Several generals were discussing the plan with great enthusiasm.
Cao Wenzhao said,
"We land at dawn on the southern coast of Jinzhou. From there it is forty li over land. A full day's march will get us to the city. If we do not want to give Zu Dashou time to prepare, we must finish those forty li and immediately begin the siege. Only then can it count as a true surprise attack."
Cao Bianjiao nodded.
"So the soldiers will have to eat while marching. One day to cover forty li, finish their meals on the road, arrive beneath Jinzhou's walls, and start fighting immediately. Not a single minute wasted. Only then can we compress Zu Dashou's preparation time and catch him completely off guard."
The moment those words were spoken, Shen Shikui, the Pi Island commander, looked a little awkward.
"That is asking a lot of the soldiers' stamina. My troops might not be able to do that."
"No problem." Cao Bianjiao laughed.
"I already know your men cannot keep up. When we reach Jinzhou, our troops will go first. Your Pi Island forces can rest. By the time our soldiers finish the first round of fighting and grow tired, your men should be fully rested and ready to join the battle."
Shen Shikui nodded with relief.
"That sounds perfect."
Hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng felt a little shocked.
March forty li in a single day, arrive by evening, and immediately begin combat?
Were these people insane?
What kind of army could possibly do that?
His Tianxiong Army could manage it, certainly, but only with heavy rewards to motivate the soldiers. Without generous incentives, morale would never hold up.
Yet the group in front of him seemed to decide this as if it were nothing.
Only Shen Shikui had hesitated. Everyone else looked completely unconcerned.
Lu Xiangsheng could not help glancing toward Hu Dawei.
In his mind, the Shanxi Army should be the weakest force present.
March forty li and fight immediately afterward? Surely Shanxi troops could not manage that.
But when he looked over, Hu Dawei appeared perfectly calm. Not a trace of pressure on his face. In fact, he was smiling.
"You people do not need to rush once you arrive," Hu Dawei said cheerfully. "Wait until my men fire a few rounds first before charging. Especially you, Cao Bianjiao. You are always desperate to be the first one up the walls. Do not get yourself blown up by our own artillery."
Cao Bianjiao burst out laughing.
"What do you take me for, an idiot? If our cannons are still firing, why would I charge forward?"
The whole group erupted in laughter.
Lu Xiangsheng felt the strange feeling return again.
Why did it feel like they were all part of the same circle, while he was the outsider?
No, that had to be an illusion.
Perhaps it was simply because he was a civil official while they were all military men. Naturally they spoke the same language while he struggled to keep up.
Civil officials should talk with scholars.
Lu Xiangsheng turned toward Li Dao Xuan.
"Master Li..."
Crunch.
Li Dao Xuan bit clean through a crab leg.
Lu Xiangsheng paused.
"...Never mind."
Nearby, several generals continued their lively discussion. After a while another ship pulled alongside them and Chen Qianhu came aboard to join the conversation. The warriors chatted happily, completely absorbed.
Lu Xiangsheng stood there for quite a while without managing to insert a single word.
Only after they had finally finished did the generals suddenly remember that this matter still required Lu Xiangsheng's approval, at least in form.
So the entire group turned to look at him.
"Lord Lu," they asked, "what do you think of the tactics we just discussed? Is it feasible?"
Lu Xiangsheng replied calmly,
"As long as you believe your soldiers will still have the strength to fight after marching forty li, I have no objections."
Everyone brightened instantly.
"Looks like Lord Lu agrees!"
Lu Xiangsheng blinked.
"Wait. That counts as agreement?"
"Of course it does!"
"..."
---
Meanwhile, northeast of the capital.
Gao Qiqian had stationed the capital garrison troops on the western bank of the Chaobai River.
Not long ago he received intelligence that Jianzhou cavalry had been seen operating on the eastern side of the river.
The news terrified him.
Gao Qiqian was no brave battlefield commander. The troops under his command were the so called capital soldiers, pampered young masters from the city. Their combat strength was roughly on par with the early roving rebels.
The moment he heard that Jianzhou cavalry were nearby, his soul practically left his body.
"Report!"
A scout came running back.
"A detachment of Jianzhou cavalry is heading this way!"
"Oh hell."
Gao Qiqian nearly jumped out of his skin.
"We run."
One of the officers blinked.
"Run? Were we not sent out to intercept them?"
"Intercept my ass," Gao Qiqian snapped. "Running comes first."
The subordinates began to panic.
"But how do we run? If we retreat straight back to the capital, the Emperor will surely charge us with fleeing without fighting. The former Minister of War Zhang Fengyi killed himself because he feared exactly that accusation."
Gao Qiqian was sweating.
"Where is the Tianxiong Army of Minister of War Lu Xiangsheng? They are strong fighters. We will simply claim we got lost and accidentally wandered near them. With the Tianxiong Army around, the Jianzhou cavalry will not dare touch us."
The scout answered helplessly.
"Lu Xiangsheng appears to be doing something strange. He marched toward Tianjin."
The moment Gao Qiqian heard that, his entire face collapsed.
"He abandoned the capital and ran to Tianjin? What is he doing there?"
The scout replied,
"Possibly boarding ships to go somewhere. He has always advocated a counterattack. Maybe he plans to sail directly into Jianzhou territory."
Gao Qiqian cursed.
"That man must be insane. If the Jianzhou were so easy to defeat, the Great Ming would not have struggled with them for decades!"
The pampered capital soldiers were trembling.
"Eunuch Gao... what do we do now?"
Gao Qiqian asked urgently,
"Where is the nearest friendly force?"
"In Shunyi. Yang Guozhu, the Xuanfu commander, has troops stationed there."
Gao Qiqian slapped his thigh.
"Good. We go find Yang Guozhu and link up with him."
He immediately led his army toward Shunyi.
But they had barely marched a few li when thunderous hoofbeats suddenly erupted behind them.
Gao Qiqian turned his head.
The color drained from his face.
Jianzhou cavalry.
Leading them was none other than Dorgon.
Gao Qiqian screamed,
"Do not come any closer!"
Run.
Run with all their might.
The capital soldiers under him had zero desire to fight. They sprinted away with everything they had.
Their reaction actually left Dorgon momentarily confused.
In truth, Dorgon's scouting cavalry had long since scattered. He only had about five hundred riders with him, roaming the countryside to gather supplies and loot small villages.
After passing several villages without finding any civilians, he was already irritated.
Then he spotted a large Ming army ahead.
He had no intention of fighting a larger force with only five hundred riders and was just about to withdraw.
Yet before he could do so, the Ming army suddenly turned and ran.
Not only did they run, they threw away helmets and armor while fleeing, utterly disorganized.
Dorgon raised his riding whip and pointed forward.
"The Ming army is showing fear! That means they may be numerous, but they are nothing more than a mob."
"Chase them!"
"If we cannot rob civilians, robbing the Ming army will do just fine."
The five hundred cavalry howled with excitement and charged forward.
Gao Qiqian shrieked again.
"Do not come any closer!"
Dorgon shouted loudly,
"Stop running! Turn around and fight me for three hundred rounds if you dare!"
But in his heart he was thinking something very different.
If the Ming army actually turned around, I would run immediately.
Unfortunately for him, Gao Qiqian had no intention of turning around.
He only knew how to run.
And so the fleeing capital soldiers were caught from behind by Dorgon's cavalry.
Blades rose and fell.
The slaughter began.