Chapter 946: Let's Go First

After being squeezed like that, that Lord Song kept his composure on the surface, but inside he was cursing nonstop. The Military Defense Circuit was a civil rank of the fourth grade, while a Regional Commander was typically a military officer of the first or second grade. Though his rank was lower, his status was actually higher, and the Military Defense Circuit's duties were all related to military supplies — a chokehold position. Normally, a Regional Commander without an added general's title would have to bow with clasped hands to a Military Defense Circuit as a matter of courtesy. Regional Commander Yang Guodong's words and conduct could be called insolent.

Disgust aside, this Lord Song could not show his anger. Who didn't know that this Yang Guodong was already the adopted son of Eunuch Wei, the Grand Supervisor of the Directorate of Ceremonial? Now, Wei Zhongxian, Eunuch Wei, held sway over the entire court. All who attached themselves to him rose swiftly to prominence — who dared defy him?

Moreover, this great chaos had come far too suddenly. In a place like Shandong, natural disaster inevitably led to civil unrest — this had become a pattern, and both the higher and lower levels were prepared for it. Yet the Shandong officialdom had never expected such a massive upheaval to erupt so suddenly, on such a terrifying scale, and so highly organized and purposeful. After seizing several cities in succession, they directly swept up a great host of refugees and headed for the heartland of Shandong, the pivotal hub of the empire's canal transport.

If the canal were cut off for any length of time, if the Prince of Lu and his heirs suffered any harm, or if the Kong family of the Duke of Yansheng were affected in any way, who knew how many officials' posts would be lost — very likely their heads would be moving house as well.

So this time, when troops were mustered, no one obstructed it. The men of the Grand Coordinator's own brigade went directly to Linqing City to requisition provisions and canal boats, risking the offense of those wealthy gentry to obtain a great deal of grain and boats. When the Military Defense Circuit was assigned to oversee the army, he was also exhorted not to contend for credit or steal merit, but to cooperate fully — if the great chaos over there was not quelled, everything would likely be over.

With these preconditions in place, that Lord Song could only hold his nose and accept Regional Commander Yang's insolence.

"The guide from Jining City has arrived!" someone ahead called out, passing the word.

After the main body of refugees had left, some ten thousand men remained entrenched twenty li from the city, refusing to leave, with scattered bands also spread out across thirty to forty li around.

This made the people of Jining City, who had paid the "ransom," both furious and uneasy. They were furious that these cunning refugee bandits had shortchanged them, and uneasy because they could not fathom why they lingered, neither leaving nor departing.

Now the city gates were kept only half-open, for less than a single shichen each day. Government troops and civilian braves still mounted the walls to patrol and stand guard, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Once this main force of government troops arrived, everyone from top to bottom breathed a sigh of relief. Immediately, someone took the lead in pooling a sum of money and grain to reward the troops, hoping only that the government troops would vent a measure of fury on behalf of all in Jining City.

Elsewhere, the expense of rewarding and feasting troops was a heavy burden, but for Jining City it was nothing. As long as the refugee bandits could be swept away and the river opened to navigation, this sum of money and grain was but a drop in the bucket.

Though the desire for the government troops to come and exterminate the bandits was urgent, the necessary precautions were still taken. Money and grain could be given, but the government troops absolutely could not enter the city to encamp. Since the refugee bandits were no longer besieging the city, the government troops could simply fight them in the field — there was no need for them to enter the city and garrison it.

Now the people of Jining were actually congratulating themselves that the city gates had not been open long, so before the government troops arrived, they had time to shut the gates tight.

The troops under Regional Commander Yang Guodong's command were extremely resentful of Jining City's handling of this, but there was nothing they could do.

But what truly enraged Shandong Regional Commander Yang Guodong was that the ten thousand or so refugee bandits not far away, upon seeing the government troops arrive, had not fled. Instead, small bands of refugee bandits from all directions were coming to join them, and now their numbers were approaching thirty thousand. Had these refugee bandits lost their minds? This rabble actually dared face the imperial court's troops like this. When government troops met refugees, never mind one against ten — one against a hundred was possible. Yet these people actually dared to remain entrenched and not retreat!

Angry as he was, contemptuous as he was, Regional Commander Yang Guodong was a veteran commander. He knew that the likelihood of the refugee bandits daring to do this because they'd lost their minds was small — they must have something to rely on. But when he sent scouts and probing riders to investigate, they found that the manor had no strategic terrain, nor any complete fortifications...

Then what was the reason? The scouts and probing riders quickly discovered that ox- and horse-drawn carts were frequently departing fully loaded. This discovery immediately excited the government troops. Originally, having marched to Jining, everyone wanted to rest and recuperate for a few days. No matter how much Supervisor Song and the people of Jining urged them, no one was in a hurry to act. But once this discovery was made, everyone immediately prepared to move.

The refugees had plundered so many prefectures and counties, and Jining had paid out so much in "city ransom fees." Could it be that all this money and grain had not yet been taken away, but was stored at that place for transshipment? Perhaps there were also young women carried off in the looting!

"This general has resolved to send forth the troops. We shall rest and recuperate after sweeping away the refugee bandits." Shandong Regional Commander Yang Guodong issued this heroic declaration.

The people of Jining finally breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure that the government troops encamped outside Jining City had placed on the officials and civilians of Jining was no less than that of the refugee bandits in the preceding days.

Advancing twenty li did not require moving the encampment, and provisions for only a single day were needed — a quantity Jining could easily scrape together. The civilian laborers transporting provisions and supplies also readied themselves and left the city. The main force thus pressed toward the place where the refugees were entrenched.

That band of refugee bandits also had their own roving scouts and probing riders, though only a dozen or so riders, yet they were very capable and cautious. The night scouts had to sally forth several times just to take two heads. Since there were men keeping constant watch, when the main force of government troops mobilized and pressed toward them, the refugee bandits entrenched there should by all rights have been thrown into turmoil and scattered. But unexpectedly, the refugee bandits did not scatter, nor did they even fall back in alarm to defend their position. Instead, they came out of that manor and formed ranks.

This behavior was truly contrary to common sense. However, everyone quickly figured out the reason: the reason they didn't leave was that there were still critical valuables in the manor. If they went now, there was still great profit to be made!

At this thought, from Regional Commander Yang Guodong on down, every man was stirred with excitement. What did they risk their lives in battle for, if not to strike it rich and live it up? They had been living it up this whole journey, and now riches were right before their eyes.

Driven by such thoughts, naturally everyone from top to bottom gave their all, and their drive on the march was exceedingly high.

With the government troops pouring out in full force, the people of Jining City were both relieved and hopeful, all wishing that the government troops could sweep away the refugee bandits. From the time the refugees had besieged the city until now, the officials and gentry finally dared to ascend the walls and observe.

"... I hear those refugee bandits are a sorry sight, a heap of loose sand, advancing and retreating in noisy chaos. Now look at Regional Commander Yang's great army — truly strict, solemn, and imposing. I have read a few military texts, after all, and one look tells me this battle is surely won. Jining is safe, Yanzhou is safe..."

"... I wonder whether Regional Commander Yang will deploy the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation or the Single-Line Long Snake Formation. I fear the moment the refugee bandits lay eyes on the celestial troops arriving, they will surely scatter in utter defeat..."

"... I wonder how many wen apiece the captives will sell for when the time comes. So many fields in Yanzhou Prefecture have no one to till them now. Even if we buy them, we'll need to find people to farm..."

"... There are also quite a few young and beautiful girls. I reckon the price certainly won't be high..."

"... It's not as if you haven't bought any before. Where do you think all those sold at the slave market the other day came from..."

Everyone was chattering away, full of ease and delight. Only one young man in a corner wore a very solemn expression. Although this young man was dressed in the robes of a scholar — the kind only officials could wear — he was tall and burly, with a resolute bearing, and the men guarding him were all martial types. He looked more like a military officer or a noble of merit.

Such a person naturally stood out on the city wall. However, the gentry more or less knew his background. They said he was a capital official from Shanxi, serving in the Ministry of Personnel. Although he was only a Secretary, he had already been internally designated for promotion. This was a pure and prestigious post in the Ministry of Personnel, with boundless prospects. Yet this year he had resigned, saying he wanted to return home to care for his parents. It was said that this man could not bear to see the eunuch faction's monopoly on power in the capital, so he simply resigned and left.

Pure-stream officials liked to do startling things. To cast aside a fine future of wealth and rank — perhaps it was to gain even greater fame and future glory. This was not particularly unusual.

However, this man's luck was rather poor. When he arrived at Jining City, he happened to run right into the refugee siege and had been unable to leave. When the officials and gentry of Jining mobilized to defend the city, he had also volunteered his services, saying he wished to do his part. But judging from this man's career advancement, his family background was surely extraordinary, and it was best to avoid trouble, so everyone politely declined.

A few did go over to cultivate connections, considering whether he might be of use in the future. However, this Sun Chuanting, Sun Boya, from Shanxi, had little interest in mutual socializing. He only fixed his gaze on the city's defense and the government troops' movements. This made everyone secretly scorn him — clearly a pure and prestigious scholar, yet always fixated on crude military matters. What was even harder to understand was that during the most perilous time of the refugee siege, this Sun Chuanting had actually been prepared to lead his family members and servants up onto the wall to help, and had only been dissuaded with difficulty.

"Young master, can the government troops win this time?" a personal guard asked. He knew that although his young master was a scholar, he was extremely well-versed in military affairs and the art of war, and his judgment on such matters was exceedingly precise.

Gazing at the distant backs of the departing government army, at this distance only the fluttering banners amid the dust rising to the sky could be seen. Sun Chuanting was silent for a moment, then spoke again: "From the moment the refugee uprising began, from the advance to the siege, to the feint that captured Zou County — every move has been highly methodical. The refugee bandits have settled in Zou County and refuse to leave, clearly aiming to make a play for both Jining and Ziyang, and from there seize all of Yanzhou Prefecture, and then take Shandong. Since the refugee bandits dare harbor such designs, they must have the confidence to match, and they have certainly anticipated the arrival of government troops and have their own way of dealing with them."

After Sun Chuanting finished his assessment, his personal guards were all silent. They were all household-born servants of the Sun family, and were inevitably somewhat casual in their master's presence. After a quiet moment, one guard could not help but speak: "Young master, could this band of refugee bandits have lost their heads? Back in our Shanxi, if a hundred-some people in a village rise up, they want to declare themselves emperor. Shandong has been in turmoil like this for so long, yet we've never seen any of them succeed..."

"Those two days when the refugees besieged the city, we all saw it. The refugees advanced from weak to strong, layer by layer, attacking mainly on one front but launching surprise assaults on several others. And they never used their full strength — openly attacking Jining while secretly scheming for Zou County, and even maintaining a force outside Jining City to prevent the Jining government troops from going to Ziyang and Zou County. Can you call that losing their heads?" Sun Chuanting analyzed. This time, no one had anything to say.

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