Chapter 181: Manual Alarm Clock He Huchen

He Huchen sat on a mountain stream cliff, ate the last donkey-meat huoshao, and still wanted more.

Lion Camp was not the only unit in Shaanxi that could eat donkey-meat huoshao.

Compared to the horse-meat huoshao made by Cao Yao, a Henan man, the donkey-meat huoshao made by the army cook under He Huchen, a Baoding man, was more authentic.

Gazing at the green filling the Ziwu Range, He Huchen's face was deeply moved.

He was an unlucky man — when he served as Vice Regional Commander in Yansui Garrison, northern Shaanxi suffered a terrible drought.

Promoted to Ningxia, last year Ningxia also suffered a great drought, so the Ningxia troops all secretly called him He Lao Han.

And the problem there was not just drought — the desert was more terrifying than the drought.

Since he took office last year, rectifying the border walls, the entire Ningxia border army had been busy hauling sand.

North and south of the Great Wall, shifting sands spread everywhere. Back then the Great Wall was built on the mountains, but now the terrain there had become flat open ground. The accumulated shifting sands over the years reached twenty to thirty feet deep, some even thirty to forty feet.

Today the troops would go out and haul the sand away; tomorrow when they woke, the sand would all be back. Even digging sand away for days on end could not match a single night of strong wind.

Going out to drill, chariots and cavalry all got stuck. The city wall running southeast from Yinchuan connecting to Yulin Garrison was either buried or eroded by windblown sand. Apart from organizing troops to dig sand, there was absolutely no other solution.

Actually, by rights Yulin's sand pressure on the border wall was greater than that of eastern Ningxia, but during the Wanli reign, Yulin had mobilized soldiers and civilians to dig accumulated sand thirty-three thousand zhang wide along the Great Wall, so that the border wall was completely renewed.

Ningxia did not have that kind of capability. No people. The various guards of Ningxia had 29,337 military and civilian households, but only 56,400-some individuals.

Counting civilian households, the average was less than two persons per household.

There was simply no capacity for large-scale sand control.

Ningxia not only had few soldiers and few civilians, even its imperial clan nobles were few.

The fief of the Prince of Qing in Ningxia, compared to the Prince of Qingcheng Commandery in Shanxi, was simply pitiful.

To this day, the Qing princely fief had only one Prince of the Blood, six Commandery Princes, sixty-one Defense, Bulwark, and Support State Generals, fifty-six Commandant-Escorts, fifty-seven Commandery and District Mistresses, and six commoners.

Survival pressure and the will to reproduce are related.

So arriving in northern Shaanxi and burrowing into the Ziwu Range, He Huchen was actually quite delighted inside.

"This place is much better than other places. Further ahead you can see the straight road built by the Qin dynasty... Where has Li Laochai gone?"

The household retainer standing in attendance at his side said nothing, only walked to the edge of the cliff gully and waved a few times. On a distant ridge separated by ravines, flags waved in response. A moment later, signal flags swung.

The retainer returned and said: "General, the pond cavalry report back — the bandits are eating a meal thirteen li away."

"Why are they eating so slowly? I've already finished eating and they still haven't finished. Do they have any professional integrity as bandits?"

He Huchen frowned. He felt this wouldn't do. If he let Li Laochai eat any longer, today he wouldn't be able to take his men to see the Qin straight road ruins. He waved his hand: "General Shen, hurry them along."

Mobile Corps Commander Shen Guangxian smiled, clasped his fists in salute and accepted the order. Before long, a squad of his attached tribal barbarian cavalry donned their armor, mounted up, and rode off raiding along the mountain official road.

He Huchen drank a bit more water, fastened his shoulder guards on his body. Behind him, retainers unfurled and rolled command flags to pass orders. His subordinate troops encamped along the winding mountain road prepared to march.

On the narrow, long valley road, the troops from Ningxia advanced split into several columns. Each column further split into two waves, one li apart, rotating armor-wearing duty as they pushed forward, advancing along the mountain road.

At every mountain pass, one squad would always split into two routes — one to occupy the high ground, one to don armor and scout the path.

Although the march was cumbersome and cautious, for them it was very relaxed. They could always hang far behind Li Laochai, never far away.

He Huchen was like a sightseer, leisurely and unhurried the whole way, not the least bit impatient.

He was waiting for an opportunity — waiting for the chance when Li Laochai entered Fu Prefecture.

This enemy force had looted quite a bit of money and grain in Qingyang and simply couldn't run fast, so He Huchen was not worried about them escaping. Of course, if Li Laochai was willing to be a living bodhisattva and run away, he'd be more than happy.

No need to kill many people, yet still get enough spoils of war — where else could you pick up such a good deal?

Actually, this bandit-suppression campaign was an opportunity He Huchen himself had requested at the Supreme Commander's Office of the Three Borders. Autumn was approaching, and he had to find a way to get some grain for his men.

This year, mutinies of border troops everywhere had him somewhat frightened. The good thing was that Ningxia was poor enough — if you couldn't eat your fill at the border wall, then becoming a deserter wouldn't fill your belly either, and you'd starve to death even faster.

But being too poor wouldn't do either. He had only a thousand cavalry under him, and among them six hundred horses were borrowed from the attached Mongol tribes along the border.

He had to get some grain to stabilize the border troops' morale. The Ningxia border army had always been strong in combat and able to endure hardship. With stable morale, blocking the northern caitiffs was no problem.

The troops advanced so slowly and leisurely for another two days. Ahead, Li Laochai's force was already nearing the Zhiluo Patrol Office. Behind them, cavalry from Anbian Fort finally came galloping over.

The cavalryman's crotch was worn through, bloody. He delivered a letter from Yulin Garrison into He Huchen's hands.

He Huchen looked at it, a joyful expression spreading across his face, and he exhaled a breath of stale air.

This letter was written the night before last.

Du Wenhuan said in the letter that Yulin Garrison had selected four thousand elite troops, escorting 1,200 surrendered bandit soldiers from the Wang Zuogua bandit force. They had set out from Suide yesterday and were expected to arrive east of Yan'an Prefectural City the day after tomorrow.

He had already sent men ahead to the prefectural city to handle a matter for Grand Coordinator Hong. This matter could find the whereabouts of Lion Liu.

This time the court had assembled seven thousand troops to enter northern Shaanxi — truly no easy feat. They must seize this moment to wipe out the un-surrendered bandits of northern Shaanxi in one net.

He Huchen thought to himself, Isn't this daydreaming?

They could wipe out in one net those who rebelled this year.

Some people hadn't even rebelled yet — they would wait until next year to rebel. How could you wipe them all out in one net?

He Huchen smiled to those beside him: "Alright, we can press the advance now. General Du of Yulin is still a step slow in advancing. He'll reach Yan'an Prefectural City tomorrow... Urge Li Laochai again."

"General Shen, tomorrow you lead the main force forward. I'll take a small squad into the mountains. There's a fork in the road ahead that you don't know — it can circle around to the east of Zhiluo. We'll rout these people, secure the grain first, and meet General Du the day after the day after tomorrow."

Shen Guangxian clasped his fists and accepted. Orders were relayed to every unit. His barbarian cavalry advanced once more, manually urging Li Laochai to march faster.

Along this entire journey, Li Laochai was nearly angered to death.

Meals — he couldn't eat well; sleep — he couldn't sleep well.

When to rest, when to set out — the government troops behind kept time for him on everything. The slightest slack, and a dark mass of Mongol soldiers would come swarming over, loosing a few arrows to scare him.

Over several hundred li, they had drilled his motley mob of three thousand until they actually looked somewhat like a proper force.

They had completely grown accustomed to the marching routine of the Ningxia border army.

A bizarre tacit understanding had formed between the two sides.

Just like now — Li Laochai's force was resting in place. If the government troops didn't come waving their little whip to drive him on, he wouldn't move.

Until the cavalryman behind came to report: "Chief, the Ningxia Tartars are coming again."

Only then did Li Laochai unhurriedly stand up and give orders to each unit — everyone, resume the march.

Both sides were waiting for reinforcements. The only difference was that Li Laochai was waiting for reinforcements for this battle, while He Huchen was waiting for reinforcements for the next battle.

"Mountain-Drilling Tiger."

Li Laochai happened to see the subordinate he had sent to Fu County running back. He hurriedly asked, "Where is Liu the Lion?"

They were not far from the Zhiluo Patrol Office now. No matter how much they dragged their feet, they would reach it tomorrow. There was still no word from Liu Chengzong!

"Chief, Liu the Lion is setting up defenses at Yichuan right now. He sent five hundred men over; they're currently south of Fu County."

After saying this, Mountain-Drilling Tiger leaned close to Li Laochai's ear and added, "There's still over a thousand more, coming from the prefectural city."

"Can they reach Zhiluo today?"

Mountain-Drilling Tiger shook his head. "Probably only those five hundred can make it."

Li Laochai fell very silent, his expression grave.

The reason he needed Liu Chengzong to reach Zhiluo was precisely because of the fork in the road here.

The Ziwu Ridge had many forks, but none ahead were as dangerous as Zhiluo.

A dozen or so li to the west, the land was all ridges, many of them connected to the great mountain roads to the south. Government troops could flank and envelop him from the side at any moment.

Elsewhere, flanking routes were too narrow to deploy troops, so there was no need to fear.

But on both sides of the road east of Zhiluo were fields, enough to deploy a thousand foot soldiers.

More critically, although the pursuers were Ningxia troops, their commander was He Huchen, who had once served in Yansui. Li Laochai reckoned the government troops knew the roads here.

They had been pursuing him at this unhurried pace all along — it couldn't be just to give him drill practice. There had to be another reason.

Li Laochai quickened his pace, his mind turning over what he should do if Liu Chengzong could not arrive in time.

A head-on fight was no solution, especially not on a mountain path. The government troops couldn't deploy, but neither could the bandit soldiers under his command.

Few against few, his men would certainly be routed.

Thinking this, Li Laochai hardened his heart. He summoned several subordinates and said, "Run thirty li ahead, search deep for a few ravines. We can't take all the money, grain, and goods with us."

"Tonight, throw all the grain into the mountain ravines, mule-load by mule-load."

Mountain-Drilling Tiger, listening at the side, could hardly bear it. He asked, "Chief, what if the government troops find the grain?"

"Throw it into the ravines. After the battle, whoever survives gets the grain."

Li Laochai felt the sting too.

Throw the grain into the ravines, and he might not even be able to retrieve it himself after the battle.

But the situation forced his hand; this was the only way.

If by any chance the government troops got ample provisions, let alone them dying — Li Laochai doubted even the Lion Camp, which had defeated two Regional Commanders, could beat them.

"Throw it. Throw it all. No sleep tonight. We push through Zhiluo."

That very night, under cover of darkness, the Ningxia army's scout cavalry could barely make out Li Laochai's forces.

He found several ridges and pushed most of the grain, plundered cloth, and valuables down the overgrown slopes.

The tents were also left by the roadside. He led his force on a night march along the road, passing through Zhiluo and shifting continuously toward Fu County under cover of night.

The next morning, when He Huchen received his subordinate's report — the one sent to wake Li Laochai — he nearly burst with rage.

But he held it in. After a brief pause, he instead laughed and said, "No wonder the bastard's called Li Laochai."

Immediately, the Ningxia troops all set out, no longer lax, and swiftly pursued eastward.

The four great vicious beasts people often speak of are the jackal, the wolf, the tiger, and the leopard.

Among them, the jackal is thin and small, appearing very weak.

Yet it is ferocious, pugnacious, and extremely agile. It excels at calling its companions and never moves alone. Its cry sounds like a human laughing; one howl, and jackals swarm the hills and plains. When the pack fights large beasts, it disregards all casualties.

It is a truly terrifying pack beast.

Li Laochai's troops traveled by starlight, but they could not exit the Ziwu Ridge. They only made it to Yangquan to the east, a narrow, great tableland running north to south.

Exhausted and weary, they had no strength left to continue. They could only hold the mouth of the tableland and the mountain path, waiting for reinforcements.

The reinforcements had yet to arrive when, that very evening, He Huchen caught up.

Li Laochai's men, just awakened, managed a brief resistance at the mountain pass. But right after, the pass defense line was breached. Ningxia government cavalry burst onto the tableland, and Li Laochai could no longer hold.

However, the first reinforcements arrived. They came from neither Yang Yao nor Zhang Tianlin, but from Ma Maoguan, who had only recently submitted to Liu Chengzong.

Over three hundred Guanzhong soldiers, their families all in Ganquan County. Knowing Li Laochai was being pursued, Ma Maoguan had brought his troops to help.

But Ma Maoguan was unfamiliar with the routes here. Hearing cannon fire in the distance, he ran this way.

When he arrived, he found it was a dead end. He could only watch the battle across a three-hundred-pace deep ravine, observing both sides firing muskets and arrows, the occasional cannon shot mixed in, and all manner of smoke and poison fire arcing onto the great tableland from short cannons.

It drove him frantic. Li Laochai had helped him before, and he ought to repay him, but this cursed road truly led nowhere.

He detoured again, only to find the straight-line distance between the two sides was now three li, but two deep ravines still lay between them. The ridge-top mountain path zigzagged; on the east side of the Yangquan tableland, one had to traverse the entire length from south to north to get around.

The distance of this path... Ma Maoguan estimated it at nearly thirty li.

The deep ravine alone, just over fifty paces wide and wedged between the two paths, was impassable for him.

Ma Maoguan, frantic, cursed his mother on the ridge, able only to watch as Li Laochai's men were routed.

He noticed that the government troops were not actually fighting that fiercely, nor were many charging onto the tableland. But their show of force was overwhelming — firing cannons on one side, muskets on the other, with all sorts of poison smoke blanketing the battlefield.

Those in the rear had no idea what was happening up front. Seeing government troops burst from the smoke, they fled in droves into the ravines and narrow paths.

Fortunately, Li Laochai's men also spotted this ridge path and fled desperately onto the zigzag road. They ran laterally southward in front, while the government troops pursued laterally northward behind.

Ma Maoguan also gave the order to his subordinates; they too moved laterally northward to link up.

Three forces ran along three parallel but connected zigzag ridges.

At last, on the connecting mountain path, Ma Maoguan met Li Laochai's troops. His men set up defenses at the ridge edges and turns — firelocks and bird muskets in front, bows and crossbows holding the rear. Though only three hundred strong, they used the terrain to halt the government pursuit.

This gave Li Laochai a breathing spell to reorganize his forces.

Li Laochai, riding his warhorse, nearly tumbled into the ravine. Still shaken, he came forward to thank Ma Maoguan. Ma Maoguan said, "What's there to thank? Run, quickly! Into the eastern mountains — still two days of running."

The moment Ma Maoguan finished speaking, he looked at the opposite ridge as if he had seen a ghost. "Cannons, cannons, cannons! The government troops are coming — keep running!"

For a moment, the swarming bandits couldn't care less about formation — they could only pick up their legs and flee.

Fortunately, they had gotten some sleep, and they'd also dragged Ma Maoguan along as they ran through the night.

By the time they saw Yang Yao, who had set up defenses at the mouth of Yellow Dragon Mountain, the two of them looked truly wretched, and the troops under their command numbered barely over two thousand.

Many had been killed or captured, and many more had been routed.

The first thing Li Laochai said when he saw Yang Yao was exactly the same as what Ma Maoguan had said when he first saw him: "Run, brother. With just your five hundred men blocking them, you can't hold them off."

Yang Yao, however, had no intention of running. He raised a hand and pointed toward the direction of Fuzhou City. "There are still over eight hundred men over there. Their leader is called Guotianxing. Let's put up a fight first."

He looked at Li Laochai and said, "The government troops are chasing like madmen, yet they can still form ranks when facing battle. You fled like madmen — can you still form ranks to resist the enemy?"

Note:

The population of Ningxia is taken from the Wanli forty-fifth year edition of the *Shuofang Xinzhi*.

The population of the Qing principality is taken from Wang Shizhen's *Yanshan Tang Bieji*, Volume One: "The Flourishing of the Imperial Clan."