Chapter 44: Taking Gaizhou First

Yang San smiled and said, "This matter should naturally be handled with caution. It was rather rash of us, and I must ask Brother Liu to be magnanimous and forgive us."

Thereupon, Yang San instructed Zhang Zhaoyun to lead a detachment to escort Jin Yingkui and Liu Xingzhi to Juehua Island, while he himself penned a letter explaining the previous sequence of events in detail.

A few days later, Zhang Zhaoyun and his party returned across the sea. Jin Yingkui arrived in Fuzhou to see Liu Xing祚, bearing a joint pardon issued by the General Staff and the First Division, an official warrant appointing Liu Xing祚 as a Vice-General of the Great Ming, a personal letter written to Liu Xing祚 by Xiong Tingbi, and a family letter penned by Liu Xingzhi.

After reading the letters, Liu Xing祚 remarked, "I never imagined my fifth younger brother would use himself as a hostage. This shows just how urgent his desire to return is."

Jin Yingkui replied, "General Staff Officer Yang and the others all said such measures were unnecessary, but the Fifth Young Master insisted it had to be done. He told me to relay this message: if our master plays both sides, he need only wait to collect his corpse."

Liu Xing祚 laughed and said, "In order to return to the Great Ming, we seven brothers have planned this for many days—how could we abandon it halfway? My fifth brother merely wanted to steel your resolve. Did you just call me 'master'?"

Jin Yingkui smiled and said, "Though shameless, Jin wishes to seek an official post under the master's banner. I earnestly beg the master's permission."

With deep emotion, Liu Xing祚 said, "That a scholar of your standing is willing to assist me, despite my forsaking of our ancestors, leaves me quite at a loss for how to express my gratitude."

Jin Yingkui responded, "To recognize one's errors and mend one's ways is the greatest of virtues. We who study the books of the sages seek only to encourage good and turn people from evil. I hope to work in harmony with the master and contribute my utmost to expelling the Jiannu and restoring our Liaodong."

Liu Xing祚 stated, "The Guards will arrive in September. First, we must deploy our forces to coordinate with their operations."

Liu Xing祚 summoned his brothers, making preparations to welcome the arrival of the Ming forces. At that moment, the Ming army was already preparing to launch an offensive into southern Liaodong.

Dai Chunfeng, after synthesizing and analyzing the intelligence from the Jinyiwei, concluded that Liu Xing祚's intention to return south was genuine rather than a feigned surrender. He based this on three points: first, Jin Yingkui's proposal to send a letter to Dengzhou and Laiyang was originally an offhand remark, yet Liu Xing祚 followed through, indicating he had long harbored this intent; second, the words spoken by Wang Bing, overheard by Yang San, could not possibly have been a set-up; and third, Liu Xingzhi's willingness to remain here as a hostage fully proved that the Liu brothers had consistently intended to return south. He further pointed out that other collected materials showed the Liu brothers, though raised on the distant borders, hailed from a scholarly family well-versed in ritual and law, which further corroborated the sincerity of their southern return.

Xiong Tingbi and Lu Xiangsheng both found this assessment deeply convincing. Lu Xiangsheng even requested that Dai Chunfeng temporarily accompany the First Division to southern Liaodong to carry out intelligence summarization and analysis. After hesitating for a long time, Yang Guangkui reluctantly agreed.

The First Division of the Guards decided to proceed with a two-pronged offensive: Lu Xiangsheng would attack Gaizhou, and Cao Wenzhao would attack Jinzhou. In this way, regardless of whether Liu Xing祚 truly surrendered, the Guards would maintain complete tactical flexibility. If Liu Xing祚 served as an internal ally, Fuzhou could be captured outright; if he intended to double-cross them, securing Gaizhou and Jinzhou to the north and south of Fuzhou would compel him to surrender whether he wished to or not.

According to the agreed schedule, the Guards commenced operations on September 12th. The naval forces split into two routes, with Qi Zuoguo personally leading the First Naval Flotilla to transport the First and Second Brigades, while Deputy Commander Zheng Zha led the Second Naval Flotilla to transport the Third Brigade.

On the 13th, Lu Xiangsheng landed at Qinghe with the First and Second Brigades. Liu Xing祚 had already dispatched men to wait for them there. Lu Xiangsheng personally led the First Brigade straight toward Gaizhou Guard City, while Du Guangting led the Second Brigade straight toward Yulinpu.

The garrison commander at Gaizhou was Zhang Yingke, a trusted confidant of Liu Xing祚 who had long desired to return to the Ming. Thus, the moment the First Brigade arrived beneath the city walls, he flung the gates wide open and personally led the Han troops to kneel outside.

Lu Xiangsheng said, "General Zhang, please rise. Pray guide us to the quarters of the Jiannu."

Seeing Lu Xiangsheng treat him with such courtesy, Zhang Yingke’s mind was instantly put at ease, and he hurriedly led the Guards toward the residences of the Later Jin soldiers. There were two niru of Later Jin troops stationed in Gaizhou, ostensibly tasked with monitoring Zhang Yingke. However, because the Han troops had consistently maintained an attitude of utmost respect and obedience, and Zhang Yingke continually supplied them with fine wine and meat, their vigilance had plummeted. Every day they drank and frolicked in their quarters, remaining entirely oblivious to the fact that Zhang Yingke had marched out of the city to surrender.

The Later Jin soldiers occupied the finest dwellings in Gaizhou, which were the former quarters of the Gaizhou garrison. When Lu Xiangsheng led his men rushing into the compound, a Later Jin sentry spotted them, let out a loud shout, and bolted inward. Lu Xiangsheng shot an arrow straight through his neck, and the Guards surged in a wave.

The Later Jin armored soldiers inside the compound were drinking when they heard the sentry's cries and leapt to their feet. By then, the Guards had already broken in. At the forefront was Zhang Zongling, commander of the First Brigade, holding a short officer's matchlock pistol in his left hand and a long sword in his right. As a leading Later Jin soldier lunged forward brandishing a broadsword, Zhang Zongling extended his left hand, and with a crisp crack, a bullet struck the soldier directly in the eye, felling him to the ground. Zhang Zongling then stowed his short pistol and charged forward with his sword raised.

An armored soldier standing over six chi tall, wielding a spiked club with a menacing aura, rushed toward him and viciously swung the club down upon him. Zhang Zongling sidestepped, and his long sword swept past the soldier's neck. A spray of blood burst forth, spattering the neighboring armored soldier as the first man's eyes went lifeless and he crashed to the ground.

Zhang Zongling smiled triumphantly. The Jiannu were truly nothing special; they were hardly any stronger than the native troops of the southwest. At that moment, a guard nearby shouted, "Brigade Commander, watch out!" It was an armored soldier further back, drawing a heavy bow to shoot.

Indifferent to the warning, Zhang Zongling watched the flying arrow, thrust his sword forward, and gave it a twist, snapping the arrow shaft in two. However, he failed to notice another arrow flying in from the side, which struck him squarely in the leg.

Crying out, he dropped half to one knee. Glaring at the grinning Later Jin archer, Zhang Zongling flicked his wrist, hurling his sword straight at the archer and pinning him dead to the ground.

By now, an increasing number of Guards soldiers were pouring into the compound. The sharp cracks of musketry rang out continuously, and within moments, the resistance of the Later Jin soldiers ceased. Some twenty men remained, and their commanding niru shouted, "We are willing to surrender!"

Zhang Zongling roared furiously, "Kill them all!"

The niru shrieked, "Then we fight to the death!" But how could the bows, arrows, blades, and spears of the Later Jin armored soldiers match the power of firearms? Before long, every single Later Jin soldier lay dead in pools of blood.

Lu Xiangsheng called out, "Fetch the military surgeon and have him examine Brigade Commander Zhang's wound."

Zhang Zongling grabbed the arrow shaft and pulled with all his might, extracting the arrow. The military surgeon hastily retrieved a bottle, sprinkled medicinal powder over the wound, and bound it tightly with a bandage. "This powder is highly effective and the wound will heal rapidly," the surgeon said, "though you may walk with a slight limp in the future."

Zhang Zongling burst into laughter. "What do you mean, 'a slight limp'? Why be so polite about it? Isn't it just being lame? From now on, I am Zhang the Lame!"

Lu Xiangsheng frowned slightly and said, "Brigade Commander Zhang is peerlessly valorous, but you must still exercise caution and look after your safety."

Lowering his gaze, Zhang Zongling said, "The Division Commander's reprimand is just. Zongling was far too reckless, and I ask the Division Commander to punish me."

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