Chapter 109

Volume Three: Garrison Commander of Shunxiang Fort, Chapter 109: Besieging a Point to Strike the Relief Force

Finally, the officer of the Left Sentinel First Company, Zhong Xiancai, said in a soft, thin voice: "Your humble subordinate has an idea."

Seeing everyone's gaze focus on him, he seemed a bit flustered and uneasy. This person was also strange; he sat alone in a far corner, as if unwilling to crowd together with others.

He said: "Your humble subordinate observes that the walls of Shunxiang Fort are all brick-clad, with many neat striped seams. If a firelock is placed at a crenel and aligned at a certain angle with a particular thin seam on the brick wall, it can strike a specific position outside the city very accurately. Perhaps we could determine the firelock firing positions in advance and make a mark, so that when we shoot, we hardly need to aim at all, which could greatly improve the firing accuracy of the firelock soldiers."

At these words, everyone slapped their thighs and exclaimed: "That's right, why didn't I think of that?"

Hearing everyone's praise, Zhong Xiancai blushed even more.

Wang Dou smiled and nodded, instructing the clerk Feng Dachang to record this suggestion as well.

After that, everyone spoke freely, and they also discussed at length the issue of how the firelock soldiers and pikemen on the city wall should coordinate, putting forward several quite effective suggestions, all of which were recorded one by one.

That night, Wang Dou had the clerk Feng Dachang and other scribes work overtime through the night, ordering them to compile everyone's suggestions. After they were handed to Wang Dou for review, and Wang Dou deemed the suggestions within feasible, several copies were transcribed. From then on, every sentinel and every company was to possess one copy of this kind of combat experience manual, and the company officers were to memorize it thoroughly. In particular, the sentinel officers of each sentinel were to master it in detail and apply it flexibly.

The tenth day of the seventh month, the ninth year of Chongzhen.

Early in the morning, Wang Dou arrived on the city wall. Han Chao and Wen Fangliang both came forward to greet him. The night had passed without incident, but like all the soldiers, the two of them had spent it on the city wall, sleeping in their clothes together inside a straw shed.

At this moment, outside the city, the Qing troops were in an uproar of neighing horses and shouting men, as squads of scouts were merely leaving the camp. Wen Fangliang, still half-asleep, rubbed his face and asked doubtfully: "Are the Tatars about to withdraw?"

Han Chao gazed outside the city, his expression grave: "I fear it's not that simple."

He suddenly said to Wang Dou: "My lord, could it be that the Tatars, having suffered losses beneath our Shunxiang Fort and seeing that Shunxiang Fort is hard to attack, have turned their attention to the remaining military forts of Shunxiang Fort, and then intend to lure us out of the city to do battle? If that is the case…"

His expression changed somewhat. Wang Dou and Wen Fangliang also looked grim. Besides Shunxiang Fort, within the territory there were also Jingbian Fort, Dongjiazhuang, Xinzhuang, Huiyao Fort, and other large forts. If the Qing troops really adopted this tactic of besieging a point to strike the relief force, and Shunxiang Fort did not send out city forces to aid them, those forts would be taken by the Qing troops one by one, destroyed piecemeal. After all, in terms of troop strength and equipment, those forts were not as ample and sturdy as Shunxiang Fort.

However, leading troops to the rescue would inevitably mean engaging the Qing troops in field battle. Holding fast to the city walls was one thing, but when it came to field battle, the entire Shunxiang Fort, from top to bottom, felt some fear. After all, the fearsome reputation and battle record of those Tatar soldiers were plain to see. The Shunxiang army was just a newly formed force; holding the city walls was fine, but if they went out for field battle… whether it ended in a great defeat or heavy casualties, it was something Wang Dou could not bear.

Yet, could they just watch helplessly as those Qing troops took the territory's forts one by one?

Wen Fangliang hesitated and said: "Let's observe a while longer. Perhaps the Tatar soldiers, having been thwarted beneath our city walls, will simply withdraw. It's hard to say."

…

"My lord, look quickly, another squad of Tatar scout riders is coming."

On the Ying'en Gate tower on the east side of Dongjiazhuang Fort, several soldiers cried out in alarm to Gao Shiyin.

The fierce flesh on Gao Shiyin's face twitched a few times. He roared angrily: "It's just a few Tatars, what's the fuss? Defend carefully and that's it!"

He said to Yang Tong beside him: "Look at these raw recruits, they've seen nothing of the world. A few Tatars and they're scared out of their wits."

Yang Tong's face was also somewhat pale. He quickly said: "Indeed, indeed. With a brave general like Brother Gao here, who has actually killed Tatars, our Dongjiazhuang is surely as solid as a golden soup. Those soldiers are indeed making a fuss over nothing. But since they've never fought Tatars, you can't blame them for being so afraid."

He glanced at the soldiers on the city wall who were carefully aiming their firelocks, and felt somewhat reassured. Those firelocks were all fine-quality pieces obtained from Shunxiang Fort, extremely well-made, with absolutely no risk of the barrel bursting, and their power could pierce heavy armor. The soldiers cherished them so much they couldn't bear to put them down, and had completely discarded their original three-barreled hand cannons.

But apart from these firelocks, Dongjiazhuang had few defensive devices worth showing. Two small bronze cannons, one crouching-tiger cannon treated as a treasure, a few bundles of flying-sword large rockets, though there were quite a few rolling logs and hurling stones. The armor worn by the officers and men was all of that crude cloth type, with red-tasseled military caps on their heads. The iron armor forged at Shunxiang Fort was far from sufficient even to equip its own four sentinels of troops, so naturally, none could be allocated to them.

Dongjiazhuang Fort had a circumference of one li and two hundred twenty paces, brick-clad during the Wanli years, with a barbican built outside the east gate. After Wang Dou assumed the post of Garrison Commander of Shunxiang Fort, Gao Shiyin and Yang Tong swept through Dongjiazhuang Fort, conscripting all able-bodied men. They trained two companies of troops, just over a hundred men, half firelock soldiers and half pikemen, along with a few night scouts and ten artillerymen. Gao Shiyin and Yang Tong each normally led one company of troops. In peacetime, Gao Shiyin oversaw the soldiers, while Yang Tong managed the military farmlands inside and outside the fort.

Originally, there had been several officers of various ranks in the fort, but after the former Dongjiazhuang Company Commander Zhang Gui was transferred to the department city, his dozen or so retainers, along with his trusted aides Zhang Tanggong and Hong Qiu, all transferred with him. In addition, the Attached Squad Commander Xiao Daxin had been killed by bandits along with the previous Garrison Commander Du Zhen. Thus, only one former squad leader, Wu Tianfu, and another squad leader, Zhong Yuan, remained in Dongjiazhuang.

At present, these two were likewise squad leaders of a small unit in the new army. Zhong Yuan had originally been a trusted aide of Dongjiazhuang's Attached Squad Commander Xiao Daxin, but after Xiao Daxin's death, Zhong Yuan immediately sided with Gao Shiyin.

Watching the dozen or so Qing scout riders flaunting their might outside the city, Yang Tong said worriedly: "Yesterday, the sound of cannons and firelocks at Shunxiang Fort rang out all day. I wonder how the situation is over there, and whether the lord has managed to hold off the Tatar soldiers' attack."

Dongjiazhuang was only a few li from Shunxiang Fort. The sounds of gunfire and cannon from yesterday's great battle between the Shunxiang army and the Qing troops could be heard even as far away as Dongjiazhuang.

Gao Shiyin gazed far off in the direction of Shunxiang Fort and also said worriedly: "There are four sentinels of troops inside Shunxiang Fort. They should be alright?"

Yesterday, when that jalan's large army passed below Dongjiazhuang, Gao Shiyin and Yang Tong had both turned ashen-faced. Their own mere small fort absolutely could not withstand an attack by so many Tatar soldiers. But fortunately, they merely clamored and passed by, not stopping beneath the fort, which allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

However, they then grew worried again, wondering how the situation at Shunxiang Fort was. Now that Qing troops were massed, communication between Dongjiazhuang and Shunxiang Fort had been completely cut off. With Qing scout riders roaming everywhere, although Dongjiazhuang had a few night scouts, they dared not send them out. Otherwise, if they encountered the Tatar squads of elite cavalry in the open field, there was only a dead end, throwing their lives away for nothing.

Gao Shiyin suddenly grinned at Yang Tong and said: "Brother Yang, the way you're so concerned about the situation at Shunxiang Fort, I'm afraid it's more out of worry for the safety of your wife inside Shunxiang Fort?"

Yang Tong glanced at Gao Shiyin, opened his large mouth missing its front teeth, and also chuckled: "Likewise, likewise, Brother Gao. A few days ago, didn't you also secretly send your wife and children to Shunxiang Fort? The lord just pretended not to know, that's all."

The two looked at each other and laughed, both thinking: "So you did the same."

After the Qing troops invaded, Wang Dou ordered a scorched-earth policy within the Shunxiang army, but the area inside Shunxiang Fort was limited, and it was impossible to relocate all the territory's residents into the fort. In particular, Dongjiazhuang and Jingbian Fort were also considered large forts, so Wang Dou issued strict orders for these two forts to hold fast and prepare for battle.

Jingbian Fort was manageable, but within Dongjiazhuang, there were still some officers who secretly sent their families to Shunxiang Fort. Gao Shiyin and Yang Tong were such cases. Wang Dou understood their psychology and turned a blind eye. However, if officers or soldiers themselves abandoned their posts without authorization, if caught, they would absolutely be beheaded on the spot as a warning to all.

After laughing, Gao Shiyin looked at the Qing scout riders whooping outside the city and said fiercely: "Old Gao here has killed countless people in this life, good men and bad men alike. Heaven has bestowed grace, allowing old Gao to have descendants. Even if I die in battle now, if my ancestors have spirits, they won't blame me for being unfilial!"

His words carried a sense of final resolve. Hearing this, Yang Tong also fell silent.

…

The situation outside Dongjiazhuang Fort was similarly replayed outside Xinzhuang and Jingbian Fort.

Seeing the Qing troops arrive, the able-bodied village men inside Xinzhuang fell into a panic. But outside Jingbian Fort, those Qing scout riders encountered great trouble.

The entire area outside Jingbian Fort was covered with pitted, large earthen pits, just like the west side of Shunxiang Fort. This prevented the Qing scout riders from approaching too closely. However, after scouting outside Dongjiazhuang and Xinzhuang, the jalan commander and others at Shunxiang Fort already had a rough idea. At the beginning of the chen hour in the morning, the Qing troops outside Shunxiang Fort struck camp one after another, a sea of red and white armor and banners, simply forming up neatly and departing from Shunxiang Fort.

Seeing the Qing troops leave, the city wall of Shunxiang Fort erupted in cheers. Only Wang Dou and his men felt heavy-hearted. The departure of the Qing troops was not necessarily a good thing; they just did not know how the situation was at the remaining forts.

He ordered Han Chao to summon Wen Daxing, a superior soldier of the Night Scout Second Squad, and Li Youde of the Night Scout Second Squad. These two had outstanding scouting abilities, especially Wen Daxing, who had left a deep impression on Wang Dou.

He said to Wen Daxing: "The Tatars have left Shunxiang Fort. I need to know their movements. Do you dare to take men out to scout?"

Wen Daxing gritted his teeth, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists toward Wang Dou, and said: "This small one is willing to die in your service, my lord."

Wang Dou gazed at him intently: "Well done. When you return, you will be appointed a squad leader of a night scout unit!"

A flash of joy crossed Wen Daxing's eyes. He prostrated himself on the ground: "Rest assured, my lord. Your humble subordinate will certainly scout out and bring back intelligence on the Tatars' movements!"

Wen Daxing led a squad of night scouts out of the city, but after they left, they did not return for a long time.

At the beginning of the wei hour in the afternoon, Wang Dou and the others suddenly heard the faint sound of gunfire and cannons coming from the direction of Dongjiazhuang. Everyone's faces changed. Could it be… but Wen Daxing and his men had still not returned, so they did not know the situation over there.

After another quarter-hour, Wang Dou grew anxious and was about to send out another squad of night scouts to investigate when Wen Daxing and his men returned. A squad of eleven men, each covered in wounds and blood. Their horses had also brought back a person, a night scout from Dongjiazhuang.

That night scout had been struck by several arrows and was somewhat delirious. But upon seeing Wang Dou, he suddenly came to. Struggling, he prostrated himself on the ground and cried out: "My lord, I beg you to save Dongjiazhuang, save Lord Gao and the others! The slave-thieves are overwhelming. If we are even one step later, Dongjiazhuang Fort will fall!"