Chapter 226: Ujen Cooha

"You dog of a slave, I'll teach you to slack off! I'll teach you to slack off!"

A horsewhip lashed through the air, whistling as it struck a bondservant on the ground, raising an unbroken string of cracking sounds. Zhang Zhongqi flailed wildly, lashing over ten times before he stopped from exhaustion. Glaring at the surrounding group of bondservants, he roared, "Anyone who falls behind, I'll kill him myself."

The bondservants trembled as they answered, scrambling frantically to push their carts or hoist weapons and hurry on. Zhang Zhongqi took a few panting breaths, then swept his gaze around. Banners fluttered everywhere; an unbroken marching column was advancing south. White Armor Soldiers in silver armor with banner flags on their backs galloped among the ranks, relaying orders.

This was the official road west of the old city of Guangning. The Later Jin army had marched from Shenyang on the third day of the eighth month, reaching Baituchang north of Guangning on the ninth day of the eighth month, where they rendezvoused with the Mongol tribes. The Kalaqin, Chahar, and Khorchin tribal forces, totaling over ten thousand men, had long been waiting here.

Huang Taiji met here with the taijis who had come from each tribe, dispensing rewards and punishments to first unify the army's morale.

The combined army then split into two. One force, led by Yoto, Ajige, and Degelei, with a total strength of over ten thousand, took the Guangning-to-Yizhou road toward Yizhou. They would thrust between Jinzhou and Dalinghe from the southwest. The main force, personally led by Huang Taiji, advanced via the Guangning road toward Dalinghe City. The two great armies advanced separately and struck together, using the two roads to transport troops, with a planned rendezvous beneath Dalinghe City.

Zhang Zhongqi's Plain Blue Banner belonged to the main force under Huang Taiji's personal command. Besides the five Manchu banners, there was also a large Mongol auxiliary force. In addition to the true Jurchens, the Manchu units had brought a great number of bondservants. And they had been specifically ordered to bring their farming tools.

Zhang Zhongqi was now a surplus man of a raised banner. His niru ejen treated him quite well, not only giving him a house in the fortified village but also allotting him one hundred mu of land and two bondservants, allowing him to live a prosperous life.

Because he had once saved the niru ejen's life, this master trusted him deeply. The niru ejen had brought him along on this campaign, promising to allocate him a captured Han woman. The seven or eight bondservants he now managed were directly subordinate to the niru ejen. Of course, he had no idea why they were ordered to bring farming tools. Privately, he guessed they were meant to dig a moat, or perhaps to occupy the city after taking Dalinghe and farm the surrounding land.

Three of the bondservants carried long wooden-shafted spears, a full one zhang four or five chi in length. Several others bore three-eyed guns on their backs. Zhang Zhongqi had personally witnessed the power of Ming firearms at Guanxian and Luanzhou; he had little faith in these rust-pitted weapons.

The Plain Blue Banner column marched on. Countless human feet and horse hooves kicked up rolling clouds of dust. The road was strewn everywhere with the acrid stench of horse dung, and the wooden wheels of various carts creaked and groaned.

After crossing a dried-up riverbed, a force flying black banners appeared on a fork in the road ahead. Most of those soldiers were listless and gaunt. They did not move onto the official road but waited on the side path.

Zhang Zhongqi spotted many cannons behind their column. Two particularly conspicuous ones were massive in form, their carriages fitted with four wheels, each pulled by twelve stout oxen. Behind them stretched an unbroken line of smaller cannons and carts, most drawn by oxen or donkeys. Oxen were the most common livestock in Later Jin and one of their most important assets.

Zhang Zhongqi saw Take Tan walking not far ahead. He caught up in a few strides and said with an ingratiating smile, "Master Take Tan, are those over there the Ujen Cooha?"

Take Tan turned and saw it was Zhang Zhongqi. A warm smile spread across his pockmarked face; he had a good impression of this former bondservant. "They should be. The niru ejen said they're called the Black Banner troops — it must be them. And don't call me master. You've been granted separate household status now, and I hold no official rank. Calling me master isn't proper."

Zhang Zhongqi wiped the dust from his face and said to Take Tan, "It still feels more natural to call you master. I hear these men are all Nikan. Their cannons are huge — I wonder how they compare to the southern barbarian cannons at Luanzhou."

Take Tan had likewise suffered psychological trauma at Luanzhou. The moment he recalled the earth-shaking scene on those city walls, his heart trembled. Only after a long pause did he say fiercely, "Probably about the same. But the barbarian cannons at Luanzhou were too far away — we never got a clear look. I reckon they weren't as big as ours. This time, let those barbarians taste cannon fire themselves."

Hearing Take Tan speak this way, Zhang Zhongqi felt much more at ease. He licked his lips and asked, "Going to Dalinghe this time, will we be able to loot anything?"

Take Tan thought it over. Dalinghe was a newly built city with no wealthy households inside — there probably wasn't much worth looting. Hesitantly, he said, "Probably not much. But there are bound to be plenty of Nikan. I hear there are Sichuan troops in the city too. This time I will certainly avenge my ama."

Zhang Zhongqi nodded and bowed in agreement. Turning, he saw a bondservant lagging slightly behind and ran over brandishing his whip to drive him on. The bondservants fled for their lives. Thousands upon thousands of men and horses merged into a rolling torrent, surging toward Dalinghe.

At Dalinghe City, the nearly three-zhang-high walls were taking initial shape, and most of the battlements had been completed. Dense masses of rotational soldiers and civilian laborers, under the supervision of the Guanning Army, carried earth and stone, while also digging a moat outside the city. An endless stream of mules, horses, and oxcarts came from the south, transporting large quantities of grain into the city.

The northern wall was crowded with Guanning troops in gleaming armor. An eighteen-chi red banner pole flew the Regional Commander's flag high. Beneath it stood a group of powerfully built officers, and surrounded by them like stars cupping the moon was the Grand Mentor of the Heir Apparent of the Great Ming, General of the Vanguard for the Liao Campaign bearing the seal, Regional Regional Commander, and Left Chief Commissioner of the Left Army Chief Commissioner's Office — Zu Dashou.

"My Lord Grand Mentor, Jianzhou bandit scouts have been spotted near Yizhou and Shisanshan Post. The night scouts have already clashed with them several times. We estimate the Jianzhou bandits will arrive in a few days," an officer in fine mail armor said to Zu Dashou.

A cold sneer appeared on Zu Dashou's face. "The battlements will be finished the day after tomorrow. My city repairs are complete, and there are tens of thousands of dan of grain inside. The old chieftain dashed his head bloody at Ningyuan, and the new chieftain returned empty-handed from Ningjin in the seventh year of Tianqi. It's clear Hong Tai is nothing special. In open-field battle we may not match the Jianzhou bandits, but in holding a fortified city, we are not inferior to these savages."

Another young officer said to the first speaker, "Lord He routed the Jianzhou bandits at Yongping and sent them fleeing in disarray. Now with Lord He assisting Grand Mentor Zu, the Jianzhou bandits won't get any advantage this time either."

He Kegang looked warmly at the young officer — this was Zu Dashou's eldest son, Zu Zerun, currently Vice Regional Commander of Jinzhou, whose appearance closely resembled Zu Dashou's. He Kegang laughed heartily. "Building Dalinghe City was the far-sighted vision of our superiors. Once we hold this city, the countless fertile lands between the Greater and Lesser Ling rivers can all become our military farmlands, perfectly aligning with Lord Sun's strategy of using Liao men to hold Liao land."

The surrounding Guanning Army officers voiced their agreement in unison. The land between the two river courses was extremely fertile and easy to irrigate — exactly what they had been hoping for. With this land, they could recruit more tenant farmers to till it. The Guanning Army held heavy troops and occupied a strategic position near Shanhai Pass. Since the Jisi Campaign, they had increasingly felt their own influence over the imperial court growing; their stance could determine the safety of Beijing.

With Zu Dashou as their anchor, the Guanning Army's tendency to close ranks grew ever more pronounced. Through intermarriage and other means, they formed an ever-tighter interest group, while excluding officers who were less cooperative. Cao Wenzhao had been kicked out by them to fight the roving bandits. And Mao Yuanyi, whom Sun Chengzong had brought, was simply taken hostage by mutinous subordinate troops — the final resolution was that Mao Yuanyi was sentenced to penal exile instead. Even Lord Sun now mainly relied on emotional bonds to win them over and dared not easily punish them.

With millions in Liaodong military tax coming in every year, and if vast tracts of land could supply the army with grain, then the Guanning Army would resemble an independent kingdom even more. The court's ability to restrain them would diminish further, and their wealth, power, and status would be secured. So from the Guanning Army's perspective, they were willing to fight this battle. After the victories at Ningyuan and Ningjin, they held the Jianzhou bandits' siege capabilities in contempt.

Zu Dashou waited for the voices to die down, then said coolly, "This battle will again employ the strategy of strong walls and great cannons. We have five Hongyi cannons, eighteen Grand General cannons, over twenty Second General cannons, over two hundred Third General cannons, and five hundred large and small Frankish guns. If the Jianzhou bandits don't attack, fine. If they dare assault us, we will surely make their blood flow like a river."

After speaking, he looked to his left at an officer in mountain-pattern armor. "General Qin, scion of a military family, do you have any further insights on this battle? Please do not hesitate to instruct us."

The other Guanning Army officers all forced smiles onto their faces, but a trace of arrogance lingered in them. The officer in mountain-pattern armor was Qin Yiming, the commander leading the Sichuan White Rod troops on this campaign. His father was Qin Bangping, elder brother of Qin Liangyu. Qin Bangping and Zhou Dunji had been the first to cross the Hun River during the bloody battle there. The Shizhu troops were strictly disciplined and high in morale, killing several thousand of the arrogant Eight Banners troops on the north bank before being forced back to the south bank by bombardments from surrendered gunners, where they finally fought to the death. It was a glorious defeat, their infantry combat in no way inferior to the Jianzhou bandits, and that single battle had forged the White Rod troops' illustrious reputation. The arrogance of these Guanning Army officers was, in truth, more a mix of jealousy and wariness.

Qin Yiming had faced ostracism from many sides since arriving in Guanning the previous year, but Chongzhen and Sun Chengzong placed great importance on the Sichuan troops and looked after them well. There was also an intent to use the Sichuan army to check and balance the Guanning Army, treating this unit as the final safeguard for defending Shanhai Pass. Thus, relations between the two sides could hardly be called harmonious.

Qin Yiming said politely to Zu Dashou, "With Grand Mentor Zu present, this city is as impregnable as a fortress of metal and boiling water. My only concern is that if the Jianzhou bandits fail in a direct assault, they may switch to a siege, luring our main army to come to the rescue, so that the chieftain can wear down our Great Ming's elite troops in open-field battle, where he is most adept."

Zu Dashou nodded approvingly. "General Qin is not wrong. A siege can eventually starve people out. However, the chieftain's several attacks on Liaoxi have all been smash-and-grab raids. This time, Lord Sun has already ordered Ningyuan and Jinzhou to strengthen their defenses and clear the countryside. With no grain to loot, the Jianzhou bandits cannot sustain a siege for long. Before we starve to death, the bandit soldiers will starve first."

Qin Yiming recalled past situations, and it was indeed as Zu Dashou said — the Jianzhou bandits had never used siege tactics. Dalinghe was a long distance from Shenyang, and it seemed the Jianzhou bandits likely lacked the capacity to transport grain. He inwardly agreed with Zu Dashou's assessment, then recalled another matter. "My Lord Grand Mentor, earlier the Grand Coordinator sent word that the Jianzhou bandits appear to already possess Hongyi cannons — news reported from Denglai. In my humble opinion, the city must stockpile extra stone for repairing the walls."

The moment Zu Dashou heard the word "Denglai," his expression shifted slightly. The surrounding officers showed disdainful looks. Setting aside their long-standing mutual dislike with the Dongjiang Garrison, that Chen Xin of the Wendeng Battalion had openly opposed Zu Dashou the previous year. At that time, he was only a Mobile Corps Commander, yet he dared to quarrel with Zu Dashou in front of Sun Chengzong — and came out thoroughly on top, showing not the slightest regard for the mighty Guanning Army.

Later, the Wendeng Battalion had won the Emperor's favor through their military achievements at Luanzhou and Guanxian. A considerable portion of the Liaodong military tax had been diverted to Denglai, now approaching a million taels of silver — truly cutting into their heart's flesh.

What made them even more displeased was that two months ago, the Wendeng Battalion and the Dongjiang Garrison had achieved yet another extraordinary victory at Shenmi Island, winning a field battle and capturing the Plain White Banner's gusa ejen alive. Compared to the Guanning Army, which could only defend cities, the gap was immeasurable.

Once Denglai rose, the court would no longer have to rely solely on the Guanning Army. Moreover, since both the Dongjiang Garrison and Chen Xin were on extremely bad terms with the Guanning Army, Denglai would truly become a force for the court to check and balance the Guanning military clique. That was what they feared most.

Zu Dashou did not wish to bring up that Chen Xin. He quickly replaced his expression with a smile. "General Qin has never witnessed the firing of a Hongyi cannon. That thing is not something savages like the bandit soldiers know how to use."

Qin Yiming was about to speak further, but Zu Dashou cut him off before he could open his mouth. "I first thank General Qin for the reminder. I have noted it all. General Qin has rendered great service in protecting the construction of Dalinghe. The Grand Coordinator issued orders yesterday to transfer the General back to defend Shanhai Pass, and to redeploy a Liaozhen unit here in your place. With our Liaozhen guarding this place, we will not let the Jianzhou bandits gain any advantage. The Jianzhou bandits are already near. General Qin's troops are all infantry — you may return to the army early."

Sun Chengzong had sent the Sichuan troops this time to provide protection during the construction process. Now that the city was basically built, the Guanning Army believed holding Dalinghe would be no problem. If they could collect some heads, they could turn it into another great victory, using it to compete with Denglai's military achievement at Shenmi Island and demonstrate that Liaozhen was equally combat-effective. Therefore, they did not want the Sichuan troops here to share in the battle honors and land. Zu Dashou himself had sent three consecutive letters to Sun Chengzong, stating that the Sichuan troops could be transferred away.

Qin Yiming opened his mouth, then swallowed the words he wanted to say. Liaozhen was clearly intent on monopolizing the military glory, which involved many falsified matters, and they did not want an outsider like him present. Though somewhat unwilling, the Sichuan troops were, after all, a guest army, and Sun Chengzong had issued the order. He clasped his hands in farewell to Zu Dashou and the others and walked down from the wall.

An hour later, column after column of soldiers bearing white-wood long spears or heavy swords and blades marched out from the south gate, their ranks orderly and disciplined, heading toward Jinzhou. After traveling several li, Qin Yiming turned to look back at the walls of Dalinghe. Countless rotational soldiers and civilian laborers were still toiling, continuing to reinforce the walls. Large and small watchtowers stood along the surrounding roads and at strategic mountain passes.

The city's defenses indeed seemed as impregnable as a fortress of metal and boiling water, but an unsettled feeling lingered in his heart, and a trace of worry surfaced on his face.