Chapter 1246: The Remnants of the Two Yangs

The regiment commanders whose names were called all hurriedly acknowledged the order and dispersed to make arrangements. The sun was about to set in the west, and both inside and outside Linqing City were growing quiet.

Aside from Xuzhou and the territory it controlled, every part of the Great Ming shared one common trait: whenever disaster or crisis struck, there would inevitably be man-made calamities as looters seized the chance. There were always vagrant ruffians who, seeing the chaos, would band together to kill, set fires, and do as they pleased. When the sound of cannon fire rose outside Linqing City and panic gripped the hearts of those within, people immediately gathered to cause trouble, rushing toward the great mansions and wealthy households they normally had to regard with awe and deference, seeking to make a fortune and have a wild time.

Outside the city was quiet, but inside, chaos had already erupted. At this moment, it was the Cloud Mountain Trading Company—recently shunned and ostracized with cold disdain—that took action. They organized their shop hands and able-bodied men to guard the storefronts and, incidentally, protect the neighboring households. Those households also had able-bodied men and brave lads, but they were panicked in the crisis and did not know how to respond. The Cloud Mountain Trading Company, however, had contingency plans for such situations. Under their direction and command, the looters and bandits found it very difficult to break through.

The same was true for the household left to guard Li Yuliang's home. Quite a few came looking to take advantage, thinking that since the Li family had colluded with the Xuzhou rebels, the authorities could no longer be bothered with them. Once this incident passed, they would inevitably be charged and thrown into prison. By striking first and raiding the house now, they would be doing a service for the people and the officials by eliminating a menace. They never expected that the men left to guard the Li household were all desperate cutthroats hired at great expense, originally prepared to act as collaborators from within to open the city gates. This was not something the Internal Guard had arranged in advance, but a preparation the Li family had made on their own. Father and son Li always felt they had done too little for Xuzhou. How could those hastily assembled rabble withstand the slaughter of desperate cutthroats? They were utterly routed and sent fleeing in disarray.

Had the city wall not been breached and the Fengpei Regiment and Suzhou Regiment not begun entering the city, a great calamity might have befallen Linqing. Some had already started setting fires. The Zhao Family Army knew exactly how to handle this: they cut through the troublemakers like chopping melons and vegetables. By the time blood flowed across the ground, order had been restored. Moreover, the Zhao Family Army made a point of not entering homes as they passed; they did not loot or take advantage of the chaos, and thus they quickly gained the people's trust.

Zhao Jin and the others rested in a manor outside Linqing City. When night fell, word came from within the city that order had been stabilized. All the city gates were blocked, making it very inconvenient for horses to enter. While lanterns were lit and civilians conscripted to clear the gates, horses were being requisitioned inside the city, and a curfew was enforced on the spot.

Yet after this bout of chaos, the gentry and powerful families within the city, who had originally harbored resistance, shifted their stance and were now willing to let the Zhao Family Army enter. Had they been frightened by the bombardment? Li Yuliang had already led men inside to conduct a city-wide sweep, and the news he brought out made the Zhao Family Army men laugh. The reason for the change in attitude? It was precisely because of this looting.

Among those who took advantage of the chaos to loot inside Linqing City, quite a few were actually constables and runners from the Department Magistrate's yamen. They had seen this chaos as a fine opportunity, made connections with the city's lowlifes and scoundrels, and swarmed out the moment the chance arose. As a result, after the Zhao Family Army entered the city, heads rolled in droves.

Those originally thought to be protecting everyone had turned out to be bandits, while the bandits they had been guarding against had restored order. This left the city's gentry and powerful families feeling deeply awkward. But everyone was also very pragmatic: whoever could protect them, whoever could dominate the situation—to that person they would naturally bow their heads.

The Zhao Family Army cared little whether the people of Linqing bowed their heads or not. After taking full control of the city, they garrisoned Lu Da's Fengpei Regiment along with an artillery company there, and after the entire army rested for a day, they marched north.

Linqing City itself stored a vast amount of fodder and provisions. As one of the canal hubs, military supplies and grain shipped from Jining were either unloaded here or sent directly north to supply the main army. Although Linqing City could not be considered firmly under the Zhao Camp's control, agricultural land estates were already operating here. Once the city and docks were secured, the entire region would become a stable rear area. The newly established military training camps were also moving into position now. By the time the Zhao Family Army set out, there was no longer any worry about attacks from the Northern Metropolitan Region or Jinan Prefecture.

"... Once we've taken Linqing, unless the main government forces go mad and act recklessly, they can only assemble at Tianjin first and then advance south along the river. Battle will inevitably occur within Hejian Prefecture. Estimating each side's marching speed, the two forces will only engage at Cangzhou or north of Cangzhou..."

By this point, the situation on the battlefield was already very clear. The government forces massing in the Northern Metropolitan Region had no choice but to move along the canal, and no possibility of abandoning Linqing. If they did not retake Linqing, the government army would simply be bottled up within the Northern Metropolitan Region and would collapse once their supplies ran out. Therefore, they had no choice but to come out and fight. The battle would only occur along the canal line, and the approximate location was easy to estimate.

Outside the east gate of Hejian, the prefectural seat, there stood a newly built military camp. Over two thousand six hundred cavalry were stationed within. They were the government troops who had been routed in the first month during the campaign against the Xuzhou rebels. After gathering here, they had set up camp on the spot. This encampment had long been a thorn in the side and a splinter in the flesh for the gentry and commoners of Hejian.

The fodder, provisions, and civilian laborers required by over two thousand six hundred men and horses nearly equaled the consumption of over ten thousand infantry. Although Hejian Prefecture could not be considered impoverished, having such an expense dropped on them out of nowhere was unbearable for anyone. The gentry and commoners were being bled dry, and the customary perks and benefits for the officials and runners had also dwindled. It was truly an outrage to both gods and men.

Now that the Xuzhou rebel army was marching north, as soon as the capital received word, they immediately dispatched an envoy to Hejian Prefecture to urge these two thousand-plus cavalry to strike out and intercept the enemy, striving to buy time for the imperial court's main army to assemble and march south. When this news spread, the entire area around Hejian's prefectural seat was elated, thinking that this scourge was finally leaving. Although the passage of the court's nearly one-hundred-thousand-strong army through Hejian Prefecture would certainly cause considerable harm to the locality, they would at least come and go. That was far better than this endless garrison.

That said, when these two thousand-plus cavalry clashed with the rebel horde, no matter how overwhelming their victory, there would surely be casualties. Then, even if they returned to continue garrisoning, the burden on the locality would be lighter. From top to bottom, Hejian Prefecture never even considered that the government forces might lose. The court had mobilized nearly one hundred thousand troops this time, with the border armies of Xuanfu and Ji Garrison as the main force. Even if those rebels had three heads and six arms, they would be crushed this time. What everyone was hoping for now was for those cavalry to leave soon—and for as many of them as possible to die on the battlefield.

Zhang Zaixin, the Military Defense Circuit Intendant of Tianjin, had been at the Hejian military camp for six days. Although Hejian Prefecture's provisions were quite good, Sir Zhang's face remained overcast the entire time. He had been ordered to come and urge the Two Yangs to dispatch their troops and meet the enemy, but Yang Zhaoji and Yang Guodong kept stalling. Zhang Zaixin was growing anxious. The main army was massing at Tianjin; if he did not hurry back, the situation he had cultivated over several years would be picked clean by all manner of powerful figures.

Yet Yang Zhaoji and Yang Guodong, who were supposed to redeem themselves through service, were utterly indolent and unwilling to commit the entire army. At first, they sent out five hundred cavalry, claiming they would launch a surprise raid on the Linqing canal docks and set the grain stores ablaze. This approach made Intendant Zhang sneer in contempt. What use was that? It was nothing more than a perfunctory gesture.

But Zhang Zaixin also knew that the high officials in the capital were deeply anxious. If he failed to handle this assignment properly, he would most likely be made a scapegoat and dealt with. So Zhang Zaixin cast aside any pretense of courtesy or restraint and pressed them incessantly all day long. However, this Tianjin Military Defense Circuit Intendant harbored misgivings and dared not push too hard. The other party commanded several thousand elite troops; if he pushed them too far and they cut him down, there would truly be no place for him to seek justice.

"Eunuch party remnants, they don't even know how to redeem themselves through meritorious service to rise again. Always stalling here—could it be they want to hold back the main army?" Zhang Zaixin cursed countless times in private.

That Yang Zhaoji had been the Regional Commander of Datong in his day, and later served as Regional Commander of Caozhou and Daming. Yang Guodong was also a veteran Regional Commander of Shandong. Even with the tradition of civil superiority and military inferiority, a Military Defense Circuit Intendant had no standing to raise his voice before a Regional Commander. No matter how anxious Zhang Zaixin was, he could only follow the other's pace, watching as they did nothing day after day but send out light cavalry scouts and receive reports.

Zhang Zaixin had no interest whatsoever in the movements of the Xuzhou rebel army. The most urgent matter now was to get this cavalry force out of camp to intercept the enemy so he could report back to his superiors.

After enduring this torment until mid-fourth month, Zhang Zaixin finally received a promise from Yang Zhaoji and Yang Guodong: as long as Hejian Prefecture gathered three days' worth of fodder and provisions for men and horses, they would immediately set out on campaign. Zhang Zaixin immediately went to liaise with Hejian Prefecture. By this time, everyone knew the Xuzhou rebel army had already departed from Linqing and entered the territory of Hejian Prefecture. No one dared delay matters of national military importance; having government troops march out was better than having none at all.

The Hejian Prefecture authorities, who had always delayed and skimped on military grain supplies, this time produced a full two days' worth of fodder and provisions. The extra day's worth was divided up as perks for the prefecture, county, and Intendant Zhang. Now everything was truly in place, and all that remained was for the troops to march.

By rights, speed is the essence of warfare—if you move, you must move fast. Yet the old general Yang Zhaoji actually wanted to hold a troop address before setting out. Zhang Zaixin and the Prefect of Hejian were both cursing inwardly, but outwardly they could only hold their noses and comply, even praising it as a way to bolster military prestige and morale.

"Brothers from Shandong, the Northern Metropolitan Region, and the Liao Garrison! All of us here have clashed with the Xuzhou rebels before. This time, the Xuzhou rebels are twice as many as last time, and they've brought even more cannons. On this expedition, this old man won't deceive you all—it's truly a near-certain death!" On the parade ground, Yang Zhaoji shouted in a hoarse voice, and the personal soldiers and guards beside him relayed the words loudly.

Hearing this, the Military Defense Circuit Intendant and the Prefect, who had been wearing fake smiles, both changed color. What kind of ill-omened talk was this? To speak of "near-certain death" right before battle! But on this parade ground, every government cavalryman wore a face full of resentment. They truly dared not voice any objection, fearing an immediate mutiny and disaster.

Former Daming Regional Commander Yang Zhaoji removed his helmet, revealing a full head of white hair. His voice was somewhat hoarse: "Brothers! It is this old man who has dragged you down. Had this old man not accepted Eunuch Wei's assignment, we would be heading to Tianjin right now to regroup, not marching south to our deaths."

"Yang Zhaoji! Have you no fear of law or heaven?!" Hearing this, Military Defense Circuit Intendant Zhang Zaixin could finally hold back no longer. He stood up and shouted in fury. Speaking out here might mean death, but if he did not make his stance clear, the outcome would most likely be a fate worse than death.

The moment he stood, Yang Zhaoji's personal soldiers drew their blades halfway out. Zhang Zaixin's face instantly turned deathly pale, and he sat back down. How would his own guards dare to make a move? Yang Guodong glanced back, then simply continued his address.

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