[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-stealing-ming":3,"chapter-stealing-ming-stealing-ming-chapter-294":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Stealing Ming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1220911,1614,"Chapter 294: Section 51: Inspiration","stealing-ming-chapter-294",294,"\u003Cp>After assigning the tasks, Huang Shi gathered the senior officers together again. He personally opened another wooden chest that sat beside the chest of telescopes. The chest was packed solid with straw; Huang Shi rummaged out a cloth bundle, then took from it a small, gleaming yellow disc. The moment he let go, it dropped toward the ground, only to be caught by a glittering chain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi held it up and showed it around to the officers surrounding him, saying as he did so, \"This thing is called a pocket watch — also a high-grade military instrument just produced by the Funing Garrison Armory.\" As Huang Shi explained the device's uses, he also taught his subordinates how to read the watch, wind it, and synchronize watches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were twenty pocket watches in all. Apart from keeping one for himself, Huang Shi distributed several to the senior officers of each battalion and to the head of the military police, and handed all the rest to Ouyang Xin's engineer corps. Huang Shi taught them how to use the pocket watches. With these instruments, coordinating dispersed advances and converging attacks would become far easier to control and synchronize, and military plans could also be drawn up in finer detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides the pocket watches and telescopes, the Funing Garrison Armory had also delivered two other new types of engineer equipment: a compass with a glass cover and a graduated bubble level. Once glass — a critical military material — had been successfully produced, Huang Shi had racked his brains to recall these simple instruments. He had no doubt that they would bring great benefit to the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition to these small gadgets, the Funing Army had also sent five hundred chests of military supplies via Yangtze River shipping, including several hundred engineer shovels and spades, large quantities of iron hammers, nimble and sharp short-handled hatchets, whole chests of iron nails, steel saw blades with matching saw frames, and more. All these supplies had been manufactured by the recently expanded Funing Garrison Armory, in order to meet the various material demands Huang Shi required. By now, Bao Bowen had already shifted eighty percent of his manpower into producing these tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bao Bowen had also enclosed a letter with this shipment, explaining that armor production had already slowed, and that the Funing Garrison Armory's output would continue shifting toward tools. According to the orders Huang Shi had issued before departing, once conditions permitted, the Funing Garrison should attempt to manufacture metal gears to replace the wooden gears currently used in the waterwheels. Bao Bowen reported that this project had already been launched, and that the Funing Garrison Armory had also produced the first batch of metal pulley blocks. He would dispatch these goods to Huang Shi at Guiyang within three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there were no delays on the road, Huang Shi knew he would receive the metal engineer loading pulleys within a matter of days. At present, Ouyang Xin's engineer corps was still using crude wooden pulleys. Neither their safety factor nor their work efficiency could remotely compare with the metal pulley blocks. It seemed that as tool production capacity soared, the engineers' efficiency would soon multiply several times over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fourth day of the eighth month of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, the Funing Army's Firefighting Battalion and Rock-solid Battalion departed Guiyang at top speed, marching north along the official highway toward Bozhou, two hundred li away. All along the route, local military supply stations were responsible for providing provisions, while baggage was transported by the relay stations, government offices, and troops along the way. Huang Shi therefore ordered the entire army to conduct a forced march. For three consecutive days they covered sixty li a day, and on the afternoon of the fourth day — the eighth day of the eighth month — they reached the main Ming army encampment at Bozhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering Bozhou, Huang Shi immediately assumed command of the Ming garrison forces stationed there and ordered the mobilization of all available manpower in the vicinity to expand the Bozhou main camp, while simultaneously making every effort to locate and assemble guides familiar with the terrain around the Chishui River. Bozhou itself was encircled by the Xiang River, and there were also the Ren River, the Hong River, the Luomin River, and many other waterways in the surrounding area. On the eighth, before Huang Shi had even fully established his footing, the first shipment of baggage had already arrived via the water route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the ninth day of the eighth month, the mobilized manpower departed Bozhou and advanced toward the Chishui River. Meanwhile, the two battalions under Huang Shi's command began to rest. The garrisons at government office Pass, Luomeng Pass, Loushan Pass, and other points along the route were also dispatched by Huang Shi. The next forward base he had selected was Yongzhen Relay Station, which lay only forty li from the Chishui River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the tenth day of the eighth month, another shipment of baggage arrived at the Ming army main camp at Bozhou. Two squads of soldiers from the Rock-solid Battalion and the engineer corps set out in the morning as an advance party, entering the Dalou Mountain range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the afternoon of the tenth, two more squads of Rock-solid Battalion officers and men formed up and set out, following in the footsteps of the advance party toward the Chishui River basin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night of the tenth, Ming army main camp at Bozhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tomorrow, Mobile Corps Commander He will lead the main force of the Rock-solid Battalion out, crossing the Dalou Mountain range to the Yongzhen main camp. You will set out together with them, but your objective is not Yongzhen. Instead, you will proceed along the Tongzi River, push north out of the Dalou Mountains, and go straight to Erlangba.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi was assigning the mission to Zhang Chengye, the company commander of the Firefighting Battalion. Today, Zhang Chengye would lead his own company plus the Firefighting Battalion's engineer corps, setting out at dawn. Their objective was to seize Erlangba, on the Tongzi River north of the Dalou Mountain range, and establish a solid defensive position there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Tongzi River is critically important to whether our army can successfully supply the Yongzhen main camp. Company Commander Zhang, come and look at the map.\" Huang Shi always liked to explain the strategic situation to his subordinates, because he believed that letting his officers fully understand the significance of their operations was highly beneficial for enhancing their sense of honor and mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi called Zhang Chengye over to the map and showed him the terrain between Bozhou and Yongzhen: \"The road from our Bozhou main camp to the Yongzhen main camp is one hundred and sixty li long, and it must cross the entire Dalou Mountain range, so it is mostly mountain paths. If we rely on this road to supply the Yongzhen main camp, it will require a great deal of manpower and will severely slow our marching speed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Huang Shi pointed to the Luomin River and said to Zhang Chengye, \"Company Commander Zhang, there is only a little over thirty li of overland route between the Luomin River and the Tongzi River. I intend to use the Luomin River and the Tongzi River to supply the Yongzhen main camp. Once the battle lines stabilize in the future, we may even be able to transport provisions and supplies directly from Guiyang via the Luomin River, reaching the Yongzhen main camp without passing through Bozhou at all. Therefore, if our army wishes to assemble troops and supplies at the Yongzhen main camp, we must ensure that the Tongzi River remains firmly in our hands at all times.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Erlangba lay at the confluence of the Tongzi River and the Chishui River. These two rivers formed a projecting river bend, like a natural moat, enveloping the Yongzhen main camp within. Huang Shi pointed at Erlangba and emphasized to Zhang Chengye, \"This place also shields the flank of Yongzhen. It cuts off the Yongning region from the Yongzhen region. As long as Erlangba is in our army's hands, the Yongzhen main camp need not worry about attacks from the north or the west. Moreover, besides protecting the entire unimpeded transport along the Tongzi River, this place is also the northern entrance to the Chishui River. By holding here, half of the Chishui River already falls into our hands. In the future, only then can our army use the Chishui River to transport supplies and provisions from Yongzhen onward to the Chishui Guard. Do you understand all of this clearly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood clearly, Grand Commander,\" Zhang Chengye replied in a ringing, forceful voice. He stared at the map a moment longer, then suddenly asked, \"Grand Commander, your humble subordinate has a question.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Speak, Company Commander Zhang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grand Commander, your humble subordinate feels that since this Erlangba is so critically important, why not dispatch more troops there, instead of using only my single infantry company?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well asked!\" Huang Shi praised him, then countered with an encouraging tone, \"How many troops does Company Commander Zhang think should be sent?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Chengye fixed his eyes on the map for another moment, then fluently poured out his thoughts in a single breath: \"Grand Commander, your humble subordinate believes that at least five companies should advance to Erlangba. This way, not only can we firmly protect the entire Tongzi River and Chishui River, but we can also pin down any hostile movements by the Yongning rebels. After our army seizes the Chishui Guard, we could also launch an attack from Erlangba against Linzhou. Then, if the rebels move south from the Yongning region to attack the Chishui Guard, we can strike out from Linzhou and hit them hard in the back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi clapped his hands and laughed, \"Company Commander Zhang speaks exactly what I have in mind. At present, the Tongzi River must provide supplies to the Yongzhen main camp, so for the moment we cannot sustain too large a force at Erlangba. But once matters at Yongzhen are settled, I will personally lead the entire Firefighting Battalion to Erlangba, seek an opportunity to cross the Chishui River, and attack Linzhou. That way, the Yongning rebels can only sit and watch as the Chishui River falls into our possession. Otherwise, if they move south to relieve the Chishui Guard, they will fall right into our army's net.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Grand Commander is brilliant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha. So, Company Commander Zhang, the burden on your shoulders is very heavy. Whether Erlangba can be successfully seized and consolidated affects whether the Yongzhen main camp can be supplied, whether we can later advance from Yongzhen to strike at the Chishui River, and ultimately whether we can trap the main force of the Yongning rebels between Pushi Station and Moni Station. It can be said that although your company is small in number, it will decide the victory or defeat of our army in this campaign.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, Grand Commander. Your humble subordinate understands. Your humble subordinate will not fail the mission the Grand Commander has entrusted to him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The twelfth day of the eighth month of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, near Tieshan. Dongjiang Army harbor fortifications.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Youcai and the three Sun brothers were building a new fort wall. During the last Korean campaign, the Sun brothers and Bai Youcai had all followed Mao Wenlong to attack Zhenjiang, while Grandpa Bai had stayed home because of his advanced age. When Bai Youcai left, his grandfather was digging out a field-mouse burrow. So when Bai Youcai bid his final farewell, the old man, wholly absorbed in digging for field mice, did not even raise his head, merely responding with a casual grunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That grunt turned out to be their eternal farewell. Now Bai Youcai was all alone in this world. The Sun brothers, who had also lost a family member, took him into their own household. As it happened, Bai Youcai was about the same age as the third Sun brother, and now the fourth Sun brother was gradually calling him \"Third Brother\" instead of \"Third Brother Bai.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Tieshan to Changcheng, the Dongjiang Army and the Later Jin Army were still locked in combat. Although Korea had pledged not to let the Dongjiang Army go down to the sea to farm, in reality Korea was utterly powerless to stop the Dongjiang Army's military operations. By now, however, the Later Jin Army had already occupied Yizhou, deeply buckling the Ming army's battle lines inward, and had repeatedly attempted to sever the supply line from Tieshan to Shuozhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sun brothers were trimming branches off felled trees, while Bai Youcai took a large brush and carefully daubed a well-mixed thin mud slurry onto the wooden poles. Once these poles dried, they would be used to construct the fort walls. The Tieshan fort and the nearby Dongjiang Army fortifications were all built from this kind of material.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lunch was again wild greens and coarse-grain cakes, but Bai Youcai and the Sun brothers all ate with great relish. After sitting down cross-legged, Bai Youcai first took off his filthy upper garment before eating and laid it across his lap. Once he had carefully finished his grain cake, he opened his eyes wide and searched over the cloth, picking up every crumb that had fallen onto the garment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look, more ships coming.\" The voice of the second Sun brother sounded beside his ear. By now Bai Youcai had also finished his search for crumbs on his clothes. He turned his head to watch the grain ships slowly entering the harbor, and could not help swallowing a large mouthful of saliva.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Youcai and the Sun brothers went back to work. From experience, they knew that before long, the gates of the harbor fortifications would open. A squad of fully armed Dongjiang officers and soldiers would come out first to clear the way, followed by a string of handcarts loaded with grain. But Bai Youcai and the others all knew that this grain was absolutely not for them to eat — it was to be sent to Shuozhou, and then to supply the Dongjiang Army at Kuandian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since the Later Jin Army had occupied Yizhou, the natural barrier of the Yalu River had been split evenly between the Dongjiang Army and the Later Jin Army, so even Korean territory could no longer be considered completely safe. These Dongjiang troops responsible for guarding the grain carts were all issued double rations. Because all along the road from Tieshan to Shuozhou, the grain convoys frequently came under attack from the Later Jin Army. In these days, in order to keep the grain route to Shuozhou open, the Dongjiang Army had already paid with the lives of several hundred men along this road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet despite the extreme hardship of supplying Shuozhou, Mao Wenlong stubbornly refused to abandon the Kuandian region. Just as Yizhou was the Later Jin's bridgehead south of the Yalu River, Kuandian was the Dongjiang Army's strike base north of the river. If they abandoned Kuandian, the natural barrier of the Yalu River would become the sole possession of the Later Jin Army, and the Dongjiang Army in Liaodong would fall into a completely passive position, merely taking blows. As long as Kuandian remained in the Dongjiang Army's hands, the Later Jin side would have to deploy a large number of troops around it to confront Chen Jisheng. This also played a very effective role in pinning down the Later Jin forces for the Dongjiang Army's main body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, Bai Youcai and the others had clearly guessed wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after the ships had docked, a thunderous roar of cheers erupted from within the harbor fortifications. When the gates slowly swung open, the Dongjiang Army soldiers around the fortifications all rose to their feet in astonishment, watching as the Dongjiang Regional Commander, along with his great banner, emerged proudly from beneath the harbor fort's gates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grand Commander Mao!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's Grand Commander Mao!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Youcai threw down the mud bucket in his hands, sprang to his feet with a shout, and ran in the direction of Mao Wenlong. As he ran, Bai Youcai overtook some people, and was overtaken by others who ran even faster from behind. Panting, he reached the roadside and greedily gazed at that fiery red banner, joining the thousands around him in a frenzied roar of acclamation:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grand Commander Mao, are we counterattacking Liaodong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are we counterattacking Liaodong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All along the road from the harbor to the Tieshan Dongjiang Army main camp, Mao Wenlong continuously explained to his subordinate officers and soldiers. Fortunately, those dark, gaunt faces did not show too much disappointment. This time Mao Wenlong had come only to conduct an inspection of the war zone. Once the Dongjiang officers and men understood this, they turned back one after another and threw themselves into their work, all of them demonstrating to their Regional Commander through their actions that not only had they not lost heart — on the contrary, this setback and their fresh hatred had made their morale burn even higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dongjiang Army officers at the Tieshan and other forts were also brimming with fighting spirit. Seven years earlier, when Mao Wenlong had arrived in Longchuan, Korea, with only two hundred men, the Later Jin regime was like the rising sun, radiating an aura of invincible intimidation, while the Liaodong Ming army had not even a sliver of ground to stand on. But after seven years, the Dongjiang Army had expanded to hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, occupying a territory stretching a thousand li, and had become a power that could not be lightly dismissed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Korean campaign, every time Mao Wenlong sought to boost his subordinates' morale, he received an enthusiastic response from everyone. Although Dongjiang Garrison was now passing through a low point, everyone believed that this was only a low point. For example, Assistant Regional Commander Pan, who had previously asked Huang Shi for a batch of engineer equipment at Haizhou, had this time escaped from Yizhou alone — which could be counted as a narrow escape from great disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Mao Wenlong asked Assistant Regional Commander Pan at Tieshan Fort for his view on the war situation, this man whom everyone called \"Fool Pan\" once again chuckled heartily. His fighting spirit blazing, he said to Mao Wenlong, \"No matter how hard it gets, can it be harder than what the Grand Commander endured back then? The Grand Commander had only two hundred men in those days, and the Tartars still couldn't wipe out our Dongjiang Army. Could they possibly do it now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi had already proposed through merchants to purchase large timber from Mao Wenlong. If military garrisons conducted private trade directly, that was a major taboo in the official circles of the Great Ming. But now, with merchants acting as intermediaries, the situation might be somewhat better. Huang Shi and Mao Wenlong had originally been very close; now, using merchants as a screen might prevent anyone from seizing solid evidence against them. For Mao Wenlong, taking Huang Shi's money without delivering timber was absolutely out of the question. So Mao Wenlong's purpose on this trip was, on the one hand, to boost the morale of the Dongjiang Army in Korea, and on the other, to see how to transport the large timber from Mount Zhangbai to Tieshan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fourteenth day of the eighth month, Sichuan, Ming army main camp at Bozhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The local Guiyang Ming troops who had set out at the same time as the Firefighting Battalion days earlier had only just arrived, while the Vanguard Battalion, which had only departed Guiyang on the tenth, had already reached the Bozhou main camp yesterday under Jia Minghe's command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi was now fully armored. He was about to set out for the Yongzhen main camp. Along the road from Bozhou to Yongzhen, the Ming army had already set up temporary relay stations and arranged a small number of relay horses. Huang Shi and a few guards would change horses all along the way; he estimated he could reach the Yongzhen main camp within two days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Vanguard Battalion reached Bozhou, there was no longer any need for the last few companies of the Firefighting Battalion to remain here. Once they handed over defense duties to the Vanguard Battalion, they would immediately set out for Erlangba.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After inspecting the Yongzhen main camp, Huang Shi would also head to Erlangba. Given the current means of communication, he would not be able to control the subsequent progress of the campaign in real time. So before departing, Huang Shi could only give Jia Minghe a broad outline of the strategic key points. He used his riding crop to point at the map on the wall and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Jia, if nothing unexpected occurs, Mobile Corps Commander He will certainly attack toward the Chishui Guard within four days. I estimate that the rebels have not yet figured out our army's movements. Even at the fastest, they won't react until the twentieth of the eighth month, so it will be impossible for them to reinforce the Chishui Guard in time. By the end of this month, the Yongning rebels may counterattack the Chishui Guard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that Jia Minghe seemed somewhat doubtful, Huang Shi paused and indicated that he could ask a question. Jia Minghe immediately pointed at the map and asked, \"My lord, although the Yongning rebels are closer to the Chishui Guard, your subordinate believes they may first contact the Shuixi rebels, and then attack our army from two sides.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. If the bandit troops knew our army's combat strength, that is exactly what they should do. But the bandits don't know, so they will likely think a lone, deep-penetrating force of a few thousand government troops is nothing special. Moreover, once our army controls the Chishuihe, the two bandits She Chongming and An Bangyan will be split in two, with no room left to maneuver. Those two bandits are quite cunning and will absolutely see this point. Speed is the essence of war; I suspect She Chongming will immediately shift his entire main force of tens of thousands southward and fiercely assault the Chishui garrison, striving to swallow our lone force in one bite.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Minghe thought it over again and nodded. \"What the Grand Commander says is very true. But even if She Chongming dares to come, we are not afraid. Once the Chishui garrison is consolidated, those two bandits are as good as dead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh. If they truly lack the wits to see this far, then we will have ample advantage.\" Huang Shi chuckled lightly. Jia Minghe clearly did not take the rebel army's combat strength seriously and therefore thought they would not dare to assault a single battalion of Funing troops head-on. But Huang Shi figured that since She Chongming and An Bangyan had dared to raise the rebel banner, they must still have considerable confidence in their own military strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"While Mobile Corps Commander He attacks the Chishui garrison along the Chishuihe, I will go to Erlangba to direct the Firefighting Battalion in an assault on Linzhou. When She Chongming's main force appears north of the Chishui garrison, I will use the Rock Battalion as the anvil and the Firefighting Battalion as the hammer, annihilating She Chongming's elite troops between the Pushi and Moni stations.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If She Chongming could not arrive in time, then He Dingyuan would have more time to reinforce the city defenses. If She Chongming came rushing headlong, Huang Shi estimated he would not have much baggage, and once badly defeated, his forces would become irretrievable. \"She Chongming will likely arrive in about ten days. The two bandits of Shuixi and Yongning are as close as lips and teeth. Although An Bangyan is farther away, within fifteen to twenty days he will also rush here desperately, hoping to annihilate our entire army and restore the interior-line operational posture.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Grand Commander is right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Therefore, after Mobile Corps Commander He departs the Yongzhen main camp, you will take over its defense and ensure the supply lines of the Firefighting and Rock Battalions remain completely unobstructed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As ordered. The Grand Commander may rest assured.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After that, the other Ming armies from various routes will also arrive one after another. By the time they get here, those two battalions of Ming troops from Guiyang should have reached the Yongzhen main camp as well. You will then lead the Vanguard Battalion westward along the south bank of the Chishuihe. If An Bangyan does not cross the Chishuihe, then fine. But if he does cross, you must cut off his line of retreat and pin the Shuixi bandits on the north bank of the Chishuihe. This time, the Vanguard Battalion will be the anvil, and the Firefighting and Rock Battalions will be the hammer, annihilating An Bangyan here in one stroke as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As ordered, Grand Commander.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Huang Shi had great faith in Jia Minghe's loyalty, one could never do too much to motivate one's subordinates. After hearing Jia Minghe's respectful and cautious reply, Huang Shi tossed his riding crop aside and, with great solemnity, cupped his hands and bowed to Jia Minghe. The latter was so startled he hastily jumped aside. \"Grand Commander! This subordinate general will certainly do his duty. I dare not accept such a gesture.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi straightened up and looked at Jia Minghe, his face full of gravity. \"Brother Jia, the Chishui garrison is a place the bandits are compelled to relieve. I am certain An Bangyan will come to its aid with all his strength. The An family has held sway over Shuixi from the Han dynasty until today, entrenched there for two thousand years — truly deep-rooted bandits, with followers likely numbering in the tens of thousands. If we had to go into the Shuixi lair to exterminate these brigands, it would probably cost the lives of thousands upon thousands of our brothers. Therefore, I earnestly hope we can annihilate this bandit force in its entirety at the Chishui garrison.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Minghe listened with an equally solemn expression. He had rarely seen Huang Shi speak to him in such a grave tone before. He heard Huang Shi continue: \"The art of war says: Do not block a returning army. If An Bangyan is truly blocked north of the Chishuihe by Brother Jia this time, they will surely fight to the death to force their way back to their lair. So I know that Brother Jia's burden this time is heavy — very heavy. But I still must entrust it to Brother Jia. What you will have full responsibility for this time is only the left flank of my Funing Army, but its significance goes far beyond that. It concerns the lives of thousands, even tens of thousands, of our brothers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Minghe stood stunned for a moment. Then he swept his cloak aside, dropped to one knee, bowed his head, clasped his fists, and shouted: \"The Grand Commander's words carry great weight. If An Bangyan truly comes, this subordinate general swears on his death to block him north of the river, awaiting the Grand Commander's annihilation of him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a pause, Jia Minghe suddenly raised his voice another octave and declared with fervent passion: \"The Grand Commander may rest completely assured. So long as the Vanguard Battalion stands, the Grand Commander's left flank is as secure as Mount Tai.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good!\" Huang Shi raised Jia Minghe up with both hands. \"I am deeply convinced of this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the sixteenth day of the eighth month, at the Ming army's Yongzhen main camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A month ago, this place had been nothing more than an ordinary relay station and reconnaissance post. For two years it had remained very quiet. But now it was like a great, roaring beehive. Besides the full five thousand officers and men of the Rock Battalion, several thousand auxiliary troops were also busily working around the Yongzhen main camp, streaming in an endless flow to transport supplies that had just arrived from the Tongzi River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Rock Battalion's engineer corps had not only long since built a simple dock on the Tongzi River, but yesterday the advance engineer detachment on the Chishuihe had also sent back a report that the dock on the Chishuihe had been completed two days prior. The engineer corps was now racing against time to lash together bamboo rafts and beginning to set up tow ropes along the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So far, everything is going very smoothly.\" Chief of Staff Jin Qiude had come to the Yongzhen main camp together with He Dingyuan from the very start. Over the past two days, a large group of staff officers had been continuously calculating the transport capacity of the Chishuihe and establishing a network of relay stations radiating in all directions, centered on the Yongzhen main camp. \"For the moment, the relay horses are sufficient. But before the campaign fully unfolds, we will need to requisition another three hundred relay horses from Guizhou in order to establish a wider command network.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi carefully examined Jin Qiude's plan and inquired: \"Are you recommending that the base camp be established here at Yongzhen?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. The Yongzhen area still appears relatively safe at present. Once the Firefighting Battalion and the Vanguard Battalion spread their wings, it will become even safer. Therefore, this subordinate general believes there is no need to construct a Bozhou main camp. All reinforcements and supplies coming from Guiyang should be concentrated here at Yongzhen as much as possible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then do as you suggest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As ordered, Grand Commander.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi left his general's seal with Jin Qiude so that he could exercise unified command over the incoming Guizhou reinforcements. Huang Shi did not give Jin Qiude any overly rigid orders. Jin Qiude's most important task was not coordinating combat, but managing transport and supply. Given the existing means of communication, coordinating the operations of armies spread over a hundred li in radius was nothing short of a fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It seems we have come to the right place. The two bands of bandits in Shuixi and Yongning never imagined our army's movement speed could be this fast. Although we are maneuvering on exterior lines, we are still running far ahead of them.\" Huang Shi had already reviewed the analysis produced by Jin Qiude and the other staff officers. It would take Shuixi and Yongning at least four or five more days to clearly assess the scale and direction of the Ming offensive. By the time they finished assembling and launched a counterattack, it would be the end of this month at the earliest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Qiude was also very confident about the first phase of the offensive. \"According to the veteran soldiers who have long been stationed at the Yongzhen relay post, there are only a few hundred rebels in the Chishui garrison area. Most are probably old, weak, or even women. There can't possibly be any elite troops there. They can only rely on the difficult terrain to put up some resistance. We can transport the Rock Battalion's six-pounder cannons along the river. Taking the Chishui garrison shouldn't pose any major problem. The only problem is that the roads are difficult to traverse. Compared to the bandit troops, this stretch of road is actually the bigger headache for us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's only a headache.\" Huang Shi dismissed this with contempt. He said coldly: \"Without determined defenders, a natural moat becomes a thoroughfare; where there are determined defenders, a thoroughfare becomes a natural moat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Grand Commander is right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the afternoon of the sixteenth, by the banks of the Chishuihe, at the Rock Battalion's field camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Chishui garrison!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When giving He Dingyuan his final orders, Huang Shi lashed his riding crop fiercely onto the map. With a sharp tearing sound, the map was punctured through by Huang Shi. Huang Shi turned his head, his arm still pointing rigidly at the map, and looked He Dingyuan in the eye as he shouted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This offensive will decide the outcome of the entire southwestern pacification campaign in a single stroke. The bandits will either be ground to bloody pulp in the millstone of the Chishui garrison, or sit waiting for death in their lair. Right now, all four southwestern provinces are squeezing out supplies and baggage for this offensive. Grain, fodder, troops, horses, and coordinated military funds from all four southwestern provinces are being transported here. The civil and military officials, the common people of all four southwestern provinces... no — His Majesty, the entire civil and military court, all the scholars and common people under Heaven are holding their breath, watching this decisive blow. And—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi's right arm, holding the riding crop, remained motionless, while his left arm rose and pointed heavily at He Dingyuan. \"And this decisive blow, I, your Grand Commander, am placing it in your hands.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grand Commander...\" He Dingyuan was so stirred that his face flushed bright red. With a force that seemed to swallow mountains and rivers, he roared at Huang Shi with a deafening voice: \"This subordinate general will surely take the Chishui garrison and personally present it before the Grand Commander's command tent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am deeply convinced of this. But this is only the beginning.\" Huang Shi glanced at the large map hanging on the wall, then poked another hole at the location of the Yongning Pacification Commissioner's office. He spoke to He Dingyuan again: \"The bandit troops will surely pour all their strength into relieving Chishui. I, your Grand Commander, will personally lead the Firefighting Battalion to strike out from behind the bandit troops, attacking from front and rear together with Brother He. First, we will annihilate the Yongning bandits en masse beneath the walls of the Chishui garrison. Then we will turn south and, together with Brother Jia, meet the Shuixi bandits in battle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi fixed his gaze on He Dingyuan and said slowly, in a deep voice: \"If the Chishui garrison stands, the enemy will be like a turtle in a jar. Our army can advance to attack or retreat to defend. If the Chishui garrison falls, our Funing Army, divided into three columns, will be destroyed piecemeal by the bandits. Brother He, in your hands rests not only victory or defeat in the southwest, but also the lives of the fifteen thousand officers and men of my Funing Army's three battalions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grand Commander, rest assured. Where this subordinate general is, the city shall stand...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No. The Chishui garrison cannot fail to stand. I have no flying sword to deliver messages. Once the Chishui garrison falls, my Funing Army faces total annihilation. The Chishui garrison cannot fail to stand! Absolutely cannot fail to stand!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Dingyuan drew a deep breath and raised his head high. \"Grand Commander, this subordinate general misspoke. Never mind tens of thousands of bandit troops — even a hundred thousand, even two hundred thousand bandit troops could never possibly seize the fortress from the hands of five thousand Funing troops. The Grand Commander may set his mind completely at ease. This subordinate general will surely defend the Chishui garrison as if it were a fortress of metal and a barrel of iron.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good. Then prepare yourself and set out at once.\" Huang Shi pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at it. It was now the sixteenth day of the eighth month of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, exactly two forty-three in the afternoon. He recorded this figure on a slip of paper, then looked up and said to He Dingyuan: \"Right now, every minute and every second is precious. They all determine whether this battle is won or lost, and decide the number of enemies annihilated and our own casualties.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Huang Shi's gaze, He Dingyuan strode with great sweeping steps onto the field camp's platform stage. Below, densely packed, stood the full five thousand officers and men of the Rock Battalion. The entire assembly was utterly silent. Everyone craned their necks to look up at He Dingyuan, standing high above them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Dingyuan planted his legs firmly, one hand on his hip, the other raised high in the air. His eyes blazed as he bellowed: \"The entire army will set out, in the direction of the Chishui garrison, to conduct — a reconnaissance in force.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wei wu!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers let out a unified roar. Instantly, all manner of martial instruments sounded. The Rock Battalion, following the drum and fife music, filed out of the camp gate in order, advancing along both banks of the Chishuihe, by water and by land, toward the Chishui garrison a hundred li away...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seven days later, on the twenty-third day of the eighth month, at the Ming army's Yongzhen main camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yongzhen main camp was now even more bustling than it had been a few days before. The camp's security perimeter had already expanded to a radius of twenty li, and simple watchtowers and beacon towers had been erected in several directions. At every moment, large columns of civilian laborers were passing through the camp gates, carrying and hauling massive quantities of supplies, bundle by bundle, into the main camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the main camp, a staff officer was reporting to Jin Qiude: \"Today, another thousand auxiliary troops, fifty pack horses, and fifty relay horses have arrived. The entire camp now has fifteen thousand auxiliary troops and a thousand horses. According to a letter from Guiyang, this number may double again within ten days.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After setting down the report, that staff officer reported to Jin Qiude again: \"My lord, the last time you wrote to request that Ambassador Wu speed up the transport of supplies, Ambassador Wu has replied.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What did Ambassador Wu say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In reply to my lord, Ambassador Wu says he has already dispatched to the Yongzhen main camp every single civilian laborer, every horse, every grain of food, every blade of grass, and every nail in his possession. Ambassador Wu also says he has already withheld supplies from Ming troops in all other directions, to the point that he is just short of tearing down the civilian houses of Guiyang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Qiude, hearing this exaggerated account, could not help but burst out laughing. \"Ha ha, Ambassador Wu is still the same temperament. Hmm, what about reinforcements?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No reinforcements arrived today. Apart from the Vanguard Battalion, the Yongzhen main camp still has only four thousand Ming troops. However, Elder Zhang has already ordered all nearby Ming troops to move toward Bozhou. At present, at least forty thousand Ming troops in Sichuan and Guizhou provinces have received the order. It is estimated that around twenty thousand Ming troops are already on their way here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm. A military movement of this scale cannot possibly escape the eyes and ears of the Yongning and Shuixi bandits. And with Elder Zhang's orders being so explicit, they will absolutely not misjudge the situation. The first wave of bandit reinforcements for the Chishui garrison may already be on the road.\" Jin Qiude frowned as he studied the map, then scratched his head. \"Any news from the Rock Battalion today?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The news He Dingyuan had sent back yesterday was that he had already reached the foot of the Chishui garrison. The scattered resistance from enemy troops along the way had been extremely weak and posed no threat whatsoever to the five thousand Ming troops. However, no news had come back yet today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At two o'clock in the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General Jin! General Jin!\" A messenger rushed in, holding a slip of paper aloft, his excitement overflowing. He hurriedly saluted as he ran in, then loudly read out He Dingyuan's victory report...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An hour later, the Vanguard Battalion had already assembled outside the camp. Jia Minghe, clad in gleaming armor, strode with heavy steps slowly up onto the high platform of the Yongzhen main camp. His right hand vigorously brandished He Dingyuan's slip of paper as he shouted succinctly to the listening officers and men: \"General He captured the Chishui garrison in a morning assault the day before yesterday!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mighty!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Minghe first let the soldiers cheer to their hearts' content, then stretched out his arm and pressed downward. Instantly the whole field fell back into deep silence. Jia Minghe, his cheeks puffed out, bellowed: \"All troops, hear the order! The Vanguard Battalion is to set out immediately, toward the direction of Aluomisuo — commence reconnaissance in force!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty-fourth day of the eighth month, Erlangba.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ming army's central breakthrough was complete; now everything depended on the unfolding of the two wings. The Chishuihe water transport was sufficient to sustain the Rock Battalion in high-speed offensive operations. Once the Rock Battalion transitioned to defense, the Vanguard Battalion could also use a portion of the transport capacity to maintain its mobility. But the Vanguard Battalion could not move fast for the time being, because the main transport capacity still had to be given over to supplying the Chishui Guard with provisions and ammunition — for no one knew when the Chishuihe water transport might be cut, nor how long the Rock Battalion would need to fight while encircled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Firefighting Battalion, however, could enjoy exclusive use of the water transport capacity on the northern stretch of the Chishuihe. From Erlangba to Linzhou, the Firefighting Battalion could still make use of sixty li of water transport, thereby shortening the overland haul distance to only sixty li. Now, in addition to the Firefighting Battalion's own baggage train, several thousand auxiliary soldiers and seven hundred horses had been concentrated at Erlangba. Under the rather inspired guidance of the Firefighting Battalion's engineer company, the volume of supplies unloaded daily at Erlangba from the Tongzi River was steadily increasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi sat quietly in his chair, carefully read through the military intelligence delivered by relay horse, let out a soft breath, raised his head, and handed a letter he had written long before to the courier: \"Deliver this to Guiyang, to the old master Zhang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We're moving out, brothers.\" Zhang Chengye shouted loudly outside the main camp at Erlangba: \"Reconnaissance in force — direction: Linzhou.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",7051,"2026-06-04T07:54:54.057Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","4db198087857a8c70dc615465c4ad9940e98fbb29762eb394093427aaa4068d8","stealing-ming-chapter-295","stealing-ming-chapter-293",323,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstealing-ming-cover.jpg"]