Chapter 1197: Under Generous Reward

In truth, Tong Qingshan rather liked this kind of unobtrusive supervising civil official. Those sour-faced scholars understood nothing, yet insisted on meddling in military affairs — defeats were always stirred up that way. Now that this Shandong army had no civil officials interfering, the odds of a great victory had risen by a few more points. Here in Shandong, military men could indeed enjoy themselves.

"Guerrilla Commander Tong has arrived." Provincial Commander Yang Guodong greeted him courteously, and everyone nodded. Tong Qingshan returned the salutes one by one. On the surface he was very polite and proper, but inwardly he was quite pleased. Now that he had over seven thousand troops under his command, everyone treated him with respect and courtesy. In times like these, it truly took soldiers in hand to be dignified and noble — otherwise you were just a featherless phoenix, worth less than a chicken.

Provincial Commander Yang Guodong nodded to an aide at his side, and the aide spoke: "The Xuzhou bandit army did not hold Jining. They came straight north along the canal, charging head-on toward us. It looks like they mean to fight it out in open battle. The Grand Commander arranged scouts and probing riders to investigate the enemy's situation long ago. There is one point everyone can rest assured of: the enemy is simply charging straight here. There are no detached forces or hidden ambush troops!"

Everyone nodded. On the battlefield, sudden developments like that were what they feared most. But past Dongping Prefecture, the terrain was flat. Apart from the Liangshan Marshes — which were marshes in name only — there was no complex terrain whatsoever, nowhere to conceal ambush troops. As long as the light cavalry night-patrols scouted thoroughly enough, there would be no hidden dangers.

The aide continued: "According to the scouts' reports, the Xuzhou bandit army numbers somewhat over seven thousand. Of these, the bandit troops designated as household retainers number roughly five thousand, in four battalions. The rest are all local militia. Their camp and supply train should be ten li to the rear, likely guarded by civilian laborers."

Hearing this "somewhat over seven thousand," Guerrilla Commander Tong Qingshan's mood immediately lightened. The government army outnumbered the bandits two to one, with cavalry numbering close to three thousand. Never mind the whole army pressing forward together — even if the cavalry were sent out alone to charge, they would sweep the Xuzhou bandit army clean. Yet Guerrilla Commander Tong Qingshan was also quite puzzled: why did his colleagues from the Denglai Garrison all wear such grave expressions?

"Do they have cannons?" Provincial Commander Yang Guodong asked. Tong Qingshan was taken aback — the bandit troops actually had cannons? Cannons had all sorts of inconveniences when used in field battles. The bandits weren't using them to defend a city; had they actually dragged them out? They really had no experience.

"The scouts dared not approach the bandit army closely. The bandits' light cavalry are all fierce horse-bandits, and their screening is extremely tight," the aide replied. Provincial Commander Yang Guodong naturally already knew this; he was only using the question and answer to let everyone understand.

"How many are in the bandits' mounted unit?" "No more than six hundred."

This made Guerrilla Commander Tong Qingshan even more relaxed, but he still noticed that in the hall, Provincial Commander Yang Guodong and all the Shandong army officers of the Denglai Garrison wore solemn expressions. Yang Guodong cleared his throat and spoke in a deep voice: "Gentlemen, the bandit army's intention is very clear. They don't want any tricks — they mean to crash straight into us head-on. The bandit army has never been heard to suffer any defeats before; they are surely already arrogant beyond measure."

Provincial Commander Yang Guodong swept his gaze around, finally resting his eyes on Guerrilla Commander Tong Qingshan's face. He spoke: "Guerrilla Commander Tong, those several thousand Liaodong soldiers under your command are all fresh troops — elite soldiers and iron cavalry forged in bloody battle against the Tartars in the Liao Garrison. For this battle, I intend to assign you to fight the vanguard. The bandit army is fierce and valiant; we will rely on you to meet them head-on!"

His own somewhat over seven thousand troops against somewhat over seven thousand bandits — no matter how you looked at it, this could not be called carrying the black pot or swallowing bitter medicine. On the contrary, it was delivering merit straight to him. As a man who had tempered himself in the Ming army for many years, Guerrilla Commander Tong was naturally prepared to endure hardship first and share in the credit later. He had never expected the commanding general to be so fair. He immediately clasped his fists and accepted the order: "Rest assured, Grand Commander. Your subordinate is willing to charge fiercely forward and annihilate the bandits to the last man."

Yang Guodong nodded at that, but Tong Qingshan noticed the other military officers all exchanging glances. There seemed to be a hint of schadenfreude, and even more of relief. This was truly peculiar. A surge of anger inexplicably rose in Guerrilla Commander Tong Qingshan, and he spoke again with fervor: "No matter how fierce and brutal this Xuzhou bandit is, can he be worse than the Jianzhou Tartars? We Liaodong soldiers fight the Tartars and are only slightly outmatched. These Xuzhou rebels and refugees don't count for anything."

To such impassioned fervor, everyone's response was very lukewarm — just dry chuckles. This must be jealousy that I'm fighting the vanguard and will seize the first merit. Since you're all so unconcerned with face, just wait — I'll make a point of showing you. Guerrilla Commander Tong Qingshan calculated inwardly.

Provincial Commander Yang Guodong sighed and spoke slowly: "Yang Gushen, you will lead our army's cavalry and stand by. But I can tell you in advance what you are to do. You are to charge past the left flank of the bandit army's formation. If Guerrilla Commander Tong throws the bandits into disorder, you must charge in promptly. Do not worry about casualties — charge in and throw them into chaos!"

Everyone looked toward a sturdy, vigorous man. He was Yang Guodong's personal-troop chiliarch, commanding the elite cavalry of the Denglai Garrison. This man was Yang Guodong's cousin's son and had always been deeply trusted. Hearing this, everyone except Guerrilla Commander Tong looked deeply shaken. Some even seemed about to step forward and remonstrate, but Yang Guodong waved his hand. He was silent for a moment, then spoke with earnest gravity.

"Gentlemen, for this campaign, the first wave consists of our several columns. Outwardly it is said to be somewhat over fifty thousand, but in reality roughly seventy thousand have been mobilized. The second wave has already begun mobilization. The border armies and capital garrisons of Shanxi, Xuanfu, and Baoding and Zhending in Northern Zhili are all prepared to move. The troops of the Three Frontiers of Shaanxi are also making ready. In Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Huguang, troops have already begun assembling, preparing to march on Southern Zhili. Do you all understand the scale of this affair?"

Yang Guodong's words made everyone draw a sharp breath. A mobilization of this scale was a war that committed the entire realm. It meant mobilizing every Ming government army — aside from those facing the Jianzhou Jurchens, the Mongol tribes of the steppe, and those converging to suppress the southwestern chieftains — all for the purpose of converging to suppress these Xuzhou rebels. This was using the military might of the entire Ming realm to deal with the bandits of a single prefecture.

Hearing this, Guerrilla Commander Tong Qingshan felt something was off. A scale like this was simply too inconceivable. In his mind, a mobilization of such strength could probably annihilate not just a mere Xuzhou, but even the Jianzhou Jurchens and the various Mongol tribes. Was Yang Guodong exaggerating to frighten them? If it really was like this, then wasn't he marching to his death? Tong the Guerrilla Commander suddenly understood the earlier expressions and demeanor of the others.

"The only person who can mobilize so many troops is His Majesty the reigning Son of Heaven. The only person who can persuade the Son of Heaven to do this is Lord Wei. My own background is known to you all, and I presume none of you are muddled about the ways of officialdom. Never mind the second wave — just this first wave alone, how could the Grand Secretariat, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Revenue possibly mobilize it? How many favors must Lord Wei have called in to accomplish such a great undertaking? Yet His Excellency did it anyway. Lord Wei has put in such enormous effort, and what he wants is nothing less than a great victory. Some of you have followed me for a long time, some have only newly come to Shandong. Let me ask you from the bottom of my heart: can Lord Wei tolerate a defeat?"

The surroundings were very quiet. Although Wei Zhongxian's faction was powerful at court, there were still other factions, and the various cliques outside the court clamored incessantly. To mobilize forces on such a massive scale meant that both the inner court and the outer court had to reach a consensus, and the opposing factions could not be too obstructive. To achieve such a consensus, Wei Zhongxian had certainly made trade-offs and put up capital — even with the Tianqi Emperor's backing behind him, it was the same.

When you place a heavy wager and put up thick capital, you naturally aim to reap a windfall. Having done so much, how could Wei Zhongxian possibly tolerate failure? If Lord Wei wanted to blame someone, everyone knew full well what that person's fate would be. Now that Yang Guodong had laid it out so plainly, everyone was filled with awe and dread.

"You all understand the consequences now, do you not? Therefore, no one is permitted to shrink back or retreat. Anyone who disobeys military orders — from myself on down — no one is exempt from military law. Do not wait until the death sentence is upon you to feel regret. Is that understood?" Yang Guodong raised his voice slightly, his tone turning cold. The officers were uniformly awed and clasped their fists in reply: "Rest assured, Grand Commander! Your subordinates will fight bravely forward!"

Provincial Commander Yang Guodong nodded and spoke again: "Gentlemen, there is no need to be overly fearful. The bandit army is arrogant and reckless. In this campaign, they have already committed a grave taboo. If I were in command on the bandits' side, I would certainly concentrate my elite forces in one place. Relying on operating along interior lines, I would assemble superior forces according to the distances involved and seek a decisive battle with the government troops. But now they are overconfident, dividing their forces everywhere. Instead of clenching a fist to strike, they are spreading their fingers to poke — is this not a grave taboo in the art of war?"

Only at this did the officers' expressions ease somewhat. Yang Guodong continued: "Of the bandits' forces in Shandong, only three-tenths are veterans. The rest have been training for less than a year, and many are able-bodied men directly press-ganged from the refugees. Rushed into battle like this, what combat effectiveness can you expect?"

"Not to mention that the gentry and commoners of Yanzhou Prefecture are loyal to the court and have risen in righteous revolt several times. This means the bandits' rear is unstable. Not to mention that our army has superior numbers, ample provisions and fodder. Moreover, how long have we been planning this, while the bandits are scrambling to meet the attack? Comparing victory and defeat like this, do you gentlemen still lack confidence?" Yang Guodong's exposition gradually stirred the officers to excitement.

After a brief pause, Provincial Commander Yang Guodong spoke again with solemnity: "You have all surely heard of the Yellow River dike breach at Xuzhou last year. How many people must have died in that Yellow River breach? How many houses and fertile fields were destroyed? Xuzhou must have been grievously wounded in its vitality, now maintaining a façade of strength while being hollow within. Do not let them intimidate you!"

The moment they heard about this Yellow River breach, everyone exchanged glances. The excitement had turned to delight. The calamity of a Yellow River flood — even those who had not experienced it firsthand had heard plenty. At the thought of it, they immediately felt their confidence and odds had grown considerably.

Seeing the mood of the crowd, Yang Guodong spoke with solemnity: "Gentlemen, this converging campaign is overseen by Lord Wei. Lord Wei will never treat meritorious officials shabbily. As long as we win a great victory, as long as you render meritorious service in this battle — never mind promotion and rich rewards, even being appointed a general or enfeoffed as a marquis is no empty dream. Do you understand?"

The pinnacle of dreams for government army officers was to be granted a noble title — to win merit in battle and obtain a title, to become one of the Ming dynasty's ennobled elite. The three ranks of Duke, Marquis, and Count had become harder and harder to obtain in recent years. For one thing, there were hardly any wars anywhere; for another, no victories had been won anywhere. But now, after Provincial Commander Yang Guodong had analyzed the odds of victory and defeat, everyone felt confident. Thinking further of the prospect, every man was encouraged and elated. As for the matter of plundering spoils of war after taking Xuzhou and Jining — that went without saying.

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