Chapter 406: Driving Them Out

"Since yesterday, the Later Jin troops have shown signs of shifting among the banners. Today—"

Before dawn broke, the morning military council of Dengzhou Garrison had already begun. Chen Xin listened quietly to Liu Pojun's report. After a period of calm standoff, Huang Taiji clearly could not endure such attrition. Lüshun was not like Dalinghe; a prolonged siege would yield no results, and the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for Huang Taiji. Once winter arrived, their firewood and grain supplies would run tight. According to the Staff Department's projections, Huang Taiji's best option was to launch an all-out assault, inflict sufficient casualties on Dengzhou Garrison, and then withdraw—thereby preserving morale.

"Likewise, on the Plain Blue Banner's front, the Bordered Yellow Banner's insignia has appeared. The forces on both wings have become intermixed. It should be that the Jianzhou Bandits, following their usual practice, are drawing men from each niru and placing them under the command of beise-rank officers or higher."

Zhu Guobin said in a low voice, "My lord, the Jianzhou Bandits are likely to mount a fierce assault. Should we commit the First Battalion's First Brigade to the battle line?"

Chen Xin waved his hand. "Maintain the in-depth deployment of the battle line. The First Brigade and the Long Qibing are both deployed at the second earthen wall. The newly arrived Second Regiment of the Guard will enter the first line, and we will strengthen the reserve force. The purpose of the first line is to bleed the enemy of a large number of troops. Judging from the current situation, Huang Taiji has stalled his troops beneath the city walls. The various banners are already displaying differing levels of fighting will, and there is internal instability. If this round of attacks yields no significant results, they may withdraw. The raiding teams will set out today aboard the sand ships. All units in Lüshun will dispatch scouts to closely monitor the Later Jin army's movements. The naval squadron's No. 2 Fujian junk will continue transporting military supplies, while vessels of the bird-boat class and below will assemble in the harbor and stand by."

He then nodded to Liu Pojun. Liu Pojun continued, "The Later Jin's gunpowder reserves are not large. During the Dalinghe campaign, they mobilized a total of sixty mule carts, with ten thousand jin of gunpowder and eight thousand five hundred cannonballs. The road to Lüshun this time is extremely difficult. Based on reports from bondservants who have fled here, we estimate it to be roughly six to seven thousand jin. Their expenditure cannot be sustained. Their ant-like swarming tactics have proven utterly ineffective before our formation of firearms and cannons. Once their gunpowder is exhausted, Huang Taiji has no choice but to retreat. The Staff Department therefore concludes that they will seek a quick, decisive battle. Once the gunpowder runs out, they will consider retreating. Judging from their movements, within the next two days, the Later Jin may launch a major offensive. All units are to prepare sufficient fire lances, ash pots, and other armaments to shatter this wave of the Later Jin assault."

Chen Xin slowly rose. Looking at the officers before him, he said in a deep voice, "Huang Taiji brought his entire army, thinking to take my Lüshun. We abandoned Jinzhou to welcome their arrival. Now we must make him leave with a profound memory. Lüshun is not so easy a place to come to."

That night, the Later Jin skirmishers harassed the entire night. Warning cries rang out continuously along the battle line, only quieting down half a shichen before daybreak.

On the morning of the twentieth day of the eighth month, behind the Later Jin earthen walls, heads surged like a tide. Tens of thousands of Later Jin soldiers, having eaten their morning meal, filed into the central trench. Because of West Guan Hill's presence, they had no way to achieve surprise, so they simply assumed a posture of frontal assault. The six-pounder cannons on West Guan Hill and the Feibiao guns below the hill fired intermittently, stirring waves of commotion among the vast Later Jin throng.

Chen Xin arrived early at Lüshun's northern wall. Through his spyglass, the horse-blocking ditch area had long been crisscrossed with trenches. The ground was piled with winding earthen barricades, among which countless ladders and long spears could be seen swaying.

Behind the Dengzhou earthen wall, all units were moving into position. As the defending side, the Dengzhou troops could rotate for rest and recovery within Lüshun's fortifications. The relatively safe environment made their rest more effective. Coupled with the unique indoctrination officer system and the dual encouragement of material and spiritual rewards, their morale remained extremely high.

At the beginning of the chen hour, Huang Taiji's great banner appeared at a position slightly east of the center. This was the first time he had come so close to the battle line. Chen Xin said to Liu Pojun, "Do you suppose Huang Taiji is hiding inside one of their tunnels, or does he dare to climb the earthen wall to observe?"

Liu Pojun thought for a moment and smiled. "He probably dares to climb the earthen wall. A few of our men have surrendered before, two of them from the section of the line defended by the Feibiao guns. They should know that the Feibiao guns need to be half-buried in the earth and have only so much range. Huang Taiji has moved to a spot further east; he should be out of reach."

Chen Xin sighed. "I would rather a single cannon shot blow him to death. The Later Jin would likely disintegrate, and dealing with them would become much easier. Although the banners are showing some lack of coordination now, from today's events, Huang Taiji's prestige is sufficient. Otherwise, he could not launch such a massive offensive. At this moment, we should not dwell on the Later Jin's internal affairs, nor care who is Huang Taiji's trusted man and who is not. We fight entirely according to the needs of the battlefield."

"Understood."

Huang Shan followed behind Zhang Zhongqi, walking through the deep trench. Before and behind him were the same kind of bondservants, some carrying earth sacks on their backs, others bearing short ladders. Huang Shan's forehead was covered in dense beads of sweat. This group of bondservants numbered over fifty, all from the same niru as him. Behind them followed over thirty Mongol soldiers, and further back, over fifty armored soldiers and yuding, ten of whom were from the Bordered Yellow Banner.

Today was the largest offensive yet. Troops from all directions of the earthen walls were to sortie. The Bordered Yellow Banner men were more like battle supervisors. According to the niru ejen's words today, before the signal to withdraw was sounded, anyone who retreated would be beheaded. After the bosoku designated the personnel, a bright red circle was painted on the back of each person's neck. Any who appeared behind the lines before the battle ended would be summarily beheaded by the bayara.

The bondservants were, as always, placed in the first wave. They had already used the fire lances issued to them twice. They were to light them and throw. From the nearest trench, roughly three out of ten could land behind the Dengzhou earthen wall.

Waves of bugle calls sounded. The armored soldiers behind bellowed harshly. Zhang Zhongqi shouted once, and the bondservants at the front began to move. Someone in the ranks was weeping quietly, as if walking to the execution ground.

The trench turned into a straight path. This straight section was very short. At its end was a slightly raised earthen barricade that could block the Dengzhou soldiers' line of sight. Huang Shan followed behind Zhang Zhongqi, constantly glancing up at both sides of the trench, terrified that a porcelain thunderbolt might suddenly fall. That hedgehog-like fire lance was immensely powerful. Though sometimes it would smash on the ground and fail to detonate, whenever it did go off, it would burst into over a dozen porcelain shards. A single hit meant no hope of survival. Especially for bondservants—they had no right to leave the firing line for medical treatment.

After turning sideways once more, they entered a trench that advanced diagonally. Huang Shan had dug here before and knew they were only about twenty paces from Dengzhou Garrison. When this trench was being dug, over twenty bondservants had died here. Porcelain shards still remained on both sides of the trench.

A bondservant up ahead suddenly let out a wail, dropped to his knees, and began sobbing loudly. The trench instantly fell into chaos. Zhang Zhongqi shoved aside the two bondservants in front of him and began beating the weeping bondservant furiously with the scabbard of his short sword, cursing, "You dog, gone mad or what? Get up if you don't want to die!"

At that moment, a cannon roared outside, and a cannonball screamed overhead. Huang Shan looked around in terror, his legs going weak. He leaned against the trench wall, gasping for breath. Since arriving at Lüshun, he had witnessed countless deaths and injuries. Many bondservants had their limbs severed and, dragged back, received no medical care, dying in extreme agony. Many others had died in battle. The ways of dying varied, but all were utterly wretched. Huang Shan could rarely sleep at night, constantly fearing that a fire lance might be hurled from somewhere at any moment, blowing him to pieces.

The trench was in an uproar. Several bondservants were trying to persuade the sobbing one, urging him to get up quickly. Huang Shan, supporting himself against the wall, was about to go over as well when someone suddenly shoved him hard. Two yuding from the Bordered Yellow Banner, carrying ladder-blades, squeezed past him and reached the wailing bondservant. Without a word, they pinned the bondservant to the ground. Zhang Zhongqi was about to plead a few words when one yuding swung his blade straight at Zhang Zhongqi. The trench was narrow; there was no way to dodge. Huang Shan, with a strength he didn't know he possessed, grabbed Zhang Zhongqi's clothes from behind and yanked. Zhang Zhongqi fell backward, barely avoiding the ladder-blade's edge.

"I'm a banner man, I've been raised to banner status!" Zhang Zhongqi hurriedly shouted, showing the yuding his cotton armor. Bondservants did not have such equipment. The yuding gave him a cold look, then turned and stabbed the bondservant pinned on the ground repeatedly, like slaughtering a pig or a sheep. The bondservant shrieked horribly, his voice gradually fading with each stab.

As the yuding's blade swung, tiny droplets of blood spattered onto Zhang Zhongqi's and Huang Shan's faces. Both men turned pale with fright. Zhang Zhongqi was so terrified he even forgot to get up.

Only when the bondservant no longer breathed did the two yuding stop. "You." The yuding who had wielded the blade pointed it at Zhang Zhongqi. "You two, haul his corpse up onto the top of the trench. Don't block the path."

Zhang Zhongqi scrambled to his feet and, with Huang Shan, began handling the bondservant's body. The bondservant's eyes were wide open, his expression utterly horrifying. His clothes were soaked through with fresh blood. When Huang Shan touched his body, it felt slippery and greasy. A wave of nausea churned in his stomach; he nearly vomited up the coarse grain cakes from that morning.

"Those who perform meritorious deeds in battle shall receive a plot of land and be raised to banner status as a banner man. The first to scale the earthen wall shall be personally rewarded by the Great Khan." The blade-wielding yuding shouted in the trench in stiff Chinese, "Today is the Great Jin Khan's decree: all who attack without vigor shall be summarily executed. If you want to live, then take that earthen wall. Otherwise, not one of you will survive."

Just then, Huang Shan and Zhang Zhongqi had pushed the bondservant's corpse up onto the rear trench. A length of intestine suddenly dropped down, sticking to Huang Shan's face. Huang Shan hurriedly shoved the corpse hard, pushing the intestine away from his face. The warm, slick sensation on his face was more than he could bear. His stomach convulsed violently. Unwilling to draw the yuding's attention, he quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve, stifling the sound as he vomited filth into his sleeve.

The sound in his throat still drew the notice of one yuding. Zhang Zhongqi immediately stepped in front of Huang Shan to block the view and said ingratiatingly to the Bordered Yellow Banner yuding, "What the master says is right. We slaves have all told them. They all know they must earn merit for the Great Khan. Every one of them wants to fight for a future. Today, we will surely breach that earthen wall before retreating."

Distracted by this interruption, the yuding forgot the sound he had just heard. Without further words to Zhang Zhongqi, he waved them forward. Huang Shan hastily picked up his fire lance from the ground and, head lowered, passed by the yuding. Only after turning another corner did he breathe a sigh of relief. By now, his entire body was drenched in sweat, as if he were on the verge of collapse.

"Huang Shan, the battle hasn't even started yet, and you're already in this state. Be sharp once the fighting begins. There's still land at home waiting for you to farm it."

Huang Shan responded with a low, faint sound, looking utterly dazed. Zhang Zhongqi shook his head. Just then, they rounded the final corner. Zhang Zhongqi suddenly blocked Huang Shan. "Wait. Last time..."

Before he could finish, an explosion erupted in the trench ahead. White smoke billowed around the corner, and the trench filled with agonized screams. Huang Shan stared blankly into the white smoke. He more or less understood: the men ahead had triggered a landmine. Ming soldiers must have sneaked in during the night to plant it. It wasn't the first time.

The two yuding rushed forward again, finishing off the screaming bondservants with a few strokes of their blades. Then they ordered Zhang Zhongqi and Huang Shan to haul away the bodies. The trench floor was awash in blood. Several bondservants had been blown to bloody pulp by the multiple-shot landmine. With nothing left in his stomach, Huang Shan could only retch sour water continuously. Then Zhang Zhongqi forced two other bondservants to walk at the front.

This section of the trench was the closest point to the Lüshun earthen wall. To facilitate throwing thunderbolts and sortieing, it had been dug wider than the front sections, wide enough for two or three men to stand side by side. The ground was also piled with many earth sacks they had placed there earlier. The following bondservants arrived in succession, propping short ladders against the southern wall of the trench.

"Huang Shan!" Zhang Zhongqi slapped him across the face. Only then did Huang Shan's eyes regain some focus. Zhang Zhongqi said to him in a low voice, "If I die, remember to collect my bones. Burning them is fine too. Just make sure they're sent back to the fort. At least let me, your master, see my own child."

Huang Shan stared blankly for a moment, then said, "This slave will remember. Master, you won't die. You're a good man. You've done so many good deeds."

"What use is that." Zhang Zhongqi gave a bitter smile. "Just hope it's a boy."

"Woo..." A deep conch horn sounded, followed immediately by answering horns across the entire formation.

"Get ready!" the two Bordered Yellow Banner yuding barked fiercely. Huang Shan's reflexes returned. He hurriedly took out his fire lance and lit a torch with a fire stick.

A drumbeat sounded.

"Throw the fire lances!" the yuding roared.

Huang Shan immediately lit the fuse and hurled it out of the trench with all his might. Seven or eight other bondservants around him were also throwing fire lances simultaneously. Moments later, violent explosions merged into a continuous roar. For several li along the horse-blocking ditch, white smoke hung in the air, obscuring nearly all vision. Huang Shan immediately threw a second fire lance.

After another explosion, the yuding howled and brandished his blade. "All of you, up with the earth sacks! The last one to run dies! Anyone who dares defect to the enemy, your entire family will be executed!" As he roared, he cut down a bondservant beside him. Amid the bondservant's pitiful screams, Huang Shan and the other bondservants scrambled up the ladders, carrying heavy earth sacks onto the ground of the horse-blocking ditch.

Before the first earthen wall, tens of thousands of bondservants, bearing earth sacks, charged into the white smoke, rushing toward the enemy trench a dozen or so paces ahead. From the rear trenches rose a dense swarm of light arrows. Countless bows loosed volleys toward the Dengzhou Garrison line, like a sky full of locusts. Suddenly, at several points on the Later Jin earthen wall, sections were pushed down, revealing the massive Hongyi cannons behind them, positioned directly opposite the Dengzhou Garrison's field artillery emplacements.

Amid the thunderous roar of the Hongyi cannons, the Later Jin army's most ferocious assault began.

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