Chapter 675: Wang Pu's Fury

When the Xuanwu Army once again marched to "press" them, the Datong Army that had already gone beyond the frontier was not in very good shape.

They had gone beyond the frontier even earlier than the Jingbian Army. When the main army set out from the north of Datong City, the common people saw them off with cheers, scholars "chanted" poems, and a mighty, "surging" baggage train followed behind — it was quite a lively scene. Northward from Datong, there were five border-wall fortresses of considerable importance: Zhenbian Fort, Zhenchuan Fort, Zhenqiang Fort, Zhenhe Fort, and Hongci Fort.

The positions of these forts were all critically important, especially Zhenqiang Fort and Hongci Fort, which directly concerned the safety of Datong's garrison city. In every generation, when the northern caitiffs came south, they had to capture these forts first before they could "press" on to the walls of Datong City.

The Datong garrison army set out in high, heroic spirits. Along the way they passed Gudian Fort, Hongci Fort, and Zhenqiang Fort, reaching the edge of the Great Wall. Their first stop after leaving the border wall was the already-abandoned Fengzhen City, where they established a main logistics camp.

As the place where the northern caitiffs came south and the great northern gate of Datong Garrison, the Great Ming built three lines of Great Wall in total around Fengzhen. The first line was constructed in the 19th year of the Hongwu era, following mountain ridges, crossing perilous peaks, and spanning deep ravines — it was of immense, majestic scale, but was later abandoned.

The second line of the Great Wall was located at the southern end of Fengzhen, not far from Fengzhen City. Built during the Jiajing era, it was the line running from Juqiang Fort to Zhenqiang Fort at that time, oriented from east to west. The wall rose and fell, winding along the slopes and hills, and for a large part lay in flat plain terrain.

The third line of the Great Wall, also built during the Jiajing era, came from Yanghekou and west of Zhenchuan Fort, linking up with the Great Wall at Zhenqiang Fort to form a crescent-moon shape. The border wall currently defended by the Datong City sector was precisely these second and third lines of the Great Wall.

Due to years of neglect and erosion by wind and rain, many sections of the Great Wall were in fact severely damaged. Some of the blue-brick surfaces had collapsed into earthen mounds, and many wall bricks had actually been destroyed by human hands — taken apart by local residents to build houses. A lack of public spirit and the destruction of public property were chronic ills passed down from ancient times to the present.

The army advanced along the banks of the Yu River. The Yu River came from the north, and together with its tributaries, formed alluvial plains near Datong City and also near Zhenchuan Fort. Seen from afar, the vast expanse of flat plain, dotted with a few sparse, scattered trees, was quite easy to traverse — not just the official roads, but even the yellow-earth ground covered with shallow grass.

Of course, because most of the area was yellow earth, much of it still "bare," the "scenery" was unavoidably somewhat bleak. But the Datong troops were all in high spirits, singing military songs all the way as they passed one military fort after another, civilian forts, and countless border watchtowers, signal-fire mounds, and the like.

Most of what they saw was broken and dilapidated, "exposing" the rammed yellow-earth walls within. Very soon, they left Zhenqiang Fort, and the hilly plain before their eyes was the land of ancient Fengzhen.

Here it was still a vast expanse of yellow earth, thick with shallow grass, interspersed with some poplars, locust trees, and the like. Once, part of this area belonged to the jurisdiction of the Xinghe Shouyu Thousand-Household Battalion, part to the Xuan De Guard Battalion, and part to the Yanghe Guard Battalion. However, after the Zhengtong era, most of it became grazing land for the Mongols.

Usually, there were also some Mongols grazing by the Yu River, but at this moment, they had all fled without a trace.

The Datong Army smoothly built a stockade at the old site of Fengzhen. Since there were not many trees around but plenty of yellow earth, the stockade walls were mostly rammed from yellow earth, with some crushed stones piled on. Wang Pu named this stockade Yangwei Fort, to echo with Zhenqiang Fort not far to the rear.

After he had roughly built the stockade and led the main army away, a steady stream of guard-battalion officers and soldiers, along with civilian laborers, came from the rear to continue construction and further perfect this city.

Wang Pu's expedition beyond the frontier was the glory of the Datong army and people. Moreover, the Wang family's power in Datong was growing ever greater, so the expedition received the full support of both superiors and subordinates. The Datong Provincial Governor, Wei Jingyuan, personally stationed himself inside Yangwei Fort to take charge of supplying the army's provisions and reinforcing the city walls.

The Datong garrison army again set out from Yangwei Fort in a mighty, "surging" manner. On the first day, their infantry and cavalry marched fifty li in one go along the banks of the Yu River. The vanguard main-battalion troops encountered a band of Mongol cavalry, and after a great battle, took eight heads. The morale of the entire army, from top to bottom, grew even higher.

Wang Pu was elated, smugly calculating what evaluation history might give him for this expedition beyond the frontier — a second coming of Wei Qing, a reincarnation of Huo Qubing.

But by the second day, Wang Pu could no longer smile.

By this time, the terrain they passed through had winding rivers, numerous hills, and undulating mountains. The army was constantly ambushed by small bands of Mongol cavalry. These Tartars appeared and vanished like ghosts, often attacking from the flanks or the rear, suddenly appearing and quickly leaving again, giving the Datong Army a terrible headache.

The army's cavalry tried to pursue, but either fell into ambushes or went out and came back with nothing, so in the end they had to give up. Because the Tartar cavalry "harassed" them too much, later on, Wang Pu could only order the army to form defensive formations as they marched. This way, they could only cover a dozen or so li a day, sometimes just a few li.

Although they had gone beyond the frontier even earlier than the Jingbian Army, after leaving the border wall, they had marched for many days and covered less than half of the two-hundred-plus li distance to the rendezvous point at Jininghaizi. Fortunately, the army carried ample provisions and also marched along the river course, so there was no problem with food or drinking water.

It was just that being entangled by the Tartars like this, with nerves on edge from morning to night, made everyone in the Datong Army feel extremely weary and irritated.

On the fifth day of the eighth month, the taller mountains gradually disappeared behind them, and before them lay only gentle hills and grasslands, along with clusters of woods. Near noon, the Datong Army encountered a siege by several thousand Mongol cavalry, who used their adept "Crow Troops Scattered Stars Formation," making Wang Pu feel utterly infuriated.

This Tartar tactic was extremely flexible: small squads of three or five men covered each other; they dispersed when the enemy dispersed and concentrated when the enemy concentrated, absolutely preventing the enemy from encircling and annihilating them. Moreover, they were highly skilled in mounted "archery," able to fight both on horseback and on foot.

Wang Pu decisively ordered his main battalion to engage. But although they were all cavalry, their mounted "archery" skills were actually inferior to those of the steppe cavalry, and their horsemanship could not compare either. They also had little sophistication in cavalry battle formations. When dismounting to "shoot" arrows, they were even more out-"shot," so in the engagement, they got the worst of it.

Wang Pu watched with heartache and hurriedly ordered the cavalry battalion to return, gathering within the infantry formation to rely on the infantry's protection, quietly waiting for the Tartars to withdraw.

This was also the current state of the Central Plains cavalry at the time. Generally speaking, when Ming cavalry encountered Mongol cavalry or Qing cavalry, they would take shelter within the infantry and war-cart formations, forming defensive arrays on all sides in the open field. Only after the infantry had won the battle would they charge out to pursue; they rarely had the ability to fight them head-on.

Tactics such as infantry in the center with cavalry protecting the two flanks had become increasingly rare after the mid-Ming period. Cavalry units that could fight this way were all famous elite forces. Although the Datong Army's infantry combat strength had improved, its cavalry's combat effectiveness had not been raised.

Although the Guanning cavalry and others had this capability, their commanders were reluctant to spend such capital.

That day, the Datong Army suffered a setback. Although casualties were few, their marching capability had already been suppressed.

On the sixth and seventh days, the Datong Army all encountered sieges by large bands of Mongol cavalry. On the eighth day, another great mass of Mongol cavalry gathered on all sides, eyeing them menacingly, their numbers likely four or five thousand. Unwilling to be entangled like this, Wang Pu ordered his main battalion to engage, only to find...

"Detestable Tartars! Detestable Crow Troops Scattered Stars Formation!"

Wang Pu shouted curses at the top of his voice.

The scene before his eyes infuriated him beyond measure. He saw band after band of Tartar cavalry sweep past his own cavalry. They galloped in groups, and every time bowstrings twanged, arrows came "shooting" like raindrops, interspersed with some throwing axes, iron maces, and other weapons.

These Tartars had superb riding skills, performing all sorts of inconceivable maneuvers on horseback. Even on a bumping horse, each one had remarkably good aim. In terms of mounted "archery" ability, how could the Datong Army cavalry compare to these steppe cavalry? His own cavalry were constantly hit by arrows, while they "shot" very few of the enemy's men or horses.

Possibly having learned from the Manchu Tartars, their arrows increasingly used those types with extremely strong armor-piercing and blood-letting capabilities. The arrowheads were all large and heavy, with three-edged blood grooves. Fortunately, the officers and soldiers of the main battalion had excellent armor, which effectively reduced casualties.

As the two sides fought on, many also dismounted to fight, "shooting" arrows at each other or clashing in melee.

In "shooting" arrows from the ground, his own side was likewise no match for the precision and viciousness of these Tartars. Only when they closed in melee did they fare better, but such opportunities were few. Looking at the cavalry battle overall, although his own side was not being completely routed, they were clearly at a disadvantage.

Wang Pu was burning with anxiety. Although in recent years he had placed increasing importance on the infantry, deep down, the cavalry of the main battalion were the darlings of his heart. Seeing the mounting losses, how could he not feel heartache?

He ordered the infantry to support, but as soon as the infantry moved, the Tartar cavalry swiftly charged from both flanks, even circling around to the rear. Wang Pu could only order the infantry to halt, form defensive formations on the spot, and finally, helplessly, sounded the gongs to withdraw the troops, calling the cavalry battalion back and having the infantry protect them on all sides.

This battle, which Wang Pu had fought with mustered courage, had obviously ended in failure again. The cavalry suffered over two hundred casualties and lost more than a hundred warhorses, causing him an unspeakable ache in his heart. If this attrition happened a few more times, wouldn't his cavalry be finished? He was absolutely unwilling to let the main battalion engage again.

The Datong Army formed a tight defensive array on all sides, the entire army shrinking turtle-like within the formation. Inside, besides the cavalry, there were also numerous civilian laborers transporting baggage, standing there in fear and trepidation. From their initial elation to their current inner terror, the change in their state of mind had taken only a few short days.

Ah, the Tartars are indeed fierce. It seems this expedition beyond the frontier was a mistake.

After the Datong Army formed its array, the several thousand Mongol cavalry did not attack again. They also knew that the Ming army before them was not what it used to be; each man carried the sharp Xuanzhen bird guns that could pierce heavy armor at a hundred paces, so of course they would not rashly charge in to their deaths.

However, according to their prearranged plan, entangling the Datong Army, the Jingbian Army, and the others on the road was itself a victory. It would be best if a one-month journey took them a year or half a year; that way, they would withdraw on their own before even reaching Guihua City.

Best of all, when they had marched more than half the distance, their provisions would run out and be difficult to resupply, which might cause their entire army to be annihilated.

Thereafter, the two sides stared at each other across the battle formation, neither fighting again. But that did not mean the Tartars on all sides remained still.

There were still some small bands of Mongol cavalry galloping around the formation, shrieking weirdly, and sometimes charging up to "shoot" a few arrows, putting pressure on the Datong Army inside the formation while trying to lure them into firing their guns. Meanwhile, the large mass of cavalry watched menacingly from the rear, ready to move at any moment.

Bearing the lingering prestige of their victory, these Tartar cavalry, with their bared fangs and brandished claws, were still quite terrifying. Being stared at by their venomous, inhuman eyes seemed enough to make one's skin crawl all over.

However, the Datong Army's new battalions had been tempered, especially since many of them had gone through the bloody battle of Jinzhou and had excellent psychological fortitude. Apart from a few who could not resist the provocation and fired a few shots, most of the gunmen held their guns and stood ready in strict formation, giving the Tartars on all sides no opening to exploit.

Seeming to sense that this Ming army was out of the ordinary, after the two sides had been locked in a standoff for half a shichen, whistles sounded from all around, and amid roaring shouts, the several thousand Mongol cavalry besieging the formation scattered and fled, vanishing into the hills and thickets in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the Tartars withdraw, Wang Pu regained his composure, but his "expression" was very grim and his mood extremely foul. He summoned the officers of each battalion and let loose a torrent of abuse: "A bunch of good-for-nothings, a pack of useless trash! What the hell is wrong with you... To think that I, Wang Pu, have swept across north and south, campaigned everywhere, gone through life and death, and even made the Tartar caitiffs tremble at the mere rumor of me by the Nüer River — how did the fighting turn out like this now... You've utterly disgraced the mighty name of my Datong Army!"

The officers hung their heads, not daring to make a sound in the face of Wang Pu's spittle. They knew the general was in a bad mood. In the past, within the Datong Army, Wang Pu had always been smiling and amiable; this thunderous fury now clearly showed he was extremely enraged.

Their silence did not mean Wang Pu would let them off. His gaze fell upon the face of his personal officer Wang Zheng, and he shouted: "Colonel, have you nothing to say?"

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