Chapter 776: Promising Material

July 25th.

On the third day after Liu Chengzong personally arrived outside Yulin City, the besieging forces completed their deployment adjustments.

Ren Quan'er's Second Brigade was assigned twenty-four captured cannons and moved to the west bank of the Yuxi River, coordinating with the original twelve thousand-jin field guns to set up an assault position of thirty-six cannons, constructing iron shelters and rushing to produce shells.

Liu Chengzong's own four battalions — Northern Yuan, Imperial Clan, Elite Cavalry, and Black Banner — were deployed beneath the Zhenbei Tower north of the city, serving merely as a containment force.

After all, Yulin's primary defensive orientation was toward the north, where there were no city gates and defenses were tight; Liu Chengzong had no intention of breaching the city from that direction.

His main axis of attack was Camel Hump Hill east of the city.

Only in that direction did Yulin City lack natural barriers.

Surrendered officers Liu Fangming, Ma Xiantu, Zhang Tianlu, Zhang Tianfu, Xu Yong, Wang Yuncheng, and others, plus the affiliated rebel forces of Hui Dengxiang and Zhou Qing — over twenty thousand troops — were moved to the foot of Camel Hump Hill, forming a ten-li encampment stretching north to south and establishing a long assault line.

Among them, Sun Long of the Liaoyang Battalion was also added.

However, Liu Chengzong had no intention of throwing the Liaoyang Battalion into the assault; he merely had Sun Long bring his troops to keep an eye on Liu Fangming and the others.

It couldn't be helped — a man's fortunes are hard to predict.

Although Sun Long surrendered late, not only did he come over voluntarily, he also led his surrendered troops into the Lingdong campaign against the Eight Banners; while he earned no great merit, holding the Imperial Clan Battalion's line firm on the battlefield was hard service nonetheless.

Besides... Liu Chengzong privately rated the old Liaodong soldiers under Sun Long very highly.

Those bastards were damn fierce — starting out with one Imperial Clan war-wagon, their equipment all scavenged, not only did they avoid getting many men killed, but after the battle they'd actually scraped together half a battalion's worth of Eight Banners-style white-armored troops.

Liaodong soldiers caught on a battlefield between hammer and anvil had the will to survive bred into their very bones.

After the Lingdong battle, Sun Long's fighting strength was extraordinarily lavish: three chiliarchs — one was Daqing's Obedient Prince Kong Youde, one was Shang Kexi's Banner Company Commander Lu Keyong, and one was Kong Youde's Garrison Commander Hong Wenkui.

They could fight on land, and were even more skilled in naval combat.

Most importantly, Sun Long was very loyal to Liu Chengzong.

After Kong Youde became a chiliarch under his command, he became even more loyal.

Once they reached Shaanxi, the entire Liaoyang Battalion became visibly more loyal by the day.

Strangers in an unfamiliar land, heads shaved bald, surrounded by Shaanxi locals — what else could they do but be loyal?

July 26th.

When the water clock atop Zhenbei Tower marked the hour of Mao and the sky had just brightened, the booming roar of cannon fire erupted from the west bank of the Yuxi River.

Ren Quan'er's Second Brigade artillery position opened fire on the western wall.

The defenders who had spent the night on the wall erupted in clamor and commotion, soon returning fire with their own cannons aimed outside the city.

The exchange began with only sporadic cannon fire, but after more than ten shots from various guns on both sides, the Second Brigade's thirty-six heavy cannons began roaring in rhythmic succession, hurling shells of varying sizes at the battlements.

The twenty-four heavy cannons Liu Chengzong had assigned to Ren Quan'er were the sole surviving spoils from his expedition to Liaodong.

The vast majority of captured heavy guns had been left behind at Songmo Prefectural City to blockade key communication routes... mainly because Liu the Lion had only grabbed the cannons, not nearly as many shells.

This was also why, during the Lingdong battle, over a hundred cannons fired but all fell silent after just a few shots.

Captured cannons, after all, could not compare to self-manufactured ones — their calibers were chaotic, their ranges inconsistent, and at a rough glance they even looked strange.

But weapons are actually hard to judge as simply good or bad, especially large pieces like cannons that consume enormous amounts of material; every parameter that seems to affect performance has its reason.

Take Shang Kexi's heavy cannons, for example — crudely and shoddily made because he had no skilled cannon-founders under his command and still needed to solve the problem of lacking naval guns.

Kong Youde occupied Liaoyang City, where the stores included many Ming-cast red-barbarian cannons, heavy in weight but small in caliber; this was because those guns had been sent from Guangdong and Guangxi to reinforce the capital's defenses — they didn't need great power, but they absolutely could not break down right under the Emperor's nose, hence the result of crazily overbuilding them with material.

The twenty-four heavy cannons now assigned to reinforce Ren Quan'er included both Invincible Great General guns and red-barbarian cannons, and were likewise not the finest workmanship among the hundred-plus captured guns.

Liu Chengzong was not short on cannons; the reason he had hauled so many heavy guns back was that these were representative standard-issue artillery types of Liaodong, Dongjiang, and the Jin Kingdom.

He planned to pull these twenty-four cannons back to Xi'an, temporarily place them at the Works Office, and let the cannon-founders study them.

Once the Guanzhong Academy reopened, they would be moved there as teaching aids.

But for now, they still had to be used.

The western wall was shielded by the Yuxi River, over a hundred paces wide, with only three long bridges crossing it — a place easy to defend and hard to attack.

But precisely because it was easy to defend and hard to attack, Liu Chengzong had all the more reason to instruct Ren Quan'er to begin the assault there, fill in the Yuxi River, create the posture of a fierce attack on the city's west side, and draw the defenders into motion.

The thirty-six heavy cannons were arrayed in three firing lines according to range and power, roaring as they hurled shells at the top of the wall.

Ouyang Gun, Deputy Brigade Commander of the Second Brigade, dispatched troops advancing on multiple routes — shielded by war-wagons above ground, digging approach trenches below — transporting earth and stone to pile up earthen ramparts four hundred paces from the city.

Watching the Second Brigade's deployment from atop Zhenbei Tower, Liu Chengzong couldn't help laughing.

The garrison left in Yulin City was not large, barely over ten thousand, and from what Liu the Lion understood, the majority of those ten-thousand-odd defenders were old, weak, sick, or disabled; moreover, the western side was only a feint and hardly warranted such cautious treatment.

Ren Quan'er was putting on a grand show, but he wasn't really assaulting the city — he was drilling his troops.

Liu Chengzong could see the western deployment with perfect clarity: Ren Quan'er intended to set up a cannon line on the west bank to strike the battlements, and earthen ramparts for wall guns higher than the city wall itself; once the battlements were knocked away, he would further project firepower until no one could stand on the wall.

At least, he was creating that posture.

As for whether he would actually deliver such ferocious firepower, that depended entirely on the defending commander's choices.

If the Yulin garrison ignored the western side, Ren Quan'er would certainly become the main breaching force — first fill the Yuxi River, then scale Yulin City.

No one would leave an enemy with that kind of firepower to bombard the city wall unchecked.

Very soon, squads of defenders within Yulin City climbed onto the western wall, and the city's women and children piled earth bags and wooden planks where the battlements had been smashed, to prevent gaps from appearing in the defense.

Earth bags and planks could of course never stop cannonballs, but their purpose was to reduce the soldiers' fear of artillery — at the very least, they must not impede movement.

Even the three gates of the western wall were thrown open simultaneously; Ming troops from the barbican filed out, skirting the small path below the wall, deploying behind the sheep-and-horse wall with their fowling guns to prepare a counterattack against the Marshal's Army troops filling the river.

But the fiercer the cannon counter-fire from the wall, the more listless the Second Brigade's advance became; they began pulling back squad by squad, leaving behind half-built earthen mound platforms four hundred paces out, the men all ducking into the approach trenches and retreating.

Only the cannons, firing the occasional salvo, kept sustained pressure on the defenders atop the wall.

By afternoon, the pounding of war drums from the east also rose, shaking heaven and earth.

Ever since learning they were to assault Yulin City, Liu Fangming and the others had spent the past few days on Camel Hump Hill felling timber and rushing to build siege equipment, constructing a great mass of assault vehicles — goose carts, battering rams, flying towers, cloud ladders, and the like.

But truth be told, the Ming army's siegecraft was a sorry sight... they were woefully short on experience, their siege methods drawn entirely from books.

By contrast, the two rebel leaders Hui Dengxiang and Zhou Qing kept it much simpler, building only a few plank carts to shield against bullets and arrows before beginning the grueling work of digging tunnels.

Yulin City — no side of it was suitable for digging tunnels.

A city with a moat can't be tunneled into.

Hui Dengxiang was digging the tunnel precisely to drain all the water from the moat.

They first blocked the river bend where the moat's south side flows into the Yuyang River, then began digging a long trench, laboring tirelessly at the earthworks.

Although these two men both started as commanders under Wang Jiayin, they had long resided in Hengshan and each had under them a group of craftsmen skilled at digging through mountains and cutting stone.

The surrendered generals' side was mounting a direct assault, while the peasant army's side was draining the water — both had extremely clear objectives.

It was at this moment that Liu Chengzong saw someone he had never expected.

"Grand Marshal, a letter from Brigade Commander Zhang of the Guannei Circuit."

A letter from Zhang Tianlin was delivered to Zhenbei Tower. Liu Chengzong unfolded it, and his face immediately registered immense astonishment.

Zhang Xianzhong, standing in attendance beside him, had never seen such an expression on his face and could not help asking, "Grand Marshal, what's wrong? Did something happen in Guanzhong?"

"Mm…"

Liu Chengzong glanced at Zhang Xianzhong, gradually recovering from his stunned look. He pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Nothing's really happened, it's just… Brother Huangwa has come."

Li Zicheng had come.

Not in his capacity as Dashing General, but as an externally attached Assistant Commander of the Guannei Garrison Brigade.

This was precisely why Liu Chengzong was so astonished — never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Li Zicheng would become a subordinate officer under Zhang Tianlin.

Zhang Tianlin had sent the letter for this very matter. It recounted in detail Li Zicheng's recent experiences in Yunyang and Henan, and… well, Zhang Tianlin held this Dashing General, who had taken all manner of beatings, in very high regard.

How to put it — to have survived against a super-luxury lineup that included Supreme Commander Lu Xiangsheng, Huguang Grand Coordinator Wang Mengyin, Yunyang Grand Coordinator Song Zushun, and great commanders Yang Zhengfang, Lei Shisheng, Qin Yiming, Li Chongzhen, Yang Shien, and Zu Dale, and still come away with his life, was truly no easy feat.

Zhang Tianlin described Li Zicheng as a man worth molding.

So, taking advantage of Li Zicheng's opportunity to lick his wounds at the Twelve Linked Forts of Tong Pass, Zhang Tianlin had recruited and pacified him.

Li Zicheng was indeed weary.

The previous year, he had led his troops through Shaanxi into Huguang, full of grand ambition, wanting to emulate Liu Chengzong by using Huguang as a base to accomplish great things.

In all fairness, ever since Li Zicheng had made a name for himself, his own four battalions, combined with joint operations with Old Huihui's Ge-Zuo Five Battalions, had made him, in terms of momentum, practically the standard-bearer of the peasant armies when they entered Huguang the previous year.

After all, Liu Chengzong's path had long since become a separatist regime in its own right, utterly beyond comparison with the peasant armies' mobile warfare.

And the vast majority of peasant army leaders, for one thing, had their own pride, and for another, truly lacked the ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Marshal's Army — so much so that most of them didn't even have the courage to go join Liu Chengzong.

Men like Zhang Yichuan, Hui Dengxiang, and Zhou Qing, who could take the initiative to negotiate submission with Liu Chengzong, were already considered heroes of great ambition and daring in the realm.

A tier below Zhang Yichuan were those two, Four Heavenly Kings Li Yangchun and Neat King Zhang the Fatty, who silently changed their titles from Heavenly King and King to Regional Commander, put on a watchful appearance, and claimed to be Liu Chengzong's subordinates.

Most others, on one hand, thought the realm was vast and there must be a place where they could gain a foothold, and tried to stay as far from Liu Chengzong as possible.

After all, given the conduct of most peasant army leaders, getting close to Liu Chengzong — never mind joint operations — they'd be thanking heaven and earth just not to be wiped out by his troops.

Because the thinking within most of their forces was extremely chaotic; they just muddled along, to the point that their military discipline was even worse than the Mongols'.

Li Zicheng was the standout among them. His own troops could fight, and he was more receptive to linking camps with other leaders great and small — in fact, the very design of his own core force naturally required him to fight in linked camps with other leaders.

But he still could not break out of the mobile warfare mold, and there was no talk of ambition to overthrow the Great Ming or establish a military government.

Even that faint glimmer of a push into Huguang had been inspired in him by Liu Chengzong.

It couldn't be helped — it wasn't that others couldn't conceive of it ideologically, but that the situation simply offered no opportunity to establish a regime.

Even a very small regime was impossible.

In the early years, they couldn't beat the Ming army and lacked that foundation; before they could develop sufficient combat strength, Liu Chengzong returned.

Just like Li Yangchun and Zhang Zhengqi in Xihe and Ningqiang counties — they were doing quite well, had the beginnings of a framework, but soon their territory bordered the Marshal's Manor's domain. They had to either be annexed, go to war, or leave.

The key point was that Liu Chengzong wasn't willing to annex them. The two of them had even changed their royal titles to Regional Commander and established a Regional Command, yet Liu Chengzong didn't even send anyone to recruit them.

Couldn't afford to kee— …well, it wasn't that he couldn't afford to keep them, it was just that the cost-effectiveness was too low. Liu Chengzong was extremely stingy and didn't want to support them.

Li Zicheng was no exception.

The situation in Huguang was far worse than he had imagined. The various great commanders of the Great Ming who dared not fight Liu Chengzong had encircled the Marshal's Manor. No sooner had he led his troops out of the Marshal's Manor's territory, before he even understood what was happening, than he was successively set upon by every great commander.

Li Zicheng steeled himself and took the beatings, and his mindset shifted under the all-out assaults of the various commanders.

Zu Dale had even combed the mountains in pursuit — who would believe it?

By the time he fled from Huguang into Henan, Li Zicheng had stopped thinking about great undertakings. The Ming army didn't dare provoke Liu Chengzong but came at him with heavy punches — what damn great undertaking could he accomplish?

Settled by Zhang Tianlin at the Twelve Linked Forts, Li Zicheng simply came to a realization.

The reason he hadn't joined Liu Chengzong earlier was, first, that he felt he had ability and could keep striving a while longer — his goal in striving was to have Liu Chengzong generously appoint him a Regional Commander.

Because Liu Chengzong's brigade commanders and regional commanders were all far too capable.

Even if their marching and fighting were merely passable, the fact remained that their troops were elite, their provisions ample, and their armor and equipment complete.

But after suffering setbacks out in the field, Li Zicheng no longer had that grand ambition to be a Regional Commander. He took the initiative to seek out Zhang Tianlin, expressed his desire to join the Marshal's Manor, and hoped to meet Liu Chengzong in person.

Only, at that time, Liu Chengzong was still on his way back from Liaodong.

What's more, Zhang Tianlin was a proud man by nature — whoever he helped, he would look down upon.

He had lent Li Zicheng a batch of provisions from Tong Pass, designated territory for him to station his troops, and even marched out of the pass to give Zhang Renxue a thrashing — his help to Li Zicheng was substantial.

Deep down, he also looked down on Li Zicheng all the more.

'You're so tough, so why do you need my help? I, Zhang Tianlin, am at best sworn brothers with the Grand Marshal's horse — what role do you play, with barely over a thousand battered remnants under you, to be worthy of meeting the Grand Marshal?'

Zhang Tianlin's reply was blunt: The Grand Marshal has already led the army on an eastern campaign, and all matters of defense and administration within the passes have been fully entrusted to me. If you are sincere, serve temporarily as an Assistant Commander under my brigade; when the Grand Marshal returns in triumph, you will be formally appointed.

Li Zicheng… Li Zicheng was not the slightest bit displeased by Zhang Tianlin's arrogance — on the contrary, he was overjoyed.

In seeking an audience with Liu Chengzong, all he had wanted was to be a troop-commanding Assistant Commander.

He had never expected Zhang Tianlin to simply settle the matter then and there.

It was just that, from Liu Chengzong's perspective, this matter seemed a bit odd.

As the Lion of Liu wrote his reply, instructing Li Zicheng to come to Yulin, he glanced at Zhang Xianzhong and wondered inwardly: What's going on?

Why are all the emperors running to serve under me?

Good evening!

? (End of chapter)