Chapter 559: The Snow Stops

On the night they set up camp, Later Jin cavalry scouts launched a small-scale raid on Xu Shan, but under the defense of landmine cannons, ghost arrows, and military dogs, it had no effect whatsoever.

Snow fell intermittently; the commanders on both sides rose several times. Before daybreak, snowflakes began drifting down again, and in the end neither side sent out troops. After full daylight, the Later Jin roving cavalry sortied as usual, threading between Yulinpu and the Dengzhou main camp. The Dengzhou camp was solidly fortified, the main army arrayed in strict readiness — such cavalry maneuvering had no tactical significance, but it could boost Later Jin morale.

Dengzhou cavalry swiftly attacked, using the shock tactics the Dengzhou garrison excelled at to drive off the Later Jin roving cavalry. The Long Qibing attacked in small squads; gunfire rang out across the wilderness. Facing the volley fire of the Long Qibing's firearms, the Later Jin troops' mounted bows gradually faltered. The two sides fought a meaningless melee through the morning, killing several dozen more, and it ended only before lunch.

When the camp was serving meals, a string of wagons arrived from the direction of Guotoupu. Between the two places lay a stretch of hills, where the Seventh Battalion had been stationed all along to cover the safety of the supply route. Half of these wagons were four-wheeled carts; the drivers were mostly conscripted from the wagon and horse cooperatives in the various Dengzhou garrison villages. With the same eight-animal hitch, these four-wheeled mule carts could provide a thirty-dan load capacity, more than half again that of a two-wheeled cart.

Under the quartermaster's direction, the wagon convoy entered each camp in good order. What they brought this time was not fodder or grain, but some fresh meat. The Dengzhou garrison's field rations consisted mainly of salt pork and dried fish; winter vegetables were scarce, so vitamins were replaced with expensive tea leaves.

The middle section of the convoy drove into the central army camp where Chen Xin was located. Chen Xin's central camp was inside Zhanggezhuang itself. According to Dengzhou garrison regulations, formed military units in dangerous zones were not to spend the night in inhabited areas, because irregular house and street layouts would disrupt unit organization, affect assembly speed, and potentially cause chaos at critical moments.

Therefore, only the army's administrative organs and directly subordinate units were stationed inside Zhanggezhuang. The place had undergone simple reinforcement, was ringed by the camps of the various battalions, and was the safest spot on the front line.

Guan Xiaomei was right at the village entrance, in a tent, watching that wagon convoy enter the village. The Qingzhou theater troupe she belonged to was billeted at the village entrance. After the troupe was transferred to Liaonan, they had been performing plays all the way from Lushun for the garrison villagers and troops, boosting the morale of the soldiers and civilians in Liaonan. After a brief stop in Jinzhou, they rushed to Fuzhou to perform for the soldiers deployed on the front line, and finally reached Guotoupu. When the main army moved north, the troupe had already received orders from the Instruction Department to head south; then the order was changed, telling them to follow to the Yulinbao front line and continue boosting morale.

The people in the troupe all had some complaints — after all, the battlefield was very dangerous — but Guan Xiaomei did not care in the slightest. She had witnessed several major battles in Henan, and her psychological resilience far exceeded that of those propaganda team members who had stayed in Dengzhou the whole time.

Guan Xiaomei stuffed the few soybeans in her hand into her mouth in one go and was just about to return to the tent when she suddenly heard someone call her name. She turned around in surprise and saw Xu Pingjie jumping down from a wagon, walking over with a face full of smiles.

Guan Xiaomei's face first showed delight, then she pointed at the wagon in amazement and asked Xu Pingjie, "Young Master Xu, how come you've turned up as a conscript laborer too?"

Xu Pingjie wore a long, thick padded coat and was still tall and handsome. Perhaps because life had been comfortable lately, his complexion was fair with a rosy glow, making him look even more distinguished. He first brushed at a stain on his clothes, then exhaled white vapor and said, "I'm in charge of the conscript labor team from Qixia. All these matters of baggage, provisions, and fodder — I help Second Uncle manage them."

Guan Xiaomei pursed her lips. In just a few sentences, Xu Pingjie could not leave out that Second Uncle Xu Yuanhua, as if the Dengzhou garrison could not function without this Second Uncle.

Xu Pingjie remained utterly oblivious; his expression full of admiration, he said, "Second Uncle is in charge of managing the provisions and conscript laborers for this campaign. Even Lord Chen praised his exceptional ability, calling him a rare talent in the Civil Affairs Department. He came along to escort the wagons this time too."

Guan Xiaomei said offhandedly, "If your Second Uncle is so tremendously capable, for just this few wagons, why would he need to personally escort them here?"

Xu Pingjie tilted his head up slightly and said smugly, "Originally he didn't need to escort them, but this battle is the most critical fight for our Dengzhou. At a time like this, doing and saying more in front of Lord Chen is worth several times the usual. Second Uncle has been an official for many years and does everything by method. Compared to him, I am like a grain of rice next to the sun and moon — there's still so much I need to learn from him."

Guan Xiaomei had a mouthful of spit ready at the tip of her tongue, thought better of it, and swallowed it back. She was about to turn and leave when she heard Xu Pingjie add, "This time Second Uncle specifically had me come along precisely to let me show my face before Lord Chen. As long as Lord Chen can remember me, my future prospects will be even better."

Guan Xiaomei could not help saying, "Then congratulations in advance, Young Master Xu, on catching Lord Chen's eye. May you bring glory to your ancestors."

"It'll be good for you too."

Guan Xiaomei pointed at herself in surprise: "Me?"

Xu Pingjie said matter-of-factly, "In the future, when you marry into the family, you'll be a member of the Xu household too. I've already thought through what comes after. Second Uncle told me that Liaodong is where the Dengzhou garrison will truly spread its wings from now on. I'll follow to Liaodong, and you'll come too."

Guan Xiaomei could not help laughing. "I still have my mother in Wendeng. Who said I'm coming to Liaodong?"

"Once you marry into your husband's family, you belong to your husband's family. Your mother should naturally be supported by your elder and younger brothers." Seeing Guan Xiaomei's eyes glaring, Xu Pingjie paused, then continued, "Then just give your eldest brother a bit more silver, that's all. Or if he leaves the army later, let him work as a shopkeeper or something in my family's trading company. In any case…"

Guan Xiaomei did not wait for him to finish; without a word she turned and walked away. Xu Pingjie stood stunned for a moment and called after her, "What's the matter now?"

"My lord, the snow is letting up. We tested it outside just now — the accumulated snow won't affect marching."

Beside a rammed-earth wall on the north side of Zhanggezhuang, Liu Pojun said in a low voice to Chen Xin, "We asked some Liaodong veterans; most of them say it looks like the snow will stop today."

Chen Xin put down his telescope. The sky was darkening; another day was about to pass. The land in his field of vision was covered in a blanket of white. Some Dengzhou roving cavalry were cleaning up the battlefield from the earlier cavalry skirmish.

Ten li away was his greatest enemy. As long as this obstacle was cleared, the Dengzhou garrison would establish a solid strategic advantage, and contending for the realm would no longer be just a dream. If the snow stopped tonight, tomorrow would be the moment the answer was revealed.

"Pojun, tell me, if we hadn't established the Dengzhou garrison, would the Jianzhou Bandits have broken through the passes and swept the realm?"

Liu Pojun tilted his head to look at Chen Xin, feeling that Chen Xin's question was extremely abrupt. Although the Jianzhou Bandits had won battle after battle before, they only held a corner of Liaodong after all; compared to the entire Great Ming, they were still like a child against a giant. Their several incursions through the passes were all for plunder — once they finished looting, they went home. Although Liu Pojun felt that relying on government troops to recover Liaodong would be very difficult, he had never imagined that the Jianzhou Bandits could sweep the realm.

Liu Pojun shook his head slightly. "This subordinate feels that the true Jurchen of the Jianzhou Bandits number in the hundreds of thousands, but their able-bodied men are only a few tens of thousands. Our Great Ming has a population beyond counting — how could a gang of horse bandits take the realm?"

Chen Xin said softly, "Great Ming may be vast, but it is like an excessively obese giant — enormous in bulk and very wealthy, with plenty to eat every day. But what it eats does not make the giant strong; it all turns into useless fat, accumulating in useless places. The giant moves more and more sluggishly and has contracted illnesses all over its body. Later Jin is like a lean, fierce wild dog — tiny in bulk, but vicious and combative. It covets this giant's wealth and food, and to seize them it must first topple the giant who possesses them. So from time to time it tears a chunk of flesh from Great Ming, this sick, fat giant, making the giant bleed continuously. Under these internal ailments and external wounds, the day will come when this giant collapses. When that time comes, do you say it will be the Jianzhou Bandits who take the realm, or the roving bandits who take it?"

"This…" Liu Pojun thought for a moment, not knowing how to answer for the time being.

Chen Xin glanced sideways at Liu Pojun, then smiled and said, "I was just asking casually, merely chatting with you."

Only then did Liu Pojun breathe a sigh of relief. Chen Xin turned and said, "Since the snow may stop, notify all battalion officers: if the snow stops tonight, tomorrow at dawn, make preparations to deploy according to the Military Orders Department's plan and stand by for orders. Scout cavalry and special operations teams are to reconnoiter the Jianzhou Bandits' main camp in advance and take note of when the Jianzhou Bandits start cooking."

Liu Pojun stood at attention: "Yes, sir!"

After Liu Pojun left, Chen Xin raised his telescope again. The telescope showed a vast expanse of white; he could not see the Later Jin camp ten li away. Yet Chen Xin still gazed intently. He murmured, "Huang Taiji, see you tomorrow."

In the Later Jin main camp ten li from Chen Xin, Huang Taiji was also holding a captured telescope, looking southward for the Dengzhou main camp. The sky was darkening, and he too could see nothing clearly.

Huang Taiji handed the telescope to Sony beside him, and only after watching Sony put it away with his own eyes did he turn to Haoge beside him. "If the snow stops, tomorrow it shall be decided with that Chen Xin."

Haoge's square face was full of resolve. "Khan Ama will surely slay Chen Xin and recover Liaonan in one stroke. Our Great Jin still has great prospects."

"Great prospects…" Huang Taiji nodded slightly, then said to Haoge, "Do you know, when I first ascended the Khan's throne, the grand strategy I conceived in my mind was to enter the passes and seize the Ming capital, Jingshi. I exhausted myself planning for that, yet in the end, who would have thought we would fall to a point where even central Liao is hard to hold."

Haoge said in a somewhat dejected low voice, "Ama, these years have indeed been hard on you. If not for that… that Dengzhou garrison, our Great Jin would never have fallen to such a state."

Sony beside him hurriedly offered consolation: "Fortunately, the turning point is right before us. Back at Sarhu, the Ming troops were so mighty, and our Great Jin was merely the barren land around Jianzhou — who could have imagined we would come to hold Liaodong alone? After the Ming troops were defeated in one battle at Sarhu, Liaoyang and Shenyang were strong cities with deep moats, seemingly impossible to take by any means, yet the Old Khan stormed into Shenyang in a single day and took Liaoyang the next. Over seventy forts in Liaodong surrendered at the mere news. This was Heaven's favor and blessing. This slave feels that tomorrow we will surely slay that Chen Xin. As long as the Dengzhou main army is defeated, Liaonan will likewise surrender at the news, and the various places in Denglai will also vanish like smoke."

Haoge, somewhat stirred, said, "Khan Ama, what Sony says is reasonable. Tomorrow's battle will surely be so."

Huang Taiji gave two great laughs and said heroically, "By this time tomorrow, it shall be as you two say — we shall use the heads of tens of thousands from Dengzhou to accompany our wine. After tomorrow, Liaodong will still be our Great Jin's Liaodong."

The laughter spread far and wide, then faded into the empty snowy plain. The snowflakes had gradually ceased; the light was slowly dimming. The last night before the great battle had descended.