Chapter 209: Mid-Crossing

At Shenmi Island Inlet south of Xuanchuan — the closest point to Shenmi Island and a place suitable for anchoring ships — Li Tao stood on a small hill three li from shore, his reddened eyes glaring as he watched the distant, busy Jianzhou bandits through a telescope.

They had trailed the Later Jin army all the way to Xuanchuan. Yesterday, after covering two teammates who took a boat to deliver a report, only four of them remained. The shore at Shenmi Island Inlet offered no cover, so they could only observe the Jianzhou bandits' movements from afar. While pursuing the Jianzhou bandits, they could only travel by small paths and through the hills, resting just one two-hour period each day. After reaching Xuanchuan Inlet, the Jianzhou bandits quickly sealed off the coast, forcing them to hide in a patch of hills far from the military camp.

Li Tao rubbed his reddened eyes. Waves of drowsiness kept washing over him. He bit his lip hard, and the pain sobered him up considerably.

The sound of crawling came from beside him, followed by Bao Ya's voice: "Squad leader, get some rest." A plucked dead bird was then handed to Li Tao.

Without turning his head, Li Tao passed the monocular telescope to Bao Ya, took the dead bird, and began eating it raw. Wiping the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth, he said, "The Jianzhou bandits have captured many Koreans and are building boats."

Bao Ya watched while grinding his lips with his protruding upper teeth. Through the telescope, the Jianzhou bandits' main camp was built behind a small hill, surrounded by lush trees, completely invisible from the sea. Two lines of trenches had been dug outside the camp walls, and Jianzhou bandit sentry riders were visible on every commanding height. Without the telescope, they would not have been able to make out the situation over there.

The camp was now a hive of activity, with cavalry constantly coming and going. Large numbers of Koreans were felling trees all around. Along a river beside the camp, many craftsmen were building boats and large rafts, lined up in a long row on the bank. Building boats and rafts here kept them hidden from Ming naval forces at sea. When crossing the sea, they would load soldiers at the riverside and follow the river out into the ocean.

After a moment, Bao Ya said, "Seven or eight fishing boats are loading people. Where are they going?"

"Shenmi Island, or maybe the closer Xuansha Island."

Bao Ya grinned. "That means the Tatars couldn't borrow any ships and have to make do with these few fishing boats."

Li Tao nodded. Judging by the Tatars' current state, they intended to build their own boats and bull their way through. Bao Ya shifted the telescope westward. A large camp was visible in the direction of Xuanchuan Inlet. "Squad leader, even if we wanted to go back now, we couldn't. The Jianzhou bandits have seized every boat along the shore, and they're on every coastal hilltop."

Li Tao replied coldly, "No damn use talking about that now. We can only hide in these nearby hills. The lord should have received our intelligence by now. When they make their move, we'll seize the chance to catch a big fish. So we have to keep watching the main camp, memorize those banners and flags, and make sure we don't kill the wrong ones when the time comes."

Bao Ya shook his head. "I fear it'll be tough. Lord Chen only brought a thousand men. This Jianzhou bandit camp has over eight hundred armored soldiers and two deep trench lines. If they post two hundred men to guard that southern hill, you'd need two thousand to take it. There are more Jianzhou bandits at Shekou Inlet and Xuanchuan Inlet. The three main camps aren't far apart — cavalry can arrive in the blink of an eye. I'm afraid you'd need three thousand men just to attack."

Li Tao's expression remained unchanged. "How the combat troops fight isn't our concern. I'm just watching that Gushan banner in the central army. What was the Plain White Banner's Gushan called again?"

"Ka... Ka, Kakduli. These Tatar names are all damn strange." Bao Ya thought hard and finally remembered. Grinning, he said to Li Tao, "For failing to recite the Gushan Ejen's name: fine of five qian silver, twenty strokes with the heavy rod."

Li Tao shot him a displeased glance. "I did remember it. Only forgot because I haven't slept well these past two days."

Bao Ya suddenly nudged Li Tao with his hand. "More people coming, flying a Niru banner."

Li Tao took the telescope and saw a mounted group of Jianzhou bandits entering the camp from the north. He flipped through his notebook and checked. "One Plain Yellow Banner Niru flag, roughly thirty accompanying riders. No Plain Yellow Niru has left camp these past two days — this should be a new arrival."

Bao Ya quickly noted it down in the book.

。。。。。。

"Hack! Hack! I'll hack that dog barbarian Li Zong to death!"

In the Later Jin central army camp three li from Li Tao's position, a burly man in gleaming silver armor swung a smooth saber, hacking a pearwood chair to flying splinters. His violent movements sent the small queue at his back swinging wildly.

"Lord Gushan Ejen, please calm your anger. As things stand, Korea can no longer send out a naval force. Does my lord still intend to attack Pi Island?"

The speaker was Mandarhan, the Plain Yellow Banner Niru Ejen who had just entered the camp. Though only a Niru Ejen, he bore the heavy responsibility of liaising with Korea on this campaign, which was why he dared to speak up and remonstrate.

The burly man in silver armor let out a furious roar and raised his smooth saber high, slashing it down onto the chair seat. The blade, already full of notches, finally gave way under the strain and snapped in two. The broken tip flew high into the air and clattered to the ground in front of Mandarhan.

The silver-armored burly man panted heavily and returned to his seat. He was the Left Wing commander for this campaign, Kakduli, the Plain White Banner Gushan Ejen — sometimes also called Regional Commander in Later Jin. Unlike the Gushan Ejen of Nurhaci's era, the current Gushan Ejen was merely a troop commander, not a Banner Lord.

Having caught his breath, he ground his teeth and cursed, "Our grand army has been encamped at Xuanchuan for three days. The Pi Island troops aren't blind — how long can that decoy camp at Tieshan fool them? That dog slave Li Zong dares refuse to lend us ships. One day I will slaughter all of Hanseong and drag Li Zong to work as a slave on my farmstead."

Mandarhan and Dong Nami exchanged a glance. The two of them had been ordered by Huang Taiji to negotiate with Korea, demanding provisions and ships. They had assumed Korea would at least give them something. Who knew that Li Zong would flatly refuse, saying that the Great Ming was like a father to Korea, with over two hundred years of grace and favor, and that the Later Jin's campaign against the Great Ming was an attack on Korea's fatherland — he would absolutely not provide ships or provisions.

Mandarhan and Dong Nami were reasonably eloquent and countered that Pi Island was Korean territory and could not be considered part of the Great Ming realm. But in the end, even after talking themselves hoarse, Li Zong still would not relent. Although the Korean monarch and his ministers treated them with careful flattery, the two could see the contempt for the Later Jin in their expressions. Helpless, the two could only return empty-handed to report to the commanding officers.

Kakduli and Leng'eli had expended enormous effort, finally luring the Dongjiang naval forces toward Tieshan, and the main army had stealthily advanced to the Xuanchuan line — only to have everything fall short at the last moment because Korea refused to provide ships. Yesterday, Dongjiang patrol boats had already appeared nearby; they probably could not remain hidden much longer.

A Jalai Ejen standing nearby stepped forward and said to Kakduli, "Lord Gushan Ejen, without ships we cannot attack Pi Island. Let us muster the army now and strike Hanseong. The Korean dog king will naturally send ships then."

Mandarhan stood up angrily. "Our Great Jin and Korea are bound by a brotherly covenant. The Great Khan strictly ordered before our departure that we must not coerce the Li court. Do you dare defy the Great Khan's explicit command?"

That Plain Red Banner Jalai Ejen stopped, somewhat resentful. Huang Taiji's authority grew heavier by the day, especially after the Amin affair. Ordinary mid-ranking officers did not dare lightly disobey his decrees.

Another Bordered Red Banner Niru replied in a sardonic tone, "We can't hide here much longer. If we're going to hit Pi Island, we need to act soon. Once those island bandits discover us and their war boats come over, don't even think about crossing. If we're not attacking, let's head back to Shenyang early. I'd rather go home and hold a Han woman than stand around catching cold in this place."

Kakduli was also deeply frustrated. Huang Taiji wanted him to take Pi Island but had given him no authority to pressure the Li court. Now, without a naval force, he had been driven into a dead end. Indeed, as that Niru Ejen had said, whether they attacked or not, they needed to decide soon. He swept his gaze around the officers from the various banners. He had led this group for over ten days to get here. If they slunk back in disgrace, how could he save face? His fierce glare finally settled on Mandarhan. "Even without Korean ships, I will still strike Pi Island. And when we return to Shenyang, I will go before the Great Khan and charge you with dereliction of duty."

。。。。。。

On the fourteenth day of the sixth month, on the southern side of sparsely vegetated Dahe Island, the combat soldiers of the First Thousand-Command Second Bureau watched the sails rise and let out a united cheer. They had been stuck here for over ten days. The island had little fresh water, barely enough for drinking, and now they could finally leave this place.

Zhou Shao'er leaned against the gunwale of a No. 2 Fujian junk. He was now the flag captain of the Second Killer Flag Team and had even attended a three-month short training course at the officer training school over the winter. Though he still fell far short compared to his earliest tracker comrades, he himself was quite content. After returning last year, Zhao Xuan had acted as matchmaker and found him a wife from a local commoner family in Wendeng. When he left, his wife already seemed to be with child.

"Flag Captain!"

The report snapped Zhou Shao'er out of his thoughts. His old comrade Chen Ying handed him a rolled cigarette. Zhou Shao'er glanced at it — Wendeng Fragrance, twelve cash a pack.

Chen Ying waited until he had lit it before saying, "Time for the briefing."

Zhou Shao'er nodded, the cigarette dangling from his lips as he stepped around the cables on deck. He finished the smoke at the hatch, tossed it into the sea, and then went below. The lower deck was packed with soldiers of the Second Killer Flag Team. After a month at sea, they all had a somewhat dusty and weary look. When they saw the flag captain enter, they all stopped talking. The hold was cramped, so there was no need to stand and salute.

"Listen up, everyone. The target for this operation is Shenmi Island — that big island to the north we've been staring at for over ten days. Three days ago, three hundred Jianzhou bandits reached Shenmi Island, and there are about fifty more on Xuansha Island."

While on Dahe Island, the combat soldiers had studied the maps many times; these place names were thoroughly familiar. Zhou Shao'er continued, "The Jianzhou bandits are concentrated on the northern part of Shenmi Island. Yesterday, another four hundred Jianzhou bandits and five to six hundred laborers landed. The laborers are all Koreans. They're felling trees on the island to build more boats. Today's landing numbers are still unclear. Central Command estimates they will begin their assault on Pi Island tomorrow. Therefore, we are to reach the northern part of Shenmi Island around noon today. The Dengzhou naval force and the Pi Island naval force will also sortie to cut off their retreat. The Jianzhou bandits' total strength directly committed to attacking Pi Island should be over seven hundred combat soldiers, with three to five hundred genuine barbarian auxiliaries. They are encamped on the flat terrain in the north. That's the enemy situation briefing. You may ask questions now."

A squad leader raised his hand — it was Liu Yue, the blade-and-staff man who had killed the horse at Luanzhou. He loudly asked, "Since the navy can cut off their retreat, why not just trap the Jianzhou bandits on the island and starve them out, or wait until they're half-dead from hunger before going in?"

Zhou Shao'er replied evenly, "Shenmi Island is only ten li from the mainland, with Xuansha Island in between. The moment our naval force appears, the Jianzhou bandits will withdraw under cover of night or early dawn. The navy can't keep watch twelve two-hour periods a day, and with those few fishing boats the Dongjiang Garrison has, they might not even be able to hold the line. Once the Jianzhou bandits retreat to the mainland, we lose our window of opportunity. So we must land directly on the northern shore of Shenmi Island, smash the bulk of the Jianzhou bandits, and burn the boats they've hidden along the coast. Only then can we trap the Jianzhou bandits on the island. And don't anyone think we can just wait until the Jianzhou bandits are crossing the sea and let the navy knock them all into the water. You can see them from far off at sea — the Jianzhou bandits will turn and flee. Over such a short distance, they'll be ashore before the navy even arrives."

Another squad leader raised his hand. "How does Central Command know there are only seven hundred combat soldiers? What if there are two thousand Jianzhou bandits?"

"Then tell your wife to burn more spirit money for you."

The combat soldiers all burst into laughter. Zhou Shao'er smiled as well and said, "Two thousand Jianzhou bandits, we'll still fight them. We've got the navy and we've got cannons — if we hold the shore, what can the Jianzhou bandits do to us?" Though he said this, he knew the intelligence came from the Special Service Team's Third Squad, who had already gone ahead to Shenmi Island to scout. News that the Special Service Team had been credited with the highest merit these past few days had already spread; every combat soldier was paying attention to this unit.

Seeing no more questions, Zhou Shao'er continued, "Our flag team's mission: after the naval force disperses the enemy troops near shore, we will land on the northwestern side of Shenmi Island. The first wave ashore will establish a defensive line and cover the landing of the entire thousand-command. Then our bureau will coordinate with that Weihai farmer-soldier company to form a large combat group. Our flag team, following the bureau's deployment, will position on the left flank of the farmer-soldier company and serve as the main frontal assault element..."