Chapter 782: Collapse

A vast torrent of cavalry spread across the wilderness. Ahead lay the broad Shahe River, but they did not pause, spurring their horses straight into the water. A great splashing roar rose up. They gained the far bank and continued their gallop across the plain, carrying with them a surging, murderous intent.

These raider cavalry numbered about five thousand. Those at the front used yellow banners, and the soldiers mostly wore yellow cotton armor. Those at the rear used white banners, and the soldiers mostly wore blue cotton armor. They were, respectively, the banners and armor of the Rear Battalion and the Personal Battalion.

After Li Zicheng established his regime in Xiangyang, he gained control of several prefectures in Henan and Huguang, many of them the prosperous regions of Huguang. With increased wealth and supplies, his banners and uniforms became more standardized. At the very least, the banners and armor of the core five battalions could be guaranteed.

After the standardization, each battalion's banners and armor followed its own color. However, due to the Five Cycles theory, Li Zicheng claimed the virtue of Water for his rule, so clothing favored blue, and local officials' robes and hats all used blue. The Personal Battalion represented the absolute core of the raider army, so although its banners used white and its great standard used black, its clothing and armor followed the blue.

At the very forefront of this torrent were a yellow great standard and a black great standard. On the standards were written the characters "Li" and "Yang." Beneath the flags were two commanders: one young and fierce, the other dignified and imposing, with a somber expression.

Neither man was yet thirty. They were Li Guo, General of the Rear Battalion, and Yang Shaofan, who after surrendering to the raiders had been appointed Left Martial General of the Central Battalion.

After the defeats of Cao and Wang, and the great Ming defeat at Zhuxianzhen, the raider army had recruited roughly three thousand new troops from the surrendered camps. On this foundation, Li Chuang established a massive arquebusier battalion, numbering about five thousand soldiers in total. They uniformly used the sharp Eastern Road arquebuses captured as spoils, were placed under Yang Shaofan's command, and drilled frequently in Xiangyang.

This arquebusier battalion was under the direct jurisdiction of the Personal Battalion. Li Chuang placed high hopes on this force. Not only did the soldiers enjoy the same treatment as the veteran camps, but each man was also issued a horse, giving them considerable mobility.

This time, Li Guo and Yang Shaofan had traveled a thousand li from Xiangyang to Suizhou to exterminate the Little Yuan Camp and, incidentally, to incorporate Yuan Shizhong's forces.

Li Zicheng had long been displeased with Yuan Shizhong. After he had violently eliminated Luo Rucai and the men of the Ge and Left Five Camps, he sent a call to arms to Yuan Shizhong, inviting him south for joint operations. Yet Yuan Shizhong not only ignored him, but also, while Li's main force was far away in Huguang, flirted with the government, showing clear intentions of accepting amnesty.

After Li sent the Fugou licentiate Liu Zongwen to remonstrate with him, Yuan killed Liu Zongwen and even attacked Li's subordinates several times, sending captives to Kaifeng Prefecture to present as trophies. That smug, self-satisfied look — did he think that because Li was far away in Huguang, his whip could not reach, and there was nothing he could do?

Now, after the great victory at Zhuxianzhen, the raider army had recruited numerous mounted and foot soldiers, and had also absorbed the troops of the Ge and Left Camps. Sweeping all before them in Huguang, stockpiling grain and troops, they already possessed a formidable force of sixty thousand cavalry and nearly three hundred thousand infantry.

With such power in his hands, how could Li Zicheng tolerate Yuan Shizhong's face-slapping provocations? He decided to act. He dispatched part of the Rear Battalion's forces, intending to smash the Little Yuan Camp in one blow, capture the traitor Yuan Shizhong, and execute him to vent the hatred in his heart.

To increase the odds of victory, besides these three thousand elite cavalry, he also sent Yang Shaofan, commander of the Personal Battalion's arquebusier battalion, leading two thousand arquebusiers to accompany Li Guo in battle.

Their five thousand cavalry came from Xiangyang, galloping all the way. Now they were not far from Suizhou.

Not long after crossing the Shahe River, Li Guo ordered a brief rest. He looked at the sky and said, "Two hundred li remain to Suizhou. If we press on, we can arrive tomorrow... That old thief Yuan has no precautions whatsoever. We can certainly catch him off guard and break him in one stroke."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. Though young, Li Guo was a veteran of a hundred battles, nicknamed "One Tiger," and was extremely fierce. He then glanced at Yang Shaofan and asked with concern, "Brother Yang, is your arquebusier battalion alright? With this kind of long-distance forced march, can the brothers of the arquebusier battalion hold up?"

Yang Shaofan looked at him and smiled faintly. "No problem. They all ride good horses. They may not be suited for charging formations, but for traveling, there's no issue."

Li Guo said excitedly, "Good. We rest for a quarter-hour, then continue the march."

At the hour of Si the next morning, Old Hu was sleeping soundly and comfortably when he was suddenly and forcefully awakened by Kong San, who had rushed in: "Get up, quick! The Old Boss has sounded the drums. It seems something big has happened."

"What's the matter?"

Old Hu asked blearily, turning over to continue sleeping. Yuan Shizhong had been too enthusiastic the previous night, and he himself had been appointed one of the fifteen Great Bosses of the Little Yuan Camp. In a moment of joy, he had drunk a few extra cups and still felt groggy.

His troops had also been assigned to a spot near Little Yang Village outside the East Gate, close to a river, making water convenient. It was only the second day since they had joined. What could be the matter? Did they have to march somewhere and fight some bandit camp? Old Hu, still muddled, wanted to keep sleeping.

"Seems like some scout report came in. A large force is heading toward Suizhou, aggressive and ill-intentioned. They've already crossed the Huiji River and aren't far from the Kang River. Yuan Shizhong urgently sent his personal attendants, telling us to pull all our troops to the Kang River bank..."

"What?"

Old Hu was shocked. His sleepiness vanished instantly. He hadn't expected that just as they arrived, troops would come attacking... Well, if he performed meritoriously in this battle, his ranking within the Little Yuan Camp could be raised.

He scrambled up at once and bellowed, "Muster the troops immediately! All of you, follow Master Hu into battle!"

Kong San had always been strict about drilling the troops. The Mountain Patrol Army had risen early to drill. Only those newly surrendered men from the Shoot-through-Heaven faction were still somewhat lazy, but overall, the assembly was fairly quick. Soon, two thousand troops, led by Old Hu and Kong San, hurried toward the Kang River.

Along the way, they saw chaotic streams of troops converging from all directions toward the Kang River. They were all cursing and swearing, their formations nonexistent. Many were yawning and asking each other what was going on.

Clearly, the various Great Bosses had received the Old Boss's sudden order and were all completely baffled, not knowing what had happened.

When they reached the South Pass area, the gathering troops were even more numerous, flowing in continuously from all sides. Men shouted, horses neighed, and there were only cries to form ranks. At this moment, Old Hu also saw Yuan Shizhong, who looked utterly furious. Seeing Old Hu, he nodded and cursed, "You bastards, all of you follow us."

More and more Great Bosses arrived. A rough, burly man asked the question — it was the Seventh Boss, one of Yuan Shizhong's trusted confidants. He said, "Master Yuan, what's happened? Why summon our troops so urgently?"

Yuan Shizhong said hatefully, "The raider bandits have sent troops. They want to destroy us."

These words made everyone's faces change. Even Old Hu felt a chill in his heart. Li Zicheng was a colossus in their minds. Fortunately, Yuan Shizhong then added, "They haven't come with many men, only four or five thousand. We're not afraid of them."

These roving bandits always had a keen natural talent for intelligence. Scouts were spread far and wide around the camp. Yuan Shizhong had suddenly received a scout's report and urgently beat the drums to summon troops and call the Great Bosses to battle.

The Great Bosses breathed a sigh of relief. Even Old Hu felt reassured. The Little Yuan Camp boasted a hundred thousand men. Li Chuang had only sent four or five thousand. There was truly no need to fear. At worst, they could just run farther after this battle. Li Chuang was far away in Huguang. What could he do to them?

Old Hu immediately shouted, "Those damned raider bandits! They dare come to Suizhou... Master Yuan, just give your orders. Old Hu here will follow whatever the Old Boss says."

Yuan Shizhong was very pleased: "Good. We share blessings and hardships together. Once we kill and rout these raider bandits, I certainly won't mistreat you brothers..."

They surged mightily toward the Kang River. Waves of cavalry galloped at the very front. Behind them came more and more "infantry" wielding wooden clubs, long spears, dung forks, and iron rakes. The tide of people grew larger and larger, and indeed, it looked quite formidable.

Before they even reached the Kang River, they saw dust rising to the sky on the horizon ahead. Then they saw a tide of cavalry spreading toward them. Finally, the hoofbeats sounded like thunder. The sheer force of that pounding against the ground made countless men on the Little Yuan Camp's side change color. They were cavalry too, but the gap between their own horse troops and the raider camp's horse troops...

Yuan Shizhong's expression flickered uncertainly, but he was a veteran of many battles. He made a prompt decision and said, "Every Boss, immediately send your camp's archers and firearms men to the riverbank! Hold every crossing point! So what if their cavalry is fierce?"

This suited everyone's intentions perfectly. The cavalry's ferocity lay in its charging power. If they used infantry to block them at the riverbank and wore down their strength and sharpness, what could their cavalry do, no matter how fierce?

At once, each Boss deployed his forces, sending the skilled archers under their command to the riverbank. The area around Old Guan Village, in particular, was the key defensive point. The river flowed gently there, the slopes on both banks were even gentler, and there was a stone bridge. If the raider troops crossed the river, they would certainly choose this spot.

As they had expected, behind the raider camp's main cavalry force, some scout riders galloped ahead first, racing along the opposite bank of the river at Old Guan Village. It seemed they too had chosen this place to cross.

In the eyes of Old Hu, Kong San, and the others, the raider camp cavalry on the opposite bank all displayed superb horsemanship, far superior to the Little Yuan Camp's men and even to their own elite troops. A head-on clash between the two cavalry forces would not end well for them.

Yuan Shizhong's use of infantry against cavalry, relying on the terrain, showed he truly knew how to fight.

As everyone watched and waited, the raider camp's troops finally galloped up to the opposite bank of the river near Old Guan Village. A mass of men and horses exhaled white mist, banners fluttered, and a chilling, murderous aura made all who saw it tremble with fear.

Seeing the defenses on this side, clearly intended to create a standoff across the river, they were in no hurry. Some of the men in blue armor dismounted and formed ranks. They were all arquebusiers. The Little Yuan Camp men watching were utterly dumbfounded. Since when did arquebusiers all have horses?

At this moment, on the Old Guan Village side, the archers, three-eyed gunners, arquebusiers, and other marksmen from the various Little Yuan Camp factions gathered by the river numbered over two thousand. Behind them were waves of spearmen and sword-and-shield men, intending to charge across the river later for hand-to-hand combat.

Further back were the cavalry forces of the various Little Yuan Camp factions, massed together. On both flanks further behind were chaotic mobs of famine refugees, vast in number. More and more people, having received word, were still hurrying over to join them.

Kong San had brought the Mountain Patrol Army's arquebusier and archer squads, who were also gathered among the marksmen. Their sword-and-shield men and spearmen were positioned not far behind their own marksmen. Kong San frowned as he watched the opposite bank. The raider camp arquebusiers assembling and forming ranks across the river gave him a strange, familiar feeling, as if he had seen something like it before.

Soon, he saw the raider arquebusiers on the opposite bank form into four neat ranks, each rank about five hundred men. At a single command, they immediately stepped to the beat of a drum, advancing with their arquebuses as if forming a moving wall.

That absolute discipline, that uniform precision, made one's blood run cold. Kong San was even more shocked. Since when did the raider bandits have such elite arquebusiers? And their arquebuses...

Just as a sense of foreboding struck him, the men of the Little Yuan Camp on this side were already stupefied. Many swallowed hard, gripping their weapons nervously. The Kang River was not wide, less than a hundred paces. This side was packed with a dense crowd, yet not a single person felt safe. Everyone was terrified.

Soon, the raider infantry on the opposite bank reached the water's edge. Seeing them approach in such orderly fashion, the men on this side could bear it no longer. Before any order came from the central command, a gunshot rang out — someone had fired prematurely.

Amid Yuan Shizhong's furious curses, the firearms erupted. The arquebusiers and three-eyed gunners on this side fired all their weapons in one frantic volley.

Amid the great cloud of white smoke, there was also the swishing sound of arrows. The archers on this side could not hold back either and loosed their arrows. Infected by them, even the Mountain Patrol Army's arquebusier and archer squads fired and shot with all their might, and even Kong San was powerless to stop them.

Finally, when everything on this side ceased and the gunpowder smoke cleared, they saw those raider arquebusiers still standing in neat formation on the opposite bank. Very few had fallen. The furious barrage from this side seemed to have had no effect on them at all.

Then Kong San heard a burst of sharp swan calls from the opposite bank, and he shouted sternly, "Get down!"

He threw himself violently off his horse's back, and immediately heard a deafening volley of musket fire from the opposite bank. Countless dense muzzle flashes blazed on that side, thick white smoke billowed up from the opposite bank, and among the crowd on this side, countless sprays of blood splashed up as a large wave of musketeers screamed and fell.

"Crack!"

An extremely short time later, sharp swan calls sounded again from the opposite bank, followed by another neat and fierce volley of musket fire. With the gunfire, another large swath on this side collapsed. Wails shook heaven and earth; the power of the Eastern Route firearms made their center and rear suffer unbearable agony.

Even the Mountain Patrol musketeers, caught completely off guard, had many men tumbling over, several of them falling right at Kong San's feet, their miserable shrieks and flowing blood even splattering onto Kong San's face.

"Get down!"

Another burst of sharp swan calls came from the opposite bank. Kong San lay prone on the ground, shouting himself hoarse.

Of the Mountain Patrol soldiers ahead of him, some lay down, while others screamed and could not help fleeing backward. Such ferocious firepower was something they had never heard of or encountered before; many, after the volleys from the opposite side, were shattered in a very short time.

Another deafening volley rang out. The third rank of musketeers pulled their triggers at the chaotic crowd swarming like headless flies on the opposite bank. Great plumes of gunpowder smoke spewed from their muzzles, and many more were struck down by the firelocks from this side as they fled.

Then, on that side, weeping and wailing shook the heavens. Countless men and horses of Little Yuan's camp fled rearward as if their nest had exploded, sweeping up the infantry and cavalry units behind them, who also retreated in chaos.

Watching the fleeing crowd on that side, the Chuang troops on this side, originally New Army musketeers, revealed cold, ruthless looks in their eyes. After surrendering to the roving bandits, many had lost the faith in their hearts and become violent and murderous.

Yang Shaofan stood behind the four ranks of musketeers, watching with an indifferent expression. Three volleys, and the collapse of Little Yuan's camp on the opposite bank was within his expectations. And those heads were also the capital for his meritorious service.

Li Guo saw the battle results ahead very clearly. He smiled and said to Left Guoyi General Zhang Neng beside him, "The musket battalion is indeed sharp. With these men and horses joining us, our righteous army is like a tiger that has grown wings!"

Zhang Neng laughed and said, "That may be true, but to expand the victory, we must ultimately rely on our cavalry!"

Li Guo chuckled, "Exactly!"

With a ringing clang, he drew his saber.

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