Chapter 259: See Who Is More Ruthless!

After lunch, the iron masks that Lu Xiangsheng, Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, Xuanfu Assistant Regional Commander Zhang Yan, and others had commissioned to aid Wang Dou were delivered.

There were over four hundred in total, just enough for Wang Dou to distribute to the firelock soldiers of Wen Fangliang’s unit, who had taken over the defense line. These firelock soldiers were in high spirits, examining the iron masks from every angle before each donned one. Instantly, a host of fiends from the Hall of Yama appeared before Wang Dou; they stared at one another, only muffled chuckles coming from behind the masks.

The firelock soldiers generally reported that wearing the masks made it harder to see clearly and slowed their reactions considerably, yet no one took theirs off. In that morning’s battle, the Tartar soldiers had aimed specifically at the face; many brothers in the company had been struck by arrows, and the ghastly sight had secretly terrified them.

Now, with the iron masks, each man’s eight-panel iron-tipped helmet (with a broad brim, somewhat resembling the British WWII helmet — for specifics, see the helmet style in Andy Lau’s *Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon*, which closely resembles the eight-panel iron-tipped helmet), a mail shirt worn inside, a fine iron breastplate over that, and finally the warm red cotton-wool coat — they were thoroughly protected.

In Wang Dou’s army, even the logistics troops were fully equipped with excellent armor, making their equipment lavish by the standards of the Great Ming army.

By this time, the main Qing force, which had remained motionless two li away for a long while, finally stirred. Amid the sound of horns, their war carts and banners advanced again in dense, layered ranks, closing in from three sides — a dark, oppressive mass stretching beyond sight like an ocean.

The central command of Lu Xiangsheng issued orders for the entire army to stand ready. Wang Dou’s central command issued the same order, and at once Wen Fangliang’s men, who had been warming themselves by the fire and joking behind the earthen wall, swiftly formed ranks and began pre-battle defensive preparations.

The Shunxiang Army was strictly drilled and quick to respond; very soon, Wen Fangliang had his troops arrayed in tight formation, awaiting the enemy.

Under his command were three squad commanders, each with two teams of firelock soldiers led by the squad’s deputy commander. Each squad commander personally led the spearmen and sword-and-shield men within his squad, positioned behind the firelock soldiers to hold the line and guard against breakthroughs. The three squads of firelock soldiers, spearmen, and sword-and-shield men — nearly a thousand armored warriors — stood in dense ranks behind the earthen wall.

All the soldiers wore red cotton-wool coats and red cotton-wool cloaks, a stirring expanse of fiery crimson.

Behind these fighting men, Wen Fangliang led his personal guards, the unit’s night scouts, the provost officers, the standard-bearers and drum-and-gong soldiers, plus the company-level logistics team — nearly two hundred men in all — directing the battle from the company central command. A stream of orders went out, and the formation stirred with a steady hum of activity.

The unit’s provost officers led their various inspection flags and began patrolling the defenses. If any squad’s line was found wanting, or if soldiers showed cowardice, the provost officers had the authority to punish them severely on the spot. The responsible officers would also face harsh penalties.

The deputy commanders of each squad issued constant orders, directing the firelock teams to check the loading of powder and shot in their pieces. Except for leaving the match unlit, the powder was to be loaded right now. The team officers and deputy team officers likewise meticulously inspected the condition of the soldiers in their teams.

The Shunxiang Army’s various combat regulations had long been ingrained in every man’s mind, and their peacetime training was rigorous. With each rank pressing down on the next, Wang Dou commanded his army as naturally as an arm moves a finger — with perfect ease. In his army, one could say there was no need for famous generals; simply fighting steadily by the regulations was enough.

……

As in the morning, when the Qing troops had advanced another half li, the five six-pounder red-barbarian cannons of the Supervisory Battalion on the high platform inside the Shunxiang Army’s defense line opened fire again, cannonballs howling past in waves.

Having absorbed the lessons of the Shunxiang Army’s artillery, the cannon team’s officer now ordered his several guns to fire in volleys. Each time, five large iron balls and several dozen smaller iron pellets roared out together. The results of the bombardment were even more marked than in the morning, blasting the Qing ranks into utter chaos with heavy casualties.

The Qing soldiers had shield-carts for protection and had learned from the morning’s experience of dodging Ming artillery fire, but the iron balls flying wildly in all directions, carving bloody paths and scattering severed limbs, still caused wave after wave of turmoil among them.

When they came within one li, tremendous thunderous reports erupted from three sides of the Xuan-Da encampment, smoke and mist billowing everywhere. Large rockets with a range of one li — Nest of Bees, Hundred Tigers Unleashed, and the like — howled forth, forming a veritable sky-covering rain of arrows.

Unlike arrows loosed by human strength, which mostly threatened only the first few ranks of a formation, these rockets flew high and deep, unavoidable whether in the front ranks or the rear. Rockets were also notorious for their erratic flight; you never knew whether one would fly straight or curve, or descend from above — their direction was unpredictable, and every man felt imperiled.

Moreover, the rockets’ launch sounded like tremendous thunderclaps; horses with poor nerves often startled and reared, refusing to advance.

However, having learned from the morning’s experience, each of the attacking Qing soldiers had found whatever protective gear they could for their bodies and hands. So these several waves of rocket fire, aside from alarming many Qing warhorses, caused relatively few casualties.

Not long after the large rockets like Hundred Tigers Unleashed were fired, even more violent sounds came from the Xuan-Da encampment — the booming discharge of three-sided Folangji cannons, along with flying spears, flying blades, flying swords, and other rocket projectiles. Many of the Qing horses grew far more agitated.

Braving the Xuan-Da army’s dense bombardment of cannon and rocket fire, the Qing troops finally pushed to within roughly two hundred paces of the three-sided front line, then halted and moved no further. Moreover, their waves of war carts spread out even wider, clearly to avoid the cannon fire from the gaps in the earthen wall.

Seeing them halted there for a long time without moving, the Xuan-Da soldiers were puzzled. Wang Dou, standing on the high platform of the Shunxiang Army’s central command, also guessed at the Qing troops’ intent: “Could it be…”

The answer was soon revealed. A clamor of shouts and wails rose from the Qing ranks, and then a great crowd of Ming commoners was driven forward under the lash. There were men and women, old and young, all in tattered clothing, carrying loads of earth and shouldering mud sacks, stumbling and staggering. The moment any slowed, the Qing soldiers behind them lashed out savagely with whips, beating them to the ground.

As they drew nearer, the firelock soldiers under Wen Fangliang’s command stared dumbfounded. Zhao Xuan also gazed blankly at those commoners, at a loss for what to do. The defense lines on both wings of the Xuan-Da force likewise fell silent, clearly encountering the same situation.

Qing soldiers herding captured commoners to assault a city — Wang Dou had encountered this before at Shunxiang Fort, but the present circumstances were different. He summoned Wen Daxing, the night-scout company commander beside him, and gave low instructions: “Prepare yourselves. In a moment, lead the night scouts out and capture as many of the slave-thieves alive as you can.”

Wen Daxing acknowledged the order in a deep voice and immediately instructed his night scouts to prepare — each man to ready his horse and weapons, and to have his lasso ready.

Afterward, Wang Dou hurriedly went to find Lu Xiangsheng, only to see Lu Xiangsheng already hastening toward him, his face dark as water. Beside him were Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei, both looking urgent; clearly the two wings had encountered the same situation, and they had come specifically to report to Lu Xiangsheng.

Lu Xiangsheng, Wang Dou, and the others arrived behind the earthen wall. Those commoners, driven forward by the lash, were now only a few dozen paces from the first low wall and trench; the wretched, terrified expressions on their faces were clearly visible. Through the gaps behind the commoners, the lurking Qing soldiers could also be seen, cursing incessantly, their leather whips rising from time to time — each stroke tearing up a spray of blood. The cries of the beaten commoners grew even more desolate.

Seeing this, Wang Dou, Lu Xiangsheng, and the others were filled with fury and hatred. Wang Dou said in a grave voice: “Lord Viceroy, if we do not disperse these commoners, the Xuan-Da encampment is in danger of being breached.”

Lu Xiangsheng shook his head miserably: “How can this Viceroy bear to turn his hand against the common people?”

Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei exchanged glances, both looking anxious. If their own units had faced this situation alone, they would long since have ordered the cannons and firelocks to open fire. But with Lu Xiangsheng before them, who would dare privately shoulder the evil consequence of slaughtering commoners?

Hu Dawei suddenly said: “This general observes that those commoners are sturdily built; it is highly likely they are slave-thieves in disguise. Killing them would do no harm.”

Lu Xiangsheng shook his head. Whether those commoners were disguised Qing soldiers or not, he could tell at a glance. Unlike the other generals, he did not care about censorial impeachments; he simply could not bear to strike down commoners. But if he could not bear to strike down commoners, what was to be done about the trench they were filling in?

Yang Guozhu said: “Perhaps we could select soldiers of superior marksmanship and archery to shoot down the slave-thieves and prevent them from approaching.”

As he said this, he sighed. Such a method, he knew, would be of negligible effect — practically useless.

Lu Xiangsheng clenched his jaw tightly; several times he was on the verge of ordering fire, but each time he held back.

Those commoners crept fearfully closer, soon reaching the very edge of the trench. The dense array of Ming cannons and firelocks before them filled them with terror. One woman, who seemed to be a young lady from a respectable family somewhere, had delicate features, but now her hair was disheveled and her appearance utterly haggard.

A woman of her beauty naturally could not escape the Qing troops’ ravages. She wore only a thin inner garment, shivering ceaselessly in the cold wind. A woman with bound feet, she struggled to hold a sack of earth in both hands, her expression numb, trudging forward.

Suddenly she stumbled and fell flat on the ground. A Qing soldier behind her immediately brought his whip slashing down upon her head and face; she rolled on the ground, weeping bitterly.

She cried out: “You cursed Tartars, kill me…”

“…kill me…”

Her desolate voice carried far, and all who heard it could not help but weep.

Wang Dou stepped forward from the group and shouted beyond the wall: “Fathers, elders, sisters outside — since death is certain either way, better to fight the Tartars to the death! I, Wang Dou, Mobile Corps Commander of Baoan Prefecture, Xuanfu Garrison, vow to you that after the battle I will surely build a shrine and offer sacrifices for you! I, Wang Dou, vow to you that I will kill still more Tartar soldiers to avenge you!”

He barked at Wen Fangliang beside him: “Prepare to open fire.”

Wen Fangliang said in a low voice: “General…”

Wang Dou said fiercely: “Prepare.”

Wen Fangliang passed down the order. At once, the front-rank firelock soldiers behind the earthen wall made ready in dense array, lighting the matches of their firelocks; a mass of dark muzzles aimed outward. The commoners beyond the wall all wept, hesitantly advancing under the whips of the Qing troops behind them.

“Fire!”

A crackling roar of firelocks erupted like popping beans as the Shunxiang Army firelock soldiers in the front rank behind the earthen wall fired as one. Instantly, puffs of blood mist burst from the commoners ahead, and one after another they toppled to the ground. Amid the deafening gunfire, the commoners first stood stunned as wooden chickens, then shrieked in unison: “The government troops are firing!”

Even heavily armored Qing soldiers would collapse under a volley from the Shunxiang Army’s firelocks, let alone these commoners who had received no training whatsoever and had no means of protection.

Screaming in terror, they surged backward; the whips, blades, and spears of the Qing troops behind them could not halt their rout in the slightest. Those Qing soldiers cut them down one by one, only to be trampled themselves by the great mass of fleeing commoners. A shrill voice rose from the crowd: “Sisters, death either way — fight the Tartars to the death!”

Under their frenzied attack and the sheer press of bodies, the Qing soldiers behind them were forced to flee backward as well.

Lu Xiangsheng shut his eyes in anguish, then shouted: “Open fire with cannons and firelocks! Whatever comes of it, this Viceroy shall bear it all!”

With a thunder of hooves, Wen Daxing led several dozen night scouts charging out through a passageway. Seeing cavalry pour out from behind the earthen wall, the commoners scattered and fled in even greater panic. Across the two hundred paces between the Qing war-cart positions and the earthen wall, their figures were everywhere, interspersed with numerous Qing soldiers who had been herding them.

Seeing this human tide rushing back toward them, the main Qing formation loosed wave after wave of arrows, cutting down friend and foe alike without distinction.

The hooves of Wen Daxing and his men trampled countless people; they fired arrows left and right from horseback, dropping Qing soldiers one after another. Or they slashed with blades and thrust with spears, and Qing soldiers tumbled to the ground beside them. Amid this, their lassos darted out like ghosts, each noose landing accurately around the head of some Qing soldier in the crowd.

Once the nooses had caught those Qing soldiers, they did not pause, letting them be dragged wildly behind the horses as they rode straight for another passageway, occasionally pulling up a fleeing commoner woman running for her life beside them. Wen Daxing also ducked low and scooped up the woman on the ground who had been whipped earlier.

Very quickly, the Qing troops in the open ground shot open passageways through those commoners or their own soldiers, and some scout riders dashed out from the Qing formation. But Wen Daxing and his men went out fast and came back just as fast; they all swiftly returned through another passageway.

When those Qing scout riders charged up, the Shunxiang Army musketeers behind the earthen wall fired a fierce volley, sending men and horses tumbling. Leaving behind some corpses and wounded, the riders fled back into the distance.

……

In that sudden flurry, before Lu Xiangsheng, Yang Guozhu, and the others could even react, Wen Daxing and his night scouts had already returned. Besides capturing several dozen Qing soldiers, they had also rescued nearly two hundred Great Ming women.

Lu Xiangsheng was overjoyed. Looking at the rescued women and commoners on horseback, some still in shock, some weeping with joy, he said repeatedly, "Quickly, quickly, help these commoners dismount and settle them in properly."

Wang Dou added, "Lord Viceroy, after these women are settled, they must be carefully screened to prevent any spies from being mixed in."

Lu Xiangsheng nodded approvingly and ordered his personal general Chen An to lead men to escort the women into the tents. They paid special attention to the woman who had been whipped earlier. When Wen Daxing lifted her down from the horse, her eyes were wide open, but she had long since died.

Lu Xiangsheng let out a long sigh, his face full of anguish. Wang Dou was also filled with extreme hatred.

The captured Qing soldiers were dragged back behind the horses. Some died on the spot, while others roared like thunder. One by one, they were firmly seized and bound by the pikemen behind the earthen wall. One Qing soldier, apparently a Fende Boshiku of the Manchu Eight Banners' Plain Red Banner, roared furiously and struggled with all his might: "Despicable Nikan, I will kill you all…"

Wen Daxing stared blankly for a moment at the woman he had rescued, at her expression of dying with unresolved grievances. Abruptly, he snatched a musket from a nearby supply soldier and, with a heavy swing of the stock, smashed it onto the Fende Boshiku's head. The Fende Boshiku's helmet had long since fallen off; his skull burst open instantly, blood and brain matter spraying everywhere. Wen Daxing did not stop; he kept smashing until the head was reduced to a pulp of flesh, yet he still struck with force.

Lu Xiangsheng, Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, and the others nearby watched, stunned.

Wang Dou barked, "Use it sparingly!"

Wen Daxing led the night scouts in selecting ten men from the dozens of Qing soldiers bound up like twisted dough. Without a word, they stripped these ten Qing soldiers completely naked, fetched wooden frames, and used thick iron nails to nail their hands and feet directly onto the frames. Or they simply pulled out their limbs, severed them with a single slash, and then tied them to the frames.

In the bitter cold, each of these men was stood stark naked and upright on the tall wooden frames. The freezing winter day and the immense physical agony made them howl with inhuman shrieks, regretting why they had ever come into this world.

Those Qing soldiers who had not been chosen, seeing the horrific state of their comrades, many were so terrified they wet their pants on the spot.

Lu Xiangsheng furrowed his brow and said to Wang Dou, "Guoqin, you…"

Wang Dou said calmly, "Lord Viceroy, the slave-bandits drove our commoners to assault the trench. Our officers and men need their morale boosted; this act can also sap the enemy's spirit."

He shouted loudly toward the outside of the wall, "You Hu barbarians, dare to drive our commoners to assault the trench — this is the fate that awaits you!"

Wen Daxing stood beside Wang Dou and translated loudly in Manchu, his voice carrying far and wide.

At the end, Wen Daxing bellowed again, "Watch my archery skill, piercing a willow leaf at a hundred paces!"

He turned and shot an arrow, striking the right eye of a Qing soldier on the wooden frame, making the man scream and struggle even more loudly.

The Shunxiang Army erupted in cheers, while over at the Qing army's position, there was dead silence.

Lu Xiangsheng, without a word, headed toward his central command tent.

A chill rose in the hearts of Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei. The two exchanged a glance and hurried off to their own defensive sectors.

……

Over at the Qing army's position, Dorgon, Yoto, Abatai, and the others could faintly make out the scene ahead. After hearing their subordinates' reports, every one of them turned ashen-faced. That Wang Dou was so ruthless. This time, their side had driven Ming commoners to assault the trench — it could be said they had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the bait. Not only had they failed to achieve their goal, but Wang Dou had turned the tables on them, and their morale had plummeted.

Dorgon was so furious he laughed: "What a Wang Dou. This Grand General has truly underestimated him."

Beside Dorgon, Dodo, the Banner Lord of the Manchu Eight Banners' Bordered White Banner, clenched his teeth and said nothing. Jirgalang, the Banner Lord of the Bordered Blue Banner, seemed lost in thought. The other Banner Lords, especially the Banner Lords of the Eight Mongol Banners, all showed expressions of fear on their faces.

Abatai glanced at everyone around him and apologized, "It was all this lowly general's poor strategy. In the first year of Chongde, this lowly general used this same tactic below the fort of that Ming general Wang Dou, and the result was just like the scene before us now!"

Dorgon said in a deep voice, "Do not blame the Beile Raoyu. This Grand General did not expect that Wang Dou would dare to do such a thing right in front of Lu Xiangsheng. He is utterly audacious."

A sharp, cold light shot from his eyes: "Pass on my order: attack. According to the plan set at noon, the main army will fiercely assault both wings and feint at the center. Until sunset, our great army's wave after wave of assaults shall never cease. I want to see just how long Wang Dou and the others can withstand our great army's thunderous offensive!"

At Dorgon's command, the drummers beside him struck the great war drums. Hearing the drums, the dense mass of Qing soldiers halted two hundred paces outside the Xuan-Da front simultaneously let out earth-shaking battle cries. Pushing their war carts, they charged forward with frenzied shouts.