Chapter 4: Seeing Off

"Earlier, when I entered the fort, I saw your father. He said they were only ordered to assemble as a show of force. It is estimated that before their ships even reach Yingtian, the Tatars will have already been driven back by the border troops. He told us not to worry."

Influenced by the information overload of the modern era, Wei Guangde knew that the combat effectiveness of the Ming military was truly mediocre. However, the border troops still possessed some fighting strength—certainly far superior to their own Jiujiang Guard. At a time like this, one could only rely on the reputation of the Northern Army's prowess to make a point; it was at least a somewhat convincing argument.

Although the Jiujiang Guard was one of the few units among the Southern troops that still maintained a certain level of combat capability—partly because they were stationed in Jiangxi, where the situation wasn't much different from Huguang, and partly because Wei Guangde’s father, Wei Meng, was relatively lenient toward his subordinates—the Bengshan Company remained relatively stable. They could still muster over a hundred men, effectively reaching full strength.

Whether from modern knowledge or what he had heard from his brother, nine out of ten Southern guards were currently hollow, with very few not engaging in the practice of claiming pay for "ghost soldiers." Furthermore, the junior officers frequently encroached upon military land, essentially turning the garrison soldiers into their own personal farmhands. Many military households had already chosen to flee and become wanderers. It was only in places like Huguang and Jiangxi that they could barely maintain a living by relying on the fertile land and abundant resources to at least have enough to eat.

The Wei family, along with the platoon leaders below them, had carved up the meager amount of garrison land allotted to the company. In truth, the lion's share had been taken by those higher up, leaving only the scraps for them to divide. Additionally, they required the soldiers under their command to serve as their own tenant farmers, helping to manage the fields. However, Company Commander Wei was a kind-hearted man; at least his subordinates received some food and pay in exchange for their labor, ensuring they were neither full nor starving. Such treatment was far better than that of the surrounding guards, which was why the company remained stable for now, with no desertions.

"I hope so. Sigh... there are hardly any real soldiers left in this fort. When I was small, there was a military catastrophe here. The rebel army from Nanchang captured Jiujiang, and many people died then. Your grandfather was lost on the battlefield during that time, and your maternal grandfather was injured, though he managed to save his life..."

At this moment, Wei Guangde's mother began to ramble, giving him a deeper understanding of his family history. After all, the original young Wei Guangde had been truly young and ignorant of many things, leaving no impression on the new Wei Guangde. According to his mother, their ancestral home was in Fengyang Prefecture. Later, after the war, his grandfather had obtained a hereditary rank of Company Commander and was transferred to this Jiujiang Guard.

Wei Guangde's grandfather had been the commander of this very company. Hearing his mother mention the Nanchang rebels, Wei Guangde recalled the rebellion of Prince Ning. In his previous life, that uprising had seemed like a joke. He also recalled the famous figures he had heard of from that era: Wang Yangming and the formidable Emperor Zhengde. However, that was all in the past. Zhengde had died less than a year after falling into the water on his way home from suppressing the rebellion.

It turned out, as he learned from his mother, that the "joke" was not particularly funny. After Prince Ning rebelled, he had directly attacked and captured Jiujiang, and the Jiujiang Guard had naturally been the first to face the rebel assault. As for the outcome, Wei Guangde now knew: his grandfather had died in battle, and his maternal grandfather had survived. Although they were defeated, they had resisted to the end, and the injury his maternal grandfather sustained was serious enough that he was later able to help his own father inherit the position of Company Commander.

As they were talking, they vaguely heard the surroundings become noisy, as if many people were weeping and wailing.

"What is happening?" Wei Guangde’s mother stopped speaking and asked toward the outer room.

The maid outside only said she would go and look. Soon, the sound of retreating footsteps was followed by her hurried return to report: "Mistress, the officers and soldiers are all assembling at the city gate. They are about to depart. Now, all the families in the fort are there, weeping and seeing them off."

As the maid said this, her tone was choked with emotion. She was also part of the company, and naturally, her own family was among those marching out, making her feel anxious as well.

Hearing this, Mistress Wei stood up immediately. She looked at her youngest son, sighed, and said, "Let’s go see your father off."

With that, she walked out first, and Wei Guangde followed behind her. As they left the main gate, he glanced to the right at the clerk's office. The door was open, but the chairs inside were empty.

By the time their group reached the small square at the military fort's gate, they saw several rows of sluggish troops. They had already donned their uniforms and were holding their weapons, though there was no discipline to speak of. The soldiers were looking left and right, searching for their families in the crowd. Those who found their loved ones were acting with deep reluctance. Their movements seemed to convey a desire to linger, but the few officers patrolling the perimeter to organize the ranks kept them in check. Under the pressure of long-standing authority, none of the soldiers dared to leave their formations.

Although Wei Guangde had already pieced together some information and guessed that his father’s expedition would likely be uneventful, he could only keep these thoughts to himself. From afar, he saw his father standing at the front of the ranks, his older brother beside him, presumably still giving instructions on affairs to be handled in their absence.

While the military order was for the entire army to assemble, there were always some who had to stay behind to guard the fort. Of course, those left behind were mostly the sons of officers. Although they had not yet inherited their official ranks, they were already the junior leaders of the company. This was an unwritten rule; for them, becoming an official was only a matter of time, so no one would make trouble over it.

His mother quickly reached his father. Looking at the man in his forties, who for once had donned his iron armor—which Wei Guangde had seen hanging on the bedroom wall—he realized it was the standard-issue armor of the Ming military, likely far superior to what the current Bureau of Armaments produced.

Seeing his wife approach, Commander Wei wore a bitter expression, then immediately grinned. "I have told our eldest that he will keep a watch over the fort during this time. You and the younger one should just stay home. I expect this trip will take ten days to half a month."

"Can you not go?" Although she knew it was a futile question, Wei’s mother could not help but ask.

"It is a military order. Even if I didn't go, the eldest would have to. Someone has to go regardless." Having said this, Father Wei bowed his head slightly, then suddenly looked up and added, "The messenger said that besides our Jiujiang Guard, the Yingtian Prefecture guards and the Canal transport troops are all being mobilized. That is over a hundred thousand men. Everything will be fine."

Wei Guangde noticed that in the crowd behind, half-grown boys and young, inexperienced-looking soldiers were assembling. They had all been issued full sets of armor and weapons, and some were even showing a hint of excitement, eager to prove themselves. Only those who were older, perhaps having witnessed the military catastrophe decades ago, knew what they were truly going to face, and some had already begun to sob.

Wei Guangde stepped up to his father and gently tugged at his armor. "Father, please take care of yourself while you are away."

Wei Meng turned to look at his youngest son, then at his eldest, and said sternly, "Listen to your brother, do you understand?"

As he spoke, he looked at the crowd surrounding the ranks, then back at his wife, whose eyes were red. He then ordered his house general, "One stick of incense, then we depart."