Chapter 525: Prairie Fire

"Director Yang, is there any new word from the imperial court about replacing Wang Tingshi and Lu Zhi?"

At the Dengzhou Regional Command headquarters, Chen Xin, just back from Jinzhou, asked the portly Yang Yunong before him. Also standing in the room was Liu Pojun, who had returned with Chen Xin from Jinzhou.

Yang Yunong replied respectfully, "My lord, Wang Tingshi sent his own people to the capital to maneuver. Our people have not coordinated with him; each side is acting on its own now. According to word from the palace, His Majesty is determined to transfer him, but has not yet decided where. Because of the military merits earned by our Dengzhou, Wang Tingshi has already reached the rank of Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent. He was previously Vice Minister of War, and with his reputation for understanding military affairs, he cannot simply be sidelined to a sinecure in the Southern Metropolitan Region. If he is to be transferred elsewhere, it can only be as Viceroy, Regional Commander, or Minister."

Chen Xin mused, "The Minister of War is Liang Tingdong. He has military achievements to his name; the Emperor cannot replace him. If Wang Tingshi were transferred to the Ministry of War, he would still have to deal with our Dengzhou, and His Majesty would still not be at ease. That means the most likely possibilities are the three posts of Viceroy of Xuanda, Viceroy of Jiliao, or Regional Commander of Jiliao."

Yang Yunong said quietly, "There is also the possibility of a Five-Province Viceroy like Chen Qiyu, with overall responsibility for exterminating the roving bandits."

Chen Xin nodded. "That is possible. If Wang Tingshi were put in that seat, it would give him enough of a headache."

By this time, the roving bandits were already rampaging everywhere. The flames of war had spread to Huguang, Sichuan, Henan, and other regions. Henan was a giant powder keg, providing the bandits with ample manpower. Although conditions in Huguang were slightly better than in Henan, oppression there was equally severe. The bandits' arrival destroyed the foundations of production and livelihood, creating even more desperate refugees. The overall strength of the roving bandits was steadily growing.

In the middle of the seventh year of Chongzhen, Chen Qiyu, commanding the troops of five provinces, set a strategy of encirclement on all sides. At that time, the court's prestige still held, and the Ming army's execution was fairly effective. After several attacks, the largest force of peasant rebels entered Chexiang Gorge, including Zhang Xianzhong, Li Zicheng, Zhang Miaoshou, and others.

Ming troops and local militias blocked the exit. The roving bandits lacked clothing, food, and their weapons and armor were in tatters. The Ming army needed only to besiege them to annihilate this main bandit force. Just as they had done the year before last when crossing the Yellow River at Mianchi, Zhang Xianzhong and the others repeated their old trick, bribing Ming officers at every level and expressing willingness to surrender. Chen Qiyu had fought the roving bandits in Shaanxi for many years with few defeats, rising from Governor of Yansui to Five-Province Viceroy. He was in fact extremely shrewd and had seen the fake surrender ploy many times. But this time, he could not withstand the lobbying of his subordinate officers and agreed to accept the bandits' surrender.

After his memorial reached the court, Liang Tingdong firmly opposed it, advocating for the complete extermination of this fierce enemy force. Although refugees were many, the core cadres among the roving bandits were few. As long as this main force was wiped out, it would be the greatest blow to the bandits' strength.

But Chongzhen's fickle nature once again swayed the situation. Some court officials proposed incorporating the roving bandits. The key factor in this, however, was Dengzhou Garrison. Zhu Daichun, the Dengzhou Militia Commander with the concurrent rank of Regional Commander, had led several thousand troops into the vicinity of Wuchang, claiming that roving bandits were about to attack Wuchang, and then stopped and would not move further. He ignored Chen Qiyu's transfer orders and had already been impeached by Chen Qiyu several times. But in the end, it all became a war of words. Chongzhen personally approved the amnesty and resettlement, assigning the bandits to areas in Shaanxi and Xiangyang.

Chexiang Gorge (Note 1) had only an entrance, no exit. Chen Qiyu sealed the exit. In the end, out of seventy to eighty thousand roving bandits, thirty-four thousand came out alive. Before leaving Hanzhong, they were perfectly obedient. After emerging from the Hanzhong plank roads, they immediately raised their banners in rebellion again and slaughtered all the amnesty officials.

The roving bandits had once again escaped alive. These core cadres swiftly relocated, attacking Gansu's Pingliang, Qingyang, and other areas, sweeping up large numbers of refugees along the way. Their momentum quickly recovered. Since Chongzhen himself had approved the peace negotiations, he was initially too embarrassed to deal with Chen Qiyu. Later, when censors relentlessly pursued Chen Qiyu, he ultimately had to be convicted and imprisoned.

At the end of last year, Hong Chengchou replaced Chen Qiyu, assuming the concurrent rank of Minister of War and taking command of military affairs in five provinces. But before he could even take office or deploy his forces, a mutiny broke out in Xining. Hong Chengchou had to rush off to suppress it. By the time he returned, the various bandit groups had already fled Shaanxi and re-entered Henan.

Last year, the roving bandits rampaged through Henan for an entire year. In many places, not a single grain of the autumn harvest was collected. Under the natural disasters and human calamities, starving people filled the Henan countryside. Although some headed toward Shandong to seek refuge in Denglai, information traveled poorly at this time, and most peasants had never even heard of Dengzhou Garrison. When the roving bandits arrived, these desperate people automatically became part of the bandit forces.

Hong Chengchou was now in pursuit from Shaanxi. Frontier armies from various regions were assembling, including troops from Shandong. Originally, Dengzhou Garrison could also have been deployed, but with Chen Xin having put down roots in Linxian and Wuchang, the Emperor no longer dared to transfer Denglai troops deep into the Henan heartland. Fortunately, the Jianzhou Bandits were relatively quiet. Forces from Baoding, Zhending, Tianjin, and Tongzhou in the Northern Metropolitan Region could be drawn upon. Together with the Shandong Provincial Battalion and Wude troops, a total of just over twelve thousand men were assembled. Shandong Governor Xu Congzhi was given the concurrent rank of Vice Minister of War and led them in the joint suppression campaign.

Though the court did not transfer Dengzhou troops, Chen Xin had submitted a memorial in the first month requesting to join the fight. In the end, the Emperor sent back an edict stating that Dengzhou Garrison had fought repeated bloody battles and was specially ordered to rest and recuperate, to be deployed again once its vitality was restored.

Before the government forces had fully assembled, the roving bandits dealt them a stunning blow. Two months later than in historical records, in the third month, while Chen Xin was planning a spring offensive, Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng's forces suddenly appeared at the Central Capital, Fengyang. Fengyang was Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestral home, where the imperial tombs were located. Because they feared building city walls would harm the feng shui, there was no walled city there, nor any strong garrison. It was practically undefended.

Zhang Xianzhong not only burned the Longxing Temple where Zhu Chongba had once become a monk, but also dug up Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestral graves. This was an event that shook the entire realm. The Emperor flew into a thunderous rage. Since this incident occurred in the northern part of the Southern Metropolitan Region, outside the jurisdiction of Five-Province Viceroy Hong Chengchou, the censors fixed their gaze on Minister of War Liang Tingdong. Memorials impeaching Liang Tingdong, the head of the military, piled as high as a man. Fortunately, Chen Xin had just launched his spring offensive, recapturing Xiuyan and Fenghuangcheng, once again saving Liang Tingdong's official position just in time.

Under the Emperor's urgent pressure, Hong Chengchou hastily led the elite troops of the three frontier regions of Shaanxi into Henan. But before he could even find the chief culprit Zhang Xianzhong, roving bandits from other parts of Henan entered Shaanxi, swelling like a rolling snowball. Hong Chengchou was forced to return to Shaanxi, chasing after the bandits' rear.

Chen Xin contemplated the current situation in the Central Plains and shook his head inwardly. If he himself were Hong Chengchou, he would probably be just as overwhelmed. The number of government troops could never compare to the endless stream of refugees. The roving bandits, through their movement, devastated vast regions. The people there might flee at first, but they had already lost the foundation for survival. When the bandits passed through again, the survivors could only join them. When a person's only demand is survival, it can turn a gentle person into a beast.

Yang Yunong continued, "Looking at it now, Hong Chengchou alone managing five provinces is likely more than he can handle. If they want to place Wang Tingshi, they could carve out two or three provinces from the five, add the Southern Metropolitan Region which just suffered military action, and that would be another viceroy post. If he loses a battle, he can be directly convicted and dismissed. That is why Wang Tingshi is now quite anxious. His people are moving around everywhere in the capital. According to intelligence forwarded by the Intelligence Bureau, Wang Tingshi would rather resign than wade into the muddy waters of the Central Plains again."

Chen Xin laughed. "Then I would actually prefer him to stay in Denglai. This man has been quite considerate toward our Dengzhou Garrison. Ensuring his family's safety is still within our power."

After speaking, Chen Xin looked at Yang Yunong and said, "As I said before, the Foreign Affairs Department can secretly assist in keeping Wang Tingshi here, but must leave no traces. The primary concern remains the interests of our Dengzhou Garrison. If the Emperor is determined to transfer Wang Tingshi, you must thoroughly investigate the candidates for the new governor. If any of them harbor hostility toward Dengzhou, have Zhang Da find a way in the capital to dig up that person's dirty secrets and get censors to impeach him. Do not let anyone hostile to us take office."

Yang Yunong said quietly, "I have another suggestion. When we obtain leverage over such a person, we could first approach him privately and inform him. If he is willing to compromise, letting him take office could actually benefit our Dengzhou, and the court would be unlikely to detect it."

Chen Xin lowered his head in thought for a moment, then smiled. "That is an even better method. Director Yang has put real thought into this. This is how the Foreign Affairs Department should operate. Life-and-death struggle is the army's way; compromise and exchange are the proper style for Foreign Affairs."

Yang Yunong hurriedly demurred with a few modest words. After Chen Xin gave a few more instructions, he dismissed Yang Yunong. Once Yang Yunong had left, Chen Xin turned to Liu Pojun beside him and said, "Pojun, you just heard. The court is now quite wary of our Dengzhou. Even if I wanted to go fight the roving bandits, I could not. But I am also quite worried that the bandits are devastating too vast an area, which will harm the livelihoods and commodity circulation of the entire Great Ming, affecting the export of Dengzhou's goods. The Military Orders Department must not relax its strategic planning against the roving bandits."

Liu Pojun was still the Director of the Military Orders Department. The Military Orders Department controlled the operational movements of Dengzhou Garrison and ranked first among all departments. After years of tempering, Chen Xin was also having him engage more with political matters. As a senior operational commander in the military, it would not do to be completely ignorant of politics.

Liu Pojun had endured the frustrating Battle of Dengzhou and taken the blame once. Later, Chen Xin gave him a chance to rise again, and he participated in all the campaigns in southern Liaodong. In particular, Chen Xin had given him free rein to command the defense of Lushun, which built up his self-confidence and sense of authority. After many trials, his psychological fortitude far surpassed what it had been during the Dengzhou Mutiny.

Hearing Chen Xin's words now, Liu Pojun immediately said, "The roving bandits' army is strong in its unpredictable comings and goings; its movements are difficult to anticipate. The roving bandits' momentum is strong because refugees are everywhere and cannot be killed off. To eliminate the roving bandits, the root lies in solving the refugees' livelihood. This is something I do not understand. But in terms of military suppression, the Military Orders Department believes the first priority should be controlling their mobility. We should station troops at several key points, deploying highly mobile light infantry, supplemented by cavalry and dragoons, to intercept their movement, and then slowly compress their area of activity. Not chasing after the bandits' rear as is done now. That way, the bandits will only grow stronger through constant movement and combat."

Chen Xin nodded. "Well argued. Tell me which places you consider important."

Liu Pojun pointed to the map behind Chen Xin. "I believe the most critical place is Nanyang in Henan. This location is a vital hub connecting Shaanxi, Henan, and Huguang. The land is fertile, the population large, and multiple river systems run north to south through it. Following the rivers south, they all enter the Han River, and along the Han River one can go directly into Huguang. To the west, there is an official road leading to Tong Pass, the most convenient route into Shaanxi. To the east lies the open plain of Henan. It can be called the lock and key of three provinces. If heavy troops were deployed here, it would sever the hub that allows the roving bandits to freely rampage across the three provinces."

Chen Xin turned his head to glance at Nanyang. That place would later be called the revolving door of the Central Plains. Indeed, as Liu Pojun said, it was the most critical place in the war against the roving bandits.

But he shook his head. "Since last year, Nanyang has been utterly devastated. The local area cannot stockpile grain. How could heavy troops be deployed there?"

The roving bandits' chaotic destructiveness had already achieved the effect of undermining government logistics. Chen Xin stood up, walked to the map, and pointed at Nanyang. "Though this place is critical, it is a battleground open on all sides, with no defensible terrain. The roving bandits pass through like shuttles. Troops can be stationed here, but it cannot serve as a base. That is why I had Zhu Daichun go straight down to Wuchang. Wuchang has the Yangtze River as a barrier. The roving bandits have no naval forces. Wuchang has no worries about provisions. Using Wuchang as a base to establish a system of fortified villages, developing northward along the Han River, and pushing through Xiangyang to penetrate Huguang—only then will it be time to station a large army at Nanyang."

Liu Pojun said respectfully, "The second place I was going to mention is Xiangyang, and then Xi'an in Shaanxi..."

After Liu Pojun finished, Chen Xin looked at the markings on the map. Many places had already turned to wasteland. He shook his head slightly. "The roving bandits are too destructive. With our current strength, defeating them is easy, but annihilating them is difficult. If we chase after their rear, we might be the ones who cannot last in the end. In my view, wiping out the roving bandits is even harder by a few degrees than breaking Liaodong. It would require us to commit all our strength on multiple fronts simultaneously. But for now, we still have the Jianzhou Bandits to fight. I cannot commit that much strength."

Liu Pojun said quietly, "The court will also not transfer troops from Dengzhou again. We can only rely on expansion from the two footholds in Linxian and Huguang."

Chen Xin tapped the map twice and did not continue discussing strategy against the roving bandits. The situation facing Dengzhou was growing ever more complex. Among the powers of the realm, those requiring military response included the Later Jin, Liaozhen, various roving bandit groups, and the court's frontier armies. Locally, there were also various local armed forces and bandits. Politically, the opponents were even more numerous. Among these forces, there were often various intertwined interests, making them sometimes enemies, sometimes friends. At times, even Chen Xin found it difficult to determine which interest was greater.

The Later Jin's situation was worrisome, but their main army remained. Moreover, for Chen Xin, Huang Taiji's political ability was also a significant hidden danger. He worried that the Later Jin could regain strength at any time. Therefore, operations against the Later Jin remained Dengzhou's primary task, until the Later Jin was beaten down. Meanwhile, the roving bandits' destructiveness was no less than that of Later Jin incursions. The area they ravaged was even vaster, having grown from sparks into a prairie fire. What Chen Xin worried about most was them thoroughly devastating Huguang. As the region that produced the most grain in the Great Ming, once Huguang's production was lost, it would truly cause commodity prices to soar nationwide, which might not be a good thing for Dengzhou. That was why he insisted on placing a main-force battalion in Wuchang.

Chen Xin's mind wandered for a moment before he turned his head. "Why has Mr. Liu not arrived yet?"

"While you were speaking with Vice Director Yang, a guard came back to report. He said he went to Aoshan Guard, where the first fortified village tribunal was being held. Mr. Liu went to observe. He had just left today."

After hearing this, Chen Xin smiled. "Tribunal? They've set it up so quickly? I have nothing else to do; I'll go listen in as well. You and Li Donghua go to Pingdu first to inspect the new battalion expansion. I will follow shortly."

Note 1: The exact location of Chexiang Gorge is not conclusively determined. Gu Cheng believes it was near the Hanzhong plank roads. (To be continued.)

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