Chapter 82: A Stifling March

On the high platform of the parade ground outside the East Gate of Weihaiwei, Grand Commandant Yang Yunnong wore a specially made set of scale armor. He was so fat that no standard Ming army armor would fit him, so he had the garrison's military craftsmen make a custom piece. But it could not be too heavy. Those artisans racked their brains, hammering the iron plates very thin, and produced a twenty-jin scale armor. Its actual combat effectiveness was compromised, but from the outside it still looked very imposing.

Behind Yang Yunnong stood fifteen retainers. He had originally had twenty retainers, but five were killed during the robbery. Each year, keeping one of these retainers cost him over ten taels of silver, and over the years the investment had been considerable. Adding it all up, including the value of the goods, the total exceeded five hundred taels of silver, which had pained him for a long time. So his mood had been very poor lately, and now, seeing the situation below the platform, it grew even worse.

Below the platform stood over two hundred male military households. A few dozen were garrison troops on rotation to guard the city, while most were farming troops temporarily drawn from the three battalion headquarters. Among these men were able-bodied adults, old men in their fifties, and half-grown boys of about ten. They had no proper uniforms, just the ragged clothes they wore while farming every day. They stood in large clusters according to their respective watchtowers, and within those large clusters they formed many smaller groups based on how well they knew each other, chatting animatedly about daily life. There were also some women and children who had come to see them off mixed in among them. Some children were wailing loudly, and the field was a chaotic din. Had they not been holding weapons, an onlooker would have thought it was a market fair somewhere.

The three battalion commanders and Wen Deng County's Jail Warden Zheng were all in attendance beside Yang Yunnong. Seeing the Grand Commandant's dark expression, the three battalion commanders and the provost marshal ran down and began beating and cursing at the military households in the field. After a full quarter-hour of this turmoil, the military households—most of whom were tenants of officers of various ranks and still feared them—timidly and hesitantly managed to stand in order by their respective company commanders. Although still a complete mess, it was somewhat better than the vegetable market it had been a moment before.

Yang Yunnong's expression eased slightly. When the battalion commanders returned, he asked in a gloomy tone, "How many people still haven't arrived?"

The battalion commanders reported in turn. Roughly half had yet to arrive, but since it was not yet noon, their absence was still excusable. Yang Yunnong put on a smiling face and apologized to Jail Warden Zheng beside him. Zheng, having seen many guard battalions, knew that guard battalion soldiers were just like this—they might not even drill once a year—and did not take it to heart.

By the third quarter of the Si hour, a few more people trickled in sporadically, and the sound of greetings and New Year's salutations rose everywhere again. These military households had put down deep roots in Weihai over many years, and many had intermarried. Even if they were not from the same watchtower, many knew each other. The field began to descend into chaos again, and the provost marshal once more led his two retainers to beat and curse them. Just as the beating was in full swing, a uniform chant and the sound of marching footsteps came from the north.

Everyone in the field turned their heads in surprise. They saw nearly a hundred men divided into six formations. The five front formations each had twelve men, all wearing Ming helmets and uniform padded jackets. The squad leaders marched at the very front carrying flag-spears, with two files in the middle forming a double column, and a cook carrying a shoulder pole at the rear. Their steps were uniform, their expressions solemn, each carrying their weapons. Their military bearing was strict and dignified as they marched this way with the same synchronized stride.

When had these Weihai military households ever seen such troops? Some had occasionally seen them running on ordinary days and thought these people were fools, not knowing what they ran for every day. But now, seeing them march with such imposing momentum, they all stopped talking and stared blankly at this strange unit.

After this small unit had fully entered the parade ground, they lined up in order before the muster platform. Those in position did not stop but continued marching in place, the uniform sound of footsteps still ringing out, until every squad was in position before the platform. The leading battalion commander gave a great shout: "All, halt!"

Nearly a hundred men simultaneously roared "Hu!" (Note 1), their right feet stamping the ground in unison to halt. Everyone in the parade ground was startled, some feeling as if the very ground had trembled.

"All, left face." Nearly a hundred men pivoted neatly on their left feet, their bodies turning left, followed by a sharp slap as their right feet snapped together. The nearly hundred men moved as one. After turning, they stood in silent, stoic attention, not a single person turning their head or speaking. The parade ground suddenly fell utterly silent.

None of those present had ever imagined that troops could look like this. Yang Yunnong stared blankly as Chen Xin ran up onto the platform. Chen Xin knelt before Yang Yunnong and said, "Your subordinate, Chen Xin, Company Commander of the Left Battalion of Weihaiwei, under orders, has brought seventy-eight military household members to report for duty at the garrison city. Arriving on schedule, I await my lord's instructions."

Yang Yunnong was still in a daze. Jail Warden Zheng beside him reacted first and hurriedly nudged Yang Yunnong. Only then did Yang react, somewhat flustered, and said, "Good, good. Well, then, Battalion Commander Chen, just stay here."

Hearing him speak somewhat improperly, Jail Warden Zheng coughed and said, "Lord Yang, should we first arrange for this Battalion Commander Chen to take his place in the Left Battalion's formation?"

Yang Yunnong said as if suddenly realizing, "Ah, precisely so. Battalion Commander Chen, then take your subordinates to the Left Battalion's ranks and form up. Battalion Commander Zeng, quickly take Battalion Commander Chen there."

Chen Xin knelt and saluted again, then descended the platform and issued a few more commands. The formation turned right and marched to the Left Battalion's position, arranging into six two-row formations. At this time, five military household members led five mules over and handed them to the logistics squad. Chen Xin had intended to cow Weihaiwei right here on the parade ground, lest anyone in the garrison harbor designs on him later. So, for the sake of keeping the formation neat, he had not even brought the mules into the field. Now, having received the mules, he sent those older military household members back.

After they had gone some distance, Jail Warden Zheng said to Yang Yunnong, "Orders are obeyed and prohibitions observed. With such strong troops under your command, Lord Yang, why worry about a mere Tongtian Liang?"

Yang Yunnong had regained some face in front of the jail warden and felt smug. He spoke modestly, "Battalion Commander Chen governs his troops effectively; even the Provincial Governor admires him." He did not say that Chen Xin had been placed by the Provincial Governor. Jail Warden Zheng assumed the Provincial Governor admired Yang Yunnong and, by extension, admired Battalion Commander Chen, and his gaze toward Yang shifted slightly.

After Chen Xin's small army stood in position at the Left Battalion's spot, a buzzing noise rose again in the parade ground. The surrounding military households gathered around them as if looking at rare animals, pointing and gesturing, with expressions of both envy and mockery. These former trackers had received quite a few military beatings over these days. Now, in formation, they dared not look around. During daily drills, they were often watched by family members and the residents of Mazi Hamlet, so they were completely unfazed by this.

Lu Chuanzong, however, was very displeased with these onlookers. He loudly addressed his two squads of soldiers, "Stand properly! Let these bumpkins see what a real army looks like."

"Who the hell are you calling a bumpkin?" A tall, brawny man with a face full of ferocious flesh stepped out and said viciously to Lu Lvzi.

Seeing that someone actually dared to disrespect their officer, the five squads of combat soldiers were all eager to act. Their monotonous daily training had left them with superabundant energy, and having been frequently beaten, they had a bellyful of pent-up resentment with no outlet. Every day they had the urge to find someone to fight. Usually restrained by military discipline, now that they were out of the barracks, they had long felt like caged beasts unleashed. Although these officers often beat and cursed them, they treated them very well off duty. They personally applied medicine to those injured during training and even ate the same food without any special treatment. After two or three months of daily interaction, they had developed good feelings for each other. Now they were just waiting for a single order from Chen Xin to give this brawny man a good beating.

The brawny man remained oblivious and even walked up to Lu Chuanzong, staring him down. Lu Lvzi, having experienced bloody battle at sea and organized assassinations in Dengzhou, now had a completely different bearing than before. With his hands behind his back, he looked at the brawny man with utter disdain and said coldly, "I'm talking about you."

Seeing the murderous glint bared in Lu Lvzi's eyes, the brawny man now felt some fear but was unwilling to lose face. Unable to back down after those words, he rolled up his sleeves and was about to start a fight. Chen Xin was just about to order Dai Zhenggang to teach that man a lesson when a club suddenly appeared from behind the brawny man and struck him several times on the back. It turned out to be Battalion Commander Zeng coming over. Zeng beat and cursed him as he did so. The brawny man, also belonging to the Left Battalion, dared not talk back to his battalion commander, which gave him a way to back down. He hopped away, but after getting some distance, he still turned his head and spat in their direction.

Now even Zhu Guobin and Dai Zhenggang could not hold back. Both looked at Chen Xin to see how he would react. Chen Xin smiled and waved his hand, and only then did the two return to the formation resentfully. Nie Hong asked in Chen Xin's ear, "My lord, that scoundrel is truly detestable. Shall I do away with him on the road?"

Chen Xin, still smiling, said softly, "Such a minor character isn't worth the effort. We don't kill randomly; we kill only when there's a purpose and a benefit."

Only then did Nie Hong reluctantly withdraw, but his eyes never left that brawny man, glaring fiercely.

Battalion Commander Zeng, having beaten the brawny man away, came over and apologized profusely to Chen Xin, saying his subordinate was ignorant. Only then did the combat soldiers behind Chen Xin somewhat calm their anger.

They waited in this noisy, chaotic manner for over another shichen. The battalion commanders sent people repeatedly to urge them on, and the remaining people finally arrived one after another. By this time, it was already past lunchtime. The people in the field began clamoring again. Normally, these people were terribly timid at the sight of a superior officer, but now, gathered together, they pushed their luck far too much.

Commandant Yang had no choice but to agree again to let everyone cook. Military households provided their own grain for campaigns, though the garrison still had to contribute some. A group of garrison soldiers brought over some grain. The men from each battalion, afraid of being left behind and disregarding any organization, swarmed around the Assistant Regional Commander distributing the grain. One military household member from the Front Battalion hoisted his battalion's grain sack out, but was jostled by someone nearby, and the sack overturned, spilling grain everywhere. Seeing the grain, and perhaps driven by extreme hunger, a crowd suddenly rushed over, crawling on the ground and scooping it into their clothes with their hands, while also snatching from each other's clothes, fighting in a tangled heap.

Yang Yunnong could bear it no longer. He sent his retainers to beat them indiscriminately, finally dispersing the crowd, but the ground was already a complete mess. Anyway, the grain had been distributed, and the people from each watchtower had received some. In a chaotic hubbub, they began cooking right there on the parade ground. Chen Xin's men did not go to snatch anything. He watched these military households and shook his head repeatedly; they were not even a match for street ruffians brawling.

The five combat squads and one logistics squad each had their own cooks. They set up pots, borrowed some firewood from Battalion Commander Zeng, and quickly cooked their dried rice. They finished eating in less than a quarter-hour. Then they placed the bedding from their backs on the ground and sat neatly on top of it to rest.

This meal lasted until the first quarter of the Wei hour. Yang Yunnong, having lost face in front of Jail Warden Zheng, no longer cared whether these military households had finished eating. He called up his retainers to urge them onto the road. Once on the road, the chaos grew even worse. It turned out that Lord Yang, in his exasperation, had actually forgotten to arrange a marching order. Everyone headed out and crowded into a jam on the main road.

Yang Yunnong had no choice but to halt the main body again. He summoned the battalion commanders and the provost marshal and set a marching order. Whether Lord Yang was flustered or not, he actually forgot about Chen Xin's crack troops and placed the Left Battalion at the very rear. He himself, with his retainers and a few dozen garrison soldiers, marched in the middle.

The entire way was dilatory, with officers beating and cursing incessantly. Before dark, they had traveled south along the coast for less than ten li. Some military households had originally come from this direction, and after a day of turmoil, they found themselves retracing their steps, which set off another round of clamor. Seeing the widespread discontent and lacking any domineering charisma, Yang Yunnong simply halted and made camp. After marching an entire day, they could still see Weihaiwei City.

Setting up camp that night was not complicated. Everyone was tired, and no trenches were dug. Chen Xin chose a spot near the sea to camp, as this side was less vulnerable to attack. The Left Battalion's campsite was mostly on the side near the mountain.

The combat squads took tents off the mules' backs. The four killer squads' tents were on the four sides, with Chen Xin's personal guard squad, firearms squad, and logistics squad in the middle. It was not that everyone was being careless; it was simply that building a fortified camp was too strenuous. Even the Qi family army set up simple camps during interior-line operations.

When evening came, the surrounding military households lit campfires, creating a din of noise, much like a camping trip. Those who had grabbed the most grain in particular cooked a large pot of rice, and laughter could be heard from time to time.

Chen Xin gazed distantly at those campfires, lost in thought. Zhu Guobin came to Chen Xin's side and said, "My lord, I never imagined the guard battalions in the interior had deteriorated to this extent. I wonder if they are all like this."

"I don't know either, but these soldiers are absolutely incapable of fighting. I've already spoken with Battalion Commander Zeng. Since the Left Battalion is at the very rear, we will be the rear of the rear and separate ourselves from this bunch. If we were placed in the middle, it would be even more troublesome. But this way, we'll just have to endure their snail's pace."

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Note 1: When the Qi family army engaged the enemy, their three shouts and three advances were the unified roar of "Hu!"