Chapter 193: Narrow Road

A burst of urgent drumbeats sounded in the distance, and the footsteps outside the door halted in place. Someone on the official road shouted loudly, the footsteps quickly departed, followed by the sounds of mounting horses.

Everyone inside the house breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Wu Dacai nearly collapsed, because the danger had not gone far — this ruin was right beside the official road, less than twenty paces from those roving bandits. He had just now let go of everything, ready to rush out, and now he had to be on tenterhooks again.

On the official road, men shouted and horses neighed. A burst of hoofbeats returned, and Wu Dacai's heart rose into his throat once more.

He turned and pressed against a crack in the wall. Through the gap he saw several horse legs, milling about. A few bandits had dismounted and were drawing their bows right there in the open. Further back, more mounted soldiers were dismounting. A big man in a red archery robe was loudly directing them.

"You lot stand here! Those who can shoot arrows, spread out to both sides — shoot those dog officials dead! A few of you, get up on that rooftop over there!"

A bugle call rang out on the official road. The man beneath the red banner, who looked to be a headman, was gesticulating wildly. The bandits further back all came to a halt. Up ahead, some of the horse soldiers were backing up. The official road was in considerable chaos.

The big man in the archery robe seemed unable to muster anyone. Cursing and swearing, he headed back toward the official road, leaving behind a few bow-armed horse soldiers. The horses, left unattended, grazed on grass nearby.

Wu Dacai knew that once that big man in the archery robe managed to muster men, he would extend his archers in this direction. Then there would be no hiding. This was only buying a little more time.

He turned his head to look outside the door. Yao Dongshan over there was gesturing frantically. Dong Mingyuan looked somewhat bewildered. He called over the squad leader from inside the house. The two of them crouched at the doorway and watched for a long while, but still did not understand.

Yao Dongshan was so anxious his forehead was drenched in sweat. His mouth was cursing and swearing, only without sound, but Wu Dacai knew from the shape of his mouth exactly what he was cursing — anyway, Yao Dongshan only had those few phrases on a normal day. Most likely he was cursing Dong Mingyuan for being stupid. Before Dong Mingyuan became a Garrison Inspector officer, he had been a frequent target of such scolding.

The bandits were right outside. The people in the two houses could see each other but dared not make a single sound. They could not figure out Yao Dongshan's intent. And there were two more houses behind, also with hidden troops inside, who could not even see Yao Dongshan. Wu Dacai could only guess that they were even more tense than he was.

At that moment, Yao Dongshan used his fingers to pick up three charred tree branches and laid them horizontally in front of him, forming a black character for "three." He bared his teeth at this side.

Dong Mingyuan and the squad leader exchanged a glance. Even Wu Dacai understood now. During tunnel pushing on normal days, they counted down from three before charging. Yao Dongshan meant to rush out and fight to the death.

Watching Dong Mingyuan nod toward that side, Wu Dacai was instead no longer afraid. Either way, death was coming. Knowing a bit sooner what kind of death it would be saved him the worry.

Dong Mingyuan turned around, crouch-walked back into the house, and, taking advantage of the noise on the official road, said in a low voice to the soldiers all around, "Prepare to rush out."

The dumb oaf asked blankly, "Once we're out, which way do we run?"

Dong Mingyuan was stunned by the question. Wai Lian, next to Wu Dacai, turned his head and cursed at the dumb oaf, "Run your mother! We go out and kill people."

Before anyone could say more, a thunderous boom rang out, shaking the area near and far around Beixia Pass.

The sound of neighing on the official road suddenly intensified. The riderless horses outside the ruin seemed startled as well; one horse galloped swiftly past the doorway.

……

Wang Zenglu, carrying a rattan shield, walked in the middle of the second row of sword-and-shield soldiers. As he advanced, he tilted his head back to look around.

A black shadow flashed past in the air to the left, soaring high over the bandits on the official road, and plunged headlong into a paddy field far ahead on the right, throwing up a huge sheet of white spray. Ripples surged across the water's surface. After the scattering droplets fell back, mud churned on the surface, and a wisp of white smoke drifted up.

Cries of alarm rose from the bandits up ahead. The main bandit force was over a li from the pass town. They had never imagined this tiny pass town could have a cannon of such power. Though the cannon's might was astonishing, its aim seemed lacking — and not by just a little.

The bandits on the official road had no banners to speak of, only various headmen shouting. The foremost scout cavalry had originally neared the market street, but upon seeing the government troops come out, they were now retreating backward. The bandit horse soldiers further back had been in disarray for a while. At this moment, some bandits wielding great blades, line spears, and great axes had dismounted, while some bow-armed ones had moved onto the field ridges on both sides.

The several foremost bandit scout cavalry paused briefly, quickly digesting the intimidating force of that cannon shot, and once again spurred their horses to charge toward the formation.

"No stopping! No retreating!"

Wang Zenglu shouted toward the front and rear. Ever since they had charged out of the market street, the bandit scout cavalry had approached repeatedly several times. In normal times, those mounted soldiers also drilled on the training ground and had rehearsed facing cavalry many times.

But when enemy riders truly came bearing down on them, Wang Zenglu also felt some alarm. Because armor was in short supply, all the sword-and-shield troops had no armor at all. He had little confidence in his heart and did not know whether they could withstand those riders. He could only keep shouting at the formation to bolster his own courage.

Seeing that the government troops' formation had not been frightened into collapse, those riders did not charge the formation directly. Instead, they stopped twenty paces away and kept loosing arrows at the formation with their cavalry bows.

All the sword-and-shield soldiers raised their rattan shields in front of them. Arrows struck the shields with dull thuds. Some arrows passed over their heads and fell toward the formation behind. A howl rang out from the rear.

Wang Zenglu had no time to worry about who was wounded. Behind him was the dense sound of footsteps. All the long spear soldiers of the Second Company were advancing with the sword-and-shield troops. His long spear soldiers had only eleven sets of chain mail. As they ran, the chain mail rustled and shook. They did not fear the light arrows shot from these cavalry bows, but those behind had no armor at all. If hit, they would at the very least be wounded.

Pang Yu wanted him to attack the official road directly, and the entire unit had to maintain speed. At a time like this, they had no ranged attack to use. The Central Army arrow squad behind could only shoot when halted, while the bandit horse soldiers could shoot arrows even as they retreated. The garrison battalion was taking a one-sided beating. So Wang Zenglu could only urge the unit forward, compress the space those riders could operate in, and drag them into close combat.

The sword-and-shield soldiers panted heavily, jogging as they approached the scout cavalry. Their heads poked out from the gaps between shields from time to time to see the road. Just as they were about to close in, those scout cavalry wheeled their horses around and, even as they galloped back, turned to shoot their bows.

Arrows whizzed overhead. Screams rang out from behind from time to time. Wang Zenglu had to observe the bandits up ahead while also keeping an eye on the long spear soldiers behind. The long spear soldier formation was growing more and more disordered. They all seemed to be dodging the wounded on the ground, and several men had fallen one after another.

"Wounded, get down into the fields!" Wang Zenglu shouted, not knowing if it would do any good.

He turned his attention back to the front. The several scout cavalry had little room left to maneuver and were nearing those horse soldiers who had dismounted for foot combat.

The field ridges on both sides were packed with archers. Wang Zenglu cursed inwardly. These bandits were quite experienced in field battles, deploying their formation so quickly. They used heavy weapons to block the official road, then fully exploited the ridges on both flanks to deploy and strike the formation with archers. In such a narrow area, this should be very effective. What the garrison battalion now had as an advantage was that the armored spear soldiers were all hidden behind the sword-and-shield troops. The bandits did not know this infantry unit had armor.

As Wang Zenglu ran, his field of vision shook ceaselessly. Through the gaps in the front row of rattan shields, he could see that the arrow-shooting scout cavalry had stopped loosing arrows and retreated through a gap into the bandit formation. The gap promptly closed. Up ahead, the bandits who had dismounted for foot combat had formed up in four or five ranks. Behind them were the empty horses. At this moment, their mounts were not an advantage but a huge encumbrance.

Further back, mounted headmen waved their hands ceaselessly, wanting to clear space behind the formation to thicken the ranks. But the official road was narrow, and men and horses kept arriving from behind. Traffic was already a tangled mess.

But this was still not the place for the ambush. Wang Zenglu, inside the formation, could only see a very small area nearby. He did not even know whether those hidden troops had begun fighting yet. All his focus was on the bandits ahead.

"When I shout to scatter, all sword-and-shield troops jump into the fields!" Wang Zenglu yelled with all his might. His breath was somewhat short, but both rows of sword-and-shield troops should have heard.

The words had barely faded when the sound of bowstrings thrummed repeatedly from the field ridges on both sides. Dense volleys of arrows flew toward the flanks of the formation.

Screams rang out in succession. The long spear soldiers on the outer edges of the formation were struck by arrows one after another, stumbling and staggering into the paddy fields. The squad leaders of each squad howled ceaselessly, restraining their units and forbidding them to stop.

"Death to any who retreat!" A shout came from far behind. Wang Zenglu could not see, but he guessed it was the Garrison Inspector Dui led by Jiang Guoyong.

"No retreating!" Wang Zenglu shouted with all his remaining strength. The front row of sword-and-shield soldiers had taken almost no losses, but the long spear soldiers behind had no protection. Under the archery fire from both flanks, their losses were bound to be heavy. But there was no path of retreat now.

The sound of bowstrings was unending. The formation of long spear soldiers at the rear of the Second Company grew thinner and thinner. The road and the fields were strewn with soldiers struck by arrows. The entire unit continued to advance. The arrow squad behind was nearing shooting range, followed by the remaining forces of the First Company and the Garrison Inspector Dui, and further behind was the entire Third Company. The Anqing Garrison Battalion packed the official road.

On the official road ahead, countless bandits stretched all the way to Xiaoguanpu. The road was jammed with innumerable foot soldiers and mounted soldiers, along with riderless mounts.

The two sides facing off at Beixia Pass had tens of thousands of troops, but at this moment, those who could fight were right here on this narrow official road. Victory and defeat would also be decided on this tiny stretch of ground.

"Boom!" Another thunderous roar. A cannonball arrived moments later, landing in the paddy field to the left of the official road not far ahead. A column of water shot skyward, mixed with mud, and splashed onto the official road.

Panicked shouts erupted on the official road. The archery from both flanks slackened for a moment.

Enduring the archery fire from both flanks, the Second Company finally charged to within ten paces of the bandits opposite. The arrow squad behind halted and began returning fire toward both flanks. Arrows crisscrossed in the air. The bandits on the field ridges dodged in panic, many tumbling off the ridges.

The four or five ranks of dismounted bandit horse soldiers leveled their weapons, preparing to deal with the sword-and-shield soldiers.

Wang Zenglu took one last look at the long spear soldiers following him. "Long spears, level!"

Seven long spears leveled. Wang Zenglu turned his head and focused all his attention on the bandits ahead.

Five paces. Wang Zenglu bellowed, "Sword-and-shield, scatter!"

The two rows of sword-and-shield formation split apart, leaping toward the fields on both sides. Wang Zenglu dragged one slow-moving sword-and-shield soldier and jumped off the official road, plunging headfirst into the paddy field.

The long spear soldiers clad in chain mail appeared before the bandits. Their ten-foot-long spears were already leveled in unison, thrusting straight toward the stunned bandit horse soldiers.