Chapter 33: Flying Spears

Wang Dou looked at the map on the table — it was roughly the same as the one Han Chao and the others had drawn, only larger; presumably among the night scouts of Dongjiazhuang there were also capable men.

Everyone gathered around the table. Zhang Gui pointed at the spread-out map and said, "That Siqingliang is only a few dozen li from our Dongjiazhuang. This time when we enter the mountains to suppress the bandits, we'll go in from Xinzhuang. The terrain stays gentle all the way to the foot of Siqingliang, and only there does it turn steep. In front of the bandits' stronghold, they've set up two passes. The first pass is nothing to speak of; the problem is the second one — it's strategically difficult and I fear it will be very hard to break through!"

Everyone fell into deep thought. Before Wang Dou arrived, they had already discussed it thoroughly and concluded there was no other way but a frontal assault — only that would mean heavy casualties among their men.

Zhang Gui looked at Wang Dou: "Brother Wang, speak up — do you have any good ideas?"

Everyone turned to Wang Dou. Wang Dou smiled faintly: "What good ideas could this humble officer have? When orders come down from above, I just fight the enemy bravely. Those bandits are nothing but a rabble — they won't be a match for us government troops!"

Xiao Daxin had been watching Wang Dou the whole time. At these words a cold sneer flickered across his face, but he said, "Brother Wang is right. That gang of bandits only knows how to kill and rob; what do they understand of battle formations and close combat? Clay chickens and paper dogs — under our government troops' siege they'll surely crumble. Besides, Commander, haven't we just received a batch of flying spears?"

"Right!"

Zhang Gui burst out laughing: "Old Zhang here nearly forgot that batch of flying spears we got from Shunxiang Fort yesterday. Damn it, tomorrow we'll shoot those bastards dead!"

After resting one night at Dongjiazhuang, the next day at first light Zhang Gui gave the order to prepare food and march out.

This time Dongjiazhuang's soldiers could be said to have turned out in full force. Not only were most of the fort's garrison drawn out, but several dozen military households were also conscripted to transport provisions and supplies. Together with the thirty-odd men Wang Dou brought, there were over a hundred and several tens of men — proclaimed as a thousand-strong force.

Zhang Gui's dozen or so retainers also moved out together, among them several night scouts — from this one could see Zhang Gui's resolve; Xu Zhongjun had truly pressed him hard. But Wang Dou could tell that, apart from the dozen-odd retainers under Zhang Gui, the remaining soldiers would likely be hard-pressed in battle.

Not to mention their tattered uniforms — his own men were the same — but their slack discipline, the mix of old and weak, their sluggish movements, all fell short of his own men. At least he had two squads of uniformly able-bodied young men, and their military bearing was strict and orderly, with commands obeyed and prohibitions observed.

The imperial court constantly delayed pay and provisions, and when it did come down, superior officers often skimmed it off — Zhang Gui and the others took it to support their own retainers. Underfed and underclothed all year round, with barely a few training sessions a year, these soldiers of Dongjiazhuang could no longer be said to have any semblance of proper soldiers.

After eating, everyone set out in a chaotic hubbub. Zhang Gui's retainers were all mounted, and one could see that several of the horses were those Wang Dou had previously captured from the Later Jin army. The rest of the men mostly went on foot. Even the squad-attached officer Xiao Daxin rode a scrawny horse, let alone the several squad leaders inside Dongjiazhuang. Seeing the fine horses of Wang Dou and his few men, many envious eyes shot toward them.

The group trudged along in fits and starts. It was the bitter cold of deep winter, the icy chill cracking the skin. Before they had gone far, the morale of Dongjiazhuang's men plummeted. Many began moving sluggishly, constantly grumbling about having to go out and suppress bandits in this wretched weather. The military households tasked with transporting supplies drove their mules and pulled their carts; as the cold wind blasted them, they too loudly cried out their misery.

Seeing everyone in this state, Zhang Gui bellowed curses and sent his retainers down to urge the soldiers to speed up. As the leather whips cracked, a chorus of miserable cries rang out — and the grumbling grew even louder. In the end Zhang Gui had to loudly promise that once they took Siqingliang, he would certainly take out the spoils and richly reward everyone. Only then did the soldiers' morale lift, and the pace of the march quicken.

Wang Dou watched and shook his head. Without a word, he simply dismounted and walked together with the men, from time to time urging his own fort's military households to speed up. The two squads of Jingbian Fort battle troops also advanced in formation with heads high. With a comparison, they now realized their own excellence.

The army traveled westward all the way. After passing Xinzhuang and going a few more li, everyone ascended the mountain.

This stretch of mountain was gently sloped, with few trees; everywhere was yellow earth and withered grass, trembling from time to time in the cold wind.

After entering the mountains, to guard against bandit ambushes along the way, Zhang Gui sent his retainers out in all directions. One could see that these retainers were still an elite force — especially the several night scouts among them, each seeming to possess different specialized skills. In reconnaissance, they had their own unique expertise. In single combat, many of them could match Han Chao and Gao Shiyin.

The pity was this retainer system of the Great Ming — skimming pay and provisions to support a few while abandoning the many. On the battlefield, most soldiers were not only no help, but instead became a drag and hindrance to their commanders.

The journey was uneventful; no bandit harassment was seen. Presumably they knew government troops were out to suppress them and had made up their minds to hold fast and not come out.

The Dongjiazhuang party moved slowly. Setting out at first light, it was not until noon that everyone reached the foot of Siqingliang.

Zhang Gui ordered camp to be set and food prepared on a gentle slope below the mountain. Immediately the Dongjiazhuang men fell into chaos — some sitting, some resting, a disorderly mess. Zhang Gui, meanwhile, took Wang Dou and Xiao Daxin with him to observe the terrain of Siqingliang.

Before they could get a clear look at the lay of Siqingliang, they heard wave after wave of shouting from the mountain: "Kill! Brothers, kill the government troops!"

Then they saw dust and smoke billow up on the mountain, heads surging into view — it seemed a band of bandits was charging down the mountain.

Everyone was startled. Zhang Gui cursed: "Damn it, we haven't even cooked food or set up camp, and these bandits are already so impatient to come to their deaths?"

He loudly ordered everyone to don armor and prepare for battle. The Dongjiazhuang men scrambled in panic, hurriedly putting on their armor and grabbing their weapons.

With his retainers' help, Zhang Gui quickly donned his mountain-pattern iron armor and put on his eight-petaled iron-tipped helmet. His retainer squad leader Zhang Tanggong, as well as his trusted aide Hong Qiu, also put on iron armor. His retainers likewise all donned iron armor — though the armor was old, at least every man had iron armor.

On this side, Xiao Daxin had only a suit of leather armor. The rest of the Dongjiazhuang men each wore only crude cloth armor — made with cloth as outer and inner layers, with some studs nailed on the outside — and on their heads they wore only red-brimmed military caps.

Wang Dou and his men also donned armor together. When Zhang Gui's subordinates saw that even some of Wang Dou's common soldiers had leather and cotton armor, envy showed in many eyes. In particular, the fine silver-white iron armor Wang Dou wore drew many gazes.

Everyone knew that this batch of armor Wang Dou had was captured from the Later Jin army; they hadn't expected that for this bandit-suppression campaign, he would be willing to bring it out and use it.

"Kill the government troops!"

That band of bandits on the mountain was still charging down noisily. The band numbered about fifty-odd men, led by a tall, fierce bandit wielding a thick-backed chopping blade. He howled wildly: "Brothers, kill those government troops, seize their weapons, let them know the might of us heroes of Siqingliang..."

"...Those tofu-dregs soldiers, nothing to fear — one charge and they'll scatter..."

This fierce bandit had faced government troops many times before. In his memory, he had led his brothers in charges against Ming army formations, and many times the Ming rabble soldiers had scattered before they even reached them. Even if there were some retainers, they couldn't save their fate. Looking from afar, the government troops below were indeed panicking; he saw they were mostly old and weak, while his own side were all able-bodied young men, each with several lives on their hands. In terms of ferocity, these government troops were no match for his brothers.

Thinking this, the fierce bandit grew even more confident.

Down below, Zhang Gui was furious. This gang of bandits — he hadn't gone to attack them, yet they instead came charging down the mountain. This was clearly not taking him seriously.

He loudly ordered the formation to be set. After a bout of chaos, the Dongjiazhuang Ming troops finally formed a battle line: fire lance men and archers in front, saber-and-shield men behind, then pikemen further back, with a crouching-tiger cannon placed in front. He himself and his retainers stood at the very rear. Wang Dou, meanwhile, was assigned to the flank. Although his troops looked decent, who knew if they were all show and no substance? In this sudden moment of crisis, Zhang Gui instinctively trusted his own men.

Seeing these bandits charging madly toward them, the Dongjiazhuang soldiers were all somewhat panicked; some even instinctively wanted to flee.

Zhang Gui bellowed curses, declaring that anyone who retreated would be beheaded on the spot, and he went back and forth boosting everyone's morale. Only then did the troops' hearts settle slightly.

The Jingbian Fort military households were also somewhat nervous — after all, training was training, but having never been on a battlefield was a different matter. Wang Dou loudly gave orders, declaring that those who fought bravely would all be rewarded after the spoils were taken, while any who showed cowardice and retreated would be beheaded on the spot, and their families would immediately be expelled from the fort.

The men of Jingbian Fort knew Wang Dou meant what he said and would do what he promised. Everyone was awed into obedience, and they simply gripped their weapons and prepared for battle.

Seeing the bandits charging closer and closer in their chaotic hubbub, Zhang Gui roared: "Flying spears, ready!"

Immediately two archers each brought out a large bundle and aimed it at the charging bandits. The flying spear was in fact a large paper-tube rocket, shaped like a spear, containing thirty rockets inside. Once ignited, it could reach a hundred paces. It was also called flying knives or flying swords. In the various frontier garrisons, Qi Jiguang had always highly recommended it, believing it superior to the "one nest of bees" and other rockets. For this bandit-suppression campaign, Zhang Gui had specially gone to Shunxiang Fort to request Garrison Commander Xu Zhongjun to allocate him ten tubes — now they would come in handy.

Seeing the bandits charge within seventy paces, Zhang Gui bellowed: "Fire!"

The archers lit the fuses. With two sharp reports, a cloud of smoke billowed up, and several dozen rockets, trailing fiery smoke, shot toward the bandits.

A chorus of agonized screams rang out. Although the accuracy of these rockets scattered after launch, they won by sheer volume and density — immediately several of the charging bandits were shot down and sprawled on the ground.

Seeing this, fear surged in the hearts of some bandits, and their steps faltered. The fierce bandit loudly encouraged them: "Don't be afraid! Charge through! Once we reach the government troops, they're finished."

The fierce bandits continued charging. The Ming troops loosed a few more arrows, but to little effect.

"Bang! Bang!" Several reports rang out as the front-row fire lance men fired a volley from their three-barreled fire lances — the charges in all three barrels firing simultaneously. A few more bandits screamed and tumbled to the ground, but they were now on the verge of reaching the Ming lines. The bandits, eyes red, raised their weapons and charged with wild howls.

The Ming archers and fire lance men scrambled desperately to flee to either side, and the Ming formation behind them began to waver. Just then, with a thunderous boom, the crouching-tiger cannon roared. A hail of lead balls and stone shards swept across head-on. Several bandits at the front were reduced to bloody pulp; many clutched their heads and faces, rolling on the ground and shrieking horribly.

A chorus of terrified screams: "Cannon! Cannon!"

The bandits' hearts and gall bladders split with terror. All turned and fled back up the mountain for their lives — the fierce bandit fleeing the fastest of all.

Zhang Gui laughed heartily and ordered his retainers to mount and pursue. Immediately Zhang Tanggong and the others charged after them like wolves and tigers. Seeing Zhang Gui order only his retainers to pursue, discontent showed on the faces of the Dongjiazhuang men — but with the bandits routed, each man was also relieved; at least their own lives were spared.

Wang Dou silently noted these men's expressions in his heart. Beyond that, he also sighed inwardly. In terms of ferocity, these bandits were not bad — in single combat, the Ming troops might not be their match. But without battle formations or tactical order, even against soldiers like those of Dongjiazhuang, they were still a rabble, unable to withstand a single blow. This only further cemented Wang Dou's conviction in the importance of battle formations and tactical order.