Chapter Ten

After Tu Hai’s elite Qing troops entered Zhili, the political situation grew delicate. In the region around Beijing, the wealthy and influential families who had previously made contact with the Han army quickly withdrew into the shadows. As the saying goes, “The shadow of a tree, the reputation of a man”—Tu Hai, the Grand General, was renowned as a veteran of a hundred battles. Not only had he recently suppressed the Chahar and quelled the peasant armies, but even back in the Shunzhi era, he was a celebrated officer of the Eight Banners. As soon as he took over Tong Dagang’s troops, he launched a whirlwind reorganization, striving to merge his twenty thousand soldiers with the Zhili garrison into a unified force. The Zhili Qing troops, previously suppressed across the board by the Han army, seemed to stand taller after receiving reinforcements. The Qing army at Tianjin even dared to venture out of the city and engage in a skirmish with Han cavalry. In response, the Han troops, who had been training separately in several locations, quickly regrouped, consolidating their forces and preparing supplies for battle.

Originally, Lin Feng believed warfare in this era should be straightforward. His idea was to set a time and place with Tu Hai, bring out their men, and have a decisive clash—what military doctrine would call a “battle of encounter.” Yet the current situation appeared strange. Intelligence suggested Tu Hai’s forces and the Han army were evenly matched, and Tu Hai’s soldiers were seasoned veterans, with cavalry nearly double the Han army’s own. In terms of fighting strength, they should even surpass the Han troops. Lin Feng had assumed that, as a central commander personally promoted by the Kangxi Emperor, Tu Hai would be blinded by rage and launch a reckless assault to repay imperial favor. His troops, eager to return home, would fight with ferocity on the doorstep of their homeland. But at this crucial moment of morale, Tu Hai instead split his forces between Tianjin and Baoding, setting up a pincer defense around the capital. Faced with such turtle tactics, Lin Feng found it hard to make a move, and was forced to convene a council of officers.

Lin Feng curled his lip in disdain. “What is Tu Hai, anyway? How many Manchus have we killed? From Kangxi himself to the princes and nobles, every one of them was renowned—and we slaughtered them like chickens. Compared to those men, what does Tu Hai amount to?” He chuckled. “He wants to blockade me? I won’t let him. Let’s burn our bridges and fight him head-on, take Tianjin and Baoding while we’re at it. Damn it, I’ve put up with Tong Dagang long enough!”

Zhou Peigong smiled and agreed. “Exactly. Things have reached this point; we must throw in everything and fight to the death. Once we pull out this nail named Tu Hai, we can march south to Shandong, west to coordinate with the righteous armies, north to conquer Liaodong. We’ll strike whomever we wish. One move to focus, and the whole board comes alive!”

Lin Feng looked around the room; seeing no further objections, he immediately ordered, “Pass my command: except for the two battalions monitoring Shanhai Pass, the entire Han army will assemble in Beijing, ready for expedition!”

The generals answered loudly and filed out. When everyone had left, Zhou Peigong suddenly sighed softly. “Tu Hai truly is a famous general.”

Lin Feng was taken aback. “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Peigong gave a bitter smile. “Attack without attacking—he calculated everything well in advance. He knew we had no other way out, so he set up mutual support and fortified the walls, waiting for us to ram our heads against them!”

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Ideal Era

July 28