Chapter 320: Section 61: Heavy Responsibilities (Part 2) (I)

On the first day of the twelfth month of the second year of the Chongzhen reign, south of Yongping city, at dusk.

Huang Shi spread open a map on horseback and explained the situation they were about to face to several outside-system military officers.

"From Jingcheng to Zunhua, the Jianzhou slaves need to march roughly two hundred seventy li along the road. They have plundered large numbers of commoners, grain, money, and goods this time. I estimate they cannot move too fast — at most fifteen li per day — so they will need fifteen to twenty days to reach Zunhua. That is to say, even if they began their retreat three days ago, their main force will not reach Zunhua for another ten days."

After Hong Taiji's invasion this time, the Later Jin army's main force averaged fourteen li per day on the march, and that was their marching speed before they began plundering. It stands to reason they can only be slower now, not faster, and this invasion has already lasted several dozen days. Huang Shi estimated that the Later Jin army's horses had also begun to lose condition after successive battles, so the main force's rapid-march speed could not be too fast either.

Huang Shi shifted his finger leftward, pointing to their current location at Yongping, then slid it along the official road all the way to Zunhua. He raised his head and looked at the several outside-system generals around him: "Gentlemen, we have one hundred sixty li to cover. After passing Yongping, we will enter the Jianzhou slaves' zone of control. We will need to overcome the forts the Jianzhou slaves hold, need to secure our supply lines, and even more need to deal with the Jianzhou slaves' constant harassment. Yet we absolutely must reach Santun within five days, attack Zunhua before the Jianzhou main force returns, and seal off the Jianzhou slaves' line of retreat."

"The Marshal speaks truly."

"A few days ago we received reports that Jianzhou slave troops are advancing from the Xifengkou direction toward Qian'an, seemingly intending to attack Yongping. Without doubt, the Jianzhou slaves, for the safety of their main force, will certainly extend their flank depth as far as possible. This force will likely number one to two thousand. I need a fierce general to drive them back for me." Huang Shi did not intend to commit his own core troops too early; he planned to let his own forces conserve their strength and maintain their organization as a final strategic reserve, to be committed only at the most critical moment.

"Marshal, your subordinate is willing to be the vanguard."

"Marshal, your subordinate is willing to ride swiftly to reinforce Yongping."

"Marshal, your subordinate is willing to redeem past faults through service."

Huang Shi looked over the several men who had spoken with fervor, and finally settled his gaze on Yao Yuxian: "Then let General Yao go."

As he spoke, Huang Shi drew out a command arrow and placed it in Yao Yuxian's hand, adding further instructions: "General Yao, speed is the essence of war. I do not care what method General Yao uses, but you must reach Yongping as quickly as possible and push as far toward Qian'an as you can, retaking the official road so as not to delay the army's march."

"Marshal, rest assured. Your subordinate will not sleep tonight and will immediately urge the troops onto the road."

"Good. With those words from General Yao, I can sleep soundly tonight."

After Yao Yuxian received the command arrow, he left in high spirits. Huang Shi smiled at the other two men, whose faces showed lingering reluctance: "General Jin, General Zu, I still have heavy responsibilities to entrust to you both."

Jin Guan and Zu Dashou both perked up at these words and hurriedly cupped their fists: "Whatever the Marshal commands, your subordinates will never dare decline."

"General Yao is rushing through the night to Yongping; by tomorrow afternoon he will certainly need to rest. Therefore I still need a great general to attack Qian'an, and at the same time I need a divine-speed messenger to race past Qian'an without stopping, straight toward Santun, to scout the enemy situation for me." Huang Shi could now command the entire Ming army, so he did not intend to force his own two core battalions into a forced march. Instead, he wanted to use the other Ming troops to share his burdens.

And these Ming army generals were all very willing to be assigned tasks by Huang Shi. What Jin Guan was considering now was not the question of victory or defeat, but how much merit he could carve out of it. He immediately and loudly volunteered: "Marshal, before dawn tomorrow, your subordinate will have the men cook at the first watch and march at the second watch, then press on in a rapid march all the way to Qian'an. I will certainly take that city for the Marshal."

Although the man-eater Zu Dashou knew that sweeping Santun was a far more dangerous task, he was well aware that Yao Yuxian and Jin Guan both had an unusual relationship with Huang Shi. If he did not want to come out short when dividing the merit, he had to take on the next heavy task in order to leave a good impression on Huang Shi.

So when he heard Jin Guan request to attack Qian'an city, the man-eater felt this also matched his own calculations and said with fervor: "Marshal, your subordinate does not boast, but when it comes purely to rapid-march speed, if I, Zu, claim second place, then among the hundred thousand Guan-Ning troops, no one would dare claim first! If the Marshal does not scorn me, your subordinate is willing to set out at daybreak, leading the various iron-cavalry battalions of Liaozhen straight toward Santun, to serve as the Marshal's forward scouts."

Huang Shi of course knew that Flying General Zu Dashou was truly not boasting. When he did not run, it was one thing, but once he started running, he was absolutely faster than rolling thunder. Seeing him volunteer so eagerly, Huang Shi felt very gratified: "That is excellent. Then I must trouble you two generals."

"The Marshal's words are too kind; we subordinates dare not accept such praise."

Huang Shi offered a few words of encouragement, then pulled them along to eat dinner together. Huang Shi had already requested that Jin Qiude, Yang Zhiyuan, He Dingyuan, and the others all be laterally transferred to the Grand Commandant's headquarters as Vice Commandants, and he expected the Emperor would not reject this memorial. These men naturally came to eat together as well. Jin Guan and Zu Dashou were both envious and jealous of these trusted confidants of Huang Shi. At the evening banquet, the senior officers talked and laughed with great pleasure.

Just as the men were eating, the guards outside the tent reported that someone sought an audience with Huang Shi.

When the tent flap was lifted, a battle-hardened general, his face wreathed in smiles, strode quickly in and bowed and scraped toward Huang Shi: "Marshal, your subordinate is Hu Yining. Does the Marshal still remember your subordinate?"

"How could I not remember Brother Hu." Huang Shi hurriedly rose, left the dining table, and exchanged courtesies with Hu Yining. Hearing that the travel-worn Hu Yining had not yet eaten, Huang Shi hastily ordered another chair brought and pulled him to sit down. Hu Yining made a show of modesty, then contentedly sat down beside Zu Dashou.

Hu Yining was originally the Vice Regional Commander of Qiantun. Upon hearing that Huang Shi had landed at Shanhai Pass, he had hastily packed his gear and immediately marched out, swearing an oath at Qiantun four days ago to enter the pass and come to the Emperor's aid. After Hu Yining reached Shanhai Pass and discovered that Huang Shi had already led his army away, he hurriedly continued south, only to reach Changli and find that Huang Shi had left again.

Assistant Regional Commander Hu simply abandoned his infantry and baggage and raced along the official road. After reaching Luanzhou, Hu Yining heard that Huang Shi had just passed through, so he ignored whether his horses lived or died and led his retainers in close pursuit, not even stopping to eat. Racing all the way, he had finally caught up with Huang Shi's main force: "When your subordinate heard the Emperor had issued the decree, I hurried to enter the pass and come to the Emperor's aid. Hu is mediocre and incompetent, and I do not know whether I can share the Marshal's burdens."

Huang Shi laughed: "General Hu's coming to help is like adding wings to a tiger for me." As he spoke, he and the others toasted Hu Yining together. Assistant Regional Commander Hu refused none of them, drinking five bowls of wine in a bold and heroic manner before sitting down to eat. He had not eaten for a full day and night and was so hungry that stars were swimming before his eyes.

At dawn the next day, Big Blade Jin Guan struck camp and set out, hurrying toward the Qian'an direction. The Funing Army, having rested fully through the night, marched out after daybreak together with Flying General Zu Dashou. He expected to catch up with Jin Guan in the afternoon. If Jin Guan had already taken Qian'an by then, Zu Dashou could let his horses race toward Santun.

As they began eating breakfast, the officers and soldiers were all unhurried. Huang Shi did not anxiously press the troops to set out. The surrounding area was all mountainous terrain, so Huang Shi intended for his own troops to march slowly to avoid wasting energy, while continuously sending out scouts to maintain contact with the frontline forces.

North of Yongping city, a mixed Manchu-Mongol force advanced slowly along the official road, treading the dawn light. Among them were only a little over a hundred Later Jin Manchu soldiers; the remaining thousand-plus were all recently joined Mongol herders. Hong Taiji was still distributing grain in the Duoyan region to attract Mongol herders and small tribes, then organizing them into units to enter the pass and join the war.

This force advancing toward Yongping had swept all before it along the way. Although they had no siege weapons, the small pockets of resistance — dozens or at most a hundred men — along the border could not stop their advance, and most Ming troops abandoned their cities and fled. In years past, the famous general Qi Jiguang had meticulously fortified this area of Jizhen, establishing a complex warning and defense system along every strategic point. But if no one was there to defend them, even the strongest fortresses were meaningless. This Later Jin force had already destroyed a large number of defensive works around the border walls and had yet to encounter any effective Ming resistance.

This situation put the newly joined Mongol herders considerably at ease. Originally, when the Later Jin had told them the Ming army would flee at the mere sight of them, these herders had been somewhat skeptical. Now that they had been fighting inside the pass for over ten days, the Ming troops ahead often left intact forts and storehouses to them, and they rarely even saw the backs of Ming soldiers.

So when they finally advanced toward Yongping, this force's morale was extremely high. They were all wearing armor discarded by the Ming army. Those hundred Manchu soldiers were even more smug, boasting to their newly attached allies: "See, we weren't lying. Once inside the pass, aren't all these fine things ours for the taking?"

"Hush!"

The Later Jin niru up ahead, upon hearing the scouts' report, suddenly ordered everyone to quiet down. On a hillside ahead, several hundred Ming troops had been spotted, and it looked as if they intended to fight to the death. The niru ordered everyone to quicken their pace forward, and soon that Ming force appeared before their eyes. The Later Jin niru narrowed his eyes and studied the banners opposite him, then let out a contemptuous snort: "The Ming's Guan-Ning Army — they dare come out of their cities now?"

When the niru drew closer, the posture of the opposing general puzzled him. It looked as if the other side intended to give battle. "Since when has the Guan-Ning Army had such nerve?" The Later Jin niru wondered to himself. He drew near and studied the banner again: "No mistake, it is the banner of Shanhai Pass."

Yao Yuxian sat with great swagger on a camp stool, his left hand stroking his beard and his right hand holding a bowl of wine. He did not even glance at the Later Jin force advancing before him, merely lowering his head to sip quietly. Only after the Later Jin army had finished forming their ranks opposite him did Yao Yuxian suddenly tilt his head back and pour the entire bowl of wine down his throat.

After the hearty drink, Yao Yuxian hurled the bowl to the ground, and the man abruptly rose to his feet. His great crimson cloak and the red scarf around his neck immediately began to flutter in the wind. Yao Yuxian rested his left hand on his saber, thrust his right arm forward, and pointed at the Later Jin army opposite, roaring in fury: "Jianzhou slaves, have you come to meet your deaths?"

At this awe-inspiring roar, heavy footfalls sounded from behind Yao Yuxian. Several thousand Ming soldiers who had marched through the night ended their pre-battle rest and surged forth in a vast, mighty tide.

In the blink of an eye, the Later Jin army discovered that from behind the ridge opposite them, and from the woods on both sides directly ahead, several thousand armored soldiers had emerged. The scales of their armor and the countless blades of their weapons gleamed with a cold, forbidding light under the sun. These Ming soldiers stared fixedly at the enemy before them, as if looking at a mass of walking silver.

"Kill!"

"Kill the slaves!"

With heaven-shaking battle cries, countless men surged forward at a run, making the very earth tremble faintly. The foot of the hill before Yao Yuxian was soon filled with the sounds of slaughter and clashing metal. Regional Commander Yao watched the situation intently for a moment, then suddenly seized his warhorse's reins, swung himself into the saddle, drew his sword with a sharp rasp, and led his personal troops charging down the hill: "Pursue! Don't let the Tatars escape!"

At noon, Jin Guan's force caught up with Yao Yuxian's unit, which was then sweeping the battlefield.

"Old Jin, I took three hundred heads!"

Yao Yuxian shouted loudly at Jin Guan on horseback, and Jin Guan shouted back: "I know. Don't forget the Marshal's orders."

"I know, I won't forget. Take care on the road!" Before Yao Yuxian had left, Huang Shi had instructed him that his next main task was to seal the border walls around the Qinglong River, to prevent enemy infiltration and to shield the Ming army's communication lines from harassment. Yao Yuxian had already drawn up a corresponding plan for this and would soon lead his troops north to regain control of the border walls east of Lengkou.

"Rest assured, I know what I'm doing." Jin Guan shouted into the north wind, leading his own troops without pause as they hurried toward Qian'an.

After the morning battle, the newly attached Mongol troops had already lost their nerve. Some of the more timid ones did not even enter the city but fled directly toward Xifengkou. Some of the bolder ones intended to wait and see, feeling they had not yet looted enough. But before these men could even catch their breath, Jin Guan arrived at the walls of Qian'an hard on their heels. After reaching Qian'an in the afternoon, Jin Guan did not even pause to drink water but immediately organized an assault.

The defenders saw this wave of Ming troops, fierce and menacing, begin building ladders the moment they reached the city walls, and they also noticed that this Ming force flew different banners — clearly not the same group as the one that morning. There were still over a thousand Later Jin troops inside the city, but at least eighty percent of them were Mongols. One look at the Ming army's momentum told them these were not easy to deal with, and their numbers were unexpectedly large. The morning group had been around three thousand; this group was another three thousand-plus, and who knew how many more were behind them.

These Mongols were originally just scattered households, even less organized and disciplined than the group that had initially accompanied Hong Taiji into the pass to attack Beijing. They had entered the pass with the attitude of joining the excitement — if there was loot, of course they would take it, but to expect them to fight to the death against Ming government troops ten or even dozens of times their number for the sake of Hong Taiji and the Later Jin regime was absolutely impossible.

As a result, before Jin Guan had even finished building his ladders, a group of Mongols opened the north gate and fled. Once this breach opened, more than half the Mongols in the city immediately ran off. Jin Guan, seasoned and cautious, could not tell at first what was happening and so did not send men to seize the gate. By the time Jin Guan finally figured out the cause and effect, the Manchu soldiers inside had shut the city gates again. This truly made Jin Guan stamp his feet in fury.

But then Jin Guan received good news: several dozen Mongols, after leaving the city, did not flee toward Xifengkou. They felt that since they had entered the pass, they could not have come for nothing and had to earn some household money for the wives and children back home. So these Mongols came over to the Ming army camp and asked Jin Guan if he was willing to hire them to work for the Ming army as scouts for a few days, each demanding ten taels of silver as payment.

Jin Guan haggled back and forth with them, finally settling on five taels of silver per man, and also gave the leading chieftain the status of a Tatar officer. After the deal was struck, these hired hands stripped off their Later Jin uniforms, put on Ming army uniforms, and became "Ming army scouts." But before they went off to reconnoiter the surrounding area, they also spilled everything they knew about the situation inside the city to Jin Guan.

Upon hearing there were only a little over three hundred men inside the city, Jin Guan ordered his three thousand-plus Ming troops to attack from all four sides, determined to keep the defenders overwhelmed.

However, the efficiency of ant-like siege assaults was still somewhat low. Several times the Ming troops attempted to fight their way up the walls and onto the gate towers, but each time they were beaten back by the Later Jin soldiers holding the towers. The city gates remained stubbornly shut, making Jin Guan so anxious he clawed at his ears and cheeks.

"Father, General Zu is already ten li away." Jin Shiqi walked to Jin Guan's side and quietly reported the message passed up from behind. Although Huang Shi had said it didn't matter if they couldn't open the official road and supply line in one day, Jin Guan was desperately eager to distinguish himself before Huang Shi, so he was determined to take Qian'an at the fastest possible speed.

"Mm, understood." Jin Guan reached out and grabbed his beloved Green Dragon Crescent Blade. With a great shout, he traced a huge flourish through the air, then strode directly toward the city of Qian'an.

"Father, Father."

Jin Shiqi hurriedly tried to pull Jin Guan back, but was shoved aside by his father: "Boy. Whether I can make Regional Commander in this lifetime all depends on this one move today."

The valiant Jin Guan was the first to ascend the battlements of Qian'an. Right before the eyes of over three thousand Ming soldiers, Vice Regional Commander Jin stood at the edge of the city wall, swinging his great blade with reckless abandon, locked in a fierce and desperate struggle with the Later Jin soldiers. Jin Guan personally leading the assault on the walls greatly boosted the Ming army's morale. By sheer force, he carved out a tiny gap with his great blade. His son, his retainers, and the Ming soldiers behind him continuously climbed up through this gap.

The dying struggle of the Later Jin forces in Qian'an was finally crushed. After the gates of Qian'an were thrown open one by one, the sound of ten thousand galloping horses came from the distance. An endless column of cavalry had already begun its charging acceleration. The Ming general at its head had thick brows, large eyes, and a full beard bristling like steel — it was none other than Flying General, the Man-Eater, Regional Commander of Ningyuan, Zu Dashou. He was seen bent low, pressed tightly against his horse's back, the first to charge through the southern gate of Qian'an.

Amid the cheers of several thousand Ming soldiers atop the city walls, Flying General Zu and the cavalry behind him produced a sound of hoofbeats like pelting rain. Without pausing for a moment, they charged through the center of Qian'an Fortress and galloped straight out the northern gate.

Jin Guan, atop the gate tower, shouted toward Zu Dashou: "General Zu, take care on the road!"

When these words were shouted, Flying General Zu was riding straight toward Jin Guan, but before the sentence was even half spoken, Flying General Zu had already charged through the gate arch beneath Jin Guan's feet. Jin Guan hurriedly turned his head to look beyond the city, sending the last few words toward Zu Dashou's receding back.

And Flying General Zu's reply was carried back from afar by the north wind: "The chief merit for annihilating the Jianzhou slaves this time shall surely be mine, Zu Dashou's!"

Jin Guan gazed at Zu Dashou vanishing into the dust and burst into loud laughter. The great column of Guan-Ning Iron Cavalry was rolling forth from the city gate beneath his feet. With that turn of his body just now, the wound on Jin Guan's shoulder had split open. Jin Shiqi hurriedly ran over to bandage his father's wound.

"Enough, let someone else handle this sort of thing." Jin Guan called over a personal guard from behind. While that guard was binding his bandages, Jin Guan shouted to his son again: "You hurry to the Marshal at once. Report the victory to the Marshal as quickly as possible!"

"Yes, Father." Jin Shiqi answered in a low voice, turned, and was about to run off.

"Wait, I haven't finished." Jin Guan grabbed his son and pressed him: "What will you say when you see the Marshal?"

"Of course, that Father was the first to ascend the walls..."

"Fool!"

Before Jin Shiqi could finish his sentence, Jin Guan cut him off. Crying out in exasperation at his son's failure to make good, he said: "Fool. Of course it was you who first ascended the walls and thereby took Qian'an."

"This... how could I, your son..." Jin Shiqi was stunned for a moment, then began to grasp Jin Guan's meaning, but he was still somewhat unwilling to steal his father's merit.

"Ah, your old man is already so advanced in years, he doesn't need too much military merit anymore, but you must leave a good impression on the Marshal." Although the Grand Military Commission could not independently appoint military officers of the fourth rank and above, only when Huang Shi submitted the list of personnel could the Directorate of Ceremonial approve it with a red stroke. Besides, weren't the specific merits of each person all reported to the Directorate of Ceremonial by the Grand Military Commission?

Jin Guan picked up his beloved Green Dragon Crescent Blade — even in the most desperate moments, such as when the Later Jin army chased him in circles around Ningyuan City, Jin Guan had never abandoned it. Now Jin Guan solemnly placed this bloodstained great blade into his son's hands: "Here, you took Qian'an wielding this. Take it when you go see the Marshal. During the last great battle at Juehua, your old man used it to cut down a Jianzhou slave who was locked in combat with the Marshal. The Marshal is a man who remembers old ties and is most fair in reward and punishment. I think the moment he sees this blade, he'll record a great merit for you."

Jin Shiqi received his father's great blade with both hands. Jin Guan continued his instructions: "Remember to go see a Mobile Corps Commander of the Funing Army named Ouyang Xin. He is a favorite of the Marshal. I found out yesterday that he has not yet taken a wife, so I seized the moment and betrothed your younger sister to him. Don't forget to go build some ties this time. Remember! If you want promotion and merit in this life, you must cling tightly to the Marshal's stout leg."