Chapter 259: North and South

"Where's the spear?"

"Lost it."

"I'll teach you to lose it! Teach you to lose it!" The squad leader cursed as he kicked Guan Dadi hard. After issuing the pursuit order, he had quickly intended to recall the squad, but he was so exhausted and out of breath that he failed to blow his whistle for ages, and this reckless soldier had chased off without a trace. He sent several men to find him but they couldn't, and when he came back, he had actually lost his spear.

The military judge nearby came over with a torch, flipped open Guan Dadi's waist tag to check the number, and recorded it in his little notebook. Guan Dadi stared blankly at the two officers, not knowing what to say. On his way back, he had run into several mutinous soldiers emerging from an alley; both sides had been startled. After he killed one, his spearhead got stuck. Without the courage of the group, he panicked, abandoned it, and ran.

Only after finishing his notes did the military judge ask, "You chased them all the way to the river?"

"Ah, yeah, yeah."

"How many did you kill?"

"I dunno, the ground was covered with people, can't tell which ones I killed."

His platoon leader gave him another fierce kick, making Guan Dadi's whole body shudder. After kicking him, the platoon leader turned to the military judge and said ingratiatingly, "Military Judge, you see, Guan Dadi didn't do it on purpose. It was my whistle that didn't sound. He got dizzy in the fight and charged that far; it won't happen again. But after all, he was eager to kill the enemy, and he alone drove the rebel soldiers across the river. Considering how many rebels he killed, please be lenient."

The military judge shook his head, somewhat at a loss. Chen Xin demanded both obedience to discipline and encouragement of bravery. Right now, he didn't know whether to encourage or punish Guan Dadi. However, he was certain that this violation of orders had no negative impact on the battle and could be dealt with later, leaving the headache to the chief military judge of the battle group.

"If he killed many, there will naturally be a reward, but a violation is a violation. Breaking formation during combat, breaching combat regulations, losing a primary weapon—all recorded in the book..."

Before the military judge could finish, Zhong Laosi's raspy voice rang out from the front. "Record my ass! Guan Dadi, you did great! Your damn brain is dumber than a Guandi Temple, but you're way fiercer at killing than your brother. I've never seen a soldier this fierce. Even the combat troops on the tower were scared stiff. You're exactly the kind of soldier I want."

The military judge's face showed displeasure as he continued recording the violation on his own. Zhong Laosi, having just recalled the assault troops and swapped in the second rank of spearmen, had taken some time to deploy the formation and arrived a bit late. Seeing the military judge still writing, he came over and, without further ado, snatched the notebook and flung it far away. He said brashly, "I told you to stop writing, damn it. Even if Nie Hong comes, I'll say the same thing. I'm not afraid even if this lawsuit goes before Lord Chen."

"You damn..." The military judge, in a moment of anger, pointed at Zhong Laosi's nose and started cursing.

Zhong Laosi tilted his head back and stared at him. "You damn what? I've been in every fight since Zuoqi Mountain. What damn year did you show up? Point at me again, and I'll chop your finger off."

The military judge and he glared at each other like fighting cocks. After a long moment, the judge finally stepped back two paces and said harshly, "Company Commander Zhong, don't forget you have no authority over military law. The military judge is the sole officer in charge of military law. I will definitely report this to the superiors." With that, he ran off to pick up his notebook and passed through the gate arch to supervise the newly deployed troops.

Guan Dadi stared at Zhong Laosi, his heart full of gratitude, but he didn't know how to express it. The soldiers around who heard this all felt that Guan Dadi hadn't done much wrong and were filled with respect for this commander, though also a bit worried for him. Zhong Laosi, however, didn't care at all. He waved his hand and said, "I'll cover this for you. Damn it, you won the fight—how can that be wrong? Not only will you not be punished, but I'll also report your battle merit and apply for a First-Class White Blade Assault Medal. If you don't get it, I'll go to the Central Staff Department and argue it out with Lord Chen myself."

Just then, a sharp whistle sounded from the tower. The soldiers in the barbican all looked up. A firework shot into the sky and burst into a ball of green flame.

"Green firework, the north gate is secured."

Zhu Guobin beside him reminded him. Chen Xin, sitting on his horse at the foot of Mishen Shan, glanced northward, and his heart relaxed. As long as Zhenhaimen was in hand, the plan had basically succeeded.

He had led his troops on a rapid march from Pingshan, leaving even the artillery behind. Upon arrival, the Seventh Company and the Fourth Platoon of the Reserve Battalion launched a fierce surprise attack on this large camp from the south. The able-bodied among the rebels had been transferred to the assault on Dengzhou and then all ran into the city to loot everywhere. Only the old, weak, and forcibly conscripted laborers remained. Battalion Commander Fan Shouye personally directed the Seventh Company and Fourth Platoon as they suddenly appeared from the south. They hadn't even taken a few arrows before they breached the sturdy stockade. Not much gold or silver was found inside—it had likely all been carried off by the rebels—but supplies like grain, fodder, cloth, and silk were piled high as mountains. The laborers in the camp panicked and stampeded, throwing the entire camp into chaos. The mopping-up of the camp was still ongoing; in the darkness, many people were running wild, and the camp could not yet be fully controlled.

Outside the south gate of Dengzhou, torches lay scattered everywhere. The sounds of shouting and killing there had gradually faded. The gates of Chaotianmen were tightly shut, and the top of the wall was in an uproar, with constant gunfire and cannon fire outward. Outside the city, the sounds of some bugles and bamboo whistles could be heard. Chen Xin knew it was the Eighth Company regrouping.

Now that the north gate was secured, Chen Xin felt relieved. Originally, he had planned to commit two combat companies to Zhenhaimen, but a group of rebel reinforcements was spotted advancing toward Mishen Shan from the south gate, forcing him to deploy the Eighth Company to intercept them. The relief rebels clearly had no experience in night fighting; their command system was useless in the darkness. In contrast, Wendeng Camp's combat troops conducted night battle training several times a month. Although problems still existed, the integrity of their command system could be guaranteed. The rebels were even still carrying torches after engaging, making them the most obvious targets. After a brief resistance, they quickly fell into chaos and fled in the darkness toward the south gate and westward.

After the main army arrived, Zhou Shifa sent a subordinate to report on the situation at Zhenhaimen. Upon discovering the arrival of Wendeng Camp's main force, the rebels had launched several fierce attacks. The defending combat troops and action teams kept setting fire to houses along Zhenhaimen Street, blocking the rebel momentum layer by layer. The rebels then switched to attacking from the city wall, and the assault was extremely intense; even Zhou Shifa himself had joined the fighting on the wall. The signal from the tower now indicated that the combat troops had arrived in time to repel the mutineers, and both the city wall and Zhenhaimen Street were secured.

As for the situation inside the city, Zhou Shifa and Zhang Dong estimated that the rebels had already swept clean most of the wealthy households. Because of the large population of Liaodong refugees in the city, years of accumulated resentment had erupted all at once. Many Liaodong civilians looted spontaneously, causing enormous destruction in scope and intensity. They slaughtered each other along with the locals, resulting in heavy casualties within the city. Great fires raged in the north and south of the city, and many houses were burned down. The area north of Caoqiao up to Zhenhaimen was particularly severe due to the action teams' deliberate arson, leaving only parts of the northwest and northeast areas intact.

Chen Xin asked the adjutant behind him, "Has anyone reported from Dai Zhenggang's side? When can they arrive?"

The adjutant immediately replied, "No news. Two more relay riders have been sent to scout. They've probably sent riders too; it'll be hard to find our position after dark."

Chen Xin nodded, feeling slightly annoyed. Most of the two-hundred-twenty-li route for Dai Zhenggang and his men was on official roads; by forced march, they should arrive around noon tomorrow. But without definite news now, Chen Xin felt very passive. The main issue was whether the Eighth Company should be sent to Zhenhaimen or not.

Wendeng Camp held the north gate and Mishen Shan to the south. Since the artillery was still lagging behind, they had no significant advantage in firepower. Neither direction held absolute superiority, and mutual reinforcement required going around half of Dengzhou city, with all movements under the surveillance of the city walls. Once daylight came, it would be easy for the enemy inside to determine their strength and movements. The rebels currently held the interior lines within the city, making their troop movements more convenient and concealed. The most combat-effective rebels numbered around three thousand, but there were many soldiers from Dongjiang in the city. Adding those rioting Liaodong civilians, they could easily rally over ten thousand men. If they concentrated their attack on one point, things could get dicey.

Wendeng Camp had only two thousand five hundred troops here, including five hundred auxiliary soldiers. Although they also carried weapons like waist swords and sword-staves, they had been helping the combat troops carry iron armor the whole way, expending a great deal of stamina. With little peacetime training, they were not yet a reliable force.

Zhu Guobin understood Chen Xin's concerns. During their discussion at Pingshan, he had originally believed the entire army should enter the city through Zhenhaimen. But now that Dai Zhenggang and the others had not arrived, the mutineers might flee from this direction toward Laiyang and then go cause trouble in Wendeng. Even though Zhu Guobin thought these mutineers wouldn't dare go to Wendeng, he couldn't guarantee it completely. All of Wendeng Camp's troops were now at Dengzhou; if a large group of routed soldiers ran to Wendeng, the losses would be incalculable. So in his heart, he agreed with splitting the forces to hold the north and south. Later, after breaking through Mishen Shan, they discovered a large quantity of cloth and silk here. Zhu Guobin, originally a pirate, also knew about Chen Xin's maritime trade business. These silks and cloths were all silver. There were even more grain, fodder, oxen, horses, and carts that the rebels hadn't had time to move. Given Chen Xin's nature, he would never abandon them, so holding Mishen Shan had become a necessity.

He thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "My lord, I believe the Eighth Company should still be sent to the north gate. The Mishen Shan camp is seven li from the city, controlling the official road to Qixia. We don't need to seal the south gate; just guarding Mishen Shan is enough. Leave behind the Seventh Combat Company and the Fourth Platoon of the Reserve Battalion. I will personally lead the cavalry battalion to coordinate. That makes a thousand men here, plus three hundred auxiliary soldiers to assist. Once the Seventh Company enters the city, Zhenhaimen won't need to be defended to the death. We can extend the defense line to Caoqiao, forcing the rebels to deploy men south of Caoqiao to respond. Also, send two hundred auxiliary soldiers into the city; they can at least throw stones and javelins from the wall, and if necessary, they can fight. Our auxiliary soldiers are no worse than ordinary battalion troops. Besides, the four hundred cavalry I trained according to your lordship's guidance should be worth twice their number in ordinary troops, more than enough to keep this camp secure."

After listening, Chen Xin nodded, accepting the plan Zhu Guobin proposed. Because he had been planning this battle for so long, he wanted both to gain profit and avoid excessive losses, making him somewhat indecisive. Zhu Guobin, unaware of so many schemes, could instead grasp the key points at once.

Seeing Chen Xin's approval, Zhu Guobin continued, "The rebels spent today looting and killing throughout the city, their men scattered everywhere. Zhou Shifa's reports also say the city is still very chaotic. It's even less likely they can assemble troops tonight. Even if Li Jiucheng can gather his men tomorrow, the commanders won't know their soldiers, and the soldiers won't know their commanders. There's no way to whip those scattered soldiers and rioting civilians into a proper army overnight. Dai Zhenggang should arrive tomorrow. We're not the ones who need to be anxious. After dawn, we just need to firmly hold the Mishen Shan camp and the Zhenhaimen barbican. If we don't come out of camp, the rebels can't determine our numbers. We can also use a small trick: before dawn, escort a batch of newly captured mutineers out of camp, change them into some uniforms and helmets, and after daylight, have them openly march back from the direction of Qixia. The rebels on the wall won't see clearly and will only think more troops have arrived."

Chen Xin's appreciation for Zhu Guobin grew. Based on his several performances, Zhu Guobin was more suited for the role of chief of staff than Liu Pojun. Yet Chen Xin also felt Zhu Guobin had great decisiveness, making him more useful as a frontline commander in this era where communication basically relied on legs.

Zhu Guobin's words steadied his heart considerably. After thinking it through once more, he spoke: "Have the Eighth Company regroup and enter Zhenhaimen. Once inside, organize into combat teams to sortie and harass the east of the city, and create a feint attack near Caoqiao to draw the rebels' attention. The remaining troops outside the city will finish mopping up the Mishen Shan camp, then rest in rotation." After speaking, he told the adjutant beside him, "Tell Zhou Shifa, if Li Jiucheng sends someone to Zhenhaimen to negotiate, talk with him. Stall for time."