Chapter 85: Reversal

The rapid column-to-line formation switch was exactly the formation Chen Xin had observed that day. The Mandarin Duck Formation could use a column formation when engaging the enemy or on defense, with the front rank's round shields and long shields covering the whole unit to reduce casualties from enemy ranged weapons. Once close to the foe, it rapidly shifted into line formation, fully deploying its combat power — identical in concept to the French army's column attack doctrine under the 1791 Regulations of the Napoleonic era, though with fewer methods of deployment. But Chen Xin believed Marshal Qi's deployment method was simpler and easier to use, and the front rank had shield protection, unlike the French, who relied purely on zealous soldiers as human shields to absorb bullets. After every campaign, few of the soldiers at the front of the column survived. Moreover, the Mandarin Duck Formation could quickly convert into large and small Three-Talent Formations for use in narrower streets or mountainous terrain, and each small Three-Talent Formation possessed independent combat capability. If one had to name a flaw, it was that the troop types were complex and training was more difficult.

After the two front squads deployed, the two killer squads behind them also deployed simultaneously, hurrying forward to the rear of the front squad and thrusting their weapons into the gaps. Dai Zhenggang and Lu Lvzi followed behind their respective two squads, supervising the battle and filling any breaches.

A bugle call rang out. The forty-eight soldiers of the killer squads stepped forward in unison and shouted with one voice, "Hu!" (Note 1)

Wang Zhangfu stood at the third position on the right. After both wings deployed, the saber-and-shield men remained in the center, four long pikes crisscrossed between and to the sides of the two saber-and-shield men, and outside the long pikes were the squad leader, the trident men, and the long saber men. The bandits opposite were already within twenty paces. Breathing heavily on his first battlefield, his face flushed red and his mouth dry, he still gripped his weapon firmly. He wielded a flag-pike, his primary battle weapon, eight chi in total length — the same length as the tridents — with a triangular red banner beneath the spearhead.

In the squad's center, four long pikes extended flat in a crisscross pattern. These were true long pikes, one zhang seven chi in total length (over five meters), using thin southern mao bamboo for the shafts. This old bamboo, air-dried for years, was not the kind that bent at a touch; it was extremely tough, its strength even surpassing many hardwoods, and it was very light.

The second bugle call sounded. Wang Zhangfu again stepped forward with everyone else and shouted, "Hu!"

Each time he shouted, his tension eased slightly. In that powerful shout he could feel the comrades around him — a collective strength. When the third bugle sounded, it would be hand-to-hand combat: no victory without advancing, no retreat.

The bandits entered twenty paces. The four saber-and-shield men thrust their heads out from behind their round shields and hurled four iron-tipped javelins with their right hands. The four heavy javelins howled away; combined with the bandits' own forward momentum, their power was further magnified. Wang Zhangfu saw three veteran bandits in the center scream together and collapse. Facing the killer squad's sharp long pikes, some peasant-looking coerced followers fled to either side or simply turned and ran.

The enemy was nothing special. Wang Zhangfu suddenly felt his tension ease considerably. A mouthful of saliva returned to his parched mouth, his throat soothed.

The third bugle call sounded. Wang Zhangfu shouted "Hu!" at the top of his lungs, and the whole squad began running forward. Behind him came the sound of footsteps — the comrades of Second Squad. From the rear came the bellow of Vice Squad Leader Lu Chuanzong: "Advance, no retreat! Those who retreat die! Kill!"

Wang Zhangfu had never considered shrinking back on the battlefield. He was by nature an extremely tenacious character, and he had also memorized the military code: any retreat on the battlefield could mean beheading. If one retreated after the three bugle advances, there was no need to go back for sentencing — the vice squad leader would behead you right there on the field. Better to die at the enemy's hands.

"Kill!" The soldiers shouted in unison. The veteran bandits in the center also howled and yelled. The ten-odd paces between the two sides vanished in an instant, and close combat began.

"Thud, thud" — the sound of long spears piercing flesh rang out repeatedly. The soldiers charged fiercely, their five-meter long pikes stabbing viciously into the bodies of the bandits opposite. Wang Zhangfu stepped forward, forcing back a bandit with an axe in front of him. From the corner of his eye he saw his squad's pikeman Fan Shouye spear a veteran bandit in the chest; the spearhead likely struck the sternum, sending the bandit flying backward onto his back. The blood spurting from the bandit's chest wound traced a bizarre arc through the air. …

The first rank's eight long-spear thrusts killed six or seven men. These pikemen were all composed of the strongest and most aggressive men. They practiced thrusting alone hundreds of times every day, and in regular training they wore weights on their hands and feet. Now on the battlefield without those weights, their hands and feet were even more nimble and their speed astonishing. The small spearheads coming at you were hard to block to begin with, let alone at such high-speed thrusts. For bandits without any armor, every long-spear thrust meant a life taken. And for ease of carrying, the bandits had no such long spears. Qi's army's bamboo long spears were very light; subtracting the grip section and the small length at the rear for balance, their attack range could reach over four meters. At that distance the bandits could only take a beating — that was the equipment difference between regular troops and bandits.

The remaining bandits continued surging forward under their own momentum. Two bandits who had been stabbed instinctively grabbed the spear shafts. The other pikemen were withdrawing their spears. Several bandits in front of Wang Zhangfu seized the chance to close in, attempting to exploit the spent spear thrusts to engage in close combat. Wang Zhangfu and the trident man beside him thrust at them simultaneously. This was something they often encountered in squad drills: the long spear was the primary assault weapon, but its thrust was easily spent; covering the long spear fell to the trident and the saber-and-shield. The trident's three-pronged head served both offense and defense. With Wang Zhangfu's flag-pike assisting, two bandits could not evade and had to parry with their blades, retreating a step. Just as they steadied themselves, the long spears thrust again. Those bandits' bodies stiffened, then crumpled softly to the ground.

As the second volley of long spears was being withdrawn, a burly bandit chief suddenly burst out from the rear rank with several fierce bandits — it was Yingmen Liang. In the final stage of the charge he had originally planned to attack from the flanks, but as soon as he showed his head he saw five arquebusiers on the rear flank. These arquebuses had left a deep psychological scar on him; he shuddered and shrank back, returning to the center. Taking advantage of the long spears being withdrawn, he grabbed a spear shaft, leveled his large saber, and prepared to crash straight through. He deliberately avoided the trident and flag-pike side, attacking toward the center of the saber-and-shield men — after all, waist sabers were not so fearsome.

Yingmen Liang grabbed the long spear and smoothly advanced two steps, already past the spearhead. The pikeman directly in front of him no longer posed any threat. The other fierce bandits tied down the nearby enemies, and he still had a personal follower covering him. Yingmen Liang only needed to deal with the saber-and-shield man in front of him. That saber-and-shield man had also noticed him and did not stay in place. His left arm, sheathed in a round shield, guarded his body as he advanced; his right arm raised his saber and chopped fiercely at Yingmen Liang's head. Yingmen Liang had not expected the saber-and-shield man to be so capable. He regretted not bringing a shield, but the blade was already upon him, so he had to block with the flat of his saber. The saber-and-shield man's blow was utterly relentless; Yingmen Liang used all his strength just to block it, completely losing his offensive momentum.

With just that slight delay, the other long spears had already resumed their attacks. Three of the covering fierce bandits were killed. The front-rank bandits retreated several steps, all dodging away from the long pikes' frontal attack. The front rank's shape curved into an arc.

Yingmen Liang was now fighting alone against the enemy. Extremely anxious, he had only bought a brief window and could not afford any delay. If the tridents on both flanks closed in, he would ascend to heaven in an instant. He had to force back this saber-and-shield man so he could easily cut down the two nearby pikemen and thus break open a gap. Tall and powerfully built, Yingmen Liang in his desperation raised his large saber, preparing to chop straight down on the opponent's round shield, intending to use brute force to smash this detestable saber-and-shield man aside. Suddenly, his personal follower let out a scream.

Yingmen Liang glanced over. A trident from the rear rank had thrust through a gap between the pikemen and stabbed into his follower's abdomen. His combat experience was rich; from the corner of his eye he had already spotted a flicker of movement in the gap in front of him. He made a snap decision, released the spear shaft, and rolled backward. Just as he rolled away, a long spear from the rear rank whooshed into the spot where he had just stood.

Yingmen Liang's scalp tingled. If another squad came from the rear, there was no way he could evade so many weapons. His plan instantly shifted from breaking the formation to saving his own life. After rolling, he scrambled up and tried to run back, but collided head-on with a bandit from the rear rank. Furious, Yingmen Liang was about to shove the bandit aside when two spearheads suddenly burst out of his chest — the two long spears from the government troops' front rank. After the spearheads were withdrawn, this fierce bandit finally collapsed. …

From the gaps beside Wang Zhangfu and the others, two long pikes and a trident also thrust out — they were the pikemen of the second squad behind them. The rear rank surged forward together; they did not need to maintain formation like the first squad, attacking wherever there was a gap. The density of weapons at the front of the killer squad greatly increased. Under Wang Zhangfu's loud commands, his squad began leaping forward to attack. The slightly shorter tridents, flag-pikes, and long sabers all pushed slightly ahead, coordinating with the long spears' assault. The front-rank bandits faced simultaneous attacks from flag-pikes, tridents, and long pikes; they were killed on the spot before they could even retreat. In front of Wang Zhangfu, seven or eight corpses lay in disorder.

The veteran bandits led by Yingmen Liang had suffered over half casualties, and even their leader was dead. Yet they had only killed one soldier with a single thrown javelin; the others had not even touched the enemy's edge. Watching the front rank fall one after another, the younger bandits were already terrified; none dared face the soldiers' blades. The opposing front rank advanced in leaps, ferocious long pikes stabbing in wave after wave. Several more screamed and were stabbed down. The bandits lost another twenty-plus men in close combat; the fierce bandits were almost all dead or wounded. After another four javelins flew at them, the bandits' spirit finally collapsed, and with a cry they turned and fled.

This time Chen Xin saw it clearly: a few rounds of thrusting had routed the bandits. Another opportunity had arrived. He shouted, "Break formation! Killer squads pursue Tongtian Liang's bandit banner by individual squads. Firearms squad and logistics squad follow in support."

Hai Gouzi raised his bugle and blew three short notes. At the front, Wang Zhangfu reflexively shouted, "First Squad, charge!"

The soldiers of First Squad roared in unison and charged forward behind Wang Zhangfu, killing the bandits who had fallen behind one by one. The bandits ahead, hearing the commotion behind them, fled for their lives, stampeding back in blind panic and throwing the fierce bandits Tongtian Liang had kept in the rear into chaos. Seeing the situation turn dire, Tongtian Liang hurriedly retreated, hoping to pull back a distance and reorganize his ranks as before. But the government troops behind pursued relentlessly, and their formation remained unbroken. The panicked bandits continued fleeing, sweeping away the main bandit force that had stayed in place. Yang Yunnong by the river at least had this much discernment; he quickly directed his retainers and the city garrison to charge back as well. Caught in a pincer, the bandits completely collapsed, scattering like a burst nest in all directions across the southern bank's open fields. These bandits were unstoppable when the wind was at their backs, but the moment they met a setback, their morale vanished entirely.

The retainers of the two guards relished beating the drowning dog, chasing in great strides and casually cutting down the routed bandits, who had no strength to fight back, from behind.

Wang Zhangfu led his squad straight for Tongtian Liang's bandit banner. The banner was like a magnet; all four killer squads raced urgently toward it.

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Tongtian Liang had never imagined his vanguard could be defeated so quickly. In the chaos, even his horse had run off to who knows where. Only five or six trusted followers remained around him. First they were swept westward, then after the pincer attack they fled southward, glancing back as they ran. But the pursuers behind them only grew in number; it was the same even after they turned two corners. After running a while longer, he suddenly remembered something. He turned and kicked a trusted follower behind him to the ground. This brother was extremely dedicated, still carrying the bandit banner even while fleeing for his life. Gasping for breath, Tongtian Liang cursed, "You dog-fucked bastard, think I've lived too long?"

With that, his eyes darted, and he pointed west, telling that trusted follower, "Take the banner and run that way." He did not linger, continuing his escape. Only three trusted followers remained at his side. The pursuers behind indeed fell for it, chasing toward the southwest.

Tongtian Liang was just congratulating himself when suddenly a bowstring twanged. A heavy arrow flew from the side-rear and struck Tongtian Liang in the buttock. "Ya!" Tongtian Liang grimaced and looked back. Five government troops were over twenty paces behind, closing in. The fleeing bandits around him did not dare block them, keeping far away — the farther from this big target, the better. …

"Big Boss, run!" The three trusted followers were still loyal and hurriedly supported Tongtian Liang as they fled together. Tongtian Liang also summoned his remaining courage. The edge of the wooded hill was just ahead; once inside the forest, his chances of escape would greatly increase. What should have been a great victory had been inexplicably defeated by a small army. He had been utterly routed without even facing his opponent directly — it could be considered the most humiliating battle of his life. This small army was even fiercer than the soldiers from Dengzhou. He had no idea when such a strong force had appeared in Weihai. At this moment, he truly wanted to weep aloud.

Another bowstring twanged behind him. Tongtian Liang instinctively ducked his head. A heavy arrow flew over his scalp; he could even feel the fletching brush past. They ran another dozen or so paces, and another arrow came. A trusted follower beside him was struck in the thigh and could run no more. He simply stopped, turned, and stood with his blade ready, prepared to hold off the pursuers, telling Tongtian Liang to run ahead.

Full of pent-up fury and knowing he could not escape, Tongtian Liang also turned desperate and stopped. His original mountain-cleaving axe had been lost during the flight; he drew a waist saber and bellowed, "You dog-fucked bastards want my head? Let's see if you're worthy!" His two remaining underlings also stopped, viciously drawing their blades to face the five pursuing officers. He still did not know that the leader was the officer of that small army which had ruined his plans; otherwise he would have thrown himself at them in a fight to the death long ago.

It was indeed Chen Xin who had come, bringing four personal guards. After the soldiers began their own pursuit, he had taken his guards to observe Tongtian Liang. When the pincer attack began, he had moved south ahead of time, chasing through the crowd all the way here.

Now seeing Tongtian Liang like a cornered rat trying to bite the cat, Chen Xin raised a hand to halt his guards. After catching his breath, he sized up the bandit chief opposite: burly and savage, his bloodshot eyes seeming about to spew fire. Tongtian Liang and his three bandits stood ready, apparently prepared to drag a few down with them.

Chen Xin naturally would not fight to the death with doomed men. He stopped twenty paces away and said to Hai Gouzi beside him, "Sound assembly!" Hai Gouzi quickly took out his bugle and blew a long assembly note. This bugle call had many uses, but since his bugle only produced one note, Chen Xin had simplified its functions: wake-up, meals, and assembly were all one long note. Each had a specific time or condition of use, so they would not be confused. Upon hearing the call, all six flag-pikes began moving this way.

Chen Xin then said to Zhou Shifa beside him, "Shoot!"

The moment Tongtian Liang saw Zhou Shifa draw an arrow from his quiver, he knew it was bad. None of his own archers were with him; they had run off to who knows where. He watched as six squads of government troops closed in. With twenty paces between him and Chen Xin, he could neither charge nor flee.

"Fuck your mother, you've got no shame. Dare you and me…"

"Shoot him."

Zhou Shifa had already loosed over ten arrows today and had been running for half the day; his strength was somewhat diminished. But the distance was very close. He nocked a heavy arrow and aimed at Tongtian Liang.

Treated as a target, Tongtian Liang's pupils contracted. "Your mother, you ball-less turtle…"

A heavy arrow came whistling through the air. Zhou Shifa's aim was slightly off; it struck the arm of a trusted follower beside him. He drew another heavy arrow, preparing to continue target practice.

The other uninjured trusted follower could not endure the feeling of being a target. With an angry roar, he charged alone. He was struck by an arrow halfway and stumbled forward. Hai Gouzi and Zhang Dahui, wielding the more nimble seven-chi wooden-shaft spears, easily killed him using their two-man bayonet drill. This was also the first kill for Hai Gouzi and Zhang Dahui, but on the battlefield they had no time to dwell on it.

All three of Tongtian Liang's group were wounded and hampered in movement. Unable to fight and unable to flee, they exchanged glances. Then Tongtian Liang dropped to his knees with a thud. "My lord, spare our lives!"

Nie Hong grinned. He had been protecting Chen Xin the whole way and had conveniently killed several scattered bandits as well. The feeling after killing left him deeply satisfied. Seeing that even this bandit chief had surrendered to his lord, he grew even more smug and moved forward to seize them.

Chen Xin slightly extended a hand to stop him, then said to Tongtian Liang, "Throw your blades far away, then lie flat on the ground with your arms stretched out."

After the three bandits complied under the threat of the bow, Nie Hong went up and tied them one by one.

Zhang Dahui watched the six approaching flag-pikes and asked Chen Xin, "My lord, where do we assemble now?"

"Right now, we're going to earn your travel money for the capital." ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Note 1: Qi's army advanced three times with three bugle calls, each time shouting "Hu!" in unison, making three shouts of "Hu, Hu, Hu!" in total. The Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor also stole Qi Jiguang's copyright.