Chapter 486: Collapse

Bai Guangen's main-force battalion formed a circular formation, with chevaux-de-frise obstacles densely arrayed on the outer perimeter. His several hundred retainers occupied the central core, tightly shielding Bai Guangen and his command banner.

The formation had barely been set when, in the blink of an eye, a dark mass of routed soldiers and civilian laborers, driven by the Qing cavalry, surged toward the formation like a flood.

"Loose arrows!"

Bai Guangen bellowed through gritted teeth.

In that instant, heaven and earth seemed to freeze!

Then heart-rending wails and howls erupted as volley after volley of sharp arrows shot forth, felling those routed soldiers and laborers before the chevaux-de-frise.

Few struck by arrows died on the spot; they wailed as they tumbled to the ground, and then countless others trampled over them, crushing them alive into pulp.

Then these people too were struck by arrows, screaming as they rolled to the ground, and behind them countless more trampled forward...

Especially upon the various chevaux-de-frise frames around the circular formation, the wounded and mangled corpses hung in even denser clusters.

They had been shoved forward by those behind them, then struck by the sharp arrows ahead, screaming as they were pushed step by step forward, until the sharp spikes of the chevaux-de-frise pierced their bodies alive, and finally they hung upon the barriers, shrieking and wailing.

Fresh blood flowed like a river across every inch of ground, and yet from the rear, vast numbers of routed soldiers and laborers still swarmed this way like a nest blown apart.

Although those at the front saw the sharp arrows and long spears of the main-force battalion's formation and wanted to halt, a rout of over ten thousand men is not something you can stop just because you want to. Those behind would naturally push their comrades ahead forward.

The Qing cavalry kept slaughtering from the rear; those soldiers and laborers merely howled as they fled forward in terror, not daring to turn back and resist even for a moment. They drove the crowd forward, and though those at the front cried out in panic, shrieking, "Stop pushing, stop pushing!"

Who behind them paid any heed? They only fought desperately to push forward.

Against routed soldiers who dared charge the formation, the Ming troops inside the circular formation loosed arrows relentlessly and without mercy. They knew that if the routed soldiers broke their formation apart, not a single one of their own would survive.

Better a fellow daoist dies than this poor daoist. Even if among the routed soldiers were men they knew well, men they had drunk and chatted with in days past, calling each other brother — at this moment of life and death, whether others died or oneself died, every single soldier in the main-force battalion knew the answer to that choice.

The routed soldiers swarmed in, countless men packed and jammed together. Every moment, someone was shoved down and trampled to death.

Ahead, arrows kept raining down without pause. Those routed soldiers and laborers either died in the crush or were shot dead by the sharp arrows.

At last, several chevaux-de-frise frames were knocked aside by the routed soldiers, and the human tide poured through like a bursting flood. But when these men rushed before the formation, they were impaled and killed on the dense thicket of long spears thrust out from within.

Weeping and screaming shook the heavens, a colossal wave of sound that made Bai Guangen inside the circular formation tremble uncontrollably. His eyes turned red, his hands clenched tight until the blue veins stood out.

The officers within the formation also wore expressions of unbearable anguish. Some thought to propose opening a gap to let a portion of the routed soldiers in. Then they shut their mouths again.

They knew it was impossible. If they opened a gap, the routed soldiers would flood in like a tide, and in an instant their own formation would be wrecked and jammed by them. The final result would be that the several thousand soldiers of the main-force battalion would not survive either.

Under the main-force battalion's fire, the routed soldiers' assault on the circular formation eased slightly. But with the Qing cavalry ceaselessly cutting them down from behind, they could only scatter in all directions. Many fled without knowing where they were heading. If these men were set loose in the interior of the Great Ming, several more bands of mounted bandits and roving brigands would appear in the greenwood.

A portion of them, seeing no path ahead, turned back with mad howls to fight the Qing troops to the death.

But in the age of cold steel, if infantry did not form a battle array, how could they be a match for cavalry? Even with the strength of the Jingbian Army, if its arquebusiers fought the Qing cavalry as skirmishers, it would still be a dead end.

Wave after wave of Qing cavalry swept past their flanks, ceaselessly loosing sharp arrows, hurling javelins, and flinging flying swords and broad blades, striking down the fiercest among them.

Then wave after wave of heavy cavalry charged head-on into them, slamming them to the ground, trampling them under iron-shod hooves, and using their curved sabers and long spears to cut and stab them down one by one.

The Qing cavalry also continuously rode through and outflanked them, preventing these routed soldiers from forming any organized resistance. The routed men could do nothing but flee as if the earth itself were collapsing.

Some officers of the wagon brigades still thought to rally the routed soldiers and re-form the battle line.

But those Qing cavalry were most adept at outflanking. They rode directly past the large masses of routed soldiers to reach the outer edges of any group that might offer resistance.

Besides circling and shooting from horseback, they even dismounted to fight on foot, using their powerful bows and stout crossbows to ceaselessly tear open gap after gap in these crowds. Finally, the heavy cavalry charged, turning these Ming troops back into routed soldiers — into an even more terrified wave of rout.

The Qing cavalry moved in groups and squads, constantly blocking and striking from all directions, launching charge after charge and outflanking maneuver. Bai Guangen's several wagon brigades were utterly unable to rally the routed soldiers or re-form a defensive line.

It seemed there was no escape in any direction. The routed soldiers wailed in loud lament. Countless wounded lay on the ground weeping, crying out in anguish to the friendly troops rushing and running past.

"Brothers, have a heart, save me."

"Ha! Look, everyone, this is what I get for selling my life for the Grand Commandant all these years, for selling my life for the Great Ming all these years!"

"I don't want to die! I still have a wife and little ones at home. Whoever saves me, I'll give him all my family wealth. If he wants my wife, I'll accept that too..."

"Ha! Die! Let everyone die!"

Under the Qing cavalry's pursuit, the infantry could only curse their own bitter fate, each man fleeing as best he could. The cavalry, relying on their fast horses, fled desperately toward Hong Chengchou's central grand formation several li away, or toward Yang Guozhu's mountain-assault force at Huangtuling.

Amid the sky-covering wails, Bai Guangen's face was ashen. He suddenly glared toward Wu Sangui's formation not far away, hatred boiling in his heart: "That little beast! In vain have I, Bai Guangen, treated him as a brother and supported him at every turn. At this critical moment, he won't send a single soldier to aid me!"

Bai Guangen could see clearly: although a large force of Qing troops was also besieging Wu Sangui's formation, their grand formation remained tight and orderly, and they seemed to have strength to spare.

No great number was needed — just two or three thousand cavalry sent to attack the Qing forces from the flank would enormously relieve the pressure on his own side. But that Wu Sangui simply refused, clinging tightly to his camp formation, unwilling to send out a single soldier.

Bai Guangen ground his teeth, thinking: "This Wu Sangui still fancies himself Wang Dou's equal? Ptui! If Wang Dou were here, he would certainly support me. That little beast cares only for himself... Yes, I won't let him off. If I escape with my life, I'll go over to Wang Dou's side, and from then on I'll make sure that little wretch has no peace!"

Then, anxiously, he gazed toward the distant central grand formation several li away, thinking: "Why haven't the reinforcements come yet?"

But Bai Guangen did not stop to consider: how long had he even been engaged with the Qing troops?

Ordinarily, a Ming wagon brigade under siege by Qing cavalry holding out for half a day or a full day was the norm; at the very worst, they could last several shichen.

No one would have imagined that in the brief span of a few ke, Bai Guangen's multiple wagon brigades, with their formidable troop strength, would collapse across the entire line.

Not only was it unbelievable, but even if reinforcements were coming, it would not be a matter of a mere moment.

At last, around Bai Guangen's circular formation, the routed soldiers and laborers gradually thinned and scattered. Some fled in all directions, no one knew where. Others, driven by squad after squad of Qing cavalry, fled in terror toward the central grand formation or toward Yang Guozhu's mountain-assault force.

The Qing army's intention, naturally, was to drive them to charge the rear formations — at the very least, to deal a severe blow to the morale of the Ming troops arrayed there!

In the end, only Bai Guangen's main-force battalion remained, completely surrounded amid over fourteen thousand howling, galloping Qing cavalry.

By now, the Qing troops attacking and besieging them included not only the original armored soldiers of the Eight Banners' Manchu Plain White Banner, Bordered White Banner, Plain Yellow Banner, and Bordered Yellow Banner, but also many more riders wearing blue armor or blue armor with red trim, as well as even more of the Eight Banners' Mongol army.

It turned out that Hooge and Jirgalang, who had been attacking Wu Sangui's formation, had brought a portion of their troops over to join the fight!

Watching the Ming army's utterly wretched state, Hooge laughed heartily and said, "These Nikan are simply too weak to withstand a single blow!"

Jirgalang, more cautious, said, "Prince Su, this is because our Great Qing's iron cavalry is facing men like Bai Guangen. If we were up against the Jingbian Army, or even the troops of men like Yang Guozhu, it would not go so smoothly! I hope that before their reinforcements arrive, our Great Qing warriors can break through Bai Guangen's formation."

Hooge snorted in displeasure: "Prince Zheng, you are boosting others' morale and extinguishing our own prestige!"

Yet privately, Hooge too thought Jirgalang was right. If the Ming troops had been even slightly capable of fighting, their own offensive would not have gone so smoothly. Look at Wu Sangui's grand formation nearby — it was still bitterly holding on, and their own iron cavalry could gain no real advantage there.

He glanced at Wu Sangui's formation and said with some concern, "That little wretch Wu Sangui — he won't send out reinforcements, will he?"

Jirgalang shook his head: "We have fought the Liaodong army for many years. Their officers are not the sort to sacrifice themselves to save others... Still, to be safe, we must keep a close watch on that side!"

At this moment, wave after wave of Qing cavalry were circling Bai Guangen's circular formation, ceaselessly loosing showers of arrows. These riders were mainly those Mongols adept at mounted archery.

Inside Bai Guangen's circular formation, dense rows of shields were raised, and archers kept shooting back from within, desperately returning fire outward.

There were also Manchu elite cavalry, who, besides shooting arrows, hurled waves of javelins, throwing knives, flying axes, iron-bone maces, and the like. In particular, their javelins and flying axes were tied with ropes — a yank at the moment of release could wreck the Ming army’s shields.

The Ming army’s shields were wrecked one after another. Losing the cover of their shields, those cold-weapon soldiers were exposed to the Qing army’s deadly arrows. From time to time warriors screamed and fell — struck by arrows, or by javelins, or by iron-bone maces and such — wave after wave of casualties appearing in succession.

Although the Ming archers fought back with all their might, when it came to shooting from horseback, the steppe barbarians had a natural advantage. This was precisely why the Ming army had to develop firearms and wagon camps. Especially since the Qing cavalry were numerous and powerful, the battle quickly, rapidly, turned against Bai Guangen.

In particular, the Qing cavalry in groups of three or five kept dismounting to fight on foot. Those heavy-armored soldiers, the Bayara troops and the like, shot deadly arrows from scores of paces away. Their arrows were both accurate and vicious, aimed specially at faces and eyes. Moreover, their arrowheads had been soaked in horse dung and were saturated with toxins — few of those struck in the face could survive.

Arrows fell like rain. Bai Guangen’s circular formation had already been torn open in many places, and the Ming soldiers inside the formation were all wailing in despair.

Hooge said, “Prince Zheng, it’s about time. We can let the warriors form up and charge, let the heavy cavalry and swift horses smash their formation!”

Jirgalang also nodded: “Prince Su speaks reason. We must annihilate Bai Guangen’s force before the Ming reinforcements arrive. Killing one of their Regional Commanders will surely deal a great blow to their morale and fighting spirit, and greatly improve our Great Qing’s odds in the battle for Jinzhou.”

Wave after wave of Qing soldiers clad in double-layered heavy armor converged. They held dense, serried ranks of long spears and great halberds that glittered dazzlingly under the sunlight. Shouting battle cries, they formed up and charged.

In front of them were the Bayara troops, the most elite in each banner, bearing swords, shields, and sharp axes — specially tasked with countering long spears and horse lances, for breaking formations.

And there were layer upon layer of heavy cavalry, gripping riding lances over ten feet long, iron hooves churning as they rushed furiously toward Bai Guangen’s circular formation.

The bitter fight lasted but a moment. When the Qing heavy cavalry charged in, the Ming long-spearmen, sword-and-stick men, great-club men, and trident men in the circular formation howled and surged forward.

The Qing warhorses screamed in agony, constantly stabbed and toppled by the Ming soldiers, while under the heavy cavalry the Ming long spears and long lances also kept snapping. They were sent flying by horse hooves, lifted on riding lances, trampled into pulp by the rolling iron cavalry.

Wave after wave of heavily armored Qing cavalry forcibly tore several gaps in Bai Guangen’s circular formation, charged inside, and swiftly began to cut it apart.

Those Qing death soldiers, the Bayara troops, bore swords and shields and wore three layers of heavy armor. Except for fine firearms, which were their bane, they were like invincible tanks…

With practiced skill they hacked down the long spears before them, smashed aside the Ming shields — figures crisscrossed, limbs flew through the air. In an instant they ripped open several breaches in the Ming sword-shield and long-spear formations. Wherever they passed, fresh blood sprayed and brain matter gushed.

And behind them, wave after wave of Qing spear formations charged forward shouting. In the mere blink of an eye, Bai Guangen’s circular formation burst apart, its ranks shattered. Countless men threw down their helmets and armor and fled in all directions.

To flee faster, they fought each other for horses, no longer caring whether they were cavalry or not.

Bai Guangen stared blankly, raised his head to the sky, and sighed: “Heaven has doomed me!”

“Grand Commander, flee quickly!”

His trusted personal generals and retainers anxiously brought the reins to Bai Guangen, while many other retainers crowded nervously around him, urging their commander to flee at once.

They watched as enemy soldiers swarmed in from all sides. One after another, men breaking out of the encirclement, covered in blood and gore, fought the Qing troops in savage combat — and then fell.

By now the several thousand men of the main battalion were all fleeing in every direction, no longer caring about their commander. Only a few hundred retainers still loyally guarded Bai Guangen’s side.

Bai Guangen was furious, and thought to himself: “At the critical moment, one still must rely on one’s own retainers!”

He had no time to think further. He leapt onto his horse and, under the protection of his personal retainers, fought desperately to break out.

The Qing cavalry on all sides seemed to cover the hills and plains, but Bai Guangen had to carve a bloody path and escape to Hong Chengchou’s central grand formation.

By this point, Bai Guangen’s Jizhen troops had collapsed along the entire line. The nearly fifteen thousand men he had deployed — the main battalion and several wagon camps — all disintegrated, some sooner, some later. Together with the more than ten thousand civilian laborers, it seemed the whole world was filled with their cries and wails of despair.

……

Wu Sangui, his face ashen, watched the routed Jizhen army. This battle had unfolded right before his eyes. From the first engagement to the rout, the fighting over there had been so brief and so brutal.

The waves of sound formed by the wailing across the fields were so soul-shaking that Wu Sangui felt as if his skull would explode, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

His eyes were bloodshot, and thick blue veins bulged on his forehead. He drew a deep breath and thought: “I must not panic, must not panic!”

He looked again at his own battle formation. It seemed affected by the great defeat of the Jizhen army — in the eyes of many soldiers, terrified expressions had appeared.

His heart jolted. The Tatar slaves were right outside, attacking with extreme urgency. If the army’s morale collapsed, he would end up just like Bai Guangen.

But though he was young in years, his shrewdness ran deep. His expression unchanged, he simply spurred his horse forward and shouted sternly: “Soldiers, you have all seen — if we do not hold our positions firmly, that is the fate of the Jizhen army over there. I, Wu Sangui, promise you: I will never abandon a single brother. Even if it comes to covering the retreat, I, Wu Sangui, will be the last to leave. But I also ask you, brothers, to hold on. Reinforcements will come soon. Viceroy Hong will not forget us!”

Wu Sangui usually treated people kindly, without the slightest arrogance of a scion of a famous house. Even with common soldiers he was warm and attentive, and thus he had thoroughly won the army’s hearts.

Now, hearing Wu Sangui’s heart-warming words, the officers and soldiers all roared and bellowed: “We follow Grand Commander Wu — fight to the bloody end!”

“Anyone who wants to flee is a beast-born bastard!”

“Long live the Ningyuan army!”

Seeing that morale had steadied throughout the formation, Wu Sangui felt slightly relieved and shot a meaningful glance at Zu Dale beside him.

He said in a low voice: “Elder Uncle, take some retainers and patrol back and forth. Anyone timid or afraid — execute them on the spot!”

Zu Dale was very satisfied with Wu Sangui’s performance just now, and also said in a low voice: “Gui’er, rest assured. With your elder uncle here, whoever dares to disrupt morale or show cowardice — I will be the first to show no mercy!”

Wu Sangui nodded slightly, turned his head to look toward Hong Chengchou’s central grand formation, and thought: “Reinforcements, come quickly!” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to come to (.) and cast recommendation votes, monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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