Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 759 Regular Army and Cannon Fodder

General Liu Guozhu of Baoding sat quietly on his horse, saber in hand, awaiting the arrival of the bandits. He had dark skin and a face full of wrinkles; if it weren't for his well-made mountain-patterned armor, he would have looked like an old farmer from the countryside.

However, those familiar with Liu Guozhu dared not underestimate him. Liu Guozhu joined the army at a young age, achieving great things late in life. He was brave in battle, always leading from the front, and gradually rose to the rank of general through solid military achievements. The Baoding garrison he built was one of the strongest armies in the Bazhou area. Last year, in cooperation with the Qionghai Navy, they blocked Abatai's advance. Although they suffered considerable losses, they also captured some Tartar heads, making a name for the Baoding troops.

Because of this military achievement, Liu Guozhu attracted the attention of the imperial court and the Ministry of War. In Yang Sichang's plan to defend against the Qionghai Army, troops transferred from Henan and those near the capital were assigned to guard the eastern coast, while the southern gateway was entrusted to Liu Guozhu and the three Tianjin guards, demonstrating his high regard for Liu Guozhu. However, unexpectedly, instead of Liu Ye's "insubordination," Li Zicheng marched north, forcing Yang to use Liu Guozhu as the last line of defense to prevent Li Zicheng from entering Shuntian Prefecture.

After receiving the order from the Ministry of War, Liu Guozhu sent out scouts to gather information about the Da Shun army. He learned that they were going to pass between Bazhou and Tianjinwei and enter Shuntian Prefecture, so he quickly assembled his troops and waited there.

As Liu Zongmin's vanguard approached, both sides sent out scouts to determine the other's marching route and location. The cavalrymen went back and forth, suffering casualties on both sides, and the news was sent back like a flowing stream. Finally, at the hour of Yi, Liu Guozhu met his opponent.

Liu Zongmin's army appeared on the horizon, looking from a distance like a large swarm of ants slowly approaching.

A centurion swallowed hard and whispered to Liu Guozhu, "Commander, this is just the vanguard of the bandits. That's all they have. Once the main force arrives, our few thousand men probably won't even be enough to fill a gap in their teeth..."

Liu Guozhu remained calm and replied, "We've even fought the Tartars head-on, so why would we be afraid of this rabble? Although the bandits are numerous, seven or eight out of ten are coerced refugees. The real fighters are the veterans, who are not easily deployed. Although we are few in number, as long as we concentrate our forces and launch a fierce attack on one place, the bandits will collapse like a breached dam sooner or later."

Hearing this, the tension among the generals eased slightly. After all, it was common knowledge that the bandits had been driven to fleeing all over Shaanxi by Hong Chengchou. The captain, seemingly to bolster his own morale, casually remarked, "In my opinion, the most formidable fighters in the world, besides the Tartars of Liaodong and the Guan Ning Army, are the Qionghai Army of Guangdong. They even captured the bandit leader Gao Yingxiang alive, proving that these bandits are indeed all show and no substance."

"We must neither underestimate ourselves nor underestimate our opponents." Liu Guozhu frowned. "The fact that the rebels were able to gain such influence in such a short time means they must have some extraordinary abilities. If we treat them as mere mountain bandits, we will likely suffer a great loss."

The commander repeatedly agreed.

Speaking of the Qionghai Army, Liu Guozhu's feelings were complex. The battle against Abatai, fought alongside them, was the Baoding Army's most glorious moment. He himself had never imagined that he could confront a renowned Tartar general like Abatai head-on with only a few thousand cavalry, and even capture many heads. All of this was naturally inseparable from the Qionghai Army's help. Liu Guozhu also knew that with enough cavalry, the Qionghai Army could defeat Abatai single-handedly; the Baoding Army merely played a restraining role. He was fully aware of the Qionghai Army's strength.

Unfortunately, things took an unexpected turn. This highly decorated army, after entering the capital, became embroiled in the "military remonstrance." Although the stalemate was eventually resolved, the rift between the court and the Qionghai Army was obvious to everyone. The Ministry of War repeatedly ordered the Baoding troops to join forces with the three Tianjin garrisons to guard the southern gateway of Shuntian Prefecture. Everyone knew exactly who they were targeting.

What a pity for such a capable and battle-hardened army! Liu Guozhu thought with regret. The waters of the capital were too deep. He wasn't too clear about the conflicts between Liu Ye and Yang Sichang, the Minister of War, but it was a fact that Yang Sichang hadn't been rewarded for his merits, and it was also a fact that Liu Ye had committed insubordination. He, a mere general, couldn't judge right and wrong.

Liu Guozhu sighed. Surrounded by powerful enemies, and with infighting among the Ming Dynasty's civil and military officials, opportunities had arisen for bandit leaders like Li Zicheng to rise to power. He had heard that the Qionghai Army had accepted the court's summons to march north to defend the emperor, but whether they were putting in the effort or not, nobody knew.

The growing commotion interrupted his thoughts, and his subordinate reminded him: "Commander, the bandits are already a mile away and seem to be preparing to attack our army."

Liu Guozhu snapped out of his reverie and looked closely. He saw several flags emerging from the seemingly chaotic array opposite him, and a dense flow of people moving towards him with the flags, as if they were about to break through the Baoding army blocking their way.

With a clang, Liu Guozhu drew his sword and shouted, "We are ordered to guard Bazhou and protect the capital. We must not allow the bandits to threaten the safety of the capital. My men, follow me and fight bravely to defeat the bandits!"

Those around them drew their sabers and shouted, "We swear to follow the garrison commander to the death, to fight bravely against the enemy, and to defeat the bandits!"

"Kill!" Liu Guozhu took the lead and charged forward, followed by a large number of cavalry. The thunderous sound of hooves raised clouds of dust, creating an astonishing momentum.

Within the ranks of the Da Shun army, Liu Zongmin squinted at the charging cavalry, seemingly deep in thought, and remained silent. His attendants asked, "General, these Baoding cavalry don't seem like pushovers. Should we send the main force directly up there?"

"What do you know?" Liu Zongmin spat. "Officers and soldiers are all the same. They're all cocky at first, but they turn into cowards when they encounter setbacks. We'll use those cannon fodder to wear down their forces first. We'll send the elite troops into the old camp when the time is right. We can't let them all be wiped out too early."

Under this guiding ideology, the Da Shun army dispatched only cannon fodder troops—several thousand armed refugees. To call them armed is an understatement; as the outer perimeter of the bandits, their food and clothing were far inferior to the core troops and loyal followers, let alone their weapons. Many carried only clubs; even a decent spear was rare. Some simply ran off empty-handed, waiting to pick up a sword or something from the corpses of government soldiers.

Although poorly equipped and untrained, the bandits' greatest advantage was their sheer numbers. A swarm of them covering the mountains and plains was enough to instill fear even in unarmed peasants. Previously, when government troops fought the bandits, facing opponents several times, even ten times their size, they couldn't kill them all. Some unarmed men would even pounce and bite them. Often, after killing just a few, the government troops would break down psychologically, leading to a rout.

With a "boom," the battle between the regular army and the cannon fodder troops began.