Chapter 297: Section 53: Chishui (Middle)

On the fourteenth day of the ninth month of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, south of Chishui Guard.

Large numbers of auxiliary soldiers of the Shuixi Army were busy along the road from Aluomisuo to Chishui Guard. Grain transport teams on this road used either wheelbarrows or carried loads by hand, and logistics soldiers streamed back and forth in an endless flow. Some men who looked like Shuixi Army officers also held leather whips, lashing out from time to time at those they thought were shirking, and those struck would grit their teeth in silence and quicken their pace with heads down. The road presented a scene of tense, frantic activity.

In the dense forest east of the road, several Ming soldiers wearing yellow helmets stood on a hilltop gazing westward. From where they stood, the road to the west was nothing more than a faint thread intermittently visible among the mountain forests, and whether there were specks upon that thread was entirely beyond the reach of the naked eye.

However, the man among these Ming soldiers was equipped with a telescope. He carefully extended and retracted the metal tube to adjust the focus, while continuously murmuring a series of numbers: "...three grain carts, another two grain carts, four men carrying sacks on their backs..."

The man beside this Ming soldier crouched on the ground, ceaselessly recording the numbers his comrade read out onto a slip of paper. They stood on this hilltop for an entire day just like this, only packing up their things after the sun had dipped to the west, then turned and headed east. Their shadows flickered once and vanished into the green forest.

These several Ming officers and soldiers moved through the forest, skirting one swamp and cliff after another. It was clear this was not their first time here. After walking several li through the woods, the lead Ming officer halted his steps. He drew a black iron box from his bosom, and the others watched as he carefully laid it flat in his palm, then gently opened its lid.

"It's fine, I haven't lost my way, just confirming we've been heading northeast." The Ming officer reassured those around him while carefully putting away the compass, then strode forward once more. The other Ming soldiers followed closely behind the lead officer without a word.

Thus they threaded their way through the untrodden forest, occasionally startling a bird or two into cries of alarm. They had walked less than ten li northeast from the previous hilltop when the view before them suddenly opened wide. An enormous encampment abruptly appeared before these Ming soldiers, hidden deep within this stretch of dense forest, with fiery red military banners fluttering above it.

Around this camp were many fresh wooden stakes, clearly trees that had just been felled. Encircling the camp were several hundred Ming soldiers, busy sorting bundled planks and mountains of barrels and crates. Each man attended to his own duty; apart from the sentries, almost no one noticed the few Ming soldiers who had just returned to camp.

The officer of the reconnaissance squad did not waste words with others, but headed straight for the central command tent with a roll of papers. He ran to the entrance and told the sentry: "Squad Commander Zhang Cen of the Engineer Corps requests an audience with the General."

Jia Minghe quickly summoned Zhang Cen inside. Zhang Cen meticulously reported the day's observations to the commander of the Vanguard Battalion, then respectfully submitted the enemy intelligence report his squad had observed. After casually asking Zhang Cen a few more questions, Jia Minghe dismissed him. His command tent housed many officers from the Funing Garrison Staff Department, and these staff officers immediately took up the data and began their calculations.

"My lord, the enemy's grain transport volume has increased somewhat today, but has essentially stabilized. The rebel troops on the far bank of the Chishui River number roughly forty to fifty thousand."

"Mm." Jia Minghe responded noncommittally in a low voice. Over the past two days, no enemy combat units had been observed crossing the Chishui River, so it seemed An Bangyan's main force had all arrived. Now it appeared to be time to draw the net closed.

To avoid alerting the enemy, the main force of the Vanguard Battalion had followed the Chishui River eastward and halted twenty-five li east of Chishui Guard. At present, the Vanguard Battalion's main force was still concentrated in the encampment by the Chishui River, drawing An Bangyan's primary attention. To prevent the Ming army from striking eastward along the river, the Shuixi Army had also strung several ropes across the Chishui River.

While maintaining the standoff with the Shuixi Army, the Vanguard Battalion had also carved a small path through the forest. No one had ever believed a large army could secure sufficient supplies through a forest, and Jia Minghe likewise did not count on it. He only required that the Vanguard Battalion's advance elements carry enough provisions for a few days; truly adequate supplies would still have to be transported via the Chishui River.

A staff officer pointed at the map and said: "My lord, after our army's repeated reconnaissance, the Shuixi rebels' blocking force on the Chishui River is not large. Their rope-stringing along the river is mainly to guard against us crossing by night, serving merely as a warning."

"Yes, I am well aware of that." Over these past days, the Vanguard Battalion had likewise observed the Shuixi rebels' troop movements and supply situation south of the Chishui River. The Staff Department officers estimated the Shuixi blocking force at around a thousand men. An Bangyan believed that as long as they could delay the Ming army's advance, it would suffice. In any case, the official road was in his hands, and An Bangyan considered himself to hold an absolute advantage in troop maneuverability.

To ensure the secrecy of this camp, lighting fires was forbidden here. All food was prepared at the camp by the Chishui River and then transported here. To lighten the transport burden, the total personnel in this camp numbered no more than a thousand. Apart from the Engineer Corps and the Logistics Corps, combat troops in this camp were very few; combat units would only enter this camp at the final moment.

The field camp Jia Minghe had established in the jungle could accommodate the strength of four infantry companies. In addition, the artillery company had already dragged four six-pounder cannons over. All these days, the Logistics Corps had been busy smuggling supplies into this secret base. The traversable path had now been more or less designed, and the Logistics Corps was confident they could move the supplies from this camp across the dozen or so li of forest within two days, ensuring supply for the assault troops.

"Immediately relay orders to the rear companies: tonight, have the Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding infantry companies enter this camp. After a night's rest, tomorrow morning they will launch a surprise attack on the Chishui River crossing, then strike from both sides to open the Chishui River route." Jia Minghe carefully reviewed the data one last time, finally feeling that everything was in place, and issued the overall plan.

"As you command, my lord."

Dawn of the fifteenth day of the ninth month. Monisuo.

The advance elements of the Firefighting Battalion had reached the walls of Monisuo the previous day, but the artillery had not yet caught up, so the Ming army did not immediately launch an assault on the town.

Once Huang Shi arrived with the interpreters, the Military Intelligence Department promptly interrogated the dozen or so prisoners Zhang Chengye had captured. Zhang Chengye had also accepted the surrender of over a hundred Yongning troops. To Zhang Chengye's surprise, these prisoners confessed that the force he had routed was already the main strength of the Yongning Army. The Yongning Army had originally possessed only about thirty thousand combat troops, and they had already suffered severe casualties during their attack on Chishui Guard, with losses likely exceeding a thousand men.

And after the Ming army severed the road between Pushisuo and Monisuo, the total strength of the Yongning forces, including the cut-off logistics troops, was less than forty thousand. Upon learning that Ming troops had appeared in their rear, the Yongning Army's rearguard believed this must be a lightly equipped force, so they immediately dispatched a two-thousand-man unit rearward to attempt to annihilate this Ming force, or at the very least pin it down to ensure the safety of Pushisuo.

After receiving the alarm, the Yongning logistics troops simultaneously drew closer to the front lines, so Zhang Chengye had not encountered any pushover units at all. According to those dejected prisoners, the first force the rearguard sent northward was itself an elite Yongning infantry unit, which had displayed courageous conduct in refusing to retreat even unto death during the campaigns around Chengdu and elsewhere.

Thus, upon receiving news on the tenth that this unit had been swiftly routed, the Yongning Army's rearguard commander was utterly shocked. Those who fled back reported that the unit had lost over twenty percent of its strength in the blink of an eye, and that all the chieftains, officers, and warriors who had led the charge had been struck down in an instant. The devastating blow this unit had suffered had already caused it to completely lose its combat capability and fighting will.

By the afternoon of the tenth, the overall commander of the Yongning Army facing Zhang Chengye was one of She Chongming's sons. Due to the difficulties of the roads and communications, the Yongning Army could not deploy over ten thousand men to launch an attack all at once, so they could only assemble a few thousand men along the road and then commit them to the battlefield for a counterattack. Furthermore, the Yongning Army believed the Ming force was not large, and that after a few rounds of attrition the Ming army would completely collapse. Thus, forced by circumstances, they had no choice but to fight a war of attrition against Zhang Chengye.

Yet the development of the situation completely exceeded the Yongning Army's expectations. Combat units rushed back from the south wave after wave to join the fight. To clear the road for follow-up units and logistics troops, they were committed wave after wave, and then routed by the Ming army time and again. Each charge was typically led by chieftains and warriors, and each time the army suffered a severe setback upon defeat. After a day of fierce fighting between the two armies, the Yongning Army was shocked to discover that the organizational structure of over half their units had been shattered.

This time, in order to achieve interior-line operations, the Yongning Army had also made a forced march to attack Chishui Guard. In their haste, their forward grain reserves were not substantial, and by the end of the tenth, some Yongning units had already begun to go hungry. Before noon on the eleventh, She Chongming personally rushed over to take command of the counteroffensive, but his luck was no better than his son's. The Ming army's defense was as firm as iron and stone. Occasionally a chieftain would flee back, and they all said that their troops had been almost unable to inflict casualties on the Ming army; this was not a war of attrition but a suicide mission.

By the afternoon, the Yongning Army, which had been hurrying back, was completely out of grain. She Chongming seemed to have judged that this Ming force was the Ming army's core elite, so he decided to commit his long-cherished cavalry in a desperate assault. Beyond that, She Chongming scraped the bottom of the barrel, seeking out every horse he could muster, not even sparing the draft horses used to pull grain carts. At the same time, to further enhance the attack's effectiveness, She Chongming also pulled out the chieftains and warriors from the remaining units.

The final cavalry charge that Zhang Chengye faced was in fact the core membership of the entire Yongning Pacification Commission. Most of the chieftains and their sons and nephews were among them, and those chieftains who had narrowly escaped death in the earlier attacks and fled back to the main formation also donned their armor once more, fighting with their backs to the wall to carve a path of survival for the entire army.

Through interrogation of several captured cavalrymen, it was learned that although She Chongming himself was not among this cavalry force, his three sons had all participated in this charge. Huang Shi immediately sent men to identify them, and ultimately two of them were found among the corpses. The other cavalrymen who died in battle also seemed to be quite renowned; a large number of chieftains and their close kin were identified.

After hearing the prisoners' confessions, Huang Shi felt that the northern wing of this battle was more or less finished. The political model of the Yongning Pacification Commission still essentially fell within the category of slavery; the various chieftains and their sons and nephews constituted the backbone of the Yongning Pacification Commission. Even if these men had not been completely wiped out, seven or eight out of ten were gone. Without the assistance of these men, Huang Shi estimated that She Chongming had already largely lost his ability to control the army.

From the twelfth onward, the development of the war continuously confirmed those prisoners' confessions. The Yongning Army collapsed utterly under the Ming army's attacks. Often, as soon as the Ming army began firing its cannons, large numbers of Yongning soldiers could be seen breaking away from their officers' control and scattering in all directions into the mountains and forests. The Yongning Army, which had been able to mount tenacious attacks just two days earlier, overnight lost even the ability to defend.

From the thirteenth onward, what constrained the Ming army's speed of advance was not Yongning Army resistance, but the Ming army's own logistics. The long supply line from Pushisuo to the front forced the Ming army to halt repeatedly to wait for army provisions. Huang Shi ordered a simple screening of the Yongning prisoners, organizing the rank-and-file soldiers among them into Ming army logistics teams. But this also meant the Ming army had to leave behind guard units to keep them under surveillance.

By Huang Shi's order, the Ming army forbade any form of prisoner massacre. Moreover, Huang Shi did not hesitate to increase the logistics burden to ensure the prisoners were all fed. This order naturally further slowed the Ming army's pace of advance. To transport sufficient grain forward, even the Ming army's artillery company often had to yield the road to the grain transport teams.

From the fourteenth onward, large numbers of Yongning troops emerged from the mountain forests to surrender to the Ming army. They had been starving in the wilderness for days, and the several dozen li of road were all occupied by the Ming army; they had nowhere left to go. For the past three days, Huang Shi had been publicizing the Ming army's prisoner policy to the captives, and had also sent activists into the mountains to find their clansmen and spread the word. The large numbers of Yongning soldiers in hiding were hungry and had no chieftains to lead them. Coupled with the Ming army's propaganda, many felt that starving to death was death anyway, so they might as well come out and surrender to try their luck.

After the Ming army fed them their fill, these Yongning soldiers willingly helped the Ming army transport grain and fodder. They had always been oppressed by the chieftains and had lived the lives of slaves since birth. Thus, having lost contact with the Tusi and the chieftains, they all became utterly at a loss. Many vaguely felt that by working for the Ming army, even if they could not escape death in the end, at least they could first eat a full meal now. Dying with a full belly was still better than starving to death in the mountain forests or being devoured by wild beasts.

Although these men strengthened the Ming army's logistics transport capacity, reorganizing them took the Firefighting Battalion considerable effort. Thus it was not until dusk on the fourteenth that the Ming army's advance elements finally reached the walls of Monisuo.

By noon on the fifteenth, the cannons Huang Shi had long been awaiting finally arrived. Under the bombardment of the cannons, the Ming army quickly wiped out the Yongning troops on a section of the city wall. The Ming soldiers set up ladders and climbed the wall, then set up their firelocks and began firing into the city. Under the cover of the firelocks, the Ming army swiftly cleared out the Yongning troops near the city gate.

During this, a small detachment of Yongning troops bravely sallied out of the city to attack the Ming artillery position, but before the cannons, firelocks, and pikes, these brave troops evaporated as swiftly as dewdrops meeting the sun. Once the Ming soldiers on the wall had isolated the city gate, Huang Shi ordered the cannons to be moved to face the gate directly.

Without coordination from the flanks, an isolated gate tower possessed little defensive capability of its own. Now the gate tower of Monisuo no longer even had the depth for counterattacks, so Huang Shi estimated that the gate could soon be breached in one vigorous assault. However, just as the Firefighting Battalion was moving the cannons before the gate of Monisuo, the Yongning troops garrisoned there opened the gate and surrendered.

According to these surrendered soldiers, She Chongming had already fled the previous night, and what little grain remained in Monisuo had long been consumed. The man defending the city today had been a trusted chieftain of She Chongming, but the chieftain and his personal followers had all been killed by the Ming army during their sally, so the Yongning troops inside the city had lost all will to resist.

These prisoners also further confirmed the results Zhang Chengye had achieved that day. The ruling foundation of the Yongning Pacification Commission had been shattered by the Ming army. She Chongming could no longer effectively command the remnants of the Yongning Army, so he had fled to Chishui Guard with his last batch of trusted followers. It was said that An Bangyan's troops had also arrived and completed the encirclement of the fortress of Chishui Guard. The rebel army sought to overcome the defending Ming troops through a tight siege. She Chongming, for his part, hoped to obtain supplies from the Shuixi Army and use their strength to restore control over the Yongning Army.

"The Yongning Army is no longer a problem. They might still be able to defend a city now, but they have undoubtedly lost all capability for field combat. According to what these surrendered soldiers say, She Chongming's remaining troops have neither grain nor fodder, nor morale, and are severely lacking in officers. It would be difficult enough for them just to keep their march from collapsing, let alone fight a battle."

Huang Shi wrote another letter and sent it back to Guiyang to report the victory. So far, the Ming army's progress had been far smoother than anticipated. Judging by the combat effectiveness of the Yongning Army, the idea that the rebels could capture Chishui Guard, which was defended by five thousand Ming soldiers, was sheer fantasy. He Dingyuan had long since made plans for a protracted defense, and a great deal of grain had been transported in for him. If He Dingyuan was even slightly frugal with consumption, the Rock Battalion could hold out until the tenth month without any problem. He Dingyuan's ammunition was also plentiful. At the time, out of concern that failing to supply the Rock Battalion fully would put them in danger, supplying them had severely impacted the supplies for the Vanguard Battalion.

The seventeenth day of the ninth month. The capital.

Recently, the Tianqi Emperor had several times been in mortal danger. Although the Empress had wept until she was a figure of tears, the imperial physicians were all helpless before it, and the officials of the capital had also begun to murmur behind their backs. Prince Xin had likewise been summoned to the palace to pay his respects for this reason; it was a precaution against the worst, as the Tianqi Emperor himself was well aware that he might have reached his final moments.

Over these past few days, besides Prince Xin, the Tianqi Emperor had also summoned his foster mother, Li Xuan, to speak with him. Watching the Tianqi Emperor and Prince Xin, the two brothers she had raised, Li Xuan was so grieved that tears streamed down her face. In the end, it was instead the Tianqi Emperor who comforted his foster mother with a few words, and even joked a little with his Eighth Imperial Sister, Li Xuan's daughter. But this younger sister, still a little girl, had no idea that her elder brother was at death's door.

Yesterday, a memorial had arrived from Yunnan. Huang Shi had launched an offensive against the rebel army at astonishing speed. Upon hearing of this, the Tianqi Emperor's condition seemed to take a slight turn for the better. Ever since entering the seventh month, the Tianqi Emperor had often been unable to sleep through the entire night, and even when he did fall asleep, he would often startle awake. Yet last night, the Tianqi Emperor slept deeply, not waking until the sun was high in the sky this morning.

Having slept soundly the night before, his appetite was good this morning. The Tianqi Emperor ate a few pastries while being attended by the Empress. Looking at the Empress, whose face was full of joy, the young Emperor smiled gently. He reached out a hand, thin as firewood, and softly smoothed his wife's hair: "When I am fully recovered, I shall make another hairpin for you. No, I shall make two."

The Empress pressed the Tianqi Emperor's withered hand against her own face. This young couple remained quietly like that until a eunuch reported that Prince Xin had again entered the palace to inquire after his elder brother.

After Prince Xin arrived, the Tianqi Emperor had him hang up the map of the southwest. Then Prince Xin, consulting Zhang Heming's memorial, circled the stationing points of Huang Shi's army one by one on the map, and then traced out the marching routes of the various Ming forces upon it. Seeing how well the Tianqi Emperor's spirits were today, Prince Xin also grew animated. The teenage boy gesticulated before the map, expounding at length before his elder brother and sister-in-law on his own insights into the war situation.

Prince Xin excitedly recounted the strategies in his mind. The Tianqi Emperor sat on the bed, leaning against his wife's bosom, a kindly smile on his face, watching his younger brother grow impassioned before the military map. After Prince Xin took his leave and departed, the Tianqi Emperor let out a long sigh: "My younger brother is already seventeen this year. He himself may not yet know it, but this is truly the golden age of a man's life."

Having exerted himself all morning, the Tianqi Emperor felt very tired and lay down again. The Empress covered him with the quilt, tucking in every corner and edge for him.

"When I am fully recovered, Lord Huang's side should have won a complete victory as well." The Tianqi Emperor gazed at the ceiling, a bright luster flowing from his eyes: "I must also raise a toast to Lord Huang, and I must also repay that great loan for Lord Huang."

After speaking, the Tianqi Emperor lowered his eyes slightly, looked at his Empress, and smiled again: "When I am fully recovered, the Empress should also bear me a Crown Prince."

……

On the eighteenth day of the ninth month, south of Moni Garrison, the Ming army's main camp.

The communication line from Linzhou to Push Garrison had been opened up days ago, but to Huang Shi's surprise, the first to arrive was not a large Ming relief force, but the Southwest Regional Commander Zhang Heming.

After Huang Shi last sent news of victory, Zhang Heming publicized it in Guiyang, then felt that sitting idle in Guiyang hardly allowed him to exercise his role as Regional Commander of the Four Provinces. He therefore came in person to the Ming army's main camp at Bozhou, intending to coordinate the overall situation from nearby and consider the Ming army's next move. Under Zhang Heming's influence, Wu Mu also came to Bozhou, and for a time it looked as if Bozhou would become the administrative center of the southwest.

But upon hearing that Huang Shi had succeeded in crossing the mountain forests and that the Fire Rescue Battalion had thrust between Push Garrison and Moni Garrison, cutting off the Yongning Army's retreat and supply route, Zhang Heming could no longer sit still even in Bozhou. He left Wu Mu behind to continue overseeing provisions and baggage transport, while he himself took a soft sedan chair and hurried all the way from Bozhou straight to Linzhou.

After reaching Linzhou, Zhang Heming received word that Push Garrison had been recovered. The old master Zhang pulled out a map and merely glanced at it, then without pausing set out for Push Garrison, finally arriving at his destination together with two reinforcing battalions of Sichuan troops.

After staying only one night at Push Garrison, Zhang Heming set off again to catch up with Huang Shi's force. One must remember that this old man was already seventy-six years old, yet his physical performance was even more robust than the young lads in those two Sichuan battalions. Although Zhang Heming traveled either by sedan chair or by horse-drawn carriage the whole way, the fact that he had come all the way from Bozhou and could continue the journey after only one night's rest was still deeply admirable.

After handing the defense of Push Garrison over to the Sichuan troops, the two infantry companies of the Funing Army began to move south. The Funing Army's cavalry company selected elite soldiers and strong officers to escort Zhang Heming, and finally delivered him safely to the Ming army's main camp at Moni Garrison before nightfall yesterday.

After daybreak today, Huang Shi accompanied the hale and hearty old master Zhang Heming on an inspection of the forward positions. Although the terrain between Chishui Guard and Moni Garrison was somewhat flatter, there were still forty li of mountain roads. The Ming army's front line had now advanced to within twenty li of Chishui Guard.

Huang Shi and Zhang Heming ascended a hilltop occupied by the Ming army. He pointed out the direction of Chishui Guard to the latter; the city walls were already faintly visible. "Master Zhang, that is Chishui Guard. At present there are roughly fifty to sixty thousand rebel troops around Chishui Guard."

"So many?" Zhang Heming had just arrived and was not yet familiar with the situation, but he was still startled by this figure.

"Yes. Yesterday your subordinate captured several more rebel prisoners. They confessed that General Jia Minghe has already seized the southern ferry crossing of Chishui Guard and set fire to the suspension bridge over the Chishui River. Since yesterday the rebel troops have been ordered to ration their provisions."

Zhang Heming coughed once and had someone bring up the map. He bent over the map and studied it for a moment, then raised his head and asked Huang Shi, "Are the two villains She Chongming and An Bangyan also among them?"

"In answer to Master Zhang, according to the rebel soldiers who surrendered, both villains are present." Huang Shi used his hand to trace a large circle and spoke clearly to Zhang Heming: "Just as Master Zhang foresaw, the rebel troops are indeed cunning and were slow to take the bait. Your subordinate ordered General Jia Minghe to strictly observe Master Zhang's instructions — reconnoiter, reconnoiter again, and reconnoiter a third time — and at last these tens of thousands of rebel troops have all been lured into the trap."

Huang Shi's words were like a warm current, bringing a ruddy glow to both of Zhang Heming's cheeks. He raised his chest, stroked his white beard as he gazed southward for a moment, and then said in a deep voice to Huang Shi: "Huang Shi, if these two villains are captured, the great matter of the southwest will be settled! This time you must lay heaven-and-earth nets and absolutely not allow these two villains to escape."

"Your subordinate obeys." Huang Shi bowed behind Zhang Heming, cupping his hands with the utmost respect to salute the old man.

……

The nineteenth day of the ninth month.

The Ming army continued its offensive toward Chishui Guard. Huang Shi reined in his horse atop a mountain peak and carefully observed the battle scene between the two armies through his telescope. The rebel forces around Chishui Guard were now very numerous; nearly every hilltop on the line of advance was defended by rebel troops. Over these three days, the proportion of Yongning Army soldiers killed by the Fire Rescue Battalion had grown lower and lower, while the proportion of Shuixi Army soldiers had grown higher and higher. The collapse of the Yongning Army on the southern flank was clearly having an enormous impact on the Shuixi Army as well.

Plume after plume of smoke rose from the hilltops ahead on the road. The Ming army's cannons were continuously bombarding the various hilltops along the road controlled by the rebels, in order to disrupt the enemy's deployment. Under Huang Shi's watchful gaze, the Ming troops formed tight battle formations and cautiously climbed toward a hilltop ahead.

Under the cover of the Ming artillery, the rebels were utterly unable to use the terrain to resist. The crude fieldworks they had previously built on the hilltops were easily destroyed by the Ming cannon fire. Those wooden field fortifications not only failed to provide the rebels with much cover, but instead caused them considerable additional casualties from the flying splinters.

The Ming troops quickly scaled the hill and then attacked the rebels on the reverse slope from the commanding heights. As the red flags began to wave, Huang Shi knew that the small number of rebels on the reverse slope had once again been driven into the woods by Ming firepower. The Ming army was now advancing slowly, hilltop by hilltop. Huang Shi did not need a very fast pace of advance, because time was the Ming army's best ally.

The reason the Fire Rescue Battalion kept attacking ceaselessly to compress the rebels' territory was primarily to pin down the rebel forces and prevent them from concentrating all their strength to break out from the southern line. Judging from the attacks of the past two days, Huang Shi believed that this was exactly what She Chongming and An Bangyan had in mind, because the rebel resistance on the northern line was neither resolute nor substantial; the rebels' intent there seemed merely to delay the Ming army's offensive.

By the time Zhang Heming came to inspect the work again, Huang Shi was already able to report to him with pride: "Master Zhang, we are now eighteen li from Chishui Guard. Today we can advance to within fifteen li."

More and more rebel troops were beginning to surrender to the Ming army. As of today, the number of Yongning and Shuixi soldiers who had laid down their arms had exceeded twenty thousand. Consistent with previous policy, Huang Shi merely took all the chieftain-class individuals into custody, while the remaining soldiers were sent to transport provisions and grain — and they were also given their fill to eat.

On the hilltop where Huang Shi and Zhang Heming stood, another long string of prisoners was being led past by Ming troops below. At the same time, two cannons were being hauled forward in the opposite direction. The Ming army was going to deploy them on a hilltop they had just captured, which was an excellent commanding height. Deploying cannons there would allow them to overlook several smaller hillocks further ahead.

"There are probably still fifty thousand Shuixi and Yongning rebels inside. They are surrounded on all sides by our Great Ming's imperial army within this narrow area. They have neither provisions nor boats, and will soon be completely annihilated." Standing behind Zhang Heming, Huang Shi pointed out the rolling mountain ranges and forests on either side of the road, which formed a natural encirclement. "Even if they flee into the mountain forests, on the other side of these forests are more Great Ming government troops hurrying here. This time, the two villains She Chongming and An Bangyan will find it impossible to escape even with wings."

After he finished speaking, Huang Shi drew a breath and said loudly to Zhang Heming: "My lord devised the strategy from within the command tent and acted with deep deliberation and prudence. For the two villains She Chongming and An Bangyan, apart from surrendering with their hands bound, there is no second road left to take."

Zhang Heming was now also clad in a suit of armor. Although many extraneous pieces had been removed from his armor, it still weighed over thirty jin, yet the old man still walked with a stride as swift as flight. Ever since arriving at Moni Garrison and seeing this excellent situation, Zhang Heming had been even more full of spirit and energy; he could absolutely be described as having the white hair of a crane and the youthful face of a child.

After accepting Huang Shi's flattery with a smile, Zhang Heming also loudly praised him: "Truly, there are no weak soldiers under a strong general. If this campaign can sweep away the chaos in the southwest in one stroke, Huang Shi, you shall merit the highest honor!"

"I thank the old master for his patronage. Your subordinate is deeply grateful and will remember it in his heart."

……

The twentieth day of the ninth month. South of the Chishui River, the Vanguard Battalion's main camp.

Several days earlier, after seizing the suspension bridge over the Chishui River in a surprise attack, Jia Minghe had set a fire and burned the bridge completely. Then the Vanguard Battalion attacked from both directions along the Chishui River, sweeping away the Shuixi Army's blocking forces cleanly in a single day. Having lost their provisions and supply line, most of the Shuixi rebel troops fled through the forests and escaped back to their old lairs in the far rear via Aluomi Garrison.

Some small bands of diehards still wanted to play hide-and-seek with the Ming army and hesitated to move too far from the Chishui River. But Jia Minghe's purpose in this operation was to ensure the smooth flow of shipping on the Chishui River, so he naturally had no interest in pursuing them deep into the woods. The Ming troops simply removed the blocking ropes they had suspended across the river, and then the Ming army's supply rafts began transporting provisions and ammunition forward.

Over the past two months, the Funing Garrison headquarters had also sent over a thousand replacement troops. At present the supply line to the Rock Battalion was impassable, and the route to the Fire Rescue Battalion was too arduous, so Jin Qiude had been continuously filling out the Vanguard Battalion's roster. Whether it was earlier attrition from illness or the officers and soldiers lost in this battle, all were immediately replenished from the Yongzhen main camp. Now not only was every company of the Vanguard Battalion at full strength, but Jia Minghe himself still held in reserve four squad commander units totaling two hundred replacement troops. If he had further need, he could also request more from the Bozhou main camp.

The sound of gunfire and cannon fire came intermittently from the direction of the Chishui River. Over the past several days, the rebel troops had repeatedly attempted to force a crossing of the Chishui River to break out, and the Ming army had repeatedly thwarted these attempts. Jia Minghe had deployed a full ten li of warning posts along the southern bank of the Chishui River, with one infantry company serving as a mobile force for every li.

There were only a few places where the current was relatively calm and a river crossing was possible. If rebel troops were discovered attempting a crossing, large numbers of musketeers could quickly rush to the scene. In most cases, while the rebels were struggling to cross in the swift current, before they were even halfway across they would be shot to pieces along with their bamboo rafts by the Ming troops.

Today the Bozhou main camp had sent another batch of reinforcements. Now, in addition to the Vanguard Battalion, over three thousand southwestern Ming troops were also gathered here. They mainly assisted Jia Minghe with nighttime security duties. During the day, those Guard Commanders primarily led their men in making bamboo spikes and then planting them all over the riverbank, hoping that someone would step on them at night. Jia Minghe estimated that over the past three days, the allied troops had planted hundreds of thousands of bamboo spikes. Of course, the Vanguard Battalion had also accompanied them in planting some. Although these things had little effect during the day, their power at night was still considerable.

Although forcing a crossing at night was not much different from suicide, they still encountered a few groups of madmen every night. For this reason, the Ming army had lit bonfires in piles along the riverbank. Even if the rebels could overcome the invisible whirlpools, rapids, reefs, and bamboo spikes, they would be immediately discovered by the Ming troops the moment they came ashore.

The entire morning of the twentieth was very quiet; all posts reported no signs of rebel crossing attempts. Jia Minghe pondered for a moment, then ordered the warning line to be extended further. In the afternoon, the muffled sound of cannon fire came from the direction of Chishui Guard. Jia Minghe personally ran up a hilltop to observe southward. Although he saw no definite signs, it was certain that the rebels had no cannons, so the most likely possibility was that the Ming battle line was pressing closer.

In the afternoon, someone reported that a large number of rebel troops had been spotted massing at the ferry crossing directly opposite Chishui Guard. This location had a shallow shoal where the current was slower, and after crossing one could quickly reach the official road, so it had always been the place Jia Minghe paid the most attention to defending. He had also deployed six cannons there. Upon hearing the alarm, he immediately spurred his horse and rushed over.

Just as the report had said, large numbers of rebel troops were openly and brazenly lashing together bamboo rafts on the opposite bank. An entire stretch of forest had been felled by them. Seeing this, Jia Minghe ordered the cannons to open fire. A six-pounder cannon roared incessantly, occasionally knocking down a few bamboo stalks or a tree and kicking up clouds of dust near the main rebel force. But this time the rebels showed no reaction at all; they simply continued lashing their bamboo rafts there.

Jia Minghe took out his telescope and looked toward the opposite bank. Several staff officers stood with their hands clasped behind their backs, standing ramrod straight behind Jia Minghe, each one puffing out his chest high.

"Hmm, the rebel troops are also making a kind of bamboo armor." As Jia Minghe observed the activity on the opposite bank, he muttered quietly: "It seems to be a kind of half-body bamboo armor... One rebel soldier has finished a piece. Yes, it is indeed bamboo armor. He's put it on to test the size."

The rebels seemed utterly heedless of the cannonballs that occasionally landed near them, focused single-mindedly on constructing their flotation devices. Jia Minghe gently lowered the telescope from his eye and gazed thoughtfully at the opposite bank for a long time without speaking.

"My lord, let us have all six cannons fire together. Perhaps we can scatter them!"

A young staff officer loudly voiced his suggestion, but Jia Minghe shook his head: "You're dreaming, Company Commander."

"Cease fire!" Jia Minghe abruptly stepped back several paces, loudly giving the order while forcefully collapsing his monocular telescope. He swept his gaze around the surrounding officers and again loudly commanded: "Bring those four cannons over here as well. Concentrate the Vanguard Battalion's defense zone to within five li around this area. Hand the other defense zones over to the allied troops to fill."

……

That night, the sound of thousands upon thousands of people singing arose from around Chishui Guard. Huang Shi walked out of his tent, gazed for a moment toward the bonfires in the direction from which the singing came, and beckoned an interpreter over. "What are they singing?"

"In answer to my lord, these are all ancient songs passed down by the rebel soldiers' ancestors. They are about their heroes, their forebears, and their gods. They have been passed down for over two thousand years."

"Is that so?" Huang Shi asked again softly. He listened quietly to the chorus of ten thousand voices. The song seemed to contain boundless emotion and reverence, and under the starry sky it faintly held an inexhaustible sorrow and uncertainty. Yet... within it there was also a kind of soaring spirit, rising straight up into the clouds.