Chapter 574: Thunderclap

A brief silence fell over the battlefield.

"Fire!!" Guan Dadi's hoarse, straining shout reached Tang Wei's eardrums.

Tang Wei pulled the trigger hard. The hammer struck the steel sickle on the flash pan with a click, knocking a spray of sparks into the priming hole. Instantly, a thunderous roar erupted from the gun barrel, the stock recoiled backward into his shoulder, and the flintlock in his hands spewed a long tongue of flame and white smoke forward.

Along the battle line, countless flowers with crimson stamens and white petals bloomed simultaneously. Accompanied by thunderous roars, walls of white smoke extended outward from each company commander toward both flanks, then linked together in the blink of an eye. Across the four-hundred-meter battle line, a long white dragon rapidly took shape.

The crashing gunfire merged into a single continuous roar, sweeping across the land like a tempest. Even the mounts of the Plain Yellow Banner armored cavalry in the Later Jin rear ranks started and leaped in panic at the tremendous noise. Countless bullets shrieked as they slammed into the disordered ranks of the Later Jin infantry, violently tearing through their cotton armor and iron armor with an unending series of dull thuds, throwing up clouds of blood mist. The bullets entered their bodies, the deformed projectiles tumbling and expanding the internal wound cavities several times over, pulping organs and drawing out one heart-rending scream after another.

Following the line of the formation, rows of Later Jin soldiers collapsed neatly in the blink of an eye. These Later Jin soldiers were struck in the torso or the limbs; their internal organs shattered, their guts torn open and spilling out, their limbs broken. They rolled and crawled on the ground, their shrieks of agony resounding across the open field. The corpses of the Later Jin army traced a continuous black line across the earth, marking the brutal war.

In many places, the Later Jin soldiers who had clustered together suffered even denser firepower. Where they bunched up, they left stretches of empty space along the battle line. The Dengzhou troops opposite these gaps simply angled their muzzles toward the packed crowds. Almost every Later Jin soldier on the outermost edge of those crowds was struck by a lead ball. They toppled in an instant, piling up into semicircular rings of corpses.

Across the entire battle line, roughly a thousand Later Jin soldiers directly faced the Dengzhou army's volley. In that single earth-shaking salvo, over seven hundred of them fell. In a fleeting moment, the first two ranks of the Later Jin soldiers were swept clean away. This was achieved even though some Later Jin troops had broken away from the battle line, reducing the contact frontage. The excellent gun barrels and sights played a critical role; the Dengzhou garrison's hit rate exceeded seventy percent. After just one tempest-like volley, the Ujen Cooha were instantly pushed to the brink of collapse.

All around him were people struggling on the ground. Zhang Zhongqi raised his head, his mind dazed and ringing. His ears still roared. In the final moment before that thunderous volley, as if blessed by sudden instinct, his legs had gone weak and he had collapsed to a sitting position, dodging that earth-shaking salvo.

The thunderous echoes of the volley still reverberated. Zhang Zhongqi struggled to turn over and clamber to his feet. A Han soldier beside him had been hit in the lower abdomen, a mess of colorful intestines spilling out and steaming in the air. This Han soldier had not yet died; his waist arched upward like a catapult as he howled in agony, his bloodied hands clawing wildly at the ground and leaving deep, blood-streaked scratch marks. Zhang Zhongqi carefully avoided those hands and was just about to flee to the rear when something suddenly tightened around his heel. He looked back and saw a man clutching his leg. Zhang Zhongqi looked again — it was the real Jurchen armored soldier who had been enforcing discipline behind his banner unit. This was the same armored soldier who had been hacking down Ujen Cooha men behind him moments ago. Now, all ferocity was gone from him. He was lifting his head, his throat making gurgling sounds, his mouth spraying nothing but blood. His eyes were fixed on Zhang Zhongqi, full of entreaty. There was a large hole in the breastplate of his armor, from which red blood gurgled. The fine iron scale armor had not stopped the lead ball at all; instead, it had caused the ball to deform before entering his body, inflicting an even more grievous wound.

But even if this real Jurchen master were suffering ten times more, it had nothing to do with Zhang Zhongqi. The only thing that concerned him was that armored soldier's hands. The man was clutching Zhang Zhongqi's right leg tightly to his chest, probably hoping Zhang Zhongqi would carry him to safety.

Zhang Zhongqi aimed his left foot at the armored soldier's face and kicked with all his might. Desperate and furious, Zhang Zhongqi erupted with a hidden reserve of strength. With a furious roar, he concentrated every ounce of his body's power into his left foot. A crack sounded. The real Jurchen's head lolled to the side, his neck broken. Zhang Zhongqi felt the grip on his leg loosen. By the time he leapt to his feet, the Later Jin Ujen Cooha had already completely collapsed across the entire formation under that earth-shaking volley. Their ranks were in utter chaos, and countless fleeing backs could be seen dashing westward in blind panic.

A stirring bugle call sounded from behind. The entire Dengzhou army line let out a furious roar. Zhang Zhongqi also fled for his life westward, his hand still tightly gripping that loaded flintlock.

Tang Wei rose with his gun. Before him were countless fleeing backs. Head high and chest out, brimming with pride, Tang Wei felt as if he were the reincarnation of Lord Yue, looking down upon the world with contempt.

The clear, loud charge rang out across the open field.

"Charge!!!" Guan Dadi, who had been commanding the volley in the front rank, was the first to rush out.

"Kill!!!" Thousands of line infantry shouted in unison and surged forward. The red line dissolved into countless red dots, flooding across the land like quicksilver pouring over the ground.

The red dots crashed into the chaotic Later Jin battle line. Amidst the mountain-roaring, sea-roaring battle cries, sharp bayonets stabbed at the Ujen Cooha in wave after wave, reaping cheap human lives on the battlefield. Mentally shattered, the Ujen Cooha let out hoarse, desperate howls and fled for their lives in blind panic.

The Ujen Cooha of three banners completely collapsed. A tide of people rushed madly toward the main army, so overwhelming that even the armored cavalry arrayed behind to enforce discipline could not stop the frenzied Han soldiers. The cavalry formation was torn apart and scattered by the human current. The surging Dengzhou formation followed close behind. The armored cavalry, having lost their momentum, were surrounded by the swarming Dengzhou infantry and stabbed to death in a chaotic melee.

The Later Jin army was now in full, desperate flight. Tang Wei frantically stabbed at every moving enemy before him, his bayonet dancing continuously, trailing beads of blood, until all the enemies in front of him had been stabbed to the ground. His entire company then continued to pursue the fleeing enemy ahead. His face splattered with blood, Tang Wei lengthened his stride. His blood boiled, and he forgot fear. He crossed the corpse-strewn battle line and ran in great strides, the wind whistling past his ears. All around him was the sound of pounding footsteps; his comrades were advancing alongside him, rows of bayonets glittering brightly.

On the Later Jin left flank, waves of unrest rippled through the Tianyou Army. Sonin had just recovered from the shock of that volley of musketry. Before his eyes, the Ujen Cooha had already completely collapsed. Behind them, several hundred armored cavalry of the Plain Yellow Banner had been scattered by the human tide. A hundred paces behind the routing soldiers, the Gabsihiyan Coha were hurrying over, and Hong Taiji's Khan's banner was there as well.

"Kong Youde! Attack the flank of those Dengzhou soldiers immediately! Don't let them pursue!"

Li Jiucheng loudly acknowledged the order. Just as Sonin looked toward Kong Youde, a flash of white smoke suddenly erupted before his eyes. Several firelocks roared at close range. Sonin and Li Jiucheng felt as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer, both toppling from their horses. Around them, Kong Youde's retainers launched a surprise attack on the dozen-plus Bayara guards beside Sonin. The Bayara, completely off guard, were instantly cut down to the last man.

With this sudden upheaval in the ranks, and the lingering panic from the shock of the Dengzhou volley not yet subsided, the surrounding Tianyou Army collapsed with a roar and scattered. Only Kong Youde's hundred-odd retainers remained in place. Kong Youde loudly issued orders to finish off the real Jurchens Sonin had brought and the few retainers of Li Jiucheng.

Sonin lay on the ground, his mouth agape, blood gushing from his chest like a spring. He could no longer breathe. He looked up at Kong Youde before him and saw Kong Youde grab the queue behind his head, cut it off, and then flee westward with his retainers. Even as he fled, he led his retainers in shouting, "Defeated! Defeated! Everyone run for your lives!"

As Kong Youde's great banner fled, the entire Tianyou Army collapsed. The panicked crowd, like a hornet's nest that had been blown open, fled toward the direction of the Later Jin main army.

"The Great Jin is finished." This was Sonin's final thought before his consciousness faded.

"The Tianyou Army's formation has collapsed and scattered. Only a small portion of their men are still hacking at the Later Jin soldiers enforcing discipline." Wu Jianzhong said to Zhong Laosi, "I need to go and settle Kong Youde to prevent any accidental clashes with our main army. I will not accompany the main force forward."

Zhong Laosi laughed heartily and cupped his hands to Wu Jianzhong, saying, "Lord Wu, please do as you see fit."

After Wu Jianzhong departed, Zhong Laosi turned his head to look at the front. The collapse of the Ujen Cooha had triggered a chain reaction among the Jianzhou bandits facing the Seventh Battalion. The entire Later Jin left wing was disintegrating. Brimming with pride, he loudly addressed the operations staff officer beside him: "The Second Battalion will continue the attack. Squeeze the Jianzhou bandits toward the sea. The Second Regiment of the Second Cavalry Battalion will assault the slave chieftain's Khan's banner. The Guards Cavalry Battalion will advance along the right flank to the rear of the Later Jin grand formation. Ignore scattered fugitives. Charge any large groups of Jianzhou bandits from the north."

"Shall we deploy the dragoons?"

"Dragoons are to stand by." Zhong Laosi grinned. "The Jianzhou bandits' main army still has a cavalry force."

"My lord... my lord... The right wing has broken through! Zhong Laosi has broken through! The Jianzhou bandits are finished!"

Beneath the Regional Commander's great banner in the center, Liu Pojun stood in his stirrups, tears streaming down his face, and shouted at Chen Xin in a hoarse voice.

"Order Zheng Sanhu: the main army is to charge immediately. Give the Jianzhou bandits no chance to catch their breath!" Chen Xin roared at the central army messenger beside him. The messenger immediately galloped off toward the center.

Chen Xin raised his telescope. The area around Zhuanzi Shan was still locked in fierce combat. The First Guards Battalion had already launched a counterattack against the Later Jin Bordered Red Banner east of Zhuanzi Shan village. Those Later Jin cavalry who had broken through south of Zhuanzi Shan had not yet been able to withdraw. In the center, at Wangjiatun, the combat engineers were about to capture the village. Without that thorn in their side, the Second and Third Battalions were bypassing Wangjiatun and continuing to press the Later Jin center.

Chen Xin's hands trembled slightly. He repeatedly forced himself to calm down. When he shifted his gaze to the right wing, the Plain Yellow Banner foot soldiers and the entire Bordered Blue Banner facing the Seventh Battalion had also collapsed. The Later Jin left wing no longer existed, and their main army was on the verge of collapse. For an ancient army of tens of thousands, this was a fatal blow. The Later Jin main force was doomed.

"Victory!" Chen Xin clenched his fist tightly. "Hong Taiji, you have lost."

A tide of routed soldiers swarmed over from the left wing. Besides the Ujen Cooha and the Tianyou Army, the Plain Yellow Banner foot soldiers and the Bordered Blue Banner were all disintegrating. With the collapse of the Bordered Blue Banner, the Bordered Yellow Banner's battle line, engaged in the center, also began to retreat from its left flank. Amidst the mountain-roaring, sea-roaring battle cries, the entire Dengzhou right wing began its assault. The Dengzhou right wing was like a gigantic fan, rapidly rotating and pressing down, causing the Later Jin battle line to collapse section by section, then driving the Later Jin army westward.

Hong Taiji watched the scene before him in despair. His five hundred elite Gabsihiyan Coha were racing toward the left wing, but in that instant, the Dengzhou garrison had completely routed the Ujen Cooha, in whom he had placed such high hopes. Then the Tianyou Army was finished too. Under the impact of tens of thousands of routing soldiers, the Plain Yellow Banner's armored cavalry had been utterly ineffective. Those usually docile Han soldiers had entered a state of frenzy. Real Jurchen cavalrymen were dragged from their horses by bondservants in the crowd, the Han soldiers fighting over the mounts. Other routed soldiers hacked and stabbed wildly at anyone blocking their path. Whether real Jurchen or Han soldier, only the thought of fleeing for their lives remained. No force could restore their discipline now.

"Great Khan! Leave quickly! It will be too late if the routing soldiers scatter us!"

Hong Taiji barely reacted. The commander of the Gabsihiyan Coha anxiously came over and grabbed the reins of Hong Taiji's mount, dragging him in retreat toward the north.

They had only run a few steps when the reins suddenly tightened in the commander's hand and were pulled away. He hurriedly looked back and saw that Hong Taiji had already seized the reins himself. The Later Jin Great Khan drew the saber at his waist, a blade unused for many years.

"Take the Gabsihiyan Coha and charge the enemy lines with me." Hong Taiji said calmly to the commander. "Pierce the line of those Dengzhou musketeers and stall their advance. Only then can some of the main army and the right wing escape."

The commander froze for a brief moment, then let out a great roar and led the Gabsihiyan Coha beside him charging toward the routing soldiers. Hong Taiji slowly spurred his horse forward, leading his remaining elite troops, and without hesitation rode straight toward the oncoming banner of the Flying Tiger and Skull.