novelden Chapter 602 Asking for help
Chapter 602 Asking for help
As night fell, lights came on in every household.
Under the cover of night, Panda slipped out of the house and took a shortcut back to the military affairs office to avoid being caught by the Qionghai Army.
After entering the yamen, Panda hid in a corner and saw that the flower hall was brightly lit. Two men dressed as military officers were sitting there, drinking tea casually, while yamen clerks stood by to serve them.
Wasn't it said that someone from the Ministry of War was coming? Why are there only two military officers? Could it be that the Qionghai Army can't find anyone and is using this trick to deceive me? Panda's eyes darted around, and he hesitated, unsure whether he should show himself.
At this moment, one of the military officers stood up impatiently, slammed his hand on the table, and shouted, "What's going on? They said they were going to inspect the troops, but it's been several hours and there's still no sign of them! It's nighttime now, pitch black, you can't even see anything, what kind of inspection is that?!"
The clerk beside him said with a smile, "Please calm down, sir. He'll be back soon."
Panda had good eyesight; he immediately noticed that the knife at the man's waist was not an ordinary waist knife, but an embroidered spring knife.
It was actually the Embroidered Uniform Guard! Then it couldn't possibly be the Qionghai Army. Panda hurriedly ran into the flower hall, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"
The angry Imperial Guard stared at him: "You're Panda, the Military Commissioner of Tianjin? We Imperial Guards have rushed here day and night to deliver this message, and you dare to be negligent? You must have a death wish!"
Panda smiled apologetically, "No, no, I had official business to attend to during the day, which took up a little of my time. Please forgive me..."
The other Imperial Guard, who remained seated, gave a cold laugh: "Everyone knows what's going on in official business. 'Official duties' is just an excuse. We won't hold your neglect against you for now, but the message we need to deliver concerns the palace. If it gets delayed, a mere military commissioner like you can't afford the consequences!"
Panda was startled. It was related to the palace! He vaguely felt that this matter was of great importance, and it might even be his chance to return to the capital. He quickly said, "This humble official has no courage to neglect you two, nor dare to delay the matters assigned by my superiors. Please investigate thoroughly."
As he spoke, he winked at the clerk, who understood and left. A moment later, the clerk returned with a package in his hand.
Panda handed over the package, smiling apologetically, "You two have worked hard, this is just a small token of my appreciation, please don't refuse."
Seeing that Panda had lowered his stance, referred to himself as a subordinate official, and even offered silver as a tribute, the two Imperial Guards were quite pleased. They exchanged a glance, one of them took the package, and the other handed a letter to Panda, saying, "The orders from above are not to ask who wrote the letter, and not to reveal a single word of it. After reading it, burn it in front of us, and our mission will be complete."
Panda was both surprised and delighted. The more mysterious the letter, the higher the status of the person involved. It seemed this letter was quite important. He took the letter, opened it on the spot, and read it carefully.
Upon reading this, Panda was overjoyed. The instructions inside perfectly matched his own thoughts, making him feel extremely pleased. In particular, the end of the document promised him a transfer back to the capital after completing the mission, offering him a position in the Ministry of War, with his choice between the Department of Military Affairs and the Department of Military Selection. The document was signed without his name, only with the two characters "Wenruo" (meaning "weak and uneducated").
Although most of the officials holding the position of Deputy Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, their duties overlapped more with those of the Ministry of War, making them very knowledgeable about its affairs. Pan Da, though not a member of the Ministry of War, knew that Minister Zhang Fengyi's position had been unstable for the past two years, with the possibility of his removal at any time. And who was Wenruo? As a former censor, how could he not know? This man was a favorite of the current emperor, his career progressing smoothly. He had even heard about the recent imperial decree that Wenruo had been stripped of his mourning leave. It seemed the Ministry of War was about to change hands. Faced with this offer, only a fool would refuse.
After reading it, Panda breathed a sigh of relief and, in front of the two Imperial Guards, lit the letter over the candlelight.
Liu Ye was unaware of what was happening in the darkness; his mind was entirely focused on the upcoming battle.
At the same time that Panda received the order from the capital, the Tianjin garrison was brightly lit, and Liu Ye was gathering relevant personnel to formulate a battle plan.
Yan Guangzheng was speaking: "The Tartars will definitely pass through Tianjin on their way north. The official road is less than two miles from the city, making it their only route. If Abatai doesn't want to take a long detour through Baoding, he will fall right into our encirclement. The key issue now is that our Qionghai Army is all infantry and lacks cavalry. We need the cooperation of other units. According to Xu Zhong, the commander of Tianjin, the three garrisons in Tianjin have serious desertion issues and too many vacancies. There are too few able-bodied men to spare, and even self-defense is a problem. They also don't have many warhorses. And our investigation over the past two days confirms this. We can't rely on them. We can only depend on the troops of Wang Hong, the Tianjin General stationed in Jinghai County, and Liu Guozhu, the Baoding General stationed in Bazhou."
Liu Ye asked, "How far are Jinghai and Bazhou from Tianjin?"
Yan Guang replied, "I asked Xu Zhong. Jinghai County is only a dozen or so miles from Tianjin, and Bazhou is about a hundred miles to the west of Tianjin. Cavalry can reach the battlefield within a day. Tianjin, Jinghai, and Bazhou form a triangular defensive line. No matter how much trouble Abatai causes, he cannot escape this triangular area. As long as these two armies join us, they don't need to use all their forces. If each of them contributes three or four thousand cavalry, the matter can be settled."
Liu Ye frowned and said, "Now everything is ready except for the final push. Let's put the supplies aside for now. As long as we get the order from the Ministry of War, the encirclement will be complete. Lin San has been gone for two days, why is there still no movement?"
Yan Guang sighed: "The Ministry of War's speed of action... I experienced this firsthand when I was in Nanjing. I imagine the Ministry of War in the capital is no better than the one in Nanjing. It all depends on whether the Grand Secretary is willing to put in the effort and whether the Emperor will accept the proposal. Otherwise, by the time the Ministry of War comes to a decision, Abatai will have already returned to the interior."
Liu Ye muttered to himself, "Wen Tiren should help us; it's beneficial for him. Chongzhen is ambitious and eager for glory; barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should agree..."
Xu Yifan said, "But we haven't received the order from the Ministry of War yet. The Tartars could come at any time, and it will be too late if we wait any longer."
Liu Ye stood up and paced back and forth. After a while, he stopped and said firmly, "Let's get things done in advance. While waiting for the Ministry of War's order, we'll persuade both sides to send troops. We'll tell them that they don't need to spend any money or supplies; Tianjin will provide the funding. I believe that by paying them for the war and getting them to fight, we can also gain merit. Even if the Ministry of War's order doesn't come down in time, we should be able to persuade them."