Chapter 376: Chen Yongfu's Combat Strength Is Not Bad

On the twentieth day of the eleventh month of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, the sky was still thick with red-tinged clouds, as if snow might fall again at any moment.

Looking down from high above, west of Ruzhou city, the ground was packed with dense clusters of tents. The troops gathered in this area — government soldiers together with the Chuang army — numbered nearly fifty thousand men, so the encampment seemed to stretch in layer upon layer, boundless and without end.

Within the Chuang army, the camps of Liu Fangliang, Li Guo, and others were pitched along both banks of the Jing River and the Ru River, about a dozen li from the camp of Wang Dou and his men. Now the river water had already frozen over, so crossing between the two banks posed no particular difficulty.

Just as Wang Dou, Chen Yongfu, and the others were stationed in villages like Shanghe and Qili, the Chuang army soldiers were likewise quartered along these villages. Human settlements are much the same everywhere, all distributed along rivers and water sources. Although most of those villages were abandoned and ruined, in this season of freezing cold and frozen earth, staying inside drafty houses was still better than pitching tents out in the open.

Liu Fangliang and Li Guo set their central army headquarters at a place called Chundian Village on the west bank of the Jing River, but they did not lodge inside the village itself. Instead, they stayed in a Dragon King Temple just west of the village. The entire village of Chundian lay in ruins; only this temple remained relatively intact. Though old and dilapidated, its eaves, corridors, and roof beams were all more or less complete, having escaped the calamities of war and banditry.

Not only that — the Guandi Temple north of the village, the Nainai Temple south of the village, and the Horse God Temple and Wealth God Temple east of the village were all relatively intact as well. People of this era harbored a natural awe toward Daoist and Buddhist temples. They could slaughter and plunder without scruple, but when it came to destroying any kind of temple or shrine, they would think twice and thrice again, fearing they might bring divine retribution upon themselves in the future — especially so for the peasant armies.

Liu Fangliang and his men pitched their main tent inside this Dragon King Temple, and their veteran camp troops rested and fed their horses right beside the temple on both sides. Big, sturdy men wearing felt caps, wrapped in old sheepskin coats or clad in armored jackets, constantly came and went. Compared to the starving foot soldiers with red cloths wrapped around their heads, these men were far more fierce and capable. Every one of them carried a waist saber at his side and a bow and arrows on his back; in their bearing there was an air of utter indifference and battle-hardened valor.

These were the veteran camp soldiers of the Chuang army. Many of them had over a decade of battlefield experience, had seen mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and showed no trace of fear toward combat and campaigning. However, these elite core troops were regarded as treasures in the hearts of each Chuang commander, and they would not lightly commit them to the fray at ordinary moments.

They came and went, mounting and dismounting, constantly relaying orders from the central command or reporting intelligence they had scouted. Liu Fangliang's communication with the various camps all relied on these fast riders. There was no other way — making those starving men understand banner signals was far too difficult, so they had to use couriers to get things done.

Scouts from the veteran camp and the cavalry kept bringing back news of the main government force outside the city's west side. At this moment, inside the main hall of the temple, a pile of charcoal glowed fiery red. Liu Fangliang and Li Guo sat around the fire in silence.

After a long while, Liu Fangliang sighed and said, "We lost a great many outriders from the horse camp, but we've finally scouted clearly the main government force that has come to Ruzhou. Among the government troops are several thousand men under Chen Yongfu, the Vice General defending Kaifeng city. The rest are that guest army — something called the Shunxiang Army. Their main commander is named Wang Dou, said to be from Xuanfu Garrison."

"This government force is extremely troublesome. I originally thought the troops we encountered that day were the most elite soldiers of this Shunxiang Army. I never expected that, according to the reports sent back by our outriders, the Shunxiang troops that followed up are all just as fierce and capable, no less than those vanguard soldiers. Can frontier troops really be this crack?"

Li Guo's young face sank into deep thought. "It seems back when Gao Chuangwang was still around, our righteous army did fight frontier troops once. At that time, Lu Lianshi brought some Guanning soldiers — they were very formidable. But they fought mounted, using three-eyed guns. Their firearms weren't this fierce, and their foot combat wasn't this ferocious either."

Liu Fangliang said, "It seems the Shunxiang Army also has quite a number of mounted units, but how their mounted combat compares to their foot combat, we don't know. Our righteous army's scouts can't send back any more intelligence. The Department Magistrate of Ruzhou has tight defenses; soldiers and civilians are not allowed to leave the city at will. The Shunxiang Army's outriders are even more formidable — our scout riders have suffered heavy losses at their hands, making reconnaissance very difficult. Now we can't even get within five li of their camp. Yet their outriders are constantly circling around the perimeter of our camp."

Li Guo said quietly, "Brother Liu, we have tens of thousands of men gathered outside Ruzhou city. The grain and fodder we consume every day is no small amount. If we don't take the city soon, I fear we'll have nowhere to forage for provisions. We can't drag this out any longer. Tomorrow, let's seek a decisive battle with the government troops. I'll lead some mounted units to charge — we should be able to break them."

Liu Fangliang shook his head repeatedly. "They have quite a lot of cavalry, and our horses can't match theirs. In a head-on clash, we'd suffer a great loss."

"The veteran camp and the mounted units are the foundation of our righteous army. We cannot spend them lightly."

Li Guo had also thought of this point. He stood up, paced several circles inside the hall, and grew somewhat anxious. "Then what do we do? We can't fight them on foot, and we can't fight them mounted either. If we drag on like this with no provisions, once the army's morale wavers, I fear our righteous army will simply collapse."

Suddenly his face lit up with joy. "Let's use the old method — a feigned engagement. Whether we lure them with cavalry or lure them with foot soldiers, either will do. Once the government troops fall into disorder, the veteran camp will strike. We'll certainly win a great victory."

Liu Fangliang pondered for a long time. "We can use the starving soldiers as bait. Order the foot soldiers to array several thousand long pikes behind the lines. When the government troops are entangled in the fight, the mounted units will attack from both flanks... I only fear the Shunxiang Army's cavalry on the other side. But we can give it a try. If we cannot win, we'll leave Ruzhou, fall back to Yiyang and Yongning, and link up with the Chuang King."

Li Guo said, "With so many people, I'm afraid we won't be able to withdraw."

After the failed ambush on Gao Shiyin, Liu Fangliang and the others had gathered back less than half of their "foot soldiers" along the road. When these men returned, they spread the news of the ambush's failure, which had a considerable impact on the troops left behind to guard the camp. These men, combined with the soldiers at Ruzhou, still numbered over thirty thousand in horse and foot combined. If they retreated now, with morale in turmoil and government troops pursuing from behind, it would surely be a massive rout.

Liu Fangliang's eyes flashed. "If we retreat, let the three thousand men of the veteran camp and mounted units go first. Then gather a few thousand capable foot soldiers — that will be enough. As for the rest... if the Ruzhou locals take them in, when we attack back later, those starving soldiers can still serve as inside collaborators."

Li Guo said excitedly, "The older the ginger, the hotter the spice. We'll do as Brother Liu says. Let's go for it."

Wang Dou held a telescope in his hand and gazed for a long time toward the Chuang army camp. Beside him were all the Shunxiang Army officers, fully armored and helmeted, wearing cloaks and greatcoats, likewise holding telescopes, gazing and showing off. Chen Yongfu and his son beside them, as well as the officers of the vanguard battalion, were all extremely envious.

This Shunxiang Army was so lavishly equipped. These telescopes, it was said, were only available in the south. Within Kaifeng city, only the Prince of Zhou's mansion and the Provincial Governor's government office each had one, and they were usually treated as precious treasures. Who would have thought they were so common in the Shunxiang Army? Telescopes were wonderful things — they allowed one to see distant objects far more clearly than with the naked eye. They could be called a sharp weapon for the military, especially when facing the enemy, where their utility was even greater.

In the past, having never used one, it didn't matter much. But after Wang Dou let Chen Yongfu look through it for a while, he immediately became utterly enamored.

His son Chen De, in particular, was itching with desire. Relying on his good relationship with Xie Yike, he would pester Xie Yike every few days to borrow it and play with it for a while. Father and son both had the intention of asking Wang Dou for one, but during this joint campaign, Chen Yongfu had already taken too much advantage of Wang Dou and his men, so he felt too embarrassed to ask for more supplies.

Chen De's voice came to his ears: "Brother Xie, just let me look for one more quarter-hour — just one quarter-hour."

Wang Dou smiled faintly, lowered his telescope, and said to Xie Yike, "Squad Commander Xie, give your telescope as a gift to Brother Chen De."

Chen De was overjoyed; Xie Yike was startled. Chen Yongfu immediately said, "General Wang, ever since the campaign began, my vanguard battalion has imposed on your esteemed army in many ways. How could I have the face to accept such a valuable item?"

Wang Dou said, "It's nothing. It's a mere trifle of an object. I only ask that Commander Chen not disdain it."

Chen Yongfu beamed with delight. "How could I? How could I?"

Without the slightest courtesy, he snatched the telescope from the hands of his overjoyed son.

Having lost his beloved possession, Xie Yike looked somewhat reluctant. Wang Dou said, "Yike, go to Brother Sun's side..."

Xie Yike immediately cheered up again. Inside Sun Sanjie's supply battalion, there were still several more telescopes like this. With Wang Dou's order, he could go and ask for another one.

Chen Yongfu stood together with Wang Dou atop the village wall of Shilizhuang, where the Shunxiang Army was encamped, raising his telescope and looking all around. About ten li ahead was the dense encampment of the roving bandits. With the telescope in hand, they could see the movements within their camp much more clearly.

Raising the telescope, one could faintly make out the remnants of snow along the banks of the Jing River and the Ru River. The frozen layer of ice in the river channels was also quite conspicuous, with people coming and going on top of it — all active soldiers of the Chuang army.

Holding the telescope in his hands, Chen Yongfu's heart was far from calm. He greatly envied the equipment of Wang Dou's army, and he secretly envied their combat strength even more. Gao Shiyin, with fewer than a thousand men, had routed over ten thousand roving bandits. And Wang Dou had seven thousand such crack troops under his command — could he alone withstand a hundred thousand bandit troops?

He was merely an Assistant Regional Commander, while Chen Yongfu himself was a Vice Regional Commander. The disparity was so obvious — how could Chen Yongfu's heart remain calm?

Chen Yongfu wanted to prove through actual deeds that on this campaign, he had not come merely to serve as a foil for the Shunxiang Army.

After a long while, he lowered his telescope and said to Wang Dou, "General Wang, after the battle fought by Company Commander Gao, the bandits at Ruzhou have already lost their nerve. Now is precisely the time to press the attack and pursue. At present, our government troops are massed at Ruzhou; the moment has come to thoroughly drive back the Ruzhou bandits. Tomorrow, I shall first launch an assault on the enemy camp to further dampen their spirit. My force has few cavalry; I must ask General Wang to provide support and hold the line."

Wang Dou said, "Commander Chen is loyal and righteous; I, your humble subordinate, am full of admiration. Tomorrow, I shall personally lead over three thousand cavalry to protect Commander Chen's two flanks, so that you may kill the bandits with peace of mind and smash their formation."

On the morning of the twenty-first, the area west of Ruzhou suddenly erupted in commotion. The government troops and the Chuang army, without prior agreement, both mobilized their forces for battle that day.

However, both sides held back some of their strength. On the government side, nearly six thousand troops were deployed. Chen Yongfu's entire vanguard battalion moved out. Wang Dou also dispatched Li Guangheng's cavalry, as well as Gao Shiyin and Wen Fangliang's mounted infantry, to join the battle. The rest of the Shunxiang Army officers accompanied Wang Dou's central army headquarters to observe the fight. The various units not participating in the battle remained in camp under the central army officers to guard it.

On the Chuang army side, nearly twenty thousand men were deployed. The two sides clashed in the area around Houzhuang and arrayed their formations in readiness.

The weather that day was still bitterly cold. The formations of both sides were already drawn up. Among the government troops, Wang Dou led his central army guard unit, along with Gao Shiyin's Ren battalion, positioned in the center of the formation. Beside them were Chen Yongfu's five hundred retainers, every man mounted. The remaining two thousand foot soldiers he placed in the forward position. With Wang Dou's two thousand cavalry protecting both flanks, he could lead his troops into the slaughter with peace of mind.

Through the telescopes, Wang Dou and Chen Yongfu both saw the Chuang army's disposition. It was the same old pattern: the starving soldiers on the outside, then the foot soldiers, then the mounted troops, then the elite riders, and finally the veteran camp at the core.

Wang Dou inwardly estimated how many layers of Chuang troops Chen Yongfu could fight through. Aside from his retainers, who had helmets, armored jackets, and horses, the rest of Chen Yongfu's soldiers were very poorly equipped. They wore only red felt military caps, padded protective vests, and blue-green combat skirts, and carried broadswords and long spears. Those with blades had shields in their hands, and there were also some archers and three-eyed gun users, possibly over a hundred bird guns.

But the roving bandits across from them were even worse equipped. Most had only long spears and headscarves; very few even carried broadswords. That made sense — long spears were easy to make. One furnace of iron could produce dozens of spearheads, and then you just needed to find a wooden shaft. Broadswords were far more difficult to forge.

However, Wang Dou could also faintly see that among the Chuang army's layers of foot soldiers and mounted troops, there were still many archers and three-eyed gunners. Li Zicheng had likely attacked many cities in Henan Prefecture and recruited quite a number of archers and government soldiers locally. If it really came to a fight, Wang Dou did not know whether Chen Yongfu could hold out or not.

"Kill the bandits!"

Chen Yongfu sat steadily on his horse, displaying the poise of a great commander. With the Shunxiang Army cavalry protecting both flanks, he was very much at ease. He quickly issued orders with the central army command banner. Immediately, the three company commanders of the forward troops charged toward the Chuang army camp one after another.

The difference between government troops and roving bandits was clearly visible. Although the government troops of the interior provinces were decayed and corrupt, they still more or less maintained the posture of fighting in formation. In particular, Chen Yongfu ran his army with some strictness, and Wang Dou observed that his unit's combat performance was quite commendable.

The roving bandits, on the other hand, were purely a disorganized swarm. So although the starving troops on the outer perimeter numbered several thousand and were divided into multiple layers, under the assault of these two thousand government soldiers, they still could not hold and scattered in defeat toward the two sides or the rear of the formation. Those starving troops who charged at the main formation were shot down without mercy and could only flee toward the edges of the formation.

Afterward, Chen Yongfu's troops engaged the Chuang army's foot soldiers. The two sides first exchanged a fierce volley of arrows and three-eyed gun fire, then clashed with broadswords and long spears, fighting to a bloody stalemate.

It was evident that the Chuang army's combat effectiveness had improved greatly. These foot soldiers could actually fight Chen Yongfu's battalion troops to a standstill — no wonder the local government forces of Henan Prefecture were no match for them. Moreover, the Chuang army had a great number of coerced starving troops, providing an ample supply of expendable cannon fodder, giving them an overwhelming advantage in numbers.

Seeing the two sides locked in combat, from within the Chuang army formation, a total of two thousand mounted troops surged out from the left and the right, intending to strike Chen Yongfu's foot soldiers from both flanks.

Chen De cupped his fists toward his father and said, “My lord, your subordinate is willing to lead the retainers and meet the enemy on the right flank.”

Chen Yongfu glanced at his beloved son and said, “Good. Go forth and engage them.”

After a pause, he added one more warning: “Swords and blades have no eyes — you must be careful.”

Chen De said excitedly, “Your subordinate accepts the order.”

He swept off with an imposing air, leading five hundred retainers. Chen Yongfu then said to Wang Dou, “General Wang, the enemy on the left flank — I must trouble your esteemed unit to deal with them.”

Wang Dou smiled faintly and sent a flag signal to Li Guangheng. At once Li Guangheng led his own cavalry, rolling in a torrent toward the charging Chuang army “horse teams” on the left flank.

Those “horse teams” were whooping and yelling wildly when they suddenly saw a unit of government cavalry charging toward them — their formation tight and severe, arrayed in a dense battle order, their horses and equipment of excellent quality, their sweeping momentum irresistible. How would their kind of “cavalry” dare to charge head-on against the Shunxiang Army cavalry?

The commandant leading them was quick-witted enough; he bellowed furiously a few times, immediately wheeled his horse and galloped back, made a circle and returned inside his own lines. Every man dismounted, held long spears, and waited in strict formation. Li Guangheng did not press too hard either; seeing that they would no longer flank Chen Yongfu’s infantry, he advanced no further and merely kept watch from a distance.

Meanwhile, on Chen De’s side, he and his retainers were already locked in slaughter with the Chuang army horse team. Men fought on horseback and on foot, tangled in a chaotic melee. After a long fierce battle, Chen De drove back this thousand-man horse team and returned with his face covered in blood. Several heads hung from his horse, and he had also captured a banner — it was the grand standard of a Chuang army central command.

He called out excitedly to Chen Yongfu, “Father, your son has had the good fortune not to disgrace your command, and has returned victorious.”

Chen Yongfu was deeply gratified; looking at his son, he nodded repeatedly. The staff officers around him also cheered in succession.

Wang Dou said, “A tiger father begets no dog of a son — Brother Chen De is truly a fine fellow.”

Receiving Wang Dou’s praise, Chen Yongfu was even more pleased, and said, “General Wang, pray do not praise him too highly, lest my unworthy son develop an arrogant and self-satisfied heart.”

That day Chen Yongfu’s camp troops fought the Chuang army all the way until noon. Because they were at a disadvantage in troop strength, they were never able to break through the Chuang army infantry formations. Seeing that neither side could gain the upper hand, each commander sounded the gongs to recall the troops, agreeing to fight again the next day.

That day, Chen Yongfu’s force suffered roughly over two hundred casualties, and was estimated to have inflicted three to four hundred casualties on the opponent. The local government troops of Henan Prefecture no longer dared to fight the roving bandits in the field, and Qian Zuozheng, the Department Magistrate of Ruzhou, merely held fast to his city walls. With this result, Chen Yongfu could also hold his head high.

When word of the government troops’ minor victory reached Ruzhou city, soldiers and civilians were stirred with excitement. The city resounded with the crackle of firecrackers. Department Magistrate Qian Zuozheng personally led some local gentry to Chen Yongfu’s camp to bestow rewards, repeatedly praising the valor of his unit.

The next day, Chen Yongfu again led out the vanguard battalion, whose morale was now greatly boosted, to give battle. Wang Dou still led the cavalry guarding both flanks. During the engagement, the Chuang army used fire arrows obtained from who knows where, but unexpectedly the wind shifted; the fire arrows flew back, throwing the Chuang troops into great chaos, and they retreated again.

That day, upon returning to his own encampment, Wang Dou summoned all the Shunxiang Army officers to discuss matters.

Looking at each of them, he said slowly, “These two days we have seen enough. Tomorrow we will settle these roving bandits.”

He said to Zhao Xuan, “Brother Zhao, tomorrow you will haul out all ten of those Hongyi great cannon.”

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