Chapter 110: Book Three: Defender of Shunxiang Fortress — Chapter 110: No Turning Back

Book Three: Defender of Shunxiang Fortress — Chapter 110: No Turning Back

Wang Dou ultimately decided to lead his troops to the rescue of Dongjiazhuang. Han Chao, standing beside him, said in a low voice, "My lord, think twice!"

If the Shunxiang army were to leave the fortress to provide relief, they would inevitably have to fight the Qing soldiers in the open field. Lin Daofu, Wen Fangliang, Sun Sanjie, and several other commanders also expressed their misgivings about this.

Wang Dou could see the fear in their hearts. He said solemnly, "Brother Han, my lords! If we dare not face the Tartars in a proper battle on open ground, then what use is all the training we have put these soldiers through? If we dare not fight in the field, our fear of the Tartars will forever be etched in our hearts. In that case, no matter how strong and tall we build our city walls, the Tartars will break through them one by one."

"If today we dare not leave the fortress to rescue our brothers, then another day, they will also dare not leave their fortresses to rescue our stronghold. The troops we have painstakingly trained will ultimately crumble into a heap of loose sand. A true man dies when it is his time to die. I want to show those Tartars that our Great Ming also has brave men who dare to fight!"

Wang Dou shouted, "My mind is made up! All commanders shall follow me out of the fortress to fight to the death!"

Han Zhong also jumped up: "Death it is, then. Always cowering inside the fortress walls is just too craven. Let's fight it out with those Tartars!"

Seeing that Wang Dou had made his decision, Han Chao and the others tried to dissuade him once more: "My lord, your person is esteemed, and the safety of the entire fortress rests upon you. You must not lightly venture into danger. Would it not be better for you to remain in the fortress and oversee the overall situation, and let us subordinates lead the troops there?"

Wang Dou sighed, "This battle concerns the very survival of our Shun Fortress. How could I remain at ease if I stayed behind? I will personally lead the army out."

His mind was made up, and with lightning speed he issued a series of orders. Lin Daofu would lead the over one thousand able-bodied civilian auxiliaries in the fortress, and together with Wen Fangliang and his over two hundred forward outpost troops, would remain behind to defend the fortress to the death. Han Chao's Right Outpost, Han Zhong's Left Outpost, and Sun Sanjie's Rear Outpost — nearly seven hundred men in total — would all follow Wang Dou out of the fortress to provide relief. The Disciplinary Officer Chi Dacheng would lead five military police soldiers to accompany the army and enforce military discipline.

Everyone respectfully obeyed the order. Very quickly, the entire Shunxiang Fortress was mobilized with urgency. Company after company of combat soldiers left the fortress and assembled on the parade ground, awaiting departure.

To allow the field army greater flexibility and ease of movement outside the fortress, Wang Dou decided not to bring a single auxiliary soldier or any camp equipment for this battle. The over seven hundred men of the three outposts would all be combat soldiers. Each man would carry only a few days' worth of parched rice as rations. This parched rice was the standard field ration in the Great Ming army: two sheng of rice per soldier, parched until yellow and wrapped up — one sheng ground into fine powder, the other sheng wrapped separately — to be carried on one's person whenever troops marched out.

Since Wang Dou was fighting on his home territory, he had a great advantage in provisions and supplies. Carrying these dry rations was merely a precaution against the unexpected.

However, in terms of equipment, to minimize casualties among his own troops as much as possible, Wang Dou scoured the fortress for all available shields, over one hundred in total. He equipped a portion of the long-spear soldiers with shields, turning them into spear-and-shield soldiers. A portion of the night-scout sentries were also given shields to protect them from the sharp arrows shot by the Qing mounted scouts.

In terms of armor, Shunxiang Fortress originally had over four hundred and thirty sets of armor, of which over two hundred and fifty were iron armor. In yesterday's battle, the Shunxiang army had captured a large number of Qing army armors. Most Qing soldiers wore double-layered heavy armor. Sorting through those armors — separating them into ironless cotton armor, iron-studded cotton armor, willow-leaf iron armor, and chain mail — they obtained a total of two hundred and twenty-four sets of armor.

Of these captured Qing armors, after Li Maosen led the various craftsmen of Shunxiang Fortress to work through the night, approximately one hundred and seventy-three sets had been repaired. Thick iron plates were patched over the holes where the armor had been broken. Although some of the repaired armors looked incongruous and mismatched, as long as they were usable, that was good enough; appearance was secondary.

These over six hundred and fifty sets of armor were all distributed to the nearly seven hundred soldiers of the three outposts going out to provide relief. Some of the Qing armors that could not be repaired in time were also taken and used. Even wearing tattered armor was better than wearing no armor at all.

The three outposts of Shunxiang Fortress now had a total of fewer than three hundred firelock soldiers. In yesterday's defense of the city, the Left and Rear Outpost soldiers who participated suffered seventy-four casualties, over thirty of whom were firelock soldiers. Although Wang Dou had replenished their ranks with several dozen able-bodied young men from the auxiliaries, these men had not undergone the complex firelock training. Wang Dou could only have them carry a long spear and temporarily serve as long-spear soldiers in each company. This battle was of immense importance. To prevent these untrained raw recruits from dragging down the main army in battle, Wang Dou decided to have these several dozen men remain in the fortress and not accompany the main army into the field.

The firelock soldiers of Shunxiang Fortress, besides their usual firelock drills, also practiced swordsmanship. However, after yesterday's battle, Wang Dou discovered that the firelock soldiers' swordsmanship had not played any real role in actual combat. He decided that in the future, he would equip these firelock soldiers with plug bayonets.

In the late Jiajing era of the Great Ming, each firelock had been issued with four pre-loaded chambers and one plug bayonet. The bayonet blade was nearly two feet long, and the hilt had a curved slot that could be inserted into the muzzle and twisted to lock in place. In the future, by equipping the firelock soldiers with plug bayonets, they could use their firelocks as bayonets or short spears.

Each outpost of Shunxiang Fortress, including the outpost commander, company officers, and the guards, standard-bearers, and drummers of the various officers, originally had two hundred and forty-nine men. The three outposts thus totaled seven hundred and forty-seven men. However, after deducting the seventy-four casualties, even adding Wang Dou's personal guards and standard-bearers, plus Disciplinary Officer Chi Dacheng's few military police soldiers, the three outposts only had over six hundred and sixty men left.

Sending these three outposts, numbering fewer than seven hundred men, out of the fortress to provide relief and face over a thousand Qing soldiers in the open field — everyone knew the odds were grim. But Wang Dou had no choice.

……

The urgent drumbeats and gong sounds of Shunxiang Fortress rang out incessantly. Company after company of combat soldiers, fully armed and in neat array, under the leadership of their respective officers, all jogged to converge on the parade ground outside the fortress. Wang Dou had issued strict orders to lead the army out to provide relief. Although fighting the Tartars in the field made many soldiers fearful and uneasy in their hearts, they all chose to obey.

At the fortress gate and along the streets, dense crowds of Shunxiang Fortress auxiliaries and military household civilians were packed tightly. Company after company of combat soldiers, their faces set, marched past them in orderly unison. The military households crowded the roadsides, merely watching them depart in silence.

Inside and outside the fortress, there was only silence. On this expedition, those combat soldier brothers — how many of them would return? Would their own children, fathers, or elder brothers have a chance to come back?

Amid the rhythmic tramp of footsteps, a woman's high-pitched call was suddenly heard: "Fifth Brother, go with peace of mind! Your wife is waiting for you to come back!"

A child beside her also jumped and shouted, "Papa!"

At the call, a soldier running with the troops turned his head back at the fortress gate and showed the mother and child a smiling face.

In an instant, cheers resounded to the skies.

"Go with peace of mind."

"We are waiting for you to come back."

At that moment, whether inside or outside the fortress, whether soldier or civilian, all had tears welling in their eyes. Yet they still smiled and waved, as if this were not a departure for a death battle, but a departure for a pleasure trip.

The military households, tears in their eyes, waved with all their might. A true man, daring to fight the Tartars to the death — having such a man in one's family made it all worthwhile.

Inside the Battalion Commander's official residence, a pregnant woman knelt devoutly before a Buddhist statue and prayed: "O Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, who rescues us from suffering and hardship, please bless my brother and grant him a safe return…"

……

On the parade ground of Shunxiang Fortress, Wang Dou listened in silence to the cheers coming from within the fortress. He waited quietly as outpost after outpost of soldiers formed up in battle array on the parade ground, watching them line up in perfect order, each man gripping his long spear or firelock tightly.

After a long while, he spoke: "On this expedition to rescue Dongjiazhuang, I know that many of you are afraid in your hearts. And indeed, the Tartars have a fearsome reputation and are nearly unmatched in field battles. To be honest, my own heart is just as afraid!"

He raised his voice and shouted: "But just because we are afraid, can we cower inside the fortress and watch others die without lifting a hand? We of Shunxiang Fortress, Jingbian Fortress, Dongjiazhuang, and all the other fortresses are brothers bound by flesh and blood, one united body. When our brothers are in trouble, if we watch them die without helping, what does that make us?"

"Cowards!"

"When you left the fortress, you all heard the cheers of your parents, wives, and children. Are you willing for them to see you as cowards?"

"If today we dare not aid our brothers, then another day, they will likewise dare not aid us. We may cower inside the fortress, and even if we can defeat the bandit soldiers once, we will be isolated and without support. One day, an even stronger enemy will break through our fortifications, seize our cities and lands, violate our wives and daughters, and slaughter our fathers and elder brothers!"

Wang Dou said sternly: "Those Tartar soldiers will most certainly do this. Are you willing to see that day come?"

The parade ground was so silent one could hear a pin drop, but every man's eyes blazed with fury, and many chests heaved rapidly.

Wang Dou's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's. He swept his eyes over the crowd and bellowed: "To avert an even greater calamity, to leave our descendants without regret, we have no choice but to fight bravely! Kill all those Tartars. Let them know the prowess of us brave men of Shunxiang Fortress. From this day forward, let those Tartars tremble at the mere mention of our Shunxiang army's mighty name. From now on, let them never dare to set foot near Shunxiang Fortress again. Soldiers, take up your weapons!"

He abruptly drew his heavy sword and pointed it straight at the sky, roaring: "Kill the slaves!"

"Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories!"

The shouts on the parade ground rose wave after wave. All the Shunxiang soldiers brandished their weapons and cheered at the top of their lungs.

Every one of them shouted until their voices were hoarse. From that moment on, they were no longer afraid. They had no fear!

……

"Brothers, kill the Tartars!"

The parapets of Proprietor Fortress were shrouded in gunpowder smoke. The crack of firelocks and the shouts of battle merged into one continuous din. One after another, Qing soldiers leaped onto the battlements and fought in bloody close combat against Gao Shiyin and the others on the wall.

The soldiers defending Dongjiazhuang had already suffered over thirty casualties, a loss rate reaching a full thirty percent. The remaining soldiers were covered in wounds. Qing soldiers were still pouring onto the walls from both sides of the Ying'en Gate. Gao Shiyin, Yang Tong, and the others fought with frenzied desperation. They had only one thought: Dongjiazhuang could not hold on much longer. Would His Lordship come?

Two li southwest of Dongjiazhuang Fortress, the army of the Jalān-i Janggin had set up a large camp. At this moment, two hundred paces from the walls of Dongjiazhuang, the main Qing force stood in solemn formation. Within the great formation, the Jalān-i Janggin's grand banner stood tall. Under his shouted orders, his troops simply advanced in waves, taking turns to assault the Ming army at Dongjiazhuang Fortress.

Watching the situation on the battlements, the Jalān-i Janggin was brimming with confidence. Stroking his broad, flat face, he said, "It looks like this fort will soon be breached. Hmph, once we break through, we must slaughter everyone inside, leaving not even a chicken or a dog alive. Let those Ming people know the might of our Great Qing soldiers."

Beside him stood the Niru-i Janggin Niogulu. Watching the battlements, he was secretly alarmed. Attacking such a small fort, their own side had already suffered over fifty casualties. The Ming soldiers inside were incredibly tenacious. He wondered if such a price was worth it. On the surface, however, he smiled and said, "This is all thanks to Lord Yanja's steady command. Only under your direction could our Great Qing soldiers achieve such a victory!"

This sent the Jalān-i Janggin into a bout of hearty, unrestrained laughter.