Chapter 113: Volume Three: Shunxiang Fort Garrison Commander, Chapter 112: Field Battle (Part 2)

Volume Three: Shunxiang Fort Garrison Commander, Chapter 112: Field Battle (Part 2)

In the eyes of these Qing soldiers, they originally looked down on the firearms used by the Ming army. Not to mention the three-eyed guns, even the bird guns — though they had long range, their power was weak. Beyond a few dozen paces, they could hardly penetrate the two layers of heavy armor they wore.

The Qing army had already discovered in actual combat that against the Ming army's bird guns, they could use shields, or rattan shields soaked in oil, to effectively defend against arrow and bullet fire from beyond fifty paces. They estimated that the bird guns could break through their armor at twenty paces, but what use was a distance of twenty paces? By then their main force would have already charged in.

Moreover, Ming army firearms were prone to mishandling and accidents. Many firearms failed to fire in battle, or easily burst their barrels. Many Ming soldiers also lacked composure and could not resist firing wildly before they even entered range. Before they could charge into range, the firearms on the other side had already been fired off in panic — what use was that? They could not form cohesive strength. How could firearms have any power in field battles? This was also the reason the Qing soldiers had repeatedly won victories in field battles.

But unlike the bird guns or three-eyed guns of other Ming armies, the firearms of this region's Ming army were extremely deadly. They could easily pierce through the double-layer heavy armor they wore and the shields they held from several dozen paces away — their power was astonishing. Moreover, the Ming army here had high fighting spirit and outstanding combat skills, which they had already demonstrated in yesterday's defense of the city.

However, yesterday's city defense battle was one thing. These Ming soldiers should have long heard of the Great Qing army's fearsome reputation in field battles, and should have been panicked when facing battle. Why could they remain so composed?

A sense of foreboding rose in the hearts of many charging Qing soldiers. From yesterday's and today's assaults on the city, they had already learned the power of Shunxiang Fort's firelocks. So seeing the Ming army remain silent for so long, while anxious, they also spread their formation out somewhat to reduce the striking range of the Ming firelocks.

In the blink of an eye, the Qing soldiers charged past sixty paces. Wang Dou still did not give the order to fire. He had long tested it: Shunxiang Fort's firelocks were quite lethal at sixty paces, but could not penetrate heavy armor and shields. Only at fifty paces could they break through the iron armor or iron-studded cotton armor the Qing soldiers wore. At forty and thirty paces, they could break through the double-layer heavy armor they wore and the shields they held.

To maintain maximum lethality, they had to let them come close before firing. This was an extreme test of the soldiers' psychological endurance. It was only because this was the Shunxiang army that they could accomplish this.

Similarly, the Qing soldiers' bows had a range of sixty to seventy paces, with a draw strength of only seven dou. Only when entering fifty paces did they become lethal to enemy troops. To penetrate an opponent's cotton armor and iron armor, they had to close to around twenty or thirty paces. So the Qing soldiers' method of fighting was the same as the Jin soldiers of the Southern Song era — they would not shoot until entering fifty paces. In fact, they ran even closer before shooting. However, their arrowheads were as long as six or seven cun, shaped like chisels, penetrating extremely deep and difficult to remove. As long as one was hit by them, it would cost them their life.

Wang Dou watched the Qing soldiers rolling in like a tide. His face was taut, yet he still delayed giving the order to fire. The hearts of the entire circular formation's soldiers were hanging in suspense. The firelock soldiers in the front row were nearly biting their lips bloody. Finally, when the Qing soldiers charged past fifty paces, Wang Dou waved his hand and said flatly, "Begin!"

A bugler beside him used all his strength to blow the bugle in his hand. A shrill sound pierced the clouds. This bugle call was known in the Great Ming as the Swan Call!

Lei Xianbin pointed his long blade forward, using every ounce of strength he could muster, and shouted hoarsely, "Fire!"

The deafening sound of a firelock volley rang out. The fifteen firelock soldiers kneeling on one knee at the very front of the circular formation, along with the ten firelock soldiers in the front row at the left and right corners of the formation, fired in unison. A row of scorching flame flashed across the front of the circular formation, and dense smoke billowed up simultaneously.

With the thunderous roar of the firelocks, the Qing soldiers charging at the front immediately collapsed in a swath. Even though they had intentionally spread out somewhat, having charged too close, the crowd was dense, and more than ten men were still knocked to the ground.

Not to mention those lightly armored archers who could not be fully covered, and those unarmored Qing soldiers and attendants — clouds of blood mist burst from their bodies as they screamed horribly and rolled to the ground. The bullets had little penetrating power, and therefore their destructive power was even greater. When the lead bullets entered their bodies, their internal organs were completely torn to mush. Even immortals could not save them.

Even among the armored death soldiers at the front, those wearing double-layer heavy armor and holding heavy shields, six or seven were knocked to the ground. They charged at the very front, and more people aimed at them. The Shunxiang army's firelocks, at a distance of fifty paces, though they did not penetrate their double-layer heavy armor and thick shields, the immense impact of the bullets — as long as they struck their bodies — all that force had to be absorbed by their bodies. At the point of impact, even if the bullet did not penetrate the heavy armor, the bones and internal organs inside were still completely shattered by the shock.

They vomited chunks of blood and fell to their knees one by one. The immense pain made them groan loudly involuntarily. These men would not live either.

Wang Dou saw a Qing army officer dressed in three layers of heavy armor, attired as a Fende Boshiku. The great blade in his right hand was gone. He clutched his right chest, where blood kept pouring out. His left hand still held a heavy shield, but he stubbornly refused to fall. He staggered forward, his face full of bewilderment, as if he could not believe what was happening before his eyes.

But then another volley rang out. He was struck by several bullets and sent flying backward. This time he truly fell — dead. A niru had forty armored soldiers, but only two Fende Boshiku. The Shunxiang Fort firelock soldiers' first volley had already cost them one.

After the Shunxiang Fort firelock soldiers' first volley, the charging Qing soldiers suddenly halted for a moment, like a tide meeting a rock. Many were stunned. Although this niru's Qing soldiers knew the prowess of Shunxiang Fort's firelock soldiers, when it happened to themselves, they still could not believe such power.

But driven by their ferocity and the momentum of the charge, ignoring the dozen or so comrades left screaming and writhing on the ground, they still charged forward with battle cries.

Forty paces. The armored death soldiers at the very front shielded themselves more tightly with their shields. At the same time, the lightly armored, skilled archers behind them drew their bows and nocked arrows, ready to dart out from behind the shields and shoot at any moment.

Just then, the deafening firelocks roared again. The twenty-five firelock soldiers standing in the rear row fired in unison. Amid a chorus of screams, among those Qing soldiers charging densely, even with their heavy shields for cover, more than ten were still knocked to the ground. Nearly ten of them were those armored death soldiers wearing double-layer heavy armor and holding heavy shields — who else would be the Shunxiang Fort firelock soldiers' priority targets?

At this distance, the Shunxiang Fort's firelocks could already break through the double-layer heavy armor they wore and the shields they held. Any cover they had was useless. Several Qing archers who had just darted out to shoot were struck by bullets. These men wore only a single layer of iron-studded cotton armor. The heavy bullets tore through their armor, and they tumbled and fell. At every point of impact, a massive bloody hole was torn open without exception.

In just the blink of an eye, the Qing soldiers had already suffered thirty casualties, half of whom were those armored death soldiers. They had further lost one Fende Boshiku and three Juanda squad leaders. The blood gushing from them quickly moistened the dry yellow earth and carried that nauseating stench of blood far into the distance.

This great battle took place one li south of Dongjiazhuang Fort. Looking from the city wall, white smoke billowed up from time to time from the circular formation on the left of the Shunxiang army. The crackling sound of firelocks, like popping beans, rang out wave after wave. Swaths of Qing soldiers could be seen clearly being knocked to the ground.

The soldiers on the walls of Dongjiazhuang erupted in cheers. Gao Shiyin's expression was ferocious. He slammed his hand against the city wall before him and shouted loudly, "Our Shunxiang army's firelocks are truly deadly! The Tartar soldiers cannot withstand them!"

Yang Tong also grinned, "His Lordship is truly formidable, beating the Tartar soldiers until their corpses litter the field."

In front of the Shunxiang army's formation, a choking smell of gunpowder smoke hung in the air. Under the scorching sunlight, it was indescribably pungent. From the distance, waves of the stench of fresh blood also drifted over from time to time, a reminder that this was a brutal battlefield.

Lei Xianbin shouted, "First and second rank firelock soldiers, fall back! Third rank, prepare!"

Immediately, at the front of the circular formation and at its two corners, the first row of crouching firelock soldiers and the second row of standing firelock soldiers — fifty men in total — retreated together. They passed through the gaps between the gun-shield soldiers and the pikemen, returning to the interior of the circular formation, where they nervously loaded their fixed paper cartridge ammunition, waiting to play their part in the battle.

Now only the last row of twenty-five firelock soldiers remained in the formation. They nervously stepped forward and began aiming again.

By now, the charging Qing soldiers were less than thirty paces from the Shunxiang army. But many hesitated and grew fearful, slowing their charge. Even the armored death soldiers in double-layer heavy armor holding heavy shields were helpless, dying one after another under the firelocks of the Ming army opposite, let alone those lightly armored archers and unarmored attendants. The power of Shunxiang Fort's firelocks intimidated them too greatly.

The niru commander overseeing the formation from the rear was enraged at the sight. He snatched the niru's great banner from a Kabash soldier beside him and personally held the flag, shouting, "Warriors of the Great Qing, charge with me!"

"Kill!"

The several Kabash personal guards beside him, along with seventeen bright-armored, red-tasseled Bayara soldiers, all brandished their weapons and charged with the banner. Seeing their niru commander do this, the Qing soldiers were greatly heartened and all charged forward with battle cries.

At the very front among the armored death soldiers, a Fende Boshiku wearing three layers of heavy armor, holding a heavy shield, with a long-handled iron tiger-tooth blade in his right hand, also shouted, "Warriors, charge with me!"

Several Juanda squad leaders all shouted in unison, directing the soldiers under their command, and also charged with that Fende Boshiku. At the same time, dozens of lightly armored, skilled archers darted out from both sides of the armored death soldiers. They held their bows and nocked arrows, their waists sinking as they spread their feet in a figure-eight stance. In an instant, arrows flew in volleys!

Screams rang out from both sides simultaneously. Amid the thunderous roar of the firelock volley, another dozen or so Qing soldiers were knocked to the ground. More than half of them were again those armored death soldiers who had charged forward shouting. At a distance of less than thirty paces, no matter how many layers of heavy armor they wore or what massive shields they held, the firelock bullets easily tore through the armor on their bodies and the heavy shields in their hands, knocking them to the ground one by one.

That Fende Boshiku holding a heavy shield, wearing three layers of heavy armor, and carrying a long-handled tiger-tooth blade — he was struck by several firelock bullets. He tumbled to the ground, several massive bloody holes appearing on his body. He lay on the ground, eyes wide open, and murmured in Manchu, "Charge..."

And so he died.

Along with him died two Juanda squad leaders. Several Qing archers were also knocked to the ground, but most of the Qing archers had already loosed their first wave of sharp arrows. They all shot on foot with a figure-eight stance, feet wide and waist sunk, their strength ample, their sharp arrows capable of piercing heavy armor plates.