Chapter 559: Charge

As the two sides' arquebusiers exchanged fire, their cannons also joined the battle simultaneously. Zhao had long since ordered the cannons to be interspersed among the ranks of arquebusiers, at least three at each position. The artillery battalion's more than 160 cannons were divided into dozens of groups.

These gunners, risking their lives, continuously bombarded the enemy, greatly supporting their arquebusier brothers.

Beside a thick, lush locust tree, four breech-loading swivel guns and red-barbarian cannons were positioned. The four cannons fired in mixed, alternating volleys. One six-pounder red-barbarian cannon had just fired a canister shot. Amid the acrid white smoke, several gunners nervously loaded powder and shot once more.

They quickly inserted the silk powder bag and placed the goose-feather priming tube into the touchhole. One gunner took a double load—a canister shell wrapped with wooden splints—stuffed it into the muzzle, and then the rammer forcefully pushed it down the barrel.

Firing canister shot, since there was no need to correct the barrel angle or calculate range and target, required only pointing the muzzle straight ahead, saving them many steps.

While they were busy, the remaining cannons fired in succession!

Boom!

With another thunderous roar, a great cloud of dense smoke billowed up. A breech-loading swivel gun blasted at least a hundred large projectiles straight at the enemy's face.

The field opposite, overgrown with wildflowers and weeds, erupted in a cloud of dust. Grass clippings and dirt flew everywhere. A dozen Han army arquebusiers, and even some sword-and-shield men and spearmen quite far behind them, let out indescribably agonized screams as they rolled and howled wretchedly on the ground.

On many of their cotton armors, huge bloody holes appeared; some even had their heads and faces instantly blasted into meat paste.

Canister shot was already ferociously powerful, let alone the improved canister shot of the Jingbian Army.

Following this breech-loading swivel gun, a three-pounder red-barbarian cannon roared, sending a dense swarm of projectiles at the enemy, and again countless mists of blood erupted.

After the four cannons had fired one round, the Han army arquebusiers still standing opposite were already few and far between. Even the Han army cold-weapon soldiers arrayed behind them had lost a large swath.

"Advance forward!"

An officer commanding these four cannons bellowed. The four cannons, loaded again with powder and shot, were laboriously pushed forward once more.

The Han army arquebusiers opposite, under the roars of their officers, reluctantly moved to fill the gaps. But seeing the dark, heavy cannons looming through the gunpowder smoke, their faces all turned ashen with despair, and many of their bodies could not help but tremble.

Some men, even some arquebusiers at either end of the cannon's position, no longer heeded their superiors' orders. They turned their muzzles and fired at them.

A portion of them subsequently fell to the guns of the Jingbian Army arquebusiers opposite, but some had already pulled their triggers.

Targets were unclear in the smoke, yet several gunners still fell in agony. Immediately, some apprentices from the logistics battalion behind the formation quickly filled their positions.

That officer was hit in the lower abdomen by a bullet. The massive impact of the musket ball sent him staggering backward to sit on the ground. The intense pain after being hit instantly brought beads of sweat the size of soybeans to his forehead, but he still roared from the ground: "Push... push forward! Aim where their men are thickest and fire!"

Boom! Boom!

The four cannons roared in sequence again. Amid the howls and chaos, mists of blood flew, and another large group of men opposite rolled to the ground in agony.

These four cannons had once again swept the enemy formation clean.

A section of the Han army arquebusier ranks parted, and a bronze six-pounder cannon poked out its dark muzzle. The cannon barrel bore the insignia of a large shield and a sail—it was a cannon produced by the Breech-loading Gun Foundry of Portugal. After Kong Youde captured Dengzhou back then, he brought a large number of new-style cannons and artillerymen, including this cannon, to the Qing state.

With a thunderous roar, amid a great cloud of rising dense smoke, a large wave of canister projectiles instantly slammed into the Jingbian Army formation opposite. In a mist of blood mixed with shredded flesh, over ten arquebusiers and pikemen on this side likewise let out irrepressible screams, throwing themselves to the ground and rolling in unbearable agony.

Crack!

An eagle-soaring cannon erupted with dense flames. The several gunners of that cannon clutched their heads and faces in unbearable pain. The canister shot from the eagle-soaring cannon had torn their bodies into a bloody pulp; even half of one gunner's skull was ripped away, his sticky brain matter spilling all over the ground.

It turned out that after firing their cannon, those Han army gunners had wanted to hide behind the formation, or use the arquebusier ranks as cover. A Jingbian Army sharpshooter and his assistant had rushed over, quickly set up their triangular stand, aimed at them, and fired a shot.

As skirmisher sharpshooters, they mostly targeted enemy gunners and officers, or squeezed into any gap they saw. Whenever they appeared, the Jingbian Army brothers beside them would consciously make room for them.

However, the Jurchen slaves' cannons were very crafty, or rather, cowardly. They generally hid behind the formation, then were pushed forward stealthily. Moreover, with the gunpowder smoke thick in the air, it was not easy to spot their positions.

Canister shot had a relatively short range. The over one hundred heavy cannons of the Qing army on Yijia Ridge naturally could not fire canister shot. Therefore, the small cannons accompanying the Han army into battle numbered fewer than fifty, putting them at a numerical disadvantage.

In the past, those gunners usually fired from afar and rarely had the courage to engage in close-range bombardment duels. Sometimes, before they could even push their cannons forward, the arquebusiers ahead of them would fall to volley fire. They would immediately hesitate, not daring to advance, and even under the bellowed orders of their superiors, they would drag their feet.

Even if they had the courage to push forward, facing the guns and cannons at the moment of life and death, many would be flustered, and their reloading would descend into chaos.

They were also specially targeted by Jingbian Army sharpshooters using flintlock Lumi muskets, eagle-soaring cannons, or nine-headed-bird guns, which further sapped their courage to fight up close. Due to overheating issues, they generally only had the chance to fire three rounds, making them inherently inferior in firepower.

Furthermore, the grenadiers from the logistics battalion also dealt with them. These logistics soldiers were bold and stout, and fought with equal disregard for their own lives.

Another Han army three-pounder cannon fired a shot. Just as they endured their fear and reloaded, from behind a gap in the Jingbian Army lines, several logistics grenadiers charged forward howling. Each holding a lit "Myriad-Man Enemy" grenade, they roared as they rushed toward the cannon's position.

On the way, one grenadier was hit by a bullet and fell, then was blown to bloody pieces by the "Myriad-Man Enemy" he carried. The remaining grenadiers continued their charge and, under the terrified gazes of the Han army gunners and arquebusiers opposite, hurled them like raindrops onto their heads...

"Third rank, forward!"

Amid the pervasive gunpowder smoke, a powerful command voice rang out again from the Jingbian Army side.

"Mighty!"

Over a thousand arquebusiers of the Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army roared in unison, stepping over the bodies and wounded comrades on the ground. They collectively marched to the front of the formation, leveling their sharp Donglu muskets at the now quite disordered Han Eight Banners arquebusiers ahead.

The drums of each battalion and unit beat out a rapid tattoo, accompanied by a stretch of melodious flute music, echoed by horns and other instruments.

As the arquebusiers advanced, the pikemen followed suit, as did the standard-bearers and drummers. Some of them had already fallen, their places taken by assistants or guards.

They always advanced in parallel with the arquebusiers, holding their flags, beating their drums, and playing their music.

"With ten thousand hearts as one, even Mount Tai can be shaken!"

The military music was solemn and stirring, full of the unique charm of ancient music, though it was largely lost to later generations, perhaps only faintly glimpsed in the ancient music of Lijiang.

"Fire!"

Under the terrified gazes of the Han army opposite, the arquebusiers fired another fierce volley. Amid the crackling explosions of the firelocks, a swath of the Han army ahead collapsed in unison.

"Fire!"

After firing, the white smoke obscured and permeated everyone's vision. The acrid smell of blood mixed with the gunpowder smoke spread. Another rank of the Jingbian Army and Xuanzhen New Army advanced. On the way, a sparse return volley came from the opposite side, and some warriors fell. Soon, they pulled their triggers again. The dense, continuous roar of firelocks did not cease, and the screams from the opposite side merged into one continuous sound.

The Jingbian Army and Xuanzhen New Army employed the tactic of advancing while firing in a measured advance. By now, they had pushed forward a considerable distance from their original position.

Looking at the Han army opposite, it could be said they were no longer a cohesive unit. In fact, after the Jingbian Army side had fired the first two volleys, their first counter-volley was relatively orderly, the second slightly orderly, but after that, they had fallen into chaos, their return fire ragged and uneven.

As the two sides' arquebusiers exchanged fire, their cannons also joined the battle simultaneously. Zhao had long since ordered the cannons to be interspersed among the ranks of arquebusiers, at least three at each position. The artillery battalion's more than 160 cannons were divided into dozens of groups.

These gunners, risking their lives, continuously bombarded the enemy, greatly supporting their arquebusier brothers.

Beside a thick, lush locust tree, four breech-loading swivel guns and red-barbarian cannons were positioned. The four cannons fired in mixed, alternating volleys. One six-pounder red-barbarian cannon had just fired a canister shot. Amid the acrid white smoke, several gunners nervously loaded powder and shot once more.

They quickly inserted the silk powder bag and placed the goose-feather priming tube into the touchhole. One gunner took a double load—a canister shell wrapped with wooden splints—stuffed it into the muzzle, and then the rammer forcefully pushed it down the barrel.

Firing canister shot, since there was no need to correct the barrel angle or calculate range and target, required only pointing the muzzle straight ahead, saving them many steps.

While they were busy, the remaining cannons fired in succession!

Boom!

With another thunderous roar, a great cloud of dense smoke billowed up. A breech-loading swivel gun blasted at least a hundred large projectiles straight at the enemy's face.

Across the way, the field overgrown with wildflowers and weeds erupted in a stretch of dust and smoke; shredded grass and clods of earth flew everywhere. A dozen or so Han Army musketeers, and even some swordsmen, shieldmen, and spearmen quite far behind them, let out indescribably agonized cries as they rolled and howled wretchedly on the ground.

On the cotton armor of many of them, huge bloody holes had appeared; some even had their heads and faces blasted into meat paste on the spot.

The power of canister shot was ferocious to begin with, let alone the improved canister shot of the Jingbian Army.

After this breech-loading cannon, another three-pounder red-barbarian cannon roared, dense pellets hurtling toward the opposing side, and again countless mists of blood burst forth.

After the four cannons had fired one round, the Han Army musketeers still standing across the way were already few and far between; even the Han Army cold-weapon troops arrayed behind them had a large swath missing.

"Advance forward!"

An officer commanding these four cannons bellowed. The four cannons, loaded once more with powder and shot, were laboriously pushed forward again.

Under the roaring of their officers, the Han Army musketeers across the way helplessly shifted toward the gaps, but watching the dark, looming cannons pressing closer through the gunpowder smoke, every one of them turned ashen-faced, and many could not help their bodies from trembling.

Some men, even some musketeers at either end of the cannon muzzles, no longer heeded their superior's orders, turned their gun muzzles, and fired upon them.

A portion of them subsequently fell under the guns of the Jingbian Army musketeers across the way, but some had already pulled their own triggers.

Targets were unclear in the gunpowder smoke, yet several gunners still collapsed in agony; immediately after, some logistics battalion apprentices from behind the formation swiftly filled their positions.

That officer was struck in the lower abdomen by a bullet. The massive impact of the musket ball sent him staggering backward to sit on the ground. The intense pain after being hit instantly made beads of sweat the size of beans break out on his forehead, yet he still sat on the ground and bellowed: "Push... push forward, aim for where they're thickest..."

Boom! Boom!

The four cannons roared in succession once more. Amid the howling and chaos, mist of blood sprayed, and another large batch of men across the way rolled to the ground in agony.

These four cannons had once again swept the opposing formation clean.

A Han Army musketeer formation parted, and a bronze six-pounder cannon poked out its dark, cavernous muzzle. The barrel bore the insignia of a great shield and sail — it was a cannon produced by the Portuguese Bocarro foundry. Back when Kong Youde captured Dengzhou, he had brought this cannon, along with a large number of new-model cannons and artillerymen, to the Qing state.

With a thunderous boom, amid a great billow of thick smoke, a large wave of canister pellets instantly swept into the Jingbian Army formation across the way. Amid blood mist mixed with shredded flesh, over ten musketeers here, along with pikemen, likewise let out uncontrollable shrieks, throwing themselves to the ground and rolling in unbearable agony.

Crack!

A falcon cannon erupted with dense flames. Several gunners of that cannon clutched their heads and faces in unbearable pain. The canister shot from the falcon cannon had torn their bodies into a bloody, mangled mess; even half of one gunner's skull had been ripped away, sticky brain matter flowing all over the ground.

It turned out that after firing their cannon, those Han Army gunners had tried to hide behind the formation or use the musketeer formation as cover. A Jingbian Army sharpshooter and his assistant arrived, quickly set up their tripod stand, took aim at them, and fired a shot.

As skirmisher sharpshooters, they mostly targeted the opposing side's gunners and officers, or exploited any gap they saw. Whenever they appeared, the Jingbian Army brothers beside them would consciously make room for them.

Only, the Second Tatars' cannons were extremely crafty, or rather, cowardly. They generally hid behind the formation, then were pushed forward stealthily; moreover, with the gunpowder smoke thick at this moment, their positions were not easy to spot.

Canister shot had a relatively short range. The hundred-plus Qing heavy cannons on Yijia Ridge naturally could not fire canister, so the Han Army's small cannons accompanying the battle numbered fewer than fifty — a disadvantage in quantity.

In the past, those gunners had also generally fired from afar and rarely had the nerve for close-range duels. Sometimes, before they could even push their cannons forward, the musketeers ahead would fall to the volley fire, and they would immediately hesitate, not daring to advance. Even under their superior's roaring orders, they would drag their feet.

Even if they had the nerve to push forward, with cannons and muskets before their eyes, at the juncture of life and death, many became flustered, and reloading turned into a chaotic mess.

They were also specially targeted by Jingbian Army sharpshooters using flintlock Lumi muskets, or falcon cannons, and nine-headed bird guns, and thus had even less nerve to press close into battle. Due to heat dissipation issues, they generally only had the chance to fire three rounds, inherently deficient in firepower.

The grenadiers of the logistics battalion also dealt with them. These logistics soldiers were bold and burly, equally reckless in battle.

Another Han Army three-pounder fired a shot. Just as they endured their fear and began reloading again, from behind the gap on the Jingbian Army side, several logistics grenadiers charged forward howling, each holding a lit "ten-thousand-men-destroyer" grenade, roaring as they rushed toward the cannon's position.

On the way, one grenadier was hit by a bullet and fell, then was blown into a bloody mess by the "ten-thousand-men-destroyer" he carried. The remaining grenadiers continued their charge and, under the terrified gazes of the Han Army gunners and musketeers across the way, hurled them like raindrops onto their heads...

"Third rank, forward!"

Amid the thick, swirling gunpowder smoke, a powerful command voice rang out again from the Jingbian Army side.

"Mighty and valiant!"

A rank of over one thousand several hundred musketeers of the Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army roared in unison once more, stepping over the corpses and wounded of their fallen comrades on the ground, collectively marching to the front of the formation, and aimed the sharp Eastern Route arquebuses in their hands at the already quite disordered Han Eight Banners musketeers ahead.

The drums of each battalion and unit also beat urgently several times, accompanied by a stretch of melodious flute music, with horns and cymbals joining in harmony.

As the musketeers advanced, the pikemen followed suit, along with the military banners and the drummers and gong players. Some of them had already fallen, and their assistants or guards took over.

They kept pace with the musketeers at all times, holding their flags, beating their drums, and playing their own tunes.

"With ten thousand hearts as one, even Mount Tai can be shaken!"

The military music was solemn and stirring, full of the unique charm of ancient music, though it was basically lost to later generations — perhaps only a faint glimpse could be caught in the ancient music of Lijiang.

"Fire!"

Under the terrified gazes of the Han Army across the way, the musketeers fired another fierce volley. Amid the explosive roar of the firelocks, the Han Army ahead collapsed in neat rows.

"Fire!"

After firing, the white smoke obscured and blurred everyone's vision. The gunpowder smoke, mixed with the acrid stench of blood, spread. Another rank of the Jingbian Army and Xuanzhen New Army advanced. On the way, the opposing side returned fire sporadically, and some soldiers fell. Soon they pulled their triggers again; the dense, continuous roar of firelocks did not cease, and the screams across the way merged into one continuous sound.

The Jingbian Army and Xuanzhen New Army employed the tactic of advancing by degrees while firing. By now, they had pressed forward a considerable distance from their original position.

Looking at the Han Army across the way, they could be said to have already lost their formation. In fact, after the Jingbian Army side had fired two volleys first, their first counter-volley was relatively orderly, their second slightly orderly, but afterward they had fallen into chaos, their return fire ragged and uneven.

Kong Youde's idea was good: arrange the Han Army musketeers in eight or nine ranks, so they could fight continuously without needing to reload powder and shot, leveraging the advantage of the many against the few. Only, he overlooked the soldiers' courage.

The terror that one might die at any moment, the tense atmosphere of comrades falling beside them, created an environment that drove men mad.

Volley fire combat required soldiers to form dense formations to maximize firepower, especially when gunpowder smoke was thick and targets were unclear. Thus, when firing, they had to wait for the superior's order; even if a cannon was aimed at them, they could not open fire without the command.

This was too difficult for the Han Army. Although after defecting to the Qing state they had received relatively strict training, logistics, and discipline, and had been allotted land and houses, making their will to fight tougher than when they were in the Ming army, their will and courage had not yet reached that level for volley fire combat — to say nothing of the Korean troops.

So when the Jingbian Army and others across the way kept firing and pressing closer step by step, most of them had already descended into madness. Some advanced on orders, some retreated on their own, some stood frozen, some fired wildly in chaos, and some stared at the corpses on the ground and the moaning wounded, screaming at the top of their lungs.

The musketeer ranks, relatively clear before the great battle, were now crowded together. Facing such a chaotic situation, Shi Tingzhu and the others were helpless, doing nothing but roaring and bellowing, roaring and bellowing.

"The Second Tatars are already on the verge of collapse. It is time to order the pikemen into battle!"

Behind the formation, Zhong Xiancai and Han Chao were closely watching the battle situation. Through their telescopes, the state of the Han Army across the way was clearly visible — even their terrified expressions were vividly discernible.

Firearm combat was extremely brutal. In the exchange of volley fire, both sides had lost many men, but the Han Army's losses were far more severe.

The Jingbian Army and Xuanzhen New Army had already fired two rounds, meaning six volleys, leaving the Han Army's musket formation across the way sparse and ragged. In particular, the Jingbian Army's cannons kept firing canister shot, causing them immense panic.

The Han Eight Banners musketeers across the way were divided into eight or nine ranks, each rank fewer than two thousand men. By Zhong Xiancai's estimate, the first and second volleys, even at a hundred paces, had each taken down at least a quarter of one of their ranks. For the subsequent volleys, due to the chaos of battle or the gunpowder smoke and other reasons, he estimated the results were somewhat less.

However, because they pressed ever closer, the results were not small, and the canister shot fired by the cannons, continuous and ferociously lethal, achieved even more astonishing results. Zhong Xiancai estimated that the muskets and cannons combined had already inflicted over three thousand casualties on the opposing side, accounting for at least twenty percent of their musketeer strength.

To be honest, Zhong Xiancai was somewhat impressed that those Second Tatars had held on until now. Or perhaps they had been stunned senseless, beaten into a daze?

Then, looking at his own side's casualties, he felt a surge of heartache and spoke bitterly.

Han Chao nodded calmly: "Indeed, the moment has come!"

He looked toward the Xuanzhen Army's side. After the exchange of volley fire, their side was also quite disordered, and their reserve battalion at the rear had replenished some numbers.

However, they had basically maintained their organization and hierarchy and could still fight according to orders. Although they faced mostly Korean troops, their courage in battle still made Han Chao nod to himself in approval.

Looking again at the two wings, the Han army musketeers and spearmen had initially relied on their superior numbers, with a portion attempting to outflank from both wings. They were met by some Jingbian Army cannons positioned on the flanks, which fired over a dozen rounds of canister shot in one burst, sending them fleeing back screaming in terror.

"Fire!"

The Jingbian Army and Xuanzhen New Army fired their seventh volley. After the screams from the opposite side once again merged into one continuous sound, the sharp note of the swan horn rang out, and the battalion headquarters issued the order for the spearmen to attack.

"Ten thousand victories!"

All the spearmen of the Jingbian Army and Xuanzhen New Army, who had been waiting for a long time, let out a mighty and powerful roar. They leveled their long spears, shouting at the top of their lungs, and surged past their musketeer brothers like a torrent, charging madly toward the Han army musketeers opposite. Their long spears gleamed with a piercing light under the sun.

Several hundred logistics grenadiers, holding lit "Ten-Thousand-Man Destroyer" bombs, howled as they charged at the very front.

At this moment, the musketeers of the Four Banners and the Korean army were already on the verge of collapse. Even the cold-weapon troops behind them were all pale-faced and terrified. Seeing the Jingbian Army spearmen and others charging toward them like murderous demons, the majority of the musketeers at the front, especially the Korean troops, turned and fled screaming. Only a small number, under the bellowing of their officers, fired their muskets while trembling nervously.

Some grenadiers and spearmen were hit by their fire and pitched forward onto the ground. The rest charged up with battle cries. Very quickly, the explosions of the "Ten-Thousand-Man Destroyer" bombs and the sharp long spears overwhelmed the Han army's musket formation, routing them in a matter of moments.

"Hold!"

Shi Tingzhu roared furiously. Liu Zhiyuan, Zu Zerun, Wu Shoujin, and others were alarmed by how quickly the musketeers had collapsed, and they had no choice but to order the cold-weapon troops behind the musket formation to engage.

"Fifteen thousand arquebusiers, and they can't even beat Wang Dou's few thousand musketeers? And those men were bombarded by cannons the whole way here!"

Gabsihiyan Janggin Lao Sa stood beside Kong Youde, watching the battle ahead. He said coldly, "Prince Gongshun, whatever happens, the army's right wing cannot fail. Even if you must die, you will hold Wang Dou and his men back!"

Kong Youde's face was likewise ashen. With heavy artillery support, superior numbers, and the enemy lacking even the cover of earth carts, how had it come to this?

Beside him, Kim Ja-jeom was equally pale. He ached at the casualties among his own country's soldiers and was terrified by the collapse unfolding ahead. He muttered, "What do we do? What do we do?"

Kong Youde abruptly issued an order: "Have Shi Tingzhu and the others hold them off, and send the rear troops forward to reinforce!"

He raised his telescope and looked coldly toward Wang Dou's central army position. They had halted on a stretch of hills two li away and had piled up large numbers of sandbags and earth baskets as cover.

Earlier, he had also ordered the artillery battalion to bombard the Jingbian Army's central army, but the effect had been negligible.

Now he once again conveyed an order: "Concentrate all heavy cannons and bombard Wang Dou's position with everything!"