Chapter 567

Nearly ten thousand Later Jin cavalry rounded Zhuanzi Mountain, their earth-shaking hoofbeats resounding across the battlefield and making the ground tremble faintly. The vanguard had already appeared at the southwest corner of Zhuanzi Mountain. Behind the southern slope of Zhuanzi Mountain was a small formation of a thousand men, drawn up into a four-sided hollow square, looking extremely resolute.

Beneath the great banner of the Dengzhou rear-echelon Regional Commander, Chen Xin was observing the battle situation in the direction of Xu Mountain. The sounds of gunfire and cannon fire came distantly from the direction of Ertaizi Village. Large numbers of Later Jin cavalry moved back and forth around the Dengzhou square formations; the battle remained in a stalemate.

"My lord, the two companies in the rear row of the First Battalion have turned to face the southern side of Zhuanzi Mountain. The Second Cavalry Company, belonging to the First Cavalry Battalion, has formed up behind and to the side of the First Regiment of the Sixth Battalion. The Dragoons remain at their original defensive positions."

Liu Pojun's reminder came through. Chen Xin looked toward Zhuanzi Mountain with his telescope. The First Battalion's four small square formations were adjusting their facing. The flexibility of these small Dengzhou-style square formations surpassed that of contemporary European squares. With over half their troops being arquebusiers, they relied even more on firepower for combat. The drawback was that the formations lacked density, which also resulted in more layers of command. Chen Xin's solution was to assign additional deputy commanding officers at the company and battalion levels, enabling them to temporarily command multiple square formations.

"The Later Jin right wing has already moved. My lord, shall we reinforce the Zhuanzi Mountain sector, or strengthen our right wing?"

After observing for a moment, Chen Xin shook his head. "Wait a little longer. Though the Later Jin troops on the right wing appear formidable, they are mostly Outer Vassal Mongols. The main force they have committed consists only of genuine Two White Banner troops. Yue Tuo's Bordered Red Banner has yet to enter the battle. Fan Shouye has maneuvered appropriately, and still has the Dragoon Company as a reserve. Our square formations can withstand those cavalry."

"My lord, though I serve as an advisor and you disagree, I insist on making this recommendation three times. My opinion remains that we should dispatch a force to reinforce the west. The combined strength of the First Battalion and the First Regiment of the Sixth Battalion is only a little over five thousand men. Even with the First Cavalry Battalion, it amounts to only around eight thousand. The total strength of the Later Jin right wing reaches twenty thousand. I recommend transferring the First Guards Battalion to reinforce Zhuanzi Mountain."

Chen Xin pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Huang Taiji's center army is still very strong. It includes the armored cavalry and infantry of the Two Yellow Banners and the Plain Red Banner, the Ujen Cooha, and the Tianyou Army. I need to wait until Huang Taiji commits his mounted troops from the center to Zhuanzi Mountain, especially one of the Two Yellow Banners."

Liu Pojun quickly sketched on the map. Chen Xin's intent was to lure the Later Jin troops into committing their main force to the southern side of Zhuanzi Mountain. That was why he demanded Fan Shouye defend Zhuanzi Mountain Village to the death. In that case, the Later Jin troops would have to bypass the western side of Zhuanzi Mountain, and their line of sight to Huang Taiji's great banner would be cut off. Their retreat would also be obstructed by the mountain's bulk.

Chen Xin would use the Zhuanzi Mountain sector to draw the Later Jin main force, causing their battle line to become oblique. The stronger their right wing became, the more their center of gravity would shift toward the west. According to the Dengzhou operational line theory, the direction that could most shake the enemy's morale was Xu Mountain. Because Gaizhou lay to the northeast of the battlefield, the official road to Gaizhou was at the foot of Xu Mountain. This official road was the Later Jin army's line of communication. Striking toward Xu Mountain would sever the Later Jin army's line of communication. This would not only have immense tactical value but also deal a massive blow to their morale.

Therefore, Chen Xin hoped the Later Jin army's center of gravity would continue to shift. Only then would Chen Xin commit the main force of the Dengzhou second echelon in the Xu Mountain right-wing sector. After routing the Later Jin left wing, he would seal the Later Jin main army against the coastal side, thereby fulfilling his grand design of annihilating the entire Later Jin army.

Liu Pojun said in a low voice, "My lord, the Later Jin troops have already committed over ten thousand men at Zhuanzi Mountain. Huang Taiji will not be willing to abandon them. Launching the right-wing assault now is also feasible."

"He will be willing," Chen Xin said firmly. "You can tell from Huang Taiji's deployment. The Zhuanzi Mountain sector consists of the Two White Banners and the Two Red Banners; none are his direct-line troops. If the Two Yellow Banners and the Two Blue Banners escape, their mounted troops will cause us considerable trouble in central Liaodong."

"But what if the left flank collapses..."

"I have faith in the soldiers of Dengzhou."

Liu Pojun said loudly, "I recommend launching the assault in the center. Wangjiatun Village screens the entire front. To maintain the integrity of his line, Huang Taiji must commit his mounted troops to fight our infantry. As long as the center pins down the Later Jin Two Yellow Banners and Plain Red Banner, it will keep Huang Taiji's reserves occupied. This will similarly freeze the Later Jin forces. At that point, the right-flank assault can still trap the Later Jin main army against the coastal side."

Chen Xin considered for a moment, then said, "Have Zheng Sanhu's center advance. Also, transfer the four twelve-pounder guns from the central army's direct artillery battery to the left wing to help Fan Shouye hold the left wing."

Beneath the fluttering yellow dragon banner, Huang Taiji gazed intently ahead. The white smoke that had risen and drifted after the cannon and arquebus fire in Wangjiatun slowly flowed through the air, blurring the field of vision.

Through the faint smoke, sixteen Dengzhou square formations were approaching head-on. Eight squares were in front, eight behind. In between were skirmishers from the Mandarin Duck Formation Company and the battalion's attached picket cavalry. In total, it was the establishment of two Dengzhou battalions, over eight thousand men, like a red tide.

Huang Taiji said to Daišan beside him, "Second Brother, the Dengzhou troops are coming. Have the Plain Red Banner attack the westernmost unit. My Bordered Yellow Banner will attack the easternmost unit."

Daišan did not say much more. He had fought battles from childhood to this age and knew when it was time to risk everything. He glanced at the right wing and said to Huang Taiji, "Great Khan, if you wish to break the Dengzhou left wing, you must capture Zhuanzi Mountain Village. The Great Khan could dispatch an additional unit of Ujen Cooha over there."

Huang Taiji understood what Daišan meant. Zhuanzi Mountain Village protected the left wing of the Dengzhou first line. The Later Jin troops could only use infantry to assault this key point. This, in turn, meant that mounted troops could only attack from the western side of Zhuanzi Mountain. The current attack situation was blocked by the mountain's bulk and could only be relayed by relay riders. Huang Taiji did not even know exactly how the fighting was going. If Zhuanzi Mountain Village were captured, the attack range of the Later Jin right-wing mounted troops would greatly increase.

Huang Taiji was also worried about the troops in Chen Xin's rear echelon. Chen Xin had deployed only five battalions of infantry and three thousand cavalry in the front echelon, totaling only around twenty-five thousand men, yet they had already stabilized the battle line. His rear echelon still had around ten thousand men. From the start of the engagement until now, he had only sent a thousand-strong cavalry unit toward Xu Mountain; the rest remained in place. Even when the Later Jin launched an attack with nearly ten thousand cavalry in the Zhuanzi Mountain sector, Chen Xin had not sent reinforcements, instead relying on the Dengzhou left wing to adjust its defense on its own. Meanwhile, Huang Taiji had already committed heavy troops to his right wing, so he had to be cautious with his reserves in the center.

After pondering for a moment, Huang Taiji finally shook his head. "Wait for the Two White Banners to launch one assault. Let's see if Dorgon can atone for his previous failure this time."

On the southern slope of Zhuanzi Mountain, the First Regiment of the Sixth Battalion formed a square. Like the other combat battalions, the First Regiment of the Sixth Battalion was also organized according to the Qi Army establishment.

As the most outstanding military figure of the Ming Dynasty, Qi Jiguang constantly adjusted the Qi Army's tactics and organization to suit different combat environments. The Mandarin Duck Formation was always the basic formation. From this basic formation, company-level, regiment-level, and battalion-level formations were developed to suit operations of various scales. It was not merely a tactic suited for the south. During the ten-plus years he garrisoned the north, not a single northern barbarian dared to challenge the passes, and he developed strict military discipline and drill manuals.

The Qi Army emerged at almost the same time as the Dutch military revolution on land. Maurice of Nassau's reforms led to the birth of the modern European army. But China's last classical military reform came to an abrupt halt after the death of Zhang Juzheng. Decades after Qi Jiguang's death, the only seed he left behind bloomed with its final radiance in the bloody Battle of the Hun River.

If Chen Xin had not appeared in history, later generations would only be able to search for the former glory of the Qi Army within Qi Jiguang's military treatises. Even in the present-day Dengzhou garrison, the Mandarin Duck Formation would soon be phased out of the regular establishment. Under Dengzhou's accelerated development, it was about to be replaced by line infantry, which was simpler and quicker to form into an army. This battle of Gaizhou would be the last appearance of the Dengzhou Mandarin Duck Formation in a large-scale pitched battle.

When the Qi Army conducted battalion-level operations against the northern barbarians in the north, they would form a similar hollow square, deploying two companies on each side to form the outer perimeter defense, leaving one passageway on each side. Inside the square was a smaller hollow square composed of four companies of combat troops, retainers, and cavalry. The inner circle troops would launch counter-assaults through the passageways.

Chen Xin did not have such a large Mandarin Duck Formation establishment. The regiment was the largest Mandarin Duck Formation establishment in Dengzhou. When conducting defensive operations against cavalry, it formed a hollow square with two platoons on each side. Each direction was reinforced with the firepower of a heavy weapons squad and artillery. The center housed the detachment, picket cavalry, and medical team.

The First Regiment of the Sixth Battalion had a total of 1,300 men: 450 assault troops and 450 firearms troops, plus one directly attached heavy weapons squad of 52 men, one detachment of 50 men, one picket cavalry squad of 20 men, 130 logistics troops, and 20 medical personnel. Except for the logistics troops left behind to guard the camp, all other units came to the battlefield. The assault troops were in the front row, the arquebusiers in the back row, forming a defensive square of this type. Each direction had two crouching tiger cannons and one large breech-loading swivel gun belonging to the assault squads. One four-pounder cannon was deployed at the northwest and southeast corners. The heavy weapons squad's fifteen frame-mounted rocket carts were arrayed in a line facing due west. These rocket carts carried three hundred rockets each and were expendable items on the battlefield, extremely difficult to reload after firing once, so they were concentrated on the western side.

After the Later Jin cavalry began moving toward the western side of Zhuanzi Mountain, the left-wing commander Fan Shouye turned the two second-line companies of the First Combat Battalion. Using the advantage of interior lines, he deployed them in advance to the rear and flank of this hollow square. The square troops were commanded by the First Battalion's deputy battalion commander. He also dispatched a cavalry regiment as support, with the commander of the First Cavalry Battalion serving as the overall commander for this sector.

The remaining two eight-pounder guns of the First Battalion's artillery battery were also attached to the two square companies. The deployment was essentially complete by the time the Later Jin cavalry formed up, resulting in a defensive force of two infantry regiments and a mobile force of one cavalry regiment.

The two square companies and the forward hollow square formed a triangular configuration. The officers loudly issued orders, adjusting the positions of the squares to ensure that the arquebuses could support the flanks of the forward Mandarin Duck Formation hollow square.

A dense black mass of Later Jin cavalry formed up southwest of Zhuanzi Mountain. Leading them was the Mongol Left Wing, an old adversary of the Dengzhou garrison. It was against this very unit that Dengzhou had fought at Gu'an, achieving fame in that battle and embarking on the path to expansion.

The Gūsa Ejen of the Mongol Left Wing was still Unage. This Mongol horse-thief of the Borjigit clan was already showing signs of age. Since being unexpectedly mauled by the Dengzhou garrison in the third year of Chongzhen, fortune had turned against him in recent years, and the Mongol Left Wing's strength was now only a little over 1,700 men.

Now, meeting his foe, his eyes blazed with hatred, and with an absolute numerical advantage, Unage's horse-thief nature surged forth. A burst of conch horns resounded across the battlefield as the Mongol Left Wing and the Outer Vassal Mongol troops came howling in. The Outer Vassal Mongols had contributed a total of over 4,500 able-bodied men for this campaign, all of whom were committed to Zhuanzi Mountain. Over six thousand cavalry surged across the white wilderness like a black tide. Twenty-four thousand hooves hammered the earth like a rainstorm, the muffled thunder of their hoofbeats seeming to pound the very hearts out of men's chests.

Even Chen Xin, positioned in the central army, could feel the overwhelming might of those thousands of horses and riders. Although the Dengzhou infantry had all drilled against cavalry, truly facing an oncoming enemy cavalry charge was an entirely different experience.

A trace of doubt arose in Chen Xin as to whether the First Battalion could hold the left wing alone. The first wave of the Later Jin cavalry attack had to be faced. The Dengzhou infantry lacked a mobility advantage. If the Later Jin cavalry did not launch an attack, there would be no way to pin down the Later Jin main force. But once battle was joined, the Later Jin cavalry formations would be fragmented by the Dengzhou infantry squares, making the transmission of orders difficult. Only then could the Dengzhou infantry tie down these cavalry, and only then would it be time for Chen Xin to compress the Later Jin battle line.

The black mass of cavalry drew closer and closer to the Dengzhou infantry formations. The bobbing horse heads filled the entire field of vision. Chen Xin stared unblinkingly, his hands gripping the railing already slick with sweat. (To be continued...)