novelSusiti Chapter 14 The Storm Is Brewing
Chapter 14 The Storm Is Brewing
Spring came late in the thirteenth year of Chongzhen's reign (1640). It was already March, and frost was still clinging to the ridges of the fields.
The people of the thirty villages in Qishui dared not wait and went to the fields early—the grain stored up last winter would not last until the summer harvest, and if they did not plant, they would go hungry in the fall.
Training continued as usual at the training ground in Majiabao.
The five hundred local militia were divided into five teams, taking turns to train, patrol, and cultivate the land.
Ma Changsheng set a rule: each person would spend half a day training and half a day working.
To maintain combat effectiveness without neglecting agricultural work.
On March 15th, the Joint Defense Hall held its quarterly meeting.
Representatives from all thirty villages have arrived, and Ma Changsheng reports the latest intelligence:
"Zhang Xianzhong has captured Xiangyang, and Zuo Liangyu has retreated to Wuchang. Fang Kongzhao, the governor of Huguang, has been dismissed, and the new governor, Song Yihe, has just taken office with no troops or supplies." He paused, "The good news is that Zhang Xianzhong's main force has gone south to attack Jingzhou and will not be coming here for the time being."
A sigh of relief filled the ancestral hall.
But Ma Changsheng's next words made his heart leap again:
"But Zhang Xianzhong left behind several detachments to sweep around north of Xiangyang. One of them, about three thousand men, led by his general Ma Yuanli, is currently operating in the Suizhou and De'an area. It's about three hundred li away from us."
Three hundred li is a journey that takes cavalry three days and infantry seven or eight days.
"Three thousand men..." an old clan chief's voice trembled, "If we add them all together, we'd only have a little over a thousand who could actually fight..."
"So we can't fight head-on." Ma Changsheng pointed to the map. "Ma Yuanli's goal is to seize grain and money, not to conquer cities and territories. What we need to do is make him realize that we're a tough nut to crack and not worth it."
He proposed a new strategy: a scorched-earth policy 2.0.
"Observation posts were set up around all villages, one post every twenty li. If enemy activity was detected, a beacon fire would be lit immediately to sound the alarm."
"Move all the grain into the mountains or bury it deep underground. As for the wells... poison them if necessary, but only temporarily, as the solution can be found later."
"All able-bodied men were concentrated in five core fortified villages: Majiabao, Wangcunbao, Lizhuangbao, Zhaojiazhai, and Liujiaying. Each fortified village was garrisoned with two hundred soldiers, forming a defensive network."
"The elderly, women, and children should go into the mountains ahead of time. I have already had the shelter in the back mountain expanded so that it can accommodate two thousand people. There is enough food to last for three months."
"Finally, and most importantly..." Ma Changsheng looked around at everyone, "If Ma Yuanli really comes, we'll have to put on a 'show battle'."
"A performance battle?" Everyone was puzzled.
"It's about showing him that we're not to be trifled with, but without pushing him too far," Ma Changsheng explained. "We'll test him with small groups, then strike hard; when a large force attacks, we'll offer some resistance and then retreat into the fortress, harassing him from the flanks. We'll make him think that taking it down is not worth the effort, and it's better to take a detour."
Instructor Sun nodded: "This is called 'better to break one finger than injure all ten.' We won't fight him, we'll just annoy him."
The plan has been approved and will be implemented immediately.
Throughout March, the thirty villages of Qishui were like a wound-up machine: some were transporting grain, some were building fortifications, and some were relocating.
Although the people were terrified, they were somewhat reassured by the orderly command in Majiabao.
Ma Changsheng himself, along with Tiezhu and twenty elite soldiers, personally went to the Suizhou area—the region where Ma Yuanli's troops were active.
He wanted to see for himself what this army was really like.
At the end of March, Ma Changsheng and his party disguised themselves as a merchant caravan and entered Suizhou.
This area is now a "bandit zone"—nominally still Ming territory, but in reality, Zhang Xianzhong's troops come and go, and the government officials have long since fled.
What I saw along the way was shocking. Nine out of ten villages were empty, fields were overgrown with weeds, and corpses of the starved were a common sight on the roads.
Occasionally, a pedestrian would appear, but they were all emaciated and had empty eyes.
"What a tragedy..." Tie Zhu muttered, "How could a perfectly healthy person turn out like this?"
Ma Changsheng remained silent.
He observed that most of the burned villages were located along the main roads, while remote mountain villages fared better; the bandits' looting followed a fixed pattern—first they would steal grain, then conscript men, and finally set fires; the local people either fled into the deep mountains or... joined the bandits.
In a small town called Huangji, they finally spotted Ma Yuanli's troops.
Approximately five hundred people were stationed in an open area outside the town.
The camp was rudimentary, the flags were scattered, and the soldiers were slumped over, some sunbathing, some gambling, and discipline was lax.
But upon closer inspection, these people had fierce eyes and calloused hands, indicating they had seen blood.
Ma Changsheng left the others at the inn and took Tiezhu with him, disguising himself as a firewood seller, to approach the camp.
"Stop! What are you doing!" the sentry shouted, stopping them.
"Sir, I'm selling firewood." Tie Zhu bowed and scraped. "It's cold, so I'm bringing some firewood for the brothers to keep warm."
The sentry sized them up: "Kids out selling firewood too?"
Ma Changsheng lowered his head: "There are no adults at home, so I had to come out by myself."
That's true—in times of chaos, countless children become orphans. The sentry didn't suspect anything and let them in.
The camp reeked of a terrible stench.
The soldiers were gathered around several large pots, which were simmering some kind of meat, the aroma of which was mixed with the smell of blood.
Ma Changsheng saw several bound civilians, dressed in rags, kneeling to one side—probably captured "guides" or "spies."
He unloaded the firewood while observing the surroundings.
This army had several characteristics: apart from the core group of about a hundred people, who were well-equipped, had horses, and were probably veteran soldiers; the rest were mostly coerced civilians who looked malnourished and had low morale; the officers were rude and often beat and scolded the soldiers; the food in the camp seemed to be scarce—there was very little meat in the large pots, and most people were drinking thin porridge.
Back at the inn, Ma Changsheng analyzed, "Although Ma Yuanli's troops are numerous, their fighting strength is weak. The core veteran soldiers may number two or three hundred, but the rest are a rabble. Moreover, they are short of food—that's the key issue."
"Can we win?" Tie Zhu asked.
"No," Ma Changsheng shook his head. "Even if half of the three thousand men are a rabble, there are still fifteen hundred who can fight. We can't win against them. But... we can take advantage of their lack of food."
He had a bold idea: to take the initiative to make contact and negotiate.
"Negotiation? Negotiate with bandits?" Tie Zhu's eyes widened.
"Yes. Tell them: the thirty villages of Qishui have already fortified their defenses and there's nothing to rob; if they insist on fighting, we'll hold our ground and they'll have to pay the price; instead, let's 'borrow' some food from them and have them take a detour."
"Will they agree?"
"When food is scarce, yes," Ma Changsheng said. "The bandits aren't fools; they know how to weigh the pros and cons. Rather than fighting us to the death, they'd rather take some food and plunder elsewhere."
"But where are we going to lend them food?"
"Yes," Ma Changsheng smiled. "Old grains, coarse grains, mixed with some sand and clods of dirt. Enough for them to eat for a few days, but they won't eat well. The important thing is our attitude—we're not afraid of them, we 'pity' them, we'll give them some charity."
This is a risky move, but it's worth a try.
In early April, Ma Yuanli's troops indeed moved towards Qishui.
The vanguard of five hundred men has already reached Yingshan County, a hundred miles away.
Ma Changsheng decided to take the initiative—not to fight, but to deliver a message.
He personally wrote a letter, using carefully chosen words: first praising Ma Yuanli as a "hero," then describing the "unbearable suffering" of the people of Qishui, and then proposing that "each side should make concessions"—Majiabao would "donate" two hundred shi of grain, asking General Ma to "show mercy" and take a detour.
The letter was sent by a captured bandit leader named Wang Mazi, who had previously been the leader of a small band of outlaws. He had surrendered after being captured by the Ma family and was now a squad leader in the local militia.
Ma Changsheng promised him ten taels of silver and his freedom after the deed was done.
Wang Mazi hesitated: "Master Ma, what if Ma Yuanli kills me..."
"You won't die," Ma Changsheng said. "Ma Yuanli is short of food, so his first thought upon seeing the letter is about supplies. Besides, even bandits know the rule that messengers are not killed in battle."
Wang Mazi went with a stiff upper lip.
He returned two days later with Ma Yuanli's reply.
The letter was rude, but its meaning was clear: 500 shi of grain and 1,000 taels of silver, or else "the Qishui River will be flattened, and not a single chicken or dog will be spared."
They're asking for an exorbitant amount.
Ma Changsheng convened a meeting with key personnel to discuss the matter.
"Five hundred shi? We only have a thousand shi saved up in total!" Ma Sanbao exclaimed anxiously.
"A thousand taels of silver? It's not even worth selling us all!" Tie Zhu slammed his fist on the table.
Coach Sun sneered, "This Ma Yuanli is asking for it."
Ma Changsheng remained calm: "It's all about bargaining. He asks for a high price, we'll offer a lower one. Here's the reply: 300 shi of grain and 300 taels of silver, no more. And... it should be given in installments, half first, and the other half after he takes a detour."
Chen Jiru worried, "Chang Sheng, won't this make us seem too weak?"
"Weakness?" Ma Changsheng shook his head. "We are buying time. Every day we delay, our defenses will be perfected; if we delay for three days, Zhang Xianzhong might transfer Ma Yuanli away."
He paused. "Besides, I'm not really going to give it to you. The first batch of grain can be mixed with half chaff; silver... do we have that much silver? Let's agree first, and we'll talk about it later."
This is shameless, but in chaotic times, how much is integrity worth?
The second letter was sent.
Ma Yuanli replied: "Deliver 400 shi of grain and 500 taels of silver immediately, or war will begin tomorrow."
His tone hardened.
Ma Changsheng knew he couldn't back down any further.
He ordered: The entire army to prepare for war.
On the eighth day of the fourth month, Ma Yuanli's vanguard of 500 men arrived in Qishui County and set up camp at Zhangjiapu, 20 miles away.
Ma Changsheng dispatched Tiezhu with a hundred-strong rapid response team to "greet" them.
It's not a war, it's a "demonstration".
Following Ma Changsheng's instructions, Tiezhu did not launch an attack, but instead deployed his forces—one hundred men: fifty cavalrymen made up of local militia on horseback and carrying oxen, and fifty infantrymen, arranged in neat formations. Their armor gleamed, and the "Qi" banner of Majiabao fluttered in the wind.
The vanguard of the bandits was a shopkeeper surnamed Liu. When he saw this formation, he was stunned for a moment—he never expected that such a small village could have such a well-organized army.
The two sides faced off. Following Ma Changsheng's instructions, Tiezhu stepped forward and shouted, "General Liu! My master Ma said that the grain can be provided, but your leader Ma Yuanli must come in person to negotiate! Your few hundred men are not qualified!"
These words enraged Manager Liu: "Bullshit! I'll raze you all to the ground!"
But he didn't attack immediately—Ma Changsheng had calculated that the bandits were also afraid of death and dared not act rashly before figuring out their strength.
The stalemate continued until evening, when Manager Liu sent someone back to report.
Tie Zhu, seeing that he had gained an advantage, led his team to retreat.
In the first battle, they had the psychological advantage.
That evening, Ma Changsheng convened a pre-battle meeting at the Joint Defense Hall.
"Ma Yuanli might launch a probing attack tomorrow," he analyzed. "His target is Wangcun, our outermost outpost. The walls of Wangcun are not high, and the garrison is only a hundred strong; it seems easy to take."
"Shall we send reinforcements?" Wang Village representative asked urgently.
"No, no reinforcements," Ma Changsheng said. "Let Wangcun fight, but they have to fight well."
He made detailed plans: only fifty men would be left to guard the walls of Wangcunbao, creating the illusion that it would collapse at the slightest touch; the other fifty men would lie in ambush in the woods outside the fortress; when the bandits attacked the fortress, the ambush troops would come out from behind and attack from both sides.
"Remember, fight until it hurts, but don't annihilate them all," Ma Changsheng emphasized. "Kill a few dozen, capture a few prisoners, and then 'retreat.' Make Ma Yuanli think: We have some strength, but that's about it."
Instructor Sun understood: "This is fishing. First, feed it some bait to get it hooked, but the hook shouldn't be too deep."
"right."
On the ninth day of the fourth month, just as Ma Changsheng had predicted, Ma Yuanli sent Liu Zhangpan with eight hundred men to attack Wang Village.
The bandits didn't have many siege weapons, just a few simple siege ladders.
They thought Wangcun would be easy to attack, so they charged in right away.
On the wall of Wangcun Fort, fifty local militiamen "panicked" and threw arrows and stones, but their aim was very poor.
The bandits quickly built ladders and began to climb the wall.
Just as the wall was about to fall, a force of fifty men suddenly emerged from the woods outside the fortress, all cavalrymen on horseback, charging forward with shouts of battle.
Caught off guard, the bandits' rear guard was thrown into chaos.
At the same time, the fort gate suddenly opened, and fifty local militiamen rushed out.
Attacked from both sides, the bandits were instantly routed.
In this battle, more than 30 bandits were killed, more than 20 were captured, and a number of weapons and horses were seized.
Wangcun suffered only seven or eight injuries, with no fatalities.
Liu Zhangpan led his remaining troops in a retreat of ten miles before finally regaining his footing.
When the news reached Ma Yuanli's camp, the bandit general was furious: "Useless! Eight hundred men couldn't even take down a small fort defended by a hundred!"
But he also became wary—it seemed that these thirty villages in Qishui were not as easy to conquer as he had imagined.
That afternoon, Ma Yuanli personally led 1,500 men to press the city five miles outside Wang Village.
Upon receiving the news, Ma Changsheng immediately ordered: the entire Wangcun village to evacuate; take the grain that can be taken with them, and burn the grain that cannot be taken; plant flags all over the walls, creating an empty city ruse.
When Ma Yuanli's army arrived at Wangcun, they found an empty fortress—the gate was open, the flag was flying, but there was no one there.
"Something's fishy!" Ma Yuanli was suspicious and dared not go in.
He sent a small team in to investigate, and sure enough, the place was deserted. But the food was gone too—it had all been moved.
The well... has been filled with excrement and urine, so it's not safe to drink for now.
Ma Yuanli slammed his fist on the table in anger: "Damn it! You're playing me for a fool!"
But he dared not linger—an empty fortress was easy to ambush. At dusk, he retreated in frustration.
Ma Changsheng won this round again.
After the Battle of Wangcun, Ma Yuanli's attitude changed.
He sent another message, this time in a much more conciliatory tone: he was willing to "talk."
Ma Changsheng knew that the time was right.
He invited Ma Yuanli to meet at "Jieshoupo" in Qishui County—a place with open terrain where both sides could see each other, making it difficult to ambush.
April 12th, Jieshoupo.
Ma Changsheng's side consisted of fifty cavalry and one hundred infantry. He himself wore the robes of a scholar and sat in a grand chair—this was Chen Jiru's idea, saying, "The spirit of a scholar cannot be lost."
Ma Yuanli's side consisted of two hundred cavalry and three hundred infantry. He himself rode a tall horse, with a fierce face and one eye.
The two sides were about a hundred paces apart, and each side sent three people to the middle for talks.
Ma Yuanli's representative, dressed as a clerk, spoke in a refined manner: "General Ma said that as long as you hand over 500 shi of grain and 500 taels of silver, you will immediately withdraw your troops and will not cause any further disturbance."
Ma Changsheng's representative was Chen Jiru, who shook his head: "At most, two hundred shi of grain and one hundred taels of silver. Moreover, half will only be paid after you retreat to a hundred li away; the other half will be paid after you retreat to a three hundred li away."
"This won't do! How can we trust you?"
"We can draw up a written agreement and ask the local gentry to act as guarantors," Chen Jiru said. "General Ma should also know that in this area of a hundred miles around, Majiabao keeps its word."
After an hour of bargaining, an agreement was finally reached:
Three hundred shi of grain and two hundred taels of silver. The payment will be made in three installments: when Ma Yuanli retreats thirty li, he will pay one hundred shi of grain; when he retreats one hundred li, he will pay another one hundred shi of grain and one hundred taels of silver; when he retreats three hundred li, he will pay the last one hundred shi of grain and one hundred taels of silver.
In addition, Ma Yuanli guaranteed that he would not invade Qishui within one year; Majiabao guaranteed that it would not attack Ma Yuanli's troops and would provide the Ma troops with a "safe passage" within Qishui.
The agreement was written down on the spot, and both parties signed and sealed it. Although Ma Yuanli was not satisfied, he knew that fighting head-on would be too costly, so it was better to take some benefits and leave.
Before leaving, he stared at Ma Changsheng with his one eye and grinned, "Little scholar, you've got guts. If you ever can't make it in the future, come find me, I'll give you a secretary, ding-dong."
Ma Changsheng cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your kindness, General. I hope this day will never come."
Ma Yuanli withdrew his troops.
Although they only retreated to the Suizhou region, a hundred miles away, at least they won't attack Qishui for the time being.
In accordance with the agreement, Majiabao delivered its first batch of grain—old grain mixed with 30% chaff.
Although Ma Yuanli's troops were dissatisfied, having something to eat was better than nothing.
The crisis was temporarily averted, but Ma Changsheng knew that this was only the beginning.
On April 15th, he summarized the meeting at the Joint Defense Hall:
"We won this battle, but it was a close call," he said. "It was thanks to three things: thorough preparation, sound tactics, and a bit of luck. But luck won't always be on our side."
He has several plans:
First, issue "fort tickets". Majia Fort now controls thirty villages and can issue "grain tickets" and "cloth tickets" for internal circulation, using the grain and cloth stored within the fort as collateral to solve the problem of money shortage in transactions.
Secondly, organize caravans. Having made money in Jiujiang last time, this time we can go further—to Nanjing, even Hangzhou. We'll bring back specialties from Hubei and Hunan, and silk, porcelain, and books from Jiangnan.
Thirdly, schools were established. These schools not only taught literacy but also mathematics, medicine, and craftsmanship. Tuition fees could be collected in grain or silver, thus both cultivating talent and increasing revenue.
These ideas were ahead of their time, but in times of chaos, it is a good time to test new systems.
After the meeting, Ma Changsheng returned to his study. His desk was piled high with intelligence reports from various regions.
Zhang Xianzhong has captured Jingzhou and is currently resting and regrouping.
Li Zicheng left Shangluo and entered Henan;
The Qing army once again entered the pass and plundered Shandong;
The imperial court... the imperial court is still embroiled in internal strife, and Emperor Chongzhen has replaced the chief minister again.
The world is in chaos, and that is a foregone conclusion.
Ma Changsheng spread out a blank sheet of paper and began writing "A Survival Handbook for Chaotic Times".
This is not for the people of Majiabao, but for all the people struggling in this chaotic world.
From how to build fortresses to how to store grain; from how to train troops to how to negotiate; from how to prevent epidemics to how to rebuild...
He wrote very quickly because these were all things he had personally experienced, seen, and practiced.
As he wrote until midnight, Li brought him a bowl of porridge: "Chang Sheng, take a rest."
Ma Changsheng took the porridge and suddenly asked, "Mother, if one day we have to leave this place, will you be able to bear it?"
Mrs. Li paused for a moment, then patted her son's head: "Home is wherever you are. Wherever you are, that's where your mother is."
Ma Changsheng's eyes burned.
This simple peasant woman may not understand the grand scheme of things, but she understands the most fundamental principle: as long as her family is there, there is a home.
He finished his porridge and continued writing.
Outside the window, spring insects chirped. This spring, Majiabao has held on.
But what about next year? And the year after?
he does not know.
All he knew was that he had to do his best to protect this small piece of peace.
Even if it's only temporary.