Chapter 6: The Gathering of Generals and the Retreat of the Army

  That autumn of 1894 was destined to be a tumultuous one. After several days of rest, Ye Zhikui's wound healed quickly and the scab could be removed. Following the Battle of Seonghwan, both Chinese and Japanese armies had been relatively quiet for several days. ōshima Yoshimasa waited for the arrival of weapons, while the Qing army was too weak to launch a large-scale campaign. Although there were constant skirmishes during this period, no major battles occurred, all of which were repelled under Nie Shicheng's command.

  Early in the morning, Ye Zhi Kui got up to exercise. The last big battle made him realize that even if he was in a high position, sometimes he still needed to lead the charge.

  Just after doing a hundred or so push-ups, the orderly came to report that Nieshang had an invitation. Ye Zhikui did not feel unexpected about this. Yesterday's news said that the main force of the Japanese Fifth Division had already entered Korea and gathered between Seonghwan and Pyeongyang in Hancheng, while the Qing army's reinforcements also gathered in Pyeongyang in early August. Because there was Hancheng in between, it was out of reach for Ye Zhikui here. If the Japanese army dispatched troops from Hancheng again, Ye Zhikui and others would only have to wait to be driven down the river to feed the turtles. As a veteran general of the Qing army, Nie Shicheng and Ye Zhiqiao could not see this point. In this way, withdrawing became the only choice. Ye Zhikui guessed that Nie Shicheng sent someone to invite him to discuss this matter.

  Ye Zhikui finished washing up and hurried to Nie Shicheng's main camp with Wen Baishan. As soon as Ye Zhikui entered the door, he saw that the officers of various camps under Nie Shicheng, as well as some sentry officers, had already taken their seats. Nie Shicheng commanded the Lu Tai Huai army, while Ye Zhikui led the elite troops of the Zhili Huai army, so he was not very familiar with most of Nie Shicheng's generals. However, Ye Zhikui still smiled and greeted the various generals one after another, all of whom were younger than him. The officers of the Lu Tai Huai army were very enthusiastic towards Ye Zhikui because of his timely arrival to provide reinforcements earlier. Seeing that Ye Zhikui was not arrogant or complacent, they felt that this young man knew how to get along with people.

  Ye Zhiwei glanced at him and sat down under Jiang Zikang, Wen Baishan was sitting behind him. Jiang Zikang was over 50 years old, with few words, considered a relatively orthodox Qing army general. He came from a poor family and relied on his own efforts to rise to this position, so he didn't have much good feelings towards Ye Zhiwei, the official second generation, and they didn't have much contact. However, as he received orders from Ye Zhichao to lead the Renzi Tiger Camp to reinforce, he could be considered Ye Zhiwei's lifesaver.

  Ye Zhi Kui first performed a junior's courtesy, then repeatedly thanked Jiang Zi Kang. As for Ye Zhi Kui's enthusiasm, Jiang Zi Kang was quite unaccustomed to it, forcing out a few stiff smiles on his face and nodding slightly, which counted as exchanging greetings.

  Not long after, Nie Shicheng stepped in and entered the door. After a round of greetings, everyone sat down again. Nie Shicheng sat in the first place, looking at the gathering of generals, stroking his beard and smiling. When everyone calmed down, Nie Shicheng finally spoke up: "I'm sure you all know that the Japanese Fifth Division is gathering in Hancheng. If they come to reinforce, it will make us vulnerable to attack from both front and back. Moreover, the Japanese have many soldiers and generals, and I have been discussing with Xiaqing (Ye Zhichaos courtesy name) that we should retreat first to avoid their sharp edge and then think of a plan. What do you all think is the best way to retreat?"

  Nie Shicheng was straightforward and directly raised the topic, and the other generals began to discuss it. In history, the Qing army had retreated from the Battle of Seonghwan on that day and retreated to Pyongyang, bypassing Hanyang, taking the road through Chungju and Gimje, and after a month of hardship, they merged with the Pyongyang army that entered the dynasty to fight.

  Ye Zhi saw Jiang Zikang sitting in his seat, as still as a mud Bodhisattva, and couldn't help but feel amused. He turned to ask: "Old Jiang, what do you think we should do?"

  Jiang Zikang curled his lips and said, "Pass through Zhongzhou and Jinhua, and advance on Pingyu." It seems that this old brother has his own ideas in mind. In fact, the people present are not fools, and they have all considered it before coming. This road is only one or two paths, and a discerning person can see it at a glance. As for Nie Shicheng's intention to convene the generals to discuss retreat, he was actually discussing the order of withdrawal of troops and some subsequent preparations, such as who would be left behind to cover the rear. This is a matter that affects one's own safety, and cannot be taken lightly.

  Ye Zhiyi heard Jiang Zikang's answer and asked again: "Who is the commander of the rear army?"

  Jiang Zikang smiled rarely and said: "I am old and cannot bear the great responsibility, there are young and brave people who can take on this task."

  You old rascal, what's this nonsense about being unfit for a great responsibility and lagging behind? Are you talking about me? It's just because I was credited with the first achievement on the battlefield last time, that you're jealous of me. May you, you old good-for-nothing, trip and die while walking, choke to death while eating! Ye Zhi Kui cursed silently in his heart.

  However, he still smiled and replied: "This, my junior suffered heavy losses in the army some days ago, and is not enough to take on the task again. Moreover, ginger is old and spicy, Jiang Lao is getting older and more energetic, whoever says you are old, I will argue with him."

  Jiang Zikang pouted and stopped talking.

  Nie Shicheng saw the crowd of generals below him arguing like a god buying vegetables in a market, and after discussing for half a day, not one person stood up to say no. He furrowed his brow, pressed down with both hands, and stopped them: "Alright, look at you all, what kind of discipline is this? Don't think I don't know your plans. Cong Yun, you speak."

  Ye Zhi Kui swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and with difficulty, he forced it down. He stood up, first looking around to the left and right, seeing the gloomy faces, Ye Zhi Kui just wanted to rush over and pinch a few. Earlier, they were calling him brother, but now that something's happened, they're all hiding far away.

  "General Niu, I will follow your orders."

  Xian Ye Zhui's words made Nie Shi Cheng smile, and he said with satisfaction: "Alright, from now on you will be in charge of breaking through the enemy lines for the rear army. I'll also assign a thousand men from Jiang Zikang's Tiger Battalion to you." Before Xian Ye Zhui could say anything else, Nie Shi Cheng hastily added: "It's settled then. Let's discuss other matters."

  To say that Nian Shicheng is also a headache, the last battle lost the most was not Ye Zhikui, nor Jiang Zikan, but Nian Shicheng. If he sends his subordinates to cut off the rear again, he will not be able to bear it, and Jiang Zikan is also arrogant, so only Ye Zhikui is left. As a subordinate of Ye Zhiqiang, only Ye Zhikui can lead the Hu Ziying camp's soldiers well.

  Ye Zhi Kui was still in a daze, while the other generals began to discuss other issues heatedly. This speed, how can it be described as fast? Ye Zhi Kui couldn't help but think of this sentence: The Qing dynasty's generals are really something else. However, there was no way around it, the leader had spoken, so he could only sit down and start planning for the aftermath.

  After the person in charge was settled, other problems were no longer a problem. Before long, Nie Shicheng and his generals discussed and formulated a strategic plan for a major transfer of troops. Ye Zhiwei was completely ignored, and then everyone chatted for a few more sentences before returning to their respective camps and preparing for the retreat the next day.