Chapter 219: Another Frontline

At Weihai's Mazi Harbor, the Wendeng Battalion finally returned to their homeland. Crowds of soldiers were disembarking, and the weeping of family members who had come to greet them filled the air. The Wendeng peasant militia company had suffered heavy losses this time; many families had sons who died in battle.

Huang Side, Zhou Shifa, Dai Zhenggang, and a group of other officers waited on the dock. Liu Minyou had gone to the Jinghai Guard tobacco factory and was not present here. Chen Xin stood at the bow with a solemn expression. After crossing the gangplank, he exchanged greetings with everyone. These officers all knew the news of the Wendeng Battalion's great victory, and their faces were all lit with delight.

After returning to the administrative office, he listened to the chief officers report on the situation over the past two months. The area around the Wendeng Battalion was generally very quiet. Dengzhou, which concerned Chen Xin the most, had not produced any trouble.

Chen Xin first had Dong Yu arrange the matters of dead and wounded soldiers as quickly as possible, then assigned the new military judge Nie Hong to oversee all prisoners of war. Finally, there were some army improvements. He had already sorted out some plans with Liu Pojun and others on the ship. After distributing them to the corresponding officers, he did not elaborate, telling them to go back and familiarize themselves first, and to raise opinions in a couple of days. Then he summoned Zhou Shifa alone. This intelligence chief had only returned from Guanning at the end of May and had been keeping an eye on Dengzhou ever since.

Zhou Shifa handed him an urgent intelligence report. After reading it, Chen Xin looked up and fixed his gaze on Zhou Shifa. "Around the fifteenth of the seventh month, construction of the city at Dalinghe will begin. Is this information reliable?"

Zhou Shifa said, "Yes. The Guanning area leaks information from all sides like a shanty. As early as April, when your subordinate first arrived in Guanning, there were already rumors about building at Dalinghe. Since May, Sun Chengzong has been continuously mobilizing rotational troops and civilian laborers to Jinzhou, along with provisions and fodder. Right now, everyone in the Guanning area knows they are going to build Dalinghe City."

Chen Xin still looked completely relaxed. He asked Zhou Shifa, "Are there many defensive troops?"

"Mainly the Liaozhen troops led by Zu Dashou and He Kegang. Additionally, it's said there is a unit of Sichuan troops. Intelligence stations at Shanhai Pass and Ningyuan both reported seeing Sichuan troops being redeployed toward Jinzhou, numbering several thousand."

"Who is the commander leading the Sichuan troops? Are they Shizhu soldiers?"

"Exactly, they are the tusi troops from Shizhu and Youyang. The commander is called Qin Minji. His father is Qin Bangping, Qin Liangyu's older brother, who died in the bloody battle at the Hunhe River."

Chen Xin stopped in his tracks. "Are you saying the main force of the Shizhu soldiers will all go to Dalinghe?"

Zhou Shifa answered, "That's what the intelligence station says. They say they are sent to guard Dalinghe City."

Chen Xin had no fondness for Liaozhen, but he greatly admired the Shizhu soldiers and Qin Liangyu. This army was one of the few in the late Ming that dared to fight the Jianzhou bandits head-on. Chen Xin knew the Ming army suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Dalinghe, but whether the Shizhu soldiers were in the city, he did not know. If this army had been in Guanning all along, it could have deterred the Jianzhou bandits.

But for now, Chen Xin would not change his established strategy for anyone. After a brief pause, he asked, "The Guanning Army is delivering a fat piece of meat right to the Jianzhou bandits' mouths. Just make sure they don't drag us in. Any news from Dengzhou?"

"Lord Sun originally withheld our summer pay, and this year's payment in kind was also not issued in full. After the news of the victory at Shenmi Island arrived, he made up the summer pay, but the payment in kind still hasn't been issued. The various armies in Dengzhou are no different from before."

Chen Xin nodded as he listened. Zhou Shifa continued, "At the end of May, Wen Tiren sent someone. Mr. Song handled the contact. Your subordinate is not clear on the details of the matter. Mr. Song left a document at the Central Army Department."

"Tell me about Sun Yuanhua. Has he made any little moves?"

Zhou Shifa's gaze turned cold. "Originally there were no moves. It started suddenly a few days ago. We developed two informants among his personal staff. Lord Sun seems to have received some news. First, he sent people repeatedly to the capital. Then he also sent a letter to Wang Zheng, asking Wang Zheng to return to Dengzhou as soon as possible."

Chen Xin knew it was most likely that Lord Sun had learned of Lu Zhi's memorial. Since he himself had impeached Dengzhou for withholding pay, grain, and materials, Lord Sun would certainly make preparations, and there would surely be a response. He couldn't help but smile. "What did Wang Zheng say?"

Zhou Shifa had a sly look. "Your subordinate learned of the news in advance and asked Mr. Liu for help. Under the pretext of helping to build the military harbor for coastal defense, the technical class was sent to the harbor at Chengshan Guard. That messenger has not yet seen Wang Zheng."

After Wang Zheng arrived here, he was somewhat so captivated that he forgot about home. During the Pidao mutiny this time, as the Army Supervisor Circuit of Liaohai, he originally intended to go on the naval expedition. But after learning that Lu Zhi was there, his literati pride flared up, and he was unwilling to travel with a eunuch. Chen Xin was happy with this and persuaded him to stay. This man was of great help in raising the theoretical level of those craftsmen and students, and Chen Xin still hoped to keep him.

"Besides Wang Zheng's side, Lord Sun also sent someone to Wendeng to see Huang Gongcheng and the county magistrate."

As soon as Chen Xin heard the name Huang Gongcheng, his eyes narrowed. This man had been suspected of murder last year and was thoroughly dealt with by the county magistrate. He spent quite a bit of silver and was finally released. This year he had gone quiet, not daring to clash with the Wendeng Battalion. But with Lord Sun's support, the situation would be different. This kind of person was like a fly: disgusting you, yet impossible to drive away. He didn't need to ask to know that Lord Sun also intended to cause him some trouble, and the cannonball was Huang Gongcheng. It could be considered tit for tat.

"How did you learn of this news? Is it reliable?"

Zhou Shifa lowered his voice. "Huang Gongcheng has always been under key surveillance. One of our people seduced a maidservant of his. This maidservant often serves him in bed but has never been granted the status of concubine and is long bullied by the principal wife, so she was easily hooked. We now hold leverage over that maidservant. She wouldn't dare play any tricks, so it should be reliable. Additionally, regarding the Wendeng county magistrate, he receives quite a lot of silver from our Wendeng Battalion every year and is still fairly tactful. This time, after the people from Dengzhou came, he deliberately leaked it to one of our people, which counts as sending a message. How to deal with this Huang Gongcheng, please decide, my lord."

Chen Xin's mind raced, his eyes constantly shifting. Zhou Shifa quietly waited for his decision. After a long while, Chen Xin still hadn't spoken. Zhou Shifa couldn't help but lower his voice. "My lord, should we kill Huang Gongcheng?"

"Naturally, we must kill him, but the timing must be chosen well." Chen Xin let out a breath and fixed his eyes on Zhou Shifa. "Their approach to Huang Gongcheng is nothing more than to accuse me of forcibly seizing civilian land, then blow the matter up through Zhou Yanru, and send a censor or palace eunuch down to torment us. This matter can't be finished in one or two months. We'll drag it out until the Guanning Army begins building Dalinghe. By then, once the Jianzhou bandits come, which lord would still have the time to bother with this trifling matter?"

Zhou Shifa nodded, suddenly seeing the light. "We'll let Huang Gongcheng prepare first, then ask the Wendeng county magistrate to stall for time, and this move can be neutralized. Once the battle at Dalinghe starts, we'll finish off Huang Gongcheng."

Chen Xin smiled. "Correct. If we finish off Huang Gongcheng now, it would be a slap in Lord Sun's face. Dengzhou might come up with some new trick. Once the battle at Dalinghe starts, the court will certainly order Dengzhou and Laizhou to send troops. Lord Sun will have no time to deal with us, and might even have to speak nicely. By then, finishing off a Huang Gongcheng will go unnoticed."

Chen Xin's battlefield report had already been submitted through Lu Zhi. Even if Lord Sun received the news now, his response time would be much later, putting him on the defensive. If these were his only moves, then Chen Xin could easily neutralize them without troubling Wen Tiren. In officialdom, the most feared thing was owing favors. Zhou Shifa quickly made a few marks in his notebook. Chen Xin looked but had no idea what they meant. This was Zhou Shifa's own recording habit; no one else could understand it.

After Zhou Shifa finished recording, Chen Xin asked again, "A single Huang Gongcheng is nothing. Have we thoroughly investigated who the people with the most land and silver in the two prefectures of Dengzhou and Laizhou are?"

"Dengzhou has been thoroughly investigated. Laizhou Prefecture is still being inquired about. Because we can't ask openly, it's a bit slower."

Chen Xin quickly waved his hand. "Make absolutely sure not to attract attention. We only need the top few richest. Have the bandits been selected?"

"Selected. There are three gangs west of Laiyang, totaling over three hundred men. In mid-June, following the orders you left when you departed, with the assistance of the Second Company Command, Dai Zhenggang led men disguised as a security firm and already took their mountain stronghold. The wives, concubines, and children of the three leaders have all been brought to the Wendeng Battalion."

"Well done. This matter must absolutely not be known to anyone else. We can only control the leaders. Don't let those bandits know the truth. The people contacting those bandit chiefs must be absolutely reliable."

"Your subordinate understands."

Chen Xin's expression was calm. "We brought back some people from Pidao. That Wu Jianzhong is not bad; he's intelligence material. See him as soon as possible and arrange a suitable post. He also has several Jurchen under him; use them well too. Additionally, among the Jianzhou bandits captured this time, we must keep a few alive. If trouble arises in the future, we'll have a cover. I suggest keeping that Li Sizhong. Li Sizhong was captured by the special operations team during the raid on Tieshan. The other prisoners are unaware of this, so keeping him is perfect. As for that Kakduli, he must be sent to the capital. Zhang Dong interrogated him once on Shenmi Island. Your Intelligence Bureau should interrogate him again. Don't miss any useful intelligence."