Chapter 340: Left Wing

The sky was barely bright. On the west bank of the Chema River, human shadows massed thickly; the key post-road town, abandoned for over two years, was once again uncharacteristically clamorous. Three hundred paces north of the post road, countless Roving Bandits were forming battle lines. A li west of the market town, the Garrison Battalion's columns were arriving one after another.

Pang Yu reined in his horse before a stretch of paddy field and raised his telescope to scan north. From his position eastward, apart from the post road there was only paddy field. This place was near the Chema River channel; the area along the river was interspersed with paddy fields and fish ponds. Because two fortified strongholds existed here, more of the local common folk had remained, and people had kept farming for two years. Most of the paddy fields were full of water, with rice seedlings still planted in them. Among them lay many corpses, apparently killed not long ago, mostly scattered in the border areas — likely Roving Bandits slain in last night's fighting.

A li away was Chema River Market Town. The market town on the east side was far larger than Ink Smoke Shop, with many houses spread along the post road. The riverside had the typical look of a Jiangbei water-and-land dock. It had likewise been raided the year before last; roughly thirty percent of the houses survived.

This was the eastern end of the Bandit battle line. Bandits packed the market town inside and out; with walls and buildings blocking the view, their numbers could not be estimated. South of the town were only a few roving riders. The main battle line extended northward; where large stretches of paddy field separated them, men and horses were fewer. Near City River Stockade it grew dense again. From in front of City River Stockade, the Bandit line shifted direction, crossed before Tufeng Fort, and extended over a li westward, then lay north of the post road.

Pang Yu's telescope followed the Bandit line as it turned north. The terrain in the lens was fragmented — mainly undulating low dirt slopes only a few meters high. On the flat areas were a few paddy fields. The Bandits occupied slightly higher ground; between them and the post road there were no trees at all. They were spread over those low slopes, a dense dark mass, with more men and horses still hurrying to arrive. As before, there were very few banners.

This was clearly not a place any army would wish to launch a large-scale attack. The broken terrain would easily cause formations to lose coherence, making mutual support difficult.

Chema River had originally been Pang Yu's ideal place for a decisive battle, but the positions had been swapped. In his original plan, he would have formed ranks outside City River Stockade and dealt a crushing blow to the Bandit cavalry, who would have no room to maneuver on the post road. Once they were routed, he would have released his own cavalry to chase down the remnants. Now, he had come along the post road and had to attack a massive Bandit army that had two fortified strongholds to rely on and was waiting at ease for his exhausted forces. The surrounding paddy fields and ponds had instead become obstacles for him.

After cursing Shi Kefa fiercely in his heart a couple of times, Pang Yu conveniently forgot that he himself had supported the construction of City River Stockade.

Ahead, the Second Division occupied a stretch of the post road; for the moment there was no worry of a Bandit raid. The Bandits' grand formation had also not yet taken shape, so Pang Yu still had time to deploy. He turned his head to look at Yang Xueshi and Xie Zhaofa.

Both men looked unwell, though whether from staying up all night working on the battle plan or from seeing the Bandits' massive strength was unclear.

Xie Zhaofa did not stand on ceremony and spoke directly to Pang Yu. "Your Excellency sees clearly. Though this ground is unfavorable for our battalion to fight on, it is equally unfavorable for the Roving Thieves' horse soldiers. Their advantage in mounted combat is gone. This subordinate has already seen many Red Jacket Bandits on foot; they likely intend to supervise the ranks for infantry combat."

Pang Yu agreed. "This is the battlefield the Roving Bandits chose, but in truth, we chose it. From Erlang Town to Old County, none of this is terrain suited for Bandit operations. To be frank, all of Anqing is unsuited for them. That we have forced them into a formation battle with us is already our victory."

Xie Zhaofa, having gained Pang Yu's approval, seemed to grow even more spirited. He raised his head and said, "There are four Giant Bandits here. It's always said the Roving Bandits' strength lies in marching fast, but in truth, when they bring their family dependents and baggage, their formation is extremely bloated. Our battalion raided Erlang Town; the elites of the Eight Great Kings and Chuang Tatian were at the front, their camp ground was left at Chema River, and the road at Fengjiadu was blocked. The Second Battalion pressed the night assault to Chema River; their servants and baggage could not cross the river to flee, so they were forced to form ranks here with their backs to the river — truly a hasty response to battle."

Yang Xueshi stepped up and continued, "Your Excellency, this humble one believes that though the Bandit spawn are many, in truth they were caught off guard and their army's morale is in chaos. Your Excellency raided Erlang Town yesterday; the forces under Liu Wenxiu and Sweeping King suffered heavy losses. The Second Division pursued through the night to Chema River, threatening the Eight Bandits' old main camp. Cao Cao and the other forces rushed back from Fengjiadu overnight; whether on foot or mounted, they must be utterly exhausted. From last year until now, we have always been led by the nose by the Roving Bandits. When we sought battle with them, we searched everywhere and could not find them. If we are to talk of exterminating the Bandits, there is no better opportunity than this one."

Seeing the two men's attitudes, Pang Yu's confidence grew somewhat. At that moment, Wang Zenglu arrived from the east, summoned by Pang Yu's relay horse. He had pursued to Chema River last night and had been fighting here ever since. As the frontline commander, he knew the terrain and the Bandit troop strength best. Pang Yu needed to consult his opinion before deploying his formation.

Wang Zenglu briefly described the Bandits' deployment. The ones who had fought last night were Sweeping King's forces; because they had no camp, they could only make a temporary halt on the post road. Around dawn, Sweeping King's forces withdrew toward the market town; their banners later shifted to the vicinity of City River Stockade — that is, the middle section of the battle line. Currently inside the market town were Chuang Tatian's forces. In front of Tufeng Fort were the Eight Great Kings' Western Camp troops. West of Tufeng Fort were Cao Cao's forces.

Due to the terrain constraints, the entire Bandit battle line formed an arc from northwest to southeast. The middle section of the line was broken terrain formed by paddy fields and ponds, where the two sides could not engage. The only parts where troops could maneuver were the post road and the west side. The west side had broken terrain, but Wang Zenglu believed it would still be easier to attack than the paddy fields.

After he finished, Pang Yu nodded approvingly and said, "The Second Battalion's assault yesterday was extremely important. Your advance here secured the position. Tens of thousands of Bandits are trapped in this cramped strip along the river, with ponds and paddy fields besides. This place suits our Garrison Battalion's style of fighting better. Xie Section Clerk, verify the formation."

Xie Zhaofa, his eyes red-rimmed, unfolded a sheet of petition paper. "Because Commander Wang advanced last night, the situation differs slightly from what the Advisory Room planned. I will adjust our formation's facing accordingly. The Second Division will be the Right Wing, attacking and defending along the post road. The First Division will deploy as the Left Wing. The Land Combat Division and the Personal Guard Division will be the Central Army. This ground is unsuited for cavalry combat; the Cavalry Division will remain in the rear to guard against a small enemy force from the Mountain Pass direction striking our back, and also serve as the reserve force Your Excellency spoke of. Because the center is blocked by paddy fields, the Left and Right Wings should engage first. Once one side gives way, we will commit the Central Army to the advantageous side."

Pang Yu glanced at the map. He had six divisions in total. The Third Division had been left to defend Erlang Town. He had brought five divisions to fight at Chema River, but the Second Division was short one company — making four divisions and three companies in all. Due to understaffing and attrition, his troop strength was slightly under three thousand men.

The number of Roving Bandits opposite could not be precisely calculated. The so-called "hundred thousand Roving Bandits" counted the servants and family dependents, of whom the old, weak, women, and children made up more than half. But with four major Camp Heads here, based on the vague intelligence they had obtained, the horse soldiers alone numbered at least four or five thousand. The infantry usable for battle exceeded ten thousand. Total strength was likely around twenty thousand. But today the Garrison Battalion was attacking; in the Bandit camp, many able-bodied people could be used, and ordinary servants would likely also be herded onto the battle line. That would bring the estimate to thirty or forty thousand. The scale currently visible was probably close to that — meaning ten times the Garrison Battalion's number. Pang Yu was about to use three thousand troops to attack thirty thousand men.

"We'll do it this way." Pang Yu paused, then added, "But the two wings still need a main focus. In your view, should we make our main attack on Cao Cao on the west side, or Chuang Tatian on the east side?"

Wang Zenglu glanced at Yang Xueshi, and only spoke after seeing he had no intention of speaking. "This subordinate believes the west side has crisscrossing hills, while the east side has the key route of Liangting Bridge. If we rout either side, the Bandits will have no good escape route. But if we rout the Bandits' Left Wing where Cao Cao is, then tens of thousands of Bandit spawn will all be trapped along the river line. Only that one Liangting Bridge will be available to run. Even if they get across, they'll be blocked at Fengjiadu by Deputy Regional Commander Cheng. In the end, the whole army will be annihilated."

Pang Yu pondered for a moment. Before he could decide, a relay horse came flying from the west and delivered two dispatch reports into Xie Zhaofa's hands. Xie Zhaofa scanned them hastily, and his expression changed.

He raised his head and said to the group, "Both dispatch reports came from Erlang Town. The first is from Division Commander Zhou of the Third Division: Old Huihui's forces in the Mountain Pass direction ate before dawn. Infantry are successively forming ranks outside the camp. Over a hundred horse soldiers leading more than a thousand infantry are heading toward Erlang Town, clearing the road as they come. West of the Erlang River, Roving Bandits are forming ranks; their banners are unidentified."

Yang Xueshi said, "It seems the Eight Bandits have still managed to contact Old Huihui. That force west of the Erlang River is blocked by the river barrier; they can't take Erlang Bridge. The Old Huihui coming from the Mountain Pass poses some threat. The Eight Bandits, counting on having two fortified strongholds to rely on, aren't afraid of a stalemate with us. They want to wait for Old Huihui to take Erlang Town, then surround and attack our battalion from front and rear."

Pang Yu said coolly, "Old Huihui still needs to clear the road. Though he has many men, it won't be done quickly. He'll still need to probe Erlang Town. We have time — don't lose your nerve. The Eight Bandits' formation is much the same as at Pure Stream River, but this ground is unsuited for cavalry battle. The old bandits from every camp have mostly dismounted. This battle is already the most favorable situation we've had since we began fighting these Bandit spawn. This official trusts that Division Commander Zhou can hold Erlang Town. Our forces should continue the engagement. Report the second dispatch."

Xie Zhaofa lowered his voice. "Your Excellency, three of the cavalry squad sent to Old County returned before dawn. They say that last night Fengjiadu's troops collapsed. The Bandit spawn's horse soldiers pursued and killed as far as Old County Bridge. Xu Regional Commander's forces have already fled in defeat. Old County... is lost."

Yang Xueshi and Wang Zenglu both paled dramatically. The entire basis for their operation had been to strike the Roving Bandits from front and rear. Even if they could not win, they had Fengjiadu as a coordinated support. Now that Cheng Long had collapsed, they had become an isolated army.

Yang Xueshi hesitated for a moment. "Xu Regional Commander couldn't even hold a bridge. This... Your Excellency, should we continue attacking the Bandit spawn?"

Pang Yu's expression shifted several times. He raised his head and looked at his subordinates; even Xie Zhaofa's eyes were evasive, no longer as resolute as before.

He turned his head to look at the Bandit battle line. The numbers were growing ever larger; the line was nearly formed. The Garrison Battalion needed to deploy quickly. Pang Yu drew a breath and said, "An arrow loosed has no turning back. So what if Fengjiadu is lost? I have already forced the Roving Bandits to a decisive battle here. Victory or defeat no longer lies at Fengjiadu, but only at Chema River. Since they have formed ranks with their backs to the river, we will grant their wish. We'll strike from west to east. Once they break, there is only one bridge over the Chema River. Let's see how many of them can run across it."

The three men, hearing Pang Yu's unwavering resolve, each nodded. The Garrison Battalion would continue the attack.

Pang Yu said slowly, "The main attack will be on the Bandits' Left Wing. Since the center cannot be attacked, the Personal Guard Division's two cannons, the Central Army's two cannons, and the Land Combat Division's two cannons will be reassigned to Yao Dongshan. Once in position, immediately bombard the Bandits' Left Wing. Hit where their infantry is densest. Once the enemy's formation is shaken, then send in the infantry to attack. The Roving Bandits are defending before us — this official wants to see what they can use to defend against cannons."