Chapter 100

Chen Xie observed all the formalities, standing at the door to welcome him. Zhang Keda didn’t put on airs either, exchanging a few polite words before lowering his voice mysteriously and saying, "Divine Doctor Si Hua, can we find a more private place to talk?"

Chen Xie immediately invited him to the study, and only after the servants had left did he say, "Lord Zhang, what is it?"

Zhang Keda stood up, clasped his hands, and with a look of fear on his face, said, "Divine Doctor Si Hua, I have come to seek your help!"

This sudden change was quite surprising, and Chen Xie stood up, startled, and asked, "What do you mean, Lord Zhang?"

Zhang Keda sighed and said, "Divine Doctor Si Hua, you may not know, but the Jurchens have broken through the Xifeng Pass and captured Zunhua and other places. They are now at the gates of Beijing. The court has issued an edict, and the Dengzhou garrison has been ordered to send troops to the capital."

Chen Xie had known about this for a while and was well aware that the Shandong troops were a bunch of useless mud. Of course, in this era, the Ming army could only really fight the Qing with the Guan Ning troops.

"Lord Zhang, I am just a militia commander. Why are you telling me this?" Chen Xie sensed something and sat down, his face turning cold. He was wondering if Zhang Keda was up to something.

"Divine Doctor Si Hua, the military commissioner, Lord Wang, received the order from the capital and his leg ailment flared up. The responsibility for sending troops falls on me. To be honest, Dengzhou is supposed to have 9,000 combat troops, but in reality, the total number of troops in all the camps is less than 5,000. After removing the old and weak, there are only about 3,000. Even these 3,000 troops have been long neglected in training and are only good for show. The only ones who can really fight are the hundred or so retainers I have." Zhang Keda finished, looking pitifully at Chen Xie, his meaning clear.

Chen Xie thought to himself, "Dengzhou is a military town, and you dare to play such games." He couldn’t get involved in this. His troops were few, with only about a thousand men in a full battalion. More importantly, he had a lot of business in Dengzhou, and he didn’t know what might happen if the troops were sent away.

"Lord Zhang, this has nothing to do with me. I run the militia to protect our homes." Chen Xie’s face grew darker, and his disdain for Zhang Keda grew.

Zhang Keda, seeing this, looked helpless and said, "Divine Doctor Si Hua, every military town in the country is like this, not just Dengzhou. The entire Ming Dynasty is like this. Dengzhou is supposed to receive over 200,000 taels of silver annually, but from the Ministry of Revenue to Dengzhou, everyone takes their cut. What can I, a mere military man, do? If I were to train the troops according to the official roster of 9,000, I wouldn’t even be able to support a hundred retainers."

There was no point in making things clear. Zhang Keda, seeing that Chen Xie still wasn’t convinced, stood up and bowed deeply, saying, "Divine Doctor Si Hua, Governor Yuan can execute Mao Wending and dismiss Sun Guozhen. Killing a vice-general like me would be like squashing an ant. The Dengzhou garrison wouldn’t dare delay on the way! But if we arrive on time, we must march quickly, and if we encounter the Jurchens, my life will be in danger."

Chen Xie laughed coldly, determined not to be swayed. He didn’t want Zhang Keda to think about his militia. Unexpectedly, the plot took a major turn, and the vice-general Zhang Keda suddenly knelt down, saying, "I have led troops for a long time and have seen the elite militia under the Divine Doctor. I have also sent people to investigate and know that the Divine Doctor’s militia has a light artillery unit. I beg you, Divine Doctor Si Hua, to save me. In the future, I will follow your orders."

Chen Xie didn’t know how the Dengzhou garrison had responded to the call to arms historically. He knew that even if they arrived late, it wouldn’t matter because Yuan Chonghuan had already doomed himself. Zhang Keda, fearing Yuan Chonghuan’s ruthlessness, had no choice but to send troops, which was understandable. But kneeling before him was something Chen Xie hadn’t expected.

Chen Xie quickly reached out to help him up, but Zhang Keda refused, saying, "If the Divine Doctor doesn’t agree, I won’t get up." Chen Xie, holding his arms, used his strength to lift him up, and Zhang Keda, despite using all his strength, couldn’t resist.

"Divine Doctor, you have divine strength!" Zhang Keda praised, and Chen Xie, placing him back in his seat, said irritably, "Let me think, don’t nag." Rubbing his chin, Chen Xie thought, "As long as Zhang Keda isn’t trying to lure me away, sending troops isn’t impossible. Soldiers who don’t see blood aren’t really soldiers. And if I don’t agree, I’ll offend Zhang Keda, and though I’m not afraid of a military man, I don’t want to be remembered for this."

At this point, Chen Xie made a decisive decision. Yuan Chonghuan was doomed anyway, and he might be arrested by Zhu Youjian on the way. When that happened, they could walk slowly, treating it as a long-distance drill.

"Lord Zhang, do you have the money and supplies for the troops?" Chen Xie asked, and Zhang Keda, first delighted, then looked troubled, said, "Divine Doctor, where would the Dengzhou garrison get the money and supplies? Lord Wang and Prefect Xiao have only provided 500 shi of sorghum and 100 taels of silver."

Chen Xie laughed, thinking how despicable these officials were. Sending soldiers to war without food, with only two meals of sorghum a day, and expecting them to fight was absurd. During this campaign, a former official named Li Hongji, after a period of bandit suppression, became a battalion commander and was following a general named Wang Guo. When they reached Jin County, they were so hungry that they asked the magistrate for food. When they didn’t get it, they mutinied and killed Wang Guo.

The Ming Dynasty wasn’t short of silver, with large amounts of European silver flowing into China through trade. Much of this silver eventually ended up with the Qing. But that’s another story.

"Fine, since you’ve said this, I can’t not help." Chen Xie didn’t take Zhang Keda’s promise to follow his orders seriously, thinking he was probably desperate. If it weren’t for his loyalty during Kong Youde’s rebellion, Chen Xie wouldn’t have bothered with him.

Zhang Keda’s face lit up, and he bowed formally, saying, "In that case, please give your instructions." Chen Xie thought to himself, "What instructions? I don’t even know how many troops you’re sending or the route you’ll take." "I can’t give instructions, but we can discuss it."

In any case, they were willing to deepen their communication. Chen Xie had a map of the Ming Dynasty, printed from a modern electronic version, brought in and laid on the table, which amazed Zhang Keda. His look of respect for Chen Xie grew.

The Divine Doctor pointed to the map and said, "The most normal route is along the canal, which is relatively easy to travel. The Zhangjia Village militia will send: five infantry units, one reconnaissance unit, one supply unit, one artillery unit, and one medical unit. In total, about 1,000 men. How many can the Dengzhou garrison send?"

Zhang Keda thought for a moment and said, "1,000 combat troops and 1,000 auxiliary troops. The money and supplies are too little, so we can only send this many."

"That’s 2,000 men. At a daily consumption of three pounds of food per person, that’s 6,000 pounds a day. Forget it, have your men bring the sorghum to feed the pigs; it’s only good for that." Chen Xie was blunt, and Zhang Keda looked embarrassed but had no temper. Chen Xie had plenty of silver, which was common knowledge in Dengzhou. In fact, Wang Tingshi had suggested he come here, and the prefecture could have provided more money and supplies.

Chen Xie called out, and several servants came in. Ignoring Zhang Keda’s surprised look, the servants set to work. Chen Xie dictated, "Calculate the normal combat rations for 2,000 men for a month, based on the labor force. How many carts will be needed to transport them, and consider the fodder for the animals. Give each man a pair of shoes. How many cotton coats are left in the clothing factory? If there are enough, give each man one."

Yu Huan, Yu Zhu, Changsheng, and Mengzi, all trusted and personally trained by Chen Xie, quickly divided the tasks and started calculating. Zhang Keda, seeing this, timidly approached Chen Xie and asked, "Divine Doctor, what is this?"

Chen Xie handed him a cigarette and said, "Since we’re sending troops, we need to calculate the supplies clearly. A month is the minimum. We’re calculating for the Dengzhou garrison now. The militia’s supplies are already calculated and recorded, so we can just retrieve them."

Zhang Keda was completely at a loss, feeling only admiration.

In less than ten minutes, the four servants compiled their numbers, with Yu Huan recording the totals.

"Master, the cotton coats and shoes for 2,000 men can be collected tomorrow. Each laborer consumes 20 pounds of millet, 25 pounds of sweet potato threads, and 10 cans of food per month. In total, 90,000 pounds of food and 20,000 cans of food are needed. Using four-wheeled carts, including fodder for the animals, about 120 carts will be needed to meet the requirements."

Chen Xie, puffing on his cigarette, looked at Zhang Keda and said, "Vice-General Zhang, go back and tell Lord Wang and Prefect Xiao that my silver doesn’t grow on trees. This is a one-time thing! Furthermore, if we’re sending troops and supplies, there needs to be a reason. Otherwise, what does it look like? The combat troops aren’t moving, but the militia is. How can that be justified? Those who know will think you came here to beg for help, but those who don’t will think this city is a business run by me."

Zhang Keda, having his intentions exposed, showed no embarrassment, as if the person who had knelt wasn’t him. A military man’s knees weren’t worth much, and as a vice-general, he had to kneel to Prefect Xiao. Asking for help and getting money and supplies required kneeling, which didn’t cost anything. A military man shouldn’t have principles.

"Before coming, Lord Wang and Prefect Xiao both mentioned that the position of Qishan Thousand-Man Commander has been vacant..."

"No, if it’s just money and supplies, I can accept it, but with the militia sending troops, I need a Huang County garrison commander."

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