Chapter 504: Collapse

On the morning of February 9th, sunlight shone upon both banks of the Yongding River.

As soon as the sky brightened, the Qing army began mobilizing cavalry to lay siege. Around five or six groups of cavalry were distributed around Wangzhuang, each group roughly two hundred men. A few more groups stood further out, serving as an outer perimeter guard. On the north bank of the Yongding River, a large force of Plain Yellow Banner cavalry still remained.

Today, the Qing army had no shield carts anywhere along the line, and had not deployed infantry or bondservants. Relying on these cavalry alone, they could not assault a fortified position. But yesterday's Qing surprise attack on the northern line still left Pang Yu with lingering fear. Now, with Qing cavalry circling all around, he dared not pull too many men from the defensive lines.

Tens of thousands of commoners, driven by the Qing army, emerged from their various camps. They first marched along the main road, then entered the open wilderness at a point two li from Wangzhuang.

Here, the column split into two routes. One route headed north, preparing to cross the river via Huanghuadian, then follow the north bank from Ci Islet to Yangcun. This route's numbers were not large.

The other route, exactly as Tu Dianli had predicted, bypassed Wangzhuang from the south and still aimed to cross the river at Yangcun. This route held the vast majority of people.

Through his telescope, Pang Yu saw a column with no carriages whatsoever. The commoners trudged in groups, carrying loads on shoulder poles or their backs. The livestock were piled high with all manner of supplies. The column struggled across a wilderness dotted with marshland and fields.

The various camps to the south all began to move out. Since the official road was already jammed with people and animals, some units entered the wilds directly. The southern wilderness was soon covered with a vast, chaotic column of people and livestock.

Of the two marching routes, the one through Huanghuadian was too far away. If the Anqing Battalion sortied to harass it, they would be drawn far from Wangzhuang and easily surrounded by Qing cavalry.

According to the plan discussed the previous night, two Heavy Infantry Banner Teams and four cannons exited the village from the south, pushing the defensive line forward thirty paces. They formed a battle array between two marshlands, directly facing a stretch of farmland with raised footpaths. Early in the morning, civilian laborers had already used grain sacks to build breastworks here. Wangzhuang's cannons could also help defend the flanks, making this an excellent defensive position.

But beyond this, there was little else Pang Yu could do. The Qing army outnumbered his by more than ten to one and held an absolute advantage in cavalry. The Anqing Battalion could not leave Wangzhuang to fight a field battle. The Qing could simply pull their marching route back a few dozen paces to neutralize any threat.

"Have the cavalry from Wuqing arrived?"

"The watchtower reports two groups of cavalry west of Huanghuadian. They've just begun engaging the Tartars. Can't make out their banners. Nothing sighted on the north bank yet."

Pang Yu nodded. By now, the earliest column of people and livestock had already reached the wilderness south of Wangzhuang. To avoid being shelled by the Anqing army, they stayed over one li away from the village. The endless column stretched southward, seeming to have no end.

Pang Yu observed carefully through his telescope. The column was a chaotic mix of people and animals. The vast majority were captured commoners. At intervals, men brandished blades, driving the commoners forward. Among the load-bearing marchers, some began to collapse from exhaustion. Those who fell were immediately hacked with blades or beaten with clubs, becoming corpses moments later. Despite these men's strenuous efforts to maintain order, the enormous column was gradually descending into chaos.

The banner behind Tu Dianli waved, and the sound of a suona horn rang out across Wangzhuang.

The Anqing Battalion's position erupted with plumes of white smoke. Over ten cannons fired simultaneously, their thunderous roar echoing across the wilderness.

At the sound of cannon fire, the southern column began to fall into chaos. Through his telescope, Pang Yu could see many mules struggling in place. Some had already broken free of their restraints and were charging wildly through the column. These animals had great strength but low intelligence and timid natures; they were particularly prone to causing chaos, which was why the army disliked them.

The second volley arrived, throwing more livestock into chaos. These beasts were nothing like the Qing army's warhorses. They had never experienced a battlefield, let alone heard cannon fire. The moment the cannons roared, they panicked.

Panic spread, and waves of chaos rolled through the column, bringing it nearly to a standstill.

The Qing Armored Soldiers and estate stewards maintaining order in the column brandished their waist sabers and bellowed commands, but to little effect. More and more animals broke free of their restraints, causing even greater chaos within the column.

The effect of the bombardment exceeded Pang Yu's expectations, but he knew it caused no real casualties. It could only serve as a delaying tactic. Unless the column completely collapsed, the Qing army could restore the march sooner or later simply by committing more troops.

Tu Dianli's voice spoke, "Sir, three cooking fires have been spotted at the Tartar camp to the south. They may be burning supplies they cannot take with them."

Pang Yu turned his telescope. In the distance, flames were rising from several villages, belching thick, rolling smoke.

Dudu sat on his horse on the north bank of the river section at Yangcun, his expression grim as he watched the columns of smoke rising in the south.

Ye Chen's voice came coldly from behind, "Why is Du Lei making such a big commotion? There are Southern Barbarian troops at both Dong'an and Wuqing. What good does alerting them do for the Plain Red Banner?"

Dudu gave a cold snort. Only after a long moment did he shift his gaze to the channel of the Yongding River before him.

The ice surface was covered with layers of reeds and wheat stalks, topped with door planks and wooden boards. The southern bank was a wilderness of carriages and columns of people and livestock, most of them from the Two Red Banners. They stepped onto the ice, shouting as they pushed their carriages onto the planks and carefully crossed the river channel.

The Ming Army had cut off the Plain Red Banner's route. The Plain Yellow Banner and Bordered Blue Banner had mainly bypassed Sanjiaodian from the direction of Tianjin, their routes suffering no harassment whatsoever. They had crossed the river smoothly at multiple ferry crossings east of Yangcun. Today, only a small rearguard force had yet to cross.

The Bordered Red Banner's main marching route had also been harassed the day before yesterday, delaying their march by a day. Yesterday, during the siege of Wangzhuang, the Bordered Red Banner, being close by, had also drawn off many bondservants, affecting their march.

The largest force here was the Plain Red Banner. Yesterday, they had served as the main assault force, mobilizing a large number of troops and bondservants. Although the attack ceased after noon, the casualties were so severe that even the columns north of Wangzhuang had mostly had no time to march.

Only after nightfall last night did Dudu issue strict orders for the Two Red Banners to march through the night. The efficiency of movement in the dark was low, and many people and animals scattered and fled, but at least a portion made it through. The Bordered Red Banner had only twenty percent of its carriages and people left to cross, while the Plain Red Banner still had over half. All those crossing the river now were military units of the Two Red Banners.

A sudden commotion arose on the river. Dudu looked toward the middle of the river. The left wheel of a horse cart had tilted and sunk in. The ice beneath the wheel fractured into blocks. The door planks on top slid a short distance before the wheel pressed them down into the water.

Several Armored Soldiers rushed over, grabbed the reins, and pulled with all their might. A few horses neighed and strained their legs, but the cart wheel did not budge.

Ye Chen hurried over and said in a low voice, "Beile, a cart has also broken through the ice at the ferry crossing downstream. The ice is breaking. At this rate, livestock won't be able to cross by around noon. The Plain Red Banner has to bypass that village. Not many will get across by noon, and so many Armored Soldiers are still on the south side guarding against those Southern Barbarians..."

Dudu's expression was grim. He had not expected the ice to thaw so quickly. This timing of the thaw put him in an extremely difficult position.

After abandoning the attack yesterday, Du Lei was already deeply disappointed. Now he had abandoned the carriages, hoping to save the precious livestock and manpower. If Dudu made him abandon those now, Du Lei would go back and blame all the losses on Dudu.

But judging by the timing of the thaw, by the time these people arrived, they likely would not be able to cross the river. They would also drag down the Two Red Banners' Armored Soldiers covering the column, trapping them on the south bank.

An army alone crossing the river would be easier than moving supplies and people. But with hostile Ming State troops on the opposite bank, if they were pursued during the retreat, this thawing river channel would become an impassable natural barrier. All the troops on the south bank would collapse.

Then, not only would the Plain Red Banner fail to save its people, livestock, and supplies, but the Armored Soldiers of the Two Red Banners would also suffer catastrophic losses.

Yesterday's frontal assault had already inflicted heavy losses on the Right Wing. If they lost a large number of Armored Soldiers on the south bank today as well, the consequences would be more than Du Lei could bear.

Dudu turned his head to look at Ye Chen, hesitating, his mouth still unopened. Suddenly, he heard a loud crash. Dudu turned to look. The tilted horse cart had toppled entirely into the icy water. The four draft horses were squeezed together, floundering on the ice.

The heavy carriage slowly sank beneath the surface, dragging the horses down with it. The four draft horses let out long, piercing neighs, their hooves thrashing desperately. Shattered ice and water splashed everywhere.

As the horses struggled, a large section of the surrounding ice cracked open. The Qing soldiers gathered around scattered in panic. One Qing soldier, too slow to retreat, nearly fell into the water, crawling frantically at the edge of the ice. Chaos erupted on the river.

The carriage dragged the horses slowly downward. The water gradually covered the horses' heads, and their neighing ceased abruptly. Amid surging bubbles and ripples, the shapes of the draft horses twisted and turned beneath the surface. The head of one draft horse briefly broke the surface, then sank again.

Ye Chen's voice said, "Beile, it would be best if the order to abandon the people and livestock did not come from you..."

Dudu raised a hand to stop him from speaking. He focused his gaze on the south bank. In the southwest, where Wangzhuang lay, black smoke billowed, nearly blotting out the sky. The faint sound of cannon fire could still be heard.

After a moment, Dudu said, "Go deliver an order to Du Lei. Tell him the ice at the ferry crossing will be impassable around noon. Let him make the decision himself."

South of Wangzhuang, the Plain Red Banner's column was a cacophony of shouting people and neighing horses. The column's order grew increasingly chaotic. The ground around the long column was littered with the corpses of slain commoners. Their relatives wailed within the column. Estate stewards and Armored Soldiers, wielding clubs and blades, struck and killed to instill terror. The uproar within the column shook the sky.

The front of the column moved slowly, while the rear caught up, gradually making the formation cramped and crowded. The Qing army could no longer spare enough manpower to control the livestock. Escaped animals caused even more chaos around the column.

Pang Yu looked up at the sun. It was nearly noon. The Qing army's marching efficiency was extremely low. The direction of Huanghuadian was being harassed by cavalry from Wuqing, and only a small number of units had crossed the river. The southern column was far too large, and its Organization Degree was too low, leading to chaos.

Given the current situation, the Qing army would find it very difficult to complete the river crossing before nightfall. Once darkness fell, the Qing army's control would rapidly diminish, and the commoners would have a great chance to escape.

Outside Wangzhuang, there was a small group of cavalry. Last night, only one Banner Team had entered Wangzhuang, combining with the remaining cavalry from the front to form a new Cavalry Division. This division only formed up outside the village, staying in the area between the forward scout cannon position and the village itself. They had not sortied once from morning until now, but every slight maneuver around the village tied down numerous Qing cavalry in the area, preventing the Qing from freeing up troops to control the column.

The Ming Army on the outer perimeter had failed to break through the Qing interception, but it was confirmed that Ming cavalry were present west of Huanghuadian and on the north bank. They had been engaging the Qing army since morning, similarly tying down a large number of Qing troops.

Tu Dianli's voice said, "Sir, the Tartars are acting strangely."

Pang Yu raised his telescope and looked in the direction Tu Dianli indicated. In the distant south, a large force of...

"The watchtower reports the Tartars to the north are retreating."

Pang Yu turned and headed north. Reaching the northern defensive line, he could see clearly even without his telescope. In this direction, there had originally been two groups of cavalry. They had been dispersed between Wangzhuang and the Yongding River, intercepting Ming Army troops attempting to cross the river.

The scattered Qing troops had now regrouped, but it was clearly done in haste — some light cavalry had yet to be recalled before the main force began to move.

"Sir... the ice must be melting."

"The Tartars are cunning. Don't act rashly. Send men to check the river surface first."

Pang Yu turned and headed west again. At the western village entrance he carefully observed the direction of Huanghuadian. This direction had originally been relatively quiet, but now Qing troops were also assembling there. The number of men controlling the column had dropped sharply, and suddenly there were many more people and animals breaking away from the formation.

From every indication, the Qing army was about to abandon this enormous column. Pang Yu felt a stir of excitement. Today the sun blazed with High Shine. If the river ice was thawing faster than expected, it could not withstand the trampling of so many people and animals. Oxen, horses, and other large livestock were heavy to begin with, and many were still carrying cargo — the pressure they put on the ice was not much less than that of a Carriage.

The Qing troops cut off south of Wangzhuang were not few in number, as yesterday's attack on Xicunkou had shown. Most of them were Western Invaders. The Captives had testified that the bulk were Plain Red Mongol True Barbarians, Plain Red Banner Mongol, Naiman, and captured Chahar — the True Yi probably numbered about three to five company. From what Pang Yu alone had observed through his Telescope, the total number of people and livestock plundered by this portion of the Plain Red Banner Qing army ranged between thirty and fifty thousand. The ice would likely be hard-pressed to bear it.

Before crossing the ice, this vast procession still had to complete a field march while under harassment. That required an extremely high degree of organization — for any army, it was an exceedingly dangerous task.

Pang Yu returned to the south side. By now the signs were gradually becoming clear: large numbers of Qing troops were rushing over from the distant south, having completely abandoned the column.

As the Qing troops guarding them departed, the enormous column disintegrated section by section. The common people in the procession began fighting over livestock and supplies. Brawls broke out everywhere. Grain sacks were ripped apart, and Rice and Beans and Cloth were scattered all over the ground.

The cries of people searching for their kin rose without end. The wilderness was filled with earth-shaking wails and sobs. People and animals mingled together, fleeing in every direction. The vast column of tens of thousands gradually collapsed.