Chapter 352: The Wounded

Pang Yu hurried along the Central Army battle line, heading all the way toward the right wing, scanning the vast battlefield as he walked. The west bank of the Chema River was filled with a cacophony of roaring shouts. The Land Combat Division, Personal Guard Division, and First Division on the left wing pushed forward along the Roving Bandits' line, driving most of the bandits toward the Chema River. Tens of thousands were blocked by the river channel, trapped with nowhere to escape between City River Stockade and the market town. Over a thousand were shoved into the paddy fields, scattering like headless flies.

Guo Fengyou and other personal guards walked around him, blocking the view to the east. Pang Yu waved a hand for Guo Fengyou to move aside; he wanted to see the positions of his troops' banners at all times. After the Roving Bandits collapsed, the Garrison Commander's battalion launched a full-frontal assault, and nearly all units had been released in pursuit. Before recalling the troops, Pang Yu would issue no further orders. He could only judge the offensive's progress by the positions of the Company Commander banners.

The Personal Guard Division's Company Commander banner had halted before Tufeng Fort, where groups of Iron Armor Soldiers were regrouping. The Company Commander banners of both the Land Combat Division and the First Division had reached the position of City River Stockade. Pang Yu was very familiar with his own battalion's banners, but he knew the troops were not all near the Company Commander banners. At the very least, the two Companies on the far western side of the Land Combat Division were not moving with their Company Commander banner. At least one Company of the First Division had completely lost combat capability, and another Division might also be severely mauled; there were likely only two Companies under that Company Commander banner.

Pang Yu kept glancing around as he walked without pause toward the right wing. The Second Division had already attacked Chema River Market Town via the post road, but Wang Zenglu's Company Commander banner was still there.

Near the Second Division's Company Commander banner, he first spotted Yang Xueshi. This Section Clerk of the Military Affairs Section had a group of Fire Soldiers with him. Unable to draw his bow any longer, he had swapped his weapon for a scavenged line spear and was preparing to pursue and kill eastward along the field ridge.

"Yang Xueshi, recall the infantry's cavalry. Do it immediately."

Hearing Pang Yu's shout, Yang Xueshi hurried over and said with heartfelt sincerity, "Congratulations, my lord, on routing the Giant Bandits!"

"It's only a victory at Chema River. To speak of the whole of Susong and Anqing is still premature. Right now, over a hundred more Roving Bandit horse soldiers and two hundred infantry have arrived. Chen Rulie cannot hold them off, and the Personal Guard Division hasn't regrouped yet. I need troops for a rescue right now. Go assemble the infantry's cavalry, and gather as many Fire Soldiers and Civilian Laborers as you can find." Pang Yu finished speaking hastily and continued toward the Second Division's Company Commander banner.

The area of fierce fighting on the right wing was strewn with corpses. Nearby, half a paddy field was stained a deep, bloody red. Wang Zenglu's figure stood beneath the Company Commander banner, pointing toward the Chema River as he gave deployment orders to two officers. Pang Yu stopped behind him, waiting until he finished a short segment before approaching.

"Wang Zenglu, what's the situation on the right wing?"

Wang Zenglu was covered in blood and grime, a blade scar marking his helmet. Seeing Pang Yu, he hurriedly saluted. "Reporting for my lord's awareness: the Second Division is attacking Chema River Market Town, preparing to seize the bridge head first."

"I need infantry. How many soldiers can you spare?"

Wang Zenglu's expression was somewhat blank. Pang Yu had to ask a second time before he turned to look at his own troops. After a moment, he turned back. "One Banner Team."

Pang Yu shook his head. "Too few. I need to rescue the Third Division at Erlang Town. Right now, only the Personal Guard Division and two hundred cavalry are available."

"In reply to my lord, there are no more. The Second Division was already short thirty-seven men when we set out from Leigang. At Susong, we detached one Company to garrison Pedestrian Road. By the time we reached Erlang Town, we'd lost another eleven men. After that, attacking Moyanpu and pursuing Sweeping King to Chema River, casualties from death, wounds, and illness totaled seventy-three. Today, holding the right wing alone and..."

"In one sentence: how many can you spare?"

Wang Zenglu hesitated, then said, "One more Squad. What's left will barely be enough to hold the bridge head. I had originally intended to take the market town on the east bank."

Pang Yu looked at the surrounding scene. The wounded from the First Division had not yet been evacuated. Many men screamed as they rolled and writhed on the ground.

"What about your Fire Soldiers?"

"They went into battle as War Soldiers long ago. They had no armor, so they're basically all dead or wounded."

The sound of slaughter shook the heavens from the direction of Chema River Market Town. Every soldier of the Second Division still able to move had been thrown into the battle along the post road. Pang Yu was silent for a moment, then nodded and patted Wang Zenglu on the shoulder. "Keep that Banner Team. Take the market town on the east bank."

Wang Zenglu gave a salute and, taking his Company Commander banner, stepped onto the post road.

Yang Xueshi was shouting nearby, ordering the infantry's cavalry in the vicinity to regroup. He had only managed to gather a little over thirty men. Pang Yu had allocated two Companies of cavalry to the center, but in reality, there weren't many men. The Cavalry Division had suffered up to forty percent attrition before the battle, and half had been detached to support the Central Army's infantry. Two Companies in name, they amounted to just over a hundred men. Now that the Roving Bandits were routed, Pang Yu wanted to gather as many cavalry as possible to support Chen Rulie, restoring some combat power to this most mobile of his forces.

The new Roving Bandits from Moyanpu had arrived only moments after Liu Guoneng's retreat. Had they come a quarter-hour earlier, Pang Yu would have faced a very difficult choice between reinforcing the Central Army or the Cavalry Division.

Yang Xueshi ran back at that moment. "My lord, only fifty cavalry have been gathered. There are only about a hundred Fire Soldiers and Civilian Laborers. The rest have all chased ahead."

Pang Yu waved a hand. "These men will do. Assemble on the post road immediately. We'll go reinforce Chen Rulie first, then you will lead troops to rescue Erlang Town."

Yang Xueshi hesitated visibly, then bowed. "My lord, you could also recall the First Division."

"The two Divisions on the left wing are in pursuit, striving to capture and kill the Giant Bandit chieftains. Not a single soldier more can be pulled from them."

In the original plan, the cavalry should have been used to pursue the defeated enemy here. But now they could only be used to reinforce Chen Rulie, and then to rescue Erlang Town. As for the Giant Bandit heads Pang Yu had initially wanted, he could only see how many the infantry had managed to block.

With the Roving Bandits at Chema River now routed, this was the moment to rapidly exploit the victory. Pang Yu urgently needed the military merits from the Giant Bandits and had to maintain his army's numbers. In his mind, the Land Combat Division was the most suitable unit to turn back and aid Erlang Town, as they were lightly armored and could move the fastest. But the Land Combat Division had been the first to attack Erlang Town yesterday, and today, fighting on the left wing to counterattack the Old Bandits' main camp that had broken through, their losses were not small. During the pursuit, the ferociously aggressive Marine Corps soldiers had scattered everywhere; regrouping them would likely not be easy either.

The Personal Guard Division was the most concentrated, but they wore heavy armor and had undertaken the most grueling assault tasks. Their physical strength was severely drained from the intense fighting. Pang Yu did not know if they had any stamina left for combat, but for now, they were the only ones he could move.

The Second Division was the closest, and they had to be relied upon to cut off the Chema River wooden bridge. It seemed they had little combat power left either, so Pang Yu abandoned the idea of pulling any more formed infantry units. He would make do with Fire Soldiers and Civilian Laborers to fill the numbers.

Pang Yu reached the area on the post road where the wounded were placed. The Artillery was already waiting ahead: eight small cannons in total, with thirty-nine bare-chested Cannoneers. Although the single-shot power of these small cannons, which fired two-and-a-half-jin balls, was not great, they possessed a high rate of fire and extreme mobility. Despite still having many shortcomings in application, they had played a crucial role in this decisive battle. Pang Yu planned to take them to Erlang Town, using the Iron Armor Soldiers to protect the Artillery, relying mainly on firepower output to break the siege for the Third Division.

As he walked, he inspected the wounded. There were actually several hundred here. Since the Fire Soldiers had been taken away earlier, only some Civilian Laborers were left to help tend to the casualties. Walking past, he saw many with slashing wounds to limbs and arrow wounds. There were not many with bellies ripped open. The main armor issued to most of the infantry had played a vital role. Compared to Chuzhou, the visual and auditory shock was greatly reduced.

Yang Xueshi said from behind, "Some lightly wounded soldiers can still walk. More men can intimidate the Roving Bandits."

Pang Yu hesitated, glancing back at the hundred-plus people following. Nearly half of them were still Civilian Laborers. If the Iron Armor Soldiers' strength gave out, the thought of facing the tens of thousands of Roving Bandits at Erlang Town with just this handful of men made his heart quail.

After Pang Yu nodded, Yang Xueshi immediately broke away from the group, ordering those lightly wounded to get up. A hubbub arose among the wounded. Some rose immediately, while others kept shouting.

Right beside Pang Yu, a wounded soldier was shouting, "No good, no good! My blood's almost all drained out."

Guo Fengyou said angrily, "You're already bandaged."

"No good, my lord! This arrow in my shoulder hasn't even been pulled out yet."

"Get up." Guo Fengyou roared, followed by another round of clamor.

Pang Yu cursed under his breath, "If only I had one more Company."

On the Pedestrian Road south of the Chema River's east bank, a large Left Character Banner fluttered and snapped in the wind.

"Rush to the bridge head!"

Wu Dacai shouted at the top of his lungs, directing the soldiers advancing on the road. The previous attack had gone very smoothly; they had routed several groups of Roving Bandit infantry blocking the way. Near the market town, they encountered Red Jacket Bandits coming from the west bank. These Old Bandits exploited the narrowness of the Pedestrian Road, pulling carts to block the path and shooting arrows from gaps in the compound walls, halting the Skirmisher Squad's attack.

Across the river, a thunderous roar like a mountain collapsing and a sea raging. People were jumping into the river everywhere. Wu Dacai knew the Roving Bandits must have been defeated. He also saw many Red Jacket Bandits crossing the bridge — it had to be the main camp of some Camp Head fleeing.

"First Banner Squad, charge for me! The Garrison Inspector officer will hold the line — kill anyone who turns back!"

The First Banner Squad let out a battle cry and charged forward. Arrows flew at them like a swarm of locusts, thudding against the Sword-and-Shield Soldiers' shields. Several soldiers around Wu Dacai toppled over in succession.

The squad rushed up to the carriage barricade, stabbing wildly back and forth with the Red Jacket Bandits guarding the road, separated by the carts. One Roving Bandit climbed onto a high wall nearby and shot arrows down at the Garrison Commander's battalion soldiers below. A throwing axe flew from behind and struck him square in the chest. The bandit screamed and toppled backward into the compound.

By now, the Red Jacket Bandits on the bridge surface had thinned out. Countless Servants surged onto the bridge, shoving each other as they fought for passage. A horse was also dragged onto the bridge. Jolted by the surrounding crowd, it tossed its head and twisted, neighing incessantly. After knocking several people into the water, the horse was finally squeezed off the bridge by the ever-growing mob around it, dragging its owner down with it into the river and sending up a towering splash.

Wu Dacai was burning with impatience. A shout came from the carriage barricade. The Red Jacket Bandits turned and fled, slashing at the mules and horses pulling the carts as they ran. The wounded animals thrashed desperately on the road, dragging the carriages in chaotic collisions. The Garrison Commander's battalion soldiers could not get through at all.

"Kill the horses first!" Wu Dacai roared. His men's blades and spears stabbed wildly at the animals, costing them considerable time. Once the beasts collapsed and they clambered over the carriages, the bridge head was right ahead. Countless Roving Bandits were flooding past the intersection.

Climbing over the last carriage, Wu Dacai gathered a dozen or so men and charged first toward the bridge head. A few Red Jacket Bandits on the road loosed a couple of haphazard arrows, then, seeing they could not hold them back, turned and fled.

Wu Dacai ran to the bridge head. The ground was covered with people trampled to death. The fleeing Roving Bandits, stepping on the corpses, were crossing the intersection laterally. Almost all of them had discarded their weapons and had not noticed there were still Government Troops on this side.

The soldiers surged forward with a flurry of stabbing. The intersection instantly fell into chaos. Roving Bandits about to descend from the bridge turned to flee, but those behind them on the bridge continued to surge forward, completely unaware of what was happening ahead. They jammed together in an instant. Wu Dacai led his soldiers in a frenzied slaughter. The Roving Bandits, utterly defenseless, littered the bridge surface. Those at the back finally realized and turned to run toward the west bank. The two streams of people collided head-on, and even more fell into the river.

The Flag Bearer planted the Left Character Banner at the bridge head. The Roving Bandits on the opposite bank cried out in panic, then turned and fled north. With this position seized, the passage for tens of thousands of Roving Bandits to flee east was completely cut off.

Wu Dacai panted for breath and turned to observe the market town to the east. The roads were filled with running crowds and riderless horses. From the streets and alleys, an endless stream of red-clad horse soldiers was pouring out.

"First Banner, stay here! The rest of you, follow me and fight to the street entrance!"

His trusted Banner Commander quickly grabbed hold of Wu Dacai. "Company Commander, we've already taken the Chema River wooden bridge. Your great merit is already in hand..."

Wu Dacai slashed his hand down and roared, "What do you mean great merit — what Lord Pang wants wiped out are the Red Jacket Bandits! What Lord Pang wants most are horses. Fight through to the street mouth — kill with me!"

With that he led two Banner Teams of soldiers in an assault toward the street mouth on the east side. All around them, mounted Red Jacket Bandits kept bursting out, but they had no heart for a prolonged fight, only slashing a blade at any government soldier they passed. The Roving Bandit foot soldiers they encountered in the street were beyond counting.

As more and more points of battle erupted, his infantry scattered in every direction. The entire street was fighting everywhere. The street mouth lay just ahead. By his experience fighting at Puzikou, the places in a market town where the Old Bandits lived were also where valuables were stored. Wu Dacai meant to break through to that spot and cut off the surviving Red Jacket Bandit troops still in the town — there might even be a bandit chief inside.

When they had pushed halfway, another gang of Red Jacket Bandits burst out of a compound on the right, men behind them carrying a High Shine banner. The soldiers around him all rushed over to engage. Wu Dacai took a few steps forward, drew a Throwing Axe and prepared to hurl it, when suddenly a sound came from his left. Wu Dacai whipped his head around — a horse's chest filled his entire field of vision at terrifying speed.

Boom — a huge impact. All Wu Dacai felt was himself flying through the air, sky and earth spinning wildly, and then slamming onto the ground.

Before his eyes was a pale red glow shot through with light, but he could not move. He could hear a great clamor; the stone slabs shook without pause. Then his own body jerked once — he could not tell which part. He wanted to see what it was, but he could not even force his eyes open, nor could he cry out.

After a long while, the sounds around him faded. Wu Dacai let out a gasping breath and his eyes finally opened. He began to feel a pain in his chest. Wu Dacai gritted through the pain and sat up. He turned his head to look — corpses all around him. In the distance were a few soldiers from the Garrison Commander's Ying. He suddenly noticed, at the corner of his eye, that the lower half of his left calf was splayed outward at an angle he had never seen before. For a moment Wu Dacai still had not grasped it and wanted to get up to check, when a piercing, bone-deep agony suddenly shot up from his calf.

Wu Dacai let out a wretched scream and collapsed back onto the ground.