Chapter 130: The Defense Line

Early on the morning of the first day of the twelfth month, atop the northern wall of Guanxian, clusters of civilian laborers watched curiously as Ming troops camped outside the moat, busily hauling bricks, stones, and timber, and breaking ice in the moat to fetch water.

Lu Chuanzong spat toward the gate tower, a mouthful of phlegm, and cursed under his breath, "Your mother, if not for military orders, I'd rather be killed than guard this city for you."

Chen Xin turned a deaf ear, his expression perfectly calm. The Guanxian County Magistrate not only refused to provide grain or laborers, but even barred him from entering the city, nor would he come out to speak with him, only sending word that he was forbidden to enter. Although Chen Xin had no intention of garrisoning inside the city, he was still deeply displeased. Had he not worried about jeopardizing his political maneuvering, he would have been tempted to drag over a few crouching-tiger cannons and blast the city gate a few times — at a time like this, they still looked down on military men.

Fortunately, the two hundred dan of grain that Qin Lufang had stored in the Liu Village shop was still there; part of it was retrieved to supplement the army provisions. As for setting up camp, the Wendeng Battalion had no choice but to use its combat troops, which significantly cut into the soldiers' rest time.

The captured Tatar was still tied to the cart for public display, now barely clinging to life. After withdrawing his gaze, Chen Xin asked the carter before him, "Li Tao, are you also from Liaodong?"

"Yes, my lord. My ancestors were from Sichuan, but I was born in Liaodong. After Guangning fell, I first went to Shanhai Pass, then later to Tongzhou. Because I can ride and tend horses, I joined a cart and horse firm and have worked there for two years."

"Why did you come all this way and then decide you no longer wanted to work there?"

"The proprietor was too black-hearted. Because he took me in back then, he always thought I owed him my life. He never paid me wages, only provided food."

Chen Xin laughed in spite of himself. "That is rather black-hearted."

"I escorted him all the way from Tongzhou to here, with the Tatars right behind us. I've repaid his kindness. I'm passable with a bow and a blade, and I want to follow you, my lord, and kill Tatars."

Chen Xin's army had many Dongjiang soldiers and Liaodong refugees; he had heard their tragic stories so often that he had no desire to ask Li Tao in detail what deep grudge he held against the Jianzhou Bandits.

"You will follow Training Officer Zhu. Obey his arrangements. If there is any disobedience, no matter how many Tatars you kill, you will not be accepted. Remember that."

"Yes, my lord."

Chen Xin dismissed this Li Tao. The carter had played a major role in capturing that Jianzhou spy, showing both courage and resourcefulness at the time. When Zhu Guobin heard he could ride, he hoped to keep him and have him join the cavalry battalion upon their return. Chen Xin agreed to Zhu Guobin's request and placed him under the management of Zhu Daichun, who had accompanied the army on this campaign. This time, ten men from the training unit had also come along. Chen Xin ordered them to focus on observation and, based on actual combat, devise improvements to the training methods.

After arranging this matter, Chen Xin looked toward the northwest. In the distance northwest of Guanxian, several black columns of smoke were clearly visible, appearing even more oppressive against the gray sky. Tatar scout riders had already clashed with the Wendeng Battalion twice. Because the Wendeng Battalion knew the enemy was near, they always sent out scouting parties of twelve men together, focusing on the northwest, so they held the numerical advantage each time. The Tatar scout riders withdrew on their own.

The Wendeng Battalion deployed all its cavalry to the northwest. Those in Chen Xin's personal guard who could ride were also dispatched. Two cavalry defense lines were set up: the first, ten li out, consisted of two squads of night scouts, tasked with both reconnoitering the enemy and disrupting enemy reconnaissance; the second, five li out, consisted of six cavalry squads and ten personal guards. Additionally, one ju of infantry occupied a position about three li in that direction, commandeering some houses as strongpoints to provide cover for their withdrawal.

The Jianzhou Bandits had not expected the sudden strengthening of forces in this direction. Their scout riders were unable to get within visual range of the Wendeng Battalion's campsite, allowing the Wendeng Battalion to set up camp in peace and quiet.

Chen Xin laid out a rectangular camp against the city moat, using Guanxian's northern wall as one side — wide at the front and narrow on the sides, like the abacus-shaped city of Tianjin. Three company commander divisions were arrayed in order from left to right. This time he intended to build a more solid camp, but digging the frozen earth in winter was extremely difficult. He sent men to demolish the surrounding houses, using the salvaged earth, stone, and timber to begin constructing a breastwork along the camp's outer perimeter.

The breastwork was not continuous; there was a gap every eleven paces, matching the deployment width of a firearms squad. The gaps were meant to allow the Mandarin Duck formation's column to pass through, while the Jianzhou Bandits, whose troops lacked rigorous formation training, would only jam into a tangled mass at such gaps.

The fire soldiers from each squad went everywhere to gather firewood. At a distance of fifty paces beyond the breastwork, they set up large cauldrons and began boiling water. Each time a cauldron came to a boil, soldiers would swiftly lift it and splash the water onto the ground.

Groups of Wendeng Battalion soldiers toiled busily, like swarms of ants transporting goods. By afternoon, the breastwork was largely complete. During this period, the night scouts fought two skirmishes with the Tatar scout riders. The Wendeng Battalion suffered one dead and one wounded, and took two Tatar heads. But the Later Jin scout riders were gradually increasing in number. The night scouts had already fallen back to the defense line five li out, where together with the cavalry they withstood another round of reconnaissance.

Chen Xin only needed them to hold out through today. Once the fortifications were finished and the soldiers had rested, it would be enough. In truth, the Jianzhou soldiers had marched a thousand li and also faced physical exhaustion — they were, after all, only human. Moreover, although the Ming army was very weak, they were still in enemy territory and unlikely to feel entirely at ease. So Chen Xin felt that they were actually quite weary as well. Now that they had looted a fair amount, that mentality of having nothing to lose might have diminished, and their willingness to fight to the death had certainly lessened. Fighting them now would surely be somewhat easier than when they had just broken through the passes.

Exploiting their habitual contempt for the Ming army, Chen Xin intended to teach them a proper lesson, using their heads as a stepping stone to climb higher.

According to what Zhu Guobin had gathered from the Dongjiang refugees, the Mongol Left and Right Wings were mostly Mongols who had fled to the Later Jin. Huang Taiji required that their clothing and customs all conform to those of the Jurchens. In outward appearance, they were now indistinguishable from the Eight Banners, and their military discipline was equally strict. Their combat effectiveness far exceeded that of the outer-subject Mongols.

After the seventh year of the Tianming reign, more and more Mongols submitted, primarily from the Khorchin and Uruud tribes that had originally been subject to the Chahar, along with some Khalkha Mongols. Nurhaci thus organized them into two banners. Nominally, their status was equal to the Eight Banners' gūsa ejen, but in reality they were merely vassals of the Manchu Eight Banners, with no voice in major political decisions. The commander leading the troops this time, Unage, had defected to the Later Jin in the early Tianming years and was the earliest Mongol to submit. During the great battle of Ningyuan, he was the one who overran Juehua Island and massacred over ten thousand people. Had Chen Xin not appeared here, Guanxian might well have become another stepping stone for Unage's promotion.

After noon, the breastwork was basically complete. Each company commander division began setting up range markers in front of their defense sectors. Liu Po asked Chen Xin, "My lord, if we only build a breastwork, isn't it a bit flimsy? It would be best to add a trench in front, and set up chevaux de frise behind the trench."

"No need. If we build it too solidly, they won't come to attack. I must fight this battle. Engaging them beneath the city walls is most advantageous for us."

Liu Po acknowledged the order. He also knew that the Wendeng Battalion's tactical mobility was utterly incomparable to the all-cavalry Jianzhou Bandits. If the Jianzhou Bandits did not attack them, it would be very difficult to find an opportunity to engage them.

Chen Xin then asked Nie Hong beside him, "Has the central army guard unit finished resting?"

"All have rested. Only one man is physically exhausted."

"That 'First Warrior' of the central army?"

"Your lordship is perceptive. Your subordinate will never again recruit men who are too stout."

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In the encampment of the Second Killer Squad, the combat soldiers had finished building their fieldworks and were all seizing the time to rest. Zhou Shao'er leaned against his bedding, his eyes fixed on a stocky figure outside the tent who was sharpening a knife. Guan Dimiao sat beside him and said, "Brother, isn't that big fellow Chen a fool? Every time we stop, he never stops sharpening that dagger of his."

Zhong Laosi also said, "Looks like he's ready to fight to the death. I'll have to have a word with him later — make sure he doesn't break formation once the fighting starts."

Zhou Shao'er agreed, "Right. Otherwise, it'd be a real waste to get your head chopped off by the military judge over that."

Guan Dimiao said, "Brother, I'm still scared. They say those Tatars eat people."

Zhong Laosi kicked out a foot, knocking Guan Dimiao askew to one side, and cursed, "If you're scared, then scram. Go to that butcher Zhou yourself and take a blade."

Guan Dimiao brushed the footprint off his backside and gave a couple of foolish grins. Zhou Shao'er said nothing, but he too felt some nervousness inside. Since the Tatars had risen in revolt, they had rarely suffered defeat, and even when defeated, they mostly escaped. The Ming army, on the other hand, was annihilated by the tens or hundreds of thousands with every rout. Anyone would be afraid.

Zhou Shao'er narrowed his eyes for a long while, but not a trace of drowsiness came. He was a little worried, yet also a little agitated. Unable to sleep, he simply sat up and, out of habit, began cleaning his equipment.

He was still a squad leader and sword-and-shield man. His weapon was a saber modified from the Qi-family saber, three chi and two cun long, extremely sharp, and weighing only one jin and ten liang. Then there was his defensive round shield, three chi in diameter — this was his primary weapon. Other items included a dagger, a coconut ladle, a belt, and a suit of mail armor. Round shield soldiers were required to be very agile, sometimes even needing to bend over to fight, so their armor was always mail that did not restrict limb movement. The other killer squad members all wore iron scale armor, which was much heavier and more cumbersome than mail.

After Zhou Shao'er finished cleaning, he also fetched a stone from outside and began sharpening his dagger. The dagger was made of steel and became extremely sharp after sharpening. In the instructors' demonstrations, a close-range thrust could easily pierce iron armor made of Fujian iron.

Zhong Laosi was already snoring loudly in his sleep. Guan Dimiao couldn't sleep either. He took out his savings certificate and looked at it, saying, "Brother, I've saved seven taels of silver, all deposited at the quartermaster's office. If the Tatars kill me, remember to tell my mother, and don't forget to go collect it."

"Mm." Zhou Shao'er gave a perfunctory reply while continuing to sharpen. He felt a bit unsettled. This Guan Dimiao was a refugee from Wendeng — at least he still had an old mother and an older brother. If he died in battle, the silver would still be of use. If he himself died in battle, the dozen-odd taels of silver he had saved would be of damn all use.

Just then, the tent flap rustled. The training officer for their ju walked in, laid out a sheet of paper on the ground, and asked the few of them, "Who is the squad leader?"

Zhou Shao'er pointed at the snoring Zhong Laosi.

The training officer did not wake him, but said in a low voice, "There is a matter here. On the battlefield, blades and arrows have no eyes, as you veterans well know. Before each battle, we write final letters. Those who have already written one need not write again. For those who haven't, is there any final letter you need to leave behind?"

Zhou Shao'er looked around. Only Chen Ying and Guan Dimiao had not written one. He called them over and explained. Chen Ying was silent for a moment, then asked the training officer, "I have no family. My silver is all deposited at the quartermaster's office; I've never withdrawn any. If I die, could this silver be given to other destitute refugees from Dongjiang?"

The training officer glanced at him. He recognized this Chen Ying, who had already given talks at some ju. He said, "There is a Children's Fund here. For those without family, your silver will be used to adopt a homeless orphan. When they grow up, they will take your surname and, as your adopted sons, offer incense at your shrine."

"Truly?" A sudden light appeared in Chen Ying's previously indifferent eyes.

"Truly! This was thought up by Chief Training Officer Huang. There are many in our army like you. If you want your silver used for this, then tell me your ancestors' names and your ancestral home address in greater detail. Most likely nothing will happen; it's just a precaution."

"Chen Ying, a man of Liaodong, ancestral home Eastern Depot Prefecture, Shandong..."

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That day, after the Wendeng Battalion completed its fortifications, the combat soldiers were all given time to rest. At the end of the wei hour, the Jianzhou Bandits intensified their reconnaissance. Two or three hundred of them easily drove the Wendeng Battalion's pitiful cavalry back beneath the walls of Guanxian. The Wendeng cavalry, not daring to engage them, withdrew very quickly. In total, only five men died in the mutual probing.

The cavalry and the infantry providing cover all withdrew into the camp. By then it was growing dark. The Jianzhou Bandits did not come directly to the city walls, and Chen Xin could not locate their encampment. He dispatched double the usual number of ambush sentries to stand guard. Perhaps because the Jianzhou Bandits held all Ming troops in contempt, they did not come to harass them during the night, and it passed peacefully.

Early on the morning of the second day of the twelfth month, a bit of sun appeared. The Wendeng Battalion's cavalry patrolled within a two-li radius. Shortly after the chen hour, the outer cavalry began returning to camp one after another, entering through the various passageways. Zhu Guobin's horse threaded through the gaps between the infantry units. All the infantrymen were sitting on the ground resting — a vast, dark mass of them.

Chen Xin, clad in a suit of fine mountain-pattern armor, stood on a command platform converted from a cart. The banners around him had not yet been raised. Cavalry from every direction were withdrawing — clearly, the Jianzhou Bandits were closing in. The battle he longed for was right before his eyes. He had a rigorously trained, strong army; his opponent was a battle-hardened elite force. Which was truly stronger would be revealed today.

Just at the si hour, the first Later Jin scout rider pierced through the thin morning haze and appeared in Chen Xin's field of vision. He stood far off, a li away, silently surveying the camp on this side.