Section Seventeen

The cavalry brigade was stationed twelve miles from the county seat of Jing County, divided into two main sections with two battalions in each. The areas targeted in this attack were the camps of the Third and Fourth Battalions located at Xiao Li Village and Ma Jia Slope, the only units stationed outside the city walls. Since Zhao Liangdong moved the Fifth Army's main headquarters to Jing County, the rest of the infantry, artillery, and the medical battalion had all been moved inside the city for defense, leaving only two musketeer battalions to guard the grain supply route at Wuniu Mountain. To turn this small county seat into a bridgehead for the invasion of Shanxi, the Fifth Army had not only conscripted local able-bodied men but also mobilized over six thousand camp followers to dig moats and reinforce the fortifications, aiming to transform the town into a fortress as quickly as possible. During this construction, the cavalry brigade, as the only mobile unit under Zhao Liangdong’s command, naturally assumed the duties of perimeter security, reconnaissance, scouting, and rapid response.

When Zhao Liangdong arrived at the cavalry brigade’s camp with the main force, the battle had already concluded. The sudden arrival of the Mongol cavalry had caught the Han army off guard. The small village used as a camp was in ruins; human and horse corpses lay piled together, and arrowheads were embedded inches deep into walls and wooden panels. Despite the soldiers' desperate efforts to extinguish the fires, half of the village’s houses had been razed and were still smoldering.

Upon seeing the commander’s standard, Cavalry Brigade Commander Mu Chengdong hurriedly gathered his officers to meet him. "Mu Chengdong pays his respects to the General! My failure to lead my troops properly allowed the Tatars to gain the upper hand and dampened the spirit of our army. My crime is unforgivable; I beg the General to punish me!"

Zhao Liangdong let out a grunt, looking the cavalry colonel up and down with a faint, non-committal expression. Seeing the commander remain silent, Mu Chengdong knelt on one knee and kowtowed deeply. Terrified yet unable to speak in his own defense, he remained frozen as a grim, suffocating atmosphere filled the barracks. All the officers lowered their heads, trembling.

After a long silence, Zhao Liangdong nodded. "Rise, Commander Mu—everyone, rise." As they stood up cautiously, he softened his tone. "Commander Mu, what were our total casualties?"

"Reporting to the General, the Tatars were cunning and vicious. In the early hours of the morning, their scouts snuck into Xiao Li Village and Ma Jia Slope, using lassos to garrote our patrols and sentries. They then launched a massive assault, killing and burning as they went. The Third and Fourth Battalions were caught completely off guard..."

"Snap!" Zhao Liangdong struck his chair hard with his riding crop and shouted, "Dammit! I asked you how many men died!!!"

Mu Chengdong trembled and knelt again. "Re... reporting to the General, the cavalry brigade lost three hundred and twenty-six men and two hundred and twenty-two horses..."

"Which Tatar unit was it? How many of them were there? Who was their leader?!"

"Reporting to the General, these Tatars were Hui cavalry. It is hard to judge their exact strength, but I estimate there were about two to three thousand," Mu Chengdong replied after a moment of thought. "Though we were stunned at the start, our brothers did not let them get away easily. The Tatars lost two to three hundred men of their own."

Zhao Liangdong accepted this assessment. Having inspected the battlefield, it was fair to say the Mongol army had performed poorly. Despite having the advantage of a surprise attack, they had suffered casualties equal to the force caught in a defensive position, which spoke volumes.

Cui Weiya suddenly realized the implication and said, "So, their attack on the cavalry brigade was not for profit, but to mobilize and exhaust our forces?!"

"Exactly. Just do the math—take the musketeers for example. A soldier carries his musket, gunpowder, bullets, water, and rations, weighing twenty to thirty catties. Jing County is twelve miles from Xiao Li Village; our army, burdened with gear, is exhausted by the time they arrive. And once there, they might have to fight for hours. If the enemy lingers, our soldiers have to chop wood and build camps to face them. Tell me, wouldn’t that be a losing battle for us?"

"..."

"And that’s not the end of it. Once our reinforcements arrive, they flee, turn around, and harass Jing County or another camp, forcing us to run another dozen miles back and forth!"

"Then..." Cui Weiya thought for a moment. "I believe we should order the three armies to reinforce their camps, stockpile grain and fodder, and dig deep trenches to hold our ground. Our main force should remain in the county seat, and we should be cautious about sorties!"

"Nonsense!" Zhao Liangdong laughed dismissively. "Rescuing troops is like fighting a fire; a moment’s delay could cost thousands of lives. The Tatars have over ten thousand men. If they truly launch a full-scale assault and wipe out one of our units, what then?" He turned his head and glanced at Mu Chengdong. "If we hadn't reinforced the cavalry brigade today and just watched our brothers be slaughtered, would the army still have any morale left? How would we fight this war then?"

Cui Weiya broke into a cold sweat and asked timidly, "Then... how does the General suggest we handle this?"

"There is no other way but to meet attack with attack," Zhao Liangdong said, his expression turning solemn as he looked at Mu Chengdong. "Colonel Mu, how many men do you have left?"

Mu Chengdong started, hurriedly kneeling and cupping his hands. "Reporting to the General, including officers and men, I have one thousand six hundred and fifty-four soldiers and two thousand and twenty-two horses!"

"Good. I will restore your unit's strength now." He beckoned his personal guard forward. "I am placing my own personal cavalry battalion under your command. I order your unit to set out immediately for Daizhou and sweep through the Mongol supply lines along the way!"

Mu Chengdong was shocked. He looked up at Zhao Liangdong, stuttering, "...General, there are over ten thousand Tatar cavalry, plus tens of thousands of traitorous troops. This... this..."

"Haha, Colonel Mu, do not be alarmed. I am not asking you to engage the Tatar main force. Your detachment is meant to be a 'spoiler.' If the Tatars have superior numbers, run; if you encounter a large force of traitors, take a detour. In short, seize opportunities where you can and retreat from hard targets. I will provide you with extra scouts—if the Tatars truly try to surround and annihilate you, you can simply retreat back to Jing County!" Zhao Liangdong stroked his short beard and chuckled.

Mu Chengdong felt relieved and bowed his head to accept the order.

"When Tatars fight, they always bring more horses than men. Behind their combat troops are the herds of sheep and cattle they graze. Though they are prone to looting, their grain consumption is enormous. Your task is to find their supply herds—kill, burn, and plunder them. Do your best to tie down their main force!"

"By the General's words, it seems you intend to drag this war out?!" Cui Weiya finally realized and asked cautiously.

"Exactly. The Tatars pulled this trick to force a quick decision, trying to block our army from entering Shanxi and buying time for Galdan to besiege Taiyuan," Zhao Liangdong said sternly. "So, I must pin them here. They cannot advance, and they cannot retreat. When they hit and run, I will use my elite cavalry to harass their rear; when their main force comes to attack, I will be waiting with fortified walls and heavy artillery. I will leave them at a loss, unable to move or act."

"And... what if the enemy flees to central Shanxi?"

Zhao Liangdong looked at Cui Weiya with a strange expression, then let out a muffled laugh. "What if they do? If they run, do you think I will be polite? We will naturally march on Daizhou and Baode, bringing the northwest of Shanxi under our control." He shook his head and patted Cui Weiya on the shoulder. "Administrator Cui, it seems you are still a scholar at heart. The Tatar soldiers have always prided themselves on their martial prowess; how could they flee without a fight? And if they did, how would they answer to Galdan? If Colonel Mu's expedition succeeds, I predict the traitorous troops will hesitate, watching each other and not daring to face us directly. The Tatar Eastern Army will then have only two choices: retreat to the Daizhou prefectural city to consolidate their defenses and wait for us to attack, or gather their elite main force to fight us in a decisive battle at Jing County!!!"

He flicked his riding crop and smiled. "A decisive battle is exactly what I want."