Chapter 502: Cracks

Amid the flash of firelight, the stock slammed heavily into his shoulder. Wu Dacai toppled backward onto a corpse. The searing pain in his chest kept him from crying out, and tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes.

White smoke hung in the air before him, blocking his view ahead. Wu Dacai could not move. He strained to force his blurred eyes open, staring tensely forward.

The white smoke gradually thinned. The Mountain Pattern Armor Tartar was slumped against the wall, left hand clutching his belly, right hand still gripping his blade staff. The hand holding the blade staff twitched, but before he could raise it again, the Mountain Pattern Armor Tartar's legs gave way. He slid down the wall to a sitting position on the ground, a chilling wail escaping his mouth.

Xu Lengzi was right beside the Mountain Pattern Armor Tartar. Blood streamed like a waterfall beneath his crooked face armor. He braced himself against the wall and still had not fallen. Hearing the ghastly scream from the Mountain Pattern Armor Tartar, Xu Lengzi twisted his body slightly and swung his iron arm-guard at the Tartar's helmet.

That elite guard's view had been blocked earlier by Xu Lengzi's body. Only now did he see the fallen Mountain Pattern Armor soldier. He stood frozen, letting Xu Lengzi strike him, then suddenly let out a great cry. He released Xu Lengzi, turned, and bolted for the breach in the gun emplacement. Like a madman he clambered over the corpses in the gap, tumbled headlong out over the wall, rolled twice before getting to his feet, and then ran staggering toward the open wilderness to the north.

Xu Lengzi had no strength to pursue. Propping himself against the wall, he slowly collapsed, landing directly on top of the Mountain Pattern Armor Tartar. The two lay piled together. Xu Lengzi used his iron arm-guard to pound at the Tartar's face armor, blow after blow.

The Mountain Pattern Armor Tartar's screams gradually faded. Wu Dacai swept his gaze blankly across the small courtyard. Wounded Tartars and Heavy Armor Soldiers alike were struggling on the ground. The only unwounded firearm soldier was still sprawled on the ground. If a few Tartars came in now, every survivor here would be killed by him.

The cannons outside had fallen silent. Only shouting could be heard. Wu Dacai figured the cannon crew was mostly dead. Enduring the pain, he handed his fire lance over. The firearm soldier took it in a daze, his eyes lifeless, and began loading.

Wu Dacai watched as that Tang Sheng finished loading the fire lance, then dazedly handed it back. Wu Dacai took it with great effort, panted for a moment, and asked, "What's your name?"

The firearm soldier took a long while before turning woodenly. He looked at Wu Dacai and said, "Tang Sheng."

Wu Dacai nodded. Just then, footsteps sounded from the direction of the main gate. Wu Dacai flipped open the priming pan cover, forced the striking hammer back with effort, and laboriously turned his body to face the gate.

The footsteps drew nearer. Wu Dacai's cheek twitched. With difficulty, he raised the self-igniting arquebus.

A figure darted in from behind the door panel. Wu Dacai's whole body shuddered — then he recognized the short-cut uniform of the Anqing Light Infantry. After that, a Heavy Infantryman in bright armor entered as well.

The self-igniting arquebus dropped to the ground. Wu Dacai panted for a long while, then tilted his head to look at Tang Sheng. "From now on, you follow me."

……

Beneath the Qing army's command banner opposite Dongcunkou, Right Wing Commander Dudu watched the battlefield before him, his face ashen.

Thin wisps of smoke drifted around Wangzhuang. Shattered shield carts lay toppled haphazardly in front of the battle line. The surrounding ground was strewn with corpses. Wounded soldiers who could not flee screamed and writhed, crawling aimlessly.

"Dudu Beile, if the Plain Yellow Banner's elite guards had charged together just now, this village would already be taken." Du Lei stood before Dudu with his head lowered. "Beile, there aren't many Southern Barbarians on the north side — only one unit fought to the death without retreating. The elite guards broke through just now, reached that main road in the village. The barbarians shifted men and cannons from elsewhere... this humble one believes they were pulled from the south. That's why they were beaten back. But clearly they have few men left. Just one more round and it will surely be breached."

Dudu knew perfectly well that the Plain Yellow Banner had not given its full effort. He narrowed his eyes at Wangzhuang. "Where are your elite guards?"

Du Lei hesitated a moment, then said, "I fear half are lost. Over two hundred Armored Soldiers went in with them; just over a hundred withdrew."

"Holben led the elite guards in. Why has he not returned to report the details?"

"Holben has not been seen returning to the lines."

Dudu looked down at Du Lei. For him now, the cost invested had already grown too great. Aside from the Plain Yellow Banner, every banner had suffered severe losses. The Bordered Red Banner had lost a Jalan Commander — at least they had managed to retrieve the body. Now Holben had not returned, meaning he was trapped inside this village and most likely already dead, his corpse not even recovered. No wonder Du Lei was so desperate for another round.

If they withdrew now, all these losses would be in vain. Returning to face the Beile of each banner would be difficult. If they continued the attack, losses might mount further. And if they ultimately failed to take it, the blame would grow all the greater.

The Wangzhuang before him was just an ordinary village. By Dudu's assessment, it absolutely could not be classified as a strong fortress. Because of the earlier setback at Thirty-Li Post, he had taken this Southern Barbarian force as seriously as possible. Knowing their cannons and Iron Armor Soldiers were formidable, he had adopted a three-sided encirclement, mixing feints with real attacks. When the fierce assault began just now, they had closed in on the barbarians' defense line. The Armored Soldiers held an absolute numerical advantage and had even launched a surprise attack on the north side. Dudu had felt victory was already won.

The enemy's defense line had tottered on the verge of collapse, but it never broke. In the end, they were beaten back on all four fronts. The Plain Red Banner, which had launched the surprise attack, suffered the heaviest losses. Dudu's confidence was now shaken — especially by the loss of the Plain Red Banner's elite guards, which alarmed him deeply.

Du Lei was still trying to persuade him when Dudu said coldly, "One hundred thirty elite guards, and you still couldn't break the barbarians' undefended north side. How do you know another round would take it?"

Du Lei panted heavily several times. Just as he opened his mouth to argue, the Bordered Red Banner's Banner Commander Ye Chen walked over and said, "Tan Tai reports to the Beile: over a thousand barbarian cavalry are approaching from the direction of Wuqing. They look like Household Retainers of the Border Army."

Dudu glanced north. "Don't tell me the Plain Yellow Banner can't hold them."

"Tan Tai says the barbarians have split into several columns. He warns each banner to guard against having their rear lines overrun. He is scouting the other areas — it is still unknown how many more barbarian cavalry there are."

Sweat beaded on Du Lei's forehead. The Ming Army's cavalry had not appeared all day. They had assumed they would not come. Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, they had arrived after all.

Ye Chen's expression was grim. He leaned close to Dudu's ear and said, "Beile, an urgent report just came from Yangcun..."

Dudu's cheek twitched violently.

……

On the northern defense line of Wangzhuang, the Anqing soldiers roared with joy. Pang Yu raised his telescope and looked north. Not far southwest of Huanghuadian, two cavalry units had appeared. The nearer one bore Chen Rulie's recognition banner.

These two cavalry units had crossed the river early, coming from the south bank. A Plain Yellow Banner cavalry unit was shadowing them from the north, while a Qing cavalry unit from the south was also moving to intercept, preventing the Ming Army from entering Wangzhuang.

These cavalry could not lift the siege of Wangzhuang, but they greatly boosted the morale of the Anqing Battalion's defenders.

Tu Dianli spoke beside him. "A scout has entered the village to report. Coming from the south bank are the Anqing, Capital Battalion, and Xuan Da Provincial Commander's Standard Troops Central Battalion. Additionally, the Lintao and Shaanxi Provincial Commander's Standard Troops units are on the north bank drawing the enemy. The Anqing and Capital Battalion crossed the river early to support Wangzhuang from the south bank."

Pang Yu breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He turned to Tu Dianli, who was following him. "Send riders out to contact Chen Rulie. If the Qing interception is too tight, he does not need to enter the village. Have him raid south toward their camp, then turn and harass the Bordered Red Banner's road passage, forcing the Tartars to divide their forces. After nightfall, the cavalry can seek an opportunity to enter the village and garrison. Request Assistant Regional Commander Zhou to also raid south along the main road."

"My lord, the village cannot hold that many horses. They would have to remain outside."

Pang Yu nodded. "Then leave them outside."

During the earlier assault, the Plain Red Banner's attack on the west side had been equally fierce, and it contained large numbers of Western Invaders. Unlike previous impressions, this time the Western Invaders fought with extreme tenacity. After being beaten back in the last round, they had immediately begun preparing for the next.

After the Anqing Cavalry appeared, the Qing forces on the west side were forced to halt their attack preparations and dispatch cavalry to stand guard. The Anqing Battalion caught a brief respite. During the fierce fighting just now, Pang Yu had thrown every scrap of force he could gather into the north side, leaving himself with no reserve at all. If the western assault was delayed, the Anqing Battalion could pull a precious Heavy Infantry Banner Team from the west, and perhaps even shift two cannons. These forces could serve as a reserve, reinforcing the defense line according to the Qing attack. Wangzhuang's defense line would then stabilize. Pang Yu estimated that the Qing army could only organize one more assault today. Withstanding the next wave was paramount.

"My lord, the northern defense line has been deployed."

Pang Yu lowered his telescope and strode to the alley entrance. This was the spot fiercely contested moments ago. Thin wisps of smoke still drifted in the air. The ground was covered with bodies from both sides. The cart that had originally blocked the alley had been dragged aside.

Earlier, considering that the cavalry might sortie from the north, they had only used a cart to block the alley entrance. Now they realized it was a weak point. The cart's wheels had been destroyed. A group of civilian laborers was piling up corpses to completely seal the alley entrance.

Pang Yu stood atop the mound of corpses. The northern wilderness was scattered with the bodies of men and horses, along with over a hundred riderless horses, their saddles and gear all in place. They looked to be the mounts of the Qing troops who had launched the surprise attack.

A dozen or so cavalrymen and laborers were outside catching horses. Whenever they grabbed the reins, they dragged them back and tied them to the cart frames at the alley entrance, where they would not block the cannons' field of fire. Farther away, some Mongol Rangers were also dragging horses away. The two sides were separated by a few dozen paces, each attending to their own business without disturbing the other.

Pang Yu said to Tu Dianli beside him, "Wu Dacai is wounded. You will temporarily command the northern defense line. I'll increase your cannons to three. These are all the soldiers there are. Redeploy the defense line yourself. The Tartars will certainly attack once more before nightfall. You must hold."

"Your subordinate accepts the order."

Tu Dianli's words had barely faded when a light-armored cavalryman came running in haste. "Battalion Commander Zhuang reports to Lord Pang: the Tartars on the east side are withdrawing."

Pang Yu was stunned. Although the Qing army's first wave of attacks had failed, their manpower still held an absolute advantage. Pang Yu knew himself that Wangzhuang's defense was already stretched to the limit. If the Qing army came again, Pang Yu was not confident he could hold.

Even with cavalry reinforcements, the check on the Qing army remained limited. On the north bank, the Plain Yellow Banner's cavalry stood ready in formation. They would suppress Lintao and the Provincial Commander's Standard Troops troops, preventing them from going to raid Yangcun.

Chen Rulie and Zhou Yuji could at most tie down the western assault. Yet now the east side had suddenly withdrawn. That direction held the Two Red Banners, who had the strongest desire to attack. If the Two Red Banners had pulled back, the other directions posed little threat — which meant today's offensive was over.

This was disadvantageous for the Qing army. The Anqing Battalion would use this night to strengthen its defenses and might even reinforce its numbers under cover of darkness. By morning, the Qing army would face an even stronger defense, and today's losses would have been in vain.

Pang Yu hurried to the eastern defense line. The Qing army had already dispatched cavalry to cover the withdrawal. Bondservants were carrying away the wounded True Yi. Groups of Armored Soldiers were successively pulling back from behind the shield carts.

This was unmistakably the posture of a retreat. Given the current situation, the Qing army could not possibly organize another wave of attacks today.

Pang Yu turned calmly to Tu Dianli and Zhuang Chaozheng. "Do not slacken your guard. Prevent the Tartars from launching another surprise attack."

……

At dusk, the orange-red sun rested on the western horizon, as if staining the world between heaven and earth with a layer of blood.

Qing light cavalry roamed around Wangzhuang, maintaining control of the battlefield. Anqing's civilian laborers and a small number of heavy infantry were active about thirty paces beyond the defensive line, mainly beheading corpses and capturing those Qing soldiers feigning death. There were not many feigning death; they had already seized several dozen commoners, who knelt in a long row outside.

Some Tartar armored soldiers and bondservants were rummaging farther away. Anqing Battalion's archers and firearm soldiers fired in that direction from time to time, and the armored soldiers shot a couple of arrows back. Both sides were utterly exhausted, neither willing to close for battle, and so they went through the motions at a distance.

The Qing forces on the east and south sides had already withdrawn their troops, and the Ming cavalry on the riverbank also pulled back in succession, disengaging before nightfall.

The Anqing cavalry was intercepted by multiple Qing detachments and could not enter Wangzhuang, forced to wait for an opportunity after dark.

"Young master, the scouts who came in during the daytime said that in yesterday's surprise attack at the Yongding River, all camps took many heads. Last night they all delivered the heads to the Central Army. The Ministry of War people couldn't finish counting them, so the escorts from each camp waited in the main hall until late at night. Someone happened to overhear Sun Doutang and Liu Zhongtang arguing, and within one night it spread through all the camps." Pang Ding turned his head to look at Pang Yu. "Liu Yuliang impeached a whole group of military officers — anyone can see that Liu Guangzuo is the weakest, so he was impeached most severely. In that case, who would be willing to lose their own household retainers? So every family shut their camp gates and stayed inside. Even Cao Regional Commander and the Provincial Commander's Standard Troops only skirmished today, not as committed as yesterday."

"As long as they came, they are useful." Pang Yu paused for a moment of strategic patience, then said, "Sun Doutang is going from family to family to talk. His rank is lower than theirs, so the military officers will think whatever he says doesn't count — they won't trust him that easily. Which means, the camp heads coming to reinforce us tomorrow may well be fewer than today."

"Young master, should we break out under cover of night? In the daytime here, there isn't even a place to flee." Pang Ding waited a moment, then added, "If the Tartars had attacked just one more time during the day, they might have broken through. They had already pushed right up to us — why did they pull back?"

Pang Yu frowned in thought for a moment, looked toward the Yongding River, then turned to Pang Ding and said, "Go outside the village and test the ice surface."

There were many riderless horses outside the northern line. Pang Ding took one. The open ground between Wangzhuang and the Yongding River had numerous depressions, the water inside all frozen into ice. The two reached a larger depression not far outside the village, and Pang Ding rode his horse straight onto the ice.

Not far away, a few Qing light cavalry were still patrolling. The nearby Anqing soldiers hurried over to stand guard.

The ice surface under the setting sun reflected a layer of red. Pang Ding spurred his horse back and forth across the center of the ice. Pang Yu bent at the waist, tilting his head to study the ice.

After circling back and forth several times, nothing unusual seemed to appear. With the sunlight about to vanish, Pang Yu shook his head.

Pang Ding jumped down from horseback and, in anger, stomped down hard on the ice. Pang Yu, his head still tilted, suddenly heard a faint crack from the ice surface. Pang Yu hurried forward, pushed Pang Ding aside, and under the red glow of the setting sun, a web of cracks like a spider's web was spreading across the ice.