Chapter 241: Cannon Assault

On the open ground beyond the west-end market of Silver Ingot Bridge, several red banners still stood in place. The distant setting sun was yellow tinged with red, about to be swallowed by the layered clouds on the western horizon.

Inside the soldiers' bridgehead stronghold, all manner of horn signals blared chaotically. At several intersections, scattered soldiers darted out from time to time, shouting curses in this direction. There were even archers under rattan shield cover who occasionally surged forward twenty or thirty paces, loosed a disorderly volley, then retreated again.

The various units of horse soldiers on the open ground were extremely tense. Many had already taken their bows in hand, on guard against a sudden attack by the government troops.

The atmosphere beneath the banners was heavy. Several horse soldiers from the Fierce Tiger Bridgehead reported back that the bridge surface had already been cut off by the government troops. Sweeping King had already led his own Old Camp to Fierce Tiger Bridge to mount a defense.

Not long after, the sound of slaughter shook the heavens from the opposite riverbank. Some of his men along the riverbank saw horse soldiers scattering in rout on the open ground across the river. Many men jumped into the river and drowned. Each unit sent men along the river channel to receive survivors, but only a few who could swim made it across. Weapons and horses were all abandoned; some had even stripped off their padded coats.

The surrounding headmen also wore grim expressions. They had suffered major defeats many times before. In the past, when fierce Border Army generals like Cao Wenzhao and Ai Wannian gave chase, they would be pursued for hundreds of li, but the Old Camp could mostly still escape. Last year in Henan, they had also been routed twice by Lu Xiangsheng, but each time the elite losses were not great, especially since the Old Camp mostly got away and could quickly grow strong again. Among the four or five hundred horse soldiers who had crossed the river, each family's Old Camp had twenty or thirty men. No one knew how many would manage to retreat and return.

Since entering Nanzhili, the government forces they had encountered had been extremely weak. They had not suffered a major defeat; at worst, city assaults had gone poorly and their days had been less comfortable. This time was particularly unacceptable — their elite horse soldiers had actually been encircled and annihilated by a group of infantry. This mysterious government force displayed a rather bellicose posture, with a very strong offensive desire. Exploiting the characteristics of the bridge, they had used infantry to attack cavalry and had even succeeded. This left everyone's morale deeply shaken.

They were all veterans of countless battles. They knew that once a ford or bridge was cut, mounted men could come to no good. As long as those infantry blocked the bridge surface, cavalry on a narrow bridge were far less effective than infantry. That was why they had only sent Sweeping King to provide support. Each unit posted men along the riverbank to rescue however many could swim back. The main force remained at Silver Ingot Bridge, on guard against those government troops who had crossed the river.

There were six or seven thousand servant foot soldiers here. The horse soldiers were already in a state of panic, let alone them. If the horse soldiers left, a single charge by those government troops would scatter these several thousand men. Then, with a rout all the way back, the camp ground at Jiangpu would surely descend into chaos. Every Old Camp Chief understood exactly what sort of goods those servants were. Once morale broke, they would collapse on their own without the government troops even needing to strike.

At this moment, every unit was stuck, unable to advance or retreat. They needed to support the cavalry east of the river, yet dared not directly assault the bridgehead stronghold. They also had to guard against this government force suddenly surging out. They could only maintain this tense standoff with the government troops.

"This Jiangbei region has far too many river ponds. Better to come here less often." Ma Shouying's voice rang out nearby.

Liu Guoneng looked at the bridgehead stronghold occupied by the Ming Army across the way. At the street entrance leading to the main road, there were several rows of infantry. Although shielded by rattan shields, the iron armor in the rear ranks was clearly visible, reflecting a dark metallic gleam in the lingering rays of the setting sun. This was the rarely seen iron-armored infantry among government troops. Liu Guoneng knew perfectly well that only a fool would meet such infantry head-on.

"The original plan was to wait until after autumn to come. There would always be some dry fields. For us northerners coming here, it was never going to be convenient."

Yao Tiandong over there gave a cold chuckle. "If not this direction, then where? Henan is convenient enough, but not enough to feed all the families. Chuang Tatian, could it be you're implying Gao Chuangwang led us the wrong way?"

Liu Guoneng shot him an icy glare. "This old man sent out a hundred horse soldiers too, with over a dozen Old Camp men among them. Someone like you, with not even fifty horse soldiers, has no grounds to run your mouth."

Yao Tiandong did not get angry. The coarse flesh of his face twitched as he said, "Since we rose in arms, we've made our living on the road. There are always some places that are new to us. If a few deaths bring every kind of complaint, then you, Chuang Tatian, can just find your own path. No one's stopping you."

Ma Shouying, seeing the two at odds after just a few words — the sort of situation that usually led to a clash — hastily interrupted. "Chuang Tatian isn't blaming anyone. When a place is unfavorable, we go elsewhere. It's always been that way. But that doesn't mean Jiangbei can't be visited. In the past, in Henan and Shanxi, that Cao Wenzhao hunted us down so many times. In the future, if we find a way to wipe out this bunch of government troops, Jiangbei can still be visited just the same."

"We haven't captured a single one alive. How can we know where these government troops came from?"

Liu Guoneng had not wanted to engage with Yao Tiandong in the first place. Having spoken, he stared at the intersection to observe. The government troops were still blocking the road. No General Officer's recognition banner could be seen. How many men were actually inside was unknown. To this point, they had not captured a single government soldier alive. They could only go by the numbers that Child Army soldier from the Western Camp had reported earlier and guess it was a Regional Commander.

This always gave Liu Guoneng a sense of unease. If it was a Regional Commander, then there would be more than just a thousand-some men. The behavior of the government troops at the bridgehead stronghold was highly unusual. They were clearly trying to tie down the horse soldiers. Yet when Sweeping King's horse soldiers headed for Fierce Tiger Bridge, the government troops at Silver Ingot Bridge had made no major move to pin them. This made him even more suspicious of the government troops' intentions.

He said to Zhang Xianzhong, who had remained silent beside him, "It's getting dark now. The government troops can't fight any more today. These foot soldiers are useless here. After nightfall, they'll only invite more mishaps. Eight Elders, you are the leader of the Combined Camp. How about sending those servants back? The rest of us stay to receive those who can make it across the river."

Yao Tiandong interjected again, "If the servants go back, then what about this bridge tonight? Let them cross the river and wreck our camp ground?"

Liu Guoneng turned his face and fixed his stare on Yao Tiandong. "These government troops came by boat. They disembarked and fought all afternoon. Can they really march over ten li in pitch darkness tonight to wreck our camp ground? So it turns out the path-lurking soldiers in your camp, Yao Tiandong, are just for show. No wonder you were beaten down to three horses by Cao Wenzhao at Fengxiang. Then today, this old man will send out the path-lurking soldiers and let you broaden your knowledge."

"I'll fuck your—" Yao Tiandong spurred his horse forward. Liu Guoneng did not move, but the Old Camp retainers of both families pressed their hands to their sword hilts one after another. Ma Shouying hastily interposed himself between them.

Zhang Xianzhong, who had not spoken all this while, suddenly opened his mouth. "Liu Long Family speaks reason. Apart from those along the riverbank, every family send the servants away. Also, find some torches and have them ready."

Hearing Zhang Xianzhong speak, Yao Tiandong shot Liu Guoneng a vicious glare and spurred his horse back two steps.

Among the nearly ten thousand Roving Bandits gathered here, there were six or seven thousand servants. Some of these men had been forcibly conscripted, others had followed willingly. There was no shortage of able-bodied men among them. In ordinary times, they were useful for plundering supplies and securing logistics, but on the battlefield they were useless. Once they faced government troops head-on, they would even have a counterproductive effect.

Most of these servants had come from the camp ground not far away. They had been brought to Silver Ingot Bridge after that government force landed. They had had no water or food the entire time and were utterly exhausted. The situation east of the river was causing fear to gradually ferment. Amid the tension of the standoff, morale was extremely low. Keeping them here was not only unhelpful but actually harmful.

Now that the sky was growing dark, sending them back to the camp ground was appropriate. They could also prepare the night defenses and extend the perimeter of lit torches a bit farther.

Liu Guoneng's camp was south of Jiangpu city. He had brought only horse soldiers and had no servants here. While the other headmen were busy giving instructions, he continued observing the government troops at the bridgehead market street.

The standoff had lasted a long time, and the two sides had not engaged. Apart from a small number of provocateurs, those government troops had begun sitting on the ground to rest. But even when seated, they were perfectly orderly, rotating by row. The distance between the two sides was only about a hundred paces, so Liu Guoneng could see fairly clearly. Although he could sense that the government troops were also very weary, more details indicated that these were unlike any government troops he had encountered before.

This standoff made Liu Guoneng somewhat uncomfortable. In particular, the chaotic blaring of all sorts of horn signals inside, and the men constantly provoking at the intersection, gave him the feeling that these government troops had some follow-up move in store, yet he could not figure out what. The sense of unease grew stronger and stronger.

At that moment, one row of government troops sitting and resting at the intersection stood up. The other rows, however, did not sit down. They straightened their formation on the spot. Liu Guoneng assumed they had simply finished their rotation.

Suddenly, those horn signals fell silent. Liu Guoneng's heart clenched. He saw those three rows of government troops suddenly part to either side like opening doors, revealing two enormous objects behind them. Beside each stood a government soldier holding a torch.

Liu Guoneng's face changed and he bellowed, "They have cannons! Quick—"

Two thunderous booms completely swallowed the second half of Liu Guoneng's sentence. The pitch-black cannon muzzles spewed thick white smoke. Two iron shots burst through the white smoke and hurtled straight toward the recognition banners of the various chiefs.

He had no time to dodge at all. Watching the iron shots rushing at his face, even his thoughts came to a halt.

As his scalp tingled numb, it was as if two violent gales swept past his side. Several muffled thuds rang out in succession. All around, panicked cries rose, and horses scattered in every direction. The mount beneath him shuddered violently, then its head plunged downward and it bolted madly to the left.

Only then did Liu Guoneng regain his ability to think. He had not expected the government troops to have transported cannons by boat, nor that they would have moved them to the bridgehead so quickly. He had seen plenty of cannons before, but he had never encountered such an enormous report, and the speed was unprecedented as well.

He slowly tightened the reins and stroked his horse's neck. The mount's pace gradually slowed. Liu Guoneng stole a moment to turn his head and look. The original position of the recognition banners was a scene of utter carnage. Severed limbs and mangled remains of horses and men lay strewn across the ground. A horse missing its hind legs was screaming piteously in a pool of blood. In the air, half a red banner was fluttering and drifting — he could not tell whose recognition banner it was.

The purpose of the government troops' provocations had been to pin down the horse soldiers. The target had been the Old Camp Chiefs beneath the recognition banners. Just now, none of the several headmen were in sight. Liu Guoneng did not know whether any of them had lost their lives.

Chaos reigned all around. The horses were all frightened. The horse soldiers of the various families were jumbled together, trying to control their mounts while searching for their respective chiefs. Some had simply whipped their horses and fled far away.

The servants who were assembling and preparing to return to camp wore expressions of terror. They spontaneously moved away from the position of the recognition banners. Their formation was gradually disintegrating into disorder.

Liu Guoneng spotted several of his Old Camp retainers and hastily wheeled his horse to hurry toward them. His many years of campaigning told him that he must rally the horse soldiers as quickly as possible. Otherwise, once the chaos spread, it would be a major rout.

He had just advanced a few steps when two more thunderous booms erupted. In the last light of the setting sun, Liu Guoneng saw the trajectories of the cannonballs. Two iron shots, one behind the other, traced a flat trajectory and slammed into a cluster of horse soldiers behind the recognition banners. Along their path, severed limbs and chunks of flesh flew into the air. A horse's head spun above the crowd, spraying circles of blood.

Drums sounded from the bridgehead. Formations of government troops surged out of the intersection and advanced in this direction.

Centered on the position of the recognition banners, chaos spread outward in wave after wave. The utterly exhausted servants collapsed as if a nest had exploded. No semblance of formation remained. The horse soldiers, too, lost all organization, each man scrambling for a path of escape.

Liu Guoneng's mount turned uncontrollably and ran toward the west. He howled at the top of his lungs at his own men, shouting for them to rally around him, but to little effect. Liu Guoneng knew it was beyond saving. Avoiding the congested main road, he drew his waist saber and hacked his way along, preventing those frenzied servants from seizing his horse.

Under the last rays of the setting sun, nearly ten thousand Roving Bandits, men shouting and horses screaming, fought and scrambled with one another along the official road, routing in the direction of Jiangpu.