Chapter 148: The Battle of the Four Cities (VIII)

In the open wilderness outside the west gate, the great drum of the Yansui Garrison sounded, and over two thousand Yansui infantry, pushing dozens of trench bridges and scaling ladders, charged at the very front. The three company columns of the Wendeng Battalion also advanced in sequence toward the stone bridge outside the west gate barbican. The assault unit was the Seventh Platoon of the Second Company, which had already approached the stone bridge over the moat at Luanzhou's west gate. That stone bridge had not been destroyed and was now also shrouded in smoke and dust.

The assault team's column formation crossed the stone bridge smoothly and plunged headlong into the dim smoke and dust. A few scattered arrows shot out from both sides, utterly unaimed. The front-rank assault team captain shouted an order, and the column split left and right into two squads, then divided into small three-man combat teams, clambering up the collapsed, chaotic stone rubble and earth mounds toward the city wall.

They groped their way forward, climbing the collapsed wall onto the parapet. The first few soldiers had just poked their heads over when sharp blades came straight at them. The foremost soldiers were all stabbed, screaming as they tumbled down. The nearby assault team soldiers immediately struck back with their weapons. Two Later Jin soldiers above also fell, and the Later Jin troops behind them filled the gap. Both sides traded death relentlessly at the breach. The Later Jin soldiers held the advantage of terrain, and Wendeng Battalion soldiers kept sliding down the slope one after another.

After the first platoon was committed, the Second Company's follow-up troops waited below the wall. One assault squad of the Seventh Platoon suffered heavy casualties. When word reached the stone bridge, the Second Company commander Dai Zhenggang's banner waved, and the Eighth Platoon was immediately thrown into the attack.

Chen Xin had also arrived beneath Company Commander Dai Zhenggang's banner. Listening to the shouts of slaughter on the wall, he watched with a calm expression as fresh troops were fed into the killing ground.

The Later Jin troops on the wall were already few in number. Although they held the terrain advantage, they could not withstand the ceaseless Ming attacks. The fallen Later Jin soldiers piled into a high mound of corpses at the broken wall. At last, the first Ming soldier set foot on the parapet. Facing attacks from five or six Later Jin soldiers, he was quickly killed. A second assault team soldier, brandishing a round shield, deflected several thrusting spears in quick succession. Then a pikeman stepped up beside him. The pikeman killed an armored soldier wielding a broadsword with two rapid thrusts. Working together, the two forced the other Later Jin soldiers back several paces. More Ming soldiers appeared on the wall, forming small three-man combat teams to attack. The Later Jin soldiers before them could hold no longer and turned to flee toward the gate tower behind them.

The Ming troops advanced a stretch and seized a section of the wall. The forward assault teams pushed rapidly ahead. Where the barbican wall forked, they turned north. The intact combat groups behind them turned toward the gate tower. They had to capture the west gate tower and let the main army enter the city through the gate — this was the fastest way to commit troops and their first operational objective.

By now the smoke and dust were slowly dispersing. The foremost combat group formed a five-man front and charged straight at the gate tower, part of which had already collapsed. A group of Later Jin soldiers came up the wall stairs, rushing to meet them in battle. The combat group leader shouted for the unit to halt. From the gaps in the small three-man combat teams, five combined-gun barrels extended.

When the Later Jin armored soldiers charged to within a dozen paces, the combat group leader barked an order. The five combined guns fired simultaneously. The foremost Later Jin soldiers fell at the same time, rolling on the ground and screaming in agony.

The Later Jin soldiers behind dodged the wounded on the ground, their formation thrown into chaos. The firearms team withdrew to the rear, replaced by a squad of assault troops. Ten assault team soldiers, arrayed in two ranks, swiftly routed the disorganized Later Jin soldiers. After suffering a few casualties, they seized the section of wall at the gate tower.

The loss of the barbican deprived the Later Jin soldiers of their defensive strongpoint. The firearms teams behind them formed up in succession behind the parapet near the gate tower. At the shouted orders of their squad leaders, they rested their combined guns on the parapet and fired volleys at the panicked Later Jin soldiers below the wall, making it impossible for the Later Jin troops to regroup or maneuver.

Amid the continuous crackling of gunfire, the Jianzhou bandits below the wall fled into the streets and alleys beneath the city wall to escape the musket fire. After the large body of Jianzhou bandits was scattered, two combat groups began attacking the gate tunnel along the wall stairs. The Jianzhou bandits hid at the alley mouths and shot back with bows. Even iron armor at close range could not withstand heavy arrows fitted with armor-piercing heads. The first two combat groups left several bodies on the wall stairs and retreated back onto the wall. The Second Company's follow-up troops kept flooding onto the wall, and the firearms on the wall grew denser and denser. They exchanged fire with the Jianzhou bandits in waves. Whenever a Jianzhou bandit showed himself to shoot, a squad of firearms would fire in response, quickly suppressing those archers completely. After several repeated attempts, the combat groups finally charged into the gate tunnel and opened the city gate…

The soldiers of the Third Company, who had long since entered the barbican through the breach, swarmed in. The red-and-black columns surged into Luanzhou along the broad West Main Street. The Later Jin troops in the western part of the city had already collapsed below the wall. The scattered small bands of Jianzhou bandits dared not engage this fierce Ming army and hid in the side alleys along the road. The Third Company left a ten-man combat squad at each alley mouth to prevent harassment by the Jianzhou bandits. The main body did not delay at all and pushed rapidly toward the crossroads at Cross Street.

After the Third Company had fully entered the city,

Zhong Laosi bellowed repeatedly, rallying his combat group. They belonged to the Second Platoon of the First Company and had entered the city behind the Third Company. Chen Ying followed behind Squad Leader Zhou Shao'er, running into the gloomy west gate tunnel. The tunnel echoed with the dense sound of footsteps and the clanking of iron armor plates.

Emerging from the gate tunnel, Chen Ying's eyes brightened. On West Gate Street, gunfire had already merged into a continuous din, and white gunpowder smoke drifted through the air. The Third Company must have engaged the Jianzhou bandits in fierce fighting on West Gate Street.

The sound of Zhong Laosi shouting to turn came through. Chen Ying's combat group turned north into a small side street as planned. The other platoons also began turning north at other intersections. They would push north for a stretch, then turn east and head straight for North Gate Street to seal off the Jianzhou bandits' retreat route.

By the roadside knelt some people with pigtails. They were all dressed as Han commoners, wailing loudly and begging for mercy. Chen Ying knew they were the common folk of Luanzhou, forced by the Jianzhou bandits to shave their heads.

As long as they held no weapons, the Wendeng Battalion soldiers paid them no heed. A few who had forgotten to drop their clubs were mercilessly killed by passing Wendeng Battalion soldiers. After running for a stretch, the sound of bowstrings came from ahead, followed by several cries of pain. The firearms team of a forward combat group opened fire. After the volley, the assault team used the smoke to charge swiftly at the Jianzhou archers who had shot the arrows and killed them one by one.

Then they turned east into another street, advancing toward the north city gate. Here they encountered a force of several dozen Jianzhou armored soldiers. These men cunningly hid on both sides of the street and loosed an unending stream of heavy arrows. After the assault team suffered several casualties, they dared not charge head-on. They used the firearms team to exchange fire with the Jianzhou bandits, and some assault team soldiers who knew archery also took up bows to help suppress the enemy.

The forward combat group's attack was stalled. Company Commander Huang Yuan was burning with impatience. He wanted to be the first to reach North Gate Street. Turning toward this side, he roared, "Zhong Laosi, take your combat group around! Hit those Tatars from behind."

Zhong Laosi answered and led the combat group into an alley. Every household door inside was tightly shut. Only after running in did they discover that this alley was very long and had no branches. They had no choice but to keep running along the alley. The armored assault team soldiers all began to pant heavily. After turning several more corners, a fork finally appeared. Zhong Laosi had already lost his sense of direction and did not know which way to turn.

Listening to the shouts of slaughter and musket fire all around, Zhong Laosi was extremely anxious. He called Chen Ying over to crouch down. Zhou Shao'er steadied him as he stepped onto Chen Ying's shoulders. Zhong Laosi pushed hard with his hands, pulled himself onto a courtyard wall, and stood up to look around in all directions. Over at the east gate, cannon fire rumbled like thunder, and smoke and dust billowed over the barbican — the Guanning Army was still bombarding the wall. The white smoke on West Gate Street had grown even thicker, its position now near the center of Cross Street. Then Zhong Laosi located the small street they had just been on. He silently noted the direction, jumped down from the wall, and chose the right-hand fork. He estimated that they should have already bypassed the Later Jin soldiers.

After turning one more corner, he finally saw that small street outside. The street was filled with shouts in the Manchu language, accompanied by the sound of hoofbeats. Several mounted Jianzhou bandits flashed past the alley mouth. It seemed there were quite a few Jianzhou bandits on the street.

Zhong Laosi licked his lips, looked back at the others, and said, "Once we're out, split into two small combat groups facing both directions. I'll take the right side myself…"

Before he finished speaking, a courtyard door beside them suddenly opened. Several Jianzhou bandits hurried out from inside. The one in front carried a dripping saber in one hand and held a rein in the other. He looked up and froze at the sight of the mass of soldiers at the doorway.

Neither side reacted, staring at each other in shock for several seconds. Zhong Laosi, a veteran after all, recovered first. With a great shout, he thrust his banner spear straight at the man's chest.

The lead Jianzhou bandit instinctively stepped back but was blocked by an armored soldier behind him. The banner spear stabbed him immediately. His scream alerted both sides. The assault team soldiers all thrust their weapons toward the doorway. Several lightly armored Later Jin archers retreated in defeat into the courtyard. Chen Ying's long spear was awkward to use here. He threw it aside, picked up the lead Tatar's saber, and charged into the courtyard with the others, chasing down the several Later Jin soldiers. They dared not engage the assault team in close combat. Some scrambled over the wall, some hid in the rooms. There were also five or six horses inside, now terrified, neighing and bolting wildly around the courtyard.

The lead saber-and-stick soldier swept an archer off the wall with one blow of his stick. The archer was surrounded by a group of combat soldiers and killed. Then they stormed into each room to mop up.

Chen Ying followed Squad Leader Zhou Shao'er and kicked open a side room. Charging in, he saw two wounded Later Jin soldiers lying inside. Their bodies were stained with blood — they must have just been wounded and sent back here. Now they struggled to prop themselves up, trying to resist. Chen Ying leaped onto the kang, pinned one man down, dropped the saber, and drew the dagger he had spent so long sharpening. Cold light rippled along its keen edge. This archer had been hit in the right shoulder by a lead ball and was utterly powerless to resist.

That Later Jin soldier watched in terror as the dagger slowly drew closer, twisting his head desperately, making guttural sounds from his throat. Chen Ying, his face utterly cold, said, "So you know fear too."

His dagger pierced the archer's cotton armor and continued its slow advance. A small length of the tip had already sunk into the archer's chest. The icy sensation spreading from his chest made the archer's whole body tremble. The sounds he made were something between weeping and howling. His gaze shifted back and forth between his own chest and Chen Ying's face, full of pleading.

The dagger sank deeper and deeper. The archer's head suddenly jerked forward and back twice. His eyes, fixed on Chen Ying, slowly went blank, and his limbs spread limply.

Chen Ying let out a satisfied breath, twisted the dagger, and pulled it out. When he turned his head, Zhou Shao'er had already beheaded the other soldier and was watching him from behind. Chen Ying nodded at him, picked up the saber, and beheaded the man as well. He carried the head outside and tossed it into the porter's carrying basket.

Zhong Laosi spat at the heads. "These damn dog Tatars — before leaving, they slaughtered this whole family." Then he said to the others, "Now we've got to get out fast. If the Jianzhou bandits outside find out and block the alley mouth, we won't be able to get out. Once we're out, split into two small combat groups facing both directions. I'll take the right-hand side myself. The other will be led by Squad Leader Huang. We'll hit them from both ends."