. The Master has been ordered to go to the Emperor's aid. They say there are over a hundred thousand Tatar soldiers, and the Master only took two... Quick, someone come! The Lady has fainted!"

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