Chapter 543: Artillery Duel Across the River (4)

After Losa left, Kong Youde looked at the officers beside him — all wore expressions of discontent and dread. One trusted commander even cried out, "Master, must the artillery camp really be pulled to the riverbank to trade fire with the Ming cannons?"

Kong Youde roared angrily, "Shut your mouth! We are slaves — whatever His Majesty commands, we do. What is all this noise about?"

He turned hopefully to Eduardo: "Aide Jiala, can our camp's cannons suppress the Jingbian Army's artillery fire on the opposite bank from three li away?"

Eduardo hesitated a moment, then said, "Your Excellency, if the artillery camp wishes to suppress the Ming cannons, it would be best to pull them to open ground by the riverbank, within two li of the opposite shore, or even closer."

Inwardly he thought: even at two li, suppressing the Ming artillery would be extremely difficult.

Unlike at Huangtuling, where pre-set aiming markers let the gunners simply fire by the marks, here at over a thousand yards, with improvised ranging, hitting cannons that looked ant-sized on the far bank — even with the camp's Portuguese gunners — would be immensely hard.

Only within two li of the opposite bank was there any real confidence.

And that "two li" meant two li to the Ming artillery positions, not two li to the water's edge — which meant pulling the guns even closer to the riverbank.

Even at that distance, the undulating ground and scattered low hills and knolls obstructed the gunners' line of sight. The best chance of success was to pull the guns right to the water's edge.

"Two li!"

Kong Youde bit his lower lip. According to the intelligence he had received, the Jingbian Army had at least several dozen cannons that could reach his artillery camp.

Eduardo understood Kong Youde's hesitation. The Jingbian Army's artillery camp was indeed the most crack artillery corps he had ever seen in his life. From his observations, even the gunners he had seen in Europe were not as sharp as those of the Jingbian Army.

After all, their commanders could not possibly train their men as relentlessly as Wang Dou did, sparing no expense. The Jingbian gunners had also grown up amid constant cannon fire, and whether in theory or actual combat, their experience was exceedingly rich.

Perhaps only the army of the late Gustavus Adolphus had possessed gunners this crack.

Fighting such an opponent was fraught with danger. The Ujen Choo artillery camp was the foundation of Kong Youde's position and survival — he had no wish to see the camp suffer heavy losses. Even Eduardo's heart was filled with anxiety and unease.

He suggested to Kong Youde that the artillery be split into two groups: one deployed at three li, the rest held back, with the cannons moved forward as the battle situation dictated.

Of course, at three li, though the Jingbian Army's artillery camp could not reach them, the Ming Shenji Camp's cannons could still strike the position.

Eduardo had also learned that this unit was roughly equivalent to a European guards regiment and had once achieved brilliant battle honors, but had since fallen into neglect — inferior even to those regional artillery camps. This empire was already in its twilight; it was a pity that white power in the East was too weak, otherwise they too could claim a share of the spoils.

The Tartars' utter contempt for the Shenji Camp had somewhat influenced Eduardo, so his primary focus remained on the Jingbian Army's artillery camp.

Eduardo's suggestion sent Kong Youde into a long, brooding silence. In the end he decided to accept it — the red-barbarian cannon officer still carried considerable weight in his mind. Back in Shandong, Provincial Governor Sun had used these very red barbarians to train the artillery crews and gunners.

Huang Taiji's edict was extremely urgent. Kong Youde dared not delay, and from horseback he rapidly exchanged views with Eduardo.

Yet however much Kong Youde wanted speed, his artillery camp — from oxen and horses to soldiers — was utterly exhausted and could no longer move quickly.

Though the drought had left the ground dry and hard, the north bank was still somewhat softer than the south bank. The camp's various "Divine Might Grand General" heavy cannons, each weighing three to four thousand jin or four to five thousand jin, struggled forward with every step.

The four-wheeled iron shafts carved deep tracks into the earth. When passing through pitted ground, the gunners lashed the oxen and horses hauling the guns ahead, while beside each piece, masses of bondservants gathered, shouting work chants as they pushed with all their might.

From time to time bondservants collapsed from exhaustion; oxen and horses foamed at the mouth and lost their footing. The vast artillery camp straggled along, stretched far apart front to rear. Some oxen and horses dropped dead, and the heavy cannons that could not be promptly re-hitched fell far behind.

Some of the smaller red-barbarian cannons raced far ahead — their lighter weight aside, four-wheeled gun carriages simply could not match the nimbleness of two-wheeled ones.

Shi Tingzhu and the others who had arrived earlier repeatedly sent personal guards to urge them on. Their infantry had long since reached their positions and bore the heavy responsibility of assaulting Yangxing Ridge and crossing the river in support — but without the artillery camp, they dared not launch a large-scale offensive.

Banner lords of the Manchu and Mongol banners also sent envoys to curse Kong Youde, berating him for his artillery camp's slowness, which had cost the warriors of every banner no small losses.

To the complaints of Shi Tingzhu and the others, Kong Youde remained noncommittal, but the envoys of the Manchu-Mongol banner lords and gūsa ejens had to be answered. It left his mouth parched and his voice even hoarser.

With great difficulty, Kong Youde led part of the artillery camp to the Han Eight Banners' position. Here, banners and armor of red, blue, yellow, white and other colors clustered thickly. The armored soldiers of the Han Eight Banners were dressed no differently from the Manchu and Mongol troops, except that many of their cotton tunics were not the kind with iron plates sewn inside — they were merely ordinary padded coats.

Aside from Liu Zhiyuan, gūsa ejen of the Han Bordered Red Banner, the gūsa ejens of every banner had long since arrived with their troops. Beside the Han Eight Banners' formations loomed the great formation of the Korean army. Seeing Kong Youde arrive, they all hurried over.

Geng Zhongming and Shang Kexi naturally understood Kong Youde's difficulties. Kim Ja-jeom, the Right State Councilor of Joseon, also dared not speak harshly to Kong Youde. Shi Tingzhu, however, had no such good temper and roared at Kong Youde: "Prince Gongshun, why are you so damn slow? Stopped to play with women on the way?"

Kong Youde was already seething with pent-up frustration. The artillery's advance was so arduous, and now these coarse soldiers were adding cold sneers — it truly made rage surge from his heart and malice rise from his gut.

His face darkened. He ignored Shi Tingzhu's bluster entirely and conferred only with Geng Zhongming, Shang Kexi, and the others.

Under Huang Taiji's plan, the Han troops of Shi Tingzhu's Plain White Banner, Zu Zerun's Plain Blue Banner, Wu Shoujin's Bordered White Banner, and a portion of the Korean army were to assault Yangxing Ridge.

Kong Youde's Plain Red Banner, Shang Kexi's Bordered Blue Banner, Geng Zhongming's Plain Yellow Banner, Ma Guangyuan's Bordered Yellow Banner, a portion of the Korean army, and a small number of Manchu-Mongol bannermen and Outer Mongol armored soldiers were to take part in the river-crossing support.

But after hearing the disposition of the Ujen Choo artillery camp's cannons, Shi Tingzhu bellowed again: "So what's left for us is just a pile of scrap metal? Not a single heavy cannon?"

Several dozen red-barbarian cannons of various sizes bombarding Yangxing Ridge was in truth no small number, but in the eyes of Shi Tingzhu and the others, bigger was always better. All the "Divine Might Grand General" cannons that fired shot of ten jin or more were being taken away by Kong Youde — which naturally infuriated Shi Tingzhu.

Kong Youde could no longer be bothered to look at Shi Tingzhu's face, which was as fierce and ugly as his own. He merely said coldly, "This is His Majesty's arrangement. If you have objections, you may take them up with His Majesty."

The moment Shi Tingzhu heard it was Huang Taiji's arrangement, he was instantly silenced. After a long moment, he stalked off cursing under his breath.

Zu Zerun and Wu Shoujin exchanged a glance, then, with dark expressions, spurred their horses and followed with their personal guards.

Under Huang Taiji's strict orders, none of them dared delay. Soon, horns sounded, and the Han Plain White Banner and the others pressed toward Yangxing Ridge. A portion of the Ujen Choo artillery camp's smaller red-barbarian cannons were also hauled in that direction.

Before the artillery camp arrived, Eduardo had already sent observers to conduct detailed reconnaissance of the south bank. According to their reports, the Ming artillery camp on the opposite bank was mainly positioned in the several-li stretch between the small pontoon bridge at Yangxing Ridge and the large pontoon bridge at Shilitai, mostly set up on undulating high ground.

In front of each cannon in their battery, many hemp sacks and earth-filled baskets were stacked. Within the battery, numerous earth carts were also massed.

Judging by the banners, the Jingbian Army's artillery camp was deployed roughly near the small pontoon bridge, while the Shenji Camp's cannons were positioned closer to the large pontoon bridge.

The Ming troops on the opposite bank seemed already to have detected the Ujen Choo artillery camp's arrival. Both the Jingbian battery and the Shenji battery were stirring into action. As the Ujen Choo cannons advanced, they might come under fire.

The artillery camp's observers had already found a slightly raised slope about two li from the shore ahead to serve as the battery position.

Yet another wave of envoys arrived, sent by Huang Taiji to urge them on. Kong Youde drew a deep breath. "No choice — we'll just have to drive the ducks onto the perch!"

At this moment, only about thirty-odd Divine Might Grand General cannons of the Ujen Choo artillery camp were with him; the rest were still far behind and would not arrive for some time. At his command, the exhausted gunners drove their equally exhausted oxen and horses toward that hillside, while the cannons following behind were likewise urged onward.

Inspired by the Ming army's use of earth carts for artillery defense, the Qing army now employed many earth carts of its own. But the Eight Banners had been mobilized in great haste, and much of the baggage had yet to arrive. The camp followers and bondservants accompanying the army pushed only a small number of earth carts, along with some shield carts, as they advanced.

More baggage was being urgently assembled from the Qing camps south, east, north, and west of Jinzhou city.

Under the armored soldiers' coercion, those camp followers and bondservants pushed the earth carts and shield carts at the very front, or moved within the artillery column, to shield the gunners from any cannonballs the Ming might fire.

At the same time, the Han armored soldiers of Shang Kexi, Geng Zhongming, and the others followed behind the artillery camp, streaming ceaselessly toward the riverbank.

Wang Dou withdrew his gaze from Mount Shuangzi. The great battle there was still raging fiercely. Huang Taiji's determination to hold Mount Shuangzi at all costs surprised him — the ridge fighting had bogged down into a stalemate. Hong Chengchou had dispatched reinforcements several times in that direction, even sending part of his personal battalion.

Turning back, his current position was on a broad hill at the northernmost tip of Xingshan.

The hill was not far from the Nüer River — just over three li. Behind the hill, the terrain rose gradually from north to south, one undulating hill and ridge after another stretching away to the rear — that was the Xingshan mountain range, over twenty li long from north to south and over ten li wide from east to west.

His central army command post was set up here. As far as the eye could see, the hill was covered with the brightly armored warriors of the Guard Battalion. There were also observation pole wagons and the central army's medical aid station — which, compared to the aid station the Jingbian Army had set up over at Maojiagou near Hong Chengchou, still looked rather crude.

He looked down the hill. Ahead to the right was the small pontoon bridge. Zhong Xiancai's White Tiger Battalion was massed behind the bridge, less than a li away, ready at any moment to provide support to Han Chao's unit at the front. Behind the White Tiger Battalion was Li Guangheng's cavalry battalion. At this moment, all the cavalry and infantry were seated on the ground resting — a vast, dark mass.

After Wang Dou arrived with the infantry, Zhong Xiancai's first-class troops had been pulled back and replaced by Han Chao's second-class troops.

Because of the battle at Twin Peaks, the Divine Machine Battalion’s Divine Fire Flying Crows and mortar cannons had shown clear results. Wang Dou, delighted at the sight, asked Fu Yingchong for some flying crows and mortars to use in the defense of Yangxing Ridge.

Fu Yingchong was very pleased that Wang Dou sought his aid, and because the Twin Peaks battle had bogged down into close-quarters melee, many mortars sat idle. He generously supported Wang Dou with about a hundred rounds of Divine Fire Flying Crows and thirty small mortar cannons.

At this moment, these sharp weapons were being ferried continuously to the opposite side of the pontoon bridge. Also moving across the pontoon bridge were large numbers of earth carts.

The defense line at Yangxing Ridge, thrown up in haste, could not have deep trenches dug. Earth carts offered clear advantages — high mobility, excellent protection, like rows of moving earthen walls.

For this great battle, Hong Chengchou had already prepared several thousand earth carts, supplying them continuously to the various armies. Any that were damaged could be replaced at once. Moreover, these earth carts had been carefully modified to withstand cannon fire, and even more so arquebus fire. (To be continued.)