Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 523 Casualties in One Day

Halfway through dinner, a man dressed as an official came up with two followers as usual.

"Old Tang." The clerk held the booklet in his right hand and the brush in his left. It was obvious that he was left-handed.

"Here we go again," Captain Tang glanced at the clerk from the side before continuing to scoop up the porridge in his bowl with his small spoon. "Can't you wait until I finish eating before asking these disgusting questions?"

"It's just a matter of two or three words. I'll leave after you finish." The clerk took his brush and tapped twice in the inkstone held by the attendant on his left. "How many of your men died?"

"I really hate your tone!" Captain Tang frowned.

"You're talking in the same tone," the clerk said, his tone softened, but still lacking warmth. "Hurry up and tell me. Without registration, we can't claim their pension. The higher-ups are waiting."

Captain Tang sighed and stood up, bowl in hand. "Li Bin and Li Chen. These two brothers were added yesterday. Li Bin was pierced in the throat by a feather arrow, and Li Chen's head was smashed by a chain hammer, his eyes bulging out."

"Hmm," the clerk said, not caring about the relationship between the two men, nor wanting to know how they died. He simply wrote the two cold names, "Li Bin and Li Chen," in black ink in the corresponding places on the booklet, and then asked, "Anything else?"

"Fuck!" Captain Tang cursed, but could only continue, "And Song Gou, Wu Yangzheng, Lu Chongluo, and Wang Yangjiao."

The clerk moved quickly, his pen pausing as Captain Tang finished his words. "Li Bin, Li Chen, Song Gou, Wu Yangzhen, Lu Chongluo, Wang Yangjiao. Are these the ones?" the clerk repeated, then showed Captain Tang the roster.

"It's these six." Captain Tang was not very literate, but he nodded after hearing the pronunciation was correct.

In reality, it wasn't a problem if the clerk made a mistake in writing down the Chinese characters, as this was just a draft for a preliminary registration. Later, this booklet would be compared with the main roster. As long as there weren't two names with the same syllable in a team of fifty, the corresponding name would be crossed out, and the process of claiming death benefits and writing off salary budgets would begin. However, if there were any names with the same syllable, other clerks would return to the team of fifty to further verify the situation.

"How many are seriously injured?" the official asked again.

"Seven, and six slightly injured." Commander Tang's fifty-man squad was deployed at the forefront. They had engaged in several fierce hand-to-hand battles with the enemy, and therefore suffered heavy casualties.

"That is to say," the clerk wrote down the information and then asked, "Your team needs thirteen more people?" According to the clerk's list, thirteen seriously injured people were not a particularly large number. Some teams of fifty people deployed at the front line could even have half of their men seriously injured.

The principle for the soldiers defending the city is that they must not leave the front line even if they are slightly injured. As long as they can still hold their weapons, they must continue fighting after simple bandaging and treatment.

"Let's add fifteen more. It's better for two of them to retreat and recuperate." Captain Tang scooped another spoonful of the paste mixed with fermented black beans into his mouth.

The clerk nodded, wrote "Fifteen replacements" on the register, and then paused. "Other people will come to inquire about the damage and replacement of military equipment later. Please take inventory as soon as possible."

"I know," Captain Tang waved his hand impatiently. "You don't have to say that every time."

"I was told to repeat this before I leave. If I don't, I'll be disobeying orders." The clerk dried the ink and turned the page. "If you see me again, I'll repeat it."

"Get out of here now. I really don't want to see you, this disgusting guy, again." Captain Tang glared at the clerk.

"I really want to see you again." The clerk was not annoyed, but smiled at Captain Tang.

--------

Sun Chuanting, the head of the Ministry of War and Censor of the Censorate, and the inspector of Shenyang, had already finished his dinner and was standing on the top floor of the Yongning Gate Tower, gazing into the distance.

Nurhaci camped seven miles east of Shenyang, near the Hun River. There was almost no obstruction between Shenyang and the enemy camp; one only needed to climb up the tower and look out to see the continuous wooden enclosures and the military tents behind them.

Between the military tents, there were pillars one after another, finally covering the midnight smoke.

As it was getting dark, a seventh-rank military officer wearing an official uniform instead of full armor went up to the city gate tower accompanied by several officials.

"Master Sun." The door behind Sun Chuanting was not closed, but the seventh-rank military officer did not go in directly. He just bowed at the door.

"Zhang Jingli," Sun Chuanting turned around in the blink of an eye. "Come here and talk."

"Yes." Zhang Jingli replied, then quickly walked to Sun Chuanting. "Greetings, Mr. Sun." He bowed again.

"No need to be so polite," Sun Chuanting returned the greeting calmly. "What are the casualties among the various sects?"

"Reporting to Chief Sun," Zhang Lijing took the ledger from the clerk on his right. Before he even opened it, he began: "At Yongning Gate, 314 men were killed, 261 were seriously injured, and 321 were slightly injured. At Anding Gate, 112 men were killed, 96 were seriously injured, and 189 were slightly injured. At Baoan Gate, 96 men were killed, 77 were seriously injured, and 219 were slightly injured. At Yongchang Gate, nothing happened."

Shenyang City had four gates: Yongning Gate on the east, Baoan Gate on the south, Anding Gate on the north, and Yongchang Gate on the west. Yongning Gate faced the enemy camp directly, bearing the brunt of the attack. Nurhaci didn't resort to any clever feints of frontal assaults followed by flank attacks. Consequently, this was the direction where the fiercest fighting and heaviest casualties were inflicted, while the opposing Yongchang Gate remained unattacked. Sun Chuanting speculated that this was perhaps a tactic employed to "encircle an army by leaving a gap."

"Total, there are 522 people killed in battle today, 434 seriously injured, and 729 slightly injured. A total of 1,665 people." Zhang Lili glanced at the booklet and confirmed the page number before handing the ledger in his hand to Sun Chuanting.

"What about the medical camp?"

Zhang Jingli knew that Sun Chuanting was asking about those who were seriously injured and could not be cured, so he replied: "One hundred and fifty-two people who were seriously injured in the past have died today. Their pensions have all been cancelled." Even if another one hundred and fifty-two people died, there were still more than a thousand seriously injured people lying in the medical camp.

"Hmm." Sun Chuanting looked down at the numbers on the booklet, a barely perceptible trace of sadness suddenly appearing between his brows. "Which military officers were killed in action?"

"Today was fine," Zhang Jingli had a good memory, and even without the booklet, he answered fluently. "The four garrisons are all alive. But Yongning Gate's Yang was shot in the chest. While it didn't penetrate deeply, the arrowhead was pulled out. But he probably won't be able to fight anytime soon. Captain Liu is now in charge of Yongning Gate."

Sun Chuanting nodded. He had been on the eastern wall for most of the day, and he knew about Yang Shoubei's situation long ago. "What about those below the garrison commander?"

"General Li of Andingmen died in battle. He was hit by seven arrows, one of which grazed his face and pierced his neck. His entire helmet and armor were covered in blood." said Zhang Jingli.

"When?" Sun Chuanting asked.

"It's hard to say the exact moment, but it shouldn't have been long since the blood was still red," said Zhang Jingli.

"Does He Zhenshuai know?" "Yes," Zhang Jingli added, "He Zhenshuai has already asked Shen Baizong to take his place."

"What else?" Sun Chuanting continued to ask.

"There are also three centurions and nine team leaders." Zhang Jingli did not bother to remember the cause of death and names of these people.

"Have you shown it to Marshal He?" Sun Chuanting picked up a pen and filled in his name in the blank space at the end.

"I am the accountant at Yongning Gate." Zhang Jingli answered tactfully.

"Then send it to Marshal He quickly and ask him to fill the vacancies in each department according to the regulations." Sun Chuanting closed the booklet and returned it to Zhang Jingli.

"Yes. I'll go right away." Zhang Jingli took the booklet, bowed and left.

The footsteps gradually faded away, and Sun Chuanting finally sighed softly.

Suddenly, Sun Chuanting heard a strange commotion. Turning around, he saw a cloud of dust kicked up by horse hooves, blown to the front of the battle line by the evening wind.

Sun Chuanting looked intently from afar, and sure enough, it was another horse scout sent by the bandits to conduct close reconnaissance.

The billowing smoke and dust were getting closer and closer. The horses quickly ran through the open space between the Jin army camp and the Ming army position, and were about to rush to the front of the Ming army.

However, the Jin army's cavalry scouts were ultimately unable to approach the Ming army's outer defenses. Just as they were advancing, two Ming cavalry units, twice as large as the enemy, rushed out from the Baoan Gate in the south and the Anding Gate in the north!

--------

Half an hour later, it was completely dark, but under the bright moonlight, the outline of the earth was still clearly visible.

Under the shimmering moonlight, cavalrymen bearing Ming army banners drew their reins before the positions beneath Anding Gate. After a brief exchange, the officers of the outermost guarding formations made way, allowing the troops inside.

The city gate opened again, and the Ming cavalry returned to the city walls unscathed.

As soon as the cavalry stopped and the city gates were still closed, the horsemen came to meet them. He Shixian, the general disguised as a cavalry captain, put away his iron whip and jumped off his horse in the stirrup.

The strong horse finally unloaded the humanoid beast weighing nearly three hundred kilograms, and immediately panted and cried out in joy twice.

"Greetings, Marshal He." Sun Chuanting came forward and saluted.

"Why are you here?" He Shixian's nerves tensed up immediately after hearing this voice. Even more tense than when he was chopping people just now.

"Can't I come?" Sun Chuanting asked back.

"You've made your home at Yongning Gate, so why are you here at Anding Gate?" He Shixian laughed awkwardly. "I've been tired all day. Can't you take a break?"

"How can I sleep if Marshal He doesn't come back?" Sun Chuanting teased.

"Oh! Look at what you're saying." He Shixian shrugged and said, "Do you still want me to stay by your bedside?"

"That's not necessary," Sun Chuanting said, his lips curled up slightly. But the next moment, he returned to his cold demeanor. "Just don't go out when you shouldn't."

"I shouldn't go out!" He Shixian said with a heart full of resentment, "Then tell me when I should go out?"

"I don't know when it's time to leave," Sun Chuanting shook his head. "But I know General Xiong asked me to keep an eye on you and not let you make any rash moves. He made it very clear in his letter: 'The enemy chief has no special skills except two clumsy tactics: using internal collusion to open the city and feigning defeat to lure the generals.' As long as we fail these two tactics, the enemy won't be able to break through the city."

"So you're hiding in this shell like a turtle?" He Shixian turned around, untied the two heads from the horse's buttocks, and threw them to his personal soldiers.

These were the two trophies he obtained on this trip. To He Shixian, the reward of heads was no longer meaningful, but he was still keen on taking his personal soldiers out of the city to chop off heads.

"It's better to stay in your shell than to die in vain." Sun Chuanting glanced at the two heads. "Your head is related to the safety of the entire Shenyang."

"With you and Old You watching over me, my death won't matter." He Shixian waved his hand to dismiss his personal guards, saying nonchalantly, "A general should lead by example. If I always stay in the city, the people below will think I'm cowardly and afraid of death, which will easily lose morale."

"It's the duty of a junior general to lead by example. You're a senior general, and a senior general should stay in the center of the army, planning and stabilizing the troops. If you want to boost morale, just walk around the city walls a few times and shout a few times, letting everyone know you're still alive and well. That's much better than sneaking out of the city and taking risks." Sun Chuanting's face was gloomy. "Also, what does 'it doesn't matter even if I die' mean?"

"Ugh!" He Shixian couldn't argue anymore, so he just started to argue: "How did you know I was out? I didn't even have my armor on. Which idiot betrayed me?"

Like other high-ranking generals, He Shixian's armor was specially made, with a unique paint color and special exterior decoration, making it very conspicuous and recognizable even from a distance. In order to avoid being discovered by Sun Chuanting, He Shixian specially changed into ordinary heavy armor before leading his men out.

"No one betrayed you. General Xiong sent someone to inquire about the battle situation in Shenyang as usual." Sun Chuanting shook his head. "The messenger couldn't find you, so he came to me."

"Oh my! You really know how to tell time." He Shixian immediately remembered Xiong Tingbi's sinister old face. "If Xiong Jinglie curses at someone, you have to say a few good words for me."

"I think," Sun Chuanting said calmly, "the messenger wouldn't bother to report that they couldn't find you."

"Hehe, that's right." He Shixian laughed immediately.

"But I can." Sun Chuanting also smiled.

"What are you doing? It's not necessary, is it?" He Shixian's smile froze on his face.

"It's necessary!" Sun Chuanting immediately dropped his smile. "'Commanders of each city must defend their cities first and abide by clear orders. You are not allowed to leave the city without permission to engage the enemy.' This is something General Xiong has repeatedly stressed. You've been disobeying him, and this is probably more than once. You are the commander-in-chief, acting as a general. You lead a hundred or so cavalrymen out of the city to engage the enemy in close combat. Where will the tens of thousands of defenders be left? If I don't report this, I might as well resign."

(End of this chapter)