Chapter 491: Key Points

The Anqing Heavy Infantry streamed in through the gap, and after breaking into the Qing battle line, they attacked from the flanks and rear. Blade staffs and axes rose and fell in waves, the silhouettes in the Qing line rapidly thinning as sharp, piercing screams rang out without end.

The surviving Qing soldiers turned and fled, their defensive line collapsing like an earthen dam. Anqing's silver-white helmets surged at the village entrance as the heavy infantry poured in, and two Anqing Battalion Banner Chief flags immediately charged inside.

The Heavy Armor Soldiers and civilian laborers watching from the rear cheered in unison. One Company Commander Flag paused briefly at the village entrance before following into Wangzhuang, and then Zhuang Chaozheng's Recognition Banner advanced into the village along the main road.

"My lord, Battalion Commander Zhuang reports back: the Personal Soldier Qianzong has broken through the village entrance. He estimates two to three company inside the village and expects it will take two hours to sweep the village clean."

On the main road outside the village, Tu Dianli excitedly reported to Pang Yu.

"Give him only an hour. The Tartars around us will close in any moment — there's no extra time for him." Pang Yu finished curtly and added, "The Tartars in the village will try to run. Have Chen Rulie circle around to block the eastern exit."

Tu Dianli pointed east. "My lord, Li Chongzhen and Li Guozheng have both already circled around — they've certainly gone to intercept the Tartars too."

Pang Yu raised his telescope and looked toward the right wing. Li Chongzhen's Recognition Banner had indeed already entered the camp and was pressing east without pause, clearly intending to circle to Wangzhuang's eastern exit. Li Guozheng's Recognition Banner was not far away, heading in roughly the same direction.

No matter how fearsome the Qing army had been before, a routed army is utterly helpless, not much different from Roving Bandits. At a moment like this, earning Decapitation Merit was a hundred times easier than dealing with a well-ordered Qing force in normal times, and amid the chaos, the chance to seize valuables was also far greater.

Although Li Chongzhen was nothing special in a head-on fight, he was after all a veteran Border Army officer with rich experience in cavalry combat, and he knew by heart exactly when a bargain could be picked up. Now that the Qing troops were routed, they would surely flee from the eastern end. From Li Chongzhen's perspective, being able to obtain True Yi heads and banners himself was of course far more reliable than depending on Pang Yu's goodwill.

But according to the agreement Pang Yu had with them, the several cavalry Camp Heads were supposed to be guarding the two flanks at this moment and then raiding outward along the main road in both directions, harassing the Qing forces and forcing them to commit troops to protecting their own camps, thereby preventing the Qing from rapidly massing their strength. Now both Camp Heads on the right wing had run off. If a Qing force came from the right wing's direction, it would strike directly at the Anqing Battalion's flank.

And in Pang Yu's telescope, a Qing force of over a hundred men had already appeared, hurrying over from the southwest.

Pang Yu then turned to look behind him. Zhou Yuji's two-hundred-odd cavalry were positioned to the rear flank, their military unit well-disciplined.

"Have Chen Rulie fill the right-wing position. Tell Deputy Commander Zhou to cover our battalion's rear route. Once our battalion's carriages and civilian laborers have entered Wangzhuang, ask Deputy Commander Zhou to follow the original plan and raid the other Tartar camps in every direction." Pang Yu glanced at Li Chongzhen's position. "Say that this official proposes he change course and raid due east along the official road, harassing as far out as possible."

Tu Dianli immediately dispatched an adjutant beside him to deliver the message. That adjutant had heard Pang Yu's order and did not need Tu Dianli to repeat the instructions, saving time.

Just then a Relay Horse arrived from the right wing. Tu Dianli signaled him to report directly to Pang Yu. The relay rider said loudly, "The Dudao Biao Central Camp liaison adjutant reports: the Household Retainers of the Xuan-Da Supervisor Battalion Central Battalion have beheaded over a hundred commoners, all with shaven heads. Right now several dozen riders are still in the camp cutting heads and Plundering, and they can't be gathered up for the moment. The rest have gone east with Li Fuzhen…"

"Send a runner to tell Zhuang Chaozheng to seal the eastern exit as fast as possible." Suppressing the anger in his heart, Pang Yu said to Tu Dianli, "You go tell Li Chongzhen: the Tartars' banners, weapons, and live captives are all here with me. If he continues not fighting seriously, I will give all these things to the other Camp Heads and then submit a report to the Ministry of War stating that he killed civilians to fake merit. Does he think the Ministry of War will recognize his heads? Tell him to gather his men at once and raid south along the main road! And Li Guozheng — remind him to raid southeast as agreed."

Tu Dianli immediately turned and arranged for relay horses to deliver the orders. Pang Yu shifted his telescope to the left wing. Cao Bianjiao's Recognition Banner was still there, though his cavalry seemed somewhat diminished. One Regional Commander Flag was hurrying toward Wangzhuang's eastern exit — likely also going to intercept Tartars fleeing the village. But fortunately, Cao Bianjiao had kept half his strength and could still cover the left wing.

At that moment the carriage train behind them came along the main road. Pang Yu quickly led the Central Army personnel aside to make way. The adjutants around him were all busy issuing orders. When he turned his head, Tu Dianli had just returned. Pang Yu squeezed his horse's flanks. "Enter the village and deploy the defense."

……

"Don't follow the Personal Soldiers in — help move the cannons first!"

Wu Dacai shouted at the top of his voice, ordering the civilian laborers carrying cannonballs to push the cannon carts back onto the main road.

The Qing troops on both sides of the village entrance had initially relied on the perimeter wall to resist, and the Anqing soldiers had not broken through for a time. But after the village entrance fell, the Qing troops behind the wall immediately collapsed without a fight, and the Anqing Heavy Armor Soldiers on both wings attacked through the various gaps.

"Don't push the wall down, don't push the wall down! We need it for our own defense later — did you hear me? Push it again and I'll cut you down!"

Wu Dacai propped himself on his crutch with one hand, walking along the edge of the earthen wall and cursing as he went. Two civilian laborers, as if they hadn't heard a word, were hacking furiously at the earthen wall with shovels. Wu Dacai drew his Waist Saber and struck the two of them wildly with the flat of the blade, sending them scrambling away clutching their heads.

The heavy infantry were still filing into the village through the gap. Wu Dacai had been a proper Company Commander before and knew that the faster troops were committed, the better the combat effect — in normal times, the earthen wall should have been torn down.

But with the heavy infantry having captured Wangzhuang, the civilian labor teams' work was only just beginning. After seizing Wangzhuang, they had to immediately switch to defense. This earthen wall at the village's edge was an excellent breastwork, and the Anqing Battalion needed it too. He naturally could not let these hotheaded laborers destroy it.

Pang Yu had drawn up a plan with the Logistics Division yesterday, but only after arriving on site did they realize there were far more situations to handle. None of the Logistics Division personnel had ever been in a battle, and the civilian laborers were in utter chaos. Wu Dacai could only instruct them one by one as he found them, and his throat was already raw from shouting.

Out of the corner of his eye, Wu Dacai saw Pang Yu's Recognition Banner passing through the village entrance, not far from his position. He quickly raised his voice and loudly ordered the two Centurions from the Logistics Division, "Tear down all those shacks — they mustn't block the artillery. Any carriages that can't be moved, burn them all. If you can't burn them in time, smash the wheels so the Tartars can't push them at us…"

Pang Yu's Recognition Banner had just passed the village entrance when Wu Dacai stopped. The Recognition Banner did not pause for an instant, as if it had not heard his shouting, and he could not help feeling a twinge of disappointment. His mouth was parched and his tongue dry. He reached for the Coconut Ladle at his waist but grasped at empty air, only then remembering that his ladle was with his guard. Looking around, he saw the guard was still lagging behind. Fury surged from his heart, and he loosed a torrent of abuse at that guard.

After retrieving his Coconut Ladle and rehydrating, Wu Dacai gave the two Logistics Division Centurions another round of instructions, then hurried onto the main road and entered Wangzhuang.

The intersection was covered in bloodstains and corpses. A few Anqing soldiers in Chain Mail were still bludgeoning enemy wounded. After finishing, they dragged the bodies into a nearby house. Wu Dacai had seen such scenes many times and pressed on without pausing.

Battle cries filled the village, occasionally mixed with the roar of cannons — the sound was not far off. The stretch near the village entrance was full of Anqing's own carriages. Further ahead, the road was crowded with ownerless horses and mules Pacing about. Every so often, a few fleeing Tartars would burst out onto the street, only to be quickly struck down by the heavy infantry and civilian laborers in the street, then surrounded and hacked and stabbed in a frenzy.

Quite a few bodies were already laid out by the roadside. Gold and silver jewelry and other items lay scattered everywhere on the road surface. The street was lined with many carriages, all loaded with high-value goods like silks, satins, and cotton cloth. Bloodstains were everywhere in the street. Over ten captives huddled against a wall, wailing, while several Anqing soldiers and a crowd of civilian laborers beat them wildly with clubs.

By the gate of a nearby courtyard lay a White Armor Soldier, the blood flowing from his neck pooling across the ground. A Tiger Tooth Blade lay not far away. Wu Dacai glanced inside the gate. Two more Tartars lay within the doorway. Inside the courtyard were three horse-drawn carts. Two heavy infantrymen were roaring inside the courtyard, and some women's voices were crying out shrilly. Wu Dacai wanted to go in and look, but his lame leg made stepping over the corpses on the ground a bit troublesome, so he abandoned the idea, turned, and continued deeper into the village.

Walking another stretch, the heavy infantry in the road grew more and more numerous. They were constantly charging into the houses and courtyards along the street, and when they came out, most were carrying several heads. Wu Dacai hurried along the whole way. From many of the courtyards he passed, the sounds of combat and killing still rang out.

His guard walked beside Wu Dacai, sword in hand, cautiously protecting him. Wu Dacai pressed onward and, fortunately, encountered no danger. At last he saw Pang Yu's Recognition Banner. That superior officer had stopped right in the middle of the road and was talking with Tu Dianli and Zhuang Chaozheng.

Wu Dacai rushed over. Tu Dianli had just finished a section and was catching his breath. Wu Dacai seized the opportunity and said to Pang Yu, "Congratulations, my lord, on capturing Wangzhuang. The civilian labor teams have already set up a defense at the village entrance on the West End. However, the circumstances around Wangzhuang differ from what we anticipated earlier. This subordinate still has some thoughts that need to be reported to you, my lord, and to Battalion Commander Zhuang."

Pang Yu nodded at Wu Dacai, signaling him to speak first.

"This subordinate believes: first, my lord's seizure of Wangzhuang is not only to cut the road but also to use Wangzhuang to receive the cavalry from the various battalions. Therefore, this main road running east to west is the best way in and out, and a passage must be left for the cavalry to pass through. Second, there are too many shacks in the surrounding area — they must be burned so they don't block the artillery. Third, the artillery should still be placed mostly at the two ends. If the Tartars want to attack the village, the most convenient approach is also along the road. Fourth, the civilian laborers can also be used…"

Pang Yu waited until Wu Dacai had finished, then said to Zhuang Chaozheng, "What the Deputy Chief Clerk says is quite reasonable. Battalion Commander Zhuang, assign one of the Personal Troops Department's adjutants to Deputy Chief Clerk Wu to facilitate coordination with the civilian labor teams."

Zhuang Chaozheng immediately acknowledged the order. Tu Dianli, having found this opening, then continued his earlier point: "If the Tartars want to attack Wangzhuang, they'll need at least a thousand Mounted Armor to secure the outer perimeter and pin down the various battalions on the South Bank. On top of that, they'll need to transfer at least another three thousand men to assault Wangzhuang. That means the other units of the King's Army keeping the North Bank Tartars tied down are absolutely critical — especially the Cloud Garrison's thousand-plus Mounted Retainers. The North Bank Tartars do have more cavalry than Wang Pu, but they have to defend everywhere. As long as Wang Pu just shows himself, every Tartar company has its own baggage, people, and livestock to guard, so they won't be able to spare many troops."

Wu Dacai quickly added, "For the Tartars south of Wangzhuang who've been cut off to be able to attack in force, the various battalions must raid with full effort. A camp as huge as the Tartars' has to leave the bulk of its troops on guard just to cover everything. The cavalry from each family must raid far out, not letting the Tartars grasp their movements. When they strike, they must be swift and bold, then leave as soon as the blow is struck. Once a Tartar camp is thrown into chaos, they won't be able to spare troops, and the cavalry can then raid the next location."

Pang Yu nodded repeatedly. Judging from the combat situation in Wangzhuang, there were no more than three company in the village — most likely two. Each company of the invading Qing army had roughly sixty True Yi, plus some usable Bondservants, for a total strength of about two hundred men. The camps were linked front to back, and other company nearby could arrive quickly, so in a short time they could mass three to four hundred cavalry with higher Organization Degree and discipline, and better horses and armor — enough to deal with the Household Retainers of one Ming Regional Commander.

After the battle at Jiazhuang, the Ming army had already abandoned large-scale operations. The Qing army had also fallen into a kind of operational inertia. On the march north from Jinan, Tan Tai had led troops to ambush Wang Pu, who was tailing them, costing Wang Pu over a Company Commander Retainers. From then on, the Ming army had grown even more cautious, basically only engaging in scattered skirmishing to minimize operational risk.

Most of the time, the Qing army still had Scout Cavalry controlling the surrounding situation and held the advantage in mobility. The entire march had gone smoothly, and the scattered kills the Ming Household Retainers managed had essentially no impact on the Qing's enormous numbers. The Qing army had fallen into inertia and grown complacent, no longer sensitive to Ming army activity around them.

The raid on Wangzhuang had been almost entirely improvised. Not only had the Qing army not expected it, even the Ming army itself had not anticipated it. Even Pang Yu himself had not planned it in the slightest before yesterday.

Now that Wangzhuang had been successfully seized, the Qing army's situation had sharply deteriorated. The Plain Red Banner, at the very least, was in an extremely passive position. Last night's nighttime telescope reconnaissance by the roving cavalry had shown that every village south of Wangzhuang had camps, spread over a range of at least ten li — the Tartars who had been cut off were not few in number. The Qing army was now heavily burdened and bloated in formation, long since no longer the highly mobile force that had first entered the passes. Even drawing troops away was not easy.

Wangzhuang could also serve as a support base for the cavalry. From here, they could sally out to harass every marching column, and all Qing troops that had not yet crossed the river would be affected.

Just then, a cannon sounded from the east, followed by a burst of cheers. Pang Yu led the group forward to see: the heavy infantry had already seized the village entrance at the eastern end.

Pang Yu walked out of Wangzhuang's eastern exit. It was much the same as the western village entrance — a wilderness of shacks and carriages thickly interspersed with people and livestock.

A dozen or so Qing soldiers had just fled from Wangzhuang. They had not run far before they were set upon by a band of Ming Household Retainers — it was impossible to tell which Camp Head they belonged to.

In moments, several Qing soldiers had fallen from their horses. That band of Household Retainers immediately all jumped down, drawing their Waist Sabers and scrambling for the heads and armor. Several retainers grappled with each other, rolling in a tangled heap on the ground. The remaining Qing soldiers lashed their horses desperately and vanished into the dust.

Pang Yu turned his head and personally summoned two waiting relay riders. "Go at once and report to Sun Doutang: our battalion has seized Wangzhuang and cut the road. We are now switching to defense on the spot. Request that he deploy the other units of the King's Army to pin down the Tartars who have already crossed the river at Yangcun, and ensure that the Tartars cannot mass their troops to come back to relieve them."

After the relay riders had left, horn calls sounded across the open wilderness outside. Pang Yu climbed onto a nearby carriage, raised his telescope, and scanned the surroundings. To the east, a Qing cavalry force of over three hundred men had appeared. Cao Bianjiao was gathering his men.

At that moment, the Logistics Division reported that all civilian laborers, artillery, the military medic station, and carriages had entered Wangzhuang.

"Notify all Camp Heads: the Anqing Battalion will firmly hold Wangzhuang and provide support. All Camp Head cavalry are to follow the plan and raid the Tartar camps in every direction." Having said this, Pang Yu gazed at the eastern sky and murmured, "Yoto, Wangzhuang is lost. Let's see what you do now."