Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 367 The First Battle in the Central Plains

Liu Ye replied, “That’s true. Before we left, Miss Lin was supposed to take a boat to Shandong to visit relatives. However, the situation on the shore is unclear, so I didn’t let her accompany us to Shahe, but instead left her on Changdao Island for the time being. If Lord Lin agrees to let her go ashore, I can immediately send someone to bring her over…”

Lin Tianming snorted: "How reckless! Shandong is still in the midst of war. How can I take good care of a woman who comes here all by herself when I have so many things to deal with every day? Besides, the army is full of rough and uncouth men. How can we accommodate her?"

Liu Ye was somewhat troubled. He had thought that handing Lin Shiyue over to her father would be enough, but Lin Tianming had started complaining first, so it seemed this burden wouldn't be easy to get rid of anytime soon. He thought for a moment and suggested, "Changdao Island is deserted and the sea winds are biting. In addition, the navy may be ordered to intercept the enemy at any time. It would be even more unsettling to leave Miss Lin there. Why not bring her to Shahe? Although the soldiers are all rough men, it's always safer to have her under our watchful eyes. Besides, Miss Lin is intelligent and knows how to disguise herself as a man to avoid gossip. If Lord Lin is too busy with official duties, then you can temporarily keep her in my army, what do you think?"

In his view, Lin Tianming would never entrust a young, unmarried woman to the care of a martial artist; he would definitely keep her by his side. So, his words were just polite and did not reflect his true willingness to take care of Lin Shiyue.

But to his surprise, Lin Tianming agreed almost without hesitation: "Very well. Governor Mu speaks highly of you, saying that you are both capable and virtuous. I trust his judgment, and I am very relieved to have you take care of Shiyue."

Liu Ye was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then filled with regret, wishing he could slap himself. Why had he said that extra word? Why had he agreed to let Lin Shiyue board the ship in the first place? He was in Shandong to do important things; he didn't have time to take care of a little girl. Besides, this father was really dense; he actually trusted him with his daughter.

In truth, Lin Tianming wasn't truly indifferent to his daughter's safety; his actions were driven by several reasons. As an official striving for advancement, accompanying the army to procure military provisions and advise on military matters presented a golden opportunity to gain merit and advance his career. How could he allow his daughter to linger by his side, giving others ammunition against her? Bringing family members to the army was a major taboo; if someone impeached him, all his achievements would be for naught. Conversely, in the Qiongzhou camp, no one would be as conspicuous as him. Hiding someone in a camp of several thousand men was incredibly easy, unlike him, alone, with nowhere to hide even if he wanted to.

Furthermore, the subtle thoughts revealed in his daughter's letters, coupled with his brother-in-law Mu Tianyan's explicit intention to matchmake the two, made Lin Tianming less wary of Liu Ye. Although in those days civil officials were valued more than military officers, and a mere military officer didn't seem to match the Lin family's political background, not to mention Lin Tianming's potential to reach the fourth or fifth rank, he wasn't necessarily going to marry his daughter to him. However, he could still be considered a potential candidate, since Liu Ye was still young and had room for advancement.

With the personal matters settled, all that remained was official business. Lin Tianming designated a campsite for the Qiongzhou camp and then hurriedly departed to allocate provisions for the two thousand men.

Liu Ye ordered Shi Ying and Xu Yifan to lead the soldiers to set up camp, and the two thousand soldiers began to get busy.

At this moment, General Liu Zeqing, the commander of the militia, strolled over with a few of his men. Seeing the Qiongzhou camp busy setting up camp, he sneered, "We're here to earn military merit anyway, why are you setting up such a solid camp? Just set up some tents for a few nights. If there's a real battle, we can't count on you southern soldiers."

Liu Ye frowned. This Liu Zeqing was as annoying as a fly, yet he couldn't swat him away. He immediately retorted, "If we don't rely on our Southern troops, are we supposed to rely on your Shandong troops? If you can quell the rebels, why would you need to draw troops from the Liaodong Guan Ning Army, and we Southern troops wouldn't have to go on such a long expedition? I wonder if General Liu has fought against the rebels in the past two years, and whether his troops have been decimated?"

Liu Zeqing was embarrassed, then became furious, pointing at Liu Ye: "You..."

Liu Ye didn't give him a chance to speak, and continued, "Oh, by the way, you still retain your position as commander-in-chief. It seems your subordinates weren't all wiped out; you can still muster enough men to fight. When we're on the battlefield, you might not be able to do much else, but you can still cheer them on. If my troops go to the battlefield, Commander Liu, remember to have your men cheer me on. When I return victorious, if I'm in a good mood, I might give you a few rebel-level troops!"

Liu Zeqing's face turned pale and then red, his expression extremely unpleasant. He stared intently at Liu Ye and said, word by word, "I am a general appointed by the imperial court, while you are merely a minor military officer. By all accounts, you should kneel and pay your respects to me. Yet you are so arrogant and rude, repeatedly humiliating me. Do you really think there is no one else in Shandong?"

Liu Ye scoffed. "I wouldn't kneel to the emperor, the supervising eunuch, or the governor. Why would I kneel to a piece of trash like you?" He said leisurely, "General Liu, face is earned, not begged for. Even if your troops were intact, let alone that you've been crippled, one of my centurions could handle you. Do you think I need to give face to such an incompetent person?"

Liu Zeqing pointed at Liu Ye with a trembling finger: "What an arrogant and domineering southern barbarian! I'll remember this. When the time is right, you'll be sorry." After saying that, he turned and left.

Liu Ye watched his retreating figure and snorted coldly. He had witnessed the rebels' strength before; they were nothing special, just a bunch of bandits with no strategic goals, completely controlled by the masses, only capable of burning, killing, and looting. The fact that they were utterly defeated by such an army clearly demonstrated the weakness of Liu Zeqing's forces. There was no need to fawn over such trash.

After joining the main army, Liu Ye thought he would have to wait patiently in the army, but unexpectedly, there was movement two days later.

Although the rebels retreated to the Dengzhou area, they were not willing to hold Dengzhou city and wait for their doom. Li Jiucheng was known for his bravery and often went out of the city to fight, expanding his activities to the border area between Dengzhou and Laizhou. The two sides often engaged in large-scale field battles with thousands of cavalry and infantry combined with artillery, with each side winning and losing.

This time, Li Jiucheng again led 3,000 cavalry, along with 2,000 infantry, to the vicinity of Shahe, seeking an opportunity to engage in battle. Zhu Dadian, seeking stability, did not send his entire army in a full-scale attack, but instead dispatched the Guan Ning Army as the main force, with several Shandong generals leading troops to cover the flanks. Just as he was about to issue the order, he suddenly remembered the Qiongzhou Battalion from Guangdong who had volunteered a few days earlier. A thought struck him: why not send this arquebusier unit to test their mettle against the rebels? So, with a stroke of his pen, he added the name "Qiongzhou Battalion." Thus, the Qiongzhou Battalion's first battle in the Central Plains arrived.