Chapter Three: Lu Qin's Advance

Lu Qin was furious and was about to step forward to argue with him. Qin Liangyu stopped him, saying, "Do not stir up more trouble at this moment." She then led the general out of the camp.

"May I ask your name, General?"

The fifty-year-old veteran bowed hurriedly and said, "Assistant Regional Commander Zhang Ling, at your service, Madam."

"General Zhang, what is the situation ahead? Can you tell me?"

"Reporting to you, Madam: the two rebel leaders, An and She, have combined their forces to about fifty thousand. Because our Assistant Regional Commander Tan Honghua fled first, all the camps collapsed. Having no other choice, we were forced to retreat to Weiqing."

"Thank you, General Zhang. We shall part ways here."

The old general hurriedly added, "Madam, your force is too small; I fear it will be hard to prevail. It would be better if I lead my troops to assist you."

Qin Liangyu replied, "I fear your commander will not let you go. Let me go try first."

The three returned to the camp, where Zhang Yanfang had finished his punishment. Qin Liangyu said, "Our force is small, and I wish to discuss with you, Commander Zhang: could you detach a portion of your troops, led by this Assistant Commander Zhang, to join us in attacking the rebel An?"

Zhang Yanfang looked askance at Zhang Ling, snorted coldly, and said, "Although he is also from your Sichuan, he is my subordinate now. Why should I lend him to you so you can gain glory? Don't even think about it!"

Lu Qin could no longer restrain himself. He stepped forward and drew his sword. Zhang Yanfang was startled, trembling as he asked, "What are you doing? I am a Regional Commander! You may be from the Capital Battalion, but you are only a Deputy General. Do you dare to commit insubordination?"

Lu Qin looked at him with disdain and sheathed his sword. Zhang Yanfang’s composure returned. Suddenly, Lu Qin raised the sword again and shouted, "Kneel! This is the Imperial Sword bestowed by His Majesty!"

Zhang Yanfang stared intently at the blade. Confirming he was not mistaken, he immediately knelt to the ground, and the other soldiers followed suit.

Lu Qin quickly helped Qin Liangyu up, saying, "Madam, please rise." He then turned to Zhang Yanfang and said, "Quickly hand over all combat-ready troops to Assistant Commander Zhang to assist us in suppressing the rebels, then secure Weiqing to provide support for our army."

Zhang Yanfang nodded in agreement and stood up to organize his men. The Imperial Sword could execute officials below the third rank; while Zhang Yanfang was a first-rank official, military officers in the Ming Dynasty were considered of little consequence. If Lu Qin had executed him with the blade, there would not even be anyone to plead his case afterward. Knowing that a wise man does not fight when the odds are against him, he chose to be pragmatic.

Soon, Zhang Yanfang cleared five thousand soldiers to hand over to Zhang Ling, and the three of them led the troops out of Weiqing. Qin Liangyu said, "General Zhang, this has put you in a difficult position. I am truly sorry."

Zhang Ling cupped his hands and said, "Madam does not know—my entire family was murdered by the rebel She. If I do not avenge this, I am not a man." It turned out that Zhang Ling had been a Ming officer forced into submission when She Chongming rebelled. He followed the rebel army to attack Chengdu, but after She Chongming’s failure and return to Yongning, Zhang Ling conspired with Song Wu, who had also been coerced. They seized an opportunity to capture She Chongming’s chancellor, He Ruohai, and led their troops to surrender to the Ming forces. She Chongming was enraged, killed his entire family, and leveled his ancestral graves.

After hearing Zhang Ling’s story, everyone felt a sense of sorrow. The main army soon arrived at Yachi. Scouts reported that the enemy had finished clearing the battlefield and were drinking and celebrating, unaware of the Ming army's arrival.

Everyone was overjoyed; they could now launch a surprise attack. Qin Liangyu ordered Zhang Ling to block the rebels' retreat, Lu Qin to lead the Imperial Guard infantry battalion as the vanguard, Qin Yiming to lead the White-Stave Soldiers as the rear guard, and Zhou Yuji to lead the cavalry battalion as the reserve. Qin Liangyu herself led a detachment of White-Stave Soldiers and the artillery battalion to secure the rear.

The Imperial Guard quickly ran toward the enemy, formed three ranks, and charged. Only then did the An-She forces see the enemy. In the ensuing panic, they dropped their cups and plates, crowding together as they rushed toward the Imperial Guard. Lu Qin waited until the enemy was about thirty paces from the infantry vanguard before ordering a three-stage volley. The An-She forces were quickly routed. The White-Stave Soldiers began their pursuit, and the enemy, in their haste, mostly retreated toward the Yachi River. Just as they reached the riverbank, a wooden clapper sounded. Zhang Ling’s troops charged out and unleashed a hail of arrows, causing many to fall into the river.

The White-Stave Soldiers and Zhang Ling trapped the An-She forces in a small area by the Yachi River. Although the rebel commanders shouted themselves hoarse, they could no longer reorganize their formations. By then, the Imperial Guard infantry had pressed forward. An Bangyan ordered his personal guards to charge at Zhang Ling’s troops, hoping to find an escape route for the main army, but Zhang Ling’s men held firm, using swords, spears, muskets, and bows to pin the rebels against the river. Zhang Ling stood at the front of his line, using a heavy crossbow to pin several of the most aggressive enemy guards to the riverbank.

By the time the Imperial Guard infantry reached the rebel lines, the situation had turned into a one-sided slaughter. The Imperial Guard handled the gunfire, Zhang Ling’s troops handled the archery, and the White-Stave Soldiers cleared away the few fearless enemies who managed to reach the front. Soon, cries rang out from the enemy lines: "We surrender! We surrender! Drop your weapons!" In fact, scattered soldiers were already kneeling in surrender, and now the entire rebel force ceased resistance, dropped their weapons, and knelt to beg for mercy.

Zhang Ling bitterly shot an arrow in front of a kneeling soldier and commanded, "The whole army, stay alert and maintain watch." Lu Qin also ordered the Imperial Guard infantry to stand by, allowing only Qin Yiming to take the White-Stave Soldiers to accept the surrender. Seeing this, An Bangyan knew his plan to escape in the chaos had failed. He sighed and said, "Then let us surrender for now; we shall see what happens later."

The White-Stave Soldiers bound the rebels and led them one by one to the outskirts of Weiqing. After setting up camp, they separated the tribal leaders from the ordinary soldiers. Long San led the logistics battalion to deliver food to the common soldiers, and soon they were talking freely.

The rest was simple. Under the mobilization of Long San and his men, the soldiers were very enthusiastic about the subsequent uprising against their superiors. Zhou Yuji gave a simple pep talk, and An Bangyan, She Chongming, and their sub-leaders all fell under the blades of their former serfs.

Now, only Song Wanhua, the "King of Luodian" in Shuidong, remained. After breaking the Shuixi army, Lu Qin led two infantry battalions of the Imperial Guard and an artillery unit toward Longli Si. Longli was a small town, and by the time Lu Qin arrived, Song Wanhua was already prepared.

The two sides engaged in cautious probing before clashing. The Shuidong army’s position was on a small hill. The Imperial Guard dared not charge up and waited for the enemy to come down, but the Shuidong army refused to be tricked, choosing only to attack from a distance with blowpipes and stone-throwers. The Imperial Guard returned fire with muskets. The battle was intense but resulted in few casualties.

After half a day of ineffective fighting, both armies were tired and hungry. Lu Qin’s army stopped attacking first, and the soldiers began to rest. Smoke rose from the camp, and scouts reported this to Song Wanhua. He could not believe the Imperial Guard would start cooking while in the middle of a battle. He went out of his camp to observe, and seeing the smoke thickening, he was overjoyed, thinking the Imperial Guard had grown arrogant and contemptuous of his troops. He ordered the Shuidong army to circle around the flanks and surround the Imperial Guard on three sides, commanding them not to eat yet but to hold on for a while and launch a fierce attack once the enemy’s cooking fires died down and they began to eat.