Chapter 519: Battle Banner

"Great Khan, should we still..."

Jirgalang hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. The Han troops had not completely collapsed until the fourth square formation failed — their performance could already be considered beyond his expectations — but in the end they still could not withstand the fire of the Dengzhou muskets.

News of the rear formation's failure also came from the armored soldiers on both wings. This wave of assault had been repelled once again. That tiny position was as solid as a boulder. Jirgalang had been full of confidence at the start, but now his heart was filled with a growing sense of frustration. He had clearly seen waves of soldiers and horses surge to the front of the position, only to retreat in defeat time and again. He could no longer believe his own eyes and was unwilling to attack there anymore.

Huang Taiji watched the flying tiger skull banner fluttering in the distance, his fists clenched tightly. By his estimation, Shen Zhixiang should already have fled past Caohekou.

His plan had been to first encircle the Pi Island troops, then lure the follow-up Ming forces to come relieve them, just as in the Battle of Dalinghe. Therefore, Yoto's attack was not a furious storm; the main reliance was on Huang Taiji's own route cutting off the Pi Island troops' retreat, waiting for the Ming army to rush in as reinforcements, and then annihilating Shen Zhixiang's unit in the middle.

But this Dengzhou force that had suddenly appeared had completely disrupted Huang Taiji's plan. He also had no way to notify Yoto, so Shen Zhixiang should have already escaped.

What was more likely was that Yoto had also encountered a large force of Dengzhou troops. Judging by the appearance of these several hundred Dengzhou soldiers before him, there must be a main force behind them; otherwise, they would never be fighting so desperately here on their own. So Yoto might even have already been driven back.

In his heart, Huang Taiji already believed this ambush had failed completely. He thought he should not have moved his elite troops into this mountain range in Liaodong, which prevented the Later Jin cavalry from leveraging their mobility and numerical superiority.

"Great Khan, shall we attack or not?"

Huang Taiji gathered his thoughts and looked at the Dengzhou army banner ahead. "Continue. This time send the armored soldiers directly. They don't have many men left."

Jirgalang hesitated and said, "Great Khan, your slave has something to say. At this moment, Caohekou may..."

"Continue the attack." Huang Taiji turned his head and stared coldly at Jirgalang, then suddenly roared in fury. "I can let Shen Zhixiang escape. I can withdraw the army. I can even abandon Samaji Fort. But I will absolutely not permit a single man of this Dengzhou force to escape. Deploy the armored soldiers to attack. You will lead the troops personally. I must have that army banner."

Jirgalang stared blankly at the enraged Huang Taiji before him. He did not understand why Huang Taiji, who was always composed, was so furious today over those several hundred Dengzhou soldiers.

Huang Taiji took a few heavy breaths, and after calming down slightly, said to Jirgalang, "Look at the Meiren Zhangjing, the Niru Zhangjing, and the Bayara behind you. Look at their faces!"

Jirgalang turned to look behind him. The faces of those officers awaiting orders were all grim. Huang Taiji's tone returned to calm. "Even if we lose this battle, I still have Lianshan Pass to block the Dengzhou troops. But these few hundred Dengzhou soldiers before us, a tiny force, have blocked my great army and inflicted heavy casualties on my Great Jin warriors. If we withdraw before them today, in the future, whenever this army banner appears, who will still have the will to fight? Do not try to dissuade me. Today, even if I must commit all the armored soldiers I brought, I must wipe out this Dengzhou force. Send someone to notify Oboi to rally the routed troops from the rear formation and attack again when the Dengzhou rear is empty. The Meiren Zhangjing who led the troops in the front formation just now is to be beheaded. As for the Han troops who fled... the first four formations that fought hard but could not hold shall not be pursued. For the two formations that fled without engaging at the end, all personnel above squad leader rank are to be beheaded and their heads displayed. Let those two formations walk at the very front to exhaust Dengzhou's cannon shot. Leave behind your banner's Bayara. If any Dengzhou reinforcements come, they are to pin them down in the forest and prevent the Dengzhou army from pursuing me."

Two thuds sounded. Two heads fell before Zhang Zhongqi. The headless corpses spurted blood and toppled to the ground. Both men were from the Plain Blue Banner — Zhang Zhongqi's Han troop commander and Niru Zhangjing, equivalent to a Dengzhou banner captain and company commander.

The Bayara executioner roared at the Han troops before him: "This time you must take that position ahead, those Nikans. Behind you are all armored soldiers. Anyone who retreats will be executed before the formation..."

Zhang Zhongqi gripped the flintlock in his hands. This gun was a bit heavy, but very convenient to use. If their Plain Blue Banner's lord were not Haoge, they would not have been issued this type of gun. Several other banners were still using matchlocks. He had heard the enemy also used this kind of gun, but the power they unleashed was completely different from theirs.

Zhang Zhongqi had seen it from the rear formation: one square formation after another exchanging fire with the enemy, then being shattered. Zhang Zhongqi did not know how troops should be used either, but when he had watched the Dengzhou pike formations before, he had felt a sense of being as immovable as a mountain. Every volley had been soul-shaking. Now that he himself was inside a square formation, he felt none of that solidity, as if this formation could collapse at any moment.

They had trained for a winter. The Great Khan had supplemented some of the rations. He had stubbornly survived the winter, but he still did not know the situation of his family. He only hoped to go home soon after this battle and see his family. Yet that Dengzhou position before him was stubbornly tenacious, like a black hole devouring the lives of Later Jin soldiers.

Zhang Zhongqi murmured, "Stop holding out. Flee for your lives. Let's each go home."

In less than a quarter of an hour, the Later Jin's third wave of attack arrived. The dense mass of Later Jin troops was being harangued on the main road. Through his telescope, Zhu Feng saw many people being beheaded by the roadside. The Jianzhou bandits seemed determined to win.

In the distance through his telescope, there was a large yellow banner, too far to see clearly. He suspected it was Huang Taiji's great standard.

Zhao Xuan asked doubtfully at his side, "Why do the Jianzhou bandits still want to attack? Even if they take this place now, they can't block Shen Zhixiang anymore."

"They want to kill us, to preserve the army's morale," Zhu Feng said calmly. "Because we fought too well. If the Jianzhou bandits withdraw now, in the future whenever they encounter our Dengzhou army, they will flee at the mere sight of us. So now they are not trying to block Caohekou; they just want to reclaim their face."

"Just to fight for face?"

Zhu Feng nodded. "My lord, you are an indoctrination officer. You know the importance of morale. The Jianzhou bandits' heavy casualties are secondary. If their morale is completely lost, that is the heaviest blow to them. Back then, the old chieftain fought several battles in a single day at Shenyang. Though his men and horses were exhausted, he still insisted on a death match with the Sichuan and Zhejiang troops regardless of casualties. That was the reason."

Zhao Xuan turned to look at the position. The field before the line was strewn with corpses. The air was thick with the smell of blood and gunpowder smoke. Fewer than one hundred and fifty Dengzhou soldiers were still standing, many of them wounded. In the center were dozens of severely wounded men. Many had torso injuries, the agony unbearable. Their terrible howling had never ceased. There were no hands to spare to tend to them now; they could only let those wounded soldiers wail.

Both waves of attack had reached hand-to-hand combat. The high-intensity desperate fighting had drained their physical strength to the extreme. The remaining Dengzhou soldiers were utterly exhausted. The initial excitement on their faces was gone, replaced by a kind of numbness. Only the non-commissioned officers and officers were still functioning. They were going around collecting people's flintlocks, loading them, and laying them out one by one behind the breastwork.

Zhao Xuan opened his mouth, but could not think of what to say. Usually those rousing words came easily, but after experiencing bloody battle, he felt those words were very hollow, and even he himself found them unnecessary.

As a qualified indoctrination officer, Zhao Xuan talked with the soldiers constantly. He knew many of the dead soldiers personally. There was a sergeant who had just gotten married, a banner captain whose family had just opened new land by the mountains, and most of all, the young soldiers who had enlisted last year. Most of them had come from the tunbao schools and vocational schools. They had not gone to the Civil Affairs Department, the workshops, the banks, or the trading companies, but had joined this Guards Battalion. He had previously thought these young soldiers could not be stronger than the veterans, but today their performance had made Zhao Xuan see them in a new light.

Zhao Xuan shook his head. The sharp pain in his chest made it impossible for him to loudly boost morale. He could only lean against the breastwork and quietly await the arrival of the final battle. They had only a little over one hundred and fifty men left. Although there were still a few barrels of spare propellant, they could not find enough stones and spare lead to make land mines. The four-pounder cannon had only five rounds of canister left. The two crouching tiger cannons each had two rounds of canister remaining. Once these firepower cores fell silent, that would be the moment of their total annihilation.

Beside him, Zhu Feng was also watching these young soldiers. He himself had come from a vocational school, his experience very similar to these young soldiers. That was also why Chen Xin had promoted him to be the first company commander.

Zhu Feng said softly, "Back then, Lord Chen said that an army with ideals is indestructible. I didn't understand what that meant. Today, seeing them, I finally understand. From the tunbao schools onward, there were teachers who taught them to read, taught them the history of our Huaxia, taught them to understand honor and shame. Lord Chen gave generous military pay, but they do not fight for silver. Those retainers in the border troops who get even more silver cannot compare to them. They are truly admirable. For over ten years, the Jianzhou bandits have had a ferocious reputation. Today, with a force ten times ours, they attacked twice and could not take this position. Their name as a strong army can rest in peace now."

Zhao Xuan forced a smile. "I hope they do not die here. Lord Liu once exhorted me, saying these youths are the hope of Dengzhou, and the hope of Huaxia."

Zhu Feng put down his telescope and said somewhat distantly, "I also do not wish them to die here. But without sacrifice, where does hope come from? Our Dengzhou garrison, from the founding of the army at Weihai, has walked forward wading through blood. Without those veterans who died in battle, these young soldiers would still be begging for food somewhere."

A horn sounded from the opposite side. Dense masses of Later Jin troops came from the main road ahead. Zhu Feng picked up a flintlock, turned, and saluted Zhao Xuan. "My lord, these are all the men we have. Everyone must fight. Your subordinate cannot send anyone to guard you. Your subordinate must also go protect the four-pounder. If we survive, your subordinate would like to invite my lord for a drink. If not... then we shall meet in the next life."

Zhao Xuan's throat tightened, and for a moment he could not speak. He raised his hand and returned a military salute. Zhu Feng turned and headed for the four-pounder's position.

Amid the deafening roar of muskets and cannon, Zhao Xuan had finished firing the two flintlocks beside him. The tide-like Later Jin soldiers surged up to the breastwork again. The wound on his left chest made it impossible for him to use a pike.

The two crouching tiger cannons on the flanks had already fallen silent after firing twice. The four-pounder in the center was still roaring, still serving as the pillar of firepower. Of the three buried land mines, only one had detonated this time, far from enough to block the endless stream of Later Jin soldiers.

Outside the breastwork, flintlocks roared as well. Pike heads thrust in clusters. The soldiers around him fell one by one. Later Jin soldiers began climbing over the breastwork and engaging the Dengzhou soldiers in hand-to-hand combat. Zhao Xuan retreated to the rear breastwork, laboriously loading the short gun in his hand. Some soldiers had originally been placed here to guard against rear attacks, but they had all been rushed to reinforce the front line, leaving Zhao Xuan and a few wounded men.

A voice shouted from the center of the front line. Zhao Xuan could not make out the words, but he could tell it was Zhu Feng's voice. That flying tiger skull banner still flew high amid the gunpowder smoke.

A large gap appeared on the left wing in front of Zhao Xuan. The Dengzhou soldiers there had been nearly wiped out. A group of Later Jin soldiers toppled the breastwork and broke through the line. Zhao Xuan used the ramrod to tamp down the lead ball, preparing to take one more enemy down with him.

Suddenly, a Dengzhou banner captain, clutching a black-painted wooden barrel in his arms, threw himself at that group of Later Jin soldiers. Before Zhao Xuan's watching eyes, the wooden barrel transformed into a brilliant burst of fireworks. The banner captain vanished in the white smoke. The group of Later Jin soldiers were thrown in all directions, rolling and howling on the ground.

Zhao Xuan stared blankly for a moment, then immediately began searching around him. At the reserved position for the rear four-pounder, he also found a wooden barrel. He climbed up to look inside. There were still several four-pounder propellant charges, each containing one jin and five taels of powder. Zhao Xuan crouched behind the rear breastwork, his eyes red, and used his dagger to puncture one charge, pouring all the grain-sized propellant onto the other charges.

More and more Later Jin soldiers broke into the position. The hand-to-hand combat reached a fever pitch. Both sides rolled and wrestled on the ground, attacking each other with whatever weapons they could find. The Dengzhou army's muskets were rarely heard firing anymore. The Later Jin soldiers gained the upper hand. One armored soldier even broke through to the center and hacked at the severely wounded Dengzhou soldiers on the ground.

Zhao Xuan bit down on his short gun, dragged the powder barrel with one hand, and walked toward the center. Suddenly, a clang sounded from his back. A great force pushed him forward. Physically exhausted, Zhao Xuan fell to the ground with the barrel. Intense pain immediately came from his back. A spinach-leaf-shaped armor-piercing spike had torn through Zhao Xuan's mail armor. The broad blade head caused a massive wound. Zhao Xuan's entire left arm became immobile.

A group of Bayara and armored soldiers climbed over the rear breastwork. At their head was Oboi, wearing the triangular back banner of the Bordered Yellow Banner. Howling, they stepped over the corpses littering the ground and charged toward the four-pounder's position. That was the last place where the Dengzhou army was putting up organized resistance. If this wave of Later Jin soldiers struck from behind, it would instantly collapse.

The Later Jin soldiers ran past the wooden barrel. No one paid any attention to Zhao Xuan on the ground. Zhao Xuan was in so much pain he could barely breathe. When he raised his head with difficulty, that red flying tiger banner was still fluttering in the white smoke. Zhu Feng, leading a few soldiers holding pikes, was preparing under the flagpole to meet the Later Jin soldiers attacking from the rear.

Zhao Xuan thrust the muzzle of his gun into the opening of the barrel beside him. Countless scenes from his life flashed before his eyes — his parents, relatives, and friends in his southern hometown; his elder brother who had founded the Hongyang Sect; the men and women of the faith; Lord Chen; his home in Dengzhou; the faces of countless young soldiers. A smile appeared on his face. He shouted, "The Guards Army never admits defeat!" and pulled the trigger.

The muzzle flame shot out and ignited the propellant in the barrel. The violent explosion swept the surrounding Later Jin soldiers in all directions. Zhu Feng, drenched in blood, witnessed Zhao Xuan's heroic death. With a great howl, he charged out, using his half-pike to stab the dazed and disoriented Later Jin soldiers.

Most of the front line had already been breached. The remaining Dengzhou soldiers were converging under the flagpole, preparing for a final resistance. Command was no longer needed. Zhu Feng, brandishing his half-pike, charged through the white smoke of that explosion, stabbing wildly at the stumbling Later Jin soldiers before him. When he came to a stop, an endless stream of Later Jin armored soldiers was emerging from the forest behind the position. Zhu Feng watched those armored soldiers rush toward the breastwork. Their faces were full of ferocity, their blades gleaming cold. Utterly exhausted, Zhu Feng was practically waiting to be slaughtered. He stood there holding his pike in a daze, waiting for the final moment to arrive.

Suddenly, panicked cries came from among those armored soldiers. The armored soldiers at the rear all halted. In the mere blink of an eye, they suddenly fled from the breastwork, scattering in all directions.

Just as Zhu Feng was bewildered, a loud and clear bugle call came from afar. That familiar and unique tone pulled Zhu Feng back to the battlefield. Zhu Feng cast his gaze toward the distant road to the west. A red flying tiger banner flew high there. An endless stream of red columns was appearing on the horizon. (To be continued...)