Section Twenty-Seven

At this point, Wang Shirong paused, seeming somewhat hesitant. He raised his head and glanced at Lin Feng. “...Aside from these regular enemy troops, there are many traitorous bands within Shanxi aligned with the Dzungar Mongols. These collaborator forces are mostly scattered across various towns and cities west and north of Taiyuan. They serve the Mongol army by pacifying the region and requisitioning grain and supplies. Actually, Xinzhou originally harbored over six thousand of these traitorous soldiers. However, ever since our forces dealt a major blow to the enemy’s western army, many newly attached forces around Daizhou and Baode have switched sides. The Mongols no longer trust them, fearing they might defect and act as our internal spies. Therefore, they have been relegated to the rear, tasked with escorting provisions.”

In truth, Han generals paid little heed to these puppet traitor troops. Though numerous, they were poorly equipped, poorly organized, and possessed extremely weak combat morale. Deploying them on the battlefield would be tantamount to suicide. Not only would they fail to inflict significant damage on the enemy, but they would also disrupt their own ranks and sap the fighting spirit of the main forces. By strength alone, they were even inferior to the militia units within the Han military system. Consequently, their sole role in the war was to serve as security police in the rear, shifting loyalties like grass in the wind, ready to side with whichever faction emerged victorious.

“Excellent! The intelligence from the military secret service is detailed and precise; I am greatly comforted,” Lin Feng stood and addressed the assembled ministers. “Did everyone hear what Ji Yun just said clearly?!” Yet no one in the hall responded. He continued on his own, “Do not be misled by Galdan’s emissaries seeking peace and think the enemy is weak. Galdan’s overture has other motives; it is not out of fear of us. Presently, the enemy camps tens of thousands in Xinzhou, their strength is formidable. They are our true adversaries. You must be cautious and not underestimate them!”

“General Zhao, you have had the most dealings with the Dzungars. What do you think Galdan’s intentions are by stationing troops in Xinzhou?”

“Your Majesty, since our advance, the Dzungar barbarians have been digging trenches and erecting fortifications around Xinzhou, setting up bastions equipped with muskets and cannons. Their plan is to rely on strongholds to blunt our momentum, wear down our veteran troops, and then strike with light cavalry to shatter our forces.”

“Oh?” Lin Feng found this approach quite peculiar. In his experience, Mongol warfare was defined by traditional mounted archery guerrilla tactics or heavy cavalry battles. Now they were seriously adopting positional warfare, which was baffling. He shook his head and smiled wryly. “So they must have quite a few cannons, then?”

Zhao Guangyuan stepped forward. “Your Majesty, a few days ago, along with Liang Dong, we conducted several feints to probe the enemy. You wouldn’t believe it—those barbarians actually have a lot of artillery, around fifty or sixty pieces…”

“Fifty-seven,” Zhao Liangdong corrected. “Among them are about a dozen heavy pieces capable of firing six li—approximately five and a half to six kilometers. However, they lack explosive shells and can only fire solid iron shot.”

Fifty-seven was indeed a considerable number. Lin Feng stroked his chin thoughtfully. It seemed his earlier assumption was mistaken. His staff had planned this war primarily as a cavalry engagement, which was why he had brought tens of thousands of elite horsemen but not many large-caliber cannons. Now, suddenly facing positional warfare was a headache.

It seemed Galdan was quite unconventional. He supposedly revered Genghis Khan, yet his tactics didn’t resemble the traditional Mongol style at all. Lin Feng smiled bitterly. “Heming, how many cannons did we bring?”

“Your Majesty, this expedition to Shanxi mainly consists of light cavalry; artillery was scarce,” Mu Tianyan admitted reluctantly. “Currently, with all the artillery brigades combined and our Imperial Guard’s heavy artillery, we have a total of 265 cannons and just over 8,000 troops. Among these, only 28 are ‘Red Robe Cannons.’ This is sufficient for open field battles but likely inadequate for siege warfare.”

Given the technological limits of the era, most Han artillery lacked significant power. The most formidable was the front-loading smoothbore cannon developed by Dai Zi, inspired by European designs. Though retaining the traditional name “Red Robe Cannon,” it had much better range and accuracy, capable of firing up to twelve li—about five and a half to six kilometers. Aside from these heavy guns, smaller artillery pieces were much weaker. After Lin Feng’s victories over Tuhai and the Liaodong alliance, military thinking centered on “decisive open battle” and “buckshot to kill the enemy.” The Ministry of Works’ engineers developed field guns under a thousand jin, ideal for firing buckshot and grapeshot, deadly within three to five hundred paces. However, with solid or explosive rounds, their range and precision diminished drastically, at most three to four li with poor accuracy.

Currently, Han forces mainly fielded these smaller cannons. While 265 pieces sounded formidable, relying on them to assault fortified enemy positions would be quite unreasonable.

Lin Feng’s head pounded as he pondered. After a long silence, he mused, “Galdan has tens of thousands of heavy cavalry, yet he chooses positional warfare—what is he thinking?!”

Zhao Liangdong was stunned. “Your Majesty, you must be mistaken! How could he dare engage our cavalry directly?!”

Lin Feng was shocked. The Mongols afraid to fight cavalry battles? Was there anything more absurd in the world? He looked at Zhao Liangdong suspiciously. “Old Zhao, what nonsense are you spouting? This is no joking matter!”

“Your servant would never jest,” Zhao Liangdong bowed respectfully, then said, “Your Majesty, ever since the Battle of Beining, everyone knows our Han cavalry are the strongest troops today. In a single day and night, they wiped out the Liaodong Eight Banners and forced a truce with the Khorchin. Such martial prowess—does Galdan dare, with his ambition, to face our Han cavalry head-on?”

Lin Feng widened his eyes in disbelief. “Is that so?” He glanced around, laughing. “Why has no one ever told me this before?”

“Exactly!” Zhao Guangyuan nodded. “I’ve dealt with the Mongols for years in Suiyuan. It is said that Ma Polu led eight thousand cavalry in a sudden attack, routing fifteen thousand allied Mongol troops in just an hour, slaying scores of officers and capturing over a thousand. This news struck fear among the Mongol tribes, including Chahar. There was no small skirmish here—one side was the feared Eight Banner cavalry of China; the other, the elite Khorchin horde. They were knocked down at the first encounter. Do you think they weren’t afraid?”

Hearing this, Ma Ying stood behind Rick, chuckling grimly, the scar on his face twitching menacingly.

“Because of this, they dare not fight us in cavalry battles?!” Lin Feng found this strange. “But didn’t they have that ‘Xueqie Army’? That force was legendary. Back when Genghis Khan expanded his empire, they were undefeated!”

“Genghis Khan is Genghis Khan; Galdan is Galdan,” Zhao Liangdong said with a smile. “I’m from Gansu and have long dealt with the Mongols. You don’t know that the Dzungars are very different from the old Mongols. They increasingly rely on firearms, and their archery skills have declined. In my opinion, their cavalry has two major weaknesses compared to ours: first, their armor is poor. They lack iron and mostly wear leather armor, which, as you know, is ineffective in real combat; second, they have fewer cannons. Once their cavalry charges, we just set up our artillery and blast them. That’s a death trap!”

“Oh, if that’s the case, they can just fight and retreat, right?” Lin Feng asked. “Didn’t Genghis Khan say the Mongols fight by retreating and charging like cracking walnut shells? If they use guerrilla tactics, our artillery won’t be able to keep up and would be useless, wouldn’t it?”

“Your Majesty worries too much,” Wang Shirong chuckled. “How big is northern Shanxi? Can it accommodate tens of thousands of cavalry for hit-and-run warfare? Remember, our main force is also elite cavalry. How much advantage could they gain?”

Lin Feng was not convinced. He was about to speak when Wang Shirong continued, “But more importantly, Galdan can’t retreat even if he wanted.”

“Why not?”

“This is not a military issue but a political one,” Wang Shirong stroked his beard and said confidently. “Have you forgotten, Your Majesty, that Galdan only capitulated to the Khalkha last year, bringing the Torghut, Ikh Zhas, and other tribes under his sway? It’s been barely a year, and loyalty remains unsettled. I believe many of these tribes are reluctant vassals. This year, Galdan, emboldened by pacifying the Khalkha and defeating the Tshetu, rashly launched raids into Shanxi, expecting an unstoppable advance. Yet, after setbacks at Taiyuan’s fortified city and heavy losses against our Han forces, how could the Mongol tribes under his command not harbor resentment?”

“Indeed, indeed!” Lin Feng applauded, feeling enlightened.

“I am but a weak scholar with no martial skill, yet I know that if the Mongol army employed guerrilla tactics, their forces would be scattered into small units, striking and retreating flexibly. This method was once devastating, but times have changed. Galdan lacks the power to do so,” Wang Shirong smiled and turned to his colleagues. “If the Mongols break apart, who can guarantee that other tribal forces won’t flee back to Mongolia and fight us to the death? Our Han forces are sharp and invincible. Anyone with treacherous thoughts would find the Khalkha and Hui soldiers in our Eastern Army as examples!”

“Yes, a large army with even a small faction wavering and fleeing would cause panic among others, and the battle would be lost without fighting,” Lin Feng nodded in agreement.

“That is why Galdan has formed such a ‘tin bucket’ formation,” Wang Shirong bowed slightly to Lin Feng and said solemnly, “He now possesses many cannons and muskets, with soldiers quartered in towns and fortified cities. The official road to the northwest remains open, and supplies from Ordos flow steadily. Strategy says that in battle there are three factors: timing, terrain, and unity. We have unity; the Mongols hold the terrain; the timing is equal between us. So why does Galdan not engage us in an offensive-defensive battle at Xinzhou?”

“Your Majesty,” Rick finally stepped forward from the generals’ ranks after long silence, “I believe the Privy Councilor is correct. We must not assume that because the Tatars are nomads, they will inevitably fight us in open battle. War is a complex science, constantly changing and hard to predict. I think we must recognize this!”

“Very well, so be it,” Lin Feng waved his hand, signaling everyone to return to their places. Standing, he issued orders, “Withdraw laborers from the rear army to build fortifications and repair barracks along the Xinzhou front. Effective immediately, transport large quantities of supplies both overland and by water, and establish fortresses and stockpiles at Xinkou, Caozhuang, and this location!”

He looked around. “Remember, this battle will likely become a protracted war. When you return, thoroughly organize defenses. Be vigilant everywhere and do not let the Mongols find any weakness.”

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