Chapter 389: Strong Assault, Stubborn Defense (Middle)

Amid the vast, surging host of the Chuang army, a huge banner bearing the character “Chuang” fluttered in the wind, its tassels snow-white and its pole gleaming silver.

Beneath that great banner, Li Zicheng sat astride his dark dappled horse — an exceptionally tall, fine steed, deep gray all over with white spots, its coat thick and curly, its mane and tail trimmed, a beast of extraordinary spirit.

Li Zicheng still wore his white felt hat, a blue cotton padded coat, a bow and arrows on his back, and a keen sword at his waist. Whenever the icy wind howled past, the great banner rolled and churned, and his crimson cloak and the red tassel on his hat billowed and flew up again and again.

With his high nose, deep-set eyes, and full whiskers, Li Zicheng fixed his gaze on the pass fortress not far away, his eyes showing a look of resolve, composure, and soldierly wisdom.

Behind him crowded the various commanders of the Chuang army — Liu Zongmin, Liu Fangliang, Li Guo, Gao Yigong, Yuan Zongdi, and others all followed at his side. Nearby were several men dressed as scholars: Song Xiance, Niu Jinxing, Li Yan, and the rest.

Li Zicheng and the Chuang army commanders had long endured bitter cold, so although the weather was now piercingly frigid and gusts of bone-chilling wind blew straight at them, they still appeared entirely unruffled.

The several scholars, however, could hardly bear it. Li Yan managed well enough, but Song Xiance and Niu Jinxing both hunched and shrank, hands tucked as far into their sleeves as possible, the tips of their noses reddened raw by the cold wind, thick white vapor pouring from their mouths.

Because Song Xiance had trouble with his legs, Li Zicheng had prepared a pushcart for him on such long journeys, pushed by several youths, much like the one Zhuge Liang rode in. Niu Jinxing, Li Yan, and the others all rode horses.

After watching for a long while, Li Zicheng spoke thoughtfully to Liu Fangliang behind him: “Mingyuan, you were right. This Ming commander Wang Dou is indeed a formidable foe — he cannot be treated lightly.”

Knowing the Shunxiang army’s cannon could strike over two li away, Li Zicheng and his party kept well back when reconnoitering the northern pass of Luoyang. Still, they could faintly make out the imposing military bearing of the Shunxiang troops on the walls, and the Wang and Chen great banners atop the pass were also clearly visible.

Among the Luoyang forces, the Chuang army regarded Wang Dou’s Shunxiang troops as the gravest threat. Their scouts had also learned that the northern pass of Luoyang was defended by Wang Dou, so after setting camp, Li Zicheng personally brought his commanders to inspect the northern pass.

Among the Chuang commanders, Yuan Zongdi was in charge of the overall assault on Luoyang. He said, “Chuang Wang, I have already ascertained that this Luoyang northern pass is defended by Wang Dou and Chen Yongfu. Along the outer perimeter of the northern pass — east, west, and north — there is also a rampart wall, about fifty to a hundred paces from the city wall. Scouts report that Wang and Chen have deployed troops inside the rampart wall. To attack the northern pass, we must first take the rampart wall. Wang Dou has matchlock men inside the rampart wall, and there are cannon on the city wall. Taking it will likely cost some effort.”

As soon as he finished, a rough, booming voice burst out like thunder: “Brother Zongdi, what does a little effort matter? We came to assault a city — how could it not cost effort? That Wang Dou has been talked up as something miraculous. Without fighting a round, how will we know if he’s a true man or a coward?”

It was Liu Zongmin who spoke. He wore an iron helmet, his burly frame still clad in thick, heavy armor that seemed almost too much for the horse beneath him. The cold wind now and then billowed his bloodstained greatcloak; though the weather was bitterly cold, Liu Zongmin’s expression remained utterly indifferent.

At his words, the commanders around him all exclaimed, “Master Liu the Chief Scout has true gallantry.”

Seeing that everyone wanted to attack the northern pass, Li Zicheng pondered briefly and asked the several scholar-advisors beside him, “What do you gentlemen think?”

Niu Jinxing stroked his beard and said, “Chuang Wang, the art of war says: one skilled in battle controls the enemy and is not controlled by him. General Liu has said that Wang Dou is skilled in battle and his infantry are fierce. However, he is only defending the northern pass, and his forces are insufficient.”

“In this student’s opinion, there is no need to deal with this Wang Dou directly. Simply besiege without assaulting, pin him down with an appropriate force so he cannot sally out to aid others. Then concentrate our forces to attack the east, west, and south sectors of Luoyang. Wang Shaoyu, Liu Jianyi, and the rest are all cowards. Attacking their defensive sectors will be better than attacking the northern pass defended by Wang Dou.”

He wagged his head and concluded, “In warfare, the principle is to value controlling others, not being controlled by others. He who controls holds power; he who is controlled obeys fate.”

He was quoting the principles of warfare from the *Taibai Yinjing* by Li Quan of the Tang dynasty — meaning to pin down the enemy without being pinned down. He who can pin down the enemy holds the initiative; he who is pinned down can only be manipulated by the enemy.

Niu Jinxing was thoroughly versed in military texts and naturally spoke eloquently on strategy. But his speech was so full of classical allusions that Li Zicheng’s subordinates were almost all illiterate — how could they understand him? They all looked blank and bewildered.

Li Zicheng did not understand Niu Jinxing’s last line either; it only struck him as profound and unfathomable, truly beyond his own level of comprehension. But the gist of Niu Jinxing’s earlier words — his disapproval of attacking the northern pass — he did understand.

Li Yan gazed at the northern pass fortress, a look of eager excitement flashing in his eyes. He said, “Chuang Wang, when General Liu returned from Ruzhou, he spoke of how sharp Wang Dou’s firearms and cannon are. That unit is bound to be a great foe of our righteous army. How sharp they are, how that unit fights — now is the perfect chance to probe them. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.”

Li Zicheng nodded. Li Yan’s words suited his own thinking perfectly. He smiled and said, “Back in Yongning, you, sir, already proposed using their own methods against them. Their matchlocks are sharp — our righteous army will use fire arrows. Their red-barbarian cannon are formidable — our righteous army will likewise use cannon. This time our great army has come from Yongning and other places, bringing several hundred cannon in total. There are several dozen great general cannon that can fire over a li. Now is exactly the time to put them to use.”

11

At this, he burst into hearty laughter.

Song Xiance, who had been sitting in his pushcart all along in the manner of Zhuge Liang, also said, “This student’s view is also that it is better to probe first. Only by fighting will we know how strong that Wang Dou army truly is. If they are indeed fierce and hard to fight, then we can follow Mr. Niu’s suggestion.”

With Song Xiance saying this, everyone thought it a sound idea — a method that satisfied both sides.

Gazing at the northern pass fortress, Li Zicheng’s heroic spirit surged: “Good. This very day, let us test just how formidable that Wang Dou really is.”

Through the telescope, the Chuang army seemed to stretch to the very ends of heaven and earth — men shouting, horses neighing, and who knew how many soldiers were in their midst.

Looking at the dense, layered thicket of long spears and headscarves, Wang Dou estimated that Li Zicheng had likely mobilized as many as a hundred thousand troops today.

Looking at the dense, layered thicket of long spears and headscarves, Wang Dou estimated that Li Zicheng had likely mobilized as many as a hundred thousand troops today.

Being besieged by so many troops — this was, by Wang Dou’s count, the second time. But the Chuang army, composed mostly of starving refugees, projected a martial menace far, far inferior to that of the Qing troops who had encircled them at the Battle of Julu.

Through the telescope, Wang Dou could also see that great “Chuang” banner very clearly, as well as Li Zicheng and the others in front of the battle formation. Wang Dou could see them just as clearly. His appearance and bearing closely matched the historical records. Wang Dou also scrutinized the commanders behind him and the several scholars nearby again and again.

$

“Damn it!”

Chen Yongfu lowered his telescope. Ordinarily, when two armies clashed, it was very hard to make out the features of the opposing commanders. But with the telescope, they could see Li Zicheng and the others’ looks, bearing, and every move with perfect clarity, even from several li away.

It was only a pity that Li Zicheng’s party was nearly three li from the northern pass — a distance probably too far even for the Shunxiang army’s red-barbarian six-pounder cannon to reach.

Although after the Battle of Ruzhou, Chen Yongfu had extreme confidence in the Shunxiang army’s cannon, the distance was simply too great. If they were within two li, firing a single shot to sweep away Li Zicheng and his men would not only instantly lift the siege of Luoyang, but also win Chen Yongfu and the others a heaven-shaking, extraordinary merit.

Suddenly, the sound of horns rose from the Chuang army’s side. Chen Yongfu’s expression hardened: “The Chuang bandits are attacking — and it’s coming straight for our northern pass.”

Wang Dou raised his telescope again and saw a stir within the Chuang army’s great host, then several smaller battle formations emerged from the main body. Wang Dou estimated they might number over ten thousand.

Suddenly Wang Dou let out a surprised “Eh.” He lowered the telescope, then raised it again for a closer look. He saw very clearly that the approaching Chuang formations not only had shield-bearers and spearmen, but also many men pushing forward multiple heavy cannon. He had not been mistaken.

“General, they are Frankish great general cannon…”

Zhao Xuan behind Wang Dou was also quite astonished. He watched through his telescope, carefully counting aloud: “One, two, three, four… there are as many as thirty of them. These great general cannon all fire shot of three to five catties and can reach over a li. Those Frankish pieces on our pass wall can only reach about two hundred paces.”

“Then what do we do? Must we just stand here and take their cannon fire?” Chen De, Chen Yongfu’s son, exclaimed in alarm.

Having grown accustomed to the thrill of the Shunxiang army’s superior firepower, suddenly facing an opponent with comparable firearms threw Chen De into some confusion. Thirty great general cannon… On the walls of Bei’an, there were only thirty Frankish cannon, and most were small or medium iron pieces that fired shot of only one to three catties, with a range of less than half a li.

Zhao Xuan said confidently, “Brother Chen, don’t worry. Our Shunxiang army still has ten red-barbarian cannon. Two can fire over two li, and the rest also reach nearly two li. The bandits’ thirty great general cannon are no match for our Shunxiang artillery!”

Chen De sighed in relief, his face breaking into a grin. He rubbed his head: “I nearly forgot.”

Wang Dou looked toward Chen Yongfu, who was also looking his way. Both men nodded and passed down the order: “Prepare for battle!”

The stirring beat of war drums rose, and officers’ shouted commands rang out one after another: “Prepare for battle!” Zhao Zhang’s face darkened as he barked, “Artillery, prepare!”

The artillery company commander and observer unfolded the artillery scope atop the wall, continuously gauging the distance of the approaching enemy: “Eight hundred paces.”

The dense black mass of Chuang soldiers pressed forward, many still laboriously pushing their cannon.

“Six hundred paces ———”

Soon the observer called out another distance.

“Five hundred fifty paces.”

“Destroy the bandits’ cannon. Each gun, aim independently.”

Zhao Xuan passed down another order.

Immediately, the creaking sound of metal arose. The crews of the ten red-barbarian cannon continuously adjusted the elevation of their muzzles. With a thunderous roar, one red-barbarian six-pounder fired first. Right after, another red-barbarian six-pounder belched dense smoke, and following the first cannonball, yet another large iron ball weighing over five catties hurtled viciously toward the Chuang army formation.

The violent, rapid booming of cannon came wave after wave. Amid the great billowing clouds of gunpowder smoke, the ten red-barbarian cannon fired in succession, each bombarding its own chosen target.

On the northern-facing section of the northern pass wall were mounted fifteen Frankish cannon. Among their crews was Huang Yinggui. Each Frankish bronze cannon had a three-man crew — loader, aimer, and firer. Huang Yinggui was an aimer, one of the best-treated gunners.

Artillerymen already received better treatment than ordinary soldiers, and gunners received even better treatment — these men who lived off "technical skills" naturally carried a certain pride.

Huang Yinggui was prouder still, yet often privately bitter. He considered his own gunnery skills first-rate in Luoyangcheng, but he was stuck here at Beiguan, handling these small folangji cannons. In his view, with his ability, he should be at the main city handling those Grand General cannons, even those several hongyi heavy cannons.

After the Shunxiang Army took over Beiguan, the original Squad Commander gleefully went to the main city, leaving these artillerymen under the command of Wang Dou and the others. On the Beiguan city wall, beside the original gun emplacements, many elevated platforms were erected for the Shunxiang Army artillerymen to use.

After the Shunxiang Army gunners arrived, Huang Yinggui watched with both envy and jealousy. Good heavens, every one of them was glowing with health, and a single common soldier's armor was comparable to the armor of Luoyangcheng's officers. Such good treatment — it truly made a man jealous.

Although these artillerymen of his had all been eating together with the Shunxiang Army since Wang Dou's arrival, and the Shunxiang Army's superior conditions had, in just a short time, already sown different thoughts among the Beiguan gunners, all harboring ideas of joining them after the battle — Huang Yinggui still watched coldly from the sidelines throughout.

"Technical men" generally only submit to those more skilled than themselves. The Shunxiang Army had been so wildly praised by the soldiers and civilians of Luoyang, but he had not seen it with his own eyes. In particular, whether their artillery unit's ability could earn his genuine respect — Huang Yinggui wanted to see what their real gunnery level was like, whether they were just embroidered pillows, all show and no substance.

With this thought in mind, as the Chuang Army assaulted the city, he secretly paid close attention to the movements of the Shunxiang Army gunners beside him. When he saw their practiced, fluid motions, Huang Yinggui could not help but be secretly astonished. After the cannon fired, he fixed his gaze intently on the direction the cannonball flew.

"Damn, that shot was truly accurate!"

Huang Yinggui could not help but cry out!