Chapter 436: Ajige's Dream

While Dorgon led the main force of the Two White Banners south to support Yoto, Chen Qiyu led over a thousand men racing northward through the dense forests and hills on the western flank.

Many people in later generations may hold a misconception about the vast primeval forests of the Northeast—believing they mean impenetrable trees and insurmountable mountains.

In reality, this was not the case at all.

The trees of the Northeast were mainly cold-resistant species such as pines and cypresses, and thus were not as dense as the tangled trees and underbrush of southern forests.

Because there was considerable space between each tree, moving through them once inside was not difficult.

And while the mountain ranges of the Northeast stretched on without end, most were merely gentle slopes similar to hills—not towering peaks requiring hands and feet to climb.

Chen Qiyu, like Sun Chuanting, Lu Xiangsheng, Hong Chengchou and others, belonged to that elite class of civil officials accustomed to trekking over mountains and rivers, and who sometimes did not shrink from personal danger.

Whether suppressing bandits in northern Shaanxi, or later serving as Governor-General of the Five Provinces—holding heavy troops and bearing the grave responsibility of wiping out the Ming's bandit scourge—Chen Qiyu often shared the hardships of the regular army, sleeping in the open, and regarded this kind of short march as level ground.

During the journey, he continuously dispatched several Liaoxi soldiers familiar with the terrain, carrying the Ministry of War troop-transfer credentials he had brought with him, along with the operational plans already drafted, to the several fort-cities nearest the central column of Qing troops, ordering the garrison forces to act according to orders.

He himself went in person to Zhenshan Fort to take command on site.

After marching at full speed and spending one night in the mountain forests, Chen Qiyu arrived at the hills behind Zhenshan Fort around shen hour on the afternoon of the second day.

That Chen Qiyu, in his capacity as Grand Secretary, could trek over a hundred li through the mountains in two days—his toughness and perseverance could be said to be extremely rare in this age; to date, only Lu Xiangsheng could match him.

Zhenshan Fort lay one hundred and sixty li from Ningyuan. The fort-city was situated on the west side of the official road, built against the mountain terrain, with three gates—north, south, and east—and housed nearly three thousand Capital Camps soldiers under the command of Mobile Corps Commander Wei Chuan.

After resting for half a shichen, at dusk that day, Chen Qiyu brought a dozen or so personal guards to the western fort wall of Zhenshan Fort that backed against the mountain, while Han Guan and Li Lu continued north with a thousand men.

One personal guard stepped forward and communicated with the patrol soldiers atop the wall, then placed the official credentials and seals into a bamboo basket lowered from the wall.

Before long, Wei Chuan, fully armored, hurried along the rampart corridor on top of the wall.

Although he could see the credentials were genuine, since he did not know Chen Qiyu by sight, for safety's sake Wei Chuan ordered a large basket suspended by long ropes to be lowered, then had Chen Qiyu and his men pulled up one by one.

The moment he saw Chen Qiyu in civilian dress, Wei Chuan immediately confirmed that this was indeed a high minister of the court, for the kind of imposing aura of authority that radiated from Chen Qiyu—commanding respect without anger—was something ordinary men simply could not possess.

"Your subordinate, Capital Camps Mobile Corps Commander Wei Chuan, pays respects to Grand Secretary Chen! With a great enemy before us, your subordinate had no choice but to be cautious. If there has been any offense, I beg the Grand Secretary's indulgence! That the Grand Secretary, in his honored person, would willingly brave such peril to trek here—your subordinate admires it beyond measure! Please, Grand Secretary, move to the office to rest a while!"

Wei Chuan hurried forward, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists above his head, and paid respects with full military ceremony.

"Heh heh! Rise! Mobile Corps Commander Wei has done very well! This is exactly how a commander should act! The Capital Camps, from top to bottom, indeed maintain strict military discipline! To secure final victory in the war against the eastern barbarians, a bit of hardship on my part is only fitting! Mobile Corps Commander Wei, lead the way!"

The exhausted Chen Qiyu waved his hand and smiled.

He could tell this Mobile Corps Commander's words of praise came from the heart—after all, he was a civil official doing a general's work. And if word of this conduct reached the Emperor's ears, it would bring incalculable benefit to his official career.

Chen Qiyu had long been steeped in military affairs; he bore no grudge against Wei Chuan's actions, but rather developed great fondness for this young, refined military officer.

"Mobile Corps Commander Wei, how far from here are the eastern barbarians' relief forces? What is their strength? How many soldiers do you currently command? What firearms are equipped? Is morale and fighting spirit usable?"

In the crude second hall of Zhenshan Fort's garrison office, Chen Qiyu took up a cup of coarse, inferior hot tea and sipped it a few times, then looked directly at Wei Chuan standing below and asked without preamble.

"Reporting to the Grand Secretary! Two days ago the Jianzhou barbarian army broke camp and marched south. The relief forces currently remaining number about five thousand, with their main camp to the northeast, roughly forty-odd li from this fort! Your subordinate commands two thousand seven hundred officers and soldiers, including eight hundred musketeers, one thousand two hundred spearmen, three hundred archers, and three hundred sword-and-shield men! Additionally there are twenty tiger-crouch cannons, forty gunners, and twenty grenadiers! The rest are your subordinate and several Battalion Commanders' personal guards! Your subordinate has led this force here for over two months now. Seeing the Jianzhou barbarians' arrogance, the entire army burns with fighting spirit that can hardly be contained. As long as orders come from above, the whole force will fight the Jianzhou barbarians to the death!"

Wei Chuan stepped forward, clasped his hands in salute, and replied with a look of righteous fervor and impassioned tone, while the several Battalion Commanders at his side also displayed postures of eager readiness.

"Good! To rejoice at the sound of battle—this is the quality of a strong army! Once word returns from the regular forces ahead, I will lead you all to strike hard at the eastern barbarians! The time to render distinguished service is now!"

Just as Chen Qiyu's orders set several columns of Ming troops into targeted deployments, the several thousand Qing troops camped between Zhenshan Fort and Xingping Fort remained utterly oblivious.

Since marching south, the Ming troops in the fort-cities along the way had all kept their gates tightly shut and had not sallied forth to intercept or attack the Qing army—this habitual Ming behavior of many years only deepened Ajige's contempt.

After Dorgon had left with the main force, Ajige arranged sentries to patrol back and forth, and finding himself bored to distraction, he took several dozen guards into the eastern mountain forests to hunt for amusement, thereby dispelling the frustration in his heart.

He was extremely dissatisfied with Dorgon's arrangement leaving him behind to provide support.

He believed that a fierce general like himself belonged on a battlefield of tens of thousands, not bottled up in the rear doing mere relief duty.

However, Ajige had always followed the counsel of his resourceful fourteenth brother without question, so he did not argue, but obediently obeyed the order and stayed.

As the sentries continuously reported no abnormalities among the nearby Ming troops, Ajige's mind grew even more relaxed.

He felt not the slightest worry about the war in the south.

With the main forces of six Banners of the Eight Banners sweeping south in force, no army under heaven could stand against them.

Even the new Ming army he had encountered at Changping back then could not.

Now all he needed to do was wait for news of victory from the front—the main question was how the spoils would be divided. His title of Duoluo Prince Wuying of the Commandery absolutely had to be recovered this time.

This time it was that sycophant Yoto who had sent men begging for aid. Once they won and returned, the Two White Banners must take the lion's share of the victory spoils, and their niru must increase by at least ten or more.

They absolutely had to make the Two Red Banners bleed a little.

By then, with one rising and the other falling, the Two White Banners' strength would be first among the Eight Banners. Once that sickly Eighth Brother finally died, the throne would go to Fourteenth Brother, and he himself would get a Prince title to taste as well.

Unexpectedly, after only a few days of this dull life, while he was in the mountains he received successive urgent reports from galloping scouts: Ming troops had appeared twenty li to both the north and south, each force around three thousand strong.

Ajige found the reports both surprising and amusing.

A few thousand Ming troops dared to attack his camp of over four thousand men? They saw the Two White Banners' main army leave and thought they could come pick up easy pickings, did they?

"All troops, assemble! Kill these Nikan!"