Chapter 262: Reinforcements

Horseshoes struck the bluestone slabs with crisp, clear sounds. A cavalryman galloped across the Straw Bridge and returned to the southern bridgehead. An officer from the Wendeng Battalion sauntered to the center of the northern bridgehead, stood with his hands clasped behind his back and his feet planted wide, and looked over with an expression of utter arrogance.

Li Jiucheng summoned the returning cavalryman in a temporarily commandeered market shop and asked impatiently, "What did the Wendeng Battalion people say? Did they see Chen Xin?"

The retainer wiped his face and replied, "I didn't see him. I was led to the Zhenhai Gate. A squad commander from the Wendeng Battalion came out to receive the dispatch, then sent me back."

"They said nothing else?"

"Only that they must request a decision from Chen Xin and Army Supervisor Lü."

A trace of disappointment flickered across Li Jiucheng's face. Sun Yuanhua was practically the lifeline he had seized. The Wendeng Battalion was garrisoned in two locations, one north and one south, and there were still troops over in Ninghai Prefecture. Although the city was full of mutinous soldiers, their morale was low; most had no desire to fight to the death and only wanted to flee with whatever they had looted.

The only escape route left was to the southwest, which led to Laizhou. If they fled as scattered deserters, they would be unable to carry provisions and would be no match for the Shandong troops over there. Li Jiucheng demanded that the officers make it clear to the soldiers: the Liaodong soldiers could only survive by sticking together.

Geng Zhongming was also present. Having already secured a way out, he was completely at ease, though he kept his brow tightly furrowed. He said to Li Jiucheng, "That Chen Xin bombarded the eastern wall this morning. Their cannons fired as fast as arrows. A long stretch of the parapet on the east wall was knocked down, and the men originally stationed there have all pulled back a hundred paces. Their troops are appearing everywhere along the Hua River, so I had no choice but to dispatch my own men to guard the riverbank."

Li Jiucheng said, "Now we just wait for their reply. All of you go assemble your men. Separate out the old brothers into their own units and bring them near the Bell Tower. The three sides of the wall can be defended with some rabble. If Chen Xin pushes us too far, we'll fight them to the death inside the city."

The rebel officers all nodded grimly. Kong Youde's face was already full of dejection. He had been at the south gate the entire time and had personally witnessed the reinforcements he sent being routed like dry twigs by the enemy. After daybreak, another thousand men had arrived from Qixia. If the city walls were solid, they would have nothing to fear, but now, with Zhenhai Gate as this stubborn holdout, they had nothing left to rely on.

Kong Youde glanced at the others' faces and said quietly, "If Chen Xin truly intends to attack, our men cannot stop him. I think we need not demand overly high terms. As long as we can preserve our lives and property, that will suffice."

Li Jiucheng cut him off coldly. "Without soldiers, who can protect your life and property? Never mind Chen Xin — Lü Zhi is no good fellow either. If you have wealth but no troops, you are meat on the chopping block, ready for any passing officer to cut you down."

Kong Youde knew that what Li Jiucheng said was the truth. His heart was vexed, and he could not help but complain, "When we first reached Dengzhou, I told you to honestly hand over that forty percent share, but you didn't believe me. Now look where we are."

Li Jiucheng's brows shot up, and he was about to rebuke Kong Youde when a retainer ran to the door and reported, "My lord, someone from the Wendeng Battalion has arrived. They request to see Lord Sun."

The officers in the room all stood up. At this moment, Kong Youde ignored Li Jiucheng and directly shouted, "Quickly, take them to see him. Who would believe just a written dispatch? Naturally, they must verify it with Lord Sun in person. Hurry."

The other officers all urged the same, and no one waited for Li Jiucheng to decide. They all walked outside the market shop to watch the Wendeng Battalion representative approach. Chen Guangfu even eagerly went forward to guide the way, and together they headed toward the Penglai County government office.

Li Jiucheng's face was dark. The loose structure of the rebel forces revealed its flaws at this moment; his authority was far from sufficient to unify everyone's will. He then realized that the various officers would not actually transfer their elite troops to the Bell Tower. Perhaps they were all waiting to negotiate terms for individual amnesty.

"Hmph, a bunch of shortsighted fools." Geng Zhongming came to Li Jiucheng's side. "Even now, they're still scheming for their own petty gains. Don't they know that unity brings strength and division brings weakness? Without the power to fight, relying solely on groveling and fawning, how can they secure good terms of amnesty? I will stand with Lord Li through advance or retreat."

Seeing the indignant look on Geng Zhongming's face, Li Jiucheng nodded gratefully.

Li Jiucheng waited the entire morning. During that time, the various officers sent some assembled men to the Bell Tower, but most were rabble and disorderly civilians, far from the elite troops Li Jiucheng had demanded.

After the Wendeng Battalion men had seen Sun Yuanhua, Lü Zhi sent a minor eunuch over to see Sun Yuanhua as well and asked his intentions in person. After the eunuch returned, there was another round of waiting before the Wendeng Battalion finally sent someone to negotiate terms. Their first demand was that, since countless people had died in Dengzhou and the Emperor would surely be furious, the matter could not be settled without handing over some people. They demanded that the rebels first identify a group of the mutineers who had killed the most, to present to the imperial court, and they insisted on witnessing the executions themselves.

This very first demand sparked a fierce argument among the rebel leaders. Li Jiucheng believed it was a stratagem of Chen Xin's to sow discord, which would make every rebel fear for his own safety, and was absolutely unacceptable. But Kong Youde and others thought it could be accepted — they could simply seize some disorderly civilians or commoners, dress them in military uniforms, and cut off their heads to satisfy the requirement.

Just as the argument was at its most heated, a wave of cheering suddenly erupted from the north. The Flying Tiger Army flags atop the gate tower waved incessantly. The rebel officers looked at one another, utterly baffled as to what it meant. Even Geng Zhongming, the undercover agent, was clueless — he had no idea what new act Chen Xin was putting on.

The rebels near the southern bridgehead grew restless. Not daring to leave at this moment, Li Jiucheng dispatched retainers to keep order and ordered the artillerymen deployed in the street to begin loading, ready at any moment to meet an attack from the Wendeng Battalion.

A vague sense of unease crept into everyone's hearts as they waited for someone from the gate tower to report. Soon, Li Yingyuan came galloping over from the east gate on horseback. His face full of panic, he jumped down and said to the group in a low, urgent voice, "A large force is coming from the direction of Ninghai Prefecture — several thousand strong, I fear. The soldiers at the east gate are losing heart."

Li Jiucheng slammed his palm against the door. "We've been tricked again, damn it. Chen Xin was just using the negotiations to stall."

Outside Dengzhou's east gate, relay riders carrying back banners raced back and forth. On the official road, banners fluttered in the wind, and the red marching columns stretched as far as the eye could see. The barked orders of officers and the answering shouts of soldiers filled the air, while the dense, rumbling tread of footsteps echoed across the countryside.

Atop Wolong Ridge, three li southeast of the city, where a rebel outpost had once stood before being seized by the Wendeng Battalion cavalry, a red Vice Regional Commander's recognition flag now flew high on the slope. Chen Xin sat astride his horse beneath the banner, gazing at the troops to the east. A surge of heroic pride welled up in his heart. This was his army, the strongest army in the Great Ming. Though it was not yet large enough, it was already enough to make the other powers look on in awe.

Zhou Shifa stood behind Chen Xin. This mighty army gave him a feeling unlike any before. In the past, they had only a small force of formidable fighting strength, but now they possessed a momentum that could sweep across the land. The silhouette of Chen Xin before him had not moved for a long time. As Zhou Shifa thought back to the plans that had begun last year and the exhaustive scheming of recent days, it seemed that Lord Chen was after more than just promotion and wealth. Certain thoughts stirred in Zhou Shifa's heart, followed by a sudden chill.

A tidal wave of "Ten Thousand Victories" cheers surged forward, and Zhou Shifa's spirit involuntarily lifted, as if he had let go of his worries. With an army like this, anything was possible.

Dai Zhenggang's company commander banner galloped up the slope, followed by Liu Pojun, Wang Zhangfu, Lu Chuanzong, and others. They came before Chen Xin and rendered a solemn military salute. Dai Zhenggang said loudly, "Ninghai Battle Group commander Dai Zhenggang, leading the battle group's First and Second Combat Companies, the First Division of the Fourth Reserve Company, the Fifth and Sixth Companies, and the Second Provisional Auxiliary Battalion, has arrived. Awaiting your orders, sir."

Chen Xin returned the salute. The Ninghai Prefecture troops had carried only their field rations and had force-marched two hundred and twenty li in a day and a half, demonstrating extremely high tactical mobility. As long as he could establish a dense network of fortified villages and roads across Dengzhou and Laizhou to rely on, he would gain a significant advantage in maneuverability.

He was generally satisfied with Dai Zhenggang's performance. Nodding with a solemn expression, he said, "The First Combat Company, the Second Combat Company, and the First Division of the Fourth Reserve Company will immediately enter the barbican via the north gate to rest and reorganize. Wang Zhangfu will lead the Fifth Reserve Company to garrison the main camp at Mishen Shan and take over command of the area south of the city. Zhu Guobin will lead the cavalry battalion and the Sixth Company to garrison Wolong Ridge and take charge of command east of the city. For this battle, Liu Pojun is appointed deputy commander, with specific responsibility for operations outside the city. All units outside the city are to follow his orders. Inside the city, I will command personally."

Chen Xin's arrangement essentially placed the reserve battalions outside the city, the combat troops inside the city, and the cavalry at Wolong Ridge to support all sides. Dai Zhenggang and the others all noticed that the west side had not been assigned, and guessed it was a deliberate encirclement with one side left open, so they did not press the question.

"All of you, immediately lead your units to your designated positions. You have come a long way and are weary. You are granted one and a half shichen to rest and reorganize, after which the attack will commence. Today's objective is to retake the eastern part of the city."

The officers were somewhat displeased that Liu Pojun had been appointed deputy commander — after all, Liu Pojun had never independently commanded a large-scale battle — but seeing Chen Xin's resolute expression, none dared to question it further. They all mounted their horses and departed. Chen Xin kept Liu Pojun behind and said to him in a low voice, "Do you know why I am making you the commander outside the city?"

"I understand, sir. To leave the west side open." Liu Pojun had war-gamed the Dengzhou mutiny with Chen Xin many times and had a general idea of what was to be done.

"Correct. If the rebels leave, do not pursue them too fiercely. Let them go. You must come up with your own reasons to convince the others."

Liu Pojun swallowed hard. He now realized that this deputy commander role seemed more like a scapegoat's position, but it was one he could not refuse to shoulder.

In the market shop south of the Straw Bridge, the rebel officers wore varied expressions, each calculating his own interests. The large army outside the city was advancing both north and south. The northern detachment had already entered the city, numbering over two thousand men, superbly equipped and imposing in their military bearing.

They had no idea where Chen Xin had gotten so many troops. More than a shichen had passed since these troops entered the city, and though there was still no movement, every one of these officers had a bad premonition.

At that moment, a retainer came running with a letter and handed it to Li Jiucheng. "My lord, a letter shot over from the opposite side of the bridge."

Li Jiucheng opened it gently and passed it to the private secretary beside him. The secretary read it aloud softly: "Lü Zhi, Eunuch Superintendent of the Dengzhou and Laizhou Internal Affairs Directorate, hereby proclaims to the rebel and turncoat Li Jiucheng and those below him: Our Emperor, ever mindful of the hardships of the Liaodong people, charged the Governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou with taking you in and forming you into an army, earnestly hoping you would use it to recover the lost lands of Liaodong. Yet Li Jiucheng and his officers, instead of thinking of repaying this grace, first brought chaos to Wuqiao, ravaging several counties of Jinan Prefecture, and then brought chaos to Dengzhou, plunging it into misery. Their ferocity, greed, and contempt for the law, their coercion of superiors through deceit and reckless conduct — their towering evil is utterly unforgivable. Vice Regional Commander Chen Xin of Dengzhou Garrison has been ordered to exterminate them by a set deadline, as a warning to those who would follow..."

A cannon roared "boom" from the north, immediately followed by an unbroken string of cannon fire. White smoke billowed up from the north side of the Straw Bridge and from the northern city wall. After hearing the letter, everyone's faces turned ashen.

Li Jiucheng rose to his feet. At this moment, he had instead regained his composure. He said flatly, "Chen Xin wants to exterminate us completely. Then we shall fight him to the death." (To be continued.)