Chapter 505: Riverbank

On the wilderness of the Yongding River's south bank, a tide of people surged. The retreating Qing army regrouped as they moved, yet many were still scattered by the crowd.

Chen Rulie stood outside Wangzhuang, waiting for the cavalry inside the village to join him.

Today he, Zhou Yuji, and the Shaanxi Provincial Commander's Standard Troops had been harassing the south bank. Sun Chuanting had only sent Li Guozheng yesterday, holding back Zheng Jiadong's unit. After learning the ice was thawing, Sun Chuanting committed all Provincial Commander's Standard Troops cavalry to the south bank, while the north bank remained primarily Cao Bianjiao's responsibility.

The several forces on the south bank reached the battlefield not long after dawn, but today the Qing army had no siege mission. Their massed cavalry was numerous, and whenever they spotted Ming troops, they moved to drive them off. The entire morning was spent in skirmishing. Since the Qing were in a state of retreat, they dared not pursue too far.

The skirmishing did not last long before the Qing army began to retreat. Blocked by the collapsing mass of people and livestock, by the time Chen Rulie crossed Huanghuadian and gave chase, tens of thousands had already collapsed into chaos. The Yongding River's south bank was a boiling pot of congee.

The recognition banner of the Plain Red Banner's Banner Commander was not far to the north. The Qing army retreated without disorder. The Plain Red Banner Commander's banner marched at the very rear to hold the line, with roughly several dozen elite guards and five hundred Mounted Armor, plus a portion of Bordered Red Banner Mounted Armor in support. These Qing troops stood unmoved amid the collapsing human tide, continuously gathering scattered stragglers who caught up.

The cavalry emerging from Wangzhuang gradually began forming ranks. Chen Rulie had brought only one hundred cavalry today — enough for harassment and putting on a show of force, but not for actually engaging the Qing army. Now, with the Wangzhuang cavalry joining, Chen Rulie could at least muster two hundred men.

Chen Rulie said to his Personal Soldiers, "Go and order the cavalry artillery to follow behind us, keeping two li to our rear."

Zhou Yuji's Household Retainers coordinated on the right wing, with the Provincial Commander's Standard Troops cavalry further out on the right flank. Chen Rulie set out first, leading the Anqing Cavalry to rapidly close in on the Qing rear guard.

The six hundred-plus Qing troops holding the line were divided into three groups. Seeing the Ming troops approach, they stopped gathering stragglers and began a covering withdrawal northward, alternating with one another. The Ming cavalry also split into three groups, shadowing the Qing at a distance of about a hundred paces.

The Ming troops soon passed the first village north of Wangzhuang. There had been no time to set it alight. Everywhere along the main road, Chen Rulie saw abandoned carriages and livestock. All manner of baggage and household goods lay strewn across the ground. In the camp grounds, quite a few people were still looting supplies, scattering in a hubbub only when they spotted the Ming troops.

The three Qing groups ahead halted to reform their ranks. Chen Rulie also halted his formation, facing off against the central Qing group. The Plain Red Banner Commander's banner was there, and this central force was the strongest, with over thirty elite guards and two hundred Mounted Armor — tall, sturdy horses and excellent equipment.

Over a dozen Qing Armored Soldiers rode out from the formation carrying bags. They galloped across the front of the line and scattered the silver ingots from the bags onto the ground, a vast expanse glittering under the sunlight.

To Chen Rulie, these Armored Soldiers seemed to lack much experience. They scattered the silver too densely; pursuers could quickly scoop it up. The Roving Bandits were far more practiced at this. They would scatter silver ingots far and wide, spreading them out as much as possible to delay the government troops longer. The Qing army indeed showed inexperience in this regard, spending at least twice as much silver as the Roving Bandits.

After scattering the silver, the Qing troops withdrew in sequence. As one group moved, the other two formed up on alert. Chen Rulie knew the Anqing Cavalry was no match for them and could only focus on pinning them down.

Upon reaching the spot where the silver was scattered, the Household Retainers of the Capital Battalion and the Shaanxi Provincial Commander's Standard Troops broke ranks one after another to scramble for it. The Qing army seized the chance to quicken their withdrawal.

The Anqing Cavalry did not stop, continuing to shadow the Qing rear. When Chen Rulie looked back, Zheng Jiadong's troops were already down to almost nothing.

The further north they went, the more abandoned carts lined the road. All kinds of valuable silks, satins, bronzeware, and other goods were piled high on the carriages. The cavalry of the Grand Coordinator of Shaanxi's Standard Battalion dwindled as they ran. Then Zheng Jiadong's recognition banner halted, and he withdrew from the fight.

Zhou Yuji's Capital Battalion unit had suffered considerable losses in two days of skirmishing. He could only field a little over one hundred and seventy Household Retainers. Even now, men kept breaking formation — some to take heads, some to pick up silver.

The Anqing Cavalry had strict military discipline. The Pacification Commissioner and the Clerk Officer were both with the unit supervising the battle line. Not a single man broke ranks. But the overall number of Ming troops in pursuit was growing smaller and smaller.

Another stretch northward, and suddenly horn calls rang out long ahead. All three Qing groups wheeled and charged south together. Chen Rulie shouted his orders, and the Anqing Cavalry turned around and retreated south.

This time the Qing army pursued for over a li before halting. The Anqing Cavalry kept running for another half li. Only two Banner Teams kept their formation intact; the rest of the troops were scattered and fled even further south, their ranks utterly impossible to rally.

The skirmishing over the past few days had largely followed this pattern. The Qing horses had been overworked after entering the frontier, so their advantage in horse power was not great, and their pursuit speed was not fast. The Border Army cavalry handled this with great proficiency — their formations scattered but never disordered. The troops under Chen Rulie's command had also gained some experience. Though not matching the Border Army, they could still close in, pin down, withdraw, and regroup, only taking longer to do so.

But today's cavalry included men scraped together from Wangzhuang. This portion lacked tempering and, being a patchwork force, completely lacked the tacit understanding for coordination. After pulling back, their ranks were scattered, officers' orders could not be relayed, and regrouping was utterly chaotic.

Seizing the Ming army's confusion, the Qing troops swiftly reformed and disengaged, rapidly widening the distance.

After this round of Qing charges, Chen Rulie could only rally one Company. Zhou Yuji and the Shaanxi Provincial Commander's Standard Troops's Household Retainers suffered little loss, but a portion took the opportunity to break away and seize silver and supplies. Li Guozheng's troops were down to about a hundred riders. He promptly broke off the pursuit and headed south to attack an isolated group of Western Invaders.

Only Chen Rulie and Zhou Yuji were still doggedly pursuing the Plain Red Banner, with fewer than two hundred riders left in total. They chased the Plain Red Banner Commander's banner all the way, keeping a distance of about a hundred paces.

Their numbers and combat strength were far inferior to the Qing army's, but the Qing could do little about these two hundred riders either. The other side constantly evaded battle, simply trailing behind at an ambiguous distance.

The two sides fought and paused by turns, finally reaching the Yangcun Ferry. The Qing rear guard halted a hundred paces from the ferry crossing and began forming up to provide cover.

Chen Rulie raised his telescope for a look. The ice layer in the middle of the river channel had already shattered. All kinds of debris floated on the water. In some spots, planks had been laid between unbroken ice on either side. The Qing troops who had arrived earlier crowded near the planks, waiting to cross the river.

Yangcun had multiple ferry crossings for crossing the river. Many Qing troops left stranded on the south bank were heading east to evade the Ming army, planning to cross at other ferries to the east. Chen Rulie lacked the troops to block them all and could only keep his teeth sunk into the Plain Red Banner's rear guard.

The Bordered Red Banner Commander's recognition banner was on the north bank. The Qing had deployed archers on the opposite shore. The Plain Red Banner Commander's recognition banner remained on the south bank. Over two hundred Qing elite guards and Armored Soldiers had dismounted, forming a defensive posture for foot combat. Some Armored Soldiers on both wings remained mounted, creating a formation suited for both offense and defense.

Zhou Yuji spurred his horse over to Chen Rulie and said, "Pin down their last group."

Chen Rulie nodded, turned, and called over a Relay Horse. "Go bring up the cavalry cannons."

The Relay Horse repeated the order, wheeled his mount, and galloped off southward.

The Qing troops on the opposite bank were still transporting planks, searching for suitable spots to build river-crossing passages. But the ice was already extremely fragile. Once the planks were laid, they quickly triggered further ice breakage.

The Anqing Battalion and Capital Battalion pressed in to a hundred paces. Some soldiers using fire lances and bows advanced to seventy paces and fired at the Qing formation. The Qing shielded themselves with shields and returned fire with Light Arrows in a high arc. But the distance was too great, causing almost no casualties — merely a harassing effect.

A great number of empty horses remained on the riverbank. Some horses, left unattended, began to neigh and bolt in chaos under the Ming archery fire.

The Plain Red Banner Commander's recognition banner held firm on the south bank. The Qing rear guard's formation was extremely steady; even the horses' agitation did not affect them.

The Qing troops crowding the ferry crossing gradually reached the north bank. The Plain Red Banner troops holding the rear on the south bank first withdrew their formation to the riverbank, then began crossing the river — the most dangerous moment of their entire retreat.

This group was the final rear guard, and also the most exposed. The Ming army was just a hundred paces away — impossible to annihilate, yet impossible to drive off. As their numbers dwindled, the balance of strength on the south bank would tip, and the Ming army would attack the last men providing cover. Those who had already crossed could not possibly return to the south bank to support them.

Because of this expectation, the rear guard could easily collapse. That was why the Plain Red Banner's Banner Commander insisted on personally holding the rear, and still remained on the south bank.

The Anqing and Capital Battalion cavalry drew closer to the river channel as the Qing troops neared it, still facing off at the ferry crossing. The two sides, separated by seventy paces, continued exchanging archery fire.

The Qing army deployed a layer of shields at the front for defense, then began withdrawing in batches. The number remaining on the south bank steadily decreased.

"Sir, the cavalry artillery has brought up three cannons. Shall we commence bombardment now?"

Chen Rulie replied directly, "Conceal the artillery in the rear formation. Do not reveal them without my order. First, wait for the Tartar cavalry to cross the river."

The Anqing Cavalry made no move. Facing this kind of heavy infantry formation shielded by shields, light cavalry had few means of attack. Moreover, given the current strength of these two hundred Ming riders, if the Qing cavalry on the wings counterattacked, they would be unable to withstand it.

The Qing river crossing reached a critical moment. They first withdrew the cavalry from both wings, leaving the two hundred elite guards and Armored Soldiers fighting on foot for last. Without the unpredictable factor of the animals, these heavy infantry's final withdrawal would be more controllable.

The Ming cavalry, having faced off for so long, had failed to effectively strike these heavy infantry. The Qing heavy infantry rear guard did not waver in the slightest. The troops who had already crossed watched the battle from the north bank, waiting for the entire Plain Red Banner force to cross.

The Qing cavalry left the wings and concentrated at the ferry crossing. The riders dismounted one after another, leading their mounts by the reins, and queued up to cross the river.

Chen Rulie waved his hand. One cannon was pushed forward from the rear, appearing before the Anqing Cavalry formation, followed by a second and a third.

A stir ran through the Qing rear guard infantry formation on the south bank. An uproar broke out among the Qing troops watching from the north bank. Since all previous fighting had been cavalry engagements, none of them seemed to have expected the Ming army to bring up cannons so quickly.

With a thunderclap, a black two-and-a-half-jin cannonball shot forth, tearing through the Qing army's solid shield defense line. Limbs flew through the air within the dense heavy infantry array.

Immediately after, two more cannon shots rang out. The Qing rear guard formation, so impregnable moments before, instantly disintegrated. Amid a chorus of screams, it completely collapsed. Elite guards and Armored Soldiers scrambled and rushed toward the planks for crossing the river, jamming together with the cavalry that had gathered there earlier. The Banner Commander's banner swayed a few times before finally toppling. The shrieks of the crowd and the neighing of horses merged into a single din. Those near the river channel were continuously shoved toward the edge of the ice. Clusters of men and horses were pushed into the water.

…

On the evening of the ninth day of the second month, Pang Yu stood on the south bank of the Yangcun Ferry. Before him, two guards unfurled a Banner Commander's banner. Chen Rulie had confirmed seeing that Banner Commander rescued to the opposite bank, but this banner alone was a deed of great merit.

The main road around the ferry crossing was a scene of utter devastation. Both sides of the road were lined with all manner of carriages. Cloth, Rice and Beans were strewn everywhere. The corpses of men and livestock lay scattered across the road and fields.

The Anqing army had set up three cavalry cannons on the riverbank. Pang Yu slowly rode closer to the bank, stopping only when he was ten paces from the shore. The Bordered Red Banner's Banner Commander's banner was on the opposite side, but somewhat distant; they seemed to be gathering troops who had crossed from other ferries.

Before him, the ice in the center of the river channel was largely shattered. The water's surface was thick with the corpses of men and horses, and between the bodies was a dense mass of ice chunks, planks, reeds, and other debris.

The ice along the bank still remained, littered with all kinds of damaged carriages and baggage.

Scattered broken limbs lay along the riverbank. Pang Yu crouched down and looked at a corpse. It was somewhat different from the people Pang Yu usually saw in Anqing. The Qing troops had almost no full beards; they generally left only a few hairs on the upper lip. Most had no beard on the chin, and a few had goatees.

The faces of the Qing soldiers around him all looked much the same. As Pang Yu swept his gaze over them, almost none left a distinct impression.

Pang Yu raised his telescope. Under the great banner of the Plain Red Banner on the opposite bank stood several General Officers. They were also staring intently at Pang Yu. Although Pang Yu could not make out their expressions at all, he was certain they must be filled with bitter hatred.

The Qing cavalry visible on the opposite bank numbered over a thousand. Most had just retreated across the river and were still guarding against a Ming Army crossing. In truth, both sides were utterly exhausted, and Pang Yu had no intention of crossing the river at all.

Pang Yu turned around to look at the land on the southern bank. The wilderness was littered with abandoned carriages, grain sacks, bolts of cloth, and other baggage. Civilians drained of all strength lay collapsed on the ground, wailing. All sorts of livestock ran about aimlessly. Most of the people and wealth the Plain Red Banner had plundered when they entered the pass had been lost entirely, and the Bordered Red Banner had also suffered no small loss.

Tu Dianli hurried over from the south side. Reaching Pang Yu's side, he said in a low voice, "Sir, the cavalry have discovered over a Company Commander Retainers from the Datong Garrison upstream at Huanghuadian, attempting to build a bridge across the river channel. From due west, over thirty Household Retainers from Marquis Hou Zongzhen's unit have been spotted approaching. Also discovered are over ten Household Retainers from Tianjin Regional Commander Liu Furong's unit. All have come from Supervisor-in-Chief Gao at Dong'an. These are likely all Scout Cavalry. Once they return with their reports, the Liao Garrison's main army from Dong'an should arrive."

Pang Yu understood Tu Dianli's meaning. Now that the Plain Red Banner was routed, the Liao Garrison, with no major river barrier blocking them on the eastern bank, would certainly rush over to seize the spoils of victory.

"Leave only two Banner Teams of cavalry here on alert. The rest of the cavalry will go south along the Official Road and cut off the road passage twenty li out. Intercept anyone on horseback — no one is permitted to take horses away. Ignore civilians leaving on foot with supplies. Deploy all our baggage, Civilian Laborers, and Light Infantry. Organize those civilians who haven't fled to transport supplies. Place all supplies in the Camp Ground the Tartars left behind. Report the battle situation back to Sun Doutang. Request that he cross the river tomorrow to inspect and verify the spoils, and prepare to report the achievement to the imperial court."

"Yes... Sir, there is also an urgent report from the roving cavalry." Tu Dianli lowered his voice. "The Plain Red Banner's Banner Lord, Beile Yoto, has already died in Jinan."

"Yoto died in Jinan?" Pang Yu pondered for a moment, his eyes flickering unceasingly.