Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 602 Marching into Shuozhou
Not long after Tong Qiaonian and Zhang Shoulian returned from walking their birds, the Youyang Tusi camp sent people over again. And the one leading them was none other than the "old" acquaintance they had revealed not long ago—the nearly sixty-year-old female soldier who still served as Miss Bai's personal bodyguard, Granny Shu.

When Tong Qiaonian first met Granny Shu, he looked down on her, even doubting the entire Youyang Tusi (chieftain) reinforcements because of it. He thought this was a classic case of "in Shu, where there are no great generals, Liao Hua becomes the vanguard." However, after learning that this old lady had not only participated in the Bozhou campaign twenty years ago but had also personally led the siege of Hailongtun, Tong Qiaonian abandoned all his contempt and doubt. An old general of this age is a real treasure; aside from being slightly weaker and less able to fight the enemy for long, he has almost no weaknesses.

“Madam Shu, we meet again,” Tong Qiaonian said, bowing to Madam Shu. “May you be well.”

Although Granny Shu couldn't understand, she immediately understood the gesture of goodwill. So she returned the bow and said, "This old woman greets General Tong."

Tong Qiaonian smiled at Granny Shu, then turned her head and called out, "Is there someone here who can talk to you?"

“Yes, yes,” a middle-aged man who looked very capable stepped out of the crowd and bowed, saying, “I can understand what the general is saying. I only hope that the general will forgive my heavy accent.”

Tong Qiaonian raised an eyebrow. Although the middle-aged man spoke in a northern dialect, his persistent southern accent was still quite irritating. "Heh, at least we don't have to communicate by writing anymore."

"Thank you, General Tong." The middle-aged man bowed again.

Tong Qiaonian waved his hand and asked the middle-aged man, "Are you trying to get out of here?"

This was clearly a pointless question, but the middle-aged man still answered solemnly, "General, we need your help to cross the border. We hope you can do us a favor."

“There’s nothing inconvenient about it,” Tong Qiaonian said, extending his hand. “Please let me see your official credentials.”

"Please wait a moment." The middle-aged man nodded to Tong Qiaonian first, then turned to look at Granny Shu. "Granny Shu, this general wants to see our official credentials."

“Alright.” Granny Shu was prepared and immediately took out the official certificate. “General Tong, please.”

Tong Qiaonian took the official certificate from Granny Shu, looked at it carefully, and then returned it. "Please keep it safe."

"Thank you for your trouble." Granny Shu took the official document, but before she could put it back in her bosom, she heard Tong Qiaonian's voice again: "Why isn't Miss Bai leading the team this time?"

This time, Granny Shu couldn't guess what he meant from his expressions and actions anymore; she could only turn to look at the middle-aged man. "Ran Laowu, what did General Tong just say?"

"General Tong is asking you, why isn't the Third Miss leading the team this time?" The middle-aged man, whom Granny Shu called Ran Laowu, looked noticeably strange.

Granny Shu was taken aback at first, but quickly smiled. "Tell him."

“General Tong,” Ran Laowu looked at Tong Qiaonian and said as briefly and tactfully as possible, “The Third Miss is still injured and it is inconvenient for her to lead the team.”

"Miss Bai is injured? How did she get injured? Is it serious?" Although the Tiger Mountain Pass and the Youyang Camp's garrison are only a dozen miles apart, the language barrier is far greater than the distance.

Ran Laowu instinctively wanted to use "It's alright" to brush it off, but those two words clearly conflicted with Bai Zaixiang's deeper meaning. So, Ran Laowu swallowed those two words and changed his answer to: "It's quite serious, I'm afraid it will take another month or two to recover."

"So heavy?" Tong Qiaonian exclaimed in surprise. "Why?"

Tong Qiaonian glanced at Granny Shu subconsciously. In any case, the old lady shouldn't be laughing over this.

"Sigh!" Ran Laowu keenly noticed the shift in Tong Qiaonian's gaze. So, with a forced smile, he gave Shu Sipo a subtle hint. Shu Sipo was startled, and then her face fell.

“General Tong, you should also know about that matter,” Ran Laowu said to Tong Qiaonian.

"What do I know?" Tong Qiaonian frowned in confusion.

Ran Laowu leaned close to Tong Qiaonian and whispered, "The Third Miss was publicly flogged by the Madam because she brought back a Tartar messenger."

"Huh?" This statement, with its obvious "consequences" but severely lacking any "preceding cause," completely baffled Tong Qiaonian. Tong Qiaonian blinked, thought hard for a moment, and then lowered her voice, saying, "For secrecy? Is that really necessary?" Tong Qiaonian paused, then exclaimed in horror, "Isn't that a bit much? Doesn't this just spread the word?"

“That’s not the reason,” Ran Laowu explained. “The matter itself is not problematic. The reason why the Third Miss was beaten with military rods is mainly because the Third Miss should not have come back from your place in the first place.”

"Just for taking the wrong turn, they get a beating? Isn't this Miss Bai Madam's younger sister?" Tong Qiaonian asked in surprise.

“Two different things,” Ran Laowu took a half step back, raised his voice, and said seriously, “Although the Third Miss is the Madam’s younger sister, she disobeyed the Madam’s military orders and took the initiative to lead the team off the predetermined marching route. She should be dealt with according to military law. How can we bend the law for personal gain?”

"Madam Bai is truly impartial and incorruptible," Tong Qiaonian was stunned by these righteous words. "By the way, what task did the higher-ups assign to your Youyang Camp? Why have so many people gone out these past two days?" Tong Qiaonian lowered his voice and whispered to Ran Laowu, "Did the higher-ups send you to arrest those Tartars who are colluding with Korea?"

Ran Laowu thought for a moment. "I think it's possible."

"What do you think?" Tong Qiaonian looked at Granny Shu. "This old lady personally escorted those two Tartars and that Han man back. Why would Madam Bai be so secretive about her? What task did Madam Bai assign you?"

Ran Laowu didn't hesitate and immediately said, "Madam Bai has ordered us to go to Shuozhou and kill everyone who passes through our defense zone, regardless of whether they are Han or Yi."

"Shuozhou?" Tong Qiaonian was taken aback. "The North Korean region?"

Ran Laowu nodded, then added, "Changdian is right across from Shuozhou. The two places are separated only by a river."

"Oh! I see," Tong Qiaonian's face showed a look of sudden realization. "The brothers who went out to the border a couple of days ago were going to Changdian and Sudian to arrest people, while you guys were going to guard against that 'what if'?"

"It should be." Ran Laowu thought so too.

"Changdian is quite far, isn't it? Did you bring enough food?"

Ran Laowu said, "We brought enough dry rations for half a month. Moreover, the higher-ups also gave us silver so that we could buy grain from the Koreans locally."

"Half a month's worth of rations, and you even have money saved up to buy more rations?" Tong Qiaonian asked in astonishment, "How long are you planning to stay there?"

"Madam wants us to stay there for at least ten days, preferably half a month," said Ran Laowu.

"Half a month?" Tong Qiaonian smiled. "Is this like waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump?" "More or less." Ran Laowu also chuckled softly.

"You've really suffered," Tong Qiaonian said sincerely.

"Thank you for your concern," Ran Laowu bowed, "but it's really nothing. Youyang Division is located in a remote mountain valley. Compared to the vast plains between Liaoshen, we wild monkeys who like to venture into the mountains are more used to this place. As long as it doesn't snow."

"Who talks about themselves like that?" Tong Qiaonian was amused by the person in front of him. "You must have run into Yuan Canzheng's group when you came over, right?" After asking this casually, Tong Qiaonian turned his head and gestured to his entourage standing on the outer perimeter, separating him from the ordinary soldiers.

The attendant understood and immediately shouted, "Raise the city gates!"

"Yes, we ran into them. We ran into them just as we were crossing the river." The middle-aged man glanced at the city gate. "Were Yuan and the others here to see someone off out of the city?"

"They're here to welcome people into the city," Tong Qiaonian explained. "Counselor Yuan and his entourage are here with a retinue to welcome the imperial envoy sent by Korea to offer birthday greetings to the Emperor."

"Coming at this hour?" Ran Laowu lowered his voice again. "You must have heard something, right?"

“I also think they came a bit too early,” Tong Qiaonian shook his head and said, “but I think their visit is probably not directly related to the matter at hand.”

"What do you mean?" asked Ran Laowu.

“It’s far away,” Tong Qiaonian explained. “The envoy for the Holy Festival must have been sent by the King of Joseon. If that traitorous Bird King hadn’t moved around, he would definitely be sitting in Hanyang right now. It’s about a thousand li from Hanyang to here. That’s two thousand li round trip. Even if news got out somewhere, they wouldn’t have sent someone over so quickly.”

The middle-aged man nodded deeply. "General Tong, do you think the King of Joseon has truly colluded with the enemy?"

"I think it's most likely so," Tong Qiaonian said indignantly. "Otherwise, why is that scoundrel Jiang Hongli, who killed Qiao Youji, still alive?"

Unlike high-ranking officials who were involved in strategic planning, Tong Qiaonian didn't know as much as some of the details. However, many of his local soldiers had served under Qiao Yiqi, the former guerrilla commander of Zhenjiang, and some of them were even defeated soldiers from the Battle of Sarhu. It was because of these people that Xu Guangqi and his team were able to piece together the details of the Battle of Sarhu from the capital, thousands of miles away.

Ran Laowu had been in Zhenjiang for quite some time and had heard Qiao Yiqi's story. "So, General Tong, what do you think the court will do to the King of Joseon if we can really capture those Tartars and obtain solid evidence?" This time, Ran Laowu not only lowered his voice but also looked around.

"What other methods do we have to deal with traitors and rebels?" Tong Qiaonian slapped the hilt of his waist knife with his backhand and made a throat-slitting gesture.

"If the King of Korea were to act rashly in desperation, wouldn't Zhenjiang be caught in a pincer movement?"

Boom!
Ran Laowu wanted to say something more, but just then, the upper frame of the sluice gate slammed into the stone trough of the arched gate once again.

"Ran Laowu," Granny Si also looked over at the noise. "Quickly ask General Tong if we can leave now?"

“General Tong,” Ran Laowu composed himself and bowed respectfully. “Now that the city gates are open, let’s set off.”

"Have a safe journey." Tong Qiaonian returned the greeting with a clasped fist. "I have duties to perform, so I won't see you off any further."

"General Tong, you're too kind."

"I wish you all a successful start and a swift return." Tong Qiaonian bowed to Granny Shu.

Granny Shu immediately returned the greeting, but it was Ran Laowu who spoke first: "Thank you for your kind words. Farewell!"

"Let's go!"

"Let's go!" At the order of Fourth Granny, the chieftain's soldiers, who were lined up neatly under the city gate, immediately sprang into action.

Tong Qiaonian stood behind them, silently watching them go. It wasn't until the city gate closed again that Tong Qiaonian suddenly realized that after chatting for so long, she had forgotten to ask the other party's name.

--------

Yuan Keli's entourage moved very slowly. After the chieftain soldiers who had passed them had left Hushan Pass and traveled another ten miles, this slowly advancing procession finally passed through the two newly bricked camp walls and arrived at the post station outside Zhenjiang City.

The procession came to a stop, and immediately one of the Imperial Guards stationed at the post station rushed to help Yuan Keli dismount. Yuan Keli was completely used to this, but he still subconsciously gave the Imperial Guard a nod and a smile.

"Guerrilla Mao." Yuan Keli landed and stood still, looking at Mao Wenlong.

"What are your instructions, Councilor Yuan?" Mao Wenlong asked, holding the reins and clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"Thank you for your trouble, soldiers," Yuan Keli said with a smile. "There's nothing more to do here, let them return to camp."

"Then this humble general will also..." Mao Wenlong's face was full of flattery.

“Guerrilla Mao will naturally be present as well.” Yuan Keli glanced at the North Korean envoy who had just dismounted. “By the way, has Lieutenant General Zhang sent any new information?”

News always arrives faster than the army. Three days earlier, Xiong Tingbi's reply to Yuan Keli had been sent back to Zhenjiang by express mail. Accompanying the express mail was five thousand Zhejiang soldiers led by Zhang Mingshi, the Zhejiang military commander sent to aid Liaodong. These Zhejiang soldiers were skilled in the use of firearms, equipped with various cannons and muskets personally supervised by Zhang Mingshi and inspected and approved by Xiong Tingbi himself. They were adept at both attacking and defending cities.

"Not yet," Mao Wenlong said after a moment's thought. "However, I believe that Lieutenant General Zhang and his men should arrive in Phoenix City at the earliest today, and at the latest the day after tomorrow."

Mao Wenlong's face remained calm and composed, showing no sign of anything amiss. Under his deliberate concealment, a hint of anticipation even flickered in his eyes. In reality, however, Mao Wenlong was very anxious. He worried that his fellow Zhejiang native, after arriving in Zhenjiang, would not leave, and might instead become the Assistant Commander in charge of Zhenjiang affairs, or even be promoted to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief assisting in the defense of Zhenjiang and the four northern prefectures.

However, Mao Wenlong was not in despair. Even Xiong Tingbi's word didn't matter for this level of reassignment or promotion; the only person in the entire country who could influence Zhang Mingshi's reassignment or promotion was the Emperor sitting in the Forbidden City. Mao Wenlong, of course, had no influence over the Emperor; he didn't even know what the new monarch looked like.

However, Mao Wenlong knew perfectly well that Zhang Mingshi's background was far from clean; this fellow Zhejiang native had come to Liaodong seeking favors and leniency while carrying a criminal record. By pinning these accusations on Zhang Mingshi, and by earning a great merit himself, Mao Wenlong's respected Uncle Shen could then influence court discussions and ultimately the emperor's final decision.

(End of this chapter)