Chapter 556: Yulinpu

On the morning of the seventh day of the ninth month, snowflakes drifted down one after another, dancing and falling between heaven and earth on the north wind. After piling layer upon layer on the ground, they turned the mountains and rivers into a white scroll painting. Yulinpu, fifteen li south of Gaizhou, had changed its appearance compared to ten days ago. Two lines of shallow trenches had been dug around the perimeter, the old fort walls had been reinforced, and the ruins inside the fort were filled with tents. The Dengzhou Fourth Battalion was encamped both inside and outside the fort.

The official road from the direction of Gaizhou wound past outside the fort. The surrounding plain was a sheet of white, with only the stark outlines of shrubs, woods, and ruined villages standing out.

The area around Yulinpu was open wilderness, roughly ten li wide east to west and about twenty-five li long north to south. Yulinpu was fourteen li from Qinghe and about two li from the hilly ground to the east. After the Later Jin massacred the four southern garrisons, the once fertile fields had become wasteland, overgrown with wild grass and shrubs, yet the ground had become relatively level. The entire area had no complex terrain.

Two or three li east of Yulinpu lay a series of peaks a hundred to two hundred meters high — Mount Fenghuang, Mount Songguo, Mount Shidaokou — forming a screen on Yulinpu's eastern flank. About five li to the west was Mount Zhuanzi, and several li beyond Mount Zhuanzi lay the Liao Sea. Along the coast stood Mount Xitao, Mount Banxian, and other hills, with several ruined fishing villages at their feet. (All place names are from the Gaiping County Gazetteer.)

Less than one li directly north of Yulinpu rose Xu Shan, the commanding height on the plain near Yulinpu, under a hundred meters in elevation. Its slopes were covered with dried-out woods, and on the summit already flew the Flying Tiger banner of Dengzhou Garrison. One company of the Fourth Battalion was stationed there. In the open country north of Xu Shan, from east to west, lay the ruins of four villages: Ertaizi Village, Wangjiatun Village, Zhuanzishan Village, and Zhangwangzhai.

Zhu Guobin was on Xu Shan. He had come to inspect the Mandarin Duck Formation company stationed there. Now he was preparing to descend the hill to the two forward outposts north of Xu Shan. Before leaving the summit, Zhu Guobin halted and gazed toward Gaizhou. He was a native of Haizhou in Liaodong, barely over a hundred li from Gaizhou. In the first year of Tianqi, Nurhaci had seized Liaoshen, and over seventy Liaodong forts had surrendered at the mere rumor of his approach. Zhu Guobin had fled alone across the sea. Sixteen years had passed since then, and the impression of his homeland had grown somewhat blurred, but his longing to recover Liaodong burned ever hotter.

When he first met Chen Xin in the first year of Chongzhen, Zhu Guobin had greatly admired the man. Chen Xin had said then that he would take him to kill Tatars. At the time, Zhu Guobin had only imagined Chen Xin leading boats to secretly land in Liaodong and kill a few isolated Tatars. In the blink of an eye, eight years had passed, and now it was tens of thousands of troops fighting an open, honorable battle against the Jianzhou bandits. Looking back, it felt like a dream.

The rumble of hoofbeats pulled Zhu Guobin from his memories. A cavalry detachment below the hill was heading north. Over the previous two days, Dengzhou Garrison had withdrawn most of its forces from the south bank of Qinghe, leaving only a small number of cavalry and dragoons to observe the enemy. But the Jianzhou bandits had yet to make any notable move. East of Gaizhou city lay a bend in Qinghe, where two crossing points remained unblocked. Later Jin patrol riders had been crossing the river there from time to time, clashing with Dengzhou patrol riders on the south bank in fierce forward skirmishes. Now more of them were scouting southward, attempting to confirm Dengzhou's troop dispositions.

This cavalry detachment was one Zhu Guobin had sent as reinforcement today, numbering about five hundred men, half dragoons and half regular cavalry. They would tighten control near the crossing points and support the forward patrol riders in combat.

The two main forces were roughly the same distance from Yulinpu. The Later Jin troops would not rashly charge headlong into them. When facing Dengzhou Garrison, they would advance cautiously. The weather was another factor. In heavy snow, neither side could maneuver easily — it was not a good opportunity for a pitched battle.

By now, both Qinghe and the Liao Sea had frozen over. Zhu Guobin believed Huang Taiji would wait until the ice on Qinghe was thick enough to bear men and horses before crossing south. The two wooden bridges over Qinghe had long since been destroyed. The two crossing points could only deliver troops at a limited rate. Huang Taiji would likely worry about being struck mid-crossing by Dengzhou Garrison. Moreover, wading through water in this season was a miserable affair and would impair the army's fighting strength after crossing.

Qinghe could be crossed anywhere, and the oxcarts the Later Jin commonly used could also move south without trouble. Therefore, Zhu Guobin judged that once the ice on Qinghe could bear men and animals, and as long as it was not snowing, the time would have come for the entire Later Jin army to move south.

The Fourth Battalion served as the army's forward screen. Between Guerpu and Yulinpu lay a stretch of hilly ground that was inconvenient for moving troops through. For this reason, Chen Xin did not want the battlefield too far south and had deliberately positioned the First Battalion at Yulinpu. The place had been roughly reinforced, and the garrison was on high alert — it could not be taken in a short time. With the main Dengzhou force held in reserve to the rear, the Later Jin troops could not besiege Yulinpu. Yulinpu could serve as a strongpoint to stabilize the battle line.

Dengzhou held the strategic advantage and thus had seized the initiative in choosing the battlefield. In the vicinity of Yulinpu, Xu Shan was the most critical commanding height, so Zhu Guobin had stationed a Mandarin Duck Formation company there.

The snowflakes drifting down from the sky grew ever thicker. Zhu Guobin blew a breath onto his hands and descended the northern slope of Xu Shan. Xu Shan was a small east-west hill, less than two li long and only a few dozen meters high. Both the northern and southern slopes were gentle inclines, easily traversed by infantry and cavalry alike. The only hindrance was the dead trees on the hill. Zhu Guobin had already ordered the garrison to cut firewood from Xu Shan, so that these dead trees would not impede the passage of troops.

Just as he reached the foot of the slope, two mounted messengers came racing from the north, kicking up swirling snow on the official road. Spotting Zhu Guobin's identification banner, they galloped swiftly before him. "My lord Mobile Corps Commander, patrol riders are riding back and forth on the ice. Jianzhou bondservants are testing the ice at various points along Qinghe. On the north bank, there are also large quantities of planks, seemingly ready to be laid over the ice. About fifteen hundred cavalry have each sortied from south and east of Gaizhou city and are now assembling on the north bank."

A faint surge of excitement stirred in Zhu Guobin's heart. He immediately told the mounted messenger, "Report to Lord Chen at once."

…

Eight li behind Yulinpu, the Seventh Battalion of the Liaonan Second Brigade had already set camp, occupying the exit of the hilly ground north of Guotoupu. Fifteen li further back at Guotoupu was the main force of Dengzhou Garrison and the forward logistics center, garrisoned by the Liaonan First Brigade, the Guards Brigade, and part of the Cavalry Battalion. The entire camp lay north of the Sha River, ready to advance to Yulinpu at any moment.

Dengzhou Garrison kept its main force at Guotoupu for two reasons: first, to reduce the difficulty of transporting provisions overland; second, to let the Later Jin troops come south. If the entire Dengzhou army concentrated at Yulinpu, the Jianzhou bandits would fear being struck mid-crossing by Dengzhou and would not dare to come south. By placing the Liaonan Second Brigade forward, Chen Xin both screened the army's deployment and presented a posture of accepting battle. Otherwise, he could simply withdraw the whole army to Guotoupu, and the Jianzhou bandits would have no chance to attack at all.

At this moment, Chen Xin was riding slowly along the Sha River. Since arriving in this era, what he had found hardest to get used to was winter. Although he had the privilege of using charcoal fires for warmth at home and in his office, that was not always available when he went out on business. Even though living conditions in Dengzhou had improved and the price of cotton clothes was now very low, people still froze to death in winter from time to time.

The north bank was covered with orderly encampments. Thirty thousand Dengzhou troops were assembled here — the most powerful military force in the East of this era. The Later Jin army thirty li away had rampaged across the north for over a decade. Had Chen Xin not arrived, they would have swept through the passes and conquered the realm nine years later, a process far easier than the Mongol Yuan invasion of China. But only Chen Xin and Liu Minyou knew this. Everyone else present had no doubt that Dengzhou Garrison could ultimately defeat the Jianzhou bandits and recover Liaodong.

Chen Xin could not help turning his head to glance at those accompanying him: Liu Pojun, Wu Jianzhong, Wang Zhangfu, and Xu Yuanhua, who had taken over from Liu Minyou in coordinating Liaonan supplies. In his mind, the faces of Lu Chuanzong and Dai Zhenggang suddenly surfaced.

None of these people behind him had been among the earliest to follow him. If he had not recruited those people from Yanggu back then, and had only taken Lu Chuanzong and Dai Zhenggang with him, then Xu Yuanhua might have starved to death in his hometown, or might have come to Dengzhou years later like Er Tun, relying on his cleverness to become an ordinary hamlet chief or a Civil Affairs Department official. The other Yanggu people would also have held only ordinary posts, and no so-called Yanggu Clique would have emerged. In the end, the two who had followed him first had not made it to the finish. Lu Chuanzong had died at Zhou Shifa's hands, and Dai Zhenggang had exiled himself.

Chen Xin gently shook his head and turned to the several men behind him. "After this battle defeats the Jianzhou bandits, what do you most want to do?"

Wang Zhangfu answered without the slightest hesitation: "Your subordinate simply follows my lord. Whatever my lord bids me do, I shall do. If my lord says tomorrow we strike Shanhai Pass, then I shall go strike Shanhai Pass. If you bid me strike Jingshi, then I shall…"

Chen Xin hurriedly waved his hand, though his face showed no trace of reproach. Wang Zhangfu came from the boat-tracker faction, Chen Xin's most diehard supporter. He often clamored that they should seize Shandong and then march straight on Jingshi. He was a representative of the army's radical wing, and many young officers were influenced by him. Those at the Military Academy who drew up plans for attacking Nanzhili and Jingshi mostly came from Wang Zhangfu's subordinates.

The others around them looked unsurprised. By this stage of Dengzhou Garrison's development, the people within the system were already tightly bound together, sharing common interests. As the scope of those interests and their strength expanded, the urge for Dengzhou Garrison to expand grew ever more intense, especially in population, land, and commerce. Conflicts with the imperial court multiplied. The fiercest commercial clashes were with the gentry and scholars of the southern Grand Canal and Jiangnan, particularly over cotton cloth and cigarettes. They had already begun using the power of Jiangnan's government offices to restrict Dengzhou trade goods, while Dengzhou Garrison's influence there was still small and could only rely on the Intelligence Bureau to carry out some strikes — far from enough to alter the balance of power. What these people relied on was the power of the imperial court. The ultimate conflict between Dengzhou Garrison and the court was unavoidable. Even if Chen Xin had no ambition to become emperor, he would eventually be pushed into that position by this war chariot. Therefore, Chen Xin did not restrict such thinking, but neither did he promote it within the army, lest it provoke overly radical actions that would affect his overall strategy.

Xu Yuanhua, not daring to lag behind, immediately followed: "Your subordinate thinks the same as Lord Wang. I was originally nothing but a farmer. Even in my dreams, I never imagined I could manage so many affairs or live such a good life. All of this was given by Lord Chen. Lord Chen is my reborn parent. Your subordinate listens only to Lord Chen."

Chen Xin smiled encouragingly. After years of tempering, Xu Yuanhua had learned to speak well and had become quite smooth in official circles. He had long since shed the rustic air and destitution he had when he first arrived in Weihai.

He then turned to Liu Pojun. Liu Pojun hastily cupped his fists and said, "Your subordinate remembers what Lord Chen once said. I simply wish to do more for the people of Liaodong, and also to do more for the common people of the realm, so that they may all live the good life they have in Denglai."

It was also a formulaic answer, but it contained Liu Pojun's genuine thoughts. When he had first come to Chen Xin's side, he had often talked about how people from other places should all come to Wendeng. Chen Xin still nodded approvingly.

The last was Wu Jianzhong. Chen Xin was rather curious how this man, who had almost no hobbies, would answer. Wu Jianzhong had only taken one wife in Dengzhou — and even that had been a task Chen Xin assigned him. He had one son, still young. The man was a workaholic, rushing about everywhere in normal times. On the rare occasions he returned to Dengzhou, he would still go to Qixia's Tatar Village, the Blue Team, and elsewhere to teach Later Jin combat methods and the barbarian language. Apart from recovering Liaodong, Chen Xin truly did not know what else Wu Jianzhong might be interested in.

Wu Jianzhong said expressionlessly, "Well, your subordinate wishes to return home and take back the land my ancestors left behind. It was given to me by my forefathers. Finding a few tenant farmers to work it would be enough to live on."

Chen Xin was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing. The others laughed along with him. Chen Xin laughed for quite a while before stopping and said to Wu Jianzhong, "True to your nature. But while the land can be taken back, this official still hopes you will remain in the Intelligence Bureau."

Just as he said this, Liu Pojun's adjutant rode up from behind and called out loudly, "Lord Chen, Lord Liu! Three thousand Jianzhou cavalry have crossed Qinghe. Their vanguard is advancing toward Yulinpu and engaging our outer patrol riders. Large numbers of bondservants are laying planks on Qinghe. Troops are pouring out of Gaizhou city in a continuous stream, seemingly intending to cross the river in full force."

Chen Xin exhaled a puff of white breath. "They've finally come. Order the main force of the Cavalry Battalion to proceed to Yulinpu immediately and block the Later Jin vanguard from advancing past the Yulinpu line. All units within the Operations Staff's battle sequence are to break camp at once and establish a defense line five li south of Yulinpu."

The orders were issued immediately. Every unit had prearranged plans. The Cavalry Battalion, at the highest state of readiness, set out swiftly. The remaining units, following the march plan, filed out of camp in sequence onto the official road and advanced toward Yulinpu. (To be continued…)

PS: Note: For a map of Yulinpu, see the related work "Topographic Map of the Gaizhou Campaign."