Chapter 803: Cover

Han Kaijiao entered the low wall. His gaze swept around the area, and he nodded, clearly satisfied with the defenses inside the low wall. Then he looked toward the tableland opposite, his expression turning grave.

The New Army Company Commander Yang stood to his right. Watching the dense mass of people opposite, his fists slowly clenched, loosened, clenched, and loosened again. Finally, he said resolutely, "Though the bandit rabble is numerous, today we shall still win a great victory!"

Mobile Corps Commander Gao of the garrison troops, standing to Han Kaijiao's left, grunted in acknowledgment. His expression was equally resolute, but the hand resting on the low wall could not help trembling slightly.

The sea-like mass of the Chuang Camp's main force drew closer and closer to the tableland ditch. A thunderous roar erupted, and thick smoke rolled across the tableland. The cannons on this side opened fire again, and plumes of dust shot up from the tableland opposite, mixed with clods of earth and misted blood.

However, the two ends of the tableland ditch opposite Jiawu were quite far apart, the distance exceeding two li, beyond the reach of cannon fire. The bandits calmly marshaled their troops on the tableland surface opposite, then, amid a hubbub of noise, streamed continuously down into the road below and onto the terrace platforms on either side of the road.

Both the road and the terrace surfaces had been widened, and their movement appeared very swift. Han Kaijiao watched closely. He saw the bandits deploy ten battle formations on the terrace surfaces. These formations began from the mid-slope, five on each side of the road, each formation numbering roughly a thousand men.

Han Kaijiao raised his telescope for a closer look. On each terrace surface, there were both bandit infantry and famine refugees, with the infantry seemingly more numerous. Moreover, at least half of the infantry were archers and firearms troops, the remainder being sword-and-shield men and some cold-weapon troops. Some of them also appeared to be clutching iron hooks or similar implements.

Most of those famine refugees were carrying earth sacks, and some were carrying short ladders and wooden planks. Most of them had no weapons in their hands.

Clearly, the bandits had learned their lesson, committing more long-range strength to suppress their own side's firepower, then using the famine refugees as human shields, with sword-and-shield men pressing the formation and watching for an opportunity to break through.

Han Kaijiao observed that the two lowest formations were denser in numbers and contained even more archers and firearms troops, evidently to prevent their own side from chasing their routed soldiers up onto the tableland after a defeat.

Han Kaijiao abruptly lowered his telescope. "These bandits have not come with good intentions. Our tactics need adjustment. Await my orders shortly. If the bandits use famine refugees as shields, then use archers to fire in volleys. When the bandit infantry charges up, use matchlock volleys, and use rockets to blanket the enemy archers. If the bandit infantry charges close and the matchlocks lose effectiveness, use three-eyed guns to blast them, and finally use the 'Ten Thousand Enemies' grenades."

Company Commander Yang and Mobile Corps Commander Gao could not see as clearly as Han Kaijiao, but they could vaguely make out some of the deployments opposite. Hearing Han Kaijiao speak thus, they hurriedly passed his words down the line.

The mass of people opposite grew denser and denser. After another quarter-hour, the sound of horns and drums suddenly came from the tableland opposite. The world seemed to fall silent for a moment, then a great clamor arose. The bandits on one terrace surface began to leave their position, descending via the road between the tablelands. The bandits in the remaining nine formations still did not move.

Han Kaijiao peered through his telescope. This wave of bandits was estimated to be around a thousand men, with bandit infantry at both ends and the famine refugees sandwiched in the middle. They were relatively silent as they came down the road, unlike the earth-shaking roars of the day before, but the pressure they exerted was no less.

He shifted his gaze elsewhere. Besides the bandits opposite Jiawu, amid the repeated blasts of horns and drums, bandits continuously streamed down from the terrace surfaces on the tableland slopes everywhere. Even though they had compressed their forces, the surging tide of people rolling down still made one gasp at the sight.

He looked back at the opposite side. That wave of bandits was still coming down the mountain path. Because the road had been widened and leveled, their speed was somewhat faster, and their marching column was also thicker and sturdier.

Through the telescope, the clothing and armor of these men were yellow; they were still troops from the bandits' Rear Camp. Most wore red-tasseled felt hats and short yellow cloth surcoats over their armor. The surcoats bore unit designations. At the rear of the column was a Battalion Commander's banner, equivalent to a Company Commander in the Ming army. It seemed the bandits had indeed invested real capital in today's attack.

Soon they descended to the bottom of the distant gully, and then, amid dust and the sound of footsteps, they crossed the gully one by one.

To their surprise, they no longer charged straight up. Instead, they hunched their backs and crept forward stealthily, carefully using the uneven earthen cliffs and small slopes at various heights on the incline to shield themselves. Moreover, they stopped about seventy paces from the low wall, crouched down, and spread out along the small paths toward the slopes on both sides.

As more men came up, more of them spread out to the sides. Some of them, using the terrain for cover, continued to creep forward, hunched over, from the slope toward the second stepped low wall over a hundred paces behind the first low wall, similarly stopping sixty or seventy paces away from it.

Han Kaijiao watched their movements. The bandits had indeed grown much cleverer. In truth, the Chuang Camp had fought battles year-round; strategically it was hard to say, but in tactical awareness they indeed possessed unique insights.

The defenders leaned behind the low wall, watching the bandits covering the slope below, nervously awaiting orders from their superior officers.

Han Kaijiao watched as the bandit soldiers a few dozen paces away continuously shouted and deployed. After numerous infantry had dispersed to various points on the slope, some famine refugees carrying earth sacks were pushed forward from the rear of the road.

These famine refugees were full of tension. Behind them followed some supervising sword-and-shield men. These sword-and-shield men drove them forward while roaring something. They also seemed to be making some promises, such as that those who fought to the death without fleeing would, if they survived, be able to become infantry just like them.

Those famine refugees were stirred up, and with no way to retreat, each of their faces twisted into a ferocious snarl. Han Kaijiao sighed inwardly. They were originally ordinary common folk; what a pity they had been coerced by the bandits.

He said, "Everyone take note, archers prepare!"

"Archers prepare!"

Mobile Corps Commander Gao hurriedly passed his words down.

Behind the first low wall were over fifty garrison archers and over a hundred rocket troops. Immediately, fifty archers and rocket troops stepped forward. The archers nocked arrows onto their bows, while the rocket troops lit the match cords tied to the front prongs of their trident-stocks and also took rockets from their quivers, fitting them between the prongs of the trident-stocks.

The bandits below also seemed to have finished their deployment. Suddenly, they let out a shout, and a group of famine refugees charged straight up from the road. Carrying earth sacks and organized by squad, they charged up one squad after another, howling as they rushed directly toward the trench in front of the low wall.

Watching these lowest-grade hunger soldiers charge straight up dumbly, Han Kaijiao shook his head. He said in a deep voice, "Prepare..."

The archers on the first tier slowly drew their bows, the bow arms creaking and groaning. The rocket troops also aimed at the enemy, slowly pulling the arrow shafts backward, the trident-stocks slowly shifting forward, the fuses drawing ever closer to the match cords.

Those famine refugees still charged forward screaming wildly. Very soon, they had rushed within forty paces.

"Loose!"

With a vibration of bowstrings and the shriek of rockets, over twenty famine refugees pitched forward onto the ground. Some rolled directly down the slope.

The first tier of archers withdrew, and the second tier stepped forward.

"Loose!"

Nearly thirty more famine refugees let out miserable howls. One famine refugee was shot in the face; he clutched his face and screamed loudly.

The third tier of archers and rocket troops launched another volley. More famine refugees tumbled onto the road. On the slope, amid the ear-splitting shrieks tearing through the air, one hunger soldier was blasted flying by a rocket trailing a track of smoke and sparks. He flew two meters through the air, then rolled all the way down the slope.

Rockets, aside from a slightly inferior rate of fire and somewhat unsatisfactory accuracy, had no other flaws, especially not requiring several years of training like archers did.

If the propellant force of the gunpowder was strong, the power went without saying.

"Archers, fire at will..."

Suddenly, a shout came from below. Dense ranks of bandit archers on the slope stood up. Those in front fired directly, those behind fired in arcs. With the thrum of bowstrings, a volley of arrows came shrieking over.

Muffled groans rang out. Some defenders behind the low wall were wounded. Although that side was somewhat distant from here and the bandits rarely had strong bows, the armor-wearing rate of the hinterland government troops was not high, especially the rate of iron armor. The enemy's arrows, whether direct or arcing fire, posed a considerable threat to them.

The bandits rapidly fired several volleys. Under the downpour of arrow feathers, the firing frequency of the archers and rocket troops behind the low wall greatly diminished. Those hunger soldiers carrying short ladders and wooden planks seized the opportunity to advance. Some bandit sword-and-shield men also followed behind the hunger soldiers, raising their shields and beginning to close in.

"Take cover! Large rockets, suppress their archers! Matchlock men, prepare!"

Han Kaijiao swatted away an arrow falling toward his head and shouted his orders. He saw that the garrison troops behind the low wall were somewhat panicked. The New Army troops, however, were still relatively composed; even if someone was hit by an arrow, they clenched their teeth and did not make a sound.

Some medics and their assistants appeared, carrying and supporting the wounded away for treatment. Those New Army matchlock men, following orders, began to rest their matchlocks on top of the low wall.

Relying on the human shields of the famine refugees in front and the cover of the archers behind, more and more bandit sword-and-shield men pressed forward, hacking down those famine refugees who tried to flee before throwing their earth sacks into the trench.

Their archers also rose from the slope and began to approach for cover, continuously shooting arrows at the low wall. The air above the slope was filled with shrieks that tore through the air.

Amid the flying arrows, a series of dazzling flames suddenly erupted atop the low wall. Great billows of thick white smoke rose. With a shrieking sound, sharp arrows trailing tracks of smoke and sparks screamed out from behind the low wall. They howled through the air, dragging long white tails, and came crashing down upon the bandit archers on the slope.

It was the defenders behind the low wall who had ignited large rockets like "Nest of Bees" and "Fire Dragon Arrows." Each of these rockets fired thirty rounds at once. Even though the bandit archers below outnumbered the defenders several times, the defenders behind the low wall had only ignited ten tubes of rockets, and the situation was instantly reversed.

The wailing shrieks did not cease. The defenders behind the low wall immediately followed up by launching two more volleys of rockets. One after another, the rockets bored out of their tubes, carrying flames and trailing light smoke, continuously streaking across the sky. The white smoke visible to the naked eye quickly covered this section of the low wall.

In just a brief moment, they had launched over a thousand arrows. Although not direct fire, propelled by gunpowder, these rockets still possessed the arcing power equivalent to heavy arrows from strong bows. The dense volley of arrows fell like rain. The bandit archers on the slope screamed in agony; from time to time, someone was hit and rolled down the slope.

Seeing the bandit archers instantly suppressed, Han Kaijiao nodded to himself. The rockets' power was not bad, especially their area coverage was very good. It was just a pity that the arrows were not easy to manufacture and consumed far too much. Although there were still quite a few rockets on the defense line, the battle would not end in a day or two; they had to use them sparingly.

The bandit archers were thrown into chaos. However, seizing that earlier opportunity, the hunger soldiers carrying short ladders and wooden planks, along with the infantry following behind, had already closed in. Also, because of the earlier suppression by the bandit archers, quite a few famine refugees had rushed up to the low wall and thrown the earth sacks they carried into the trench one after another.

"Matchlock men, prepare!"

Han Kaijiao paid little mind to these famine refugees. He only watched those hunger soldiers carrying short ladders and wooden planks, and the infantry following behind them. Some arrows from the earlier rocket barrage had also fallen toward them, but these bandit soldiers were all holding up shields, and the rockets had not posed a threat to them.

"Prepare!"

Seeing those hunger soldiers and infantry getting closer and closer, suddenly they let out a shout and charged forward screaming wildly. Han Kaijiao barked sharply, "Loose!"

The arquebusiers behind the low wall fired a fierce volley, surging smoke and gunpowder spraying from the muzzles… (~^~)