Chapter 18

The Qing troops in the rear wanted to flee, but they were too close to the city wall, all within range of the bows and crossbows.

Countless bolts and arrows whistled sharply, pouring wildly into the Qing troops, and the entire ambush force fell into chaos.

In just a moment, the Qing forces suffered nearly two thousand casualties beneath the southern wall.

The remaining several thousand Qing soldiers discarded helmets and armor, fleeing in disarray back to their rear camp.

"The Qing troops have withdrawn! Pass the order—leave no one alive inside the city!"

"All soldiers, gather quickly at the south gate; while the Qing retreat, cavalry in front, infantry behind, execute a reverse pearl‑curtain maneuver, and follow me straight into the Qing camp!"

Jia Jing saw the opportunity arrive, naturally would not miss such a good chance, and decisively gave the order.

The orderlies on both sides promptly received the command.

Meanwhile, Jia Jing led Feng Ziying and others swiftly down the wall, preparing to sally forth.

At the gate, the defenders of the other three gates had already formed ranks, fully equipped and awaiting Jia Jing's order.

Jia Jing waited no longer, quickly moved before the cavalry, and shouted loudly:

"Comrades! The time to prove ourselves with real swords and spears has come!"

"They say the Tartars' ten thousand are unbeatable, but I refuse to believe our Han soldiers are inferior to them!"

"Whoever dares to offend our mighty Han shall be put to death!"

"All troops, hear my command—follow me to slay the enemy!"

The Han troops were inspired by Jia Jing's aura, their fighting spirit soaring, and they shouted in unison:

"Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy……"

The heavy gate was slowly opened, and the war drums boomed, echoing throughout Jinzhou inside and out.

As the gate swung fully open,

what met the eye was Jia Jing wearing a bright‑silver lion helmet, clad in snowflake fish‑scale armor, grasping a Longdan Bright Silver Spear, with an Azure Rainbow Treasure Sword at his waist, draped in a black qilin cape, mounted on a white horse, imposing and dignified, his face like a crown‑jade.

To his left and right were officers Feng Ziying, Han Qi, Zhu Que, and others,

behind them stood a thousand cavalry in neat rows, each with bow and quiver at the waist, spear in hand, fully armed.

Further back were ranks of infantry clad head‑to‑toe in armor, bearing spears and slung bows, about six thousand strong.

As Jia Jing led the charge out of the gate on his horse, a furious roar rang through the heavens:

"Kill the dog‑Tartars!!"

The entire army's morale rose like a rainbow, following Jia Jing out the gate to strike at the Qing main force.

The Qing main force outside the southern gate still numbered about forty thousand, having suffered several thousand casualties in days of assault, while each of the other three gates held roughly two thousand Qing troops making feint attacks.

At that moment, Fei Yanggu, standing under the Qing banner, felt a flicker of excitement and exhilaration; though he had been vexed by the failed ambush and lost troops,

now seeing the Han army so arrogant, daring to field less than ten thousand for open battle,

he instantly exclaimed excitedly:

"Heaven aids me! After a few minor victories, the Han army actually dares to abandon its fortified city and meet us in the field—nothing short of suicide!"

"The Han forces appear to be only six or seven thousand, while we still have forty thousand; this battle's outcome is certain—the advantage is ours!"

"Order the vanguard to advance at once, draw the remnants of the failed assault force to one side, have the remaining troops immediately form ranks, and launch a full‑scale attack—I will annihilate this Han army in one engagement!"

Having spoken, Fei Yanggu's face broke into an uncontainable smile.

Had I known that young Jia Jing would be so easily lured out of the city, these past days of costly assaults would have been unnecessary,

a few minor defeats to draw the Han army out would have sufficed, and Jinzhou would already have fallen.

I overestimated young Jia Jing!

Fei Yanggu silently sighed.

He then thought: if we took Jinzhou and marched straight into the Han heartland, such a great achievement,

might even earn him further advancement at court, attaining the highest rank among ministers!

The other Qing commanders echoed in agreement:

"Good! This battle is certain to be won! If the Han army merely held the city, we would still struggle to take it quickly; but since they dare to come out and fight us in the field, defeat is inevitable for them!"

"Correct! Our Qing troops have never feared anyone in open battle—let alone when the Han forces number only this few!"

"Perhaps the Han army has exhausted its supplies, with no retreat left, forced into a desperate last stand!"

"Young Jia Jing knows not the height of heaven nor depth of earth; in this battle I will surely behead him!"

Although the Han army's momentum looks astonishing and they appear quite elite, with the forces arrayed as they are, the Qing still feel confident they can prevail!

Meanwhile, the Han vanguard was now less than a hundred paces from the Qing, because the Han troops had followed closely behind the retreating Qing after the failed assault,

thus they avoided being hit by the Qing's barrage of arrows and bolts.

Jia Jing led the charge on horseback, spear in hand, engaging the Qing vanguard first.

All that could be seen was Jia Jing on his white horse, legs gripping the belly, without any fancy spear technique—he simply raised the long spear and swept it sideways.

In an instant, a piercing whistle rang out, echoing in the ears of the nearby Qing troops.

Five or six Qing cavalrymen were struck as if by lightning; they caught only a flash of the spear's tip before they could react, flying off their mounts like torn sacks and crashing to the ground.

"Clang!" another metallic clash rang out as Jia Jing parried a volley of a dozen weapons,

the spear tip flashed swiftly; in a single move another seven or eight Qing soldiers clutched bleeding throat wounds and fell from their horses.

Jia Jing's spear flew like a dragon, unstoppable, his body drenched in blood, hewing a bloody path clean through the Qing masses.

Whenever the spear's gleam flashed, a Qing soldier was doomed.

In the short span of half a cup of tea, Jia Jing had advanced several hundred meters toward the Qing banner, and beneath his spear lay nearly a hundred slain Qing souls.

The Qing vanguard stared, stunned by Jia Jing's martial prowess—could this still be a man?

With such skill, moving through ten thousand troops like the wind—it's simply absurd!

Compared to the Han general Jia Jing, our own warriors are no better than dogs!

Behind Jia Jing were Feng Ziying, Han Qi, Zhu Que, and others who followed closely.

Zhu Que's martial arts were superb; wielding a broadsword, his moves were wide and open, each exquisitely vicious, causing the Qing troops to tremble.

Although Feng Ziying and Han Qi's martial arts were ordinary, under the leadership of Jia Jing and Zhu Que they also managed to wound several Qing soldiers.

The Han Army troops that followed the few also had their morale greatly boosted, were fiercely brave, and followed behind Jia Jing to reap.

They fought in a desperate, life‑risking style, trading wound for wound, life for life, actually achieving a shocking casualty ratio of 'one Han equals five Tartars'.

The army defending Jinzhou had already been harshly trained by Jia Jing.

Including Feng Ziying and Han Qi, they had also been taught battlefield combat skills, and were indeed a force of elite troops and capable commanders.

Under the leadership of such a peerless martial general as Jia Jing, they were like a tiger among sheep, unstoppable wherever they went.

Under such an onslaught, the Qing soldiers could not stop it at all, even showing the signs of a defeated army.

"Is this still the weak Han Army? No wonder only a few thousand dared to charge our forty‑thousand‑strong great formation."

Fei Yanggu, watching from the rear, stared wide‑mouthed; he never imagined Jia Jing could be so martial and brave.

Know that the Qing army he brought is not weak; it not only has the authentic Eight Banners cavalry, but also incorporates elite forces from the Mongols and the Wild Jurchen tribes.

Initially, with thirty thousand Eight Banners cavalry, he had defeated a twenty‑thousand‑strong allied army of the Khorchin tribe.

"General, what should we do? That little rascal Jia Jing is charging straight at our central army's great banner!"

Some of the Qing commanders who had just been full of confidence were now also a bit panicked; this was no longer an advantage for us, but a hard battle extremely difficult to win.