Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Northern Invaders Assault Yan'an

Zhu Youxiao was quite astonished, never imagining that vermicelli could be so profitable. He summoned Wei Zhongxian and instructed him to allocate half of the vermicelli income as bonuses for Li Yongzhen and his associates, establishing it as a permanent practice. He understood that only when one’s endeavors become personal can the greatest motivation be stirred. Now that Li Yongzhen and the others’ earnings were closely tied to the factory’s profits, they would naturally rack their brains to improve those profits. Still, he ordered Wei Zhongxian to keep the accounts transparent—fixed settlements twice a year, plus at least two random reviews—to prevent any embezzlement.

By the twelfth month of the first year of the Tianqi era, Sun Chuanting had already recruited ten thousand soldiers in Yan’an Prefecture. Under the training of the monks from Shaolin Temple, they had mastered the use of spears and shield-blades. In September, Zhu Youxiao assigned them one hundred veterans from the Liaodong campaign, all captains or commanders, to serve as the backbone, establishing the fundamental structure. Following the organization of the Imperial Guards, they formed nine companies and underwent intensive training. The plan was to select the four most outstanding companies and transfer them to the capital as part of the Imperial Guards, and Yang Lian was sent specifically for this purpose.

In the first month of the second year of Tianqi, the Mongols of the Hetao region, particularly the Yechi tribe, were reorganizing their troops. Last year's harvest was poor, so the Mongols had to resort to their most common response in years of disaster: raiding Ming territory.

The Yechi tribe belonged to the Mongol Right Wing. Ming law stipulated that if a year passed peacefully, they could conduct mutual markets for one year. The Mongols favored such markets, exchanging furs and other goods for Ming daily necessities, which were essential for them.

But this year’s harvest was truly abysmal—too cold, too much snow, and many livestock starved to death. Without raiding Ming lands, the Yechi tribe would not survive the year, so whether there would be a mutual market next year became irrelevant; a raid was their only option.

The Yechi tribe could muster about eight thousand mounted archers, but would never deploy all at once. Yechi decided to lead five thousand elite troops, aiming to seize enough goods for the coming year.

Their encampment was close to Yan’an Prefecture in Shaanxi and Taiyuan Prefecture in Shanxi. Anyone with sense would target Yan’an: although Taiyuan was wealthier, it had more troops and was near Datong, where Ming heavy forces were stationed. Thus, Yechi decided to raid Shenmu and Mizhi in Yan’an Prefecture. At this time, Yang Lian had just arrived at Fushi City.

Sun Chuanting’s recruits were now stationed in Mizhi, Bao’an, Ganquan, and Yanchuan counties for training, in two batches—one trained for nearly a year, the other for about half a year. As a child, Sun Chuanting had studied military texts and greatly admired the "New Book of Effective Methods." Now, given the opportunity, he wouldn’t let it slip by. Under his directive, the soldiers trained rigorously, with excellent results.

Yang Lian first inspected the new troops in Ganquan. He could only see their orderly formations, but Cao Wenzhao, who accompanied him, was visibly excited. Cao himself was courageous and, although the Imperial Guards’ weapons were formidable, he found them unsatisfying. He preferred the thrill of close combat, blade against blade, spear against spear, rather than the impersonal devastation of a musket. Though effective on the battlefield, it lacked the spirit he admired. Watching these Shaanxi troops wielding blades and spears with practiced precision and strict discipline, he was greatly impressed.

After meeting Sun Chuanting in Fushi City, Cao Wenzhao proposed selecting the two companies from Ganquan first. Sun Chuanting laughed, “General Cao, don’t be anxious—there are still seven companies left to inspect. There might be even better ones yet.”

Cao Wenzhao realized he was overeager and chuckled awkwardly. Yang Lian, now familiar with him after their journey together, smiled, “General Cao has praised Magistrate Sun’s soldiers repeatedly along the way—he is truly delighted by what he’s seen.”

Sun Chuanting answered modestly, “General Cao comes from the Imperial Guards, whose reputation in Liaodong and the Southwest is immense. To have your appreciation is my good fortune, and I thank you for your generous praise.”

Cao Wenzhao quickly bowed, “Your Excellency has deep understanding of military matters. The troops you train—formation, discipline, technique, and order—are first-rate. I am thoroughly impressed.”

With such mutual flattery, Sun Chuanting, Yang Lian, and Cao Wenzhao quickly became familiar. They agreed to begin inspections the next day, visiting Bao’an, Yanchuan, and Mizhi in order, and, after inspecting all four locations, would decide which companies to select.

The following morning, before they could depart, someone reported that the northern barbarians had breached Yongxing Fort and were attacking Shenmu.

Sun Chuanting was alarmed and said to Yang Lian, “Sir Yang, my apologies—I must go to Mizhi to resist the northern invaders. Would you and General Cao care to rest here in Fushi City?”

Cao Wenzhao replied eagerly, “Your Excellency, I am willing to accompany you to Mizhi.”

Sun Chuanting said, “With General Cao at my side, I am even more confident in driving out the northern invaders. Sir Yang, we will set off at once.”

Yang Lian answered, “Magistrate Sun, you two must go to Yanchuan to gather troops and then to Mizhi. I, lacking the strength even to bind a chicken, cannot accompany you in battling the invaders. But isn’t there a newly trained force in Bao’an? I am willing to go to Bao’an to lead troops in support.”

Sun Chuanting regarded Yang Lian with newfound respect—a civil official offering such aid was remarkable. He quickly arranged for reports to be sent to Governor Zhang Zhihou and General Du Wenhuan, informing them of the enemy situation. Yang Siqi accompanied Yang Lian to Bao’an to gather troops; Lu Xuan went to Yanchuan; Sun Chuanting and Cao Wenzhao headed directly to Mizhi. After gathering their forces, they would proceed to Shenmu, while the other two groups would converge at Mizhi before reinforcing Shenmu.

When Sun Chuanting arrived at Mizhi, Shenmu had not yet fallen. In fact, Yechi hadn’t attacked Shenmu County directly, instead sending a thousand men to monitor it while the rest looted the surrounding areas.

Most of the officers in Yan’an’s army were drafted from the Imperial Guards, so upon arrival at Mizhi, Cao Wenzhao easily adapted to commanding the local troops. After consulting with Sun Chuanting, he decided to proceed to Shenmu, while Sun Chuanting stayed in Mizhi to organize temporary recruits, guarding against a northern attack.

It was Cao Wenzhao’s first time leading an army independently, with only three companies, but he was full of confidence. According to the intelligence in Mizhi, the northern invaders numbered about five thousand and would never be all together, giving him the opportunity to defeat them piecemeal.

Mizhi and Shenmu County were separated by nearly two hundred li. Remarkably, Cao Wenzhao covered the distance with his three companies in just over two days, averaging over forty li per day—on par with the Imperial Guards.

Moving forward, scouts reported a band of northern raiders ahead—about two hundred—pillaging goods and people. After carefully inquiring about the local terrain, Cao found that the village being raided was surrounded on three sides by mountains, with only one exit. He decided to send a company to block the exit, while he led the other two companies to annihilate the enemy.