Chapter 557: The Hibernating Snake

At Yulinpu's Xu Shan, Zhu Guobin sat composedly on horseback atop the hill, surrounded by the combat troops of the Fourth Battalion's First Regiment. The soldiers were gathered in squads around campfires; the abundant dead branches on Xu Shan's summit provided plentiful firewood. After the Later Jin troops below the hill appeared in view, the soldiers skillfully readied themselves for battle, most of them looking relaxed.

On the open plain three li north of Xu Shan, over a dozen groups of Later Jin cavalry, each numbering a hundred or more, galloped back and forth, chasing and skirmishing with Dengzhou's picket riders. Four li away was a large cavalry formation of a thousand men, and further out were the Later Jin's roving scouts, racing everywhere across the wilderness, probing every thicket and ruined village. Though there were only a few thousand cavalry, they seemed to cover the hills and plains everywhere.

The heavy snow had now weakened, and Zhu Guobin could clearly see the Later Jin troops maneuvering. They had gained some experience dealing with Dengzhou's cavalry formations: unless absolutely unavoidable, they would never meet the Dengzhou cavalry in a head-on charge. They used small groups of cavalry to pin down the flanks of the Dengzhou formation, seeking opportunities to strike weak side positions, a tactic that often proved effective in small-scale engagements.

The purpose of these three to four thousand cavalry was to stabilize the battle line and cover the Later Jin army as they set camp. Huang Taiji apparently had no wish to march fifteen li straight away to fight; he preferred to be closer to the battlefield to conserve his soldiers' strength. Of course, he would not get too close to Yulinpu either.

The operations staff officer of the Second Southern Liaodong Brigade came to Zhu Guobin's side and said in a low voice, "A force of five hundred Jianzhou Bandit cavalry has been spotted heading for the road to Shidaokou Mountain. The picket riders just brought back word: a large body of Later Jin cavalry has begun crossing the river. Visually confirmed so far are the Plain Yellow Banner, Bordered Blue Banner, Plain Blue Banner, and the Mongol Left Wing."

Zhu Guobin nodded and asked, "Has there been any reply from Lord Chen?"

"Lord Chen has personally led the main force north. Today's designated encampment is the Zhanggezhuang line as planned. The cavalry battalion will arrive soon to stabilize the battle line. Our brigade's Sixth Battalion, as planned, will leave one regiment stationed at Guotoupu. Another square-formation regiment, cooperating with a hundred cavalry, will head to Shidaokou Mountain. The Mandarin Duck Formation regiment is under Lord Chen's direct command as the tactical reserve."

Zhu Guobin turned his head to look south. In the distance, the black mass of a large cavalry force was already visible. The two armies were closing the final distance. Once they entered a state of field confrontation, neither could easily withdraw.

Zhu Guobin raised his head, greeted by a sky full of swirling snowflakes. He let the snowflakes land on his face, staring somewhat abstractedly at the dark, heavy sky, and said fervently, "If only it would stop snowing tomorrow."

。。。

Five li south of Yulinpu, the main force of the Dengzhou cavalry battalion had finished forming ranks. Each of the two cavalry regiments was paired with a dragoon regiment, forming a cavalry formation balanced in offense and defense. It could use standard dense cavalry formations to drive off large enemy cavalry forces, and also rely on the dragoons' firepower to disperse those roving archer scouts.

Three li behind the cavalry formation, fiery red rivers of men streamed from the south. Detachments constantly left the official road, marching toward the flanks. Courier riders dashed back and forth around them. Mounted provost troops laid out markers along the road. Advance parties from each battalion set up marker-flag positions to the north, guiding each unit to set camp according to the flags.

Dengzhou's square-formation infantry resembled Gustavus Adolphus's Swedish brigades, leaning more toward linear formations. For large-scale battles, forming up took considerable time and they were less flexible than fusiliers. Gustavus was accustomed to adjusting his troop formations at night, so that when they advanced after camping, they were already in battle formation; the advantage even allowed for night offensives. Chen Xin adopted this method as well, but the winter nights in Liaodong were extremely cold, and he had no intention of launching a night raid in such weather against a highly alert Later Jin army.

Chen Xin had already arrived at Zhanggezhuang ahead of the troops. This abandoned village beside the official road had become a temporary strongpoint. Dengzhou soldiers had used materials from the ruins to construct a defensive line, and a watchtower two zhang high had been built at the northern end. Upon arrival, Chen Xin immediately jumped off his horse and stamped his foot hard on the ground twice. The snow layer was not yet deep, at least not enough to significantly affect marching. He promptly climbed the high platform to observe. Through his telescope, he could already see the smoke from the hilltops at Yulinpu.

Liu Pojun stepped on the wooden ladder and climbed the watchtower. Without turning his head, Chen Xin asked, "Has the Later Jin main force crossed the Qing River?"

"At the last report, the Later Jin cavalry were crossing the river. The latest picket report just received says the Later Jin's horse auxiliaries have already crossed. Currently crossing are the Two Yellow Banners and the Two Blue Banners' Ujen Coohai. Waiting on the north bank are about two thousand men of the Tianyou Army. Nine red-barbarian cannons have been spotted, and about fifteen Later Jin bronze cannons similar to our three-pounder guns. The Later Jin mounted armored troops that have crossed number about twelve thousand. The vanguard consists of the main force of the Bordered Blue Banner and part of the Plain White Banner. The banner of Jirgalang, the Banner Lord Beile of the Bordered Blue Banner, has been sighted. A cavalry force of about five hundred has headed toward the mountain path on the east side of Fenghuang Mountain, likely to scout for ambushes near Shidaokou."

"Their camp?"

"The camp is six li from Yulinpu; they are setting it now."

Chen Xin did not hesitate and immediately said, "Set camp according to the Military Command Directorate's plan. Tell every battalion commander: the camp position is the battle position. They must strictly set camp according to the marker-flag positions. Pay close attention to the weather tonight. If the snow stops, wake me at once, no matter the hour."

。。。

"Fighting a battle in snowy weather, those dog Tatars." Kong Youde cursed under his breath.

Six li north of Yulinpu, the wilderness was filled with the Later Jin army setting camp. On the side near the sea, a black military banner danced in the wind amid the weakening snowfall. Beneath the great banner was an army that had just arrived, its ranks filled entirely with pikes and matchlock guns. At the rear of the column were two "Heaven-Blessed Awe-Inspiring Grand General" cannons, each dragged by ten oxen.

Kong Youde walked with a sullen face on the left side of the column. The army beside him was the Tianyou Army, the capital on which he had relied for survival during his many years in the Later Jin. This army was built on the foundation of former Dongjiang mutineers. After arriving in the Later Jin, they had been settled by Huang Taiji in the desolate and sparsely populated Gaizhou garrison city. This was no different from history, but their strength was far inferior to that of the original history, so Kong Youde's title of Grand Marshal had been changed to Regional Commander.

Then the Dengzhou Garrison landed at Lushun, and everything changed again. The Tianyou Army suffered heavy losses in the crossing battle and siege warfare at Fuzhou. Kong Youde and Li Jiucheng were severely weakened. Over the next two years, they recovered some strength by participating in the invasion of Xuan-Da, only to be bloodied again at the Battle of Lushun. The Later Jin collapsed and fled a thousand li, retreating all the way from outside Lushun back to Fuzhou. Then Xiuyan, Zhenjiangbao, and Fuzhou itself were all captured by the Dengzhou Garrison. Dengzhou's power continued to extend across southern Liaodong, finally arriving at the walls of Gaizhou.

From then on, Gaizhou had known no peace. Dengzhou launched two major offensives every year without fail, with constant scouting and raiding in between. The coast west of Gaizhou provided an excellent environment for infiltration. The land around Gaizhou was difficult to cultivate, and the fields that had been opened up fell fallow again. The Tianyou Army's provisions mostly had to be supplied by the Later Jin Ministry of Revenue, and they frequently suffered exploitation and embezzlement by the Eight Banners' nobility. Kong Youde's past two years had been extremely hard, and many of the soldiers in the ranks were sallow and emaciated.

After this autumn offensive began, the Later Jin mobilized fully, with each banner desperately trying to secure its own provisions. Supplies for the Tianyou Army grew even tighter. Fortunately, Huang Taiji had finally come south. Had Huang Taiji delayed any longer, the Tianyou Army might well have disintegrated without a fight.

Just then, a horse galloped past him. Li Jiucheng's back flashed before his eyes as he loudly exhorted the soldiers, telling them to rouse their spirits and set camp. Kong Youde sighed softly. Just as he was about to spur his horse, a voice speaking Chinese came from nearby: "A great battle is imminent, and Lord Kong sighs at this moment. If the Beile were to learn of it, it would not be good."

Kong Youde turned his head at the words and saw it was indeed Tang Yingtai, assigned to the Tianyou Army as a combat skills instructor. This man was a surrendered soldier from the Dengzhou Garrison, apparently a squad leader or something of the sort. He was always cheerful, greeting everyone with a smiling face, and his temperament suited Kong Youde. Both were of surrendered-soldier origin, and Kong Youde held a certain awe and respect for the officers and men within the Dengzhou Garrison, often asking Tang Yingtai about Dengzhou training methods. Their private relationship was fairly good.

Kong Youde shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "I need not hide it from you, Instructor Tang. You came from the Dengzhou Garrison; no one knows the fighting strength of Dengzhou soldiers better than you. Tens of thousands of Dengzhou troops are just ten li away. If I don't sigh, could I possibly laugh?"

Tang Yingtai pointed at Li Jiucheng's retreating figure. "Then why does Lord Li exert himself so?"

"He has a grudge against that Chen Xin. Chen Xin captured his son and sent him to the Jingshi to be executed. I have no son killed by Chen Xin; I'm only here fighting as a matter of loyalty to the sovereign."

Tang Yingtai suddenly let out a long sigh as well. "To say one could defeat the Dengzhou troops, one would have to lose quite a few men on one's own side. At least ten thousand Great Jin soldiers would die. Even if we killed more than half the Dengzhou troops, tens of thousands more would come again next year. They train soldiers far too quickly."

"Who says otherwise? It's just dragging things out a few more years." Kong Youde glanced left and right and lowered his voice. "Brother Tang, tell me honestly, what are our chances of winning?"

Tang Yingtai looked at the retainers behind Kong Youde with a faint, ambiguous smile and gestured to him. Kong Youde quickly pulled the reins of Tang Yingtai's horse and led him aside.

After glancing around, Tang Yingtai said with that same faint smile, "Our Great Jin doesn't have even a single chance in ten of winning."

Kong Youde had clashed with the Dengzhou Garrison many times and had long since lost his own confidence; he had merely hoped Tang Yingtai could say something encouraging to hearten him. Now he could not help but feel utterly dejected.

Tang Yingtai suddenly lowered his voice: "But you, Lord Kong, have a ten-out-of-ten chance to win. It all depends on what you do."

Kong Youde looked up, stunned. The smile had vanished from Tang Yingtai's face, and his eyes looked at Kong Youde with a lively glint.

"Brother Tang, you... what do you mean? Are you..." Kong Youde suddenly understood, and his right hand immediately moved to his sword hilt.

The great army rolled past beside them, and not far away was a large body of Later Jin cavalry, yet Kong Youde suddenly felt as if he stood alone on a perilous battlefield. He stared fixedly at Tang Yingtai. Tang Yingtai made no move, but Kong Youde's sword remained undrawn.

"Lord Kong, I advise you to think twice." Tang Yingtai's expression did not change. "What we seek is wealth, rank, and fame, but the foremost requirement is to stay alive to enjoy them. You have already taken one wrong step. If you kill me now, you kill your own chance to stay alive. If you truly wish to kill me, why not wait until Huang Taiji has the unlikely fortune of victory, and then kill me? How about that?"

Kong Youde's eyes darted back and forth. He had no feelings whatsoever for the Later Jin; it had merely been a choice made when he had no other path. Now, in a desperate situation, this was an opportunity. His heart was already stirred, but he was still judging whether this man might have been sent by Huang Taiji to test him.

"Lord Chen said that when you parted at the fishing village back then, you clasped your fist toward him. He never knew what you meant by it, and has specially sent this humble one to ask clearly."

Kong Youde was immediately relieved. His gesture at the time had been very discreet; the others on the same boat could not possibly have seen it. Tang Yingtai was undoubtedly a man sent by Chen Xin. His hand slowly left the sword hilt. "A fine move. At the height of the fierce battle at Lushun, Lord Chen planted a hidden agent like Brother Tang. I must concede. Tell me, what does Lord Chen want me to do?" (To be continued.)