Chapter 144: The Battle of the Four Cities (IV)

Outside the City God Temple in Jizhou, a few scattered shops were open here and there. The opera singing inside the temple had ceased, and the former bustle had vanished without a trace. Instead, beggars were more numerous than ever, squatting row after row along the street. Liu Minyou watched for a moment, sighed, and headed toward the city gate with a bear-like armed attendant behind him.

Liu Minyou had circled around Tongzhou a few days earlier. He turned back before reaching Jingshi. The entire route was a scene of devastation — ruin everywhere, piles of bones by the roadside. In the several dozen li he walked, he saw only a few patches of farmland being worked. The damage the Later Jin caused was a hundred times what they had plundered.

Liu Minyou had requested to be given something to do, but Chen Xin made no arrangements. Chen Xin kept Liu Minyou with the army to let him rest. Since arriving at Weihai, Liu Minyou had basically never taken leave. Song Wenxian and Zhu Daichun had gone to Tianjin — Song Wenxian to purchase maritime trade goods, Zhu Daichun to recruit canal trackers. Chen Xin simply told him to rest, so with nothing else to do, he revisited old haunts in Jizhou.

"Sha Monk, let's find a place to eat."

The giant bear behind him answered, "Mr. Liu, can we have meat?"

Listlessly, Liu Minyou said, "Meat too."

The giant bear behind him burst into booming laughter. Liu Minyou ignored him. This giant bear was the guard Chen Xin had assigned to him, nicknamed Sha Monk, reputed to be the foremost warrior of Chen Xin's central army guard. Liu Minyou had roughly estimated — he stood about one meter eighty-five, weighed over two hundred fifty jin. Originally a monk, the abbot could not afford to feed him because his appetite was too great and drove him out. He had learned some crude martial arts at the temple, but his main asset was brute strength. Normally, several men from the central army guard could not beat him in a fight. Even Dai Zhenggang, with his heaven-sent might, was no match for him.

But the moment he went into battle, he was useless — slow-moving, and after every march he collapsed from exhaustion. By the time they marched to Guanxian, he was already utterly spent. When the central army guard surrounded and annihilated the Bayara, he lagged at the very rear. By the time he arrived, the place was already packed with men. He circled around and around but could not find an opening — he did not even get a drop of blood on himself.

Nie Hong was very dissatisfied with him and submitted a report to the central army to have him discharged. Chen Xin felt the man had a deterrent presence, so he assigned him as Liu Minyou's bodyguard, to prevent another incident like the beating at Mazidun. After Sha Monk became Liu Minyou's bodyguard, he changed into civilian clothes but still drew pay as a camp soldier.

The two reached a food stall near the west gate. Inside, there were only two tables of patrons. Outside, crowds of refugees squatted — some clearly entire families, some holding children and infants, kneeling by the roadside waiting for alms. Others peered inside from the doorway. A waiter stood guard at the entrance with a stick. Sha Monk swept both arms out, sending several beggars blocking the way stumbling back several paces, then charged straight in. Liu Minyou had no time to call out. Seeing the beggars all shrink away in fear, he shook his head and followed into the shop.

Sha Monk was utterly oblivious to decorum. Liu Minyou was still at the doorway when he had already gone in and sat down. The shopkeeper came over obsequiously to attend to them. Under Sha Monk's overwhelming intimidation, he cautiously asked Liu Minyou what they would like to eat. Liu Minyou ordered a meat dish, a portion of flatbread, and three steamed cakes.

The shopkeeper was about to agree when his darting eyes caught the saber at Sha Monk's belt and the camp soldier waist tag. He changed his words: "Sir, the meat dishes are all gone."

Liu Minyou said in surprise, "You run a food stall — how can you make a profit without meat?"

The shopkeeper hemmed and hawed, "It just happened to sell out today."

Sha Monk heard this and bellowed, "I've been hungry for ages. How can I eat without meat? Go look quickly — I'll help you find some." With that, he rose and went thudding straight into the kitchen. The shopkeeper rushed after him, shouting, "Soldier sir, you mustn't!"

Liu Minyou also stood and called out to Sha Monk. Before the shopkeeper could reach the kitchen, Sha Monk had already charged back out clutching a slab of meat, overjoyed. "I helped you find it! Go cook it quickly, and don't give it to anyone else."

The shopkeeper had recently been so terrorized by soldiers eating without paying that he had not wanted to bring out any meat. He never imagined this giant would go into the kitchen himself. Resigned, he could only accept his bad luck. He still came over first to tell Liu Minyou the prices. Liu Minyou listened and said, puzzled, "Why is the meat dish more than five times the usual price?"

"Sir, hear this humble one out. After those Jianzhou Bandits came, they looted everything lootable in the area. Houses were all burned to the ground, and the population has dwindled greatly. The fields have no one to work them. The surrounding area is full of soldiers, and merchants are unwilling to come. Nowadays, pigs are not easy to find. Today I bought it at one mace of silver per jin — tomorrow it may well be one mace two or three candareens. Not just the price of meat — all other trade goods are several times the usual price."

Liu Minyou had been in camp these past few days. Dong Yu had told him about many instances of the relief army troops looting. No wonder no merchants dared to come. He could only agree to the price. The shopkeeper, however, still hovered hesitantly. Liu Minyou recalled that he had earlier called Sha Monk "soldier sir" — he must have assumed they would try to skip payment. So he paid the silver first, and only then did the shopkeeper go happily off to the kitchen.

After a while, the dishes were served. The aroma wafted out, and a crowd of beggars drooled. Liu Minyou had seen such scenes too many times and knew he could not help them all. He picked up a flatbread and gnawed at it. Just then, the shopkeeper came back to deliver the steamed cakes. Liu Minyou asked him, "Are all these beggars from nearby?"

"In reply, sir, some are from nearby, and there are also those from Zunhua, Yongping, and Luanzhou. Most had their homes burned and looted clean, with nowhere to make a living. There were even more in the days before. After the relief army arrived, they seized some to press into the ranks, so the numbers have lessened somewhat."

"Can these beggars fight?"

The shopkeeper bowed. "Young master, you travel with a camp soldier attendant — you must be a military man yourself. Why ask when you already know the answer?"

Liu Minyou said, "I truly do not know. I have nothing else to do — would the shopkeeper care to explain?"

"The troop counts reported when the relief armies set out are all inflated. Besides, with desertions along the way, reaching sixty or seventy percent is considered good. They inevitably seize people all along the route — not only to make up the numbers when they arrive, but also to claim more pay and rations. This humble one sees many camp soldiers coming and going here, and I've picked this up just from listening to the talk. Forgive me if I've spoken amiss."

"So that is how it is." Liu Minyou felt a pang of disappointment. So the government troops were just like this — exactly as Dong Yu had said: apart from the retainers, few could actually fight.

He had little appetite. He invited the shopkeeper to sit and chatted idly. As the two were talking, a sudden clamor erupted outside. Beggars and refugees scattered in all directions. A group of government troops had surrounded the area. Using scabbards and clubs, they struck down one refugee after another, then bound them with ropes. A few refugees who looked like a family fled in panic — a man and a woman with a child of a few years, and an infant cradled in their arms. They ran into the shop. The waiter used his stick to drive them out with all his might. Right behind them, several government soldiers charged in. A flurry of wild punches beat the man to the ground, knocking Liu Minyou's table aside in the process.

Liu Minyou stood and dodged aside. Pointing at the soldiers, he said angrily, "You are government troops, yet in broad daylight you forcibly abduct law-abiding civilians. If you drag him away, how will his wife and children survive?"

Several soldiers looked up, their eyes fierce. One who looked like an officer walked up to Liu Minyou and said viciously, "And who the hell are you? Keep jabbering and we'll seize you too." With that, he reached out to grab Liu Minyou by the collar.

Before his hand could reach, he suddenly felt a tug at the back of his collar. As if riding a cloud, he was hurled onto the soldiers beside him, and the group of them tumbled into a heap.

Sha Monk's voice rang out: "My Master Chen said I don't need to bother when it's just arguing. But if anyone tries to hit Mr. Liu, I have to fight them to the death. You still want to fight to the death?"

The officer was so furious smoke poured from his seven orifices. He got up and turned to look — it was a burly man with a fat head and big ears. He drew his saber to intimidate the giant, but who knew the giant would casually pick up a nearby table and hurl it at him, smashing the officer to the ground again. Then he too drew a saber, adding, "You drew first. Master Chen said I can kill people now."

A chill ran through the officer's heart. This man had boundless strength and was a complete idiot. If he got himself killed by him, it would be a truly wretched loss. He scrambled away with his men, fleeing outside. The government troops outside all gathered around. Sha Monk stood in the doorway like an iron pagoda, holding an improved Qi-style saber of rather fine craftsmanship, its blade gleaming with cold light. The gang of soldiers looked at each other, none daring to advance. A Mobile Corps Commander came over from the side. Seeing the waist tag on Sha Monk's belt, he asked, "Which battalion are you from?"

"I'm from Master Chen's central army guard of Wendeng Camp, the foremost..."

"So you're from Master Chen's battalion. We're from Yansui Garrison, right next to your main camp. Master Chen often comes by to visit. A small misunderstanding — let's not harm our good relations. Let's leave this matter here."

The officer from earlier, hearing it was Wendeng Camp, could only sheath his blade. This Denglei force was stationed right beside the Yansui Garrison. Every morning at the crack of dawn they began their running drills, their slogans shaking the heavens. Though the Yansui troops were annoyed at having their dreams disturbed, privately they admitted the other side had the bearing of an elite force. That Mobile Corps Commander Chen also had a good relationship with Regional Commander Wu Zimian. He could only swallow this loss.

The government troops left, dragging off a batch of beggars and refugees. Sha Monk came back, sat down, and ate ravenously. Liu Minyou helped up the family on the ground. Seeing they had two children with them, he felt in his pocket and took out a ten-tael silver ingot, placing it in the man's hand. The young couple immediately knelt in thanks. Liu Minyou could do nothing else for them — Wendeng Camp had gone out to war and could not possibly take them in. After the two had carefully hidden the silver away, Liu Minyou noticed the child of a few years and went over to the table to get a steamed cake for him.

When he turned back around, Sha Monk was wiping his mouth. The plates were all empty.

Liu Minyou stared blankly. "You finished it all? I haven't eaten yet."

"Shopkeeper, ten more steamed cakes and two plates of flatbread!"

After eating, Liu Minyou returned to the Wendeng Camp encampment. Sha Monk used his waist tag to get him inside. Inside, many soldiers were loading things onto carts — it looked as if they were preparing to march.

Liu Minyou hurried toward the central army tent. At the entrance, he saw officers of various ranks just dispersing from a meeting. Hai Gouzi announced him. Liu Minyou entered and saw Chen Xin sitting there with a grim face. He asked, puzzled, "You look like death. Off to battle?"

"What battle is there to fear now? We're being transferred to Luanzhou. We march tomorrow." Chen Xin hurled the brush in his hand violently to the ground, stood up, and cursed, "What the hell kind of warfare is this? With Shimen Station as such an excellent offensive staging point, and Santun Camp to pin them down, a direct attack on Zunhua would be so simple. Instead, they're shifting the main force to Luanzhou, leaving only a secondary force here at Zunhua. Fighting from south to north — how many can they even encircle?"

Liu Minyou did not quite understand these matters, but these past few days Chen Xin and Cao Wenzhao had been planning continuously, gathering intelligence on Zunhua and the northern border wall, and had drafted a new field report. The overall plan was still to strike from the two bottom flanks, seize Zunhua and Qian'an, and, if troop strength sufficed, seal the border wall from Xifengkou to Lengkou, annihilating Amin entirely within the pass. They had been about to submit it to the Ministry of War and Zhang Fengyi.

But yesterday Zhang Fengyi had just arrived in Jizhou, and today a military order came from the Ministry of War: transfer Ma Shilong's main force to the vicinity of Luanzhou to rendezvous with the Guanning Army, all under the command of Sun Chengzong. Both Chen Xin and Cao Wenzhao were on the transfer list. It seemed the Ministry of War and Sun Chengzong, driven to distraction by Ma Shilong and Zu Dashou, had simply called them to their side. This abandoned the best line of attack.

Liu Minyou urged, "The order has been issued. No matter how unwilling you are, you can only pack up and follow Ma Shilong to Luanzhou. We'll think of ways to compensate later."

Chen Xin sighed. "How much more effort will that cost? These officers, with tens of thousands of troops, are actually afraid of one or two thousand Jianzhou Bandits in Zunhua."

"Didn't you befriend all those lords in the capital? None of them can help?"

Chen Xin shook his head. "How can they help with warfare? Fighting the Jianzhou Bandits makes it even more impossible — this is tied to their official caps. Liang Tingdong is at the height of imperial favor and will certainly not take this risk. He would rather kill fewer Jianzhou Bandits, as long as Amin is driven out of the pass steadily and safely. The credit for recovering lost territory will be enough for him. If by chance it fails, it will be Sun Chengzong's problem."

Liu Minyou frowned. "Who exactly are you fighting this war against? Didn't you kill several hundred Tatars at Guanxian? I feel these court officials are even harder to deal with."

With no outsiders in the room, Chen Xin dispensed with official platitudes and said directly, "The court officials each have their own calculations. They don't care how many Jianzhou Bandits are killed — what they want are things that sound good in the telling. And then there are these frontier Regional Commanders and Assistant Regional Commanders — it all comes down to who has more retainers. I see that Wu Zimian and the others' retainers are indeed robust, perhaps a match for the Later Jin armored soldiers. But the rest of the troops are mostly there to make up numbers and draw pay. Wu Zimian and Yang Lin set up checkpoints every day to press-gang able-bodied men. Their subordinates swindle and cheat everywhere, and neither the army supervisors nor the local officials dare to interfere."

"Why don't they dare? Not to mention, if it weren't for Sha Monk today, I might have been press-ganged myself."

Chen Xin shook his head and laughed. "The court has long been in arrears with military pay. The army supervisors are already in the wrong on that count. Add to that the last mutiny of the Shanxi Garrison troops — everyone is afraid of trouble. Who would still dare to interfere?"

"If the government troops are like this, isn't that just bringing further calamity upon the disaster-stricken areas?"

"Without issuing pay, how can you talk of military discipline? Without guaranteed monthly pay, Wendeng Camp would likewise degenerate into looting government troops. This court is simply too poor. This is a national war, yet they can't even produce the military payroll. No wonder men like Zuo Liangyu will emerge later."

Liu Minyou asked, puzzled, "Then what are those hundred thousand-plus Capital Garrison troops for?"

"The Capital Garrison is rife with conscripted labor, vacant posts, and paid exemptions — all the private preserves of the capital's powerful. Those left in the camps are all old and weak. According to Minister Wen, during the capital's martial law for just over ten days last year, more than a hundred of the Capital Garrison's old and weak froze to death. Li Banghua tried to reorganize the Capital Garrison and offended the powerful. This time, the moment a minor issue arose, he was attacked from all sides. The Capital Garrison's decline is irreversible. In the early Ming, the Capital Garrison was established to be an elite force, creating a situation where the center was strong and the regions weak, to overawe anyone with seditious intent anywhere. Now it exists in name only — what use is it? So the Emperor, one could say, has no effective military force under his direct control and must rely on these military strongmen. If Chongzhen himself had a hundred thousand elite troops, do you think Zu Dashou would dare to flee?"

Liu Minyou was not very interested in these matters. After talking a while longer, he went to pack his own things. Just as he reached the doorway, he saw Liu Pojun arriving with Cao Wenzhao. He had met this man twice before. By Chen Xin's account, he was an officer who dared to fight. Liu Minyou bowed in greeting. Cao Wenzhao exchanged a few pleasantries with him, then hurried into the tent. From the doorway, Liu Minyou heard Cao Wenzhao say loudly, "General Chen already knows. That strategy the two of us devised can be burned. I'll say no more. However the esteemed superiors want to fight, so be it. I will not speak another word from now on."

He heard Chen Xin say, "General Cao, do not be like this. The considerations of our lords are naturally different from us men of the ranks, but they must surely have a broader view and more comprehensive deliberations. You and I need only do our duty with all our heart. General Cao and Vice Regional Commander Zuo have cooperated several times. This time, you will surely again be the army's vanguard. Please take extra care..."

Liu Minyou sighed softly, "Aren't you tired."