Chapter 344: Encirclement

Seven li north of Susong city, on the pedestrian road leading from Chema River to Susong, over a hundred soldiers sat or lay about. The road surface at both ends had been dug up, and there was still water in the trenches. To the left of the road were paddy fields; on the other side lay fish breeding ponds.

Wu Dacai tilted his head, his ear turned toward the north, looking as if he were listening intently.

Beside him, the Second Banner Commander wore an anxious expression. After a long moment, he asked cautiously, "Centurion, did you hear cannon fire or not?"

Wu Dacai waved a hand, telling the Banner Commander to keep quiet. A moment later he said, "Seems like there was some, and seems like there wasn't."

The Banner Commander immediately lost all energy and sat back down on the ground.

After separating from the Garrison Commander's main force, Wu Dacai had gone straight to set up defenses on the Chema River pedestrian road. Susong was flanked by mountains to the east and west, and the north was uneven and rolling — there were plenty of places to establish a defense, but Wu Dacai was determined to find terrain with a water obstacle. After traveling seven li, he finally located a spot with paddy fields on both sides and set up his defense there.

Wu Dacai had scrounged a few hoes from a nearby village, nowhere near enough for over a hundred men, so they could only dig the fortifications in shifts. He ordered those with armor to stand guard on the road.

Yesterday afternoon, quite a few Roving Bandit scout cavalry had appeared. Facing armored infantry with bows, they naturally dared not charge, but Wu Dacai had no way to stop them from scouting. These horse soldiers circled around from the far side and thoroughly reconnoitered the rear.

Wu Dacai knew the Roving Bandits had undoubtedly determined his strength — just over a hundred men. If they sent one or two thousand troops, it would mean total annihilation. He could only order those soldiers to keep digging without pause. In the afternoon, the scout cavalry kept coming; at times seven or eight red-coated horse soldiers roamed the perimeter. They remained fearful and on edge until nightfall, when they finally managed to cut the road in front of the position and fill the trench with water, which eased their minds slightly. The hundred-odd men simply spent the night on the road surface. At least there was no Roving Bandit night raid.

But it seemed that Lord Pang and Company Commander Wang had simply forgotten about their Company. No one sent supplies, nor anyone to deliver new orders. Wu Dacai did not even know whether Erlang Town had been taken. During the night, red light flickered in the northern sky, in different locations. Wu Dacai could not make sense of it, but he guessed that Erlang Town had already been captured and that they might be attacking Moyanpu.

From daybreak until now, scattered Roving Bandits had been appearing on the pedestrian road, some on horseback, some on foot. At the sight of Government Troops, these men immediately panicked. Some turned and fled; others watched from a distance for a while, then stepped onto the field ridges, bypassed this position, and continued heading south.

Wu Dacai and the several officers under him could not figure out the situation. When they had dug up the road yesterday, they had forgotten to leave a passage for themselves, so they could not even send skirmishers out to capture prisoners. They could only watch as an unending stream of Roving Bandits kept moving south.

More Roving Bandits appeared on the road to the north, twenty or thirty of them this time. They too stopped on the road to observe, looking as if they were preparing to go around.

Wu Dacai waved a hand. "Skirmisher Squad, go seize some men."

The Second Banner Commander hurriedly stood up. "There's water in the ditch — how are the skirmishers supposed to get out?"

"How can soldiers be stopped by a ditch? Climb across it yourselves."

Once the order was given, the Skirmisher Squad on that side had no choice but to take off their shoes, descend into the trench, wade through the water, and climb out the other side. The moment the Roving Bandits saw the soldiers crossing the trench, they scattered in an uproar, with the skirmishers chasing hard behind them.

Wu Dacai urged them on loudly, feeling considerable confidence in these skirmishers, because his usual training of the Skirmisher Squad was extremely rigorous. Their physical fitness was certainly far superior to these half-starved Roving Bandits. The Garrison Battalion's Company was a standard tactical unit, each directly commanding two squads. One was the Fire Soldier Squad that handled odd jobs — heavy labor like carrying grain and digging trenches was mostly done by the Fire Soldiers. The Skirmisher Squad was responsible for scouting, standing guard, and similar duties. Those in each Company who could shoot a bow were generally assigned to this squad. In formal engagements, they served either as the Vanguard or as a reserve force — troops the Centurion could employ flexibly.

The hundred-odd soldiers all craned their necks, watching the Skirmisher Squad sortie northward. In the end, no fighting broke out ahead. The skirmishers were merely chasing; the Roving Bandits ran no slower, and the distance grew greater. It seemed they had captured a few.

After a good while, the Skirmisher Squad leader came running back in haste. Standing on the far side of the trench, he shouted to Wu Dacai, "Caught two and interrogated them. These servants of Chuang Tatian came from Chema River. They say the Government Troops reached Chema River last night. The Old Bandits from every camp all crossed the river to fight, and they took the chance to slip away."

"Chema River already?" Wu Dacai rubbed his ear. "Then Erlang Town must have been taken for sure."

The Deputy Centurion and the three Banner Commanders all gathered around. Wu Dacai thought for a moment, then asked again, "Did they say whether battle has been joined at Chema River?"

"They said there was fighting all last night. Government Troops were right on the opposite bank. This bunch ran out before daybreak. They only know that the Long Family of each camp all went to Hexi; they don't know whether there's been more fighting."

The several officers began discussing among themselves. Wu Dacai did not join in. Now that he had fairly reliable information — that battle was joined at Chema River about twenty li to the north — his Company could either continue holding its ground or go to Chema River to join the main battle.

The order he had been given at the time was to hold the pedestrian road and prevent large groups of Roving Bandits from fleeing. Staying here gave him the advantage of terrain for defense, with far less risk. Leaving this position and marching north, if they happened to run into a large Roving Bandit force on the way, whether they could save their lives was hard to say.

The Second Banner Commander leaned close to Wu Dacai's ear and said, "Centurion, what do we do?"

Back when Wu Dacai was a team leader, this Banner Commander had been in his team, and Wu Dacai had recommended him for promotion. He counted as a trusted confidant. Wu Dacai usually discussed matters with him first. He looked at the Banner Commander and said, "Company Commander Wang ordered us to hold this place."

"Centurion, think about it. Once this battle is over, everyone in the whole battalion except our Company will have earned merit. And you've already offended Mr. Hou…"

Wu Dacai snorted. "So what if I offended him? He was the one who told me I needed to understand what the Minister was thinking."

"Maybe he didn't understand what Lord Pang wanted."

Wu Dacai's mouth twisted. "I don't think he failed to understand. He just treated Circuit Intendant Shi as if he were the Minister."

"Either way, you've offended him. He's at Lord Pang's side every day. When the time comes, he'll say you avoided battle to save your own skin…"

Before he could finish, Wu Dacai had already turned around and shouted to the other officers, "Assemble the men. In half a quarter hour, we advance toward Chema River."

The Deputy Centurion said in astonishment, "The military order was to hold this pedestrian road."

"The military order was not to hold this pedestrian road — it was to prevent the Roving Bandits from fleeing. If we move along the road, we're still blocking it." Wu Dacai swept his gaze around. "A soldier must go where the fighting is. If Chema River is lost and the Garrison Battalion is gone, are we holding this road just to wait for the Roving Bandits to come kill us? With a great battle before us, even a single Company is of the utmost importance. We can't just sit here… sit…"

The Second Banner Commander hastily supplied, "Sit and watch."

"Sit and watch, avoiding battle! What did Lord Pang raise troops for? To kill bandits! Raise that Left Character Banner and advance toward Chema River!"

…

On the post road outside Chema River Market Town, corpses lay strewn everywhere. About a hundred Roving Bandits were fleeing in defeat. This time, under the Old Bandits' battle supervision, they had charged the Second Division's battle line and grappled briefly with the armored infantry of the Garrison Battalion. Both sides had suffered casualties, corpses piled across the road surface. In the end, they still collapsed and routed. Just like the first wave of charges, the front ranks broke first. Blocked from retreat by the infantry behind them, they jumped into the paddy fields one after another to flee for their lives. Next, the rear-rank foot soldiers routed. The Sixth Company's Mobile Infantry shot arrows at the defeated troops floundering in the mud, like shooting at targets.

In the paddy fields to the north, human figures were densely packed. Green rice seedlings were trampled into the mud, churning up stream after stream of turbid slurry. After the Western Camp's first several hundred had descended into the fields, several hundred more were driven down. The total now approached a thousand men. Most of the foot soldiers from the north trudged forward through the paddy fields, occasionally someone toppling over and thrashing up great splashes of water. Dozens of red-coated squad leaders followed at the rear of the formation.

The thin mud in the paddy fields made every step a struggle, and their strength was quickly exhausted. The formation of nearly a thousand men was scattered and disordered. By the time they entered within a hundred paces, Chuang Tatian's troops on the post road had already been routed. The Second Division's two cannons shifted direction and began firing into the paddy fields. With muffled booms, white columns of water shot upward, dense droplets of muddy water spraying everywhere.

The second round of cannon fire struck a foot soldier at the very front. The two-and-a-half-jin iron shot shattered his left leg. The foot soldier shrieked continuously in the muddy water. On the bank a few dozen paces ahead, the Second Division's archers began lobbing light arrows. Foot soldiers were struck by arrows one after another, collapsing in the paddy fields to struggle and wail. Soon, blood-tinged water spread in every direction.

This stretch of paddy fields quickly drained the foot soldiers' initial bloody courage. These men stalled in the paddy fields, not daring to advance, yet not daring to retreat either, as arrows and cannonballs continued to inflict casualties. Some red-coated squad leaders hurried along the field ridges to the rear of the foot soldiers, using bows to shoot down those who halted, driving them to keep advancing. The Old Bandits at the very rear drove them onward with blades and spears, forcing these foot soldiers to slowly close in on the Second Division.

A hundred paces ahead of them was Pang Yu's recognition banner, but Pang Yu was not worried. In front of him was one Company of the Second Division, plus the accompanying guards of the Central Army. Even if these battered troops in the paddy fields managed to reach the bank, they posed little threat. The men sent by the Eight Bandits and Chuang Tatian could only serve a very limited diversionary role. The most critical battlefield remained the western flank.

On the western side, the First Division's battle line shook with sky-rending war cries. Those commoners had been nearly wiped out. The Roving Bandits following behind had charged to the front of the formation. Pang Yu could see close-quarters combat on both sides, but the Roving Bandits' formation was chaotic and their casualties severe. They would likely collapse and rout soon.

"What of Cao Cao's Copy Troops?"

"Xie Zhaofa reports back that the Copy Troops have halted to reform ranks. The artillery is striking them. Afterward, he plans to send the Land Combat Division to attack."

Pang Yu nodded. The Roving Bandits' horse soldiers possessed strong battlefield mobility, but most of their foot soldiers were utterly untrained. Even though Cao Cao had gathered former government soldiers, they only possessed very limited maneuvering capability. After marching a stretch, they had to halt and reform ranks, requiring squad leaders and Long Family to rein them in again. Otherwise, they would scatter and rout on their own before even reaching their position. Once the Roving Bandits halted, they became targets for cannon fire.

The artillery's performance this time was superior to the previous two engagements. Twelve cannons had been moved from Chang'an Port to Erlang Town, with only two carriages damaged. These had been repaired after overnight work, and all could be committed to battle. The ten at Chema River were currently performing reliably, continuously striking the Roving Bandit formations.

The several bandit chieftains had clearly not anticipated the power of the cannons. They had assumed defensive postures, and part of Cao Cao's battle line had even dug trenches in front — only, because the Garrison Battalion had come so swiftly, they had not had time to dig them deep.

But before the Garrison Battalion's artillery, the vast, exposed formations of the Roving Bandits were perfect targets. After adjustments from the initial shots, they almost never missed. The cannons bore the primary burden of inflicting casualties. Hundreds of two-and-a-half-jin cannonballs swept across the battle lines. Cao Cao's Central Army line was strewn with corpses of every kind. Foot soldiers and squad leaders lay tangled together. Some hid wherever they could, some sat on the ground wailing, and still others, having lost their wits, stood staring blankly. There was no longer any formation to speak of.

If the Roving Bandits continued to defend, the artillery would destroy their formations one by one — so long as Pang Yu had enough cannonballs.

On the western post road, two relay horsemen came racing over. Dismounting, they knelt before Pang Yu. "Reporting for Your Lordship's awareness: Moyanpu has been seized by the Roving Bandits. The scout cavalry cannot reconnoiter in the direction of Erlang Town."

The surrounding guards all heard this, and a slight stir rippled through them. Jiang Guoyong turned his head and glanced back, and only then did the ranks quiet down again.

According to the pre-battle arrangements, the Third Division had stationed two Banner Teams at Moyanpu to prevent the Roving Bandits from cutting the post road via side paths. In such a short time, the Roving Bandits could not possibly have defeated two Banner Teams of the Garrison Battalion. The more likely possibility was that Zhou the Second had pulled both Banner Teams back to Erlang Town, indicating that the Roving Bandit offensive was fierce.

The two sides were interlocked like a dog's teeth along the post road. From Huangmei to Chema River, each had been cut into two or three segments. Pang Yu's position could be described as being surrounded, or it could be described as surrounding his opponent. But Pang Yu understood: the post road was both his line of retreat and his supply line. He was, in fact, already surrounded. The only way out was to crush the Roving Bandit main force before him.

Pang Yu reached out and beckoned Jiang Guoyong over. "Go and instruct everyone around here: the news that Moyanpu has been abandoned must not be leaked. Anyone who violates this will be summarily beheaded."

"Your subordinate understands."

Pang Yu turned his head to look at Yang Xueshi. "How many cannonballs are left?"

"My Lord, each cannon has only about forty-odd rounds remaining."

Pang Yu frowned. The shells he was using were not heavy — each weighed two and a half jin, with a fixed cotton-bag charge of fifteen liang of powder, totaling roughly three and a half jin. Last night the boat convoy had delivered supplies via the Erlang River, and he had originally had ample shells available, but the post road was obstructed by large numbers of wrecked carriages and corpses, so the carts could not pass smoothly. The civilian laborers were mainly used to help the cannon carts move and to carry the heavy armor; the shells had to be shoulder-carried or back-packed by a portion of the Fire Soldiers and civilian laborers. The total was about a thousand rounds, and over five hundred had already been fired.

If the post road were clear, the civilian laborers could continue bringing up shells, but now that could not be counted on.

Yang Xueshi said in a low voice, "Sir, shall we have Chen Relie send cavalry to retake Moyanpu?"

Pang Yu hesitated for a moment. The Roving Bandits at the mountain pass were besieging Erlang Town, and Moyanpu was only two or three li from Erlang Town. Whether or not they retook it, the post road would no longer be clear unless they routed the main Roving Bandit army outside the town. Sending cavalry could at most coordinate with the Third Division, but once they engaged the Mounted Bandits, the cavalry would be unable to return to the Chema River battlefield, and their forces here were already insufficient.

"Send additional scout horsemen to guard the western post road. Chema River is the decisive ground — we must not divide our forces. The cavalry will stand by in place."

After making his decision, Pang Yu felt a surge of agitation. Yesterday's attack had gone too smoothly; he had not anticipated that there would be so many Roving Bandits at the mountain pass. When he launched the assault on Chema River this morning, Pang Yu had been overly optimistic. The Garrison Commander's ying had brought no camp-making supplies, and the only provisions were the soldiers' field rations. Given the current situation, he had to crush the main Roving Bandit force before him before Old Huihui took Erlang Town, or else the Garrison Commander's ying would be trapped on this stretch of post road and might not even survive the night.

"Go ask Yao Dongshan what he is doing. Why has the First Division still not advanced? Those several hundred servants have been fighting for this long and are still at it." Pang Yu paused, then said, "The four cannons on the right flank, shift fire to the eight bandits…"

Yang Xueshi suddenly interrupted, "Sir, look."

Pang Yu quickly raised his telescope. Clusters of red-jacketed figures appeared on Cao Cao's left wing, filling the positions left after the earlier left-wing charge. They numbered over a thousand. Among the Roving Bandits, those who wore red jackets were generally at the rank of squad leader or above. Red Jacket Bandits on this scale could only be the old camp of the Giant Bandits, and likely from more than one band. These Old Bandits were the core fighting strength of each Roving Bandit ying. Deploying them to the front line now might mean Cao Cao was about to launch a general assault, but the time needed to form ranks was not short, and they would remain exposed to cannon fire the entire time.

"Cao Cao's old camp!" Pang Yu narrowed his eyes. "Have the artillery concentrate fire on the Red Jacket Bandits."