Chapter 875: Rocket Battalion

With a bang, thick white smoke erupted from the muzzle, and fifty paces away a Bordered White Banner picket rider tumbled off his horse — he had been shot right through the forehead. As he hit the ground, white brain matter mixed with fresh blood streamed out; he was dead beyond dead.

Following that gunshot, the flames and dense smoke of carbine fire blazed without pause. The Tartar Bordered White Banner picket riders across the way screamed as one after another was struck and rolled from the saddle. One warhorse also took a bullet; it shrieked, reared up its front hooves, threw its rider, and bolted frantically to the side.

Some thirty-odd Night Scouts of the Sharp Scout Battalion sat on horseback, all in gray felt hats and gray knee-length surcoats over fine mail armor inside. Carbines in hand, they formed five ranks and fired volleys at the advancing Manchu Bordered White Banner picket riders.

After the front rank finished firing, they laid their carbines across their saddles and scattered to both flanks. At the same time, some drew sabers, others drew handguns, preparing to envelop the Tartar picket riders from both wings.

But it seemed that was no longer necessary. Of the fifty-odd Tartar picket riders across the way, after one volley from these thirty-odd Sharp Scout Battalion Night Scouts, twenty-five had fallen. In particular, the last two ranks, staggered front and back, fired together from horseback — thirteen of them hit as many as ten Tartar picket riders.

So out of fifty-some Tartar picket riders, after one round of fire from the Sharp Scout Battalion brothers, casualties instantly approached half — and this at over fifty paces. How could they keep fighting?

The remaining Manchu Bordered White Banner picket riders shouted, turned their horses, and fled, with the thirty-odd Sharp Scout Battalion Night Scouts thundering in pursuit.

"With these carbines, the brothers' scout skirmishing has gotten much easier."

On Mount Shenling, a hundred-some paces from the battlefield, Xie Yike sat on horseback at the summit. The fighting over there was vividly clear before his eyes; watching it so closely, he could not help but speak with emotion.

"Our Sharp Scout Battalion brothers were already fierce to begin with. Add these deadly carbines, and it's like adding wings to a tiger."

Long Er beside him said happily.

"Actor's marksmanship is getting more and more refined."

The one who spoke, however, was Erya.

After Zhong Susu invented the carbine, it quickly spread throughout the army, and she became a famously wealthy woman. Compared to the horse carbines used by armed escorts, the carbines in the Jingbian Army were more refined, with an effective range of sixty paces. The stocks were finely crafted wood, and even the butt plates and barrel bands were made of brass.

The tactics adapted from the armed escorts proved even more formidable; the layered volley fire just now was only a small test.

Of course, that was for open battle. For covert scouting, the battalion's strong bows and powerful crossbows were still indispensable.

At this time, Xie Yike was still the commander of the Sharp Scout Battalion, but many familiar faces around him had changed. Brothers who had fought together back then — Hu Ye, Qiang Ye, Bandeng, Ma Ziren, and others — had all risen step by step and gone to other battalions and armies to hold important posts.

Long Er, Yu Maoer, Qian Hai, Daya, Erya, Xizi, and others had been promoted, each becoming a backbone and key officer in the Sharp Scout Battalion.

The one who had just blown a Bordered White Banner Tartar's head off with one shot was Xizi. He had started out as a huadan in an opera troupe — lively, clever, handsome, and young — yet ruthless and a crack shot. Back then, in a fit of rage, he had killed a local bully who had taken a fancy to his "beauty" and the troupe master who aided him, and by chance became a Night Scout. Now he was a capable officer under Xie Yike.

Watching him lead troops in pursuit, with Tartar picket riders constantly falling from their saddles amid the crack of handguns, Daya said, "Master Xie, the Tartar picket riders spying on us are growing more and more numerous. Pretending we don't know the Tartars have reached Shunyi is no longer possible. What comes next? We await Master Xie's instructions."

Xie Yike stroked his carefully tended small mustache and said, "Hmm, the Tartars probing Changping are indeed increasing. From sneaking around before to openly and brazenly now. We used to pretend our attention was all on the roving bandits — now that's truly impossible. The Grand General has also sent word: we are to throw more overt picket riders toward the slave bandits."

He ordered, "Send more than half the Night Scouts toward the Tartars. Let the brothers put on a show of 'I've spotted you, you're dead meat, and I'm sending even more men to watch you!'"

His subordinates roared their assent. Xie Yike sat on horseback, brimming with spirit. For so many years, he had been engaged in scouting work, and he loved this work passionately. Though the Sharp Scout Battalion had few men, he was willing to lead the Night Scout brothers.

Once, the Grand General had asked if he would like to be the commander of an entire army, leading one of the future armies to be formed, but he refused. The Sharp Scout Battalion, licking blood from the blade and full of passion, was his true love.

"This is where I belong."

Xie Yike thought. He turned his head to look down the mountain. Ant-like crowds were busily laboring — soldiers and also local commoners from Changping. They were digging trenches and building breastworks along the foot of Mount Shenling and also at the foot of Mount Tang, five li to the southeast.

The breastworks were made from the earth dug out of the trenches, stretching very long — north to Mount Jundou, south to the banks of the Shahe, a full twenty li in length.

Pontoon bridges had also been built over the Shahe, allowing troops on both sides to cross the river quickly and at ease.

This defensive line closely resembled the Julu defense line of that year. Gaps were left at intervals in the earthen walls for placing small cannons or for the troops behind the walls to sally forth. In front of the earthen walls, several trenches had been dug, and the excavated earth was piled into low walls about half a man's height, to guard against possible Tartar cavalry charges and their shielded carts.

The trench directly in front of the breastworks, in particular, was both wide and deep, and wider at the top than at the bottom, resembling a "V" shape. Once a man or horse fell in, there was no climbing out — exceedingly vicious.

Their defensive line also had three main strongpoints: Mount Shenling, Mount Tang, and Mount Baifu, about five li behind Mount Shenling.

Mount Shenling and Mount Tang formed the first line of defense. The breastworks snaked down from the north, passed by their foothills, and then wound south to the banks of the Shahe. Large numbers of cannons and rockets were emplaced on both Mount Shenling and Mount Tang, to strike attacking Tartar soldiers from commanding heights.

They had the advantage of terrain, and the artillerymen were screened by the breastwork troops in front, so they faced no danger and could fire at leisure.

Mount Shenling and Mount Tang were not far apart; they could support each other while also forming a fierce crossfire.

The second line of defense was Mount Baifu, several li behind. The low walls and trenches were no different from the first line. This area was mainly for reserve forces and for worst-case scenarios. In Jingbian Army operations, every aspect was considered thoroughly, and the worst possible outcome was always taken into account.

Dense crowds of soldiers and civilians were building the fortifications, digging furiously with spades and hoes. Though the project was vast, the Logistics Battalion had many mathematical talents and sound planning, and with many hands making light work, by today, the eighteenth day of the fourth month, the three-dimensional defensive works code-named the "Mount Shenling Defense Line" were basically complete.

Still, the enormous crowd continued to labor, digging every trench wider and deeper. In any case, the Tartars had not arrived yet, and since they were idle anyway, they might as well make the fortifications even better.

…

Logistics Battalion commander Sun Sanjie rode along the defense line on inspection, followed by battalion officers Tian Wenliang, Ma Gui, Zhang Wenjian, Zhang Rengang, Wang Mingzun, and others. Just then, several sturdy oxen hauling heavy cannons passed by him, slowly making their way up Mount Tang.

Besides the gunners, numerous soldiers surrounded each cannon, shouting work chants as they pushed and pulled together, dragging five heavy red-barbarian cannons one by one to the summit.

These cannons were all extremely heavy, for they were all heavy guns firing shot of ten jin or more. Fortunately, Mount Tang had a gentle slope and was not high, and with so many people helping, the several heavy red-barbarian cannons were hauled up one after another. The remaining ordinary red-barbarian cannons were much easier.

Sun Sanjie watched happily from the side, the rugged tumor on his forehead glowing red from excitement.

Because it concerned their rear line, Wang Dou and everyone on the staff placed great importance on the Mount Shenling Defense Line. They deployed ten heavy red-barbarian cannons here, plus twenty ordinary red-barbarian cannons, twenty heavy mortars, one hundred crouching-tiger cannons, and fifty medium and small Frankish cannons.

The Jingbian Army now had a total of four hundred thirty red-barbarian cannons, of which eighty were heavy red-barbarian cannons that fired shot of ten jin and above, with a maximum range of five li. However, to improve accuracy, it was best to open fire at around three or four li.

The remaining three hundred fifty ordinary red-barbarian cannons mostly fired shot of three or five jin, with a range of two or three li, best fired at one and a half to two li.

Then there were one hundred heavy mortars, one hundred grand-general Frankish cannons, and five hundred medium and small Frankish cannons. Among these, the heavy mortars fired twenty-jin shot, with a maximum range also of five li, and were also best fired at three or four li.

The grand-general Frankish cannons had a maximum range of one li, and the medium and small cannons one to two hundred paces.

Deploying so many cannons on the Mount Shenling Defense Line showed how much importance the Jingbian Army attached to it.

And these cannons — the red-barbarian cannons and the mortars — were emplaced separately on Mount Tang and Mount Shenling, to strike the enemy from commanding heights.

And rockets…

Some covered wagons arrived, and the rocket operators accompanying them carried out semi-circular rocket launch troughs with bipods. Although these semi-circular troughs were made of hardwood, three chi long, with thick iron-clad backplates at the rear, they were actually not heavy — only thirty or forty jin — and one man could carry one and walk off.

At the same time, many porters took rockets one by one from the covered wagons behind and carried them up the mountain.

These rockets were about three chi long, slender-bodied, with pointed heads, slightly smaller than the launch troughs. The tail had three angled stabilizing spiral plates, so that after launch they would spin as they advanced, giving them fairly high accuracy, quite similar to later-generation guided missiles and mortar shells.

Of course, later-generation guided missiles and mortar shells had tail fins for stabilizing flight attitude and generally did not spin.

The Jingbian Army's rocket concept came from the Hale rocket, with angled spiral plates at the tail, the principle similar to a bullet spinning at high speed out of a barrel. The Great Ming's divine-fire flying-crow was closer in principle to guided missiles and mortar shells, but because bamboo and wood were too light and it had only two fins, it was very hard to stabilize after launch.

Sun Sanjie gazed greedily at these rockets. Every Jingbian Army officer paid very high attention to rockets. Learning that the staff would deploy rockets on the Mount Shenling Defense Line, Sun Sanjie was overjoyed. The regret was that only light rockets were set up here, and only ten launchers — one full company's worth of rocket troops — were assigned to the two hills.

Zhao Xuan's cannon battalion had become the Arrow-Cannon Battalion. Besides ten battalions of cannon troops, there were also ten battalions of rocket troops — four heavy rocket battalions and six light rocket battalions.

Their organization and pay were higher than the cannon battalions. In a light rocket battalion, ten launchers formed a company, five launchers a squad. Each rocket launcher was crewed by four men: one served as rocket chief, enjoying squad-leader pay; two were porters; and one was the igniter.

Each company had one observation officer and two observers, all equipped with artillery scopes, and all enjoying the pay of a squad commander or vice squad commander.

One battalion had one hundred rocket launchers, divided into two sections. Counting officers, logistics guards, and others, one battalion had six hundred men.

Then the light rocket battalions numbered six battalions, with a total of six hundred rocket launchers and three thousand six hundred soldiers.

For the heavy rocket battalions, five launchers formed one section; each launcher had seven men — one to direct, five to carry, and one to ignite. Each section was assigned one observation officer and two observers, all equipped with artillery scopes. One battalion had twenty heavy rocket launchers, divided into two divisions. Counting officers and logistics guards, one battalion had three hundred men.

Then the heavy rocket battalions numbered four battalions, with a total of eighty rocket launchers and one thousand two hundred soldiers.

The ten light and heavy rocket battalions together amounted to four thousand eight hundred men, among whom were a great many mathematical elites and artillery talents.

The establishment of the rocket and cannon battalions also marked the Jingbian Army's advance toward a high technical threshold.