Chapter 58: Bandits Scatter, Relocating the Camp to the Eastern Suburbs

The fierce bandit leader howled, roaring as he charged from the breach onto the imperial highway. Relying on his shield for cover, combined with agile dodging and slashing, he knocked down five able-bodied men in succession.

As the breach widened, other foot bandits surged forward, and it seemed this position was about to fall.

A giant hammer descended from mid-air. Before the fierce bandit could react, he instinctively raised his shield to block. With a loud crash, the shield was directly knocked flying. The fierce bandit's left arm snapped instantly, but the hammer did not stop; it continued downward, smashing onto the bandit's head.

Under the immense force, his skull shattered, and brains splattered in all directions. The bandit's body was sent flying a long distance by the hammer, plunging straight off the imperial highway and crashing heavily into the wilderness.

Shi Zhuzi did not break his stride. He swung his heavy hammer in one terrifying circle after another, sweeping high and low. Whether it was sabers, spears, clubs, or staves, anything that came into contact with the hammer was sent flying—to say nothing of vulnerable human flesh and blood.

The bandits who had just surged forward were driven right back down the imperial highway.

Suddenly, some bandit shouted at the top of his lungs, "Old Hu has fled! Run for your lives!"

With a howl, the horde of mountain bandits turned and fled. In their panic, a few tripped over themselves while turning around, tumbling a few times before scrambling back up to sprint away wildly.

Liu Quan shouted at the top of his lungs, "Shi Tou, after them!"

Shi Zhuzi let out a furious roar, "Brave militia, charge with me!"

Clutching his massive iron hammer and striding with his long legs, he gave furious chase.

Liu Quan sat steadily on the large cart, watching a green shadow flicker indistinctly amidst a plume of dust in the distance. Not far away, another plume of dust interspersed with red figures galloped in the same direction.

Then, yet another trail of dust rose from the wilderness north of the imperial highway, gradually spreading toward the northern mountain fields.

"Hmph, they sure run fast."

No sooner had Liu Quan spoken than he saw a troop of cavalry galloping over from the east of the imperial highway, making a wide detour to intercept the three hundred or so foot bandits fleeing northward.

Far off, they appeared as a single unit, but upon approaching, they split into two groups. One continued charging straight west, while the other slightly altered its direction and headed toward the northern mountain wilderness.

They drew a wide circle, perfectly trapping the foot bandits north of the imperial highway within their perimeter. No matter how fast those bandits ran, they could never outpace He Shihui's warhorses.

…………

October 14th in the eleventh year of Chongzhen of the Great Ming Dynasty, north of Beijing city, outside the Yongding Gate.

Stationed in the area between the Yongding Gate and the Zuocan Gate were several assistant regional commanders and regional guerrilla commanders from the Five Armies Three Camps and the Divine Pivot Four and Five Camps of the Capital Garrison.

The thousand-strong cavalry under Zhang Cheng's command, accompanying the Xuanfu garrison's imperial relief army, set out from Changping and arrived outside the Yongding Gate yesterday at noon.

At this time, tens of thousands of Qing troops were stationed in Tongzhou, just a few dozen miles away, sending out scouting parties continuously every day. Although the various units of the Capital Garrison were equipped with a large number of heavy combat wagons, chevaux-de-frise, cannons, and other defensive implements, the officers and men remained panic-stricken day and night, with numerous camp soldiers deserting every single day.

It was not until yesterday, when Lu Xiangsheng led over thirty thousand relief troops from the Three Garrisons of Xuanfu and Datong, that their morale stabilized slightly.

As soon as the relief forces from the Three Garrisons of Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi arrived, the various assistant commanders and guerrilla commanders of the Capital Garrison rushed to seek an audience with Grand Coordinator Lu Xiangsheng, strongly requesting that the peerlessly valorous elite of the Xuanfu and Datong border garrisons stand ahead of them.

Grand Coordinator Lu Xiangsheng did not refuse, readily agreeing and prompting profuse expressions of gratitude from the assembled commanders.

Thus, the more than thirty thousand relief troops from the Three Garrisons of Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi deployed in order along the area from Yongding Gate to Zuocan Gate, in the eastern suburbs about ten miles away from the city.

Zhang Cheng's cavalry thousand-man battalion, along with his uncle, Assistant Commander Zhang Yan, was stationed at a designated location about thirty miles southeast of the Yongding Gate, outside the western gate of Nanhaizi, the imperial hunting ground—which is today's Yizhuang Town region.

During the Yuan Dynasty, Nanhaizi was known as the Feifang Reserve, originating from the Yuan rulers training Haidongqing falcons to catch birds and small beasts in this river-dotted region. During the Ming Dynasty, it was renamed Nanhaizi. In the Yongle era, earth walls were constructed and four gates were opened: the Great Red Gate to the north, the East Red Gate to the east, the South Great Red Gate to the south, and the West Red Gate to the west.

According to the *Historical Records of the Capital*, "Since the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the perimeter of Nanhaizi has been one hundred and sixty miles." Its vastness could rival Yanfang Shoal east of the capital; living creatures constantly stirred upon its shimmering, boundless waters, presenting scenery of exquisite and charming beauty.

Consequently, this area was mostly plains, occasionally interspersed with earthen hills, crisscrossed by rivers, lakes, and canals with fertile soil. The surroundings of Nanhaizi were originally densely populated villages near the imperial capital.

However, in the ninth year of Chongzhen, when Qing troops raided across the border, the villages in this area were burned down by the Qing army once.

Two years later, the Qing troops returned, and the new homes the common people had labored to build were once again consumed by fire at the hands of the Qing army.

When Zhang Cheng led his forces to this place, many surrounding villages were reduced to broken walls, some still blazing with raging fires, wisps of residual smoke rising straight up into the sky.

Occasionally, surviving common people were seen fleeing toward the capital, supporting the elderly and leading the children. As they walked, they looked back at their homeland with desolate expressions and tear-stained faces.

Zhang Cheng watched all this from horseback, yet felt powerless. He merely shook his head and muttered to himself, "Who knows if these impoverished common people will even be able to enter Beijing city? May they find safety hereafter!"

A crowd of terrified common people was fleeing from this direction. When they passed by Zhang Cheng's infantry and cavalry army, they gave them a wide, fearful berth. Vaguely, Zhang Cheng heard a few people whispering among themselves, "These dog officials and soldiers have no skill in killing Tartars, but they're vicious when it comes to plaguing us common people."

At that moment, several of Zhang Cheng's personal guards grew furious. Spurring their horses forward, they intended to drag out those gossiping and arrogant wretches.

Sitting in his saddle, Zhang Cheng waved his riding crop to stop them, saying, "We entered the capital to relieve the siege and protect the common people, not to engage in petty verbal disputes here.

Instead of wasting energy arguing with them, we'd better save it to kill more Tartar invaders. Besides, these government troops nowadays truly are a disgrace. No wonder the common people harbor bitter complaints."

At this time, the two invading columns of Qing cavalry had converged near the Tongzhou River, maintaining frequent harassment of Beijing's eastern suburbs. Many scattered and routed soldiers from various units of the Capital Garrison wandered about in groups of three to five.

Upon encountering Qing scouts, they would flee at the mere sight, but when encountering fleeing refugees, they acted like wolves and tigers—plundering property and violating women, with methods sometimes even more ruthless than those of the Qing troops.

To the west of the area where Zhang Cheng and his men were stationed lay the Nanhaizi Royal Hunting Ground, and to the east was a fairly wide river—the Liangshui River, which flowed southeast from Shitouzhong east of Lugou Bridge to merge with the North Canal.

Located in the southern part of Beijing city, the Liangshui River originated at Shitouzhong east of Lugou Bridge, flowing southeast to merge into the North Canal at Liuzhuang, Xiuxian County, with a total length of 58 kilometers. It had tributaries such as the Caoqiao River, Xiaolong River, Macao River, Macaogou, Dayangfang Ditch, and Empress Xiao's River.

Ten miles north of the Liangshui River in southern Beijing city was the confluence where the Xiaolong River emptied into the Liangshui River. Five miles south of the Xiaolong River was the garrison area of Li Jianming, the Guerrilla General of the Xuanfu Garrison, who deployed his defenses along the banks of the Liangshui River.

Five miles south of Li Jianming's garrison was the defense sector of Yang Guozhu, the Regional Commander of Xuanfu. There, a wide stone bridge spanned the Liangshui River, connecting the broad imperial highways on both banks.

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