Chapter 132: Marching West

The Wuyang River, southeast of Yunyang Prefecture, was a tributary of the Han River. Since no rain had fallen for months, the formerly broad channel had narrowed to only a few zhang wide, and the rushing waters had dwindled to a trickling stream.

At this moment, the south bank of the Wuyang River was crowded with people, filled with the shouts of men and neighing of horses. Gao Yingxiang's forces, retreating from Shouzhou, were gathering to cross the river.

Gao Yingxiang had been besieged at Shouzhou by four columns of government troops numbering tens of thousands. After narrowly escaping when the Liaodong cavalry launched their charge, he fled westward at full speed, passing through Runan and Nanyang Prefectures without pause until he reached the vicinity of Yunyang Prefecture.

Along the way he gathered up his scattered remnants, then continued fleeing west. Only upon reaching the vicinity of Yunyang Prefecture did he finally stop to rest for a few days. After counting heads, of over ten thousand elite cavalry fewer than three thousand remained, and the infantry numbered less than ten thousand. The morale of the entire force was extremely low.

Seeing how the force he had painstakingly built over many years—once numbering hundreds of thousands from various bands at its peak—had dwindled to a mere fraction, Gao Yingxiang could not help but feel grief welling up. In the dead of night, when no one was around, he could not hold back his tears. His once soaring spirits plummeted.

After thinking it over, Gao Yingxiang could not help but harbor a deep, bone-hatred for Zhang Xianzhong.

They were bandits; when government troops suppressed bandits, being soundly defeated by them was nothing to complain about—especially losing to the world-renowned Lu Yanwang. That was not something to be ashamed of, for Lu Yanwang was too skilled at fighting. His Hebei soldiers were battle-hardened veterans, reinforced by the Liaodong cavalry, and there was also that unknown garrison force defending the city. It seemed the court had calculated in advance that he would attack Shouzhou and had assembled the finest troops of the Great Ming to besiege him.

Everything was the fault of that damned Yellow Tiger! Damn his grandmother! It was his fault for deliberately delaying the opportunity, causing a mere Shouzhou to remain unconquered for days.

All evidence indicated that the government troops defending the city had only arrived after Yellow Tiger's two failed assaults on the walls, and the other columns of government troops had only reached Shouzhou several days later.

If Yellow Tiger had breached the city on the day he received the order, that column of reinforcements might well have become their meal. Then the Dashing King's camp would have marched north, and Lu Yanwang could only have eaten their dust—how could this great defeat have happened!

If everything had gone as usual, he, Gao Yingxiang, might already be sitting in the Prince of Zhou's residence in Kaifeng, drinking and making merry!

This Yellow Tiger who deserved a thousand cuts, this piece of trash! Could it be that he had long been in collusion with the government troops?

On the night he left his own camp, the Xi'an camp was in an uproar—at the time he truly thought it was an internal feud. Now that he thought about it, that piece of trash had taken his elite troops and left that very night!

He had been too careless! In recent years he had repeatedly defeated government troops, and bands from all directions had rushed to join him. Major chieftains commanding tens of thousands of men had to address him respectfully as "Dashing King." Everything had been too smooth! He had truly believed himself invincible, believing that one day the throne in the capital would come to him. Now it seemed like nothing more than a great dream!

Was he just going to let it go? No! He, Gao Yingxiang, had risen from a horse trader to a leader of the righteous army commanding hundreds of thousands across the realm. He had experienced several defeats along the way, but hadn't he endured every one? His force had grown from an initial few hundred riders to over ten thousand at its peak.

Wasn't this just one defeat now? It was a rather miserable defeat, to be sure, but still far better off than when he had first started. He had to pull himself together! The first priority now was to fight his way back to his homeland in northern Shaanxi, recruit soldiers and buy horses. Before long, the name of the Dashing King's camp would once again strike fear into the hearts of government troops!

At this thought, Gao Yingxiang suddenly rose to his feet, waved his hand grandly, and barked the order: "Cross the river!"

What Gao Yingxiang did not know was that Zhang Xianzhong, the man he hated to the bone, had already established a foothold in the mountainous region of Xiangyang, a hundred li away. He planned to build his strength there, and once his power grew, he would lead his troops into Sichuan, intending to carve out a new world of his own in that province of natural fortresses, cut off from the rest of the world.

Qin Liangyu led five thousand White Pole troops through hundreds of li of arduous marching, heading north along rugged and narrow mountain paths, passing through Kuizhou and Baoning Prefectures. After more than a month, they finally arrived at Hanzhong Prefecture in Shaanxi.

The distance was not terribly great, but the marching conditions were extremely harsh. The road to Shu is harder than climbing to the blue sky.

Although the White Pole troops were accustomed to climbing mountains and scaling cliffs, since no one in the force had ever been to Shaanxi, they had to hire local guides with silver at every stop to avoid losing their way.

Fortunately, the drought had not yet reached the northern Sichuan region, and the rivers and streams still had abundant water. The army marched along the waterways the whole way, so water was never an obstacle to their advance.

Jiao Runsheng, the Prefect of Hanzhong, who had long received Sun Chuanting's orders, sent men to guide the White Pole troops to the camp east of the city. He then took the opportunity to invite Qin Liangyu, Ma Xianglin, and other Sichuan commanders to a banquet in the city as a gesture of goodwill, but Qin Liangyu politely declined. Jiao Runsheng, who secretly looked down on Qin Liangyu for being a woman, did not press the invitation further.

Qin Liangyu knew well that her men loved drinking and gambling, and that their discipline was somewhat lax. At home this would not have mattered much, but here in Shaanxi they were guest troops—if they stirred up trouble, it would be hard to protect them. Moreover, the Emperor had just issued an edict commending the Sichuan army; if trouble broke out now, would that not be slapping the Emperor in the face? She therefore strictly ordered her subordinate commanders to restrain their soldiers, posted extra sentries at the camp gates, and forbade all soldiers from leaving camp.

For days on end, the White Pole troops had nothing to do except drill once every two days. Hanzhong Prefecture delivered grain and fodder every three days, and no intelligence of enemy movements arrived.

Qin Liangyu sent out scouts in all directions, and all reported back that no signs of large bandit forces were seen—within a hundred li there were only a few small bands of mountain brigands.

To prevent morale from sagging over time, Qin Liangyu notified Jiao Runsheng and divided the White Pole troops into groups of five hundred, each led by its own officer, taking turns to go out and suppress the bandits. Hanzhong Prefecture was naturally pleased to see this.

Within a few days, the bandit menace around Hanzhong was completely cleared. The local populace clapped their hands in praise, and many gentry from the counties and townships, believing the government had sent troops to suppress the bandits, rushed to Hanzhong Prefecture to thank Jiao Runsheng for his meritorious bandit-suppression and presented him with lavish gifts. Jiao Runsheng received great rewards without lifting a finger. Overjoyed, he submitted a memorial to the Governor's office claiming credit, stating that it was under his wise decisions and correct command that the guest troops had achieved such excellent results.

Just as Jiao Runsheng was privately pleased, a distress dispatch suddenly arrived from Hanyin County: the bandit chief Gao Yingxiang was leading his forces westward, had already captured Xing'an County and was looting extensively, and was now advancing on Hanyin. The Hanyin County Magistrate had sent men through the night to rush to Hanzhong and Xi'an seeking reinforcements. The message stated plainly that the roving bandits numbered tens of thousands, and that by the time the plea for help arrived, Hanyin would likely already have fallen. The purpose of the letter was to allow the Governor and Hanzhong to prepare in advance; the magistrate himself would die with the city, never shaming the court's dignity or the integrity of a scholar, and so on.

Jiao Runsheng was greatly alarmed by the report. Xing'an was only a few dozen li from Hanyin—the bandits could reach it in a day. And Hanyin was only about three hundred li from Hanzhong. The messenger from Hanyin had ridden for two full days to reach Hanzhong, which meant that, barring any accident, Hanyin had already fallen by now. What had become of the city's people was unknown, but the County Magistrate, the Registrar, and the other officials had surely perished with their entire families.

Covering three hundred li in two days was already very fast. A horse's stamina is limited—after galloping at full speed for over twenty li it must rest, or its strength simply cannot keep up, and this is even under conditions of adequate nutrition. An ordinary horse basically maintains a fast trot, not the peak gallop of a cavalry charge in battle. That kind of charge is always very short; after the burst, the warhorse needs ample rest and nourishment. Those so-called treasure horses that travel a thousand li by day and eight hundred by night exist only in myths.

Jiao Runsheng had no time to mourn for his fellow official. He immediately ordered his official sedan chair prepared. This was no time to stand on dignity—hastening to the Sichuan army camp to discuss strategy was the proper course.

Qin Liangyu, dressed in plain robes, received Jiao Runsheng in the main tent. She bore no particular ill will toward him—she had seen far too much of this kind of ingrained arrogance and prejudice common to such literati. She had been ordered here to suppress bandits and need not concern herself with the faces of local officials. Moreover, she was already a first-rank Left Commissioner-in-Chief—an honorary title, to be sure, but in rank it placed her at the very top among military officers. Even meeting a Grand Secretary, she need only clasp her hands in greeting rather than perform a full formal bow.

Jiao Runsheng briefly recounted the situation in Hanyin, and Qin Liangyu immediately ordered a map to be brought.

Ma Xianglin placed a crude map on the large table, and Qin Liangyu bent over to examine it closely. Jiao Runsheng hurriedly crowded in beside her. Although he could not make heads or tails of the mountains and rivers marked on the map, that did not stop him from pretending to look very knowledgeable.

Just as Qin Liangyu was studying the map and pondering a course of action, Jiao Runsheng spoke up with a smile: "General Qin, the Sichuan army has been in Hanzhong for barely ten-odd days, and already the bandit menace all around has been cleared! I have long heard of the fame of the White Pole troops; only today do I see that their reputation is well deserved! The gentry and common folk around Hanzhong are also full of praise for General Qin, saying you rival the Mulan of old! To express gratitude for the Sichuan army's meritorious bandit-suppression, I shall send twenty fat sheep, ten fat pigs, and two hundred dan of rice and flour to the camp as a reward for the Sichuan officers and men! In addition, I present five hundred taels of silver to the General as a token of the Hanzhong gentry's gratitude. Please send someone to receive them!"

Qin Liangyu looked up with a slight smile and clasped her hands: "Since the people of Hanzhong are so generous, I would be rude to refuse! Please convey the Sichuan army's thanks to the elders of Hanzhong on our behalf, Prefect Jiao!"

Jiao Runsheng felt a twinge of displeasure inside, thinking: "Don't you know that what I said about the gentry and common folk is just a pretext? This is all my own hard-earned silver! Even if it did come from the thank-you gifts the gentry sent me! But that already counts as my personal property!"

He smiled and clasped his hands in return: "Not at all, not at all—General Qin is too courteous! So how does the General plan to repel the enemy? The bandit chief's forces are formidable; I hear he commands tens of thousands! In my view, our troops are somewhat thin in numbers and ill-suited to meeting him in open battle! If we simply hold the prefectural city of Hanzhong, the bandits will find it hard to breach! When the bandits fail to take the city after a prolonged siege, they will surely move on elsewhere, and then the General will have earned a great merit! I shall naturally memorialize the court and make clear the General's achievements!"

Qin Liangyu smiled and said: "Prefect Jiao, come look!"

Jiao Runsheng lowered his head and followed the direction of Qin Liangyu's pointing finger.

Qin Liangyu's finger stopped at the position of Shiquan County as she said: "Hanyin is likely lost by now. Shiquan is only about thirty li from Hanyin! After plundering Xing'an and Hanyin to the full, the bandits will surely attack Shiquan! Once Shiquan falls, there will be nothing left to block their westward march to Hanzhong!"

Jiao Runsheng nodded in agreement, but in his heart, so long as Hanzhong was preserved, he cared nothing for the rest.

Qin Liangyu continued: "From what I know, bandit forces have always been lax in discipline. Every time they take a city, they must loot and rape for days on end! Hanyin may have fallen by now, but Shiquan is safe for the moment! I shall march out immediately for Shiquan, and hopefully arrive in time to lift the siege!"

Jiao Runsheng immediately waved both hands frantically: "General Qin, do not make a grave mistake! Hanzhong to Shiquan is over two hundred li. Most of the Sichuan army are infantry; it would take days to reach Shiquan, and by then it will already be in bandit hands! When your soldiers arrive exhausted, how can they contend with roving bandits who are fresh and waiting? Moreover, the disparity in numbers is far too great—marching to Shiquan now is an unwise move! In my view, the General need only protect our Hanzhong! Everything else is beyond our reach!"

Qin Liangyu paid Jiao Runsheng no heed. She gave her orders in a low, firm voice: "Xianglin, muster the troops and assemble the commanders! In half an hour the entire army marches east! Any who delay shall be executed!"