Chapter 343: All Fronts

"About a thousand driven commoners, with roughly a thousand infantry on Cao Cao's left wing following behind, are about to strike the First Division's line on our left flank. Three hundred men under Chuang Tatian at Chema River are attacking the Second Division's line along the post road."

The lookout standing high on horseback shouted his report. Five paces away, Pang Yu was observing the First Division through his telescope. Because the First Division was advancing, the roving bandits' line was partially blocked from his angle. Though the lookout stood a bit higher, he could not see clearly either — but the chaos in front of Cao Cao's great banner was starkly visible.

Xie Zhaofa said in a low voice, "My lord, Cao Cao's offensive this time numbers over a thousand men, with another thousand-plus commoners ahead of them. I fear they will throw our formation into disarray. Should we have the Land Combat Division send two Companies as reinforcements..."

"Anyone charging head-on at our formation is my enemy. There are no commoners on the battlefield."

Xie Zhaofa lowered his head and sighed. "That is as it should be. It is just pitiful. Pitiful."

Pang Yu shot him a glance but said nothing. As he turned back, the cannons on the earthen slope fired a volley, striking the middle of the onrushing human tide. Blood mist sprayed into the air among the crowd; several gaps appeared, but they were immediately covered by the people surging from behind. The brutal scene of the bombardment had no time to fully unfold.

Moments later, the mass of commoners at the bombardment point began scattering toward both flanks, only to be driven back by the roving bandit infantry on the outer edges, then bombarded again. The piercing wails and cries could be heard even by Pang Yu two hundred paces away.

The First Division's formation advanced to the position of several skirmisher squads, halted at the sound of a gong, and formed into a line of one row of sword-and-shield and four rows of long spears. The gaps between each Company were filled by the skirmisher squads.

The tide of commoners, driven onward, continued forward through the bombardment zone. Behind them was the vast and chaotic mass of Cao Cao's infantry. The artillery kept firing at the same position, now striking those men.

The crowd was about to crash into the front of the formation. Some commoners raised their hands high, waving them wildly toward the Anqing Battalion's array, signaling to the government troops that they were commoners.

A shower of arrows flew from the First Division's array. The front row of commoners collapsed in unison, tripping those behind them. Arrow after arrow shot out unceasingly from the government troops' side. The surging crowd instantly fell into chaos and halted in place. People from behind still surged forward. Once the column stopped, the roving bandits driving them began hacking madly from the rear. Another cannon volley sent limbs flying. Over a thousand commoners were being slaughtered by both sides at once. Those with strength fled wildly toward the flanks; most were utterly exhausted, trapped in the middle of the battlefield unable to advance or retreat, packed together screaming and weeping.

Behind these commoners, over two hundred roving bandit archers seized the chance to close in, loosing dense volleys at the First Division's formation. In mere moments they fired over a thousand light arrows. The First Division began taking casualties. The accompanying Fire Soldiers of each Company continuously carried out the dead and wounded, transporting them back to the post road.

The number of dead and wounded evacuated to the rear was around a dozen or so. Pang Yu carefully observed the First Division's formation. To improve mobility, aside from the Personal Guard Division, the other infantry divisions were basically not equipped with auxiliary armor. Their limbs lacked protection, so casualties were inevitable when subjected to dense arrow fire.

Whether the First Division could withstand this enemy assault would be his basis for assessing the roving bandits' combat strength, which would determine how he committed his follow-up forces.

Through the telescope, the roving bandits' follow-up columns were enormous, but their formation was chaotic. Most of the infantry were in tattered clothes, gaunt and emaciated. The only thing Pang Yu needed to worry about were those Old Bandits concentrated in red coats. At this moment, most of them were loosing arrows from the rear.

Cannon fire also sounded from the east. Pang Yu turned toward Chema River Market Town. On this side, both flanks of the post road were paddy fields. The roving bandits could only attack along the road. Dense heads bobbed on the post road. The Second Division's two small cannons were long prepared. Once the roving bandits entered a hundred paces, they immediately fired rapidly along the post road. Each two-and-a-half-jin iron shot carried away several lives, halting their advancing momentum for a moment.

The red-coated Old Bandits stayed in the rear ranks, driving the men forward with swords and spears. Some squad leaders jumped off the post road, wading through the paddy fields howling with line spears in hand, driving the infantry to keep advancing. Some archers also jumped into the paddy fields and loosed arrows directly from the water toward the post road.

Pang Yu watched only a moment before knowing the Second Division could hold. The frontage of the post road was extremely narrow. After multiple strikes from the two cannons, the roving bandit infantry were already struggling to advance. Chuang Tatian's offensive this round likely would not even reach the Second Division's line.

Pang Yu stopped paying attention to the right wing. The formation in front of Tufeng Fort had shifted. The roving bandit infantry had no uniforms, making it very hard to tell whose men they were. But from their movements, it was clear that the section at Tufeng Fort had not responded to Cao Cao's banner-drum commands. Wang Zenglu had said the center section was mainly Western Camp troops. Their formation position was cut off by paddy fields and had yet to engage the Anqing Battalion.

The formation in front of City River Stockade was dense, with many red-coated figures — this must be the Eight Great Kings' veteran camp. There had been no movement earlier, but now large numbers of infantry were moving along the river toward Chema River Market Town. Their formation was just as chaotic, with red-coated squad leaders driving them relentlessly.

"My lord, the Eight Bandits are reinforcing Chuang Tatian," Yang Xueshi said as he watched. "They intend to attack from the east."

Pang Yu looked toward Xie Zhaofa. "What does Xie Section Clerk think?"

"This subordinate believes they intend to attack through the paddy fields." Xie Zhaofa answered almost without thinking. "The post road is narrow — it makes no difference how many men they send. The Eight Bandits want to send infantry into the paddy fields to pin down our center."

"That makes sense." Pang Yu nodded. "The Eight Bandits want to exploit their numerical advantage, tying down every section of our battalion to prevent me from breaking through Cao Cao's line on the west."

Seeing Pang Yu's approval, Xie Zhaofa quickly continued, "The servant infantry of the roving thieves on both flanks are worthless. Driving them into the paddy fields to die costs them no heartache. Pitiful."

Pang Yu smiled faintly. Yang Xueshi, having failed to gain approval, shifted the topic. "Then should we put the Personal Guard Division on alert? The bandit spawn may be disordered, but their numbers are great after all."

Pang Yu glanced back. The Personal Guard Division was resting on the post road to the west. Their full sets of armor generally weighed over forty jin. Wearing armor consumed a great deal of stamina, so they sat while awaiting orders.

The Central Army's position was on a protruding section of the post road to the north. This spot had once been a small village — one of the few places nearby where troops could be massed. Last night, the Sweeping King had blocked Wang Zenglu here, withdrawing only before dawn. Currently, the Second Division's troops were deployed here in defense, and the cannons were here as well, able to defend both the east and the center simultaneously.

The current battle situation showed that Wang Zenglu's assault last night had been critically important. After seizing this small village, the ground available for the roving bandits to form up was extremely narrow. Tens of thousands of men were crammed into this broken terrain. The roving bandits' advantages in numbers and horse soldiers were both hard to bring to bear, and they struggled to reinforce or coordinate with one another.

A sudden clamor rose from the post road. Chuang Tatian's three hundred infantry had already collapsed under the cannon fire. The front ranks of roving bandits jumped into the paddy fields one after another, fleeing the cannonballs and evading the battle-supervising Old Bandits. Those behind swarmed in a mass retreat toward Chema River. The squad leaders could not stop them, and all fled back together in defeat.

Pang Yu let out a breath of relief and said to Xie Zhaofa, "The Personal Guard Division will rest and recover. Have Wang Zenglu deploy one Company along the paddy fields for defense. Shift the cannons' positions. When Chuang Tatian is not attacking, bombard the Western Camp at Tufeng Fort."

Yang Xueshi said in a low voice, "My lord still intends to attack Cao Cao?"

"Correct. Once the First Division withstands this round, have Yao Dongshan attack."

At that moment, a soldier holding a triangular command flag came running from the First Division's direction. He knelt before Pang Yu and loudly declared, "Yao Company Commander reports to my lord: over a thousand men from Cao Cao's right wing have left the formation, intending to circle west around the outside of our left flank. He requests my lord's instructions."

Pang Yu frowned. "The roving thieves can execute such a complex maneuver?"

Xie Zhaofa was well-versed in geography but had not yet been assigned to gain experience with the troops. He did not know the difficulty of such a flanking maneuver, especially in this kind of terrain, and did not know how to reply at the moment. Yang Xueshi could not answer either. No one in the Anqing Battalion had experience in large-scale battle, especially in formation fighting.

Pang Yu's telescope could not see the outer position of Cao Cao's right wing. The intelligence Yao Dongshan had sent did not clarify whether the formation was tight and orderly, whether they were Old Bandits or servants, or whether there were cavalry among them.

Cursing Yao Dongshan inwardly, Pang Yu said curtly to Xie Zhaofa, "Go inspect the left flank immediately. Order the Land Combat Division to send two Companies to extend the battle line outward on the left flank. If the bandit numbers are great or their formation is tight, defend in place. If the enemy is disordered, strike them head-on."

Xie Zhaofa immediately picked a few of his men and hurried toward the left flank. Pang Yu looked around, then instructed the two Relay Horses beside him, "Go to Chen Rulie and relay my verbal order: watch Cao Cao's Copy Troops on the left flank of our line. Cavalry, prepare for dismounted combat."

The Relay Horses repeated the order and departed. As Pang Yu turned back, he felt his mouth and tongue going dry. Since arriving at Chema River, this was the first time he had felt nervous. Yesterday, Erlang Town had been taken with ease, and Wang Zenglu's advance to Chema River had also been very smooth. When Pang Yu set out that morning, he had truly believed in his heart that the roving bandits would be routed in one wave. He had not even instructed Pang Ding to keep boats on the Erlang River.

Now he could not be certain whether Cao Cao had the capability to execute a flanking envelopment. According to the intelligence he possessed, the strongest fighting force among the various roving bandit camps was Cao Cao. Unlike some other minor camp heads who were just a mass of refugees, Luo Rucai, like Gao Yingxiang, came from the Border Army and most liked to collect surrendered government troops. After Gao Yingxiang's defeat and death, he had also absorbed a considerable portion of the Chuang Camp's forces. His infantry possessed a certain degree of combat effectiveness.

Now the roving bandits had numerical superiority. If Cao Cao managed to outflank them, or even cut off the post road, then the Anqing Battalion would instead be surrounded here, and morale might quickly collapse.

On the post road outside Chema River Market Town, several men in red and a group of servants were dragged out and beheaded publicly on the spot by the roadside. It looked like Chuang Tatian was killing the chicken to warn the monkey, in preparation for launching the next round of attacks.

Pang Yu tugged at the lower edge of his throat guard, then drank some water to soothe his throat. Under the current circumstances, he dared not commit the Personal Guard Division to the attack. He had to wait until the situation on the left flank became clear, but that meant time was dragging on. Since the roving bandits occupied City River Stockade and Tufeng Fort, this was effectively the roving bandits' home ground. From the Erlang Town direction, there were also large camp heads coordinating in support. And because of the collapse at Fengjiadian, the Anqing Battalion was fighting alone. Time was not on his side. The anxiety in his heart was steadily growing.

Hoofbeats sounded behind him. Two Relay Horses came racing over. Pang Yu knew from their banner-bearer flags that they were from the Third Division. His heart tightened again.

Once the guards verified their tokens, the lead Relay Horse dismounted and knelt. "Zhou Company Commander of the Third Division reports: the Third Division routed three hundred roving bandit pioneers outside the town. According to the interrogation of captives, the camps at Mountain Pass include Old Huihui, Chaos World King, Ten Great Kings, Passing Sky Star, Flying Tiger, and others — seven camps in total. They are arriving outside the town in succession. Approximately five thousand infantry and one thousand two hundred horse soldiers. Additionally, over a thousand roving bandits have appeared on the opposite bank of Erlang Bridge, under the banner of Geli Yan. It is estimated they will begin attacking Erlang Town within an hour."

Pang Yu's chest tightened slightly. The roving bandit strength at Mountain Pass had always been unclear. Judging from the current situation, Old Huihui was not the only one who had arrived yesterday. Among these seven camps, Chaos World King counted as a major camp head. Passing Sky Star was also uncertain, because there were two Passing Sky Stars — one a major camp head, the other just a minor bandit chief. If three major camp heads were attacking, the Third Division's few hundred men might not necessarily hold Erlang Town.

Yang Xueshi said urgently, "Geli Yan at Hexi is no threat. Go back and tell Zhou Company Commander that the Mountain Pass direction is the most critical."

Zhou Er had only come to report the situation. Pang Yu had no particular reply to give, but the situation at Erlang Town was undoubtedly dire. The Eight Bandits had assumed a defensive posture, which suggested they had already made contact with Old Huihui. The two large bands of roving bandits were coordinating with each other. The Eight Bandits' group was simply waiting for the mass of bandits at Mountain Pass to take Erlang Town, then turn around and trap the Anqing Battalion. Time was becoming even more pressing for Pang Yu.

The Relay Horse acknowledged, then looked up at Pang Yu with steady resolve. "Zhou Company Commander said: no matter how many bandit spawn come to attack, the Third Division will hold Erlang Town securely. He asks my lord to focus on annihilating the Eight Bandits and the Sweeping King without worry."

"Good!" Pang Yu's anxious heart suddenly steadied. He blurted out, "Tell Zhou Er: this official will not let the bandit spawn escape."

A volley of cannon fire sounded from the left flank. Pang Yu turned to look. The four cannons on the earthen slope were firing toward the outer edge of the left flank — probably striking Cao Cao's Copy Troops. Then the sound of conch horns came from the Chema River direction. Chuang Tatian's second wave of attackers appeared on the post road. From the direction of City River Stockade, several hundred Western Camp infantry slowly stepped into the paddy fields.

Pang Yu licked his lips and said in a low voice, "Come on then, Eight Bandits. Let's see how you walk away this time."