Chapter 119: Ah, We've Fallen into a Trap! (Please Bookmark, Please Recommend)

"All of you, charge! Charge! Don't let that dog Wu Sangui get away!"

Li Guo spurred his warhorse faster toward the front while bellowing at the top of his lungs, urging his officers and men to charge hard.

Two thousand veteran cavalry of the Shun old camp had already entered the battlefield north of the northern city of Tianjin.

Their timing in reaching the battlefield was also truly coincidental — they arrived just as Wu Sangui was directing his troops in a fierce assault on the rampart that Tang Tong was holding.

This Wu Sangui, it seemed, was all empty reputation, a fellow who looked after his front and forgot his rear — he had only focused on attacking Tang Tong and forgotten to deploy a rearguard behind his own backside.

The vanguard of the Roving Army led by Li You — a brigade of cavalry — quickly spread out and threw themselves into the attack. Wu Sangui's troops, caught completely off guard, collapsed at the first touch.

Wu Sangui himself was also a coward. He actually did not dare lead his household retainers in a counterattack, but instead turned tail and ran. And the Wu infantry who had been assaulting the rampart were likewise left with no way out by Li You's cavalry, and actually fled toward the rampart where Tang Tong was. They all crowded beneath the rampart, loudly begging and pleading for mercy.

Seeing this scene, Li Guo was of course beside himself with excitement. His uncle Li Zicheng was still worrying about Wu Sangui joining hands with the Manchus! If he could capture Wu Sangui himself here at Tianjin, the Shun's hold on the realm would be rock solid.

So Li Guo did not hesitate for a moment. He immediately split his forces into two columns, ordering his brother Li You to annihilate those Zhu-family bandit soldiers huddled beneath Tang's rampart, while he himself personally led the remaining cavalry in hot pursuit of Wu Sangui!

This Wu Sangui was no good at fighting, but he was certainly fast at fleeing for his life. His barbarian cavalry retainers were all mounted troops, and once they gave their horses free rein they ran flat out. Li Guo's cavalry had also made a round trip along both banks of the Wei River today, expending a good deal of their horses' strength, and now simply could not pick up speed. So after chasing for quite a while they still had not caught up, and instead gradually drew near the earthen mound piled on the north bank of the Wei River, the one used for shooting arrows to blockade the waterway.

A bright red banner with the character "Roving" was still planted on that mound, so it seemed it was still under the control of Tang Tong's troops. This Wu Sangui really was fleeing in blind panic!

Wu Sangui was heading straight for that great mound, and before he even got close, a row of feathered arrows shot down from atop it. But because the distance was too great, the arrows did not reach Wu Sangui, all falling twenty or thirty paces short in front of his horse.

Why were they shooting so hastily... what a waste!

Li Guo inwardly cursed the waste, while again lashing his horse with his riding crop.

Meanwhile Wu Sangui ahead and his useless barbarian cavalry retainers kept charging blindly forward, as if they had not seen the great mound in front of them at all. They galloped on for a while longer, and only when they were almost about to crash into the mound did Wu Sangui wheel around with his barbarian cavalry retainers, apparently intending to go around it. Arrows were still being shot down from atop the mound, but the archery was truly wretched beyond belief — shot after shot, and not a single one had hit.

A pack of idiots! Li Guo cursed again, and also tugged his reins, turning along with the barbarian cavalry retainers ahead. After turning, Li Guo followed the barbarian cavalry retainers ahead eastward along the mound. They had run only a few steps when the sound of a bamboo clapper being struck reached his ears, followed by a dense thrumming of bowstrings.

Why shoot now? Li Guo vaguely sensed something was wrong, and then screams and the neighing of warhorses came from behind him.

Damn it, where are they shooting?!

Li Guo did not need to turn his head to know that his own men had been "mistakenly shot"! He was furious. Those useless fools under Tang Tong were truly something else — every arrow they shot at Wu Sangui's men missed, yet when it came to mistakenly shooting their own side, they were accurate and deadly!

Once this battle is over, I'll definitely have that fellow Tang hauled off to Huang Hu for a squeezing, and have him beaten hard!

Having inwardly resolved to give Tang Tong a taste of suffering, One-Eye Li Guo nevertheless did not slow his horse, nor did he show any intention of turning away. Mistaken shooting and mistaken killing were hateful, but capturing Wu Sangui mattered more! Li Guo did not want to let Wu Sangui escape because of a blunder by Tang Tong's troops.

The mound occupied by Tang Tong's archers was not very long at all — for Li Guo, galloping at full speed, it was something to charge past in an instant. But in the very moment Li Guo rushed past the edge of the mound, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a scene that should not have been there — a unit of about two or three hundred musketeers had formed a line at the side of the mound and set up their matchlocks!

How could Tang Tong's troops have so many musketeers? Could it be that he himself had fallen into that dog Wu Sangui's cunning trap?

A terrible thought surfaced in Li Guo's mind! But his reactions were quick. Without the slightest hesitation he threw himself flat on his horse's back, while frantically lashing his mount's neck with his crop. His horse was also a rare fine steed, and stung by pain it naturally ran forward with all its might — in the blink of an eye it seemed about to catch up with the barbarian cavalry retainers ahead.

At that moment, the deafening sound of a massed volley of muskets rang out. It was not a crackling like beans popping in a pan, but a thunderous roar.

Yet Li Guo remained completely unharmed! It was not that the volley was inaccurate, but that Li Guo had charged too fast, riding alone far out in front, which made him a separate target. The New Army of Hardship still had no sharpshooters, so a massed volley naturally had to be aimed into the crowd. Thus Eunuch Chen Shifang, who was directing the shooting, ignored him, and threw the full firepower of more than three hundred muskets onto the cavalry behind Li Guo. Instantly men and horses toppled in chaos, and more than a hundred riders were struck down by lead balls in every conceivable posture.

Some were riders hit by bullets, their flesh torn and bloody, screaming as they fell from their horses!

Some were warhorses struck by lead balls, likewise suffering horrifying wounds, blood spurting out, along with large chunks of shredded flesh.

The balls of the turtle-dove-foot muskets were very heavy — over one tael each! When they struck a human body or a horse's body, a bloody hole appeared instantly on the surface, and inside the flesh was torn and bones shattered, churned into a complete mess by the lead ball. If the ball's force had not yet been fully spent, it would even punch clean through the body of man or horse. Then the wound was even more horrifying! The ball would tear away a great mass of skin and flesh on the other side of the body — just thinking about it hurt like hell!

Of course, the agony after being hit did not last long either. They hurt and hurt, and then they died.

By this time Li Guo already knew he had fallen for Wu Sangui's cunning scheme, so he could not linger in battle any longer — he had to flee, and fast!

With that thought, he opened his throat and bellowed: "Trouble's coming — scatter and run!"

Then he yanked hard on the reins, forcibly pulling up the warhorse that was galloping at full stretch. Because the stop was too sudden, the horse's forelegs reared high into the air, and it stood upright on its two hind legs alone.

By now Wu Sangui ahead was already gathering his men and reforming his assault formation. Li Guo, turning his horse around, glanced at the barbarian cavalry retainers ahead and still breathed a sigh of relief — this Wu Sangui, though crafty, was still not quite up to par in battlefield command.

What is he forming ranks for at a time like this? He should be charging straight in to fight!

"Go, go, go! Move fast! Don't linger in battle!" Li Guo shouted as he lashed his horse frantically. This was no time to spare the horse. As long as he could withdraw, it was worth running the horse to death.

But Li Guo was not fleeing in blind panic — he was heading with clear purpose toward the pontoon bridge they had crossed earlier.

Because he knew that this pontoon bridge was the key to the battle of Tianjin. If he could lead his men across the bridge and then set it ablaze, then Chen Yongfu's troops could take the southern city of Tianjin at their leisure.

As long as they could seize the southern city of Tianjin, the Zhu family's Crown Prince and Wu Sangui would still have to retreat in defeat.

At the same time, on the surface of the Wei River, twenty or thirty grain barges of varying sizes had already opened a pocket formation, waiting for the Great Dragon Head, aboard which the Zhu Crown Prince was riding, to sail right into it.

Red Lady had also boarded a slender fast boat, hidden among a cluster of plump grain barges. She had changed into a form-fitting red diving suit that hugged her fine figure into alluring curves, and she was barefoot, her snow-white feet never having been bound — indescribably enticing, so much so that her ordinary subordinates had no mind left to think about the Zhu Crown Prince. Of course, they could only look and think; touching was out of the question. That woman was fierce as could be!

(End of Chapter)