Chapter 565: The Skirmish Line

The two small bronze cannons fired three volleys in succession. Two shots struck the Dengzhou square formation; the gaps that appeared were quickly filled by men from the rear and flank ranks, and the battle line remained intact.

When the Dengzhou Garrison's main formation halted, it was about fifty paces from the skirmish line, able to support the skirmishers with volley fire at any moment. Ahead, the skirmish line composed of detached squads and Mandarin Duck squads began engaging the enemy.

The forward skirmish line accelerated its approach. Amid the ruins of Ertaizi Village, shouts in Jurchen and Chinese rang out, and dense rows of gun barrels appeared atop the rammed-earth walls. The Fourth Battalion's skirmishers spread out their formation, the front rank growing increasingly sparse. At a distance of less than seventy paces, the Fourth Battalion halted and opened fire.

The Dengzhou skirmishers operated constantly beyond fifty paces, using flintlocks to fire incessantly at the ruins of Ertaizi Village. The rammed-earth walls in the village were only half a man's height, and in some places had completely collapsed. The Bordered Blue Banner's Ujen Cooha, waiting to deliver a volley, never received the order and remained in a passive position, taking hits, with only two cannons firing back. The Dengzhou skirmishers moved nimbly, evading the muzzles of the Later Jin bronze cannons one after another. When they saw the Later Jin troops preparing to fire, they would even drop prone to the ground.

Two four-pounder cannons, each dragged by four horses, arrived in front of the Dengzhou army formation, were rapidly set up, and began bombarding Ertaizi Village. The banner captains of each detached squad blew their whistles, alerting their men to clear the cannon lanes. The skirmish line was not free to move chaotically; each Dengzhou company was equipped with one four-pounder cannon as the infantry's firepower backbone. During combat, the skirmishers had to leave cannon lanes open so the artillery could continuously support the skirmishers' operations.

Immediately after, the four eight-pounder cannons on both flanks of the main formation began firing in volleys. The six-catty cannonballs hurtled toward Ertaizi Village. Wherever they struck, leftover wheat stalks and firewood branches in the ruins swirled chaotically through the air. The snow accumulated on collapsed roofs was hurled high into the sky, then slowly drifted back down over the village.

The Dengzhou army did not rush forward headlong; even the skirmishers operated beyond seventy paces. Those Ujen Cooha officers facing battle for the first time were at a loss. According to the surrendered instructors' requirements, they were to wait until the enemy came within seventy paces before firing a volley, and it was repeatedly stressed that the first volley must inflict heavy damage on the opponent. Now, with only these scattered troops before them, the Meiren-i Janggin commanding the Bordered Blue Banner's Ujen Cooha could not make up his mind for the moment.

The Later Jin's two bronze cannons continued firing. Their rate of fire was slower than the Dengzhou Garrison's, and they caused considerable casualties to the Dengzhou square formation one hundred and fifty paces away, but the entire Dengzhou Garrison battle line of the Dengzhou formation stood as immovable as a mountain.

Drifting clouds of white smoke rose between the two armies, the crackling of gunfire like firecrackers unceasing. The six-catty balls fired by the Dengzhou eight-pounders were highly destructive to the rammed-earth walls in the village. Men of the Ujen Cooha arrayed in the ruins were continuously struck. These bondservants with no combat experience were under extreme mental tension. Many of their junior officers were also bondservants or village heads. Facing the opponent's incessant musket fire, their nerves wound tighter and tighter. The screams around them gradually increased; many soldiers' mouths went dry and their hands trembled.

After another ferocious salvo from the eight-pounder cannons, the first bondservant soldier finally lost his nerve, and a flintlock went off with a bang. The tense bondservant soldiers opened fire one after another. Ertaizi Village erupted like a boiling cauldron, muzzle flashes linking into a continuous sheet, submerging the southern edge of Ertaizi Village in a pall of white smoke.

Over ten Dengzhou skirmishers were struck and fell. The other skirmishers crouched low, and after the densest volley passed, they stood up and continued firing. Amid the exchange of fire, the Ujen Cooha defending the edge of Ertaizi Village were shrouded in white smoke. Under the sustained bombardment of six cannons, their subsequent fire grew increasingly sporadic. The Dengzhou Garrison, using just over two hundred skirmishers, had thrown the defense line Haoge had meticulously arranged into chaos.

The origin of the Dengzhou skirmish line stemmed from the Battle of the Fuzhou Ford, where Zhong Laosi inadvertently used detached squads to rout the Ujen Cooha, leading to subsequent continuous experimentation and improvement.

In Europe at this time, skirmishing tactics had not yet emerged. This type of skirmish warfare demanded higher quality from soldiers and junior officers. In European professional or mercenary armies, officers constantly had to worry about soldiers deserting, and anyone who broke formation was severely punished. Therefore, skirmish tactics were practically impossible to implement in Europe at this time. All warring parties placed extreme emphasis on infantry formation and the importance of volley fire. Even the Prussian army of the early eighteenth century could only fight under strict formation restrictions, because Frederick feared that if he relaxed formation requirements, his conscripted soldiers would desert. Thus, employing skirmish tactics in the Prussian army was even less possible.

But within the Dengzhou Garrison, this skirmish tactic had already been widely drilled and served as a screen before the main force engaged. In attacks, it could often disrupt the opponent's rhythm at a relatively small cost. The training methods the Later Jin's Ujen Cooha received were based on the Dengzhou drill manual from two years prior. At that time, the detached squad tactics were not yet comprehensive, and now the Dengzhou Garrison had made further improvements.

Haoge in the rear led a contingent of Plain Blue Banner cavalry. When the bombardment began, he had placed high hopes on the Ujen Cooha. These bronze cannons were built by the Later Jin with immense effort; merely collecting the copper materials had consumed vast amounts of Later Jin manpower and resources. In the entire Ujen Cooha, the total number of bronze cannons had not yet exceeded twenty, and they varied in design, with different iron components and powder charges. The Later Jin had found some former Ming army gunners among the various banners, and after much training, they were finally proving useful now.

His satisfaction was short-lived. The Dengzhou Garrison used its skirmish line to shake the defense of Ertaizi Village. From Haoge's vantage point, he could only see the white smoke rising from the firing there, but the sound of gunfire had already become extremely disordered. Meanwhile, the Dengzhou skirmish line was steadily closing in. A drum roll sounded from the main formation behind them, and the four square formations began advancing again, with the four formations in the rear moving simultaneously.

Haoge was very worried about the Ujen Cooha's melee capability. These bondservant soldiers were passable at firing muskets from a distance, but once melee combat began, they were utterly worthless. Haoge did not hold much hope for them either; if these men were well-trained in close combat, the Later Jin would not have seized Liaodong so easily.

Haoge observed the speed of the Dengzhou square formations for a moment, then said to Jirgalang beside him, "Sixth Uncle, the Bordered Blue Banner is responsible for the left wing of Ertaizi Village, and my Plain Blue Banner for the right wing. Please dispatch a cavalry contingent to hold them up."

Jirgalang said nothing more, turned his horse, and left. Moments later, two cavalry units swept off with a roar.

The Dengzhou forward infantry formation did not hesitate in the slightest. The skirmish line had already closed to within thirty paces of the village's southern edge. The central skirmishers left the open field, converging toward the ruins of Ertaizi Village. The Later Jin cavalry could not charge through those ruins. As the distance closed, while the Dengzhou skirmishers inflicted greater casualties on the Ujen Cooha, their own losses also rapidly mounted.

The first-line square formations, fifty paces behind the skirmish line, advanced toward Ertaizi Village to the urgent beat of drums. Behind the first-line square formations were twenty Mandarin Duck combat squads, and one hundred paces behind the Mandarin Duck squads were the four second-line square formation companies.

Haoge and Jirgalang each dispatched around a thousand cavalry. As the Later Jin cavalry approached, the Fourth Battalion's square formations halted their advance. The pikemen in the formations facing the cavalry planted the butt of their pikes against their right feet, gripping the shafts with both hands, the pike heads angled upward, assuming the cheval-de-frise formation. The entire square formation bristled like a hedgehog with extended spines.

Even the knights of Europe, clad head-to-toe in iron cans, would have difficulty shaking such a heavy infantry square formation. The Later Jin cavalry, never adept at shock charges to begin with, saw their main body immediately change direction. A small portion of scout cavalry raced at high speed around the perimeter of the square formations, pinning down the Fourth Battalion's flanks.

A trumpet blast sounded from the Dengzhou forward formation. The Mandarin Duck combat squads between the skirmish line and the square formations shouted battle cries and charged toward Ertaizi Village. The heavily armored close-combat soldiers of the Mandarin Duck squads rushed to the front, with the detached squads following behind them.

During the charge, one Later Jin bronze cannon fired two rounds of grapeshot, knocking down over ten Dengzhou soldiers, while the other bronze cannon had already misfired. Among the chaotic Ujen Cooha, many armored soldiers of the two Blue Banners appeared. The twang of bowstrings replaced the roar of muskets. Amid the drifting white smoke, they had only loosed two volleys before the Dengzhou close-combat soldiers had already surged to the edge of the ruins, and fierce melee combat quickly erupted.

。。。

"My lord, the right wing is somewhat deadlocked. Should we send the First Guards Battalion to support? Or have the Seventh Battalion assist?" Liu Pojun lowered his telescope on the tall observation platform. The Fourth Battalion was fiercely engaged with the two Blue Banners at Ertaizi Village, but neither side had yet committed its full strength. The Later Jin troops relied on terrain and mobility advantages to maintain their battle line.

Chen Xin's expression remained unchanged. "Not yet the time."

Liu Pojun said, "Huang Taiji has not moved yet; he is probably observing the situation at Ertaizi Village."

Chen Xin smiled faintly. "So let the right wing remain deadlocked. Otherwise, Huang Taiji's main force won't move. We'll give him another push; we need to make him move. Order the rocket company, once in position, to fire continuously in ten-rocket salvos at the Later Jin right-wing formation."

As the two spoke, the rocket troops, towed by carts, passed in front of the command platform. They had just been transferred from the direction of Xu Shan and were being redeployed to the Dengzhou left wing. The rocket launchers they used were very simple, just a few wooden poles that could be assembled to launch rockets similar to Congreve rockets.

Chen Xin transferred the rocket company to the left wing precisely to exploit the long range of the Congreve rockets to throw the Later Jin right-wing cavalry main force's formation into chaos. Liu Pojun asked Chen Xin, "My lord, the Later Jin right wing is extremely strong. If we do not pin down their center, should Huang Taiji truly launch a fierce assault, the First Battalion may find it difficult to hold back so many Later Jin troops."

"Let them come," Chen Xin said resolutely. "The Later Jin are strong in cavalry, and most of their cavalry is on the Zhuanzi Shan side. The cavalry of the two Yellow Banners in the center also lean toward the west. Even if I rout the two Blue Banners at Ertaizi Village now, most of the Later Jin cavalry could still escape. I need deadlock everywhere, especially at Zhuanzi Shan."

"Then deliver a fatal blow to Huang Taiji, and the cavalry locked in deadlock will find it hard to flee."

Chen Xin nodded and said, "Because of the imperial court, although we are currently disregarding orders, we haven't reached the point of an open break. After we drive out the Jianzhou bandits, the court's civil officials will certainly come. The Dengzhou Garrison needs to use this winter to quickly establish actual control over Liaodong. Therefore, this battle must eliminate the Jianzhou bandits to the greatest extent possible. We cannot let the Jianzhou bandits have the chance to drag things out in central Liao, or even play the peace negotiation trick again. We must annihilate their main force in one battle. Recovering Liaodong will then be completed within a month, and we can have two or three months to control all key points in Liaodong and establish a grassroots system. So we must not only defeat Huang Taiji, but also inflict the heaviest possible damage on the Jianzhou bandits."

Liu Pojun turned his head to look at the over ten thousand Dengzhou soldiers in the rear formation. One cavalry company headquarters had just been transferred away. What remained now were the First Guards Battalion, the Second Guards Battalion, a thousand-strong Guards Cavalry unit, the Combat Engineer Company, and two company headquarters of the Second Cavalry Battalion.

The frontline troops were already spread out. These troops in the rear were the fist Chen Xin had pulled back. Achieving Chen Xin's operational objective depended on how these troops were employed. The battle had only just begun, and how to commit forces would depend on the situation in each sector.

Chen Xin pointed toward Zhuanzi Shan and said, "Zhuanzi Shan is a natural barrier. As long as the First Battalion holds Zhuanzi Shan Village securely, the best assault route for the Later Jin right-wing main army will be to bypass the west side of Zhuanzi Shan from Zhangwangzhai. When that time comes, it won't be so easy for Huang Taiji to retreat."

Liu Pojun voiced his agreement, but Huang Taiji could certainly see that too; it just depended on whether he had the resolve to use his forces that way. The current deadlock at Ertaizi Village showed that the Later Jin troops could use cover to resist Dengzhou's firearms, which might give Huang Taiji confidence.

Just as they were observing, Chen Xin suddenly said in a low voice, "Here they come."

Liu Pojun looked up toward the west. Chen Xin pointed to the front. "It's the Bordered Yellow Banner in the center. Huang Taiji is reinforcing Wangjiatun."

"Does he want to completely seize Wangjiatun? Is he planning to attack from the center?" Liu Pojun muttered a puzzled question to himself.

Chen Xin and the other two then descended from the platform to confer with several senior operations staff officers from the Military Orders Department. The Wangjiatun ruins covered a relatively large area, currently occupied partly by the Dengzhou Third Battalion and partly by the Jianzhou bandits. Several staff officers believed Huang Taiji's objective was to stabilize the center while simultaneously probing the movements of the Dengzhou rear formation's reserves. Huang Taiji did not hold a significant numerical advantage. The greatest threat to the Later Jin was the Dengzhou second line's reserves. Huang Taiji's greatest advantage lay in mobility; his best plan was to use offensive actions to keep the Dengzhou reserves constantly moving, thereby exposing a weakness in the Dengzhou Garrison.

Chen Xin did not move any troops. The Third Battalion, facing Wangjiatun, dispatched one Mandarin Duck company to join the fight for Wangjiatun.

Streaks of white smoke rose from the front of the Dengzhou left wing. The rocket company began launching rockets, their three-li range capable of covering most of the Later Jin right-wing cavalry formations.

Just after one volley was fired, the lookout sentry beside them shouted loudly to everyone, "Approximately three thousand Jianzhou bandit right-wing infantry on the move, banner is Bordered White Banner, direction Zhuanzi Shan Village; approximately one thousand five hundred Jianzhou bandit right-wing cavalry on the move, banner is Jianzhou Mongol Left Camp, direction Zhangwangzhai; two thousand Jianzhou bandit right-wing cavalry on the move, banner is Outer Domain Mongol Khorchin Tribe, direction Zhangwangzhai..."

Chen Xin looked up and smiled. "All three fronts have opened up. This is better." (To be continued.)

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