Chapter 1030: Returning to the Trajectory
"Whether you did it or not, we'll discuss later." Kong Youde's voice was low and dangerous. "Everyone gear up. Assemble your men immediately—no unauthorized movement. Send riders to recall all brothers from the various battalions who have gone out!"
"Yes!" The generals recognized something sinister was unfolding, sensed that a great upheaval loomed. None dared argue. They answered in unison.
Kong Youde rose, directed his personal guards to help him don his armor, and ordered his personal general to gather his household troops and retainers, preparing to move out.
"No flags. No talking on the march!"
After the personal general departed, Kong Youde called back Li Yingyuan, who had been about to leave.
"You come with me."
Li Yingyuan's face went ashen. He had no idea what Kong Youde intended.
Kong Youde suspected Li Jiucheng and his son were involved in this strange affair. He feared this was a stratagem to lure the tiger from its mountain, enabling Li Jiucheng to coerce the entire army into mutiny the moment he departed. Therefore, he preemptively detained Li Jiucheng's son to accompany the army's movement as hostage.
In less time than it takes to eat a meal, Kong Youde had set out with fifty cavalrymen. He went personally to determine precisely who was responsible. Ever since arriving in Dongguang, the reconnaissance cavalry that had been endlessly tailing his forces had given him a premonition of imminent danger.
Which group is stirring up trouble inside! The thought made him involuntarily tighten his grip on the reins.
Kong Youde and his cavalry soon reached the area near the river gate. He did not lead his men directly into the scene of devastation, fearing misidentification. Instead, he halted the entire force two li from the fires. Then he himself led a dozen household retainers forward carefully on horseback.
The attackers seemed to have already withdrawn—no sounds of killing, no hoofbeats. Numerous grain boats moored along the riverbank had caught fire, flames roaring, the heat unbearable even at distance. Boatmen scattered in panic. Some spotted his approaching patrol and, assuming they were cohorts of the attackers, fled to avoid them.
Corpses lay scattered along the riverbank. By the firelight, Kong Youde could see most were boatmen from the grain transport boats. He drew a sharp breath. This was robbery of government vessels. Never mind their decrepit condition or the beggar-like appearance of their crews—these were thoroughly "government boats" manned by "government soldiers." Attacking them would constitute a major crime if escalated.
A personal guard used his spear to retrieve an arrow from a corpse and presented it to Kong Youde. He took it and examined it carefully, recognizing immediately that it was a "government arrow"—and one from Dengzhou at that.
Kong Youde gripped the arrow shaft, feeling cold sweat slickening his back. Could this group have come from Dengzhou? To act with such reckless abandon!
The grain boats were in chaos, cargo and transport grain scattered across decks. Kong Youde observed his household retainers eyeing the loot, each one clearly eager. He shouted sharply to stop them.
The street stood empty, every house closed and locked, deathly still. Only several large mansions near the sluice gate had their doors thrown wide, various valuables strewn across the street outside.
Suddenly something thudded beneath his horse's hoof. Looking down, he saw a human head.
Further inspection revealed seven or eight headless corpses discarded along the street. Their clothing was not luxurious but marked them as members of comfortable households. A household servant beside him—recently employed as a scout and familiar with the area—whispered that these were the residences of gate officials and lock-keepers.
Seeing the silk and cloth scattered on the ground and the loose coins from broken strings, Kong Youde understood immediately how wealthy these families had been. He couldn't help but curse under his breath: "Damn it!"
He pulled the reins, having no stomach to investigate further. The attackers, though swift, were undoubtedly government soldiers.
As for which unit they belonged to, he didn't know—and didn't want to know. Though inwardly he remained convinced this was Li Jiucheng's handiwork.
You are forcing me to become Lu Junyi! Kong Youde seethed with silent fury.
Yet what was done was done. Saying more was useless. Kong Youde understood perfectly that regardless of whether Li Jiucheng had orchestrated this, he would bear the consequences—or rather, the original Dongjiang troops would bear them.
Fine. You asked for this. It's now inconvenient for me to block your fortunes for the sake of my own future! Kong Youde thought bitterly. He raised his voice to shout the order: "Return!"
In that moment, he had resolved to raise the flag of rebellion. Not simply because he had no means of explanation now, but because he realized how thoroughly his control over his subordinates had eroded. Li Jiucheng had swayed most generals and soldiers without any overt display, orchestrating an operation of this magnitude behind his back.
If he continued refusing blindly, he would either be killed by mutineering soldiers and generals, or forced to abandon his army and flee. Given Sun Yuanhua's disposition toward him, he might escape blame—might even receive protection. But thereafter he would become a commander with only a few dozen personal guards and retainers, a general in name alone.
Without soldiers, a military general in this increasingly chaotic era lost all his capital. Whether seeking official position, wealth, or simply a stable life—one needed soldiers in hand.
To regain control of his forces, he had to participate in the rebellion and seize back power amid the turmoil. These troops were his creation. They had been bewitched by Li Jiucheng and his cohort only because their prospects appeared hopeless. Kong Youde believed that if he rode the current and applied his skills wisely, he would soon reclaim command.
Though unwilling to rebel, once Kong Youde reached his decision, he would walk the path to its end. He suddenly reined in his warhorse and issued new orders to his subordinates:
"Transmit the command to all battalions immediately—pull out and assemble here!"
Since the action had begun—regardless of who actually struck this blow—it was already counted against his name.
If he was to be blamed anyway, he would do it thoroughly.
The market here was prosperous, with many ships moored. Though the fattest sheep had already been slaughtered, substantial wealth remained. Easy seizure of large quantities of grain, valuables, and livestock would yield far more than sneaking about robbing houses and destroying a few villages.
With this large stake in hand, the army's heart could be steadied. With grain and pay available, soldiers would be willing to stake their lives. With soldiers, one need not fear whatever came next.
Even the imperial court—so long as you possessed strength—would count on you to fight with sword and gun. They would absolutely overlook however many commoners you killed or however much wealth you plundered.
This thought crystallized, and he turned his horse's head, raising his whip toward the market. "Enter the town!"
Chen Sigen stood on a small hill at the edge of a grove a few li distant, observing the town through infrared binoculars. When he saw groups of cavalry beginning to flood into the market, commencing their burning, killing, and looting along the riverbank and streets, his heart sank even as his mission succeeded. Their goal of forcing Kong Youde to rebel had been achieved—but the innocent commoners of this market had become victims of the Senate's "strategic objectives" for nothing.
The initiator, will he have no posterity?
The phrase rose unbidden, carrying a heartfelt unease.
"Squad leader." The Special Reconnaissance Detachment sergeant called softly.
"Hm, what is it?" Chen Sigen turned.
"The government army's scouts are beginning to approach."
Chen Sigen silently praised Kong Youde's professionalism. Even while unleashing his soldiers to plunder, the man hadn't forgotten to guard his perimeter. It appeared that among the forest of surrendering generals in the late Ming, rising to become one of the Three Feudatories required not just early surrender but outstanding competence.
"We withdraw!" he ordered. "All units return to base camp."
Since Kong Youde had begun releasing soldiers to loot the market, it meant he had committed to rebellion. The subsequent matters could be left to the reconnaissance cavalry, who would shadow him and monitor his movements constantly.
With the Special Reconnaissance Detachment's surprise attack as the ignition point, an army that had long simmered with discontent finally raised the flag of rebellion. The anger and resentment bottled within Dongjiang soldiers for years instantly transformed into a torrential, destructive force.
After rising in rebellion, Kong Youde's unit immediately returned to Wuqiao and launched a surprise assault. Because the local magistrate had been alerted—he had heard reports of "horse bandit" activity in neighboring Dongguang County—he closed the city gates in time, saving the county seat temporarily. Seeing he couldn't succeed quickly, Kong Youde refused to waste time besieging walls. After rampant burning, killing, and plundering in the surrounding area, he immediately wheeled his forces back toward Shandong.
They had obtained vast quantities of livestock, grain, and wealth in Dongguang and Wuqiao. Loading valuables and grain onto plundered horses, mules, and donkeys, they drove the animals alongside the main army toward Shandong. The dust raised by men and horses rolled skyward, visible from more than ten li away.
"Rebellion!"
The terrible news spread along the main roads. Urgent documents from Dongguang and Wuqiao counties began flying through the relay station system. Yet throughout the vast expanse of Shandong, apart from the transmigrators in Longkou who were rubbing their fists in full battle array, no one anticipated how the situation would develop. While the scholars and common folk of Shandong slept, Kong Youde's Liaodong iron cavalry was already thundering in.
The Qimu Island Trio monitored Kong Youde's movements with nervous intensity. They had successfully pulled Kong back onto the historical trajectory required by the Senate. Now everything depended on whether his next direction would match original history.
News from the reconnaissance cavalry brought relief: after sweeping through Wuqiao, Kong Youde advanced rapidly southeast along what would become the route of modern National Highway 104. Local governments were caught utterly unprepared, without troops to respond. Those who reacted quickly managed emergency gate closures and escaped disaster. Those who reacted slowly fell in succession. The rebel army captured Ling County, then Linyi. After seizing large amounts of grain, valuables, and livestock, they followed the route of Provincial Highway 316, capturing Shanghe. From Shanghe they moved east, successively crossing the Tuhai River and Yellow River to capture Qidong—present-day Gaoqing. Afterward, they attacked southeast, taking Xincheng—present-day Huantai.
Because his forces consisted almost entirely of cavalry, because they had plundered large numbers of livestock to carry supplies, and because they avoided getting entangled with any single location or city along the way—supplementing the column by looting provisions and animals as they marched—their speed was extraordinary.
In less than a month, on November 22, 1631, their vanguard arrived before Dengzhou City.
The rebel army merely swept past Huangxian. Kong Youde made no attempt to assault the county seat—returning to Dengzhou as swiftly as possible to secure the support of old Dongjiang units and expand his strength was his sole concern.
(End of Chapter)