Chapter 326: Pike Formation Meets the Enemy (Two Updates, Asking for Guaranteed Monthly Tickets)

Just as the Later Jin troops entered two hundred paces, the three-company Dengzhou cavalry began spurring their horses into motion. Tan Shen personally led the force, heading straight for the Jianzhou bandit cavalry on the flank of the Jianzhou infantry. Determined to catch those horsemen, he started at a canter and quickly broke into a gallop, reducing the time to close in.

The two-company Dengzhou cavalry spread out across a broad front, still in a three-line formation, and charged fiercely with irresistible momentum. The skirmishing riders from both sides who had been locked in scattered dogfights in the field all scattered like birds and beasts.

Jianzhou bandit cavalry deployed elsewhere began shifting toward this direction, preparing to entangle that cavalry unit. Zhu Guobin left the reserve force and came to the position of the second cavalry group to personally seize the moment of opportunity. But unless absolutely necessary, he would not commit the second group early; if he did, the entire right wing would be left with only the detachment and one company of cavalry, making it easy for some Jianzhou bandit cavalry unit to slip behind the formation.

Because the distance was so short and the Wendeng cavalry's approach so swift, that two-hundred-man Jianzhou bandit cavalry unit indeed did not evade but chose to meet them head-on. After three rounds of chaotic, horse-and-rider-toppling collisions, that Jianzhou bandit cavalry unit had lost over thirty percent — just like the Plain Blue Banner's first encounter at Jinzhou — their formation was in complete disarray, and the leading jiala bayara ejen was also killed, causing the entire unit to immediately lose command.

Zhu Guobin at once released one company of cavalry, exploiting the chaos among those Jianzhou bandits to deliver another heavy blow, cutting down some of the riders who failed to retreat in time and essentially neutralizing the threat from this cavalry unit. Although the Later Jin troops knew the power of the Dengzhou cavalry formation, they had not expected such explosive force. Two units that had been preparing to encircle and destroy Tan Shen immediately changed direction and rushed toward the infantry's flank.

The first group of Dengzhou cavalry also lost several dozen men. Leaving the ground strewn with the corpses of men and horses, they continued galloping south. Two Jianzhou bandit cavalry units from the rear formation promptly closed in to surround them, following the fleeing Dengzhou cavalry in pursuit, waiting for the moment they lost speed to encircle them and engage in a melee.

The cavalry company Zhu Guobin had just released then advanced to provide support. Tan Shen's men rode to the foot of the hill, turned west, and began to withdraw. The Later Jin troops accelerated to intercept them, but the Dengzhou cavalry did not tangle with them — they simply fled with heads down. And the company Zhu Guobin had just released arrived just in time, accelerating into a charge that routed another Jianzhou bandit unit, covering the first group's retreat. Yet part of the first group was still cut off, dashing left and fleeing right on the western side. The cavalry battle began to descend into chaos.

Zhu Guobin knew that with this method of fighting, the cavalry would not decide a winner anytime soon. He turned his gaze to the infantry. Over there, the battle line was spread very wide, the contact front was enormous, and there was no trickery whatsoever — victory or defeat would be decided in a very short time…

The Later Jin infantry advanced to within one hundred fifty paces, and the skirmishers reached one hundred paces. They had already endured two volleys of canister shot. Combined with the earlier round shot, their total losses had reached seventy or eighty men.

The Later Jin skirmishers began lofting light arrows. Guan Dadi lowered his head, using the front brim of his helmet to shield his face. The light arrows, loosed from afar, fell among the ranks with crisp clinking and clanking sounds. Only from the musketeers' side came some cries of being hit. For iron armor, light arrows from beyond a hundred paces were little more than an itch.

A small number of Ming army picket riders on both flanks exchanged heavy arrows with the Jianzhou bandit skirmishers. But the main Later Jin formation behind did not delay, continuing its rapid advance. They had no time to slowly wear down the Ming army — the Dengzhou infantry from the Niangniang Palace landing ground were in hot pursuit from behind.

The four-pounder cannons' canister shot reached a rate of three rounds per minute, each volley hurling one hundred forty-four one-ounce lead balls, sweeping across the Jianzhou bandit skirmishers in different directions. Many skirmishers collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from their bodies. In the Later Jin battle line behind, men were also struck by canister shot. Under the long-range bombardment of the two four-pounders, they had already lost seventy or eighty men.

Zhong Laosi had a light arrow stuck in his shoulder guard, but his eyes were fixed intently on the Jianzhou bandit infantry formation. Beside him were the company commander, the vice company commander, and another squad commander. The vice company commander had come to the front line to direct the two-squad detachment's volley fire. None of them paid any heed to the light arrows whizzing around them.

Zhong Laosi said carelessly, "The Jianzhou bandits are moving fast. Let the detachments hit the skirmishers first — sweep away some of those skirmishers. Once they're cleared, we'll skewer the meat skewers. We need to close in on our own initiative. Otherwise, if the Jianzhou bandits loose several volleys of armor-piercing arrows from their infantry bows at twenty or thirty paces, I can't take it. If I advance to meet them, they'll only have time for two volleys at most."

The company commander voiced his agreement. His general impression of Zhong Laosi was average, but he knew Zhong Laosi's competence. He turned to look at Zhong Laosi. "It's just that the Fourth Company has no detachment. Your Third Company's detachment firepower needs to angle somewhat to the west. The Jianzhou bandits on the outer flank pose a threat to the cavalry — it's good to take some of them out."

Zhong Laosi nodded. Once they had finished speaking, each returned to his own square formation to make arrangements, waiting to engage the enemy after the detachments' volley fire.

The Later Jin skirmishers soon reached seventy paces. From the main formation behind, the howls of Later Jin officers of every rank rang out in succession.

Zhong Laosi returned to his position at the squad commander's flag, at a spot somewhat to the rear of the junction between the two square formations. In front of him were the flank musketeers of the two companies. These soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder, using flintlock muskets without bayonets, moving with the formation. They were very different from the freely maneuvering detachments. Their main task was to deliver firepower, kill and wound the enemy, and cover the pikemen's advance into contact with the foe.

He drew his short gun and checked the touchhole one last time. After tucking it back into his waist, a guard handed over a shield. Zhong Laosi waved his hand impatiently. The guard, knowing his temperament, could only loop his own left arm through the two straps on the back of the shield and hold it in front of him. Zhong Laosi pulled him aside and said, annoyed, "Don't block my view of the excitement."

The words had barely faded when a hundred fifty flintlock muskets ahead erupted in a volley, and the cannons also fired a round of canister. Immediately after, the detachments withdrew through the gaps to the rear. Zhong Laosi watched them split into two squads and take position behind the two company square formations, beginning their tense reloading.

A bugle sounded from the company commander's flag behind. Zhong Laosi turned to the drum and bugle handlers and said, "Normal pace. Sound the advance."…

The advance call rang out. Guan Dadi raised his pike and stood it upright on his right side. After a rapid roll of the foot drum, Guan Dadi stepped forward in time with the drumbeat. The booming thud of the Jianzhou bandits' marching steps on the opposite side was clearly audible.

The Jianzhou bandits feared cannons and muskets; the Dengzhou garrison worried about the Jianzhou bandits' close-range infantry bow fire. Both sides wished to enter the decisive close-quarters combat as quickly as possible.

There were no longer any detachments screening his front. In his field of vision, the Jianzhou bandit skirmishers had lost over twenty men in the previous volley. The skirmish line was even more scattered. Men in the main formation had also fallen, only to be trampled directly by those behind.

Those Later Jin skirmishers looked somewhat panicked, but they had already closed to fifty paces and began switching to heavy arrows. Some of the more ferocious ones continued pressing forward, holding armor-piercing awls and bows, charging to within twenty paces.

A fierce volley of musket fire erupted from both flanks of the square formation. The formation's musketeers began firing by rotation: the front rank fired and then withdrew to the rear, and the second rank stepped forward and fired. Just like the musketeers of Gustavus's square formations, under the strict training of the Dengzhou garrison, they could advance alongside the pike formation while reloading ammunition, providing sustained fire support.

Each company square formation had ninety-six musketeers, generally divided into forty-eight on each flank, with each flank arranged in six ranks of eight files. The flintlock musketeers were arrayed very tightly. But when forming up by company headquarters unit, to maintain the density of the formation, all the musketeers of the two outermost companies were placed on the outer flanks. Between the pike formations there was then only an eight-man gap, and the pikes on both sides could control the space to prevent large numbers of enemies from penetrating directly behind the formation.

The long line of square formations rolled forward, with musket volleys on both flanks and in the center, like a writhing, advancing monster ceaselessly belching clouds and mist.

The Later Jin skirmishers before them grew more and more numerous. They drew their bows and exchanged fire with the musketeers. Heavy armor-piercing awls, carrying the sound of tearing wind, punched through the musketeers' mail armor. The screams of the musketeers rang out without end. The Later Jin skirmishers also collapsed, spurting arrows of blood, under the continuous volleys. More firepower was concentrated on the Later Jin main formation. The positions directly facing the musketeers suffered the most severe punishment. Soldiers holding pikes tumbled to the ground one after another. The Later Jin skirmishers' armor-piercing awls also began striking the Ming pikemen. Many pikemen pitched forward onto the ground. Behind the advancing ranks of both sides, the ground was littered with dead and wounded. The battlefield was filled with the screams of those struck.

Guan Dadi's mind was nearly numb. Twenty paces ahead of him, there was a Later Jin soldier retreating while shooting. That Later Jin soldier had dodged many volleys without dying and kept loosing arrows in the direction of Guan Dadi's squad.

Guan Dadi could only advance in step with the drumbeat; he could not leave the formation to give chase. Taking hits without being able to strike back was an unbearable feeling. Just then, that Jianzhou bandit loosed another arrow. A clang sounded on Guan Dadi's chest. The powerful force made his body jolt, and a sharp pain spread across his chest. The comrades behind pushed Guan Dadi onward. Guan Dadi gasped repeatedly. When he finally recovered, he looked down at his chest. A heavy arrow with a birch shaft was lodged in the iron plate of his chest armor, bobbing up and down with his steps. More than half of the thick arrowhead still protruded outside.

He hurriedly freed his left hand and pulled the arrowhead out. A trickle of liquid ran across the skin of his chest. It felt like the penetration was not deep, but the wound was extremely painful. The comrade on his left suddenly let out a scream — an arrow embedded in his face, he toppled backward. The comrade in the rear rank swiftly stepped forward and filled the gap in the battle line.

The one struck was Old Zhou, Guan Dadi's favorite. A nameless fire ignited in Guan Dadi's heart. The fear he had felt at the start vanished without a trace. His eyes blazing, he continued striding forward, his steps following the drumbeat.

The forest of pikes in the Jianzhou bandit infantry formation drew closer and closer. The front ranks and flanks of the Later Jin troops had suffered grievous losses. Under the alternating bombardment of the Dengzhou garrison's cannons and muskets, they had already lost close to three hundred men. Especially at the positions directly facing the Ming musketeers — those were the gaps in the Dengzhou pike formation. The musketeers had to reduce the threat of enemy close-combat troops opposite them, concentrating their fire on those spots as they advanced. The Later Jin lines at those places were shot through; as soon as they were filled, the next volley wiped them out again.

The Later Jin skirmishers' heavy arrows likewise posed a great threat to the Dengzhou troops. Although they could only penetrate the Ming iron armor at a little over twenty paces, their rate of fire was higher, and in a short time they also caused nearly a hundred casualties in the Dengzhou garrison. It was just that the power of the bows was limited, so the number of directly fatal casualties was not high.

At last, only twenty paces remained between them. Both sides, enduring the pounding of ranged weapons, had closed to the distance where battle would be joined. The deadly close-quarters fight was about to arrive.

The Dengzhou square formation's advance drumbeat suddenly halted, shifting to a slow, spaced beat.

"Turn sideways, level pikes!"

Twenty paces apart, the shouts of Zhong Laosi and the other officers rang out. The first three ranks of the Ming army's four small square formations leveled their long pikes in unison. Guan Dadi turned his body to the right, left hand forward and right hand back, aiming his pike at the Jianzhou bandits. This posture used the left hand as the fulcrum, while the right hand controlled the shaft. It allowed him to grip all the way to the butt of the pike shaft, which both saved energy relatively and maximized the pike's attack range. (Note: see related works)

When both sides wielded pikes over four meters long, it was very difficult for soldiers to accurately judge the timing of a thrust. If they charged wildly and thrust, they would often impale themselves on the opponent's spearhead without striking the opponent. This kind of slow approach, seeking the right moment, was most suited for combat with ultra-long pikes.

A dense thicket of spearheads appeared before the formation. The Jianzhou bandits' drumbeat slowed. Their pikemen also leveled their long pikes and approached step by step, maintaining an even battle line. But their gripping methods were varied and unstandardized, lacking the uniformity of the Dengzhou garrison.

The formation's musketeers fired one final volley. The Jianzhou bandit skirmishers hurled a wave of throwing axes and flying swords, inflicting one last round of ranged damage on each other. Then the Ming musketeers began falling back, returning behind the formation to reload. Some non-commissioned officers with close-combat experience took advantage of the formation's reduced speed to draw daggers and waist swords, crouch down, and creep along the battle line beneath the pike shafts, then hide themselves in the gaps of the first rank of pikes.

The Jianzhou bandit skirmishers had no such training. Once their maneuvering space disappeared, some rash ones charged forward to fight and were promptly impaled by the dense pikes. Others, seeing the Ming soldiers crouching, tried to imitate them. These short-weapon fighters glared fiercely at each other beneath the pike shafts, also waiting for their moment. Before the pikes clashed and drew the enemy's attention, these short-weapon fighters could not strike; otherwise, they would be easily skewered like meat skewers by the enemy's dense pikes.

The crack of musket fire continued on the outer flanks. The detachments and the formation musketeers were using concentrated firepower to suppress the Later Jin troops who extended beyond their own battle line. The Jianzhou bandit archers on the outer flank were also firing back, the swishing sound of arrows mingling with the roar of muskets.

In Guan Dadi's ears, only the drumbeat registered. With each beat, he took one step forward. All other sounds seemed to come from a distant horizon. The flanks were none of his concern. The pikes before him, however, drew closer and closer. Guan Dadi's eyes were bloodshot. Subconsciously, he followed the slow drumbeat, step by step, closing in on the enemy.

The Jianzhou bandits were no fools; they would not blindly plunge headfirst onto the spear points. As the two sides drew nearer and nearer, their strides grew smaller and smaller. The cold gleam of the pike heads flashed, each posing an extreme threat. Under mutual intimidation, both cautiously edged toward striking distance.

Facing Guan Dadi was a dark-skinned Later Jin infantryman. He wore a helmet resembling a Ming helmet, his eyes flashing fiercely beneath the iron brim. Guan Dadi did not look at the pike blade not far before him. Without blinking, he stared fixedly at the opponent's shoulder area, watching for any movement. His feet shifted slowly, gauging the distance between them.

Pikemen could not maintain leveled ultra-long pikes for very long. What was coming would come sooner or later. Guan Dadi's pike head and the opponent's pike head began to overlap. Between the two battle lines was a dense thicket of pike shafts, slowly crossing past one another. The shafts occasionally emitted soft clacking sounds. By now, the foot drum had stopped. The soldiers facing off along the battle line were all wholly focused on the opponent directly in front of them, judging the most opportune moment to thrust as they slowly closed in. No one had the leisure to make a sound. All that remained were the shouted reminders of Zhong Laosi and the other officers, and the soft rustle of shifting feet. (To be continued.)

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