Chapter 466: Assault on the City

Outside was a hubbub of noise. In the God of Wealth Hall to the left of the City God Temple, the lightly wounded lay everywhere. Though it was already deep into the night, most were awake, and from time to time someone groaned.

From the rear courtyard came faint, agonized screams that had not ceased all night. The severely wounded from two days of continuous fighting were all placed in the rooms of the rear courtyard. Although the hall doors were shut, the sounds could still be heard in the dead of night.

"I heard twenty thousand Tartars are coming, as many as when they fought Lu Doutang."

"Someone from my village works in the Advisory Room. He says it's only two thousand, just the Plain Red Banner..."

Two wounded men from Anqing were murmuring in low voices, with those nearby occasionally interjecting a word, trading the scraps of rumor they had heard. Yang Shisan lay with his head turned to one side. Though his eyes were closed, he was intently listening to the talk beside him. But those men all spoke to each other in the Anqing accent. Yang Guangdi's accent had been more northern, and Yang Guangdi and the Banner Commander had deliberately spoken very slowly, so he could barely understand them. Now, with the Anqing soldiers speaking rapidly among themselves, after listening for so long, he only understood that this place was surrounded by Tartars.

All day today, Yang Shisan had been cursing under his breath. Only after supper did he collapse into a groggy sleep. Now, with the hubbub outside, he slowly opened his eyes. Over a dozen lanterns hung in the side hall. Two orderlies from the Military Medic unit were pacing about, wooden basins in their hands.

The dim, yellow-lit hall appeared very blurry; even the deity statues were unclear. In the afternoon, Yang Shisan had gone to the main hall to walk around. The deity statues inside looked completely different from those in Xuan-Da. He wondered if the differences grew greater the further south one went. This place was a strange land, a thousand li from Xuan-Da. The accents reaching his ears were unintelligible. Everything was utterly unfamiliar.

Even more unfamiliar was that he did not know a single person. Last night, Banner Commander Chen had brought Qin Jiuze and the others to visit him. Seeing them had indeed put his mind at ease, knowing they were going out today, but he never expected they would not return. All the Scout Cavalry had been mobilized and moved out. There had originally been Yu Lao'er, who was relatively familiar, but Yu Lao'er's injuries were not severe. In the afternoon, when word came from outside that they were short-handed, Yu Lao'er went out and had not returned even now. The Clerk Officer from the Second Division had not come today either.

In the main hall, there were two or three other Scout Cavalrymen Yang Shisan had seen before, but they were not familiar with each other, and understanding their speech was very difficult. After trying twice, Yang Shisan gave up any thought of communicating. In this City God Temple in a foreign land, Yang Shisan could be said to be utterly alone.

The outer hall door creaked. Yang Shisan did not look; people had been coming and going all night anyway, mostly those medical orderlies.

Suddenly, a voice shouted in the main hall, "Is there anyone still able to walk?"

This accent was one Yang Shisan could understand. He immediately turned his head to look. The speaker was an officer; it was impossible to tell which division he was from.

The wounded all propped themselves up to look. The officer raised his voice again. "Everywhere is short of men. Anyone who can move, go help out. Lead the Civilian Braves in defending the city."

The side hall fell silent for a moment. The officer did not press them. Yang Shisan lay back down.

A rustling sound stirred around him. Yang Shisan did not close his eyes. He could see some people getting up, then threading through the crowd on the floor toward the hall door.

The officer's voice said, "State your unit and what you can do."

Someone said, "Cavalry First Division, Second Company. My legs work, and my right hand can use a saber."

"Martial Academy Distant Scout Team. Left foot injured, can't walk fast. Can use both saber and spear."

"Cavalry First Division, First Company. Left hand injured. Can walk. Can use a saber one-handed."

"Cavalry First Division, First Company. Left leg injured. Right hand injured, can't exert force. Can go make Fire Thunder."

"Martial Academy Firearm Team. Right foot injured, can't walk. Find someone to carry me over. I can stand and fire a gun."

In the hall, voices spoke up one after another. People kept rising to their feet. In all, there were around a dozen or so, and then no one else got up.

The officer picked seven men based on their injuries, waited another moment, and was just turning to leave when he saw one more person stand up in the hall.

"Cavalry Second Division, Scout Cavalry Banner Unit. Right shoulder injured. Can walk. Can use saber and spear... As for archery, I'd have to try to know."

Yang Shisan followed behind the Clerk Officer. The squad threaded through the late-night streets of Tongcheng Post.

Not far from the City God Temple was the Earth Temple. Yang Shisan glanced inside the gate. The open courtyard was filled with many tables. Crowds of people gathered around the tables, dismantling firecrackers. The lanterns were all placed far away, the light very dim. The courtyard gate stood wide open, and from time to time, people carried chests out from inside.

They did not stop at the Earth Temple but went directly to the Relay Office ahead. That was the station for the Central Army and the Logistics Division. The places for gathering and distributing supplies within the city were basically all in official buildings and temples. Their grounds were relatively large, which was convenient for the turnover of supplies and the movement of troops, far more suitable than ordinary residences.

The wounded soldiers without weapons drew new weapons at the Relay Office. Yang Shisan had brought his own weapons. At Thirty-Li Post, he had picked up two intact arrow quivers. Earlier, he had heard Yang Guangdi say that captured weapons had to be turned in, but no one from the Scout Cavalry had ever come to ask about them. Then they had been busy retreating, so he had brought his weapons with him to the military hospital.

The two Tartar quivers and their arrows were of good quality, but the arrowhead weight was different from those in Xuan-Da. Yang Shisan was not yet used to them and estimated that both accuracy and power would be affected, but it was still better than lacking arrows. He had his waist saber and throwing axes on him, but he still drew a line spear. Normally, he was unwilling to carry a line spear, but this time it was for city defense, and the line spear's heavy head was more suited for dealing with Tartar armor.

After leaving the Relay Office, the officer walked at the very front. Along the way, they passed two street barricades. Both were still under construction. Each barricade had a cannon. The group had to pass through the barricades. By the time they passed the second one, they were not far from Cross Street.

In the street, a team of Iron Armor Soldiers stood guard. Lanterns were lit in the shop fronts on both sides of the road. The soldiers all slept in their clothes. The door panels had all been removed to allow the soldiers to rush in and out quickly. Some other shop fronts housed Civilian Laborers. Water vats of varying sizes were placed at the doorways, and rows of hemp beaters leaned against the walls.

The ground at the Shizijiekou intersection had been entirely raised. The perimeter was lined with bags filled with bricks and stones to form a breastwork; some were even just grain sacks. Interspersed among these bags were stone slabs, millstones, and other large rocks. Door panels were erected at intervals along the breastwork. Behind the breastwork rested various fire lances. Two small cannons were aimed directly at the most dangerous South Street, while only one was deployed on each of the east and west sides.

Dozens of Iron Armor Soldiers lay sleeping within the barricade. Those on guard were all cavalry and Civilian Braves. A hundred lanterns hung on South Street. The north wind, carrying snow, swept through the street. Amid the flickering light and shadows across the street, over a hundred Civilian Laborers were busy on the southern street, throwing all kinds of bricks, stones, and wood onto the road surface. The largest object was a roof beam, lying diagonally across the street, blocking this broad post road.

The officer stopped up ahead for a while. After speaking with two other officers, he led the squad to turn east, following the East Gate inner street toward the East Gate Tower.

On East Gate Street, shadows moved to and fro. Work was still ongoing to reinforce the East Street and the barricade below the city tower. An endless stream of people went up and down the city stairs, carrying stones and Fire Thunder up to the wall, along with lime pots, which had not been present before.

Ahead of their squad, six men were carrying a stone slab, taken from some demolished place. They worked in pairs, someone calling out a work chant as they moved upward step by step. The carrying pole on the shoulders of the last two men was bending downward, looking as if it might snap at any moment.

Once they had climbed the city stairs, Yang Shisan breathed a sigh of relief. Upon reaching the city wall, they were met directly by a small cannon. The officer walked right past the cannon's muzzle. Yang Shisan made a detour around the breech.

On the city wall, many fire beacons were lit at intervals. Iron Armor Soldiers sat around the fires, the dense firelight flickering on their scale armor. Many lanterns hung at the parapet. Looking toward the North Wall, it was brightly lit, densely packed with people all along its length.

The squad was led outside the gate tower. An officer came out from inside. This officer was burly and tall. Though he did not wear iron armor, one could guess he was from the Personal Guard Division.

He looked over the group and said, "At night, it's one man per two arrow crenels. During the day, one man per crenel. Every ten crenels requires a Battalion Commander to lead. The North Wall has a total of three hundred and thirty-nine crenels and thirty-four Battalion Commanders. Besides leading them in battle, you must also enforce military law. Whether it's the Community Soldiers here or the Civilian Braves from Anqing, no one is permitted to retreat without an order. When you come down from the wall each day, you will determine their rank. There are six squads of Heavy Infantry on the city wall, and one Banner Team in reserve here at the gate tower. If Tartars come up, blow the whistle. If you have a gong, beat the gong."

Immediately, other officers came to assign these men to defensive positions. When it was Yang Shisan's turn, the officer glanced at the quivers he was carrying and assigned him to the south side of the city tower.

Yang Shisan looked. The defensive position given to him was at a collapse point fifty paces south of the East Gate Tower. In other words, this was the very end of the defensive line.

This spot was fifty paces from the city tower, very close to both the tower and the city gate. It counted as the forward outpost of the city tower, its importance quite high, which was why Yang Shisan had been assigned here.

Besides the men on watch at the crenels, their group had five Iron Armor Soldiers and ten Civilian Braves. Three of the Civilian Braves were stoutly built. One of them even wore armor, which looked to be Qing army iron-inlaid cotton armor. Among their weapons were two long spears and a bamboo basket of Fire Thunder, containing both bamboo tube versions and cloth-wrapped versions.

Another group of six men carried a stone slab up. The group set the slab down but still had to carry it forward to build a breastwork.

"My shoulder's injured. I'm not lifting heavy things."

After saying this, Yang Shisan put down his line spear and sat on a millstone, sorting his arrows by himself.

The others grumbled a few words and inserted door panels between the stone slabs. With ample manpower, the position at this end of the city wall was quickly completed. Although it was already late at night, supplies were still being continuously delivered to the city wall. The squad leader of the Iron Armor Soldiers hung two lanterns on a bamboo pole, placing it at the location of the collapsed breach.

It was already past the hour of the Ox. After the firewood arrived, the group lit a fire and began taking turns resting.

Yang Shisan had slept all day in the City God Temple. Although he was not scheduled for this watch, he had no desire to sleep. The Civilian Brave on sentry duty kept craning his neck to check the situation at the breach.

Though a fire was burning, the city wall was still like an ice cellar. At that moment, another large bundle of wheat stalks was delivered. Yang Shisan broke it apart and fed it into the fire. The flames immediately roared up. He stretched his legs toward the fire and felt a little warmer.

Suddenly, from the direction of the North Wall came a rapid clanging of gongs. The sleeping men all woke at once. Yang Shisan grabbed his step bow and began laying out arrows one by one on the millstone.

From the direction of the North Gate came several successive explosions, instantly illuminating the dark night sky. From South Street came a burst of battle cries. Two booms thundered from Cross Street, and red light flickered continuously in the night sky.

The people in the small position all looked toward the city. Yang Shisan, however, slightly craned his neck to look down at the breach below.

The lanterns swayed in the wind and snow, the light and shadows in the breach constantly shifting. Yang Shisan slowly drew his bow. At the edge of the lit area, a blurry silhouette appeared. Yang Shisan pulled the bow to its limit, and the armor-piercing bodkin arrow left the string.

A scream came from below. The soldiers and Civilian Braves in the position immediately began shouting. Yang Shisan took a second arrow and saw several human figures appear at the breach. A javelin flew out, knocking one lantern flying. The light instantly dimmed.

Just as he drew his bow, the remaining lantern was also knocked flying. The breach was plunged into darkness. By the light from other parts of the city wall, Yang Shisan could still make out blurry human figures. Before he could release his arrow, stones rained down below. Then, several bursts of light exploded in succession, the blasts deafening.

Yang Shisan quickly ducked back behind the door panel. He tried to open his eyes, but all he could see were the bright afterimages left by the explosions. He could not see anything clearly. Thick, acrid smoke drifted up from the breach and swept over the small position.

The Civilian Braves around him were still howling. Several more explosions followed. Yang Shisan's ears rang. Fragments of earth pattered down. He forced his eyes open and could see a few nearby Civilian Braves still throwing Fire Thunder and stones, even hurling down burning pieces of wood. He yelled angrily, "Stop blasting!"

His voice was utterly drowned out by the shouting and explosions. Yang Shisan could only shut his eyes, but his vision was still filled with spots of light. Two more explosions rang out, and the tinnitus surged again.

Yang Shisan clutched his ears and cursed loudly, "Where the hell did Qin Jiuze and Man Da'er run off to? I should've just gone with you lot."

……

On the twenty-first day of the twelfth month, one li north of Tongcheng Post, lay the city's Guanxiang district. The buildings stretched all the way to the Horse God Temple here. As a large market town on the post road, the temple was even grander in scale than the one at Thirty-Li Post.

At this moment, over a thousand cavalry were arrayed around the Horse God Temple. Red banners distributed throughout the formation snapped fiercely in the wind. From beneath a large banner with a red field and white border came a fit of continuous coughing.

Yangwu Grand General Yoto covered his mouth. A personal guard beside him handed over a white handkerchief. Yoto coughed several more times, his face flushing slightly. Over a dozen General Officers stood around him, none daring to disturb him.

After a long while, Yoto returned the handkerchief to the personal guard, his hand still extended. A telescope was placed into his palm, its three segments already fully drawn out. On one segment were engraved four Chinese characters: "Victory from a Thousand Miles."

The men were no longer surprised by this telescope and waited patiently for Yoto to observe the city.

Yoto's telescope moved slowly. Through the lens, the North Wall was on full alert. Every arrow crenel held a human silhouette—some wearing caps, others helmets. A few damaged battlements had been replaced with door planks or window boards.

At the position of the City Tower stood several men also holding telescopes. Yoto's gaze lingered on one person in the center of the tower. That man stood beneath a red Recognition Banner. In battle, the placement of banners was strictly regulated, so this had to be an enemy General Officer.

The other party was also peering in his direction. Yoto narrowed his eyes; the two faced off through their telescopes.

After a long moment, Yoto lowered his telescope. "So this is the bunch that killed over two hundred Armored Soldiers?"

A general officer beside him lowered his head and said, "The day before yesterday at Thirty-Li Post, two Company Commander died. Haksaha's body was not recovered; his head was taken by these Southern Barbarians. Also, Guxi of the Chahar died after returning to camp. We lost quite a few Armored Soldiers."

The speaker was Du Lei, Banner Commander of the Plain Red Banner. He had a broad face and small, narrow eyes. Yoto did not respond, as if he had not even heard of the Plain Red Banner's losses. The several General Officers under the Bordered Red Banner stood off to the other side, led by Banner Commander Ye Chen, all listening silently to Du Lei's report.

Du Lei did not state the exact number of losses. He glanced at Yoto, then continued, "Shuozhan fled back that day. I placed him under watch and control and immediately reported to the Grand General, mustering the various Jurchen, Mongol, and Han Army units within the banner. Yesterday morning we headed south and trapped these Southern Barbarians here. Yesterday afternoon we received word that the Dong'e camp ground was broken through by a force from the north—it must have come from this Tongcheng Post. The commanding Company Commander has not returned, and Badar Efu of the Naiman is dead."

Yoto grunted in acknowledgment, then fell silent again. Du Lei stole a glance at Yoto's expression, his heart uneasy. He had not even mentioned the losses from last night's raid.

"That Shuozhan led Mounted Armor. How was he ambushed?" Yoto said coldly. "Did they fail to separate vanguard and rear? Did they not dismount when passing through market towns? Did they not send scouts to check for hidden troops?"

Du Lei kept his head down and said nothing. Yoto spoke calmly, "It is not only the Plain Red Banner. The Bordered Red Banner has plenty of the same. Saksaha losing his head was no injustice. Whoever cuts corners in battle, their death is no injustice."

None of the surrounding General Officers dared speak. After a moment of silence, Yoto spoke again, "Has the origin of this force been clearly investigated?"

"Anqing Cavalry Camp. The commanding officer is a Vice Regional Commander, surnamed Pang. The captives we took confessed... one thousand Mounted Retainers, over ten cannons, and one thousand Bright Armor Retainers who do not ride horses."

As soon as he finished, the Bordered Red Banner officers all turned their heads to look at him. They had fought the Ming Army for twenty years and had never heard of a Ming force organized like this.

"Since these barbarians could kill two hundred of your men at Thirty-Li Post, a Vice Regional Commander with two thousand troops is fitting. One thousand Retainers also makes sense. But what is the meaning of these one thousand Bright Armor Retainers, and why do they not ride horses?"

Du Lei shook his head. "I conducted the interrogation myself. All the captives gave this same account."

The Bordered Red Banner officers nearby murmured in low discussion. Yoto stared at the city tower ahead for a long while, then said, "Since these barbarians are such a force, Du Lei, how do you intend to take this city?"

"These barbarians are different from other Ming State troops. Though they have many cavalry, their fighting strength is poor. But they have many Bright Armor Retainers and cannons. Now they've set up barricades inside Tongcheng Post to stubbornly resist. Without cannons, it's difficult to assault. I wish to transfer the artillery units of He Chenggong and Ceng Chuankong."

Both units he mentioned came from the Dengzhou rebel army. He Chenggong was a Meile Zhangjing under Kong Youde, and Ceng Chuankong was a Meile Zhangjing under Geng Zhongming.

Yoto glanced to the side. Ye Chen, Banner Commander of the Bordered Red Banner, immediately said, "He Chenggong has already reached Changqing. I fear it will be difficult to transfer him. Ceng Chuankong only has a few General Cannons and brought no Red Barbarian Cannons with him."

Du Lei's expression soured. When they had first arrived yesterday, there had not been many men on the walls, which was why they had launched the night raid. Today, with Yoto observing the city's defenses, the wall tops were packed with men. The enemy had piled all sorts of obstacles in the city streets, making it extremely difficult even for Armored Soldiers to approach Cross Street. He desperately needed artillery, and the best artillery was with the Dengzhou rebels, but from Yoto's attitude, it seemed he would not support that.

Then Yoto spoke again, "Du Lei, how many days will it take you to take this city?"

Du Lei could not answer for a moment. Last night's attempt had cost him officers and men. Currently at Chiping, there were only the Plain Red Banner and the Bordered Red Banner. This city was full of Iron Armor Soldiers. If Yoto did not support him, the Plain Red Banner alone could not breach this broken city.

At that moment, a personal guard approached Ye Chen. Ye Chen's expression shifted slightly. After the personal guard withdrew, Ye Chen turned to Yoto and said, "At dawn, two camp grounds outside Boping were raided by cavalry coming from the south. At one camp, men and livestock scattered. At the other, the enemy was repelled. The enemy has gone south. Bulinzhu is leading the pursuit."