After sending off his troublesome uncle Zhu Shouren and his two companions, Zhu Ping’an felt a significant weight lifted off his shoulders. It was a relief to have resolved this potential issue. He had employed a few subtle tactics, showing them some carefully prepared “stories” to plant seeds of doubt in their minds. He had expected to need a few more stories to fully convince them, but to his surprise, their psychological resilience was weaker than he had anticipated—they couldn’t handle the pressure and fled.
Watching their figures disappear into the distance, Zhu Ping’an smiled faintly and returned to the training grounds to inspect the progress of his soldiers’ horsemanship. The Zhe Army had been intensively training in cavalry skills for two days, but becoming proficient cavalrymen was no easy feat. The veteran soldiers of the Zhe Army, having spent more time around horses, were already skilled riders. However, as Liu Mu, one of his officers, had pointed out, it would take at least two more months for them to become truly competent cavalrymen.
Cavalry training wasn’t just about riding at full gallop. Mastering mounted archery alone required at least three months of rigorous practice, not to mention other essential skills like advanced horsemanship, formation drills, and mounted combat. All in all, it would take about half a year to train a fully qualified cavalryman.
Horses were scarce in the Jiangnan region, and the new recruits from Yiwu were mostly rural folk who had little to no prior experience with horses. After two days of intensive training, most of them could only manage to stay on a galloping horse without falling off. Still, this met Zhu Ping’an’s expectations. He hadn’t expected to train a full-fledged cavalry unit in such a short time. As long as his soldiers could ride, that was enough—riding was far faster than marching on foot, which would significantly enhance the Zhe Army’s mobility.
To prepare for the impending Japanese pirate threat, Zhu Ping’an made some minor adjustments to the Zhe Army’s structure. He paired a squad of experienced Zhe Army veterans with a squad of inexperienced Yiwu recruits to form a unit of light cavalry. He dispatched fifteen such units in all directions around Suzhou, rotating them back to camp every two hours. Their tasks were twofold: to improve their horsemanship and to keep an eye out for pirates.
Additionally, Zhu Ping’an personally rode around the outskirts of Suzhou and carefully selected fifteen high points—hilltops and ridges that offered clear lines of sight—where he ordered the construction of simple signal beacon towers. These fifteen towers were arranged in three concentric rings around Suzhou, with ten towers in each ring, spaced eight miles, approximately 4 kilometers apart. While ancient beacon towers were typically spaced ten miles apart, Zhu Ping’an worried that the distance might be too great for effective observation, so he reduced it to eight miles.
As for the materials to create the signal smoke, wolf dung was hard to come by, but horse manure was plentiful in the camp. Semi-dried horse manure, combined with oil, dry and wet firewood, reeds, and mugwort, produced thick black smoke when burned. Once ignited, the smoke would rise high into the sky, visible from eight miles away. Of course, beacon towers relied on smoke during the day and fire at night. If beacons were lit at night,reeds,wormwood, dry firewood, and oils would serve as the fuel.
Each of the fifteen cavalry units was assigned to one beacon tower. While patrolling, they were to leave five men behind at their assigned beacon towers. If pirates were spotted, the beacon tower was to be lit immediately to signal the alarm. All patrolling cavalry units that saw the pirates were to gallop to nearby villages, beat gongs to warn the villagers that pirates were coming.
Zhu Ping’an also instructed his soldiers that if they encountered rainy or foggy weather with poor visibility, they were to light the beacon tower and then immediately ride to the next beacon tower to relay the warning. In the Zhe Army camp, Zhu Ping’an assigned two squads of soldiers to keep watch on the beacon tower. If any beacon tower was lit, they were to notice it immediately and prepare for deployment.
When dispatching the cavalry units, Zhu Ping’an emphasized:
“Your primary task is to signal the alarm. I do not require you to engage or kill the pirates. If you encounter them, your first priority is to raise the alarm. If you succeed in warning us in time, I will consider it a major achievement.”
“After raising the alarm, you may harass or delay the pirates to buy time for the villagers to evacuate.”
“Use the firearms and the mobility of your horses to your advantage. Avoid close combat with the pirates at all costs.”
Zhu Ping’an’s orders to the cavalry were clear: their main mission was to signal the alarm, with harassment and delay as secondary objectives. The pirates were fierce and numerous, and the cavalry units, still inexperienced in horsemanship and few in number, were no match for them.
After carefully briefing the cavalry, Zhu Ping’an sent the fifteen units out in all directions around Suzhou. As the sun set in the evening, Zhu Ping’an rode into Suzhou to meet with the prefect, Shang Weichi.
Although the government office had closed for the day and most officials had gone home, Prefect Shang was still working in his office.
“Your humble servant pays his respects to Prefect Shang,” Zhu Ping’an said, bowing as he entered the prefect’s study.
“No need for such formalities, Zihou. I haven’t even congratulated you yet on your great achievement at the Sea Sacrifice Ceremony. With this merit, it’s only a matter of time before the ‘acting’ in your title as Vice Envoy is removed. You might even be promoted further. The imperial decree should arrive in the next few days. By then, I might be the one bowing to you,” Prefect Shang said with a laugh, warmly inviting Zhu Ping’an into his study.
Once inside, Prefect Shang offered Zhu Ping’an a seat and personally poured him a cup of hot tea, which Zhu Ping’an accepted with both hands.
“Zihou, are your camp’s provisions, equipment, and armor sufficient? If not, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll send more to your camp,” Prefect Shang asked with a warm smile, his nouveau riche demeanor on full display.
“We have more than enough. I must thank Prefect Shang for your generous support, which has allowed the Zhe Army to focus on our duties without worry. I, Zhu Ping’an, and the entire Zhe Army, have no way to repay you except to shed our blood and lay down our lives to protect Suzhou,” Zhu Ping’an said sincerely, standing up and bowing deeply to Prefect Shang.
The Zhe Army had only recently arrived, yet the support Suzhou had provided in just a few days far exceeded what the imperial court had given since the army’s formation. Although Suzhou was the wealthiest region in the empire, Prefect Shang’s personal support was the key factor. After all, wealth meant nothing if it wasn’t shared.
The Zhe Army’s duty was to defend Suzhou, and the prefecture had no obligation to provide provisions or equipment. Typically, local governments would offer some support to stationed troops to ensure their loyalty and prevent them from harassing the locals. However, the level of support Suzhou provided was exceptional, far beyond the norm.
“Zihou, you’re too kind. To be honest, since I took office, I’ve been eager to make a mark. While I’ve had some minor successes in civil affairs, military matters have been a sore point. The local military administration is lethargic and difficult to manage, and I lack expertise in military affairs. My attempts to intervene have only made things worse.”
“Zihou, your arrival has brought me great joy. You’re young and capable, with a deep understanding of military matters. Since your army has been stationed in Suzhou, your soldiers have not harmed a single civilian. This is rare and commendable. I must admit, I’ve sent people to secretly observe your troops, and their discipline has impressed me greatly. Your soldiers have not harassed or mistreated a single civilian. All they’ve done is train, patrol, and prepare defenses. This is the kind of army that can truly protect Suzhou.”
“Why wouldn’t Suzhou support such an army?!”
Prefect Shang said with a hearty laugh.
