Chapter 496: Advance

"My lord, look — these two don't need fire rope, these two do. Which type would the Deputy Chief Clerk like to test?"

Behind the chest rampart at Dongcunkou, the captain of the Martial Academy Firearm Experimental Team, his face full of ingratiation, spoke cautiously to Wu Dacai. He had brought two soldiers and was holding at least three types of fire lances.

The Firearm Experimental Team had about twenty men at Dongcunkou, deployed behind the first chest rampart, divided into groups of five and interspersed among the Iron Armor Soldiers. Wu Dacai had chosen a position in the middle. Pang Yu's command flag was just a short distance behind — he would certainly be seen.

Since this was expected to be the main direction of attack, Zhuang Chaozheng was at Dongcunkou. Pang Yu's command flag was positioned slightly east of center, holding half a company of heavy infantry and the Scout Squad as reserves.

The chest rampart at Dongcunkou was built very long, reaching fifteen zhang. It was the first line of defense, with a second line formed by adobe walls and houses behind it. A passage ran between the two lines, its entrance blocked by an intact carriage to prevent cavalry from charging in. The wheels were wedged with stones; if a sortie was needed, the stones could be removed and the carriage pushed aside to pass through.

Defensive troops were deployed inside the passage. Heavy infantry formed the main force, Dismounted Cavalry served as Light Infantry, and the Civilian Laborers were positioned behind the second line of defense formed by the adobe walls.

Wu Dacai frowned, first taking a fire lance and turning it over in his hands. This one had no fire rope. Pang Yu had known about self-igniting guns back in Jiangnan, but that Bi fellow had no detailed crafting process. However, there were craftsmen near Macau who could make them, mainly for use on seagoing ships. Zhang Shuangwei had already sent back several types of flintlocks.

This self-igniting arquebus had an iron cover over the priming pan. Before firing, the pan cover had to be opened. A piece of chert was fixed behind the pan with a bolt; when struck, it would produce a spark.

"This self-igniting arquebus fires fast, but sometimes it won't fire. If the priming powder gets knocked out, you have to refill it. Also, it's not accurate. No matter how you aim, the moment that flint strikes, the barrel shakes so badly that beyond twenty paces you have no idea where the shot goes. This fire-rope one is a Lumi musket. I can shoot accurately with this one, and the troops who've tried it also say it's accurate."

"Captain Jiang used to work in the workshop?"

"Replying to my lord, yes, in the workshop. Your lordship's memory is excellent. When I was appointed and we spoke, you came in person and told me to have the combat soldiers test more. I specifically petitioned Lord Pang to issue fire lances to both infantry and cavalry for testing."

Wu Dacai had no memory of this at all. When appointing someone to an experimental team, of course he'd casually advise more testing — otherwise why call it an experimental team?

He raised his eyes to Captain Jiang and said, "During the Thirty-Li Post Ambush, the Firearm Experimental Team's coordination was chaotic, and casualties were heavy. There's been some talk in the ranks."

Another drum sounded outside. Captain Jiang looked up. Across the way, banners and flags were unfurled, and many figures detached from the battle line, beginning to advance toward Wangzhuang. It seemed those general cannons were moving at the very front.

Captain Jiang wiped the sweat from his forehead. "My humble team can't compare to the cavalry, much less the Personal Soldiers. It's precisely because they look down on fire lances — no veteran was willing to join. They're all newly recruited soldiers. When selecting them, we only cared about nimble hands and feet; their courage is somewhat lacking. They fought poorly at Thirty-Li Post, but at Tongcheng Post, with the city walls and street barricades, I thought they fought quite well."

Wu Dacai's face was expressionless. The Firearm Experimental Team had fought disastrously at the Stage position at Thirty-Li Post, and there had even been desertion in the face of the enemy. Afterward, Jiang Guoyong had beheaded one man. Word had spread throughout the entire army. Lacking courage was the worst reputation in the military. As for the so-called "fighting quite well" at Tongcheng Post, it was merely firing from street barricades during a Qing night raid — no one even knew what they'd hit. Naturally, that wouldn't salvage any reputation.

Outside, drums and horns filled the air. Captain Jiang wiped his sweat again and continued, "Lord Wu, you see clearly. In the past, whether Southern Troops or Northern Troops, everyone despised fire lances as useless and feared they'd blow up in their own hands. No one in the army was willing to use them. Even within the workshop, cannons and lances were under one branch office, but the cannon-makers had already earned a reputation. Every time Lord Pang visited, he only looked at the cannons. Bao Xiansheng spends every day on the cannon-making side. The lance-makers only get a passing question when he has free time. I was on the lance-making side. Lance-making is only permitted to use iron, and drilling the barrels is all brute labor. The capable craftsmen in the workshop all went to make cannons, and those left are restless. I heard that Ceng Yiyun went to lead the Artillery, and from now on, those higher officials will only care about cannon-making. So I petitioned Bao Xiansheng and came to this Firearm Experimental Team, to see what kind of fire lance the army actually needs, to see whether fire lances are useful or useless."

"Then after all this time fighting, do you find them useful or useless?"

Captain Jiang said hurriedly, "Naturally useful. Of the fire lances issued to the various companies and companies, half reported back that they were used in battle against the Tartars. Twenty percent said they killed bandit spawn. I believe only a few men can use a cannon, but fire lances can be given to thousands upon thousands of soldiers. If made well, they could kill so many bandit spawn."

"These fire lances were all made by the lance-makers. I personally selected every single one. I beg Lord Wu to try them, and put in a few good words for the Firearm Team."

Captain Jiang, his head drenched in sweat in the dead of winter, had an utterly honest and simple look, yet his words were so tactless. Who spoke so directly about "putting in a few good words"? He made it seem as if Wu Dacai using his fire lances would owe him a favor. No wonder this experimental team was so disliked in the army.

Out of distrust for fire lances, Wu Dacai had no real desire to use the things. But he knew Pang Yu had been paying close attention to fire lances, mentioning them many times during military councils. This Firearm Experimental Team had also been established by Pang Yu's decision, and he seemed to favor the self-igniting arquebus even more — it was just that none of the various types manufactured met his approval.

"If I use these few lances, what will the soldiers in your team use?"

"No matter. A few died at Thirty-Li Post. These lances belonged to those who died. No one's using them anyway."

A surge of anger rose in Wu Dacai's heart. From the corner of his eye, he saw heads bobbing in the Qing army's battle line across the way. He suppressed the urge to curse, but found this captain before him utterly disagreeable. He waved his hand dismissively. "Leave all these lances. Go attend to your own business."

Captain Jiang wiped the sweat from his forehead once more, turned to the soldier beside him, and said, "You stay and help the lord load. The Tartars are coming."

Drums echoed around the outskirts of Wangzhuang. Dense clusters of figures surged out from the Qing main formation, advancing toward Wangzhuang under the urging of officers of every rank. From Wu Dacai's position, they were backlit. Countless heads bobbed along the battle line; all he could see were dark silhouettes. The shadows cast by the sunlight fell on the ground before them, like a black tide surging toward Wangzhuang.

In the center of the crowd, a long string of shield carts rumbled along the main road. The stone slabs of the road gleamed, reflecting the sunlight. As the shield carts advanced, the gleaming slabs were buried in their shadows.

Wu Dacai knew the Tartars wanted to avoid the field ridges in the open ground. These shield carts were difficult to push through the fields. They would use the road to get as close as possible before deploying.

To Wu Dacai's left and right were heavy infantry, densely arrayed behind the chest rampart. For now, most were still sitting and resting. Only the captains stood observing the enemy. Their Long Spears and Line Spears were propped against the rampart, while two-handed close-combat weapons like Long-Handled Axes, Wolf Tooth Clubs, and Blade Staffs were placed lower down. Though drums and horns filled the air outside, these Heavy Armor Soldiers showed no visible sign of tension.

In this section, there were also five or six Dismounted Cavalry. Their weapons were mainly Line Spears and Short Blades, with a pile of Fire Thunders stacked beside them.

On the second defensive line at the adobe wall behind them, the Civilian Laborers stood atop the wall, peering curiously.

About ten paces away, there was an artillery crew. The Artillery Chief was watching the Company Commander's flag in the center — that was the Artillery Commander's recognition banner. All cannons deployed on the east side were under the Company Commander's command. The crew's two types of cannonballs were sorted and placed behind them.

The continuous wail of conch horns rose from the opposite side. Wu Dacai immediately raised his telescope to look. Flags in the Qing main formation on the east flank were waving. The Right Wing's flags answered, and in a flash, a cavalry unit burst out from the Right Wing.

In the lens, the cavalry wore almost no Bright Armor. Wu Dacai didn't even see much Cotton Armor. Most wore leather jackets, and half wore only padded cotton jackets. The mixed colors in their ranks made them look like Roving Bandits. They stood almost upright in their stirrups, their bodies steady as if on flat ground. Their horses were at full gallop, widely spaced, and in moments they had overtaken the advancing infantry.

This cavalry unit came roaring in, cutting across the fields outside Wangzhuang. They didn't even slow when crossing the field ridges, and soon neared the chest rampart at the village entrance.

The seemingly disordered cavalry slowed slightly, turning fifty paces in front of the chest rampart. They continued racing along a line parallel to the rampart, crossing by. The riders stood in their stirrups and drew their bows.

With a series of snapping twangs, a wave of Light Arrows arced high in a parabola, scattering randomly before and behind the chest rampart.

Clangs rang out all around — the sound of Light Arrows striking Ming Helmets. Two screams came from the adobe wall behind them, followed by shouts from the Civilian Laborers, calling for the wounded to be sent to the military medic station.

Wu Dacai pressed his head against the chest rampart. Only now did he remember he had no helmet. In the past, before battle, equipment was inspected according to regulations. After becoming this Clerk Officer, he'd had no such training at all and often forgot his armor and helmet.

The volley fire from these light cavalry had little accuracy and posed little threat to the Anqing Battalion behind cover. But Wu Dacai didn't even have a helmet. If an arrow struck his head, it could still be fatal.

"My lord, your helmet." Wu Dacai turned to look. His guard was holding out a helmet.

Wu Dacai quickly took it and put it on. With the chest rampart shielding him in front, as long as his head was protected, he felt much more secure at heart. He raised his head to look outside. The Qing Central Army's flags were signaling. The Left Wing's cavalry charged out, likewise dashing to within fifty paces of the battle line and loosing Light Arrows in a diagonal volley as they rode.

Cavalry wove across the open fields around Wangzhuang. Wu Dacai knew there were only Several Hundred of them, but with the cavalry racing at full speed, the very earth trembled, as if thousands of men and horses were on the move.

The boom of two cannon shots came from the direction of Xicunkou. Clearly, battle had already been joined there. Then the crack of fire lance fire came from the south side as well.

Zhuang Chaozheng's square flag had not moved. The Anqing Battalion at Dongcunkou had not launched any counterattack.

Wu Dacai lowered his head and asked the soldier from the Firearm Team, "Can fire lances hit those Tartar cavalry?"

The soldier was only sixteen or seventeen. He was crouched behind the chest rampart, blowing on the fire rope of a Lumi musket. He looked up at Wu Dacai. "Replying to my lord, if it's moving, you can't hit it."

Wu Dacai didn't want to speak to anyone from the Firearm Team anymore. He raised his telescope and focused his gaze. Now he could see clearly through the lens. Behind the weaving cavalry were the Qing Armored Soldiers, Dark Armor and Bright Armor intermingled, advancing with the bearing of a battle-hardened army. Their pace was unhurried, directed by numerous flags, their colors mainly Plain Red and Bordered Red. Behind these Armored Soldiers, more cavalry could be glimpsed.

On both sides of the Official Road were large numbers of unarmored Bondservants. They were already within three hundred paces, still advancing behind the shield carts.

Those few general cannons, having encountered the main formation's advance, were now far ahead of the shield carts, already within a hundred paces. With them were over a hundred scattered Qing soldiers, and the Bondservants following carried several door planks.

The cavalry ahead still wove back and forth, loosing scattered Light Arrows at the Anqing line. Wu Dacai could only observe through the gaps between the riders. Finally, he made out the weapons of those Qing soldiers.

"Tartar fire lances!"

Those few general cannons had already stopped. A group of Qing soldiers, shouting a work chant, were dragging the cannons off the main road.

A gong sounded from the rear. The Qing cavalry weaving in front withdrew to both flanks.

Two plumes of white smoke erupted from the muzzles of the general cannons. The surrounding Qing soldiers, sheltering behind door planks, opened fire. Bird Guns and Three-Eye Guns crackled and popped, small puffs of white smoke rising into the air.

Wu Dacai saw the general cannons fire, and his heart clenched. He quickly ducked his head to take cover. The firearm soldier beside him was even faster, having already shrunk back to the ground.

In his panic, he only heard a few soft thuds around him. Wu Dacai froze for a moment, then poked his head out to look. Only two of the five general cannons had fired. Where the cannonballs had gone, no one knew. He looked up and down the line — the chest rampart was completely undamaged.

Another cannon boom sounded from outside. This time, Wu Dacai did not duck back. He saw a black iron shot fly from a general cannon. A carriage placed ahead as an obstacle splintered with a crack, sending a few fragments flying.

The cannons on the south and west sides thundered several times in succession, showing the fighting was gradually intensifying, but at Dongcunkou, where the Qing troops were thickest, battle had still not been joined.

Those Qing Firearm Hands advanced in scattered disarray, firing sporadically at the chest rampart, yet Zhuang Chaozheng's square banner still showed no movement.

Clusters of bondservants pushed shield carts along the Official Road, entering the two-hundred-pace range and about to cross those field ridges, after which they would leave the Official Road and spread out into a line. The Armored Soldiers of the main formation lagged behind, having already halted their advance, likely waiting for the shield carts to get into position.

A burst of suona horns sounded. Wu Dacai turned his head to look. The Cannon Company Commander's flag rose and rotated in a circle, and the cannon crew beside it immediately erupted with a roar.

The six bronze cannons along the village's eastern defense line bellowed in unison. Six two-and-a-half-catty iron shot burst from the muzzles amid thick smoke, hurtling straight for the first shield cart on the main road.

……

Wood splinters and severed limbs flew across the main road. Even in the Qing army's rear formation, the screams that followed could be heard.

Holben merely frowned slightly. Beside him, a formation of silver purity lay concealed behind the ranks of Armored Soldiers. All one hundred and thirty of the Plain Red Banner's elite guard were gathered here. They had not mounted their horses, so as not to reveal their position.

The elite guard's formal designation was the Imperial Guard. Their numbers varied from company to company in the Qing army, roughly between ten and fifteen per company. The Plain Red Banner had fewer than four hundred in total. These troops, superbly equipped and long hardened by battle, were the Qing army's elite fighting strength. Each banner had a elite guard Standard-Bearer Commander, who specifically led the elite guard in battle and held considerable status within the banner.

Holben was precisely the Plain Red Banner's elite guard Standard-Bearer Commander, accompanying his banner's Banner Commander on campaign. The one hundred and thirty elite guard here were practically the entire number the Plain Red Banner had brought within the border.

Although Dudu had mobilized four banners for this battle, the most difficult assault tasks still had to be carried out by the Plain Red Banner. Therefore, attacks on both village entrances involved the Plain Red Banner. The Mongol Banner Commander Enggetu was leading troops in battle at Xicunkou.

The Ming Army's line was shrouded in gunpowder smoke. A second round of cannon thunder roared, and the main road was again a scene of devastation.

Holben tilted his head and said to Du Lei, "Master, these shield carts cannot stop the Southern Barbarians' cannons. It would be better to pull off the main road and spread out."

Du Lei sat on horseback. He did not care about the loss of shield carts; he simply had not expected the Ming Army to completely ignore the harassment from the Mongol light cavalry and firearms, focusing their cannons solely on the shield carts. The ones in front were smashed and blocked the road, making the main road unusable for those behind as well. Without the shield carts, the Armored Soldiers would have to attack with no cover at all, multiplying their losses.

"Shield carts off the road. Have the bondservants clear the road. Leave a few of the sturdier ones to keep using the main road."

The personal guard beside him immediately went to relay the order. Du Lei shifted his gaze to the south side. The fighting there was already very lively, but the Plain Yellow Banner had not sent out its elite guard. There were many Bright Armor Southern Barbarians in this village; light cavalry and Armored Soldiers alone could not break through.

According to their previous tactics, the Qing army would first send out light cavalry and Firearm Hands to lure the Ming Army's firearms into firing, after which the Ming Army's firepower would continue to weaken.

In the second wave, they would send out Armored Soldiers and Surplus Troops screened by shield carts. Once within bow range, they would use bows for long-range strikes from behind the cover of the shield carts. In large-scale formation battles, most of the Ming Army infantry holding the line lacked armor, and arrows could inflict severe casualties on them. If this continued for a time, the morale of those infantrymen would collapse.

Once the Ming Army's formation wavered, the Qing army would choose a weak point and commit Heavy Infantry to the assault. After punching through the formation, the Ming Army would collapse, and then the cavalry would pursue and slaughter them. The vast majority of Ming Army casualties occurred in this phase, while the Qing army suffered almost none, because the Ming troops were all exhausted from running and could only let themselves be butchered.

But today, the opponent had a village as a position. Holben had commanded the night raid on Tongcheng Post. This village could not compare to the City Wall of Tongcheng Post. Back then, these Southern Troops had not left the city, and now they were even less likely to. It looked as though they were single-mindedly determined to hold fast. They could only find a way to force a breakthrough.

If the assault failed, the Plain Red Banner would lose nearly half its materiel, and that did not even include the losses of the two Outer Vassal Mongol contingents. Among the four banners present, only the Plain Red Banner absolutely had to break through this village, because the opponent was the Bright Armor Southern Barbarians. Therefore, whether the banner's elite guard was used properly would determine the final outcome.

"Master, the Southern Barbarians have shifted seven cannons to the east side, and the Bright Armor Southern Barbarians have also increased. Enggetu is attacking the west side, so they must have been drawn from the south and north sides."

Du Lei turned to Holben. "Send light cavalry mixed in among the Outer Vassal cavalry. Keep eyes on the south and north sides. See clearly which side is weaker. Once the Armored Soldiers close in on that wall and tie down his troops, pick the place with fewer soldiers and attack."

Holben lowered his head and said, "This slave will go see personally."

Before his words had faded, the third cannon volley sounded. The cannonballs hurtled toward the mass of Qing Armored Soldiers two hundred paces away.