Chapter 253: Launching the Attack

Among the dark, heavy mountains south of Dengzhou, a river of torches flowed along the official road, filled with the dense sound of marching feet, countless legs wrapped in puttees swinging ceaselessly.

Chen Xin and Zhu Guobin, in a thatched shed by the roadside, were studying a map by lantern light. The maps of the Dengzhou area had all been redrawn by the Intelligence Bureau, incorporating contour lines and markers for roads and bridges. While they could not compare to precise surveys, they were far better than the abstract-style maps of the Ming dynasty.

The lookout on the mountaintop had just seen flashes of light in the direction of Dengzhou, most likely caused by red-barbarian cannon fire. This meant Li Jiucheng had already launched his attack. At this moment, the Wendeng Battalion had just advanced to the vicinity of Guojia Ridge and had not yet reached the Penglai county border.

Zhou Shifa stood quietly beside Chen Xin, though his face could not conceal his excitement. Over the past few days, they had captured several deserters from the rebel army on the official road. Based on the scattered intelligence he had personally obtained through interrogation, the rebels had seized goods worth over a million taels in Jinan Prefecture. If one added what they had taken within Dengzhou Prefecture, the Wendeng Battalion would acquire a vast amount of spoils, and the Intelligence Bureau's funding could also be greatly increased.

After crossing Guojia Ridge, it was only seventy li to Dengzhou. They could reach Ju Shan (Jade Emperor Peak) before daybreak. If they continued the forced march, they could reach Mishen Shan by afternoon and launch an attack on the rebel camp.

Zhu Guobin pointed at the map and said in a low voice, "The special operations team that conducted reconnaissance the day before yesterday reported that there are rebel night scouts near Mount Maan. That buck-toothed man who came out of Dengzhou just woke up and said the same thing — he was careless there and got wounded. They haven't encountered any since. From this we can tell that we are safe before Pingshan; after passing Pingshan, we may be discovered."

Chen Xin agreed, "Don't wait until Pingshan. The rebels are on the move today and may send their scouts farther out. We can't rule out that they are deliberately making noise to lure us forward and then ambush us. After the troops pass Ju Shan, have them march in combat order. Each company commander's unit should maintain marching intervals so that if we are ambushed, they can support each other."

Zhu Guobin looked up at Zhou Shifa. "Sir Zhou, you said earlier that the Dengzhou officers at the north gate would come over to our Wendeng Battalion. Is that reliable? The route into the city from the north gate lies between the Water Fortress and the prefectural city, caught in a crossfire. If the rebels block us in that narrow lane, the losses would be severe."

Zhou Shifa glanced at Chen Xin, then replied, "There is indeed that worry, and I am even more afraid that the rebels will come out from the east gate to strike the tail of our main force, trapping us in that lane. So it would be best if we first take the main camp at Mishen Shan, then consider relieving Dengzhou."

Zhu Guobin shook his head. "If the rebels have already taken the city, their main camp will likely hold only the old, the weak, and laborers, doing no harm to their real strength. If we do not quickly relieve Dengzhou, they may gain a firm foothold. We need not worry about troops coming from the east gate; as long as we leave the cavalry battalion to guard the east gate, our line of retreat will be secure. The only concern is that if we hurry during the day today, we probably won't be able to evade the rebel patrol riders after passing Mount Maan."

Chen Xin silently calculated the time. The rebels might break through the city tonight. He planned to give them at least one full day so they could thoroughly shatter the situation in Dengzhou. Then, when he made his move, it would not be so conspicuous. Li Jiucheng's control over the troops would not be very strong, and the rebels, lured by the wealth inside the city, would scatter everywhere.

Chen Xin pondered for a moment, then decided, "Control the marching speed. After noon, covertly reach Hu Shan in Penglai (Note: different from Hu Shan in Qixia; Penglai's Hu Shan is thirty-five li from Dengzhou). We will decide whether to halt or advance based on the situation at that time."

Zhu Guobin said in surprise, "My lord, we must not arrive too late, or Dengzhou will be ravaged…"

"Execute the military order."

Zhu Guobin hesitated briefly, then saluted and left to find his staff officer to control the marching speed.

After Zhu Guobin had walked far away, Zhou Shifa said to Chen Xin in a low voice, "My lord, do you intend to give them an extra day?"

Chen Xin nodded slightly, pointing at the map. "Li Jiucheng will break through the city tonight. The rebels' best night scouts and retainers will inevitably take part in the assault. They don't know we are at Qixia, so there shouldn't be many patrol riders left near Mount Maan. Have the special operations team and the main army's patrol riders clear the way first. The main force should be able to reach Pingshan before dark; from there it's only twenty li to Dengzhou. After dark, send someone to the north gate to contact Zhang Dong. If the north gate is safe for now, we'll let them rampage for one more night. If the situation at the north gate is dire, the main force will march through the night straight for Dengzhou. The Dengzhou soldiers have never trained in night combat or night marches; they won't dare send a large force out of the city to intercept us. Li Jiucheng will then have trouble judging exactly where we plan to enter the city. With the cover of night, the red-barbarian cannons on the walls won't be able to aim accurately either. As long as we can covertly reach Pingshan, all initiative will be in our hands."

"Understood."

"Send another relay rider to urge Ninghaizhou. Have them come by forced march. After they arrive, if our unit has already gone to the north gate, have them set up camp at Kui Shan, seal the official roads leading to Qixia and Ninghaizhou, and leave only the southwest direction open."

……

At the Zhenhai Gate tower in Dengzhou, amid the dense sound of gunfire from the east gate, Zhou Shifa, Qin Rong, and Li Tao were urgently deploying defenses. In light of Wang Bingzhong's performance, they dared not follow the original plan of using Wang Bingzhong's troops to defend Zhenhai Gate. Most of those men had come from the Dongjiang garrison, and they might surrender the moment the other side called out to them. Not only would they be of no help, they might even become collaborators. Wang Bingzhong himself was the best example. Taking advantage of the fact that the east gate was still locked in fierce battle and the situation was unclear, they first used these men as laborers to set up the defensive line.

"The first line of defense is at Cao Bridge. I plan to go there to command. There are fifty combat soldiers there, and firewood has been prepared. As long as the rebels don't attack in force, we can hold for at least one double-hour. The second line of defense will be within a hundred paces of Zhenhai Gate. The action team will send thirty men to the second line, dispersed in small groups into the streets and alleys. They are all accustomed to street fighting; they just need to delay the rebels at various points and ignite the piled firewood according to the situation. Remember, everyone change into Ming army uniforms and speak with a Liaodong accent when talking. The rest will guard the earthen ramparts on both sides of the wall and the city stairs."

Li Tao was the deputy commander of the special operations team and had received training for this kind of small-scale combat. The action team members, however, were mostly assassins, skilled in one-on-one combat and small-group coordination, but they were not proficient in formation battles.

Qin Rong did not argue for command and immediately agreed. Li Tao then turned to Zhang Dong: "We should also call in the people hidden at our other contact points. The situation has changed now. Shuqiao is no longer the primary point. Once the main army enters the city, the rebels won't be able to stop us. There's no need to waste fifty men there."

Zhang Dong's eyes flickered. Shuqiao was an important location designated by Zhou Shifa. Controlling it would split Dengzhou city into east and west. The Intelligence Bureau had two safe houses near Shuqiao, hiding fifty combat soldiers, all from the Second Company Headquarters. If they were withdrawn, they would lose a means of controlling the situation inside the city.

"Shuqiao cannot be withdrawn." Zhang Dong pointed south, where sporadic fighting had also broken out, and several buildings had caught fire. "The city is already in chaos. If we move them now, whether it's Sun Yuanhua's men or the rebels, they will attack them. They could lose over half their number on the way. Moreover, Shuqiao is a place that Sir Chen and Director Zhou have emphasized many times. We cannot withdraw from it."

Li Tao frowned. "I originally planned to transfer them to defend the area near Sanguanmiao. If the rebels don't take Cao Bridge, they might detour through the eastern city, follow the Hua River north, then turn west, and also reach Zhenhai Gate."

Zhang Dong gave a sinister smile and said to Wang Bingzhong, who was standing to the side, "Once the east gate is breached, have your brother take some men to the east side. Let him loot freely. Tell him the north city is assigned to you; no other units are allowed to come and loot, nor are they allowed to pass through."

Li Tao was stunned for a moment, then said to Zhang Dong with admiration, "Sir Zhang is brilliant. Just by saying it's an area assigned to them for looting, these soldiers will fight desperately. Sir Zhang is using other people's property to make these soldiers do his bidding. Even if a fight breaks out, the rebels will think it's over competing for spoils and won't immediately launch an all-out attack on the north city."

Zhang Dong felt pleased with himself and unconsciously glanced at Qin Rong. When it came to these schemes and intrigues, Qin Rong was far beneath him.

"Sir, sir, the east gate has fallen." An action team member stationed outside to observe rushed in and said urgently.

The three men walked to the doorway together. They saw a great glow of light at the east gate, spreading into the city along Chunshengmen Street. Clusters of torchlight swarmed onto the top of the wall, moving along the ramparts toward the barbican of Chaotian Gate to the south.

Zhang Dong said calmly to the two men, "The great upheaval has begun. Both of you, go to your positions immediately. Adapt to the circumstances. Try your best not to let the rebels know we are from the Wendeng Battalion. Even if a fight breaks out, it's best to make it look like a dispute over interests. This will buy us more time. Take care of yourselves."

……

"Each soldier carries five days' rations. We march in a quarter-hour."

"Distribute the supply carts to each bureau to transport armor for the armored soldiers."

At Jiao Shan, southeast of Ninghaizhou, the Wendeng Battalion camp was brightly lit. Dense ranks of combat soldiers and auxiliaries poured out of their tents, forming up into units under the shouts of their officers. A few relay riders and patrol riders began leaving the camp ahead of the main force.

This was the main camp where the Wendeng Battalion's main force was stationed, housing five companies of the reserve battalion, the Second Company Headquarters, and one thousand auxiliaries from the third wave of mobilization, totaling over 4,500 men.

Lu Chuanzong's First Company Headquarters was stationed south of Ninghaizhou city under the pretext of protecting Wang Tingshi, drawing the full attention of the rebel patrol riders. Lu Chuanzong had brought fifty main-army patrol riders; they, along with the First Company Headquarters' own patrol riders, had set up a screen to prevent the rebels from continuing to scout eastward. The rebels had misjudged the total strength of Wendeng's forces, believing it to be under four thousand. Excluding the two thousand-plus that Chen Xin had led away, they thought most of the remainder should already be in Ninghaizhou, which was why they had never discovered the Wendeng camp at Jiao Shan.

The place where three lanterns hung from the tent top was the central army tent of the Jiao Shan camp. Inside sat the Jiao Shan camp commander Dai Zhenggang, along with reserve battalion commander Wang Zhangfu, Liu Pojun, chief military judge Nie Hong, chief indoctrination officer Huang Side, and others. They had just received the intelligence transmitted from Dengzhou. The several commanding officers had hesitated about whether to dispatch troops immediately. Liu Pojun believed they should march. He knew Chen Xin's plan. Although the intelligence was not explicit, Zhang Dong was the chief intelligence officer in Dengzhou, and his judgment was at least reliable.

Huang Side was also privy to the plan. He himself had no military talent, and his other abilities were quite ordinary, yet he happened to be perfectly suited for the role of indoctrination officer. As indoctrination officers penetrated deeper into the army's grassroots, his status within the Wendeng Battalion system rose higher and higher. However, he had no decision-making power in such military decisions, not even a vote; he could only offer minor suggestions. Nie Hong's situation was similar. He had been severely wounded in the assassination in Jiangnan and had taken nearly half a year to recover. His physical condition was no longer suitable for the personal guard, so he had taken over the position of chief military judge left by Zhou Shifa.

These three men were all more or less in the know. They were the chief officers of staff, military law, and indoctrination, respectively. Liu Pojun, in particular, was the head of the Central Army Staff Division. Although Chen Xin had not given him the authority of a chief of staff, he had the right to advise on operations. Dai Zhenggang and Wang Zhangfu had long since lost patience with Li Jiucheng's forces and did not believe the rebels could withstand a thunderous strike from the Wendeng Battalion's main army. Once Liu Pojun relented, they quickly decided to dispatch troops immediately and march by forced march to Dengzhou.

The order to decamp had already been issued. At this moment, Dai Zhenggang was making a final confirmation of the mission. He was one of the earliest men to follow Chen Xin and was considered a founding elder in the military system. Although he had not participated in the Battle of Shenmi Island, Chen Xin had still submitted a report of his merits, and he had been appointed to the rank of Regional Military Commissioner of the Shandong Regional Military Commission. His internal post within the Wendeng Battalion was still in charge of the Second Company Headquarters, with the additional post of deputy commander of the combat battalion. Although Wang Zhangfu was the commander of the reserve battalion, Chen Xin had designated the reserve battalion as half a rank lower than the standing battalion, so the two men were still of equal rank. In light of Dai Zhenggang's seniority, he was once again appointed as the overall commander for the Ninghaizhou direction, with Lu Chuanzong also under his jurisdiction.

Everyone in the tent was a soldier, and there were none of the intricate plots that Chen Xin had to consider. Dai Zhenggang spoke directly to his subordinates: "The main-army patrol riders from Lu Chuanzong's side have already set out. They are responsible for clearing the road from Ninghaizhou to the Fushan county border. Our own patrol riders will also set out immediately. Do not delay along the way. Follow the official road straight to the seat of Fushan County. You are responsible for intercepting any returning rebel patrol riders within Fushan County. Remember, do not chase and fight recklessly. Just hold the key points on the official road and force them to change course and detour, so they cannot transmit intelligence back to the rebels in time."

The patrol rider squad commander immediately accepted the order and left the tent ahead of the others. These night scouts always traveled ahead of the main army. Dai Zhenggang turned to Wang Zhangfu. "Zhangfu, the reserve battalion hasn't trained for long. Arrange your marching order behind my unit so as not to impede the combat soldiers' march."

Wang Zhangfu's face showed no displeasure. Dai Zhenggang was the overall commander for the Ninghai direction, and he had long been mentally prepared. Even if he felt unhappy, he had to agree readily. Although the reserve battalion had many men, it had yet to prove its worth, whereas the combat battalion had long since made a name for itself across the land. The Battle of Shenmi Island had also demonstrated the gap between the two battalions. After Chen Xin promoted him, he had spoken with him, always emphasizing loyalty. Wang Zhangfu more or less knew it was related to his reporting of the Dengzhou emissary. Although he looked big and burly, his mind was actually quite thorough. After grasping Chen Xin's intent, he and Huang Side had racked their brains to cultivate loyalty, paying even more attention to the indoctrination officers than before. Chen Xin had immediately afterward raised the equipment level of the reserve battalion and told him that within the year, the reserve battalion would be converted into regular troops. Wang Zhangfu believed he was on the right track.

Wang Zhangfu saw the hope of entering the army's first tier. However, the army also valued seniority, and both Dai Zhenggang and Lu Chuanzong had previously been his superiors, so he was still keeping a low profile for now. Now, during wartime, he had to perform even better. Knowing Chen Xin's style, loyalty alone without ability would not suffice.

Dai Zhenggang continued, "Our patrol riders have traveled this road from Ninghai to Dengzhou many times, and the forced-march plan was made long ago. Two hundred and forty li of road must be covered in a day and a half. We must arrive outside Dengzhou city by noon the day after tomorrow at the latest, and be ready for battle at any time. We've trained for so long, there's nothing difficult about it. With auxiliaries helping to carry the iron armor and over a hundred horse-drawn and mule-drawn carts, what do you say, Wang Zhangfu?"

"Nothing to say. The reserve battalion won't hold the main army back."

"Good. Then proceed according to the forced-march plan. From now on, these are military orders. Anyone who fails to comply will answer to Chief Military Judge Nie. Dismissed."

The men answered in unison and each returned to their unit. A quarter-hour later, the Fourth Company of the Second Battalion was the first to leave the main camp. The subsequent units followed closely behind. The column of over a thousand men quickly transformed into a long serpent writhing with torchlight, winding its way westward. Behind them, the eastern horizon had just begun to show the first light of dawn.