Chapter 1283: How to Become Loyal, Heroic, Delightful, and Careful

Shang Zhixin held a single-tube telescope to his eye, straining his sight toward the distance. At the far end of the mountain terrain, on the horizon, drifted a layer of mist-like dust and smoke, broad and flat, spreading thin and diffuse.

"Infantry, about twenty thousand." Shang Zhixin paused a moment. "They should be near the angle between the Han River and the Ju River." He turned his head and looked at Kong Tingxun, who sat astride his horse beside him. "Brother Kong, I never expected the roving bandits would actually choose to fight a decisive battle with us in the Hanzhong Basin. They really haven't learned their lesson!"

Kong Tingxun was also staring intently at the plain ahead, and said nothing.

Shang Zhixin added, "We've brought fifteen hundred armored cavalry this time, enough to trample the enemy line. When the moment comes, your younger brother wants to lead the charge into their formation — don't fight me for it, Big Brother!"

Kong Tingxun lowered the telescope from his eyes and turned to Shang Zhixin. "Defu's horsemanship is superb. Leading the cavalry in a charge, you will surely win at the first show of the banner. How could your foolish elder brother contend with you for it?"

He paused, then added, "The terrain on the north bank of the Han and the west bank of the Ju is rather narrow; too many troops cannot be deployed there. Our fifteen thousand men, however, are just exactly enough to spread out. And we are arrayed with the mountains at our backs, while they are arrayed with the rivers at theirs — greatly to our advantage!"

Shang Zhixin was already itching to move. "Brother Kong, let's hurry back and report the enemy situation to my father, so he can quickly order the troops out of the mountains!"

Kong Tingxun laughed. "Defu, you go alone. Your foolish elder brother will stay here and first deploy the vanguard, seizing the key passes at the mountain mouths, so the roving bandits cannot bottle up our main force in the mountains."

"That works too!" Shang Zhixin cupped his hands. "Your younger brother will go and come back at once!"

Just as Shang Zhixin spurred his horse back to his own central army to consult with his old man Shang Kexi on how to win merit and build a career, two great banners had already crossed over the pontoon bridge on the Han River. These two great banners were not held aloft by standard-bearers but mounted on carts. On the twenty-foot-tall flagpoles, the blue-green banners snapped and flew in the wind. On the one to the left, a huge character "Jin" was embroidered in black silk thread in the center.

The other great banner, likewise of blue-green cloth, bore the words "Commander of the Three Armies" embroidered in red silk thread on its face.

The instant these two banners — symbolizing the Shun's Prince of Jin, Li Dingguo, and the Shun's northern-front Regional Commander — appeared, a burst of horn calls rang out, their bleak and piercing sound carrying across the entire battlefield. Before the first horn call had faded, the next sounded close upon it.

The Shun soldiers, who were on the march and deploying, could not help slowing their steps and turning one after another toward the source of the sound. All of them saw Li Dingguo's princely banner and commander's banner.

The Shun soldiers, whose morale had been somewhat low, saw these two banners and at once let out cheers that shook heaven and earth.

"Prince of Jin, Thousand Years, Thousand Years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

The Shun army's cheers carried to the slope five or six li away. Kong Tingxun, who was directing the Ming vanguard's six battalions as they deployed into six square formations along the hillside, straightened his back in the saddle, raised his single-tube telescope, and gazed into the distance.

Because he was already on high ground looking down, and with the aid of the telescope, Kong Tingxun could see with perfect clarity the Shun troops deploying their formations below the slope.

The Shun army numbered about twenty thousand, drawn up in a long snake formation running southwest to northeast.

The southwestern starting point of the long snake formation was the small county seat of Mian County — a very sturdy bastion fort, resting against the Han River to the south. On the opposite bank of the Han stood another bastion fort, the two forts linked by a pontoon bridge. Farther south was the Shun army's main camp at Mount Dingjun! The northeastern end of the long snake formation was the west bank of the Ju River.

In other words, both flanks of the Shun army were protected by forts and river courses, making it rather difficult for the enemy's cavalry to strike them in the flank.

"They certainly know how to pick their ground!" Kong Tingxun bared his teeth. "This battle is going to be a long one!"

Using massed cavalry under covering artillery fire to strike the flanks was the "one winning trick" by which Wu Sangui had repeatedly defeated the roving bandits in the great battles on the Guanzhong Plain. It looked very simple, yet it worked again and again.

At that moment a clatter of hoofbeats sounded. Kong Tingxun turned and saw that Shang Kexi and his son Shang Zhixin had already spurred their horses over, and with them appeared a large body of armored cavalry.

"How is the situation?" Shang Kexi reined in his warhorse beside Kong Tingxun and asked in a loud voice.

"Uncle," Kong Tingxun said, "the roving rebels rest their left on the Mian County fort and their right on the west bank of the Ju River, drawn up in a long snake formation."

Shang Kexi raised his telescope and studied the front. "Still arrayed with the rivers at their backs. If they lose this, they'll all end up in the Han and the Ju! And we have the mountains at our backs — we can attack or defend. Who is commanding them?"

"It seems to be the false Prince of Jin, Li Dingguo."

"Li Dingguo?" Shang Kexi was taken aback. "He's a veteran soldier too. How has his generalship gotten worse and worse?"

Shang Zhixin spoke up beside him. "Father, the enemy's formation doesn't seem to be fully set yet. Let your son take the cavalry and charge them once, and give them a taste of our might!"

Shang Kexi raised his telescope again and looked. He found that the Shun army opposite had just drawn up two great horizontal infantry formations, front and rear, each of about ten thousand-odd men, divided into twenty battalion squares. In each battalion square the number of long spears was rather insufficient — only a few dozen or so. Their ranks were still somewhat disordered, clearly not yet finished forming up.

As for the Shun army's artillery and horse units, neither had appeared yet. The artillery was probably not yet in position, and as for the horse units — they likely had no cavalry worth putting forward.

"Very well," Shang Kexi nodded. "While their artillery hasn't arrived, let's catch them off guard!" He pointed to his left. "The cavalry will charge along the Ju River, striking their right wing. If you cannot break through, withdraw at once, reform, and charge again!"

"Your son understands!"

The eight-year-long Guanzhong war had also taught these warlords — Shang Kexi, Kong Tingxun, and Shang Zhixin — quite a few skills. They now knew that the best way to employ cavalry was repeated, back-and-forth charges!

Shang Kexi watched his son spur away, then turned back to Kong Tingxun. "Worthy nephew, my son will most likely smash the enemy's right-wing forward formation. For the second wave, I will personally command twelve infantry battalions against the enemy's center, to keep them from reinforcing their right wing.

The remaining troops I leave under your command. First anchor our line along the hillside, and take care to guard our own right wing. Then, when my son's horse units withdraw, send out infantry to cover them as they charge the enemy's right wing again — until it breaks!"

Shang Kexi's method of fighting was still highly professional. He adopted the tactic of attacking first and forming up afterward because the artillery that had followed him all the way to Hanzhong was too few — only twelve light three-catty guns. The enemy, by contrast, very likely possessed heavy twelve-pounders!

If they waited for Li Dingguo to finish deploying at his leisure, the battle would be hard to fight.

While Shang Kexi and Kong Tingxun were busy mustering the infantry that kept arriving rapidly along the mountain road and sending them into line, Shang Zhixin was already closing on the Shun army's right wing with fifteen hundred armored cavalry.

The two sides' main positions were about five or six li apart. The Hequ horses could not charge that far, so Shang Zhixin first had to move his force to within two li of the enemy's right wing before he could launch the assault.

Not wheel-fighting by company or battalion — all fifteen hundred cavalry charging together!

Fifteen hundred iron cavalry spread out across a very broad assault front. A so-called wall-charge was impossible, but their formation was still fairly dense. It was simply a great mass of cavalry surging forward with a rush — first at the walk, then a slow trot, then faster and faster, and finally a full sprint!

When Shang Zhixin directed the cavalry to begin the charge, Shang Kexi straightened in the saddle and watched the dust filling the sky ahead and the cavalry mass running faster and faster, his heartbeat quickening without his noticing.

Faintly, scattered gunfire came through — it must be the roving bandits' matchlocks opening fire.

The volley fire was poorly organized! Shang Kexi thought. They must not have expected us to send cavalry charging their formation before we had even finished deploying. They're somewhat flustered.

Then another burst of gunfire rang out, far more orderly than the last. The roving bandits' musketeers must have adopted volley-by-ranks fire.

Still, two volleys at the enemy's approach was about all they'd manage. The roving bandits' pikemen should be coming up now, but their numbers were not great — they should not be able to withstand the charge of fifteen hundred iron cavalry.

Just as Shang Kexi reached this thought, a dull "bang-bang-bang" of collision sounded from the front!

The impact had begun!

Shang Kexi immediately raised his telescope and looked forward. He found the front in chaos, but he did not see his own cavalry retreating in disarray.

Clearly, they had broken in!

Shang Kexi at once shouted excitedly, "Boys, charge! All of you who want merit, who want riches — follow me and charge, goddammit!"

(End of Chapter)