Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 563: What I Saw on the Road

The morning light in early summer was as thin as a cicada's wing, and the surface of the Taizi River seemed to be floating with tiny golden scales.

Hou Shilu, Yuan Keli, and Lu Wenzhao rode side by side to the river's fork, where it curved south. Five hundred elite cavalrymen, divided into two groups and four formations, provided front and rear protection. Bowl-sized horse hooves thrashed the shallow water, startling birds from all over the waterway. Across the river, in the oak forest on the hillside, deer, roe deer, and wild boars seemed to hear the clang of iron scales clashing and fled in alarm, trampling broken branches from last year into the moist, summer-saturated soil.

"Marshal Hou, please stay!" Yuan Keli reined in his horse and looked towards Hou Shilu. The twelve Jinyiwei riders surrounding the three of them, silently guarding them, also reined in their horses and turned around.

"We have only been out of the city for three miles and are about to enter the area where the bandits are active. Yuan Bingxian and Lu Qianhu have important tasks to do, so let me accompany them for a while." Hou Shilu's reins seemed to have some kind of magic. He only pulled it lightly, and the cavalrymen marching in front and behind also stopped under the command of officers at all levels.

"Weining and Dongping protect Liaoyang. If anything goes wrong, it will shock the entire Liao Dynasty." As Yuan Keli spoke, he cast his gaze on Hou Gongji, who turned his horse's head and looked back. "Young General Hou is outstanding. With his protection, there will be no danger. Marshal Hou, please return."

"Yuan Bingxian is really flattering me. I'm not that outstanding at all," Hou Shilu chuckled and nodded, then shouted to Hou Gongji, "Come here!"

The horse under Hou Gongji's crotch stopped on the spot, turned nimbly, and soon carried its master through the Jinyiwei's defense line and arrived in front of the three people. "Dad," Hou Gongji nodded to his father first, then saluted Yuan Keli and Lu Wenzhao. "Yuan Bingxian, Lu Qianhu."

"General Hou." Yuan Keli and Lu Wenzhao held the reins and bowed in return.

"It's still eighty miles of mountain road to Xiamatang. You must be careful and guard them." Hou Shilu's eyes widened, and he acted like a stern father. "If even the slightest loss of Yuan Bingxian and Lu Qianhu is incurred, I will not forgive you!"

"Yes!" Hou Gongji clasped his fists solemnly.

"My son is stupid and rude. If I have been disrespectful, please feel free to teach me, Yuan Bingxian." Hou Shilu said to Yuan Keli.

"I dare not, I dare not." Yuan Keli waved his hands quickly.

"Take care, both of you. I will take my leave and return to the camp!" Hou Shilu held the reins and saluted for the last time.

"Goodbye!" Yuan Keli returned the greeting solemnly.

"Goodbye!" Lu Wenzhao also returned the greeting.

Accompanied by the morning bell from the Weining Camp, the two groups parted ways at the fork in the riverbank. Hou Shilu reined his horse north, accompanied by several personal guards, and headed back toward the city. Hou Gongji, taking his father's place, led the majority of the troops, riding south alongside Yuan and Lu. Beside them, the dark cloaks of the twelve Jinyi Guards billowed like dark clouds in the river breeze.

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"Captain Lu." After walking in silence all the way, Hou Gongji finally couldn't help but speak.

"General Hou, what advice do you have?" Lu Wenzhao turned his head and gave Hou Gongji a smile as warm as the sun.

Hou Gongji smiled and shook his head, then asked in a casual tone, "Why didn't Miss Ding come to see me off this morning?"

Lu Wenzhao was startled. He said slowly, "I said goodbye yesterday. Why should I be so sad and speechless today?"

"Haha, Captain Lu is really free and easy," Hou Gongji said with a smile, "Yesterday I was wondering if Captain Lu would take Miss Ding away as well."

"My junior sister has unwavering ambitions. I can't take her with me," Lu Wenzhao shook his head. "Besides, she even blamed me yesterday."

"Captain Lu came here specially. How could Miss Ding complain after meeting her after traveling thousands of miles?" Hou Gongji seemed to be really curious.

Lu Wenzhao said, "She blamed me for not keeping my promise and for using my power to pressure others to keep her in the camp, preventing her from going out and making meritorious deeds."

"Haha, Miss Ding really has lofty ambitions," Hou Gongji praised casually, then added, "But the battlefield is ruthless and the swords are blind. Miss Ding fought so hard, if she got hurt, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to explain to Captain Lu."

"As the saying goes, 'A general dies in a hundred battles, a warrior returns after ten.'" Lu Wenzhao suppressed his smile and shook his head slowly. "This is the path she chose. Even if she tragically dies on the battlefield, buried in her hide, or even her remains are never found, she has no one else to blame. General Hou, please be at ease and treat her like an ordinary person."

"Female Mulan, what a great man! If Miss Ding can really achieve something, I will definitely ask for a commendation for her!" Yuan Keli, who had been listening silently beside him, praised sincerely.

Lu Wenzhao looked back and bowed gratefully.

Hou Gongji chuckled in agreement, but his heart wasn't as bright as he let on. It seemed highly likely that Ding Baiying wasn't a secret agent of the Imperial Guard, but the harmony between Lu Wenzhao and Yuan Keli wasn't necessarily a good thing. If Yuan Keli, as he suspected, were to start with Hu Guochen in Phoenix City and, by abandoning the Six Forts of Kuandian, stir up a political upheaval in Liaodong and bring down Xiong Tingbi, he would need to sway the Imperial Guard, led by Lu Wenzhao, or at least keep them neutral. If Xiong Tingbi were truly driven out of power, the situation in Liaodong would likely shift dramatically. This would be a disaster in itself.

Thinking of this, Hou Gongji inexplicably felt more hostile towards Yuan Keli. He looked at Yuan Keli with a look of displeasure and solemnity.

Yuan Keli keenly sensed Hou Gongji's gaze. He tilted his head slightly and asked, "Young General Hou, do you have something to say to me?"

"No, I was just gazing at the fortress in the distance." In the blink of an eye, the hostility in Hou Gongji's eyes vanished. He didn't intend to reveal his true feelings, and offered no further advice. This level of divine combat was beyond the reach of a mediocre soldier like them. If they were dragged into it, they would be no different from Marshal Hou and Lieutenant General Hu. He could only silently hope that this group would either fail to defeat Xiong Tingbi, or that they would send a more sober general.

"Fortress?" Yuan Keli naturally had no doubts. How could Yuan Keli have expected that the father and son, who always had smiles on their faces, had already regarded him as a villain who ignored the overall situation and only cared about party disputes.

"It's right over there!" In the direction Hou Gongji pointed, the outline of the fortress's artillery position was slowly emerging.

It was a small fortress built against the mountain, less than two miles in circumference, dotted with rammed earth and wooden fortifications. There were many such fortresses scattered along the mountain road. Their primary function was to guard the mountain road, scout for enemy activity, and provide necessary and timely assistance to the surrounding residents.

Yuan Keli followed Hou Gongji's instructions and saw a cloud of dust rolling in from the direction of the castle. Apparently, when they saw the castle, the castle guards had also spotted them.

Over a hundred cavalrymen stopped about fifty paces away. After a brief pause, a general, somewhat short even on horseback, broke away from the group and approached Yuan Keli and his entourage.

"I'm General Liu Zongzheng, the garrison commander of Yuanjiabao. I'm here to meet you, Yuan Bingxian!" The general dismounted, clasped his fists, and bowed to Yuan Keli. "I hope you'll forgive me for not being able to come and greet you from afar."

"General Liu, there's no need to be so polite," Yuan Keli returned the greeting from his horse. "Please mount and let's talk!"

"Yes." Liu Zongzheng bowed again and mounted his horse.

"We just heard the sound of gunfire coming from the valley from time to time. Is it an invasion by bandits?" Liu Zongzheng heard Yuan Keli's voice again as soon as he sat down.

"It seems there are bandits approaching, but they are not within our jurisdiction," Liu Zongzheng waved his hand in the direction of Yuanjiabao. "Please rest assured, Yuan Bingxian, and move on. There is no need to worry."

"Does General Liu know the details?" Yuan Keli asked.

"I don't know the details yet," Liu Zongzheng shook his head. "From the noise, the incident seems to have occurred at Qijia Fort, six miles away. I've already sent someone to investigate. Please ask Yuan Bingxian to enter the fort and wait. I'm sure we'll get a response soon."

"Okay. Please lead the way." Yuan Keli nodded and gestured for invitation.

Liu Zongzheng pulled the reins and made a gesture, and his cavalry quickly turned around with him.

About a quarter of an hour later, Liu Zongzhen took Yuan Keli through the west gate and entered Yuanjiabao. The guards from the previous stop also bid farewell to Yuan Keli and his party, and returned north along the original route to Liujiabao, forty miles away.

"General Liu," Yuan Keli stepped into the stirrup and dismounted. A groom immediately came forward to hold the horse. "Here's the ticket signed to me by General Xiong, and the postal token from the Imperial Chariot Department is also here. Please examine it."

"No need to check." Liu Zongzheng smiled and waved his hand. "Please take it back." Liu Zongzheng certainly didn't know Yuan Keli, but he knew the commander of Liujiabao who had left earlier. Moreover, two days ago, he had received an official letter from the Weining General's Mansion asking him to escort the emperor.

"Please examine General Liu." Yuan Keli insisted.

Liu Zongzheng was startled, then reached out with both hands to take the envelope. "Haha, I'm sorry to be so rude then." Liu Zongzheng pretended to examine the ticket and postal token with great seriousness, but in reality, he only glanced at the seals of the Imperial Vehicle Department and the General Administration Office before reading the text.

While Liu Zongzheng was dealing with Yuan Keli, Lu Wenzhao, who was accompanying him, moved to Yuan Keli's side without saying a word. He stood there quietly, like a close attendant.

"Yuan Bingxian, please." Liu Zongzheng returned the ticket and post token, still holding them up.

"How long will it take to get to Phoenix City?" Yuan Keli asked.

Liu Zongzheng thought for a moment, then raised his head and glanced at the sky. "Our fort is about thirty-five miles away from Phoenix City. If we hurry, we should be able to get there before dark. However, I still suggest you stay overnight in Yuanjiabao and continue your journey tomorrow morning."

boom.
As they were talking, a dull cannon shot followed by a burst of stray gunfire came from the mountains and fields.

"Here they come again." Yuan Keli frowned and looked in the direction of the cannon fire. "Is Qijiabao over there?"

"That's right," Liu Zongzheng also looked up. "At the moment, there's only cannon fire but no beacon signals. This means the situation isn't serious. At most, there are only a dozen or so roving bandits. And they probably don't intend to attack the fort."

The watchtowers at various locations would fire their cannons the moment they spotted the enemy. This not only deterred the enemy but also alerted nearby allies. If the enemy's numbers exceeded the capacity of a single watchtower, the stationed soldiers would light a beacon and, depending on the situation, either hold their position and await reinforcements or abandon the watchtower and retreat. The fact that no beacon had been lit at this time indicated that the situation was not serious for the time being.

Yuan Keli nodded slightly and asked, "Has Yuanjiabao recently sent reinforcements to the surrounding areas, or received reinforcements?"

Liaodong's military response mechanism consisted of multiple tiers. The lowest level involved small-scale support from each watchtower, with patrol troops providing support. If a watchtower was attacked and a beacon was lit, surrounding watchtowers would respond quickly to the signal transmitted by the beacon. If this level of support failed to dispel the enemy, or if a watchtower fell, the watchtower's superior, a castle or post station, would dispatch a medium-sized reinforcement. If a castle itself was besieged, other nearby castles, and even larger cities above it, would send large reinforcements in an attempt to relieve the siege. If the larger city was unable to cope, news would be transmitted all the way to Liaoyang via beacon fire and artillery fire.

Therefore, what Yuan Keli actually asked about was the scale of the slave bandits.

"It depends on how close you mean." Liu Zongzheng turned around and found that Yuan Keli was still looking in the direction of Qijiabao.

"Nearly a month," Yuan Keli added.

Liu Zongzhen said with certainty: "In the past month, my fort has not sent any reinforcements to support the surrounding areas, but Qijia Fort has been dispatching troops frequently, and they report a few casualties to Phoenix City every few days." This area is already under the jurisdiction of Kuandian Lieutenant General Hu Guochen, and Hu Guochen is currently stationed in Phoenix City waiting for Yuan Keli.

"Why is this?" Yuan Keli turned around.

Liu Zongzheng was stunned for a moment. But he quickly realized that this newly appointed military officer was unfamiliar with the distribution of forts. Pointing in the direction of Qijiabao, he patiently explained, "Qijiabao isn't on the official road, but on Qijialing. That location blocks the paths to Yuanjiabao and Songjiatun. If the bandits want to attack Yuanjiabao or plunder Songjiatun, they must first circumvent or even capture Qijiabao."

"In other words," Yuan Keli pondered for a moment, "Qijiabao itself can be considered an outpost for Yuanjiabao and Songjiatun?"

"You're right," Liu Zongzheng nodded. "But strictly speaking, Yuanjiabao should be providing backup and a retreat for Qijiabao. After all, Zhang Shoubei is half a rank higher than me, a superior." The so-called half a rank higher meant that Liu Zongzheng's title was "Deputy Commander-in-Chief," while Zhang Shoubei was the actual Commander-in-Chief. Although both were assigned to garrison positions and received a fourth-rank salary, they were still inferior.

Yuan Keli didn't want to argue with Liu Zongzheng about such trivial matters of seniority. He immediately asked, "Have the recent attacks been more frequent than before?"

"Compared to the siege of Shenyang, the number of bandits appearing has indeed increased." Liu Zongzheng couldn't stand the heat and took off his helmet and handed it to his attendant. "But it would be more appropriate to say it the other way around."

(End of this chapter)