Chapter 254: Setting the Strategy

"Your subordinate has been ordered to supervise the army at Ning-Jin, and has been here for over a year. I have often gone about inquiring and investigating to understand the local situation. As it happens, I do have some views on the matter of Yizhou that the Supreme Commander just asked about. I now offer my humble opinion to invite better ones, for the Supreme Commander's consideration. If there are any improprieties, I hope the Supreme Commander and Mr. Shen will correct me!"

A map of western Liaodong lay spread upon the desk in the rear study of the Military Preparedness Bureau office. Hong Chengchou, Zhang Dou, and Shen Shiyu stood around the desk, heads bowed in examination.

Zhang Dou, around thirty years of age, had originally been a Bureau Secretary in the Bureau of Operations under the Ministry of War. He was diligent, dutiful, and skilled at planning. Last year, Zhu Youjian had issued an edict withdrawing the eunuch army supervisors from all commands, replacing them with suitable officers selected from the Ministry of War and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Because Zhang Dou had no real connections in the Ministry of War, he was sent beyond the passes—a post no one wanted.

The former eunuch army supervisor in western Liaodong, Liang Chao, had been greedy and overbearing, not even deigning to acknowledge Zu Dashou. He frequently invoked the name of nobles in the palace to extort wealth from the generals, earning widespread resentment in western Liaodong. His conduct made the post of army supervisor hated by officers and soldiers alike, and also made Zhang Dou, his successor, unwelcome wherever he went.

Zhang Dou had anticipated all of this long before, so while calmly facing every cold glare and frosty countenance, he also frequently went out in plain clothes to inspect conditions, the better to grasp the full situation across western Liaodong.

"Yuheng, speak freely. One man's counsel is short, three men's counsel is long. So long as one is loyal and serves the state, how can there be any impropriety? I know the situation here is complex, and that it is no easy task for Yuheng to open up a new situation—but it is precisely for this reason that a man's abilities are shown! When the situation stabilizes in the future, I will of course report all meritorious men to His Majesty with fairness!"

Hong Chengchou said in a warm tone.

A man long seasoned in the world, he naturally understood Zhang Dou's difficulties. Not to mention an army supervisor—even he himself, a court-appointed Supreme Commander and Grand Secretary, would find it quite difficult to accomplish anything at Ning-Jin without external assistance.

"Your subordinate thanks the Supreme Commander for his kindness. As a court official, I must put state affairs first; what I have done is merely fulfilling my duty. Half a year after arriving at Ning-Jin, I inadvertently learned from others that there were enemies at Yizhou, and so devoted considerable effort to inquiring into the matter, until at last I gained some knowledge of it. The Jianzhou barbarians at Yizhou number five full niru, fifteen hundred men, belonging to the Bordered White Banner, commanded by a janggin. Among them are one thousand cavalry, the remainder being infantry. Their military farmland at Yizhou amounts to roughly several tens of thousands of mu, reclaimed mainly along the north bank of the Daling River to facilitate irrigation. Nearly three thousand captured Han men and women till the land for them. Yizhou city is built with its back to the Daling River, less than a hundred li from Jinzhou—like a sharp blade pressed against the throat of western Liaodong. Its threat to Jinzhou is enormous! Your subordinate surmises that the Jianzhou barbarians use Yizhou as an outpost, stockpiling grain and supplies there in peacetime for wartime use. Once the barbarian chieftain judges the time is ripe, he will muster a great army to advance upon the Jinzhou-Songshan line, seeking to seize all of western Liaodong, open the northeastern gateway of our Great Ming, and then drive straight to Yuguan! Your subordinate believes war could well break out within two years. If that truly happens, the capital will hear alarms day and night! If the Supreme Commander wishes to rectify the border defenses at Ning-Jin, Yizhou is a place that must be taken!"

Zhang Dou leaned forward, his finger pointing at Yizhou and its surroundings on the map as he spoke with great animation.

Hong Chengchou stroked his beard and pondered intently for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Shen Shiyu and gave a slight nod, acknowledging the soundness of Zhang Dou's analysis.

"What Yuheng says makes great sense! Before I left the capital, I learned at the Ministry of War that the barbarian chieftain is massing heavy forces to subjugate the surrounding Mongol tribes in order to expand his strength, and his ultimate aim is still to lay hands on the whole of our Great Ming's western Liaodong. His Majesty has also declared that the Jianzhou barbarians' western campaign will surely conclude within this year, and that next year they may well gather a heavy army to invade! Therefore, while Yizhou's garrison is weak, we must take that city this year at any cost, so that it cannot serve as a bridgehead and supply base for the Jianzhou barbarians' southward advance!"

Having grasped Yizhou's vital strategic position, Hong Chengchou made his resolve.

"May I ask the army supervisor, in your view, how many troops will the imperial army need to take Yizhou? How many of the Ning-Jin troops will obey orders? A commander must consider defeat before victory! It is said the Jianzhou barbarians' Eight Banners are extremely fierce and brave, and the Ning-Jin army from top to bottom all show fear of the enemy—can their morale be relied upon? Since the Supreme Commander has already made his decision, all factors must be thoroughly considered. This battle is also the pivotal engagement upon which the success or failure of the entire future situation rests. The matter is of great importance—it would be best not to act rashly!"

Although Shen Shiyu strongly approved of Hong Chengchou's resolve, given that the morale and fighting strength of the Ning-Jin imperial army were still unknown, it would be prudent to be cautious in this battle. If they suffered defeat, Hong Chengchou would not only be unable to maintain his footing in western Liaodong, but his future official career would also be cast under a shadow. So he took the opportunity of questioning Zhang Dou to tactfully express his own view, reminding Hong Chengchou not to act with undue haste.

"The art of war says: surround when ten times the enemy, attack when five times. By this measure, taking Yizhou would require some ten thousand troops. Those among the Ning-Jin imperial army who can fight are all the household retainers of the generals, and whether they will obey orders is unknown. Alas, what I just said smacks of armchair strategy. Mr. Shen's words are reasonable—the Supreme Commander has only just arrived at Ning-Jin, and it would be best to proceed cautiously in all things!"

Zhang Dou, who moments before had been brimming with vigor, suddenly deflated like a punctured ball when Shen Shiyu raised the question of Ning-Jin army morale, becoming listless.

The Jianzhou barbarians' presence at Yizhou was nothing new—not a matter of a year or two. The Jinzhou imperial army had let them till farmland and hold the city right under their noses. Such an attitude said it all: they feared the enemy like tigers and muddled through as best they could.

Even if the plan to take Yizhou were perfectly crafted, if it were entrusted to the Jinzhou imperial army—bereft of morale and going through the motions—the outcome could be imagined. A rout would likely be unavoidable. And Hong Chengchou, as commander and architect of the plan, could hardly bear the charge of losing troops and territory.

"Yuheng, do not lose heart. Since I have made this decision, how could I have done so without thorough deliberation? At present, what matters is to scout out clearly the enemy's daily movements at Yizhou, the disposition of its defenses, and the locations of its granaries and supplies. There is no rush to employ troops—wait until their summer grain has been harvested, dried, and stored. As for the forces needed to take the city—does Yuheng think the Great Ming has only the Ning-Jin border troops? Are the Ning-Jin troops the private soldiers of certain men? Do not forget that western Liaodong is also territory of the Great Ming!"

Hong Chengchou spoke with a stern expression.

Since the Jianzhou barbarians had long occupied Yizhou, and the main Jianzhou forces were busy with their western campaign—at least until winter they would have no leisure for other matters—and since Hong Taiji could hardly anticipate that the imperial army would suddenly seize Yizhou, there was no harm in waiting until everything was fully prepared before launching the attack.

One month after the summer harvest, Zhu Youjian received a secret memorial from Hong Chengchou. Its contents requested the dispatch of ten thousand troops from the Yongwei Camp or the Capital Camps to go beyond the passes and take Yizhou, thereby advancing Jinzhou's strategic depth in preparation for the army's possible offensive against the Jianzhou barbarians the following year.

In his memorial, Hong Chengchou gave a brief account of what he had observed since going beyond the passes, and stated frankly that, based on what he had learned, the strength of the Ning-Jin army was not as formidable as court officials imagined—the Guan-Ning Iron Cavalry had long since fragmented into small groups. Although the military clans of western Liaodong maintained complex and unclear relations with Jianzhou, they had not wholly defected to the barbarians. After years of bloody fighting, many on both sides bore irreconcilable hatreds, so Jinzhou and Jianzhou remained in a state of enmity—only the Jinzhou imperial army was comparatively weaker.

In the memorial, Hong Chengchou made clear that Yizhou was not only of great geographic importance, but according to intelligence he had recently obtained, the city contained over ten granaries devoted to storing grain and supplies—clearly preparations by the Jianzhou barbarians for a future attack on Jinzhou. Taking Yizhou would mean severing an arm the barbarians had extended toward Ning-Jin, would give the Great Ming the initiative in the overall Liaodong strategy, would greatly boost the morale and fighting spirit of the Ming imperial army, and would intimidate the highly self-interested figures throughout western Liaodong.

Zhu Youjian immediately summoned Yang Sichang, the Minister of War, along with the two Vice Ministers of the left and right. After explaining Hong Chengchou's intentions to them, all three senior officials of the Ministry of War expressed support for Hong Chengchou's plan.

Because Yang Sichang and the others all knew that the Jianzhou barbarians' main forces were away on the western campaign, thousands of li from Yizhou—by the time news of Yizhou's fall reached them, at least a month would have passed, and by then everything would already be settled.

And although Shengjing was somewhat closer, only a small garrison remained there; even if they received word, they might not dare send troops to relieve the city. Moreover, from the news spreading to the mustering of forces for relief, at least ten-odd days would pass—ample time for the imperial army to take Yizhou.

"This battle is the first commanded by Minister Hong since going beyond the passes, and it is also the first time since I ascended the throne that the imperial army has launched a large-scale offensive against the Jianzhou barbarians of its own initiative. It also bears upon the Liaodong campaign set to begin next spring—therefore this battle must be won, never lost! Even a lion hunting a rabbit must use its full strength. I have decided to dispatch twenty thousand troops from the Yongwei Camp to battle. After taking Yizhou, they will garrison in place, forming a pincer posture with Jinzhou. As this is a siege battle, artillery must be brought in abundance; the wagon battalions need not be employed. The forces going beyond the passes will be led by Mao Yuanyi, Vice Regional Commander of the Yongwei Camp. The Ministry of War shall immediately begin preparing grain and supplies—the logistics battalions must depart the capital in three days, and the main army shall march in five!"

Zhu Youjian was determined to send a heavy force beyond the passes to back Hong Chengchou, and also to let the military clans of western Liaodong see that there existed a fighting force even more formidable than the Jianzhou barbarians—thoroughly dispelling their base notions of sitting on the fence, and likewise facilitating the series of subsequent measures Hong Chengchou would undertake at Ning-Jin.

Since its formation, the Yongwei Camp had seen too little combat—only having blocked Ajige's forces at Changping. Though they drilled ceaselessly in peacetime, only an army tested by war could rapidly grow into an elite force. This campaign beyond the passes would be an excellent examination for the Yongwei Camp.