Chapter 356: Battalion Commander Zhu

"Provisional Fifth Battalion Commander Zhu Daichun."

"Present!"

"Provisional Fifth Battalion Training Officer Zhao Xuan."

"Present!"

"Fifth Battalion Assistant Regional Commander Zhong Caisheng!"...

Chen Xin asked, "Did the Judge Advocate's office say what the punishment would be?"

"Two days' confinement, twenty strokes of the army cane. Chief Judge Advocate Nie considers him a repeat offender and also wants to dock half a year's monthly pay and his retirement pension."

Chen Xin nodded and said nothing. Wang Mafu continued the roll call. When it was finished, only Zhong Laosi was absent.

Liu Minyou, beside him, leaned in and asked quietly, "This Zhong Laosi, do you really intend to promote him? He's been a troublemaker ever since the Weihai training days."

Chen Xin smiled but did not answer. He addressed everyone in the meeting room: "What we are discussing today is the matter of the roving bandits. These people are no longer the local bandits of the past. In Shanxi, they have repeatedly attacked county seats and there are even records of them using artillery. Almost every county south of Taiyuan has been devastated. Their tactics of raiding and plundering dictate that they will seek out new, prosperous regions to continue looting to supply their needs. North of Taiyuan Prefecture, they are close to the border troops of Xuan-Da and dare not go there. Westward, toward Shaanxi, lie the elite troops of the Three Border Garrisons of Shaanxi. Therefore, the only directions left for them to flee are east and south. The directive the Ministry of War issued to us is to go to Baoding Prefecture."

Wang Mafu picked up a bamboo pointer from the table and pointed at the map hanging high on the wall. "The roving bandits call themselves the Thirty-Six Camps, but in reality, there are far more than that number, large and small. Their current main area of activity is the region south of Taiyuan Prefecture. Shanxi has suffered successive years of drought. Wherever the roving bandits pass, they forcibly conscript people to join them. Any prisoner held in government offices who is willing to follow them is given clothes and weapons. Rioters from all over respond in droves. Their total numbers must be over two hundred thousand. Their elite troops are not many; all are mounted soldiers. Their logistics rely entirely on coerced followers looting along the way. Every place they pass is stripped bare, like a plague of locusts. Upon arrival, they first demand grain, fodder, horses, and mules, then gold, silver, and children. Women are bound together with ropes and tied up in courtyards." He was recording diligently. Hearing this, he frowned, raised his hand, and asked, "Is the number of their elite mounted soldiers known?"

Wang Mafu shook his head. "That is not easy to know. However, after the roving bandits entered Shanxi, many bandits and mountain brigands joined them along the way. Among them are quite a few border troops from the Shanxi Garrison who scattered after the Jisi Campaign. There should also be some deserters from the Ningxia and Yansui Garrisons. These men are..." He silently noted this down. Zhou Shifa, seated at the lower end, added, "Within Shanxi, there are also many bandits who were border troops sent to reinforce Liaodong in earlier years. They fled back from Liaodong but dared not return to their native places, so most became brigands in Shanxi. The combat skills of these men are naturally not comparable to those of mere refugees. I hear that quite a few have joined the roving bandits as well."

After Zhou Shifa finished his addition, Wang Mafu continued: "The strongest among the roving bandits is led by Zijin Liang. This man is called Wang Ziyong, a native of Suide in Shaanxi. He was formerly the Right Military Advisor to Wang Jiayin and escaped the net during the battle to exterminate Wang Jiayin. Next in strength are the forces of the Dashing King, the Dashing General, the Eighth Great King, the Old Hui, and the Dashing-Sky Collapser. In open field battles, they are no match for large formations, but they are extremely fond of using deception and often use internal collaborators when attacking cities. When facing these roving bandits in battle, one must not be the slightest bit careless or negligent. Marching and pursuit must strictly follow regulations. On our side, the imperial court's forces mainly consist of the troops of Lintao Regional Commander Cao Wenzhao, Shanxi Garrison Regional Commander Zhang Yingchang, Changping Vice Regional Commander Zuo Liangyu, Sichuan Army Regional Commander Deng Qi, Baoding Regional Commander Liang Fu, and Yansui Vice Generals Ai Wannian and He Renlong, among others."

"This time, the imperial court has ordered our Dengzhou Garrison to dispatch troops. Our garrison plans to send the Provisional Fifth Battalion. Lord Chen intends to lead the troops personally. The Logistics General Unit, Special Operations Unit, Central Army Reconnaissance Cavalry Unit, the various departments under Central Army Command, and the Intelligence Bureau must all send personnel to accompany the force."

Chen Xin interjected, "Including the Foreign Affairs Department."

The heads of the various departments attending the meeting quickly noted this down. Some departments had originally thought this had nothing to do with them, never imagining they would also have to detach personnel.

Chen Xin stood up and addressed everyone: "This campaign is different from previous ones. The operational area is vast, far exceeding anything before. From Pingding Prefecture in the north to Huaiqing Prefecture in the south, it spans Shanxi, Henan, and Northern Zhili. There are plains, as well as the thousand-mile stretches of the Taihang and Wangwu Mountains. The battlefield environment is also far more complex than before. The Fifth Battalion is a new unit, but I say there is no need to fear. No matter how seasoned a bandit is, he is still just a bandit. No matter how new our soldiers are, they are still soldiers. There are no soldiers who fear bandits. Our Fifth Battalion must not only fight, but grow stronger the more it fights. Next is the aspect of civil affairs coordination. I invite Lord Liu to make the arrangements."

Chen Xin finished speaking in a few sentences and sat down, gesturing for Liu Minyou to proceed. Liu Minyou cleared his throat before addressing the civil affairs personnel: "All civil affairs departments will likewise detach personnel to accompany the force. The main requirement is personnel proficient in garrison farming and water conservancy. Using ten fortified villages as a standard, the Civil Affairs Department must find local civilian registers on site. In places where conditions are suitable, establish stockades in private names and occupy the land, recruiting refugees locally to serve as support for our Dengzhou expeditionary force. Additionally, regarding the trading company's outposts, the two current locations in Kaifeng and Luoyang must continue to expand. South of the Taihang Mountains and north of the Yellow River, two new branch offices need to be established. All trading houses in Zhongzhou must deal in grain. Even if it means conceding some profits from other goods to local officials, we must ensure a foothold there. It must be guaranteed that the warehouses have over three thousand shi of grain at all times. For the performance evaluations of the branch offices in Henan and southern Northern Zhili, grain supply will be the top priority, with profit secondary..."...

"You originally led troops. Back when we only had a few dozen men, you were a squad leader. All these years, you have been constantly learning. Becoming a battalion commander is only right and proper. Opportunities are born from effort. I hear you have also been studying the accelerated cavalry course recently. If you hadn't performed well on a daily basis, the opportunity wouldn't have come to you on its own. Every bit of effort put in behind the scenes..." He felt quite proud in his heart. Receiving such praise from Chen Xin, he felt that his years of hard work had not been in vain. Starting from the Wendeng days, he had been transferred from the front line to specialize in training new recruits and reserve soldiers. The farmer-soldier system was also planned by Chen Xin and built single-handedly by Zhu Daichun. The Mandarin Duck Formation, the square formation, the artillery, and so on, all matured step by step under his hand. Now, nearly a hundred fortified villages and workshops had basically established farmer-soldier companies, managed by thirty Mobilization Commands. Once the personnel in the fortified villages were fully staffed, he could mobilize over twenty thousand reservists at once. These reservists had regular drill on normal days and, at intervals, would rotate through the three centralized training bases for intensive training. The massive reserve system of the Dengzhou Garrison owed a great deal to his contributions.

Even while so busy, he still found time to take the accelerated cavalry tactics course at the Military Academy to remedy this deficiency. In his heart, he also harbored a desire to compete with others. Now, he had finally received sufficient reward.

Chen Xin paused here, thought for a moment about his phrasing, and then said: "Our Dengzhou Garrison needs a foothold in the Central Plains, more because... we need manpower to protect the trading company's interests in the Central Plains region. Otherwise, our military pay would not be so ample."

"This time, I will personally lead the troops there. After we establish a foothold in the Central Plains, I will return to Denglai, and you will remain there. We must not only rotate troops for combat but also recruit qualified refugees locally, train them into an army, and manage a certain amount of garrison farming and commerce on site. In this way, we can reduce the supply pressure on Denglai. Only then will the trading company have a say locally. Otherwise, it will be like in Linqing, where we would be bullied by those gentry and princes."

"After the roving bandits have ravaged the area, there will be much ownerless land. Seize it."

"My lord, what if the local authorities inquire..."

"As for how to deal with the local authorities, that is a matter for the Foreign Affairs Department. They will know how to handle it. What you need to do is establish the kind of bandit-defense stockades common in Henan, while simultaneously recruiting and training refugees from good local families. This is your old profession. There is probably no one more suitable than you. This is also one of the reasons I am appointing you as commander of the Fifth Battalion."

Chen Xin did not stand on ceremony with Zhou Shifa. Once he was seated, he said directly, "The Intelligence Bureau's people must go ahead. Previously, the Central Plains region was a blank slate for us. We only had the trading company picking up some hearsay. There are three locations where we must immediately begin establishing dedicated intelligence stations: Luoyang, Kaifeng, and also Nanyang."

Zhou Shifa, upon hearing this, probed, "My lord, do you intend to plant internal collaborators to breach cities, or..."

Chen Xin turned his head and glared at him. "What breaching of cities? These locations are for gathering and analyzing intelligence, and also for carrying out some small-scale operations. There's no need to breach any cities. Also, regarding the Shanxi station deployment plan you submitted last time, you missed one location."

"Please advise, my lord."

"Zhangjiakou."