Chapter 568: Hollow Square

Countless horse heads surged left and right around Unage, the riders' small queues swinging in the air behind their heads. The shrill, strange howls of the surrounding Mongol levies were deafening. Several cannon boomed, and the sharp shriek of iron tearing through air joined the thunderous roar of hooves. Agonized whinnies rose from the horses to the left and right, instantly left behind by the galloping speed. Riding amid the charge of thousands upon thousands of horses, Unage felt that nothing could stop this cavalry force of his, even though many among them were ragged Mongol levies.

The Mongols controlled their mounts with practiced ease, one after another drawing weapons such as riding bows and javelins. Their formation was not dense, which made them seem all the more to cover the entire landscape. Ahead, that thousand-man square stood firm, but Unage had no doubt they would collapse before the cavalry reached them. He had seen many Ming infantry squares crumble prematurely under the earth-shaking charge of cavalry, then be trampled to death by the Later Jin horsemen.

The cavalry entered a range of one hundred fifty paces, and the objects arrayed in front of that square were now clearly visible. From his jolting saddle, Unage made them out to be Ming rocket carts. Dengzhou's frame-fire war carts were taller than those of ordinary Ming troops, and the cart bodies also had four protruding spearheads. At this moment, the hot blood in his head left him utterly fearless. The twenty or thirty Ming soldiers behind the rocket carts were fleeing frantically back toward the square.

Just as a feeling of triumph rose in him, countless dazzling flames suddenly erupted from the frame-fire war carts. White smoke instantly concealed the Ming army formation behind them. Countless rockets trailing tail flames, like a swarm of bees bursting from a hive, flew into the air with a wailing shriek, cutting a low, flat arc to meet the Later Jin cavalry horde. Streak after streak howled past Unage's side. The screams of horses and riders merged into a single din. In a brief span, the fifteen frame-fire war carts deployed in a fan-shaped heavy-weapons banner unit launched four thousand five hundred rockets. Dense white smoke filled the space between the two armies, turning the line of sight into a blur.

The fierce wave of Later Jin cavalry fell into disorder. Horses struck by rockets tumbled and fell to the ground. The riders behind them decelerated and swerved to avoid them; those who could not swerve in time likewise crashed into the wounded horses. The central assault stalled. Those riders at the front who had not been hit continued forward. The formation became extremely scattered.

Amid the white smoke, Unage strained to make out the road ahead while adjusting his horse's head. He began to see the frame-fire war carts, with their protruding spearheads in front. He could not afford to crash into those things. In his cautious maneuvering, the momentum of the charge vanished, and Unage's heated mind cooled considerably.

There were still many Mongol left-wing soldiers running around him. Unage slowed his speed, concealing himself behind them. After running for a moment, the view before him suddenly cleared. They had ridden out of the smoke created by those rockets and had bypassed the front of the Dengzhou hollow square, emerging on its right flank. The front ranks of the Dengzhou troops were all close-combat soldiers in black armor, half-crouching on the ground with their blades held at an angle. The rear ranks stood row upon row of red-coated arquebusiers. Behind this square were the Ming army's long-spear formations, two of them in total on the right wing.

The Mongol soldiers who first burst from the smoke shrieked again, steering their horses to race along the right flank of the hollow square. Their riding bows loosed volley after volley of light arrows at the Ming soldiers. Unage saw some Ming arquebusiers struck by arrows, yet the Ming troops did not fire. A memory of engaging them years ago at Gu'an surfaced. The Ming were waiting for more cavalry to enter their field of fire. Unage abruptly threw himself flat onto his horse's back, hiding his body on the left side of the mount.

A swan-whistle sounded. From the three sides of the hollow square facing the Later Jin cavalry, a volley of arquebus fire erupted simultaneously. Amid it were scatter shots from three crouching-tiger cannons, three large breech-loading swivel guns, and two four-pounder cannons. Over six hundred projectiles swept across the three faces of the square.

Unage felt as if a hurricane had swept past him. The Mongol cavalry around the square fell like dry leaves blown from a tree. Some panicked horses bolted wildly, even spinning in circles and leaping on the spot.

After the gunfire ceased, Unage found that his mount was still running steadily. This horse, which had accompanied him through years of campaigning, had long since adapted to the sound of battlefield gunfire. Those Mongol herders, however, had no such chance to adapt. Unage estimated that these few volleys had already inflicted several hundred casualties on this Mongol host.

At this moment, more Mongol horse troops appeared from behind. The running herd of horses had already dispersed the white smoke from the rocket launch. The blow suffered by the vanguard did not stop the more than six thousand cavalry. A tide of horsemen surged across the battlefield. The horses automatically skirted the hedgehog-like square of Dengzhou Garrison. These intelligent animals would not charge headlong into sharp blades, and the riders were equally unwilling to throw their lives away. The black tide of Later Jin cavalry split into two streams before the Dengzhou hollow square, pouring toward the left and right flanks.

The Mongol riders galloped past thirty paces from the Dengzhou battle line, their riding bows loosing light arrows in rapid succession. Dense clusters of sharp-tipped light arrows fell like a rainstorm. Screams rose from within the Dengzhou formation, and they immediately retaliated with a volley of arquebus fire.

After these two volleys, the Dengzhou Garrison arquebusiers switched to independent fire. The dense mass of cavalry surrounding the square made their hit rate extraordinarily high. The piled corpses of men and horses grew ever larger.

Unage had by now reached the edge of the hollow square. Before him was a Dengzhou long-spear square. The central spear square had assumed an anti-cavalry engagement stance, row upon row of fourteen-foot-long spears with their sharp, gleaming blades flashing cold light. The front-rank arquebusiers to the left and right of the spear formation were raising their guns. In the forward position between the two squares stood two large bronze cannons, far larger than the eight-pounders Unage had seen before. The hot blood in Unage's veins had long since vanished. He hauled hard on the reins to the right. His mount obediently made a sharp turn, skirting the northeast corner of the Dengzhou hollow square and veering southward.

Another deafening volley of gun and cannon fire erupted. Two of the blasts were especially thunderous — likely those two newly appeared bronze cannons. Without turning around, Unage knew that those Mongol herders had again suffered grievous casualties. But he had no path of retreat. Behind him, Dorgon's Bordered White Banner cavalry served as overseers, having made it clear they would behead any who shrank back. Unage could only press forward. Ahead of him lay an open area, the gap at the base of the Dengzhou infantry's triangular formation. There were only a few picket riders from the infantry battalions there. Dodging and weaving, Unage had already passed through the Ming infantry array. Quite a few cavalrymen still followed behind him, but their formation was now completely ruined.

Without time to think further, Unage loosed an arrow from his riding bow at the hollow square, then spurred his horse into that open ground. A dozen or so Ming picket riders gave chase, but upon seeing more and more Mongol cavalry emerging behind, those Ming outriders turned and fled.

Unage could see the Ming rear formation two li away. Chen Xin's great banner was fluttering there. Beneath it stood the sternly arrayed ranks of the Dengzhou army. Unage's heart lurched. The task Huang Taiji had given him was to assault the second Dengzhou formation, but at this moment, Unage was somewhat panicked by the two volleys of gun and cannon fire, and he found it difficult to muster the confidence to attack.

As he pondered, his mount had already burst through the gap at the base of that triangular formation. Several hundred left-wing cavalrymen had followed Unage. Their formation was chaotic, and many bore wounds. No one was shrieking now. Unage led his men southward. He did not intend to harass the Dengzhou rear formation just yet. Unless Dorgon first routed the Dengzhou left-wing infantry, Unage would likely be sealed off in the rear. For now, he planned to harass from behind the Dengzhou infantry squares. However, the rear of those Dengzhou squares had also assumed an anti-cavalry stance, and there were arquebusiers aiming their guns to the rear. The only method of harassment available to him remained the riding bow.

Just as they burst from the gap, the sound of hoofbeats rose from the left. Turning his head, Unage saw a cavalry formation charging toward him from the left front. That dense, even battle line was the hallmark of Dengzhou cavalry. It was the Second Cavalry Battalion of the First Cavalry Regiment, divided into three waves, each wave consisting of three cavalry companies.

With a great shout, Unage lashed his horse and fled southward at high speed. The view of many Mongols following behind was blocked by the front ranks. After the front riders fled, before they could even see the situation clearly, they were shattered and scattered by the dense charge of the Dengzhou cavalry formation. The surviving Mongol riders, their hearts and gall bladders frozen with terror, scattered in all directions relying on their superb riding skills. Many fled blindly, running east into the gap between the Dengzhou front and rear formations. Ming picket riders from various units attacked them from all sides, while the Guard Cavalry Battalion of the rear formation hunted them down by company.

At this moment, smoke filled the triangular Dengzhou infantry formation. The Mongol cavalry arriving in succession could not see the scene ahead either. They continuously burst from the gap, only to have their formations broken apart by the Ming cavalry formations. Dead and wounded men and horses lay strewn across the Dengzhou left wing.

The six thousand Mongol cavalry, who had arrived with soaring momentum, were now utterly scattered. Their command system had completely failed. Most riders scurried about like headless flies. The more courageous ones still fired their riding bows, relying on their numerical superiority to inflict considerable casualties on the Dengzhou Garrison.

In the center of the Dengzhou frontmost hollow square, white-clad medics shuttled back and forth, dragging wounded soldiers back to the safe central area. The small thousand-man square stood like a boulder amidst a black tide, still spewing flames in all directions. With each successive volley, passing Mongol riders tumbled from their horses.

A burst of drumming came from the west. Dorgon watched the chaotic scene within the smoke ahead with a worried expression. The Gushan Ejen beside him approached and asked in a low voice, "Master, there are too many men and horses over there. The Mongols only add to the chaos."

Dorgon's face was grim and he said nothing. That morning, he had failed to seize Zhuanzi Village and had been furiously rebuked on the spot by Huang Taiji. Even if he won this battle and returned, he would certainly be demoted to Taiji or Beizi. Subsequently, Yoto was appointed commander of the right wing. The order Yoto gave Dorgon was to break the Dengzhou left wing. In the short time since he had arrived south of Zhuanzi Village, Huang Taiji had already sent relay riders twice to urge him on.

The more than six thousand Mongols before him looked imposing, but in truth, these men lacked high courage. It was within expectations that the fighting had turned out this way. Once infantry were not frightened by the cavalry's momentum and maintained their formation integrity, cavalry held no advantage in direct engagement. The Mongol levies were mostly herders. Although their riding skills were extremely proficient, they were ultimately light cavalry. Neither riders nor horses had been trained to charge formations. The horses would all skirt around the infantry squares, instead becoming targets for the Dengzhou firearms due to their large size.

Seeing Dorgon remain silent, the Gushan Ejen probed, "Master, shall we wait a moment and observe?"

Dorgon squeezed two words through clenched teeth: "Dismount."

The Gushan Ejen asked in astonishment, "Master intends to fight on foot?"

"What use is mounted combat? Dengzhou's square formations are more than sufficient to handle cavalry, but their troops are dispersed and cannot adequately support each other. Have all the armored soldiers dismount. The Bayara will ride in support."

"Then Master Ajige's side..."

"Have him dismount as well." Dorgon said coldly. "I am still the Banner Lord. He is not."