Chapter 124: Rather Be Shattered Jade

On the sixteenth day of the seventh month of the ninth year of the Chongzhen reign. Mid-morning, the hour of Si.

The main body of the Qing army, infantry and cavalry, arrived beneath the walls of Shunxiang Fort. From the parapets, it was an ocean of red and white banners, among which one enormous dragon-standard woven with gold thread was especially eye-catching.

Beneath the banners, packed densely together, were Qing soldiers all in white armor trimmed with red. Their gleaming blades flashed dazzlingly under the sunlight. It is said that ten thousand troops stretch beyond sight; even half that, a mere five thousand, is no small matter — head and tail linked together, one glance cannot take in their edge.

Wang Dou stood on the gate tower gazing into the distance. Seeing that huge gold-woven dragon-standard, he was certain that Abatai had come. He had not expected that to deal with a minor Garrison Commander like himself, even the Raoyu Beile of the Bordered White Banner would be dispatched. They truly thought highly of him.

Beside Wang Dou, Han Chao, Han Zhong, Wen Fangliang, Sun Sanjie, Zhong Diaoyang, Lin Daofu, the Judicial Commissioner Chi Dacheng, and others all stood solemnly. They likewise stared intently at the rolling tide of the Qing army. With the great foe upon them, they had instead grown calm. The facts were what they were; what followed would be a defensive battle.

Han Chao carefully studied the banners of the Qing troops outside the city. After a long while, he spoke: "One dragon-standard, two great banners of a jala. The eastern slaves have likely sent three thousand men, led by a Banner Lord or a Beile. Two black-tasseled three-pointed dragon great-banners; there are likely two banners of red-tasseled Tatar soldiers. Judging by the number of their black-tasseled great-banner poles, each banner is roughly a thousand strong. Brother Wen's intelligence was not mistaken."

Wang Dou nodded. Five thousand Qing soldiers. Shunxiang Fort would now face several days of bitter fighting, and given the current state of the Great Ming, Wang Dou knew there would certainly be no reinforcements from outside. Everything would have to depend on themselves.

Those Qing soldiers slowly converged south of the city. It seemed they also knew this was the most ideal place for assault and encampment. Not far west from the south of the city, there were several small streams and a river called Yaozi Gully. Though the Qing force was a five-thousand-man army, it was enough for their drinking water.

Unlike the jala of Qing soldiers from a few days earlier, after this force arrived, they immediately began digging trenches and setting up camp several li south of the city. Large groups of Qing soldiers and camp followers went out to fetch water and prepare meals. A clamor arose. Very quickly, a vast expanse of tents slowly spread out before the eyes of the Shunxiang Army on the walls.

While the Qing soldiers were making camp, that enormous gold-woven dragon-standard slowly approached the base of Shunxiang Fort's walls, then halted one li south of the city, remaining there motionless.

Beneath the dragon-standard, Abatai, clad in gilded armor, sat astride his horse, carefully observing the top of the walls. Beside him, the Gushan Ejen of the Right Tumed Banner, Emubu Chuhuer, and the Gushan Ejen of the Left Tumed Banner, Shanba, likewise sat their horses nearby. Behind the three men were several Jala Jinggin of the Bordered White Banner, the native allied commanders of the two Outer Mongol banners, and that Jala Jinggin, Yanzha.

Behind these men, again densely packed, were White Armor Soldiers and Gabshihiyan Soldiers, and in addition a large number of elite armored cavalry acting as guards.

Abatai gazed at the wall for a long time. Seeing that the Ming troops atop were all arrayed in strict readiness, he spoke: "A mere Battalion Commander's fortress. Indeed, its defenses are tight. Yet such a small fort — even with a new fort built to its northwest, its perimeter is no more than four li. Its troops no more than a thousand. How did it cause my Great Qing warriors to lose soldiers and officers?"

The two Outer Mongol Banner Lords beside him also pondered. Only the Qing officers behind them eyed the wall, eager to try their hand.

Abatai barked: "Yanzha."

That Jala Jinggin, Yanzha, hurried forward and said: "Your slave is here."

Abatai glared at him and said: "Explain. How did you lose soldiers and officers beneath this fort?"

Under the contemptuous gazes of the crowd, beneath the fierce sunlight, that Jala Jinggin Yanzha sweated profusely. He kowtowed and said: "Raoyu Beile, the reason for your slave's defeat was that the Ming firearms and cannon on the wall were too sharp. Their firelocks could even pierce the multiple layers of heavy armor our warriors wore from forty or fifty paces away. And their courage in close combat was also extraordinary. Your slave's heavy-armored troops scaled the wall several times, but were beaten back in close combat each time. They even dared to come out of the city and fight us in the field."

"Beile, your discernment is clear. Inside that city must be the Ming general's household retainers, absolutely not ordinary garrison soldiers. Together with the able-bodied civilians inside, there must be several thousand soldiers capable of fighting."

"Oh."

Abatai sank into thought. Only the Jala Jinggin and Mongol allied commanders beside him showed expressions of disbelief.

One Jala Jinggin said: "Lord Yanzha, have the Ming beaten the courage out of you, that you deliberately exaggerate their fighting strength?"

"Setting aside their courage in close combat for the moment, their firelocks can pierce our two layers of heavy armor from forty or fifty paces away? We have campaigned in Ming lands for many years and have never encountered such firelocks. Whether their bird guns or three-eyed guns, to pierce the multiple layers of heavy armor our warriors wear from forty or fifty paces away is absolutely impossible!"

Another Jala Jinggin also said: "Lord Yanzha says that inside the city are all the Ming general's household retainers. Looking at the scale of this fort and the banner of the defending Ming general, he is nothing more than a minor Garrison Commander. In Ming, those who have a Battalion Commander retainers are certainly of the rank of Vice Regional Commander or Regional Commander. How could they be appointed to a mere minor Garrison Commander?"

Hearing his words, everyone found it very reasonable. That Jala Jinggin Yanzha, his face reddening, shouted: "If you do not believe it, you are welcome to try attacking the city yourselves!"

Abatai silenced their quarrel with a shout. He pondered for a long moment, then said: "Return to camp to discuss matters."

That day, Shunxiang Fort remained on strict alert. However, the Qing soldiers did not attack the city for a long time. From the afternoon onward, large groups of Qing infantry and cavalry were seen going out. Afterward, the soldiers and civilians of Shunxiang Fort heard the faint sounds of firearms and cannon from the surrounding area, not knowing which nearby forts the Qing soldiers were raiding.

Wang Dou and the others judged that the Qing soldiers must be attacking the garrison forts and military forts of the Five Forts near Shunxiang Fort. By evening, they saw large groups of Qing soldiers and camp followers escorting numerous captured Great Ming commoners back to camp. Those Ming commoners, men and women, stumbled along, merely following the Qing escorts forward. When some walked too slowly, the Qing soldiers unceremoniously lashed them with leather whips.

Hearing the wails and cries below the wall and the triumphant laughter and jeers of the Qing soldiers, the Shunxiang troops on the wall were all filled with righteous fury. But unlike the previous time, no matter how outstanding the Shunxiang Army's fighting strength was, Wang Dou could not possibly let them go out of the city for a field battle to recapture the captured commoners. Inside Shunxiang Fort, defenses were strictly maintained, and all garrison troops and civilians were forbidden from going outside.

The day passed just like that. At night, the Qing soldiers did not attempt a stealth attack on the city, which allowed Wang Dou and the others to breathe a sigh of relief.

Yet thinking of the captured commoners outside the city and the plundered wealth and goods, everyone in Shunxiang Fort felt as if their hearts were being cut by a knife.

The seventeenth day of the seventh month of the ninth year of the Chongzhen reign. Early morning.

The sound of horns from the great Qing camp below the city rose continuously. Company after company of Qing infantry and cavalry marched out of camp, slowly assembling into a mass in front of the encampment.

Wang Dou and the others looked from the wall and saw that the Qing's two jala, along with the two banners of Outer Mongol troops, had all been deployed. They formed up in solemn ranks outside the city. In the front center of the Qing formation was Abatai's enormous gold-woven dragon-standard. Around his dragon-standard was again a boundless sea of red and white banners.

Soon, the Qing horns sounded again. Several thousand Qing soldiers marched in formation, slowly pressing toward the wall. Their uniform pure-white armor with red trim was awe-inspiring. Wang Dou could hear the heavy breathing of the officers beside him.

They halted one li from the southern gate wall of Shunxiang Fort. Then, movement was seen beneath the dragon-standard. A Qing interpreter official, escorted by several White Armor Soldiers, rode his horse toward this side. He galloped to a distance of just over a hundred paces from the wall of Shunxiang Fort, then stopped far off.

He shouted toward the wall in Chinese: "Listen, Ming general on the wall! I am the Great Qing Empire's Interpreter Official, Shumulu. By order of the Raoyu Beile Abatai, I am commanded to inform you: Our Great Qing Empire values the worthy and the capable. Toward those of virtue and talent, we are never stingy with the intent of conciliation and bestowal of rank. If the Ming general on the wall is willing to lead his troops to submit to our Great Qing, the Raoyu Beile will immediately recommend you for the post of Third Class Jala Jinggin of the Great Qing Empire. The Raoyu Beile's heart cherishes talent. You must understand this. If you dare resist stubbornly, when our Great Qing soldiers storm the fort, jade and stone alike will be consumed in flames. Regret will come too late."

Hearing the interpreter official speak thus, all the officers on the wall looked at Wang Dou. Wang Dou sneered inwardly. Enfeoff him as a Third Class Jala Jinggin? They were not sparing any expense.

In the seventh year of the Chongzhen reign, Huang Taiji had standardized the Manchu-language ranks for military posts: the Five Beiyu Regional Commander was First Class Duke; First Class Regional Commander was First Class Angbang Jinggin; Second Class Regional Commander was Second Class Angbang Jinggin; Third Class Regional Commander was Third Class Angbang Jinggin. First Class Vice Regional Commander was First Class Meile Jinggin; Second Class Vice Regional Commander was Second Class Meile Jinggin; Third Class Vice Regional Commander was Third Class Meile Jinggin. First Class Assistant Regional Commander was First Class Jala Jinggin; Second Class Assistant Regional Commander was Second Class Jala Jinggin; Mobile Corps Commander was Third Class Jala Jinggin. Beiyu was Niru Jinggin. Daizi was Xiaojiao Colonel; Jinggin was Minor Boshiku; Banner Leader was Guard Colonel.

Third Class Jala Jinggin was equivalent to the rank of Mobile Corps Commander in the Great Ming. For Wang Dou, who was merely a minor Garrison Commander, this official reward was indeed very generous.

Everyone above and below the wall looked at Wang Dou. Wang Dou laughed loudly: "I am a noble scion of Huaxia, a descendant of the gods. How could I bend my body to serve barbarian slave breeds?"

"I, Wang Dou, live as a man of the Great Ming, and will die as a ghost of the Great Ming. Go back and tell Abatai: if he wants to recruit me, Wang Dou, let him abandon that thought."

"If he has the ability to attack the city, let him come. Shunxiang Fort, from top to bottom, would rather be shattered jade than intact tile!"

His voice carried far and wide, heard clearly both above and below the wall. Hearing Wang Dou's voice, the Ming troops on the wall involuntarily straightened their bodies. Every man's face showed an expression of pride. With a commanding officer so loyal and righteous, even if they followed him to die in battle, why would they begrudge their lives?

That interpreter was a Manchu. He was enraged by what he heard, and turned his horse to return. Over there, Abatai, upon receiving the report, was astonished and simultaneously extremely furious.

Very quickly, waves of clamor and wailing came from the direction of the great Qing formation. It was a large group of Qing soldiers escorting the Great Ming commoners captured the previous day toward this side. Those commoners were driven forward by whipping. They wailed and cried toward the top of the wall. Many clearly had the local accent of Baoan Prefecture, but it was unknown which garrison fort or civilian fort within the territory they were from.

That group of Qing soldiers, immensely pleased with themselves, simply escorted the commoners toward this side. The expressions of the Shunxiang Army on the wall were extremely grim.

Wang Dou gave a cold snort. This trick again. Wang Dou said coldly to Han Zhong: "Go and bring up those captured Tatars!"

He gave Han Zhong a few instructions. Han Zhong loudly acknowledged the order and strode away with meteoric steps.

The Qing soldiers below the wall, right before the eyes of the defending troops on the wall, killed the captured commoners one by one, utterly ignoring their struggles and pleas. They even skewered a baby girl on the tip of a spear. The baby girl did not die immediately, but merely wailed loudly.

The Shunxiang Army on the wall watched with eyes splitting in fury. Below the wall, those Qing soldiers, while tormenting and abusing, pointed at the wall and laughed and jeered loudly. The angrier the Ming troops on the wall shouted and cursed, the happier they became.

Suddenly, they fell silent, all staring dumbly at the top of the wall.

From the top of the wall came waves of shrill, miserable screams, interspersed with pained shouts and howls in the Manchu language. Then, ten stark-naked Qing soldier captives were hoisted high. Their four limbs were each pierced through by thick iron nails and nailed to a tall wooden frame — one man per frame. The ten men, following the semicircular face of the barbican, formed a large circle.

They howled in unbearable agony. The more they struggled, the more blood flowed from their hands and feet pierced by the thick iron nails. They cried out in pain loudly in the Manchu language, begging the Qing soldiers below the wall to rescue them.

Seeing this scene, the Qing soldiers below the wall stared blankly, watching their own kind on the wall in disbelief, unable to fathom how these men had been captured. The great Qing formation over by Abatai, seeing this scene, also erupted in disturbance. The several dozen combat soldiers beside that Jala Jinggin Yanzha cried out one after another: "They are warriors of our jala! They have been captured by the Ming!"

"It is Hutula and the others! They have all been nailed to wooden frames! These Ming are too detestable..."

The Qing troops below the wall all cried out in alarm, a clamor rising. Seeing their comrades tragically nailed to the top of the wall, they were filled with grief and indignation. Raging fury burned through their entire bodies. Being humiliated thus by the enemy before the entire army also caused their morale to plummet.

Abatai's face was also ashen. The Ming army's action had severely affected his troops' morale. He had not expected that by threatening and intimidating with Great Ming commoners, he would receive such a result. For a moment, he faintly regretted it inwardly. The Gushan Ejen of the Right Tumed Banner beside him, Emubu Chuhuer, and the Gushan Ejen of the Left Tumed Banner, Shanba, seeing the scene on the wall, also gasped in shock.

Seeing the reaction of the Qing soldiers below the wall, the morale of the Shunxiang Army on the wall soared. They jeered loudly: "Tatars, come and attack the city!"

They cut chunks of flesh from the Qing soldiers on the wooden racks, making their agonized screams shake heaven and earth.

The Shunxiang Army tossed those chunks of flesh onto the parapet one by one, loudly mocking the Qing soldiers below the wall.

"Look — this is what awaits you!"

Han Chao arrived at the barbican wall. He shouted in Manchu: "Abatai, this is what awaits you in the future."

His voice carried far, and the Qing soldiers below the wall heard every word clearly. Those Qing soldiers grew even more enraged. A few Qing soldiers who were herding Great Ming commoners before the battle line could not endure this insult. Led by a Fende Boshiku, they charged screaming toward the city gate.

Defending the barbican and the right-side wall was Sun Sanjie's rear picket unit. Seeing those few Qing soldiers charging, he said softly: "They've come at the right time."

At his shouted command, the arquebusier squad of the rear picket unit immediately stood at attention behind him, forming two ranks. When those seven or eight Qing soldiers rushed within forty paces, Sun Sanjie gave the order. A deafening roar of arquebus fire erupted as the first rank of twenty-five arquebusiers aimed at those Qing soldiers and fired in unison.

Those Qing soldiers fell one by one, struck by bullets and rolling on the ground. After the second rank of arquebusiers fired another volley and the gunpowder smoke dispersed, all those Qing soldiers below the wall had been shot dead. That Fende Boshiku lay with eyes wide open, seven bullets in his body, blood gushing from all over — dead beyond any doubt.

Watching those Qing soldiers shot dead one after another below the wall, the Shunxiang Army soldiers on the wall let out another cheer.

The Qing army below the wall fell silent as crows. Even in their fury, the power of Shunxiang Fort's arquebuses had overawed them.

Abatai had been utterly furious, but seeing the scene below the wall, he instead grew calm. This Ming army on the wall was indeed no ordinary force — he must treat them with caution. Yet the thought of breaching Shunxiang Fort and slaughtering every Ming person inside was unstoppable. A vicious battle was unavoidable!

……

Seeing the Qing soldiers below the wall with their morale so low, Wang Dou and the others all burst into loud laughter. Wang Dou ordered his men not to cut any more flesh from the Qing prisoners on the wooden racks — let them suffer more torment and pain, to more effectively overawe the Tartar soldiers below the wall.

Listening to the horn calls outside the city, Wang Dou knew a bloody battle was about to begin. This battle was no small matter — it would be even bloodier and more brutal than the fighting of the previous days. Whether he survived or not, until the very last moment of his life, he would fight to the end to defend this city.

He came below the gate tower and mounted his warhorse. Han Chao, Han Zhong, Wen Fangliang, Sun Sanjie, Zhong Diaoyang, Lin Daofu, Chi Dacheng, and the others likewise mounted their warhorses and followed behind Wang Dou. Wang Dou rode slowly along the wall. The many horses, the many hooves striking the grey brick paving, produced a continuous sound.

Meeting Wang Dou's gaze were rows upon rows of Shunxiang Fort soldiers standing ramrod straight. They gripped the arquebuses and long spears in their hands, looking at Wang Dou with resolute eyes. With their eyes they told Wang Dou that they would surely follow his steps and fight a bloody battle to the end alongside him.

On the wall there were also dense formations of auxiliary soldier laborers. They too looked at Wang Dou with eyes of reverence. And below the wall, it was likewise packed with people — auxiliary soldier laborers, and also the able-bodied women of the fort who had been organized. They too looked at Wang Dou with eyes full of hope.

Looking at these simple, honest faces — men and women, old and young — Wang Dou's eyes grew moist. These military households and soldiers inside the fort — who knew how many would die in the coming battle. But a true man would rather die standing than live on his knees. Better to die a glorious death in battle than live a wretched life!

His voice floated above and below the wall: "You all know what those Tartars below the wall are. They are a pack of beasts who slaughter without blinking. If they fight their way into the city, you all know what the result will be. In this battle, there is us and there is the enemy — no room for both. Every man must fight a bloody battle to the end. When the soldiers are all dead, the auxiliary laborers take over! When the auxiliary laborers are all dead, the men of the fort take over! When the men of the fort are all dead, the women of the fort take over! Even if we fight to the very last person, the very last soldier, we will never submit to those beasts!"

He suddenly drew his heavy sword and roared: "Certain victory!"

"Certain victory! Certain victory! Certain victory!"

Wave after wave of earth-shattering shouts of certain victory rose higher and higher, resounding throughout all of Shunxiang Fort.

The sound carried far beyond the city walls. The Qing soldiers outside the city all looked toward Shunxiang Fort in alarm.

Abatai and the others outside the city heard it, and their expressions all grew solemn.