Chapter 27: The Military Inspector and the Treacherous General

  Yang Ling turned around, only to see Huang Xian Cheng, Jiang Bin and a group of county officials rushing forward, kneeling on the ground and saying: "Your subordinate Ji Ming County Magistrate Huang Qi Yu, Commander Jiang Bin pays respects to all the dignitaries."

  Yongning General waved his hand and said, "Get up, where is Magistrate Min?"

  He moved slightly, and the armor on his body clattered loudly. This Lord He, the Ning'an General, was about fifty years old, not very tall, with a thin face and a dark complexion, and a pair of extremely sharp eyes, which, combined with that bright armor, gave off an aura of majesty and authority.

  Behind him followed a group of neatly dressed school officers, with two people standing on either side. The man on the left was in his forties, with a white face and a slight mustache, a tall and slender civil official, exuding an air of bookishness all over his body, carefully sizing up Huang Xiancheng who was answering with his head bowed.

  Yang Ling glanced at his uniform and, from the knowledge he had gained through cramming, understood that this man was a fifth-grade civil official. The Ming dynasty indeed had the tradition of civil officials holding military power, and it was surprising to send a fifth-grade civil official to supervise a third-grade general.

  Eunuchs were the rarest creatures to Yang Ling, so he deliberately took a few glances. Unlike those in movies with flattering smiles and effeminate faces, the eunuch Liu in front of him was over 50 years old, with a pointed chin, a pair of clever yet gentle eyes, and except for his slightly pale and delicate skin, there was nothing particularly striking about him.

  Huang Xian-cheng and Jiang Bin stood up one after another. Huang Qi-yin bowed his head and said, "Sir, the Magistrate of Min County was hit by a poisonous arrow from the Tartars and has been unconscious. The situation is critical. I have ordered the chief clerk of the county to take Magistrate Min down from the city. Now, it's up to me and General Jiang Bin to be in charge of defending the city."

  The loud sound of war drums and the earth-shaking sound of fierce fighting, but the Ming army caught the Tartars off guard, and the follow-up troops poured out of the city one after another. Bodaermu was also hit by the Ming army's trick, and immediately ordered Dalinde to cut off the rear, and the main force began to retreat.

  That General Liu saw the Tatar army retreat and laughed: "The general is brave, the big army arrived and recovered Jī Míng Yì, the first battle was a victory, this is a New Year's gift for the emperor", listening to his voice, it wasn't particularly shrill, but the tone was indeed slightly effeminate.

  He Can smiled proudly and waved his hand: "Liu Gonggong has overpraised me. Come, pass down the order to have He Shijie, Wang Chengxian, and Zheng Yie stationed in the east, south, and west cities respectively, and Bi Chun and Sun Dazhong pursue and kill the enemy commander."

  "General, please wait. Our army has just arrived and we don't know the enemy's situation yet. How can we charge forward lightly? The Art of War says: 'Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles.' The Tartars rely on their horses for survival, and their mobility is far beyond ours. For today's plan, it's better to defend the city first, send out scouts, and wait until we understand the enemy's situation before making further plans."

  "Sir, the enemy's formation is already in disarray. We should take advantage of the situation and launch a surprise attack, which will surely yield remarkable results. As the saying goes, 'speed is essential in war'. If we wait for them to stabilize their formation and deploy their troops at leisure, it will be much more troublesome."

  "Ridiculous! An army is a sharp instrument of the state, to be used with caution! In all military operations, thousands of chariots and cavalry, tens of thousands of armored soldiers, supplies transported over a thousand miles, daily expenses in the thousands... Our great army has just arrived, our footing is not yet stable, our supply lines are far behind us, there is no reliable reinforcement from the rear, and the enemy situation ahead is unclear. Is this rash advance due to eagerness for merit?"

  Jiang Bin, although somewhat familiar with military texts, was limited in his knowledge and was left stunned and speechless by the barrage of words. Yang Ling, despite not understanding military affairs, could see that they had clearly caught the enemy off guard and that now was the time to pursue and kill them, as the enemy would be unable to organize an effective counterattack.

  Moreover, the command system of the army at that time was not developed, and the organizational cohesion of the soldiers was poor, let alone their loyalty. Those ordinary soldiers fought almost entirely on a single breath of energy, so sometimes several tens of thousands of troops were defeated by several hundred thousand strong armies, which is not an exaggeration, but a fact.

  An army may collapse with a single defeat, and it is extremely difficult to reorganize. Now the enemy is clearly in a state of rout, but this bookworm is so cautious, not seeking merit but only avoiding blame, rigidly applying some military tactics, it's simply absurd.

  Although Ye Yushi was only a fifth-grade civil official, He Can did not dare to ignore his opinion. The supervisor of the army had the ultimate decision-making power over the command of the troops. He hesitated for a moment and asked Jiang Bin: "How many enemy soldiers are there in the city?"

  "Report to the commander, last night there were only about 100-200 barbarians who came to disturb the city, but this morning at dawn suddenly nearly 3,000 strong attacked the city. Just now another thousand enemy soldiers pulled two large cannons here. If not for the general's timely arrival, the city would have already fallen."

  Ye Yushi listened and said: "How is it? The enemy troops are constantly increasing, the reinforcements are continuous, can we not be careful?"

  He Zan hesitated for a moment, then turned back and said: "What does Lord Liu think?"

  These two supervisors were temporarily caught to respond to the scene. Ye Yu Shi was due to the three-year grand examination, came to Xuanfu to inspect the performance of local officials, Liu Gonggong was the Zhong Drum Temple's seal-keeping eunuch in the 24th palace gate, and was ordered to leave Beijing for procurement, but was intercepted by a fast horse on the way back to Beijing and served as a supervisor with Ye Yu Shi.

  Although he was in a humble position, he was the person who could often see the emperor, and He Jin did not dare to disregard his opinion. This Liu Gonggong had a low-ranking position among the eunuchs, although he was a monitor of the army, he didn't dare to be arrogant, all along the way he was very cautious, fearing that he would show weakness.

  He had just heard what Ye Yushi said, and he was already secretly thinking to himself: "When our great army arrives, we will take back the Ji Ming Inn, which would be a great achievement. If we advance quickly and achieve another victory, it would indeed be adding flowers to brocade, but if things are really as Ye Yushi said, what if the Tartars have other ambushes that cause our army to suffer defeat? Wouldn't I fail in my duty as supervisor of the army and incur the emperor's blame? It is better to err on the side of caution."

  Liu Gonggong smiled slightly and said, "General He is brave and powerful, Ye Yushi has a plan, but our family's mouse eyes are only an inch long, and we can't say anything insightful. However, the army has traveled a long distance and is tired, not inferior to the enemy. If we recklessly pursue the enemy, if there is any mistake, it will be even more unfavorable."

  "Currently, General Zheng and General Song are leading the army to attack the Tartar troops from both Gaoluo and Chicheng. Moreover, General Qi Guangsheng is rushing to reinforce them at Erli Ban Inn. With multiple routes of our great army converging, the Tartar troops will undoubtedly be defeated. I think it's better to be cautious."

  Since the two supervisors had similar opinions, He Can said: "Alright, Zhong Jun listened to the order and ordered Bi Chun and Sun Da Zhong to immediately withdraw their troops and station them in front of the city gate for strict vigilance. The craftsmen in the army and local artisans were ordered to repair the city gate immediately, and scouts were sent out to investigate the enemy's strength and the current situation at Erli Ban and Wulipu.

  Yang Ling shook his head secretly: "I'm not afraid of an enemy like a tiger, but I'm afraid of a commander like a pig. It's a great opportunity that is clearly one-sided, but it was wasted by a scholar and a 'village leader' who talked nonsense, and it was let go just like that. What a pity."

  He Sanlang said: "Huang Xiancheng and Jiang Baizong accompanied the official to inspect the four cities, where is the local postmaster He?"

  "Huang County Magistrate hastily said: 'Your Honor, Ma Yi Magistrate... has already died in battle!'"

  "What about County Secretary He?" asked General He again.

  County Magistrate Shi Li said: "Sir, Wang the Chief Clerk has already brought Governor Min down from the city. I suppose the army is on its way and the roads are congested, so they can't arrive in time. This is Yang the Instructor, who is in charge of governing the people below. Please give your orders, General."

  He Sanlang glanced at Yang Ling, seeing how young he was, and couldn't help but pause for a moment. Huang Xianchang saw this and smiled, bowing his hands: "Sir, Young Master Yang is talented and accomplished, assisting Magistrate Min in governing Jī Míng Yì, everything is in order, you can rest assured."

  "Ah?" He Can's gaze swept across Yang Ling's eyes, his stern expression easing up. He pointed at him and said: "You, hand over all county government affairs to Huang Xiancheng. From now on, temporarily take over as the Chi Ming County Post Stationmaster, responsible for military correspondence and grain transportation. Also, I and the two supervising officials will be staying at the post station tonight, make arrangements."

  "Yes! Your subordinate obeys!"

  He Can Shang said to Ye Yu Shi, Liu Gong Gong and Yan Dao: "The two supervising military officials have invited us, let's go take a look at the city defense situation".

  Huang Xianzhong hastily instructed Wang Bantou to accompany Yang Ling to take over the post house, and then left with Jiang Bin and three other officials. Yang Ling straightened up, feeling a bit dazed for a moment. Han Youniang saw him standing there looking lost and couldn't help but curiously ask: "Sir, being the post house master, is this an promotion or demotion?"

  Yang Ling shook his head and said, "It's a daze!"

  "What?" Han Youniang said nervously: "Master was just injured, and he's still being shaken by that Jiang Baizhang? It's really... Master's body is not good, and he's still using so much force." As she spoke, Han Youniang glared fiercely at the back of Jiang Bin.

  Yang Ling bitterly smiled: "It's not that, I've never been a yushi before, don't know what to do, Huang Lao is accompanying the officials on their city inspection tour, and there's no one to guide me."

  Han Youniang said: "That... go ask Wang Zhuzhu, it's not yet noon, there is still plenty of time to arrange accommodations for the adults."

  Yang Ling slapped his forehead and said, "You're right, I'll go now. You go back home and rest first. I'm really tired after finishing my husband's tasks." Nian Niang responded with a sound, and Yang Ling hastily left the city with Wang Ban Tou.