Chapter 558: Volley Fire Execution (Part 2)

A heavy cannonball screamed through the air with a mournful shriek, passing far overhead of the command carriage.

Wang Dou’s expression did not change. The soldiers of his Guard Battalion kept vigilant watch in all directions. At this moment, Wang Dou’s central command carriage was about two hundred paces from the forward battle lines, and nearly three li from the Qing lines opposite. After all, in this terrain, the huge and heavy command carriage was truly somewhat difficult to maneuver.

Though the Night Scouts and Guard Battalion soldiers constantly searched for passable routes, making the great carriage wind its way tortuously forward, progress was still slow. The officers of the command staff vehemently tried to dissuade Wang Dou from his idea of dismounting and riding forward on horseback.

Wang Dou’s carriage was a priority target for the Ujen Cooha gunners. Unlike the relatively vast army formations, the chance of hitting the command carriage at such a distance was infinitesimally small, but danger always existed. Staying inside the carriage was still safer than riding outside on horseback.

Wen Daxing’s Vanguard Scout Battalion had already found a gentle slope about two li from the Han Eight Banners’ position ahead and urged Wang Dou to set the central command post there. That way, he could command from close quarters while also embodying the original intent of sharing advance and retreat with the troops and fighting bloody battles on the field.

In this way, Wang Dou would not need to press forward with the battle formations, reducing the danger during the great battle. To the men of the Jingbian Army, the Grand General’s safety was paramount. If anything happened to Wang Dou, even victory in this battle would be meaningless.

Wang Dou had already received reports from the scout riders that the Qing troops at Baibai Fort had mobilized and were continuously crossing the Nüer River. It seemed they were about to attack Xingshan and other places. The Ming army in the center and right wing of this formation had also begun engaging the Qing troops.

Everything was within expectation. Only the casualties among the forward troops as the great army advanced under artillery fire made him frown slightly.

One by one, the medics carried off the wounded and dead in a steady stream. Even those not killed outright had horrifying injuries; severed hands and feet were commonplace.

Preliminary tallies showed many officers among the wounded and dead. Among them, Company Commander Huang Yujin of Han Chao’s battalion had been blown to pieces on the spot, his body so fragmented that not even a complete corpse could be pieced together.

Huang Yujin, like Lei Xianbin, was one of the old hands from the Jingbian Fort days. No one had expected him to die in battle here.

Another whistling roar — a heavy cannonball struck, grazing just past a large drum cart. With a booming thud on the ground, it bounced away trailing faint wisps of smoke, no more than ten paces from the command carriage.

Zhong Diaoyang watched with concern and said gravely to Wang Dou, “Grand General, the slave-bandit artillery is fierce. To reduce casualties among the troops, the only way is to pass through quickly and close rapidly on the Tartar lines!”

Staff Adviser Qin Yi said worriedly, “If the great army accelerates its march further, the formations cannot be maintained. If the slave-bandits use their numbers to strike us while scattered, the consequences are unpredictable. This student does not concur.”

Wang Dou’s expression remained unchanged. Qin Yi was right: in the cold-weapons era, the demands on formation discipline were exacting. Even with the Jingbian Army’s strength, if they faced the Han Eight Banners in disordered ranks, they might not be certain of victory.

Moreover, if the great army advanced at a run for several li and then closed on the enemy lines, whether they would still have the physical strength to fight was a serious problem.

He suddenly looked ahead. The Han Eight Banners’ artillery still roared incessantly. Due to terrain and formation factors, their hit rate had greatly diminished, but after all, these were a hundred heavy cannons. They still kept inflicting casualties on the Jingbian Army. Besides, they had several dozen small red-barbarian cannons in front of their lines, which could likewise bombard when the time came.

Although the Qing artillery lacked silk powder bags and normally each cannon had to stop and cool for a quarter-hour after firing three rounds, and after firing twenty rounds or more needed one or two hours to cool, they were using rotating fire, so the cooling situation was slightly better. Perhaps they could fire five rounds each time before stopping to cool.

The scout riders had already detected that the Ujen Cooha artillery position was densely packed with defensive assets like hemp sacks and earth baskets. Even if Zhao Xuan’s artillery battalion pushed forward, they had no confidence of knocking out those cannons. The key was the distance the infantry formations had to cover before closing on their lines. Once the two sides neared, all their heavy cannons would lose effect — the prerequisite being that the army formations must remain strictly intact…

Wang Dou abruptly issued an order: “Command the troops: advance at rapid march. Within one quarter-hour, the great army must close on the slave-bandit lines in strict formation!”

Within fifteen minutes, the great army had to cross over two li of ground. In this terrain, while still maintaining strict battle formation — this would test the Jingbian Army’s peacetime training and their ability to perform on the spot.

Zhong Diaoyang immediately relayed Wang Dou’s order.

After a sharp swan-call sounded, the central-army drumbeat tightened. Han Kaihui, just promoted to Squad Leader, roared together with his comrades: “Tiger!”

They began to advance at a jog. The officers’ furious shouts came continuously: “Advance at rapid march!”

“Mind your formation alignment!”

The entire Jingbian Army began to advance at a run, their dense helmet-brims bobbing ceaselessly.

From the Xuanzhen New Army’s side, officers’ roars also came: “Increase speed.”

“Advance at quick march!”

Although most of the Han Eight Banners’ Ujen Cooha artillery was directed at the Jingbian Army’s side, the arquebusiers and spearmen of the Xuanzhen New Army here suffered heavy strikes as well. Their comrades’ blood made them fearful, and at the same time made them furious.

Exposed stark naked before the enemy’s artillery, many of the Xuanzhen New Army’s soldiers felt some hesitation and dread. During the Battle of Huangtuling, they had been shielded by war carts. Although being hit by artillery while in the carts might have caused even greater casualties, the psychological comfort was incomparable.

Fighting like this was a first for them. The cruelty of war, especially the cruelty of war in the firearms era, was laid bare before their eyes.

Their hearts were fearful and unaccustomed, but they were all sons of simple, good families. Under Yang Guozhu’s meticulous training, they had also developed a sense of obedience to military orders. Especially when they saw the Jingbian Army on the left wing, which was taking the heaviest artillery fire yet still advancing resolutely — what reason did they have to retreat?

Retreat was impossible. Only by advancing and defeating the enemy was there a path to survival. They let out a unified roar and quickened their pace.

“Kill all the second-Tartars!”

“Forward!”

From within the Xuanzhen New Army’s positions, waves of furious shouts erupted.

…

The smiles on Kong Youde and the others’ faces slowly faded. Under the bombardment of a hundred heavy cannons, the Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army still pressed forward in formation. Especially as the distance closed, many red-barbarian heavy cannons could also begin using canister shot, further increasing lethality. Some small red-barbarian cannons also began firing, yet they still pressed forward resolutely!

They were not made of iron — why did they not fear death? Kong Youde could not understand. His face was ashen. He watched ahead: from time to time, Jingbian Army and Xuanzhen ranks were still struck by artillery fire, yet they advanced onward against the bombardment.

They held their banners aloft, beat their drums, blew their fifes, struck their cymbals, and sang their songs. As the drumbeat tempo quickened, they began to run. Seen from afar, their formations remained unchanged.

What kind of army was this?

Shi Tingzhu and the others’ expressions also turned to dread. An incomparable chill rose in Shi Tingzhu’s heart. He murmured, “Why is it like this?”

He roared furiously, “Why is it like this!”

Wang Dou stood upon the command carriage. His hand pressed on his sharp sword. He watched his army advance with a quiet gaze.

This was a true contest of wills. Across the vast battlefield, tens of thousands of brave soldiers, arrayed in one orderly formation after another, strode with firm and unhurried steps, braving the dense artillery fire — advancing, and advancing again!

They would continue until they entered firing range, struck down the enemy, or were struck down by the enemy, and then continue on, until one side collapsed.

The great, surging era had arrived. This was an era truly decided by the will of soldiers, a great era belonging to true warriors. Any who could not adapt would be mercilessly eliminated by history!

Kong Youde, his face ashen, watched the Jingbian Army formations press ever closer. In particular, some of their cannons were already less than two li from the battle lines, yet they continued to draw nearer — perhaps intending to bombard his artillery position, or even the Han Eight Banners’ main infantry formations, from within one li or even shorter range.

He did not fear them bombarding his artillery position. His cannon camp was densely packed with all manner of hemp sacks and earth baskets and could absolutely withstand their cannonballs. But the infantry formations…

Some Qing officers had once suggested that the Han Eight Banners’ formations use earth carts and the like for defense. Kong Youde considered it unworkable.

Those earth carts might block some of the Jingbian Army’s solid shot, but if their cannons pushed close, could they block their canister shot? Just standing there taking a beating would sooner or later end in collapse.

Based on his experience from the Battle of Pinggu, they still needed to close to near range and let the two sides’ arquebusiers decide it. Only then would their cannons lose effectiveness.

Therefore, at this moment, the Han Eight Banners and Korean troops had their arquebusiers in front, with sword-and-shield men and spearmen behind, arrayed in dense formations along the slopes, hills, and fields. This was Kong Youde and the other Han Eight Banners’ Gūsa Ejen intending to employ the tactic of using numbers to bully the few — after all, they had more men.

Especially once the Jingbian Army had been battered by artillery, their formations loosened, and their morale low, they would press forward and sweep them away in one stroke!

Only, at this moment, the Jingbian Army and the others still maintained strict formations and high morale. In particular, some of their cannons had already been hauled up. Their own formations were dense; if they stood in ranks to take cannon fire, they might collapse before the enemy arquebusiers even arrived.

Thinking of the consequences of defeat — even as a Prince and Gūsa Ejen, he likewise could not bear them.

It seemed the great army needed to advance and press forward. Kong Youde made up his mind.

At this moment, the Han Eight Banners’ battle arrangement was: the Plain White Banner under Shi Tingzhu, the Bordered Red Banner under Liu Zhiyuan, the Plain Blue Banner under Zu Zerun, the Bordered White Banner under Wu Shoujin, plus the Korean troops, as the forward force — roughly twenty-five thousand men, of whom fifteen thousand were arquebusiers.

Then there were Ma Guangyuan’s Bordered Yellow Banner, Geng Zhongming’s Plain Yellow Banner, Shang Kexi’s Bordered Blue Banner, and Kong Youde’s Plain Red Banner as the rear force — roughly over ten thousand men.

Although the Han Eight Banners had one hundred sixty-four niru, unlike the Manchu and Mongol niru of three hundred banner men each, they had only two hundred men per niru. The larger banners had a bit over twenty niru, the smaller ones only a dozen or so. Thus their entire army was merely over thirty thousand men, with arquebusiers making up the majority.

Including the Korean troops, the total strength was about forty thousand. However, after the Battle of Jinzhou began, both the Han Eight Banners and the Korean troops suffered considerable losses. Although Huang Taiji replenished them with some Aha bondservants, the troop strength of the musket soldiers was difficult to bring back to full complement.

Of course, compared to the Jingbian Army and the like, even the number of musket soldiers in the forward army at this moment greatly exceeded the total number of musket soldiers in the Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army.

And Kong Youde's arrangement of such a large force clearly carried the private suspicion of deploying Shi Tingzhu and the others as cannon fodder for the forward army. However, within the Han Eight Banners, only Kong Youde had faced the Jingbian Army in a musket and cannon duel. Huang Taiji strictly ordered that in this battle, both the Han troops and the Korean troops would be under Kong Youde's command.

At this critical juncture of the decisive battle, Shi Tingzhu and the others dared not disobey orders. Cursing and grumbling, they had no choice but to go down to the mountain ridge to direct the battle.

Very soon, banners waved and signal drums sounded. Within their military formation, the sound of commands rose and fell one after another, and then a vast sea of people slowly advanced to meet the Jingbian Army's array.

Yet as they watched the Jingbian Army opposite draw ever closer, the eyes of most of the Han troops and Korean troops revealed a look of nervousness and terror.

They had all watched as the Jingbian Army advanced under cannon fire. They were simply not human. To fight such an army and then have to face them and shoot at close range—even with their own superior numbers, they had no confidence whatsoever.

The extremely long and extremely shallow horizontal formation arrayed before them also made them uncomfortable, especially those Korean soldiers.

Kong Youde had carefully arranged the forward army's musket soldiers into multiple ranks. He knew his own limitations. Although they also used fixed paper cartridge ammunition, their loading speed clearly could not compare to the Jingbian Army's. Those Korean soldiers did not even have fixed paper cartridge ammunition. The quality of their arquebuses was also inferior to the Han troops'.

It seemed the Xuanzhen New Army's loading speed was not slow either. Therefore, they had to leverage their numerical advantage. He saw that the Jingbian Army's musket soldiers and the like were only arranged in four ranks, while their own side had as many as eight or nine ranks. Thus, during battle, while the enemy was reloading, their own side could leisurely fire upon them.

And after Shi Tingzhu's forward army and Wang Dou had fought each other to mutual exhaustion, he and Shang Kexi and the others could then pluck the fruits of victory.

Kong Youde had painstakingly devised this plan. However, his formation, stretching several li from left to right but at most a hundred or so paces from front to back, was clearly difficult for others to understand. No matter how one looked at it, there was a sense of insecurity; the depth was far too thin. Fortunately, given this terrain, if they were facing cavalry on open flatland, Shi Tingzhu and the others would not have heeded Kong Youde's orders.

As Shi Tingzhu and the others advanced, some of the small red-barbarian cannons at the front of the formation were also laboriously pushed forward. When the Jingbian Army entered within a little over one li, some of their own cannons also opened fire and bombarded them.

However, without the advantage of the heavy cannons up on the mountain ridge, which had a commanding view from above and a broad field of vision, and compounded by this terrain, the effect was not significant.

Also, due to heat dissipation issues, they only had a few chances to bombard during the battle. Therefore, they had to save their fire for bombarding the Jingbian Army's formation at close range, or for firing canister shot. These cannons ceased firing one after another.

……

Zhao Xuan had already ordered the artillery battalion's cannons to concentrate. Because the cannons varied in weight, and due to terrain factors, the one hundred sixty cannons of his artillery battalion advanced in a scattered manner—some ahead, some behind, some left, some right. The fastest few cannons were already less than one li from the Han Eight Banners' position. Some skirmishers from the cavalry and infantry battalions, along with Night Scouts, were protecting them.

Although the soldiers of the artillery battalion were equipped with arquebuses and hand cannons, their combat skills clearly did not lie there. Having detached themselves from the main force, necessary protection was required.

Although the terrain here could not accommodate large bodies of cavalry, in certain areas, small squads of roving cavalry could pass through.

They routed some Han Banner skirmishers and roving cavalry who were harassing and trying to seize the cannons. Quickly dismounting and setting up the cannons on their carriages, they fired over a dozen shots in rapid succession like hailstones at a certain section of the advancing Han army's formation. The blasts sent blood and severed limbs flying, and the Han army formation in that area nearly collapsed.

Because they used silk powder bags, the Jingbian Army's skilled cannoneers could fire several shots in succession before swabbing the bore once. Their bombardment was like a violent storm.

However, the artillery battalion officer commanding these few cannons was not satisfied. He felt that the killing effect of the solid cannonballs was far below his psychological expectations.

Clearly, this was due to the terrain. Below Yijia Ridge, the ground undulated, and dense fields stretched one after another. Between the fields grew all sorts of wild grasses and wildflowers. The soil was soft and loose, making it difficult to create ricochet threats.

He quickly reported this situation to Battalion Commander Zhao Xuan. After urgent consultation between the artillery battalion commander and the staff officers, Zhao Xuan quickly made a decision: all cannons would merge into the infantry formation and advance into battle alongside the musket soldiers.

"At least three cannons per group. All cannons are to use canister shot. Fire in rotation, without pause!"

As Zhao Xuan gave these orders, an icy cold light shot from his eyes.

The fact that the approaching Jingbian Army cannons had not fired allowed Kong Youde to breathe a slight sigh of relief. As their cannons drew near, Kong Youde had already prepared to send men to seize them—though, of course, he could only send some skirmishers and roving cavalry.

The Qing army had tactics for using skirmishers, and even more frequently used feigned arquebus fire to lure the enemy. The Han Eight Banners had also inherited these tactics. However, to seize the cannons, Kong Youde did not dare to use a large body of troops.

The main force of the Jingbian Army was already not far away. Given that the Han Eight Banners' formation training was far inferior to the Jingbian Army's, if a large number of their troops became entangled in a chaotic melee with those cannoneers, the Jingbian Army's musket soldiers would only need to advance and fire a volley of arquebus fire, and their own men would face the outcome of a rout.

Routed soldiers might also crash into the main formation. With their own formation's depth so shallow, it might scatter with a single charge.

But then Kong Youde's heart tightened. It seemed those Jingbian Army cannoneers were preparing to fire canister shot.

Looking again, the heavy, uniform sound of marching footsteps seemed audible even from here. The dense armor, clothing, and banners of the Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army advanced from one li away, finally reaching two hundred paces. Their dense thickets of long spears and arquebuses, along with their metal helmets, glittered and flashed under the sunlight.

A momentum like landslides and tsunamis, irresistible, spread out and filled the air.

"Wei wu!"

"Wei... wu..."

A low shout, like a Buddhist chant, spread toward the horizon.

All the Jingbian Army warriors stood firm. Their faces bore pride, arrogance, and expressions of disdain.

They had faced cannon bombardment, braved casualties, and pressed forward to the front of the Han Eight Banners' formation. On the armor of some of them, traces of flesh and blood still remained.

The facts proved that the Qing army's cannons could not break them.

Gazing at the Han troops of the various banners opposite them, their expressions were filled with contempt.

"Ho!"

All the Jingbian Army soldiers took another step forward, uttering a unified low shout. Their shout was full of imposing might and also brimming with killing intent.

A restless stir ran through the Han army's position opposite. Though they had superior numbers, every man felt like a lone swallow over the ocean, so utterly isolated and helpless.

Shi Tingzhu's expression twisted with fury as he roared: "Stop these cheap tricks!"

Liu Zhiyuan, Zu Zerun, and the others remained silent, their faces ashen. Under the oppressive momentum of the Jingbian Army, each man felt as if he stood alone between heaven and earth, an incomparably lonely and desolate feeling.

Looking again at their own soldiers, every face was filled with fear and nervousness. Looking across, they could faintly see face after face full of resolve and murderous intent. It truly formed a stark contrast.

Their will to fight was worlds apart. Could this battle really be won?

Zu Zerun's feelings were complicated. Where did the Jingbian Army find their conviction, what supported them in battle?

"Dress ranks! Prepare for battle!"

Shi Tingzhu bellowed.

Having marched several hundred paces across the fields, the Han army and Korean army formations—with their fluttering banners of the Han Plain White Banner, Bordered White Banner, Plain Blue Banner, Bordered Red Banner, and Taiji Banner—were already in complete disarray. Their musket soldier ranks, arrayed in eight or nine layers, were also crooked and twisted beyond recognition. Fortunately, the Jingbian Army opposite also needed to dress their ranks.

And regardless of whether heat dissipation was needed, the Qing cannons on Yijia Ridge no longer dared to fire, for fear of hitting their own army's formation.

"Dirt chickens and pottery dogs!"

Beneath the great banner of the battalion headquarters, Zhong Xiancai and Han Chao stood side by side on their horses, along with Zhao Xuan and two officers of the Xuanzhen New Army. Wang Dou was not present. Zhong Xiancai's voice had returned to its gentle softness, but his expression was unprecedentedly stern.

As the Right Battalion's formation pressed forward, the battalion had suffered considerable casualties. Zhong Xiancai had received a report that even a Squad Commander in the battalion had been killed in action. How could he not be furious?

Han Chao remained calm as ever. Even upon receiving news of the death of his old subordinate and good friend Huang Yujin, he merely observed the Han army formation opposite for a while, then issued the order: "Collect the horses! Dress ranks!"

The battalion headquarters' signal cannon for changing orders boomed, and the entire army fell silent and solemn. A bugle call rang out, and immediately the entire army shifted from loose formation to dense formation. Each soldier slowly closed in and aligned. Except for officers of the Squad Commander rank and above, all men's horses were collected to the battalion headquarters and gathered at the rear of the formation.

The Jingbian Army dressed ranks swiftly. Although the Xuanzhen New Army was slower than the Jingbian Army, they were still slightly faster than the Han Eight Banners. Following the sound of commands, the two armies also slowly drew closer together, their respective musket soldiers and spearmen now only a dozen or so paces apart.

Because they had advanced in formation and suffered attacks from Qing artillery along the way, resulting in casualties within the ranks, the original four-rank formations of musket soldiers and spearmen of the two armies were now somewhat uneven in length.

Soldiers from the fourth rank of the Jingbian Army stepped forward to ensure the uniformity of the fighting strength in the first three ranks. Within the Xuanzhen New Army, soldiers were also transferred up from the remaining reserve battalions. This was also an advantage of a directly affiliated new army.

They formed a sprawling horizontal formation over three li long from east to west. Looking at the Han Eight Banners army formation opposite, it was slightly longer than the Ming army's array, with more layers of soldiers. Shi Tingzhu and the others were roaring and shouting to straighten the ranks, while some Plain Blue Banner Han troops and Korean troops faced the Xuanzhen New Army's side.

To be honest, they were quite unaccustomed to this kind of military formation, but since Wang Dou had used this formation to sweep across the land without equal, and it had spread a notorious reputation especially in the Qing state, they had no choice but to learn it.

At this moment the two sides faced each other from a distance of no more than two hundred paces, perhaps even less. The terrain before them was open, with vast stretches of dense fields undulating, or some slightly raised hilly slopes. The warriors of both sides trod upon the soft soil underfoot, along with great swaths of wild grass and wildflowers, which rose and fell to either side, spreading all the way into the distance.

The musketeers of the Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army checked their bird guns one last time and readied their match cords. In Zhao Xuan's artillery camp, each cannon had been loaded with a type of shot wrapped in silk and sealed, bound on the outside with wooden splints — that was canister shot — and goose-feather priming tubes had been inserted into the touchholes.

Suddenly, from the direction of the central army, the stirring war drums sounded, and the melodious strains of military music drifted over.

Zhong Xiancai's eyelashes quivered slightly. He slowly drew his sword, raised it forcefully, and shouted sternly: "Forward!"

"Forward!"

"Forward!"

The soldiers roared in unison. Amid the drumbeats and music, they marched in formation with great strides, the dense thicket of weapons and the iron helmets with brims and cloud-winged helmets bobbing ceaselessly.

The skirmisher sharpshooters from each battalion had already converged. At this moment most of them walked at the front, watching for any chance to shoot and kill the enemy's gunners and officers. They had already seen that some cannons opposite had likewise been pushed forward among the second-Tartar formations.

The pikemen behind the musketeers, those positioned on the two wings, warily watched the opposite side, guarding against a flanking maneuver by the second Tartars. Some grenadiers from the supply camp followed behind the main army, watching to see if there would be an opportunity to hurl their "ten-thousand-men-destroyers."

Zhao Xuan's artillery camp had already assembled. They had at least three cannons at each position, advancing together with the main army.

There were also some cannons pushed along the two wings of the great formation.

Wherever there were cannons, the musketeer soldiers made space for them, further extending the left-right length of the horizontal formation.

Each cannon in the artillery camp, if used properly, was at least equivalent to several tens, even over a hundred bird guns. Some skirmishers walked ahead of the cannons or on either side, serving as guards for the gunners.

One by one the cannons were laboriously pushed forward, and the artillerymen and supply soldiers strained to push the ammunition carts. They rolled over the soft fields, carving out deep ruts one after another.

Hearing the unified roar from the opposite side, and seeing the Jingbian Army pressing in like a wall to the beat of drums and music, Shi Tingzhu and the others opposite were greatly alarmed: "So fast?"

Looking at their own ranks, still crooked and askew, there was nothing to be done. Shi Tingzhu gritted his teeth and roared: "Move forward to meet them!"

Liu Zhiyuan, Zu Zerun, Wu Shoujin, and the others wore similarly ferocious expressions and bellowed: "Anyone who dares retreat will be executed!"

On the Korean army's side, Kim Jajeom was not in the ranks. The commander leading the troops was General Jin Yuze. He had a broad flat face and small eyes, typical of Goryeo features, and wore a long crimson cotton armor covered so densely with armor plates that it looked like a great swath of medals hanging from him.

He knew he had no path of retreat and loudly encouraged his Korean soldiers.

As for those Han troops, having become second Tartars, they had no choice either. In their terror, every face twisted. Finding themselves with no way out, they instead erupted with fierce morale.

In the Plain White Banner formation of Shi Tingzhu, an officer gnashed his teeth and howled madly: "Kill the Ming dogs!"

"Kill the Ming dogs!"

Bursts of shouting erupted from the Han army ranks. The officers and commanders loudly stirred them on. Amid the roars, they strode toward the Jingbian Army and the others.

The two armies' formations pressed closer and closer. Gazing down from the sky, on the open plain, two long narrow streams of men drew ever nearer. In the open ground between them, there seemed to be some tiny ant-like things, and different banners fluttered across the earth.

A thick burst of flame and light erupted. Several Han army skirmishers tumbled to the ground howling, their faces and bodies covered in bloody holes. It was a sharpshooter from the front section of the rear camp, beside Chen Sheng, who had used a falcon cannon to give a blast to a few second Tartars sneaking furtively forward.

At the same time, Chen Sheng and Ju Yiwu also used their flintlock Lumi muskets to each bring down an enemy skirmisher. However, one sharpshooter within their unit was also struck by a stray bullet that came flying in and rolled on the ground in agony.

The opening act of the great battle unfolded between the skirmishers of each side. Both sides sought to shake the other's formation and kill their officers and gunners. The closer they drew to each other, the fiercer the slaughter among the skirmishers became.

However, the great formations of musketeers on both sides remained unmoved, still pressing forward in formation. Occasionally a stray bullet struck a soldier in their ranks, yet both sides continued to advance.

The Jingbian Army, needless to say, and even the Han Eight Banners troops knew that at this moment the massed musketeers must not act rashly. Otherwise, before the fight even began, they would have already lost more than half their chance of victory.

In the zone between the formations, gunpowder smoke rose from time to time. Amid the crack of muskets rising and falling, some skirmishers on both sides fell.

It was plainly evident that the Han Eight Banners' skirmishers were no match for the Jingbian Army's. They still played the old trick of feigning shots to lure the enemy, unlike the Jingbian Army's sharpshooters who fought with real guns and real skill. In the pursuit and counter-pursuit of shooting at each other, they were at a great disadvantage. In particular, many of the Jingbian Army's sharpshooters were also equipped with two pistols, giving them an even greater upper hand in the engagement.

Very quickly, the Han Eight Banners' skirmishers were routed. Their cannons within the formation, after some of the gunners were shot dead, also had to cease firing, relying on the advancing army formation for cover. They even sent some of their archers rushing out to exchange shots with the Jingbian Army's sharpshooters.

Because both sides were advancing with great strides, they soon approached within a hundred paces of each other. The Jingbian Army's skirmishers fell back. Shi Tingzhu and the others breathed a sigh of relief. In that brief skirmisher engagement, they had already had a number of officers or gunners shot dead. Had it dragged on any longer, they did not know what would have become of the great formation's ranks.

At last, the Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army, amid the drumbeats and music, halted a hundred paces before the Han Eight Banners' formation. After a shouted command, it seemed even the earth returned to stillness.

All the Jingbian Army warriors looked at the enemy with resolute expressions. Even those Xuanfu Garrison new troops, their faces whether mature or youthful, showed fear and tension, yet their expressions told others that they were striving with all their might to be strong and calm.

Looking at the Han Eight Banner musketeers opposite, each of their expressions was different: some ashen, some terrified, some twisted with savagery, some fierce and brutal — no two alike.

All the warriors of Ming and Qing at this moment were about to face the direct test of death. This was the mode of combat that relied most heavily on the will of the soldier. Who would be victorious, and who would survive?

Wang Dou gazed forward with calm composure. Kong Youde, up on Yijia Ridge, harbored the same anticipation in his heart.

Han Chao suddenly bellowed: "All troops, attention! First rank, advance!"

"Mighty and powerful!"

The Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army, each rank consisting of one thousand six hundred musketeer soldiers, roared in unison. They took a step forward and gripped their bird guns tightly.

They felt that the weapons in their hands gave them strength!

Shi Tingzhu jolted awake with a start and roared: "Let the first rank of musketeers advance!"

Liu Zhiyuan, Zu Zerun, and the others likewise snapped awake and bellowed: "Musketeers advance... First rank, make ready!"

"Make ready!"

"Make ready!"

"Take aim!"

Amid the officers' shouted commands, the dense forest of firelocks of the Jingbian Army and the others swung down. Beneath the banners fluttering in the cold wind, the dark mass of muzzles aimed forward.

"Fire!"

The crackling of muskets like popping beans resounded for a long while. The Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army fired a fierce volley. Gunpowder smoke surged violently from the muzzles. From a hundred paces opposite came a continuous string of agonized screams. Several hundred Han army musketeers collapsed in a daze, then came to their senses and writhed on the ground in agony.

The blood pouring from them in streams dyed the soil beneath red, making the wild grass and wildflowers seem even more brilliantly alluring.

Some musket balls even passed through the gaps between the musketeers and struck the Han Eight Banners' saber-and-shield men and pikemen behind them.

The Jingbian Army's firelocks had enormous power and could pierce heavy armor at a hundred paces. A hit meant death if not severe injury. Even if many targets were hard to hit at a hundred paces, a stray bullet flying from afar still meant the same outcome of death or maiming.

A wave of commotion stirred in the Han Eight Banners' position. The officers desperately suppressed it and filled the vacancies in the front rank with men from the rear.

At this moment, after the first rank of the Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army had fired, the third rank of musketeers had already swiftly advanced to the front, while the first rank of soldiers remained in place, loading their fixed paper cartridge ammunition.

They were using the tactic of advancing step by step while firing, and the closer they pressed forward, the more accurately the Jingbian Army men and the others would shoot.

Clearly, the troops of Shi Tingzhu and the others were not adapted to this method of fighting. A face-to-face bombardment without cover was too heavy a test of will. Very few men possessed such willpower.

Although within the Qing state, Kong Youde and the others had trained for a long time specifically against this tactic, the battlefield was, after all, different from training.

After the first volley, the Han army on the opposite side was clearly stunned for a moment. Seizing this opportunity, the Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army launched another coordinated volley. More howls and cries rang out from the opposite side, and many Han soldiers struck by bullets rolled all over the ground, writhing in their death throes.

However, at this moment, the opposite side also fired a coordinated volley. Although the Han army's arquebus rounds were not as sharp as the Eastern Route bird guns, and their shooting skills could not match those of the Jingbian Army, and the Korean troops' bird guns were even more pitiful, after the gunfire, a large swath of Jingbian Army arquebusiers and Xuanzhen arquebusiers still fell. They tumbled to the ground, groaning in pain.

Even some arquebusiers and bird-gun soldiers in the rear ranks also fell...

The gunfire sounded wave after wave. In front of the Ming and Qing battle lines, with each volley, two long, narrow strips of gunpowder smoke slowly rose into the air.

Amid the muzzle flashes and flames, within both battle lines, corpses and wounded lay sprawled in disorder. The originally withered yellow wild grass beneath them was now stained bright red...

With a deafening roar, several of the Jingbian Army's red-barbarian cannons spewed dense clouds of smoke. A rain of lead shot sprayed forth, and great plumes of dust and debris erupted from the ground not far away. A large swath of Han army arquebusiers standing there were knocked to the ground.

Blood mist mixed with shredded flesh. The several ranks of arquebusiers in that area were nearly swept clean. Even many cold-weapon soldiers behind them rolled on the ground, letting out uncontrollable howls.

Thick smoke and muzzle flashes flickered incessantly, and the roar of cannons intensified. As the arquebusiers dueled, the cannons of both sides were also interspersed within the formations, firing canister shot to bombard the opposing infantry lines.