Chapter 390: Impregnable Fortress

Two days later, the first wave of reinforcements arrived — elements of the Plain Blue Banner and the Bordered Blue Banner, over three thousand men in total. Huang Taiji's main army also broke camp from Jinzhou and marched straight for Nanguan. He showed no hesitation whatsoever, adopting a posture of directly assaulting Lushun, even though he had obtained no reliable intelligence on Lushun's defenses.

The two Blue Banner reinforcements were led by Manggultai, who had once stormed Lushun and killed Zhang Pan, so the place was not unfamiliar to him. At this moment, Yoto was engaged in battle with Dengzhou troops in the hills beside the passage; both sides had inflicted casualties on each other, and that Bakshan had still not returned.

After the Later Jin reinforcements appeared, their troop strength held absolute superiority. Zhu Guobin abandoned the first defensive line, likewise setting a fire at Muchang Station, then held the second defensive line along the river, confronting the Later Jin troops. The river flowed out from the peaks of Hengshan, cut across more than three li of flat plain, and emptied westward into the Liao Sea. The Dengzhou army burned the bridges over the river and held the two crossing points firmly.

The Later Jin troops used shield-carts as cover and advanced to the riverbank, exchanging fire with the Dengzhou army. Neither side's bows nor firearms did much damage, but the two four-pounder cannons of the Long Qibing held a great advantage, repelling several Later Jin attacks in succession. Manggultai and the others used heavy forces to pin down the river defense and sent part of the foot-armor troops to move upstream, attempting to cross the river from within Hengshan. These hunters displayed considerable mountain warfare ability, but the Dengzhou garrison likewise dispatched flexible detachments that moved upstream along with these foot-armor troops, thwarting their attempts to cross.

The skirmishing between the two sides was not intense, and casualties were few on both sides. But Zhu Guobin, using several advantageous terrain features and pre-arranged positions, successfully held back eight thousand Later Jin troops for several days with just over two thousand men, wearing down their edge and also successfully preventing them from scouting Lushun. Even at this point, the Later Jin troops still did not understand the specific defensive layout of Lushun.

After the second wave of reinforcements for the two Blue Banners arrived, Zhu Guobin laid fougasses at the crossing point and withdrew with over two thousand cavalry, this time pulling back directly to Lushun.

The Later Jin troops swiftly crossed the river in pursuit. The Dengzhou garrison were likewise cavalry, their mobility no less than theirs. After crossing the river, the Later Jin troops again encountered fougasses. These invisible weapons had already cast a psychological shadow over the Later Jin troops; wherever the terrain was flat, they would rather leave the official road to march, and even their scout riders often dared not gallop at full speed when pursuing. The riders were under extreme mental tension, constantly scanning the road ahead, checking whether any part of the surface looked different in color.

Manggultai's bull-headed temper flared. He drove his men onward, following behind the Dengzhou cavalry, and finally reached the north side of Lushun on the twenty-third day of the seventh month. Unexpectedly, Zhu Guobin turned back and launched a counterattack. Manggultai, advancing rashly with an isolated force, lost several dozen men and fell back five li before encountering Degelei's reinforcements, only then steadying his footing. The Dengzhou cavalry covered each other in alternation and vanished behind Beishan. Manggultai dared not continue the pursuit. Without even waiting to set up camp, he climbed Beishan, impatient to see what Lushun looked like.

Manggultai, who had been to Lushun before, stood on Beishan. The scene before him was almost unrecognizable. The original northern city of Lushun had virtually disappeared. All the stone had been carted away. On the flat plain outside Lushun, countless ditches and channels crisscrossed. The outermost perimeter consisted of several winding, twisting horse-barrier ditches, only half a man's height, with no piled earth around them. Then came a deep trench roughly one zhang wide. The earth dug out was piled behind it to form an earthen wall. The wall was one zhang high, shaped like saw-teeth, and roughly every hundred paces there was a watchtower, considerably taller than the earthen wall.

Many banners were planted atop that earthen wall. At the top of the earth rampart there was also a rammed-earth parapet, behind which fluttering banners could be faintly seen. At intervals there were embrasures level with the ground, flanked on both sides by bamboo baskets a man and a half tall filled with earth, with cannons large and small placed in between, only the muzzle positions left open. Between the first large earthen wall and the deep trench, there was yet another layer of breastwork, its purpose unknown.

Outside the deep trench stretched horse-barrier ditches several tens of paces wide. A hundred paces beyond the horse-barrier ditches were dense small pits, just like those at Niangniang Temple in Fuzhou, used to prevent shield-carts from approaching quickly.

There were two such large earthen walls. Between the two, vague tents could be seen, but the specific deployment was unclear. Several passageways extended out from the front of the earthen walls, zigzagging through those deep and shallow trenches and pits. The only routes that could be traversed quickly were the two paths on the flanks. These two paths followed the line of fortifications and angled outward toward the outer sides of the flanks. Although they were straight, they would come under fire from the entire face of the earthen wall, and were equally unusable for an assault.

Behind the second earthen wall was the city of Lushun itself, its scale now much larger than before. An outer city had been added to the west side of Nancheng, and all wall faces had been augmented with square bastions. Behind Nancheng there was yet another fortification, roughly a little over one li in circumference, already pressed close to the seashore, at the location of the original harbor. (Note: See related works for the location of Lushun Nancheng.)

Such trench positions filled the area between West Official Mountain (Baiyu Mountain) and Huangjin Mountain. The mountains presented the same sight. The defensive line on the eastern slope of West Official Mountain began from the mountainside; the line on the northern slope was near the summit; the line on the southern slope was near the foot of the mountain, connected by a passageway to the curved Lushun earthen wall at the point near the sea. If the Later Jin troops wanted to attack West Official Mountain, they would have to climb a very long slope in heavy armor, and they would be unable to bring shield-carts up the mountain. The musketeers above would easily shoot them down. Even if they captured West Official Mountain, they could not directly break into the Lushun earthen wall defenses; they would still have to assault the earthen wall.

Huangjin Mountain controlled the Laohuwei channel, and its defenses were even tighter than those of Baiyu Mountain. Tier upon tier of ramparts climbed up the mountain. Some roads wound and twisted around the mountain body, connecting those defensive lines. The entire mountain was like a military encampment. It was evident that they had set up defenses layer by layer, each layer forming its own system.

Inside and outside Lushun, which had been dug beyond recognition, banners of every color flew. In the distant naval harbor, sailing ships came and went. On the plains outside the city, scattered patrol riders roamed. The whole of Lushun exuded an aura of strict order and deadly solemnity.

Degelei stared, sucking in cold breaths, unable even to speak. Manggultai watched, shaking his head the whole time, and finally could not help but say, "Attack my mother's ass. I want to see how Old Eight gets out of this one."…

Two days later, the vast Later Jin army covered the hills and plains north of Lushun. Each banner unit set up camp separately; banners and tents blanketed the mountains and fields. Countless bondservants sweated like rain, digging the trenches for the encampment. The force already present exceeded fifty thousand, and on the official road, an unending stream of more troops continued to arrive, setting up camps in sequence along the direction of the Lushun River.

Huang Taiji's great yak-hair banner appeared below Beishan. He gazed at the stern ramparts before him, speechless for a long time. A crowd of Later Jin military nobles attended him. When they had dug pits to besiege Jinzhou, they had never imagined that one day they themselves would have to face such earthen walls — and ones even more formidable. Daišan, Jirgalang, and the others wore grave expressions. Dodo, Ajige, and Haoge, on the contrary, looked excited, eager to give it a try.

Those two trench positions were not city walls, but their function was no different from city walls. The earthen wall was about one zhang and five chi high, but the deep trench below was another seven or eight chi, making it equivalent to a two-zhang city wall. Only after passing these two would one reach the city of Lushun, which was still a complete defensive system. Even if Lushun Nancheng were taken, there was still a new fort at the harbor. In total, that made four defensive lines. In reality, Huangjin Mountain also had to be counted, because it too abutted the sea. Although the details inside were still unclear, the defensive line before them was utterly unlike anything they knew. They had also dug pits to besiege Jinzhou, but the defensive configuration there fell far short of Lushun.

Huang Taiji asked Yoto in a deep voice, "What is the situation at the harbor entrance?"

"Great Khan, at the harbor entrance there is also a massive watchtower. In front of the watchtower there are also several layers of earthen walls, which together with Huangjin Mountain, one to the south and one to the north, guard the Laohuwei channel. At Laohuwei itself, the terrain is narrow. An attack would require crossing over Tie Mountain. Setting out from this camp, one would have to go around the inner harbor and travel twenty li. At Laohuwei, one would also come under attack from both sides by the Ming naval forces."

Huang Taiji had indeed identified the key point of the defense — Lushun's supply line — but after hearing Yoto's words, he knew the Ming army was prepared there as well. The implication in Yoto's words was that he did not think highly of attacking Laohuwei. But Huang Taiji still wanted to see it for himself.

"Great Khan, this Lushun… this slave believes we could station heavy troops at Jinzhou, seize the strategic terrain of Liaonan, and simply prevent that Chen Xin from coming out to cause trouble."

Everyone turned to look. It was Gao Hongzhong, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. He had always been one of Huang Taiji's strategists. The invasion of Jingshi in the jisi year had been his initial proposal, and it had achieved excellent results. He was among the most outstanding of the Han officials.

Although Huang Taiji was caught in a dilemma, he still displayed his magnanimity. He did not rebuke Gao Hongzhong, but instead explained, "If Lushun cannot be uprooted, Jinzhou will inevitably be impossible to hold. Our Great Jin cannot keep so many men at Jinzhou. If we truly must retreat, then even Fuzhou cannot be held; we would have to fall back to Gaizhou. In that case, Xiuyan would again be isolated, and would inevitably also have to pull back. How then could our great army campaign deep into Ming territory again?"

Gao Hongzhong lowered his head in thought, and finally bowed and withdrew.

Manggultai wore a cold sneer. "Knowing the character of this Dengzhou garrison, who knows what tricks are hidden in those ditches. What I can count off the top of my head includes ghost-arrows, iron caltrops, horse-trapping pits, sharpened stakes, fougasses, ground-mounted crossbows, fire pots, and lime pots. Their cannons are not mounted high; they fire through opened embrasures at ground level. The horse-barrier ditches alone are several tens of paces wide, all within the field of fire of their cannons. Shield-carts cannot get close. Filling those trenches will cost over a thousand dead."

Dorgon also said, "This Chen Xin is a complete scoundrel. He's dug up even the most fertile land for these damned earthen walls. The crops around Lushun have been utterly destroyed. We won't harvest half a grain in the ninth month. Every blade of grass and tree that could be burned within twenty li has been burned."

Huang Taiji's eyes flickered. The Lushun defensive line before him was like a silent monster, grinding away at his resolute will. He finally could not help but curse, "Where the hell did this bastard crawl out from? How can he be so insidious?"

Another Han official, Bao Chengxian, bowed and said, "I have heard he fled into the pass from Liaodong, apparently a man of Tieling. It is a pity this man is not used by our Great Jin. Otherwise…"

Huang Taiji's gaze gradually focused. He had already reached Lushun. No matter what, he could not leave without a fight. The entire Later Jin army was here. They had traveled hundreds of li to get here. If they turned back now, then everyone would know they feared those Dengzhou soldiers. That kind of fearsome reputation of the Dengzhou troops would take root in their hearts. Once army morale and fighting spirit collapsed like that, the next time they encountered Dengzhou troops, no one would fight to the death. Huang Taiji would rather lose some men than let the Later Jin army's momentum falter.

He quickly drove those dejected thoughts from his mind, pointed at the Lushun before him, and said, "No matter whom we face, our Great Jin has never withdrawn without a fight. In past years, we spared Ningyuan and Jinzhou only because attacking them brought no benefit. Today, Lushun is a place our Great Jin must take. Transmit my decree to the personnel of all divisions: begin constructing shield-carts tomorrow. In two days, we assault Lushun. The first to mount the earthen wall shall be promoted two ranks, rewarded with one manor with able-bodied serfs, one hundred taels of silver, and five bolts of cloth. The first to mount the walls of Lushun city shall be promoted three ranks, up to Regional Commander, rewarded with two manors, five hundred taels of silver, and ten horses. The first to mount the water fort, regardless of whether Jurchen, Mongol, or Han, shall be raised to a higher banner and promoted four ranks, up to Taiji, granted an imperial pardon remitting three death penalties, rewarded with five manors and one thousand taels of silver. Any who cower and fail to advance, regardless of rank, shall be summarily executed, and their entire families enslaved…"

"Zha!" Haoge, Dodo, and the others responded first. The rest followed and accepted the order as well. At least on the surface, everyone had to put forth effort in the attack.

Huang Taiji let out a soft breath, gazed at that distant wall of Lushun, and murmured to himself, "Chen Xin… has he made it back to this city? And what might he be doing right now?"…

With a buzz, a dark swarm flickered before his eyes. Chen Xin swiftly reached out and grabbed. A fluttering sensation filled his palm, bringing a ticklish feeling. He applied slight pressure, and a crisp sound came from his hand. Then he opened his palm. A locust the size of a finger was already on the verge of death.

The sky all around was filled with dancing locusts. The Wei River basin where Weihui Prefecture lay was also a frequent locust outbreak area. The arid conditions of the Little Ice Age caused the riverbeds to alternate between full and dry. Those exposed riverbeds were ideal breeding grounds for locusts.

"My lord, this locust plague is a small one. In past years, when the Yellow River had locust plagues, the locusts covered the sky and blotted out the sun. When they landed, they covered the ground in layers, and the crops in the fields were devoured in a single day." Beside him, Geng Zhongming spoke ingratiatingly to Chen Xin. He had volunteered this time to accompany Chen Xin to Lushun to fight the Tatars.

"So locust plagues are that terrible." Chen Xin responded perfunctorily. He had never witnessed a locust plague and had no intuitive sense of what Geng Zhongming described. His mind was not on this matter anyway.

The Later Jin main army had mobilized. The Wendeng naval forces had already confirmed this in the four southern garrisons and elsewhere, and Dongjiang Garrison was also sending repeated warnings. After learning that Jinzhou had already been abandoned, Chen Xin immediately set out to return to Dengzhou. Accompanying him were his guard unit and the Personal Guard Company Commander's headquarters. The Fifth Battalion had detached one hundred men, those who had performed exceptionally this time. Upon returning to Dengzhou, they would be assigned to the Mobilization Department to train new recruits and reservists.

The bulk of the Fifth Battalion remained behind to hold the position. But the order Chen Xin gave Zhu Daichun was to prioritize defense. Upon hearing that Jinzhou was lost, Lu Zhi was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan and could not stay a single day longer. Once Lu Zhi, the direct superior, left, Zhu Daichun became a true guest soldier, making it even harder for Xuan Mo to command him. Geng Zhongming's personal battalion was also transferred back at the same time. Geng Zhongming had volunteered to go with Chen Xin first to fight the Tatars. Chen Xin set out ahead with his guard unit and one hundred cavalry, while Lu Zhi followed behind with the infantry.

Through the dealings between Song Wenxian and Xuan Mo, the captured refugees were settled in Lin County. Their nominal leader was that Wang Fu who had betrayed Zijingliang. Wang Fu was given an acting appointment as a Battalion Commander, and for his great merit in capturing Zijingliang, he was made a Squad Commander. On the surface, he had no connection whatsoever to Dengzhou. Chen Xin had requested commendation for Li Erbai and applied to keep him in the Dengzhou garrison. For such a minor matter, Liang Tingdong did not make things difficult at all. The Ministry of War also granted an acting appointment as Battalion Commander, while his military rank was Company Commander.

The conflict between the two when they had vied for credit had already been sown, and they had also been paraded before those refugees. Now all thirty-six camps knew that it was the two of them who had betrayed Zijingliang. The two could absolutely never return to the roving bandits. They knew very well who could protect them, and they were utterly obedient to Chen Xin.

The specific duties Chen Xin privately assigned them were also quite peculiar. Wang Fu was placed in the Foreign Affairs Department. The fierce and ruthless Li Erbai was assigned to the Intelligence Bureau. This time, Chen Xin took Li Erbai with him, while Wang Fu stayed in Lin County, responsible for dealing with the county magistrate. This man had some petty cunning. Every time he sought out the county magistrate, he would kick up a huge row, and the moment anything dissatisfied him, he would threaten to lead the military colonists of Lin County in revolt, making the magistrate fear the charge of driving surrendered troops to rebellion. The magistrate got a headache every time he saw Wang Fu. His status as a former bandit chieftain also served to intimidate other local powers in the surrounding area.

As for the arrangement for Li Erbai, Chen Xin did not intend to let him join the regular army. This man was deeply steeped in the habits of roving bandits. He was fairly well-behaved inside the Dengzhou garrison camp, but the moment he went out, he would commit misdeeds. Chen Xin planned to first have him deal with the local gentry in Qingzhou Prefecture and Laizhou, and later adjust his posting based on his performance, most likely still assigning him back to Henan and similar places.

As Chen Xin rode, he pondered matters on all fronts. Beside him, Geng Zhongming tactfully did not disturb him, only responding when Chen Xin asked a question. Geng Zhongming was well aware of Chen Xin's arrangements in Lin County. He could discern some of this superior's ambitions. For Geng Zhongming, Chen Xin having ambitions was not a bad thing. He had long since thrown in his lot with the Dengzhou garrison; the greater Chen Xin's interests, the more benefits he, Geng Zhongming, would reap in the future.

Geng Zhongming also had a five-hundred-tael share in the trading company. He had originally thought Chen Xin was extorting him, but unexpectedly, last year he had actually been given a dividend. In addition, he collected taxes in Dengzhou city and at various customs posts, collecting roughly thirty thousand taels last year, of which Chen Xin returned five thousand to him. Geng Zhongming had also opened a tobacco shop himself, located in the county seat of Huang County, and the trading company never cut off his supply. These three streams of silver were all long-term income. As long as the Dengzhou garrison existed, he could reap these benefits. Beyond that, he helped Chen Xin as an enforcer, frequently dealing with the gentry of Dengzhou and Laizhou, from which he derived considerable benefits as well. And by fighting alongside the Dengzhou garrison, he could also keep getting promoted. Thus, his interests were now bound together with Chen Xin's. Whatever Chen Xin said, he would do. Even toward Wang Tingshi, his superior, he merely went through the motions.

Chen Xin suddenly spoke. "General Geng, draft a memorial impeaching this official."

Geng Zhongming was in the midst of his pleasant daydreams. Hearing these words out of the blue, his legs went weak. Had he not been on horseback, he would have knelt to Chen Xin on the spot. He had no idea why Chen Xin had suddenly come up with this bizarre notion, nor whether Chen Xin was displeased with him. Terrified, he slid off the horse with a swish and kowtowed to Chen Xin, saying, "This lowly one's heart toward Your Lordship can be illuminated by the sun and moon. I have only taken one thousand taels of silver from the brokerage house last year, and have never been disloyal to Your Lordship! This lowly one will immediately hand over that one thousand taels and will never dare do such a thing again."

Chen Xin dismounted and helped Geng Zhongming up. "I wonder if General Geng still wishes to be promoted one more rank?"

Geng Zhongming shook his head like a rattle-drum. "This lowly one only wishes to follow Your Lordship. Even if Your Lordship made this lowly one a personal guard, this lowly one would be willing."

Chen Xin shook his head and smiled faintly. "Such loyalty from General Geng is rare. However, your promotion is not a bad thing — for both General Geng and this official."

Geng Zhongming raised his head in confusion, stealing a glance at Chen Xin's expression. Seeing only that same professional smile, he hurriedly lowered his head and asked for guidance. "As long as it benefits Your Lordship, this lowly one is willing to do it."

"Then go and impeach this official."

Geng Zhongming seemed to understand somewhat, but still said, "But… this lowly one has no way to submit the memorial directly. I can only hand it to His Excellency Wang. He holds Your Lordship in high regard and may not be willing to offend Your Lordship… Moreover, this lowly one reveres Your Lordship immensely and truly does not know what to impeach."

"Then impeach this official for extorting the gentry and licentiates in Henan, wantonly embezzling the pay and provisions of the militia battalions, bleeding the soldiers dry, and bullying the other battalions of the Dengzhou garrison. Hmm, and also this: forcibly seizing commoners' daughters, indulging in nightly revelry…" (To be continued…)

PS: A big chapter, and I've also updated the related works with the location of Lushun. Consider yesterday's chapter made up~00~.