Chapter 846: A Certain Plan for Victory

That was what they said, but by the early morning of the next day, the entire Zhao Character Camp was making ready — lighting fires, cooking rations, preparing to march. Zhao Jin came out on inspection, and when he and the brothers looked at one another, they found that everyone's faces were haggard, their eyes heavily bloodshot. It was clear none of them had slept well the night before.

It wasn't just them — even the household troops below looked much the same. At breakfast, everyone was very quiet. The only ones who seemed no different were the Xuzhou martial men traveling with them. They were older, had lived through more, and were bound to take things more in stride.

They ate their fill at breakfast, and then had to prepare dry rations for midday. Every man in the Zhao Character Camp, from top to bottom, was to carry his own. Their bamboo tubes and gourds were all filled with boiled water, and the heavy supply carts carried extra reserves. Once they met the enemy, there would likely be no time for a leisurely meal.

When all preparations were complete, the finest riders, the most alert and outstanding household troops and jianghu men, were ready to ride out as the vanguard. Cai Huajun was among them. Every regiment and squad of the Zhao Character Camp had formed ranks and was awaiting orders. Every household trooper was very quiet, and the atmosphere felt somewhat oppressive.

Zhao Jin swung up onto his horse and was about to give the order to march, but after a moment's thought, he stopped. He turned to Zhuang Liu beside him and said, "I'll shout a line, and your First Company will shout it after me."

Zhuang Liu at his side hastily acknowledged the order. Zhao Jin raised his voice and declared, "Today, I am leading you to fight and win. Victory will be ours — the Zhao Character Camp's!"

As soon as he finished this brief speech, the First Company of the personal guard, well-practiced in the routine, roared it out in unison. The entire Zhao Character Camp formation fell silent. After a moment of quiet, someone — no one knew who — bellowed, "Victory!" Everyone then roared out together. The atmosphere instantly turned fervent, the whole field filled with shouts and cheers.

Zhao Jin looked over them with satisfaction. Only then did he spur his mount forward, sweeping his hand ahead. The entire Zhao Character Camp rumbled into motion.

They had not gone many steps when Zhao Jin turned his head to look at Lu Da. The commander of the First Great Brigade, Lu Da, had clearly slept very well; his face was now full of high-spirited eagerness.

Zhao Jin couldn't help but laugh. He said to Lu Da, "You're not worried in the slightest, are you."

Lu Da stared blankly for a moment, then scratched his head and asked, "Following Master Jin, what's there for me to worry about? We're sure to win."

Zhao Jin burst into loud laughter.

The scouts and outriders reported back that the government army had also struck camp and begun to march. By now, the distance between the two forces was not great. At the head of the column, one could already see the light cavalry of both sides skirmishing with each other, and even see the dust clouds rising in the distant sky. On such flat ground, the dust thrown up by a large force marching from dozens of li away could not be hidden. Likewise, the government army had also spotted signs of the Zhao Character Camp's movement.

Gradually, the government army's scouts drew further and further away from the Zhao Character Camp's main force. This was because the Zhao Character Camp's mounted household troops did not engage them in single combat, but instead hunted in squads, their archery also deadly accurate. If one was the slightest bit careless, before the man in front of you was even dealt with, a cold arrow would come flying in and finish you off. The main armies were about to engage, and neither side's movements could be concealed any longer — why throw your life away over a momentary flash of bravado?

The government scouts retreated farther and farther, yet the Zhao Character Camp's cavalry continued to circle the government force. By now, the government army was also ringed by mounted troops; getting too close meant the risk of being entangled. The government cavalry had no shortage of men skilled in both bow and horse. Often, a military officer would spur his horse out of the formation, rein it in, and loose an arrow. A Zhao Character Camp scout, unable to dodge in time, would be shot dead on the spot. The government ranks would often erupt in thunderous cheers, their morale soaring.

Yet in this situation, the officers and commanders of the Baoding and Shandong troops wore grave expressions. Earlier, they had judged the strength of these Xuzhou bandits by the strength of their cavalry, but now, it seemed they had been mistaken. Such persistence and tenacity were truly not those of ordinary rebels and rabble.

"What you generals may not know is that this Zhao family has gathered a batch of Tartars to serve under them. Their mounted archery is ferocious," a local Shandong guide helpfully explained.

He was simply speaking off the cuff, thinking to curry favor, but a chiliarch beside him gave him a heavy slap across the face. Not only did his face swell, but the corner of his mouth bled directly, and he nearly tumbled from his horse.

"You wretched fool! Intelligence that these bandits are colluding with Tartar caitiffs — why didn't you report it sooner!"

The news was quickly reported to Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin. In contrast to his subordinates' gravity, Lu Qin was quite relaxed. He merely said, "Where in Northern Zhili are there no Tartar officers? Even in the capital there are plenty. What's so strange about Xuzhou men recruiting a few? What use is it even if they recruit a few dozen or a few hundred? The quality of the Tartars beyond the border walls these years — don't you all know it?"

These words immediately set his subordinates' minds at ease. Ever since the Longqing Peace Accord, battles between the Great Ming and the Mongol tribes on the steppe had grown fewer and fewer, and their intensity had lessened. In the occasional skirmish, everyone felt the Tartar caitiffs were not as fierce and valiant as before — and those were the elites under the royal banners. What good stock could Zhao Jin possibly recruit? There was truly no need to worry.

Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin's view was far more comprehensive than his subordinate officers'. He nodded slightly and said, "Since they have Tartars serving them, some things make sense. They likely relied on these Tartars to defeat the troops of Southern Zhili. But should we, who come from the north, fear that?"

"The General's insight is truly profound!" His words left his subordinates completely convinced, and they cupped their fists in salute and praise.

Regional Commander Lu Qin nodded, then lifted his head to check the sun's position. He then gazed into the distance at the dust clouds on the horizon, turned, and gave the order: "Advance to the vicinity of Tachangkou. The terrain there is suitable for deploying a battle formation. The entire army is to halt there and await the bandits' arrival."

His personal soldiers acknowledged the order loudly and immediately spurred their horses out to relay it. Not long after, a military officer in the uniform of a Mobile Corps Commander rode up, escorted by a few personal guards. After the formal greeting, he asked, "Lord Lu, if our army deploys at Tachangkou, aren't we halting too early? What if the bandits hesitate and refuse to advance? Do we just maintain this standoff?"

Regional Commander, Vice Regional Commander, and Assistant Regional Commander — these ranks have a hierarchy, but each holds an independent garrison command with no direct superior-subordinate relationship. They are only assembled together when a civil official leads the army. The highest-ranking officer under Regional Commander Lu Qin was this Mobile Corps Commander. In fact, this Mobile Corps Commander did not fall under Lu Qin's command either, but because everyone knew this Baoding deployment was Eunuch Wei's idea, there were naturally those who wanted to demonstrate their eagerness to please. Thus, Mobile Corps Commander Wei Pingfang had been assigned to Lu Qin's command.

To Commander Wei's question, Regional Commander Lu Qin had to explain in detail: "Our army's provisions are supplied by the Shandong local authorities and rely on the canal waterway, so we are naturally unhurried. The bandits, on the other hand, rely on plundering the common people — how many days can they hold out? If the bandits refuse to advance, then let them be. We'll wait until they run out of grain and collapse without a fight, and then our army can pursue and claim full victory!"

Commander Wei nodded. Regional Commander Lu Qin continued, "Old Wei, you also know that these days, the common people of Shandong have been sending urgent appeals and crying out in misery, saying their family wealth and grain stores have been looted by the bandits. If it weren't for this, the Shandong commoners would not be helping the government army so much, their hearts set on the court."

This reasoning convinced Commander Wei. He cupped his fist in salute from horseback and rode back to his own unit. As soon as he left, a personal soldier beside Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin muttered, "Who doesn't know his petty schemes? He's just thinking of grabbing some merit."

Regional Commander Lu Qin glanced back, and his personal soldier immediately fell silent. Lu Qin, of course, understood this angle. This Commander Wei had a backer in the Imperial Horse Directorate and had been promoted very quickly. The reason he was so enthusiastic about this bandit-suppression campaign was simply that he thought the battle honors would come easily, and he was here to grab the capital for promotion. That was why he was not so easy to command.

After thinking this through, Lu Qin murmured to himself thoughtfully, "When we return in great victory, I must certainly memorialize the court to commend these righteous commoners of Shandong!"

The reason he had made his earlier judgment was that every group of "commoners" and "gentry" who came to assist and comfort the army would invariably cry out in misery, all saying that the Xuzhou bandits had committed every conceivable evil, making life unbearable for the people of Yanzhou Prefecture in Shandong. Their family wealth and womenfolk had all been plundered, and now the bandits were still seizing grain. If this went on, they wouldn't survive the autumn harvest, and wouldn't even make it through the New Year.

If they didn't say such things, but came out of nowhere to assist and comfort the army, the first reaction would be suspicion that spies had infiltrated. But when so many spoke this way — rich and poor, noble and lowly all crying out the same — the government army could not help but believe them. Some even fabricated detailed lists of the wealth and goods their families had been robbed of by the Xuzhou bandits. For this, the government army naturally had an obligation to help recover. The Shandong "righteous commoners" whose hearts were with the royal army had already planned out how they would enter Xuzhou and make their fortunes...

The so-called Tachangkou was a gap by the canal and a dried-up lake. The terrain there sloped downward from west to east, but overall it was still quite level. When the waters of Weishan Lake had risen, they had once flooded over, submerging a large area. Later, it had become a private port for the canal grain transport, frequented by figures of the rivers and lakes and the greenwood. There were no households there, but the land was fairly flat and expansive, perfectly suited to serve as a battlefield. When the scouts had reported back that day, Regional Commander Lu Qin had already made his calculations. Yesterday afternoon, under the protection of his personal guards, he had come to observe the terrain and was even more satisfied with it.

Once the government army halted, they immediately began battle preparations. The logistics laborers and civilian porters, in chaotic hubbub, started lighting fires and cooking rations. Regional Commander Lu Qin found a slightly raised earthen mound and summoned the officers there. As the group gathered, they gazed into the distance at the dust clouds rising on the horizon. Everyone knew that beneath those clouds were the Xuzhou bandits. With battle imminent, the government officers grew inexplicably tense. They were men accustomed to the sight of battle formations and had previously assessed the Xuzhou bandits' strength; they all felt they should be calm and at ease.

"Our army is lighting fires and cooking rations. We will eat our fill and wait at ease for the exhausted enemy. If the bandits do not halt, they will be a weary force, and likely hungry as well. By the time they arrive here, they will be worn out — just right for our army to deliver a head-on, crushing blow," Lu Qin said in a deep voice.

After saying this, he spoke again: "Pass the word down: do not get entangled with those bandit scouts on the perimeter. So long as they don't come too close, let them look all they want. Right now, we want the bandits to know our army is here. If they have the guts, let them come and fight!"

"What if the bandits don't come?" asked a subordinate officer under Commander Wei.

"I already explained earlier. If they don't come, then we simply wait for their grain to run out and them to scatter. If they do come, then it will be an open, head-on battle, and our army holds certain victory." After saying this, Lu Qin gave a slight smile and continued, "If the bandits stop to eat, then our army will immediately charge forward and strike, hitting them before they've secured their footing and routing them utterly."

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