Chapter 230

In the dead of night at Mazi Harbor in Weihai, two wave-cutting ships of the Wendeng Navy lay quietly moored at the pier. In the distance, a sand ship — the most common type in the Liao Sea — was visible, with a few lanterns glowing nearby and vague silhouettes of people moving about.

Chen Xin paced back and forth on the pier, with his ever-present shadow Hai Gouzi trailing behind him. On the outer perimeter of the pier, personnel from the Intelligence Bureau stood guard, keeping anyone from approaching.

Members of the Intelligence Bureau's operations team were carrying several large wooden crates one by one onto the sand ship. Once all had been loaded, Zhou Shifa, along with Wu Rong and a black-clad man whose face was as sharp as an axe blade, came over to Chen Xin.

"My lord, the men have all been loaded aboard," Zhou Shifa said in an extremely low voice.

Chen Xin said flatly to the black-clad man, "Have the letters been written?"

"All written according to my lord's instructions, in the barbarian tongue." The black-clad man was in his thirties, his rough face full of steely resolve. Only when speaking to Chen Xin did he show a trace of deference. He was Wu Jianzhong, formerly Liu Xingzuo's trusted confidant. In the seventh year of Tianqi, he had trekked on foot across the Liaoxi region — the contested zone between the Great Ming and the Later Jin — to report to Yuan Chonghuan that the Later Jin's main force was about to invade Korea. Although the Guanning Army's incompetence rendered the warning useless, the mission itself had been a successful act of espionage. After the last upheaval on Pi Island, he had pledged allegiance to the Wendeng Battalion.

Chen Xin therefore held this man in very high regard and assigned him and his subordinates to serve in the Intelligence Bureau. Notably, among his subordinates were four Jurchen men — three from the Yehe tribe and one from Jianzhou. Their original tribes had all been annihilated by Nurhaci's forces, and many of their kin and friends had been slaughtered. They had surrendered to the Jianzhou tribe only under the military might of the old chieftain at the time.

All of them had served in the Later Jin army for years and could speak Manchu. But only Wu Jianzhong could write it. He was now the deputy captain of the operations team.

Chen Xin nodded and had Zhou Shifa assign the specific mission.

Zhou Shifa said to them, "Wu Rong is in charge of this operation, with Wu Jianzhong accompanying as support. You will rendezvous with Lu Zhi's people at that private harbor in Dengzhou and carry out everything according to plan. No one along the way is to speak with those four men. Once this matter is settled, you two will take a section of the operations team to Laizhou Prefecture to locate a suitable band of outlaws. Only move against those you are certain you can handle. Laizhou Prefecture is too far away — our combat troops cannot be mobilized there. You can only rely on yourselves. You may cooperate with them or buy them off. This matter is not absolutely essential; prioritize your own safety. Also, remember: once the Deng-Lai troops begin to move, you must hurry back to Dengzhou as quickly as possible and await orders."

Both Wu Rong and Wu Jianzhong nodded calmly, showing not the slightest trace of fear. Wu Rong had been one of Chen Xin's personal guards; his martial skill was high, and his loyalty beyond question.

Chen Xin was very approving of their demeanor, and it gave him even greater confidence in the Wendeng Battalion's future. In every age, there were countless heroes; it only depended on whether those in power could put them to use in the right places. The so-called unmatched battle prowess of the Jianzhou bandits was nothing but inflated reputation — they were merely hunters from harsh environments, rigorously organized. In a land as vast as China, there would never be a shortage of soldiers daring to fight. Shaanxi, Shanxi, the Huai River region, Hunan, Zhejiang, Sichuan, and Guangxi had always been places that produced tough troops. The area around Deng-Lai was also crisscrossed with mountains; the mountain folk and fishermen were equally fierce. As long as their degree of organization surpassed that of the Later Jin, a day would come when the Later Jin could no longer hold out.

He encouraged them, saying, "This year's series of operations is a crucial step in the future growth of our Wendeng Battalion. Each of you is fighting for your own future, and also for the tens of thousands of common people of our Wendeng Battalion. Strictly speaking, some of these people are not our enemies. But anyone who obstructs the advance of our Wendeng Battalion can only be treated as an enemy and must be eliminated without mercy. Few may ever know what you do. To ordinary eyes, some of these deeds may seem excessively cruel. But I, your official, say that they are all beneficial to the nation and the people. It may not be apparent today, but one day, the common people will understand what we do now and will call you heroes. Let us all encourage one another."

Zhou Shifa and the other two said in unison, "Loyal to my lord! Loyal to the Wendeng Battalion!"

Wu Jianzhong knelt before Chen Xin and said, "My lord, I don't understand all that talk about nation and people, nor do I care about being called a hero. But since coming to Wendeng, for the first time I've seen that soldiers can be trained to this standard, and for the first time I feel there is hope of recovering Liaodong. As long as our Wendeng Battalion can field fifty or sixty thousand troops, the Jianzhou bandits will no longer be anything to fear. Whoever tries to stand in my lord's way, this subordinate will never show mercy."

A quarter of an hour later, as the sky began to lighten, the sand ship, escorted by the two wave-cutting ships, slowly sailed out of Mazi Harbor and entered the vast Liao Sea.

Three li directly south of Dalinghe City, the landscape had completely transformed compared to half a month ago. An earthen wall had risen from the ground. In front of it were three trench lines. The first two were relatively small, neither their depth nor width exceeding eight chi. Behind these two small trenches were over a dozen Later Jin army encampments, serving as the first layer of the siege around Dalinghe, with each banner's gushan e'zhen leading troops to hold the line.

Behind this first layer was the main trench, over one zhang deep and wide. The earth excavated from the trench was piled behind it, forming an earthen wall one zhang and two chi high that encircled the city for thirty li. Where battlements were built atop the wall, the height reached one zhang and five chi. Behind this earthen wall lay the main camps of each banner lord. Outside these camps, smaller anti-cavalry trenches were also dug, forming a second defensive perimeter around the city. The household troops of each banner were mostly led by the banner lords themselves, ready at any moment to reinforce the first line of defense.

Various blue banners fluttered atop the earthen wall. Numerous soldiers and bondservants moved through the winding trenches. If some barbed wire were added, one might almost mistake it for a battlefield somewhere on the Western Front of the First World War.

(This chapter was manually typed by Xiong Ba)

Zhang Zhongqi watched them coldly. To him, life and death had become as commonplace as eating a meal or buying vegetables. Burying this bondservant was not out of the kindness of anyone's heart, but because the weather had not yet turned completely cold, and the banner lord had issued strict orders to bury all corpses to prevent the spread of disease. The Later Jin had always been very wary of epidemics. Huang Taiji had even issued a special decree on this matter: even if a prince or high minister contracted smallpox, no one else was permitted to visit them, lest it spread.

The rumble of cannon fire came from far away. Zhang Zhongqi knew it was the artillery of the Ujen Cooha. He did not need to duck into the trench, but his heart still tightened. His mental state had been somewhat off lately.

Zhang Zhongqi had heard of Zu Dashou, the defender of the city. The man lived up to his reputation as an old campaigner. He never defended passively, sallying out every day to cause trouble, and his schemes and tricks were endless. The Later Jin soldiers had all been driven to a state of extreme mental tension by him.

Commanders like He Kegang were also united in resolve, distributing the city's military pay to all the combat soldiers. With ample provisions still in the city, morale was also very stable. Because Amin had carried out massacres in Yongping and Qian'an the previous year, everyone believed surrender was also a dead end and refused to surrender to the Jianzhou bandits again. These Guanning Army troops were all veterans. Now, with no way out, they fought with desperate courage, and their combat effectiveness was quite considerable. In the several small-scale engagements outside the city since the siege began, the Guanning Army had only been slightly outmatched, while the Jianzhou bandits had also suffered no small losses. The entire Dalinghe City was brimming with fighting spirit.

Consequently, the watchtowers outside the city had also held out. Whenever the Later Jin troops attacked a watchtower, the city would dispatch soldiers to coordinate a response. The Jianzhou bandits had attacked several times, suffering over a hundred casualties, but had only captured a few of the smallest watchtowers. Thus, ten days ago, they had ceased attacking the watchtowers around the city.

But the Later Jin's Ujen Cooha soon made a grand entrance. A total of three Hongyi cannons had arrived at the Dalinghe battlefield, all of them "Tianyou Zhuwei Grand General Cannons," cast in the fourth year of Chongzhen. In addition, there were over twenty older-model Grand General Cannons. The moment they were committed to battle, they forced the surrender of three watchtowers west of the city that very day, dealing a heavy blow to Ming morale.

After that, the Ujen Cooha began clearing the watchtowers further out. The previous day, they had started attacking the most fortified one, Yuzizhang Tower. Under the bombardment of dozens of cannons, Yuzizhang Tower was engulfed in billowing smoke and dust — visible even from the walls of Dalinghe. Because Yuzizhang Tower lay beyond the earthen wall, Dalinghe could not send any relief. Today marked the second day of the bombardment.

Directly ahead of him, a unit of Plain Blue Banner soldiers was marching out of camp. Among them, Zhang Zhongqi spotted his niru e'zhen, and then Taketan as well. They crossed the trenches through several passageways and formed up into a battle array. On the left wing, the Bordered Blue Banner, and on the right wing, the two Mongol banners, also dispatched a unit of cavalry.

Then a unit of Ujen Cooha, driving oxcarts and horse carts, hauled three Grand General Cannons across the trenches. A drumroll sounded within Dalinghe City. The gate of the southern barbican opened, and a group of cavalry rode out first, crossing the city moat and forming up beneath the walls. Zhang Zhongqi's eyes twitched twice. Thankfully, it was not that unit of ironclad soldiers. That infantry unit wore two layers of heavy armor, much like the Wendeng Battalion at Gu'an. But their musketeers not only knew how to fire guns, most could also shoot arrows, and they were no slouches in melee either — even more formidable than the Wendeng Battalion. Their only weakness was their small numbers. Over the past half month, fighting close to the city and coordinating with the Guanning Army cavalry, they had repeatedly inflicted heavy losses on the Later Jin troops. But the earthen wall had finally been completed, which gave Zhang Zhongqi a considerably greater sense of security.

Today, the Plain Blue Banner's objective was a watchtower one li from the city. This square watchtower stood three zhang tall, with sides five zhang in length and width. Inside were several dozen soldiers armed with bird guns, bows and arrows, and Frankish swivel guns. They covered the flank of the southern barbican, severely restricting the Later Jin army's routes of movement near the earthen wall. Moreover, near this watchtower, the Guanning Army had left a patch of shrubbery. They came out every day to gather firewood, all under the cover of this watchtower.

What was most infuriating about the Guanning Army was that they had only left the firewood closest to the city. For the Later Jin troops to gather firewood, they had to travel quite a distance. The burden on the bondservants was immense; they not only had to dig the siege trenches but also shoulder all the logistical work, all while receiving the least food. Since the siege began, over three hundred had already been worked to death.

A plume of white smoke erupted from the walls of Dalinghe City. With lightning-fast reflexes, Zhang Zhongqi spun around and leaped into the trench. Only then did the thunderous roar reach his ears, followed by a nearly ten-jin iron ball slamming into the ground a hundred paces away with a thud. Zhang Zhongqi poked his head out to check. Dalinghe City did not continue its bombardment, so he climbed back out. He had been terrified enough by the Hongyi cannons at Luanzhou to last a lifetime; he was now a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.

The Plain Blue Banner's formation did not waver; it remained extremely orderly. They had formed a rectangular block and were slowly advancing toward that watchtower.

The three Grand General Cannons, with their short, thick barrels, moved along the flank. The formation soon advanced to within two li. Some skirmishing riders from the Bordered Blue Banner and the two Mongol banners, in a highly dispersed formation, entered within one li, threatening the Ming troops arrayed outside the southern gate from the flank. The rumbling of hooves came from behind Zhang Zhongqi. He hurriedly called for several bondservants to get into the trench and clear the path.

The Plain Blue Banner's great standard of the Beile, woven with gold thread, passed through the passageway amidst a retinue of Bayara guards. Behind them came a large mass of field army troops. Zhang Zhongqi kept an ingratiating smile plastered on his face, constantly bowing to the armored soldiers passing by. But few of them even glanced at him.

After they had passed, Zhang Zhongqi, having swallowed a fair amount of dust, still said to the surrounding bondservants with a face full of reverence, "The one who just passed was our Plain Blue Banner's Beile master, a man like a heavenly god. For you to have seen him even once, who knows how many lifetimes of good fortune it took."

Several bondservants stared blankly at Zhang Zhongqi, not understanding what he was saying. Zhang Zhongqi paid them no mind and pointed again toward a hillock to the south, where a dragon banner woven with gold thread flew. "Over there is where our Great Jin Khan is. You probably don't have the fortune to see him. With them here, no southern barbarian can ever defeat us."

A bondservant with a Northern Zhili accent said, "Master, didn't the Plain White Banner get nearly a hundred men killed yesterday? They lost a vice general, a mobile corps commander, two niru e'zhen, and even their banner lord was nearly…"

Zhang Zhongqi flew into a rage out of shame. He raised the horsewhip in his hand and lashed out wildly, cursing as he struck, "You stupid dog, are you courting death? If you bastards want to live, you'll talk the way I tell you to! Don't think I enjoy beating you. Do you have any idea how I survived back then?" When he grew tired, he stopped, then kicked the bondservant, who had fallen to the ground, twice more.

Just then, several cannon shots rang out from the front. The Grand General Cannons had begun bombarding the watchtower. The Ming cavalry from Dalinghe also charged forward. Dust and smoke rose everywhere on the battlefield. All Zhang Zhongqi could see was a steady stream of armored soldiers being thrown into the fray. Before long, the sound of gongs signaling retreat came from the direction of Dalinghe. Even they could hear the shouts of the Later Jin soldiers giving chase.

Zhang Zhongqi glared at the bondservants and said, "See that? The southern barbarians have been beaten back. I told you, the southern barbarians can never defeat our masters."

The words had barely left his mouth when countless bursts of flame suddenly erupted from the walls of Dalinghe City. The crackling explosions were as dense as firecrackers during the New Year, followed by another round of battle cries. The Plain Blue Banner's signal flags waved repeatedly, and another unit of Bayara was dispatched to the front.

A good while later, a group of armored soldiers and auxiliaries returned, carrying quite a few corpses. Zhang Zhongqi estimated there were over a dozen dead and wounded. Among those retreating was Taketan. Zhang Zhongqi called for the bondservants to go help, then hurried to Taketan's side and asked in a low voice, "Master, what happened?"

"The jala commander was lured into advancing rashly by the barbarians' feigned retreat. Those dog-spawn Ming ironclad troops had been hiding in the city moat all along. When we charged close, they popped out under cover of the smoke and dust, firing guns and shooting arrows, while the cannons on the wall all opened up at once. Our banner lost several dozen men killed by them." With that, he hurried off.

Zhang Zhongqi stopped in his tracks. Hadn't the Guanning Army always fled at the first sign of trouble? Since when had they become so capable in battle?

Just then, the Plain Blue Banner's Beile standard also retreated, passing right by Zhang Zhongqi. He heard a rough, booming voice among them cursing loudly, "Our Plain Blue Banner guards the south, while his two Yellow Banners guard the north. Could it be that dog Zu Dashou can escape from the north? My soldiers have suffered countless dead and wounded, yet all the credit goes to him, damn it! I'm going to find him and talk this out…"

"Big brother, don't go."

"To hell with that! Let his two Yellow Banners come try the south side!"

(Your support is my greatest motivation!)