Chapter 248: Value

On Zhenhaimen Street north of Dengzhou city, Zhang Dong, wearing Ming army uniform, hurried over from Caoqiao. After crossing the bridge, under cover of two team members, he slipped through an alley to the contact point. Like the other shops, the storefront was already closed. He went around to the side door and knocked with a rhythm; the door creaked open.

The people inside let him in. Zhang Dong made his way along the wing rooms; their windows were all open, and inside sat the personnel of the Action Team and the Special Service Team. These elite operatives all had field experience, and at this moment they showed little sign of nervousness.

Wu Rong, Li Tao, and others were warming themselves by the fire in the main hall. Seeing Zhang Dong enter, they all gave him slight nods. Wu Rong was the Intelligence Bureau's Action Team leader, and Li Tao was the deputy leader of the Special Service Team. He had performed conspicuously well at Xuanchuan, standing out from the talent-packed Special Service Team. Now, with Team Leader Pu Zhuang away from Shandong, he was in charge of commanding the Special Service Team.

Zhang Dong poured himself a bowl of hot tea and wiped his mouth. "It's done. Sun Yuanhua suffered a defeat. Zhang Dao's Liaodong troops broke at first contact, and quite a few went straight over to Li Jiucheng. Zhang Keda was dragged down with him; the southern troops also took significant losses."

Wu Rong asked him, "Even so, Li Jiucheng still can't fight his way in. They've been outside the city for over ten days now."

"Whether Li Jiucheng fights his way in or not, we have to be prepared. The moment Li Jiucheng breaches the city, we must notify Lord Chen as quickly as possible."

Wu Rong and Li Tao asked in unison, "Where is Lord Chen right now?"

"Yesterday a liaison officer came from Ninghaizhou. The secret letter said Lord Chen has already reached Qixia. His order to us is that within one day of the city being breached, we must deliver the order to Ninghai and to Lord Chen's army."

Li Tao frowned. "The rebel army has sealed the main roads. Right now, the only way to pass messages is for the Special Service Team to go in and out under cover of night. If Li Jiucheng takes Dengzhou in broad daylight, how are we supposed to get out?"

Zhang Dong said expressionlessly, "We have to get out even if we can't. Right now Wang Bingzhong is especially vital to us. Without him, we couldn't even leave the city. Li Tao, starting tomorrow you'll go to Wang Bingzhong's place. Bring your whole squad. He must not be allowed to waver in the slightest."

"Understood."

Zhang Dong's calm face showed a trace of worry again. "What worries me most right now is actually the Water City. The Military Command Division originally planned to ship troops to Changdao first, which also wouldn't risk being discovered by Kong Youde and his men. But these last two days it's been getting colder. If the Water City freezes over completely, moving troops by sea becomes impossible. Coming overland, after all, can't be kept secret."

Li Tao chuckled. "What's Lord Zhang got to worry about? That's a matter for the combat troops. With so many officers there, they'll figure out a solution themselves."

Just then an intelligence agent hurried in and whispered a few words in Zhang Dong's ear. Zhang Dong nodded slightly. After the agent left, he said to Li Tao and the other man, "Damn it all, the Water City really has frozen over."... The city lacked some of the festive atmosphere. Ever since Kong Youde's forces reached Dengzhou, the Wendeng Battalion had sealed the roads leading out of Wendeng. The commercial activity, already sparse in winter, had ground to a halt. The temples around Mazidun, however, were bustling with incense. Many families had relatives out on campaign and came in droves to pray to various bodhisattvas and gods for protection.

The military camp south of Mazidun was already under restricted access. Even those whose families lived in Mazidun could not go home for the New Year. The port to the north was the same; the usually bustling docks were guarded by only a small number of naval battalion troops.

A group of officers stood near the docks, pointing and commenting at the ice-bound sea.

Ba Zi said to Dai Zhenggang beside him, "Vice Battalion Commander Dai, it looks like for at least a month we can forget about moving troops by sea. The overland route would be best."

Dai Zhenggang, built like an iron tower, let out a long sigh. The standoff at Dengzhou had been going on for a long time now, and the situation could change at any moment. The Wendeng Battalion's First Company Headquarters and the remaining troops of the Reserve Battalion had all gone to Ninghaizhou. His Second Company Headquarters had originally planned to go directly by ship from Half-Moon Bay to seize the Water City; now it seemed that plan had fallen through.

Dai Zhenggang said to Liu Pojun, who was inspecting alongside him, "Then the First Company Headquarters will still go via Ninghaizhou and link up with the main army."

Liu Pojun nodded and said helplessly, "If the ice doesn't thaw, then that's the only way. Even if Weihai can break through with troops, once they reach the outskirts of Dengzhou it's all for nothing. But right now Kong Youde's mounted scouts appear near Ninghaizhou every day. Our main army can't get too close. And the road from Ninghai to Dengzhou is poor. Nearly five thousand troops relying on a single road is not ideal, after all."

"Why can't we go to the Ninghaizhou border and put some pressure on that Li Jiucheng, make him obediently accept amnesty and be done with it?"

Liu Pojun knew Chen Xin's plan fairly clearly: they needed Li Jiucheng and his men to feel confident enough to attack the city, but not so secure in their defense. That placed extremely high demands on the Wendeng Battalion's combat operations. It wasn't convenient for him to explain the details to a line officer like Dai Zhenggang, so he just fobbed him off: "Our troops were all trained in secret. Being too conspicuous is always bad, especially now with Wang Tingshi and the others all in Ninghaizhou. On paper, we only have two thousand men left."

Dai Zhenggang was still somewhat puzzled. "But once the fighting starts, they'll find out eventually. We'll just say they're guard battalion troops and be done with it."

Liu Pojun didn't want to say more. He smiled and said, "Perhaps the lord has other plans. His orders are very clear: Kong Youde's forces must not discover our main army. As long as their scouts don't pass Ninghaizhou city, we should try to avoid clashing with them. The situation at Dengzhou is delicate right now. We'll still follow the lord's instructions. The First Company Headquarters is to move out immediately for the Jiaoshan camp in Ninghaizhou."

"We've fought so many battles, and this one is the most baffling by far. The army's been mobilized on a huge scale, yet we have to tiptoe around. I really don't know what Lord Chen is thinking." Dai Zhenggang was somewhat vexed. He waved a hand at his guard. "Notify the troops to pack their gear. We march within half a shichen."...

On the southern slope of Hu Shan, north of Qixia County, the main army of the Wendeng Battalion had been encamped for several days. Qixia's territory was all rolling mountain country. The Wendeng Battalion had marched north from the county seat of Qixia along the official road by the banks of the Wen River, passing Gongshan, Chanshan, Chihekou, and Songshan, concealing their movement until they reached the southern slope of Hu Shan. From Hu Shan further north, crossing Guojia Ridge, one entered the territory of Dengzhou.

Atop Hu Shan, where the north wind howled, stood several figures wearing white cloaks. One of them was Zhou Shifa, the Intelligence Bureau chief, who had just rushed over from Wendeng. He had traveled hundreds of li; his eyes were bloodshot, but his spirit was rather agitated. "My lord, the subdued mountain strongholds everywhere are ready. As soon as you give the order, we can eliminate the people on the list."

Chen Xin looked north and said, "Right now we have to wait for Li Jiucheng to make the first move. The moment he takes Dengzhou, that's when we'll act."

"Yes, but Li Jiucheng's siege is weak. He's been fighting small-scale engagements with the Dengzhou army outside the city all along. The day before yesterday he did defeat Zhang Dao's troops, but Dengzhou's military strength is still considerable. And Sun Yuanhua still has over twenty Hongyi cannons and Frankish breech-loaders in his hands. Who knows if Li Jiucheng can actually take it."

Chen Xin couldn't be that certain either. After all, history had changed slightly. If Li Jiucheng really did agree to amnesty, Chen Xin feared he'd be so furious he'd bang his head against the rocks on Hu Shan. To keep Li Jiucheng from changing his mind, Chen Xin had been careful to avoid provoking him. To mislead Li Jiucheng, he had also arranged for relay horses to go from Laizhou to Mishen Shan, urging Li Jiucheng to make good on that forty percent profit as soon as possible, so as to project the image of a typical Ming military boss.

But what Li Jiucheng would ultimately decide, Chen Xin had no confidence in his heart either. These past few days he had been passing the time in a state of unease. In the middle of the night, the slightest stir would wake him, hoping it was news from Dengzhou. This kind of waiting was more agonizing than going directly into battle.

He closed his eyes and calmed his mind. Zhou Shifa beside him continued, "Lu Chuanzong's First Company Headquarters has entered Ninghaizhou city under the pretext of protecting Wang Tingshi. The Reserve Battalion, led by Wang Zhangfu, is concealed at Jiaoshan southeast of Ninghaizhou. Accompanying them are the remaining Central Army reconnaissance cavalry and a Special Service squad. Dai Zhenggang's Second Company Headquarters abandoned the sea-crossing plan and should have reached the Jiaoshan camp yesterday."

Chen Xin looked up at the sky, filled with heavy, gloomy clouds that could drop another heavy snowfall at any moment. Nature was a more formidable enemy than the rebels. The freezing of Dengzhou had dashed hopes of moving troops by sea. Both combat company headquarters and the entire Reserve Battalion could now only be moved along a single official road, greatly reducing the speed of deployment.

Zhou Shifa was worried about the same problem. He said to Chen Xin, "The biggest worry is that Zhang Dong and his people won't be able to get the intelligence out in time, giving Li Jiucheng and his men enough time to solidify the city's defenses. Our camp here is ninety li from Dengzhou, over icy, snowy mountain roads. We might not make it in one day. Ninghaizhou is even farther, with Fushan County in between. Ninghaizhou city is two hundred and twenty li from Dengzhou, and the Jiaoshan camp is still twenty li from Ninghaizhou city. That means the distance from Ninghaizhou is more than double the distance from here, making a coordinated strike difficult to achieve."

Chen Xin nodded. "That is also what I've been worried about. But Ninghaizhou is the direction Li Jiucheng is focusing his scouting on. If Lu Chuanzong gets any closer, they might very well change their minds."

Zhou Shifa now knew the entire plan. If it could all be executed as planned, the Intelligence Bureau's status would be greatly elevated, so he too was anxiously hoping Li Jiucheng would take Dengzhou. He thought it through carefully once more and said, "Your subordinate suggests we still send out Special Service squads to reconnoiter. Even if Li Jiucheng's men spot them, they should be able to escape in the mountain terrain. It wouldn't make Li Jiucheng overly suspicious."

Chen Xin turned his head to look at Zhou Shifa. This former Tianjin garrison scoundrel had now become capable and decisive, a testament to how environment could change a person. In the original course of history, perhaps this man would simply have died on some battlefield reinforcing Liaozhen. Who could have known he was capable of such great things?

Chen Xin thought over Zhou Shifa's proposal briefly and felt he himself had been overly cautious. He said to the adjutant beside him, "Have the Special Service squad set out immediately for Mishen Shan. Tell them to disguise themselves and not reveal their background."

The adjutant noted it down and hurried down the mountain to deliver the order. Chen Xin turned to Zhou Shifa and said, "The official road from Ninghaizhou to Dengzhou is relatively easier to travel. Their arrival time won't be too far off from ours. In an emergency, they can make a forced march carrying only field rations, leaving all the cannons and baggage behind. They can make it in a day and a half. Of course, if we could know Li Jiucheng's timing in advance, that would be even better. Are Zhang Dong and his people confident?"

Zhou Shifa didn't dare give a guarantee either. He considered his wording and said, "Everyone who should be inserted has been inserted. Wang Bingzhong at the north gate is confirmed to have switched sides. The Water City is currently under Lu Zhi's control. Zhang Dong has bought off the naval battalion's garrison commander and inserted fifty men under the cover of being porters. Additionally, there are some people in the various temples. In total, that's a bureau's worth of troops, all drawn from the Second Company Headquarters. As for the residences of Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming, as you instructed, we also have eyes and ears there. Kong Youde's side is of no use right now. Geng Zhongming, because of his brother's affair, is also under watch and confined to his residence. If he makes any unusual moves, Zhang Dong will know. For some of the other Liaodong camps, Zhang Dong also has lower-ranking officers as informants. The only concern now is whether he can successfully deliver the intelligence here and to Ninghaizhou."

Chen Xin nodded with satisfaction. "Li Jiucheng can't take Dengzhou on his own. His only hope lies with his old Dongjiang comrades inside the city. So as long as Zhang Dong keeps a close watch on those people, we should be able to find out. Ideally, the Intelligence Bureau can grasp the timing in advance, giving us at least one extra day. The Special Service squads are battlefield reconnaissance, after all; they can only know once the enemy makes his move. Whether we can gain that extra day — that is the value of your Intelligence Bureau."

Zhou Shifa suppressed his slightly stirred emotions. His Intelligence Bureau had cost a considerable sum over the past year. Zhu Guobin, Lu Chuanzong, and others had voiced their doubts many times. This time would be his chance to prove himself. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but turn his head to look north at the range upon range of mountains. His future depended on how well the people in the city beyond those mountains performed.