Chapter 1290 - Arrangements for the Finale

"Did Zhu Dadian or Xie Sanbin request grain?"

"No, sir." Huang Ande stood at attention. "Xie Sanbin said nothing. Zhu Dadian gave me one hundred and fifty taels of silver—fifty for myself and one hundred for the cavalry company's soldiers. I have turned it all in."

"Correct." Lu Wenyuan nodded approvingly. "We fight for the Senate, for all the common people under heaven—not for a few coins." He had already been informed of this matter. It seemed the years of discipline education had not been wasted.

"Serve the Senate and the People!" Huang Ande snapped to attention.

"You have worked hard on this assignment. Go back and rest well." Lu Wenyuan allowed a slight smile. "The Senate sent us frozen lamb, radishes, and Chinese cabbage. I have already instructed the kitchen to prepare a lamb hot pot for you tonight."

"Thank you, Chief." Huang Ande saluted and withdrew.

"It seems my clansman has become quite sensible." Zhu Mingxia, who had remained silent, spoke with an amused smile.

"Old Zhu's greatest problem now is how to explain himself to the Emperor." Lu Wenyuan settled back in his chair. "His arrogance has diminished considerably. At present, the Field Headquarters still needs to be reorganized, so he must rely more heavily on Sun Yuanhua." A note of satisfaction crept into his voice. "This was originally to be his credit alone, yet now he must share it with Old Sun. Our presence in Shandong is also secured."

"Next comes the question of Li Jiucheng and Kong Youde," Zhu Mingxia said.

The rebels' strategic situation remained unbroken. Zhu Mingxia had predicted as much. In such weather, it was already remarkable that the rebels—desperately short of winter clothing—had managed to pursue for dozens of li through the snow, and that only due to their cavalry advantage. Even so, rebel losses during the pursuit had been alarming. Reconnaissance cavalry trailing them reported frozen corpses of men and horses littering the route.

The rebels could neither capture Laizhou nor risk fighting in places like Pingdu or Qixia while the government's main force remained intact—that would mean abandoning Dengzhou, the only port from which they could receive reinforcements or escape.

"I believe they will inevitably take to the sea and flee to Dongjiang once spring arrives, just as they did historically," Lu Wenyuan observed. "Dengzhou is already a dead end. Without our intervention, they cannot break free."

Of course, there was no need to intervene. The rebels' "vitality" had steadily declined, and population collection through the rebellion was no longer necessary. Through a series of operations, they had established a fait accompli in Dengzhou. The remaining question was how to extract maximum benefit from the rebels' destruction.

More than 100,000 rebels and coerced civilians remained within Dengzhou City. A considerable portion were local commoners. According to historical records, Dengzhou had already begun to "lack food." By year's end, conditions would deteriorate to "killing people for food and melting fat for candles." Recent intelligence confirmed that despite capturing substantial government baggage and fodder, the rebels had already begun slaughtering cattle and horses for meat.

Moreover, historical accounts recorded that when Kong Youde finally fled, he authorized a comprehensive massacre and looting of the entire city—"killing, robbing, raping and defiling, extremely cruel." The three commanders discussed this and agreed to move the recovery of Dengzhou forward on the agenda, to prevent excessive loss of population and livestock.

Recovering Dengzhou and eliminating the rebels presented no military difficulty. The primary considerations were political factors and the impact on future developments.

The most critical question was whether to allow Kong Youde to defect to the Manchus. Historically, after fleeing Dengzhou, Kong Youde and his followers had drifted among the Bohai Bay islands for several months, searching for a way out. Clearly, they had agonized over whether to surrender to the Manchus. During this period, they had requested amnesty multiple times, hoping to maintain a precarious balance between Ming, Qing, and Joseon. In the end, their surrender to the Manchus contained elements of "having no other choice."

Yet Kong Youde's defection had caused a dramatic shift in the strategic balance between Ming and Qing. The Ming soldiers who surrendered with him were well-trained musketeers and experienced cannon-casting artisans. From that point forward, Manchu capability in manufacturing and employing firearms rose to a significant level—so much so that in the subsequent course of the war, the advantage in artillery gradually shifted to the Manchu side.

The Senate Standing Committee had convened multiple sessions to discuss this issue, including hearings with Senators from the Great Library and the Foreign Intelligence Bureau. The final decision: Kong Youde's unit would not be permitted to surrender to the Manchus. They would be eliminated directly.

While the Han Chauvinist Faction had cheered this decision with enthusiasm second only to the large-scale exploitation of Southeast Asian slaves for mining, for the Executive Committee, the choice was based entirely on comprehensive interest calculations.

If Kong Youde were allowed to escape, he would inevitably drift among the Bohai Bay islands for months, just as in recorded history. Almost all these islands were garrisoned by Dongjiang troops. Some confronted the rebels; others joined them to fight the government army and Korean forces. Many perished in these skirmishes. When Kong Youde fled Dengzhou, he had taken 12,000 soldiers and civilians, yet fewer than 10,000 remained when he finally surrendered to the Qing. The damage extended beyond his own unit: Dongjiang Town's strength across the Liaodong islands was greatly reduced in the aftermath, eventually leading to the fall of Lushun and Huang Long's death in battle. Hundreds of thousands of Dongjiang people were effectively handed to the Manchus for nothing. For the Senate, this was wholly uneconomical.

A secondary consideration: after Kong Youde defected to the Manchus, the Senate's monopoly status as arms dealer would be threatened, and their influence over the Manchus would correspondingly decline.

"We need to move quickly," Lu Wenyuan said with conviction. "Let the Ming army take Dengzhou before Lunar New Year's Eve. Starting the new year with good news should improve Chongzhen's mood considerably."

"Helping the Ming army capture Dengzhou will be somewhat difficult." Zhu Mingxia smiled. "If I commanded the Northbound Detachment alone, it wouldn't be a problem."

The Ming army had just suffered a devastating defeat and was still gasping for breath. They would likely have little appetite for another siege. Besides, if they did come, the Northbound Detachment—with its completely different training, tactics, and equipment—could hardly cooperate with them in battle. Competition over credit would only disrupt offensive operations. Finally, Ming military discipline was notoriously poor. Historically, after Sichuan troops entered the Water City, they had looted women and property even while fighting, only to be driven out by a rebel counterattack. After Dengzhou City finally fell, multiple government armies had conducted a comprehensive pillaging. The city's population was massacred and plundered to nothing; Dengzhou was reduced to rubble and was not gradually restored until the ninth year of Chongzhen.

"We'll do it ourselves. After we finish, we hand it over to Sun Yuanhua and Zhu Dadian—though it's a pity Sun Yuanhua can't claim all the credit." Lu Wenyuan had developed considerable affection for this Governor. "As for the property and population within the city—well, naturally they were killed and looted by the rebels..."

As they discussed attack plans, a messenger suddenly reported: Kong Youde had sent an envoy requesting to meet the Manor Lord in person.

"Perfect timing—delivered right to our door." Manor Lord Lu laughed. "Very well, let's hear what they want first. Old Chen, you should still be the one to appear."

Chen Sigen and Kong Youde held their second secret meeting on Dazhushan Island. Kong Youde's proposal: exchange the population within the city for grain.

More than 100,000 people remained in Dengzhou, including large numbers of coerced and abducted civilians. Kong Youde and his commanders had reasoned that keeping these people in the city consumed grain and created instability. Better to hand them all over to Manor Lord Lu—after all, what he seemed to value most was population.

With sufficient grain stores, holding out until spring would not be difficult. Otherwise, they would not survive the winter, eventually being reduced to eating human flesh. Soldiers in chaotic times had long since hardened their hearts; cannibalism was nothing difficult. Yet everyone would still prefer grain if grain was available.

After deliberation, the three commanders agreed to accept Kong Youde's proposal. Since they had already made acquiring Dengzhou's population a goal, feeding these people was their obligation. Moreover, beginning the supply now would preserve more lives than waiting until many had already starved or been consumed.

The terms were settled: population exchanged for grain at the previously established refugee rates. The grain for this exchange would be potatoes from Jeju Island. Because fresh potatoes did not store well, a large surplus—beyond what Jeju consumed locally—was shipped to Qimu Island to feed refugees.

Both parties agreed that the exchanged population would be transported by rebel navy ships to Changshan Island, currently held by the rebels as a key stronghold ensuring their sea route. Qimu Island would dispatch vessels to transport the people away from there. The potatoes for payment would also be delivered at this location.

Based on this agreement, Zhu Mingxia proposed a battle plan.

"First, we conduct the population exchange to reduce numbers within the city," Zhu Mingxia explained. "They will inevitably retain their core troops. I estimate thirty to forty thousand, including dependents and artisans. This portion they will not hand over. When they halt the population exchange, we launch a joint amphibious attack with the Navy, directly seizing Changshan Island and taking control of the Miaodao Archipelago."

The Miaodao Archipelago lay within easy reach of Dengzhou and served as its maritime gateway. The rebels had long stationed garrison troops there. Historically, when Zhu Dadian besieged Dengzhou, he had dispatched forces to assault Changshan Island, only to be defeated by Kong Youde—ultimately failing to block the rebels within Dengzhou.

"Once we take the Miaodao Archipelago, the rebels' escape route by sea is sealed. Kong Youde and the others know perfectly well they cannot match us at sea. They will inevitably seek terms. At that point, we make it a condition that he surrender Dengzhou City along with its treasures, in exchange for permission to take his core troops and all firearms aboard ships and leave Dengzhou."

"Then why not simply seize Changshan Island directly?" Chen Sigen did not understand. "That would spare us the trouble of the population exchange. Besides, didn't we say we cannot let the rebels escape?"

Lu Wenyuan grasped Zhu Mingxia's calculation. "Once they put to sea, they will have no choices left."

"Precisely. This way we minimize population losses." Zhu Mingxia nodded. "We must consider the possibility that they refuse these terms and choose to defend Dengzhou to the death. At that point, all those people trapped inside would be wasted."