Chapter 1356: Jinzhou

When the selection for transfer was underway, there were scenes both tragic and comic. Many Liao refugees, once assigned to the agricultural reclamation estates, simply coasted along, while others strove to better themselves. Those who strove were constantly mocked by the coasters, who said this place was the domain of Xuzhou and Shandong men, that outsiders like them would never have a chance to rise, and wouldn't it be better to just obediently toil like oxen and horses?

Now, in the end, everyone was left dumbfounded. No one had imagined that the Zhao Family Army truly intended to counterattack Liaodong, to truly cross the sea on a punitive expedition. To return at a time like this was to be a meritorious official who followed the dragon of a new dynasty, destined for future importance and meteoric rise. What's more, this was a return to Liaodong — they could rescue their suffering friends and family, and return home in glorious triumph.

Every Liao household that had spent time in the agricultural reclamation estates had absolute confidence in the Zhao Family Army. Only by personally participating, by witnessing such organization and efficiency, by seeing the forces that could be mobilized, could one know what it was capable of. Those who hadn't strived, who spread idle gossip, could only mutter in secret that the Tatars were fierce as wolves and tigers, that this venture was fraught with unknown peril, that having barely escaped, to go back now might well mean throwing their lives away.

But all those with ambition, all those who strove, harbored in their hearts the desire to return. They possessed a resolve that feared no hardship, a determination to exact vengeance and reclaim their homeland. They had their own preparations, and their own unyielding will.

The gentry and commoners of Dengzhou Prefecture had seen many Liao refugees, and there were even familiar faces among this group organized by the agricultural reclamation estates. The Liao refugees who coasted through life and brought trouble to the Dengzhou and Laizhou regions were decadent and destitute, filled with despair and resentment, inviting both contempt and worry that one day they might cause some calamity. But upon seeing the estate workers who emerged from the manors, they discovered these men were filled with a capable, efficient air — a quality usually found only in the most outstanding clerks and runners of a government office.

Supplies were ample, reserves were ample. The only cause for concern was that the so-called Provisional First Division numbered no more than ten thousand men in total, and even that figure included logistics laborers. This left everyone deeply worried. Striking across the sea to punish the Tatar slaves was a fine thing, but Liaodong had been developed into the very heartland of Jianzhou. The Tatar slaves themselves had a hundred thousand troops, and with the forcibly driven or shamelessly subservient auxiliaries from the Liao garrison, they could easily muster over two hundred thousand men. Against such strength, you were going to attack with fewer than ten thousand troops? The risk was far too great.

Moreover, everyone knew one more thing: news from the Liaodong coast reached the Dengzhou naval port very quickly, and by the same token, news from here reached Liaodong just as fast. It went without saying — who didn't know that Dengzhou Prefecture was crawling with Tatar spies and agents? Speed is the essence of war, surprise is the essence of war. Yet you were making such a grand, noisy display. The Jianzhou Jurchens across the sea would have long since learned of it and would surely muster their forces at leisure to meet the attack. Yet the Zhao Family Army was still proceeding methodically, step by step. Whether this was underestimating the enemy or mere bluffing, no one could say for sure, but everyone was deeply worried.

If there was any good news, it was that resistance continued in the Jinzhou and Lüshun area. Originally, the Tatar slaves had only stationed two thousand troops there to blockade and contain, but suddenly they had increased their strength to over five thousand, pressing down so hard that Regional Commander Zhang Pan and his forces could barely breathe. But Jinzhou, Lüshun, and Pi Island were different. That area could receive direct support from Dengzhou Prefecture. At the very least, there was no worry about their supply lines being cut. The Jianzhou Jurchens were a complete mess at sea and utterly incapable of blockading or intercepting.

There was another factor, equal parts good and bad. Just days earlier, the fleet from Pi Island's Dongjiang Garrison had arrived near Jinzhou and Lüshun. The ships were packed with the elite core troops of the Dongjiang Garrison, and their supplies were considerable. This greatly strengthened the forces at Jinzhou and Lüshun, but it also raised worries about the situation on Pi Island.

These troops who had shifted from the Dongjiang Garrison to Jinzhou and Lüshun were all seething with pent-up fury. They could have crossed directly to Dengzhou Prefecture, but most chose to remain in Liaodong to fight bloody battles against the Jianzhou Jurchens. According to the news they sent back, Mao Wenlong, the Supreme Commander of the Dongjiang Garrison, had in all likelihood died in battle. The Dongjiang Garrison had fallen. The fate of the Xuzhou battalion over there was grim.

Everyone in Dengzhou Prefecture, including the former Great Ming officers, was on tenterhooks for the Zhao Family Army. Some even took the initiative to offer advice and strategies, saying that the Tatars had already reached Pi Island, and with over five thousand troops on the Liaodong side, that meant the Tatars had nearly twenty thousand soldiers massed in the direction of Jinzhou and Lüshun. Furthermore, the Zhao Family Army was still at sea while the Tatars were on land, giving them a measure of initiative.

This military expedition not only stirred the hearts of all under Heaven, it was also a momentous undertaking for the Zhao Family Army. For the sake of prudence, they should at least reinforce their numbers. If they went in so recklessly and suffered any mishap or loss, the Zhao Family Army might very well never recover.

Everyone was willing to fight the Tatars. Everyone was willing to reclaim their homeland. At a time like this, matters of legitimacy and rebellion no longer seemed so important. The Shandong government troops and the officers of the Deng-Lai Garrison, in particular, offered heartfelt, earnest advice. But the Zhao Family Army's response was no different from before: they continued to go their own way.

Once all preparations were complete, the Zhao Family Army's Provisional First Division began boarding the ships. A sea voyage required fresh water and food, and the ships' holds were heavily occupied by provisions, preventing them from using their maximum capacity to transport soldiers and equipment. However, this problem did not exist on the sea route from Dengzhou naval port to Jinzhou and Lüshun, as the islands along the way served as the perfect relay stations.

Five garrison battalions transferred from Dongchang Prefecture were tasked with defending these islands, ensuring the safety of these maritime way stations. This move astonished everyone in Dengzhou Prefecture. A landing in Liaodong was, by any measure, destined to be a bloody struggle, while garrisoning the various islands was clearly safe and comfortable. Yet that great general of the Zhao Family Army, Chen Sheng, had assigned his own battalion to endure hardship and suffering, while those few second-rate battalions got to avoid the storm and enjoy comfort. Such a thing was absolutely unheard of in the Great Ming.

There were even rumors circulating, claiming that the officers of those few second-rate battalions were gnashing their teeth in fury over this arrangement, desperately demanding to join the battle, only to be reprimanded instead. To the gentry and commoners of Dengzhou Prefecture, such tales were far too absurd and preposterous, and naturally, few believed them.

Despite the grand scale of the operation, the Zhao Family Army did not announce the exact date of their departure to the world. The area around the port had been requisitioned by the army and sealed off from the outside. Unauthorized personnel could no longer enter. Yet the local Liao refugees still gathered outside, burning incense and offering prayers, or sending wine and meat to reward the troops, just to contribute their heartfelt support.

The great army boarded the ships in sequence. The four regiments of the First Brigade, along with their subordinate battalions and companies, boarded first. The Second Cavalry Regiment, however, remained in Dengzhou Prefecture to await further word, as loading horses onto ships was far too troublesome. They would only board and cross to join up after a beachhead had been established over there.

Ever since the sea route was first used to transport military supplies from Shandong to the Liao garrison, the annual reports and account books sent from the local authorities to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue always recorded a large number of maritime disasters. The sea route was treacherous,

with ships capsizing and massive losses of grain, fodder, and military supplies. Yet everyone knew this was just a trick in the accounting. Whether the ship reported lost even existed was questionable. But this game of capsizing and drifting losses was a source of wealth for many in both the imperial court and the local authorities, so naturally, no one ever exposed it. To outsiders, the sea route from Dengzhou naval port to Liaodong had thus become known as a perilous passage.

In reality, as long as one's heading was correct, this stretch of sea route held no danger. Most of the time, it was calm and tranquil. Moreover, there were islands to serve as relay points, and even better, those islands had fresh water. So when the Zhao Family Army seriously prepared to cross the sea, no one spoke of any maritime risks.

"This place is nothing worth a damn. You should see what we brothers have been through on the Southern Seas, watching the ship get tossed to the heavens by the waves, surviving only by clinging to a piece of wood. This here is no better than a pond. Anyone who says the wind and waves here are fierce has no shame."

The men of the Zheng and Yu families were utterly dismissive of this place. Seafarers usually hold the ocean in deep awe, yet they simply could not muster any awe for the sea route between Liaodong and Shandong. It was said that the foreigners in the fleet had even more caustic assessments. However, the tales they told of their own experiences — something about sailing around the entire globe — sounded like legends from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, utterly unbelievable.

Under these circumstances, the ships resupplied along the way and, with favorable winds and currents, reached Huangcheng Island. The fleet then waited for a day among the large and small islands of the Huangcheng archipelago. Although fresh water was scarce there, ships continuously ferried it over from Changshan Island and Dazhu Island, so the wait was not too unbearable.

During the wait, a ship brought back news from the Jinzhou and Lüshun area. The Jianzhou Jurchen forces there had indeed learned of the movements on this side, and as a result, the troops attacking the Ming army at Jinzhou and Lüshun had been increased to seven thousand. Reinforcing this area from the Jianzhou heartland of Shenyang and Liaoyang was not easy. There might be more troops on the way by land, but for now, there were only these seven thousand.

Upon receiving this news, the fleet hoisted its sails and set forth, continuing its advance toward Liaodong. From this point on, there was no more room for accidents. All that remained was battle!

Compared to the first time the Xuzhou fleet had come to Liaodong, the situation for the Dongjiang Garrison, at least in the southern Liaoning region of Jinzhou, had improved considerably.

Zhang Pan's forces, originally pinned by the Jianzhou Jurchen troops to a tiny corner by the sea, had now taken Jinzhou City. It must be remembered that when the fleet first arrived, Zhang Pan's unit had been locked in fierce combat with the Jianzhou Jurchens at the Lüshun fortress by the coast.

Because of the trade between Xuzhou and Pi Island, the Dongjiang Garrison on Pi Island had grown stronger and had taken the initiative to raid the Liaodong border, wiping out small Jianzhou Jurchen units. This had led to the battalion targeting Zhang Pan's forces being redeployed toward the Yalu River area, giving the remaining Ming troops near Jinzhou and Lüshun room to operate. They absorbed refugees, expanded their ranks, and counterattacked, capturing both Jinzhou City and Fuzhou City.

However, the good times did not last. When the Jianzhou Jurchens dispatched nearly ten thousand troops to attack Pi Island, another five thousand troops also arrived in this area. Zhang Pan's situation had looked excellent, but in reality, he had overextended his forces. Once the Jianzhou Jurchens committed their strength, the flank at Fuzhou immediately became untenable. Only Jinzhou City, which was close to the sea, could still hold out.

With city fortifications to rely on, the sea as a retreat and supply route, and the limited width of the Jinzhou Isthmus — which, much like the rugged terrain of Pi Island, prevented the Jianzhou Jurchens from committing too many forces at once — Jinzhou City had managed to hold on until now.