Chapter 596: Attack on the Mountain Fortress

Boom—a cannon blast echoed, and the soldiers of the Infantry Firearms Battalion on the road all opened their mouths wide, waiting as the roar gradually faded among the valleys.

In the ranks, Zhou Chen looked up at a fortified stronghold on the mountainside. The stronghold sat halfway up the slope, the nearby trees all chopped down, revealing walls built mainly of stone.

Most of the Roving Bandits' strongholds in the Yingshan region were not far from the main roads, originating primarily from the occupation of former mountain villagers' settlements.

The mountain stronghold before them was just such a village, once home to perhaps sixty or seventy households, situated on a mid-slope across the river channel.

Around the river channel lay a stretch of flatland where crops could be grown, which was why a village had sprung up there in the first place.

The Second Company, to which Zhou Chen belonged, was arrayed on the road. He looked ahead and saw some cavalry on the road as well; they had now dismounted and let their horses graze by the roadside.

These cavalrymen were from the Mobile Cavalry Company of the Mountain Battalion Commander Department. Last year, Pang Yu had taken all the cavalry when he rallied to the king, and the newly trained reserve cavalry of Anqing had nowhere to go, so these infantry battalion mobile cavalry units were brought to full strength first. By the time the Infantry Firearms Battalion began forming, the Cavalry Battalion had already absorbed every decent cavalryman. Everyone knew the Infantry Firearms Battalion's cavalry was understrength, but no one thought it should be addressed, because the Cavalry Battalion was heading to Huguang for combat, and the Central Army prioritized supplying them.

Wu Dacai had few options either and in the end could only accept the cavalry shortage. The Thousand-Leader Headquarters where Zhou Chen served received just over thirty horses, roughly half of which were officers' mounts; those who could truly be called cavalry numbered only a dozen or so. For now, they had to rely on the Mountain Battalion's mobile cavalry.

Although the Mountain Battalion primarily fought in mountainous regions, it still needed cavalry. However, compared to the Cavalry Battalion's professional mobile cavalry, this Mobile Cavalry Company's skill level was far inferior. Its riders were mainly drawn from civilian relay couriers and postal runners, and their duties differed greatly as well. They mainly cooperated with infantry in combat, handling tasks like scouting, dispatch bulletins, setting up observation posts, and pursuit—they had to do it all, and accordingly, they mastered none of it. When coordinating operations in the mountains, these cavalrymen primarily used their mobility to cut off roads, preventing small bands of Roving Bandits from escaping and severing their communications; the main assault still had to wait for the infantry to finish.

According to yesterday's briefing, the cavalry had ridden swiftly along the main road, passed the stronghold, cut off the road beyond, and secured a wooden bridge over the river to prevent the Roving Bandits from burning it. They had already completed this task. After the infantry arrived, these cavalrymen would stand guard further along this river valley to prevent a surprise enemy attack.

This was the valley of the Tianlou River in Yingshan, administratively part of interpreter Township. The county seat of Yingshan had two rivers: the Western River coming from the west and the Eastern River coming from the east, which converged at the county seat to form the Yingshan River.

The roads in the surrounding mountain region also mainly followed these two rivers and their tributaries, and this confluence of water and land routes determined its status as a transportation hub.

Due to the action of the water currents, flatlands had formed around several of these river valleys. The terrain was flat and fertile, with water sources for irrigation. The primary arable areas in the mountain region lay on these flatlands, distributed along the river valleys.

Similar to other mountain regions, the main roads followed the river valleys. Yingshan's main population centers were also distributed along these two river valleys, with villages large and small nestled along the river channels. Most of these villages sat on mid-slopes. Because the flatlands were not large, they could support only a small population; villages most commonly had thirty to fifty households.

The Tianlou River was a major tributary of the Western River, its valley relatively gentle with more arable land around it. In peacetime, there had been twenty to thirty villages along both sides of the river channel. After the Chongzhen Eighth Year, the villages around the main road were all overrun by passing Roving Bandits. The remaining villagers could only band together for self-protection, fortifying villages on higher, more defensible ground, building stronghold walls and fortresses. These strongholds had some defensive capability; against Roving Bandits merely passing through, who were unwilling to take casualties, these strongholds could survive.

But once the Roving Bandits began to entrench themselves in the mountain region, they would not go into the trackless deep mountains and old-growth forests. These villages were the most suitable places to live in the mountains. When they needed these villages, their tolerance for casualties increased accordingly, and these larger villages were overrun one by one, becoming Roving Bandit strongholds.

Every time the Anqing Battalion entered the mountains, it too swept along the river valleys, and then it was the Roving Bandits' turn to abandon those smaller villages that were hard to defend. During short-term garrison operations, the Anqing Battalion's tolerance for casualties was also low; faced with strongly defended strongholds, it would often abandon the attack.

This time, discovering that the Anqing Battalion had entered the mountains again, the Roving Bandits followed their usual practice and abandoned low-defense strongholds. The villages around the county seat were basically all empty; they retreated to more distant places, some pulling back to larger villages. Based on past experience, the Anqing Battalion could not take these and would not attack them.

But to their surprise, this time the Anqing Battalion came. Today, the Anqing Battalion was sweeping the Tianlou River valley. The Infantry Firearms Battalion and the Mountain Troops each deployed one regiment, and the Personal Soldiers Thousand-Leader Headquarters also deployed two companies to block the Western River valley, preventing Roving Bandits from that direction from coming to the rescue.

The stronghold before them lay deep in the Tianlou River valley, seventy-five li from the county seat and about ten li from the river mouth. The Anqing Battalion had marched for two days and had already cut off the roads ahead and behind. If the Roving Bandits on the mountain wanted to flee for their lives, they could only run up the mountain, but without their refuge, survival in such deep mountains was impossible.

The stronghold sat on a mid-slope. Though not a sheer cliff, reaching an attack position required climbing the mountain, making an assault considerably difficult.

Just now, the Centurion had said to fire a few cannon shots first to scare the Roving Bandits; if they fled up the mountain, they could avoid an assault. But after several shots, the figures visible on the stronghold walls were even more numerous than before, showing no intention of running at all.

The men of the Infantry Firearms Battalion standing at the foot of the mountain were, in truth, all at a loss. The Infantry Firearms Battalion's Drill Manual contained no section on attacking mountain positions at all. Their training time had been short, focused mainly on plains and river-net regions; faced with a mountain stronghold, they had no idea how to begin.

The Infantry Firearms Centurion stood beside a Mountain Troops Centurion. That Mountain Troops Centurion was tall and large, wearing a suit of chain mail with an extra layer of bamboo strips fixed over the shoulders, tied to the rings with hemp cord. It looked somewhat bizarre; no one knew why he had specifically reinforced his shoulder defenses.

"Not appropriate. This is the farthest stronghold we're attacking today. There are no troops on the road ahead. If I go assault the mountain and Mounted Bandits suddenly show up, what then?"

The Infantry Firearms Battalion Centurion said politely, "I am not saying we won't guard the road. It's just that our Infantry Firearms Battalion has only just finished training, and we have no armor or anything. Going to assault the mountain like this, a single dropped rock will kill a man. The Mountain Battalion has helmets and armor; they're more suited for mountain assault. We'd better guard the road."

"When those rocks come down, what armor can stop them? Wearing it or not makes no difference. You guarding the road is what's truly not appropriate. Who dares feel at ease with the Infantry Firearms Battalion guarding the road? I'm halfway up the mountain assaulting, the Roving Bandits attack and you run off—then I'm trapped from above and below, starving to death on the mountain path. Not appropriate."

The Infantry Firearms Battalion Centurion's face showed displeasure. "We haven't even fought yet. On what grounds do you assume my Infantry Firearms Battalion will run? Then if my Infantry Firearms Battalion assaults halfway up the mountain and your Mountain Battalion runs, isn't that the same?"

"Anyway, you guarding the road is just not appropriate. I'm telling you, no matter where you came from before, right now you're in the Infantry Firearms Battalion. The order token also states clearly that battle command belongs to me. Your Infantry Firearms Battalion will go assault the mountain."

The two men argued right in front of the Infantry Firearms Battalion ranks. Zhou Chen could hear it very clearly. Beside him, Lu Xiaoma muttered a few words, so indistinct that even Zhou Chen couldn't make them out—probably cursing that Centurion.

The Mountain Battalion had come out together with them, with two companies assigned to attack this mountain stronghold. Originally, a Deputy Battalion Commander of the Mountain Troops was leading the force, but that Deputy Battalion Commander had fallen off his horse and broken his leg and had returned to the county seat early. Both sides now had only Centurions, and the battle command had been issued to the Mountain Battalion Centurion; the Infantry Firearms Battalion was lower in status no matter what.

But Zhou Chen didn't feel wronged. Those Heavy Infantry, cavalry, Mountain Troops, and Marine Corps were all very imposing, with good equipment and high monthly pay. The Infantry Firearms soldiers had no confidence when facing them; it seemed everyone felt this was only right.

The Mountain Troops were arrayed on the right side. Of the three Squads in one Banner Team, one Squad used fire lances. Zhou Chen saw that their fire lances seemed shorter, and their cannon was shorter too. They were also sizing up the Infantry Firearms Battalion as if watching a show.

The two Centurions argued for a while. The Mountain Troops Centurion insisted that the Infantry Firearms Battalion assault the mountain, and finally played the trump card of the battle command. Their own Centurion dared not argue further and came back in a fury.

"I was perfectly fine as a personal soldier, and I come here to take this abuse." The Centurion looked around the ranks. "Infantry Firearms Second Company, we're going to assault the mountain. Don't let people look down on us. Is there any Banner Team that dares to go!"

The argument just now had been witnessed by all the Infantry Firearms soldiers. They knew even the Centurion was afraid. The ranks were silent; no one dared speak. Over there, the Mountain Troops let out bursts of low laughter.

The Centurion's pride couldn't take it. He waved his hand, about to call out names, when suddenly someone in the ranks shouted, "First Banner Squad volunteers!"

Everyone turned their heads. Zhou Chen looked over with them—it was actually Lu Xiaoma speaking. Zhou Chen hurriedly whispered, "You're not even the Banner Commander…"

The Centurion shouted, "Good! The First Banner volunteers. Take that stronghold and I'll request commendations for you all…"

…

The thirty-odd men of the First Banner stood before the mountain path. The trees in this section had all been chopped down—not deliberately by the Roving Bandits, but for the convenience of gathering firewood, as was the case around most strongholds.

The mountain path wound upward, only slightly wider than one man; two people meeting would have to turn sideways. At the top of the mountain path was a small platform. No stronghold wall had been built there. Some Roving Bandits were pacing on the platform, with rocks large and small laid out in front of them.

"Drive those Roving Bandits off and seize that ground, so I can set the cannon up there. We must take that ground to fire the cannon; without cannon fire, we can't break through." The Centurion instructed the Banner Commander, "Use the fire lances to scatter those Roving Bandits. Send the best fighters to charge the front—straight up the mountain path."

The Banner Commander's expression was also poor. After acknowledging the order, he pointed at Lu Xiaoma's Squad. "First Squad, lead troops. Second Squad, follow. Third Squad…"

The Team Leader pointed at their Five-Man Team. "Second Five-Man Team, lead troops. First Five-Man Team, follow."

The Second Five-Man Team Leader's face turned pale. He shot Lu Xiaoma a fierce glare, then stepped to the very front. The Centurion moved to the rear, loudly arranging how the other two Banner Teams would take turns firing.

Once the Centurion left, several men from the same Team were cursing under their breath behind him. Zhou Chen couldn't help saying to Lu Xiaoma, "Even the Banner Commander didn't speak up. You volunteering means our Team has to be the lead troops."

"Lead troops it is. Those Mountain Troops were laughing at us."

"Let them laugh. This mountain assault should be the Mountain Troops' job. Otherwise, why call them Mountain Troops?"

"Who dares laugh! I'll assault the mountain just the same without armor." As Lu Xiaoma spoke, he unconsciously adjusted the conical hat he had just put on.

The Centurion's voice came from behind, ordering every soldier to check his equipment. Zhou Chen's mouth went dry. He looked down and checked the flint. The fire lance had been loaded back on the main road; he only needed to check the fire gate cover and the flint.

Lu Xiaoma in front was also checking his gear. Zhou Chen suddenly felt the urge to urinate. When he turned his head, the Banner Commander and Team Leader were talking in low voices; he could only hold it in. Turning back, he couldn't resist checking the flint again, then opened the fire gate cover. Only when he saw the gunpowder inside did he feel at ease.

After closing the fire gate cover, Zhou Chen felt a moment of mental haze. He suddenly sensed that when he checked just now, some gunpowder might have spilled. Hurriedly, he opened the fire gate cover again, saw that the powder inside had not decreased, and then carefully closed it once more.

The preparatory signal sounded from behind. Lu Xiaoma in front immediately raised his hand. Zhou Chen reflexively raised his as well. A moment later, the Five-Man Team Leader responded ready, then the Team Leader responded, and finally the Banner Commander responded.

According to past training, all commands in the Infantry Firearms Battalion were simplified. Below the company level, everything was verbal orders. The only signal instrument was a brass whistle, generally used as the command to begin the attack.

Zhou Chen's face was pale, his hands full of sweat. Ahead was Lu Xiaoma's back; his breathing also seemed a little rapid.

All fell quiet front and back. Occasionally, someone could still be heard cursing under their breath—probably cursing Lu Xiaoma too.

After a moment of silence, a sharp whistle blast suddenly rang out. From the rear came a series of bangs as volleys were fired.

The sound of fire lances echoed through the mountains. The First Banner Squad shouted in unison. The Five-Man Team Leader was the first to charge out, everyone following behind. There were a few paddy fields in front of the mountain path. Zhou Chen sprinted along the field ridges, his waist saber swinging and constantly knocking against his waist.

Soon they reached the mountain path. Another volley of gunfire sounded from behind. The Five-Man Team Leader had just rushed onto the mountain path when he tripped and fell. The column's speed immediately slowed. The Five-Man Team Leader scrambled up and kept running. Zhou Chen followed the unit, running up the mountain along the mountain path.

The squad leader's voice was shouting from behind, but he couldn't make out the words. There were also the ragged breaths and footsteps of his comrades. Shouts came from above too, sounding like a northern accent. Zhou Chen had no time to distinguish them clearly.

After rounding two bends, the squad leader ahead suddenly shouted, "Rocks!"

Zhou Chen looked up and saw several head-sized stones bouncing down the mountain slope, falling in this direction, while smaller stones flew straight at them from all around.

The squad leader had already halted, pressing against the cliff wall for cover. Everyone stopped. Zhou Chen, with no time to think, hurriedly pressed himself against the wall too. A stone whooshed past overhead. A scream came from behind, followed by a dull thud. The column instantly fell into chaos.

The squad leader was about to rise when more stones flew over. He immediately shrank back behind the cliff wall. Small stones kept raining down from above. More and more people behind were getting injured. The fire lances below were still firing, and the stones kept falling.

The Centurion's voice was cursing and shouting, but the words were unclear. Zhou Chen pressed against the cliff wall beside the mountain path, wishing he could meld right into the rock. In his terror, he saw someone collapse behind him, blood streaming down the man's head. The gap-toothed soldier went to pull him up. Another stone fell, striking the gap-toothed soldier squarely on the head. He too collapsed to the ground. At the bend in the mountain path behind them, a soldier screamed and jumped straight off, tumbling and rolling down the slope. Zhou Chen stared blankly, his mind a complete void.

"If we stop, we all die! Charge!"

Zhou Chen turned his head in a daze. Lu Xiaoma had stood up, grabbed Zhou Chen's clothes, and hauled him up, pushing aside the soldiers ahead all the way until they reached the very front of the column.

Then Lu Xiaoma stepped directly onto the squad leader to reach the lead soldier's position. Dragged by Lu Xiaoma, Zhou Chen also stepped onto the squad leader's leg. The squad leader screamed. Zhou Chen's scalp went numb as he stumbled over the squad leader.

Lu Xiaoma let go of him and, with a howl, ran forward. Zhou Chen followed numbly behind. Shouts came from the mountaintop. Just as he looked up ahead, a stone trailing crushed grass and clods of dirt roared past Lu Xiaoma's head.

As if he hadn't felt a thing, Lu Xiaoma kept charging without the slightest pause. Another volley of fire lances boomed from below. Two screams rang out from the mountaintop. The Roving Bandits up there shouted in confusion — no telling if anyone was hit — but the stones temporarily let up.

The two had already charged halfway. As he ran, Zhou Chen looked up and could now make out the Roving Bandits' figures. Lu Xiaoma, clutching his fire lance, rounded another bend. Zhou Chen followed close behind, panting heavily. They drew nearer and nearer to the mountaintop. A flurry of shouts in a northern accent came from above, and the thudding of stones scraping through the grass was incessant. Zhou Chen tilted his head up as he ran, but in his shaking field of vision he couldn't see clearly and nearly stepped off the path. In his frantic haste, he ignored the stones and just kept his head down and charged.

Another volley boomed from below. The grass beside him rustled. Zhou Chen was extremely tense, all his focus fixed ahead, with no time to think about what that was. The two raced along the mountain path. Zhou Chen breathed heavily. Lu Xiaoma's back charged ahead, running just as fast as he had when chasing and beating him back in Shipai.

They rounded another bend on the mountain path. The shouts from the mountaintop were now close at hand. A tremendous force struck Zhou Chen's conical hat, knocking him off balance to the side and nearly off the mountain path. Just as he steadied himself, he heard twanging sounds. Two arrows whooshed past, barely missing him.

Lu Xiaoma ahead suddenly stopped, raised his fire lance toward the mountaintop, and fired. Bang! A gunshot. Several startled cries from the mountaintop. Zhou Chen looked up. The Roving Bandits' figures had all vanished. Lu Xiaoma threw aside his fire lance, drew his waist saber, and continued charging upward.

Zhou Chen gasped fiercely. After rounding one more bend, the cliff wall before his eyes finally opened up, revealing a small patch of flat ground. Seven or eight figures were still there, two or three of them holding bows and arrows. Two more lay sprawled on the ground.

They seemed not to have expected Lu Xiaoma to be so fast and were still aiming downward. Now, looking up, they had just spotted the two men and were about to raise their bows toward Lu Xiaoma.

Without a second thought, Zhou Chen raised his fire lance at those men and fired. Amid the boom, white smoke billowed before him. Unable to see whether he had hit anyone, he heard shouts from that direction and charged straight through the smoke. He saw Lu Xiaoma's figure leap onto the platform. Several Roving Bandits were fleeing toward the stockade gate behind them.

Zhou Chen followed, jumping onto that small patch of flat ground. It was only slightly more level than the mountain path, impossible to build a stockade wall on. The Roving Bandits had been throwing stones in defense from here, and now they were all fleeing toward the stockade gate behind.

This stockade was built on the mid-slope. The stockade wall was placed as close to the edge as possible, leaving the enemy no place to mass troops. The battle frontage was very narrow, severely limiting troop numbers. This small platform was the only place where forces could assemble.

The charge the two had just made had at least driven the enemy off the small platform. This platform had a certain slope; otherwise, the Roving Bandits would surely have extended the stockade wall to here.

The Roving Bandits ahead were fleeing toward the stockade gate. Lu Xiaoma, saber in hand, chased after the enemy. Two arrows shot from the stockade wall, flying over Lu Xiaoma's head. Zhou Chen happened to be moving to the right, and an arrow whooshed past his left arm.

Lu Xiaoma turned and ran. Zhou Chen followed, fleeing back below the small platform. The two pressed against the cliff wall. Zhou Chen panted rapidly, not knowing what to do.

Lu Xiaoma, his head covered in sweat, panted as he said to Zhou Chen, "Load. Load the gun."

Zhou Chen hurriedly fished a paper cartridge from the ammunition box on his belt, pinched the bullet end with his fingers, then put it between his teeth and bit off the tip. His hands were shaking so badly that Lu Xiaoma kept having to help him.

By the time the two had finally finished loading, the comrades behind still hadn't come up. Lu Xiaoma didn't even aim, just fired toward the stockade wall. The other side quickly returned fire with a few arrows, but with no accuracy, sticking haphazardly into the ground.

After another shot was fired, the other Firearm Soldiers finally appeared behind them, led by the Banner Commander. The Banner Commander came over and sprawled against the cliff wall, panting for a long while before shouting, "Form ranks!"

The group of Firearm Soldiers lined up in order, then began loading. In normal training, the squad leader would give the commands, and everyone would follow without error. But now the squad leader still hadn't come up, and the Banner Commander was so exhausted he could barely breathe. No one waited for his command. Each loaded while panting, and once loaded, without waiting for orders, they fired a chaotic volley toward the stockade wall ahead.

Lu Xiaoma wanted to go back and retrieve the fire lance he had thrown aside, but by now the Firearm Soldiers behind had also come up, and the path was packed solid. He had to give up.

The Firearm Soldiers fired wildly toward the stockade wall. Gunpowder smoke hung thick over the small platform and the mountain path.

Zhou Chen, for his part, had stopped firing. He turned his head to look ahead. The stockade wall was built of wood and stone, sturdy enough for men to stand on. Because it was on the mid-slope, the stockade controlled all the level ground. The attackers could hardly deploy troops or weapons, and climbing up was exhausting. This kind of defense was already quite formidable.

With the fire lance men of the Infantry Firearms Battalion, taking such a fortress was very difficult. Charging this far had nearly drained their strength. If it dragged on until nightfall, the attackers, with no way to rest and regroup on the mountain path, would have to withdraw. Attacking again tomorrow would mean another exhausting climb up the mountain and getting pelted by stones all over again.

The Roving Bandits opposite showed no fear. When the fire lances here fired, the bows there shot back. Neither side had much accuracy.

After another bout of firing, someone behind shouted, "Make way, make way! The cannon's coming!"

The Firearm Soldiers all pressed against the cliff wall to clear the path. A soldier came up first, carrying the cannon barrel on his shoulder. Behind him, others brought up the carriage, and finally the two wheels. Every soldier carrying the cannon parts was drenched in sweat.

The Firearm Soldiers cleared a space and watched the Artillery soldiers assemble the cannon on the spot. It was soon put together. The Firearm Soldiers cheered in unison, ready to watch the Artillery show its power. But when they tried to push the cannon onto the small platform, the Artillery Chief wanted shields for cover, and the group of Firearm Soldiers couldn't produce a single shield.

Fortunately, the Banner Commander had defended a city before. After issuing a string of orders, some men went below to cut tree branches. Before long, they had made a wooden frame. The Banner Commander stripped the cotton coats off several men and hung them on the frame.

Thus, the Mountain Fortress Field Cannon took shape. Two men held the shield frame in front as cover, and the Artillery soldiers pushed the small cannon up onto the small platform.

A flurry of shouts came from inside the Roving Bandits' stockade opposite. Arrows shot over, but all were blocked by that crudely made shield frame.

The small cannon halted. Then, with a thunderous boom, a chorus of panicked screams erupted from the other side.

White smoke drifted away beyond the mountain. Zhou Chen tilted his head to look. A huge hole had appeared in the right side of the stockade gate ahead. At the edges, some timbers that hadn't fully broken dangled beneath the hole. The right door panel was askew, still swaying unsteadily.

A cheer erupted from the ranks of the Firearm Soldiers.