Chapter 232: The Northern Expedition

In the twenty-first year of the Chongzhen reign, the year of Yiyou, on the twenty-first day of the ninth month, the Northwest Grand Camp.

Half a year had passed since the court resolved last year to establish the Northwest Grand Camp, and several more months had passed since the Chongzhen Emperor, exercising his sole authority, reappointed Chen Qiyu as Governor-General of the Five Provinces with overall command of the Northwest Grand Camp's military affairs.

During these months, the court's military operations in the northwest had indeed improved thanks to the establishment of the Northwest Grand Camp, but in the grand scheme of things, the imperial forces remained at an absolute disadvantage.

Though the total number of imperial troops was large, they were scattered across different regions, each fighting on its own; the generals feared the Dashing King like tigers, avoided battle whenever possible, and on top of that, the court had long been in arrears on military pay and equipment, leaving the already listless guard station troops in even worse shape—utterly devoid of fighting capacity.

In contrast, although the Dashun Army had suffered successive defeats last year, it still held absolute strength. Apart from the southern route army, the veteran camp soldiers of the other camps had not lost much, and combined with the extremely long strategic depth of Shaanxi and Shanxi, Li Zicheng could bide his time at leisure and launch another northern expedition whenever he pleased.

Early this year, Chen Qiyu and Dong Qigu, Governor of the Capital Defense Forces, had smashed Liu Fangliang in a great victory at Guguan, capturing and beheading the bandit chief. The imperial army's prestige soared, and they swept southward, recovering the prefectures of Zhending and Baoding in an instant—there was no denying this was a great victory.

Chen Qiyu's first strategic objective had been achieved. With Liu Fangliang's southern route army completely annihilated, the strategic point of Guguan was once again firmly in the court's hands. The territories of Zhending and Baoding within Guguan, stretching all the way to Shandong, Fengyang, and South Zhili, were now linked into one continuous expanse, cutting off the Dashun Army's ability to encircle the capital.

In reality, however, Chen Qiyu understood that the situation remained far from optimistic. Concentrating heavy forces to defend Guguan only removed the threat to the capital's rear; apart from the Datong garrison, the entire territory of Shanxi and all of Shaanxi remained under the Dashun Army's control.

The fighting between the court and the Dashun Army still revolved around Ningwu Pass, defended by Zhou Yuji.

Tongguan, Taiyuan, Kaifeng, and other key cities had all fallen into Li Zicheng's hands. Though Zhou Yuji held the title of Shanxi Regional Commander, the territory under his jurisdiction was nothing more than Ningwu Pass itself. Since the Dashun Army's withdrawal southward, the Ningwu forces had remained holed up in Ningwu Pass—unable to advance, unable to retreat—and the situation remained murky.

Surprisingly, this time the court seemed to have learned the lesson of the Qin army's annihilation at Tongguan. Even with such a great victory, there was no hasty order forcing Zhou Yuji to leave the pass and seek a decisive battle. Combined with the decree the Chongzhen Emperor had issued last year placing the Ningwu army directly under the Ministry of War, this was precisely why the Ningwu forces now stood immovable.

Due to the current situation in Shanxi, the main camp of the Northwest Grand Camp, after repeated deliberation, was finally positioned fifty li outside Shuozhou city—south of the Datong garrison town, north of Xiaoshikou, and west of Hunyuan Prefecture.

"Report! Urgent dispatch from the Ministry of War!"

Chen Qiyu, Governor-General of the Five Provinces, was discussing military matters with the generals of the Northwest Grand Camp when a messenger suddenly ran in from outside the tent. Seeing the expression on the messenger's face, Chen Qiyu raised his hand to silence the discussion inside the tent and personally received the urgent dispatch.

"After deliberation by the Grand Secretariat and approval by His Majesty, the court has resolved to summon the realm's forces to campaign against Doyan." The more Chen Qiyu read, the more alarmed he became. After setting down the urgent dispatch, however, his face remained perfectly composed, and he said nothing more.

"Campaign against Doyan?" Bai Guangen, Regional Commander of Datong, shot up from his seat with a clatter. "Supreme Commander, what else did the Ministry of War say? Why would they suddenly take it into their heads to attack Doyan?"

Gao Jie was equally puzzled. "Indeed—that godforsaken land beyond the passes, even if we took it, what use would it be?"

"......"

Chen Qiyu pondered for a long moment, then looked at Bai Guangen and Gao Jie and said: "This urgent dispatch from the Ministry of War summons your Xuanfu and Datong forces to assemble at the capital. The military situation is urgent and brooks no delay. You two shall each return to your garrison towns to make preparations, then set out at once."

Hearing this, the two exchanged a glance. They naturally knew that military orders were like fire and could not be delayed even a moment. After saluting with clasped fists, they turned without another word and left the tent, mounted their horses, and with a crack of the whip galloped off toward their respective garrison towns.

After Gao Jie and Bai Guangen departed, only a handful of people remained in the tent—the other regional commanders were all of minor rank, and the rest were nothing more than brigade commanders and assistant regional commanders.

"This campaign against Doyan—once Li the Dashing King gets word of it, he's bound to stir up trouble. Supreme Commander should decide early to prepare for the unexpected." Wang Fuchen, Assistant Regional Commander of the Datong Left Route, spoke up.

Chen Qiyu glanced at him and nodded. "Well said. With the Datong and Xuanfu forces drawn away, the Northwest Grand Camp is weakened. First send someone to notify General Zhou of the Ningwu army and inform him of this news."

Per the court's decision last year, Zhou Yuji and his Ningwu army were under the direct command of the Ministry of War. Even Chen Qiyu, as Governor-General of the Five Provinces, had only nominal authority over them without any real power of command, which was why Chen Qiyu used only the word "inform" when speaking.

"Supreme Commander, this subordinate has heard something and is unsure whether it should be said." At this point, Yang Zhenwei, Assistant Regional Commander of the Datong Right Route, spoke in a low voice, looking as though he was hesitating to speak.

"Speak." Chen Qiyu nodded.

"As you command. This subordinate heard that there was a shakeup in the capital recently—several hundred officials were implicated, a revival of the Yongle-era mass purges, and even Minister Zhang of the Ministry of War was replaced. Has the Supreme Commander heard of this?"

"I have heard. Word is he was replaced by Zhu Dadian of Nanjing as Minister of War. Why—have you noticed something?" Chen Qiyu was somewhat puzzled.

"No, no—if the Supreme Commander hasn't noticed anything, how could this subordinate presume to?" Yang Zhenwei gave a few awkward laughs and waved his hands repeatedly. After a moment, he lowered his voice again: "But Supreme Commander, as the saying goes, a new official lights three fires. This Zhu Dadian, fresh in office, has already pulled the rug out from under you—you must be on your guard."

"Hmph. Though Zhu Dadian is of the Zhejiang faction, he has never engaged in factional scheming for private gain. His Majesty appoints by merit and naturally has his reasons. Besides, I stand upright and fear no crooked shadows—what is there to suspect blindly?"

"With that spare energy, better to think about how to wipe out the bandits and mountain brigands on your Datong eastern route, so as to lighten my burdens and share His Majesty's worries."

"This subordinate is guilty. I shall return and strictly discipline my men, and I vow to sweep the eastern route clean of mountain brigands and bandits within this year." Yang Zhenwei reacted quickly, clasping his fists to admit fault and stepping back.

After discussing for a while longer, the remaining generals had no better suggestions, and Chen Qiyu rose to his feet and said:

"This court campaign beyond the passes is a grand undertaking unprecedented in many years of this dynasty. Transmit my orders:

"First: dispatch orders to Fengyang and Shandong, commanding the forces of Liu Liangzuo, Mou Wenshou, Qiu Lei, and others to march north within a set deadline—Guguan must not be lost. Second: dispatch orders to Zuo Liangyu's forces at Wuchang—if Li the bandit makes any move, immediately lead forces to intercept. Third: the Dashing bandit will certainly not let this rest. All generals must strictly seal off information, hold fast to their passes, and without my orders, are forbidden from leaving the city to engage the enemy. Violators will be dealt with by military law!"

"We obey the Supreme Commander's orders!" Wang Fuchen, Yang Zhenwei, and the others hastily rose and shouted in unison with clasped fists.

Chen Qiyu nodded. After the generals had filed out, however, it seemed as though all his strength had dissipated in an instant.

This northern expedition had drained nearly all the troops from Datong, Xuanfu, the Ji Garrison, and the capital region. Li the Dashing King seizing the opportunity to strike was a certainty. Without Gao Jie and Bai Guangen—those two fierce generals who bore a life-and-death enmity toward Li the Dashing King—whether they could hold off the roving bandits' next offensive was anyone's guess.

He truly couldn't fathom what His Majesty was thinking. The bandit armies within the passes had yet to be wiped out—why would he suddenly set his sights on Doyan territory?