Chapter 312: Section Sixty: Opening the Pass (Middle) (Part One)

On the twenty-seventh day of the tenth month of the second year of the Chongzhen reign, the Later Jin army broke through the Great Ming border wall at the Xifengkou section and invaded the Ming army's Jizhen region.

That afternoon, the Later Jin army mopped up the remaining Ming resistance along the Xifengkou line, and Huang Taiji's central army began entering the border wall. If one follows the principle of two points and a line, drawing a line on the map from Xifengkou to the Great Ming capital, then Zunhua, a key border fortress of the Great Ming eighty li southwest of Xifengkou, is the first stop on the road from Xifengkou to the Great Ming capital.

On this straight line from Xifengkou to the capital, there are three points including Zunhua; behind it lies Jizhou, then Sanhe, and Tongzhou is the final barrier before the capital, a total distance of three hundred and fifty li. Besides the critical point of Zunhua, the communication hub of Santunying between Jizhen and Liaozhen is also only fifty li from Xifengkou. The two hundred and sixty li from Santunying to Shanhai Pass pass through Qian'an and Funing; Santunying is the shortest route from Liaozhen to Jimen, and once this place is seized, the high-speed passage for reinforcements from Shanhai Pass to Jizhen can be cut off, eliminating the threat from the flank.

After the Later Jin army entered the border wall in force on the twenty-seventh, the two critical military points of Zunhua and Santunying were already exposed to the Later Jin army's blade. But throughout the entire day of the twenty-eighth, the Later Jin army only advanced as far as Han'erzhuang, twenty li from Xifengkou, and all Later Jin units eerily halted their advance, as if waiting for something.

……

On the same day, spanning a thousand li of continent and ocean, a fleet on the distant East Sea was racing toward Shandong. Huang Shi convened another military conference on the flagship, and the first to speak was still Jin Qiude. Huang Shi and the three battalion commanders all sat in the lower seats, waiting for the staff department's deduction report.

"Commander, esteemed colleagues, the Commander's flagship will reach Dengzhou within three days. According to our estimates, the Jian slaves may have already completed their breach by this time; if not, we can also find some pretext to delay for a while. Once word of the Jian slaves' breach arrives, we can take the initiative to request deployment and go engage the Jian slaves in battle. Below is the engagement plan drawn up by the staff department; please review it, Commander and esteemed colleagues."

Jin Qiude handed four copies of the briefing to Huang Shi and the three frontline commanders, then raised his pointer and began explaining before the map: "In this deduction, the staff department proceeds from the premise that Yuan Chonghuan has betrayed the country. As everyone knows, Commander Zhao was transferred from Jizhen to Shanhai Pass by Yuan Chonghuan, so this man must be someone Yuan Chonghuan considers unreliable."

Jin Qiude turned back and tapped the point of Xifengkou on the map: "Judging from the previous phase of deployments, the Jian slaves will almost certainly breach at Xifengkou. Before his death, Commander Mao also submitted several memorials to the court, stating that the Jian slaves had plans to invade from this location. Once the Jian slaves breach, there is only one route straight to the capital: from Xifengkou to Zunhua, from Zunhua to Jimen, from Jimen to Sanhe, and finally Tongzhou, then straight to the walls of the capital."

Speaking rapidly, Jin Qiude traced a straight line along the official road on the map with his whip, then looked at this line and sighed: "Among these, Zunhua is the entrance, Jimen is the back door; once past Jimen, one enters the Jingji plain. But if the government troops hold Sanhe and Tongzhou firmly, the Jian slaves still cannot press on to the capital, and thus Yuan Chonghuan and the Jian slaves cannot achieve a decisive victory."

"Having raced all this way, the Jian slaves certainly lack the capacity to carry siege equipment. As long as Commander Zhao can hold Jimen or Zunhua, the Jian slaves' breach this time cannot penetrate deeply. If Commander Zhao can hold Sanhe or Tongzhou, then the Jian slaves' progress will still be limited. Therefore…" Jin Qiude made a crisp and decisive judgment: "Commander Zhao must die, and his troops must be annihilated."

Jin Qiude swept his gaze around the room; everyone's expression was extremely solemn, but no one raised an objection. So Jin Qiude turned back to the map and drew a line along the official road on the right flank of Jizhen, saying: "From Shanhai Pass, through Fuping, Yongning, Qian'an, Santunying to Zunhua — this is the shortest route for reinforcing Jizhen from Liaozhen. Yuan Chonghuan will certainly order Commander Zhao to take this road."

"Ah!" Jia Minghe and Yang Zhiyuan exclaimed simultaneously. Jin Qiude immediately shut his mouth and turned back to stare unblinkingly at the two. Jia Minghe raised his hand first, then pointed at the map from a distance and asked: "Isn't this a death sentence? Xifengkou is only fifty li from Santunying; cavalry can set out at dawn and arrive by dusk. But Shanhai Pass is a full two hundred and fifty li or more from Santunying. Even with two horses per man and constant horse changes and resupply at relay stations along the way, cavalry would have to go three days and three nights without sleep to reach Santunying from Shanhai Pass. Santunying would certainly have fallen long before."

"Yes, this is a death sentence. However, the staff department does not believe Santunying will fall too early, because once Santunying falls, the shortcut from Liaozhen to Zunhua is blocked." Once the Later Jin controlled Santunying, the Liao army could only retreat back to Yongping Prefecture by the same road, then go through Luanzhou and Kaiping Zhongtunwei into the Jingji plain, and then make a wide detour through Baodi, Xianghe, Sanhe, Jimen, and then on to Zunhua.

Jin Qiude spoke with considerable confidence: "Although Santunying is only fifty li from Xifengkou, and Zunhua is only eighty li from Xifengkou, if one wants to annihilate Commander Zhao, then Santunying and Zunhua absolutely must not be taken too early. If I were the slave chieftain, I would deliberately leave Santunying and Zunhua untouched, letting Commander Zhao pass through Santunying toward Zunhua, so that his personal troops would run horizontally across the front of my main army's formation. At that moment, I would simultaneously pinch off both ends of the official road from Santunying to Zunhua, and not a single one of Commander Zhao and his personal troops would escape."

"That's far too presumptuous," Yang Zhiyuan also shook his head. He gestured toward the map and said: "Does Commander Zhao not look at maps? How could he take this road? The Jian slaves are eighty li from Zunhua, while Shanhai Pass is over three hundred li from Zunhua. Moreover, the Jian slaves set out first, and Commander Zhao sets out later — how could he be willing to race the Jian slaves for speed? And between Santunying and Zunhua there are only thirty or forty li; cavalry can dash across in the blink of an eye, and if they encounter the enemy, they can also retreat swiftly. How could the Jian slaves catch Commander Zhao?"

Jin Qiude smiled faintly: "If not for Yuan Chonghuan, of course it would be impossible, but our premise is that Yuan Chonghuan has betrayed the country. First, he can absolutely compel Commander Zhao to take this shortcut to his death, while the Jian slaves will tacitly refrain from attacking Santunying and Zunhua. If Commander Zhao refuses to go, then he is as timid as a mouse before the enemy, and Yuan Chonghuan can arrest him on the spot. If Commander Zhao does go, and Santunying and Zunhua have not fallen, then on what grounds can Commander Zhao withdraw?"

He Dingyuan, who had remained silent all along, now began to voice his opinion: "Think carefully — this is not entirely a death sentence. If I encountered this situation, I would also have no choice but to try to dash through at maximum speed. Having traveled three hundred li, with the objective only thirty li away, one must at least try. Hmm, by normal reasoning, even if discovered by Jian slave scouts, since my entire force is cavalry, by the time the Jian slave scouts report back and their main army mobilizes, I would have long since dashed past the front of the Jian slaves."

"Exactly so; that is the most reasonable judgment." Jin Qiude immediately picked up He Dingyuan's thread, then followed with a sigh: "However, I believe the Jian slaves will not rely on scouts to detect Commander Zhao's movements. They already know Commander Zhao will certainly take this road, so they will have long since set up an encirclement blocking both ends, and what awaits ahead of Commander Zhao will certainly be Jian slave ambushers!"

Seeing that some faces still bore expressions of doubt, Jin Qiude reinforced his tone and asked rhetorically: "Speaking of which, if the Jian slaves cannot cover the fifty li from Xifengkou to Santunying, or the eighty li from there to Zunhua, in four days, then are they still the Jian slaves we know?"

Silence fell over the room again. Huang Shi looked around at his trusted confidants and asked: "Does anyone have further opinions?"

No one spoke, except Yang Zhiyuan, who muttered a quiet complaint: "An inconceivable notion. All of this is built on the foundation that Yuan Chonghuan has betrayed the country."

"But Assistant Regional Commander Yang, you agreed to it that day," Jin Qiude smiled, then said loudly: "The staff department considers this plan to be perfect. Even if Commander Zhao meets with disaster, Yuan Chonghuan can say he was too impatient and failed to conduct proper reconnaissance."

Huang Shi swept his gaze around the room once more; this time there were no dissenting voices. Huang Shi turned back and said to Jin Qiude: "Alright. Continue with what follows. Tell us what concerns us — where is our anticipated battlefield?"

"It should be beneath the walls of the capital. Perhaps the capital has already fallen."

"Nonsense," Jia Minghe, greatly startled, immediately followed with fierce opposition: "How could the capital possibly fall? The Jian slaves cannot possibly reach the walls of the capital. Once our main force reaches Shandong, we can quickly commit to battle. Zunhua is a key stronghold to begin with, and the Jimen natural barrier is famously called a sliver of sky. The Jian slaves, coming west in force, will certainly be unable to construct siege weapons in time. Behind that there are still Sanhe and Tongzhou — how could all of them fall so quickly?"

"Internal collaborators could be used."

"One or two might be possible, but using internal collaborators for four fortresses is impossible."

Jin Qiude said with absolute finality: "If that internal collaborator is the Viceroy of Ji-Liao, then everything is possible."

Everyone fell silent once more, waiting for Jin Qiude to continue. Jin Qiude went on: "Annihilating Commander Zhao should only be the first step. Next would be taking Zunhua and Santunying. They will have become useless by then, thus completely eliminating the threat to the Later Jin's rear flank, while also advancing a major step forward. But under normal circumstances, by this time Jizhen should already be mobilized, and not only Jizhen — the troops of Zhendingzhen and the border armies would also be marching toward Jimen. Soon the line of Sanhe, Tongzhou, and Jimen would be thick with armies rallying to the king."

Once Beijing comes under direct military threat, an emergency order to rally to the king would be issued immediately. Within days, the urgent mobilization order would be transmitted beyond Beizhili, and the king-rallying armies of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Shandong would all set out at once. At this time, the Ming heartland was still at peace, and the various border armies had not yet become locked in combat with the peasant armies, so once the king-rallying order was issued, local forces would certainly respond immediately, and every Regional Commander receiving the order would lead his retainers and personal troops toward the capital at top speed.

"This is the Jian slaves' first incursion. Most of the Mongols who have come with them are probably still harboring doubts. Expecting them to follow the Jian slaves in looting and fighting when the wind is favorable is no problem, but expecting them to fight to the death against Great Ming fortresses is absolutely impossible. Even if the Mongols suddenly went mad and were willing to assault the fortresses with all their might, never mind whether they could take them or not — even if they could, by the time the Jian slaves gnawed their way fortress by fortress to Sanhe, a month would certainly have passed, and by then the Qin and Lu armies would also be arriving one after another on the Jingji plain."

The listeners below all nodded repeatedly. What Jin Qiude had just described was precisely the normal course of war. Immediately, Jin Qiude shifted his tone: "But if we assume the Viceroy of Ji-Liao has already betrayed the country, then the situation becomes entirely different. First, he would take the safe Changli-Luanzhou route, avoiding the danger of engaging the Later Jin army, then head straight for Sanhe via Xianghe. Hmm, the staff department believes that under normal circumstances, it is quite unlikely the Jian slaves could storm the Jimen natural barrier, so at this point Jimen would probably still be holding. The Viceroy of Ji-Liao would then personally rush to Jimen and take over battlefield command of the Jimen natural barrier."

"Next," Jin Qiude turned again and pointed to the three positions of Sanhe, Tongzhou, and the capital on the map: "The Viceroy of Ji-Liao commands three garrisons and one guard; Jizhen is precisely his directly-administered garrison. When the staff department conducted deductions playing the Jian slave side, it concluded that storming Jimen and Sanhe would be extremely unreasonable, with enormous losses. Therefore, the optimal plan is for the Viceroy of Ji-Liao to issue orders transferring the king-rallying armies massed at Jimen, Sanhe, and Tongzhou away from this invasion route."

"Transfer them where?" Yang Zhiyuan could not help calling for a halt again. He asked loudly: "Transfer them where? Shunyi?"

Jin Qiude stopped and looked at the location Yang Zhiyuan mentioned on the map, shaking his head in opposition: "Hmm, Shunyi is probably too close — only a few dozen li. Once the capital is in danger, they could rush back immediately."

"Shunyi is still too close? What about Huairou then?" Yang Zhiyuan raised his voice by an octave.

"Probably still too close." Huairou was fifty li farther from the capital than Shunyi, but Jin Qiude was clearly still not satisfied.

"Then transfer them where? Changping or Miyun?" Yang Zhiyuan's pitch rose even higher, and his speech grew more rapid.

This time Jin Qiude seemed satisfied. He nodded in agreement: "I think Miyun seems a rather good place. That would put them far away from the Sanhe-Tongzhou line, and it would also be easy to find a pretext, such as guarding against the Later Jin attacking the capital from the Miyun direction."

"Nonsense!" Yang Zhiyuan stood up angrily. He pointed at the map and shouted: "How could such a reason be uttered! The Jian slaves have already reached Zunhua. If they wanted to attack Miyun, they would first need to follow their original path back out through Xifengkou and exit the border wall, then circle several hundred li through Monan, and then go attack Gubeikou. Only after breaching Gubeikou could they threaten Miyun. Are the Jian slaves that stupid?"

Jin Qiude gripped his pointer with both hands, faced Yang Zhiyuan squarely, and said without changing expression: "The Jian slaves probably aren't that stupid, but you cannot deny the possibility that they might be stupid. Such a redeployment is at least somewhat more plausible than transferring them to Huairou, and it can also move them farther from the capital."

Yang Zhiyuan was momentarily speechless. Jin Qiude ignored him, turned his head, and glanced at the map again: "Hmm, actually Changping is also not bad. After all, that is where the imperial tombs of successive dynasties are located — absolutely nothing must go wrong there. I think the king-rallying armies around Zhili could also be transferred to Changping; that reason is also very good."

"This is even greater nonsense. The Jian slaves are east of the capital, yet you want to transfer the king-rallying armies to the west of the capital." Yang Zhiyuan grew angry again upon hearing this. He once more retorted indignantly: "Hold the Jimen line, and the Jian slaves cannot spy on Sanhe; hold the Sanhe line, and the Jian slaves cannot spy on Tongzhou; hold Tongzhou, and the capital is safe and sound. And as long as the capital is not lost, there is no need whatsoever to worry about Changping further west."

"I didn't say I was worried about Changping. I'm not worried about Changping in the slightest. I'm merely saying this reason is entirely presentable. Is not protecting the imperial tombs from disturbance precisely the foremost concern a loyal minister and filial son should consider?" Jin Qiude's face still wore an expression of utter frankness: "You are commanding the Great Ming's armies from the Great Ming's perspective, whereas what I am describing is how to command the Great Ming's armies from the Jian slaves' perspective. The two are naturally vastly different."

"This is delusional!"

"The staff department conducts deductions on the premise that Yuan Chonghuan has betrayed the country — a premise that you, Assistant Regional Commander Yang, also agreed to that day."

Yang Zhiyuan let out a long sigh and slowly sat back down: "Assistant Regional Commander Jin, continue. But I still think this won't work. If Yuan Chonghuan wants to transfer away the king-rallying armies, then he himself must send troops to take over the defense of Tongzhou, Sanhe, Jimen, and perhaps also Zunhua. So after the king-rallying armies are transferred away, unless he rebels outright, the Jian slaves still cannot invade the Jingji region."

"This one is even easier to resolve. I can use the pretext of keeping the enemy beyond the gates of the realm. After transferring away the king-rallying armies, I would then transfer all the Liao armies to Jimen, leaving not a single soldier in between, and then simply open the pass."

"Open the pass?"

"Yes, and it would be best not to rebel immediately. The staff department believes that opening the pass to let the enemy through is the best method. Because all the troops in between have been transferred away, the Jian slaves can inevitably drive straight through to the walls of the capital. Yuan Chonghuan would then lead a core elite force and rush to the king's aid before the other king-rallying armies arrive. Once inside the capital, he would coordinate with the Jian slaves from within."

Jin Qiude, seeing anger gathering again on Yang Zhiyuan's face, spoke before him: "The staff department conducts deductions on the premise that Yuan Chonghuan has betrayed the country — a premise that you, Assistant Regional Commander Yang, that day already…"

"Yes. That's right. I agreed that day," Yang Zhiyuan impatiently interrupted Jin Qiude. He loudly demanded: "But I now want to press one question: what exactly is Yuan Chonghuan after?"

"Strictly speaking, this does not fall within our staff department's work. We merely propose a hypothesis and then begin deductions." Jin Qiude shrugged, with an expression that suggested it was nothing major, and said: "But since Assistant Regional Commander Yang asks, I will offer two personal opinions. First, His Majesty is still young. Judging from his performance in personally governing over these past two years, His Majesty is probably no sage ruler."

Jin Qiude had originally wanted to compare Chongzhen to Emperor Yang of Sui, but after thinking it over, he refrained from uttering such a gravely disrespectful remark: "Yuan Chonghuan may believe that His Majesty is easily frightened and easily deceived. A young Son of Heaven raised deep within the palace might, with a single shock, agree to peace negotiations. And if the Later Jin truly agreed to negotiate peace, then Yuan Chonghuan's reputation would probably be comparable to Guo Ziyi, who repelled barbarian cavalry single-handed, wouldn't it?"

Yang Zhiyuan felt this argument was not without reason. Chongzhen's performance over the past year had indeed been erratic and contradictory. Whether it was taxing disaster-stricken areas or condoning Yuan Chonghuan's killing of Mao Wenlong, both showed that this child did not understand even the rudiments of statecraft. The most important thing for an organization is order; the actions and outcomes of its members should have a causal relationship, and those who abide by order must at least have a path to survival.

The Chongzhen Emperor's taxation of disaster areas was a challenge to the bottom line of law-abiding commoners. In the past, no matter how bitterly the Chinese common people were oppressed, as long as those who respected the authorities could barely survive, most people were unwilling to risk their lives to oppose the government. The same applied to condoning Yuan Chonghuan's killing of Mao Wenlong: in the past, no matter how military officers were oppressed by civil officials, they at least knew that as long as they abided by certain rules of the game, their own lives were always safe. But now that Chongzhen did not punish Yuan Chonghuan for brazenly breaking the law, he should not blame military officers in the future for beginning to play the game of building private power and obeying orders selectively.

"In my view, His Majesty will very likely agree to peace negotiations." Jin Qiude felt that a Son of Heaven with such soft ears was probably also spineless. Chongzhen lacked experience and opinions of his own, so Jin Qiude estimated that once the Later Jin army was at the city walls, Chongzhen, with one fright, would most likely compromise: "If His Majesty still refuses to compromise under those circumstances, then Yuan Chonghuan will have no choice but to purge the sovereign's entourage."

He Dingyuan and Yang Zhiyuan roared in unison: "Then he would be the greatest traitor under heaven!"

"It's a desperate struggle with the net torn and the fish dead. Anyway, Yuan Chonghuan knows his 'pacify Liao in five years' is empty talk. He's dead either way, so he might as well gamble. Hmm, perhaps he could install a new sovereign and see if he can become a Cao Cao."

He Dingyuan shouted, "On what grounds? Treacherous ministers and villainous scoundrels — every man has the right to put them to death."

"Ah, there's a great deal wrapped up in this. He certainly won't say he colluded with the Jian slaves from within. Most likely he'll claim he fought off the Jian slaves and recaptured the capital. Hmm, the charge of collusion can just be pinned on someone else." Jin Qiude rolled his eyes and said offhandedly, "For instance, that Eunuch Cao Huachun by His Majesty's side — I think pinning it on him would work nicely. Yes, just say it was Cao Huachun who opened the gates and let the enemy troops in. After all, what these scholar-officials love doing most is blaming the Emperor when the state falls, and blaming the eunuchs when a battle is lost."

Jin Qiude's words were not actually slander against the gentlemen of the Donglin Party. In the original history, after the Shun Army occupied Beijing and began recruiting surrendered officials, ninety percent of the Donglin Party members rushed over to demand they be allowed to continue serving as officials. When the Shun Army officers saw many decrepit, elderly bureaucrats also coming to register for recruitment, they told the white-bearded ones to go home and retire. The Donglin gentlemen, of course, would have none of it, saying, "Just appoint us, and our beards will turn black again."

These Donglin gentlemen also scrambled over one another to fawn upon the Shun Army subordinates, saying that Chongzhen was "a tyrant who lost his head, condemned by Heaven and obliterated by Earth." Before Chongzhen died, he struck the Jingyang Bell to summon his ministers to the palace to protect him — not a single Donglin Party member went. Later, when Li Zicheng asked about this, they said it was not that they would not go, but that Chongzhen's eunuchs blocked the gates and would not let the ministers enter to die loyally for the Emperor. These gentlemen knew perfectly well that Wang Chengen, who was in charge of the palace guard, hanged himself alongside the Emperor, yet they still insisted on slinging mud at Eunuch Wang.

Later, when the Donglin Party discovered that Cao Huachun had not died, they began fabricating lies claiming it was Cao Huachun who opened the gates of Beijing. But at that time, Cao Huachun was clearly in his hometown observing mourning and was not in the capital at all — yet they paid no heed to that. In short, the civil officials were all good, the state was entirely ruined by eunuchs, and those who betrayed the Emperor were also eunuchs, not civil officials.

"Therefore, the Staff Division recommends racing to the capital at top speed and engaging the Jian slaves in a decisive battle beneath the walls of the capital. Otherwise, if by chance His Majesty agrees to peace talks, or if Yuan Chonghuan moves to purge the court of evil ministers, our Funing Army might end up being branded as rebels instead." As Jin Qiude spoke, he handed the final plan drafted by the Staff Division into Huang Shi's hands.

"There is also Marshal Man," Jia Minghe said, looking at Jin Qiude's plan and suddenly raising another question. "I have met Marshal Man — he is upright and unbending, and he bears a grudge against Yuan Chonghuan. He will neither join the rebellion nor heed Yuan Chonghuan's reckless commands."

"Ah, a brave man who always loves to charge ahead and slay the enemy." Jin Qiude said dismissively, "There are far too many ways to bring down a brave man. A cup of poisoned wine, a dagger, an arrow from the shadows — creating an accident on the battlefield is all too easy. Marshal Man cannot spend every waking moment guarding against the Guanning Army as if they were thieves, can he?"

……

Second year of Chongzhen, eleventh month, second day. Dengzhou Prefecture.

After Huang Shi led the vanguard troops by fast boat and arrived in Dengzhou today, he immediately went to pay a visit to the Prefect of Dengzhou, Zhen Yucun. Upon hearing that Huang Shi had suddenly arrived, Zhen Yucun was very surprised and hurried out of the government office to welcome him.

"My Lord Zhen. By imperial decree I set out to sea to suppress bandits, but the army unfortunately encountered storms at sea, so I have come specially to Shandong to take shelter from the wind." As Huang Shi spoke, he produced the edict authorizing the campaign and the orders from the Ministry of War, handing them to Zhen Yucun for verification.

Zhen Yucun nodded repeatedly in assent, invited Huang Shi into the main hall of the government office and served tea, while he himself began inspecting Huang Shi's credentials. Huang Shi sat in the guest seat and drank tea, patiently waiting for Zhen Yucun to complete his work. After verifying the imperial edict was authentic, Zhen Yucun also had someone fetch the Ministry of War's duplicate seals for cross-checking. He confirmed that the documents Huang Shi had given him were all genuine, that the Ministry of War had indeed authorized Huang Shi's campaign, and had also instructed several provinces, including Shandong, to assist Huang Shi's military operations.

"Hmm, the documents are all in order. I understand now, but there are still a few papers that will require some trouble from Marshal Huang." After Zhen Yucun carefully made a copy of the documents, he had Huang Shi affix his seal upon them, which could later serve as proof that Huang Shi had docked at Dengzhou Prefecture. Beyond this, Zhen Yucun also ordered the account books to be brought out. If Huang Shi needed to requisition funds and grain from Dengzhou Prefecture, these too would require Huang Shi's seal before they could be entered into the accounts for the imperial court's review.

After Huang Shi readily affixed his seal to the first document, Zhen Yucun carefully put this material away and asked with a smile, "Marshal Huang, on this journey to Ryukyu, would it not be closer to requisition funds and grain from Jinghai Guard or Weihai Guard? Why make the detour to my Dengzhou Prefecture?"

Jinghai Guard and Weihai Guard were both situated at the tip of the Shandong Peninsula, while Dengzhou Prefecture lay within Bohai Bay. Huang Shi clapped his hands and sighed, "My Lord Zhen, there is something you do not know. I did consider replenishing grain and fresh water at Jinghai and Weihai Guards, but this time the army setting out is extremely large in number. The reserves of those two guards could not possibly suffice, so I had no choice but to come to the prefectural seat of Dengzhou for aid. I estimate we will also need to purchase some from the merchants and commoners to make up the shortfall."

Zhen Yucun was startled by these words. "May I ask Marshal Huang, how many troops are in this campaign?"

Huang Shi extended two fingers and wagged them, sighing mournfully, "Cavalry, infantry, and naval forces — twenty thousand in total. I wonder if Dengzhou's funds and grain will be sufficient?"

"Hiss—" Zhen Yucun immediately drew a sharp breath upon hearing this. The scale of Huang Shi's campaign far exceeded his imagination. He hastily told the private secretary beside him to open the account books, his fingers flipping through them urgently. "Marshal Huang, please be patient. Allow me to examine this carefully."

After a moment, Zhen Yucun sighed softly again and asked without raising his head, "May I ask how much grain Marshal Huang requires?"

"Twenty thousand cavalry, infantry, and naval troops — thirty days' worth."

Zhen Yucun was startled again upon hearing this. "Why would so much be needed?"

"These past days, we have traveled many unnecessary extra miles to avoid the storms, and to save the ships we also had to discard a great deal of fresh water and grain, so the army's reserves are nearly depleted."

"So that is how it is." Zhen Yucun slowly closed the account book, raised his head, and said apologetically, "Marshal Huang, the prefectural granary does not even hold half that amount. I fear we will need to requisition supplies from the surrounding counties and from Laizhou Prefecture."

"Very well. In any case, my fleet has been scattered by the wind. I have already ordered them to make their way to Dengzhou Prefecture one after another, which will likely take some days on the road. Once the Funing naval forces have reassembled — hmm, it will take at least ten days or so. Within twenty days, My Lord Zhen should be able to have the grain ready, more or less?"

Zhen Yucun did some mental calculations and felt the time was still a bit tight, so he smiled and said, "I will do my utmost. However, Marshal Huang would do best to visit Laizhou Prefecture as well and requisition more grain there. Otherwise, I fear it may delay Marshal Huang's schedule."

"Then I entrust this matter to My Lord Zhen."

"Marshal Huang is too courteous. This is also my duty."

Before leaving, Huang Shi handed Zhen Yucun a gift purse containing fifty taels of silver. Zhen Yucun had long known Huang Shi to be generous, so he accepted it with a pleased smile. He courteously escorted Huang Shi out of the government office and at the same time instructed the government office runners to prepare the post station.

By common reasoning, typhoons in the tenth month of the lunar calendar are not very frequent, but then again, who can say for certain about the unpredictable weather on the open sea? Aside from Huang Shi and his core members, the ordinary officers and soldiers in the fleet had no idea what decisions the upper echelons were actually making. They had all been told that the forward scouts had detected a storm rising at sea, and therefore the entire fleet needed to take evasive action.

Huang Shi had originally been somewhat worried that He Dingyuan's big mouth would cause trouble. But this time, He Dingyuan also understood the gravity of the matter. Entering another military garrison's territory without imperial authorization was tantamount to plotting rebellion and insurrection — once confirmed, this charge would cost a pile of heads. So He Dingyuan repeatedly assured Huang Shi that he would carry this secret with him into his coffin.

As for the staff officer corps, Huang Shi was relatively at ease. The territory Jin Qiude managed never caused Huang Shi any trouble; Jia Minghe devoted all his mind to consolidating his own Vanguard Battalion faction, always followed Huang Shi most closely, and would absolutely never create problems for Huang Shi; Yang Zhiyuan was both an old brother and the head of the military law faction — he knew better than anyone how severe the crime of leaking military secrets was.

The factions within Funing Garrison had gradually and imperceptibly taken shape. Within the existing system, He Dingyuan was the head of the military academy faction, Jin Qiude was the head of the staff faction, and Zhao Manxiong, while appearing to hold a position of detachment, was in fact connected to Li Yunrui, Bao Bowen, and Liu Qingyang — all people he had recommended to Huang Shi.

In the past two years, Li Yunrui and his two sworn brothers seemed intent on forming their own faction and drawing a clear line between themselves and Zhao Manxiong. Huang Shi was not entirely sure whether this was Zhao Manxiong's strategy for self-preservation, or the three of them's strategy for self-preservation. But since they were wise enough to see the situation clearly, Huang Shi feigned ignorance and played the fool, as if he had not noticed the factional divisions occurring at all.

Starting from Huang Shi, every faction in Funing Garrison understood but pretended not to. Shi Ce seemed to believe that Huang Shi's true attitude was to encourage factional division, so recently he had also begun to establish some sort of Minbei Naval Faction. Although on the surface these people all acted carefree and unrestrained, even someone as straightforward as He Dingyuan absolutely dared not infiltrate the internal security system or the Loyal King and Patriotic Catholic Church. At the very least, he had never once proposed having the Funing Garrison Indoctrination Directorate train the internal security agents and those pastors.

According to Huang Shi's plan, the Funing Garrison's naval forces would continue to dock at Dengzhou. Based on the Staff Division's projections, the Later Jin's invasion of the Great Ming's Ji Garrison was imminent. Huang Shi intended to find excuses here to delay for some time. Once the Later Jin invaded the interior in force, Huang Shi could immediately lead his army to reinforce the capital region, repel Huang Taiji's invading forces, and find a way to deal them a heavy blow.

That same day, outside Santun Camp.

"Reporting to Grand General, Santun Camp is safe and sound. According to reports, the Jian slaves have already pressed close to Zunhua, but Zunhua has not yet fallen either."

"What fine luck, that we actually made it in time." Upon hearing this good news, Zhao Lujiao could scarcely believe his own luck. After Yuan Chonghuan received word that the Later Jin army was invading Ji Garrison, he immediately ordered Zhao Lujiao to set out at top speed, taking the route through Funing and Qian'an to Santun Camp. He was ordered to cover this two-hundred-sixty-li road before the Later Jin finished traversing the fifty-li path from Xifengkou to Santun Camp, to race ahead of the Later Jin through the blockade line that was about to close, and to enter Zunhua directly to mount a defense.

"The Jian slaves' movement this time is truly slow. I originally thought we wouldn't make it." Zhao Lujiao reckoned that he had set out one day later than the Later Jin, and the distance was five or six times that of the enemy's, so he had been constantly worried that the trip would be in vain. But he had not expected that in four days the Later Jin had not even covered fifty li, and the Ming army was now on the verge of closing the defensive line that the Later Jin had pried open. "It seems the Jian slaves are short on provisions and fodder, which is why they are moving so slowly."

For three days and three nights, Zhao Lujiao's four thousand retainers and personal guards had not removed their armor, nor unsaddled their horses. Traveling with three horses per man all the way from Shanhai Pass, more than half the horses had been ridden to death. Now they were only thirty li from their destination. "My lads, we no longer need to spare the horses! Charge! Charge into Zunhua!"

Full of confidence, Zhao Lujiao led his personal troops out onto the Santun Camp official road and headed straight for Zunhua. Although sweeping across the front of the enemy formation was very dangerous, if they did not spare the horses, thirty li could be covered in the blink of an eye. By the time the Later Jin scouts reported back to the main camp on the enemy situation, and the enemy had questioned them to clarify the circumstances before organizing troops to strike, it would be too late anyway. Besides, the enemy might even send scouts again to verify the numbers and banners of his army.

Second day of the month. Zhao Lujiao, Regional Commander of Shanhai Pass, was ambushed between Zunhua and Santun Camp. Four thousand cavalry — the entire army was annihilated…

After annihilating Zhao Lujiao's army, the Later Jin army, in complete contrast to its four days of immobility, rapidly advanced westward with its main force.

In the early hours of the third day, the Later Jin army reached the walls of Zunhua. Collaborators inside the city immediately opened the gates and let the Later Jin army in. Ming Provincial Governor Wang Yuanya committed suicide for his country.

At the same time, the Later Jin army launched a thunderous, overwhelming assault on Santun Camp and breached the city within a single two-hour period. They sealed the gap in the battle line on the rear flank, then immediately pushed westward, racing along the very route Zhao Lujiao had come. Their movements no longer showed the slightest sign of sluggishness.

Fourth day. The Later Jin army force-marched a hundred li westward in two days and two nights, capturing Qian'an. Their vanguard threatened Yongping and Funing.

By this time, Yuan Chonghuan had already led twenty thousand Guanning armored cavalry into the pass. Without so much as a glance at Yongping and Funing, which were now under threat on his right flank, he took the route through Changli and Luanzhou, heading straight for Baodi and Xianghe.

……