Chapter 409: To Stay Alive

"Kill you, you Tatar!" Huang Shan roared in a low voice.

"What are you doing — I just saved your life!" Zhang Zhongqi had better nutrition than Huang Shan and greater physical strength; he barely managed to stop Huang Shan's dagger. He pleaded with Huang Shan.

"You're afraid that if I die, there'll be no one to till the land!" Huang Shan's voice was practically forced out from his throat, muffled and hoarse. In this no-man's-land where friend and foe intermingled, neither dared alert the warring sides, lest they bring lethal disaster upon themselves.

"You want to make me your bondservant, work me like an ox or a horse! One man doing the work of several, beaten at any moment! I want to live — I am not your pig or dog!" Huang Shan breathed heavily; as he spoke, saliva dripped down in long strands, slowly landing on Zhang Zhongqi's face.

Zhang Zhongqi bore the weight of Huang Shan's upper body, his strength beginning to fail. The blade sank in another section. He sobbed, "I never mistreated you. Look at the bondservants of other households — who isn't skin and bones? You stole food and thought I didn't know…"

"Who wants your things? I want your head. I want to join the Dengzhou garrison." Huang Shan's face was savage.

The knife tip at his chest quivered; the blade sliced open one small cut after another in the muscle. Zhang Zhongqi endured the searing pain and said, "Everywhere here is littered with heads — just cut one off at random. Why must it be mine? I'm going to have a child. Spare me. I'll go home and look after the mute woman. Her father treated you so well. If you kill me, they'll become someone else's bondservants and none of them will survive. Can you bear to harm them to death?"

Huang Shan froze for a moment, his strength easing. Seizing this brief chance, Zhang Zhongqi suddenly shoved the knife upward, then wrenched Huang Shan's neck sideways and flipped him off.

Huang Shan reacted and struggled desperately. The hand holding the knife was gripped tightly by Zhang Zhongqi. Zhang Zhongqi's smooth saber was longer and could not be drawn in the grapple. Both men panted heavily, wrestling silently in the horse-blocking trench, fighting for control of that scaling-ladder knife.

Neither was a man of great physical strength; their abilities were not far apart. In the end, Zhang Zhongqi's stamina was slightly better. He slowly gained the upper hand, seized Huang Shan's queue, and yanked it downward with brutal force, pulling Huang Shan off balance into the trench. Zhang Zhongqi pressed on top and one hand shot toward Huang Shan's throat.

Huang Shan summoned his last strength, using his left hand to block the hand reaching for his throat, and at the same time began to plead.

"Master, Master, do a good deed!"

"Bullshit! You just tried to kill me. If I don't kill you, what use is keeping you!"

Huang Shan said urgently, "Bodhisattva bless you with a son. If you kill me, your child won't survive either."

Hearing about his child, Zhang Zhongqi's concentration wavered. Huang Shan violently shoved Zhang Zhongqi's hand away and headbutted him in the face. Zhang Zhongqi let out a low, miserable cry and fell backward. He rolled back once, sat up and retreated two steps, then drew the smooth saber from his waist.

Both men were already utterly exhausted, each breathing violently. They held their knives pointed at the enemy, their eyes filled with complicated expressions.

"Huang Shan, come back with me. I promise I won't kill you."

"I won't go back to be your bondservant." Huang Shan growled low, "I am not your pig or sheep. I worked like an ox and horse in your house waiting for this chance. Today I saw what happened to those bondservants. If I go back with you today, tomorrow I'll be dead just the same."

Zhang Zhongqi had two teeth knocked out; blood and saliva streamed from his mouth and nose. Panting, he said, "Stay. I won't kill you. In the future, you can be raised to banner status…"

Huang Shan gripped the knife with both hands, pointing it at Zhang Zhongqi. His voice broke with tears: "I may be a bachelor, but the people from my village were all seized by you people together and forced to march toward Liaodong. Out of over a hundred, fewer than half remain. In half a year in Liaodong, more than ten worked to death. You dog Tatars — not a single good one among you. Raise your mother's banner. I believe in the White House. I don't want to die. I want to live."

Huang Shan ground his teeth; tears streamed down his face, carving channels through the dirt on his cheeks. The knife in his hand trembled ceaselessly. "If you dare come closer, I'll jump out and shout that there's a Jianzhou bandit here. Once the Dengzhou soldiers come, you won't escape."

"You're wearing a cotton-armor jacket. If I shout, you'll be shot dead too. Do you think cotton armor can really stop a lead ball?"

"So you never had good intentions giving me armor! If you want to kill me, do it now. Either way, it's death — I'll drag you down with me." Huang Shan spoke while weeping.

"You are my household's bondservant. Don't dream of escaping to the Dengzhou garrison." Zhang Zhongqi's tone was still fierce. He crouched in the horse-blocking trench, the smooth saber in his hand glinting.

Tears and snot streamed down Huang Shan's face. Sobbing, he said, "If you take me back today, tomorrow… we'll be filling trenches again. Tomorrow there will be few bondservants left, and the armored soldiers will all be watching. You and I will both be doomed. You, Zhang Zhongqi, are a banner man, but a Han banner man. Your fate is the same — to fill trenches. Let me go over to that side. In the future, if you're captured by the Dengzhou garrison, I can still save you."

"I beg you, let me go. I want to live. The mute woman told you to do good deeds. In Liaodong, you helped the Tatars commit so many evil acts…"

Zhang Zhongqi cut him off angrily: "I did not. I only wanted to survive. I never harmed anyone. My whole family was killed." Zhang Zhongqi sobbed in a low wail. "I don't want to die. I don't want to die…"

"You did harm people. You helped the Tatar leaders force the bondservants. At Lushun, so many died because of it. Let me go today — build merit for your son… If you insist on forcing me back, I'll perish together with you! If I stake my life on stabbing you once, the Jianzhou bandits won't save you. The mute woman and the others will die too. Let me go, and neither of us will die."

Huang Shan's face contorted. A string of mucus ran from his nostril, smearing across his mouth, bubbling with his breath. Zhang Zhongqi pressed his left hand over his own chest. The two men gripped their knives, sobbing in the silent horse-blocking trench, staring at each other through tears.

After a long wait, Zhang Zhongqi stopped crying. He wiped the tear stains from his face, retreated two steps, and said quietly, "I'll let you go. But you have to wait until I crawl back to the trench first before you can leave."

Huang Shan nodded repeatedly. Zhang Zhongqi stared at Huang Shan for a moment, retreated two more steps, quietly climbed over the horse-blocking trench, and groped his way forward, crawling. Huang Shan watched him disappear into the pitch-black night, then lay back down in the horse-blocking trench. Only when he deemed it truly safe did he begin feeling his way toward Lushun.

The dark, looming earthen wall of Lushun drew closer and closer. There seemed to be voices speaking Chinese. Faint firelight glowed behind the earthen wall. Huang Shan bit his lip tightly and wept, crawling toward the direction of the firelight…

Outside Lushun under the night curtain, one hundred paces from the Later Jin Khan's banner, Huang Taiji stood on the earthen wall with a desolate expression, quietly watching the few dim yellow lanterns on the distant Lushun city wall. A faint smell of blood drifted on the sea breeze, entering his nostrils.

Only Haoge accompanied him. Haoge said softly to Huang Taiji, "Khan Father, we cannot fight any longer. Our Great Jin's elite excel at field battles but are not skilled at siege warfare, especially against this kind of earthen wall that winds and undulates, where even beneath the wall one can be attacked. Today, in assaulting the earthen wall, we have already lost 1,100 Outer Domain Mongols, 900 Ujen Cooha and Tianyou Army men, 1,300 armored soldiers and surplus men, 11 Niru Ejen, 3 Jalan Ejen, 1 Bayara Ejen, and 1 Meiren Ejen. Over a thousand more wounded. And that's not counting the bondservants. In the end, we were still driven off the earthen wall. Gunpowder usage exceeded a thousand jin, lead balls are nearly exhausted, and even the bags for holding earth are used up."

Huang Taiji seemed not to hear. He waited a long while before asking softly, "Have any ministers come to see you?"

"The Mongol taijis are all complaining bitterly. The beile, taiji, and beise of every banner are unwilling to fight any further, including Yoto and Jirgalang. They have all privately come to see your son…"

"None of them want to fight anymore?"

"In the afternoon, several key assault points devolved into hand-to-hand combat. The enemy fought to the death without retreating. The fiercest were not those Dengzhou combat soldiers, but the auxiliary soldiers with only cotton armor. Your son saw with his own eyes two Dengzhou soldiers clutching thunderbolt bombs charge into our crowd, killing over ten men. The troops of every banner are not afraid of battle, but after these men appeared, they began to shrink back. Every banner had men who fled the field. As more and more did so, morale is no longer fit for further assault."

Huang Taiji narrowed his eyes, watching the scattered lantern light on the Lushun city wall not far away. Suddenly he asked Haoge, "Do you think Chen Xin is on that city wall?"

Haoge had not expected Huang Taiji to ask this. "Perhaps. The three Hongyi cannons arranged today to bombard the city wall — it seems they did not hit him."

"I never thought I could kill him that way." Huang Taiji smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I very much want to ask him now: where did he find so many men who disregard life and death, and how did he train these men to be as if cast from the same mold? I told you to talk more with those captives. Have you questioned them?"

"Khan Father, these past few days I have also questioned He Changjiu and Tang Yingtai. Their foot armor, horse armor, and artillerymen all have something called a drill manual. New recruits are generally drawn from the garrison farms. The stronger garrison households do some drilling in peacetime. After selecting the able-bodied for military service, they first drill at Laiyang, Pingdu, and such places — this is called assembly training. Then they are distributed to the various battalions. The officers leading them are all commanders drawn from previous battalions, along with some veterans called non-commissioned officers. These NCOs mainly teach the new recruits skills. From the moment they are recruits, all the drilling they receive comes from that drill manual. That is why everyone is much the same."

"Why is it that among these soldiers, there are few deserters, and most of those captured would rather die?"

Haoge said quietly, "Your son also inquired about this. Dengzhou's military discipline is extremely strict. Military pay is never in arrears. There is also something called a retirement pension. Beyond that, He Changjiu did not understand clearly. In their battalions there is an indoctrination officer who constantly agitates them to kill Jurchens. The words spoken are full of slander against our Great Jin. Everyone in their battalions views our Great Jin as barbarians, and every man takes killing our Jurchens as a pleasure."

"Haoge, do you know what is most fearsome about Dengzhou?"

Haoge hesitated a moment, then said, "Soldiers who do not fear death?"

Huang Taiji neither confirmed nor denied. He went on as if to himself: "The most fearsome thing about the Dengzhou garrison is that in a very short time, it can turn a group of peasants into soldiers. This is not merely a matter of how to drill. During the Tianqi reign, there were Deng-Lai troops reinforcing Liaodong. Guan-Ning also had rotational troops from Shandong's Deng-Lai. Where were any soldiers who did not fear death? Yet once under this Chen Xin, they are all crack troops. In the Dengzhou garrison, everyone takes pride in military merit. You have also read the military reports Li Yongfang sent back. They are filled entirely with rewards for military merit and praise for the brave. According to these reports, they are widely disseminated throughout the Ming realm. This is fame through military merit. No matter how much profit we offer, I have heard that a Dengzhou garrison household is allotted only ten mu of land — far less than in our Great Jin — yet their will to fight is no less than that of the White Armor Soldiers. The reason: monthly pay is one part of it."

Haoge probed cautiously, "Our state also values military merit — in this point there is no difference. But this monthly pay is extremely difficult."

Huang Taiji said flatly, "No banner lord would issue monthly pay to armored soldiers. The public treasury also cannot afford such silver. What the land produces also belongs to each banner. To maintain troops the way Dengzhou does — our Great Jin cannot learn it. According to Li Yongfang, Chen Xin collects commercial taxes through Geng Zhongming, and further sells southern goods, copper coins, and cigarettes through the trading company. He also smuggles sable pelts, ginseng, and eastern pearls from Dongjiang and Joseon. His annual income is already over a million. Only thus can he support so many troops. It is laughable that each banner still trades privately with Joseon, selling useless goods to Deng-Lai and letting them reap the benefits. Laughable and lamentable."

Haoge himself was also engaged in smuggling. Hearing this, he felt somewhat ashamed and quickly changed the subject, saying quietly, "Khan Father, among the Mongol tribes that came this time, Deng-Lai commercial goods have also been found. Their southern goods are also different from the ordinary kind. Salt, sugar, tea, and such are all packed in small paper packages, with the words 'Dengzhou Four Seas Trading Company' written on them, in both Han and Mongol script. Additionally, there is that Wendeng incense — every taiji regards it as a precious item."

Huang Taiji paid no mind to the paper packaging; that was perhaps some merchant's method and did not interest him. What worried him was the increasing entanglement between the Mongols and Deng-Lai. According to Li Yongfang's intelligence, Dengzhou's commercial goods entered Mongol territory through Ningyuan. Huang Taiji also dared not force the Mongols to abandon this trade route, because those southern goods, spices, pepper, and cigarettes were precisely what the Mongols lacked most, and Deng-Lai happened to be the cheapest source. Forcing the Mongols would only backfire. And in this battle of Lushun, the Mongols had suffered heavy losses with nothing to show for it. Coercion would only accelerate their tendency to break away.

In truth, Huang Taiji had long since received Li Yongfang's intelligence and knew that after the war began, at least another two or three thousand Dengzhou soldiers had been transferred. The Dengzhou garrison combat troops at Lushun numbered at least 12,000, with 3,000 to 4,000 auxiliary soldiers, plus a large number of warships. He had suppressed this information, clinging to a thread of hope in launching today's attack. Under the defenders' assault, the Dengzhou garrison was not the Liao garrison — they had no fear whatsoever of field battle.

The excellent situation after Dalinghe had once again taken a sharp turn for the worse. All of Huang Taiji's subsequent plans had been shattered by the battle of Lushun. Facing this port fortress that could not be starved out by siege, every banner had suffered grievous losses and lost confidence. Even Yoto and Jirgalang were approaching Haoge to persuade him. The sentiments of those Meiren Ejen and Niru Ejen were even easier to imagine.

"Khan Father…"

Huang Taiji waved his hand, cutting off Haoge. "No need. Jirgalang was right that day: a protracted stalemate is not as good as one all-out strike. Since we could not take it today, the main army should not linger long. Summon the banner lords and beise of each banner to the great tent for a council. The main army will withdraw from Lushun as quickly as possible."

"Zha!"

Haoge stood up and was just about to leave when Huang Taiji stopped him and said, "When you notify them, do not tell them we are about to withdraw. This must not be spread now. When they arrive at the great tent, I will personally arrange it with them."

Haoge paused, as if not fully grasping Huang Taiji's meaning. Huang Taiji sighed and said, "If word gets out, there is no guarantee how those below will prepare. If the Dengzhou garrison detects any clues, our withdrawal will not be so secure. Even if we are to retreat, tomorrow we must still put on the appearance of continuing the assault." (To be continued…)

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