Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 567 The storm is coming
"Of course." Hu Guochen swallowed, stood up, and walked over to the map on the right side of the lobby. He raised his hand and drew a large circle around Kuandian Liubao. "I believe Yuan Bingxian is aware that this area is still occupied by slave bandits?"

The narrow definition of the Kuandian Six Forts refers to a long chain of border forts, headed by Kuandian Fort, stretching nearly a hundred miles across, bordering the Jianzhou Jurchens to the north and the vassal state of Korea to the east. Its core consisted of the six forts of Kuandian, Changdian, Yongdian, Dadian, Xindian, and Sudian, whose construction began in the first year of the Wanli reign and took several years to complete. Beyond these six core forts were numerous garrison villages and border outposts, dependent on and under the jurisdiction of the Six Forts. The narrow definition of the Kuandian Six Forts, along with these garrison villages and border outposts, constitute the broader definition of the Kuandian Six Forts. On a map, this is the area circled by Hu Guochen.

The broader term "Kuandian and other places" encompassed not only the six forts of Kuandian but also the areas beyond them, from Zhenjiang to Fenghuangcheng. The area Hu Guochen, the Lieutenant General of Kuandian, theoretically was supposed to govern was "Kuandian and other places." In other words, after the burning of the city and the abandonment of the land, Hu Guochen was no longer worthy of the title "Lieutenant General of Kuandian." Had it not been for the imperial court's continued pursuit of recovering lost territory, his title would have long been changed to Lieutenant General of Fenghuang or Lieutenant General of Zhenjiang.

"I know," Yuan Keli nodded gently, looking at the map. "Kuandian Liubao was voluntarily abandoned during the period of defending Shenyang and Liaoning."

Although Hu Guochen had intended to test him, Yuan Keli's mention of "abandoning the land" still made him panic. He wanted to see Yuan Keli's reaction to find out his new superior's attitude towards the matter, but he was afraid of being seen as testing him, so he could only observe Yuan Keli's expression from the side.

Yuan Keli had no expression. No emotion could be seen on his face.

Hu Guochen said half-heartedly, "Places like Kuandian were originally inhabited by Han and Yi peoples, and intermarriage was very common. After I was ordered by General Xiong to burn the border and relocate the people, this area was completely occupied by the Yi people." Hu Guochen secretly pulled Xiong Tingbi out.

Hu Guochen observed very carefully, but Yuan Keli still keenly noticed the gaze given by Hu Guochen.

Yuan Keli tilted his head and looked directly at Hu Guochen. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but his eyebrows remained unchanged. "Commander Hu, do these past events have anything to do with the enemy's current movements? If not, there's no need to discuss them. Please get straight to the point."

As their eyes met, Hu Guochen immediately felt like he'd been seen through. He panicked, but at the same time, he felt a little relieved. At least Yuan Keli didn't continue his conversation by asking about lost territory or popular grievances. This meant that this new military advisor might not be too concerned about the issues that were being repeatedly brought up in court.

"It's related!" Hu Guochen quickly turned around and silently burned the draft he had prepared to deal with the questions about the loss of land and public resentment. He then turned the topic back to the second draft he had prepared: "In general, after the burning of houses and the relocation of people, the number of Jurchen Tatars active in and even settled in Liubao, Kuandian has been increasing for a long time, and their traces have been appearing from time to time. They often go south to plunder the border, sometimes with considerable force, just like the situation in Tianjiabao today." As he spoke, Hu Guochen even poked the location of Tianjiabao. "But as you just asked, in recent times, the activities of the Jurchen Tatars have become significantly more frequent and more abnormal than before."

"Why do you think so?" Yuan Keli's gaze shifted towards Tianjiabao following Hu Guochen's instructions.

On this larger-scale map, Tianjiabao, nestled in the mountain path, was a small, square square. Ahead of it stretched a border wall, stretching from south to north, along the river and over the mountains, with no end in sight. Beyond the wall on the other side of the river, Yuan Keli spotted several even smaller squares. He guessed that this was where the fireworks and artillery fire had exchanged fire with the enemy today.

"For the past two weeks, clashes similar to the one at Tianjiabao, which started strong but ended weakly, have occurred almost daily. And they've happened everywhere," Hu Guochen said, drawing lines along the Great Wall. "Today it was Tianjiabao. Yesterday it was Tangjiabao and Menjiabao. Going back further, it was Wangjiatun, Dingjiagou, and Kongjiabao." Hu Guochen recited a long list of place names like a treasure trove. "It's safe to say that the entire hundred-plus miles of wall from Fenghuang north to Zhenjiang south have been virtually explored from beginning to end by the bandits. I believe this is likely an attempt to test our military's strength and deployment."

Yuan Keli's gaze wandered along the length of the Great Wall, his expression growing increasingly serious. Through his observations along the way, Yuan Keli had roughly anticipated the situation Hu Guochen described, but he hadn't expected the situation to be so dire. "Are there any other unusual conditions?"

"Yes. To investigate the enemy, I sent many spies out of the border. They discovered that shortly after the enemy withdrew from the Shenyang area," Hu Guochen took a half step to the right, raised his hand and drew a small circle around Dadian, Yongdian, Changdian, and their surrounding areas, drawing Yuan Keli's attention there again. "The number of Yi people living outside Dadian, Yongdian, Changdian, and Sudian has increased significantly."

"A significant increase?" Yuan Keli's voice unconsciously rose two notches. Lu Wenzhao, who had been standing silently beside him, couldn't help but frown.

"Yes." Hu Guochen pointed solemnly at Sudian Fort, located along the Yalu River. "Sudian Fort is remote, with rugged terrain, making farming difficult. It can only house a hundred or so households at most. A long-term garrison would require the importation of rations and forage. Furthermore, while it's easy to defend and difficult to attack, it's not necessarily a target; it's a strategically located area. The original purpose of establishing the fort was to provide early warning to Zhenjiang. Spies from the Youyang Tusi have discovered that at least two hundred elite soldiers are now crammed into this very place."

Yuan Keli couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up using the handrail and quickly walked over to the map. "What about the other places?"

"Other things." Hu Guochen took a step to the side, giving Yuan Keli a clear view of the map. "It's hard to say about other things." Hu Guochen licked his lips, his face full of embarrassment.

"What's so hard to say?" Yuan Keli turned and stared at Hu Guochen. "Didn't you find out?"

"We haven't been able to detect it." Hu Guochen leaned sideways and drew a helpless line connecting the six forts in Kuandian. "Currently, of the six forts in Kuandian, only the spies of the Youyang Tusi have managed to detect the situation in Sudian Fort. As for the enemy situation in the other five forts, we know almost nothing."

"Why do you know nothing about it?" Yuan Keli asked.

"Because the enemy are building walls and forts," Hu Guochen sighed. "They're using the small towns and forts we've abandoned, or even burned down, as support. They've constructed a multitude of unsightly makeshift watchtowers and rammed-earth walls along the mountain passes and river mouths between the Ahe River and Kuandian Liubao."

"Though the walls of these watchtowers are vulnerable, they're still enough to stop the scouts. The bandits stationing troops and patrolling in these areas severely restricts their activities. The Youyang Tusi's spies were able to discover the situation in Sudian Fort because they dared to risk going north against the current, then crossing the mountains and ridges for close reconnaissance. That's why I said earlier that we can only roughly speculate that the bandits are sending reinforcements south."

The area enclosed by the Yihe River and the Kuandian Six Forts lies northeast of the Ming army's actual control line from Fenghuangcheng to Zhenjiang. Further north lies the traditional control area of ​​the Jianzhou Jurchen tribes.

Alternatively, Li Chengliang, with the support of Zhang Juzheng, constructed the Six Forts precisely to block the Jurchen tribes' southward migration and reduce their range of movement. Upon learning of the Ming army's relocation and construction of the Six Forts, the Jurchen tribes were greatly shocked. Xindian Fort was particularly alarming, as it sat directly on a vital route for Jurchen tribes.

If the fort had been built and allowed to be garrisoned by the Ming army, the Jurchen tribes would have either fled or been forced to operate under Ming surveillance. Indeed, the Ming army used Xindian Fort to cut off Wang Gao's communications with the Haixi Jurchens and the Mongol tribes, and blocked their access to supplies such as ironware, salt, and cloth through the horse market. In the second year of the Wanli reign, Pei Chengzu, the garrison commander of Fushun, cracked down on the Jurchen smuggling market around Xindian Fort and arrested dozens of Jurchens involved in smuggling. This action directly infuriated Wang Gao, who then led his troops on a surprise attack on Fushun Pass, lured Pei Chengzu to his death, and then publicly disemboweled him. This action ultimately led to Wang Gao's own downfall.

That year, Li Chengliang led his troops from Xindian Fort, armed with firearms, in a northern expedition against Wang Gao. The Ming army was unstoppable, and Wang Gao was defeated in his first battle. In this battle, the Ming army "beheaded over 1,100 people." In the third year of the Wanli reign, Wang Gao fled to the Hada tribe, where he was captured and surrendered by the then-Beile Wang Tai, the grandfather of Wuergudai and Wang Shizhong. He was eventually executed in the capital. Li Chengliang subsequently assigned Wang Gao's territory to his defecting general, Taksi, Nurhaci's father. The six forts of Kuandian, including Xindian Fort, became permanent outposts for monitoring the Jianzhou Jurchens.

Now this area has become a springboard for the Jurchens to invade the south, which is really hard not to feel sad.

"General Hu, how many additional troops do you think the enemy might have sent to the south?" Yuan Keli's previous displeasure completely turned into solemnity.

Hu Guochen frowned and remained silent for a moment. "I suspect, including the indigenous people who originally migrated here, there must be tens of thousands of people nearby. Even if we only count soldiers and horses, there are probably tens of thousands."

This answer clearly didn't satisfy Yuan Keli, but at this point, he wasn't about to criticize Hu Guochen. "General Hu, what do you think, if the rebels were to march south and attempt to plunder Zhenjiang, or even invade Korea, where would they most likely start?"

"If the enemy forces attempt to advance south, they'll undoubtedly use Kuandian and Xindian as their hubs," Hu Guochen said, pointing to the area between Kuandian and Xindian Forts on the map. "This area is flat, fertile, and well-connected. To the north, we can reach our home base, to the west, we can cross the Yihe River, and to the south, we can cross the Yalu River. In its heyday, the six forts of Kuandian housed tens of thousands of people, most concentrated between Kuandian and Xindian. Furthermore, the closer our army and the Youyang chieftain's scouts get to Kuandian, the harder it becomes to advance. Therefore, I suspect the enemy forces are already constructing large-scale buildings and preparing for war."

"Hmm." Yuan Keli sighed and then looked around at everyone present: "Who is the general who commands the Youyang Tusi troops?"

No one answered, until Hu Guochen finally spoke up, "The chieftain from Youyang assigned to Dingliao Youwei is Madam Bai Zaixiang. She followed Gao Bingxian south to Zhenjiang."

Bai Zaixiang, a native of Dajiangli, Youyang, was born in the 15th year of the Wanli reign. She belonged to a branch of the Youyang Bai clan, a local chieftain. In the 30th year of the Wanli reign, at the age of 15, Bai Zaixiang was chosen as a concubine by Ran Yuelong, the Youyang envoy. In the 46th year of the Wanli reign, Nurhaci, a Tartar official from the Jianzhou tribe of the Jurchens, rebelled. The following year, the Ming army suffered a crushing defeat at Sarhu, losing three divisions. The court appointed Xiong Tingbi to govern Liaodong. Upon assuming the post, Tingbi petitioned to mobilize local troops from the southwest to aid Liaodong. The emperor agreed, and ordered the troops to travel thousands of miles to provide assistance. Ran Yuelong, the Youyang envoy, responded to the call, but due to illness, he was unable to lead the troops himself. Instead, he dispatched his younger brother, Ran Jianlong, to lead the troops to Liaodong. Bai Zaixiang also volunteered to serve as her husband's deputy commander.

In February of the first year of the Taichang reign, Xiong Tingbi, the governor of Liaodong, formulated a strategy to suppress the bandits and recover the native land. He ordered the Youyang and Shiqu local chieftains to station troops in the north and south, respectively. The Youyang local chieftain had over 4,000 soldiers. The chief commander, Ran Jianlong, led the majority of his troops, over 2,000, stationed in Weining Camp. The deputy commander, Bai Zaixiang, led the remaining troops, over 2,000, stationed in Fenghuang City.

In April of the first year of the Taichang reign, Nurhaci failed to capture Shenyang. Xiong Tingbi ordered Gao Bangzuo, the commander of the division, to move south to Zhenjiang and west to protect Korea. Gao Bangzuo passed through Fenghuangcheng and formulated a two-pronged offensive and defensive strategy, transferring Bai Zaixiang south to Zhenjiang.

"I understand." Yuan Keli nodded, but did not look away. "Which general is in charge of the food and wages for this guard?"

"Yes, I!" A deputy commander in charge of military farming, storage, and grain and salary revenue and expenditure immediately stood up.

Yuan Keli glanced up and down at the deputy commander and asked, "Which general is in charge of the military preparations of this guard?"

"Yes, General!" The commander-in-chief who sat below Hu Guochen stood up. He was in charge of the manufacture, maintenance, and storage of weapons, and he directly supervised the ambassadors of the Arms Bureau and the Arms Depot.

"Very good. Please ask the two generals and the experience officer to stay for a while." Yuan Keli turned to face the crowd, "The rest of you can go back to your work."

Wow!
"I'll take my leave!" All the officials in the hall stood up and bowed to Yuan Keli to take their leave.

Soon, the only people left in the hall were Hu Guochen, the Lieutenant General who also commanded the Ding Liao Right Guard; the Associate Commander in charge of weapons manufacturing, storage, and maintenance; the Assistant Commander in charge of food and wages; and four local officials from the Experience Department. They stood there with their heads down, stunned, each one tense.

"I need a detailed account of the income and expenditure of food, wages and military equipment in the past year." Yuan Keli looked at the experience officer of the Experience Department.

"Yes! I'll get it for you right away." The Experience Officer immediately bowed and accepted the order.

"No need to get it, just send it directly to the Wei warehouse." Yuan Keli said.

"Yes, sir." The senior official turned and left.

"Let's go while it's still early. Let's go take a look in the warehouse." Yuan Keli took a step forward, and Lu Wenzhao and the other five followed.

(End of this chapter)