Chapter 246: Who Under Heaven Could Blunt Their Edge

Dense ranks of Qing heavy-armor long-spear soldiers charged forward with battle cries. Their Eight Banners long spears, ten chi long, and their tiger spears, eight chi long, every spearhead gleaming snow-bright, rose in a solid mass, flashing a dazzling radiance. These men all wore thick, solid armor and had stout, burly builds; charging so recklessly, they seemed to carry an unstoppable momentum.

After the Shunxiang Army’s two volleys of firelocks, the first two ranks of arquebusiers had already withdrawn behind the third rank to reload. With the convenience of Shunxiang Fort’s fixed paper-cartridge ammunition and the Shunxiang Army’s harsh training, in only a brief moment these two ranks of arquebusiers had already finished loading their paper cartridges.

The third rank of arquebusiers again raised their firelocks in dense formation, aiming on the spot at those charging Qing heavy-armor soldiers.

“Fire!”

The explosive shout rang out, and again the great formation shook with the deafening sound of massed firelock volleys.

A vast cloud of gunpowder smoke billowed up, and swaths of Qing heavy-armor soldiers, clutching their long spears and great halberds, tumbled to the ground. At a distance of seventy or eighty paces, the Shunxiang Army’s firelocks could already pierce their heavy armor; even where the shot did not penetrate the armor after impact, the enormous striking force of the firelock ball was enough to shatter the bones and snap the sinews of the body behind the armor.

“Fire!”

After this rank of arquebusiers had fired their powder, they immediately retreated rapidly, all the way to the rear of the spearmen. The original first rank, several hundred arquebusiers, again raised their firelocks in dense layers, aimed at the Qing troops who had charged to within forty or fifty paces, and mercilessly pulled their triggers.

The explosive roar of firelocks was unceasing; each man’s matchcord ignited the priming powder inside his flash pan, plumes of bright flame flared up, then transformed into fierce jets of smoke and fire spurting from the muzzles, finally merging into one vast, deafening sound of massed firelock volleys.

Clusters of blood mist burst from the bodies of those Qing soldiers clad in heavy armor; at this distance of forty or fifty paces, there was no armor that the Shunxiang Fort firelocks could not pierce. Large numbers of shot Qing soldiers tumbled and rolled on the ground one after another; clutching their wounds, they howled in unbearable agony.

Whether these Qing heavy-armor spearmen were brave or foolish was unclear; after the Shunxiang Fort arquebusiers’ two-rank volley, they had already suffered several hundred casualties, and their originally dense formation was now riddled with gaps. Yet the remaining Qing heavy-armor soldiers still charged forward madly, spears leveled. Many stumbled and staggered as they charged, a long length of intestine trailing beneath their bellies.

As before, after this rank of arquebusiers had fired their ammunition, they immediately retreated rapidly, all the way to the rear of the arquebusiers behind the spearmen, and nervously began loading their fixed paper-cartridge ammunition. The last rank of arquebusiers in the formation, under the shouted orders of their officers, several hundred men again raised their firelocks and aimed at the Qing soldiers charging madly from a dozen or so paces away.

“Fire!”

A great cloud of gunpowder smoke billowed forth; amid the deafening roar of firelocks, another large mass of Qing heavy-armor soldiers tumbled to the ground, and several dozen Qing heavy-armor soldiers clutching long spears and great halberds were directly blasted flying backward. Some men could no longer suppress the terror in their hearts; they threw away their weapons and fled back screaming.

The remaining men, eyes red, howled at the top of their lungs and hurled themselves ferociously forward.

“Kill!”

The last rank of arquebusiers withdrew like the tide. Before the Shunxiang Army, dense layers of long spears rose, likewise flashing a sheet of dazzling light.

The three ranks of Shunxiang Army spearmen in the formation all leveled their long spears. The front-rank spearmen raised their spears and thrust at the scattered, already frenzied Qing heavy-armor soldiers who had charged to close range. The sound of spearheads stabbing into flesh was unceasing, and muffled groans and miserable cries rose continuously from both sides.

The Qing heavy-armor troops, having endured the Shunxiang Army’s three volleys of firelock fire, had suffered nearly half casualties; many of the survivors also bore wounds. Moreover, with large numbers of officers and soldiers in their army killed or wounded, and many men fleeing, only a small fraction reached the front of the Shunxiang Army spearmen.

Their originally grim, densely packed military formation had long since lost its shape. In particular, that blood-courage spirit in each man had already been battered down by more than half.

Even if the remaining men were frenzied, how could they be a match for the Shunxiang Army? The Shunxiang Fort spearmen were packed tightly together; they had no need to worry about their flanks, only needing to thrust forward. Their sharp long spears stabbed out in unison, then swiftly withdrew, then stabbed out in unison again; each time that forest of long spears thrust forth, it reaped the lives of the Qing heavy-armor soldiers before them.

Almost always, several of their long spears attacked a single Qing long spear before them; even if someone beside them fell, someone behind immediately filled the gap, and the dense front rank of spearmen never diminished in number.

The spearmen’s rhythmic battle cries rose unceasingly; long spears thrust back and forth at each other, and the bodies of warriors stabbed on both sides slumped softly to the ground, their scalding blood flowing out and moistening the dry, cold earth.

The cruel and bloody fight did not last long. In the blink of an eye, those Qing heavy-armor soldiers had again suffered nearly half casualties. Looking at the still-resolute Ming soldiers before them, the spearpoints in their hands still dripping with the fresh blood of their own brothers from time to time, slowly the madness in the remaining Qing soldiers’ eyes faded, and then each man’s face revealed an expression of extreme terror.

The forest of spears before them was still dense and layered; the bravest warriors of the banner had already suffered more than half casualties, yet still could not so much as slightly break their military formation. Many men could no longer contain the terror in their hearts and fled backward, screaming. Some men charged forward with wild shouts, only to be speared to death one by one by the Shunxiang Army spearmen.

Wang Dou stood at the central army position; through the firelock smoke that the cold wind had still not dispersed, he could see that many Qing soldiers over there had already been stunned senseless. Some were clutching their heads and fleeing in chaos, some were throwing away their weapons and fleeing back screaming, and the rest stood dumbstruck, not knowing what to do.

Wang Dou gave a cold laugh: “The slave bandits have collapsed!”

The tenacity of this Qing heavy-armor force had exceeded Wang Dou’s expectations; they had held on until more than half were casualties before breaking. Or perhaps it was their habitual thinking — they simply failed to react in time, and by the time they did, it was already too late.

Wang Dou gave a cold snort: “Pass the order: form ranks and advance!”

The drumbeats of the central army sounded. Immediately, all the Shunxiang Army soldiers again stood ramrod straight. The front ranks held spears, the rear ranks held firelocks; long spears and firelocks were like a forest, and to the rhythm of the marching drums, the entire formation began to move slowly forward, like a moving fortress.

“Advance!”

The Shunxiang Army advanced in formation, pressing forward like a wall. The Qing soldiers before them all retreated without exception; not a single man dared to step forward and give battle, to so much as slightly blunt their edge.

“Advance!”

The Shunxiang Army’s momentum was irresistibly fierce. All their soldiers, spears leveled and firelocks raised, wore expressions of pride. In this world, no one could block the footsteps of their advance — not the Qing Bordered Red Banner, not the Bordered White Banner, nor any of the remaining Eight Banners soldiers!

……

“Defeated?…”

Watching the banner’s warriors fleeing like wolves and rushing like boars, retreating in defeat like the tide, Dodo beneath the dragon banner in the Qing army formation was utterly distraught. He could scarcely believe it. His Bordered White Banner’s heavy-armor warriors and strong archers, in a direct head-on clash, were actually no match at all for the Ming Wang Dou division.

He had seen it very clearly: the battle just now could no longer be called a battle — it was entirely a one-sided slaughter, only reversed; today the ones being slaughtered were his own side. Ever since Dudu had sent word, and after yesterday’s battle at Dingzhou Bridge, Dodo had known that Wang Dou’s division was very strong. But he had never imagined they were strong to this degree.

Their arquebusiers were indeed extremely formidable; his own banner’s archers were no match at all for their bird-gun soldiers — they simply stood there taking a beating. Not only that, their spearmen were also extremely formidable; after his own heavy-armor warriors braved the rain of bullets and charged to close range, the final result was that they were slaughtered and routed.

Why was it like this? Dodo did not understand. All he knew was that his Bordered White Banner was finished. The banner’s elite had been largely destroyed in the battle just now; when he returned to the Great Qing domain in the future, would he still have any standing to speak among the Eight Banners?

Ridiculous — just moments ago he had been brimming with confidence, mocking Lu Xiangsheng and Wang Dou for not understanding warfare. It seemed the foolish one was himself. Hot tears streamed uncontrollably down his face, and he choked out: “Seventh Brother, I regret not heeding your words yesterday!”

Abatai sighed heavily. He too had witnessed the battle just now. The banner’s one thousand heavy-armor warriors were finished — that was the essence of the entire banner. The two thousand archers had also suffered no small casualties, and moreover had lost all will to fight; in the future, at the sight of the Ming Wang Dou division’s banners, these men would probably flee at the mere rumor of their approach. Fortunately, the banner’s five hundred heavy cavalry warriors and the two hundred Bayara troops that had been dispatched had not joined the battle; otherwise the losses would have been even greater.

Just before, large numbers of the banner’s archers had scattered toward the rear of both flanks, blocking the attack path of these heavy-armor troops, and Dodo had raged furiously about it. Now, however, he was thankful that these most elite warriors of the banner had not been committed, preserving somewhat the seeds of their bloodline.

He seemed somewhat panicked and at a loss; he asked Abatai blankly: “Seventh Brother, what should we do now?”

Abatai swept a glance at Dodo and said: “Sound the gongs to withdraw the troops; quickly have the warriors pull back!”

He sighed. The Ming army had many cavalry on their side — would they let slip this fine opportunity to pursue? Probably after today’s battle, many more of those warriors retreating in defeat would fall beneath the sabers and long spears of the Ming cavalry.

……

In the Ming army’s battle formation, defending the left flank was Xuanfu Garrison Regional Commander Yang Guozhu. The officers and soldiers of the Xuan Garrison Main Battalion had all witnessed the battle scene just now, every one of them wearing an expression of gaping, open-mouthed disbelief. Yang Guozhu’s central army personal general Guo Yingxian muttered to himself: “That damned Wang Dou, truly… truly…”

He went on “truly” for a long while but could never find the right word to describe his feelings. Yang Guozhu also watched with complex emotions as the Shunxiang Army continued to advance in formation, ceaselessly reaping the enemy’s lives. He sighed heavily: “Wang Dou’s division has sharp firearms and a stern, tight battle formation. After this battle, I fear no one under heaven will dare to blunt their edge again.”

Even as he sighed, he was pondering in his heart: after this campaign, when he returned to Xuanfu Garrison, how should he treat Wang Dou?

On the right flank of the battle formation, Shanxi Garrison Regional Commander Hu Dawei also slowly exhaled and sighed: “What a brave and fierce Wang Dou; Old Yang is a fortunate man.”

In the central army’s great host, every man was either dumbstruck or wore an expression of utter disbelief; Datong Garrison Regional Commander Wang Pu kept sucking in his breath. Lu Xiangsheng stood atop the command carriage; he had seen everything that had just happened. His eyes glistened with tears, and he looked up to heaven with a long sigh: “The bravest of the three armies, the bravest of the three armies! With Wang Dou here, what a blessing for our Great Ming!”

His face hardened. The Qing troops ahead were collapsing like the tide; Lu Xiangsheng would naturally not let this fine opportunity slip. He shouted: “Pass my general order: all cavalry on both wings and in the central army — pursue!”

……

On the tenth day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, the Bordered White Banner army suffered a great defeat. After Dodo led his remaining troops back to their camp, they defended the encampment desperately, not daring to venture out. Before dawn the next day, he led his army to quietly leave Dingzhou and marched the entire force toward Gaoyang. Most of the army’s baggage, as well as the captured population and valuables, were all abandoned.

When Dodo reached Gaoyang and saw his younger brother’s wretched state, Dorgon was greatly alarmed. After learning the details of the Dingzhou battle, he first flew into a violent rage and gave Dodo a sound thrashing; then, after listening to his tearful account and understanding the full circumstances of the battle, Dorgon pondered for a long while: “Prince Raoyu was right. In the future, when encountering the Ming Wang Dou division, do not engage them in direct head-on battle; we must exploit the strengths of our horsemen.”

On the eleventh day, hearing that Lu Xiangsheng was leading the main army toward him, Dorgon took the initiative to lead his army away from the walls of Gaoyang.

On the twelfth day, a lone rider galloped madly into the capital through Yongdingmen. All along the way, the rider brandished a victory report in his hand and shouted at the top of his lungs: “Great victory! Great victory! Minister Lu’s great victory at Dingzhou! Over one thousand seven hundred and ninety slave-bandit heads taken…”

As he galloped through, the entire city was instantly stirred into a frenzy. The victory report was carried from the Inner City all the way into the Imperial City, and then into the Palace City itself. When the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Eunuch Wang Dehua, jubilantly presented the victory dispatch, the Chongzhen Emperor’s hands trembled; this thin sheet of paper felt to him as heavy as a thousand catties, and he could barely keep hold of it.

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