Chapter 365: Ambush

By late May, Dengzhou Garrison pressed forward step by step, and the roving bandits in Lin County fought repeated skirmishes of mounted scouts with Dengzhou Garrison. Cao Wenzhao from Shanxi suddenly attacked Licheng, and bandits from all over Licheng fled toward Wu'an and She County. Other Ming armies were also quickening their pace. The Shanxi Ming army blocked the bandits' route back west to Shaanxi, while the Xuan–Da and Qin armies squeezed southward from the north. Bandits in Pingshun fled in droves to Lin County. Ever since Dengzhou Garrison appeared at Cixian, the roving bandits in Wu'an had also been shifting through the mountains toward Lin County.

Chen Xin's advance was not fast — he covered barely thirty li a day. After Cao Wenzhao captured Licheng, he swept the area between Licheng and She County and established contact with Lu Xiangsheng and Deng Qi on the eastern side of Mount Taixing. The two forces advanced in step on either side of Mount Taixing, squeezing the bandits' room to maneuver.

After Cao Wenzhao moved south, he quickly recovered Pingshun. Within a few days, the roving bandits in Lin County already exceeded forty thousand. Although the bandits had grown in number, Chen Xin had also found allies: Deng Qi's Sichuan army was pursuing along the mountains from Wu'an, and Lu Xiangsheng was passing through Cixian to prevent the bandits from bolting eastward, only fifty li from Chen Xin. Also in Lin County was Zuo Liangyu.

Chen Xin's camp was thirty li from Lin County, in an area of low hills at the center of the Lin County basin. The Huan River flowed through the basin. This river, which rises in the Longlu Mountains of the Taihang range, brought precious water to the basin. The famous Yin Ruins lie on the banks of the Huan River in the Anyang section.

However precious the Huan River's water source, it was of no use at that moment. Every village without a stockade had been overrun, and the population had been carried off to the last person. In places with stockades, a few people could be seen tilling the fields, but they were like startled birds. The moment they saw anyone approach, they all fled back inside their stockades. No matter how the Dengzhou troops explained themselves, the villagers would not sell them a single thing, nor provide any intelligence. The moment anyone came near the stockade wall, they threw stones and shot arrows.

Chen Xin felt as if he were marching behind enemy lines. Not only was it impossible to purchase anything, but hostility was everywhere. Those common folk seemed to have a poor impression of both government troops and roving bandits. Some fields had been planted with crops that had not yet reached the harvest season, but they had already been destroyed. The remaining common folk in Lin County were destined for a very hard year.

In the basin, besides the Dengzhou troops, there were also Changping troops, and Lu Xiangsheng was right behind them. The roving bandits had shifted from scattered to concentrated, and the Ming armies had done the same. The Eight Great Kings still had not appeared. The strongest force in Lin County was the Sweeping King; the others were Scorpion Block, Heaven-Rising Monkey, Star-Crossing Heaven, and Little Wench, while small bands were beyond counting. They were deathly afraid of Cao Wenzhao, but toward the likes of Chen Xin and Lu Xiangsheng they did not have that deep-rooted fear.

The Henan Provincial Governor, Xuan Mo, had finally been contacted. He gave Chen Xin an order, appointing Chen Xin, the Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent, to lead the several forces east of the Taihang Mountains, including the commands of Deng Qi, Zuo Liangyu, and Zhang Fengyi, but made no mention of Lu Xiangsheng. This appointment was quite fitting: among these reinforcing and exterminating officers, Chen Xin was the only one who was a seal-holding Regional Commander and also Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent; few others outranked him.

After receiving the appointment, Chen Xin sent repeated messengers to contact the Sichuan troops and Zuo Liangyu. At that time, Zuo Liangyu was southeast of the Lin County seat. He had just been ambushed by the Sweeping King and had lost over twenty of his retainers. Discovering that the roving bandits in Lin County were growing more numerous, he immediately switched to digging deep moats and raising high ramparts to hold firm.

Chen Xin's mounted scouts had a hard time locating Zuo Liangyu. After receiving Chen Xin's order, Zuo Liangyu hurriedly made a detour under the escort of his retainers to come over.

Zuo Liangyu wore a suit of exquisite mountain-pattern armor, which was lighter than iron armor and looked very imposing — the favorite armor of late Ming officers. On the road he encountered several bands of bandit cavalry. Zuo Liangyu's retainers each had two horses and managed to evade the bandits' interception, reaching Chen Xin's station at Heshunji.

Heshunji lay at the edge of the Lin County basin, a little over thirty li north by east of the county seat. It was an important route from Lin County to Northern Zhili. Controlling this point would prevent the bandits from fleeing northeast into Northern Zhili. It was also only a dozen or so li from the main road coming from She County, making it possible to strike at any time at bandits coming from that direction.

Directly east of Heshunji was a zone of gentle hills connecting to Changzhendian in Anyang. The Dengzhou Garrison vanguard was stationed at Tuntou, eight li from Heshunji. After Zuo Liangyu approached Tuntou, many Dengzhou mounted scouts appeared around him. Unlike the red uniforms of the Dengzhou troops, most of them wore khaki or green uniforms.

The Dengzhou relay rider who had delivered the order to Zuo Liangyu pulled out a back-banner and stuck it behind his back. The mounted scouts came over to ask a few questions and then paid him no more attention. As they drew closer, on the surrounding hilltops one could see observation cavalry everywhere, and on the hillsides sat rows of Dengzhou troops.

Seeing this disposition, Zuo Liangyu felt reassured. The Dengzhou troops occupied every high point; it was absolutely impossible for bandit scouts to get within ten li, and any large bandit force would be discovered the moment it came within twenty li. He had seen the Wendeng Battalion fight during the Four Cities campaign — they were extremely fierce. Later he had also heard that Chen Xin had repeatedly defeated the Jianzhou Bandits. Zuo Liangyu was quite confident in the fighting strength of Dengzhou Garrison. He had cooperated with Chen Xin at Luanzhou and was not worried that Chen Xin would turn out to be a fleeing general like the Zu family army.

Inside the military camp, discipline was strict and everything was in perfect order. There were no deep moats or high ramparts around it, showing that Dengzhou Garrison did not take those tens of thousands of roving bandits seriously.

After waiting a moment in front of the main tent, Zuo Liangyu was led inside and met the long-absent Dengzhou Regional Commander, Chen Xin.

"General Zuo, we have not seen each other for several years, and now your name resounds across the Central Plains — truly gratifying and worthy of congratulations." Chen Xin came over with a hearty laugh, without the slightest airs. Zuo Liangyu, however, could not behave the same way. This was, after all, a seal-holding general, a proper general in the fullest sense. He hurriedly knelt to pay his respects to Chen Xin.

Chen Xin helped him up and said with a smile, "Back during the Four Cities campaign, General Zuo and Regional Commander Cao joined forces and repeatedly thwarted the Jianzhou Bandits' attempts in field battles, bottling them up east of Fengrun. This official still remembers that among the Jizhou relief armies at the time, the two generals were the ones most talked about."

Having received such praise, Zuo Liangyu was naturally in a very good mood. The man before him was no ordinary officer. Others all shied away from fighting the Tatars, yet this Chen Xin insisted on going after them, and every time he could bring back quite a few Tatar heads. Zuo Liangyu had spent time in the Guanning Army and knew how formidable the Tatars were, so from the bottom of his heart he admired Chen Xin.

Chen Xin cheerfully introduced the other men in the tent. Zuo Liangyu greeted them one by one. When he heard the name Geng Zhongming, he paused slightly; it seemed Geng Zhongming's name was far more famous than those of Zhu Daichun and the others.

After everyone was seated, Chen Xin discussed with Zuo Liangyu the matter of dealing with the roving bandits in Lin County.

Zuo Liangyu had been fighting roving bandits for a longer time. He said respectfully to Chen Xin, "My lord, with the strength of Dengzhou Garrison, routing the bandits is not difficult, but surrounding them in Lin County will be hard. According to this subordinate's many days of scouting in Lin County, the roving bandits now number close to forty thousand. They are moving south of the county seat, but very slowly. From this subordinate's experience dealing with them, when they move this slowly, they either want to lure Your Lordship into attacking them, or they are waiting for other roving bandits to gather."

Chen Xin stroked his chin. He reckoned the bandits were about as concentrated as they were going to get. He had five thousand troops, plus the help of Geng Zhongming and Zuo Liangyu; defeating the bandits should be possible. Behind him there was also Lu Xiangsheng, but he was a civil official. Chen Xin worried that operating alongside a civil official would tie his hands, and it would also be hard to divide the military merits afterward, so he had not contacted Lu Xiangsheng to send troops. Lu Xiangsheng's current position in the eastern part of Lin County could block the bandits from fleeing toward Zhangde, which was also necessary.

"General Zuo, at present your position is in the south, my Dengzhou Garrison is in the north, and Regional Commander Deng Qi's Sichuan army is still on the way. The various bands of roving bandits are all converging on the county seat. This official intends to deal them a severe blow. Once my main army has routed the main bandit force, I ask General Zuo to intercept and kill them on the southern side. Do not let them escape to Weihui Prefecture."

Zuo Liangyu agreed wholeheartedly. "Please rest assured, Lord Chen, this lowly general will certainly intercept them. It is only that the bandits are so numerous; this lowly general worries that Your Lordship may find it hard to hold out alone. If Your Lordship does not disdain it, this subordinate is willing to lead his troops and join forces with Your Lordship at one location."

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"No need. General Zuo's current position is excellent. Just remain where you are, send out plenty of scouts to reconnoiter, hold your camp securely, and do not let the bandits slip through any gap."

Zuo Liangyu could only say, "This lowly general obeys. But please, my lord, be careful as well. These roving bandits are extremely crafty; you must be cautious when pursuing them." …

On the twenty-third day of the fifth month of the sixth year of the Chongzhen reign, Dengzhou Garrison left camp and marched toward the Lin County seat. Many bandit cavalry appeared in the vicinity, keeping a distant watch on the Dengzhou troops the whole way. Just as Zuo Liangyu had said, they were waiting for Dengzhou Garrison to attack them. Moving at the same time was a portion of the Sichuan army, advancing along the Taihang Mountains to prevent any bandits from fleeing again through the Zhang River valley toward She County.

At noon, the Dengzhou Fifth Battalion reached a ford on the Huan River. Bandit cavalry lined the riverbank, confronting the Dengzhou mounted scouts across the water. After the recent bandit concentration, they had intensified their counter-scout operations, and Dengzhou Garrison's usual reconnaissance ended here.

Chen Xin made a rough count: on the riverbank alone there were over a hundred cavalry, carrying all sorts of bows and arrows. Many were bare-chested — hardly what one would call well-equipped — but their riding skills were all superb. Zhu Daichun sent out mounted scouts and reinforced them with a cavalry company to drive off those bandit horsemen. But this time the bandits were quite tenacious, and more cavalry appeared on the ridge behind them, especially to the southwest. They were doing their utmost to block the Dengzhou scouts.

"My lord, these bandits are luring our cavalry to pursue to the southwest. There may be an ambush in the hills to the southeast," Zhu Daichun said in a deep voice. "They are strenuously blocking our cavalry because they want us to send infantry across the river, so that it will be inconvenient for us to withdraw."

Chen Xin surveyed the scene. The opposite bank was all rolling hills; those folds in the terrain could conceal many troops. What Zhu Daichun said was highly likely.

"Then let them try. Recall the scouts. Have Old Fourth Zhong's Second Regiment cross the river first. Attach the First Regiment's heavy weapons banner company and the Guards Battalion artillery company to them. Tell him to establish a bridgehead quickly."

The Second Regiment's First Company soon began crossing the river. The bandit cavalry probed a little, and after several of their riders were killed by gunfire, they withdrew to the southwest. There they halted their horses upright on the hilltops, preventing the Dengzhou Garrison scouts from reconnoitering.

The Second Regiment deployed each company as soon as it crossed, forming a solid bridgehead. Their speed in crossing and forming ranks was extremely fast. Once the formation was complete, the regimental standard moved forward, and the entire regimental headquarters advanced a stretch to the beat of drums. After the ford was cleared, the Third Regiment began crossing. There was still no movement from the opposite side.

"Battalion Commander Zhu, cross the river first and take command of the troops that have crossed. Then send scouts to reconnoiter. Have observation cavalry occupy the ridges. Carry out everything according to regulations. If there are places with dense grass and trees that are hard to scout, you may set fire to the hills."

"Yes." Zhu Daichun led the battalion staff and his personal guards across the river first. Chen Xin stayed on this side to urge on the rear echelon. The Third Regiment also began crossing.

The Dengzhou cavalry made one charge and broke through the blocking line to the southeast. A dozen or so mounted scouts crossed the ridge on that side, then swiftly turned back waving red flags, blowing shrill whistles all the way as they retreated.

"There are ambushers on the south bank, numbering over ten thousand," the operations staff officer reported to Chen Xin based on the scouts' flag signals.

On the hills of the south bank, dense shadows of figures emerged. From every mountain pass, roving bandits surged out like a tide. Their clothing was a riot of colors, cascading down from the hills like a motley carpet. Their ambush had been discovered by the Dengzhou mounted scouts, so they could only come out ahead of time and take the initiative to attack the ford.

A continuous sound of bugles rose from the Second Regiment, which had already crossed the river. Old Fourth Zhong's identification flag waved unceasingly, distributing orders to the various companies.

"The roving bandits actually dare to come." Chen Xin muttered to himself. He had encountered such a mid-crossing strike once before, back when he was a Company Commander at Weihai. He had been somewhat afraid then. Now, with a strong army in his hands, he did not fear the bandits in this kind of battle in a narrow ford area. Although the bandits could strike while his troops were mid-crossing, Dengzhou Garrison's flanks and rear would also be protected by the river. That was why Chen Xin insisted on having the vanguard cross the river first, to lure the bandits into attacking.

"My lord, this subordinate requests permission to cross the river first."

Chen Xin turned his head. Geng Zhongming had ridden up beside him. He could not help but smile. "General Geng, are your hands itching?"

Geng Zhongming smiled obsequiously. "As Your Lordship says, it has been a long time since I killed anyone, and my hands are itching terribly. These rats dare to offend Your Lordship's tiger-like might. This humble one finds it stifling to watch. I beg Your Lordship to permit this humble one to lead his retainers into battle."

Chen Xin thought for a moment. Since Geng Zhongming was eager to prove himself, he might as well let him join the fight and pick up some military merit along the way.

"After the Third Regiment has finished crossing, lead your retainers across the river and form up in the rear of the left flank."

Geng Zhongming imitated the Dengzhou Garrison soldiers' style of salute, then wheeled his horse and went back.

Chen Xin stood up in his stirrups and raised his telescope to observe the battlefield. Roving bandits were still pouring out from the ambush's hill zone, covering the hills and filling the valleys as if there were no end to them. He estimated their numbers were approaching twenty thousand — though of course that included the old and weak.

It seemed the roving bandits had long been looking forward to this battle. They were habitual runaways, but whenever they found an opportunity, they would concentrate their strength and bite back. And such concentrations of theirs were often entirely unplanned — they would just join forces and pull a job whenever they bumped into each other, making it impossible for government troops to guard against. In the first half of this year alone, the Ming army had lost to the bandits four officers of Mobile Corps Commander rank and above, including Tao Xiqian and Zhao Xiaozhong.

Though Chen Xin faced over ten thousand roving bandits, he felt not the slightest tension. His telescope swept across the hilltops opposite. After passing one hilltop, he hastily moved it back. There was a large banner on it, bearing several large black characters: "Eight Great Kings, Upholding Heaven's Way." Beside it was Scorpion Block's banner.

Chen Xin shook his head and put away his telescope. No wonder the bandits dared to fight — so the Eight Great Kings had arrived. The main force of the roving bandits east of the Taihang Mountains was all here. The Ming armies in this direction were blocking them front and rear, and the bandits' room to maneuver was being squeezed. Their choice to fight a battle here was not random.

"You don't dare fight Cao Wenzhao, you don't dare fight the Sichuan army, but you do dare come fight my Dengzhou Garrison. Eight Great Kings, today I'll make you remember this: Dengzhou Garrison is just as unfightable as Cao Wenzhao."